The Eco Baby

Joseph says "Save the planet, I'll need it later!"

Pure Magic

As if Joseph or Josh alone wasn't enough to steal my heart away, I captured this shot of my guys together. It was a beautiful day on Saturday and we snuck outside at our friend's party. Amber and Tom got married on St. Lucia and we were celebrating their destination wedding. The party was a ton of fun with fajitas and enchiladas and complete with Wii games! Almost everyone bowled, golfed and boxed the afternoon away. I didn't try it but I hear it is totally addicting. Amber and Tom are truly a great pair of people and I know they will treasure each other as much as Josh and I do. It reminds me of our own wedding and all the excitment and emotion that surrounded it. Our one year anniversary is right around the corner!! The first year of marriage flew by - nine months of it filled with a baby in my belly.

Turkey Lurkey Dee Turkey Lurkey Doo

Joseph came to me and asked what was for dinner. "Mummy" he said - in an english accent cause that's how he talks - "Mummy, what's for dinner Mummy? I want to help you cook dinner Mummy!" We decided to make a recipe that I found online for turkey zuchini meatloaf with a dijon peach glaze. It was soooo good and was voted two thumbs up!

We turned up some fun 40's-50's piano jazz and got to choppin' and mixin'. Joseph measured out the bread crumbs for me. He ended up spilling it all over himself and the chair though. I guess you can't send in a 2 month old to do a chef's work.

Why oh why do they only sell fresh parsley in a HUGE bunch? Why oh why do they send you home with a pound and a half of the stuff when you only need 1/4 cup?

Then, as if a talking two month old (in an english accent no less) isn't enough, and a surplus of parsley isn't enough (that's not that bad, I just needed something else to list here) I pull this crazy onion out of the refridgerator. Something is wrong with that onion! That is one crazy onion! It says "I'm crazy onion man, give me some candy!" So I got a fresh, uncut one from the veggie bowl.

Joseph had sat quiet for too long and it was soon time for all that energy to come out in some crying and frantic arm waving...so I stuck his plug in.

Luckily, for me and for Joseph, Daddy came home just then! Yahoo for 5:00! It was time to finish dinner.

So, here we have our turkey, onion (finely chopped), parsely, zuchini, breadcrumbs, one egg, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. And a bowl. :)

And it was so good that we all had seconds! Brussel Sprout Fact: brussel sprouts are in the same family as cabbage and broccoli and originated in Brussels, Belgium of course. Joseph ate so much that he couldn't do anything but lay on Daddy and vegge after dinner.

Look at that belly! That is one big ol belly, man. I belive his pediatrician calls that "healthy and happy". Yes, indeed!

So, the dishes are washed and here's the review:

Josh says "I really enjoyed the turkey meatloaf. I thought it was great! Goodness gracious great balls of turkey and zuchini meatloaf! Write that one down, wifey!"

Joseph says "Fun to make, fun to eat, good stuff Mummy!"

Heather says "Simply delightful but save the dijon and peach glaze for biscuts and tea."

This one gets a "write that down" stamp of approval. And for you epicurious folks... http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/5671

The Sandwich and the Boy

I was making a sandwich for lunch today and as I finished up, I thought to myself "dang, that is a good looking sandwich." My munchkin was napping nicely so I was able to finesse it a bit more than usual. The creativity flowed from my finger tips like wind over the ocean. First came the dijonnaise - not just plain mustard - and NO mayo (except for the touch in the dijonnaise, of course). Then the avocado. Now, I like my avocado on top of the dijonnaise - it makes for a very nice combo of flavors. Next came a huge, hearty, healthy helping of alfalfa sprouts. That is really the key for the perfect texture - I leave the lettuce off. Salami, tomato, cheese, turkey (shaved, if you will). Bread. Yummmmmmy.


Mmmmm. Drool. Gotta check on baby to make sure he is still settled in - this sandwich deserves all my attention while it gets devoured. Hold on lovely sandwich...

