Friday Faves - Week 4

Happy Friday Everyone!

The first weeks of Friday Faves have already brought up some great ideas and suggestions - some of which I have already put to great use!  I would like offer other mommies the opportunity as well to start a Friday Faves on their blog.  Not only will it provide you with a chance to get some great suggestions and share ideas with your blogger friends, it also gives you the chance to be featured on my blog!

Here's how it works:


1. Become a follower of my blog.

2. Write a post, including anywhere from 3-5 'fill-in-the-blanks' that start with "What's your Favorite..." (Similarly as I do in my Friday Faves post).

3. Add the Friday Faves button to your post:


<center><a href="http://mformommy.blogspot.com/search/label/Friday%20Faves"><img border="0" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4150/4847535262_340caf18a7_m.jpg" /></a></center> 


4. Link your post up anytime during the week while the linky below is open.  (Make sure to link up the appropriate post, not your blog home page!)

At the end of the week, I will choose the 'winning' Friday Faves list of questions and feature the winning blog, its questions and their answers in my Friday Faves post.

You don't need to write a follow up post on the feedback you get from people, however, if you'd like to do that, I bet your readers would enjoy it.

So, mama's - let's get the creative juices flowing!!

Now, let's find out what people's feedback was on last week's Friday Faves:

1. Favorite cocktail
My absolute fave is the lychee martini.  (2.5 oz. vodka, 2.5 oz. lychee syrup, 1 oz. Lychee Liquor, 2-3 lychees for garnish).  You can also find the recipe on my recipe page.
The funny thing is that recently I have been trying out different recipes, among which the pineapple martini (spot the theme?) and this, was one of the ones that Emily mentioned liking as well!!  Great minds think alike!  Click here for the recipe.
Mommycrat and I seem to have similar taste as well as one of her faves includes the 'Crantini', which turned out pretty darn similar to the Cosmo I have mentioned on my recipe page!
TV mentions the Brachetto D'Acqui and the Mojito.  I had never heard of Brachetto D'Acqui, which apparently you can buy, so I guess I'll have to 'suffer' and try it out some time soon.  Thanks for the suggestion TV!  I am always open to discovering new "Mama Juices" as we call them here at home :-0

2. Favorite outdoor activity on a summer day (other than swimming)
Walks in the park seem to be the thing to do among us mommies with younger kids. For kids a bit older, I like Joey's suggestion of laying on a blanket and looking at the clouds, spotting shapes in the sky.
But...after reading Petra's answer of what her teenage kids do...it certainly makes me look forward to when the boys are a bit older as I think they would LOVE this.  I have to admit, I'll be there on the side watching (next to Petra!), holding my breath hoping the boys aren't gonna break something, but it sure sounds like a heck of a lot of fun for teenage, testosterone over-loaded boys:
"Tramp jumping with the sprinklers or hose on is the best outside activity with teenagers... I have to admit I am usually on the deck watching, but it always gives me a good laugh.  Not super safe though, so do at your own risk.  (We have a net)."

3. Favorite kid's breakfast
I have to admit, I cannot get myself to make a big elaborate breakfast in the morning.  Why?  Let's see: husband needs coffee, toddler needs oatmeal (I make anything else, he won't eat it), baby needs milk and fruit, cat needs food, dogs need food, oh yeah, and then there's mommy: a bowl of cereal on the go for her please.  If I start cooking an elaborate breakfast, someone is bound to get impatient and every single creature in my household would let me know if that happened to be them.  So, the quick and easy way it is at our house.Emily mentioned pumpkin and banana buckwheat pancakes, while cinnamon toast with cream cheese is a favorite at TV's place.  Petra's blog is called "From Donuts to Crumpets", so take a wild guess as to their favorite breakfast...right...donuts & crumpets. Petra, feel free to share your crumpet recipe if you have a chance!!

4. Favorite easy-to-put-together and fun kid's art project
Petra and Joey had great suggestions for this one:
* Petra goes back to her own memories of rubbing leaves: put different leaves under a sheet of paper (one at a time) and gently rub over them with different color crayons.
* Joey suggested writing their own books: fold paper and staple it to write your own book.  Great idea, especially when the toddler is a bit older and 'gets it'.

