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Flamingoes, Bears and Zebra’s. . . Oh My!

This past weekend Jim and I woke-up and decided to take advantage of me not working and we headed down to the zoo. Since we are annual pass holders we didn’t have to pay anything and we stopped at Subway to pick-up a sandwich to share. Money is going to be a little tight around here since I quit my job earlier this week (another story) so pinching pennies here and there is going to go a long way! There is so much to see at the San Diego Zoo, so we concentrate on certain areas of the park instead of hitting everything in one day. Our goal this time was to go and see the Panda’s but the line was out of control so we headed all the way up to the Polar Bear Plunge. We stopped here and there and took in what the park had to offer. For Jim and I going to the zoo always reminds us of our first few months of dating, there are a lot of memories and it’s great to make new ones with Miss P.

Isn’t Payton’s expression a Mommy expression? Like Momma, like Baby.

When we made up to the Plunge, the Polar Bear was eating his lunch of carrots so we couldn’t see anything. As we were walking up the hill to leave I stood on the curb and snapped this shot. Not bad for standing on my tippy toes and aiming over shrubs!

Mommas Twin

Sweet P’s Recipes – Fruits

Today I decided to make Payton some homemade fruit purees and grains. She has been doing really well on veggies and she has only had a few organic store bought fruits. Using the Beaba Baby Cook is so easy and literally takes all the clean-up of a traditional food processor out. Here’s what I made today:

Apple Sauce –

3 Organic Red Delicious Apples, peeled, cored and sliced

1. Steam and puree until you have reached desired consistency. I divided the batch into thirds and mixed each with something different: plain, cinnamon and apple oatmeal.

Blueberry Apple Sauce –

1 Organic Red Delicious Apple, peeled, cored and sliced
1/2 cup Organic Blueberries, rinsed.

1. Steam and puree until you have reached desired consistency

A variation I made on this recipe was by adding in organic oatmeal, see below for oatmeal recipe.

Peaches and Brown Rice –

3 Ripe, Organic Peaches, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup brown rice cereal (see recipe below)

1. Steam and puree peaches. Peaches tend to be a little waterier than other fruits, by adding the brown rice it made it the perfect texture for Payton.

Organic Baby Oatmeal –

1/4 cup of organic ground oats (do NOT use instant or Quick Cook), ground in blender or food processor
3/4 cup – 1 cup water

1. Bring liquid to boil in saucepan. Add the oatmeal powder while stirring constantly.
2. Simmer for 10 minutes, whisking constantly until cooked.
3. Mix in formula or breast milk and fruits if desired and serve warm.

Organic Brown Rice Cereal with whole rice –

1/2 c. Organic Brown Basmati Rice

1 cup water

1. Bring liquid to boil in saucepan. Add the rice and stir.
2. Simmer for 20 minutes or according to package directions; stir 1/2 way through cooking time.

3. When rice is finished and a bit cool, add it in 1/2 cup measurements with liquid of your choice (breast milk, formula, water etc.) and puree as needed. Keep a watch as you puree so that the rice does not turn into paste!
4. Serve warm mixed with fruits, veggies and liquid of your choice.

** If you do not have a Baby Cook machine, cook all fruits for ten minutes using a steam basket in a saucepan.

From left to right :

Apple-Cinnamon Oatmeal, Blueberry Applesauce and Apple Sauce

Blueberry Applesauce Oatmeal

Birthday Giveaway Winner. . .

The winner of the $50 Crate & Barrel Gift Card is:

Entry # 10 : Natalie @ The Bobby Pin

E-mail me at:

lepetitekupkak@yahoo.com

with your address and I will send it out your way!

Thanks for all that participated and wished me a Happy Birthday!

Winner was chosen using random.org

Happy Birthday . . .

to me! Today I am celebrating my, um, well, twenty-eighth birthday. I feel like an adult, finally! I am actually working today, which is a total bummer, but I guess it’s my fault since I make my schedule. I am going out to dinner with my family after work and that’s it, super boring, but that’s okay. I love birthdays for other’s, not for me. So, that’s why I am giving one of my readers a birthday present from me. I know your probably thinking I am a crazy lady, because after all, it is my birthday, but like I said, I am a giver not a taker. Here’s what I am giving away. . . are you ready!?

That’s right! A $50 Crate & Barrel Gift Card. All you have to do to win is:

1. Tell me why you deserve to win this and what you would buy from Crate & Barrel. (1 entry)

2. Tell a friend or two by blogging about this fabulous giveaway. Leave a separate comment with the link back to your blog. (2 entries) Remember to leave two additional comments.

Good luck! Winner will be announced one week from today, Tuesday, June 29th.

A Half-Year-Old

Dear Payton-

Today you are a half of a year old, I cannot believe how fast this year is flying by! I know I say this each month but with each passing day you grow and learn something new. This past month has been so exciting watching you learn and explore as you scoot, discover your toys, your hair accessories (which almost gave me a heart attack when you discovered this) and how you “talk”. You amaze me and I could literally sit and watch you play all day. Your newest thing is rolling all over the living room, on a few occasions you have almost ended up outside, you have bonked your head a few times on the heater and found a passion for mommy’s shoes. Daddy may be in trouble if you have a shoe fetish, but this is okay with me, as long as we’re the same shoe size! You are starting to cuddle, which Daddy and I love to death! I love when I am home to see you wake-up because it puts in the best mood for rest of the day. You have been solid foods now for a few months and you haven’t rejected anything which is great! You have eaten: Sweet potatoes, yams (I think these are your fav), butternut squash, sweet peas, carrots, zucchini, avocado (another fav) and peaches. You usually devour everything and are starting to grab for your spoon! You are officially feeding yourself with your bottle which we also love. We missed your six-month wellness check today because you were really fussy from your stubborn teethers that don’t seem to want to cut through which has in return made you very crabby and your in a lot of pain. Mama gave you some Tylenol and you went down for a two hour nap, which I joined in on and we overslept! I feel like a bad mommy, but we will have to weigh you this weekend to see how much you weigh, my guess is eighteen pounds. To mark your half year birthday we are purchasing your big girl car seat since you don’t have any more room left in your carrier. You are so grown-up my sweet baby girl! Let the birthday planning begin!

Pay, we love you and thank God everyday for bringing you into our lives.