UO - 6/7

sammyl1221 · July 2016

share your UO today!

slartybartfast · July 2016

1. jumpers. I see they are in style. Maybe they are cute (especially on 3 year olds) but what about having to get naked every time you need to pee? Seems like a ridiculous garment to me.
2. cake. I am recently deciding (although I have not had cake in a very long time) that chocolate cake is not the right choice. Chocolate is amazing. Cake is delicious. But chocolate doesn't come through in cake well. I don't think it's the right format.
3. baby and toddler food. It's just ridiculous to give a toddler overly processed sugar laden foods. They are happy little creatures that have to eat what you provide (unless you start introducing these options and they know they can go on strike for them). So why the heck would you spend like 3x as much money to get little toddler packets of ravioli or whatever which has been processed to high hell rather than just boiling up some normal noodles or giving them some real food? Though those veggie pouches are really convenient and seem pretty simple. I use them sometimes but they are just way more expensive then our normal go-to purees that we make in big batches and freeze. Also - gogurt (and other sugary yogurt) is dessert. It is candy. end of story. Same with fruit snacks. Not saying they aren't easy options sometimes but don't kid yourself, they're candy.

LinziLoo09 · July 2016

@slartybartfast 1) I totally agree with you on jumpers, particularly since, with my ever-rounding shape, I will look increasingly like a Faberge Egg in them. 2) I can agree to some extent because I'm not much of a dessert person. But you clearly have not had Coca-Cola cake. THIS is the correct medium for chocolate in cake form. 3) I totally agree. I'm generally too lazy to be all that crunchy, but I AM cheap. Making your own baby food is WAY healthier and less expensive. I'd freeze it in ice cube portions and save them in huge freezer bags. Super simple.

@sammyl1221 I only just now noticed how tiny Chris Pratt's nipples/areoles are. I'm kind of mesmerized by it now. They're like baby nipples.

My UO - I don't care about Shark Week.

slartybartfast · July 2016

@linziloo09 - coca cola cake?!?! googling... I also thought of flourless chocolate cake... which is pretty much just fudge but so incredibly silky. That's perfection. And we do the same thing with cubes! Baby stew, greens and beans, and a grains one... even though he's older it's easy fast healthy calories and he loves them!

LinziLoo09 · July 2016

Yes, Coca-Cola cake. So chocolaty and rich. You pour the icing on while it's still warm, so it seeps into the cake. I'm getting to the point in pregnancy, where I'm going to start demanding my mom bake me a weekly cake...

Mamax2 · July 2016

I'd love to make our own baby food this go round. With DD, I never did the Gerber graduates meals, I just cooked her normal noodles, chicken, etc. I'd love to start homemade food from the beginning though, and not even deal with the jars. I'm looking into a pouch maker and reusable pouches off of amazon to make our own pouches. Any tips, recipes, etc is welcomed!

bakerstreetboys · July 2016

Also not a fan of chocolate cake...however Guinness chocolate cake with cream cheese icing...thank you Nigella Lawson!

dmontgo · July 2016

Who doesn't love chocolate cake?! You guises is breakings mais hearts.

aframe77 · July 2016

My UO is I can't stand it when people are on their phones while ordering at a restaurant/coffee shop or any other customer service line. Today I actually watched a woman put her finger up to the cashier in the middle of her order as if to say, "Stand by my social life is clearly more important then your time." Get over yourself lady, have a little class and put your phone away. At the very least don't be rude about it, it doesn't make you look more important. Grrrrr

Mmmmmm cake, and the craving begins:)

DiFazette · July 2016

My UO is that I think overstimulated, over scheduled toddler lives are dumb. Know what toddlers need? Face to face interaction, on the floor playing, lots of discussions like they're grown ups. Important leaning things come up organically - we play lots of Legos since DS loves to build like his Daddy. We count, we discuss colors, we problem solve and we work together. There's a place for Spanish class, but not on Tuesday mornings between interpretive dance, structured playgroup, and manners classes. Kids need face time with people who love them - not a bunch of shit to keep them busy.

princesslockness · July 2016

@dmontgo I can't stand chocolate cake. BUT White cake with Chocolate icing is my Fav.
@slartybartfast I 100% agree on Jumpers and Cake. However I don't get the baby food thing. Maybe its because L won't eat anything other than a bottle/sippy and what ever is on H or My plate. So I can't do the toddle food.

