Island of Opportunity

 

On November 1st, it will be two years that we have lived in this house. We have painted every wall and added our personal touch all around the house. One of the things that we heard most often when people saw our house for the first time was, "Wow. You have a big kitchen! Have you thought of getting an island?"

Well, yes. Yes, we have. We have been looking for about a year for the right island to put in our kitchen. "Right" means "right looking" and "right price". So when we found this on craigslist today for just $75 (chairs too!) we decided to take some garage sale money and, sacrificing some gravel for landscaping, purchase it. SO worth it.

As you probably already know, Bailey and I do a lot of baking in our kitchen. And we have done it on the small corner counter, where we squish shoulder to shoulder with a dining room chair for Bailey's stool. The Bug gets too close to the stove for my taste, and there's just not any room to do anything. I wanted this island so we could bake sugar cookies and other goodies and use the island as our work station. I am envisioning a light flour dusting everywhere and colored frosting dripping from knives after a christmas cookie escapade. Oh, the bliss.

You may have also caught a facebook status update I wrote a few months about regarding carpet in our dining room. Who on God's green earth puts carpet in the dining room?!?!?!? Well, that's what we've got going on, so I am looking forward to eating breakfast AND lunch with the kiddos at the island and reserving the dining room table (and the awful carpet) for dinners only. Hopefully it will help us decrease the amount of stains on that blasted carpet...

Now, as if getting this island wasn't good enough, we also have a lighted hanging pot rack that Jeff is going to install this week. Another craigslist find from over 6 months ago, and the perfect way to show off our red Martha Stewart pots and pans we got from Jeff's mom for Christmas last year (as well as free up some more storage space to increase my couponing stockpile). Owning a home and finding the perfect stuff is great, isn't it?

The Tutu and the Trade

 

If you know me, you know that I am always up for a deal. So when my friend, Angie proposed a trade for this darling tutu I was all over it. I made her a set of birdie signs (www.selahcustomsigns.etsy.com) and Angie made two girlie tutus for Bailey.

Bailey loves her tutus and I love them too. Greatest part is that she has two of them...one for her and one for any girlie friend that comes over to play. No fighting over the tutu! Angie, you must have thought of this ahead of time when you agreed to make two, so thanks!

Good things come in small packages

It's the end of the summer, and for the most part, I would say that our garden was a great success. We hardly bought a veggie at the store all summer long (minus lettuce and carrots the latter part of August). We ate stirfry with fresh veggies, fresh green salad, dirty carrots, sweet strawberries, sugar snap peas off the vine. We canned 9 jars of green beans too (will do LOTS more of those next summer when I nix a few of our veggie selection...corn and cauliflower for sure). So today, we were tending to the garden and saw these tiny little cantaloupes growing on the vine. Literally the size of a small tomato. Bailey says, "Let's pick a cantaloupe!" I say, "No, Bailey, they aren't ripe yet." And she picks one up (totally Bailey-style not to listen, you know) and it was one that had already fallen off the vine. So, I bring it up to my nose to smell, and it's as sweet smelling as any cantaloupe I have ever smelled. "It's ripe Bailey! Let's go inside and have it for a snack!"

So, here's Bailey with her cantaloupe. It easily fits in the palms of her hands. We cut it open...look at how ripe and juicy it was! Still, it's only the size of one small tomato from our garden. Doesn't that tomato look delish, by the way? But needless to say, Bailey ate the whole thing. She has eaten a half of a cantaloupe before...but now I can confidently say that my daughter can eat an entire cantaloupe by herself!
And of course, I just had to throw in a picture of our little Sam, three months old tomorrow. Isn't he a doll?

BFF

 

There is something particularly special about two little three year old girlies that absolutely love each other. That's the case for our daughter, Bailey and her little friend, Ruby. First of all, how could you NOT love the name "Ruby". She's an absolute crack up and loves leading Bailey around in circles when they are together. The two of them together is like having a baby sitter. They can entertain one another for hours.

So, when Ruby's mama, my friend, Kara, suggested a photo shoot today at her family's ranch, I was all for it. And when she outfitted the girlies in little dancing dresses, cowgirl hats and matching t-shirts, we could hardly contain our own giggles. These girls LOVED dressing up and running around the ranch together, holding hands and looking for little kittens. Interestingly enough, the girls didn't like getting their pictures taken solo. They only wanted to do them together, which was fine by us. They made silly faces together, stuck out their tongues, and gave each other hugs and kisses. It was too cute!

