Triumphs of a Home Maker.

I have had a few successes on the home front lately:

1.) I discovered my absolute favorite way to use sweet potatoes. African Sweet Potato Peanut Stew is AMAZING. There are about a million different versions of it out there. This is the one I used as a base, but added black beans and didn't use zucchini, and I used a lot more peanut butter, and I don't remember what else... but oh my, it was GOOD. I was even excited to eat the leftovers, and I usually have this thing about never eating leftovers. Anyway, I just had to share the recipe, because it is the perfect warm and cozy meal for the fall season, and it is super healthy too!! (Vegan, in fact!)

2.) Cloth diapering has finally become second nature in our home. It took a few weeks to get there, and definitely some trial-and-error problem solving. (Like when Everett got a nasty rash... switched detergents... and when my "clean" diapers were stinky... stripped the diapers and did one cycle with bleach... I could go on and on!!) But anyway, now that we've figured things out, we are officially all cloth here! If you're thinking about going cloth, here is why we did: a.) THOUSANDS of dollars saved (there is a hefty cost to get your supply of diapers, but in 3 more months I would have spent that in disposables, and for our next baby, the cost is 0 DOLLARS! Even with extra energy/water costs, it still saves a ton.) b.) They are sooo soft and snuggly on your baby's bum! If you use the right detergent, your baby will never get a rash and will rarely to never have a blow out. It feels good to put a soft clean cloth on my baby's bum instead of scratchiness. c.) Save the environment! Our trash can is SO empty on trash days now!! The energy used to wash is a fraction of the effect of thousands of diapers in a landfill, I believe. d.) Ok, I will stop here, because if you want to read a Cloth Diapering 101 Post, there are certainly plenty of those out there. But seriously, I would love to talk cloth if anyone is thinking about it.

3.) We've discovered how to get Carson to EAT more than just two bites at a meal. Tell him he can "dip," and he is good to go! Some days breakfast is cereal he can dip in yogurt; lunch is pasta he can dip in spaghetti sauce; etc, etc, etc. Here he is pictured dipping his calzone in salsa. This is also a great trick for keeping him entertained a little longer at the dinner table.


The next challenges to be tackled include: keeping Everett warm at night in his freeeeeezing cold, windows-on-all-sides room; potty-training (I am SO scared to start); and learning how to be better at couponing. Advice, anyone??