Sweet First Words

She reaches her chubby arms up to me in the morning...

"Ma Ma!"

She smiles her coy little smile at her daddy upon his return from work...

"Da Da Da Da!"

Her big blue eyes grow bigger at the sight of frozen blueberries...

"Mo!"

She peeks out from behind her burp cloth with a proud grin...

"Boo!"

Sigh. Heart melting.

My 10-month old baby girl is starting to talk. That would be a wonderful thing in and of itself...

Having my third baby talking already after my first two children both had significant speech delays? Well... that's also a bit of a relief for me.

Sweet, sweet first words... whenever they happen to come.

This post is linked to Finer Things Friday.

Seriously. Pro-Life. No Matter What.

On this post ("Why I'm Pro-Life... No Matter What"), I received the following anonymous comment:

Agreed with most of the post, but not with the "no matter what." The only major exception I can see is a threat to the mother's life. A fetus should not be given any more priority than the alive mother. Granted, this may constitute a small percentage of total cases, but it's a real viability and should be considered as such. I'd like to see that clearly addressed in your post.

Since it was left anonymously, I unfortunately cannot reply directly to the commenter. That's okay though... perhaps it's something I should address in a post. Odds are good that the commenter is not the only one who feels this way.

Here is my thinking...

First of all, we need to back up to that whole "a fetus should not be given any more priority than the alive mother" sentence. In my view, that sentence would look more like "a BABY is every bit as precious and deserving of life as the woman who carries him". It's all just a matter of perspective. While the use of the word "fetus" dehumanizes the child, the use of the word "mother" makes the woman seem all the more human. I'm also not exactly sure why the word "alive" is used to somehow differentiate the baby from the mother since that baby is also alive- unborn, but alive . I am not saying that the commenter's language is wrong; I'm just trying to explain why the title of my previous post holds true for me.

When my daughter C was born at 24 weeks, we elected (against the head OB's recommendation) to have the riskier surgery to give her her best shot. There was certainly the chance either one of us could die either way... there was also the chance that we might both survive either way. I remember- vividly- looking my husband in the eye and saying, "Whatever they have to do in there- no matter what is happening to me- you HAVE to stand up for this baby. Make sure they do what's best for our baby... that's most important to me." It didn't much matter that I was basically guaranteed survival with a vaginal delivery of a one pound baby while there was a slim chance that she'd survive no matter what I did.

Now, listen... I am not comparing my "risky surgery" with "sure death". I understand that there are women out there who are at grave risk... and I'm not saying that I think all of them should put their babies first....

I'm saying that I would. I AM pro-life... no matter what.

I hope that clearly addresses my stance on that one.

Raising Good Eaters: Some Final Thoughts

For the past three weeks, I've been sharing some of my tips for raising good eaters. If you've missed any of those posts, you can find them here:

An Introduction

Determine Your Objectives

How To Incentavize

For this final part of the series, I want to just review a few main ideas and thoughts:

• Your child will not starve. I said it in the very first part of the series- as long as you're making healthy, balanced food available to your child, he or she will eat... eventually. It is far more important that your child is getting water than food, to be honest. Don't panic if she doesn't eat for a meal or two... or even more...
• It is NOT child abuse to not give in to your child's wishes. Some people seem to think that if their child is screaming and crying and acting like it's the end of the world then, well, it is. It is not. You are doing your child (and all future teachers and caregivers too, for that matter) a favor by sticking to your guns and making the decisions.
• You are the parent and you are (or should be) in charge. Like I just said- you need to make the decisions. It's your job. Quite frankly? It's a cop-out to serve up chicken nuggets every day. And you are better- and stronger- than that.
• Just because your child is not a good eater now doesn't mean he or she has to stay that way. Ready for a confession? I was a bad eater as a child. Picky, picky, picky. I outgrew it. I'm a fantastic eater and have been for years. There are two things going on here-- first of all, your child may simply outgrow the pickiness over time. Second of all, you can start changing those picky behaviors today... you do not have to keep making grilled cheese every single day.
• If your child eats well for other people, there is no reason that he or she can't eat well for you. Oh, how many times do I hear this one? "I just don't understand it! He ate EVERYTHING for the (baby sitter, teacher, aunt, *insert person other than you*)" It's not that I don't believe it... I do. But guess what? That means that if YOU stop giving him options, he'll eat it for you too.
• It does not matter what your neighbor/friend/sibling/etc. is serving their children. There are people out there who will try to make you feel like you're cruel for not letting your kids have Kid Cuisine or Kraft Easy Mac or pizza rolls or bagel bites all the time. My honest opinion is that most of them are kind of jealous of your steel-cut-oat-eating kid while they serve up Pop-Tarts every morning. I'm just sayin'. But, regardless of the reason, do not worry about what they're serving up or their opinion of what you're serving.
• Be confident and determined. The most important piece of advice I can give you is this... As you set out to raise good eaters, be confident about what you're doing. Whether you decide that you will re-serve a plate until it is finished or you will with-hold privileges until the veggies are consumed... feel good about what you're doing. Know that you are on an honorable mission and needn't feel like a bad person. When it's tough, carry on. The rewards are great.

Thanks so much for joining me on this journey toward raising good eaters! What questions do you have for me? Any specific issues you wish I would have addressed? I'd love to talk about it in the comments!

This post is linked to Works For Me Wednesday.