So, the picture above is just one from the shoot today. Kara took over 500 total, so it will take some time to post the best of the collection, but I wanted to give you a teaser today. I love this picture. Can you imagine high school graduation, 15 years from now. They have a party together and this picture is hanging up. I hope they stay friends forever. I kind of like Kara too, just so you know. She's a fun gal to hang out with.

Our first walk of the day

Today, Bailey and I (and Sam) took three walks. I know, sort of overkill, right? Our first walk was a walk around the block. Bailey started off with her baby doll's stroller, and as soon as we took 10 steps up the first hill, she said, "Mama, I'm having a hard time. Can you carry the stroller for me?" So, on top of the stroller it went. We went to see the fishy pond we like to visit (a neighbor's front yard pond with HUGE carp in it), and then went on to pick flowers by the canal.

 

Our second walk was a walk with a mission. Armed with a $10 bill and proof of HOA payment, we set off to buy a key for the pool in our neighborhood. Little did I know that the key had been waiting there all summer for me to pick up AT NO CHARGE! So, $10 richer, we left with the key and great plans to swim after naptime. Bailey was a trooper and walked all the way there and back without complaint.
The third walk was TO THE POOL, which is just under 1/2 mile. Not bad for a 3 year old, I have to say. She was so excited to go that we made great time. We got to the pool (sorry, no pictures) and upon leaving, Bailey decided that she wanted to ride shotgun in the jogging stroller. Since Sam's legs didn't go past the actual seat, there was plenty of room for her to ride where her feet usually go. I really wish I would have gotten a picture of that, because I know it was darn cute. Anyway, she rode home the entire way. Pushing an extra 45 pounds up my hill was quite the workout. How do mom's go running with double strollers? Is their terrain flat or something?
Well, regardless, I loved each and every walk we went on today, and hope that there are many more days of multiple walks in our future. For the time being, I love being at home with my kids. Lord, please help me figure out a way for it to always be this way.

Just like candy.

 

My daughter LOVES the carrots that come out of the garden. She loves watching them grow, picking them (sometime way too early!) and munching on them, even with a little dirt left on. There is something about a sweet, fresh carrot from the garden that makes her (and me) want to park our bottoms next to the garden and eat an entire square foot of carrots! By the way, do you know how many carrots you are supposed to plant in a square foot of dirt? 16, friends. Anyway, back to the yummyness is garden carrots. Bailey isn't a big fan of carrots from the store, or many other veggies for that matter, but when it comes to a fresh garden carrot, she gobbles it down like she is eating a lollipop.

I love our garden and how it helps keep us healthy, helps up cut down on grocery costs, and gives us something to do together as a family.

Now we're talkin'!

 

From Columbia ugh! to Putunia love! I love my new diaper bag! Thanks goes out to my lovely Grandma Betty for her generous gift that allowed this beauty to be all mine!

Centennial Park

 

I am so excited about this new park in Redmond, that I can hardly stand it. When it costs $3.00 to go to the local pool and it's JUST a pool, and the pool in our subdivision is FREEZING cold, this is the next best thing. Actually, I think it's better...
Centennial Park is the newest park in Redmond, probably part of a "let's make downtown Redmond beautiful and get people out on the streets" push that the city is doing. Well, imho, it is working! The park consists of a small splash pad, or fountain area that is perfect for kiddos to run around in. The fountain is on a timer, and does different "rhythms" each minute or so. There are times when the water is off, and times when the fountains shoot up really high. Either way, the kids just love it! We have taken Bailey there twice this past week and she loves it every time. Also at the park is a pergola area with very nice metal picnic tables, perfect for a picnic lunch (pack a cooler full of goodies!) or a sandwich from the vendor on site. Yup, you read me right...there is a cafe on site (One Street Down (?) is the name of it and is a branch of their existing restaurant in downtown Redmond) that serves espresso, lemonade, cookies, breakfast items and sandwiches for lunch and dinner. There's also an abundance of lush grass to play frisbee on as well as some beautiful flower gardens to admire.
Bailey, Sam, and I already have another play date scheduled for Thursday morning there. Anyone else want to join us?

