Etsy Share: Wooden Toy Boat

I think these hand-made wooden toy boats sold at the Friendly Fairies Etsy store are so pretty. Unlike the stiff plastic versions usually found in toy shops, these boats have such a strong tactile sensuality to them. Don't you just want to run your fingers along the wood? I especially love the wood-burned details, and it's great to know all the boats are "painted with non toxic paint and triple sealed with a non toxic hard coating."

One Red Dot

R just woke up from nap but want to post this QUICK! Was at the book store with her yesterday and holy cow, pop-up books: not how I remember them. Saw a particularly incredible series of books by David A. Carter, but I thought the best of the lot was the first volume, One Red Dot.



I admit this is not the best book for my baby, who eats magazines for breakfast--literally, of course--but it is so much fun, I'm considering buying it anyway and letting her enjoy it...from a distance.

Good snack for breastfeeding moms

I've kind of joked about this before, but it IS really hard to be constantly hungry because you're breastfeeding or simply don't have the time (or aren't allowed--if you have one of those babies, you know what I mean) to eat, while trying to take care of a baby/toddler. Today, we hadn't even reached the time for R's first nap and I was already wiped out. And literally dizzy from hunger. So I strapped her on my back and made pancakes. I know everyone has his or her own favorite recipe, but I've tried LOTS of different ones and this recipe from the Joy of Baking website just seems fail-proof every time and produces my ideal pancake: light texture (not gummy or chewy), just a hint of a crisp caramelized exterior, and no bitter taste. The last point is, I think, due to the fact that the batter calls for melted butter (not oil, which to me tastes a bit bitter) and baking powder, rather than baking soda (which, again, bitter).

But actually the point of this post was to talk about a great quick-grab snack for lactating moms: Yo Baby (Stonyfield Farm brand). Yep, the yogurt for babies. To be honest, I don't want R eating this stuff because I'm trying to keep her sugar intake low for as long as I can control her--mwa ha. So, R gets plain yogurt. I used to eat plain, too, because I loathe the sugary flavored adult yogurts out there. But you do need to mix plain with some fruit to cut the sourness--and these days, I just don't have the time for that (all that fruit washing and fruit slicing and fruit sprinkling). So on a hunch, I decided to try Yo Baby...and it's good. It still has 12 grams of sugar per serving, but that's about half the amount of the adult versions, and it definitely tastes better because of this. Also, it's full fat, which helps satisfy my hunger and is what I need right now, with my body still churning out the breastmilk. Lastly, it's the perfect size for a quick snack.

That's my recommendation for the day.