my cuties and my mom

how can these three photos not make you grin, even if you don't know us?

and my mom is resting well, post-surgery, in the ICU (expected, given lung surgery) at the hospital. she is in some pain, but wasn't groggy from anesthesia, and is expected to be home in a few days. the doctor assessed during surgery, that the tumor was carcinoid, as previously thought, although deeper, so the entire lobe was removed and the entire tumor is now out.

9 months old today!

okay. this is all going too quickly for me.

for my mom

positive thoughts winging their way to you, mom.

parenting and blogging

i cannot do anything right. at least according to my almost-4 year old. we just finished an exhausting afternoon of whining. not the typical whining, but chain of fussies that went something like this [insert whiny voice]
"i want to sweep."
"ok. here is the broom."
"nooooo. i want to sweep where you swept."
"ok. i am sure i missed a few spots."
"nooooo. i want it to be dirty again so i can sweep."
"i am not going to make it dirty again, but you can sweep where i swept, or sweep the deck, which hasn't been swept."
[insert escalated whininess.]
"nooooooo. make it dirty!"
[this progressed to full on wailing, moved into whining about picking tomatoes and washing the floor, which she didn't, then did, want to help with. and it would all have been perfectly fine...if i were a mind reader!]

ummmm....can i tell you how much of my days are spent 1) cleaning and 2) moderating mood swings? (yes, i said 4, not 14. i am screwed when she becomes a teenager, huh?).

so, that was just one example of the fussy roller coaster of the afternoon. at one point i even put her in her room for a break because i just couldn't stand the whining anymore.

and it is so darn hot here. we just got insulation and it either a) doesn't work, or b) they insulated the heat into the house yesterday (it was hot yesterday, too). but the heat has given me a headache, so i can't even dull the whining ring in my head with a glass of wine.

so that brings me to blogging....
as you can tell from my poll, i am thinking about the direction of this blog. that and i have been surfing around and there are so many darn good blogs out there. do i really need to keep adding my babble (see parenting, above) to cyber space? i don't know. but it is clear, that so far, most of you know me and just want to see photos of my adorable (if incredibly exasperating) children.

hmmm.....

more sewing

i love this tutorial on how to easily make cute kids' pants. (potty training friendly, if this is an issue for you!)
today, during quiet time, i whipped out another pair of fleece pants (so not the weather for them now, but my girl loves them) and a pair of fleece sleep shorts (to act as an extra diaper cover in warm weather). here is a photo and link from my first pair.

a 5 minute skirt!

look at this cute skirt you could make using this pattern.

savings all around

we had insulation blown into our house today. i would post a photo, but the poor house looks uglier than ever. (oh, but next...well, almost next...comes paint!)
we did the insulation for comfort in the summer and energy savings in the winter, but the bonus was an unexpected qualification for a gas and electric company rebate!

mother's day comes around again

for mother's and father's day, we gifted our parents with an outing with lala and the appropriate parent. M and lala took his mom to the trains and on a picnic. lala and i took my dad canoeing and on a picnic. with all that has happened with my mom's health, we finally got an outing with my mom, today! the three of us went to see a women impressionists' exhibit. lala has been to and enjoyed exhibits at this museum a couple of other times, so it was fun to take her again.



(and an update on my mom: she is doing well, although tired. she is healing well from her abdominal surgery and has only had a couple of incidences that have reminded her how serious this has all been. we are all so lucky. her second surgery, this time for the tumor in her lung, is this coming friday. please send out good thoughts.)

products of the weekend

8 quarts and 4 pints of salsa.



the skirt i made by cutting down a free dress that was several sizes too big.



lala with the picture she drew of finn for granny annie. and she even wrote his name!

labor day

labor day. such a funny day to me this year.

• labor. as in labor and delivery. this time 4 years ago, we were waiting on lala to arrive. (i am feeling really emotional about that this year. 4 seems so grown up. she now has a little brother, whom i can barely believe is nearly 9 months old. and if he is that old, that makes his big sister really big. yes, i realize the mind of a hormonal, nursing, kids-possess-my-world mamma is a really odd thing.)
• labor. as in an office job. something i no longer have, which makes my current job 24/7, making this holiday a joke.
• labor. as in hard work. something M and i are doing a lot of this weekend.
  

i love your blog!

laura from frugal domesticity tapped me with the "i love your blog" award, which means i get to select 7 other bloggers of my choice with this sweet award! out of fairness, i won't select frugal abundance nor will i select the blogs of personal friends and family.

in no particular order:

1. carocoknits. i love her frugality and creativity. and she responds to comments!
2. adventures in voluntary simplicity. how can you not like a guy who is chucking $300k a year, all his stuff, and a house in DC to live the simple life? and has a realistic plan for doing it! even M is following his blog!
   
