Surprise! ??????

I think Connor is planning a surprise party for me.


My 1st clue was that he dug out all of my pots and pans and all of my serving dishes from the cupboard...





My second clue was that he placed a number of my serving dishes neatly on the kitchen table - all by himself....

My 3rd clue is that he proceeded to fill those serving dishes with lovely snacks such as hor d'eouvres, peanuts, chips, dip, tea sandwhiches etc.

You're right, he didn't do this last part, but imagine if he did.

Have you ever seen a cuter fireman?

Connor got this fireman's hat from his great-Gram for Christmas. Until yesterday, he was afraid of it. Now he likes to yell in it, drool in it, put food in it, cover his face with it, hit MY head with it and hit the dogs with it. Everybody wins...

Hell, no!

Today was the first day in a while that wasn't freezing cold. P.S. I have a low 'cold tolerance'. Soooo, I had the brilliant idea to get you dressed and go out and play. I had just thrown a banana bread in the oven, so we had roughly 60 minutes (plus time for browning and crisping) to get ready and play outside. Simple, right? Wrong!

First I changed your diaper, and then proceeded to get you dressed in some warm sweats. After that was done, I got myself dressed. When I went to dress you in your snow suit, I realized it was downstairs. I started to go get it alone but you had a power fit. According to you, it's apparently a crazy idea to leave you alone for four seconds while I run downstairs to grab something. Excuuuuuse me! So I picked you up, ran downstairs, grab your snow suit, ran back up stairs. Now I just had to put your snow suit on...if only it were that easy! First I laid you on the floor and pulled the pants on you. But, since your torso is longer then your legs, your bum decided to eat your pants. Let me tell you - it wasn't pretty. So I had to adjust the ever adorable suspenders. Side note; is there anything out there cuter then suspenders? .

Once that was done, we went on to put your jacket on. Could I get your hands out of the sleeves of the jacket? Of course not! You have this ability to warp your hands in just the right (or wrong?) way so that it is nearly impossible for God himself to pull your hands through. I finally got both hands out of the sleeves but not without a few tears and possibly a few sprained fingers..."It'll be worth it Buddy" I told you. "Your fingers may hurt now, but soon they will be so cold, you wont even feel any pain".

Good talk!

Now, it was time for the hat. I put it on. You took it off. I put it back on. You took it back off. I gave you a toy and put it back on. You threw threw the toy and took it back off. I decided to save the hat for the end.

Next came the mittens. I don't even know why I bother with mittens because I know you are going to take them right off after I put them on. But what bugs me even more is that you show all this interest and enthusiasm for putting them on at first. You hold out your little hand ever so still, then you wiggle your fingers to encourage them into the glove. And as soon as I finally get your thumb and fingers in the correct places - WHAM- you biff the mitten onto the floor. We did this 'fun' little game a few times before I tucked the mittens so high up your sleeve, I worried that I wouldn't be able to take them off. ..we'll cross that bridge when we come to it...

Now it's the boots. Getting someone with Arachnophobia to hold a spider would be easier then putting boots on your feet. I guarantee it! I pushed, I pulled, I pressed, I cried, I pushed some more. After about 5 minutes, I was fairly confident that at least your toes were touching the sole of the boot. Prefect. I Velcro'd all six straps as tight as I could and asked you to stand up. You were wobbly at first but you made do.

Finally, we were ready to go outside. "37 minutes of getting ready, but it'll be worth it", I told myself. The joy Connor will feel from playing outside will be worth it. I stuck your hat on your head just as we walked out the door, knowing that the glare of the snow would distract you from pulling your hat off. First thing you did...fall...then you got up, tore your mittens off of your hands and off you went. You had a great time. I think it was the best FIVE MINUTES you had in a while. After five minutes - you walked to the door and cried to go inside.

"Was it worth it?", you ask.

HELL, NO!

Atleast I got some cute pictures...

How toxic is your bathroom?

I came accross this article today while doing some internet research. It's something everyone should read and be aware of.

