Adventures in Baby Food

This weekend marked a rather large milestone in the Szem household...I started making babyfood.


After a bit of trial and error with different steaming methods, I had one that I really liked and was off and running!


So far...our freezer is stocked with carrots, peas and applesauce. Tonight, I will conquer green beans and grinding whole wheat rice to make our own cereal!


The crazy steaming contraption that I've come up with! Small pot of boiling water, C's Gordon Ramsey colander (which he was not impressed about!) and a lid from a larger pot!


LOVE my Kitchenaid blender! It purees so smooth...LOVE!


Voila! Baby food for Owen! 3lbs of carrots will produce approximately 42 servings


1 bag of frozen peas (1kg bag) will produce about 28 servings, while 9 peeled/cut/cored apples (macintosh) will produce about 56 servings of applesauce!


I've been doing a lot of research about the nutritional value in commercial infant cereals, and the more I read...the more I am against them.


First and foremost, the rice cereals are made with white rice. This means that they are primarily sugar and starch...aka...filler. Sure, they're fortified with iron, but Owen can get that from natural sources such as legumes and meat, as well as from his formula.


Rice is also a natural binder, which leads to uncomfortable gas pains, upset stomach and constipation. Definitely things that I'd like to avoid if at all possible. We had some constipation issues when Owen was a few weeks old, and I'd rather not revisit them!


Yes, he will need some grains in his diet to balance everything out, and clearly they're good for breakfast. Therefore, I've decided to make his cereal. We're going to start with whole wheat rice cereal later this week (probably the weekend) to practice with the spoon and things like that, and then will gradually move to oats and barley, both of which I will be making myself as well.


It's also been recently discovered that since commercial cereals hold zero nutritional value, some pediatricians are recommending skipping them all together, and to start with iron rich meats and legumes as baby's first foods.


We're going to do a combination of the two. We're going to start with homemade cereals so Owen gets experience feeding with a spoon, sitting in his chair...sort of queueing him to feeding time. Then we'll move to cereals for breakfast, add in some fruits for flavour and move to veggies, fruits and a meat for lunch. Dinner will consist of the same, and snacks will be bottles of formula.


I guess you could say we're on a roll! Owen's been showing signs of being ready for solids for over a month now, but we've held off to let his digestive system develop fully. Now that he's practically pulling food off our plate...it's time!

Christmas is Coming!

Christmas is coming! Christmas is coming!

I think that calls for....

a Christmas playlist!

Christmas themes and pictures!

a Christmas blog!!

Stay tuned!!

It's Been a Long Week

Wow...this week has about done us in and no three words can describe how we're feeling.

Tired.

Exhausted.

Drained.

Pooped.

A few things have happened to make us feel his way...

Owen is sick. The poor little guy has a cold and was the snottiest kiddo I'd ever laid eyes on at the beginning of the week. Coupled with his teething woes, it made for some very long nights...most of which resulted in Owen sleeping with us in bed.

The gym. Oh...the gym. I had two early morning workouts with my trainer this week, and for a while now (as you've all read about in the past few months) I have been getting a sense of "you're not good enough" from my trainer. Well...we had words and he's no longer my trainer...which was my decision. I stood up for myself, and while I won't go into the nitty-gritty...there will be a letter sent to his superior and to the owner of the gym because no one should ever have to sit through and be talked down to the way that I was on Tuesday morning.

Tuesday night, Owen and I were off to my hometown to go to a cardmaking/scrapbooking party with Godmomma...WHO's GETTING MARRIED!!! Before the party, we went for pedicures and I had a chance to relax as her kiddo, T, tried to babysit Owen (T is 7...so A for effort! He loves Owen!) We were looking for invitation layouts for her wedding, I was getting insane ideas for Sweet Stella's, and having a blast being crafty.

Wednesday, we laid low. Tuesday night was really really rough with Owen, so I went out for cold remedies (which I will write about next week, because we found some really awesome ones that have helped him feel SO much better, and even sleep through the night again!) and got to work on some Sweet Stella projects while Owen napped on my lap for the afternoon. He's such a snugglebug when he's sick!

Wednesday afternoon we had a choking incident. It was incredibly scary and something that I wish on no mother. Owen has an issue with taking oral medicine. He seems to absolutely detest the taste, and will actually let it pool in the back on his throat...and then choke like no tomorrow (I mean, eyes bugged out and spewing from everywhere while struggling to breathe and looking terrified). We had had a choking incident like this last week (Thursday) but this was different. I had to perform Infant CPR/Heimlich...and thank my lucky stars that he has some mighty strong angels looking out for him.