3. she needs more attention like a hole in her head, but i am a frequent visitor to soule mama, so i have to include amanda on my list.
4. changing rhythm. it was this blog that first brought me to the blog world. they don't post nearly enough to satisfy my interest in their quest. they have one thing i don't have...religion...but i otherwise identify with trying to do it all with kids. and they live in an area we have scoped out as a possible move-to area, so that intrigues me as well.
5. handy home projects. i love that this family is doing some of the more complex simplifying, DIY, rural living things i want to do too! and i love that they are posting again!
6. like merchant ships. meredith seems to do it all, frugally, and she likes things to be nice. (i seem to generally manage the first two, but definitely lack on the last one!)
7. simple mom. this is so what i crave to be. simple. together. fun. mamma

honorary mention to : the simple dollar. quite honestly, i don't make it over to this blog often enough, but trent certainly covers some fabulous frugality topics and gets some great (and numerous) responses.


if you like these and have other blogs you think i might like based on my awards and my blog roll to the left, let me know!

body for life

M and i are back to exercising and eating per the body for life plan. (never thought i would sound so "program" but it was what we were doing before getting pregnant with finn and before M's dad got so sick last year. best shape i have ever been in.)

anyway, one week down and my only mishaps were a piece of lemon cake JH brought me on tuesday (soooo good) and a glass of wine 2 of the evenings. M had the same wine, but no other cheats. it was nice to have our day off today. we indulged during a picnic with M's mom, bro, and sis in law.

our weekend task list

• get S' truck and do a dump run done
  
• compost remaining tree limbs and clear upper part of yard almost done
  
• make: cookies, impossible pie, pizza, salsa (can it too) done. also made lasagna.
  
• work on a computer project did, but not done.
  
• work on sewing projects completed one. will post later.
  
• work on garage retrofit done (well did some work, but retrofit isn't done)
  
• work on cougar
• steam clean carpet done. god, that was gross.
  
• baby shower, birthday party, and family gathering planning done
  
• pick tomatoes and compost summer veggie plants that are done (after saving seeds from any appropriate) done
  
• sign up for done and submit prescriptions for mail order Rx program with our new health insurance done
  
• prune camellia done
  

i chose bright green because yesterday, lala asked me what my favorite color of the day was. bright green was my choice. we had an incredibly productive saturday (obviously) that left us both tired. lighter plans for today (sunday). and my color of choice for today is hot pink, but there is no hot pink, so i have to type it in the next closest pink. sky blue for monday.

august grocery challenge, completed

well, i am done shopping for august. my goal was: $275.
my total spent was: $350.73.

i posted early in august why i knew i wouldn't meet my goal.

honestly, i am pleased with this. ideally, under normal circumstances, this tells me i can meet a goal this low. i am challenging myself for september and october as well.

for september, i hope to make it under $400. now, i know that doesn't sound very low, but here is why:

1. my brother will be here half the month again, and his girlfriend for one week of that
2. we are attending a weekend-away family reunion for M's family and have to bring our contributions of food for 40 people (which is darn funny, because they include things like bacon and sausage. i am vegetarian.)
3. we are hosting a big birthday party for our kiddos
4. i am co-hosting a baby shower and i have food contributions
   

in october, i will likely drop my goal low again, to try and bring my average down and challenge myself to really frugalize like i used to do.

how about that hat?

M made a silly napkin hat for finn yesterday morning and it reminded us of the silly wrapping paper hat he made for lala on their first father's day. so i had to dig up the photo. here are my cuties. they are about the same age in this photo. lala had just turned 9 mo and finn is almost 9 mo. (and in looking for this, i took a seriously nostalgic walk down photo memory lane. have i mentioned today how strongly i feel the speed of time?)

the kids: what is new now?

well, M is biking to work again most days (part way), but until we do a dump run for all the demolition downstairs, our garage door is blocked, so his bike sits in the living room overnight.

this morning, finn attempted to eat M's bike chain. gross.

and last night, lala and i had the following conversation:

her: "mamma, you always do my [bedtime] routine now."
me: "yes, i do. dada just can't get home earlier. i miss him."
her: "i miss him too. i miss him in the evenings usually" [usually is a big word for her these days]
pause
her: "but we could just pretend he is a flower."
me: "we could just pretend he is a flower? what kind of flower is he?"
her: "he's an awesome blue flower!"

i couldn't agree more. and how sweet it was when our awesome blue flower arrived home a few minutes later, in time for stories, hugs, and kisses.

basta cosi

have you ever found yourself in a situation that is just ridiculous?
i have.
and i am officially removing myself from it.

