Dream Feed....what is it?

I've posted a couple times about giving babies (Piper in my case) a "dream feed" at around 11pm and several folks have asked, "what the heck it that?"  The simple answer is, feeding them while they are sleeping, but that doesn't explain the reason behind doing it.  In this post I will try to describe it in a little more detail.

When Aliyah was born I began looking for books about having a baby on a schedule.  I checked out several books and finally found one by Tracy Hogg, aka "The Baby Whisperer."  I ended up buying a book called "The Baby Whisperer Solves All Your Problems."  This book has been INVALUABLE to me!  I learned a TON and  I really believe that it has been the major contributor to the fact that Aliyah is such a good and predictable sleeper.  I mean, how many 18 month olds do you know who go to bed at 5pm and sleep through the night til 7am?  It's amazing to me.

Anyway, the main crux of the book is the importance of routine in your children's lives and learning what works best for YOUR child's temperament and personality.  Routine vs schedule...this was big to me.  By having a routine, the baby knows what to expect (what comes next) and mom can more easily interpret her needs (crying doesn't always mean hunger...if she ate 2 hours ago then she's probably ready to sleep).  She uses the acronym of E.A.S.Y (Eat, Activity, Sleep, You).  She provides recommendations for how it should look for different ages (how much and how often they should be eating, how long the activity time should last and how much they should be sleeping).

So what does it look like in practical terms?  Let's use Piper as an example.  She is 3 1/2 months old and at her age, she should be headed toward a 4 hour routine.  Keep in mind, these times are flexible, but the key is the routine.  Here's what 4 hour EASY routine looks like (I took this straight from the book with a few of my own additions):

E: 7:00 - Wake and feed
A: 7:30 - Activity
S: 9:00 - Sleep (1 1/2 - 2 hr nap)
Y: Your choice - it's YOU time after all

E: 11:00

A: 11:30

S: 1:00 (1 1/2 - 2 hrs)

Y: Your choice

E: 3:00 

A: 3:30 

S: 5:00 or 6:00 or somewhere in between: cat nap (approx 45 min)

Y: Your choice

When you get into the evening hours things change up a bit by "tanking up", meaning that you get more food in the babies tummy before 11pm which in turn enables them to sleep through longer stretches at night.. This is especially good for when they are going through a growth spurt (like Piper is now).  In this case, you do what is called a "Cluster Feed" at 7:00 and at 9:00 and a Dream Feed at 11pm (which I will explain shortly).  So it would look like this:

E: 7:00 

A: Bath

S: 7:30  bedtime

Y: You time

E: 9:00

A: Quick and quiet diaper change then straight back to bed

S: 9:30

Y: You time

Dream Feed:  11pm

Dream Feed:  You literally feed the baby in his sleep.  You don't talk to them, or put the lights on or change his diaper or anything.  When you put the nipple (breast or bottle) in their mouth it activates their sucking reflex and they will eat while they are sleeping.  By the time you are done, they are so relaxed that you don't even need to burp them.  Then they are nice and full and because they aren't doing any activity to burn the calories, they sleep longer. It is really amazing!  She recommends continuing to do a dream feed until solid foods have been well established in their diets.   She says that by 16 weeks they should be able to go 6-8 hours during the night if you have provided them with enough food during the day.

All I know is that it worked for us. Aliyah is an amazing sleeper and has been sleeping around 8 hours since about 5 months old.  This is the method I used and I'm certain it's what got her sleeping 8 straight hours pretty early on.  I admit though that I haven't really been paying as much attention to Piper's schedule and I realize that I haven't been doing as well with her, but I'm starting now and I'm willing to be that within a month or so she will increase her night time sleep from 5 hours to closer to 7 hours.  That would be a dream come true for this mama!

So there you have it.  

My Own Creation: Smothered Chicken Fajita Burritos

Ok, I admit it...I'm spoiled!  My mom lives with us and does a lot for us.  In fact, I usually plan out the meals for the month and do the shopping, but she does most of the cooking (although I do help on a very regular basis).  It's a good and workable arrangement for both of us.

