Sometimes Grandma really can save the day.
The other day when Jon was on the phone with his mom, and Laurel was – in a no nap state of post-dinner psychosis – running around the house screaming happily into a digital tuner (she just learned that the tuner reacts to her voice), Jon’s mom made an excellent suggestion: don’t squelch the self-expression, just contain it in a can.
It’s almost embarrassing that I (what with the fancy training in acoustics and auditory perception…) didn’t think of this and it worked like a dream. In this instance, we dumped out a cylinder of blocks, tossed the metronome into it, and told Laurel to try yelling into the can to see if she could make the tuner blink (shown). Everybody won. Laurel got to get the craziness out of her system (and subsequently exhausted herself into a quick slumber that night), the painful sensation in our ears was alleviated, and we were able to avoid the tired (and usually ineffective) flat out “no.”
Sometimes Grandma really can save the day.
The other day when Jon was on the phone with his mom, and Laurel was – in a no nap state of post-dinner psychosis – running around the house screaming happily into a digital tuner (she just learned that the tuner reacts to her voice), Jon’s mom made an excellent suggestion: don’t squelch the self-expression, just contain it in a can.
It’s almost embarrassing that I (what with the fancy training in acoustics and auditory perception…) didn’t think of this and it worked like a dream. In this instance, we dumped out a cylinder of blocks, tossed the metronome into it, and told Laurel to try yelling into the can to see if she could make the tuner blink (shown). Everybody won. Laurel got to get the craziness out of her system (and subsequently exhausted herself into a quick slumber that night), the painful sensation in our ears was alleviated, and we were able to avoid the tired (and usually ineffective) flat out “no.”
And now, pursuant to our announcement about our impending regular guest contributors, here is Sara Cabot, with a feature on the power of peas (including recipes for babies up to adults!). Welcome, Sara!
“Early spring is a funny time for produce. The stored winter apples, squashes, and root vegetables are over and we find ourselves waiting impatiently for the first fruits and vegetables of summer.
In this ‘betwixt and between’ time, frozen fruits and veggies are always an option. They are easy to store and use; they are picked and frozen at source so are sometimes actually fresher than ‘fresh’ produce which may have sat around in a warehouse for weeks; they are reasonably priced too.
Some might call me crazy, but last week I chose privacy over publicity when it came to the unusual balancing act that now defines my identity as an online publisher.
On Friday I was scheduled to give my first TV interview on the topic of potty training. When I first picked up the interview request, I have to admit that I was pretty excited about the potential exposure the interview could bring for Boston Mamas. The producer wanted to interview me about our potty journey. No problem. Her crew wanted to conduct the interview in my home. No problem (except for the fact that I’d have to clean the house). Oh, and they also wanted to shoot footage of Laurel on the potty.
With a potty-trained peanut on my hands, public restrooms are both a blessing and a curse. I’m grateful for their existence but freaked by the potential germ factor. Not to mention that our current system – I lay a (wishfully hygienic) layer of tissue on the seat, squat in front of Laurel so she can plant her feet on my thighs, and wrap my arms around her waist so she doesn’t fall into the hole – is utterly uncomfortable.
None of these issues seem to bother Laurel, but in anticipation of our travel this past weekend (i.e., exponential increase in the need to use public restrooms), I ordered One Step Ahead’s Folding Potty Seat and it was a huge success. This seat is remarkably compact folded, and unfolds to provide a sturdy, secure potty seat. The seat also has handles so your kid can hold onto those instead of the toilet itself. This travel potty, which provided me with sanitary peace of mind and Laurel with a comfortable place to go potty, is a steal at $12.95.
With a room full of preschoolers, a meltdown, mischief, or other parental grimace inducers are inevitable. Last weekend, at the birthday party of one of Laurel’s friends, as one mom moved to negotiate her son’s behavior, she rolled her eyes and astutely said, “I think half of parenting involves worrying whether the other parents think you’re doing a good enough job.”
So true. You feel a million judging eyes when your kid loses it in public, and want to evaporate when you can’t control the behavior. Fittingly, my husband Jon just finished reading a book on parenting and behavior; he steps in this morning with a guest post reviewing Unconditional Parenting: Moving from Rewards and Punishments to Love and Reason
.