My UO: L has his own TV shows(Netflix originals) that we watch. He gets at least 1 episode a day. He is 11 months. Since he will actually sit and watch an episode it saves my sanity.

sourlemon · July 2016

I swore my kid would never eat graduates meals. But she did. Grandma introduced them and honestly it was easier cooking the right portion for her in a sauce she would eat. Real noodles/tomato sauce was refused even before she tried graduates. Graduates were loved. But she had them usually once for lunch on a weekend. After about 6 months she started to want to eat more each sitting so no more meals.

My UO: I don't care what others feed their kids and I don't think that should be a huge judgement point in the mom wars.

My kid ate 3 mini donuts for dinner last night because we were on the road and it's all we had when she was hungry. Oh well. She got a cup of milk before bed so at least there's that. She also loves fruit snacks, asks for chocolate, and *gasp* drinks apple juice. She's also an avid fruit and veggie eater and loves salads (at 26 months). Even with all the "terrible" things she eats, she is cavity free, on the low end of the weight charts, and far ahead of milestones. So...yeah...eating horrible no good food may not be the best thing ever, but everything in moderation. Sometimes time/convenience wins. Sometimes grandma introduces something you swore "you'd never". Life goes on.

Also, chocolate cake is the best!

dmontgo · July 2016

@Kate08Young Reading that you also do not like chocolate cake hurts my soul...but I'm still willing to give this friendship a shot.

You know what cake I do not like? Carrot cake. Gross.

Still thinking of an earth-shattering UO...not sure how I will beat Dump Cakes from last week lol.

slartybartfast · July 2016

DiFazette said:

My UO is that I think overstimulated, over scheduled toddler lives are dumb. Know what toddlers need? Face to face interaction, on the floor playing, lots of discussions like they're grown ups. Important leaning things come up organically - we play lots of Legos since DS loves to build like his Daddy. We count, we discuss colors, we problem solve and we work together. There's a place for Spanish class, but not on Tuesday mornings between interpretive dance, structured playgroup, and manners classes. Kids need face time with people who love them - not a bunch of shit to keep them busy.

yaaaaaaas - I think this goes beyond toddlerhood too. yes if you are constantly driving around between soccer and dance and gymnastics and swim lessons and dinner at a drive-through you are too busy to have to think about what you are doing and how things are actually going in your life (which seems to be hard for some people). But time for boredom and imaginative play is critical. Put down the screens, get out of the car, pick a hobby or two but don't go overboard... take it easy sometimes. is that so crazy?

DiFazette · July 2016

@sourlemon - your point on nutrition agrees with my 'never say never' philosophy. I try to get DS to eat well. Some days we do much better than others. (I would imagine every person on earth that has the priveledge of plentiful food options would agree with that.).

I try try to save judgement for severe infractions like the woman I saw a few months back at CVS buying Mountain Dew and then her pour a generous helping of it into her roughly 1 year olds bottle. Now that is a problem for me.

Some me people commit to clean eating and lifestyle - good on them! I wish I had the time/drive to do it, I clearly see how it's better. The rest of us try our best.

sourlemon · July 2016

@DiFazette so you're saying I should unenroll my 2 year old from the community college courses I signed her up for this fall?!?

Jk I totally agree. Also, how much does a 2 year old truly get out of dance/gymnastics/ calculus? And those activities are super expensive here!

mysteryship · July 2016

@dmontgo Your carrot cake opinion is very unpopular with me. Carrot cake with pineapple and raisins, and cream cheese frosting, is one of the best things in my cake eating existence.

sourlemon · July 2016

@dmontgo carrot cake counts as a veggie. A delicious amazing veggie. I love it!

DiFazette · July 2016

@slartybartfast - agree. Pick an activity or two. I think team sports are super important from adolescence through high school because of the character it builds but trying to pile on dance on top of lacrosse and piano feels like too much. No amount of activity will be better for a child than consistent family dinners, family activities and down time at home. If your kid is that busy, you don't even know what's going on in their life. Their emotional state, their struggles... Maybe that's why some parents do it. Easier to let activities parent than getting too involved.

DiFazette · July 2016

sourlemon said:

@DiFazette so you're saying I should unenroll my 2 year old from the community college courses I signed her up for this fall?!?

Jk I totally agree. Also, how much does a 2 year old truly get out of dance/gymnastics/ calculus? And those activities are super expensive here!

Right! DS does a soccer program at school, because he's already there and enjoys it. We do swim lessons because we want him to be swimming on his own by this winter. Adding two more kids to the mix I need to feel super safe with him around water. Some days getting to swim lessons feels impossible.

