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Tot School with Grey - 18 months

3/5/2018

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I officially got my stuff together long enough to do my first Tot School post.

Hooray!

A daily activity we started at 15 months, Grey and I have been working this into our schedule for the past four months, every day during the week, except for taking a week off during Christmas. My first post, I'll just start off with the basics, what we've done so far, how I've felt it's helped us and where we plan to take it in the future. 
                                 You Can Follow Me On Instagram To Watch Us Every Week 

What Is It?
Tot School is a way to introduce your young toddler to structured learning and play time. It involves simple themes tailored to your child's abilities and interests. 

I never force anything on Grey, as he is still so young I don't feel like any of this is a "necessity" right now as I follow much of the Montessori way. I let him lead and he seems to really enjoy it and thrive on a curriculum. 

Why Tot School? 
I introduced Tot School for three reasons. 
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1. As Grey got to be more active, I wanted a way to break up our day and give us, not only activities to bond us, but to grow his learning, while waiting for daddy to come home. 

2. I saw that he naturally was progressing well with speaking, and picking up concepts, and I wanted to enhance his daily learning experiences with an actual lesson. And these lessons we work on all week. 

3. Due to my view of the school system and our family's personal beliefs on certain topics, I very well may homeschool beyond preschool. Tot School is a good way to prepare me to work on curriculum, organization of a class environment for Grey and patience when it comes to teaching a younger mind.  

Curriculum + Themes
Currently on Week 19, we have been having fun mixing it up week by week. Now that I see that Grey is grasping concepts easier and easier, and as his attention span increases, we now do TWO themes most weeks, breaking it up into one activity in the AM around 10, and the other around 3-4 after nap. I primarily search for craft ideas on Pinterest, books from Amazon and the library and more educational based activities from the local teacher resource store and choose our themes based on what I feel like he's about to really take off with or may need help with.  Read below to see the themes we've already worked with and what we have coming up this Spring. 


Themes And Activities Weeks 1-19
  • Week 1 // Pumpkins
    Painted pumpkins,  Pumpkin shaped quesadillas, Pumpkin Muffins, books on Halloween and a cute book about an adventurous pumpkin seed. 
  • Week 2 // Monsters
    Create-A-Monster craft, watched Super Monsters, made construction paper monsters, Pinecone Spiders, Halloween Sensory Bin, bat shaped pancakes
  • Week 3 // Colors
    Basic books on colors, focusing on one color a day. Focused more strongly on fall colors, painting with red, orange, yellow and brown. 
  • Week 4 // Food
    Activities: For food, we have Grey help more in the kitchen for hands on Montessori learning. We also read books on food and play kitchen. 
  • Week 5 // Thanksgiving
    Activities: foam turkey craft, finger painted with fall colors, had Grey help in the kitchen with Thanksgiving food 
  • Week 6 // Shapes
    Activities: Shape sorter, focused on one shape per day, books on shapes
  • Week 7 // Winter
    Activities: Make your own snow, TV show episodes on snow/winter, winter books, 
  • Week 8 // Christmas
    Activities: felt Christmas tree play, paint an ornament, build a snowman craft kit, 
  • Week 9 // Off For Family Time
  • Week 10 // Off For Christmas
  • Week 11 // Dinosaurs
    Dinosaur books, Dinosaur sticker book play, hand print dinosaur
  • Week 12 // Colors
    Rainbow sugar cookies,  Color books, Pom Pom sorting, 
  • Week 13 // Animals
    Read many animal books, field trip to the zoo, named all animal toys for Grey to repeat, animal color pages, habitat felt mat
  • Week 14 // Off For Travel
  • Week 15 // Valentines
    Taped paint canvas, painted construction paper hearts, heart shaped pancakes
  • Week 16 // Valentines
    Write and send valentines, pom pom heart gluing, valentine's cupcakes
  • Week 17 // Opposites + Habitats
    Opposite books, silverware tray animal habitat, animal graham crackers, soft/hard box, opposite word printables
  • Week 18 // Desert / Arizona
    Cactus pet rocks, Desert animals habitat, desert coloring pages, nature walk in the desert, 
  • Week 19 // Counting
    ​Fingerprint flowers, Fingerprint Caterpillars, Books on counting, pom pom counting 

What We Have Planned For Spring 2018
Themes to watch for this Spring/Summer! Also, moving forward, more of the crafts, books and activities will be linked to printables, how-to's and more. 