The Round Up Parade

Every year, Prineville hosts the Crooked River Round Up the week before the 4th of July. And a great part of that is the parade that happens that Saturday morning. There is a little festival in the park, great snacks, local vendors, and lots of fun for the kiddos. But our favorite part of the parade is the fact that DADDY is in it! So, here is Bailey anxiously awaiting Daddy's big debut...notice that she has both candy and a political advertisement in hand.

 

And here is new Baby Sam at his first parade. He was wiped out and I was tired of carrying him in the Ergo.

 

Then Daddy arrived, banging on the base drum in the Trash Can Marching Band, sponsored by his employer, Prineville Disposal. Daddy was keeping the beat well(except when we called out to him!)

 

And of course, we had to stop for a milkshake after the parade was over.

 

You reap what you sow

 

Today, we enjoyed our garden for the first time! It is such a delight to watch a garden grow (I know...I lead a simple life), especially when you start it from seed. Remember my ramblings on in February about how the winter was going to kill me? Well, now that the garden is in full bloom, I'm in heaven! This plate includes three different types of lettuce: Black Seeded Simpson, Prizehead and Buttercrunch and they are the first things in our garden (minus the strawberries) that are ready to harvest. In fact, they are overflowing their square foot space.

We are looking forward to a nice bounty to include lettuce, strawberries, corn, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, muncher cukes, watermelon, cantaloupe, tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, grapes, cilantro, parsley, and green beans! No zucchini this year? Well, we have an abundant supply of frozen zucchini for bread in the freezer, so I decided to use the space I had for corn this year.

I mentioned grapes...my husband received two grapevine starts from a gentleman on his route for work! So very cool when people share, isn't it? So, "Thanks!" goes out to that guy. I can't wait to pluck fresh grapes off the vines!

And by the way, our little munchkin turns 3 next week. Unreal, eh? Another thing that's unreal is that she actually smiled for the camera. Oh and one more thing that's unreal...? We will have a baby sometime in the next week or two. It's a good month for the Joneses.

My New Favorite Thing to Do

 

After choosing a classic sock monkey theme for my room, I thought that I would magically receive dozens of vintage sock monkeys. Not sure why I thought this. However, my dear friends Scott and Megan restuffed a true, classic sock monkey (it was Scott's dad's) and gave it to Baby Sam. I saw it and gasped...it was exactly what his room needed. And it was also exactly what I needed to inspire me to add to the collection (of 1).
So, here they are, three "new" sock monkeys that I made this past week out of unworn dress socks from our drawers. None of these socks are the actual Rockford Red Heel socks, just fun socks that inspired me. I actually had to cut apart a red sock to make the lips and buttocks, and then applique the patch on. Not true to form, but close enough that you get the point. These sock monkeys are really easy to make...I just found the directions on line (www.lennytaylor.freeyellow.com/Monkey.html), gathered my socks, thread and needle (and sewing machine), and extra worn out socks for the stuffing and got started.
All the while I was making these little buggers, I was thinking, I should do a step by step picture tutorial of how to make one. Okay, I will, but not on this post. But really, if you follow the instructions at the website above, it's pretty hard to screw it up.
Anyway, I now have these three new sock monkeys (although Bailey has laid claim to at least one of them) and hope to make a few more before Baby Sam arrives next month. If anyone has fun dress socks that they don't wear anymore (and preferably ones with a different colored heel and toe, or stripes, or argyles...etc), I am more than happy to take them off your hands. Just let me know!

Backyard BBQ

So, now that the backyard is done (deck rebuilt and stained and firepit in), we have started doing a backyard BBQ each Friday night. This past week, we roasted hotdogs (and brats for me...hey, I'm from Wisconsin!) and then after it got dark, roasted marshmallows and made smores. Bailey loves this and so do we.
Our meal:

 

 

 

This one's funny...I think Max is actually just yawning, but the picture makes it look like he REALLY wants Bailey's dog!

Couponing benefits

So, along with a lot of encouragement about my latest venture in couponing, I have had some people say to me, "You are being obsessive. Settle down!" But let me tell you this: when your couponing trip had double the benefits, it makes it worth it. I got each of these jumbo packs of diapers for $3.50 each, regularly marked at around $9.99 each. So, that was a great deal. But, even better than that, these jumbo packs of diapers have turned into jumbo building blocks for Bailey to play with! Check this out:
Here's Bailey building her diaper tower...

