DIY Christmas wreath

Now this wreath took me a while to decorate. I had to find and organize the decorations on it. All the stuff I already had I just used extra Christmas decorations. The pine cones I made last year. I just got some good pine cones spray painted them silver put some adhesive glue on them and dipped them in glitter. Some I didn't put the glitter on and some I didn't even paint.

Here are the pine cones.

What you'll need:

• Wire wreath
• Garland ( any kind would work, you could even use the ones that look like tinsel, also you could wrap Christmas lights around it)
• Decorations ( Pine cones, ornaments, or a small sign would work)
• Bow 
• Hot glue gun
• Adhesive glue
• Glitter

What to do:

Wrap the garland around the wire wreath. Glue pieces of the garland to the wire so it wont move. 

Next place the decorations on the wreath the way you want them, dont glue them yet until you know that you want them there. 

Finally glue the pieces on the wreath... carefully. 

When I had them all glued I sprayed the glue in certain places and added glitter to give it that sparkly look.





Here is the final look. Have fun:)

DIY wood pumpkins

Instead of a wreath Ill be posting these cute pumpkins. I did them for craft night and they were to cute not to share.

What you'll need:

• 10 x 3 3/8 wood block
• 8 x 3 3/8 wood block
• 6 x 3 3/8 wood block
• Orange paint
• Painters tape 
• Circle stickers
• white paint
• thick sticks/ branches
• twin 

6 x 3 3/8

8 x 3 3 3/8

10x 3 3/8

this is what the branch looks like i dont
know how else to describe it.

What to do:

1. First you need to sand the wood blocks really well. I used an electric sander and it worked so much better and faster. 
2. For the painting start with either orange or white, it depends on what you want the stripes or dots to look like. Let that dry.
3. Decorate it with the painters tape. I did dots, horizontal lines and vertical lines. 
4. Paint the whole block over the tape including the top and bottom. Let it dry. Do this to all the blocks. After they are dry peel off the tape 
5. When really dry sand it again to make it that old look. 
6. Glue on the small branch on the top and tie it with the twin. 
   
   
    Here is the end result so cute huh!!!!
   
   
   

Homemade potpourri

These make the whole house smell amazing i love it. It just gives your house that happy holiday feeling.  You could also add your essential oils in the mix. You don't have to add all the ingredients just the ones you want. I like to mix and match them.

Fall/ Thanksgiving mixture:

• 3-4 sticks of cinnamon
• 4 slices of oranges
• 1/4 tsp coriander  
• half an apple (optional)
• 3 bay leavs
• Water (just enough to cover the bottom)

Add all ingredients to small pot, put over stove, set on low and enjoy the smell. You'll have to keep adding water. Make sure it doesn't dry up.. that will make your  house stink.

Winter/Christmas:

• 3-4 sticks of cinnamon
• 3 slices of oranges
• handful of cranberries
• 1-2 candy canes (optional)
• 1/4 tsp cloves
• half an apple (optional)
• 1/8 tsp vanilla ( or more)
• pine tree needles (if you want that tree smell)
• water

Put together the ingredients you want and add water like the one above

Summer

• 4 slices of lemons
• handful of fresh mint (peppermint, orange mint or mint)
• 1/4 tsp mint flavoring
• 2 slices of lime
• 1/2 tsp fresh lavender or oils (optional) 
• 1 bag of green tea ( i like the tazo green tea from starbucks it just has that summer smell) 
• half a grapefruit
• water

Put together the ingredients you want and add water like the one above

Spring

• 4 slices of lemons
• 2 slices of oranges
• 1/4 tsp rosemary
• half a grapefruit (sliced up)
• 1/8 tsp thyme
• 2 slices of lime
• water

Put together the ingredients you want and add water like the one above

Cafe Rio copycat beef

Once again thank you Pinterest for the recipe. This was so tender and delicious it was a hit at the Nielsen family home.

