IF he doesn't see you making them, maybe these cottage cheese pancakes for breakfast? http://weelicious.com/2010/10/05/cottage-cheese-pancakes/ (I don't add the salt or use salt-free cottage cheese) My super picky DH will eat them, and he's an expert at finding "hidden" food. I serve them with "fruit syrup" which is basically one bag of frozen fruit cooked down, with 1-3 tbsp of maple syrup or honey added + 1-2 tbsp cornstarch. Raspberries and strawberries are the biggest hits here. I do lots of smoothies - try almond milk or coconut milk as a base (plus your protein powder). I usually don't use yogurt because I find it makes the consistency too thick (and yes, tangy). If he helps make them (or watches what goes in?) will it help him try a smoothie? If you can get him started on smoothies, it might be a good place to slip in some new fruits or even veggies. Good luck! :grouphug:

I second crayons... maybe packaged with those little Dover $1.00 coloring books?

Thin crackers spread thinly with hummus and topped with thinly sliced cucumbers. For a little extra zing, a small drizzle of olive oil and some cracked pepper on top is nice but not essential. (I'm not sure I've ever typed the word "thin" so many times before.)

If this LO ends up a girl, we're using Josephine (middle name possibly Elise). Other names I considered, not all of which made DH's list: Catherine Michaela Lola (family name) Margaret Abigail

New baby towels or something monogrammed. Everyone tends to send monogram things for first babies, and everyone else gets forgotten. My favorite towels (a bit on the pricey side) are these: http://www.3marthas.com/Blank-Terry-Bibs-Towels-Dept/169/ They are big enough to last into toddler years, unlike most baby towels. I take them to a local place, where she adds a name and an embroidered decoration for $3.00. Their terry cloth bibs are also great - big enough to be useful, easy to launder.

Thanks, all. Re: eating utensils, I notice this because in my IL's family, table manners were basically not taught. My DH regrets this as an adult, esp. because his job frequently has him dining out/entertaining. He feels self-conscious about manners, as things crop up he doesn't know about or just the sheer amount of thought that goes into certain mealtime rituals that he realizes are just habits for many (basic things like napkin in lap, chewing with mouth closed.). He has decent manners now, but unequivocally feels as though many things would have been easier if the habit had been cultivated in early childhood. My niece is by no means uncoordinated nor does she have can't physical delays, so it's hard to watch her struggle with something that could be corrected with a bit of adult oversight and patience. I didn't say anything this visit, but I may if I feel like it's appropriate when I see them next month. And it looks like anytime is a good time to work with my son. As soon as utensils are for eating not banging, I might make a small start :-)

My 6.5 yo niece was visiting this past week, and I noticed that she still used a very incorrect grip while writing/ coloring (and holding eating utensils). It's about one step up from the "fist grip" young toddlers start with. My SIL was observing that she doesn't like writing and her penmanship is messy; I inquired - gently - about the grip. My niece's school is of the opinion that children will correct their own grip "when they're ready". I didn't call hogwash, because (a) I have one very small child and (b) it just seems safer to leave school/parenting topics alone unless specific advice is actually solicited, but what I thought was REALLY?!? So then I began wondering when DO you correct grip? Kindy age when "formal" handwriting instruction begins? But doesn't this leave some kids with several years of habit to overcome? Whenever they are coordinated enough to hold a crayon? But doesn't this leave them annoyed at mom for interrupting their coloring all the time? I'm certainly not concerned for my immediate future - we're still in the crayons-are-for-eating stage - but now I'm wondering if there's a sweet spot for concentrating on proper grip sometime between 15 months and 6.5 years.

