Muffin Tin Monday + Giveaway!

Well, I totally skipped a week - we did colors of the rainbow instead of blue/ purple for Muffin Tin Monday, oops. Our tin was so pretty and fun that we'll probably just do the same again next week! I had Lucy help plan what to put in the tin, choosing one item for each color. We had cherry tomatoes, carrots, yellow pepper, broccoli, frozen blueberries, and grapes with sides of ranch for dipping. The peppers were new for us and Lucy said they were her favorite item in the tin! We had macaroni for lunch and put the tin in the middle of the table for everyone to share. See those adorable little cups? They are Dippy Cups, an awesome new find!

Dippy Cups are little silicone cups perfect for ketchup, ranch, BBQ sauce, yogurt, and more. They are a perfect small size and we've been using them constantly since receiving them for review. See, I even took picture of a few meals: (Yes, I'm a well trained Muffin Tin Mom, lol.)

The great thing about these is that they are super easy to clean up. They don't have ridges like the silicone cupcake liners do, so food doesn't stick inside them. I'd highly recommend any mom with young kids have a set of these on hand! It also saves me from hearing the "my cheese is touching my ketchup" complaints. Dippy Cups were invented by a mom (of course!), and you can purchase them directly from their website. They come in a package of 6 bright rainbow colors.

I also have one package to give away. Leave a comment on this post letting me know why you think you would love Dippy Cups. You can leave extra comments for:

- following my blog,

- being an email subscriber, and

- blogging about the giveaway (linking back here and to the Dippy Cup website).

I'll close the giveaway next week Monday, April 5 at midnight. Thanks for stopping by!

(There is still time to join the Bake and Take Day fun here!)

*Giveaway closed. Congrats Susan!*

Kissaluvs Hybrid One Size Review

After my series of cloth diaper reviews, a friend suggested that I try a Kissaluvs Hybrid One Size diaper. I had never heard of these before but they looked interesting and Kissaluvs let me try one! I'm going to go back and add this to the post on fitteds and prefolds too so the newborn reviews are all in one place.

Esther has been using this diaper at 12-13 lbs now. It fits her nicely and I can see it fitting for a long time. Its basically like a fitted diaper without snaps and generously sized so that it has a large range of fit. It can be folded down for smaller babies, but it fits Esther without needing to do that. I tried it on Julia and it fit her too. (23lbs, 2 1/2 years old) Its a bit hard to get a snappi to grab on to this diaper so I felt like it might not stay on Julia right. It stays on Esther just fine though since she's not too mobile.

I like that the soaker is sewn in across the back - no searching for it in the laundry. Its nice and absorbent, but still pretty trim. I fold the soaker part under so that there is plenty of absorbency right where its needed. The elastic fits well at the legs and seems to hold in poop well. This is a good sturdy diaper that we'll get lots of use out of. It comes in cute colors too. Thanks Kissaluvs!

Bake and Take Day

I'm definitely not an expert bread baker yet but we had fun with Bake and Take Day! I first made a batch of zucchini bread and took some to a friend who needed a smile. I had big plans for making my whole wheat bread and taking it to a neighbor while still warm, but it took 4 hours to rise and was ready at 10pm. I'm not sure what happened other than I didn't use fresh ground wheat this time and I'm still a novice. The bread was delicious though. I asked Lucy and Julia who we should take the bread to and they chose our sweet neighbor Katy. She and her husband have a little two year old boy that my girls enjoy playing with. Both my zucchini bread and whole wheat bread recipe make two loaves so they are perfect for sharing. I think we'll be Baking and Taking more often!

I've been using the bread recipe from A Beginners Guide To Baking Bread by Marilyn Moll. Its got lots of helpful tips for getting started with bread baking. I'm excited to try some of the variations like bread sticks, cinnamon bread, herb bread and more. Mmmmm! Two lucky participants will each win a copy of this book. To be considered for this giveaway you need to enter your name and email address here at The Urban Homemaker. While you're there, take a look around at all of the other great products they offer. I'm tempted to invest in more of her cookbooks soon.

