Tupelo Honey

FAQ’s.

dear readers,

i’ll be the first to admit that i am terrible at replying to messages. i let them build up for so long that i finally just avoided them all together. in an effort to be a more hands-on blogger, this is my first attempt at answering some of the most asked questions in my inbox. 

moving forward, i promise to respond to each one of your messages/emails/comments either by blog post on private message. if you have already asked me a question and i didn’t/don’t answer it here, ask again! ((and please don’t be anonymous, i want to know who you are- share your blog address or email!))

thanks for reading and showing personal interest in our little family and life in delaware… it’s because of you that i continue blogging and share our story. 

xo

lindz

***

1. hands down, the #1 question i get the most is: where did you get madeline’s play kitchen and grocery stand?

the kitchen is the little tikes deluxe wooden kitchen and laundry center and can be found HERE. as for the grocery stand, we wanted THIS ONE, but it wasn’t available, so we settled on the wonder shop play store. shop around for the best price(s), we didn’t pay over $160 for the kitchen or more than $100 for the stand. what’s great about the wonder shop is that you can transform it into something else when the kids get tired of having a market- like a wood shop or lemonade stand. 

2. what kind of camera do you use? 

we use all types of cameras, but i think the one you all are referring to is our Nikon D3100. we added it to our collection last december after the camera we received as a gift for our honeymoon was stolen (grrrrrr). we purchased the D3100 at best buy (again, grrrrrr) as a package deal- including a 18-55mm lens, a 55-200m zoom lens (both with VR/vibration reduction), camera bag of my choice (i pushed for this, normally comes with standard bag), and memory card. we spent a lot of time going back and forth between canon and nikon, but the nikon won. honestly, i don’t think you can go wrong with either of these brands. our friends all have canons, as well as our cousin who is a professional photographer. it’s all about personal preference. 

3. what do you do to get your photos looking the way that they do? nothing special, just the editing options on iphoto. i almost always boost color, and then play around with exposure, contrast, and saturation. sometimes i’ll get fancy and log onto picnik, but it can take a long time and i get annoyed easily. i do not pay for a membership, the basic tools work for me. one of these days i’ll cave and get photoshop, but that’s a big investment and i really need more free time to learn how to use it properly. christmas gift, perhaps?  (<-andy!)

4. where do you get/what kind of hair bows does madeline wear?

((playing with her kiddie stethoscope (it has beating heart noises!) and my old nursing palm pilot))

if i’m purchasing them new, i’ll visit hansel and gretel in wilmington. madeline has been wearing bows in her hair since the day she was born- it’s her signature accessory- and the wee ones brand is the best on the market. some of my favorite bows that madeline owns are used and came from once upon a child. lately, we’ve been using these barrettes (purchased at target), the same ones i used to wear when i was a little girl. so cute!!!

5. where did you get that [fill in the blank] dress/outfit for madeline? 

i receive a lot of questions about madeline’s clothes. i try not to purchase all of them from carters, target, or gymboree, but it’s hard- they’re so cheap. i also love a good gap sale. if i pay full price for an anything madeline wears, it better be an OMGHAVETOHAVEIT moment. baby clothes go on sale too often to have to pay full price. i’m also not willing to pay the kind of prices boutiques are asking, i don’t go to trunk shows, and i’ve realized that too many adorable etsy purchases will bankrupt me. i usually buy a few items for each season from all of the locations above- but my favorite places to shop for that one-of-a-kind outfit or item is goodwill, the flea market, and once upon a child. the clothing items i get the most inquiries about/compliments on are gently used/vintage. i’ll try to be better about posting where i got what. 

6. where did you get your coffee table?

crate and barrel, almost 4 years ago. i am kindamostdefinitely obsessed with it, it has so much storage space and is gorgeous (IMO). 3 top lids open up for extended surface space and you can place drinks, food, etc on them. it’s hard to explain, i’ll have to take a picture next time it’s open. regardless, LOVE IT. 

