Home made Pedialyte

I totally stole this exact recipe from 100 Days of Real Food, but it's surprising to me that a lot of people don't seem to realize that Pedialyte isn't the only thing you can give your child when he's sick.  Here is a much better alternative (spelled out for you) which will save you quite a bit of money.  Plus, I know you all have this stuff at your house already, so it saves you a trip to the store, too!

She recommends using OJ, but I think the acid might be too much for a sensitive stomach. I use watered-down
apple juice or cider with a pinch of salt in it for Little Man (worked twice now).

Enjoy!

Homemade Pedialyte Recipe

Mix together:

• 1 quart water
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Note: If you fear your child will think this drink is too plain consider adding in a couple splashes of orange Juice. Also, the sugar and salt may dissolve more easily if you warm up the water first.

Disclaimer: This recipe is recommended for children who are older than 1, generally healthy with properly functioning kidneys, and not experiencing severe dehydration or high fever (which would probably require direct medical attention anyhow). And, as always, follow your own doctor’s advice over anything you find on the internet!

Summer Re-cap

I hate bloggers who apologize for not keeping up with their blogs--because blog readers are just glued to their computers waiting for us all to share what we had for dinner, the cute outfit we spent hours laboring over for our kid who messed it up 2 minutes after the photos were taken, or finding out what fun picture frame we fashioned into a completely useless piece of wall "art".

So, I'm not apologizing for not posting anything for almost 6 months--I have a life.  But, I've missed cataloging what I've been up to, so I thought I would do a bit of a photo montage that explains what I've been up to over the last six months.  Enjoy!

Garden:

We finally had a strawberry this year!  It rained a lot, my tomatoes are coming in like crazy (still), I built a vertical planter for sweet potatoes (that died) that seems very well suited for cucumbers, pesto: the elixir of pasta, a squash plant I started from seed and hydrangea. 

Kiddo:

 

Helping me make cinnamon buns with his friend one morning.

 

And thankfully, we had a lot of beach & lake time this summer.

Cooking:

 

I discovered the olive bar at Wegmans's; Mac n Cheese, grilled lamb leg, avocado pasta, pierogies with chorizo(!), the book that started it all, cold-brewed coffee (a revelation), we made baked beans from scratch, this crazy watermelon rum drink with limes and cilantro, Heizenberg special rock candy (just a touch of chili p yo), and the most beautiful fritatta I've ever made.

Beer/Liquor Drinks:

A small sampling what I've been drinking this summer.  Lots of ales and saisons, now transitioning into festbiers and porters.  I haven't brewed since probably Februrary, but I'm enjoying what others are making immensely!

The chill of fall has also reignited the bourbon (me) vs. scotch (my husband) debate in our house.  Here's a fun maple mint julep I made--it's actually better without the ice cubes to take that chill off your bones.

If you have any questions about what I have up here, just ask!  It may make its way into a full blog post one day!

Me-Made-May

I have decided to join a blogging pledge this year--Me-Made-May--wherein I have pledged to wear two items that I have made each week and create one additional item by the end of the month.

For those of you close to me, you know I haven't sewn anything except my son's christening gown since his birth--it's not just a lack of posts about things!  I'm kind of excited to have a real reason to buckle down and get sewing especially since I've been lamenting my lack of handcrafting lately.

So here's my first entry--a dress I made at least two years ago.  Sorry for the less than stellar photos, but it's all I'm capable of while solo.

 

I LOVE this fabric, but am not too keen on the waist placket as it literally adds at least an inch to my waist (many layers of a heavy fabric=a bad BMI).  I'm pretty sure this was a McCall's pattern--any interested parties are welcome to inquire and I'll try to dig it out.  It's really nice despite my comments.  I just used the wrong weight fabric for this, though it was awesome whilst preggo and post for covering up/accomodating the belly.

Let me know if you're participating.  I'd love to have some MMM '13 love!

Rural Revolution: How long will home-canned food last?

I had to share this blog post from a blog I randomly came across months ago. 

Now, I don't have a pressure-canning system so I can't can meat, but this is a great example of how great home canning can be!  And don't forget to read the comments.  Some are great!


Rural Revolution: How long will home-canned food last?: I was cleaning out my pantry a couple days ago when I came across some home-canned jars of meat: beef and ham, as well as lentil soup. No...

