This is a Sweet Award

I have bever thought of myself as the "best mom". Not by a long shot. I do the best I can, yes, and I hope for the best after that. But that's as far as I've gone using taht word. So it was sweet to receive this award from Ceemee.

Here are the rules:
1. Show the award logo in your post.
2. Pick a picture you have with your kiddo/s.
3. Post should include your best experience as a Mom.
4. Nominate other blogger moms out there that you consider the best mom, like yourself.

Now, I don't have one best experience as a mom. I think the whole journey is one big experience with a whole bunch of stars to emphasize great moments. I love it when my kids jump with joy when they see me, or clamor to get a hug and a kiss, or ar so excited when we go uot, even if it's just to the 7-11 around the corner. I love it when they ask me to read to them and when they gurgle with joy when I tickle them. I love when they say 'yummy' to the simple dishes I prepare, or smack their lips over a goody I've baked. I love bathing them, tucking them into bed, dressing them up. Who would have thought that I would love all these things? If you had asked me or any of my friends 10 years ago, we all would have said 'Impossible!'. Now, it's impossible not to have that reality.

I don't post pictures of myself and my kids so I'm gonna have to skip that rule.

I am passing this awatrd to:
1. Livi of Beauty and Madness
2. Ree of Slice of Pie
3. Anya of New Leaf

Have fun mommies!

Are Kids Ever Safe Enough?

Child safety has been on my mind a lot these days. Ok, it's always on my mind but more so lately. Maybe it's all the movies with children getting kidnapped or hurt, or the blogs of tragedies, or just the reality that I am a mom now and so I just think about everything and anything that might cause them harm.
Anyway, I've always considered myself to be a careful mom but I found this list of questions to know if you are protecting your child from unwanted dangers and it sent me into a mild panic.

• Is your child properly restrained when riding in your car?- yes.
  
• Do you use door knob covers and door locks so that your child can not get out of the house or into rooms that aren't childproofed?- yes, in a sense.
  
• Do you have smoke alarms on every level of your house and near bedrooms? Do you check them regularly to make sure they are still working?- no smoke alarms but I check outlets and things plugged regularly.
  
• Do you have a carbon monoxide detector in your home that has gas or oil heat or with attached garages? - no, I didn't know these existed.
  
• Does your child wear a helmet when riding his bike?- no, but he has a toddler bike still, which he can't pedal consistently, so I figured this wasn't necessary yet.
  
• If you have a pool, is it protected with a fence and a self-closing and self-latching gate?- I do, and no. Oh no!
  
• Do you have a child under 6 years in the top bunk of a bunk bed?- no bunk bed.
  
• Have you set the temperature of your hot water heater to 120 degrees Fahrenheit?- not water heater.
  
• Do you have a gun in the house that is loaded and unlocked?- no way!
  
• Do you have covers on electrical outlets?- not really. They remove them. I have yet to find a brand that stays on.
  
• Do you have a fire extinguisher?- yes.
  
• Do you keep medicines, poisons and household cleaners completely out of reach of your children?- definitely.
  
• Do you have wall anchors on your stove and large pieces of furniture that may tip over?- no, but I don't have too many large pieces of furniture.
  
• Have you checked your house for recalled toys and household products?- there aren't a whole lot of toys either.
  
• Do you keep toys with small parts out of the reach of your younger children?- yes.
  
• Do you smoke?- yes, but not in the house.
  
• Have you protected the sharp edges of furniture and fireplaces with corner and edge bumpers?- my furniture all have rounded edges.
  
• Do you put sunscreen on your child when necessary?- yes.
  
• If you live in an older house, has your child been screened for lead poisoning?- we don't live in an older house.
  
• Do you have matches or lighters easily accessible in your house?- no.
  
• Do you have window guards installed on your windows?- yes.
  
• Does your family have an escape plan in case there is a fire?- yes, but it's in my head.
  
• Do you have a list of emergency numbers by the phone?- no phone but I have a list on the fridge door.
  
• Do you let your kids play with fireworks?- no!
  
• Do you wash fruits and vegetables before letting your children eat them?- yes.
  
• Are your kids safe when they visit the homes of friends or family members? Have they childproofed their homes?- they are safe and half of the homes are childproof. We try to teach them what to touch and what not to touch, e.g. what is a toy and what is glass.
  
• Do you use the back burners when cooking and turn pot handles toward the back of the stove?- no but I don't allow my kids near the stove.
  
• Do you use an appliance latch to lock your refrigerator?- no.
  
• Do you let your younger child play outside by himself?-no.
• Do you leave buckets around the house with water in them?- no.
  