• 1 chuck roast ( i used a shoulder roast and it turned out the same)
  
• 1 small can of tomato sauce
• 1 can of green enchilada sauce
• Cumin
• Half an onion, in slices 
• Garlic

Put roast in crock pot with all ingredients, put sliced onions on top of the roast. They will be discarded after the roast is done. Cook on low for 8-9 hrs. (I put it in at 10 and it was done at 6:30) or until meat falls apart on its own.
Shred up meat in a large bowl; strain juices from roast. Put meat back in crock pot and a little sauce, just enough to make it juicy.
Serve in a salad or burrito.
I put a tortilla and black beans with meat in a bowl and covered it in lettuce and made my cilantro lime dressing on top with cheese, homemade guacamole, and sour cream.
Leftovers can be frozen and used for BBQ beef sandwiches.


The dressing I will post later when I figure out the measurements.

Your baby and their helmet...what to expect

My son and my cousins son, Tiff (she had twins) had to have a helmet. My son had it on for about 3 months her son had it on for 2-3 months. Nash and Tiffs son was born with torticollis. When I was in labor he got stuck in the birth canal, I pushed for 4 hrs and they used the suction on him to help him get his big noggin out of the canal. When he came out his head was misshaped like an egg and had a black and blue bruise on his head. As he grew his head grew up towards the point where they did the suction, and out the sides of the head by the ears. On Tiffs son he was sitting weird in the womb and his sister squished him.
 It is best to catch it when their young and they still have their soft spot. We caught Nash's at 2 months...well actually my sister did. Her daughter (one twin) had torticollis and they told her that she might have to have a helmet. She did the physical therapy and she didn't have to have one. She taught me the stretches and I started doing them before we even went to therapy.
Since going to therapy for his neck and getting his helmet I've learned a lot of the different kinds of head shapes. Yes there are different kinds and there are different types of torticollis but I wont go fully into that.

• Torticollis- abnormal neck position or stiff neck.

You can kinda see his egg head. (And how
cute he is when he was a newborn)

•  Plagiocephaly- flat head syndrome. One side of the head is flatter than the other
• Brachycephaly- The whole back of the head is flat and sides are out over the ears.
• Dolichocephaly- Where the head is long from the back to the front. 

Nash was in between Plagiocephaly and Brachycephaly. He did have one side flatter than the other the older he got. Because of his torticollis that made him favor one side.

this is what my handsome boy looks like
in a starband

Now for the different types:

• Starband- side opening band and bi valve. The bi valve opens from the bottom (the side opening band is what my son has.) This is a very popular brand. The bi valve helps with Palgiocephaly. The side opening helps with what Nash had.
• Starlight-  side opening band and bi valve available. They are clear so there can be visual inspection, instead of taking it off just to see how the head is doing. These ones are less popular and are used for more sever head molding. 
• Starlight pro- This one is if your child had surgery to remove a piece of bone to make a soft spot and to help the head shape. This one the child will most likely have it on for 18 months or shorter to help heal from surgery.

They put what looks like a nylon
sock on his head and dots on his face.

See the red?? well thats the scanner
The scanner reads the dots on his head
and draws his head on a computer.

How do they make it fit their tiny little heads? well this was the fun part of the whole thing. They used to make a mold of their head now they scan it. It was amazing to see the scanner draw his head on the computer. It looked just like him. 

When you get the helmet it comes
to big so they have to cut it to fit around
the ears and the forehead.