Laura at Heavenly Homemakers is offering a giveaway as well. What To Do With Your Kids In The Kitchen is a fun little ebook with simple recipes to create with and for your kids. I got to preview this ebook and we are definitely going to try some of the recipes. To enter this giveaway, simply participate in Bake and Take Day by blogging about your adventures and linking up at the bottom of this post.

Did you participate in Bake and Take Day? What did you bake? Who did you take it to? Write up a post on your blog and link up. Please remember to link directly to your post about Bake and Take Day rather than your entire blog. I'll leave Mr Linky open for a week so that you have time to get your blog posts up. Winners will be announced next Saturday, April 3rd. Thanks for joining the fun!

The giveaways are now closed. No one entered the giveaway for the ebook by participating, so there isn't a winner. Courtney and Tanya each won a Bread Baking book and have been contacted for their addresses.

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Swagbucks

Have you ever heard of Swagbucks? Its a search engine website that rewards you with swagbucks for searching. You can use your swagbucks in their store to buy gift cards to Amazon, Target, Paypal and more. They offer other prizes besides the gift cards too. All you have to do is sign up for an account and start searching. You will randomly be rewarded with swagbucks - its always fun to see them show up. I'm usually leery of things like this, but I've been using Swagbucks for several months now and have gotten several Amazon gift cards. If you want to give it a try, click on my button below and I will get Swagbucks for the referral too. Join the fun; you'll even start off with 30 free swagbucks!

Muffin Tin Monday

We had a quick and easy Muffin Tin - yogurt, ketchup for the chicken nuggets, water, cheese crackers, chicken nuggets, and blueberries. I really need to get more creative again soon but the girls loved the lunch and are still so excited whenever I pull out the muffin tins.

Join us for Bake and Take Day this Saturday, March 27. Bake something to take to a friend or neighbor and then link up here and tell us about it. We have a couple of prizes - a book on bread baking and an ebook about cooking with your children. I'm planning to make fresh bread and am looking forward to this fun event!

Be sure to check back next Monday too, I have a fun product review and giveaway lined up. Thanks for reading. :)

DryBees Night Diaper

Julia still is not potty trained. She expressed interest almost a year ago and at one point was staying almost completely dry. Right now she just doesn't remember to go on the potty when she needs to. This summer we'll be spending lots of time outside potty training I suppose. She still wets a ton at night too. I reviewed a night diaper back in November and just recently got to try out another one. The Drybees Fleece Nighttime Pocket diaper has been working well for us.

Julia weighs about 23 pounds sopping wet but I went ahead and chose a medium. It fits well with room to spare, so I'd say these run a bit big (that and my kids run small...). Its bulky, but not too bad. One of our other nighttime combos is a Happy Hempy pocket fitted diaper with a wool cover. Julia really waddles in that one, but the DryBees is not quite as puffy. The fit around the legs is nice and snug and the diaper is soft so it doesn't leave red marks or anything. Julia likes the little bee on the tag.

The diaper does not come with an insert. I stuff ours with whatever is handy - last night it was a microfiber insert along with an infant prefold. This morning she was dry, the outside of the diaper didn't even feel damp. The DryBees Nighttime diaper is made of a very thick fleece, which makes the diaper breathable. When I just use a regular pocket diaper extra stuffed, I feel like the PUL keeps the wetness in too much and irritates Julia's skin. With this diaper, her skin can breathe just enough.

A good nighttime diaper has been hard to find, but this one fits the bill. Soft, breathable, absorbent, cute, great fit... we give it two thumbs up. Thanks DryBees.

Molly the Barn Owl

We've been watching Molly the Barn Owl today. She is sitting on 5 eggs that are due to hatch any day. Check it out!

Bribery

Julia's hair is usually a big curly mess. The other day I wanted to put her hair up in pigtails, so I told her she could have a Pez candy if she let me fix her hair. She looked so grown up and adorable. Isn't she cute? She came to me the next day asking for me to put her hair in pigtails again. I didn't quite catch on until she said "and then I can have a candy!". What have I started? lol

Coming Up...

