Happy Halloween!

It's true, my kids dress in costume pretty much everyday. The Kurecki kids have even been known to run around town as a ballerina, football player, fireman, pretty much whatever fits their fancy. So for our kids, Halloween feels like a normal day in the neighborhood (getting candy for looking cute is just an added bonus). The biggest challenge for this fun night is the kids deciding which costume to wear out. But finally, after much debate we settled on three great choices! 

Happy Halloween from a fairy pirate, Princess Anna, and a camo ninja! 

A Quick Trip

This past weekend Jakson and I packed our bags and headed to Philadelphia to meet my new nephew, Sutton Cruz. What a unique experience for Jakson. As the oldest grandkid in the Cruz bunch he felt he had so much to teach Sutton, like how to color and which superheroes to root for.

And of course, I had to get my little baby cuddles and besos in too! We had so much fun on our quick trip. Jakson has lots more to teach Sutton and Lilliana is already asking when the little guy can come over and play. Poor Little Sutt doesn't know what he's in for!

Tips on how to Potty Train Your Little One

I've potty trained three kids and I've dreaded the task every single time! Hopefully with these tips your journey into potty training will be a bit easier. When you decide it's time to take on this challenge be ready with a mop in one hand and a treat in the other. Your I Guess Im Due moments of going pee pee in the potty is about to begin!

 Good Luck,

 

Diaper Free Zone!

It's official, after five and a half years of changing diapers the Kurecki house is a diaper free zone! What an amazing feeling!! Stay tuned for I Guess Im Due's Potty Training Tips!

A Fall Recipe- Take 2

Alright so I had to redeem myself from my first disaster of a recipe. This time, I went for something a bit more simple. 

Banana Pretzel Spiders

(courtesy of dancingcarrots.com)

To make 6 spiders you will need:

~2 large bananas (cut into about six 1 to 2 -inch bites)
~pretzel sticks (we needed enough to give our spiders 8 legs) 

~raisins 

~peanut butter (to attach the eyes)

Directions:
Take a banana bite and insert 4 pretzel sticks in each side. 
Gently dip two raisins in peanut butter and push the two raisins on the top of the banana for eyes. 
Enjoy!

Okay, so maybe the kids had some funny looking spiders, but who cares, these were so much fun to make, and they were yummy to eat!  

Just Jelly

Trying to please everyone’s appetite in my house can be a challenge. But some days, it’s as simple as making peanut butter and jelly sandwich with just the jelly.

A Fall Recipe...

 It's officially fall, so that means it's time for some pumpkin! My kids love to make banana bread so why not add pumpkin to a favorite recipe? Sounds fool proof, right? The girls and I rolled up our sleeves, put on our aprons, and got to baking!

Let's be honest, is it any surprise that I had my own I Guess Im Due moments while attempting this recipe?! First, our ingredients may have been slightly off since I had little hands helping me. But who doesn't love extra salty bread? Next, instead of using self-rising flour we may have used bread flour. So as we were watching our bread bake it wasn't rising as much as it should be. But that's alright! Well, for some reason when I cut open our bread it had the consistency of pumpkin pie (and weighed a ton) instead of the light, fluffy bread that the original baker posted. Oh well, Lilliana still gave it a thumbs up. Maybe yours will turn out better...

                                       Pumpkin Banana Bread with Vanilla Bean Glaze
                                                             (courtesy of addapinch.com)

Ingredients
3 very ripe bananas, peeled
2 cups sugar
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree
2 cups self-rising flour
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch of Kosher salt
Vanilla Bean Glaze Recipe
1 cup confectioner's sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
2 tablespoons heavy cream
pinch of Kosher salt
 

Instructions
Mix bananas and sugar with electric mixer until well-blended.
Add pumpkin puree and mix until creamy. Add flour, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt and mix until smooth.
Prepare two loaf pans (or four small) with baking spray or with butter and flour. Divide pumpkin banana bread batter between the two loaf pans.
Bake at 350 degrees until a cake tester or skewer comes out clean when inserted in the middle of the bread, approximately 45 minutes.
Top with a vanilla bean glaze.
 
For the Vanilla Bean Glaze
Add all ingredients to a small bowl and stir until smooth. If too thick, add more heavy cream. If too thin, add more confectioner's sugar.

One Of Those Days

It was one of those days. It seemed like my I Guess Im Due moments were adding up quick...The kids were wild, they were getting on each others nerves, energy was high, and my headache was getting worse. I had to send Jakson to time-out twice and it wasn’t pretty. The house looked like a tornado had just blown through. I couldn’t keep up. The dishes were piled high, crumbs on the floor, and Raina had taken a pen to the couch! It was one of those days...All day long, I couldn’t help but keep checking the time. I was counting down the minutes to 7:30, when Jason would be home.

The second he walked in the door, I said, “It’s been a rough day. I’m going to our room and I’m locking the door.” I grabbed a glass a wine and locked the door behind me.

I just needed to get away. Some days in order to find some sanity, to find my patience again, to insure the safety of my children, I just need to be alone. That night, I did things I normally never do. I quietly put my laundry away, I enjoyed a hot shower, alone, and I sat on my bed and just thought. Yes, It was just one of those days, and I’m sure it’s not the last. 

So the next time you have "one of those days," don't feel guilty if you need to lock yourself away and just sit. You deserve it and your mind will thank you later. 

image credit: ottawavalleymoms.com

Constipation is No Laughing Matter

Meet Shaina.  This is Shaina's second I Guess Im Due moment.  Hear how her rough nursing experience (her first story she shared) led to her second story.  This second story is her little one's transition from breastfeeding to formula.  Spoiler Alert: it wasn't the smoothest of transitions...

...

The last blog I shared on I Guess Im Due was my story about giving myself the "Worst Parent of The year Award," where I shared about my daughters latching issues. Well, our resolution was to pump and feed her via bottle. Let me take just a minute to tell you:

1. How hard this is and …

2. Those ladies who do this longer than the six weeks I lasted, deserve a major award! 

Well, that's right this lasted six weeks before I had a nervous breakdown, mixed with mastitis (ouch). At this point I couldn't hack it any longer and had to pack it in. We transitioned my beautiful little baby to formula. Let's talk about the craziness that such a change can make on such a fragile system:

1. Projectile puking: if you don't pick the correct brand, or formulation, put on your raincoat because the odds of being puked on are pretty high.2. Reflux: since formula is a whole other ball game this can cause issues with the baby keeping formula down (see number one).3. Gas: baby gas is the worst. Those little sausages have a tight, upset belly and when they are that tiny and fragile the best you can really do is find the best way to burp them and do it often.4. Constipation: oh man, this one should be a separate post, but if you're going to use formula, make sure to have glycerin stick on hand, in addition to old towels and that rain coat from number one.
Now that we got that out of the way, after three long and exhausting weeks of colic, we found the golden ticket, Similac Alimentum, colic cure extraordinaire.  To the dismay of the nurses at our pediatrician's office, we ended up on Similac Alimentum, what I refer to as the formula version of liquid gold, 29.99 for a 1lb can. So you're looking at about a can a week, roughly, and even worse as their consumption increases.

My lesson: buy stock in little remedies such as gas drops, gripe water, glycerin sticks, colic calm, and bicycle the hell out of those little sausage legs. Breast is best, but unfortunately some of us don't have that option so in the mean time, don't beat yourself up and trust your parental gut, you know what is best for your child. Yes, it’s true -- I Guess I'm Due.