Kacie209 · July 2016

My BIL's wife put her kids in activities at really young ages. She had them pretty close, and then also decided it was a good idea to go back to school and work 2 jobs, while raising these babies. My BIL did a lot of the work with what he could, and we think they were placed in these activities to keep them busy since they didn't have much of a home life with BOTH parents around. And most of the time, my in-laws were the ones bringing the kids to stuff, and not the parents themselves. Just seemed weird. Even now as the kids are a little older (6 and 5), they're ALWAYS going to something... karate, swimming lessons, soccer, etc. Seems a bit much.

I think something here and there would be OK, and I remember being in gymnastics at the age of 3 but that was it. I was in other activities MUCH later. But, my mom was a SAHM so I was with her all day and then just had these activities in between that time. I would love to put a child in Spanish or get them involved in something like gymnastics or dance early on, but one at a time and then see if they even like it to continue.

Toller · July 2016

DD (2.5) is in daycare 4 days a week (for about 7-8 hours) I consider that plenty of activity for her in a week, to be honest..........

Grandparents are the worst offenders to a healthy diet for sure!! I try to let most of it go because DD is with them for only short periods of time...

sourlemon · July 2016

I don't count swim lessons as an activity...living in AZ with a backyard pool, it's a necessity. We are trying to help DD this year because she wasn't 2 when they started (the age cutoff here). But next summer she will certainly be swim lessons. I'm in a small town that only does them from may to June so we have to wait. But she's pretty competent at 26 months with a puddle jumper on. And we installed a pool fence.

penelope4612 · July 2016

I love chocolate cake! I love all cake, actually, but chocolate is my favorite.

@slartybartfast @LinziLoo09 - I would love to hear more about how you make your own food and freeze it. I'm definitely interested in doing this. I'm sure DH will be just as excited about this as he is about cloth diapering.

slartybartfast · July 2016

penelope4612 said:

I love chocolate cake! I love all cake, actually, but chocolate is my favorite.

@slartybartfast @LinziLoo09 - I would love to hear more about how you make your own food and freeze it. I'm definitely interested in doing this. I'm sure DH will be just as excited about this as he is about cloth diapering.

I wrote down a few of the "recipes" I make for DH to use when I got too nauseous to make them. I'll post them! Generally I steam or low heat sautee a bunch of stuff and then blend it together. Then let it cool and freeze it in silicone cube trays. Once they're frozen we bag em up.

slartybartfast · July 2016

My stuff about all the activities was more about having all those going at the same time and mostly stems from the fact that my cousins (who I completely adore) do this... their kids are in no less than three sports and a few lessons at all times. The reason it bugs me is that I LOVE getting together with them but we can never schedule anything because they have no room in their schedule. Even months in advance. I actually think if you have the resources to expose your kids to a variety of activities that's great.

I also thought about it more and I'm pretty sure one of my cousins does it because she has some personal issues that cause some difficulty in providing the most stable household. Which I have total empathy for and I think it's really commendable for her to try to provide her kids other stable atmospheres and adults to look up to.

I guess I caveat that part of the UO. It's situational. But I wanna hang out with my awesome cousins and their awesome kids.

LinziLoo09 · July 2016

I did the same as @slartybartfast. It's not until babies are a little older that you really add seasonings (though I think light cinnamon is ok), so making the food is super simple. Get a good food processor and some ice cube trays, and you're about done. Sweet potatoes and applesauce were staples for DD.

Sweet potatoes - bake several on a tray/pan at 425F for an hour, turning at 30 minutes. Halve them and empty the potato guts into the processor. You can add a few ounces of breast milk if you find the potatoes are too thick.
Applesauce - Wash, peel, core, and chop several apples into ~2 inch chunks (we always used sweet ones like Gala or Honeycrisp). Bring a saucepan of water to a gentle boil and cook the apples for 10-15 minutes or until tender. I would add a couple of slices of oranges into the water too for additional flavor. Puree chunks until smooth.

Some fruit, like pears or peaches, you don't have to cook. Just peel, puree, and freeze. We did beans and avocados too. Bananas you can smush on site. And DD has always loved cottage cheese. When they get the taste for a few different types of foods, you can mix and match the blocks of food too.

Honestly it's a few minutes of preparation for weeks of cheap, healthy, and easy baby meals. I used this site a lot because it separated out which foods the baby can eat when: https://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com

ehoreni · July 2016

Chocolate cake is delicious! Carrot cake is blech - thought i do like the cream cheese frosting!

My U/O is that I really don't get maternity photos. They seem so cheesy to me!

sammyl1221 · July 2016

Okay my heart is broken right now. I'm so upset.

HOW CAN YOU PEOPLE NOT LOVE CHOCOLATE CAKE?!! Obviously you've never had it done right. I'm assuming you've only had bad chocolate cakes that have ruined your opinion on chocolate cake. But rich, velvety, delicious chocolate cake is so incredible. Man I want cake right now.