Arctic animals, Ocean, Weather, Emotions and Feelings, Spring, Gardening, Farming, Bugs, Alphabet, Easter, Summer, St. Patricks Day, Jungle Animals, Farm Animals and so much more!

FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM AND SEE OUR TOT SCHOOL LIVE IN ACTION EACH WEEK!
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Waiting On The Stork...

12/21/2017

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This is a sponsored conversation from Mums the Word Network and The Stork OTC. All opinions are my own.
The holidays are a mix of magic and remembrance for us. 

Magic, now that our miracle baby is here with us. Remembrance of what the holidays were to us for the years leading up to him joining our family. I remember the past holidays full of "when will you grow your family?", seeing the joy of other families with little ones and the added "babies look good on you two. It's time." Each comment crushing my soul a little more. We'd been married four years, and everyone in the world (or so it seemed) wanted to see us with children. 

The thing that most didn't know at the time was that we WERE trying. And we too wanted to see us with children. We had been trying. For three years we tried, both with and without medical intervention, to grow our family. 

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Christmas at the Pimental's

​The Christmas season of 2015 brought much joy when we found out we were expecting, however, just three short weeks later we'd learn that the baby was not viable and we experienced a great loss a week before Christmas. In those moments I was grateful to be surrounded with family, holiday obligations and business, but my heart ached for the "almost". 

A year later, almost exactly to the day, we found out we were expecting Grey and I literally fell to my knees in gratefulness and pure joy. We had changed our protocol with our doctors and something worked to bring us our sweet boy. 
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Our Grey - one week old

Fast forward to this year and we are celebrating our second Christmas with our sweet little guy and we are now looking to the future and what we ultimately want our family to look like. 

We know there is a realistic chance that we could, again, struggle and are open to options that may help us conceive faster in natural, non-invasive ways that don't cost the large pricetag that IVF and other methods bring along. 

Which is why I'm thankful for discreet over the counter options like Stork OTC. Found at Target in the family planning aisle, Stork OTC is a product that aids in helping couples with certain issues conceive faster, naturally. It’s cervical cap insemination technique helps deliver sperm as close to the cervical opening as possible, increasing the chances of fertilization by up to 20%. 

Just $59.99 at most retailers, (I got mine at Target, because I practically live there this time of year), it's a small price to pay for a higher chance of us growing our family. To me, I can't put a price on that. 

You can also find it online at www.StorkOTC.com. 

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This Christmas...

12/11/2017

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I don't think I've ever felt the Christmas spirit as much as I have this year at Christmastime. 

Christmas with our almost one and a half year old is one of the most joyous, expectant, beautiful things I've ever experienced. Each morning, in his Christmas themed jammies (you know I bought them all), we sip tea and eat muffins at Grey plays with the "choo choo" grandpa brought him early and it feels like Christmas morning. EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. 
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In addition to the joy of our sweet boy, we have so many blessings to be thankful for. A roof over our heads. Warm clothing. Healthy food in our bellies. Clean water. Friends and family we adore. Some of our best friends are to be married soon. And Mr. Charming and I recently sponsored two children, in Indonesia and Mexico respectively, who we plan, pray and hope to sponsor through high school. They are currently 3 and 4 years old, and are beyond adorable. We will be helping them go to school, get medical care, attend a church and Bible school, get nutritious food and supplements and let them know there are people in this world, in addition to their parents who are working so hard but who are victims are poverty, who love them and are praying for them. 

I hope that these actions will deliver an example of eternal serving that Greyson can grow up with. I pray that these decisions his father and I make, especially at a time of year that is so muddled with materialism, will plant seeds in his heart that will help grow roots that will keep him on a firm foundation of faith, servanthood and loving Christ. 
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Before we had Grey, and through our struggle with infertility, God put it on my heart to care for a child that wasn't biologically mine. I really struggled with what that meant for a long time, as we so badly wanted a baby that was a piece of my husband and I. I think I had started looking at other options (foster care, adoption) before Mr. Charming, but I'm so glad we kept trying. God's plan is so, so good. 

