Baby's First Yogurt

Age 7 mo 3 wks

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Baby Food Ideas (NOT Baby Led Weaning) - GAPS

If I was not going to do Baby-led weaning, then I think I would introduce foods in the order recommended by the GAPS book (as an aside, here is another article in support of Baby-Led Weaning).

If you aren't familiar with GAPS, it is a way of eating which is meant to heal your gut and strengthen your entire system.  It is fairly revolutionary and the book itself is full of information and knowledge far beyond the scope of any other nutrition or diet book I have seen.

She recommends:

1. Broth
2. Fresh juice - carrot/ warm water - cabbage, celery, lettuce
3. Add probiotic to stock (if whey is ok, add yogurt)
4. Vegetable soup or puree - carrot, zucchini, squash, leek, onion, garlic, broccoli, cauliflower - broth + fat + vegetable + yogurt or whey
5. Boiled meats (+ skin + liver) - include fish and fish skin
6. Avocado
7. Egg yolk
8. Cooked apple with fat
9. Nut butter pancakes (squash and eggs fried in coconut oil or butter)
10. Raw vegetables- lettuce, cucumber, carrot, celery, cabbage
11. Scrambled egg
12. Raw apple, ripe banana
13. Almond bread
14. Salt

She also says to use a spoon and give baby a spoon-- good advice all around!

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Baby Food: Raspberries and Watermelon

We are getting closer to summer fruits!  Another reason to love Baby-Led Weaning!

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Recipe: Vanilla Ice Cream

This vanilla ice cream is delicious and we all love it... even my husband!  It is from Nourishing Traditions (but we increase the vanilla and use a bit less cream~ but only because we buy it by the pint and don't want extra sitting around).  We are considering replacing the maple syrup with honey because of the strong maple flavor of the syrup.









Vanilla Ice Cream

2 cups raw cream
1 cup raw milk
3 egg yolks (from pastured hens, if possible)
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 T arrowroot powder
2 T vanilla

Mix in stand mixer.  Refrigerate for a few hours.  Turn on ice cream maker.  Slowly pour into ice cream maker, continuing to churn.  Enjoy!

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Baby Food: Blueberries

We love Baby-led weaning!  So does our baby!

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Pattern Review: Indygo Junction In-Style Suitcase Bag IJ913

I was so excited about this bag.  The photos of it make it look so cute and sharp.  I was so excited that I actually bought the specified size of the D rings (I usually just find something that is similar in my stash).  I also bought buckram to use in place of the polyester foam, and I actually bought medium-weight interfacing (I have a bunch of lightweight interfacing I usually use).

But this was an awful project.  I think I would be less annoyed if it were a tutorial, but I spent $10 for the pattern.  I would think that a paid pattern would be better than this, and I am sorely disappointed.

Why did I hate this project?



 1. The raw seams are exposed inside.  They are serged or zig-zagged, but still... exposed seams in a lined purse? C'mon.

2. The pieces are all cut using eighths of an inch.  Really?  Can't we work in fourths or halves of an inch?  Must we be that precise?

3. You had me buy a really long zipper then cut off a third of it (inches on each side).  Why not just specify the size of the opening?

4. The inner pockets look bad.  It is actually clever in theory how they are attached.  They are lined up with the sides and bottom on each side, then your seams to attach the straps on the outside double for the inner pockets.  But why waste the inch on each seam of usable pocket space? Why not just do a bag lining with proper pockets?

5. The instructions are too brief.  I am not one for over-explaining, but they are hard to understand.  The diagrams aren't marked with right side up and down, and the two versions of the bag are marked by the colors of the example bags rather than their redeeming features (i.e. just call one version a single exterior pocket bag and the other version a double exterior pocket bag instead of "green" and "purple").


6. The handles have exposed seams.  They are tucked under and serged or zig-zagged, but still-- I want to make a polished bag.  The roughness looks bad.

The construction method of the top zipper area was actually pretty cool: they have you put in the zipper, hidden between the exterior and interior layers, then cut the whole panel to size.

I also found how they have you use the medium interfacing on the pockets to be unusual.  To make the pockets, they have you fold a large piece in half long-ways.  Then a piece of interfacing is ironed onto the fold, with about 2 inches on each side.  This adds a nice amount of crispness to the edge.