5. Favorite smelly kids' feet remedy
Kai has smelly feet.  Not pretty.  I am desperately looking for a remedy.  Now, don't think I don't bathe my child.  He gets a bath every day.  His feet get scrubbed every day.  With soap!  They still smell.
Before I specified in last week's post that it pertained to my toddler's feet, Emily had already responded and suggested soaking your feet for 30 minutes in strong black tea.  I have read about that and if I every suffered badly from less-than-pleasantly smelling tootsies, I will certainly try that.  However, I don't think I will be able to have my toddler soak his feet in tea for that long...Petra mentioned dryer sheets in the shoes.  Overnight, and even when they are wearing them.  Unfortunately he didn't groove on the dryer sheet in his shoe while wearing it...
At the moment I am waiting for my pediatrician to call me back with a suggestion.  Will certainly update when I talk to her.

So, dear friends, for next week, start your own Friday Faves and don't forget to link up below. 

At this mommy's blog, I would love to hear about your Favorite:

1. ... family vacation destination.
2. ... tricks to keep your child occupied in the car.
3. ... cook book.
4. ... body lotion / body butter.
5. ... kid's book.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Happy 2 1/2-Year Birthday Kai!

2-1/2 years ago, I became a mother for the first time.  What an experience that was and what an amazing 2-1/2 years it has been.  I have never been happier than in my role as a mother.  I love it every day and despite the challenges at times, it is by far the best and most gratifying job I have ever had and ever will have.

Below is an overview of Kai over the past 2 1/2 years.  Time goes by so fast.  Holding him in my arms for the first time feels as if that was yesterday.  And then I get back to reality and there he is: my strong-willed, sweet-hearted, kind-natured and full-of-energy toddler who once again wants me to throw him up in the air, bury him under pillows and tickle him until his tummy aches...boys are awesome!!

Chayim (Kai) Sandol
February 5, 2008 at 2:36pm
8 lbs. 7 oz., 21" long








May 2008 (3 Months old):



August 2008 (1/2 Year old):



February 2009 (1 Year old):



August 2009 (1 1/2 Years old):



February 2010 (2 Years old):



August 2010 (2 1/2 Years old):

Ignorance Is Bliss

This morning was the morning: the ever-feared, absolutely dreaded, wish-I-could-escape morning: my 8:30am appointment with the dentist.  I fear those appointments.  All because I suffer from severe childhood trauma (at the dentist).  My mom always used to be afraid of the dentist, so I am sure some of that sentiment rubbed off on me.  In retrospect, I totally get why she was terrified of the guy:  I remember my first cavity all too well.  Well, not the cavity, but the experience of having it drilled and filled.  The drilling part is engraved in my memory: no anesthetic (they're not big on that in The Netherlands.  You have to ask for one.  At the dentist and even in the hospital when birthing a baby!!).  Anyways, it hurt like he*l!  And the kicker: he told me "10 more seconds".  Well, I was old enough to count to ten, and guess what...the sadist repeated that 6 times!!  6 x 10 seconds my friends!!  That's a friggin' minute of drilling and laying in that darn chair in excruciating pain.  See where my anxiety comes from? 

Back to the present.  A while back I had a cavity that had comfortably positioned itself between my 2 molars all the way in the back, nicely tucked in between them.  Yeah, nice.  Long story short: it was filled, but it kept bothering me.  So, this morning I was going in to have it all 'fixed'.  The filling was going to be taken out, and replaced.  

Traffic wasn't as bad as I suspected, so I was early.  No chance to quietly read through some of the mind-challenging and brain stimulating gossip magazines in the waiting room as they were ahead of schedule as well.  So before I knew it I was in the chair.

First we had to locate the problem and make sure that it was the previously filled cavity.  "I'm going to put some cold on your tooth.  You tell me when you feel it and when the sensation is gone, okay?"  she said.  She walks off and when she comes back, she's holding a stick that has steam coming off it.  Whaaaaat?!?!  Is that Liquid Nitrogen you're about to touch my teeth with??  I wish I hadn't seen that.  Well, pointing out where the problem was turned out to be an easy exercise.  Holy crap that hurt!!

