Holiday Shopping

I am vowing to get an early start on my holiday shopping this year. In years past, I had to wait until the week before Christmas because that was pay day. This year I promised myself I would start early and take advantage of online sales and discounts since I never shopped online in the past.

I have been looking for places to get Aiden's Christmas gifts and since I am an affiliate with some children's programs, I have access to coupon codes for discounts from PBS Kid's Shop, The Land of Nod, and the Corner Stork. I also have codes from e.l.f, Ulta and Stila cosmetics if anyone is interested.

Black Friday, November 23-November 25th you will get 20 percent off purchases at PBS Kid's Shop by clicking the link and entering the promo code BLACK20 at checkout. Black Friday - 20% Off at PBS KIDS Shop!

Thanksgiving Pie recipes-Old favorites

Thanksgiving is right around the corner and I am digging out my recipe box to get ready. If you will be making pies like me, here is some information and a few good recipes for the Top 5 most popular holiday pies. We love pumpkin and apple in our house, but we welcome new flavors as well. What kind of holiday pies will you be making.Comment back and let me know what your favorite holiday pies are.


I just published this lens on Squidoo for Thanksgiving Pie recipes. There are some old favorites and links to some new ones.

http://www.squidoo.com/5-thanksgiving-pie-recipes-youll-love

Top 5 Best Baby Bouncer Reviews

I am adding some of my reviews on baby products to my blog. Here is one of my squidoo lenses covering my sons favorite bouncer.

Baby bouncers are great learning toys that supply hours of fun and enjoyment. Baby can play with toys that turn and spin and exercise their legs while bouncing on a springy pad. My son (pictured left in his) loved this bouncer and didn't want to give it up even after he had grown too big for it. He used this bouncer up until he turned a year old and got to where he could lean over the side, we had to put it away for safety. We bought it when he was 4 months old and he loved it. All the bright colors and toys to play with. His favorite is the frog spinner. Read more.....Top 5 Best Baby Bouncer Reviews

Being a WAHM

**Update**

It's been a while since I was able to post anything on my blogs. I have been busy trying to get some new writing clients to be able to continue being a WAHM. I made the decision to not go back to the regular tedium of the 9-5 world when Aiden was born. I worked while all 3 of my other children were growing up and felt like I missed so much of their childhood.

When Aiden came along, I decided I would find a way to earn an income from home so I could be with him to nurture him and watch him grow. I was lucky enough to find a few decent content mills to earn a regular paycheck from.

My Squidoo lenses have started to earn some residual income from ad revenue and from a few Amazon sales. So I decided to devote more time to my lenses and try to increase my affiliate sales. I signed up with a few programs through Commission Junction for kids and babies.

One site I love is Corner Stork baby Gifts, it almost makes me wish Aiden was still a tiny baby....I am an affiliate of the site so I make a commision on purchases made through my blog, but I make it a policy not to promote any site I would not personally buy from. They have some great gifts for moms-to-be and for baby showers. You can check them out here...Shop Baby Gifts Under $25

Free Baby Sling Carrier

Are you looking for a baby sling at a great price? Seven Slings is offering a great gift for parents, a free baby sling carrier valued at $39. All you have to do is visit the website here and use the promo code"free" to get the price of the carrier reduced to"0". All you pay is shipping and handling! This is a great way to try out a sling for almost no investment.


Get a free Seven™ brand baby carrier (Reg. $39) when you use promo code “Free”! *While supplies last! SevenSlings.com

What You Should Know About Lactose Intolerance in Children

It is estimated that 60% of the population is lactose intolerant. What does this mean, you ask? Lactose is a natural sugar found in milk and other dairy products. It contributes to the carbohydrate requirements for a baby’s brain development. Oddly enough, many babies and older children are unable to digest the lactose resulting in gas, colic, bouts of diarrhea and occasional vomiting.

 It was once thought that children do not show signs of lactose intolerance until they are at least four years of age. New evidence shows that babies can have one or more forms of lactose intolerance beginning from birth. Common Symptoms of Lactose Intolerance: abdominal pain abdominal bloating gas diarrhea nausea The different forms of lactose intolerance include primary, secondary and congenital (from birth) and lactose overload. The latter deals with an excess of lactose in the system from consuming too much dairy. This type is temporary and will disappear on its own. 

