10 Things to do with Baked Kale Chips

 Since I’m on the South Beach Diet, right now (in phase 1), I can only eat meat and veggies, pretty much. Getting different textures in makes things more satisfying. I can make hummus and guacamole, but I needed something to do the dipping, and celery and zucchini sticks weren’t cutting it. So I remembered kale chips. They are the perfect snacks to make whether you’re trying to eat healthy or not. I promise.

We subscribe to a CSA in the spring and summer, and we get a lot of greens. I make kale chips pretty often and can put down an entire head in one sitting. They are so much better than you can imagine. If you’re wrinkling your nose at the combination of the word “kale” and “chip,” I urge you to try them.

Sleep Training Part I - What's the Problem?

This is one of a four-part series of posts that explores sleep training. I'll talk about why pediatricians push for it, my own experiences with it, and I'll conclude with a post that pulls together facts from actual studies.

 At Little M’s six-month well visit, the nurse asked me all the typical questions:
“Has he started solids yet?”
“Yup, he’s had some.”
“How often is he nursing?”
“Oh, every three hours,” I lied. No point in actually trying to put a pattern on it.
“And does he take both breasts?”
“Not always.”
“How’s he sleeping?”
I laughed. “Terribly! He’s up every hour or so,” I said with a smile. It obviously wasn’t bothering me. My babies’ sleep is like my own inside joke at this point. I have never met anyone whose infants sleep worse.
“And is he sleeping in his crib?”
“Yup!” I lied again.

Fast forward. Doctor comes in. Checks out Little M. Everything looks good. Looks at the chart. “You know, six months is a great time to start sleep training.”

Sunday Surf: Food, Sleep, Cloth Diaper Covers, and Games for Kids

I've decided to go on the South Beach Diet. I always told myself those diets were silly, because diet should be about nutrition, calories, and portion control, but I'm having trouble with those three things. I got a craving for sweets with my first pregnancy, and it never went away. Now I'm addicted to sugar, and I have belly fat (which I never had before), dandruff, and other stomach woes. I really need to make a change. I have been exercising, but I need some more motivation because the scale isn't budging.

That's right--I nurse all day and night, chase a toddler, wear a baby 50% of the time, and I still weigh 170 pounds. That might be ok for some people, but it's not for me. I feel fat. I don't fit into my clothes and I look like I'm six months pregnant.

So I've been doing a lot of research about food and nutrition these days. It's funny how most diet advice is the same, though: cut back on sugar, non-nutritional grains (like wheat, corn, white flour, etc).

I've also been researching baby sleep for an upcoming blog post I'm doing, and I've found some great links. And then there's just the crafty stuff and the good information about activities you can do with your toddler. This is what I've come across this week:

Go Vegan: Create rather than Re-Create
We so often remember the comfort food of our childhood and feel like, "If only I could still eat {mac and cheese, bagels, lasagna} my diet would be successful." Then we try to recreate it, whether we try to make it vegan, fat free, or whatever. And it's nasty. And we are all disappointed, unsatisfied, and craving something unhealthy. If we try to work with fresh ingredients and stay away from processed food (even soy crumbles and veggie cheese), we'll end up making tastier, more satisfying meals.

Five South Beach Diet Phase One Breakfast Recipes
These are great breakfast recipes, even if you're not on a diet. Starting the day off with savory meals filled with protein and vegetables can really stave off cravings for carbs all day long.

Coconutty Paleo Fudge Recipe
The paleo diet is similar to South Beach: It's all about fresh food and limiting sugar and grains. I found this recipe, which looks amazing. I can't wait to try it in a couple of weeks (when I can add some sugar to my diet).

My Date with Dr. Ferber
We've all been awake in the middle of the night, nursing or rocking our babies to sleep, wondering if we're doing the right thing. We read the advice: don't soothe your baby to sleep. But how can you not? This article describes a woman at her wit's end with the whole sleep thing, who made an appointment with Dr. Ferber because she thought sleep training was her only option. And then time went on, and things naturally progressed, and she realized she didn't need sleep training: her kids were developing their own healthy sleep habits, and she realized they didn't need to be forced into them. It's refreshing to hear sleep stories from parents who are confident that they are doing the right thing by not letting their kids scream their heads off in the wee hours of the morning. Because there is so much information out there that makes you feel like a bad parent for soothing your baby when he or she wakes up.

Cloth Diaper Cover Tutorial with Gussets
I have a bunch of PUL and two kids who are in between sizes. I am either squeezing Little M into small diaper covers, which make him get heat rash, or putting him in the next size up, which means he pees all over his clothes. I need some better fitting diaper covers. Nothing fancy--I use prefolds, so I just want something waterproof to put over them. Sometimes I use wool, but I like waterproof PUL covers too. So I'm going to make them. According to this cloth diaper cover tutorial, it can't be that hard.

