I'd like to say that my kid takes picky eating to a whole new level, but that wouldn't be the truth. Truth is she's not that bad, we've gotten her to eat a lot of things people wouldn't think a 1 year old would eat. Things like turnips, hot wings (yes hot wings, don't judge she liked it and we where responsible and only gave her the meat cleared of any bones), asparagus and curry.
Now you would think that a kid who eat all of those things would not be picky, not quite the case. As of late our little miss is going through this phase where she REFUSES to eat 95% of what we offer her, even things we know she likes. Phases such as these can be enough to make you go crazy and turn the dinner table into a war zone where perhaps more than one of you could end up in tears. Here are my tips/tricks to survive the madness:
1) I am not a short order cook what's for dinner is what's for dinner, there are no other options. Right now we have one child but imagine if we had more than one, it would be insane to cook a meal for each individual person. Not to mention think of all the extra dishes you would have to do! A lot of people get sucked into cooking more than one dinner for the whole family out of the primal fear that their child will starve to death. Truth is in the majority of cases that is false, if your kid was really hungry they would eat what you offered them.
2) A little bribery goes a long way, and I don't mean desert! (see #3) Our daughter loves loves loves saltines, so sometimes to get her to try something we'll put a little piece of cracker on top of what we're trying to feed her in order to get her to eat it. Adding a tried and true favourite that your kid adores to a meal that they wouldn't otherwise try can sometimes be the make or brake of dinner.
3) No dessert! Do not give dessert if they didn't give their meal the old college try, because it will teach them that if they hold out long enough their parent will give them delicious dessert. In our house the motto is "if you are too full to finish dinner you are too full to eat dessert". Second reason for no dessert is that it can cause children to force themselves to over eat just to get dessert, this is super un-healthy for many obvious reasons. We don't live under the "you must finish what's on your plate" regime, if you are full then you are full that's it.
4) Get creative, sometimes a little trickery is needed for the extra picky eater. A little creative hiding of veggies or other nutritious foods can really help your kid eat a varied and nutritious diet. My kid is young so it isn't hard, just today I got her to eat her food by stuffing it into a mini pita bread (bread is another one of her favs). For older kids who might not fall for such a novice trick-a-roo there are cook books for you or you can get friendly with the cheese grater and grate veggies into everything you cook, they are far less likely to notice the secret ingredient that way.
5) Don't give up! Just because your kid didn't like it last week doesn't mean that they won't like it today. Keep trying to offer new and different things and don't give up on the previously rejected. You never know today might be the day they love broccoli...
Monday 25 March 2013
Wednesday 23 May 2012
What? You change a diaper?!? Oh, you are SUCH a good father!!!
My husband is an amazing parent, hands down no doubt about that. He is caring and involved in our daughter's life and he deserves all the praise he gets for it, but I got beef...
In the past it was quite common for men to take a more distant authoritative role in the family dynamic, he was the bread winner and his involvement in taking care of the children where minimal. All that was involved with the house and children was the woman's job. Now a days times have changed, men have started to take a more active role in their familial life. I wouldn't say that things are quite 50-50 yet for the majority of families, women still do more in the household that their spouses do, but this is not what I have an issue with we'll save that for another day.
I have an issue with all the praise my husband gets for being such good father simply because he is involved in our child's life. It is irritating to hear people tell him (or worst tell me) how lucky I am to have him simply because he will change a diaper or because he can't wait to go home and spend time with his daughter. I am thoroughly annoyed by the fact that fathers get vast amounts of praise for taking their fare share of the work mothers have been doing since the dawn of time.
I am not annoyed that I am not getting praise, truth is I feel like I am doing what I am supposed to and so is my husband. Neither of us should be getting any amounts of praise for what we do as parents because that is our responsibility and our duty to our child.
When it comes to a family where both parents are doing their jobs as parents and they are doing it well, neither one deserves more praise than the other. We need to stop being shocked at the sight of involved fathers, this is the 21st century it's quite normal now a days.
In the past it was quite common for men to take a more distant authoritative role in the family dynamic, he was the bread winner and his involvement in taking care of the children where minimal. All that was involved with the house and children was the woman's job. Now a days times have changed, men have started to take a more active role in their familial life. I wouldn't say that things are quite 50-50 yet for the majority of families, women still do more in the household that their spouses do, but this is not what I have an issue with we'll save that for another day.