Puzzling over the how, when, and what of solid feeding can burn countless parental energy units; my cousin Pauline recently wrote in to recommend First Meals
by Annabel Karmel. Written for parents ready to mix it up in the kitchen, this book covers nutrition basics, home prep process and gear, and recipes and menus for babies and kids. Pauline’s daughter enjoys lots of the recipes!
We used the older version of First Meals, and while I didn’t have the energy to cut and structure all of Laurel’s food to look like animal faces and shapes, we did get a lot of great ideas about what to try when, and different menus to present. Plus, for a good month or two, Laurel was wildly entertained by the book itself; she spent a lot of time giggling at the pictures of said food animals.
I realize that multiple cooking posts in the span of a few days makes clear my obsession with food, but a recipe this easy must be shared with my fellow mamas.
For our gathering yesterday with some of Laurel’s BFFs, we made vanilla cupcakes but subbed the vanilla frosting with this incredibly easy chocolate frosting recipe from our trusty Baking Illustrated. Bring 1 cup of heavy cream to a simmer in a small saucepan or in the microwave. Place 8 ounces of chopped semisweet chocolate (chips work great and lessen cleanup) in a bowl and pour the hot cream over it. Cover the bowl with foil and let it stand 5-10 minutes. Whisk mixture until smooth and velvety brown. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cool and slightly firm, about 1 hour.
Avocados have long been a staple in our household, and after naptime today we’ll up our daily consumption by serving some friends the easiest and best guacamole recipe ever.
This recipe comes from The Border Cookbook
(a James Beard Award winner). Simple mash 2 ripe Haas avocados roughly, leaving some small chunks. Stir in 2 tablespoons of minced onion, 1 fresh minced Serrano or Jalapeno pepper, ½ teaspoon of salt, and the juice of ½ a lemon or lime (bottled juice works fine). Makes about 1 ½ cups; serve within 30 minutes of preparation.
These days, weekend gatherings with our friends and their kids tend to zone in on the brunch window; the timing works for various nap patterns, the prep is simple, and the food suits kids and adults. One easy and yummy go-to recipe in our brunch arsenal is the Sour-Cream Banana Coffee Cake from Real Simple
(shown; click thumbnail to enlarge).
My only revisions include not bothering to chop the chips (forgoing the extra step and associated cleanup with extra chips), and dispersing the chocolate-nut sugar and batter more loosely than by thirds (to better spread around the good stuff). Also, using ripe, frozen bananas in this and other banana bread recipes improves the taste. Just let the frozen bananas thaw in a dish, or defrost them in the microwave, before use.
The seasons are, blissfully, officially about to change, and no doubt your child’s wardrobe is due for some spring cleaning. It’s the perfect time to check out the fresh designs of Little Lark.
Based out of Portland, Oregon, Little Lark’s collection includes a variety of designs, most of which show clear inspiration from nature. Designs are letterpressed onto note cards, or are hand silk-screened onto snuggly soft, sweatshop free, 100% cotton shirts, onesies, pants, and hats (for babies and toddlers; big kid and adult sizes are forthcoming). Onesies and shirts also come with a gift-ready, reusable muslin bag that adds to the rich, organic feel.
With plenty of snow and ice still on the ground, the spring promise of the Geese Tee (shown, $24-$26) is especially welcome.
Sometimes (particularly after a stretch of indulgent eating) serving as a fashion consultant to a friend is more fun than shopping for yourself. Yesterday I had great fun hitting the maternity pavement with a girlfriend desperately in need of bumpworthy business attire.
After checking out Target
Regular readers may know that Jon and I have developed skepticism about the ability to have a relaxed meal out with a busy two-year-old in establishments other than cafes or diners. But last night we tried again, and Laurel rewarded us by being an angelic dinner companion for nearly an hour and a half at Tamarind House in Porter Square.
