Egg-cellent Cookies

Did you know that many things can be substituted for eggs? Here was the scenario:
Sunday morning, wanting to make cookies for T to take to church for his Sunday School class, have every ingredient except 2 eggs. Blast. T suggested we go borrow 2 from our neighbor. Seemed like a hass. So then I thought, what about vegans? They don't eat eggs and I'm sure they still eat cookies. So I started looking on the trusty world wide web to see what kind of things work to substitute. Different websites said different things, of course, but in general, in cookies the eggs serve as a moistening agent. Nothing more. So some said you can just add water or milk, but that seemed gross. Many places said to substitute a banana. Some said substitute 1 T cornstarch and 1 T water. So I tried a little of this and some of that; I used half a banana and 1 T cornstarch with some water. They tasted even better than before, I thought. The banana gave them a little depth of flavor and a little added sweetness. So what could possibly beat JG's delicious chocolate chip cookie recipe? A lack of eggs which lead to great experimentation. What fun

Check, check, and check

Today was a great day. We had many things on our to-do list and we got them all done! I love days like that. This morning I went to the great Arkansas Certified Farmer's Market and bought some fabulous produce including purple-hulled beans/peas, jalapenos, squash, etc... A funny story about the purple-hulled beans: This month I was in North Carolina when we had to pick up our basket so T picked it up. There was a ziploc bag of little beans and I asked him what they were. He said, "Um, the girl told me what they were called but I forgot." I said, "Uh, how am I supposed to know what they are and how to cook them?" I had never seen anything like it. They looked similar to black-eyed peas but larger and pinker. So luckily, my friend Melanie also gets the basket and she remembered what they girl said they were called. So I asked a friend how to cook them and she gave me a great recipe and we looved them over rice. So I had to buy some more today at the market. Yum.

Also on our list was to recaulk the shower and bathtub which is being done as we speak. Such a hassle, but so worth it in the end. Our front porch was looking so lonely and we have had some amazing evenings lately, so we decided we needed some furniture. Lucky for me, Pier 1 was having their huge sale so we got some great red chairs for the porch.

And last but not least, we started a compost! We kept meaning to but never got around to it. In the basket this month was a huge watermelon and a huge cantaloupe and the rinds inspired us to start one. So T went and got the wire mesh stuff and built it and we made our first contribution to Mother Earth. Since CB wears gdiapers, the wet ones can also be composted which I'm thrilled about. Also, at night we put him in earth-friendly disposables and the genius Swede that invented them made them out of corn so they're also compostable (as long as there's no poop, of course). So great. (P.S. These diapers, baby wash, shampoo, etc... are on sale right now at Target which made me so happy.) Now all we need is some great plants to fertilize with our soon-to-be delicious compost.

Pros & Cons of the Pup Tent

When CB was born, we debated what of the millions of baby gadgets we would want and would be the most useful. There are bouncy seats, swings, Bumbo seats, exersaucers, play gyms, mats, light up this and that, movies, etc... It's actually unbelievable when you go into Babies R Us (our nemesis store) to register and they give you the "New Parents Must-Have Checklist". It is a full ridiculous page of things that you NEED? I don't think so. We want to be more minimalistic. He can be just as happy looking at his own foot as some ridiculous toy, so why bother? Every study says it's so much better for them to interact with people and see real things moving and colors as opposed to light up and make-annoying-sounds toys. So really he only has a few simple toys, most of which are hand-me-downs, and a fabulous Baby Bjorn bouncy seat and a travel-size swing to sit in while Trav gets ready for work in the morning.

For traveling we debated buying a Pack 'n Play but thought they didn't seem very travel-friendly. They fold up, but are still pretty big, and the one time he slept in one in a hotel in Branson, Missouri, he didn't sleep well. But mostly it was the size that was the deterrant. So I did research to see what else is out there. There are little mats that fold up and are very compact, but I thought they seemed like a waste of money. If it's only a little mat, I can just make one myself out of blankets when we travel.

Eventually I saw this little Peapod. We like to call it the Pup Tent. It's like a tiny tent with an inflatable air mattress, UV-protection (in case CB needs a nap while at the beach in Arkansas :), and zip mesh so bugs can't get in, etc... It was on a special clearance at babycenter and it seemed like a great idea. It folds down into a tiny bag that can easily fit in a suitcase and is lightweight and very portable. So those are the advantages. A few disadvantages are the blanket/cover that covers the air mattress is slick like those stinky satin sleeping bags so the first night CB kept sliding half-way out. His upper body was still in the pup tent but his legs were out on the floor. Might have contributed to the 5+ times he woke up. The solution seemed to be to zip him in, but once he was soothed and I laid him in there for sleep, I didn't want to zip the things up because it's so loud. So the solutions I came up with are: 1) flip the air mattress cover over so he is lying on the non-slick side. 2) use a sleep positioner to prevent the moving 3) cover the mattress with an extra fleece blanket so he doesn't get cold (since air beds are always freezing). So overall, I'm a fan. It's very easy to store and easy to use. Just a few minor adjustments and last night was a much better night for all. :)

Now all you experienced jet-setting moms need to post your ideas of how to make traveling easier on babies and kids. The flying and traveling part went great, but now I'm just trying to figure out how to keep him well-rested and make sure he has good days and good nights. Tips?

Cirque Du Soleil Called...

They are interested in Charlie's skills.