Then I get my anesthetic.  Despite having had 2 children, birthed them at the hospital, had almost every test done available during my pregnancies, I am still terrified of needles.  The one thing I knew to do this morning was to keep my eyes closed when she pulled out the numbing drug.  They use big ole needles for that.  Can't deal with that early in the morning. Anesthetic starts working, but before I have a chance to tell my dentist to give me double shot (anesthetics never completely work on me in their 'normal' dose), the drill gets whipped out and there we go.  As I said, anesthetic didn't work fully.  Mommy gets second dose.  Within a minute, mommy gets third dose.  At that point, all I want to do is sleep.

A few times I semi-opened my eyes to get an idea of what they were doing, but the tools I saw going into my mouth seriously resembled a nutcracker and some of the tools that David and I have used when we were adding our master suite onto our house.  I don't want to know what went in, what came out, what they did.  I am much happier not knowing.  In this respect, ignorance is DEFINITELY bliss!!  All I knew was that I was numb up to my eye lid and I seriously wondered if I would ever get my straight face back.

Well, here I am.  Early afternoon: my cheek is still a bit numb, but the rest works fine again.  My face is straight again (talking was difficult earlier), but I still feel like a walking zombie.  My cheek is sore as I apparently bit on it a few times in the past few hours.  My tooth still feels sore, which is not surprising when I think back to the tools that it came in contact with and other than that, there's 1 thing I cannot get out of my mind: ice cream.  Ben & Jerry's New York Super Chunk Fudge... Why now?  Why?  Probably not a good idea to dive into that when you just had the nerves in your tooth exposed.  Crap!

I just want to indulge.  I think I deserved that!  Forget about the losing weight thing for a day!  I lost 2 lbs. last week, I am 1 lb. under my pre-pregnancy weight.  I feel like crap, I need comfort food.  As soon as the kids are awake from their nap, we're going on a little afternoon excursion...to the grocery store!!!

Wordless Wednesday - Feeding Lil' Bro

Post It Note Tuesday - Double The "Love"

On Raising Kids...

This morning I was reminded on how much we look at 'the experts' around us to solve the challenges we face in motherhood / parenthood.  As parents we spend a lot of time trying to 'figure it out'.  Whatever 'it' may be.  And by the time we do (figure it out), our little ones have changed and decide to mix things up again.  We look at the people around us and compare our children to others:  "So-and-so walked at 10 months.  Why isn't my child walking yet?  He's 14 months already".  And there we go: we dive into the books, we call our pediatrician, and worst of all: we 'Google' our concern.  Though the internet is a wonderful place to get a lot of information, it can also be a place that can worry you for no good reason.

Long story short: we get so wrapped up in 'figuring it out' that we sometimes forget to just enjoy the moment.  I have written two posts about that since I started blogging and I often return to read them.
Living In The Moment
Enjoy Them, They Grow Up So Fast
It always puts me back with my feet on the ground, while it breaks my heart at the same time, realizing that my kids are growing up so incredibly fast.  (Sometimes faster than I'd like them to).

All this reminded me of a piece that Anna Quindlen, Newsweek columnist and author, once wrote and I wanted to share it.  I am pretty sure that some part of this will ring a bell for every.single.parent. who reads this.


On Raising Kids...

by Anna Quindlen

If not for the photographs, I might have a hard time believing they ever existed. The pensive infant with the swipe of dark bangs and the black button eyes of a Raggedy Andy doll. The placid baby with the yellow ringlets and the high piping voice. The sturdy toddler with the lower lip that curled into an apostrophe above her chin.

All my babies are gone now. I say this not in sorrow but in disbelief. I take great satisfaction in what I have today: three almost-adults, two taller than I am, one closing in fast. Three people who read the same books I do and have learned not to be afraid of disagreeing with me in their opinion of them, who sometimes tell vulgar jokes that make me laugh until I choke and cry, who need razor blades and shower gel and privacy, who want to keep their doors closed more than I like.