7. I remember you saying a few months back that you had a theory as to why madeline was such a happy baby. what is that theory?

ahh, my “happiest baby on the block” theory! gah, that was so long ago… theory may have been the wrong word… hahaaha ok, so to post or not to post??? i’m afraid people might read this the wrong way, which is why i’ve been dragging my feet about posting it. now that i’m a more “seasoned” mother, i don’t honestly believe that this is the only way to raise a happy child, or that this technique will work for every baby. what i will say though is that my child is hands-down the happiest baby i have ever met (i was a nanny for a good portion of my life and worked in a pediatric hospital- i know babies) and she fusses maybe 1% of the time. yes, we got lucky, but i also have to believe that andy and i must be doing something right… so here’s what i think worked for us when she was an infant and helps contribute to her behavior:

you know how you’re supposed to chart and document every poop and pee diaper for the first 12 days of life? i took that assignment one obnoxious step further- i documented EV-ER-Y-THING- when she feed, how long she fed, how quickly she fell asleep during/after feedings, nap times, length of nap times, play times, what type of play it was/level of play, bedtimes, bedtime routines, levels of patience during outings based on time of day, how long she could sit in the bouncy chair/swing/boppy lounger before getting fussy… you get the picture. after the first few days or so, i started charting patterns. these patterns became mathematical equations that i solved. a+b+c would result in x outcome.  this allowed me to quickly anticipate her needs and cater to them before she would get fussy or have meltdowns. i knew what she wanted even before SHE knew what she wanted! eventually, i got used to this way of thinking and started charting in my head. now i do the “math” without a second thought. even though i never pushed a schedule on her (that came around 8 months), i was able to map out our days according to her internal schedule. i never found myself stressed out or scrambling to figure out what she needed. THIS WAS CLUTCH FOR MY SANITY. even now, i (surprisingly) rarely get frustrated, feel like i want to pull my hair out, have a bad day because of her behavior, or loose my cool with her. using the above technique for her wants and needs, i hit the nail on the head the first time, 95% of the time. yes, her needs as an infant constantly changed, but as long as i documented those changes, i was able to stay one half a step ahead. now that she’s a toddler, this technique isn’t so easy to use, but i try to make it work as much as i can. so far, so good! when charlie comes along, i hope to test this “theory” once again… i’ll let you know how it goes. (you guys are probably like, “we all do this. it’s common sense.” and if that’s the case, just ignore this post!)

8. what is the recipe for the super bionic wikikale shake?

madeline loves this smoothie!

this answer is more for my twitter peeps- i promised them i’d share the recipe for my go-to morning power boost that makes me feel like superwoman. NO JOKE. 

even though i was the juice shop smoothie queen in the 90’s- i made smoothies for the better part of my high school days, i won the juice shop scholarship and my picture is still on the wall (just sayin’)- i can’t take credit for this recipe. it comes from my buddy matt. 

1 banana
2/3 cup blueberries (frozen or fresh)
2/3 cup strawberries (frozen or fresh)
I/2 peach (optional)
2-4 cups kale or more (however much you can put in without significantly impacting taste)
1/2 cup All Bran fiber cereal (get mine from trader joe’s, cheaper than grocery store)
2 tbsp plain Greek yogurt or 1 scoop vanilla protein powder (i use/bought powder from TJ’s)
1/2 tbsp flax seed oil (i use the seeds, cheaper)
splash of milk, and apple juice or OJ to taste (milk for me, less sugar)
1-2 splenda packets (i don’t add this or any sugar, splenda=BAD)
1-2 cups ice (i do no less than 2, but it makes it harder to blend)
blend all ingredients except for the ice together, then add ice and blend again. After you drink it you are ready to take on anything - it’s like rocket fuel! also, if you prefer an even more shake-like consistency, unpeel the banana and freeze it in syran wrap over night. 
madeline wants me to tell you to enjoy… YOUR OWN OF COURSE, because this little one ain’t sharing.