 Now for the process. It is a very long, hard process. It depends on the parents and baby on how hard it is. When Nash got his the first night wasn't a very good night. We had to take it off and try again tomorrow. The second night was better and he slept in it all night. When they first start you go from 2 hrs a day to 5 to 7 to 8 etc.. and than your at 23 hrs a day. For the first 5 days its a training period. This part is crucial to having him get use to the helmet. After they show you what to do they give you a paper on wear and care. There is a lot of instructions to it. Nash had his during the summer so he couldn't be outside a lot and if he was we had to take his helmet off. If it was off we had to take it with us we couldn't leave it in the car cause it could make it flat or misshaped.
While they wear it its just like having a cast on.. ITS GOING TO STINK!! I asked the helmet people how to prevent this and they said you cant and that its only gonna get worse. The only way you can clean it is with alcohol and putting a bowl of baking soda in it so let it soak up the nasty ness. Do not put baking soda directly on the Styrofoam it will create white spots on their head and irritate them. I did, and Nash had the white spots and red spots on his head. It did get rid of the smell for a couple of days, but im never doin it again. Although Tiff said that hers didn't stink as bad. I think its because my son sweats more than his cousin. As they grow in the helmet they sand it down and cut it so it wont make sores on their heads. Nash had 2 growth spurts during his and they were big ones. The one time it didn't fit him and I had to go in immediately to get it fixed.
For some people when they get told that their child had to get a helmet and have physical therapy they think that its their fault. I did and Tiff. We thought that we did something wrong and that we aren't raising our child right and that we did this to him. Our physical therapists told us that it is not the parents fault and its just a natural thing that happens. They told me that a helmet is very essential in babies. But, the whole time he had the helmet on I couldn't kiss him, snuggle him or play with him properly. Tiff said "I cant even hold or snuggle my child when he gets upset". Its very hard to think that but in a couple of months he will be out of it. Thats what made me very stricked on when he wore it. The more he wore it and did what they told me the sooner he gets it off.
It is a different adventure and new experiences with this. Ive meet the nicest people that took good care of my baby. They were so nice to me and explained everything slowly and made sure it made sense. They answer any questions, I asked a lot of questions haha and they don't mind. I have learned a lot about babies heads. Tiff said she would do all of this again in a heartbeat. I would too. It helps your baby so much. Though you go through trial and error you learn and get the hang of it and soon will become a professional on baby helmets:) and an excellent mom.
My sons results are below if you are interested.

Remember when I showed the pics of Nash in that nylon sock above. Well this is what the computer looked like. These images are the first scan he had

 These are his last session. Major difference huh. The netting is where is and the other is where he was. I could not believe the difference.

This is what it looks like without it on.

After (9 months)

Before (2 months)

Here are his before and after pics.
Sorry about the before pic he wouldnt hold still.

DIY Halloween wreath

October is here!!! that came fast. I absolutely love decorating for Halloween, I don't know why but its so much fun. A new month means a new wreath to hang up for your Halloween decor. This was so simple, easy and fun. Now for the garland, I didn't buy the same color for this wreath cause I wasn't planning on making a wreath out of it and I was a little iffy on making it. I just went for it and used all of the garland I bought (from the dollar store) and it turned out great.

this is what it looks like on my door.

After I put the garland on I wanted to add a little more to it. So I put some spider webbing on it and a giant spider. 

This is what my porch looks like when I finally finished decorating for October.

Alright and that is that see you in November for my Thanksgiving wreath!!.

Cream puff cake

Yes, you read it right cream puff cake. This tastes just like a cream puff but in a cake. The crust is amazing and fluffy and the filling is just the right touch of sweetness. Whenever I make this it is gone within an hour.

Pic not credited to me

What you'll need: 

Filling:

• 1 lg box of instant vanilla or chocolate pudding
• 1 8 oz pkg of cream cheese
• 3 c milk 

Crust:

• 1 stick of margarine
• 1 c flour
• 4 eggs
• 1 c water

Topping:

• Chocolate or caramel syrup 
• 1 container of cool whip

What to do:

Set oven to 400 degrees
 Boil together the water and margarine
Add flour and mix well. Cool slightly and add eggs one at a time. Mix well and spread on a 9x13 pan, greased.
Place in oven and cook for 30 min. When done let cool completely.
While crust is cooling, in a large bowl add pudding, milk and cream cheese. Mix well till all lumps are gone. ( I had a hard time getting them out but if you cant it will still taste the same)
Pour over cooled crust
Spread cool whip on top and drizzle syrup.
Refrigerate for 20-30 min to firm it up.

Mmmm Mmmm good!!!

Gardening: Indoor terrariums.

