New Mama's Must Haves: December '08

Babies 'R Us gives me a headache. It's overwhelming. Have you ever seen the sheer number of bottles, nipples, binkies they have? I thought Bed, Bath and Beyond was overwhelming, but Babies 'R Us is ten times worse. At least at Bed Bath and Beyond I know what I'm looking at and what it does. That's an ice cream scoop, that's a spatula, that's something for coffee...you get the idea. At Babies 'R Us everything looks the same, but it's all different. It's not until after I registered for the stuff that I realized I needed two more of this or none of that. In my four and a half short months as a mama here's what I can't live without. 

Boppy Pillow (and two covers)

This soft U-shaped pillow is a god-send. I've used it to wrap around my waist when I breastfeed, I've put it on the floor to prop up my daughter, it's helping her learn to sit (it goes around her butt and legs), and she can use it for tummy time by laying with her belly in the hole and her head and arms over the top of the "U". The two covers are key! One's bound to get spit up on, pooped on or drooled on! Just unzip it, and slip on the spare while the other's in the laundry. 

Microwave Bottle Sterilizer 

This "spaceship", as my husband calls it, has saved me so much time it's crazy! Sterilizing bottles can be a pain in the diaper if you have to boil water every time. This container just requires that you wash and rinse your bottles, nipples, pump gear, binkies  load them in the bowl with about 7 oz of water, snap on the lid and microwave.  The two minutes in the microwave steams and sterilizes the bottles so fast. 

Bottle Drying Carousel 

The bottle dryer goes hand-and-hand with the sterilizer. After I take everything out of the sterilizer I load it on the carousel. The two tiered carousel saves a lot of room on the counter and holds a ton of bottles, nipples, and all my pump gear. Thank goodness I don't have to lay out towels all over my counter so everything can dry. 

Medela Bottle Accessories

I have a Medela Breast Pump so buying all the bottle accessories was one of the best purchases I made. I can pump right into the bottles and then just add a nipple. No need to pour the milk into a different bottles.  Less clean up, and fewer bottles to dry! I'm all for that.  You can get a pack of three bottles, with lids, and nipples for less than $15!

Bumbo Seat

Perhaps my favorite piece of baby equipment so far - The Bumbo! Not only does it help my daughter develop her back and neck muscles by allowing her to sit upright with the proper support, it 

keeps her safe and entertained while being eye-level with us!  

Never leave a baby unattended in the Bumbo.

It should be noted: the manufacture recommends

 keeping the Bumbo off elevated surfaces. 

 

Dinner's in 5!

As in 5 minutes! Yes, it can be done. Even with kids! For me, it's essential to have quick, easy, and affordable dinners that are still healthy and tasty.  I plan out a week's worth of dinners before I head to the grocery store for the week. Then I post the list on the fridge so I am never left asking myself "what's for dinner???" 

Okay so that doesn't put dinner on the table though...but it's what I do with that little list that saves me bundles of time. I'll take a few hours one day during the week (the weekend's easiest when my husband is home to watch the baby) and I'll cook several  dinners for the week. I try to make things that can be frozen and/or split into more than one meal. Then all you have to do is pop them in the oven, heat and serve! Wa-la dinner in 5! 

One of my family's favorites is Chicken Turnovers. They're so simple and delicious. Not only can they be made ahead, you can make two servings at once and freeze one for the following week. If it was up to my husband, he'd eat the second batch the next day, he loves this recipe! Another easy recipe that puts dinner on the table in no time is Pulled Pork Sandwiches.  I split the leftovers (click here for  ways to avoid wasting leftovers) up into two serving portions put them in ziplock sandwich bags and freeze them. Since this recipe makes about 10 servings you can have a pulled pork dinner ready in no time. Just defrost one of the bags, heat up some buns and you're done!  You can do the same thing with your favorite Chili recipe.  I've always made Homemade Manicotti...they're great for freezing and forgetting.  Manicotti sounds complicated, but it's fairly simple and once they're made, I freeze them individually, then throw them all in a freezer bag.  If it's just me and my husband I'll pull out 4 and heat them up, if I have unexpected company I'll grab 10 or 12 or whatever I need, pair them with store-bought frozen meatballs and there you have it - a traditional Italian dinner! Pair it with homemade cheesy garlic bread and your tastebuds will thank you!  If you like seafood this Salmon recipe is the absolute best....all you need is five free minutes.  Make it within two days of going to the grocery store so you don't have to freeze the piece of fish and then worry about defrosting it.  There's no need to cut the skin off the fish...it'll easily separate after you cook it.  Using a spatula (or your clean hand) spread a generous amount of dijon mustard on the flesh side of a large salmon filet.  Cover the mustard with 6 tablespoons of brown sugar. You can either put it in the fridge for later when you're ready to cook it or stick it in the oven. Just cook it on 350 for about 20 minutes or until the fish flakes apart.