 

And the finished tower...

 

And of course, the most fun...knocking it all down.

 

$3.50/pack worth it now?

My baby?

 

With Baby Sam on the way (June 19th!), and all the talk about Baby Brother, Bailey has simply decided that she is a baby too. After talking to another friend, I have learned that this is quite normal actually. Bailey wants her old binky, thinks she wants to nurse, and likes to lay down in Sam's crib. Here, she is laying down in a hammock swinger that she got from her Aunt Erin before she was born. Trying to explain to a 32 pound, nearly 3 year old child that this swing is for little babies is difficult...she says, "I am a little baby." With this "baby phase" is coming more snuggling and cuddling time, so I am not going to complain one bit.

Summer's Hope in a Wooden Box

 

This is my new cold frame. I simply love it. Jeff built it for me for my Christmas present this year, and was even able to incorporate my love for antique windows by using two of them as the lids. Just as winter was about to take my sanity away, I started planting inside. I bought a salsa garden at BiMart for $7.00 and started growing cilantro, roma tomatoes, parsley, scallions, jalapeno peppers and cayenne peppers. One cold night, pre-heating my cold frame, the temps dipped into the teens and I lost half of my salsa garden, as well as all of my impatients, and a few other items. So I started over again, AND bought a heat lamp at my local hardware store. What a difference a heat lamp makes!!! There were a few mornings, when the sun was out that I would uncover my cold frame to see the temperature in the mid 90s in there! It even reached over 100 degrees one warmer morning.

Well, after working out some kinks, I have been able to regulate the temperatures in my cold frame quite well (helps not having a job!) and have successfully started from seed all of these veggies and flowers:

Wildflower Mix
Zinnea Mix
Lavendar
Blue Delphinium
Walla Walla Sweet Onions
Scallions
Roma Tomatoes
Cayenne and Jalapeno Peppers
Parsley
Cilantro
Sweet Corn
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Lettuce (three types)

Come May 21st, I have a 90% chance of not losing them to frost, so most of these babies will wait the next month out in the cold frame (closed at night, but mostly not heated anymore, and wide open during the day to soak up the Central Oregon sun). I already have some corn that has nearly outgrown the cold frame. I will have to bribe my husband to let me bring them inside or something as it's still too early to plant those outside.

Then, once the time is right, they will be artfully planted in one of our three new Square Foot Gardening raised beds.

 

Here is a shot of the first bed that is ready to go. I will plant my sweet peas tomorrow in there, as they can withstand the cold nights. SFG is an alternative way to garden, utilizing less space, embracing organic gardening, and hopefully taking up less time. This method allows you to place your plants closer together in bunches rather than rows, and has a lot of other neat benefits to it. I recently purchased the book "The All New Square Foot Gardening" and devoured it in just a few days. After reading the book, I created a calendar of when I could start seeds and when I could plant, based upon our region's last frost date. And since then, I have been filling that cold frame with everything I can get my hands on, just to have a bountiful garden this summer. Not only less expensive than buying from the store (I love to save money!) but also better for us and our family. And Bailey LOVES playing in the garden, and watching the plants grow. It's exciting for us all!

 

Corn all planted about a week apart, and doing well.

 

Bailey loves being in the garden, and likes to help plant the seeds.

More serious savings

So the great thing about having my own blog is that I can write about whatever I want. I have this blog for many reasons. The primary one was to keep my family and friends involved with our growing family, especially seeing pictures and videos of Bailey as well as writing about some of my hobbies, like competing in triathlons. But lately, you may have noticed that a lot of my attention has been directed towards couponing and saving money.
I am shocked at how my the economy has hit our little community here in central Oregon, and have seen many of my friends go from living comfortably to selling their possessions, sharing family homes, tapping out their unemployment benefits, and home loan modifications. While this grieves me, I am also encouraged to know that many of my friends and I have really started getting REAL with what we can afford and what we can live without. That's why I am so excited about couponing, and saving my family money.
I follow a coupon of online blogs that regularly give me the 411 on sales that local stores are having, as well as direction on which coupons work with those sales. It is amazing to me that I can go to the store, and with the combination of sales and coupons, walk out with items for free, or the store actually paid me to buy from them! It happened today, as I spent the afternoon couponing and shopping in Bend (before and after my prenatal appointment).
My purchases ended up being valued at $195.71 and I paid just $55.05 total. That's a savings of $140.66! Big ticket items in here include:
2 packs of fresh pork ($9.50 each)
1 large bag of Kingsford Charcoal ($10.00)
120 total diapers in two separate packs (29.00) ***including Pampers Swaddlers, my favorite!
3 Pints(?) of Starbucks ice cream ($2.99 each)
2 new to the market Air Wick air fresheners that are awesome (about $20.00)
Plus miscellaneous cleaning supplies, groceries, beverages, etc.