23 Gross Motor Games and Activities for Preschoolers
Dionna from Code Name: Mama put together a great article about games you can play with your preschooler that exercise their gross motor skills. Baby T loves games like these. He usually cracks up the whole time we play them. We play Ring around the Rosie already, and just yesterday, we started playing Red Light, Green Light (he loves to tell me when the light is green at stoplights anyway. Probably because I do too much texting at red lights.). Try some of these games with your kid. I'll bet you'll get some amazing toddler belly laughs.

Inspiration Thursday - Learning by Example

As you know, I have struggled with just about everything that comes along with motherhood. I am constantly questioning whether I’m doing it right, and whether the way I’m acting now is going to lead my kids to be psycho serial killers when they’re older. When I was dealing with Baby T waking every 20 minutes at night at six months old, I read Marc Weissbluth’s “Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child.” And I closed it when I read that a baby who doesn’t sleep X hours a night will result in a bratty, obese kid. I thought that was a little much.

And I was also a little scared. Baby T never slept as long as all the charts recommended. And I wasn’t as consistent as the experts suggested. And I was afraid I’d be nursing him and rocking him to sleep until he was in college. And then one day I laid Baby T down after he didn’t fall asleep nursing, and he went to sleep without a peep. And I looked back and thought, In hindsight, I did everything right.

Fast forward to issues with discipline. I have wavered back and forth from feeling like I’m not setting enough guidelines for Baby T to feeling like all I do is tell him what he can’t do, even though I try not to. I was recently really insecure about how I was handling his neediness and his tantrums.

And then I went to Asheville last weekend to meet a bunch of women who I’ve known for a long time. We met in the TTC forums on Mothering.com when we were all trying to conceive our babies. Now our babies are all two years old, give or take a couple of months. It’s amazing to think that I’ve known these women through some of the most important parts of my life.

I know more about them than most people I am acquainted with in real life, and they know more about me. I have always shared my fears, insecurities, and triumphs with them. And I respect just about everything they do.

It was so inspiring to spend the weekend with them. One of the reasons why is because I got to see how different everyone was, and how similar we all were at the same time. We all have similar goals for our children: we stress gentle discipline and natural parenting.

But our kids our very different. Namely, my kid. Baby T was by far the craziest kid there. He was whinier, tantrummier, and louder than the other kids. And I was noticing something: even though I try not to say “no” to Baby T a lot, Big T and I had fallen into the habit of saying “no” to a lot of things that weren’t important. And my friends were more “go with the flow” kind of parents.

When Baby T wants to paint, sometimes I say “no” because I don’t feel like pulling out the paints and paper. When we were at the grocery store just to pick up one thing and he wanted to go in the shopping cart that looked like a car, we started to say “no,” because it would take longer. When he started to whine and yell about it, we realized that it wouldn’t hurt anyone to let him ride in the cart. Yes, he likes to grab things off the shelves and get in and out of the cart every time we stop. Yes, it would take a little bit longer than just running in while holding him. But would it prevent a tantrum? Yes. Into the cart he went.

It’s easy to get used to a particular way of thinking or acting when parenting, and it can be a vicious cycle. Stepping back every once in a while to reassess the situation, your child, and your actions can be a big help. Of course, it doesn’t hurt to have inspiring role models around you.

Baby T hasn’t thrown a tantrum in a while. He has been much more agreeable since last weekend. And Big T and I have been going with the flow a little more. Thanks to all of those parents who continually inspire me to step back and reassess my parenting, making me a better mother.

What inspires you? 
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Wordless Wednesday - Vacation! #WW

We went to Asheville over the weekend to meet up with some amazing friends who I met on the Mothering.com forums when we were all trying to conceive. Now we all have toddlers, and we were able to get together for a relaxing (mostly) weekend in the mountains. It's crazy to think we've "known" each other for so long and only just met, and it was so much fun to watch our kids play together.

Examining (and licking) the sprinkler at the playground

Little M pulling himself up all by himself

Little M was glad to have a playground he could actually play at

Our friend L "petting" Little M

Baby T and L playing with bubbles

This post is linked up at:

Creating With Kids - Don't Bite off More than you can Chew

Welcome to the August Carnival of Natural Parenting: Creating With Kids
This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama. This month our participants have shared how they make messes and masterpieces with children. Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.
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When Baby T came home from daycare and his daily "report" said, "Baby T liked painting, but we had to put away the paints because he only wanted to paint his arms," I thought, what do you expect? He's two.

Doing crafts with kids isn't about a pretty result; it's usually about exploring materials and using all the senses. Give your kids the tools and stand back to witness the masterpiece. Then, give them a bath and start all over the next day.

Read more about how to create with kids on my guest post at Natural Parents Network!