(i love this layered granite photo i took, but i laughed when i realized it perfectly represented the phrase "between a rock and a hard place!")

make your own gatorade

i've had headaches and dizziness lately and i tested low for sodium. drinking more water sets electrolytes out of whack, so sports drinks are called for. here is how to make your own!

this recipe is from my grandma, from her doctor:

SPORT DRINK

1 8 oz. glass water

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon orange juice

l/4 teaspoon salt

93

it is 93 degrees inside our house right now. i am looking forward to home insulation. and i set up a poll. please vote. i am thinking to change the direction of this blog a bit, so let me know by voting (it's anonymous) for the bits of it you come here to read about. or post a comment....

the little pleasures i am enjoying right now

that i keep finding things that M cleaned while we were away. you would not believe how shiny the tea kettle and toaster are.



art projects and real paper thank you notes a la lala


the way a week in the middle of nowhere made me feel


sleeping through the night


that i am handling the massive increase in tantrums really well. apparently, this is these are the "f&*#ing fours."


sewing. no, i didn't make this adorable shirt. pleaserecycle did. (isn't it cute? S, did you use a pattern?) but it got too short, so i added the bottom ring of fabric. i have begun on several other projects, but have nothing nice to post yet.

the lake:: family 2

the lake:: family 1

use less stuff, the drawing

remember this?
PleaseRecycle's name was drawn!
(seriously, there were so few post replies that i wrote the names down and drew randomly!)

S, i will send it off in the mail shortly.

we're home

we are home. just some first images of our trip. (the last one is a view from the out house!) it was beautiful and lovely, but we really missed M, who left after the first weekend. we were sad to leave the lake, but more than ready to see M, and arrived home to find he had thoroughly cleaned the house. it was spotless, right down to washed floor rugs! (thanks, baby.)

one more thing...

before we go, one more thing. in honor of her 29th birthday, mama k is giving away a $29 GC to her store, non toxic tots. click to check it out!

wrapping up a frugal week. vacation!

we are off to the lake. there is no power. no telephone. (no bathroom!)
with the exception of M not being with us the whole time, it is heaven.
i will be off line for at least 10 days. be well.

i leave you with this:

here are some of the typical frugal activities that occurred in our house this week...

• made bulk meals, some for eating, some for freezing for later-dinners, cookies, yogurt, baby food
  
• made laundry soap
• we ate from the garden
  
• refilled bathroom hand soap container with free-after-rebate* shampoo
• i waxed my own eyebrows and gave myself a simple pedicure :)
  
• we composted
• i watered the garden using water we emptied from lala's wading pool, before cleaning it
• we hung all our laundry
• i ironed instead of dropping clothes at the cleaners
• we wore and used hand-me-down and thrift store finds
• we cloth diapered
• we used the library
• we wrapped up the final of 8 swim classes for $31 through the city program
  

(and we aren't perfect or even close. i bought coffee once and lunch out once. i paid for lala's first haircut ever - although i do usually do those at home and will resume after a less than impressive haircut. i did buy new shoes and a new hat for lala, gender neutral so will keep for finn. there were other spendy moments that i can't think of now!)

*more on free-after-rebate items later, for those interested

garden joys

grocery update for the week 081008

here is my update for the week...

we hit up trader joe's for a few at-home groceries and a few for-the-lake groceries, but my brother paid for this lot.

my mom and i went to costco for all the last trip foods. total came to $170. i think we settled on splitting it 3 ways, which brings our portion in at ~$57. plus, while we were there, i bought honey, clementine oranges, oatmeal, and cheese for $27.79. (you would be shocked at how much cheese we went through making 2 lasagnas, a double batch of enchiladas, and feeding the 4 cheese eaters in this house the past week.) i also bought another set of packages of paper diapers for finn after LH told me how many she uses daily. $23.

so according to my spreadsheet, i am at $293.96, which is obviously over my $275 goal.