I have an issue with all the praise my husband gets for being such good father simply because he is involved in our child's life. It is irritating to hear people tell him (or worst tell me) how lucky I am to have him simply because he will change a diaper or because he can't wait to go home and spend time with his daughter. I am thoroughly annoyed by the fact that fathers get vast amounts of praise for taking their fare share of the work mothers have been doing since the dawn of time.
I am not annoyed that I am not getting praise, truth is I feel like I am doing what I am supposed to and so is my husband. Neither of us should be getting any amounts of praise for what we do as parents because that is our responsibility and our duty to our child.
When it comes to a family where both parents are doing their jobs as parents and they are doing it well, neither one deserves more praise than the other. We need to stop being shocked at the sight of involved fathers, this is the 21st century it's quite normal now a days.
Tuesday 24 April 2012
Open up here comes the airplane....
When it comes to introducing food to your baby there are two ways to go about it, you can either feed your baby bland un-seasoned purée or seasoned purée. I am a believer of feeding my baby foods that I would also eat (all be it in solid format) and I do not like bland food.
My daughter has come to the point where we can start introducing food, most people start with a cereal made for babies. Wanting to stay way from sugars and preservatives I bought a fortified box of organic baby oatmeal. Chloë hated her new cereal, that oatmeal came out of her mouth as fast as it went in and after trying it I don't blame her it was bland flavourless slug. After our first failed attempt at oatmeal I've now gone on a quest to make it taste yummy in healthy ways.
Berry Oatmeal:
Baby Oatmeal
3-4 Berries, fresh or frozen (Raspberry, Blueberry or Blackberry)
Cinnamon
Vanilla (Bean or Pure extract, but be carful they may contain sugar)
Breast milk or Formula
Mush berries with a fork until it is a purée, then mix in seasonings and oatmeal. Warm paste over stove adding breast milk until you've reached desired consistency.
*UPDATE*
Chloë really liked the Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal she ate the whole thing on the first try, the others where a no go. I will try the pear next time with cinnamon instead and see how that goes.
My daughter has come to the point where we can start introducing food, most people start with a cereal made for babies. Wanting to stay way from sugars and preservatives I bought a fortified box of organic baby oatmeal. Chloë hated her new cereal, that oatmeal came out of her mouth as fast as it went in and after trying it I don't blame her it was bland flavourless slug. After our first failed attempt at oatmeal I've now gone on a quest to make it taste yummy in healthy ways.
Berry Oatmeal:
Baby Oatmeal
3-4 Berries, fresh or frozen (Raspberry, Blueberry or Blackberry)
Cinnamon
Vanilla (Bean or Pure extract, but be carful they may contain sugar)
Breast milk or Formula
Mush berries with a fork until it is a purée, then mix in seasonings and oatmeal. Warm paste over stove adding breast milk until you've reached desired consistency.
Poire Vanille Oatmeal:
Baby Oatmeal
1/4 Ripe Pear, skinned and diced (works also with banana)
Vanilla (Bean or Pure extract, but be carful they may contain sugar)
Breast milk or Formula
Mush pear with a fork until it is a purée, then mix in seasonings and oatmeal. Warm paste over stove adding breast milk until you've reached desired consistency.
Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal:
Baby Oatmeal
1 tbs Sugar free organic apple sauce
Cinnamon
Breast milk or Formula
Mix together apple sauce, seasonings and oatmeal. Warm paste over stove adding breast milk until you've reached desired consistency.
To prepare in advance these three oatmeal it took me all of 15 minutes and at meal times all I have to do is at breast milk and warm it up. I'll let you know what Chloë thinks of my new creations.
*UPDATE*
Chloë really liked the Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal she ate the whole thing on the first try, the others where a no go. I will try the pear next time with cinnamon instead and see how that goes.
Thursday 15 March 2012
Child be gone with you, it's mommy and daddy time!
One of the hardest things on a relationship is having a child. People who have children for the sake of saving their relationship are frankly delusional. There is nothing like sleep depravation and a screaming baby (there is a reason why loud noise is a valid form of torture) to stick an irreversible wedge between a previously happy couple. The first few months of your life with a baby are like war, the key is survival and all you need to do is try darnest to get through it without killing your sweetheart because they will probably annoy the crap out of you!
My husband and I (we're not actually married, but we figure that having a child together is far more binding that getting married... you can reverse a marriage not having a child together, so we call each other husband and wife) where really placed in a pressure cooker. We are young and as a result not swimming in the cash and well to put it bluntly our daughter (from point of conception) is about as old as our relationship. I know by this point you must think we're insane and you would be partially right, one would have to be a little crazy to do what we did. In 10 months we had to build a solid enough bond to withstand the attacks of our newly born baby, how did we do this you may ask? We talked, A LOT, we talked about everything from day one. Our conversations where unfiltered and open so there would be as little surprises come D-day. We expressed our views on parenting styles, what kind of life lessons we wanted to teach our daughter and what kind of childhood we wanted for her. Now, thankfully for us we had the same vision (especially that to us a united front is very important.) We also talked about us, what we needed to do in order to insure the success of our relationship.
