The Magic Bullet is not as "magic" as I had hoped

DH and I have used the Magic Bullet for a while to make smoothies, dips, etc., and we were very excited to start using it to make our own baby food.  This past weekend we took a trip out to a local organic farm and stocked up on veggies before the winter and set up shop in our kitchen.  Making baby food- at least in this early stage- is relatively easy.  Cook the food (I used recipes from www.wholesomebabyfood.com), puree it, and plop it into individual serving sizes.

The Magic Bullet surprisingly required a lot of time and energy.  It may be because we filled the cup almost to the top, but it wasn't mixing well.  The food by the blade pureed well, but the bottom of the cup didn't move down.  I had to keep taking it off, shaking, banging, and stirring.

It was a long night, but in the end, the Magic Bullet did the job.

Anyone out there have a processor they love?

Here is the squash as it came out of the oven.  mmmmmmmmm

These trays are great because they have covers, stack well, and you can write on them with dry erase markers.  HOWEVER, it was VERY hard to get the frozen food out.  I had to get DH to do it.

This is a soft mini muffin tray I usually use for baking.  The frozen food popped right out, and it stores well in freezer bags.

The freezer is filling up!  The containers with the purple tops are small reusable containers I had ordered from Tupperware.  They are the "Freezer Safe" containers.  As you can see, we started with the oranges.

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Graco Nasal Clear Sucks.... in a good way :)

JD had a very runny nose this week, and using the traditional bulb aspirator was torturous!  I ran to Babies R Us (Yes- even though I hate them, they are close to home) and scoured the first aid isle for options.  There were a few different battery operated vacuum aspirators, but I chose this one for one reason... the clear collection cup.  I knew my hubby would be fascinated, just like he is with our bagless vacuum.  Who doesn't like to see what they are sucking up?  haha
This model also plays over a dozen different tunes (it's that annoying baby toy music, but it's enough to distract him).  It worked great, and he didn't fight it as much as he fought the bulb.  It is easy to clean- just turn it on under running water.  This was a lifesaver!
**UPDATE- He totally loves this now.  He actually smiles when he sees it coming and will lie calmly while we get the boogies out.  Sometimes he tries to catch it in his mouth which is a bit disturbing, but overall, we are very happy with this  :)
**NEW UPDATE- It died this morning!  The music still works, but the vacuum doesn't.  We tried changing the batteries, but that wasn't it.  I'm going to contact Graco.  Even though it died, I want another because it worked and he liked it.
**NEWEST UPDATE- Graco quickly sent me a brand new one and a label to return the broken one for free.  Thanks Graco!


You can get it here!

Stay Home, Stay Happy!

I just finished reading Stay Home, Stay Happy: 10 Secrets to Loving At-Home Motherhood by Rachel Campos-Duffy.  Most books I have seen about "surviving" staying at home have been over-the-top and not at all practical for my family, but this one really delivers, and I can see myself reading this book again and again over the years!    This book is full of great ideas (my husband and I can't wait to try the "knock on the door" approach to discipline), inspirational passages, and great tools (I'm a huge fan of her lists)!  It is not at all about "surviving", but about enjoying staying at home!


A theme that repeats throughout the book is that you have to take care of you before you can be happy taking care of anyone else.  I know that is something that makes you want to say, "Oh that sounds great on paper, but it's not practical, and I don't have time for at-home spa treatments and long baths," but Campos-Duffy truly shows how to make it happen.  She wipes away common guilt ("it's okay that I didn't take advantage of every single teachable moment today") and shares examples from her own life that demonstrate that I am not alone in my stresses and concerns.


Most importantly, it's an easy read.  I read a chapter each night before I fell asleep and never felt that I would rather be sleeping.  It left me motivated and inspired to start the next day!  In repeating and reviewing what I learned from this book, I 100% believe that the way I view my time at home will change and my family will be happier.


Now that I have finished the book, I'm taking her "20 Mom Must-Haves" and creating my Christmas list.  Yes, some of the things are expensive indulgences, but we're worth it!  After that, I vow to catch up on my scrapbooking (I'm only 2 years behind), so that I can honor my legacy as a stay at home mom.
I highly recommend this book to any mom (it's principles can be shared with working moms too)! Enjoy!
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