now, i do also have a travel category. it would be hard to determine what my spending would be if i lumped some of the expenses into that category. diapers and jarred baby food are obvious, but some of the foods i bought to make dishes to share with the group and some of what i contributed to our portion of general food for the week would have been spent anyway if and when i did a general shopping for our household.

so, even though there are 2 weeks left to the month, i am feeling good about my total, despite being over my goal. (only one of the two week left in the month are potential spending weeks for us. we will be at a cabin in the middle of no-where. we are boating in all of our food. i don't really have an opportunity to spend money!)

i will continue to track and let you all know what i actually total for the month of august.

as for meals, i tracked but it seems boring to post. we ate a lot of the same things as last week (i.e. as we usually do), although i tried to increase the protein a bit. a lot of vegetables, whole grain pasta and rice, some chicken, some tofu, loads of beans, cheese, and eggs.

so...what is in a name, anyway?

i love names. i love something about 98% of the names out there. i chose the name that i did for this blog, because of my inability to narrow down from the fun choices available. i had the same problem with our daughter's name. for the first 2 years of her life, i felt various levels of distress over the apparent popularity of what i thought was a unique name. (although we don't know anyone else with the name now, we know others who do.) i have never posted it here before because of privacy, but her name is isabella, an italian one - very important - that i have loved since i heard it as a teenager, and M happened to fall in love with it too. i am over the distress, although, quite honestly, despite her given name being my favorite and extremely appropriate for her (we chose it after she was born and we met her), if i had to do it again, my distress lasted long enough after her birth, that i think i would suggest it as a middle name instead. (i am very into middle names, too!)

the funny thing is....think about names. what makes names seem beautiful, cute, odd, or awful to us?

isabella is a beautiful name and that is the reaction most people have when they hear it. she has 3 nicknames. (more than any kid needs.) lala, which is what M and i call her and she refers to herself as. bella, which is what my brother, all her preschool friends, and a couple other friends call her. and izzy, which is what her granny calls her and i used to call her (although granny spells it differently?!). she is also called isabella, of course! i am not sure why i stopped calling her izzy. i still think it is cute, but it isn't how she knows herself and all these names can get confusing for a little kid. and perhaps because M never called/calls her that. (he nicknamed her lala early on.) that said, whatever she chooses to go by as she gets older is fine with me. (i often joke she will ask to be called jane!)

how does one correct nicknaming? people often given nicknames without asking the person or parent, i have noticed. (yet when lala was born, we asked others what we should teach her to call them. our parents got to choose their grandparenting name, for example.) my mom's name is shortened, yet she never introduces herself as anything but her given name. same goes for me. my name is shortened and i never introduce myself or sign anything using anything other than my given name.

and finn? there has been so much confusion over his big sister's multiple names, that when he was born, we held up the list and decided which name fit him. only this time, we had thought about nicknames before we even put the name on the list!

too cute and for eph

too cute not to post. finn fell asleep in the middle of being fed yesterday morning. lala did this once. fell asleep while being fed. she was about the same age, too.


and for eph. i thought you would appreciate lala's new fashion use for the cute jacket you passed on to finn. laughed my butt off.

the growing family

here is how it goes:

1. when are you getting married?
2. are you and having kids? when?
3. are you having a second child?
4. you must be done now [that you have one of each gender]

OR

4. are you trying for a boy/girl [given that you have 2 girls/boys]



why is that? there is an order that this goes in for most people and when you get through kid number 2, the assumption is that they must try for the other gender if they have 2 of one gender already OR that they are done, because they completed the reproduction cycle by having one of each gender already.

so how about this in answer to number 4. we may or may not be done. we are both undecided. (i blame my brain on hormones, really, because i would have to be nutty to even wonder about this with a baby in the house and having just gotten over the "i have a newborn and a 3 year old, i am sleep deprived, i am going insane - no scratch that - i am insane" period.)


so why am i bringing this up if i actually have nothing to report? because 2007/2008 seem to be baby bonanza time (apparently, 2007 was the year of the pig, which is particularly fertile), and having had 2 kids, i know about gear. and i love to talk about babies and baby gear. so, since we don't know whether or not we are having number 3, and since i know what i liked for numbers 1 and 2 (aka lala and finn), here is my list. (GCW, everything i passed to you is good to have and use. i am listing here what i can bear to store or am too darned attached to to pass along. that or we are still using it, since finn is still a little guy. but that said, with kid #2, i stick to my belief that 90% of baby stuff is geared to the first 6 months.)

so, with that, and in no particular order:

• digital camera
• mei tai (mine is homemade, but it is much like the Kozy Carrier. the Ergo comes in second place at our house, but i have since learned of the Beco and am guessing that would out-do the Ergo for us.)
  