And with his blessing of provision, we weren't able to help just one more child, but two. And maybe, down the road it will look different, or another child will share our roof, but for now this is the way we feel called to love on "siblings" around the world for our little man. 
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I pray, as you count down these 14 days left until Christmas, that you can truly soak in the magic of the season. And that you too, will follow your heart and Christ's calling for how you can be a blessing to "the least of these." 

For more information on how we got involved, www.compassion.com is who we went through through our church home, CCV, www.ccv.church.  

And P.S. LOOOOOOK at our nugget LAST Christmas. He's growing so fast. 
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Motherhood Is...

12/5/2017

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What a beautiful, exhausting, joyful, emotional sixteen months it has been as a mother. 

I count myself blessed every moment I get to spend with this little guy who is becoming such a spunky, quirky, cute, funny little person. No one tells ya all the feels you will have EVERY DAY playing this role, and so I thought I'd compile a little entry of what motherhood is to me. To inspire others, as a keepsake for myself and to lighten the usually heavy conversations that can arise in this season. 
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Motherhood is...
  • One shaved leg because the nap ended early. It's also a great reason to wear yoga pants everyday and dub it your "momiform".
  • Not being able to put any gifts under the tree until Christmas morning or ornaments on the bottom half of your tree, but this time of year becomes THE MOST magical it's ever been since your own childhood so none of that matters. Bare tree and all. 
  • Never getting to finish your sandwich because toddler hands are always nearby, while at the same time it's feeling proud your little one is eagerly asking for the spinach and tomato wrap that's packed full of nutrients. 
  • It's loss of sleep, muscle tone, me time, and time with your spouse - but it's gaining a new way to experience love, the most precious gift from God, a new little buddy, newfound laughter and the earth's greatest joy. So really, who cares if your pants don't fit the same and you need GOBS of concealer to look like you're rested? 
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Afterall, they're only small a little while, so soak up every moment, love them hard and enjoy the ride. 
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What Grey Ate - 11 Months

7/27/2017

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This month has brought on  A LOT of new tastes to little man's palette and many more opportunities for him to sample foods outside of the house. This has made going out, and bringing him along on our date nights, much more fun and easy. 

Not having to bring so much external food from home makes it easier to be spontaneous and I'm thankful he is eating so many fruits, vegetables, healthy oils and meats now because we can order something for him at almost any restaurant I can eat at. 

He's moved to having lunches and dinners that are unique to what we are having, so moving forward you will see separate breakfast, lunch and dinner sections for even more meal ideas. 

We also introduced, GLUTEN. (insert shocked gasps here), for many reasons, that I will talk about in next months post, but you will see some bread included in the meals below. 
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​*Note that these are the meals he's served from breakfast, lunch and dinner. He also gets two-three snacks a day. Snacks include apple slices, pear slices, organic teething cookies, organic puffs and vegetable based baby food purees

breakfasts


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My sweetheart chowing down on waffles and fruit
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Oat Flour Belgian Waffle (GF), Blubes and Blueberry Oatmeal 
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Hardboiled Egg Yolks, GF Blueberry Muffin and Strawberries
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Puffys, Raspberry Banana Oatmeal and Bananas
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Organic Egg Yolks, Watermelon and Avocado
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Organic Egg Yolks, Blubes + Chicken Apple Sausage
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Banana Bread, Strawberries and Egg Yolk

lunches


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Turkey and Primal Avocado Oil Mayo on Organic Udi's Kids Wheat Bread (I cut it into tiny cubes),  Blubes and Peas. 
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Turkey lunch meat, Peas, Peaches and Jelly on a Cassava Coconut Tortilla
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Roasted Chicken, Pears and Avocado
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Turkey Lunch Meat, Avocado and Leftover Campfire Hashbrowns
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Leftover GF/Vegan Pizza, Blubes and Broccoli 
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Sweet Potato, Turkey Lunch Meat, Olives and Avo
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Puffys, Ground Turkey, Avocado and Strawberries
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Chicken Apple Sausage, Baked Potato, Blubes and Avocado
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Turkey Lunch Meat, Avocado, Freeze Dried Berries