Now, I will tell you...couponing is not the easiest thing in the world. It does take some work, but it's like playing a game, or starting a new hobby. I have had a few couponing snafus, but it gets easier as I go along. Each store you shop at has rules, and when you learn to play their game correctly, it's super fun. I can also tell you that not everything that I bring home is vital for me or my family to have. Did I NEED to get two new Air Wick air fresheners today at Target, or 5 cans of Mighty Dog dog food? Absolutely not. But the fact that all of those items were completely FREE after coupons (in fact, one of them, I gained $1.00 on) makes me say, "Why not?" Those Air Wicks are making my house smell awesome, and if I had tons of money and could buy whatever I wanted, I would probably get them for my house all the time.
The greatest feeling though, is getting items on sale that you know you are going to use. Like diapers. After paying more than $50.00 a month for the past 3 years, I am completely done paying full price for those things. And while it's not really possible to get diapers for free, getting them at 50% off is not bad, especially when I can get the ones I want, like Pampers Swaddlers. With sales and coupons, they are still cheaper than knock off brands, I like the way they smell, and I know that they are the softest disposable diaper I can put on my baby.
So, with all that to say (and this is much more than I usually blog about), I am happy to put in the time to save money for my family and find a new hobby that I can do with all of my friends that are in the same financial state we are in. And seriously, I am a woman and I like to go shopping. And if I am really honest with myself, I like to spend money. But to be able to spend so little to get so much...well, that makes me proud to be frugal, and thankful to God for His provision.
Our church is actually going to be holding a couponing class soon, so if you are here in Central Oregon and want to learn how to get in on this crazy maddness I call fun, let me know and I will give you the skinny on it.

I have been neglecting the camera lately

So, I get a message from my mom the other day..."I don't want pictures of your groceries! I want to see my granddaughter." So, I thought I would post a few pictures (well the only ones I have taken in about 2 weeks) of the Bug and her life.

 

This is Bailey with her good friend, Wayne. Well, Wayne is our good friend too, but Bailey particularly likes Wayne. If you have been following the blog for over a year, you might remember Wayne as the hero who hydrated Bailey during her last bout with the flu. We try to have him over for dinner from time to time, and when he came for pizza last week, he and Bailey were like peas and carrots. Wayne was just standing here, and Bailey, being the copy cat that she is, decided she wanted to look just like Wayne. So she stood next to him, crossed her feet and placed her hands in her pockets, just like her friend, Wayne. Hilarious. I also have to mention, that over a year ago, when Bailey wanted some of Wayne ice cream, Wayne asked, "What do you say Bailey?" Instead of saying "Please", she flashed Wayne by lifting up her shirt. Hmmmm.

 

And here is Bailey with her new friend. Some days, she calls him "Harry" and on other days, she calls her "Ruby" (her good friend that we have a playdate with each Thursday). She has been carrying that little lamb all over the house in an upside down plastic stool, declaring that it's her crib and that she is crying and needs to take a nap. Love it.

This is no joke.

 

Tonight, with the help of coupons and instore sales, I purchased all of these products, over 70 of them, for $27.15. Want to know how much I saved? Drumroll, please...$233.47. I am not kidding.

Included in this amazing display of goodies: 14 boxes of adult multi vitamins (all free), 16 Dove Shampoo, Conditioner, and Hair Spray ($2 total), 3 John Frieda hair care products for $.33 each, 4 Dove Deoderants for $.25 each, a free AirWick iMotion starter kit, Clean and Clear products, Comet, salt, brownies and cookie mixes, spices, and more.

Where did I get all these products? Walgreens! They have amazing Register Rewards that when you buy one product, spit back Walgreens money at you. So, what to do with that Walgreens money, but buy more things that spit back money at you. And, so it goes, on and on, back and forth, between Dove shampoo and adult multi vitamins. Then on to other coupons and sales! I was literally at the makeup counter register for 25 minutes purchasing my items.