I love to have these in my house. I'm in the process of making more Ill post pics when I finish. I got most of my stuff at the dollar store and I got the succulents from my mom. Wal mart has them and they are pricey, but it depends on which ones you have. If you know someone that has chicks and hens and aloe vera get some from them.

What you'll need:

• fish bowl or small glass bowl
• Succulents (any works i like the chicks and hens and aloe vera)
• Dirt
• rocks (i was looking for the aquarium colorful rocks but I couldn't find any. Or you could get regular ones and spray paint them)

What to do:

• Place dirt in bowl just enough to cover the bottom and to keep the succulents watered. 
  
  
  
• Add rocks than succulents or you could add the succulents first whatever is easiest for you. 

Yeay!!! you got yourself a cute little terrarium. I put mine in my window where I do dishes so I can look at it.

Stuffed cheesy bread on crack

My in laws and parents absolutely love this. Its very very popular in the Nielsen home. Its easy and fun to make and in the end you devour every last bit.
So I don't put in poppy seeds and dijon mustard. You can add them if you wish but i didn't and it tasted just fine. For the cheese I at least use 2-3 small bags of cheese. The ones that say 2 cups on them.

What you'll need:

I do not take credit for the pictures

• 1 french bread loaf or italian loaf bread
• 1 stick of butter, melted
• 1/8 c olive oil
• 3 tsp garlic, grated
• 1 tbsp dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp poppy seeds
• 3 tsp chopped parsley
• 12 oz grated cheese ( italian mix and monterey jack)

What to do:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place tinfoil on cookie sheet than the bread loaf
Cut the bread into cubes with X slices without cutting all the way through the bottom crust.
Pour the butter-onion garlic mixture carefully into the X cracks using a small spoon or pastry spreader and over the top of the bread. Fill the cracks with cheese make sure you get every single crack.
Wrap entire loaf with foil, sealing the sides properly and bake for 15-20 min. Remove from oven and unwrap. Bake for another 10 min till cheese is all melted.

Homemade baby food *updated 1/26

Homemade baby food is cheaper and healthier for your baby. I just started making it and never realized how easy it is. My mother bought me a baby bullet on sale for $20 and it has everything in it. This thing is amazing, I absolutely love it. I love the instruction booklet in it that shows how to make everything. From milling rice to showing baby's feeding schedule. It has it all from up to 2 years old.
Jarred baby food ranges from 98 cents to 60. 60 cents was the cheapest I found.
 I also froze it, the set comes with  freezing, easy pop batch try. (The white on in the picture). The little cups has dials on the top to date when they expire. It also has a chop and a milling blade, spatula, big and small mix cups and food information.
When I was using up my jarred baby food I kept the jars and ran them through the dishwasher and kept them and put my own food in them. When I would fill them I would put tape on them and label what they are and date them. I also froze them in the jars and they turned out fine.
Frozen lasts up to a month and refrigerated is 3 days.  

I started mixing bananas and tried it out. We tested it on my son and he absolutely loved it. He went nuts, he loved it so much better than jarred. He ate 2 things of it and 5 oz of milk. I like making my own cause I know whats in it.

Now for mixing. These ideas came from the booklet I got with the baby bullet. Some are my ideas.

 Here are some ideas you can mix:

Food for 4-6 months

• 1 full banana with 1/4 c water or less water if you want it more thicker. 
• 1 full apple peeled (you can steam it if you want) with 1/4 c water
• half an apple, peeled and half a banana with 1/4 c of water or less ( i also added some of the blended zucchini in place of the water and he loved that too. I did that cause he wouldn't eat the zucchini)
• Steamed Zucchini ( i just sliced it, steamed it and cubed it and shoved it in the processor and added a little water cause zucchini has water in it). 
• 1 to 1/2 c of frozen peas, defrosted and steamed. Mix with 1/4 c of water or less. 
• 1 avocado, mix with little bit of water.
• 1-4 carrots, peeled and steamed. Mix with 1/4 c water.

