Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Review: The Baby Bullet: My Adventure in Baby Food Making

So I decided today that I refuse to pay for baby food for my youngest child. I am so excited to try the baby bullet that I purchased today from Walmart for $59.00. I figure the cost will definitely be worth it over the course of baby's food adventures and will more than likely save me way more than $59.00.

So I decided today was as good a day as any to try it out. My little man is 7 months old now and he's had quite a few different foods so I figured why not just give him what we were having for dinner. 

Overall, I was quite impressed by the amount of stuff that came with the baby bullet. I got the bullet base (the motor), a large blender cup for making large amounts to freeze or for 7 days worth of food, a small cup for single serving, an instruction manual that also contains recipes for homemade baby food, it came with two different blades as well, one is for blending and puree and the other is for milling (if you wish to make your own version of baby cereals), a silicone container for freezing 6 portions and 6 small containers with lids and a ring that you can twist to the date you made them for refrigerating up to 3 days and a silicone spatula. I purchased an additional 6 small containers as I got them on clearance at Target.


I was quite excited to start using it as I figure I'm already feeding 5 other people it should be easy enough to fit baby in too. So I used the small blender cup which you can see in the picture on the left.  I didn't want to make too much as my son isn't really eating too much at a time.

I found the product overall very easy to use.  It was very quick too.  I had his dinner which was chicken breast, rice and mixed vegetables done before my husband was finished serving everyone else at the table.  I noticed while blending, that I had to keep adding a little water as my son still needs very fine puree but otherwise it was easy to get the consistency we needed. It was easy enough that my 5 year old would have no trouble being able to help me make the food.

I was able to get 3 servings of about 1 1/2 tbsp each from 1/4 of a large boneless chicken breast, 1 1/2 tbsp. of rice and 2 tbsp of mixed vegetables.  I used one serving for dinner and put the other two in one of the small containers.

Overall, I believe this product is going to be just what I need to save some money and be able to feed my baby knowing exactly what he is eating.  I think this product is good value for the money and I am looking forward to our adventures in baby food making.  Next I think I may try some fruit puree as those seem to be his favourite right now.

I think if you have the ability to use this product it can work well for any size family and for the price, I say you have got nothing to lose.

 **Please note I was not in any way paid for this review and these are my opinions only

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Things I've found helpful in raising 4 kids

Have you ever just found something you were so glad you had found and would be upset if you couldn't have it anymore?  I have found many of these things over my parenting years, some more now that I have 4 kids.

I am forever thankful for Walmart Supercentres.  I know this sounds funny but when you are shopping for a family of 6 it is so nice to only have to make one trip to get everything I need.  Groceries, pharmacy, bakery, deli, clothes, diapers, toys ect.  All in one place and only one trip.  I am forever trying to save time and money and thankfully, Walmart supercentres do both.

I honestly have also found Twitter an amazing resource.  I have only been tweeting since November 2013 and I wish that I had started sooner. So many great parenting bloggers, mommies just like me and it's a valuable resource to get answers from companies.  I have had amazing luck getting responses from companies such as Walmart Canada, Indigo and even places to visit like the Ontario Science Centre.  It really has been a learning curve but so worth it.

Also I just joined Pinterest as well and oh my the stuff I have found is incredible!  Who knew?  Crafts, foods, stuff for the kids and most things not to expensive. I can't wait to try out some of the things I have recently pinned.

The internet overall really has been my saving grace for information (not all of it good) but mostly a easy way to gather information not only for myself but for the kids as well. It helped me find reasonably priced private singing lessons for my daughter, tubs of Lego for my son and helpful ideas for organizing my home. 

I can't wait to really get my blog up and running so that I too can help others with my tips and tricks for raising my beautiful children. 

Friday, March 14, 2014

March Break Fun

Well it's been a busy fun-filled week with the kids thanks to @CityPASS. What a great value for the money spent. Trust me when I say planning things to do with a family of 6 was hard on a budget but CityPASS made it possible. Our entire march break staycation cost under $500 for the entire week that included eating downtown while visiting the CN tower, ROM and Casa Loma as well as parking at the Toronto Zoo and Ontario Science Centre.  This also included the cost of the GO train from Mississauga to Union station and a day pass for the TTC.

Both the zoo and the science centre allow outside food so I packed up a cooler full of snacks and sandwiches for us to enjoy while having fun. This saved us a bunch of money and was a really great part of the two trips. 

I think that the City PASS is a great way for families to get the most for their money. Although we never did make it to CasaLoma as we couldn't figure out a way to do it without the stroller for baby, I'm sure it would have been fun for the kids. 

All in all, I know my kids enjoyed their march break this year. Now all I have to do is plan next years. 


Avon