dinners


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Chipotle cilantro lime rice, avocado and black olives
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GF Pasta in veggie puree sauce, peas and freeze dried apples
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GF Chicken Nuggets, Green Beans and Pear
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Turkey Burger (that I shredded), bread, peas and carrots
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GF Pasta with veggie puree as sauce, blueberries and avocado
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Shredded chicken, avocado, potato and freeze dried apple cinnamon apples as "dessert"
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Coconut Aminos "Teriyaki" Chicken, White Rice and Broccoli
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Spanish Rice, Ground Turkey, Avo and Bread for Taco Tuesday
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Gnocchi in Sweet Potato Puree and Green Beans
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Sweet Potato cut into shapes, peas, carrots and his "smoothie" because Mr. Charming and I got Jamba Juice. 
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Leftover rice from Chipotle, Shredded Chicken and Peaches
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A Month Of Music

6/29/2017

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If there's ever a chance to infuse more music into our lives. I'm all about it.

Experts say exposing your baby to a variety of music can increase their social skills and their intelligence. 

Myself, being the fan of music that I am, and my significant background in the field, I knew I wanted our children to have a well-rounded sense of the music arts. 

With this in mind, I started a tradition with Grey that allows him time to soak up different genres, sounds and artists every day, giving him a chance to find what it is that he prefers. And I have to admit, it's been quite cute to watch, and so far, 60's rock is winning. #OldSoul. 
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Just in case anyone else is interested in doing something similar to expose your little to a variety of genres, instruments and songs, below, I outlined the music I play on different days of the month. Since I limit TV in our home to only 1-2 episodes of educational shows a day (less if we go out with daddy or for a playdate), and no music or tv while we are doing our "learning time", music has been a fun way to break up the day and make meal times more entertaining. 

I usually play music during breakfast, while I'm prepping dinner and during one of the play times after a nap. All sticking to the same genre on the specified day. I use a music app on my phone to randomize songs in the particular genre I choose to play that day. 

Feel free to be creative and tailor your list to YOUR tastes, and to the types of music you want your littles exposed too. This is just what works for us! 


Mondays:
  1. 80's Pop
  2. 2000's Pop Mix
  3. Christian 
  4. French/European Hits

Tuesdays:
  1. 50's oldies
  2. Kids Music / Nursery Rhymes
  3. 90s Mix
  4. Hawaiian Radio (his roots on Mr. Charming's side)

Wednesdays:
  1. 40's Oldies
  2. Swing
  3. 70's Rock
  4. Country Mix (my least favorite) 

Thursdays:
  1. 60's Oldies (Our favorite so far!)
  2. Techno/Dance
  3. Kids Music / Nursery Rhymes
  4. New Indie Artists

Fridays:
(Classical and Opera proved to be too hard to listen to all throughout the day. I felt like I lived on an elevator, so we do Friday mornings or winding down before nap to the list below.) 
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  1. Classical
  2. Jazz
  3. Meditative/Chill
  4. Opera
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On weekends we just mix it up and listen to Christian or Top 40 Radio when we are out and about with my husband, as the weekends are for adventures, errands, day trips and quality family time.

For more on what I'm doing in music, check out www.NVERecords.com where I've just accepted a position as label director and couldn't be more thrilled to be back in music full time once again! 
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What Grey Ate - 10 Months

6/25/2017

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As we dive deeper into Baby Led Weaning, I thought it would be fun to share the meals that little man enjoys. He's got SUCH an appetite and it's no surprise he's our child, since he's a foodie through and through. We stick to organic, healthy choices for him, and as of yet he's still dairy-free, gluten-free, soy-free and pretty much Top 8 Free. We are going slow with introductions and now that he's almost 1, we will be introducing more and more for variety and nutrition. 

I've posted some photos of the meals I put together for him, and I plan to share along the way, leading up to toddler meals. These are the meals he's currently enjoying at 10 months of age. 

I would love your ideas too! If you have some great infant or toddler food or meal ideas, feel free to share. Any recipes of a specific dish I make for him, I will link to the recipe here on NoshandNurture.com! 