Food for 7-9 months

• 3-4 stalks of asparagus, steamed and mix with 1/4 c water or less
• Hand full of blueberries and a half a banana with 1/4 c yogurt.
• 2-3 Apricot peeled and boiled. Add some apples to it to make it more sweeter and some water.
• half of a peach, peeled and 1/4 c of water or less water.  
• Summer squash, peas, carrots and peas. Mince all ingredients, steam and blend with 1/4 c water. 
• 1 mango, peeled and de seeded. Mix with 1/4 c water. 
• Half of sweet potatoes, steamed and mix with 1/4 c water. 
• 2 potatoes peeled, cut and steamed, 2 carrots peeled, cut and steamed with 1/4 c water or more. 
• Oatmeal- get 1/2 c of uncooked oatmeal and place in small cup and use mill chopper. Mill it till it turnes into a powder. Add to pot and 1/4 c of water and cook till it boils. With this you can add to peaches, any veggie, apples, bananas, ect... I just added peaches a little bit of water and oatmeal. Enough oatmeal to cover the peaches.  I mixed it really well and it turned out good my son loved it. 

Food for 10 months-1 year

At this point I would just make a regular dinner and blend it up and put it in the jars. I would freeze some and refrigerate the rest. Of course I would label them and date them. For the frozen ones I put the date that I made it on it. Also at the 11 month point I didnt really have to blend most of the food. At a year Im starting to put it in a bowl and showing him what its for. Ill get a bowl and eat from it and show him that mommy does it too. 

• Spaghetti (his all time favorite food), blend with 1/4 c of water or more. It takes a lot to blend this and I didnt really mince it I left it kinda chunky so he can learn to chew. 
• Chicken spaghetti, blend with 1/4 c of water or more. This is the same as the regular spaghetti.
• Ham and corn soup
• Ham and potato soup
• Any kind of soup that is fit for this age group
• Manicotti (he loves it)
• Black beans, kidney beans.. any kind of bean. Cook and blend with 1/4 c of water or less. 
• Any beef, chicken or turkey will do
• Any kind of dinner you make will work great, just be careful what you give them. I made chili one day and I knew my son could not have that. Thats why its nice to have others blended for them so if you had like taco night you could give them spaghetti. 

More to come!!!!

4th of July Wreath

I know this is way late but you could make it and use it next year. I got all my stuff at the dollar store except the wire wreath.

What you'll need:

• Wire wreath
• Red, white, and blue garland
• Sign or something to put on it
• hot glue gun

What to do:

Start by wrapping the garland around the wire wreath. Once you got one section done glue pieces of the garland to the wreath. This took some time. I would take a piece and put glue on the wreath and place on wreath. Take the other string of garland and wrap the other half. Glue. Take another string and wrap it the second time. Glue places that are loose and fluff up. Add sign or anything else you want. Fluff up again.

Tada a 4th of July wreath. 

Chicken pot pie filling

I just made this and it is so amazing!!! I love it. I made a bunch and froze it for a freezer meal. There were a lot of things I changed with this recipe. Again I got this from pinterest and changed it up my way. I put them in pot pie cups by putting biscuits in a cupcake tin like the ones I did on the chicken pot pie cups post. This filling is so much better but it takes longer to cook than the other one. So I didn't have the full 3 cups of stock so I put a can in and 2 chicken bullion cubes in. I just poured milk in till it was less thick, I didn't exactly measure it. Also I boiled the chicken and put the carrots and S&P in with the chicken. Its so much easier to cut when you boil it and you get more flavor. I put some of the broth from the chicken boiling:)

What you'll need:

• Handful of carrots
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 c frozen vegetable mix
• 1 c flour
• 1 c butter (2 sticks)
• 1 1/4 c milk ( or just pour it in)
• 6 small Chicken tenderloins cooked and cut up
• Half of onion chopped
• 1/3 c or less of broth from boiling chicken

What to do:
 In a pot put chicken and carrots in and boil till carrots are tender and chicken is cooked. While chicken is cooking put biscuits in muffin tin. Remove chicken and carrots and cut up, set aside. In a large skillet, sauté onion in butter until tender. Stir in flour, salt, thyme, and pepper until blended.  Gradually stir in broth and milk.  Bring to a boil.  Cook and stir for a couple minutes or until thickened.  Add the chicken, peas, corn,  and carrots.  Remove from heat.