Who, miraculously, go to the bathroom, zip up their jackets and move food from plate to mouth all by themselves. Like the trick soap I bought for the bathroom with a rubber ducky at its center, the baby is buried deep within each, barely discernible except through the unreliable haze of the past.

Everything in all the books I once pored over is finished for me now. Penelope Leach., T. Berry Brazelton., Dr. Spock. The ones on sibling rivalry and sleeping through the night and early-childhood education, all grown obsolete. Along with Goodnight Moon and Where the Wild Things Are, they are battered, spotted, well used. But I suspect that if you flipped the pages dust would rise like memories.

What those books taught me, finally, and what the women on the playground taught me, and the well-meaning relations --what they taught me, was that they couldn't really teach me very much at all. Raising children is presented at first as a true-false test, then becomes multiple choice, until finally, far along, you realize that it is an endless essay. No one knows anything. One child responds well to positive reinforcement, another can be managed only with a stern voice and a timeout. One child is toilet trained at 3, his sibling at 2.

When my first child was born, parents were told to put baby to bed on his belly so that he would not choke on his own spit-up. By the time my last arrived, babies were put down on their backs because of research on sudden infant death syndrome. To a new parent this ever-shifting certainty is terrifying, and then soothing.

Eventually you must learn to trust yourself. Eventually the research will follow. I remember 15 years ago poring over one of Dr. Brazelton's wonderful books on child development, in which he describes three different sorts of infants: average, quiet, and active. I was looking for a sub-quiet codicil for an 18-month old who did not walk. Was there something wrong with his fat little legs? Was there something wrong with his tiny little mind? Was he developmentally delayed, physically challenged? Was I insane? Last year he went to China. Next year he goes to college. He can talk just fine. He can walk, too.

Every  part of raising children is humbling, too. Believe me, mistakes were made. They have all been enshrined in the, "Remember-When-Mom-Did Hall of Fame." The outbursts, the temper tantrums, the bad language, mine, not theirs. The times the baby fell off the bed. The times I arrived late for preschool pickup. The nightmare sleepover. The horrible summer camp. The day when the youngest came barreling out of the classroom with a 98 on her geography test, and I responded, What did you get wrong? (She insisted I include that.) The time I ordered food at the McDonald's drive-through speaker and then drove away without picking it up from the window. (They all insisted I include that.) I did not allow them to watch the Simpsons for the first two seasons. What was I thinking?
 
But the biggest mistake I made is the one that most of us make  while doing this. I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one picture of the three of them, sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages 6,  4 and 1. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less.
  
Even  today I'm not sure what worked and what didn't, what was me and what was simply life. When they were very small, I suppose I thought someday they would become who they were because of what I'd done. Now I suspect they simply grew into their true selves because they demanded in a thousand ways that I back off and let them be.
  
The books said to be relaxed and I was often tense, matter-of-fact and I was  sometimes over the top. And look how it all turned out. I wound up with the three people I like best in the world, who have done more than anyone to excavate my essential humanity.

That's what the books never told me. I was bound and determined to learn from the experts. It just took me a while to figure out who the experts were....

Happy 1/2-Year Birthday Ryder!

Huh?  What happened to the past 6 months?  Where did they go?

Ryder celebrated his 1/2-year birthday today and somewhere in the past 6 months my little baby (who was actually big to begin with) turned into an even big(ger) baby.  Despite his almost 11 lbs. birth weight, he was this little creature who fit perfectly on my chest.  Today, six months later, I have a 22 lb. baby who, in addition to lots of love, giggles and heart warming moments, has also given me biceps that have never been stronger, and that would easily take on anyone for an arm wrestling match.

An overview of the past 6 months:

Ryder Willem
February 1, 2010 at 2:15am
10 lbs. 11 oz., 21.5" long



February:



March - 1 month old:



April - 2 months old:



May - 3 months old:



June - 4 months old:





July - 5 months old:



August - 1/2 Year old:

I am incredibly grateful for all the blessings in my life and despite the challenging and trying moments we experience at times, this journey is a joy and I am loving every (well, almost every) moment of it.