International Babywearing Week!

Today is officially the beginning of International Babywearing Week!
 

Ok, so I only just learned about this a couple of days ago and I have no set plans on how to celebrate. I would however like to take this as an excuse to talk about why I love babywearing so much!

When Peter was first born, I had a ring sling that I used almost constantly. Having been so snug and warm in the womb, it only makes sense that he would enjoy being held so close. It quickly became a convenience. Peter was happy, he'd fall asleep without fussing, and I learned how to get all of my chores done (including decorating cakes) with him asleep on me.

Now that he's 18 months old, he still enjoys being carried. I bring a pouch sling or my Ergo with me everywhere. In the middle of the grocery store I can quickly hold him and still have my arms available to shop. It's nice to know that I can always provide him the comfort and reassurance that he needs.

Why do you love babywearing? What's your favorite carrier? Any ideas on how to officially celebrate International Babywearing Week?

BumGenius' New Prints

I LOVE how they aren't "cutsie" with frogs and cheesy characters. These are great!! What do you think of the new prints??

Fresh Produce

Do you ever get the urge to photograph beautiful food? That's exactly how I look at produce. It's so colorful, so raw, genuine, and delicious! Since I do not yet own land to grow my own garden, these beauties came from the local grocery store.

Peter was just as excited about all this beautiful food and pulled out the celery as soon as we go to the car. We soon had a discussion on why we don't eat plastic. I'm sure we'll be having this talk again until he learns more of the English language.

Spicy Kielbasa Soup

I have a bunch of kielbasa in my freezer that I've been trying to use, so I decided to make a soup with it. We ended up with Spicy Kielbasa Soup. It would probably be delicious with celery and red peppers, but I didn't have any on hand.

Hubby, who does not eat zucchini, said I could make it again. Coming from Hubby, that's success in my book.


Spicy Kielbasa Soup

1/2 pound kielbasa, sliced
1 medium-size onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) chicken broth (or bouillon cubes)
1 can (15-ounces) black beans or kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 can (14-1/2 ounces) stewed, diced, or crushed tomatoes
1 small fresh zucchini squash, sliced
1 medium carrot, shredded
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (add more or less on "heat" preference)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

In a nonstick skillet, cook kielbasa over medium heat until lightly browned.  Add the onion and garlic; cook an additional five minutes. Add and stir chicken broth, beans, tomatoes, zucchini, carrot, parsley, red pepper flakes, and pepper; cover and cook on a low simmer for one hour, stirring occasionally.

Makes 5 (1-1/2 cup) servings

My New (and very cheap) Crockpot!!

Since the death of my old crockpot, I've been trying to decide what I was going to replace it with. I looked into only replacing the ceramic part that broke, but it was going to cost $25 to purchase and ship and the company couldn't tell me when they'd have them in stock again. Then it was the debate of how much I wanted to spend on a new one. Ultimately, I decided that a fancy timer wasn't really necessary (although I did love mine) since I'm home most of the time anyway. All I needed was something that could heat up and be reliable.

I decided to start by looking at Kohl's. My mom had recently seen a flier with a 6 quart crockpot on sale. It was originally $39.99 and was marked down to $18.99. Not bad. Just last week I received a coupon in the mail for $10 off any purchase at Kohl's. Now, the crockpot would only be $8.99. Finally, my mom had a coupon for 30% off anything purchased with her Kohl's card. So I bought the $39.99 crockpot and it ended up costing me only $6.29!!

Welcome to the family Mr. $6.29 Crockpot. I sure hope you live up to your $39.99 retail price!

Hubby's Tasty Treat

Who doesn't love an ice cream float? After dinner tonight, Hubby decided he would get a little creative with a fun dessert. We had some leftover sparkling pomegranate and strawberry juice in the refrigerator and a carton of blueberry and pomegranate ice cream in the freezer. Who knew such a beautiful creation be created! The only thing that would have made it perfect is a big squirt of whipped cream on top. YUM!

Note: It was so delicious that I ate a bunch and it melted a bit before the photo op could begin.