This week, my mom has been out of town on a fishing trip with her sister...yes, you read that right...my mom loves to fish!  And she's good at it!  In fact, check out this lunker she caught on her trip: a6lb 4oz beauty (shoot, that's almost as big as Piper was when she was born!):

Anyway, since mom was gone and because I haven't been grocery shopping for the month yet, I needed to come up with something to eat using what I had on hand....I mean, I just couldn't eat toast for dinner again!  Luckily, I've been using my coupons and whatnot to try to get some staples stocked up and stored for just such an occasion.  Here's what I did with what was on hand (note: I didn't measure anything...just kinda threw it together):

Smothered Chicken Fajita Burritos

Ingredients:

Tortillas

Chicken (i had a roasted chicken on hand so I used that)

Bell Peppers

Onion

Fajita Seasoning

Shredded Cheese

1 can Refried Beans

1 box Rice-A-Roni Mexican Rice (cooked according to package)

Sour Cream

Green Chili Enchilada Sauce

Cream of Chicken Soup

Directions:

Spray a baking dish and pour some enchilada sauce on the bottom.

Cook the chicken and vegetables according to the fajita seasoning package.

Cook the rice according to the directions on the box

Heat up the refried beans

Layer the tortillas with beans, rice, chicken, vegetables and cheese

Roll into burritos and place in the baking dish seam side down

Mix sour cream, enchilada sauce, soup and some cheese (may also want to thin it out with a little milk..I will probably do that next time)

Cover the burritos with the sauce

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 min or until warm in the middle

It was a simple thing to make (and relatively inexpensive) and it turned out really good.  I only made 4 burritos so I had LOTS of fixin's left over.  I went ahead and rolled up more burritos, wrapped them in wax paper, put them into a ziploc freezer bag and tossed them into the freezer.  They can be reheated and eaten straight or I can mix up some sauce and make this meal again.

Let me know if you decide to make these and any tweaks you might throw in to make them better!

Full Circle Farms Organic Produce Delivery

I have to confess, I have never been into the whole "organic" food thing, but there are a few things that bother me about the foods we get at the grocery store (growth hormones in milk for example).  I know a lot of moms that went all organic when their kids were born. I did not do that...however I did do organic milk for a while (have gotten away from that but am thinking that I will probably go back soon).  

A couple months ago I took the girls to my friend Kendra's house for a play date.  Aliyah and her daughter are only about 10 days apart in age and they just love to play together.  Because Kendra has some food allergies she has been very careful about what her daughter eats and when and how she introduces new foods to her.  She tries really hard to make sure to use organic produce and simple healthy items that I have honestly never even thought to introduce Aliyah to.  It's been good for me (and Aliyah) to have ideas for other items that Aliyah can and will eat for snacks and meals. 

Kendra was given a gift certificate to this place called Full Circle Farms for delivery of organic produce. When we were there to visit she had just received her first shipment and was telling me about it.  I was intrigued but thought it was more expensive than what I wanted to pay.  BUT, since I've been saving so much using coupons, I can afford to spend some of those savings on quality organic produce and milk.  

So I signed up!  I pay $34 for their "Standard Size" delivery (designed for two adults and one young child) and get a delivery every other week. They don't do home delivery in my area so I have to drive to a community center to pick it up, but that's no big deal.  I got my first delivery this week and here's what I got:

1 ea. Cantaoupe

3 ea. Apples, Braeburn

2 ea. Corn, White Sweet

1 bunch Carrots

4 ea. Oranges, Navel

1 ea. Mangos

1 ea. Eggplant

1 ea Avacado

1 lb Tomatoes, Roma

0.4 lb Mushrooms, Cremini

1 bunch Lettuce, Green Leaf

1 bunch Cilantro

I had to stop at Safeway on the way home so took the list and compared prices with both regular and organic produce. The prices with Full Circle were around $10 more than the non-organic and about the same for the organic at Safeway.  So I was satisfied with that.

It wasn't until I actually started eating the produce that I got really impressed.  Everything was sooooo good!  The flavors were so much better and everything was crisp and fresh.  I really, really loved it! I I couldn't believe how much more flavor everything had...the oranges were incredibly juicy and sweet, in fact, Aliyah ate a whole one all on her own when every other time we've given her oranges she just spit them out.  After eating those carrots I don't think I will ever go back to store bought ones. 

Bottom line, I'm VERY happy with this service and will definitely continue.  We will see how the budgeting goes this month and maybe I will change over to the Family Size (for a family of 4 = $46) every other week instead...just so we get a little more than what we got this time.

IF you want to try it out, head over to the Full Circle Farms website and get $15 off your first delivery.  Be sure to put my name down as having referred you so I can get $15 off my next order too!

