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5 Easy Ways To Get Your Kids To Eat Healthier

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Grocery Shopping

The new school year is upon us, and it’s every parent’s mealtime (and lunchbox) crusade – getting your kids to eat healthier. Well, its mine at least. Easy(ish) when they’re young and they pretty much eat anything you put in front of them. Not so easy when school starts and they discover a whole new world – like their classmate’s lunch boxes filled with no-no’s like soda and Doritos.

When my 3 kids were babies I started them all of with what I think is the Bible of healthy-baby-eating, The Super Baby Food Book. Well, I admit that it got to a lesser degree with #2, but with #3 came the the advent of commercial organic baby food, which made things a lot easier. Whether you are a DIY Mom like Ruth of the Super Baby Book (who also makes her own Play Dough, mind you), or prefer to buy from the organic aisle at the supermarket, know that giving your kids a healthy diet now means setting up their foundations for a healthy life. Now isn’t that a worthwhile mission?

Here are my tips on how to help you get started (and hopefully keep going!):

1. Teach Them About Health
My Mom did this for my sister and I (she was and still is what you would call a “health nut”), and I have to say that it stuck. Explain to your kids WHY certain foods are good or bad for you and you’ll be surprised how well they’ll respond. I try and use language they understand like: “…healthy food like fruit and vegetables helps you get bigger and stronger, but also makes your “soldiers” strong to fight bad germs so you don’t get sick“. There are a few kids shows now which touch on this, as well as books. Read/watch and talk about it with them and be prepared to answer their questions.

2. Vegetarian Meals= Budget meals
Yes, its true! Add a vegetarian meal or two to your weekly menu and see how much you can save. It’s a known fact that fresh produce is significantly cheaper than meats (which are some of the costliest food items in stores), so by serving say, a vegetarian lasagna rather than the “al forno” with beef, you not only give your kids a veggie-filled nutritious meal, you also save on the weekly budget (yipee!), plus it’s good for the planet. Why? read about vegatarianism and the environment here.

3. Make it Fun!
My kids and I like to play quick games like guessing which food is “healthy or not”. For example, what’s better? french fries or apple slices with cinnamon? (Okay, so my husband doesn’t join in and prefers to roll his eyes- but WE enjoy it!). The winner gets a small prize like stickers. You can also make healthy food attractive and fun by using a cookie cutter to make shapes and adding “faces” (raisins and sliced red pepper make easy instant characters). Brit Mom turned kid-food guru, Anabel Karmel is a total wiz at this and I love her cookbooks.

4. Go Organic
Finding organic food is really easy these days, and the health benefits are huge. Would you prefer to feed your kids things without harmful chemicals and pesticides? With more nutrients and vitamins? I would. It’s a really simple choice, and really worth the extra effort.

5. Plan Ahead and Cook More, Mom!
I really believe that planning ahead, being organized and cooking yourself is the key to healthier eating. Look online for new healthy recipes to try (you can get the kids to help choose here), add more fruit and veg to your meals, and take a few minutes every Sunday to plan healthy weekly menus– this really helps keep me in budget too!

Photo via Tanya Dawn

Originally posted on September 7, 2009 @ 6:07 am

Disney – Fantasies Galore

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disney1All kids love Disney whom we have all been witness to has grown from one theme park to a huge corporation that all kids see as the place where dreams are made of. Another fact about Disney, we as parents know that stuff we see, hear and read about that comes form them are wholesome and educational for all ages(even you parents).
We might have outgrown our love for Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck but they are part of kid’s fantasies and pop culture that they are forever part of history as some of the most recognizable cartoon characters of all time. Thinking of a gift for your child? Why not consider getting some of the best Disney tshirts around to suit their choice of favorite characters from the cartoon classics as Snow White to Wall-E the robot who has caused many a tear with his unexplainable emotion hard to imagine from a robot who falls in love.