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Visit Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama to find out how you can participate in the next Carnival of Natural Parenting!
Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:

• Family Draw Time Art Show — Kate Wicker shares art (and inspiration!) from her family's cherished tradition of family draw time.
• The Rules of Creativity: Learning to Create with the "Non-Creative" — Zoe at Give an Earthly shares how she learned to accept her "non-creative" child and claims that anyone, child or adult, can be creative given the right handling and environment.
• Creating With Kids: 4 Ways That Work For Us — See how Kristin at Intrepid Murmurings nurtures creativity with her kids through craft projects, outdoor creative play, celebrating the creative process, and setting up "little spaces of beauty."
• Creating memories, not things — Mrs. Green from Little Green Blog reflects on life with a ten year old and how 'creating together' has evolved from 'things' to memories.
• The Gift of Creation — It may be hot, but Kellie at Our Mindful Life is already thinking about winter.
• Hidden Talents — Sylvia at MaMammalia describes how providing the opportunity for creativity sometimes means learning to look for hidden talents in unusual places.
• Creating Joy — CatholicMommy at Working to be Worthy shares how she and her one year-old son create joy for their community.
• How to do Crafts with Kids — Gaby from Tmuffin guest posts at Natural Parents Network and describes how to keep things simple when doing crafts with kids for magical (easy-to-clean, and tantrum-free) results.
• Sugar & Spice & Baking on the Kitchen Floor — Carrie at Love Notes Mama enjoys making a mess in the kitchen with her daughter.
• Young Scientist Makes Purple Potion — Hannah at Wild Parenting loves being a lab assistant for the young scientist in her life.
• Making a butterfly house — Lauren at Hobo Mama demonstrates the proper way to build a wooden butterfly house with a preschooler.
• Nurturing Creativity — Amyables at Toddler In Tow shares the enjoyment she feels in nurturing the creativity of her children.
• Home School Music - Sparking A New Generation Of Musicians — Based on her musical background, Chante at My Natural Motherhood Journey talks about how she creates with and teaches music to her children.
• Creating (im)perfectly Together — Mudpiemama shares some of the highlights of a summer spent building everything from ships to hoops but most of a lesson on letting go of perfection.
• Family Soccer Kick Around — When her children wanted to play soccer, Mandy at Living Peacefully with Children helped organize something that would work for her family.
• Creating Memories Together on Skype — Deb Chitwood at Living Montessori Now tells how you can create memories online with adult children or anyone who lives in another city or country.
• We'll always have Halloween: Creating costumes for kids — Jessica Claire at Crunchy-Chewy Mama is not the craftiest mom on the block, but she does make a mean homemade Halloween costume.
• Let's Make Juice! — Wendylori at High Needs Attachment shares about the benefits of juicing with kids, as well as a quick recipe.
• Everything's Better When It's Homemade — Amanda at Let's Take the Metro praises the art of homemade goods.
• Creating the Opportunity for Art — Jenn at Monkey Butt Junction shares how her family has created an environment conducive to art.
• 10 Easy and Functional Crafts Preschoolers Can Do with Minimal Assistance — Dionna at Code Name: Mama offers ten easy crafts preschoolers can do while sitting near parents — but they don't need a lot of parental help. Added bonus: all of these ten ideas double as something functional (gifts, decor, educational).
• Creating with Kids: Singing Together — Ana at Pandamoly details the important role music takes in her household and provides a quick (and easy!) tutorial for creating fun songs to sing together!
• Create This — jessica at instead of institutions considers different aspects of creativity including those without an end product.
• Make Your Own Pocket Bib — A tutorial from Amy at Anktangle on how to make two simple and quick bibs to keep your little one clean at the table.
• Creating Together in the Kitchen — Despite not feeling "crafty," Momma Jorje finds a way to create and connect with her toddler.
• An Artist-Mama's Perspective — In this post, Shannon at The Artful Mama discusses the differences between her choice of artistic outlet and her son's, and how they embrace those differences together.
• Heart of the Home — Jona at Life, Intertwined shares some highlights of cooking with kids.
• Getting creative with kids — Isil at Smiling like Sunshine shares how much she enjoys watching her daughter getting creative.
• Creating with Children - The Nature/Seasonal Table — Jennifer at Hybrid Rasta Mama celebrates the rhythm of the natural world with her toddler through the creation of a seasonal nature table.
• How Involving My Kid Saves My Sanity — The Happy Hippie Homemaker explains how involving her toddler in projects allows her to get more done, while providing valuable opportunities to teach and to bond (added bonus: amazing oatmeal raisin cookie recipe!).
• In the Kitchen with Kids — Cooking with Real and Pretend Food — Terri from Child of the Nature Isle engages her kids in the kitchen with culinary creations of both real and pretend food.

Monday Moments: Dancing

Big T and I are not known for our dancing. I have some rhythm (he doesn't), but it doesn't mean I'm coordinated or can swing my hips gracefully. We realized we are both a little dorky when Baby T started imitating the way we "dance." Basically, we move our hands. Sometimes we keep our pointer fingers out and wave them around, and sometimes we just wave our hands around. It looks a little like this:







This post is part of Capital Mom's Monday Moments. Take a moment yourself to check out her Monday Moments or link up.