I don't mind the parties per se (except if there are games - you'll find me hiding somewhere), but I dislike several functions for the same family that all seem to imply gifts. To my mind "gender reveal" and "meet the baby" (or sip and see in my world) are NOT gift parties, unless the gender reveal is happening at the shower. BUT... I hate the notion that these parties are FOR the baby. If you have three separate functions before the baby even appears, you are celebrating for the mommy (and maybe the daddy, if he's down with being covered in paint for a gender reveal or playing sniff the diaper for Lord knows what reason). The baby is not there, and even when the baby arrives, he or she does not care what gifts were received at a shower. Heck, even a sip and see is for the guests; it's fun to ogle and possibly hold a new squishy. Baby just gets to sleep! I sound like a grump about baby showers, but really I'm not (except the games part - ugh). I do love receiving invites to friends' showers, especially when it's a first baby or a long awaited baby. And I love sharing a gift with them that I have found particularly lovely/useful. I just don't need to attend more than ONE event before jr. arrives.

I second either the chicken + bbq sauce or chicken + salsa. I have both shredded in bags in my freezer. Perfect for quick lunches or dinners: quesadillas, tamale "pie", topping a baked potato, wrap sandwiches or lettuce wraps, fajitas, burritos (mmm, breakfast burritos!), bbq sandwiches...

Hmmm, never heard of or been invited to a potluck bridal shower. The only "potluck" shower I've been invited to was a "stock the freezer" shower for a baby shower. Now THAT is an awesome idea for a mom-to-be. (And in that case, the food was the gift.)

Hmmm... I've got family in the Carolinas, Alabama, and Louisiana, but I lived in Oklahoma growing up. If I really think about it, the sip and see concept was less familiar in OK, but we always threw them for friends/family because our extended family's communities celebrated that way. I also think it's a lovely way to celebrate baby-after-the-first. I'm not a huge fan of 2nd (or 3rd or 5th) showers - with some exceptions - but it is nice to celebrate new baby!

I've always heard of "sip 'n' sees". Maybe it's a southern thing? Gifts are not traditionally expected, especially if there was also a shower. I had one in my home town with my first, and will most likely do the same for my second. It's a nice way for people to see/meet the baby. ETA: Both of my "sip and sees" were/are done in lieu of a shower, and I received very few gifts at the first (and expected none). A few people brought monogramed something-or-others, which wouldn't have been a possible shower gift anyway. We didn't do any gift opening - gifts were set in the hostesses office - and the people who brought gifts were people would would have given baby a gift regardless of occasion.

Good morning everyone! Trying to motivate myself today... Walk Laundry (need clean workout pants) Fold sheets (totally separate from laundry; I hate sheets) Grocery shopping!! Begin de-cat-fur process of 2nd guest room (more sheets to wash. Ugh) Make felt board out of old bulletin board

DH and I are leaving in 3 weeks for a childless 5 days in Mexico. I've been counting down the days since January :D. My mom will come watch DS, and I think she's been looking forward to it as much as I have! We live far from family, so regular child care is slim. Date nights are few and far between, and I don't think I've been childless during working hours ever. We left DS when he was 6 months old for a weekend. We had been invited to a no children wedding across the country, and it seemed more of a hassle to bring him and find sitters than it did to have the grandparents in to help. Sleeping in was glorious. I'm so looking forward to that again!

My DS 15 mo didn't start solids until 8 months and didn't EAT solids until around a year. He's fine :-) He sounds like your son - lots of food in the mouth, very little actually stayed in his mouth. Even now when offered a new food he'll taste it, mouth it, and spit it out. It's not been a sign he "dislikes" the food; it just seems to be his way of exploring taste/texture. We did start with table foods, not purées, since he was well over 6 months.

Managed to finish the air dry laundry and put away half the too small baby clothes. Said baby is now all wet from playing with a bucket of water, so Target will have to wait. And since I'm the only one eating dinner tonight, meal planning is going to be my evening activity. Fun! Then I'm calling it quits. Now to survive the aresenic hour in one (sane) piece.

