our tree

     I decided to move our tree out to the porch and fill it with some bird-friendly ornaments, so me and the boys rolled our pinecones in peanut butter and then in seed, and we hung them on the tree.  Eve rolled her little four-wheeler over to the window and watched the snow come down on it...

     It made me want to plant a bunch of Christmas trees!

how to fill a belly and save a bundle...

     As I mentioned in my last post, Eve has started nibbling on "real" food, much to her brothers' delight and entertainment.  When our first started eating baby food, I was dismayed to watch him take the typical beginner bite or two out of that expensive little jar, and then frustrated as we added yet another container to the bin.
     When we had Micah, I thought of that baby food aisle at the store and thought, "How hard can it be?"  A quick trip to google, and I had my answer, courtesy of wholesomebabyfood.com.   

     Lets just say that on average you save nearly a quarter per ounce!  Per ounce people, per ounce!  Using stuff you already have (like a blender or food processor and an ice tray).  No preservatives.  No sugar.  No guessing. 
     Cook.  Puree.  Spoon into ice cube tray.  Freeze.  Dump in a bag and store in freezer.  I tend to do mine with other food that we're having (like I just roast an extra sweet potato or two), and it all keeps in the freezer for 1 to 3 months.  Whatever baby doesn't eat can get dumped into your cooking (pumpkin cookies anyone?).
     This time I found out that you can even do your own cereals.  Really.  You toss some brown rice or old fashioned oats in a processor or coffee bean grinder, and voila!  Fluffy powder that you just get a little scoop and dump in a pot with some water for 10 minutes.  You keep your flours in the fridge, so they'll stay fresh.  Easy peasy.
     So, if your family is on a budget (or if you've just seen Wall*E enough times to feel guilty over another empty jar), then give it a try.  So far Eve's had avocado, banana, rice cereal, oatmeal, and sweet potatoes, and she totally approves.

play that funky music

     Here's Micah showing off an invention that his Mama doesn't really need.  If you know me really well, you know that I seem to have a built-in music player hard-wired into my brain somewhere.  My hubby will occasionally notice me bouncing around, and then he likes to ask me, "what's on your play-list right now?"

     Course, no one needs to ask me lately, as everyone knows that I've had "play that funky music..." rolling predominantly through my head since before Christmas.  Even Levi and Micah have started singing it.  Rediculous thing is, that I didn't even have to hear the song for it to start playing, I just had a random thought that reminded me of a movie that has it in it, and well, there it is... 

     Anyways... we had a healthy start to our new year.  Lots of laughter, lots of geocaching & hiking, some short stints on the treadmill for the boys, and Eve's first spoonfuls into the adventurous world of solid food. 
     All to the tune of some really funky music.