Toddler Breakfast!

Typical oatmeal breakfast (in a convenient coffee mug) + fruit

For this week's lunches we are back to the veggie pasta (from Toddler Lunch Part II), so I thought I would share some of my favorite toddler-friendly breakfasts for our family.

During most weekdays we stick to instant oatmeal, either apple-cinnamon or plum flavored in the convenient (to pour and measure water) pouch - our favorite brand is Mom's Best. Part of our routine is to mix it, microwave it for one minute in a coffee mug, and then add an ice cube and let it wait at his place at the table, until he is up and dressed and ready for breakfast (does anyone else struggle with getting a meal made and cool before your toddler is ready to eat?). We usually pair this with a fruit - a banana, some sliced strawberries, a handful of blueberries, a cubed kiwi, or whatever other fruit we are test driving that week.

Leftover pancake breakfast with banana and honey for dipping

Our second most common breakfast is leftovers. At least one day during the weekend we make either pancakes (Aunt Jemima Whole Wheat or Trader Joe's multigrain) or French toast (whole wheat bread dipped in egg+ a splash of milk and a generous sprinkle of cinnamon). And there are almost always a few leftover, that we put in a ziploc bag, and reheat in the toaster for weekday breakfasts. This weekend we made both, and I am looking forward to them during the week! I like to mix it up by adding a schmear of peanut butter on a pancake or giving M a quarter-sized dollop of honey to dip his bites in. He is very into dipping these days.

We nearly always have hard-boiled eggs on hand, or may have leftover scrambled eggs and/or biscuits from the weekends. Often we add yogurt as a side (or for dipping fruit!). Or the blueberry muffins (see the Valentine's Day post with our raspberry version.

Another breakfast we have tried just recently is a bowl of cereal: Cheerios, with about 60% of the milk I would use for myself for the same amount leaves the cereal wet, but not so much milk that it gets sloshed everywhere.

What do you do for your kids' breakfasts?

Ps. Here are a couple of lunches from this week :)

A peek at the pasta lunch this week: veggie pasta, apple chunks,  string cheese,  yogurt pretzels; yogurt, pommegranite seeds and kidney beans; kiwi and cereal bar

Leftover Taco Salad lunch (sans the salad; ground beef, kidney beans, tomatoes, shredded cheddar, tortilla chips), grapes, steamed carrot sticks; yogurt and granola; kiwi and pretzels

Barcode

Peters Canyon: Lake View Trail

This weekend we found a new, nearby hike at Peters Canyon, in Tustin. The signature hike is a 4.5 mile loop that connects the  Lake View Trail, Cactus Point Trail, East Ridge Trail, and Scout Hill Trail, Creek Trail and Peters Canyon Trail. We did the two-mile Lake View Trail only :). We found the details on this hike from Brian and Ashley's Hiking Blog, who's pictures look more lush than mine, so it might be nice to head back there another time. Even still it, with all the concrete and commercial stuff in Orange its hard to believe that so quickly you are in such a vast swath of nature.

As with most things, you might consider hitting this park up early. We didn't, and arrived around 9:30 or so to a packed parking lot. We had to make two laps, but finally found a spot. It seemed like there was good turnover. I'll note also, that it costs $3 to park here (credit card option available), but we could park for free with our OC Parks annual pass. This appears like a popular place for groups to meet up and walk together with their dogs, kids, or fitness pals, as we saw them accumulating in the parking lot, but also lots of company on the trail. We heard some woodpeckers in the distance, and saw a few other birds and lizards, but I would say wildlife was scarce. Dogs are welcome on this trail, and ours was grateful to get out!

We walked with M in the carrier for about a mile (a couple of pretty steep hills included) and then let him down to walk about 20 feet, and then picked him back up and finished the loop. Nevertheless, the little guy was worn out and fell asleep on the way to the grocery store, and stayed asleep while I carried him around (I should have brought the carrier in with me, since my back hurt for days afterward!), and then we picked up some Bruxie on the way home!

Become a fan on Facebook!!

Aquarium of the Pacific

We were fortunate enough to meet up with another friend of a friend at the Long Beach Aquarium (aka. Aquarium of the Pacific). We got a little turned around looking for gas and ended up at the Queen Mary and on the Grand Prix course! Two things we might have to look into more!

Overall, the aquarium was kind of pricey ($25 per adult, but the toddler was free) and smallish, but just about right for the attention span we had on our hands. Theoretically, if we could have managed a nap on the run, and could entertain ourselves for a couple of hours, we could have returned with our stamped hands. However, we chose to get some lunch at Sharky's (as surprisingly healthy and tastey Mexican place - but be warned: if you order a beer you can't take it outside) and then let M nap in the back seat and take the long way home.

I was very pleasantly surprised by the number of things you could pet! There was a jellyfish tank, a shark/ray tank, and the lorikeet bird area! M wasn't very interested in the petting, which is probably good, because I don't think I could have conveyed the 'two-finger touch' rule. He was interested, however in the buttons he could push and things he could climb on, as well as the big globe in the arctic area. And the outdoor water play area. Of course we all enjoyed looking at the various specimens in the big tanks. We watched the otters  swim and flip and scratch their ears. We saw huge spider crabs (that made me hungry). We saw colorful fish and starfish and sharks!

It was challenging trying to see the exhibits, chase two toddlers and meet new people, so I do apologize for not including more photos. Don't save this for a rainy day, as the outdoor area is half the fun! And consider starting your tour there so you can catch the sun and avoid the crowds doing the opposite route.

Cleaning cloth diapers: New rules!

So I may have to go back on what I said in my previous post about cleaning cloth diapers.

I just had this nagging feeling that something was happening that wasn't getting them fully clean and ready to full absorb the next round of fire.