Originally posted on March 7, 2009 @ 3:51 am

Toys From Childhood

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I get newsletters from a lot of places, and admittedly I mostly just skim through them, only really clicking through if I find something especially interesting – like the other day! In my Fisher Price newsletter was a link to their 50th Anniversary toys, toys from my childhood.

If you grew up with Fisher Price toys like I did, I urge you to visit this page, I honestly got incredibly excited remembering the beloved toys my sister and I once played with for many happy hours. One thing I wasn’t aware of was how the “Little People” toys of today evolved from the ones we played with in the 70’s. My kids have the Christmas sets, which they love playing with, but the characters just don’t have the same appeal. They look too much like cartoons in my opinion (which I admit is completely biased!).

The first “house” I had was this yellow house you see above. I still have it in storage in my Mom’s house but sadly it’s pretty war torn with the pieces all disappeared – boo hoo. Fisher Price now has a “50th Birthday” version, which is just a few “retro” figures in a tin which vaguely looks like the original. A poor substitute, I think! They could have at least made replicas of the original people.

Other favourites which tug at my childhood heartstrings are the Sesame Street “street”, pictured at the top of the post and the airport just above. I could go on, and go the extra mile by actually purchasing these toys on Ebay (tempting, if it weren’t for the exorbitant prices), but for now I’ll just have to be content to look wistfully at these online photos.
For more memory tripping, check out this 1977 Fisher Price catalog, which I think is meant to be a bit of a joke, but for a seventies kid like me, is another lovely walk done memory lane.

Originally posted on April 18, 2009 @ 11:55 pm

My Favourite Halloween Costumes

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Mini Donald
Mini Donald
Halloween is huge in our household. Since the 1st of October, we’ve had our Halloween decorations out and increasing (who can resist a “Halloween Tree” I found at a sale last week? Picture a pumpkin on a spider web, black, with spiders, black cats and ghouls hanging from it- adorable!). There are orange lanterns with jack-o-lantern and witch faces dotting our house, giant spiderwebs with spiders, bats and bloody hands on our windows, a rather large “witch” wind banner blowing in the garage, an assortment of spooky garden stakes in the front lawn (with glow-in-the-dark eyes), and a “face” for our tree at the front of the house which makes it look like the apple-pelting ones in the Wizard of Oz.

We threw a Halloween Party last Friday after school. Nothing fancy, just games and snacks for around 15 kids, and potent Bloody Mary’s for the grownups courtesy of my hubby, who’s perfected the art of the Bloody Mary. My three went as Wizardess, Cowboy and Superman, and there was Darth, Sandy from Grease, a Pirate, a Mermaid, 3 Rambos, a Fairy, a Spider and a kid who boringly went as himself with his skateboard.

On Friday my kids have their second set of costumes (except baby Wills), Wednesday Addams and Peter Pan (a gift from my Aunt), and we’ll have a little pizza party at home after the Trick or Treating. Exciting! If you aren’t a Halloween-obsessed Mom like me, and still haven’t decided on a Halloween costume for your little ones, here are some of my favourites.

1. Donald Trump (pictured above) – You have to love the hair! This costume makes the Donald look absolutely adorable.

2. Fire Breathing Dragon – A crafty Mom can put this together easily, and create a fantastic magical costume sure to be a showstopper.

3. Baby Yoda– Ok, its not the most original, but when I see a little one in this costume it makes me melt.

4. DJ Lance– He’s the funky guy from Yo Gabba Gabba and if my 3-year-old son didn’t have a costume already, this would be it.

5. Sushi Roll – My 6 year old loves sushi, so again, if I didn’t already have 2 costumes for her, and if I got myself organized a lot earlier, I would have made this her costume for Halloween. Oh so clever.

