Moms Motivation Monday (1)

Good morning all

Monday - the start of a new week! For some, Monday's are simply doom and gloom - another week to get through work, daily household chores, school routines, sleepless nights, cries from our kiddies, demands...and so the list goes on.

With the latter in mind..."Mom's Monday Motivation" has been born! Hopefully to give YOU some weekly inspiration and to start your week on a POSITIVE NOTE.

As mom's we tend to take on more than we can sometimes handle, often feeling like we are at the bottom of the pecking order. Simply going through the motions, day in and day out. I would like to help in changing this - giving you back some of your "mama mojo".

So I start "Mom's Monday Motivation" this week with "Trust Your Intuition". Listen to your "gut", go with your instinct and make those decisions. One of my favourite things to do is to stand in front of the mirror and simply SMILE. Crazy as it may seem, it always seems to put me in a good mood (I normally end up laughing at myself), but it works. Maybe it will work for you too.

Happy week!
Lynne

Holiday Rules

Battling top get your little one off the iPad or away from the TV during holidays?

Here are some great ideas you may want to try...

You may have as much time on your iPad as you like...as long as ALL OF THE JOBS HAVE BEEN DONE before you turn on the screen:

Have you?

• Made your bed
• Had breakfast
• Got dressed
• Brushed your teeth
• Brushed your hair

Done:

• 20 minutes of reading
• 20 minutes of writing or colouring
• Cleaned up 1 room (bedroom / playroom / lounge)
• Played outside for 30 minutes
• Made or built something creative (Lego / craft / puzzle)
• Helped someone - mom / dad / your brother or sister

...If all of the above is done - Then you can watch TV or play on your iPad

Simply loved this and wanted to share with all of you.

Lynne

lynne@babeeze.co.za

Monday Meals - Adding Herbs

Adding Herbs to your little ones food

Hi everyone

The start of a new week - and for me that means planning. When it comes to mealtime, I like to look for new ideas for the family - maybe try and add something new or simply get creative with a new recipe.

Looking at toddlers 6-9 months old:

Something to consider at mealtime is adding some delicious and nutritious herbs to their food. This includes herbs such as basil, chives, coriander (basically the green herbs). They can be added to chicken, fish or even vegetables.
It's good to remember that the more flavours you introduce them to at an early age, the wider the variety of "their" likes will be as they get older.

Also keep in mind, that although you may not like a particular herb, this does not mean that you must not introduce them to the taste. Let them develop their own likes and dislikes.

Fun things to do:

While on the subject of herbs, why not encourage your little ones to grow their own herb or veggie garden? A wonderful way to encourage kiddies to eat veggies later - especially if they have grown their own and better still, have picked them and helped mommy or daddy make the meal...

Happy cooking....

PS - feel free to send in your favourite toddler / kids recipe's to editorial@babeeze.co.za

"Creating Memories"

Coming from a family of four - some of our most treasured moments were always spent in the kitchen...

Invariably this would be when mom was busy preparing a meal - whether it was cereal or porridge in the morning before we went off to school, or preparing the evening meal, we would all congregate in the kitchen and share the happenings of the day to come or of the exciting things that happened. 

The kitchen table would be the centerpiece for all. Often piled with homework books, half empty plates, household post (when the local mailman would deliver to our doorstep), project paraphernalia etc. One thing is for sure - the kitchen table was always surrounded by bubbling kids, laughter, shouts and sharing.

As technology takes over and our lives seem to be more hectic with each new day, you need to remind yourself that everything you are doing "at this very moment in time" is creating memories. Do you want these to be fun and interactive with your children? OR do you want them to pass by as a blur and have no meaning?

Some fun Tips to help "create memories":

• Put some music on when you are busy preparing a meal. Music is something we all resonate with and it somehow just makes any moment special.
• Whether you have a newborn, a toddler or a teenager - include them in your activities.
•  Let them help you prepare the meal e.g. unpack the plastic (if a toddler) stir the bowl (if a kiddie) / set the table (if teenager) etc.
• Wash or dry the dishes. Unpack the dishwasher
• Let this be the meeting place - where you discuss your day's activities (a great time to encourage family chats and interaction)
• Let the kitchen table be the craft table for making things / baking / school projects etc.
• It's also a great "teaching place" - besides the obvious of how to cook and bake, it can also be a great place to teach little ones things like how to set a table (formal or informal); table manners; how to pack and unpack dishes or how and when to clear dishes after a meal.

After all...it's all about creating memories - and treasured memories at that!

Change Change Change

Hi mom's and dad's,

CHANGE CHANGE CHANGE...

So many new and exciting things to share with you. 

Firstly be sure to visit our NEW "Look and Feel" website www.babeeze.co.za / Facebook Page www.facebook.com/BabeezeOnline / Twitter @babeezeonline - tell us what you think...