Awwww...now, if that sandwich wasn't so good looking, and if I wasn't so hungry, and if the gods had given me six arms and three heads and two bodies (wait - three heads and two bodies? that doesn't match up does it?) then I would hug up that baby and hold him tight while I eat my sandwich. He looks so peaceful and lovely dovely!

Love you Joseph. Love you sandwich. Life is good.

Photos Number 1,100,789 - 1,100,794....

I had to get in a quick photoshoot in yesterday since Joseph decided to wear stripes. He looks so cute in stripes! I think he must have known how much his mommy loves them.

And since we were on the MAGIC changing table...smiles were abundant! I don't know what it is about that table, it just turns on the sunshine. It makes diapie time so pleasent!

I bet Joseph's first words will be "say cheese!" He hears that more than there are stars in the sky! Say Cheese!!

Ok, my love, give those sweet cheekies a rest...time for some snuggling!

Zayde

I loved these pictures of the guys. Josh's dad came over to help us install fans in the baby's room and guest room. But not just install the fan...he wired all the electrical since there was none in either room's ceiling in the first place. He's pretty handy to have around! Of course, once we got the baby's done, the fan wouldn't turn. The lights worked fine and we could hear the fan motor humming, the blades just wouldn't go. That figures! It would be against Murphy's Law if everything worked right the first time! Oh well...we roll with the punches well so we will go exchange it this weekend. I love Home Depot anyway, so any excuse to go is fine by me. Maybe I can sneak in some organazational baskets or high effiency light bulbs. Oooh, what I really want is a new bird feeder!! Yes, a squirrel proof one! Josh, if you're reading this...guess what we're getting this weekend?! :) Our blue jays will thank us!

The Year of the Smile!

I think I'll dub 2008 The Year of the Smile. There have been so many reasons to smile this far, and for heavens sake, it's only the end of January. For instance...this sweet little pouty lip above. Picture if you will: holding little Joseph in your arms, thinking about straightening up the kitchen and what will be for dinner, glancing around the to asses the dirty bottle situation, then you look down at the sleeping baby and almost as if on cue he sticks his little pink bottom lip out to completly melt your heart. Clearly he is not interested in dirty bottles. This is Josh's favorite face, and a close favorite for me.

The Year of the Smile also includes fun couch time with mom in the mornings. We like to sit around (or lay...I am not particular) and coo at each other. It's kinda our thing.

The Year of the Smile includes lots of tongue sticking out, too. Lots and lots and lots! So much that sometimes I have to sponge down his tongue to re-wet it. It's good for when I have to send mail...even though he get a little squirmy when he sees envelopes coming.

Of course, this is the year of every one's smile - not just Joseph's. Basically, it's just easier in life to smile and I think we should all try it. I don't usually catch myself scowling (because I just don't scowl really), but if I do I will remember to stop and think of something nice. And smile.

If I need something to think about stop scowl-face in it's tracks...then I might think of stripes. Fuzzy, warm, footed stripes. I've really always been a fan of stripes (vertical of course), but now that I see them on Joseph I like them even more. I was just telling Josh this the other day as we admired our "handy work". I better watch what I say - if Joseph is ever in the slammer wearing stripes this will have bitten me in the butt.

Something else to smile about this year? Cake of course! Betcha didn't think I was going to say that! It's very random but some how I started thinking of cake and why isn't it a reason to smile? Ahh yes, I know why I was thinking about it. There is some over there on the counter from mom (Louisiana crunch pudding cake) and I was eyeing it earlier. I guess it was my subconscious calling out as I write this.

The Year of the Smile will include good health. Because happy people who smile a lot are less sick. I know it for a fact. I know it for a fact in my book, anyway. Who knows if it's been proven but since this is my blog I will make up whatever I want. I think you better beware of what you read here since apparently I am making things up now.

Oh, man...where is that letter I needed to mail!? Here I come little Joseph, HOLD STILL!! Oh--how about the Year of the Smile including snail mail? That always makes me smile. It amazes me every time I actually do get real mail that isn't junk since we all email so much these days. There is nothing wrong with that though. Thank goodness for the internet that brings me email! Thank goodness for the mailman who brings me letters! Thank goodness for the stork that brings me babies!