Thank you to everyone who participated in the baby product reviews and giveaways! There are still a few open so be sure you enter.

Coming up in April I'm going to be reviewing some fun summer items. Want to know my pick for a nursing swimsuit? Which sunscreen works best? Of course I'll have some giveaways tucked in there too. One of the reviews will be from CSN Stores. They sell everything from kids beds to barstools and more. Check back for the start of the summer series soon!

Of course there will still be Muffin Tin Mondays, homeschool updates, cute baby pictures and more. :)

Thanks for reading.

Cozy Sleeping Bag from aden + anais

If you've been around my blog for very long, you know that I love aden + anais products! We got to try out their new cozy sleeping bag recently and have another to giveaway. The cozy sleeping bag is made of four layers of breathable muslin cotton and comes in cute prints. Wearable blankets are great for keeping little ones warm without risking suffocating them - these are especially nice because they are a natural breathable fiber. Some of the fleece ones we have seem to make the baby too warm.

Esther likes her sleep blanket. (Don't worry, she doesn't really sleep on a pillow.) I wish we had two of them because she spits up and I'm always trying to quickly do laundry so that she can wear it. The sleeping bag is soft, thick and just warm enough. A nice detail is that the zipper starts at the neck and closes down at the bottom so the zipper doesn't get in her face. I like that there is plenty of room around the neck and arms too. The sleeping bag has gotten a couple of snags in it, but I think that's just because of the type of soft quilty fabric its made of.

Would you like to win a cozy sleeping bag? Leave a comment on this post to enter the giveaway, being sure to include your email address. For extra entries you can:

-become a fan of aden +anais on facebook

-follow my blog

-subscribe to my blog by email

-blog about the giveaway, linking back here and to aden + anais

Leave a comment for each entry. I'll close the giveaway on March 30 at midnight and use random.org to choose a winner. The winner will get their choice of print and size; this can be shipped anywhere in the US and Canada. Thanks for stopping by!

I received this product for review with no compensation. The opinions are all my own.

*Giveaway now closed. Congrats to "K"!*

Muffin Tin Monday - Green

I know, super lame Muffin Tin Monday today. We're still trying to get over being sick and Esther had a doctor appoinment this morning. The theme was "green" so we had a quick guacamole snack. I also had green pickles in the house, but I didn't think they went well with guacamole. Julia's snack wasn't even green, she prefers plain salsa. She insisted that I take a picture of hers but then wouldn't smile for me. She's still a cutie anyway.

Here's my quick and easy guacamole recipe. Its one of those recipes that doesn't have exact measurements, but its good any way you make it. This makes a great healthy snack - Lucy loves guacamole and will even eat it with a spoon.

avocado - mash

garlic clove or two - press

dash of lime juice

salt

salsa - several spoonfuls

Mix up and enjoy.

(Don't forget about Bake and Take Day coming up next week!)

Ergo Heart to Heart Infant Insert Review

I love my Ergo carrier! I got it when Julia was just over a year old. She enjoyed riding on my back when we took walks or went to places like the apple orchard. The Ergo is comfortable to wear and distributes the weight nicely across my shoulders and waist. With our newest little family member on the way I was curious about the infant insert. Ergo sent me their new Heart to Heart Insert for review.

The insert is designed to promote healthy maturation of the spine by holding baby in an upright position while supporting her legs and hips. Certain baby carriers that put babies in a hanging position can actually be dangerous for a baby's spinal development. There is an interesting article here with some great photo illustrations on the topic. Putting a baby in the Heart to Heart Infant Insert keeps him or her in a safe position.

Putting Esther in the insert was easy enough. She felt secure and her legs were tucked up in a good position. The strap that snaps across the baby is adjustable, but mine doesn't stay tight. Its tight enough to serve its purpose though. The first time I put her in, she had not developed good neck control yet and I felt like she flopped forward too much, tucking her head in to her chest. I tried her in the carrier again recently and felt like she did much better.