*all photos taken from the Full Circle Farms Website...hope they don't mind.  :)

Lisa's Spaghetti Sauce

It's the end of the month and the grocery budget is spent, so that means I have to make meals out of what we have on hand. That's when Lisa's Spaghetti Sauce came to mind and I started having a craving...and started cooking!

"Who's Lisa" you ask?  When I was single I moved around a lot.  I didn't make enough money to live on my own and so I lived with several different families and individuals.  In fact, at one point I had moved 12 times in a year and a half.  I got so good at moving that I could literally pack my belongings, move and unpack all in one day.

Dave and Lisa Oschner opened their home to me during that time and allowed me to rent the little studio apartment they had above their garage for a few months.  It was a GREAT little place....one of the favorites on my list!  During my time there I spent a lot of time with Lisa and the kids and Lisa made the best spaghetti sauce I had ever tasted!  I begged a little and she gave me her recipe (I didn't really beg, but it sounds good for the sake of the story).  So, now I shall share the goodness with you!

I made a few modifications to this recipe to work with what I had on hand.  For example, I didn't have any tomato paste but I did have stewed tomatoes that my mom cooked up earlier this week so I used those instead.  I also used Jimmy Dean pork sausage instead of Italian sausage...and it still tastes GREAT!  So here you go:

Lisa's Spaghetti Sauce

Ingredients:

1lb Ground Beef

1/2 lb Italian Sausage

1 Medium Onion, chopped
1-2 Bell Peppers, chopped
3 Cloves Garlic, chopped
1 1/2 Jalapeño Peppers, chopped
2 cans Tomato Paste
2 cans Water (using tomato paste can)
1 can Tomato Sauce
4 Tbl Sugar


Directions:
Brown the meat.  
In a separate pan saute the onion, garlic, jalapeños, and bell peppers until onions are opaque.     Add tomato paste, tomato sauce, water, sugar and meat.
Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for a 2-3 hours.

Albertson's Twice The Value Coupon Run - 5/22/11

I received these Albertson's Twice The Value coupons in the paper today and made coupon shopping run this afternoon.  It was a good trip too!  I got $44.85 in product for a grand total of $7.74.

Twice the Value Coupons - You will find these periodically on the Albertson's ad/flyer in the Sunday paper  (anywhere from 1-3 times a month from what I've heard).  Basically they will double any manufacturer's coupon for up to $1 (if the coupon is for $1.01 you can not use it with the twice the value coupons).  You can use 3 Twice the Value Coupons per transaction and can do up to three transactions total.  Here's an example from today's shopping trip:

Lawry's Marinade - Regular price $3.59
Albertson's Sale price - $1.00
Manufacturer's coupon - $.50 off 1
Twice the value - $.50 (because it doubles the manufacturer's coupon)
Final price:  FREE!


I got three of these in one of my transactions and paid $0 out of pocket.  I like that! Can't argue with free stuff, right?  Here's what else I got today:

9 bottles Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce - Reg price: $2.99  - with sale and coupons total = $3 ($.33 ea)
3 Lawry's marinades - Reg. price $3.50 - with sale and coupons total = FREE
6 pkgs of Bar S Bologna - Reg. Price: $2.69 - with sale and coupons total = $4.74 ($.79 ea)

Have you started using coupons yet?  Doesn't this make you want to?

Safeway 5/11/11

I went to Safeway today to pick up a few things  (milk, cheese, etc) and while there I took advantage of the General Mills Cereal sale. I didn't get a chance to take a picture today because there was just too much going on with the kids, but here's what I got:

12 boxes of Honey Nut Cheerios - Regular price $3.29
On Sale $2.99
3 - $4 off when you buy 4
12 - $.55/1 coupon
Final Price:  $1.44 ea

2 Milano Melt cookies - Regular Price:  $3.99
On Sale for $2.50
2 - $1/1 coupons
Final Price:  $1.50 ea


C&H Sugar - Regular price $3.69
On sale for $2.99
$.50/1 coupon
Final Price: $2.49

2 - Cheez-It Baby Swiss  - Regular Price: $4.19
On sale for $2.50
2 - $1/1 coupon
Final Price: $1.50 each.


Grand Total Regular Price: $59.53
Club Card Savings: $22.66
Coupons: $11.10
Total Price: $25.77

I also received 4 coupons for free milk Catalina coupon (the ones that print at the register) when I purchase 3 General Mills cereals in the future.  I will definitely take advantage of that!