Place spoonfuls in biscuits till full. 

Cook at 375 degrees till biscuits are a light brown. 

Odd things you can BBQ

You probably already know these but there are some people that don't. So here are some things that you didn't know you could grill.

Potatoes:
I just poked a bunch of holes in the potato. Placed it on tin foil and put oil on it and wrapped it up. Poked more holes in it and just set it on the BBQ. It cooked way faster than oven and it came out really good than microwaving it. Also you could stick cheese and other things in the tin foil with it.

Potato wedges:
My husband showed this to me. He cut the potatoes in wedges. Smothered them in oil and seasoning (garlic salt, seasoned salt, S&P, little chili powder). Placed them right on the grill and cooked. When done he set tin foil on the grill and placed the wedges on it and smothered them in cheese and let the cheese melt in the grill. They were so good and crispy.

Corn:
My sis showed me this. You don't shuck them you leave it all on and put oil on them and put them on the grill and grill till cooked. They actually turned out really good:).

Asparagus:
Oil and season them. Put on grill and cook. MMMMMMM!!!

Grilled cheese:
Its a grilled grilled cheese haha. Make a grilled cheese like normal but put it on the grill. Or some tin foil if it works best.

Onions and peppers:
Grilled onions and peppers are amazing on any sandwich. Just slice them up and put them in a safe bowl and place on grill and cook. I used a tin bowl to put them in. I like to put garlic butter on them too to cook with. I did this a lot when I worked at Maverik when I would do BBQ. I would put it on hamburgers for the customers. It was a hit.

Pizza:
My sis in law did this and it was the best ever. She made the dough and stretched it out and put it right on the grill. Than once it was almost done she would put her cheese, sauce and toppings on it. Sooo delicious.

Quesadilla:
Place tortilla on grill add cheese, chicken, and green sauce and another tortilla and cook:) Also you can season the chicken and cook on the grill to put it on the quesadilla.


If I think of anymore ill post:) or if anyone has any ideas let me know. Ill post and credit you.

Chicken Alfredo Lasanga

A lot of people have been asking me for this recipe. Well here ya go:) Thanks pinterest for the recipe.

So I didn't have artichokes or sun dried tomatoes. I used spinach (fresh from our garden of course), and for the tomatoes I used regular petite cut canned tomatoes and put Italian seasoning, garlic salt, paprika, and a dash of chili powder for the knock off of sun dried. Also I would use 1 pkg of cream cheese, there was too much of it. I also put a ton of extra cheese on mine, the Italian mix is so delicious on this. 

What you'll need:

• 2 c shredded chicken. (I boiled mine for more flavor and tenderness)
• 1 can (14 oz) artichoke hearts, drained and chopped. (or spinach ;))
• 1 pkg shredded mozzarella cheese (I used the Italian mix) divided
• 1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 c chopped drained oil packed sun dried tomatoes ( or canned tomatoes with seasoning)
• 2 Pkg (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened ( or use 1)
• 1 c milk
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 c tightly packed basil, chopped, divided (I didn't have this so I didnt use it)
• 12 lasagna noodles, cooked

What to do:
Heat oven to 350
Combine chicken, artichokes (or spinich), 1 c mozzarella, parmesan and tomatoes. Beat cream cheese, milk and garlic powder with mixer until well blended; stir in 2 tbsp basil. Mix half with the chicken mixture. 
Spread half the remaining cream cheese mixture onto bottom of 13x9 baking dish. Cover with 3 noodles and 1/3 of the chicken mixture. Repeat layers of noodles and chicken mixture twice. Top with remaining noodles, cream cheese mixture and mozzarella; cover. 
Bake 25 min or till cheese is all the way melted.