SCIENCE / HEALTH - LOOKING GLASS NEWS
How toxic is your bathroom?
by Pat Thomas The Independent Entered into the database on Monday, October 24th, 2005 @ 14:03:41 MST

Be warned: your daily beauty regime could be taking years off your life. Pat Thomas reports on the chemical timebomb in your cosmetics cabinet.
Earlier this year, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) did something amazing. It issued an unprecedented warning to the cosmetics industry that it was time to inform consumers that most personal care products have not been safety tested.
Where the US goes, the UK inevitably follows. If the FDA starts the ball rolling by flexing its muscles, it is possible that in the not too distant future 99 per cent of personal care products could be required to carry a caution on the label: "Warning: The safety of this product has not been determined."
What concerns scientists at the FDA and at environmental health organisations throughout the world is the "cocktail effect" - the daily mixing of many different types of toxins in and on the body - and how this might damage health over the longer term.
On average, we each use nine personal care products a day containing 126 different ingredients. Such "safety" testing as exists looks for reactions, such as skin redness, rashes or stinging, but does not investigate potential long-term problems for either humans or the environment. Yet the chemicals that go into products such as shampoos and hand creams are not trace contaminants. They are the basic ingredients.
Absorbed into the body, they can be stored in fatty tissue or organs such as the liver, kidney, reproductive organs and brain. Cosmetics companies complain of unfounded hysteria, but scientists are finding industrial plasticisers such as phthalates in urine, preservatives known as parabens in breast-tumour tissue, and antibacterials such as Triclosan and fragrance chemicals like the hormone-disrupting musk xylene in human breast milk. Medical research is proving that fragrances can trigger asthma; that the detergents in shampoos can damage eye tissue; and that hair-dye chemicals can cause bladder cancer and lymphoma. An even greater number of substances in personal care products are suspected to present potential risks to human health from this known effect on animals.
If these problems had been linked to pharmaceutical drugs, the products would have been taken off the market. At the very least, money would have been spent on safety studies. But because the cosmetics industry is largely self-governing, and because we all want to believe in the often hollow promises of better skin and whiter teeth, products containing potentially harmful substances remain in use and on sale. Think it can't be that bad? Consider what goes into some of the UK's most popular toiletries.
OLAY REGENERIST
What they claim: Instantly improves the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
But watch out: To work, the product needs to be well absorbed, so Regenerist contains penetration enhancers like disodium EDTA. But these also drive toxins deeper into the skin. Watch out for hormone disrupters such as ethylparaben, methylparaben and propylparaben and potential carcinogens such as polyacrylamide, triethanolamine (which can form cancer-causing nitrosamines), and the artificial colours CI 16035, CI 19140 and PTFE (Teflon). Regenerist contains the sunscreens butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane (B-MDM) and ethylhexyl salicylate; not enough for an SPF rating, but potentially enough to irritate skin.
CLAIROL HERBAL ESSENCES SHAMPOO DRY/DAMAGED HAIR
What they claim: A totally organic experience.
But watch out: It looks and smells appealing because it is coloured using four potentially cancer-causing dyes (CI 17200, CI 15510, CI 42053, CI 60730) and perfumed with synthetic fragrances that are known neurotoxins and skin irritants. Among its detergents, sodium lauryl sulphate can irritate skin and permanently damage eye tissue, and sodium laureth sulphate and cocamide MEA can be contaminated with 1,4-dioxane, a hormone disrupter associated with breast cancer. Cocamidopropyl betaine, another detergent, is a penetration enhancer, as is the solvent propyelel glycol and the preservative tetrasodium EDTA; all allow other chemicals to pene- trate more deeply into skin and bloodstream.
JOHNSON'S BABY SOFTWASH
What they claim: Best for baby, best for you.
But watch out: Children's skin is thinner and more absorbent than adults', so is a less effective barrier to chemical toxins. The rates of eczema and allergies among children are on the rise and the early introduction of toiletries on to sensitive skin may be a factor. When soap does the job, why expose your child to skin and eye irritants such as sorbitan laurate, cocamidopropyl betaine and acrylates/C10-30 alkyl acrylate crosspolymer, or PEG-150 distearate, PEG-80, PEG-14M and sodium laureth sulphate that can be contaminated with the carcinogens 1,4 dioxane and ethylene oxide, or hormone disrupters such as parabens? In addition, there's nothing here that naturally moisturises the skin - only synthetic polymers (plastic-like substances) like polyquaternium-7 and polypropylene terephthalate that coat it, merely giving the impression of smoothness.
CALVIN KLEIN'S ETERNITY
What they claim: What the world needs now is love.
But watch out: Perfumes are made from the same neurotoxic solvents found in glues and adhesives and volatile chemicals common in garages and factories, albeit in much smaller concentrations. Eternity contains a staggering 41 ingredients, about 80 per cent of which have never been tested for safety in humans. The rest are known neurotoxins, allergens, irritants and/or hormone disrupters. Still think perfume is sexy?
LYNX DRY
What they claim: Spray more, get more.