Originally posted on October 28, 2008 @ 7:16 am

All I Want For Christmas Is Teething Bling

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Teething Bling
Teething Bling

As any Mom (or Grandma, or Aunt) will tell you, babies love jewelry, especially if its hanging from your neck, as they can grab, pull and chomp on it. NOT good if we’re talking about precious gold, bejewelled, fatally-chokeable stuff. GREAT if its bling which the kid can actually chew, tug and and not only will it not break, but it’ll look good on Mom too!

And that’s exactly what the very clever people at Smart Mom made – lovely pendants and bangles which Moms can wear precisely for their babies to chew on. And as a proud owner of an orange pendant and bangle, I can honestly say that baby Wills, LOVES it too. I love love love the idea, especially because of what it’s made of:

“…We use only the highest-quality, phthalate-free, federally approved silicone in our Teething Bling™ line. The material is non-toxic, latex-free, food–safe, even dishwasher-friendly! It is the same silicone used in many other popular teething products and SGS test reports are available upon request. Although we stress that this is adult jewelry not intended for children to wear, all of our pendants come with a breakaway clasp as an added safety feature.”

And best of all, the Moms who made this great product are also giving a part of their proceeds to charity, like Cure Search and Dress for Success.

So if you haven’t thought of a Christmas present for another Mom in your life, or as a treat for yourself, Teething Bling is a fantastic idea.

Originally posted on December 8, 2008 @ 7:49 am

Night Terrors and Monster Go Away Spray!

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msl-monstergoawayAt least one or twice a week, my husband and I hear little footsteps in the dead of night, traversing from across the hall and into our bedroom, with “Mommy, I had a bad dream”. Usually, we are both too exhausted to take them back, so we end up with one (sometimes two) little bodies squeezed in between us. And putting them to bed is even more of an issue, with claims of “Mommy I’m scared”, “Mom I don’t want to be alone” (even if they aren’t alone, “Mommy I have bad dreams” etc etc., making the bedtime ritual stretch out even longer until bone tired Mom is about to pass out on the bunk with them.

So when I saw this product on My Daily Om, I thought, What a clever idea, I wish I thought of it!….followed by… I have to get one!. Formulated by a Mom, this fabulous spray gets rid of those bedtime monsters both physically and psychologically. Physically, because it uses essential oils and works it’s magic through aromatherapy, and psychologically, well, you know. We Moms are all amateur doctors, right?

[Read more…] about Night Terrors and Monster Go Away Spray!

Originally posted on February 7, 2009 @ 7:47 am

Keeping Up With The Joneses (in Kindergarten)

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DD

Yes, the unsavoury phenomena of “keeping up with the Joneses” has already started to rear its ugly head at my daughter’s kindergarten, and we Mothers have become accomplices.

At the age of 4-5, my daughter (and indeed her classmates) has become increasingly aware of what her friends have, prompting the need for her to have whatever it is too.

Take Rose, for instance, her classmate who is obviously over-indulged by her parents. She comes to school in a new outfit nearly every day, and her toy collection at home could rival Hamleys. N tells me that Rose does not have a strict bedtime (she can sleep anytime she wants, which is usually at 1 am with her Mother) and can have new toys any day of the week. The unfairness of it all!!

To a child’s eyes, Rose has hit the jackpot, but to us Moms (well, maybe not Rose), its a clear sign for the road to Veruca-ville. So every week, theres something N wants that one of her friends have got, or worse, a slighty envious comparison on how so-and-so’s bedroom/kitchen…house is bigger than ours. Luckily, even if we have a tiny flat in town, we have a massive garden at our beach property, so N takes pride in that.

I just cant help but feel somewhat scared of this burgeoning materialism at such young age. Kids nowadays have too many things, and its the fault of us parents for buying them for whatever reason – guilt? making up for what we may have lacked as kids? or maybe we’re also keepiing up with the Joneses?

Originally posted on May 16, 2007 @ 12:46 pm

Nightmare Teen From Designer Hell

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jj

One of my best friends and fellow mom sent a link to an article the other day with a message that read: “I’d ship Max to Iraq if she turned out like this…” referring to her angelic 1-year-old, who also happens to be my Godchild.