So speaking of kids food we actually registered for a baby food maker.

https://www.amazon.com/Beaba-912313-BEABA-Babycook-Latte/dp/B00A6Y02QC

It cooks, purrees, and defrosts - but is it a total waste? I just assumed since it did everything in one space its convenient and would save on messes.

Anyway my UOs: I don't like pudding or custard or flan or any dessert that moves. I use to only eat jello when it was mixed with alcohol but that's it. My food should not dance.

Also im really excited for fall. It's 99 degrees here but feels like 110. the air quality is terrible so you can't even be outside. I've never been a summer person but being pregnant makes it more unbearable.

phoenix870509 · July 2016

Chocolate cake is amazing. Know what else is amazing? Hummingbird cake! I was introduced to it at our cake tasting before our wedding. So good!! Not a fan of carrot cake but I'll eat it. Cheesecake is yuck. That is, except the NY style cheesecake I make. It's the only one I'll eat and it's amazing.

My U/O - Yes I upgrade my phone (I actually had no choice, my old phone crapped out on me), but when I need a new phone. Why must you get the newest iPhone or Galaxy when they come out? Doesn't the iPhone you got a year ago still work?

dmontgo · July 2016

@ehoreni I love tastefully done maternity photos, but I have seen some maternity photos fails--some in real life that I don't think the people meant to be funny, but they look bad hanging on the wall. >.>

Kacie209 · July 2016

@slartybartfast DH still goes to his hometown to get haircuts (it's only a 45 minute drive), and then we'll have supper with my in-laws and sometimes his grandparents too. Well, a couple months ago we were trying to figure out a day that would work and no weeknight did for a good couple of months, cos my in-laws were too busy bringing the two nephews that live down there from one place to another, or would have them one night to watch as the parents did who the heck knows what. It got frustrating to plan.

I love cake. All of it. I honestly can't say there is a flavor that I don't like. One flavor that I don't have often is Lemon. I love a good lemon cake, and even a box lemon cake. Yum... I could go for that right now. Good thing I'm making gender reveal cupcakes tonight to bring with on a trip out of down for my parents and my sister this weekend. I may have to sneak a couple from the bunch to "test". They're just Devil's Food and will have chocolate whipped frosting on the inside and out.

tinattt23 · July 2016

@sammyl1221 We plan on doing homemade baby food too and I researched the heck out of baby food makers. I wanted one that did it all in one machine. But in the end, I actually decided on this hybrid immersion blender thing (https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B007Z46S6E/ref=aw_br_ov_dp__9?colid=3NOK0GGW7HCHG&coliid=I1M978WKIOZ4ZO).

Reading about cleaning the steamers properly freaked me out. And I wanted to be able to make bigger batched than would fit in most of the machines. Plus, the immersion blender will still be a useful kitchen tool for years to come.

slartybartfast · July 2016

Sorry I'm all over this thread today but re: kids activities and parents going overboard. One of my favorite coworkers. I LOVE HER. but her daughter plays soccer and does competitive horse jumping things. Fine and well except related to both of these activities her daughter has suffered 3 sets of severe concussions with severe brainswelling. Like each time it's triggered (which happens easily now) her daughter has to miss a week of school because the doctor doesn't want any excess brain stimulation while it heals. I was so sympathetic that that sounds so horrible for her daughter and her as a parent while she was telling me this after another soccer head injury (evidently just doing a header triggered brain swelling at this point). And then I said something like "I guess there's always swimming..." like low impact activities and she looked at me annoyed and said her daughter is on an elite soccer team. It's just not something she could give up. She's not even in high school... this is your daughter's BRAIN. And brain injuries can affect them their whole lives!!! WTF??!

ashleaf2018 · July 2016

@sammyl1221 We are going to make our own baby food but I'm not going to waste any money on a baby food maker. From what I've read, you're set as long as you have a Crock Pot, food processor/blender, and ice cube trays. Really it's up to you and what you're more comfortable with.

I'm excited to do some mommy & me type classes with baby when he's a little older, but I do agree that over scheduling isn't good for them. And honestly at 2 or 3, any classes you take them to should be centered around play anyways. They don't have long attention spans like older kids do.

My UO is that pregnancy sucks. I love the whole getting a baby part, but pregnancy has been so rough on my body. I've lost close to 20 pounds. Sometimes, I just want someone to get this baby out of me! That doesn't mean I'm not grateful for my baby or my ability to carry him, but I'm not a fan of the side effects pregnancy has on my body.

zubenescamali · July 2016

The only thing worse than chocolate cake is chocolate ice cream. Exceptions include brownies, red velvet cake, and German chocolate cake. Because the cream cheese icing and coconut icing counteract Chocolate flavor.