But watch out: Lynx Dry contains three types of neurotoxins: solvents such as PPG-14 butyl ether; the propellants butane, isobutane and propane; and synthetic fragrance chemicals. It contains a preservative BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene), which has been linked with cancer, and PEG-8 distearate, which can be contaminated with the hormone-disrupting carcinogens ethylene oxide and 1,4-dioxane as well as polycyclic aromatic compounds such as benzene and benz(a)pyrene. Aluminium zirconium tetrachlorohydrex GLY and aluminium chlorohydrate work by clogging pores, but long exposure to aluminium-containing deodorants raises the risk of diseases such as Alzheimer's.
COLGATE TOTAL
What they claim: 12-hour fresh breath and antibacterial protection.
But watch out: Conventional toothpastes often contain irritating detergents like sodium lauryl sulphate, which can cause sore gums and mouth ulcers, and abrasives like hydrated silica, which can erode tooth enamel. Total contains a glue-like substance, PVM/MA copolymer, that sticks the active ingredients to teeth. Saccharin, a known carcinogen in animals, is also found. The colouring CI 42090 (banned in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Norway, Switzerland and Sweden) causes cancer in animals. Total contains Triclosan, an antibacterial agent that can in certain circumstances combine with chlorine in tap water to produce chloroform gas, which is easily absorbed into the skin or inhaled and can cause depression, liver problems and cancer.
GILLETTE MACH 3 SHAVING GEL
What they claim: The best a man can get.
But watch out: Helped by a global advertising campaign featuring David Beckham, Gillette shaving products have carved their way into the male psyche. If he thought about the ingredients, would the "epitome of the well groomed man" be so keen to promote the product? Mach 3 gel contains skin irritants such as triethanolamine, palmitic acid glyceryl oleate, three potential carcinogens (polytetrafluoroethylene (Teflon), BHT, CI 42090) and three central nervous system toxins or pollutants (isopentane, parfum and isobutane).
CLAIROL NICE 'N EASY
What they claim: Natural-looking colour with complete grey coverage.
But watch out: All hair dye sold in the EU containing phenylenediamines, resorcinol and/or 1-naphthol must carry a warning: "Can cause an allergic reaction. Do not use to colour eyelashes or eyebrows." Other hair dye ingredients - including coal tar dyes, 4-chloro-m-phenylenediamine, 2,4-toluenediamine, 2-nitro-p-phenylenediamine and 4-amino-2-nitrophenol - have proven carcinogenic in at least one animal species. In humans, intensive longer-term use of permanent hair dye is associated with breast, ovarian and bladder cancer, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, multiple meyeloma and rheumatoid arthritis.
RADOX BUBBLE BATH
What they claim: Soothes emotions, cleanses the body.
But watch out: Soaking in hot water increases skin permeability and helps vaporise chemicals in products, making them more easily inhaled. Radox Relax contains potential skin irritants (sodium laureth sulphate, cocamidopropyl betaine) potential carcinogens such as the preservative combo methylchloro-isothiazolinone and methylisothiazolinone and synthetic dyes, and hormone-disrupting ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate. It contains perfume ingredients that are capable of irritating (coumarin, benzyl salicylate, limonene) and disrupting the central nervous system (butylphenyl methylpropional, alpha-isomethyl ionone, linalool).
NIVEA BODY
What they claim: Feel the essential care.
But watch out: Along with semi-synthetic fatty acids and waxes, Nivea Body contains denatured alcohol and glycerine, which can dry skin with repeated use. It also contains several estrogenic preservatives (methylparaben, butylparaben, ethylparaben, isobutylparaben, propylparaben), contact allergens (phenoxy-ethanol, linalool, citronellol, hydroxyisohexyl 3-cyclohexene carcoxaldehyde) and a potential carcinogen (limonene). Film-formers like dimethicone keep undesirable ingredients next to the skin longer. About one-third of the listed ingredients are fragrances that are known irritants and sensitisers of human skin; chemicals that, with repeated exposure, can trigger allergic reactions.
CLEARASIL 3-IN-1 DEEP CLEANING WASH
What they claim: Clinically proven to help fight spots.
But watch out: A mix of strong detergents and surfactants (sodium lauryl sulfate, cetyl betaine, distearyl-dimonium chloride and steareth-21), chemical exfoliants (salicylic acid) and solvents (glycerin, alcohol, menthol) that are capable of removing the skin's natural oils, and synthetic skin conditioners for repairing some of the damage inflicted by the other ingredients. It contains two potential carcinogens (BHT and disodium EDTA) and fragrance ingredients among the most commonly reported contact allergens in the EU (behenyl alcohol, limonene benzyl salicylate, linalool and hexyl cinnamal). These so consistently lead to skin problems that they must now be listed separately on labels within the EU.
LISTERINE TEETH AND GUM DEFENCE
What they claim: Kills the germs that cause plaque and bad breath.
But watch out: This mouthwash is 21.6 per cent alcohol. Alcohol dries and changes the pH of the mouth and throat and long-term use of alcohol-containing mouthwashes increases the risk of mouth and throat cancers. Listerine also contains a mild detergent, poloxamer 407, that is soluble in liquids at low temperatures but turns to a gel at higher temperatures (ie, body temperature). That makes it a film-former, "glueing" other ingredients on to the surfaces of the mouth for longer. Fluoride in quantity is poisonous if swallowed, and the sweetener saccharin causes bladder cancer in animals. Finally, synthetic colours, aromas and flavours are made from volatile solvents that can alter the basic flora of the mouth and may cause dermatitis.