*Note that these are the meals he's served from breakfast, lunch and dinner. He also gets two-three snacks a day. Snacks include apple slices, pear slices, organic teething cookies, organic puffs and vegetable based baby food purees. 

breakfasts


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Pancakes
Before we started having more egg-based breakfasts, I experimented with baking with eggs. He loved my oat flour pancakes with a little fruit spread. (I let him try one with a little pure maple syrup, one of the only times he's had sugar)
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Banana Bread and Oatmeal Puree
Another puree "yogurt" (this one is raspberry, GF oats and banana) so that he could practice spoon skills. I also baked a batch of my Banana Bread, so he got a square of it which I broke into small cubes for him to pick up with his fingers and chew easily.
 
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Eggs & Fruit
Blueberries are his FAVORITE right now. He would eat a whole clamshell if I let him. So organic blueberries (I halve them before serving), organic pears and hardboiled egg yolks are an easy go to this summer. I use hardboiled eggs, because I found he likes the consistency of hard boiled yolks over scrambled. 

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Fruit Purees and Puffys
Since we are holding off on dairy, I use baby fruit purees as his "yogurt". This was an organic strawberry banana mix that he enjoyed with some Happy Baby Organic Puffs. (I choose those because they have the least amount of ingredients, they are organic and they don't contain folic acid. More on that another time.) 
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Egg Yolk, Pear & Puffs
Most mornings he enjoys 1-3 items and now that we do egg and beans, I like to try to give him protein at 2 out of his 3 meals to keep his tummy full without overwhelming his still delicate digestive system. This was organic hard boiled egg yolk, organic pear and puffs. 

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Scrambled Eggs and Breakfast Potato
My husband and I had scrambled eggs and hashbrowns with ketchup, and I try to model most of his meals after ours so we share a "family meal". Grey's breakfast was scrambled egg yolks (we have not introduced whites yet as they are more allergenic) and a smashed plain baked potato with carrot puree as his "ketchup". 

lunches + dinners


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Taco Night
​We did "Taco Tuesday" and I wanted Grey to be able to join in. So for him he got plain ground turkey, a half of an avocado and I made him a black bean quesadilla with smashed black beans and a Coconut + Cassava tortilla. 
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Protein + Fats
Avocado is this little mans jam. I paired it with black beans and scrambled egg yolk for a protein pack lunch of leftovers.
 
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Meat + Potatoes
​I pick up organic rotisserie chickens often as they are SO easy to share and always a soft, baby-friendly texture. I shredded 1/4 of a chicken and served it with cubed sweet potato. We had the same thing and I love showing him that we eat as a family!
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The Perfect Mix
I love when I can give him a carb, protein, fat and fruit. I rarely give fruit with meat due to all the research that it's hard on the gut, but occasionally when we need a big lunch for a play or swim date I pile on all the food. haha. This mix was organic jasmine rice, avocado, pear and organic chicken breast shredded. 
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Sandwich Alternative
Since we have not introduced any type of bread yet, (still researching) for lunches, I have been sharing my turkey lunch meat with Greyson and he loooooooves it. I only give him organic, nitrate free by True Story Foods or Applegate but its a definite go to when I want him to get a full belly. I pair it with avocado and applesauce for a traditional kids lunch. 
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On The Go
When we're on the go, I pack up easy to feed finger foods. We were going to look at our new house, so I packed up some banana bread and avocado for carbs + healthy fat to keep him full until dinner. 

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Veggies Upon Veggies
Black Beans, Peas and Carrots make a nutritious lunch and he loves being able to pick up all the items. 
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The Randoms
Some days are just RANDOM leftovers from the meal prep before things go bad, haha. Black beans, turkey and pears. 
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Baked Potato Night
Mr. Charming and I were doing stuffed baked potatoes, so for Grey he got a baked potato and steamed broccoli and carrot puree to add another veggie and give him potato a "sauce" if it was to dry. 
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Pasta Night
One of my favorite dishes for him, because he looooved it. Rice pasta cooked real soft tossed with peas, organic turkey and some leftover sweet potato. A little carb heavy, but I've noticed this kid can EAT and dinner he takes in most of his calories. 

when we're out


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The beauty of eating clean, whole foods, is that Grey can usually eat some of what I order. 

When traveling in Long Beach, we stayed at the Westin and for breakfast I ordered scrambled eggs, gluten free toast and avocado. 