Thursday was another sort of crazy day...and all wedding! We went bridesmaid dress shopping and I think we found the one! VERY exciting, and it's gorgeous! The only downside is the price, so my task for early next week is to call around to the other bridal stores in the area to see what the price difference is from shop to shop.

Today has been crazy as well! Thankfully, Owen slept through the night (soother at 4 and 5:30am, then slept until 9:40!). We went to a naturopathic talk at the new mama-baby wellness centre, Life with Baby, for noon and stayed until about 4:00pm. They run a happy hour every Friday afternoon, with free childcare, to give the mom's a chance to unwind and relax after a busy week with veggies and organic teas. It's such a lovely place, and I will blog about it next week as well!! We're there, at minimum, twice a week and I'm going to be volunteering and hopefully (fingers crossed) running some art therapy workshops there in the future!

At 4ish, Owen and I walked a few blocks to pick up C at work, and visit the ladies in the office for a little while. Then, we were off to a restaurant to have dinner with my friend, her hubby and kiddo...and then we were off to the Lighting of the Lights at the park, which we missed by a few minutes. Awh well...good intentions right?

We capped off the night with some cider back at Life with Baby, and then headed home to work on Sweet Stella Christmas orders with C and Owen watched the hockey game.

Are you tired yet?

Exhausted?

Drained?

Pooped?

I am!

Cup of Tea Photo Cards

I met this wonderful gal, Synchrosally, on The Bump what seems like eons ago now, but was really only last summer.

We got to talking, and quickly realized that we lived not far from one another! Both Ontarians, and both due on the very same day! (the boys were born 6 days apart!)

One thing lead to another, and I found myself going to Andrea (she has a real name) for help with scrapbooking, card making and all things graphic design related. Little did I know that she was a complete wiz at digital art!

After some nudging from e-friends like myself and our beautiful ladies on facebook, she decided to open up an online digital art store...creating invitations, announcements, holiday cards and even art for your nursery! Her store is called Cup of Tea Photo Cards.

Quickly, she designed our birth announcement once we had our newborn photos done, and she also was kind enough to design our baptism invitation.

Here are some of the samples she sent me!

We sort of told her what we were looking for, sent her pictures of Owen's nursery and the fabric from his quilt, and voila! We had tonnes of designs to choose from!

Her slogan? We design, you print! She sends you the order electronically, and then all you have to do is take it into (or send it online....us mom's like doing things from the comfort of our own homes for sure!) the store where you get your digital pictures printed, and print them either at a kiosk...or for better results, at the photofinishing desk. SO easy!

Have a first birthday party coming up? (I know most of you readers do!! I'm already planning O's party!) Valentine's for your kiddo's classmates? Art for your nursery? Birth/wedding announcements? Shower invitations? Give Cup of Tea Photo Cards a try!

Plug Pals

A very good friend of mine, Paige (remember Owen + Eliot from a few months back...the very best of friends? Paige is Eliot's mom!), recently started a business after much encouragement from her sister-in-law Steph, her wonderful husband, and a little gentle nudging from yours truly.

Her business is called Plug Pals

Funny, eh? Well...funny and practical! She creates whimsical and super cute handpainted soother clips in a variety of styles. You name it, Paige can do it!

What makes her Plug Pals unique? Not only are they handpainted, making each one different from the next, but they fit any soother and can be made to reflect the individuality of your child's style.

What else is in store? Nursing Buddies. Simply put, something for your kiddo to grab and hold...saving you from having your antique necklace damaged by the almighty grip of your baby! I personally love these necklaces because they are gorgeous and funky. I'm not a breastfeeding momma, but I do have a little one who likes to grab and tug at my necklace...and chew on everything, so this is a highly attractive alternative...and it'll go great with a pair of jeans!

Paige is a friend, a fabulous mother, and a mompreneur with a passion to create cool and funky accessories for kiddos. Stop by her site and see what she can dream up for your little guy and gal!

Twirlie Whirlies

Part 2 of the mompreneur posts for the week, and I thought I'd kick it off with a gal who I greatly admire...and stumbled on via twitter!

She's a Shan as well, so clearly I'm a little bias, but she's very talented!

Her business is called Twirlie Whirlies

How cute are these?!

Not only does she handmake these fantastic pinwheels, but she also creates the adorable little treat bags, party hats, banners, paper balls and tiny little envelopes.

They are incredibly cute, and could get a momma like me, who loves all things handmade, into alot of trouble...or at least it could get my VISA into alot of trouble.

