Cloth Cubes

I'm going to be making some soft little cloth cubes for Avan and Duane. There is a great tutorial for some here and here. It is the same tutorial, the first link leads to the picture of the cubes and the second leads to directly to the directions.

What I Wish I'd Known Before I Had Kids

1) Everything you now you might as well forget

I spent a great deal of time babysitting before I got married and I was sure that I was ready for anything a baby of my own could throw my way. It turned out that I was wrong. Nothing can prepare you for the highs and lows of parenting. I learned that sometimes it takes a miracle and a lot of prayer just to accomplish one thing outside of taking care of babies. (Like laundry and dishes). Although babysitting trained me how to handle every day things like owies and fights, having my own baby was so different that there really was no comparison.

2) Schedules are designed to make you cry

While I think it's important to have a set time for things like meals and nap time, there will be days when your child will do nothing but sit and play in their crib during nap time only to fall asleep on the couch when you finally feel bad enough to get them out. In short, be prepared for your child to be your life and if you do go with a schedule, know that it can and will be swindled by your little one at any given moment.

3) It's okay to cry and, if you're anything like me, you will do a lot of it

In my situation, I am a stay-at-home mom. For me, there were times when I hit rock bottom and was sure I wouldn't make it to the next day with out going insane. There were times when I felt so alone that all I could do was cry. You will have bad days, but the second your little one smiles that toothless smile, you will remember the joy and you will find strength.

Play Day

Happy Second Easter!

Triple Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

I love to watch Dr. Oz. I don't really get to very often, but when I do I learn something new every time. I was watching yesterday and this recipe for chocolate chip cookies came on. Apparently these cookies are made with beans instead of flour and they taste good. I'm willing to try a healthy cookie and thought I'd give it a shot. The link is here.

Added to Recipes on Thu 03/25/2010

Ingredients

Makes 20 cookies

1 serving: 45 calories

1.4 g fat

2 g protein

9 g carbohydrates

0mg cholesterol

2 g fiber

32 mg sodium



½ tsp vanilla extract

¹⁄³ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted

1 cup canned white cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

2 tbsp light agave syrup

3 large egg whites

1½ cups granulated artificial sweetner

¼ cup dark chocolate-covered cacao nibs

¼ cup mini chocolate chips



Directions

Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and spray lightly with cooking spray. Set aside.



In the bowl of a food processor, combine vanilla, cocoa, cannellini beans, and the agave syrup, and blend the mixture until smooth, about 3 minutes, scraping down the side of the bowl halfway through blending.



In the bowl of a mixer fitted with a whip attachment, beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Gradually beat in the artificial sweetner. Continue to beat the whites until they are creamy and nearly stiff. Add 1/3 of the egg-white mixture to the cocoa bean mixture in the food processor. Blend to combine, for about 30 seconds. In 2 batches, fold the lightened cocoa mixture into the egg whites until they are almost fully combined. Add cacao nibs to the batter. Fold batter until cacao nibs are evenly dispersed and cocoa mixture is completely incorporated.



Drop mounded spoonfuls of batter onto the prepared sheets. Spread batter out to form cookies about 2½ inches in diameter. Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top of the cookies.



Bake for 20 minutes, rotating the pans one turn halfway through baking. Using a metal spatula, transfer cookies to wire racks to cool.

Lil' Shoppers