Here's what we've assessed can help keep your relationship going after baby is born. The first few months take deep breaths, try to stay as calm as you possibly can and focus on surviving. Cut each other some slack, you're both new at this whole parenting gig and it's a tough pill to swallow. You will get mad at each other and there might be a cold war or two, but try to remember that 1) you love this person, well maybe not at that moment, but there are reason you love them even if it's not coming to mind at that time and 2) it won't be like this forever, yep there is an end to the madness! Give each other some loving on calm moments, a little hug and kiss here and there can be a million bucks. Eventually the hard months will pass and your baby will start to adapt to life on earth and you will have adapted to your baby. Things will have become more second nature to you, at this point it's time to start working a little towards your relationship. Start with small things like mini mommy and daddy moments together like snuggling on the sofa and watching a movie, slow dancing in your living room or taking a shower together. HAVE SEX! Of course only do it when you are emotionally and physically ready and please don't do it to make your partner happy. Make some time to have sex, if baby is down for a nap and your feeling sexy take advantage of the time you got to get freaky. If you always wait for the sexy time stars to be aligned to have sex, such as baby is a asleep for the night and you both are in THE mood and have enough energy, your kid will be in university by the time that happens. If the mood strikes, take advantage of it don't put it off until later. Finally, make some date nights at least once a month. Hand your child off to someone you trust and run off to do something together. It's important to make time to be just a couple without your baby. Take your time together to re-experience the reasons why you love each other.
I met a woman who has two now fully grown daughters and is married to her husband for 30 years, she told me that there where some times that where really hard and that they weren't all good years, but they managed to make it work. I think what needs to be learned is that to make a relationship work after you have a baby you need to put in some effort. If left unattended and neglected you may find yourself with not much left but two angry people. As for my husband and I, our relationship is far from perfect and we are not with out our problems but we both work at it and take the time to love eachother. No one can predict the future and say for sure that we will be one of the lucky ones who make it but we will work our hardest to make that happen.
My husband and I (we're not actually married, but we figure that having a child together is far more binding that getting married... you can reverse a marriage not having a child together, so we call each other husband and wife) where really placed in a pressure cooker. We are young and as a result not swimming in the cash and well to put it bluntly our daughter (from point of conception) is about as old as our relationship. I know by this point you must think we're insane and you would be partially right, one would have to be a little crazy to do what we did. In 10 months we had to build a solid enough bond to withstand the attacks of our newly born baby, how did we do this you may ask? We talked, A LOT, we talked about everything from day one. Our conversations where unfiltered and open so there would be as little surprises come D-day. We expressed our views on parenting styles, what kind of life lessons we wanted to teach our daughter and what kind of childhood we wanted for her. Now, thankfully for us we had the same vision (especially that to us a united front is very important.) We also talked about us, what we needed to do in order to insure the success of our relationship.
Here's what we've assessed can help keep your relationship going after baby is born. The first few months take deep breaths, try to stay as calm as you possibly can and focus on surviving. Cut each other some slack, you're both new at this whole parenting gig and it's a tough pill to swallow. You will get mad at each other and there might be a cold war or two, but try to remember that 1) you love this person, well maybe not at that moment, but there are reason you love them even if it's not coming to mind at that time and 2) it won't be like this forever, yep there is an end to the madness! Give each other some loving on calm moments, a little hug and kiss here and there can be a million bucks. Eventually the hard months will pass and your baby will start to adapt to life on earth and you will have adapted to your baby. Things will have become more second nature to you, at this point it's time to start working a little towards your relationship. Start with small things like mini mommy and daddy moments together like snuggling on the sofa and watching a movie, slow dancing in your living room or taking a shower together. HAVE SEX! Of course only do it when you are emotionally and physically ready and please don't do it to make your partner happy. Make some time to have sex, if baby is down for a nap and your feeling sexy take advantage of the time you got to get freaky. If you always wait for the sexy time stars to be aligned to have sex, such as baby is a asleep for the night and you both are in THE mood and have enough energy, your kid will be in university by the time that happens. If the mood strikes, take advantage of it don't put it off until later. Finally, make some date nights at least once a month. Hand your child off to someone you trust and run off to do something together. It's important to make time to be just a couple without your baby. Take your time together to re-experience the reasons why you love each other.