I don't know about you but I would rather not rub cancer on my body, brush my teeth with depression, wash my face with carcinogens or bathe my son with skin and eye irritants. If you want an alternative to all this crap and other crap like it, send me an email and I'll get in touch with you.

Dance baby, dance.

One of the biggest hits this Christmas was the Leap Frog fridge magnet that you got from Nana. This is the first thing you do every morning when you walk into the kitchen...

This magnet is a hit for every 1-2 year old that I know...

Buddy the dog says...

"I can do this all day..."

Mommy's big Helper

First you helped Mommy by piling ALL of her CLEAN Tupperware into the dishwasher...



Then you realized Mommy's need to carry the top rack of the dishwasher into the bathroom (????), so you did that for her too...

What would Mommy do without you?...

That's a question I ask myself everyday!

It's my kid in a box....

Genes

Connor, you are so smart. Today, I layed your little blankie on the floor for you and you decided to collect all of your balls and place them on the blanket. I thought this was pretty impressive seeing as though you have approximately 1 million toys (give or take a few) on the floor, so you actually had to dig through a pile of crap in order to find all of your balls.




















I would have to say that it was your father's genes that influenced this one. Look how precise you were in the placement of the balls. It looks like you had some sort of strategy or code or matrix blah blah blah that you were trying to accomplish. If they were my genes, you would have just layed on the blanket and contemplated the idea of getting the balls without ever doing so....

But then you did something much more impressive. Something that will come in handy for many years to come...




















Please note: This is not child labour. I did not offer to pay him small amounts of money. I didn't even offer him food! Out of the goodness of his own heart, he thought his Mommy's feet may be cold and therefor might need some slippers. God love em'...

A letter to a friend

Dear Paisley,

I am so sorry that I have almost burnt your son with coffee, not once, but twice. The first time it happened, we were at a play group. I was off, getting Connor his 65th mini-muffin that another Mom was so kind to bring. Did I bring anything for the other Mom's to eat? Of course I didn't. That would have made me look like I knew what was going on and of course, I don't. I had placed my opened (1st mistake) coffee mug on one of the kiddie tables (2nd mistake) and the next thing I know, you are sprawling towards Wil and my world is filled with french vanilla coffee...everywhere. "OH MY GOD," I screamed in horror. I looked Wil up and down two or three times, praying to god that no coffee touched his precious little hands. Thankfully, it didn't. The room grew uncomfortably quiet, but I could still hear every single Mom shouting "YOU $#@& IDIOT" at the top of their cerebrum lungs. I was horrified and so embarrassed. If they didn't already think I was an idiot, then I'm sure that one sealed the deal.

The second tragedy happened when you were at my house for a play date. The kids had waddled off into the bedroom off of the playroom, so I set my Tim's cup (that you so kindly bought for me) on the dehumidifier and followed them in. Of course 1 year olds have the attention span of...well...one year olds, so they quickly left the room and I followed suit. A few short minutes later, your son Wil comes bouncing out of the bedroom again with my Tim's cup in hand. Again, like Superwoman herself, you leaped into action, grabbing the cup from Wil just as it was tilting over. Before you knew it, you had robbed your son of a once in a lifetime opportunity to visit the burn unit. To be honest, I was shocked that you managed to once again, refrain from telling me how much of an idiot I am for leaving cups of coffee around your son. So thank you for that. Mike, on the other hand, told me that I really need to start minding what I'm doing. A little slap on the wrist that I very much deserved.