The article was disturbing indeed, and after reading it, I heartily agreed that if my 5-year-old N turned out that way too, she’d be joining Maxine for Iraqui bootcamp asap. Having said that though, much as this misguided teenager seems like a Veruca Salt from designer hell, one can’t help but blame her parents for creating this monster in Dior.

Anyway, it was a feature from the lifestyle pages of a newspaper about “Tara” the daughter of a socialite. Addicted to shopping and designer labels, she sounded more like Posh Spice rather than a 17 year old kid in high school. It was utterly hideous. Here’s some of the interview for your cringing pleasure:

Where and how often do you shop?

I shop like hell after a painful break-up. Does that explain a lot? (laughs) Or whenever I feel the need for a lift. No, I do not shop every single day! Its more like once a week.

What are your favorites?

My blue jean 35-cm. Hermes Kelly purchased from Hermes at The Peninsula Hotel, Hong Kong. Apart from the fact that I didn’t get waitlisted for it, it holds a lot of sentimental value for me. I clearly remember finding the bag with someone special to me at the time. As for shoes, my favorite would have to be my black Manolo Blahnik pumps. They go with absolutely anything. And how could I forget my Louis Vuitton limited edition monogram cerise Speedy?! It served me really well.

What was your first designer purse?

I honestly don’t know. All I remember is being raised in Baby Dior so it could’ve been Dior or maybe Ferragamo (a favorite of my mom’s when I was younger). The first designer bag I actually remember getting was the Louis Vuitton monogram canvas pochette from my dad. I think it was a gift for my ninth or 10th birthday and I didn’t think much of it at the time (Vuittons weren’t as expensive then).

Largest amount of money you spent in one go? Did you regret it?

I haven’t any idea. I’m just sure that I didn’t regret it.

How do your parents feel about your shopping habits?

I’d imagine that they aren’t very happy about it. What sane person would be?

What bag are you currently drooling over?

I’ve always wanted an Hermes Birkin in whatever leather, 40-cm in lime green or fuchsia pink. I do plan to get one but not at the moment. You see, I havent been a very good girl lately

Do you attend sales?

Sure! Sales are great actually but then I do feel bad sometimes when high-end designer brands go on sale. The reason my mother and I love Vuitton so much is because they never have sales so you never get the painful feeling of being cheated (for lack of a better word). For example, I buy a bag today and see someone else carrying the exact same bag next week boasting about how he/she got it for a mere fraction of the original price. Ouch!

Originally posted on September 12, 2007 @ 8:37 pm

Whats On The Christmas List

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ss

Aside from filling their stocking with goodies and the presents from my husband and I, Santa also bring my two children something from their “lists”(please don’t mention the word spoiled). For my nearly-2 boy, the choice was easy – a wooden Thomas the Tank Engine set, his current obsession. For my preschooler, it wasnt as easy as every month she’d come up with something new she wanted. A few months ago it was a My Little Pony house/castle, then it was the Superman Matchbox activity game, then the Barbie 12 Dancing Princesses doll (which her classmate had, of course).

By the time Christmas rolled around, it had changed to several other highly-commercialized, overpriced toys which would probably keep her interest for a week tops, but there are kids for you. So I held off her “Santa Present” for as long as I could until I finally got my husband to the mall and told him to deal with it. In true male-style, he led me to the nearest Sports shop, asked the shop assistant for kid roller skates and voila- she had her present.

Its the strangest thing, but despite her not mentioning skates at all in her Christmas desires, when we went to that Email Santa website, it was what she mentioned FIRST in her letter!!! I don’t know how my husband knew, but the moral of the story is that sometimes, just sometimes, we Moms have to let Daddies work their own magic with the kids.

[tags]Christmas, Holidays, Christmas presents[/tags]

Originally posted on December 23, 2006 @ 9:25 pm