• Do you leave your younger child in the bathtub alone?-no.
• Do you let your child stand up in shopping carts?- no.
  
• Do you use a harness when your child is in his high chair?-yes.
• Have you warned your children not to play near moving water, such as a canal or creek?- no, no moving water near us and we haven't taken them to the beach. Does the pool count? If so, yes they are always warned not to play near the pool.
  
• Do you let your kids ride in the back of a pickup truck?-no!
• Do you encourage your children to wear safety equipment when playing sports?- well, floaters when swimming. What are the safety equipment for basketball and football (soccer)?
  

more info here

Judging from my answers I think I am on the right track. I think a lot of the question made me think about other things too. Like, locking doors, swimming lessons, breakables, etc. I am sure I will be able to come up with an entirely new list of dangers to avoid on my own but, for now, I am satisfied with this list. How did you guys fare?

Poetry for my Children

On Children

Kahlil Gibran

Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them,
but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

You are the bows from which your children
as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,
and He bends you with His might
that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let our bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies,
so He loves also the bow that is stable.

More Parenting Tips

Most of my friends know that I am on a never-ending quest for the most applicable techniques for my growing cuties. I am certainly no expert so I utilize all the sources at my fingertips to get all the help possible. Here are some new ones that I thought were worth a try:

For disciplining: Instead of threatening (which can soo easily happen, especially after a long, hard day, and when your kids are especially active), you can:

You want your child to:	Instead of this:	Say this:	Which is better because:
Go to bed and stay there	"If you get out of bed one more time, I'll scream."	"After I put you to bed, I expect you to stay there."	The expectation for the behavior is clear and unemotional.
Eat her peas and carrots	"You're going to sit at the table until you finish your peas."	"Remember — we won't have a snack before bed."	It reminds her that the kitchen's closed, but she can still choose whether or not to eat.
Brush her teeth	"No bedtime story if you don't brush your teeth."	"It's time for bed. What do you do first to get ready?"	It lets her know it's time for her bedtime routine without being punitive.
Behave in the grocery store	"Stop running now or no TV when we get home."	"Can you help me find the cereal you like?"	It distracts from the negative behavior and offers a positive alternative.
Ask without whining	"If you whine once more, I'll take your sticker book away."	"I'd like to listen, but I can only understand your normal voice."	It lets her know you're interested in what she's saying, but won't accept the tone.
Clean up her room	"No dinner until your room is clean."	"I'd like you to pick up your toys and put them in your toy chest. Do you want to do that before or after dinner?"	It makes your expectations clear, but also gives your preschooler a choice.
Stop tattling	"I'm not taking a tattletale to the playground."	"It sounds like you're upset with your sister. You need to tell her why."	It helps your preschooler understand that kids have to work it out together.
Be quiet in the car	"If you scream one more time, we'll turn around and go home."	"I'm having a hard time driving. I need to pull over until you're settled."	It lets your child know the effect, limits, and consequences of her behavior.

I was so happy when I read this becuase I can confidently say that I have successfully done 50% in this table. Yippee! Snaps for moi everyone. Of course, these have only been tested on my son. My daughter just turned 1 so I am seeing if all my tactics with my young man will work with her.

Now, to avoid spoiling?

1. Set clear, simple limits
Think of it this way: If you leave no room for reinterpretation, you save yourself arguing later. Listen to the difference between "Oh okay, you can have a cookie..." (plenty of room for hope that a second one might be okay) and "You can have one cookie, but don't ask me for a second one. This is it."

2. Stick to those limits no matter what
One really means one. It's happened to all of us: We say no to more than one cookie, and then we start second-guessing ourselves. The trick here is to take a long-term view. Maybe a second cookie really would be okay just this once, but do you really want to be second-guessed every time you set a limit? That will happen if you change your story.

3. Never give in to begging
This one's simple — once you do, you've taught your child that begging works, right?

4. Make your child convince you
If she wants something you're not sure about, ask her to make a case for it. She wants to watch a favorite TV show? If she explains that all her homework is done and she's practiced piano, you can feel comfortable saying yes.

5. Require that chores get done before fun
You don't do your child any favors by being a softy. Studies show that being strict on chores and responsibilities helps him develop the ability to cope with frustration.

6. Don't be afraid to disappoint
We hate to see our kids sad, but the Stones said it best: You can't always get what you want. And studies show that learning to accept disappointment will give your child important coping skills to deal with emotional stress later in life.

7. Let them work for what they want
Many experts believe that kids become spoiled when things come too easily, encouraging them to take those things for granted. If your child wants a new bike, set up a reward system for good behavior and let him earn it bit by bit.