Be sure to REGISTER as a member so that you can be a part of our weekly mailers, monthly newsletters, special offers, hints & tips plus loads more. PLUS your name will go into a MONTHLY COMPETITION where you can WIN R5 000 worth of prizes.

Babeeze now covers MATERNITY THROUGH TO PARENTS WITH KIDS AGED 10 YEARS OLD - Now more than ever, you want to be a part of this ever growing Parenting Forum where we keep you up to date with all new and exciting topics.

So - don't delay - UPDATE your current details on the website or REGISTER - it's so "eezy"

http://babeeze.co.za/Web/Home/Register

Talk your child clever

"Talk Your Child CLEVER"

Having been exposed to the amazing Early Childhood Development program called BrainBoosters, I want to share with you some of the many interesting facts that I have been exposed to...

The following information has been written by Kerren Reis, courtesy of BrainBoosters.

Poor language is often the reason why children under-perform at school.

FACTS:

• Language cannot be acquired on it's own - there MUST be relationships and conversations with other people.
• Research shows: babies learn more language from their parents than if they are left in front of the television.
• Seattle Children's Research Institute = TV on, affects the number of words we speak to our children per hour....it drops from 941 to 171.
• A child must hear a word 500 times before it becomes part of their vocabulary.

So how do we correct this?

• Simple! Talk all the time to your child. Start from birth. Did you know that there are approximately 2000 nappy changes that will take place with your child from the ages of 0-2 years. Therefore 2000 opportunities to talk to your child.
• Sing songs, tell stories, recite rhymes, read.
• Use meal times to teach conversation skills - talking and LISTENING!

What to do?

• Limit TV time - when your child does watch TV, watch with them and TALK about what is happening.
• Make eye contact with your child - this helps to create good listening skills and teaches respect for one another.
• Don't use baby talk - use proper language and vocabulary no matter how young the child is.

What NOT to do:

• Don't test your child by asking "what is that? / what is this?" - rather ask them to "Show me..." / "find the..." / "touch the..."

LANGUAGE is the code for LIFE - so talk your child clever!

Moving onto solids - Puree

Moving onto solids - ages 6 months up

For me this was always a rather daunting time as I was not that sure on how to introduce solids, what quantity, what combinations etc.

Fortunately from our research and my own personal experience what I found to work is simply buying vegetables such as sweet potato, butternut, (basically the sweet vegetables). These mainly contain good levels of vitamins and minerals so you know your little one is receiving all the goodness needed.

If you find that your little one has become accustomed to "jar" food (instant baby food), they may not want to eat your delicious home-cooked food! Not surprisingly as homemade food can be boring (as it is more nutritious and does not have all the added sweetners and preservatives). What you can try and do is slowly introduce your homemade food with the "jar" food and slowing increase your food until there is no more bought food. Basically letting your little one become more accustomed to the taste of your food.

Combinations that you can try are:

• ·         Sweet potato and squash
•  Carrot and potato or butternut with a very ripe pear.
• Sweet vegetables such as carrot, pureed with fish or chicken is also sometimes a favourite with babies.

 To puree – I used to simply steam the veggies (either the microwave with a tiny bit of water / or even better if you have a steamer) – once soft enough you can often simply mash them with a fork. Alternatively place in a blender to create the right consistency.

If you are a working mom and don’t always have the time to make at each meal – you can make a batch and then freeze it. You can get food cubes to place the food in before you freeze. Make for a week at a time - that way you don't have to worry about the days you only get in a bit later. Remember to label the containers with the combination and date. That way you can also see what your little one likes and doesn't. Plus the date so that you do not keep food in the freezer for too long.

 I know we sell these cubes on our Kidz Boutique (in sizes 40ml; 70ml and 140ml) these are great as they are already in sizes that you can then work with for each meal. http://www.kidezeboutique.co.za/shop/baby-cubes-70ml/ Alternatively you can simply place in freezer containers of your own. 

How much to feed at each meal?

I know my concern was always how much do you need to make give at each meal? If you buy the veggies in cubes you can probably look to steaming about 2-4 cubes at each meal – once mashed they make enough for a meal.

If you want to introduce fruit into your little one’s diet – here are some combinations that you can try and that don’t need to be cooked:

•  Avocado and banana or pear (I would suggest you use ¼ - ½ of a small ripe avocado / ¼ - ½ small ripe banana (or pear) – mash together until smooth.
• Banana and mango (I suggest you peel ¼ - ½ small ripe mango and mash this in with ¼ - ½ small ripe banana) mash again till smooth.

 Please  remember not to add sugar or salt to your little one’s diet. All the vitamins and minerals are in the fruit and vegetables already.

Hope these tips help?

Regards

Lynne