Cleaning Sophie

I do much of my best thinking in the shower--the same location where Little Man does most of his best playing.  This morning, I noticed that his bath toys were a little less than sparkling and I realized that a lot of people probably have NO idea how to clean their children's toys without potentially poisoning them.

Rubber, plastic toys:  You can either immerse and/or wipe down with a water and vinegar solution.  If you can handle it, I recommend using 2 parts vinegar to 1 part water and then either rinsing in wiping down with clean water.  For squeezy toys (rubber ducks, Sophie the giraffe, etc.) squeeze under the vinegar water to get some inside and then shake it around before squeezing the water out.  You may want to repeat that a few times.  Some funky stuff can grow inside those guys--especially the bath toys! 

Fabric, plush:  Spot clean with warm water.  If that doesn't work, try a little clarifying shampoo (nothing moisturizing!). Don't rub if at all possible, especially on the plush.  Pat dry and let sit until completely dry or it will look worse than when you started.

Stuffed Animals: If it's just general ick on the stuffed animals (great to do post-cold, too) get a big paper shopping bag (plastic works, too but not as well) dump in a hefty amount of baking soda (about a cup) on top of the toy, close it up (folds, tie, etc.) and then shake it.  And I mean SHAKE it.  For 30 seconds to a minute depending on how gross the toy is.  Remove from bag, shake and pat (outside or over a clean garbage pail is best) until you get all the excess off.

Just a note: I highly caution against using baby wipes for "cleaning".  A lot of them have moisturizers in them that can discolor plastics, stain fabric, and flatten pile on toys.

I'd love to hear how others clean their kids' toys. Any suggestions?

Cold Weather Makes me Want to Knit!

Next week we're leaving on a week and a half journey across the Great White North--and considering it'll be February I'm assuming that Canada will live up to its nickname.

Little man just turned one, just started walking, and and just lost his only pair of mittens.  So in preparation, I've been trying to find a pair of baby mittens at stores, online, in patterns, etc.  It's harder than you'd think to find a pair of mittens for a small toddler with thumbs!  As in impossible so far.  All the mittens with thumbs were for kids at least twice his size (2T-5T was the size), and his hand swam in them.

After quite a bit of internet searching, I found some knitting patterns for 12 months sizes and also discovered some really fun places with free knitting patterns!

The first I stumbled across was straw.com, which appears to be a yarn wholesaler named Crystal Palace, and has a HUGE library of both commissioned and user-created patterns for free.  Not all of their "indie patterns" are free, and none seem to have any user comments or updates on them directly, so one can't be sure how well they've been vetted.  But I guess what you pay for.

The mittens I'm considering making from their site are their Baby-Toddler Mittens.

The other site that I came across while looking for these mitten patterns is Pickles.no.  This Norwegian yarn artisan company has a TON of free patterns, and since the pattern section is made in a blog format, there are some comments about where users ran into any issues which the Pickles folks use to actually update their patterns.  From my browsing, most of the patterns are really fashionable and current, and since they're in Norway, you know they have to be warm!  I'm going to make the kindergarten mittens for Little Man, and if time permits this cute hat, sweater, and booties babykit for my best friend's own impending Little Man.

The Pickles site actually has an online store, too, so if you fall in love with some of their yarns, you can buy them immediately.  Just make sure you find the little British flag at the top right corner so that you you can actually tell what you're buying!

I'm going to make Little Man's mittens with an appropriate yarn that I already have in my stash--I'm not convinced that he needs to wear Merino wool yet.  I'm hoping to start them this weekend, so maybe I can post them next week!  Fingers crossed!

Knitted hat

I finished my first project that involved knitting in the round and I'm pretty proud of it. It turned out nicely, but I have to admit that the pattern wasn't the easiest to follow at the end, though.  I've got a bit of a conehead... Also, the band around the head is too loose (even after washing) on everyone. My plan is to remake it using smaller needles for the headband section during our long road trip to Canada in February, but we'll see if the little man cooperates with that plan...

So, for my first giveaway, I'm offering this hat for the masses.  Just follow my blog (button's at the right) and then leave a comment telling me whose big head this hat will keep warm this winter. I'll announce the winner after the new year.

Merry merry, all!