I did a separate transaction for the items I didn't have coupons for (makes it easier for me to figure out how much i saved with the coupons) and spent an additional $16.46 on milk, cheese, and bologna using a $5 off your next order Catalina coupon.  So all together I used $16.10 in coupons today.  It was a successful trip and we are stocked up on cereal!!  wow!

Target Coupon Shopping 5/9/11

Went to Target on my way home from Aliyah's 18 month check up (can't believe how fast she is growing).  Here's what I got...all for $17.77!!

Want details?  Here's the breakdown:

TOTAL Regular Price: $41.58

TOTAL AMOUNT PAID: $17.77

Total Savings:  $23.81

4 - Men's Nivea body wash
Reg. Price: $4.04
on sale for $3.23
$3/1 printable coupon from Target.com
Final Price:  $.25 ea


4 - Uncle Ben's Whole Grain Rice
Regular Price: $1.52
$.75/1 coupon
Final Price: $.77 ea

4 - Ortega Taco Seasoning and 2 guacamole seasoning

Regular Price: $.79

$1/2 coupon

Final Price: $.24 ea

2 - Colgate Pro Clinical White Toothpaste
Regular Price: $3.79
$1.50/1 printable coupon from Target.com
$.75/1 coupon
Final Price:  $1.54 ea

2 - Colgate Total Whitening Toothpaste
Regular Price: $3.49
$1/1 printable coupon from Target.com
$.75/1 coupon
Final Price: $1.74 ea


2 - Colgate Toothbrushes
Reg Price: $.97 ea
$.75 coupon
Final Price: $.22 ea

2 - Colgate 360 Toothbrushes
Reg Price: $3.24
$1/1 printable coupon from Target.com
$.75/1 coupon
Final Price: $1.49

My First Coupon Shopping Escapade - May 6, 2011

I spent a few hours earlier this week preparing for my first big couponing shopping trip.  There is definitely a learning curve to doing this and it can get overwhelming at times.  I am finding that as long as I have a DETAILED shopping list and my coupons all arranged, I can make it work.  Still, I'm sure it takes me 2-3 times as long to get organized and actually do the shopping as others who have been doing this for a long time.

My first big haul! $145 worth of food for $64, all picked up in one trip to Safeway. I got an additional 6 boxes of cereal and 2 chocolate chips that aren't in the photo because I gave them away before I took the photo. Here's the breakdown:

TOTAL Regular Price: $145.47

Club Card Savings: $68.20

Coupon Savings: $17.70

Total Savings:  $85.90

6 - Del Monte fruit cups:  

Reg Price: $3.19 

on sale for $1.49 ea with in-ad coupon

6 - Nestle Toll House morsels

Reg Price: $2.99 

on sale for $2.50 

$1/2 coupon ($1 off when you buy two...so it equals $.50 each) 

= $2 each

16 boxes of cereal (Fruit Loops, Frosted Flakes, Quaker Oatmeal Squares): 

Reg Price $3.99-4.98 

on sale for $1.88 each - 

$9.50 coupons

 = average of 1.29 each

4  bottles Welches Grape Juice: 

Reg. Price $3.99 

on sale for  $2.99 

- $4 when you buy 4

- $1/1 coupon 

= .99 each

12 - Yoplait Yogurt

Reg Price: Unknown (i forgot to look)

on sale 10 for $7.50 ($.75 ea)

- $.40/6 coupon

 = $.68 ea 

(this is not a great discount I know...but we were out and we needed them.)

4 - Gallon Zip Lock freezer bags 18ct

Reg Price $3.29 

on sale for $1.49 

- $1/2 coupon

= $.99 each

2 - Clorox Bleach

Reg Price $2.29 -  

$1.49 with in store coupon

I spent an additional $20 on other stuff (eggs, butter, etc). didn't have coupons for those items but they were all on sale still. Think I did pretty darn good for my first big trip. I can see how this can be addicting.

Coupons, Coupons, Coupons!

Dave Ramsey has a way of stirring up people to change their lifestyles. His plan for getting out of debt works, but it really takes work.   It means cutting down on expenses, living on (and sticking to) a budget, and doing things that you might not have considered doing before...like using coupons.  Yep, that's what I said...COUPONS.  If we are going to succeed at this then we need to change the way we live and couponing is a GREAT way to decrease my monthly grocery/household expenses.

