Baby New Year

If you, like me, think time flies too fast when you have kids, thank your lucky stars your tot wasn’t this year’s Baby New Year.  If so, December 31 would find him elderly and decrepit like his associate Father Time, or so the most common “Baby New Year” myth goes.  From new born to old man in one year?  What age would that make his parents at December 31^st?  An archaeologist’s jackpot excavation find perhaps?

The new year babe is most commonly depicted as a baby boy wearing nothing but a diaper, top hat and sash noting the year of his reign.  Picture the Miss America talent competition but with baby boys and years instead of big hair and states.

The old December 31^st. baby then passes the torch to the brand new baby of the next year signifying the rebirth of a new year and the passing of the old and bored one.

 

It’s also a time when people make resolutions to better themselves and start anew.  Although I haven’t really asked my kids what their 2013 resolutions are yet, if I were to imagine, I think they would go something like this…

 

 

And my resolution for 2013 is to buckle down and get this baby food cook book written!

Ready…Set…Evolve…

Green Beans & Carrot Combo

 

Age – 6 months +

Ingredients

·         2 large carrots chopped

·         1 ½ cups chopped green beans

·         1 tbsp. of butter

Baby Steps

1.      Peel and chop carrots and place in steamer set over boiling water.  Cook for 10 mins.

2.      Clean and trim stem ends off of green beans and chop into thirds.

3.      Add green beans to carrots in steamer pot and continue to cook another 8 minutes or until veggies are tender.

4.      Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes.

5.      Transfer veggies to a food processor, blender or bowl to use hand held blender to puree.  Add the butter and 3 tbsps. of the cooking water used to steam the veggies. Puree to a smooth consistency.

6.      Transfer puree to freezing trays and put in the freezer to be used within 3 months, along with some in a food storage container in the fridge to use within 48 hours.

Makes – Approx. 10 Servings (1 serving = 2 tbsps.)

Happy New Year to one and all and thanks for reading!!!  Maybe we can uncover a secret to keeping 2013’s Baby New Year younger for longer and in turn grant us some more luxurious time this year?  Let’s offer him up a Smartie every day that he doesn’t age.  That may do the trick.

Together Alone

So my husband and I took a little break from the kids to celebrate our anniversary this weekend alone.  “Alone” as in together alone…as in alone without the kids…as in really by ourselves.  Just one day and night to re-connect and celebrate the fact that we’ve made it through another year with flying colours.

I think it’s healthy to take some time away from the kids…9 out of 12 imaginary Dr.’s agree.

We had a wonderful time in Niagara-on-the-Lake exploring the unique shops and wineries.  We didn’t even have to stop once to turn the car around because someone was having a tantrum.  A whole new world!  We could talk to each other without that voice repeatedly calling for us like a relentless poke we’re trying to ignore for a moment.  We were able to take longer than 5 minutes to eat, and we didn’t have to start and stop eating 23 indigestion inducing times to deal with the circus that is the dinner table. 

This is what a gorgeous winery looks like without the kids tugging at your heels…

And what a stroll down a side street looks like without having to dodge around everyone with a massive stoller…

Peace on earth.

We all love our kids but it’s important to take a moment or two away from them to re-connect and remember why you took the plunge and built a family in the first place.

I realize that sometimes it’s just a lot easier to not plan these little getaways because it takes too much effort trying to wrap your head around who is going to babysit and the anxiety of wondering if they will behave for them.  Truth is, a little break from the kids and a little break for the kids from us is a great thing.  They can foster their relationships with other caregivers like close friends and family which gives them a chance to explore something out of the ordinary for a day or two.  Let’s face it, mom and dad’s routines can start to get a little stale after a long while.  Here’s a link from a blog on the subject by Shelly Phillips from a website called Awake Parent Perspectives which shares a similar point of view.

And our Anniversary weekend isn’t over yet…we got home today and still get to do the groceries, laundry, vacuum and clean washrooms before heading back to work tomorrow…we’re livin’ the dream!  But you know what…the rewards of our weekend alone together far outweighed our efforts.

I still have to fit in my blog and share a baby food recipe with you before the weekend is out as well so here’s a little recipe to tide you over until next week.

Green beans are a great first food for baby.  Don’t buy a jar of green bean baby food, take a couple of minutes to steam and puree them.  It’s that simple.

Ready…Set…Evolve…

Mr. Green Jeans Bean Puree

Age – 6 months +

Ingredients

·         3 cups large green beans chopped into thirds

·         1 tsp. butter

·         Yes, that’s it

Baby Steps

1.      Add green beans to a steamer set over boiling water, cover and cook for approx. 14 minutes.

2.      Remove pot from heat and transfer beans to a blender, food processor or bowl to use a hand held blender.

3.      Add the butter plus 3 tbsps. of the cooking water to the beans and puree to a smooth consistency.  You can add more of the cooking water if you would like a thinner consistency, or less if the baby is a bit older and can handle it a bit thicker.

4.      Let cool and transfer to freezing trays to use up within 3 months, or to a food storage container in the fridge to use up within 48 hours.

Makes – 8 servings (1 serving = 2 tbsps.)

Note – As baby gets older this is a good puree to add to mashed potatoes to give them an instant flavour and nutrition boost.

Seem silly to have such a simple recipe posted?  Maybe just as silly as buying a jar of green bean puree?