I'm so happy to have been a featured blogger this past Monday!  I could never have imagined the number of people that stopped by my little area of the web and commented on my blog that day!  I was and am very humbled by the lovely comments on my kiddos and of course the people that said I am such an amazing mother - I am so gracious!  I try to do what I can for my kids and even though some people find it "weird" I keep on doing what I do!  I really really appreciate your comments!

I have all plans and intentions to respond to each and every one of you that commented, it just may take me a little while.  I'm a very busy mama but when I get a few minutes at my computer know that I  am going through the list! :)

Thank again everyone!

So my little guy is at that age!  He's ready to eat, and he loves to eat!
Actually he's a bit early (please don't send me hate mail), I feel it was totally 100% okay and preferable for him to start eating a little earlier then the "recommended" age but he's my kiddo and I have that know how - call it mothers intuition! :)

I've started to make him his pureed baby food and I don't know if I talked about this before on here but let me tell you!  I LOVE MAKING BABY FOOD!!!

I find it totally relaxing, a stress reliever, and totally amazing when you're babe just gobbles it all up!  I guess it's sort of like the feeling you get when you breastfeed, you feel like you're the sole provider - you're able to produce the milk for them, you know what's in it, you know it's healthy for them.  Same thing with making your own baby food.  You know everything you are putting in it and it's from your own hands!

Yesterday I was making Ev some sweet potato, pears, bananas, and carrots while he sat in his high chair watching me (H was napping), we were singing songs about the food, talking about the colours, about the veggies growing in our garden, etc.  We had a great time chopping, cutting, cooking, and blending.  He enjoyed it just as much as I did!

Our process is pretty simple

1) Get the veggies/fruit from the grocery store (soon it'll be are garden! YIPPEE)
2) Clean all fruits and veggies (This is very important!!!)
3) Cut the fruit or veggie in small pieces
4) Either bake or steam the veggie depends on the veggie and what we are doing with it
5) Blend with a hand blender

Easy as pie and SO delicious!

Before: Pears & Sweet potato

After: Blended up sweet potato and pears! YUMY

Right now our "recipes" are pretty simple.  We are using just 1 veggie or fruit and getting use to that before we start mixing the flavours up.  So far E had been a huge fan of the fruits.  We give him something once a day usually around dinner time and we stick with the same thing for a least 2 days to ensure there is no allergy or reaction to it.  So far so good!

This has worked great for us with both H, when she was a wee one and now E.  I'm happy I'm able to give my kiddos the best they can get and this is how I do it.

Dirty Dozen and the Clean 15
I also wanted to talk a little about pesticides on the fruits and veggies that we eat.  Luckily for us, living in Canada we do have pretty good regulations when it comes to pesticides.  Testing is done by Health Canada under the Pest Control Products Act (PCPA) to ensure that all pesticides are registered before being used in our Country.  Before the pesticide can be registered, Healthy Canada reviews the scientific information to make sure that it has value and there are no environmental concerns related to it's use.  To ensure there are no health concerns toxicology studies and epidemiology studies are reviewed.  Every 15 years the pesticides are reviewed to ensure accuracy!

All imported food is tested to ensure the residue levels are below the Maximum Residue Limit or the MRL.  This MRL is set to ensure the level of pesticide use would not be harmful for anyone including, infants, children, pregnant and nursing women but this does not mean it is safe.

You can always find out more information on this here at the Health Canada website.

What are a few ways to reduce the amount of pesticides you and your family consume

1. Buy organic when possible - make sure you are buying CERTIFIED ORGANIC
2. Use veggie and fruit washes - you can find one here
3. Peel "high level" fruits and veggies
4. Grow your own - check out my garden here

I will say that we do not always buy organic, it just isn't feasible, first of all it's more expensive and secondly, it isn't alway available at our local grocery store.  I do buy organic most of the time when it comes to the dirty dozen though.