It’s possible that the 15-minute post-nap tantrum over Laurel’s distaste for wearing pants depleted her crazy mojo reserve; or perhaps she’s just growing into a more mature dining out buddy. Those possibilities aside, a few other factors no doubt helped the cause. We hope these "dining dos" will prove useful for your future family dining:
It's probably safe to say that most people love adorable little mice in all forms other than as real, breathing critters. These days one of our favorite books is Ellen Stoll Walsh’s Mouse Paint
($5.95 at Amazon). This beautifully illustrated board book tracks the adventures of three white mice who, when not hiding from the cat, have a grand time showing you what they’ve learned about color mixing. There’s even a bit of dry humor included for parents.
Jon and I currently are on a mission to develop a weekly dinner plan that: a) is simple and tasty for adults and kids; b) takes the ambiguity out of who’s doing what (we recently discovered I was assuming full responsibility for – and withholding bitterness over – meal prep on top of work and juggling Laurel at the end of the day); and c) gets more vegetables into us. If we get a good plan sorted out, we’ll be sure to share it; meanwhile, we have discovered how effective an excellent, simple vinaigrette is to inspiring salad consumption.
A reader recently wrote in with praise for Jinwood Shoes. Based out of British Columbia, this shoe company produces groovy, soft-soled infant shoes (available in 0-24 months) that have a skid resistant sole, Velcro styling for easy on and off, and come in a variety of cool retro stripe color combinations (shown, Green Stripe). Available for $25.95 at Simple Me Boutique.
UPDATE (3/5/07): In addition to standard free shipping on orders over $25, Simple Me would like to offer Boston Mamas readers 10% off orders over $50 using the code BOSTON.
Parenting is one of the toughest jobs out there; tack on the pressure to conform to the ever present “shoulds” (offered by those who know you well or not at all) or the breezy, effusive parenting reports from celebrities, and it’s no wonder parents often feel that they have to put on airs about how seamlessly things are going at home.
On the flip side, you’ll get nothing but the truth from Meredith O’Brien, a Boston-based writer/blogger whose new book, A Suburban Mom: Notes from the Asylum
, includes a collection of essays reflecting the disparity between parenting reality and fiction. O’Brien’s perspective comes from that of a mother of three who discovered that her stay-at-home mom status (even once she started freelance writing again) relegated her – in non-at-home circles – as someone whose “experience and knowledge apparently [were] no longer relevant.”
A well-shaped brow can make even the most frazzled mommy feel utterly put together.
Yesterday I got the best eyebrow treatment ever while kicking back with Laurel at Baby Loves Disco. Arwen of The Salon at 10 Newbury brings her acclaimed eyebrow shaping prowess (she has been lauded by InStyle, Allure, and Boston Magazine) to this hottest ticket in town. (She is providing her services to BLD gratis so please tip kindly.) In the past I have asked other aestheticians to give my brows a slimmer, more arched shape and they all claimed it wouldn’t work. I thus didn’t bother making any specific requests, but Arwen shaped my brows exactly as I had always envisioned. I feel like a new woman.
It may prove tough to see Arwen at Baby Loves Disco if you don’t already have tickets (new dates into the summer already are sold out), so book an appointment with her on Newbury. You deserve it.
The Salon at 10 Newbury, 10 Newbury Street, Boston; Tel: 617-247-4900
Editor’s Note: This just in from our new friends at The Salon at 10 Newbury. Mention BostonMamas.com and receive a facial, eyebrow waxing, and blow dry for $125 (regularly valued at $160).
One challenge of passing the initial solid food dabbling phase (where its more about exposure than quantitative intake) is how to provide a variety of nutrients to accommodate tapering off of breast milk or formula, while dealing with your baby’s limited interest windows and tummy size.
Plum Organics offers an excellent solution for busy parents. In addition to their Real Smooth starter fruit and veggie purees (for babies 6 months and up), their More Texture collection (for babies 9 months and up) includes all-in-one meals well balanced to cover the basic food groups. Thoughtfully composed options such as the Chicken Whole Grain Pasta (organic chicken, carrots, peas, and whole grain pasta) and Red Lentil Veggie (organic potatoes, carrots, corn, and red lentils) pack a nutritional punch; sweet finishes include the Banana Peach Rice Pudding and Pears & Apples. Available in the freezer section of local retailers nationwide; from $2.89 to $3.49.