Ryder digs Tyler Florence's Sprout Foods

Not that my kiddo is a picky eater at all but he does have a discriminating palate already. Ryder dislikes the flavor of most baby food brands we've tried so far. I don't blame him--I taste tested and thought they were nasty, too. The one brand we both think tastes good and is a great value for the money is Tyler Florence's line, Sprout. I'm not fond of the pouch/envelope packaging but Sprout has a page dedicated to why they chose the container. It's okay, it's just a little messy when you spoon out some food, then reuse by zipping it shut. Once Ryder eats more at one sitting it won't be a problem. Right now, though, he can easily get 3 meals out of one pouch.

The difference in taste is definite. The fruits taste fresher and there's no strange aftertaste or chemical zing. The way I see it, if I'd eat it, he'll eat it. And I know that other brands, not that I'm naming names, don't taste good to me. But oh, my he loves his Healthy Times maple teething biscuits!

Pissed About Balloon Boy

I'm pissed about the whole Colorado balloon boy saga. All afternoon, I was glued to the internet watching the live video feed of the helium balloon floating over Colorado. Stressed out and worried about this child that I didn't know, I couldn't tear away from the news. As a parent, it hits home hard when a child is endangered. All I could think of was how terrified the boy had to be, how desperate his parents were to have him back safe and unharmed. When the balloon did land and he wasn't inside my imagination churned up the fear that he'd fallen out shortly after takeoff. Who could I call to suggest searching the rooftops in his subdivision?

Imagine my emotions when the reports come in that he is alive and hiding in a box in the family's attic. Angry. I'm angry that I allowed a drama unfolding in a different state to hijack my day. I'm irritated that my emotions are so easily ruffled. And I'm unhappy that I'm such a media junkie that I couldn't let go, back away from the monitor and chill out. No, I had to hang on every snippet of news tweeted, Facebooked, emailed and posted to websites of all kinds, network news sources included. And I'm sad that it made me agonize over future what if's of my own. What if Ryder is too adventurous and fearless for his own good? What if I can't keep my child safe?

Hopefully Falcon Heene is getting hugged and punished. Hugged because he is loved by his family and punished because there are consequences for your actions. And his family may very well get a honkin' big bill from the state of Colorado for all the resources used to track the balloon and prepare for emergency medical treatment. I'm thankful they spared no expense but now the Heene family needs to foot the bill.