Pesto pasta salad tossed with halved cherry tomatoes, peas, and chicken (if you'd like additional protein) Brie, tomato, and basil pasta (utterly decadent!): http://unconfidentialcook.com/2010/01/11/pasta-tossed-with-brie-tomatoes-and-basil/ Potatoes/sweet potatoes with toppings bar Fish cooked in foil packets with thin-sliced veggies; our favorite combos are potatoes/fennel/onion with a little butter or carrots/zucchini with lemon and any white fish of your choice salmon broiled or grilled with maple syrup and soy sauce kabobs soda pop chicken (I skip the rice, but we make this chicken ALL the time!): http://www.cuisinerecipes.com/2009/03/05/fizzy-chicken/2/

This is baffling to me. I don't understand school library fines for 2nd graders. When I taught 2nd grade, I feel like a full half of my job was helping the kids learn to keep track of their belongings - and I never actually expected any independence in this endeavor. *I* kept track of library books, made sure notes went home if books went astray, and had lots of procedures in place for library days. The librarians were helpful too, since we all were aware that the *oldest* students were likely newly-ish 8. I mean, I was still chasing down library books left and right when I taught 8th graders, from whom one could reasonably expect a modicum of independence (some days).

Unacceptable. I haven't posted before, but as a former teacher in a small start-up private school, I've been following with interest (and a great deal of empathy). Poorly run schools are a bad situation for parents, children, and teachers. I hope you find an acceptable alternative for your daughter next year.

Chia pudding made with homemade coconut milk and topped with chopped peaches, fresh raspberries, and slivered almonds. Yum!

I didn't eat eggs for years and just started a few years ago. The exception has always been hard boiled, wherein I would (and still do) eat the white and not the yoke. I also don't eat mayonnaise or any creamy dressings (taste preference, not health), so deviled eggs are a major no-go here - yolks + mayonnaise = ew! I still prefer eggs with something - in a casserole, with cheese/vegetable/protein/potato. By themselves they still ick me out a little. I voted scrambled or omelette. I make a scrambled version of an omelette (this is because my omelette always sticks/I'm inattentive at 6 am) several days a week with whatever leftover veggies are on hand and a sprinkle of cheese. On decadent days, I fold this into a whole wheat tortilla for a nice breakfast wrap. My DH will not touch eggs, but fortunately my son loves them and will eat a plain scrambled egg pretty much any time I make one for him. I love a nice, easy protein + fat for little bodies.

DH is sleeping, so hopefully it's a short-lived bug. Accomplished so far: - walk - wash a load of towels (thought this might come in handy) - air dry clothes in the washer - made a Starbucks run (not as relaxing with 15 m.o. in tow, but better than nothing) - almost convinced said 15 m.o. to take a nap To accomplish during nap time: - meal plan - mommy nap (fingers crossed)

Need this today... DH was up at 4 with some kind of stomach bug, so our usual weekend is clearly in disarray. 1) DO NOT GET STOMACH BUG. 2) Hope kiddo does not get it either. The real list: - walk - meal plan - unload dishwasher and round up dirty dishes for today 's load - actually wash the air dry laundry pile - sort through/put away too small baby clothes - nap - make the Target run, so if I do get sick there are actual supplies on hand

I'll second the Crate and Barrel staccato - love mine. My mother has the Williams-Sonoma plates, and they have also held up well. Mine have been tested by DH/children, and hers have survived extensive entertaining, so either would pass your benchmark, I think :-)

We had around 300 - and a lot of that was family! My family is definitely over a 100, and my husband's family is close to that. We're both blessed to have rather close-knit extended family relationships. If someone had asked me prior to planning my wedding if I would ever have wanted a group that large, I would have said no, and we even talked seriously about a destination wedding. But in the end, we wanted to be able to invite our whole families with reasonable expectations that they would be able to come, so a large wedding became inevitable. My whole family was in attendance, minus two members, which is a record in and of itself. The only challenging part was that we definitely did not get to greet everyone there - at least not with the time I wish I could have had. We did write notes (personal, handwritten) to every guest and had them waiting as place cards at dinner. Although the task of writing them had me cursing a blue streak in the days just before the wedding, I absolutely loved thinking about each guest and why we had included them. There were very, very few generic "thank you for coming" notes; almost every guest was someone with whom either myself or DH had a personal relationship.