I shared my avocado with Grey, ordered him a side of bananas and brought a puree pouch of baby food to round out his meal. 

Mama + baby were satisfied. Done and done! 

Keep an eye out for What Grey Ate, every month on Nosh and Nurture! And as always I'd love to hear your feedback and what you're feeding your littles.

I also share a lot of our mealtimes, and more, on my Instagram Stories, so if you're over there, follow along! Find me @noshandnurture. 

Baby Led Weaning - 10 Month Old - Nosh and Nurture
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Grey's First Easter

4/16/2017

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Today I packed up Grey's Easter outfit in his baby memory box after church and my breath caught in my throat. 

I glanced in and there they were.

The outfit we brought him home in, his first Halloween costume (Donald Duck), his Thanksgiving onesie, his Black Friday attire (haha), his Christmas outfit and jammies, his Valentine's Day outfit, his dedication/blessing suit and as I placed his Easter outfit atop it all, I smiled. And then I teared up. Because it's going so, so fast. My baby has experienced all the major holidays already! My baby will soon be my baby no more and his next milestone will be his BIRTHDAY. 
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Easter was so beautifully special. For the past five years, Mr. Charming and I have attended the sunrise service at our church and really did plan to make it this year. But the babes stayed up until nine and at the 5am alarm, we couldn't bring ourselves to wake him. So we planned to attend the 10:30 service. 

We got to church a little early, because the grounds are BEAUTIFUL and made for the perfect location to shoot his Easter photos and give him his Easter basket. It was a gorgeous sunny day and lightly breezy. His basket was simple, a bible book, a bunny book and a cuddly bunny. We talked all day about Jesus and God's love. 

As we finished photos we went in to get a seat and were turned away because it was FULL! (YAY CHURCH!) Which we didn't mind because we love to see our church growing and thriving and we came prepared with lunch for all three of us.  We would just hang out until the noon service.
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We sat at a table outside and enjoyed a healthy lunch while Greyson ate and watched the big kids play. After we ate we played some corn hole (our church is so fun, haha) and let baby crawl around for a while. We got our seats for the noon service and Greyson made it halfway through before he was over it. 

I took him to the Mom's Lounge and nursed him and rocked him and held him as he napped while Mr. Charming stayed in service. What was SO nice was there was a screen playing it all for me to see while he napped so I didn't miss the message. 

This year our churches focus what on the importance of the Resurrection. That you can't believe in Jesus' teachings if you don't believe in his Resurrection. That its pointless to do so, because the Resurrection is what its all about and what ultimately saved us all.  
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After nap and service we took flowers to my husbands mom and she gave Grey some more Easter goodies and snuggles and we relaxed at home the rest of the evening. 

It was so perfect and special and I loved spending SO much of the day at church. I'm hoping to do that a few more times before the weather becomes too much to bear to be outside here. 

I hope you all had a beautiful Easter with your family and friends and that the message resonated with you and your soul. Refreshing you as ours did mine. 

Celebrate always! For He is Risen! 
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Happy Six Months Grey!

2/5/2017

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Today our precious little bubs turned 6 months old.

Half a year old. We are halfway to his first birthday and I am feeling alllllll the mama feels today. 

As hard as the early baby days were, and sometimes still are (we will sleep good someday again right?) I am starting to see just how lightning fast all of this goes and with each new milestone I see him moving further away from being my tiny baby and more of him growing into my little boy. 

Today was a beautiful day to celebrate him, as Sundays are our favorite around here. We get daddy cuddles in the morning. Slow, delicious breakfasts, THIS breakfast was on repeat all weekend and we spent the late morning in the sunshine playing with toys. We also decided to implement a family tradition of celebrating his half-birthday.
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And although he can't yet enjoy these delicious cupcakes (he seemed to love on his carrots today though) I hope he appreciates the traditions that we are creating with him. I remember growing up, being three, four, five years old and loving when I could say I was a half a year older! Always in a rush to grow up when we're young... so I thought it'd be fun to make it a fun day where we could bake cupcakes, maybe pick a special toy and have family time just celebrating him and his life. Every step of the way.

