Martha Moment

At this point I have determined that teething is going to last until Short Stuff is about 16, but that is another story. This is a recipe for a great teething stick that they can eat even after they are teething. It doesn't turn into a gooey mess that hardens to a concrete like substance and the hands on time is pretty minimal.

Banana Sticks
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup oil ( I use olive oil but canola works too)
2 eggs
1 cup mashed banana
1 3/4 cups flour ( white, wheat or a mix)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda

• Mix together and bake in a loaf pan at 350° for about 1 hr or until toothpick comes out clean.
• Let cool slightly and then turn out onto cooling rack until completely cool.
• Cut into bite size sticks. Bake at 200° for 1.5 hours until dry. The original recipe says 1 hour but that didn't even come close. I sometimes leave the in for up to 3 hrs.

Martha Moment

I am bad, and I mean really bad, about sending cards to people. I miss Birthdays, Thank Yous, just about everything.

A few years ago I decided I would fix the issue by buying all the cards I needed for the entire year in January, signing, address and putting a stamp on them and then putting a reminder in my calendar.

That worked great until I moved, lost my calendar and had a kid.

Now I am in trouble all over again but I have found a solution ( I should say Littlest Sister found it). Jack Cards.

This is so great. You do still have to organize things a bit but after that, they take care of everything, even if postage goes up or you don't look at your personal calendar for a week or two.

Splitting Time

Blah. I just erased everything I wrote. It got all preachy and that is the last thing you need to read.

I am calling these sections "Splitting Time' because I really feel like that is what I have had to do. All through school and the first 7 years of my business, I just worked liked crazy. I would push deadlines to the last second, stay up all night for days to get something done and then crash, work at night or weekends. I even did it when Short Stuff was first born.

I took her on a plane and flew to Arizona when she was 9 weeks old to go to a business retreat. And you know what, I am not sorry I did that. I couldn't do it know, but it worked for me then.

As time has passed I realized that I had to make some changes. I used to sit Short Stuff on my lap while writing e-mails for a National Board I sit on. She somehow magically hit a couple of buttons one day and rearranged my entire e-mail, added some random letters and sent it before I even knew she had touched the keys.

Now I break up my day. I don't even try to work when she is home or awake. This is only possible through the magic of a great daycare and husband. I actually get a lot more done now than I used to because I am focused on the task at hand.

Hi "Suzy's Mom"

As you know, I didn't always want to have kids and this is one of the reasons. I had been me, Amy, for over 30 years and didn't want to lose who I was.

I few years before I decided I wanted kids I was in a Costco and witnessed one grown woman go up to another grown woman and say "Hi, Suzy's Mom" and the other woman replied "Hi, Jack's Mom". I almost lost my lunch.

I wanted to yell, you both have names you know, since when did you lose them?!!!

I can see how it can happen. Kids suck you in (in a good way) and you do change, but that doesn't mean you lose who you are or were, it just means you add to it. One day Short Stuff will move out and where will I be if I spend 18 years (fingers crossed) as "Short Stuff's Mom". I choose to be Amy, mom of Short Stuff, it has a longer and I believe healthier shelf life.

Martha Moment

Ever since I can remember I have made fun of my mother for making my baby food. I have even gone so far as to blame my fairly encompassing hatred of vegetables on her giving me such healthy food as a child. She even baked bread from scratch and made a lot of our clothes! I mean, really.

Well, it is her turn to make fun now. I realized pretty fast that baby food was going to cost a fortune and it didn't seem that appealing to me anyway. So, gasp, I decided to make my own.

My mother is never going to let this one go. I hear about it every time I see her but the money saved is worth it.

Here's the deal. You don't need special kits or equipment. You just need a steaming rack, a food processor, ice cube trays and freezer bags. I already have everything but the ice cube trays and bags. The trays I got for $1 each (get as many as you can stack in your freezer, it makes it go faster) and I bought freezer bags from a bulk store. The quart size are perfect and get a good brand or freezer burn will get ya.

I just set aside one a every 3 months. Steam up a bunch of veggies, cook some different meats and starches and start blending away. If you put each blended ingredient in its own bowl, you can mix and match to your hearts content, add spices if you want and come up with all sorts of cool meals.

Then you just spoon food into ice cube trays, freeze and place in labeled bags. Each cube is about an ounce of food so you just zap as many as you need in the microwave and, voila', food is served.

I have been able to feed Short Stuff organic foods, whole grains and even some cool spices for so much less money than the individual jars of food.

Don't get me wrong, I still buy jars sometimes and I don't make handmade Cheerios, but this has been a money saver and also kinda fun.

P.S. This is a day that hubby watches the kids. Another bonus.

Great Gear

Diaper Bags.

It took me three tries to find one I like and I know I am not alone.

I finally spent about 2 hours looking at all the bags I could find on the Internet and then found the best site Ebags.com. The prices are great and so is the customer service.

I finally settled on a bag by Baby Kaed - Devani Nylon Diaper Bag (Tan w/Chocolate). It was more than I originally wanted to spend but when I added up the cost of the other two, I would have saved a lot by just getting what I wanted in the first place. ( That doesn't just go for diaper bags.0

I am not a frilly girl, so a lot of the bags kinds made me say "eewww". I also realized I needed to keep the darn thing from sliding off my shoulder while I carried Short Stuff. This can be worn like a purse or a messenger bag and stays put both ways.

I like it so much, I have used it as a carry-on on flights and have even used it as a soft briefcase for board meetings. I get complements on my "great bag" all the time, not my "great diaper bag".

Splitting Time

As you know I was in WI recently. My other little sister ( I'll have to come up with cool nicknames for them or something) stayed a few days longer with me and we decided to take Short Stuff to the zoo. I actually think my sister wanted to go more than anyone (she also has an obsession with Disney World, I mean it, an obsession).

I just got a new cool phone so I can check e-mail and such while away from home. In addition to painting murals, I coach people with creative businesses and I was waiting for a call from a coachie. Next thing I knew, I was pushing a stroller and talking about websites while walking through the zoo.

What was I doing! I tell my clients to make personal time and I wasn't even listening to my own advice. I rescheduled the call for later that day and went on to have a great time at the zoo. It wasn't a big deal for my client, she could wait a few hours. It was a big deal for me, I would have missed part of Short Stuff's first visit to a zoo.