Speaking of mail...look what we got yesterday! New cowboy boots! Yeehaw! Josh's cousin Adam and his wife Aurora sent a whole cowboy themed package to the new baby. These boots were sooo cute that I slapped them right on him and started taking pictures. Additionally, and I guess this wouldn't count for the boys out there (unless you have a Brokeback Mountain lifestyle), but cowboys make me smile for sure! Big grown up ones in nice jeans are good, but mostly my little cowboy in his boots and sheriff's badge bib. And I like horses that come with them!

This year will include lots of laughs. Big throw your head back and wave your arms around laughs! Laughs that make your face look kinda crazy with a funny look in your eyes. We can learn so much from babies! I am laughing at that picture right now!!

So I think all of us here in the Blachly household agree that 2008 will be great. We are going to take the bad in stride and welcome new beginnings in where we see fit. We are going to sip delicious hot teas and take in the aroma - instead of battling with neighbors who keep dumping their trash in our cans. We will "teach" Joseph about classical music while drinking bottles of delicious milk. We will always keep family close, and not forget that anything can happen at anytime. We will use troubled and hard times to develop our patience and devotion to each other. We will continue to love each other and remember how far it has gotten us. And we will change lots of poopy diapers and try not to gag. I thought a little comedy relief was in order! So, here comes February and we hope it's as great as January - for each and everyone.

The G's!!

I finally got my booty to WholeFoods and bought the gDiapers I've been wanting to try. These flushable, biodegradable liners and cute, cute covers are pretty much what I was expecting. They are very close to cloth diapers...except probably a little more absorbent. I have been washing the liners and covers often so I might as well think about using cloth since washing is one thing that is unappealing about it. Here is how it works: there is the flushable liner that sits next to Joseph's skin, that flushable liner lays inside the waterproof liner, and that waterproof liner snaps into the soft (and colorful) cloth cover. The starter kit came with 10 flushable liners so that is all the experience I've gotten. Probably not enough to really experience the wide range of poops. What is very promising is that once Joseph gets past the infant blowout poops, then I think the more solid poops will be manageable. So, have many of you stopped reading yet? Too much poop talk? Well, I am very excited and had to share!

This is what I picture people saying:
So, is it expensive?

Yes, quite a bit more expensive than regular disposables. The flushable liners are 40 for $15. And you have to change them more often than disposables. A good reason for switching to cloth.

Aren't the leaks messy?

Yes! They are messy...but what isn't messy about a baby pooping on himself and needing you to clean his booty? Poop doesn't stress me out and I am doing laundry anyway, right?

...And in the middle of the night?

The middle of the night changes haven't been a pain yet. I can see that being a mess if I am really tired and out of patience. But I guess I'll just have to find some patience and go for it. I think overall, the earth and my baby's bottom are thanking me enough to march on.

Is it a pain to go flush the dirty liner after changing Joseph?

Yes and no - it is a lot nicer to just change him and then hug him up and continue on with our day, but it only takes another 10 seconds to walk to the bathroom and hit the flusher. If Joseph is needs to be picked up right then then I have just thrown them in the diaper pail for brief storage and flushed at a better time. I am probably most pleasantly surprised about the flushability of these things out of the whole process. They just fall apart and dissolve into "pulp" in the toilet.

So, Mrs. gDiaper-thang, has your toilet clogged yet???

I know, I know...the BIG question as far as I am concerned. Because the last thing that I want is to be calling out a plumber on "off hour" cost to come unplug my toilet one weekend. No clogs yet, but it sounds like a lot of people have trouble with it. We'll see and that's all I can do. Actually, its not all I can do because I can throw them away since they are biodegradable, but one of the gDiaper thoughts is that poop and pee belong in the toilet and not in the trash. I think I agree.