• nylon bibs (IKEA makes some great, inexpensive ones)
  
• Manhattan Baby Skwish, stacking cups, stacking rings. wooden toys preferred. and you know what lasted awhile with lala? fastex buckles.
  
• cloth diapers (unbleached Chinese cotton prefolds), Snappi clips, and covers (Fuzzi Bunz and Proraps, if i can only list 2, but i have more to say. see here)
  
• iPlay onesie extenders
• bouncy seat
• Exersaucer
• Safety First space saver feeding seat
• pack n' play
• piddle pads - absorbent waterproof mats great for under a sheet, as a changing pad, or to line a car seat for the potty training kid.
  
• Playtex sippy cups - they don't leak
• New Native baby sling (mine is a hm knock off). perfect for cramming in a diaper bag!
• stretchy swaddling blanket. we swaddled our own way with lala. with finn, we needed the Miracle Blanket (thanks, LH!).
• Carter's long sleeved sleep sacks. Halo are great too and are made in bigger sizes, but they lack long sleeves!
  
• Robeez leather slipper/shoes
• baby bath or dish bucket, then a bath ring
• Maclaren stroller (and i have been through a few strollers)
• baby monitor
• medical kit including thermometer, infant pain reliever, and bulb syringe. (you can make saline solution to use with this and i learned, with finn, how effective saline is. for adults too!)
• a good car seat, if you have a car. we just did a convertible seat from day 1 with lala. just perfect! with finn, we had an infant seat. fabulous, as the poor babe got toted around with lala's schedule. the snap n' go stroller to go with it made for a great pair.
• if you are spending time away from baby, a pump. i loved my ameda purely yours when i was working full time. for less hectic days and for night time "filler" pumping, my avent isis has been fabulous.
  

i reserve the right to come back and add as my mamma brain catches up with my fingers...

creativity:: 1

i can't post about some of my projects, since they are upcoming gifts, but what about other people's projects?

here is a crocheted sack RGW made for a bar of soap for M for xmas last year. i think she made it from natural hemp and it was a perfect little gift. it loofahs gently!

my aspired craft is sewing, but as we plan to head up to the lake (where there is no power), i am wishing i knitted or crocheted. as i visited carcocoknits' site for the umpteenth time, her current pile of yarn mentally landed me in my parents' living room as a 7 year old, smelling the piles of wool my mom wove on her loom.

joy

first swing

first real haircut by a pro

sometimes you just have to hit things

and then, sleep. ON tigger, of course

z is for zen

"z is for zen, which teaches that the world is one. zen culture, practiced throughout asia, emphasizes peace and simplicity and a thoughtful, disciplined way of life.

sitting quietly, doing nothing
spring comes, and the grass grows by itself.
from zenrin kushu"

from a is for asia, by cynthia chin lee

(and mind you, i was interrupted twice trying to post this and it was during quiet time! breathe in. breathe out.)

old and natural

i love old things and i love nature. i finally pruned some plants in our front yard. scratch that. our front garden. it seemed a waste to toss all the clippings in the compost, and they looked so nice next to our antique typewriters.

and a shout out to eph, who called to say hi and told me she checks my blog multiple times a day and to cm, who emailed saying she is a lurker here from up there in seattle. hi!

winter

both carocoknits and laura from my imaginary blogspot have recently posted about preparing for winter. i have been thinking about winter as well, but i admit, with the exception of insulation installation and exterior painting we want done before the wet and cold seep in, the mental planning i have been doing has been in the form of holiday planning and gift giving. i guess all of you in our lives who read my blog will now be informed we are having a creative christmas this year. i have some projects currently underway, some completed, and some planned for a little close to the actual holiday, but this year, we are keeping the holidays simple and hopefully sweet. doing so has meant being organized and thinking carefully about each person and what we think might really be appreciated or at least appropriate. i am excited by working on projects for others and just by keeping the holiday as homemade as possible.

grocery challenge, week of 080308

so how is the grocery challenge going for those of you who joined me?
i have already determined that it is unlikely that i will meet my goal of $275 for the month for groceries/household/toletries, but i will keep trying. here is why, in no particular order:

1. i forgot to budget for my brother, who will be with us half the month.
   