I love all the points on this list and I think they are totally do-able. The only one I see a problem with is number 3 and this is because it really is so hard to refuse when you have them looking at you with huge, pleading, puppy dog eyes accompanied by the most cajoling "please?" in the universe. Sigh. Yes, I see a problem with this point.

For those of you who have tried, or want to try these out, gimme some feedback!

(Tips courtesy of Baby Center)

Baby Food Update # 4

OK, my daughter is now a 1 year old and so I can now introduce more complex dishes. To be honest, I did this before my son turned one partly because his teeth came out early and so I felt more confident about his chewing powers (although baby's gums are really hardy apparently so I shouldn't have worried) and partly because I didn't know any better. With my daughter I was extra careful with textures and ingredients also because she is a lot more sensitive than my son, and thus more prone to allergic reactions. But, I feel confident now that she can handle more and different types of food. In fact she had a small portion of fettuccine carbonara over the weekend and it didn't seem to harm her. Plus, she loved it. So here are some dishes I am planning to introduce asap:

MEALS:

Fish and Veggie Parcel

12oz cod or other white fish
4oz mozzarella, grated
4tsp milk
2 carrots, peeled and grated
2 courgettes, grated
pinch freshly ground black pepper (optional)
few sprigs of dill

Pre-heat the oven to 350 deg F, 180 deg C.
Divide the fish into 4 equal pieces.
Cut 4 pieces of tin foil and place one piece of fish on each.
Add a little black pepper to each piece of fish.
Divide the carrots and courgettes equally between each parcel.
Do the same with the cheese.
Add 1tsp of milk to each parcel, plus a sprig of dill.
Wrap and seal the parcels and place on a baking tray.
Cook for 15 mins, then serve with mashed potatoes or brown rice.

Healthy Yogurt and Cottage Cheese Pasta

4oz green noodles
8oz plain yogurt
4oz cottage cheese
2oz scallions, chopped
1/2 garlic clove, crushed
1tbsp dill weed
2tsp fresh oregano, chopped
1tbsp butter

Cook the noodles according to the directions on the pack. Drain and set aside.
Combine the remaining ingredients (except for the butter) and puree in a food processor.
Warm through.
Stir the butter into the noodles, then toss the noodles with the yogurt sauce.


For finger food, I am thinking cheese sticks, peaches, and graham crackers. Oooh! I am excited!

(Baby food recipes courtesy of Homemade Baby Food Recipes)

Baby Food Update #3

Ok, I've been remiss on the updating, but not the food giving.

So, updates:
-my daughter has now eaten chicken, fish, pork, and beef, successfully. She liked the fish the least though but I think it might have been how I cooked it. I used Dory and steamed it with lemon,a bit of salt, and olive oil. I'll try another way for her next fish dish.
-she has also eaten a lot of fruit and veggies. Carrots, sweet potato, potato, squash, apples, banana, papaya, pineapple, green peas. She likes sweet potato and squash a lot. Next thing I'm going to add is broccoli for the veggies and pears for fruit.
-I am not pureeing anymore (thank goodness!). She needs to have clumps now so she can learn to chew well. Besides, she already has 6 teeth, plus she's turning 1 in a month. So it's time. She has also eaten some pita break and crackers. Oh, and yogurt. Which she loves. (She does not get that from me, for sure!)
-my 3 year old son broke out into a nasty rash a week ago and we figured it was food-related. How? Well, he had been suffering from a bad cough and according to hi doctor, this is a good time for allergies to highly allergenic food to surface, even if he had been eating the food without a problem in the past. Poor boy, I had to put him on a "bland" diet for a week. He was on fish and Nilaga. Funnily enough, he loved both, and ate a whole lot that entire week. (Now that is definitely from me!).
-I know the list of highly allergenic food items is long but here's a short list:

• chicken
  
• egg
• salted food
• chocolate
• food with preservatives (this was tough since everything is processed now)
• tomatoes
• dairy
• peanuts
  

You can find a more detailed list here.
-He's well now, and eating some of these foods again without a reaction. So, whew!

That's it for now. I am excited about some Halloween and Christmas baby/toddler food posts.