 If you think your child may be lactose intolerant your doctor can perform some tests to determine his or her tolerance to dairy foods. Two tests that are used to diagnose this condition are the Hydrogen Breath Test and the Stool Acidity Test. 


Even breastfeeding babies can be intolerant to their mothers breast milk. In this case, feeding from one breast at a time is recommended to ensure that the infant receives more of the richer hind milk and less of the sugary foremilk which helps the infant’s digestive system. 

Sources: http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/2009-08-30-lactose-intolerance_N.htm http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/lactoseintolerance/#symptoms

Baby Care: Lactose Intolerance

Issues with milk: Lactose Intolerance.

Now that Aiden turned a year old he is supposed to be able to drink regular milk but he is lactose intolerant. He has had this problem since he was born, even when he was breastfeeding. I have scoured the internet looking for information to explain the problems he has been having and one day I happened to find the right page that explained it all. I forget that when searching for a diagnosis, the symptoms reported on internet sites are not all symptoms, just the most common ones.

My little guy had mustard-yellow, runny poo that escaped from every crease of his diaper. He would experience several "blowouts" per week and never had the typical light yellow seedy-looking diapers with hardly any smell to them. He ruined several outfits and a bouncer with this mustard-colored mess.

He would poo within 20 minutes of drinking any milk products including breastmilk. I read several articles that said it is unusual for breastfed babies to be lactose intolerant but I want everyone to know that if you are experiencing the same issues I did, it is possible and very likely.

Another issue is a funny smell to his breath. He drools a lot now that he is teething and I noticed his shirts and neck area had a funky smell from his slobber. I found an explanation to this one, lactose intolerance causing their breath to have a higher concentration of hydrogen. The funky smell is slightly chemical-smelling, not like bad food or typical rancid breath.

So now that he will not be drinking milk I have decided to keep him on toddler formula with a soy-base. I had planned to breastfeed him until he was 16 months to two years old based on the recommendation of the World Health Organization. It is my opinion that babies still need that nutrition for brain development past one year and milk does not contain enough nutrients to supply it. Many health professionals do not recommend soy milk for babies, so I will transition him to a soy-based toddler formula for 9-24 month olds and then to soy milk when he is 3 years old.

For those who suspect their babies may be loactose intolerant here is a list of not so common symptoms and a link to more information:

1. Poop that is light to pale colored. Green, yellow and brown are normal but tan, lemon yellow and white are not and indicate a problem with the digestive tract.

2. Pooping 20-30 minutes after consuming a milk product including breast milk. Sometimes it does not even take that long. Tiny babies do this and it is normal but once a baby is beyond 6 months old his bowel movements should be soft but formed, not liquid and runny.

3. Funny smell to their breath or slobber if teething. This is due to an excess of hydrogen in their breath from undigested lactose in their system.

4. Frequent diaper rash with red, irritated skin. This is due to high acid levels in the feces not due to insufficient diaper changes. Often after applying diaper rash cream it is gone by the next change. Also an indication of a digetive disorder.

If your baby has any of these symptoms or ones similar to these it is very likely he or she is lactose intolerant.

Here is a link to the page where you can get more information on lactose intolerance and lactose overload. Both are very good informational articles.

Baby Turns 1 Year Old

My little boy is a year old now. Hard to believe the time goes by so fast. He is eating table food now and drinking regular milk, I wanted to continue breastfeeding but my milk started to dry up around the 10th month so we switched to formula for the last two months. He was taking 6 ounce bottles of breastmilk every 3 hours and my production went way down. But he is a happy, healthy little boy who is crawling and walks in his walker. I kinda miss the days when he was tiny....

Babies have to grow up so here we are now onto the adventures of a one-year old.

Creative Meals with Leftovers

Is there a good way to make meals with leftovers? Most moms enjoy cooking for the family but the drawback to that is ending up with a bunch of leftovers that nobody eats. In many households the food sits in the refrigerator and gets thrown out at the next weekly cleaning. We throw away tons of food every year because it is not eaten and spoils. How can we avoid this happening? The answer is to make creative meals from leftovers so the food does not sit around. Most families I know cannot afford to throw away food when budgets are tight and food costs are rising. This is a great way to save money by using up what you already have.