I have a fairly small frame and felt like the Ergo was pretty bulky on my front. It didn't work well for wearing Esther around the house - trying to bend over or sit down with it on was difficult. For someone bigger than me it might not be a problem. Wearing her outside in the Ergo where I am mostly standing was great - I use it when going for a walk or just watching the girls play. It is comfortable to wear for a long period of time. I love that the Esther is up by my face and can peek out of the carrier and look around.

As it warms up here and we are outside more often I'm sure the Ergo and Heart to Heart Insert will get lots of use. Another great accessory to have are the sucking pads. Esther isn't old enough to need these yet, but eventually we will use them. The sucking pads are designed to wrap around the straps of the Ergo where your baby tries to teeth on it. They are stretchy and a nice big size. The pads are 100% cotton and washable - definitely a necessity if you are using the Ergo with a little one.

One of my favorite cloth diaper stores, Abby's Lane, carries the insert and sucking pads with free shipping. Tell her I sent you if you decide to shop there. :) Let me know if you have other questions about the insert, I know some of you have been waiting for this review! Thanks Ergo!

The Vintage Pearl

I've been shopping for a mommy necklace that would have all three of my girls' names on it. The Vintage Pearl has some of the best ones I've seen. Their styles are very classy and well done. I have to warn you not to go to their shop though or you'll want to buy something! The pictures of the necklaces are absolutely gorgeous. I'm saving my pennies for the "dainty names" necklace pictured above. They are having a giveaway on their blog this weekend if you want to enter. Or not, since I'm hoping to win. ;)

Expressiva Giveaway

Expressiva is one of my favorite places to shop for nursing clothing. I have several of their tops, and recently had a chance to review a nursing dress from them. Esther was born on January 8th and we had a wedding to attend on February 6th. Both Lucy and Julia were flower girls, so I needed something that I would feel comfortable and pretty in, yet still be able to nurse Esther. When I was shopping for the dress, I wasn't even sure when Esther was going to arrive and how far post partum I would be (ie how big my belly would be!). I searched the internet for a nursing dress that would look nice on me. Thankfully, Expressiva has a few flattering and versatile dresses to choose from. I was able to review the Fabulous Tie Dress in black.

Expressiva clothes are stylish and very functional for nursing. The Fabulous Tie Dress opens easily for nursing by pulling the front layer over to reveal an opening. There are several different nursing opening types that Expressiva uses. They are all clearly demonstrated by clicking on a link in the product description.

I really like that Expressiva posts customer reviews and ratings on each product. It can be very helpful to read that a certain shirt runs a bit big, etc. They also have a sale section with great deals on closeout styles. Across the top of the website they often run giveaways that you can enter by answering a question or sharing your email address.

I actually ended up wearing a different dress to the wedding. Esther's baby dedication is coming up soon and I may wear this one then. I like that I can wear this now and through the spring and early summer as well. If I have another baby, this would work through early pregnancy too because of the extra material in the tummy area. It can easily be dressy or casual. I enjoy other pieces I have from Expressiva and would recommend taking a look around their website to see what interests you.

Need something to get you started shopping? Expressiva is giving one of you a $35 gift certificate! To enter, you'll need to sign up for their email list. Their privacy policy is not to share your email with anyone, but you will receive occasional offers and emails from them. On the home page on the left side there is a section that says "sign up for email notices and special offers". Sign up with your email address and then come back and leave me a comment. When I choose the winner I will verify with Expressiva that you are actually signed up for their emails. You must do this first in order to be entered in the giveaway. For an extra entry leave a comment letting me know that you follow my blog. The giveaway will close on April 7th at midnight. Be sure to take a look around my blog and enter the other baby product giveaways I have going on this month. Thanks for stopping by!

*Giveaway closed. Congrats Rebekah!*

Bravado Discount

The code MB-182 for 25% off your online order is good now through Monday at 11:59pm EST. (Don't forget to enter the giveaway here as well.) Thanks Bravado!

Clumpy Brown Sugar

The other day I needed brown sugar for baking and realized that mine was all clumpy and hard. It was so hard I couldn't even break the clumps with a fork. Shaking the container as hard as I could did nothing except scratch up the plastic! I thought I was going to have to throw it all away but decided to look up remedies online first.

