Something a Little Different for This Sunday

Normally Sundays are pretty lazy around our house.  We sleep in, read the paper, work on the house and maybe, just maybe, change out of our pj's.  Today was a different kind of Sunday.  Today I put on the ole' fancy pants and I worked at an event for Ergobaby downtown as a Brand Ambassador at the Best of Bump Club . I got to talk to lots of moms and dads about why Ergobaby is such a great product.  As most of you know I don't normally "bring home the bacon" around here but it sounded like a fun opportunity so I jumped on it. Although I'm pretty sure Julie and Maddox spent all my

my handsome guy on a boat 

"bacon" galavanting the city today.  They went to Navy Pier, the Lego Store, H&M, took a boat tour, played in a fountain and of course got a few treats. They both had an awesome day and Maddox chattered about it the whole way home.  I love it when they get to spend quality time together without me, I think it is so sweet and such good bonding time!

I really enjoyed talking to grown ups all day, even if it was about babies! I felt a little like my former, working girl self.  Mallory went with me and OH MY GOODNESS she was PERFECT!  She was in the Ergo from 9am to 3pm and got out a little to eat, be changed and play, but she slept and just chilled about 90% of the time.  She was the best-est baby model ever!

It was fun to talk to other moms, and I actually found a few similarly minded people who were into cloth diapers, essential oils and all around green living.  I love running into fellow crunchies!  Ha, ha.  And go figure, I forgot to take pictures of us working hard today.  Oops.

I struck up a great conversation with a few moms about cloth diapering and they wanted to see some pictures.  I promised I would share some of my home made creations.
When we are out and about we usually use pocket diapers but when we are home I like to use fitted diapers with wool covers.  I use pockets when we are out because they have PUL on the outside and they are waterproof and faster to change.  At home I like fitted diapers because they are much more breathable and I think more fun but not waterproof unless you put a cover on them.  I like wool, again because it is more breathable and a natural fiber, but also because I like making covers and I think they are adorable.  The white fitted diapers are from Green Mountain Diapers and are called Worhorse fitteds.  They are awesome!  They are absorbent, soft, fit very well and not too expensive.  Plus I like the simplicity of a classic looking diaper.   So here you go ladies that I met today, my latest creations made from my scraps and thrift store finds.

Fitted Woof, Woof

Fitted Birdies

Fitted flowers and owls

Brown flower was from leftover PUL, green flower was a  pillowcase and pink plaid was a table cloth

Mallory in upcycled wool

More upcycled wool on the cute baby model

Workhorse fitted - such a cute bum!

Oh how I am having fun with fluff!  It is becoming an addiction.  A bad one.

Jen

Diapers Out of Pillowcases

Sorry I have not posted much in the last few days.  Back in mid April our basement flooded, along with the rest of Chicago so I have been dealing with that. I have also been working out almost everyday (with the help of some accountabilit-buddies), planning for Maddox's 5th birthday and making diapers for our chubby girl who keeps growing out of everything I have previously made.  This time I got smart, I am making one size diapers that should last for the long haul.  I am using scraps that I had here and a few upcycled things I found at the thrift store.  So a diaper that would normally cost $15-$25 is costing me practically nothing, just my time.  The first diaper took me nearly half a day to figure out but I think I have it down and I made these three so far.

This one was a vintage pillowcase.

I'm pretty excited about how they turned out and I have enough fabric cut for about 6 more so I have some work ahead of me in the next few days.

This on was an old tablecloth - I think she likes it!

Ergo Love

In preparation for the month of July, when my kids and I will be away from home for 33 days, I have been looking for things that are travel friendly and will make my life easier with a baby and 5 year old.  I am an avid Ergo Baby Carrier lover. I have 2 already, but I stumbled across this bad boy and I could not pass it up.  It is a packable Ergo they call  the Stowaway.  It folds up into that tiny little rectangle that you can toss or hook anywhere.

My first pack job, so easy!

The material is different that my other Ergos. The shell is made of 100% recycled materials and it is kinda of slicky.  It reminds me of the outside of a sleeping bag.  The shoulders have less padding than the other ones, which is expected because it is much lighter and packs inside itself.  It still has a hood that hides inside a little pocket (which I love because I don't use it much) and it still has my favorite Ergo feature - a pocket!  This has been one of the reasons I have not even tried any other carriers because I need a place for my phone and keys.  Thank you Ergo!

Eeewww, baby slobber.

Since little Mrs. Drools-a- lot has been doing this  ---------------->        
 to my straps I decided to jazz them up with some cute sucker pads to combat her slobber.  I think they turned out pretty cute and they were easy.  I made 3 sets in about an hour.  Organic, reversible, adorable.  Go me!

I think she likes our new travel arrangement!

Here is a little demo.

Buckwheat

So what do you know about buckwheat?  2 weeks ago I would have said nothing, but a fellow mom and I were talking about food and gluten free alternatives and she brought up buckwheat.  She is from Russia and she said they eat lots of it there and I should give it a try. Always down for something new, I picked some up at the grocery store and here is what I have learned.

Buckwheat although looks and acts much like a grain it is actually a fruit seed that is related to rhubarb.  
It is - 

• Gluten free
• Linked to lower LDL(bad cholesterol), serum cholesterol and higher HDL (good cholesterol)
• Rich in flavanoids which are phytonutrients that protect against disease by extending the action of vitamin C and act as antioxidants
• Helps regulate blood sugar
• Helps prevent gallstones
• Surpasses rice, wheat and corn in almost every measure of healthfulness
• High in the amino acids lysine and arginine
• Buckwheat proteins reduce the activity of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE), thereby reducing hypertension
• High in minerals, especially magnesium, zinc, copper and manganese

Buckwheat is sold in 3 forms. Groats, grits and flour.  Groats are the hulled seeds.  If you roast the groats they are called kasha and they are tastier roasted.  Very fine unroasted groats are grits and are

often used as breakfast cereals.  Flour can be light and dark.  The darker it is the more hull is ground into it and the more nutritious.  You should store your buckwheat in a sealed container in a cool place like the fridge or freezer because they are seeds and they can go rancid.

The buckwheat I got was unroasted groats (because I didn't know at the time it came any other way) so dry roasted it which is a fancy way of saying I put it in a skillet with nothing else and cooked it till it got darker.  Then I cooked it like I would rice.  In my house that means I threw it in the rice cooker.  I used the same proportions as I would with rice, so 1 part buckwheat 2 parts liquid.  I used some leftover chicken broth from a soup I made last week and threw in some mushrooms and garlic and flipped the switch.  If you don't have one you are missing out...the rice cooker rocks!  We use it for all kids of stuff, rice, quinoa, now buckwheat.  I love it!  I'm pretty sure I could not make rice on the stove, it would burn, ah, but not in the rice cooker!  Anyway, back to buckwheat...it turned out great!  

Then the next morning we had a recipe for some gluten free griddle cakes that happen to call for what? Yup, buckwheat flour.  So I ground some up in the Vitamix and and we made breakfast.  They were tasty too.

So here is a new food to try that is super healthy, easy and tasty.  After you try it let me know how it turned out.  Maybe we can all share some yummy new recipes.

Be healthy!

Jen