Creative Meals with Leftovers

Easy Method for Removing Diaper Stains from Baby's Clothing

Babies poop a lot and that is one thing that does not change as they get older. The difference is that they tend to poop more. I have had to throw out stained baby clothes in the past due to occurrences of diaper blowout. What makes it so hard to get out is the fact that it seems like it sets in immediately and leaves a tell-tale orange-yellow stain on whatever it gets on.

As a newborn, my son always had leaky-diaper-syndrome because he was breastfed for nearly nine months and baby poop differs in consistency from formula-fed babies. Aidan’s poop was always runny and an orangey-yellow color( similar to mustard in color and texture). I found out that this is normal in breastfed babies so I had to figure out a way to cope with it.

I hate throwing anything away if I can use it a few more times. Baby clothing tends to get stained from leaky diapers due to bouts of diarrhea or diaper malfunction. The problem is when fecal matter gets on baby's clothing it tends to stain very quickly. Usually diapers that are soaked and treated properly will come clean but many times it is just not possible to get the diaper or item of clothing rinsed immediately. I found a very simple solution for getting my baby's clothing clean after these diaper blowouts using ingredients found in my kitchen.

My salvation came totally by accident when I decided to try a different cleaning method. I remembered that certain types of stains such as blood and milk stains are protein-based and require soaking in cold water and can be removed with meat tenderizer or hydrogen peroxide. Meat tenderizer is basically a salt mixture so I wondered if salt would remove diaper stains. I gave it a try and was pleasantly surprised to find that it did. I have used this technique many times over and will say that stains are removed much better if the items are washed in the washing machine after treating with the salt and dishwasher detergent. Hand washing just doesn’t do as good a job at washing out all the remaining stain. Here is the technique I use to keep Aidan’s clothes in good condition:

Secret tip #1
Feces, egg, blood and milk are all protein-based stains. One of the best stain removers for these types of stains is regular kitchen salt. The treatment is very similar to the method for removing blood stains.
Treatment method:
Remove any solids from diaper or clothing; soak the item in cold water for 10 to 15 minutes and drain. Lay the garment flat and sprinkle a generous portion of salt directly on the stain. The salt should completely cover the stain. Sprinkle a little water over the salt just to dampen it. Let this sit undisturbed for 20 minutes. Add a few drops of liquid detergent to the salt and scrub the stain until its gone then launder as usual. There should be no trace of a stain when removed from the washing machine.

• · Important note:
• If any stain remains repeat the steps above again. It is very important that you do not put the stained item in the dryer as the heat will permanently set the stain. Treat with the steps above as many times as needed to remove the stain. If you cannot wash the item right away you can rinse it, cover with salt and roll up or hang up to dry and use the stain treatment later. The stain can be removed later as long as it has not gone through the dryer.

Removing stains from bouncy seats and jumpers

I nicknamed my son "sir Poops-a-lot" because that is what he does. I have to wash his bouncer and jumper at least 2 times per week because he overflows his diaper. The legs ride up when he's jumping around and pushes it out of the diaper. To remove stains from these items disassemble or remove the cover if cloth or plastic, rinse in cold water and use the salt treatment for fabrics and a light coating of Palmolive "Eco" Gel Dishwashing Detergent for plastics. The jumper seat is plastic with fabric around the legs so the salt does not stick very well. The dishwasher soap works well for this and is eco-friendly. Wash the item first with a little liquid soap and rinse well. Pour a small amount of the gel detergent on the stain and lightly spread it over the spot and let sit for 60 seconds. Rinse hands immediately because this does contain a small amount of bleach. Scrub any spot and rinse well. Dry as usual.

The gel detergent method can be used on diapers and white or light colored clothing as an alternate. Since it does contain bleach do not leave it on for more than a few minutes and rinse out.

These are two of the best tips for stain removal that I have discovered in my 20 years of parenting experience. I raised 3 grown children and currently have a nine-month-old at home.

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