There were so many reasons this was such an amazing shopping trip. Let me just list a few:
1. I was shopping with friends! And what better way to hang out with the girls than to go shopping and save a wad.
2. We had an AWESOME checker named Kim that not only tolerated our dozens of transactions, but encouraged them! When she saw us come in, she even instructed us on what to get, brought out more stock when we cleared the shelves, and then stayed after her shift to keep checking us out. She ROCKED!
3. Our family has more than enough haircare products to last for over a year, and they are good, quality products that I would never have been able to afford otherwise. Can you say, "John Frieda"?!?!?!
4. We also have more multi vitamins that we could ever use, so we have LOTS to give away to friends and family that need them.
5. I have been wanting to have a stocked pantry, and having pudding, spices, salt, and creamy soups is helping me get there (for super cheap!)
6. And finally, I am spending very little money on ridiculous amounts of products, that in the long run, will allow us to live off of less. This hopefulyl means that I won't have to go back to work full time in the future.

Now that I got a screaming deal, maybe my mind will be able to rest for a while and I won't dream about couponing ALL. NIGHT. LONG.

Super Couponing

As many of you know, I have delved into the world of couponing. In fact, I saw a segment on Nightline about a week ago called, "Super Couponing". While I don't think that I have quite arrived at that juncture, I have been using coupons up the wazoo lately, trying to save my family a bundle of money.

And it is working to say the least. I started couponing mid-March, and in two weeks, I bought $442.38 worth of products for just $154.95. Not all of that was using coupons. Some things, like cantaloupe, are just bought because they are on sale at Walmart. And I wouldn't say that regularly, I would buy $442.38 worth of products in just two weeks. But the fact that I have enough Windex to last me a year, nearly 20 boxes of cereal in my pantry, and enough pasta to feed a local football team is a good trade off. Many items, like my Ronzoni pasta, I actually got paid to purchase, due to a sale, a manufacturer coupon and a store doubler coupon. Not bad. I like free.

So, here is a picture of my last shopping trip, which did include regular shopping at stores like Walmart and the Grocery Outlet, where I didn't use coupons:

 

And here, a picture of Baye with the really nice photo book that I scored for free online (paid just $8.99 for shipping and it was done and delivered in 3 days).

 

All in all, on this trip, I spent $74.63 and purchased $206.29 worth of products. I got a sweet deal on the diapers and cereal and the pasta was free.

Now, there is a trade off. I dream in coupons. Seriously. I think about couponing all day long, and when I finally get to bed, I dream about it there too. I am going through ink on my printer faster than ever before, printing online manufacturer coupons. I only want to buy something if I have a coupon for it. Tonight, I used the last of our wheat bread. We are almost out of peanut butter and dish soap. But since I don't have a coupon, I don't want to buy these items anywhere that I have to pay full price. This is not necessarily a good thing. I don't HAVE to drive to Redmond just because there is a good deal, though I am planning on going tomorrow because there is a REALLY GOOD DEAL...and who doesn't need a year's worth of shampoo, conditioner, and vitamins for merely $8.00? (That's at Walgreens, by the way) Plus, I need to learn the ropes of Walgreens, and have my couponing friends willing to go with me to show me how to do it right. It is a science, you know...

Couponing is addicting, and I need to make sure that I come up with a way to have some balance with it.

Climbing to new heights...

As I was folding laundry and talking to a friend on the phone in our bedroom, Bailey was "hiding in the closet". Now, Bailey loves doing this...if I don't know where she is, I can usually find her in our closet on the floor. So, when Jeff came in looking for Bailey, he expected to find her on the floor in the closet. But instead, a "Where's Bailey?" question yielded a giggle that was about 6 feet HIGHER than usual. She climbed to the top shelf in our closet!

 

Where, oh where, did my baby go, and who is this monkey that has taken her place?

Choices Choices

 

If you look closely, you will find an undecisive 2 1/2 year old girl behind those cereal boxes. This is how she often times, picks out what she wants to eat for breakfast. She lines up all her cereal and then carefully chooses the winner for the day. Today, it was rice chex. Tomorrow could be Strawberry Frosted Mini Wheats. Who knows? At least she is eating, right?