To my defense, neither cups of coffee were hot. In fact, they were both quite cool. But that is no excuse for my flaky ways. You see, I have a problem. I lack the ability to talk and pay attention to what I am doing at the same time. An example? I once put a bag of salad in the microwave while talking to my Mom on the phone. Fortunately, I didn't actually cook the bag of salad. But that doesn't make me sound any smarter, does it?

Anyhoo, I just want to thank you for continuing to see me and my son even though I increase your son's odds of getting burned by 75%.

See you Monday!

Jennie

Most important

If you were to ask Connor what is the most important thing in his life, do you know what he would say? Here are some of the things one might guess;

Me. His Mommy. I'm sure that is everyones first guess because who wouldn't love a meal making, bum changing, non animal knowing mother like myself? I'm a good candidate, I think. I give him his fair share of sweets, I let him watch more Baby Einsteins then is probably healthy. I cuddle him at night if he can't sleep. If you guessed his Mommy - you're wrong.

Another large portion of you would probably guess Mike, his Daddy. I mean, he couldn't live without his Daddy to play with him, watch Cartoon's with him (Mike doesn't just watch cartoons, he WATCHES cartoons!) and do bath time with him. Mike is also a good candidate. Mike shares all of his food with Connor because for some reason, Connor thinks his Dad's food is better then anyone elses. Mike rarley gets to eat his whole meal without Connor pawing through it like it's play doe. If you guessed his Daddy - you're wrong.

How about his grandparents? He has several grandparents, 6 to be exact, whom he loves dearly. Each for their own special reasons. Some of them have fed him beer. One gave him a little sip of rye ("But Jennie, there's way more ginger ale then rye!"). There's always lots of cookies floating around his grandparents house. If you guessed his grandparents - you're wrong.

OK, we're getting low on possibilities here. His Uncles! He has 4 fantastic uncles who he doesn't get to see very often but when he does...lookout. He has a blast! If you guessed his uncles- you're wrong.

Another good guess would be his puppies. Buddy and Jessie. When we come home from an outing, that little boy's face lights up like lava and he shrieks with joy until you put him down to get a bath from his furry friends. Connor and his puppies have a great relationship. They lick him. He bites them, pulls their hair, slaps them in the face, hits them with toys and drops the occasional piece of food for them. It's a give and take relationship if I've ever seen one...If you guessed his puppies - you're wrong.

The most important thing in Connor's life isn't his Mommy or his Daddy, it isn't his grandparents or his uncles or his puppies. It's...

......HIS SOOKIES!!!!!

I don't know what I'm going to do with these three annoying pieces of plastic. He never used to be that attached to his sookies. He had them for naps and bedtime and occasionally in the car and that was it. Now he would walk the fiery depths of hell for those rubber contraptions. And he can't just be happy with one. He has to have one in his mouth and the other two, one in each hand, at all times. I swear he has dislocated his arm trying to get them out of his crib. He's climbed couches and walls to get them off of ledges, he's opened bathroom doors and dug them out of drawers. There's nothing he won't do, no bridge he won't cross to get to his purple, yellow and green Disney sookies. Weaning him from those things is going to be a NIGHTMARE!

'Soother and Pacifiers' http://www.babycenter.ca/baby/dailycare/dummies&pacifiers/

December Update (a little late)

Dear Connor,

Its January now and you are 15 months old. This last month has proved to be your most eventful. You have mastered things like eating with a fork (on Boxing day) and spoon (today!), dipping your French fries (or cookies) in ketchup and you also learned how to cheers...funny how everything revolves around food with you. You now wave to everyone you see, their cats, their dogs, their cars, whatever. You match keys to doorknobs, toothpaste to toothbrushes and you wipe your own hands (on command) on the towel that hangs on the oven - possibly your most impressive 'trick' yet. You will eat anything I put ketchup on and you are quite often the last one eating at the table. There's a very good chance you will follow in your Dad's footsteps by eating more then anyone else in the house, and then eating what's left on everyone else's plate...a tradition your Dad takes very seriously. You give a great 'high 5' now and you are really close to giving 'knuckles' - you stick out your index finger like ET and touch the other person's knuckles. I think you want to curl up those fingers of yours but you can't because they are just too darn pudgy. Which leads me to my next point - you are pudgy. In a cute, healthy way though. You can point to most body parts but we're not doing too well learning the animals. This is mainly due to the fact that your mother is a dimwit and can't tell which animal is which. "Um...honey...that's a...a...a lama?". Show me someone who knows the difference between a turkey, chicken and rooster and I will be the 1st one in line to get a lesson on farm animals. Perhaps Dad should work on the animals with you from now on. Christmas was great. You got spoiled rotten thanks to friendly competitions between grandparents and uncles. Oh, and lest we forget that you are opening doors now, or not opening doors thanks to door knob locks - which leads me to my next point - tantrums. You have them. A lot. But they are short lived and really not so bad. Actually, I usually find them quite funny. I know this sounds terrible but it's that big, fat bottom lip of yours. It's so darn adorable. I can't help but smile when you pull it out.