Never heard of the dirty dozen?  I'll give you what you need to know briefly then you're welcome to look at the links and do some more research on your own.  The Environmental Working Group has created this list of the Dirty Dozen.  It contains 5 veggies and 7 fruits that are considered the most contaminated when it comes to pesticide use starting with celery as the worst, followed by peaches, strawberries, and apples respectively to name a few.  I typically buy all of these listed on the worst list, organic.  On the other hand they do have a Clean 15 list which contain the lowest pesticides use again there are 7 veggies and 8 fruits listed starting with onions, avocado, sweet corn and pineapple to name a few.  Check it out!  It's worth a look.  You can print of a guide or even download an iPhone app to have with each trip to the grocery store.

Day Three: 30th March. Tidy mind, tidy stitches. 

How do you keep your yarn wrangling organised? It seems like an easy to answer question at first, but in fact organisation exists on many levels. Maybe you are truly not organised at all, in which case I am personally daring you to try and photograph your stash in whatever locations you can find the individual skeins. However, if you are organised, blog about an aspect of that organisation process, whether that be a particularly neat and tidy knitting bag, a decorative display of your crochet hooks, your organised stash or your project and stash pages on Ravelry. 

Tips: Many people use their blogs partly as an organisational tool – logging and cataloguing projects and newly attained skills, projects and modifications. Did you bare this in mind when you began blogging?

I don't have much of a "stash" really, I've got leftovers.  I tend to buy yarn only on a need be basis but I do have some.  All of which are in my living room in a little canvas and wood storage bin.  I got the bin for 2 dollars or something and thought it would be a great thing to keep yarn in. So far it's proved right

I keep my knitting needles, and some pattern books in a needle binder that I got as a Christmas gift from my mom.  What a great Christmas gift! Thanks mom! :)

All my knitting needles sorted according to size (smallest to biggest) plus a few buttons that have yet to make it on a sweater!

(I just quickly took photos tonight with my IPhone so they are VERY bad quality.  I'm sorry!)

My circular knitting needles - you can also see my books stuffed in the back.  There are a few pattern books in this binder as well. I also have a different binder with page protectors to keep all my printed patterns, handouts, etc. and my yarn information

My binder with magazines and pattern handouts in page protectors

It's all kept under my coffee end table beside the couch where I do most of my knitting.  Hidden but still accessible!

I then use revelry for my project organization, and a few IPhone apps for keeping track of rows, stitches and a few projects! :)

If you'd like to add me to Revelry you'll find me under kshiell! :) 

Skill + 1UP – 2KCBWDAY2

Look back over your last year of projects and compare where you are in terms of skill and knowledge of your craft to this time last year. Have you learned any new skills or forms of knitting/crochet (can you crochet cable stitches now where you didn’t even know such things existed last year? Have you recently put a foot in the tiled world of entrelac? Had you even picked up a pair of needles or crochet hook this time last year?.

As I mentioned in my first post of this series, I have just started to officially knit this past September.

Having watched my mom knit and crochet for as long as I can remember, I was intrigued.  I figured I'd give it a shot, it couldn't be that hard right?  The first time I picked up knitting needles I was excited to be working on a scarf for me.  I was so bored by the time I got half way through it and gave up.  The second time I thought I'd give it a try I started knitting yet another scarf for my sister this time.  BORED! I didn't finish it....I think it's still on the needles in my closet.  So this last time in September when I picked up some needles again, I told myself I wasn't going to make a scarf - I needed something more difficult.  I decided to make a sweater for my daughter.


It was a struggle to get this finished - it's just basic garter stitch and I was getting bored but I wanted to see it through to the finished product so I did.  I finished the sweater for my daughter and it didn't fit! :(  It was too small.  My first lesson in sizing - I knit small.

My second project - I decided I'd try something a little more challenging.  I decided to make a pair of socks for my daughter.  I really enjoyed making these.  I liked the challenge of a different technique.  I enjoyed making them so much I decided to make a pair for my little guy that was still cooking in my belly