To be honest, I was pretty reluctant to enter into the world of coupons.  I had many misconceptions and quite frankly, pride that had to be overcome.  But thanks to Extreme Couponing TV show on TLC (that show is crazy!), the encouragement of friends (including my husband), and most importantly some EXCELLENT blogs, I have taken the plunge. I did some research and took a class.  And I have found that, yes, it takes time, but it is also very fun!  I have enjoyed watching my items add up and then watch the total plummet as my coupons and club card savings are entered.  It's AMAZING!

I started out by having three Tacoma News Tribune newspapers delivered to my house every Sunday (this is where I get a majority of my coupons) and have begun scouring the internet (sites like coupons.com, couponnetwork.com, Target.com, Safeway.com, etc) at every opportunity to find coupons that I can print. Then I watch my favorite local blogs (Queen Bee Coupons, Frugal Living NW, Thrifty Northwest Mom) for the "match-ups" that link the weekly store ads/sales with the coupons from the paper.  Then i make a list, pull my coupons and head to the store.

I am currently in the process of building a "stockpile" of items that we will actually use (that's the key) and buying them they go on sale.  The best time to stockpile an item is when the item is on sale, you have a store specific coupon AND a manufacturer's coupon...I call this Coupon Nirvana. This is how you get things for really, really cheap!

I am going to begin sharing my escapades as they happen hoping that it will encourage all of you as you plan your shopping trips.

Do any of you use coupons regularly?  What tips do you have to the newbs out there?

#NTx12 - Bible Reading Challenge

Last year my friend Randy Bohlender started posting comments on FB and Twitter about an ambitious Bible reading plan which he called #B90x.  Of course I had heard of the work out program P90x and at first I thought it was a typo in his post, but then I began to realize that there was no typo...he had committed to read through the entire Bible in 90 days!  WOW!  That is an amazing undertaking.  I watched and read his posts throughout the 90 days to see what would happen.  Randy and his wife Kelsey have 7 kids...4 of them under the age of 5...how on earth would he find the time to actually accomplish this goal? Not only did he accomplish it, when he was finished...he started again!

I was challenged.  I have never really been the daily devotional type...it has always been my struggle.  I loved being in Bible College and having to study out the Scripture for an assignment, but to sit down and just read...i really rarely ever do that (just being honest).  So, I felt challenged and I sensed and invitation from the Lord.  My thought was, "I don't know if I can (or will) actually do this, but anything I do is more than I'm doing now.  My spirit will be better for it!  So, I jumped on board.  Unlike Randy, I didn't finish, BUT, to be totally honest, I spent more time reading the Bible in the 45 or so days I participated than I had in the entire previous year!  I felt good about that!  I may even go back and finish at some point.

So, when in mid-December Randy posted that he and his buddies were starting a different Bible reading program for 2011, I got excited.  It wasn't a 90 day commitment...it's a 30 day at a time commitment.  Read the entire New Testament in 30 days, rinse, and repeat every month.  At the end of the year, you will have immersed your spirit in the gospels, the epistles, and the prophetic book of Revelation 12 times!  That is a GREAT goal!  And it's easier than B90x.  As it turns out, you have a certain number of chapters (around 12 or so) to read each day for 5 days then you get 2 days off...so if you get behind (which is what threw me off of B90x), you have two days to catch up.  EASY...I can do this!

So, I'm on board...Wanna join us?  Randy posted some very simple instructions on his blog which you can read by clicking HERE.  You can also join our facebook group HERE.

Nothing but good can come from it so why not?

"Southwestern Chicken Corn Chowder"

"Southwestern Chicken Corn Chowder"
Compliments of: Daniel and Marie Hunt

Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Cook Time: 1 Hour
Ready In: 1.5 Hours
Yields: 8 servings

INGREDIENTS:
3 pounds - Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
1 cup - Chopped White Onion
4 cloves - Minced Garlic
6 table spoons - Butter
4 cubes - Chicken Bullion
2 cups - Hot Water
2 tsp - Ground Cumin
4 cups - Half and Half
4 cups - Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
32 oz - Cream-style Corn
7 oz - Fire Roasted Diced Green Chilies

DIRECTIONS:
Boil chicken breasts until fully cooked, remove and let cool; using your fingers pull the chicken into shreds
In a 4 Quart Pot combine hot water and chicken bullion over medium heat until a broth is formed
Add the cooked chicken, butter, cumin, corn, onions, garlic and chillies and let simmer for about 15 minutes
Add half and half and bring to serving temp
Stir in Monterey Jack cheese 5 minutes before serving
Top with crumbled tortilla chips, cilantro, and diced tomatoes