Swedish Meatballs

Mmmmm one of my husbands favorite dishes.
I was thinkin who needs the Scandinavian Festival Swedish meatballs when you can make your own. I didn't want to wait a whole year to have the deliciousness so I made them myself. Also thanks to pinterest for the main recipe.
So I kinda changed it up a little. I didn't have ground pork so I just used beef. I didn't have nutmeg either. It turned out great. Also I'm that kinda person that if its a simple ingredient like panko (japanese crumbs, you can find them in the Asian isle) or spices I just guess.

What you'll need:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 pound ground pork
• 1/2 cup Panko
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the gravy:

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 cups beef broth
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

What to do:

Put olive oil in pan with onions and cook on low. Place defrosted beef in large bowl. Add panko, egg yolks, nutmeg, all spice, and S&P. Roll into meatballs, I just eye it. Put meatballs cooked onions and oil and cook till meat is not pink. Place cooked meatballs on paper towel. 

For the gravy:

melt butter in skillet. Whisk in butter till light brown. Gradually whisk in beef broth and cook, keep whisking till thick. Stir in sour cream and add S&P for taste. 

I will usually taste test before I put in meatballs. When I did I needed more beef broth or sour cream. 

Keep whisking till it mixes well and thickens up.

Place meatballs in sauce and cover with sauce. 

What I experienced with babies "crying it out"

My thoughts and opinions on babies crying it out might be different than what others think.
Now this is simply an opinion, I don't want this to turn into an argument. I have seen subjects like this get people upset. I'm not meaning to upset people this is simply my experience on this subject.

When my son was a day old I wanted to be there for him no matter what happens. From when he gets his first boo boo to goin off to college. I wanted to be there whenever he cried or was upset. I was that mom that every single noise he made I was by his side. When he was in between a month and 2 months I realized that he needs to learn that every time he cries I'm not gonna be there.
"Crying it out" not only helps your baby but it helps the mommy. I would have gone completely insane if I didn't let him cry it out. With a lot of nieces and nephews I have done this before. I remember when we had to put babies on their tummy's to sleep, putting alcohol on there belly buttons when they where a newborn, an of coarse crying. Times have changed we no longer put them on their bellies cause of the risk of SIDS and suffocation. So far crying it out is still something mothers do to this day.

My older sister has twins. I can't imagine having 2 the same age, one is enough for me. She was having troubles having them go to bed and take a nap. She asked her pediatric doctor what to do. Her doctor said fill their bellies, give them a clean diaper, and possibly a pacifier. Lay them in their crib for nap time and put earplugs in and let them cry.

When I left the hospital the nurses and my doctor said that crying it out helps lung development. I started the crying it out stage when he was almost 2 and a half months old. I might have done it earlier, I can't remember haha. I would completely fill his tummy, give him signs that its either nap time or night time, change his diaper, give him some gas drops, kiss him goodnight and turn on his lullaby machine. There is a whole explanation on how I got my son to sleep through the night on this blog here is the link https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8759251115420404384#editor/target=post;postID=6118805706114324307;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=13;src=postname
I would let him cry for about 5 min than I would go in and rub his belly, give him his pacifier, and hum a song. I wouldn't pick him up unless he is screaming. Mommy's can usually tell if there baby is whining, angry or in pain just by how they cry. My son usually whines cause he's bored or doesn't want to sleep. Once in a while he will fight goin to sleep, Ill just keep doin what I usually do and wait till he's so tired he falls asleep.

Now on the other hand people have told me that crying it out is bad. It causes brain damage, makes the baby feel alone, and makes him resent you. For me I don't believe in all that. I have done this several times and all my nieces and nephews are just fine. If this is causing babies to actually get brain damage from this than why did my doctor and all the nurses at the hospital tell me to let them cry.

My son is now almost 6 months and he is doing great. He's a healthy, bouncing baby boy. I do let him cry it out once in a while, depending on how he feels.

Everyone has an opinion on this subject some people live by not letting them cry it out and some people do it. I will gladly hear other opinions on this, but I will not tolerate arguments.

You are more than welcome to leave comments on my thoughts and or corrections.:)