So I conclude with these thoughts:

I have now been prompted to start checking out cloth diaper services again which would be more cost effective than buying the gDiaper liners. Cloth would fit inside my covers just fine and many hippie moms do that. I need to go ahead and keep on it for longer before I can really decide if I am going to stick with it. I feel like I will. I think it's funny that I am so enamoured with these when once upon a time cloth was all there was. You would think it was a whole new invention the way I have gone on about it here. Ha! Gotta run now...Joseph needs some kisses!

Joseph's orange gDiaper with some Daddy-lovin'!

Hear Ye Hear Ye

I would like to announce that I, yes...get ready.... have chopped an onion this morning! I know, I know, I can hardly believe it myself. And to tell you the truth it wasn't all that bad. I mean, it was pretty bad - but it was do-able. All in the name of chicken and sasuage cassoulet. I found this recipe in my slow cooker book and I thought it sounded soooo yummy. A cassoulet (I thought I would let you in because I had to google the definition) is a slow cooked bean casserole or stew containing meat that originated in the southwest of France. There are several regional variations but all contain white beans, duck or goose, meat and sasuages. Anyhoo, the point is that I chopped an onion and gosh darnit and that cassoulet better be darn good for it!

Speaking of onions, we had an onion sprout last week and I couldn't resist giving it it's big break with it's own photoshoot! I thought it was actually very pretty, and it grew really fast too.

Mom and Joseph

How could Josh resist us? We are just too cute and loveable to pass up! I pulled Joseph into bed with us for a little morning snuggle and Josh caught us snoozing. These are from just about a month ago...I can't believe how the time has passed. We will be taking Joseph in for his two month wellness checkup soon. Josh and I can't wait to see how much he weighs now. As the doctor keeps telling me, Joseph is at the all you can eat buffet and we want a fat and happy baby!

We Love Our Joseph...

Joseph and I were just hanging around one morning and I had to take this sweet little video. I hope you can stand two minutes of my baby voice. It just turns on immediatly when I am with him, and I hear all of you do it too...so no denying it!

Teaching Kids to be Financially Savvy

My cousin Loriana sent this to a bunch of us awhile back and it really made an impression on me. I thought the author had some neat ideas and priceless advice in this day of credit cards and disposable incomes. Enjoy!

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12 Ways to Make Your Kids Financially Savvy By JONATHAN CLEMENTS December 17, 2007; Page R1


Ten years after I am dead and gone, I suspect only two people will give much thought to me, and their names are Henry and Hannah.

They're my legacy, so I hope they thrive -- and I sure hope they remember me fondly.

Henry and Hannah are, of course, my children, now ages 15 and 19, respectively. Like any parent, I spend a lot of time thinking about my kids, including how I can best help them financially.

This isn't simply about coughing up dollars and cents, though the sums involved have been frighteningly large. Rather, what it's really about is passing along values.

Yes, I want my kids to be financially successful. But mostly, I want them to be competent, contented managers of their own money, so they don't spend their lives agonizing over their finances and dogged by foolish mistakes.

I am not claiming to have the road map for every parent. We all have different values, different incomes and strong ideas about how best to raise children -- and you will likely scoff at some of the things I've done. With that caveat, here are a dozen ways I have endeavored to help my kids financially.

1. WAITING UNTIL LATER

If children are to grow up to be successful savers and investors, they need to learn two key skills: How to delay gratification and how to take risks prudently. The first is easily the most important.

Indeed, the self-control needed to delay gratification is associated not only with good saving habits, but also with things like succeeding in school and coping better with frustration and stress.

Yet this isn't an easy skill to teach. Henry and Hannah grew up spending their parents' cash, so they didn't have much incentive to curb their desires. My response? Make them feel like they're spending their own money.

One of my early tricks was the soda game, which I learned about from a reader. When my children were young and we went to restaurants, I would give them a choice: They could have a soda or they could have $1.

Henry and Hannah ended up drinking a lot of water.

2. ASKING THEMSELVES

Emboldened by the soda game's success, I looked for other ways to apply the same notion. The breakthrough came when Hannah was 14 and Henry was 10. That was when I opened a savings account for each of them. The accounts came with a cash-machine card.