So there you go, I just planned a week's menu...and the best part, you'll have a second or maybe even a third full serving in the freezer for the following week or whenever you need to get dinner on the table in no time!  Be sure to check out all the recipes and let me know what you think. 

Chicken Turnovers

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Chili

Homemade Manicotti with Cheesy Garlic Bread

Salmon

Saving Money at the Grocery Store

Since I've become a stay-at-home mom (SAHM) I've been far more conscious of how much money is coming in and going out.  At this point, I'm more concerned about what's going out since we're still getting used to living on one income.  The biggest way I'm saving right now is by watching how much I spend on groceries. When my husband and I went over our budget my father-in-law asked us to estimate how much we spend on groceries a month. Both of us, without hesitating said "$400." Our credit card statement told a different story. It was closer to $800. The scary part was we didn't even realize how much we were spending.  

From that moment we totally changed the way we buy groceries. I'm finding that by following these steps I'm actually saving enough in my first three monthly grocery trips, that I'm getting my fourth trip free! Here's my weekly process. 

1. Keep a notebook (with a pocket for your coupons) in the kitchen. As soon as something runs out I write it on the list.  This helps so I don't forget anything when I'm at the store. I use to always forget something and that meant another quick trip to the grocery store. But I'd always end up leaving with way more than just the one item I forgot. 

2. On Thursdays I scan the online circulars to several local grocery stores. I write down what's buy one get one free and what's on sale ie 2/$5. I know that if it's b1/g1 I have to get two, but if it's 2/$5 I can get one at $2.50.  Make sure to make a notation next to the item on your grocery list if you have to buy more than one to get the sale price. Also indicate if you have a coupon so you don't forget to use it! 

3. I clip coupons wherever I can find them. Don't forget the internet (sites like couponmom, redplum, smartsource), the back of last week's grocery receipt, and the newspaper. 

3. I use my list of "on sale" items and coupons to create a menu for the week.  If chicken breasts are on sale I get two and freeze them. That way next week when they're not on sale, I still have some in the freezer.  You can always find coupons for rice and frozen veggies so I make sure I have enough "sides" as well! 

4. When I create my menu I also try to repeat ingredients in different meals. For instance if one meal calls for half a pepper, I try to find another recipe that calls for a pepper as well. That way nothing goes to waste in the back of the refrigerator. 

5. I avoid middle of the week grocery runs. This used to hijack my grocery budget! I could never just run in, get my item and get out. I'd always pick up something else along the way. Before I knew it I'd spend $35 or $40. Do that 3 times in a month and that's $120!!!!  

Each week I get more excited as the price on the register drops! I usually save about $25 on what would normally be about a $90 order! That means in three weeks I've saved $75, enough for my fourth and final monthly grocery run! 

**For more simple ways to save money see the links on the right side of the screen. 

Starting Holiday Traditions with Children

When I was growing up Christmas was always and exciting time.  Not only for the obvious reasons but because we came to look forward to the traditions our parents had established. We'd spend a weekend or two after Thanksgiving in the kitchen making every kind of Christmas cookie you could imagine.  The tins would be stacked 5 high in the garage just waiting to be eaten (and given away, boooo!!) We'd take a night every year to drive around and see the Christmas lights and pick which house was our favorite. We'd go to Christmas Eve mass. When we got home we'd slip into our flannel pj's...made new each and every year by my mom. We'd read The Night Before Christmas and slip into bed.  The next morning we'd open presents at home, then get into our dresses (again made with love by my mom) and head over to Grandmom and Grandpop's house. After dinner we'd sit around and watch a movie or play a game like Taboo. They were small traditions nothing too fancy, nothing extraordinary, but they were ours. 

My husband's family always drove nearly an hour to go to the same tree farm to cut down a real Christmas tree. It was something my sister-in-law held onto for years after her older brothers were long ready to give it up. But it was something that was special to all of them.  And they created a lot of good laughs and memories doing it! 

Now that my husband and I have a daughter of our own we're looking forward 

to celebrating her first Christmas. We'd like to establish a few traditions of our own that she can grow up with and look forward to. I think it's an important way for children to celebrate and more importantly make memories. These are things she'll look back on years from and hopefully think of fondly.  This year, for the first time we're hosting Christmas breakfast at hour house. Maybe it will become a tradition, maybe it will be something that each and every year we look forward to...getting both sides of the family together to exchange gifts and celebrate the true meaning to the season.  

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