Mexican Pantry Pie

One day, my plan for grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch fell through when we ran out of bread (I really, truly thought there was a loaf in the freezer - oops). I could have baked some, sure, but it was already 11 am and I didn't really have time before having to get my son off to school.

I opened the fridge and faced a whole lot of leftover scraps-- a few bits of chicken, about 1/2 cup of pinto beans, a small chunk of cheese. Not enough for a meal, certainly.

My eyes fell upon a sleeve of saltine crackers. Yep, that's right. Saltines. Hmm...

Mexican Pantry Pie

1 sleeve saltine crackers (I used the rather oxymoronic low-salt variety)

1/2 package taco seasoning (or make your own- definitely make your own if you use traditional saltines or it will be WAY too salty)

1/4 cup melted butter

1/2 cup cubed or shredded chicken

1/2 cup cooked pinto or black beans

1/4 cup salsa

1/4 cup shredded cheese (I used jack, but cheddar or co-jack would be great too!)

Preheat oven to 350. Combine first three ingredients in food processor; press into pie plate to form a "cracker crust".

Bake for about 8-10 minutes to help "set" it. Fill pie with remaining ingredients in order listed.


Bake for 10 minutes.

Lunch was served!

This post is linked to:
$5 Dinner Challenge
Tasty Tuesday
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

Menu Plan Monday: 4/25 Some Bloggy Faves

Whew! Can I just tell you how happy I am that it is NOT Spring Break this week? Last week wore me out! We were busy, busy, busy the whole darn time. This week should be more typical, giving me a chance to whip up some old favorites and also enjoy a few new-to-us meals...

Sunday:

B-Cereal, Applesauce, Milk

L -"Eggs in a Hole", Jello, Fruit
D- Supper after the race! I'll be pushing Baby G. in a 5K today that my sister organized. Looking forward to it!

Monday:

B-Oatmeal, Yogurt, Juice

L-Amy's Shrimp Dip with Crackers, Milk

D-Chicken Alfredo Bake

Tuesday

B- Banana Bread, Applesauce, Milk
L-Buttered Pasta, Cheese, Juice
D-Ham & Cheese Frittata, Salad

Wednesday:

B-Cereal, Cheese, Juice

L-Hot Dog in Bread (AKA- I'm out of buns), Fruit, Milk

D-Aussie Chicken, Lynn's Rice Mix

Thursday:

B-Peanut Butter Toast, Sliced Apples, Milk

L-Rice Mix, Chicken, Green Beans, Water

D-Hot & Sour Peanut Noodles

Friday:

B-Banana Bread, Yogurt, Milk

L-Peanut Noodles, Applesauce, Milk

D- Chicken and Mushroom Pizza & a Movie Night, Water

Saturday:

B-Eggs Florentine, Toast
L-Leftovers

D-Mac 'n Cheese w/ Hot Dogs, Green Beans

I'm looking forward to some of my old favorites from around the blogosphere- like Lynn's Rice Mix and Sherry's Aussie Chicken- and trying Amy's Shrimp Dip for the first time! My seafood loving kiddos (including the baby!) are sure to love it!

This post is linked to Menu Plan Monday.

Save Dough- Make Dough

I live in an affluent area now. I feel a little bit like a fish out of water, but I'm not about to give up my frugal, money-saving ways. (For the record, we couldn't AFFORD for me to give up my frugal ways either, so it's a good thing that I'm pretty set in them!)

I don't find many people to "talk thrifty" with, it seems. Recently, however, at a four-year old birthday party, I started chatting with another mom who originally hails from Wisconsin. She has a frugal spirit much like my own. We got along smashingly. One of the things we discussed happened to be the tradition of a Friday night Pizza & A Movie Night. That seems to be a pretty common weekly event, even around here. What's not so common? Actually making the pizza yourself. But we both do. Hooray! Someone who understands! Further conversation revealed that she buys her pizza dough for $2.50 at a discount grocery store... way more affordable than buying a pizza pre-made, for sure, but not nearly as affordable as making your own...

I shared my pizza dough recipe and she has never looked back.

Here's how I do it:

1 tablespoon yeast (.05 - I buy my yeast in bulk bags!)

1 teaspoon sugar (.01)

1 cup very warm water (free)

1 tablespoon oil (.05)

1 teaspoon salt (.01)

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (optional- I sometimes add it and sometimes don't...) (.03)

2 1/2 cups flour (.15)

total: .27 (max... I think I usually come out even less than that what-with sales and coupons... and the fact that a teaspoon of salt doesn't even cost a penny.)

Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water until nice and foamy. Add remaining ingredients in order listed. I like to mix mine in my KitchenAid with a dough hook. Transfer dough to an oiled glass or ceramic bowl, cover with a tea towel, and place in a warm place for 20 minutes. Punch down, let rest a couple minutes, and spread on pizza pan. Continue as usual with your pizza making!

Making dough saves dough. Easy as that.

This post is linked to Frugal Friday.

Green Giant Prize Pack Winner!

And the winner of the Green Giant Prize Pack is...

#25, Keli!

True Random Number GeneratorMin: Max: Result:25Powered by RANDOM.ORG

Keli writes:

We have our own garden, we recycle, and compost. We try to be engery efficent and water wise too. I love to read about new ways to help us go green. :)

Sounds like some great ways of reducing your carbon footprint, Keli! Thanks to all of you for your great comments in the entries.