What I find extra amazing, is that Shan has been featured by Amy Atlas...the event guru. This is a huge honour, and to any of you out there who know who Amy Atlas is...you understand completely what I am talking about. Ah-mazing!

I highly, highly recommend giving Shan over at Twirlie Whirlies some love. She is incredibly talented, has a very keen eye for design and is a an amazing supporter of other mompreneurs.

Whether you need something for your next party...or perhaps your kiddo's first birthday party (this is where I'm totally going to get into trouble...!!), Twirlie Whirlies is your place for fantastically fanciful handmade items!

Savvy MOMpreneur

A couple of days ago, this wondrous woman named Cynthia featured Sweet Stella's on her blog. Our traffic has gone through the roof, and for that...I am very appreciative.

You see...Cynthia is a mom of two kiddos, wife to one, and a mompreneur.

I'd never heard of this term until I was directed to her facebook page, and later her blog and twitter account.

I guess I would dub her the ultimate mompreneur. She blogs, tweets, and updates her facebook page like no other with incredible tips for how to increase the traffic flow to your site, innovative marketing tips such as including business cards in your Christmas cards, and she even hosts great contests.

When I opened Sweet Stella's, I sort of did it on a whim and to see what would come of it. Connecting with other mompreneurs and such valuable people like Cynthia is a huge huge bonus.

Check out Cynthia's blog, twitter account and facebook page for incredible tips from an incredible lady!

All this coming week, I'll be blogging about fellow mompreneurs. It's such an awesome thing that they're all doing, and many of them are finding success in doing what they love.

I hope that you'll find them engaging and entertaining, and will show them some love by going to their pages!

Y3W!

These pictures say more than three words...look at that face!

Happy friday!

Mamarattzi!

5 months ago...

First and foremost, here are the stats

Height - 27"
Weight - 19lbs15oz

HE's HUGE!!

Seriously? 5 months?

How'd we go from this...

To this!?

and he can STAND!!!

Happy 5months, Owen!

Tiko is Sick

I've put off posting about this because it's something that gets me incredibly emotional.

Tiko, our male cat, is sick.

We had noticed that he was getting really thin, and while he's never been one to really groom himself overly well...he's sort of wasting away to a sack of bones and matter fur.

Last Monday night, I went to clip his claws and noticed that two on the right paw, and three on the left were actually embedded into the pads of his paws. Immediately, C called the vets as soon as they were open the next day, and we were able to get him in to see Dr. Tucker on Wednesday at noon.

Well...Dr. Tucker took one look at our little guy, and started asking questions.

a) under any stress? Yes, we have a 5 month on (today!)

b) eating less? yes...

c) drinking less? no! He's a water FIEND!

d) behavioural changes? no! He's a crazy, lovable, wonderful cat!

Dr. Tucker looked at Tiko's gums, which are white. They should be a rosy posey pink. Not good.

After much discussion with the vet about the water fetish, Tiko's gums, lack of self-care...it was pretty clear that we had a very sick kitty on our hands.

They took care of the claws, which Tiko did remarkably well through, and drew blood.

On Friday, I called the vet for the results. They are testing him for renal failure, feline leukemia, anemia's and blood disorders, as well as liver issues.

Everything came back normal, except for his kidneys.

Tiko is in stage three kidney failure.

Once getting all of the information from Dr. Tucker, I took one look at C and burst into tears. I found Tiko while volunteering at the London Humane Society back in 2006. He had been there for nearly a year when I finally convinced C to come and look at this crazy cat.

He has the temperament of a dog; always at your side, and under your feet. He comes when called, purrs up a storm when getting some lovin', tolerates being "pet" (aka pulled and hit) by a 5month old and has a weird affinity for water...which is now explained by the kidney failure.

Right now, we're doing all that we can to help him. I guess in a way, we sort of feel like we owe it to him to give him the best life that we can. He came to the shelter through their investigations department and was taken out of a very abusive home (his tail even has bend in it from where it was slammed in a door). He seriously is the sweetest cat ever.

He's on medication twice a day, and we're going to have to collect a urine sample to take to the vet's so they can assess the damage to his kidneys. Once that's done, we'll have some decisions to make.

It's not looking good, so I thought I'd take today to post about him...and post some pictures of him.

We love you Tiko!


I love him...such a character - winter 2009

Drinking momma's water...looking a little thin - summer 2010

Feeling right at home - winter 2006/07

Seriously...what cat chases a bee on TVO kids?! - spring 2008

Life...is...gooooood - spring 2007

Weeble Wobble

Y3W

I'm late...I know...but look!!

