Hooray for handmade! (For now...)

Earlier this month I wrote about the CPSC's new law that was threatening to put small toymakers out of business.  While some important elements of the law are still going into effect (such as ensuring that crib paint is lead-free), much of the enforcement of the law has been delayed for one year so that much-needed clarifications can be made.  Hooray!  Read more here.

Thank you to everyone who took action on this!

By the way, be sure to read my post from earlier today--it's got a great recipe for muffins (guaranteed to be lead-free!)

Mmmmmmuffins!

Milled flax seed is just one of those really awesome foods I didn't know anything about until relatively recently.  It's chock full of OMEGA-3 oils and fiber.  We are adding it to Zoodle's baby food and seem to have successfully conquered some pretty bad constipation this way--hooray! 

Today I noticed a muffin recipe ("Whole Wheat Flax'n Apple Muffins") on the back of my Hodgson Mill brand Milled Flax Seed.  I decided to try it, but I made some changes to make it even healthier.  

And these muffins turned out delicious.  One of the changes I made was using 100% whole wheat flour instead of half whole wheat/half white.  The muffins were light and fluffy, without the density I often expect from whole wheat breads.  Their sweetness comes from maple syrup and apples, without any white sugar.  In fact, they were quite sweet, and if you prefer to use less maple syrup they'd still be delicious.

So here it is, the new and improved recipe....

Beth's Bodacious Apple Nut Muffins

1/4 cup milled flax seed

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 Tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 egg

1/2 cup maple syrup (for less sugar, use 1/4 cup)

3 Tbsp vegetable oil

2/3 cup milk

1 1/2 cups finely chopped apples with peels left on (approximately 2 smallish apples)

1/2 cup chopped nuts (I used pecans)

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees, and either grease 12 muffin cups well, or put paper liners in 12 muffin cups.

2.  Mix first five dry ingredients in a bowl.

3.  In a separate bowl, beat the egg.  Mix with maple syrup, vegetable oil, and milk.

4.  Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir until just blended.

5.  Fold in apples and nuts.

6.  Pour batter into 12 muffin cups (about 2/3 to 3/4 full.)

7.  Bake at 375 degrees for about 25 minutes, until tops of muffins have started to brown, and knife inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.

Toot toot!

Kids are fascinated with passing gas. As kids grow into toddlerhood, each household must have its own word for this inevitable occurance--we've gone with the ever-popular "toot." Chickie has known for a long time about the feelings and sounds associated with tooting. Recently she started understanding the humor of this bodily function. And even more recently, she discovered something extra-fascinating.

Toots stink.

That means even if a toot isn't audible, Chickie can tell when someone has tooted, and she wants to know who it was. She's even learned the fine art of blaming others for one's own gas infractions--one day recently she blamed Grammy and Sampa, and when they both denied it, it became clear she was probably the tooter. Up next will be blaming the dog, I'm sure.

Unfortunately, kids' fascination with toots develops many months before they learn to be ashamed of such socially unacceptable behavior. And that can put mommies in some awkward situations.

Last weekend, Sampa took Chickie and me for a donut date. On the way home we stopped at a grocery store. My dad started chatting with the pharmacy tech, who was a girl I'd gone to high school with but didn't know well. I stood there, listening.

Okay, I admit, I was doing more than listening. But I swear, my toot was totally silent and small enough it shouldn't have been smelled by anyone.

Anyone, that is, except someone whose nose just happens to be level with my derriere.

"Mommy," Chickie suddenly piped up, "did Zoodle tooted?"

With a smile I hoped was casual, I said, "No, honey, Zoodle isn't here."

The wheels in Chickie's little head quickly turned, and she asked the next logical question. "Did you tooted?"

I glanced at my dad and my old classmate, still in conversation, hoping neither of them was listening. Not wanting to lie to my little girl, and certainly not wanting to admit anything, I listened to my dad talk and ignored my daughter.

She was insistent. "Did you tooted, Mommy?"

Clearly she didn't want to drop the topic, and I still didn't now how to respond without drawing attention to myself. Thankfully the conversation at the pharmacy counter wrapped up, and I was able to say goodbye to my old classmate, pretty sure the one-sided, all-too-telling conversation hadn't been overheard and that the secret was still safe between me and Chickie.  This time, anyway.

When Chickie gets old enough to complain about me embarrassing her, I will assure her she deserves every bit of it.