MY POT BOILETH OVER

Pasta is frequently on the menu at our house, so it seems like there's always a pot of boiling water going on the back burner.  I've successfully managed to boil two pots dry, a feat that I had never managed to accomplish in my 31 years of life pre-children.  One minute you're making lunch, then the next your changing a diaper oh my god it's up his back and now you need a bath aren't you cute let's take pictures is something burning? GAAAAAH.  My lesson for this is always, ALWAYS put on the timer when you put something on the stove. It has saved me (and my pots) on many occasions.
The other trick, which is only helpful when you are actually in the kitchen, is blowing on a pot of water that's about to boil over.  The bubbles magically disappear!  No scuzzy pasta water all over your stove top.  Perhaps this is common knowledge?  I only discovered this marvelous trick a few years ago.  Try it, you'll be pleasantly surprised. I've also heard (though have yet to try) that placing a wooden spoon across the top of the pot keeps the water from boiling over too.  More info about this trick over at teachmeawesome.com .

FLOORED

One morning, while on hands and knees scraping three day old banana from the hardwood beneath our high chair, I wondered if there was some way to make this situation less disastrous.  Pieces of food were ending up wedged in the small cracks in our floor, and a substantial amount were heading down the heating vent.  I'd purged all thoughts of putting a nice rug under the dining room table because, though tempting, a unique pattern out of butternut squash and avocado is not the look I'm going for.  Friends of mine with dogs did not have this problem, as all food was instantly inhaled before it hit the ground.  But other than canines, what could I do?  Another mom suggested I try one of those large plastic floor covers that you'd usually put in a carpeted office to allow your chair to roll smoothly.  Really, I thought?  A giant piece of plastic, perfectly sized to fit underneath a chair?  One that will catch every morsel that he launches from his tiny fists in fits of excitement or rage?  Um, YES PLEASE!  

The best price I found was this one at IKEA, but most office supply stores will also carry them.  Cleanup is so much easier now.  The food still collects in staggering quantities, but a quick sweep or swipe with a cloth and everything comes off smoothly.  You know, I might even consider getting that dining room rug after all. 

BIB ME

My son has just reached that lovely stage when he refuses to be spoon fed. PUT IT ON MY TRAY AND WATCH HOW DEFTLY I PUT THESE SLICES OF AVOCADO IN MY MOUTH.  As we well know, most of that avocado usually ends up on sleeves, hair and smeared on nature's dishcloth, a.k.a. mommy's nicest shirt.  I've got lots of bibs; rubber, leather and nylon.  My hands-down favourite in terms of value for dollar has to be these ones from IKEA:

Though they aren't completely waterproof, they provide full coverage right up to the wrists.  I think these are originally designed for kiddy painting, but they really do the job nicely.  Machine washable too.  Huzzah!

Have a vomity child?  One that regurgitates any food that isn't cut up into 1mm chunks?  Our daughter is so prone to vomiting that even small bouts of coughing end in a mess. Crying-it-out was a treat.  We soon discovered that rubber bibs were an absolute necessity, especially when trying out slightly chunkier foods that might trigger her reflex.  Kiddopotamus has one called the Bibbity that saved us on many occasions.  Fully waterproof, this bib molds easily to the kid's chest and has a substantial trough that actually holds its shape and (I kid you not) CATCHES FOOD.  Cleaning it is a breeze.  You can even throw it in the dishwasher. 

None of these beat the summertime option of eating food in the back yard in your diaper, followed by a quick squirt with the garden hose.  The baby can even join in too ;) Unfortunately with a current wind-chill of minus 40, we'll be staying indoors and bibbing it up for the time being.