One trick that sort of worked was to put some of the brown sugar in the microwave with a cup of water and heat it for several minutes. It was still pretty hard after that and I had to break up each clump with a fork. Enough sugar came loose to bake my cookies and then I decided to try another trick I had read. I just put a piece of bread in the container and closed it up.

About a day and a half later I opened the sugar and was amazed! It was the softest fluffiest brown sugar I had ever felt. The clumps didn't even have to be broken up, they just fell apart. Of course my next thought was... Kitchen Tip Tuesday! I also bought a brown sugar bear so that I don't have clumpy sugar ever again. I haven't used it yet so maybe that will be another post some day.

For more kitchen tips, check out Kitchen Tip Tuesday at Tammy's Recipes. If you haven't already, mark your calendars for Bake and Take Day! Thanks for stopping by.

Muffin Tin Monday - Yellow

Today was a fun and easy Muffin Tin Monday - yellow! We are getting excited for spring here, so it was perfect timing to pull out our new flower muffin cups. I can hear birds chirping, the snow is melting, and Grandma told us she saw a robin the other day. I love the changing of the seasons here in Michigan. For lunch we had bagels with pineapple cream cheese, applesauce, pineapples with yogurt, and hummus and chips. Julia didn't eat much because she's been sick but Lucy did pretty well. Maybe Julia will eat hers after nap, we'll see.

Its baby product giveaway month here at One Little Word She Knew in honor of our new little baby Esther. There are still seven giveaways you can enter, be sure to check those out. I'd also like to invite you all to celebrate Bake and Take Day with me on March 27th. Thanks for visiting!

Bake and Take Day

March 27 is Bake and Take Day!

"Bake and Take Day began in 1970 as a community service project of the Kansas Wheathearts in Sumner County. The Kansas Wheathearts, an auxiliary organization of the Kansas Association of Wheat Growers, set out to share baked goods with family members, friends, neighbors, and those in need, generating goodwill in the community. The idea of a community member sharing a favorite recipe with someone special became so successful that the Kansas Wheathearts created a national Bake and Take Day celebration in 1973." link

On March 27th, bake something with wheat in it and take it to a friend, neighbor, or person in need. I'm excited about this and think its such a fun idea. Bake and Take Day is sponsored by wheat commissions across the country.

-The Kansas Wheat Commission is partnering with Stafford County Flour Mills Co to offer a cash prize drawing to participants. You can enter using the form on their website.

-The North Dakota Wheat Commission is also sponsoring this event and offering some recipes to try.

On March 27th I am going to host a Mister Linky here. I'd love for you to join us for Bake and Take Day and post about it on your blog. Feel free to share your recipe, photos, who you took the baked goods to and more! Come back here on March 27th and link up. One lucky participant will win a great book on bread baking and another will win an great little ebook What To Do With Your Kids In the Kitchen. Thank you to our sponsors, The Urban Homemaker and Heavenly Homemakers. For now, grab my button and help spread the word about this event.

Leave a comment and let me know if you plan to participate. I'm excited to see what everyone does. This would be a perfect time to try baking bread if you haven't yet, although anything with wheat in it counts. Do you have a favorite recipe you use for giving food gifts?

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Sickies

We are all a bunch of sickies around here. ...I'm not sure where that word came from, its what Ross calls me or the kids when we are sick. "Hi, Sicky" "How are you feeling, Sicky?" etc. Do you call people sickies when they are sick? Anyway, it reminded me of some posts you might find helpful if you happen to be a sicky or have sickies at your house.

Making Chicken Stock and Chicken Soup - I pulled a jar of stock from the freezer and whipped up a batch of this easy healthy chicken soup for us all to enjoy yesterday.

Tips for Serving Soup to Kids - If you have little ones who like soup, definitely check out this post with ideas for making it less messy to eat!

Sickness Protocol - I typed up a list of some of the natural remedies and things we do when someone is sick. Its helpful to have on hand so that I'm sure to remember everything.