So my favorite online retailer (I get no compensation from them, by the way) is Sweetbottoms Baby Boutique. They always have a good selection, free shipping and give free samples. So when I qualify, I usually get the trial size of one of the cloth diaper detergents they carry. Mostly because they are great for traveling, since even if your host is gracious enough to let you wash baby diapers in their washing machine, you can't be sure that they'll have the kind of detergent you'd like to use... or if you have to hit up a laundry mat, you'll need soap. But also partly because I always secretly wonder if I should be using real cloth diaper soap.

Recently I requested a sample of Rockin' Green's Hard Rock, thinking this would be a great opportunity to 'strip' our diapers. Another sample we tried was a new cloth diaper-friendly diaper cream, CJ's BUTTer and after two uses we haven't needed again since it came in. Both of these products come in some pretty awesome scents, which is probably reason enough to use them, but if you read the reviews on the site, I bet you'll be sampling them, too.

And, full disclosure, we also moved recently and are using a different washing machine in our apartment. The new machine doesn't have an 'extra rinse' cycle, but it does have a 'prewash' cycle. So the new strategy is that I put detergent in with the prewash (warm) and then run a regular cycle with no added anything. 

I think somewhere among these three changes our diapers are getting really really clean now. And they feel more absorbent.

I honestly feel justified the switch for detergent when I did the math on Rockin' Green and how it translated to just about a penny per diaper per wash, and technically I was already paying for a detergent to wash them, albeit a slightly less expensive option. The diaper cream is pricier than the $2.50 tube of A&D we were using, but since we started using it, we have hardly needed it.

I felt like I had to share these changes with you, since I feel like I was a bit high and mighty in my previous post, thinking I didn't have to play by the cloth diaper rules. Now, I think these two products are worth the investment. And though I've said it before, we are now really feeling the effects after a conversation with a colleague having her third child and fearing the upcoming cost of disposable diapers. We have long since rounded the mark where our diapers have paid for themselves (about a year), so now we wash them and diaper our kid for basically free. And now that we are in an apartment, I am grateful for every trip to the trash room I can avoid.

All that said, our guy has been hydrating like nobody's business and has been going through some diapers. So many, in fact, that in one day he used all the ones at school and had to go to our disposable backups, and the one he came home in one was packed to the brink. Is this some sort of growth spurt-related event? Has anyone else's kid suddenly become a super-soaker?

Food For Big and Small

This week is brought to you by the rotisserie chicken and quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah).

We started the week with some leftover quinoa, and a freshly roasted rotisserie chicken (which is really a great deal since you can buy it piping hot and ready to eat, and it can make eight or more meals at our house!). We first paired the chicken with baked small red potatoes and slightly sauteed (fresh) asparagus. I set some aside for Toddler Lunches this week, and made the rest into Curry Chicken Salad to be served on bread or rolled in tortillas. Admittedly, the asparagus didn't go over well with M, but I will keep trying. I also tried out hummus on him and got a grimmace. But I think there is potential there. Especially because he likes the dipping aspect.

For the quinoa, we are all still getting used to this food and its texture. Its rice- or couscous-like, but can be the featured protien, which I think makes it tricky to pair things with. I admit, I love the idea that its a complete protien, and still isn't meat (not that we are vegetarians - see rotisserie chicken above- i just think its good to skip meat every now and then). I was inspired by several recipes at Weelicious, so this week we tried banana 'rice' pudding and Mexican Quinoa salad. The former didn't quite do it for us, but the Mexican salad was a hit with everyone, much to my surprise. Quinoa is sold as a dry grain, that you cook with 3x's the cooking liquid until it is absorbed and you can see the little swirl of the germ in the grain. For the pudding,  it was cooked in coconut milk, but just water for the Mexican salad.

Lunch ideas this week:

Monday was a holiday, so M and I had lunch out with Daddy. We packed yogurt, hard boiled egg, and steamed veggies and shared our soups and sandwiches, and let him color the kids menus.

Tuesday, I forgot to take a photo. But I packed a hummus, cream cheese, and minced steamed veggies in half a rolled tortilla as the 'main course' with the usual veggies and fruit, yogurt, and cereal bar.

Wednesday, we packed leftover acorn squash risotto, steamed broccoli, and apple slices; snack1: yogurt + pinto beans; snack2: cereal bar and steamed carrots.

Thursday, leftover sausage and rice (with broccoli and red pepper), perfectly ripe strawberries, steamed carrots; snack1: halved grapes + cereal bar; snack 2: yogurt + pretzels.

Pioneer Park



Covered wagons!



We drove by Pioneer Park in Tustin before we officially moved and were just waiting for an opportunity to take M for a closer look. So to get some zoomies out before our weekly trek to the grocery store, we picked up some coffee and visited. The park has a western theme, with 3 covered wagon structures to climb on, wilderness animals decorating the slides, and a log cabin picnic shelter. The park also has a half-court basketball hoop next to a green space on a hill and swings (both infant and big kids). And it is tied into bike and horse paths. And for the warmer months, there's a spray ground!!

The wagons were a little advanced for M to climb on himself, though he giggled and giggled while running around in them. The slide structure was more his speed and he had a great time climbing to the top (with some spotting) and sliding down the giant tube slide. He also had fun shooting hoops with Dad and climbing up the grassy hill. He didn't want to leave.



swings!



We were at the park during typical church hours on Sunday morning, and even though the park backs up to the Salvation Army church, the place was empty, except for a few folks passing through walking their dogs (M was excited about this, too.)

This would be a great park to bring/ride your bikes to, go for a family ride, and then let the little hitchhikers stretch their legs.

slides and tunnels and climbing things

half-court

the sprayground in inaction... since its  not the season