I ended up trying to "save" the inner look of the bag by covering all my seams with fold-over elastic (FOE) I happened to have in the same color.  Before I did this, my inner lining was fraying like crazy-- even through my zig-zags.   I couldn't imagine using the bag and getting yellow fuzz every time.

So (no surprise here), if you are considering this bag, I'd say give it a skip.

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Recipe: Milk- Making Cookies (Gluten Free, Refined Sugar Free)

What better excuse to eat cookies?  Oh- they are helping me lactate.  Brilliant!

I saw them here and was inspired.  Her key ingredients are flax, brewer's yeast, and oats.  I took one of her recipes and modified it to make it without refined sugar or gluten.  Here is what I came up with.  They are pretty tasty.  Toddlers even like them.

3/4 cup almond butter
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup flax
3 T. Brewer's Yeast
1/3 cup stock
1 t. cinnamon
1/4 c. maple syrup
1 banana
2 t. almond extract
3 eggs

1 1/2 cups oat flour
1 t. baking soda
1 t. sea salt

1 cup nuts
2 cups oats

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a stand mixer, combine almond butter, butter, flax, brewer's yeast, stock, cinnamon, maple syrup, banana, and almond extract.  Add eggs and mix again.  Gradually add flour, baking soda, and salt.  Mix in nuts.  Add oats last.

Place balls onto cookie sheet.  Bake for 12 minutes.

Option: Make one big tray of cookie bars; double cook time.

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10 Tips for Beginning Seamstresses

1. The better you cut, the better your project will be.
2. Push out all corners with a tool.  It will make your edges sharp.
3. Topstitch wherever possible. It makes projects look more finished.
4. Change your sewing machine needle often.
5. Buy fabric you like when you see it; the projects can come later (think of it like eating with seasonal vegetables).
6. Iron your fabric.
7. If you make a mistake, pluck it out as soon as you notice it.  No sense in going further then getting it out later. It will just take longer and make a bigger mess.
8. Clip threads as you go.  As soon as you finish a seam, clip both sides of the seam tight to the fabric.  If you don't, there will be way too many at the end of the project and you are bound to miss one.
9. When you are winding a bobbin, wind two (or more).  It takes longer to re-thread the machine than to wind extra and keep them waiting.
10. If your machine is acting odd, re-thread it on top and take out the bobbin and put it back in.  If that doesn't work, then open it up and clean up the lint down below.  If that doesn't work, change the needle.  Next, try the upper tension.

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How to Nurse while Babywearing

Nursing in a carrier is a great way to help meet your baby's needs when you either can't sit down, or if you want a little extra privacy.

My favorite is nursing in the Ergo.  To do this, I lengthen the straps a bit, lowering the baby.  Then I can manoever Baby onto the breast by moving my breast to his head level.  I have found this to be an easy way to get Baby to sleep as well.  For more privacy, just close the sleeping hood.

I never got the hang of how to nurse in the Moby.  I think I managed once by squishing baby lower and squeezing my breast high enough to reach Baby's mouth.  It looks like there is a way to do it by pretending it is a sling.  Here is a video someone else did of how to nurse in a Moby Wrap using it more like a sling:

However you end up managing it, nursing while walking or in the grocery store is a fine feat worth attempting repeatedly to get it right!  Good luck...

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Bright Bots Training Pants Review

Before I started sewing my own training pants (re-usable cloth Pull-Ups), I bought a few.  I knew I would be doing EC (this was before baby #1 was born), and I read the Diaper Free Baby and she recommended all sorts of items.  Cloth training pants seemed like a good idea, so I went looking.  I looked at the EC Store, and their cheapest ones were Bright Bots Training Pants.  I bought a few in size small and a few in size medium, and got a bit of use of them with both kids.

I liked them because they are cute, thin, and absorbent enough for one pee, and feel slightly damp from the outside but don't leak.  This lets you know Baby is wet and change him right away, but yet not leak pee all over.  What I didn't like was the long rise and slightly tight waist.  This could have just been how they fit on my babies, but I had to stop using them quickly because of the marks left on their waists ~ and both my babies have been on the non-chubby side. I also don't like the crinkly sound the waterproof layer makes.  I think those two items (the tight waist and crinkly noise) don't make up for the perfect thin-ness and absorbency.  Even at the right price point, I don't think they are the best option.

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