I hope you don't have any sickies at your house. If you do, hang in there, spring is just around the corner! I can hear birds chirping outside and we've had a few robin sightings. :)

Winner!

(Isn't Esther adorable? I just had to share this cute photo of her. She really enjoys smiling and talking to us lately.)

We have a winner of the Moby Wrap! Random.org chose comment number 60 - Amy. Amy has a brand new little girl so I'm sure she'll get lots of use from her wrap. Thanks to all of you who entered the giveaway.

There are still seven live giveaways on the blog that you can enter. Click on the purple Prizey button on the right to see all of them listed. I have one giveaway left to post in the baby product series, and more fun things in the works. Thanks for reading; enjoy your Friday.

Momzelle Review

All month long I've been focusing on mom and baby products, bringing you some great reviews of helpful and unique products. Momzelle nursing tops are another great product for nursing moms. I was able to review one of their tops and purchased a second one. These tops are nice quality and comfortable to wear.

Momzelle tops have a specially designed easy access nursing opening. There are two different styles, a criss cross front and an empire opening. A video on their website demonstrates the openings. Both of the tops that I have are the empire opening type and I find it very easy to use. I like that I don't have to mess with layers of clothing, I just lift the material over the bust area and nurse. Other nursing tops that I've worn have two full layers and can get hot and feel cumbersome. With these tops I feel much more like I'm wearing a normal shirt.

Their sizing chart can be found here. I normally wear a small and even that can sometimes be big on me. I first chose an extra small because of the note under the sizing chart that says these clothes are designed with a postpartum figure in mind and they can run big in the cup size. I didn't find this to be true at all. The extra small was very tight and I had to exchange it. The small fits nicely but I would say its more of a 2/4 than a 4/6. If anything I think these run a bit small. I love the fit though, its usually hard to find nursing clothing that is flattering and slim fitting. The shirt is also a great length and comes down to my hips.

The styles Momzelle offers are great. They look nice with jeans or can easily be dressed up with a skirt and nice chunky necklace. I like having such versatile pieces in my wardrobe.

Momzelle was started by a breastfeeding mom who saw the need for functional stylish nursing clothes and her brother who jumped on board with the idea. They are supportive of breastfeeding (of course!) and have a section on the website with links to Dr Jack Newman's articles and information on how to get help with breastfeeding. If you're thinking of purchasing from them, they've given us a discount code. Use the code "LITTLE" for 10% off through the end of May. Thanks Momzelle!

Stay tuned, I have a few more baby product reviews and giveaways coming up!

Bravado Giveaway

Bravado Designs is running a great giveaway for a Nursing Essentials Prize Pack! Click here to enter the giveaway at Bravado's website. One of the great prizes you can win is the Body Silk Seamless Nursing Bra. Bravado sent me one to review and share my thoughts with you about. I also have a giveaway for one of my readers.

First of all, let me say that I'm sort of hard to fit when it comes to bras. I have a wide rib cage and small chest. I'm somewhere around a 36 A/ small B. Ordering a nursing bra online did not seem like a good idea to me, but this one has a large range of fit so I thought it might work. Bravado offers great information and help figuring out your size. I received the Body Silk Seamless Nursing Bra in a size small.

The band of the bra is a thick elastic. Its very supportive but also stretchy at the same time. I wear it on the last set of hooks which is okay because if it stretches out over time I can tighten it. The cups fit well despite being just a bit too big. The molded foam cups help give the bra some shape and hide nursing pads. The bra does not have underwire - underwire is not recommended because it can put pressure on milk ducts and cause plugs and discomfort. Even without underwire it is supportive. The bra seems like a great quality bra that will last. The clasps are easy to use and can be opened and closed underneath my shirt without looking or having to mess with them too much.

I didn't wear the Body Silk Seamless Nursing Bra much at first because of having mastitis. I was afraid that the band was a bit too tight and didn't want to cause any issues. Its comfortable now though and will get lots of use. If you're looking for a high quality reliable nursing bra, give the Body Silk Seamless Nursing Bra a try. This is also a great gift for new moms since the sizing is so versatile. Bravado is a great company to support. They are making an effort to be green (read this section, you might even get some ideas to green your own home further!) and are involved in giving back to their community through product donations.

