Cleaning the Chicken Food Bin

We keep the chicken food in two bins by the coop.  One is plastic and the other is metal.  Both have gotten a little in need of a cleaning, and I had two eager helpers, especially since we have a rule that we don't play with the hose in the winter. Notice little brother watching big brother's every move.  Brrr....

 

 

 

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My Cabbage Patch Kid gets New Life

I just did a post about how the kids have been playing with my old Cabbage Patch Kid from the '80s (here).

These first few photos are from when my now 4.5 year old was about 1.5 years old (his brother's age now). You can see him taking the doll's clothing off and then pottying the doll.

 

My Cabbage Patch Kid has more recently gotten action as the recipient of a homemade sleep sack, and in a row of sleeping babies with the other dollies.  In that row, my preschooler made them all matching blankets and tiny loveys, then carried them all around for a few days in a box ("crib").

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Baby in Doll Ergo and Sleep Sack from a Toddler

This is the Child Ergo I made (here).  Little brother likes the doll collection these days, and wanted to wear one of the babies on his back.

This was all of the dollies with preschooler-made blankets and loveys.

In other news, we made another sleep sack for another of the babies (original post here).  This was Big Brother's idea, and he actually did a great deal of the stitching and labor.  To make this one, we laid her onto a piece of fleece and cut around her.  We made sure to cut up around the arms and make a neckline.  Then my little helper hand stitched the edges up each side.  I did one shoulder, and we closed the other with a safety pin.  Now she's ready for bed!

 

And yes, thanks for asking, that doll is my original Cabbage Patch Kid from the '80s.

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Lululemon Shorts into Kid (Yoga) Pants

I had a pair of baggy Lululemon shorts I wore while pregnant that no longer fit but were still in good condition.  So, instead of giving them away... my older child (a little bigger than size 5T) now has another pair of pants in this awesome fabric.



To make them, I laid a pair of pants that fit him on top of these.  Turns out that the length was just perfect to keep the waistband and bottom hem intact.  I was also able to keep the pockets.

I cut the inner seam, then stitched it up.

To make the waistband, I took the existing drawstring and cut it to size and re-threaded it.

They are a bit baggy- I think I need to tighten up the waist and legs to make them a more loved and lovable pair of pants.

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Best Hat Ever

Child #1 Loved this hat because of the little velcro pocket which we put almonds into.  He named it the "almond hattie."  I bought it at a consignment shop in size 2-3T when he was 6 months old and it was big, but kept the sun off.  It still slightly fits, and he loves it (though it no longer keeps the sun off- he is 4.5 years old now).

Child #2 keeps putting this hat on (he is 1.5 years old).  It is winter, but he likes that he can put it on and off, and he likes saying "hat" and grabbing it.

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Stay at Home Valentine's Menu Ideas

Valentine's Day is just around the corner.  How about skipping the sitter and the restaurant this year, and having a special dinner at home?  You could serve the kids their dinner, candlelit, of course, so they can celebrate the holiday with you, then go for a little romance after their bedtime.  But what to serve?  

Appetizer

Oysters (of course! These are said to raise libido...) or

Baked Brie in (optional) Flaky Crust with Grapes or Cranberry-Apple Sauce

Wrap brie in croissant dough and bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Bake the same if you omit crust.

To make cranberry-apple sauce, boil bag of cranberries and 3 cut, cored, and skinned apples with a cup of chicken stock. Lower to a simmer for 15 minutes.  

Slice croissant crust on brie open crosswise, then add cranberry sauce (or other fruit compote, or preserves) in center.  Dip with hard crackers like Melba rounds.

Salad

Caesar or Spinach 

Main

Grilled Steak (grass-fed and with sea salt - grill on hot BBQ for 4 minutes per side) or

Spicy Baked Shrimp

combine:

1/4 cup olive oil

1 T Cajun or Creole seasoning

1 T fresh lemon juice

1 T chopped fresh parsley

2 t soy sauce

2 t honey

pinch cayenne

Pour mixture over 1/2 lb. lg. uncooked shrimp, deveined, shelled. Marinate in refrigerator for 1 hour, covered.  

Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Garnish with lemon wedges and serve with sourdough bread.

Dessert

Fruit Salad or

Coconut Fudge

2 c almonds
1 c coconut oil
1 c honey
1 c cocoa powder
1 t vanilla
1/2 t salt

Mix in food processor. Mush in parchment paper lined pan. Refrigerate if you want it more solid (at least 20 minutes).

Serve with fresh berries.

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Xtracycle Milk Crate Seat and Yepp Seat

When we got the new Edgerunner by Xtracycle, I made a milk crate into a baby seat and bigger kid back rest (aka two child seat).

Here it is with one child- the other sits in front and leans back onto the crate:

We have been using it quite nicely until the little one, who was sitting inside the crate, got tired. He would fall asleep in various positions, all of which looked extremely uncomfortable.  If he was alone on the bike, he would lean onto the front of the crate and sleep like that.  But then big brother couldn't get onto the bike without waking him, and he couldn't fall asleep like that if they were both on the bike.  He also fell asleep in mid-air, lurching back and forth.  This became more difficult as he has gotten bigger and less of his body is supported by the crate, and if he was asleep and I would stop the bike, he would lurch forward and back and not have anywhere to go (it's as if the momentum was keeping him steady somehow).

We needed a better solution if he was going to keep falling asleep on the bike (and he is a kid who wakes up when we try to transfer him while sleeping).

So we moved the crate forward so that Big Brother would still have a back rest and pockets, and so that each kid would have their own space.  Then we bought the PeaPod III and Flight Deck Adapter (though we bought them from amazon as the Yepp Maxi Easyfit and Yepp Easyfit Carrier Adapter because shipping is free and takes 2 days and they were slightly cheaper).  We took off the hooptie (just the sides- you see the mounting pieces are still attached).

The photo above is from our maiden voyage with the new setup.  Big brother was on the ride to our destination with us, then stayed there.  I took the little guy home alone on the bike and he fell asleep on the way home.  He still looks hunched forward, but not so lost in space.  He managed about 45 minutes like this, and looked infinitely more comfortable than in the crate (while sleeping). 

I am pleased that the Yepp seat is fairly lightweight.  I am also happy to have read that the piece you bolt onto the flight deck that the baby seat attaches onto is also compatible with Yepp's older/ heavier kid seats.  The Yepp Junior, for example, fits 40-70 lbs and has a lap belt. Had we not had the crate, I would have wanted to mount a second Yepp Easyfit Carrier Adapter and attach this to it for my older son, who likes to lean back, especially on rides more than about ten minutes long (ie most rides)-- holding onto something like the stoker bar or hooptie and nothing else would be a bit much for him.  I think the option of two of the Yepp Juniors is nice if you start Xtracycle life with two of the Yepp Maxi Easyfits- it's a nice progression as the kids grow.

Not my graphic but I love it!  Ride on!!

Note: The middle clip on the bags doesn't close because it is right where the baby legs go. Will need to try a grocery run to see how this impacts anything. Stay tuned...


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Continuous Brew Kombucha

We added a cloth over the top after taking the photo.

 With all the hype about continuous brew Kombucha, I decided to give it a try.  Basically, you keep a batch brewing in a container with a spigot.  When you want some, you take it from the spigot and bottle and refrigerate it.Then you brew more sweetened black tea to replace what you took out.  The theory is that the health benefits are greater the longer it is brewed, and the mixing of old and new keeps it tasting palatable and beneficial on many levels.

The first batch has just begun (though I suppose it's not referred to like that anymore).

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Kids Cooking: Butternut Squash Fries

 

 

I skinned and they seeded the squash, then the little guy cut it into pieces and the littlest one helped paint it with olive oil and we sprinkled with salt. I find if I portion out how much I want to use of ingredients like olive oil and salt, then give it to them, the food still tastes good.

These are cooked at 350 for an hour.

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Free Bathtub Spout Baby Protector DIY

 

That yogurt container is a quart-sized empty one. It fits over the tub spout just perfectly and saves the kids' heads.

You are welcome.

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