Real Food for Babies

I recently read Real Food for Mother and Baby by Nina Planck. A great book with research and personal experience about giving babies good food from the beginning. I plan to start giving my twins real food this month. They will be 6 months old at the end of June. I have never subscribed to the baby food jar method for many reasons, but mainly because it's expensive and wasteful. I also didn't give my kids juice, they drank water, nursed or whole milk. I occasionally gave my kids diluted juice if they were constipated ( didn't happen often).
My husband is an avid hunter and we get some of the wild game made into sausage and pepperoni. All of our children used frozen pepperoni sticks as teethers, my husband is quite proud of that fact. I did use a hand held food grinder some, but I usually just mashed up food with a fork.

Our life is frittered away by detail...Simplify. Simplify. ~ Henry David Thoreau

Simple does not mean easy. De-cluttering, purging and letting go is one of the hardest things to do. I find when I am stressed it is because I have too much stuff; either possessions, activities or emotional stuff. Getting rid of physical extras can be easier but things often have emotional baggage too. Baggage with baggage, so American. Activities are hard to get rid of because they are fun or "necessary". Emotional stuff is well, emotional. Three things I have learned that help me simplify are:
1) Saying, "No".
Just because it would be enjoyable, or is a great deal or even free does not mean it comes with out obligations.
2) Asking myself, "do I really need this"
The answer is almost always no. We all have wants but almost none of them are needs.
3) Forgiveness
There is so much power in forgiveness. Choosing to love someone and to forgive is so much harder than choosing to be right. True forgiveness brings peace and healing. Being unforgiving only leads to anger, bitterness and sorrow. Forgiveness ASAP also helps. The longer you stew the harder it is to forgive.

Accept the things you cannot change, have courage to change the things you can and have the wisdom to know the difference.

Cures to childhood ailments

My husband told our daughter when she got an owie, that a spoon of peanut butter makes things feel all better. Sometimes when she is inconsolable about a scratch she'll ask for some PB. At first I was rolling my eyes because I thought she should just suck it up. She has hypochondriac tendencies. The PB worked, amazing. Today she was convinced she had gotten into poison oak(she didn't) so daddy suggested that she put some olive oil on the scratches, all better. Often Father Knows best! Daddy Matty saved the day, or mama's nerves, good thing too because we were out of Peanut Butter.

Becomming a mom

My cousin-in-law just had a new baby boy. I get so excited about birth stories and new mamas. I love the idea that not only is it a birthday for the child but it is a birth of a mother too. Welcome to motherhood, and good luck.