Be sure you enter the giveaway in the link at the top of this post. You can also enter here on my blog to win a Body Silk Seamless Nursing Bra. Leave a comment to enter, being sure to include your email address. Followers of my blog get an extra entry, just leave a second comment for that. For a third entry, you can blog about this giveaway linking back to Bravado and to my blog. Leave a comment with the link to your blog post. I'll close the giveaway on March 31 at midnight. Check back soon, there are a few more baby product giveaways yet to come... Click the Prizey button on the right to see current giveaways. Thanks for visiting!

*Giveaway closed. Random.org chose comment #7.*

Baking Bread

Reader Question:

"I actually haven't ever made bread before and I'm pretty sure that I'll have to make it a dozen times or so before getting it right, but I don't know where to start. I thought if you had a recipe that is reliable, it'd be worth a shot for me to try it.

Any thoughts? Also, I don't have a mixer...is that a problem? Have you ever had to actually knead dough?"

I haven't made bread all that much myself yet either! The recipe that I used the other day was great, but I did use my Bosch mixer to knead the dough. You can knead dough by hand, in a mixer, or in a bread machine with the same recipe. I have used my bread machine before to knead the dough and then I dump it out and bake it in the oven. Bread machines can be found inexpensively at garage sales or on craigslist, so that might be a good option if you don't want to knead dough by hand all the time.

The recipe that I used recently for whole wheat bread was from A Beginner's Guide To Baking Bread. This is a great e-book with lots of tips on bread baking and getting started.

My library has this dvd on baking bread so I'm going to check that out soon.

Here is a great tutorial on bread making with a video on kneading dough. I haven't tried this recipe, but it looks very similar to what I've used.

A reader shared her bread recipe with me in the comments on this post.

And another recipe with tips on how to bake bread. She also answers questions in the comments section.

Have fun!

(linked to Kitchen Tip Tuesdays)

Ecobuns Nursing Cover Giveaway

Since having three babies I've gotten pretty confident about nursing in public. Lucy and Julia were both persistent little ones and when they wanted to eat, there was no putting them off until later! I'm not sure if these nursing covers were around when I was nursing my other two, but I've been using one recently with Esther and its great. I don't have to search around for an out of the way corner to nurse in or worry about showing too much skin.

I received a nursing cover from Ecobuns.com to review. This is a new item to their store, made by a mom here locally. Ecobuns is a great little cloth diaper store run by a friend of mine right around the corner from my house. (Dangerous, I know!) I've been keeping the nursing cover in my diaper bag so that its handy when I'm out somewhere and need to nurse Esther. I've used it several times now, and I'm thankful to have it. The nursing cover has a stiff arch up at the neckline which is great. I like that I can see Esther and latch her on without trying to fumble with a blanket. The arch also helps Esther not get too hot under the blanket, and she can look up and see me. I love that I can nurse in public yet still have that connection of being able to see my baby.

Some nice features are a terry cloth pocket on one side, and the adjustable D ring strap. The pocket is great for wiping a bit of spit up (although Esther spits so much at a time I don't bother to use this). The strap holds the nursing cover in place nicely. If I have to sit Esther up to burp her, the cover can be sort of pushed aside and then pulled back into place - unlike a blanket that falls off if the baby moves. The covers are available from Ecobuns in a variety of prints for $24.99.

Would you like one? Ecobuns is giving away the nursing cover pictured at the top of this post! Here are some ways to win:

- visit Ecobuns and tell me something they carry that you are tempted to buy

- follow my blog

- post about this giveaway on your blog linking back to this post and to Ecobuns

- become a fan of Ecobuns on facebook

Leave a separate comment for each of the entries above, being sure to include an email address. Good luck! I'll close this giveaway on March 29 at midnight. If you're new to my blog, take a look around. I have several other great baby product giveaways running this month. You can also click on the purple Prizey button on the right to see what is current. Thanks for stopping by!

*Giveaway closed. Comment #11 won!*