11 Proven Ways to Get Kids to Eat Vegetables

Check out this fantastic post on getting kids to eat vegetables on Summer Tomato!

I have found that all of these tips can be successful.

A couple of other things that I've found helpful is first not ever assuming that a kid won't like something. Offer something as neutrally as you can, even if it's something that you can't stand don't let that colour how you present it! Avoid ever saying something, "oh you won't like that". I overheard this exact comment spoken by a mom recently in the grocery store when a child asked about brussels sprouts.

Something else that I've found useful is giving dishes fun names or naming them after your child's interests. For instance, we eat 'Rugby Soup'. This is really Broccoli and Cauliflower soup, but when we have it, L yells 'Rugby Soup!' and runs over to the table.

Good luck!

Pinterest Experiments Part One

I had very good intentions of publishing a cutesy Valentine's Day post featuring some heart shape hard-boiled eggs that I was inspried to try from a Pin. Unfortunately things didn't go exactly as planned and Luc ended up eating a mangled egg as a snack, which was ok for him because lately he just loves hard-boiled eggs and he didn't realize that this time it was actually supposed to be cute.

I've been doing a fair amount of experimenting with ideas that I've found on Pinterest. I know there are  mixed feelings about Pinterest, but I find that not only is it a great way to visually organize my bookmarks, which makes them easier to find again later, and I'm constantly being inspired by other people's amazing creativity and ideas. I'm always looking for new household 'best practices'. Here is a round-up a few of the tricks/ideas/projects that I've recently tried that I found on Pinterest.

1. Heart-Shaped Egg

Verdict: Fail

My egg ended up splitting on the top while at the same time also having indents on the sides where the cardstock dug into the sides of the egg somehow.

I am planning on trying this again, however with thicker card and cutting it down a little lower. How cute would Deviled Eggs be in these?

2. Regrowing Green Onions

Verdict: Success!

I was skeptical but this actually worked and they grow so fast that it's incredible. Mine are ready to use again in little more than 1 week.

Just plunk your white root ends in a shot glass and keep on a widowsill and top up the water every couple of days.

Very cool and budget friendly too! Twice the green onions out of one purchase.

3. Freezing Green Onions

Verdict: Fail

I always seem to have leftover green onions that go bad before I can use them, so I was interested to try this method of freezing them.

At first, this method of freezing sliced green onions in an empty water bottle worked great.

However, after the one week, they were starting to get awfully freezer burned already.

The problem lies in not being able to get rid of the air in the container. Probably better to just freeze in a zip-top bag, being sure to squeeze out as much air as possible. You'll have to break off a chunk to use and they wont' look as nice but they'll keep longer.

4. Homemade Natural Body Wash

Verdict: Mixed

I used Dr. Bronner's citrus bar soap as the base for this recipe, but you can use any all-natural bar soap. It was quick and easy to make, super cheap, smelled great, lathered up well and left us all feeling cleaner than with our store-bought body wash.

However, the texture was just awful. It felt like play slime. It was really gross to touch and use.

I'm going to play with the recipe and see if I can get the texture just right, because this could save us quite a bit of money over time instead of buying natural organic paraben-free body washes.

I'll update if I'm successful with this one! 

Are you on Pinterest? What are your favorite Pinterest tips, tricks, and finds?

Great Tip for Feeding Toddlers Soup

I love making soups. I love eating soups. However, I do not love trying to feed my toddler soup. But, I also don't like making separate meals if I can avoid it (exceptions are made so that we can enjoy an occasional spicy meal!) . Today there was a great tip on Parent Hacks for dribble-free soup that I'm going to try!

For those of you with toddlers, how do you tackle soup?