If you want to snag my recipe for my white cake mix that is gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free and soy-free you can click here. It's SCRUMPTIOUS. For the frosting I used Miss Jones organic vanilla frosting and dye-free sprinkles by Indian Tree. 

This month has really been a favorite with him so far. His little personality is bursting out and he makes me smile bigger and love harder than I ever thought imaginable. He's weighing in at just over 18 lbs and his chubby cheeks and chunky thighs are EVERYTHING. He is loving and cuddly and ADORES his daddy. I know they will be best pals.

He laughs and it's the best sound this side of heaven and he smiles and talks with his eyes. A trait that made me fall in love with his daddy. His sandy blonde hair and hazel eyes goes to show we really couldn't have guessed how he'd turn out (we thought it'd be dark features all the way from daddy) and listening to him "read" his little books is probably the cutest thing ever. My little smarty. 
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We love every new milestone, month and experience with our sweet little Grey. 

Do you have a favorite tradition you've implemented with your littles?
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Infant Nutrition with Plum Organics

1/25/2017

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This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #WhyPlumFormula #CollectiveBias #Sponsored
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I've learned the road to motherhood can be a bit bumpy. Learning schedules (or throwing them out the window because baby's change weekly), raising a tiny human on little sleep and making sure you give them optimal nutrition to keep them healthy are all areas in which I feel we are constantly trying to navigate with little guidance and much instinct.

I remember that one of my first thoughts when Grey was born was how I was so excited to breastfeed him right away. When they handed that tiny, pink, wrinkly babe and he latched on like it was the most natural and beautiful thing in the world, my heart soared. 

However, there were circumstances with health issues in the hospital, with both him and I, that called for more nutrition, and more volume, than what I could give him. My instincts as a mother quickly shifted to making sure he got the nutrients he needed to help him thrive. All mom guilt aside, I had to do what was best to feed my baby under the new circumstances we faced. 
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If you've been following the blog for a while you will know I am a MAJOR advocate for organic living and consuming whole foods with no or minimal artificial ingredients or processing and I knew I wanted to hold fast to the same standards for our new little babe. 

Having heard of and having researched their infant snacks and food line, I knew that Plum Organics® was, and is, America's number one organic baby food brand. I was ecstatic to learn they also made formula. Their organic infant formula adds no corn syrup solids, which was a huge plus for me. And since lactose is the most abundant carbohydrate found in breast milk, their carbohydrate source is from cow’s milk lactose only. In addition, the milk they use is from cows not treated with the hormone rBST**. 

I also love that they respect a woman's desire to breastfeed during those crucial, early days and I adored their understanding outlook on it. It made me feel good, and assured, that what I was giving my baby was a product that was created by parents just like me. 
​As an organic food company, we’ve always admired nature’s complex, built-in, and beautiful way of nourishing baby. We believe breast is best. But we’re also a team of parents that know first hand that life – and parenting – isn’t always perfect. Because life happens, our goal was to design an organic formula we can feel good about feeding our babies and yours. - Plum Organics 
In addition to their Grow Well® Infant Formula being organic, it is also non-GMO and contains essential DHA and ARA. They believe that formula is food and should be treated with the same care we'd give ourselves and the rest of our family members when seeking an organic diet and lifestyle. 

The formula can be found at Safeway and Albertsons nationwide and for those of you wanting to make the switch, I've included a coupon for you all below. 
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For more on Plum Organics and their full range of products: 
Visit Plum Organics Online
**No significant difference has been shown between milk derived from rBST-treated and non-rBST-treated cows.


​How do you ensure your family reaches their nutritional goals? I'd also love to talk to fellow mamas about your breastfeeding and formula journeys! Leave it in the comments below and let's connect. 
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Nosh & Nurture was born of this journey I am on to better the health of myself, my family and those around me.  What started as a simple compilation of recipes has grown to a all-around lifestyle journal with ways to incorporate organic products into your home, pantry and beauty cabinet.  I also include stories on pregnancy, new motherhood, travel, Proverbs 31 marriage, and spiritual health, as I am a Christian who couldn't do any of this without my Lord & Savior Jesus Christ. For more of my story you can click here. 

All recipes are gluten-free and dairy-free with a lot of soy-free, grain-free, sugar-free options. 

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