That about sums the month of December up. I am so proud of you, honey, and all of the learning that you have done over the past month. You have your grand mother convinced that you are a genius and if she thinks so then you must be! Right? Don't ask me. I don't know the difference between a turkey, chicken and rooster...

Love Mommy

For more info on tantrums with a 15 month old, click here http://www.babycenter.com/0_your-15-month-olds-behavior-more-meltdowns_1213396.bc?intcmp=Nav_Global_MyBC_Readmore

My new mission

I want these chairs for my (I mean Connor's...) playroom! They're stylish and the kids as well as the adults can park their fanny's in them. I just don't want to pay the $99 dollars that http://www.moderntots.com wants for them. Perhaps if Mike had a second job that would be an option (notice I didn't say '...if I had a first job'. I just don't want to plant any ideas in Mike's head). I hear by make it my mission to find something similar to these chairs for a fraction of the cost. If anyone beats me to it, please let me know...

Ice Cream Cereal

This is a must try! Connor got a taste of heavenly goodness when he had this for dessert last night. Just throw a 1/2 cup of sugar free puffed wheat cereal and a scoop of vanilla ice cream (or any other flavour of choice) in a bowl and before you know it, a toddlers dream will come true.

Thanks to Nicole King at 'For the Love of Food' for this recipe. Check out some of her other yummy recipes http://forfood.rezimo.com/

Hooray for door knob covers

I thought I should update you and let you know that the child proofing door knob covers work like a charm. I put one on in Connor's playroom and we had double success; 1) I didn't get locked in and 2) Connor tried opening the door and when he couldn't because of my trickery, he just turned around and went about, doing his thing. No tears. No tantrums. No big, fat lip hanging low in disgust. I couldn't believe it. My life is back to normal...

You can get them at Toys R Us
http://www.toysrus.ca/product/index.jsp?productId=2690020

Deceptively Delicious

For those of you who have a hard time fitting fruits and vegetables into your kid's meals, I would suggest you try Jessica Seinfeld's book; Deceptively Delicious: Simple Secrets to Get Your Kids Eating Good Food. This book has healthy, easy-to-make recipes that are low in saturated fats, high in whole grains and use little sugar and artificial items (like colored sprinkles and packaged mac-n-cheese.) . The main idea of the book is to puree fruits and veggies to add to kids' favorite foods. Many parents are very concerned with adding more vegetables to their children's diets, and Deceptively Delicious includes 11 very simple whole veggie purees. Even if you, like me, would rather teach your kids to love vegetables and fruit without fooling them, this book may still be of use to you-- just tell your kids what is in the food they are eating. On the other hand, if you have a child who is going through a picky stage and you feel that you need to sneak in some veggies and fruits, try out Deceptively Delicious.

http://www.harpercollins.com/books/9780061558306/Deceptively_Delicious/index.aspx

Jennie proof

Connor can open doors now. My life will never be the same. If I turn my head for just a moment, he is fishing for god knows what in the toilet or opening doors that lead to stairwells, and lets not forget my personal favorite; digging through cupboards and resurfacing with ant traps in tow (Note to self: research if ant traps are poisonous). "Get child proofing door knobs!" you say. Of course, I have thought of that but buying anti door openers won't end the stress. It will only change the stress from one form to another. And is a one year old opening doors really any worse then listening to him cry in utter agony because he can no longer play his very favorite game of all time? It's a toss up...

I also have to keep in mind that when I put the child proof locks on my kitchen sink cabinets, I wasn't able to get my dish soap until Mike got home that evening from work. I hear those anti door openers can be tricky and I don't know if I like the possibility of being stuck in Connor's playroom all day. I suppose when Mike refers to something as being 'Jennie-proof' instead of 'baby-proof' he does so with good reason...