Grandmas will introduce everything you said you would never do. Don't want your one year to eat ice cream? Grandma will. Don't think it's a good idea for your two year old to watch tv for 4 hours straight? Grandma will plop her down in front of a Sophia the first marathon. Don't want your child to have an iPad? No problem, grandma will buy him a kindle. Don't worry, it has parental controls that only your toddler can figure out.

i don't love the purée stage. Last time we skipped it altogether. If I could mush it between my finger and thumb, DD2 got to try it. She has a much more robust palate than DD1 because of it.

Toller · July 2016

zubenescamali said:

i don't love the purée stage. Last time we skipped it altogether. If I could mush it between my finger and thumb, DD2 got to try it. She has a much more robust palate than DD1 because of it.

Haha loved your grandma sum up

But this- DD didn't have ANY teeth until 13/14 months so we had to get creative... I ended up steaming veggies and chopping them into little cubes, then freezing in portions... worked good!!! When they thawed they were plenty soft and we weren't restricted to pouches/purees. Protein was tough for a while- she ate a lot of scrambled eggs!!

Christinaruth74 · July 2016

@sourlemon I'll sit on your food bench. DD just had an apple sauce pouch, a pack of fruit snacks and some cheez-its for lunch. We do what we can and I fight the battles when they are worth fighting, but right now my toddler's eating habits is not the battle I have the energy to fight. Granted, today's lunch isn't at all the norm, but I'm not going to crucify myself with mom guilt over it. She is alive and napping and so healthy.
Now, parents who straight up give their kids a sippy cup full of coca-cola or grape soda? I'll judge the crap outta that.

My UO: light up sneakers with cartoon characters. I know one day I will have to stare into the big blue eyes of my DD and I just know I will crack under the pressure, but for as long as I can control her footwear, light up sneaks are out. Oh! And those obnoxious little squeaker shoes! Dear god.

sourlemon · July 2016

Another UO that has gotten a lot of media attention this week: I think it bull crap that hospitals are taking away nurseries...and calling it baby friendly.

I would have died (not literally) if DD had to room in with me. She had severe jaundice, was under lights for 3 days. I was allowed to have her out for only 10 minutes every 3 hours. That's it! I had 42 hours of terrible labor then an emergency c section. We kept her in the room the first 16 hours but I couldn't sleep at all with her there with the lights and the nurse checking on her temp every 15 minutes. It was way better the next 2 nights when she was in the nursery and she was brought to me for those 10 minutes every 3 hours. I just think it's bologna that the option is disappearing for so many people.

Another uo: a new mother should not have to beg for formula, be counseled 3 times by 3 different people, and be shamed in the hospital when their kids needs formula! Again this comes from my experience with DD. Her jaundice was so bad they suspected she'd have brain damage as it stayed high so long. I had no milk or anything (my boobs were bone dry) for 2 days. 3 LC came to "fix" me but I just had nothing. She needed formula. I suffered ppd (mild) because the guilt they all laid on me. As soon as DD had a few feedings of formula, her levels started dropping. That is not "baby friendly" it's horrible.

LinziLoo09 · July 2016

Btw totally not meaning to be judgy with my pureed food posts. I liked that they're healthier because I know what's in them, but my main reason for doing it was convenience and money. It cost waaay too much for us to buy a bunch of applesauce pouches when I could make 10 times as much applesauce for the money. We just couldn't afford expensive baby food after a year of free breastfeeding. But when it comes down to it, just feed the kid one way or another.

I totally agree with@ChristinaRuth74 on trying to get a toddler to eat. Once they hit a year, they don't go through so many growth spurts, so they get much pickier. DD likes to graze during some of her meals, and I feel like we never get enough food into her. I definitely supplement meals with white cheddar cheetos and goldfish crackers where needed. Do what you've got to do to keep that thing alive and fed. And no mom-guilt for anyone, please.

Sharkey · July 2016

I love all cake especially chocolate cake.

Homemade puréed baby food is a better choice than store bough for various reasons you ladies listed. I found it time consuming but we were only in that stage for about 2-3 months.

LO has gotten what me and DH eat since we stopped the purée stage. I cook nearly everything and cut out a lot of processed foods years ago. Now, at 23 months, food is not an issue and things are rarely turned down. I stopped with fruit snacks a while back but nothing will ever stop me from buying goldfish. Those are everything.

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