I met a woman who has two now fully grown daughters and is married to her husband for 30 years, she told me that there where some times that where really hard and that they weren't all good years, but they managed to make it work. I think what needs to be learned is that to make a relationship work after you have a baby you need to put in some effort. If left unattended and neglected you may find yourself with not much left but two angry people. As for my husband and I, our relationship is far from perfect and we are not with out our problems but we both work at it and take the time to love eachother. No one can predict the future and say for sure that we will be one of the lucky ones who make it but we will work our hardest to make that happen.
Saturday 3 December 2011
Courtesy Along with Chivalry is Dead
Dear Nimwits,
Do you remember me? No, well let me remind you. We where on the same crowded bus together and everyone was packed in like sardins. You both where sitting in the courtesy seats, you know the ones reserved for the elderly, disabled and people with children. I was the one standing with my baby strapped to my chest, ring any bells? We have an issue to discus. I saw you. I saw you look at me, look at my baby and pretend that you didn't see us. I am tiered of people like you, people who will not give up their seat to someone who really needs it. It makes me sad to see that young people like you have gotten so self involved that you cannot get off your ass and "suffer" standing for the remainder of your trip to allow for another person in need the opportunity to sit down. It is truly pathetic that society has devolved like this and you the next generation are allowing it to occur and get worst. Now I'll give you the benefit of the doubt, perhaps you don't know what courtesy is... here is the definition:
Courtesy, noun:
1. excellence of manners or social conduct; polite behaviour.
2. a courteous, respectful, or considerate act or expression.
Dosen't that sound nice? Courtesy should not be allowed to die, we need it and you girls along with everybody else need to keep it alive. So next time ladies, be a decent human being, get off your ass and offer your seat.
Sincerely,
Nat
Do you remember me? No, well let me remind you. We where on the same crowded bus together and everyone was packed in like sardins. You both where sitting in the courtesy seats, you know the ones reserved for the elderly, disabled and people with children. I was the one standing with my baby strapped to my chest, ring any bells? We have an issue to discus. I saw you. I saw you look at me, look at my baby and pretend that you didn't see us. I am tiered of people like you, people who will not give up their seat to someone who really needs it. It makes me sad to see that young people like you have gotten so self involved that you cannot get off your ass and "suffer" standing for the remainder of your trip to allow for another person in need the opportunity to sit down. It is truly pathetic that society has devolved like this and you the next generation are allowing it to occur and get worst. Now I'll give you the benefit of the doubt, perhaps you don't know what courtesy is... here is the definition:
Courtesy, noun:
1. excellence of manners or social conduct; polite behaviour.
2. a courteous, respectful, or considerate act or expression.
Dosen't that sound nice? Courtesy should not be allowed to die, we need it and you girls along with everybody else need to keep it alive. So next time ladies, be a decent human being, get off your ass and offer your seat.
Sincerely,
Nat
Thursday 1 December 2011
Partial finishes projects
Since I've been pregnant our house has been filled with partial finishes projects. We have the pile of boxes in the corner that have yet to be un-packed since we moved, in April... The partially reupholstered living room furniture... The half completed baby room and my closet contents are now all over my bed room because I was organizing when half way through Chloë woke up from her nap.
So far the list of projects completed is far out weighed by the list of projects to do and not yet completed. Babies make it hard to get anything done, just to get my morning coffee can be quiet the juggling act. I'm typing this whole thing right now with one hand because I need to hold my little one in the other as she falls asleep (I'm really hoping that once I lay her down on the bed that she'll sleep long enough for me to get dressed.)
Today my goals are simple: wash up (because smelling and looking like a homeless hooker is just not becoming), get dressed in something other than a milk stained tan top and a pair of leggings, finish organizing the closet and for extra credit if I get the chance hang up the art work in the bedroom. I will let you know how do...
So far the list of projects completed is far out weighed by the list of projects to do and not yet completed. Babies make it hard to get anything done, just to get my morning coffee can be quiet the juggling act. I'm typing this whole thing right now with one hand because I need to hold my little one in the other as she falls asleep (I'm really hoping that once I lay her down on the bed that she'll sleep long enough for me to get dressed.)
Today my goals are simple: wash up (because smelling and looking like a homeless hooker is just not becoming), get dressed in something other than a milk stained tan top and a pair of leggings, finish organizing the closet and for extra credit if I get the chance hang up the art work in the bedroom. I will let you know how do...
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