Super Easy DIY Baby food: Butternut Squash Puree

I get all of my best ideas from Pintrest. This is no different! A friend and new mom sent over a pin all about making your own baby food. It really didn't take much convincing for me. It looked fun, it's cost effective and gives me the opportunity to quality control the food my child will be eating.

Now that I have successfully made a few batches of baby food I can tell you that it really is easy. The only challenge is having the time to do this. But, with a little organization, you can do it!

Supplies:
I tried two different methods and to be honest I like them equally. Pick which ever you think will work best for you. The Infantino Squeeze Station allows you to put your pureed food into portable squeeze pouches. Before becoming a mom, I didn't understand the hype around these but I totally get it now! You can buy spoons that screw right on to the pouches. This allows you to feed your baby without any mess. As the baby gets older they will be able to feed themselves without this. Either way, you can give them to your child and if they don't finish you can pop them in the diaper bag or back in the fridge. These are great for on the go meals. These are available on Amazon for under $15.

Easy DIY Wedding Invitations for under $50

My wedding is quickly approaching and it's time to send out the invites. I am happy to say that I now have very nice, expensive looking invites to send out but it took some hard work to get here. Now, there are many sites you can use to have customize-able invites printed and mailed to you at a variety of price ranges. If you are currently looking, make sure you try the following: Wedding paper Divas, Shutterfly, Fedex, Zazzle and Vista Print.

I looked at all of these and was happy at the wide array of designs offered by each site but I couldn't swing the prices. Our wedding is being done on a pretty tight budget. Meaning, we will be coming way under $10,000 for all in costs. This means that I have to DIY and be as resourceful as possible. But, just because I am doing this on a budget doesn't mean it has to look cheap!

All of the websites I mentioned above offer sales and good deals, but I still could not find a template that I liked and at the price I wanted to pay. Part of this is because I'm a little picky and already had this dream of having my invitations be very unique. More specifically, I wanted the nice laser cut invite holders. I did find a few of these on Etsy that met my visual criteria but not at the right price.
But then came my wedding BFF Amazon.com! I was lucky to find an invitation set that came in the right color, size and included everything I needed for under $50!

Favorite baby items for 0-6 months

Baby P has hit yet another milestone. I am proud to say that my child is 6 months! People always say the time flies but wow!  I can hardly believe that earlier this year I was pregnant, had a baby and now, she's almost a year old. Crazy! 

In the first 6 months of her being alive, we have used a great number of products but a few standout. Here is a list of my favorite baby items for 0-6 months.

1. Teething pacifier clip

Why I love it: I bought this just before Baby P hit 5 months. At this time she was sitting up more, with the new-found control of her head & neck, and also learning to use her hands to grab at things. The combination of both of these things lead to the pacifier ending up on the floor a lot more. So I decided to get a pacifier clip. I stumbled across this one on amazon and decided to try it. I love it because it keeps the pacifier from falling while also being a great teething toy. She loves chewing on the silicone beads. It's cute & keeps her entertained, especially if I forget to pack other toys while we're out. I loved it so much that I actually just gifted a set of these at my cousin's baby shower.

Where to buy: Amazon.com $13.99 Search the site for more colors and varieties.

Friends without Kids: Baby Shower Gifts Ideas for under $50

So you've been invited to a baby shower. This is such an exciting time in the life of the parent to be and you want to show them your love and well wishes by showing up and giving a great gift. The only problem is, what should that gift be? This can be hard for anyone, especially if you aren't close to the mom to be, but it can be especially hard for the friends without kids.

This is when I would first and foremost direct you to the gift registry. You absolutely cannot go wrong by picking up something that the mother-to-be herself hand picked out. Trust me, blood sweat and tears go into curating those baby registries! But, if you insist on not looking at the registry, or there are slim picking on said registry, here are some great gift ideas that the mom to be will love. All of these are items that I have and have bought for other moms.

Anything for 6 months and beyond
When people think baby shower, they think about squishy little newborns. Those teenie-tiny clothes look super adorable on the hanger, I know, but most moms want you to leave them right where they hang. It's not that we don't need baby clothes, trust me, we do! The problem is that for the first baby, 9 out of 10 times, we will get way more newborn and 0-3 month sized clothes than our kid will ever be able to wear! I didn't register for any baby clothes and still ended up with a ton. I returned a bunch and she wore a new outfit every day but we still had clothes she didn't get to wear. She grew that fast!


So put the pack of newborn onesies down and opt for 3-month sizes and up. A set of 6 or 9-month sleepers would be perfect. Or ditch the clothes completely and step outside of the box. Since most people will buy things the baby will need for the first 3-5 months of its life, you should aim to get things for the months afterward.

Teething toys are great. Baby P started teething around 4 months. It was nice to already have a few chew toys ready to go for her. Look for toys with multiple surfaces and textures to chew on.
Spoons and bowls for starting solids are also a necessity that many people tend to forget about when shopping for a shower gift. Baby's can start solids as early as 4 months, although most start at 6 months. Showing up with the cool easy squeeze spoon or other feeding gadgets will surely impress the parents to be.

The Novice Mom: Why Black Breastfeeding Week Matters

With the 4th Annual Black Breastfeeding Week (BBW) coming to a close I decided to really sit down and think about the purpose of the movement. Much like the Black Lives Matter movement, many would ask, “why is this even needed?” To be honest, I only found out about the existence of this week the day before it started but, I never questioned it. I’m down for anything that supports and uplifts my community. So, I immediately started doing breastfeeding geared videos and social media posts all week in order to spread the word about this event. I’m sure my followers are sick of hearing about BBW but at least they are all aware! Now that the week has come to a close, I want to look past the surface and really dig into the issue of breastfeeding within the black community.

Women of all colors face obstacles when it comes to breastfeeding. Juggling work, while trying to pump & maintain a supply is difficult. Especially when women in today’s society are expected to, and many times have no choice but to work at least one full time job. Many of those jobs that I speak of do not offer a paid maternity leave so these women are forced to cut bonding time down with their newborn and get right back to work. Outside of work, the societal taboo of breastfeeding, especially doing so in public, hinders a lot of mothers. Alyssa Milano famously told Wendy Williams off after Wendy suggested that feeding your baby in a restaurant is somehow inappropriate and that women should go to the car or bathroom. Frankly, only someone who has never had to do this would say something like that. Seriously, Wendy? You want me to sit in the car to feed Baby P while you talk loudly with food in your mouth at the dinner table? But we’re disgusting. Ok girl. Why don’t you go eat on the toilet?

I digress.