9. what is the recipe for your homemade peach/strawberry ice cream?

we own the cuisinart frozen yogurt/ice cream/sorbet maker and the recipes came straight out of the recipe book included. i’m totally that girl that always changes recipes up a bit, but this recipe needs no altering. it is seriously the best ice cream i have ever tasted. as the name suggests, this machine also makes homemade frozen yogurt and sorbet. a great investment, IMO, especially if you have kids, love creative flavors (add whatever ingredients you want- cereal, candy, fresh fruit!), or entertain often. c’mon, who doesn’t like ice cream???? 

Fresh Strawberry Ice Cream

Makes about fourteen ½-cup servings

3 cups fresh ripe strawberries, stemmed and sliced

4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1. cups sugar, divided

1. cups whole milk

2. cups heavy cream

1. teaspoons pure vanilla extract

In a small bowl, combine strawberries with lemon juice & ½ cup of the sugar. Stir gently and allow the strawberries to macerate in

the juices for 2 hours. Strain the berries, reserving juices. Mash or purée half the berries.

In a medium mixing bowl, use a hand mixer on low speed to combine  the milk and remaining granulated sugar until the sugar is dissolved,

about 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the heavy cream, reserved strawberry juice, mashed strawberries, and vanilla. Turn the machine on; pour the mixture

into freezer bowl, and let mix until thickened, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Five minutes before mixing is completed, add the reserved sliced  strawberries and let mix in completely. The ice cream will have a soft,

creamy texture. If a firmer consistency is desired, transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and place in freezer for about 2 hours. Remove

from freezer about 15 minutes before serving.

Note: This ice cream will have a “natural” appearance of very pale pink. If a deeper pink is desired, add red food coloring sparingly by drops until

desired color is achieved.

For Fresh Peach Ice Cream: Substitute 3 cups sliced fresh peaches for the strawberries.

10. what was your breastfeeding experience like with madeline? in short, it was great! she took to the breast immediately, no latch issues, no supply issues (initially), and she was a fast eater- BFing took me 20 minutes each feed, tops. i wasn’t one of those women who had enough milk to build up a good supply in the freezer, but madeline was never left hungry after a feeding session. i’m going to be perfectly honest here- i don’t LOVE breastfeeding and you’ll probably never see me BFing in front of anyone. sad, right?  i feel pretty guilty about it too… why don’t i love it like most moms? why can’t i be more comfortable with it? **i’m not judging anyone here… i’m admitting this because i want other women who feel the same way to know that they are not alone.** it’s so weird, i’ve taught other women how to breastfeed as a nurse, but when it comes to me doing it, i get really uncomfortable. i am a huge advocate for breastfeeding though… i always want to do what is best for my babies, so god willing, i did/will breastfeed each one of my children until i’m unable to provide nutrition for them on my own. breastfeeding was the one aspect of parenting that i was most nervous about so i was surprised to find that it wasn’t as weird as i thought it would be. that said, i get upset when i hear other women preach to non-BFing moms about how important it is to breastfeed for the connection. sure, BFing made me feel connected to madeline, but there are so many other ways to connect with her that i don’t NEED to BF for that reason. don’t beat yourself up (like i did) if something should happen and you’re not able to BF. for me, i had to stop around 3.5 months. i had gone out of town without mads, forgot my pump (ooof!) and by the time i got home, my supply was almost gone and i was in a world of pain. i even had andy bring the pump to the airport when they picked me up and i pumped all the way home- nada. i did everything i could to get my supply back up but it was too late. i finally had to supplement with formula and it went downhill from there. i was devastated and felt like a bad mom for being so irresponsible. i wish i had been more educated on techniques and options. this go-round, i’m much more informed and motivated to go the distance. wish me luck!

11. when are you going to finally start posting dinner recipes/ideas like you said you would?? 

soon. very soon… i hope. maybe? i don’t know. 

so that’s it… all the questions i have time to answer tonight. again, if there’s something you want to know, don’t hesitate to ask… and this time, i promise i’ll answer.