Every three months since then, I have deposited pocket money for them in their savings accounts and, as they have grown older, their clothing allowance as well. That way, they've had to learn to budget for a three-month period. More important, they no longer ask me for money.

Instead, if they want to buy something, they have to ask themselves.
The effect has been startling. Henry and Hannah almost immediately became more careful spenders.

Sound manipulative? You'd better believe it. But I also think of it as financial self-defense. Suppose Henry and Hannah don't learn good money skills and grow up to be financial deadbeats. If they ended up deeply in debt, I can't imagine not helping -- at which point their financial problems would be mine.

3. TALKING THE TALK

I haven't just molded Henry and Hannah with financial incentives. I have also used family stories.

Values are passed down to our children in the stories we tell. My children may live in an affluent household in an affluent town. But I want them to know that their mother and I struggled financially, and that they will likely have their own struggles.

So I talk about the mouse- and cockroach-infested Brooklyn apartment where we all lived while their mother worked on her Ph.D. and we squeaked by on a junior reporter's salary. I tell them about the beaten-up '76 Camaro that used to stall if the traffic light stayed red too long. I recount taking them as toddlers to the "toy museum,"
otherwise known as FAO Schwarz, where we would play with the dolls and the trains but never buy.

Instead of regaling my children with these tales, I could simply lecture them about the virtues of thrift. But the stories pack far more punch.

4. SCOFFING AT WEALTH

I have also encouraged my kids to be suspicious of displays of opulence, whether it's the big house, the fancy car or the designer clothes. The fact is, this sort of spending doesn't lead to lasting happiness, but it can create a heap of financial stress.

In belittling conspicuous consumption, I may be a little too strident, but there's a reason. Henry and Hannah may have grown up hearing about the dilapidated Brooklyn apartment. But I grew up hearing a far more powerful story, about my maternal grandfather and his four siblings, who in the 1940s each inherited what today would be millions of dollars. My grandfather's siblings quickly blew the money on fast cars and high living. My grandfather blew his money more slowly, on horses and cattle farming. Either way, the great family fortune was gone, and reckless spending was largely to blame.

5. COMPOUNDING FOR DECADES

When my children were young, I opened a variable annuity for each of them. This isn't a product I particularly like, because many have outrageously high annual expenses and charge back-end sales commissions if you sell within, say, the first seven years.

Still, there are a few no-load variable annuities with low annual expenses, notably the offerings from Fidelity Investments and Vanguard Group. Moreover, unlike with an individual retirement account, you don't need earned income to fund a variable annuity, so you can open an account for a toddler. Today, my kids' low-cost variable annuities are each worth some $37,000.

I have long been captivated by the idea of starting Henry and Hannah on the road to retirement. Think about it: The dollars I invested when they were youngsters might enjoy six decades of tax-deferred compounding. That's enough to turn $1 into over $100, assuming an 8% annual return. And thanks to the tax penalty on early withdrawals, my children will be discouraged from touching the money before they are 59½.

6. GROWING FREE

There are far better investment vehicles than a variable annuity, and my chance came a few years ago. Hannah got a job at a local restaurant, which meant she had earned income. That allowed me to open a Roth individual retirement account for her, which will give Hannah tax-free growth.

Instead, I could have funded a regular IRA, where withdrawals are taxable but you get an initial tax deduction. That tax deduction, however, wouldn't have been worth much, given Hannah's low tax rate, so the Roth seemed like a better bet.

The money I've stashed in my kids' variable annuities and in Hannah's Roth IRA won't be nearly enough to pay for their retirement, especially once you figure in inflation. But fully funding their retirement was never my aim. Rather, the accounts are intended to be a powerful example, showing my children how money will grow if they are willing to sit quietly with a diverse collection of low-cost funds.

7. HEADING HOME

When I bought my first home, my parents helped me financially, and I want to do the same for my kids. To that end, I have invested $15,000 for each of them.

Even with a decade or more of growth, that $15,000 probably won't be nearly enough for a 20% down payment. But it will give them something to build on.