Video will be posted on monday!

Thankful Thursday

How appropriate that Rememrance Day falls on a Thursday this year..

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved, and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders Fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders Fields.

- John McCrae

Almost 5mo

Seriously...where did the time go?!

I've been so busy with Sweet Stella's and life in general that I only now realized that I haven't really blogged about the kiddo in a while.

What's he up to? Well, he plays...all. the. time. Right now, he's sleeping on me, but typically, we're on the floor playing, kicking, singing and giggling.

He loves his soft toys, in particular Ellie...his cute little elephant. It goes with us everywhere. If he falls asleep, Ellie can be found being snuggled. If he's awake, he has one hand on each ear and her trunk in his mouth.

Speaking of mouths...teething sucks. Owen started sleeping through the night a few weeks ago, only to have that lovely, blissful pattern interrupted by teeth. That one at the front is poking and prodding through, and two others are on their way. He'll be eating pizza by Christmas!! (kidding)

Oh! And he sits!! He can go almost a full minute sitting unassisted, before he weebles and wobbles over and face plants on the floor...leading to giggles. He must think it's a game, because we do it over...and over...and over!

Anyhow...here he is!

Ah-mazing!

HUGE thanks to everyone who's clicked on the Sweet Stella's button off to the side, those following me on Twitter, and everyone who has linked up with the facebook fanpage. I have news!

I received an email on Sunday while C and I were out at the Bills game (so much fun!) from the web hosting provider...

www.sweetstellas.webs.com is the highest ranked site for webs.com and is in the top 1%!! The traffic is through the roof, and I am thrilled with the response.

It's led me to consider a few things, one in particular that I'm hoping you all can weigh in on.

1) purchasing the domain name...I'm forging ahead with this one
2) expanding the site package through webs.com to be able to offer more products...forging ahead with this too
3) offering more products

This is where you can weigh in...what products would you like to see??

I have a fabulous idea for handpapered and stamped board books, mini albums and memory keepers...but I got thinking...what else could I offer?

The ornaments are obviously seasonal, and while I have some ideas for new collections (inspired by one of my favourite online mom's actually!) it doesn't translate overly well into spring and summer.

So here are some options I'm thinking of

• wedding decor - hanging decorations and personalized items such as favours and favour boxes
• coordinated party items...what that entails, I'm not sure!
• art - I'm an abstract painter, so perhaps I could do some paintings for the store

What else could I do? What would appeal to YOU?!

I appreciate your comments!

It's GO Time, People!

As in go-live!!




Sweet Stella's is LIVE and I'm loving it!



I spent a good hour last night transforming out spare guest room into a guest room-office combo...and a good hour this morning taking product photos out in our frosty backyard.



I'd love for you to check it out, and leave me a comment about what you think...and any suggestions you might have!



Thanks so much!

Y3W

I'm SO excited!! I've decided to open an online store!!

I've spent most of yesterday making samples, and waiting for the rain to stop so that I can take artsy-fartsy pictures of said samples for the website. I've spent most nights writing "Welcome" and "About Us" pages. I've spent most early mornings snuggling with Owen...dreaming up new ideas!

Stay tuned....I'm hoping to go-live on monday!

In 7 months...

...I will have to formally decide if I am going to go back to work.

This stinks.

I'm already dreading it, for a few reasons.

1) my position probably won't exist when/if I go back, so I have no idea where they would put me to work and in what capacity. Imagine, running a small litigation collection company for a law firm and going back to....what? Getting coffee? Running bank errands? Working for C? Oi!

2) Daycare here is crazy expensive, and I can't imagine shipping Owen off somewhere on a daily basis. Yes...lots do it, but I'm not so sure it's what's right for us.

3) We can't really afford for me to not go back to work...so something's gotta give


So...I'm looking into options. An online store...a bakery...something crafty and artsy-fartsy. I recently discovered a love of paper, doing hand painted Christmas ornaments and have always enjoyed doing crafty things...so I'm sorta leaning in that direction.

The bakery idea would be awesome, however the bylaws here in our dear city are super strict about commercial kitchens and we don't have the money for me to open my own business right now. A few years down the road...perhaps. But right now, it's definitely out of the question.

Will an online store generate much of an income? Probably not, but it sure would be fun, and will give me a good creative outlet...and it's something that I could start now before the holidays.

Thoughts and comments are definitely welcome here!! I could really use some advice!