maternity style: best dressed bumps

As my jeans become too tight and uncomfortable, I find myself staring at my closet wondering what I'm going to wear!  Here's some inspiration I found.  I think I can work with many of the things I have in my closet to make the bump work for me...at least for the next few months.  Love these next few images from The Day Book blog.

pregnancy cravings for citrus: a healthy recipe

I guess there may be a little more to my extra long absence from blogging.  While my intention was to come back in January, I found myself preoccupied and utterly exhausted.  Turns out we're expecting another baby!  We're so thrilled and I'm finally shaking the exhaustion and my nearly daily afternoon nap  which leaves me a little time to spring clean (ugh) and blog.  While the first trimester was filled with lots of pizza cravings and indulgences (could explain some of the exhaustion), I'm also really focused on eating tons of fruits and vegetables.  My other craving has been citrus.  Here's a cleansing and crisp smoothie that fits my focus and my cravings (for citrus, not pizza ;)

*1 large stalk celery 

*1 granny smith apple (cored)

*1/2 cucumber

*Juice of 1/2 lemon

Blend with ice/water and enjoy!

*go organic on these fruits/veggies if you can as they can be highly contaminated veggie

Celery:  Celery contains compounds that help regulate fluid balance (aka relieve water retention) and reduce blood pressure making it a great addition for pregnant women, anyone with hypertension and pretty much the rest of Americans who generally eat too much sodium.  

Cucumber:  Cucumbers provide us with valuable antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer benefits all great additions to any diet, not to mention pregnant moms and baby.  

Apples:  I keep the skin on the apples for smoothies making it an even better source of fiber.  Ideal for keeping you regular and full!

Lemon:  A great source of vitamin C, lemons help fight free-radicals in our bodies (harmful aging components) as well as strengthen immunity.  

6 tips for dealing with picky eaters

So I've had some recent experiences with my so soon to be 2 year old son that have left me feeling the need to share (or vent) about the picky eating scene.  I thought that since I've been working so hard since day 1 to raise a well-rounded eater there would be no issues....I was wrong!  My son has an opinion of his own and has since 25 hours old so it shouldn't be a surprise that he wants a say in the kitchen.  Randomly today I stumbled upon this New York Times article titled "6 Food Mistakes Parents Make".  I hate to say it but we've made some of these mistakes in my house and you may have too.  It's always nice to have a reminder so here you go:

1.  Sending children out of the kitchen: Research proves that kids who help in the kitchen are more likely to be adventurous eaters so pick your battles.  Is it easier to clean up from a messy meal making session or fight about eating those veggies?  By the way, now that Sam is almost 2, I can't wait to check out The Kids Table to do some hands on cooking classes.

2.  Pressuring children to take a bite: Kids who were rewarded if they "took a bite of their vegetables" ended up being less likely to eat the foods they were rewarded for eating.  While this may sound counter-intuitive, we can see the rationale.