One of the most stressful parts about Violet’s recent extended state of plague was that for the better part of a week she refused bottles and pretty much all solid food, save occasional bites of cheese and blueberries. The logical part of my brain knew that she would eventually drink and eat again, but I was still concerned about dehydration and getting her some calories, particularly because she was so limp and sad and not herself during this time.

During this period, an unexpected little miracle arrived in the mail: samples from Plum Organics. I have known about Plum for a couple of years, but I haven’t purchased starter purees of any kind since I’ve been making baby food (the Beaba Babycook makes it absurdly easy to do so), and at this point, Violet has largely moved on to finger food chunks. However, when I opened the box, I decided to try the purees. Not only had I not seen these yogurt/fruit/veggie and fruit/grain blends before, but it occurred to me that if Violet would actually eat them, she would get a little more fluid in her by way of the liquid content in the purees.

And to my enormous glee and relief, I approached her first with the apple-spinach yogurt blend and she gobbled it up. I also presented some of the apple/raisin/quinoa blend and she gobbled that up too. For the next couple of days, we continued to present her usual foods and she gradually started taking them again, but she readily consumed these purees on each presentation. {Cue angels singing.}

I’m not sure if it was the food novelty factor, the comfort of being spoon fed (as I mentioned, Violet has moved on to finger foods, save yogurt), the taste blend, or something unbeknownst to me (Vi still hasn’t sprouted any teeth, so we wondered whether gum pain and not wanting to mash on solids was contributing to her food rejection), but these products were a saving grace. It was a huge relief to see Violet get some calories, and at the risk of a TMI moment, the liquid content of the purees also helped her on the output side.

Violet is finally back to her usual cheerful self, eating her solids, but we are keeping these pouches on hand as a handy and convenient back up/supplement. I especially like having the fruit and grain blends in our arsenal because other than brown rice and quinoa, I never cook millet, barley, or amaranth so it’s nice to have those grain options in rotation for variety.

As of this writing, these two new Plum products haven’t been fully released in stores. I learned this the hard way when I ran to Whole Foods panicking in dismay in the baby food aisle when this was the only food Violet would eat! After writing the Plum Organics representative who sent the samples, she informed me that the products are available at Toys “R” Us (here are the links for the fruit/veggie/yogurt and fruit/grain blends), then they’ll be available at Target in March, Safeway in April, and Whole Foods later in the spring. We’ve tried every variety except the fruit/grain blend including mango (since we think Vi might be allergic to mango) and all have been consumed happily!

Today, Jennifer (also of Hey Girl Momma Go) shares 12 ideas for winter birthday parties (that go beyond the bouncy castle):

I actually don’t mind indoor jumpy houses and long inflatable slides. I have even grown to appreciate the “fun” in large singing mice, cheesy pan pizza, and gobs of tickets that propel out of game machines like a crazy paper adrenaline rush. But as a parent who frequents the kid’s birthday party circuit, it is refreshing to switch it up. Here are 12 ideas for kid’s birthday parties that are great for the winter season (many are great the rest of the year too!).

1. The nostalgic Woburn Bowladrome north of Boston has bowling for kids that’s complete with a glow in the dark setting (the more white clothing the kids wear, the higher the glow factor). Young bowlers will enjoy the bumper lanes, good tunes, and small arcade for post-bowling games.

2. If you can handle the cooler temps, snow tubing at Nashoba Valley in Westford is great outdoor fun.

3. The birthday party package at Coco Key Water Park in Danvers includes admission for all kids, where they swim their little hearts out in a huge warehouse-sized lifeguarded water park. They also offer side rooms for pizza and cake and post-swimming arcade games. If you want to party on the fancy side, you can rent a cabana that’s poolside. (Also, FYI — for a fun family outing, Coco Key offers day passes. We went as a family one Saturday and had a blast.)

4. On the other end of the physical exercise spectrum, I’ve heard good things about Treat Cupcake Bar in Needham, where party goers can enjoy a cupcake decorating mini-class and decorate their own aprons.

5. For crafty types, check out Dabblers in West Concord, where you can focus your party around a range of hobbies such as woodworking, soap making, fiber arts, and science. And they make it one-stop shopping for party-planning parents by including invites, goody bags, and thank you notes in the party package. Awesome.

6. Kidstock is wonderful for budding thespians.

7. The MFA offers lovely creative and educational birthday parties.

8. Pottery painting provides a great hands on activity where the project doubles as the party favor. Team Boston Mamas has had great experiences at Clay Dreams, Made by Me, and Plaster Fun Time. It would also be worth checking whether Barefoot Books offers birthday parties in their lovely studio.

9. If you want to blend outsourcing + being at home, the New England Aquarium will bring sea critters to you.

10. Obviously, outsourcing can get pricey, particularly if you have a large party size. If you have the energy and space to host at home, dance parties are great. Simply put the kids in a finished basement with the Cha Cha slide blaring and a disco ball, and you’re good to go.

11. Also in the home spectrum: host a “pretend” sleepover with pizza, cake, PJs, and a movie (note, however, that this does not work when it’s your daughters entire kindergarten class — I learned that one the hard way!).

12. Finally, there’s always the beautiful simplicity of sending the kids outdoors. Tell attendees in advance to bundle up and plan a scavenger hunt or simple games like freeze tag and dodge ball. If there’s snow on the ground, gather your old beach shovels and pails so the kids can build snow forts. And make a big batch of hot cocoa to help the kids warm up when they come in!

Do you have other awesome winter party ideas? Feel free to share them in the comments below!

Image credit: Treat Cupcake Bar

Last week I hopped onto a chat at The Motherhood about work/life balance. During the chat, I commented about self care being a major part of the balance equation, but that it’s important not to stall out due to your own, or other people’s, ambitious standards. That very morning, actually, I started a practice of giving myself the gift of at least 10 minutes of self care every day. (And yes, I put “10 minutes” as a recurring to-do in my Outlook since I love crossing off to-do items.) Tomorrow (Friday the 17th) at 1pm EST, I’ll be hosting a live chat about the 10 minute challenge. Come share and garner inspiration for how to make self care doable! The chat is text based (similar to posting and commenting on status updates in Facebook); just be sure to create a login at The Motherhood in advance so you can hop right on at 1pm to chat in real time!