I stashed Hannah's $15,000 in a target-date mutual fund that's geared toward 2010, while Henry's money is in a 2015 fund. I bought those funds knowing my kids probably won't buy homes until five or 10 years after those dates.

My thinking: Target-date funds typically have around half their money in stocks as of their target date, and then they continue to become more conservative in the years that follow. By the time my kids need their down-payment money, their target-date funds should be largely invested in bonds.

8. KEEPING SCORE

When my kids buy a house, they won't just need a down payment. They will also want to have a good credit score.

With that in mind, I listed Hannah as a joint account holder on my Visa card earlier this year. That meant the card's credit history was added to her previously blank credit report.

Suddenly, she looked like a model financial citizen. That allowed her, a few months later, to apply for a Discover card on her own. I now have her on a strict regimen, where she charges a small sum each month and dutifully pays it off, thus slowly building up a good credit score.

When Henry reaches college age, I will go through the same nonsense with him. This, alas, is necessary nonsense. The reality is, a good credit score will help my kids get a lower mortgage rate, lower insurance premiums and a host of other financial benefits.

9. VOWING TO HELP

Full disclosure: I am divorced. But even before my marriage broke up, I was horrified by the way many families blow $20,000 or $30,000 on a single day of celebration for a wedding.

To put such spending in context, consider this: According to the Federal Reserve's 2004 Survey of Consumer Finances, more than 96% of households headed by someone 65 to 74 had some savings -- but the median value of these financial assets, including things like checking accounts, stocks and mutual funds, was just $36,100.

Spending $30,000 on a party is not one of my values, and I've made sure my kids know it. I have told them I will give them $5,000 toward a wedding or at age 30, whichever comes first. What if they want the $30,000 wedding? They can ask their mother.

10. LENDING A HAND

While an expensive wedding is low on my list of priorities, a good education ranks near the top. My ex-wife and I long ago agreed that we would pay the full cost of our children's undergraduate education.
Again, this was something my parents did for me, and we all tend to be heavily influenced by our parents' behavior.

There is, however, a limit to my generosity. I have told Henry and Hannah that, if they want to go on to graduate school, they will have to take out loans. I may relent somewhat when the time comes. But I think that there should be some cost to staying in school, so I am not inclined to continue footing the full tab.

11. SETTING EXPECTATIONS

As you might gather, I have talked to my kids a fair amount about money. They know they will graduate college debt-free, they will get some help toward a house down payment and they will receive just $5,000 toward a wedding. They know about the retirement accounts. I have also promised them $5,000 upon graduating college, to get them started in the world.

No doubt some folks will think I'm overly generous, while others might consider me cheap. Many will question my priorities. For instance, folks have told me that they would have skipped the retirement accounts and allocated more toward a house down payment.

But, frankly, the precise sums aren't that important. Instead, what I am striving to do is set expectations. By detailing everything to Henry and Hannah, I have made it clear where I think my financial responsibility ends and where theirs will begin.

12. GETTING EDUCATED

Along the way, I have also endeavored to teach my kids about sensible investing. It's been a slow process.

For instance, earlier this decade, I tried a family investment contest. We all picked a mutual fund, I invested $50 a month in each and then we tracked who fared best. I thought the competition would grab their interest, but it wasn't a great success. Maybe Henry and Hannah were too young.

Indeed, I have continued to show them their mutual-fund statements as they arrive in the mail, and my kids have grown more interested as they have grown older. They have also become more curious about the financial markets, and I can now chat about investing for at least 30 seconds before they reach for their iPods.

I hope enough of this will stick, and they will grow up to be prudent managers of their own money. The potential savings are huge. A financial adviser might charge 1% of a portfolio's value each year, and then recommend mutual funds that cost another 1%. What if my children learn to build their own index-fund portfolios that cost a mere 0.2% a year? When their portfolios hit $1 million, they will pay just $2,000 a year in investment costs, instead of the $20,000 they would be paying if they used an adviser. And, with any luck, they will remember whom to thank.