Baby Food Update #2

So the baby food thing has been going well. I now have the schedule pretty regularized. I make 2 kinds of food twice a week. Ok, I've only been doing this for about 2 weeks but so far so good. For my 2nd "dish" I decided to try a different meat. So I boiled some lean pork and pureed when it was cold. I added some sweet potato and papaya to it. It looked interesting but I can't say much for the taste. This is because, again, I don't like either sweet potato or papaya. But they are good for the digestion and my daughter's digestion is like mine, bad, so I decided it would be a good idea to give her this added fiber. The frozen cubes were a bit grainy and separated when thawed so I bought a tub of plain yogurt and mixed a couple of teaspoons into the mix. What do you know? It thickened right up. I made the consistency kind of chunky this time to get her to start chewing more. She didn't take to it as quickly as the chicken-squash-apple dish but she got into it eventually.
For my third "dish" I tried beef. Now this was a disaster! I followed the instructions from this great baby food site, wholesome baby food, for all my purees so I was confident that the beef would be just as good. It turned out stinky and not too great looking. I threw it away. I know, waste of food but I just couldn't bring myself to give that to my daughter. I will try it again though, with a few changes here and there. Updates on that to follow.
So for this week I made chicken again, primarily because this was the meat I had on hand. But to spruce it up I mixed it with sweet potato and pineapple. Perfect for the fiber again. Plus, the pineapple packs a lot of natural flavor. It actually seemed to me like the baby version of 'Pinyang Manok'. She loved it! I also added some rice to her dish, just before she was about to eat. She loved that too.
I am so pleased at how this is all going. I am thinking though that I want to add more flavor to the dishes so I am thinking of cooking the food before pureeing, meaning doing more than the regular boil. I am also thinking of a fish dish next. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that all continues to go well.

Baby Food Update

As planned, I have begun my homemade baby food process. I said I would do it after next payday, next payday has come and gone, and now....I am on my way.

Over the weekend I made my first batch of homemade baby food. Since my daughter has been eating chicken, mixed veggies, and mixed fruits already, I tried not to stray from the familiar for my first try. So I made her chicken with squash and apples, carrots, squash. I combined them to make chicken-squash and apple-carrot-squash batches. They were very easy to make! I just needed to boil a whole lot of things and then puree away. It was actually a lot of fun. I liked the taste of the chicken-squash mixture more than the apple-carrot-squash mix but this is probably because I don't like apples or carrots. It did have a sweetish taste though which I though was perfect to sweeten the chicken mix. I bought these rubber ice trays, 2 big ones, which I used to freeze her food. Perfect!

The best part is, she likes the food! I am so pleased. I get to feed her stuff I am sure of because, well, I make them. Plus, savings!

Next project would be beef and fish. I am thinking of incorporating yogurt and cheese but I am not sure how yet. She should be able to take them already since she's 9.5 months. Any suggestions?

I am NOT the Energizer Bunny

I spent the long weekend basically on the go, from cooking to cleaning to the kids to socializing. I know this doesn't sound out of the ordinary but, for me, it was a lot of work. I got around 4 hours of sleep for both nights. Thanks goodness last night was a longer rest period. For a better understanding of my relief over this, let me say I need at least 6 hours of uninterrupted sleep or else I get a migraine for the whole day. I really cannot do everything I want to do. I would have said "do it all" but for a lot of women, what I just mentioned is their everyday life. So, "everything I want to do" is more descriptive and specific.
Sadly, I had to postpone 2 projects: baby food trials and ironing out gym details. Again thank goodness my stock of Gerber is still pretty substantial. I was able to get some cute ice trays and ingredients though, so that's something. To add to the many things I am juggling, I am currently searching for a replacement yaya. For all the moms out there who appreciate the importance of a good yaya, this is a HUGE project. STRESS!!
Hopefully I can get some kind of organized schedule going starting tomorrow.

Baby Food Resolution

I did my grocery shopping yesterday and was again struck by the lack of variety and high cost of baby food. This pushed me even more to begin my homemade baby food. I've listed what I need and these are:

1. blender
2. ice trays
3. fruit
4. meat
5. steamer
6. time

I have everything ready at home except the last number. Good thing I have a long weekend coming up. This will give me enough time to concentrate. I am confident that, once I get the hang of it, I won't need so much prep time.

Wish me luck!!

Baby Milk

My daughter is turning 9 months next week, just as my son turns 3. Wow! How fast time flies. I much prefer the after 6 month time for babies though because I've always been afraid of very fragile babies (even my own!). I've been having so much fun with her now, as she progresses from crawling to standing and as she learns new, unintelligible syllables everyday. On the nutrition side, I've always been worried. I worry that I am giving my baby too much of one thing and not enough of another. With my son, I tried to stay within the milk portions for his age and size and then to go all-natural soon after I received the go ahead signal to give solids. With my daughter, it is rediscovering all these facts again. I thought I would remember seeing as their ages aren't too far apart but, perhaps due to the CS or my natural lack of ability to retain details, I don't.
So I was pleased to find this simple milk chart online.

Since she gets 4 7 oz. bottles a day she's still within the acceptable range. I was thinking about giving her 3-4 8 oz bottles after she turns 9 months and I am happy that that too still is within the acceptable range. Yippee!!