2. i forgot that going to the lake means buying some items i wouldn't normally buy due to no power up there. (for example, i bought a number of prepackaged foods i don't normally buy and i had to buy disposable overnight diapers for lala. i had already bought disposables for finn. both are normally in cloth, although lala only needs them for night time.)
3. bulk dry milk powder is hard to come by and we are almost out. when i find the kind we like in bulk, i will be stocking up, and that will take a hit.
4. i am able to, but simply unwilling, to give up a few grocery treats, such as wine. yet.
   

here is what i have spent so far and what it bought:
a melon, a big bag of carrots, sweet potatoes, organic strawberries, organic nectarines, organic red lettuce, organic romaine lettuce, mushrooms, bell peppers, bulk wheat germ, grapes, onions, and tofu.
$19.99 produce market

package of overnight diapers for lala
$13.04 long's drugs

lasagna noodles, 8 avocados, 2 chocolate bars, 8 prepackaged individual size organic applesauces, 6 bottles wine, pint half & half, can black beans, box of Os cereal (price went up!), package of fresh italian sausage, dozen eggs, 5 organic bananas.
$41.80 trader joe's

from costco, so think bulk sized: flour tortillas (wish they carried whole wheat flour tortillas!), 3 blocks monterey jack cheese, block (6lb!) mozzarella, salsa, 3 #10 cans tomato sauce, 2 gallons organic milk, cottage cheese, spinach, 3lb organic strawberries, bagged frozen veggies, wedge gran padano (cheaper than parmigiana), and a case of tomato paste.
$99.48 costco

6 jars baby food, 1 box baby cereal, 1 package teething biscuits, 1 package fig bars
$14.01 local natural foods market. can you believe that little cost so darn much? no wonder i don't buy it anymore! (it is all for the lake.)

total spent by 8/10 = $188.32. ummm. yikes.

here is what i listed we could eat. here is what we actually ate:

sunday: B: oatmeal with nectarines for breakfast. L: garden burgers on whole wheat bread. D: shrimp/veggie stir fry for dinner.

monday: B: oatmeal with strawberries. L: stir fry leftovers for M, mom treated me to burrito. D: salad, fries, and shake during mamma night out (MNO) for me, pork and veggies for M.

tuesday: B: egg and toast (hm wheat oat bread). L: stir fry leftovers, hardboiled (hb) egg for M, quesadilla, beans and rice with homegrown tomatoes for me. D: whole wheat pasta with hm red sauce (using leftover ravioli fillings and leftover marinated onions, and homegrown tomatoes that were pureed and frozen), romaine salad. pork for M.

wednesday: B: egg and homemade (hm) toast. L: pasta, hb egg, cottage cheese for M, bean and rice burrito and veggies for me. D: red leaf lettuce salad with tuna, crumbled blue cheese, veggies, and hm dressing on it. melon on the side.

thursday: B: hm granola. L: beans and rice, cottage cheese, hb egg, and carrot for M and carrots and corn tortilla quesadilla for me. D: hm pesto pasta, romaine salad w/ homegrown tomatoes, sausage for M.

friday: B: egg and toast. L: beans and rice for me, thai chicken salad for M. D: pasta with portabello mushroom and blue cheese, spinach salad with strawberries.

saturday: B: egg and toast. L: chicken salad for M, hm burrito for me. D: hm pizza.

(this was really helpful for me as, ummm....notice a trend with me and beans and a dinner trend of pasta? that one package went a lonnng way. seriously, though, i did note that we were not balancing our proteins and whole grain carbs as well as we usually do/used to do.)

finn's foods were consistently homemade baby cereal, hm yogurt, home cooked and pureed veggies and fruits, hardboiled egg yolk, tofu, and Os cereal. i do use some organic formula mixed into cereal for him (pediatrician recommended for mild anemia), but all the formula i have used has been given free to me. (note to parents...sign up for free samples and/or ask your pediatrician for samples if you need to use formula for any reason.)

lala's foods are consistently smaller portions of what M and i eat (she is not a vegetarian) or preschooler sized 4-part meals of carb (noodles, rice, bread, oats), protein (cheese, chicken, tofu, egg, peanut butter, nuts), fruit (all sorts), and veggie (all sorts...favorite is broccoli. can't beat that!)

image from: http://www.wrap.org