Competing for my heart

I am a bit of a foodie. I have been accused of channeling Martha Stewart more than once. On one famous occasion I had a complex concussion (knocked myself out cold on the kitchen tiles) and stupidly decided I needed to bake an apple pie from scratch in the 30 minutes before my guests would arrive. The party was a success, nobody noticed my slightly swollen brain and the pie was delicious!

So it won’t surprise you that I have coveted a Kitchen Aid Stand mixer for, like, ever. And I had to combine my 25th Birthday Present and my First-Ever Mother’s Day to justify the expense. I LOVE it! It is an antique green and it is used every other day for everything from baking specialty cakes, to making the smoothest ever mashed potato, to making pizza dough, home-made bread, everyday cakes and my husband’s favourite biscuits.

I never thought it would happen, but the KitchenAid has a rival; The SodaStream. I have been making home-made (non-carbonated) lemonade for ages and using fruit juices in water (lime, lemon, orange, watermelon) to serve to my little man. But this blessed little machine makes the fight to serve healthy drinks to a 2-year-old effortless. The syrups are much lower in sugar than pre-mixed soft drink, I can regulate how much syrup I use (I use about 25-50% of the recommended dose), I can control the carbonation level (medium for son, light for me and as bubbly as possible for Hubby). The SodaStream is far less expensive than the KitchenAid (especially if you buy from Big W as opposed to Online), is used every day and makes Mocktails (something I expect to live on in the warmer months) a perpetual possibility! Not to mention the green implications of not buying prepackaged softdrinks!

Yes, I know I have just outed myself as a kitchen appliance geek. But you will forgive me, right?

*Photo credit

The importance of Dads

I recently spent an evening handing out information to new Mothers at the local hospital. It was only 12 months ago that I was in their position and so I had anticipated the empathy I felt for the slightly dazed, sleep deprived and sore mothers. What I hadn’t expected was the empathy I felt for the fathers.

Being a mother my bias is obviously female and I would not, for a moment, say that the Dad’s have it worse than the Mum’s in early parenting. But what I noticed for the first time was that there is no support for the Dads.

Dads’ miss out on all the good stuff. They aren’t as hormonally charged to nurture the baby, which is not to say they are less nurturing, but that they get far less biological help to do so. Fathers don’t experience the hormonal shifts that aid in returning to sleep after being woken during the night & they have fewer feel ‘good’ hormones raging through their bloodstream that help mothers out in the early months.

Dad’s even miss out on a lot of the ‘stuff’ that goes with a baby. There is really no male equivalent to a traditional Baby Shower, and even if there were what would you gift to a father-to-be? They really don’t have any use for body creams, re-usable breast pads or spa treatments. At best Dad’s get the practical things like a baby carrier- but nothing really cool. Until now that is.

Last week I met Alan Jones and was introduced to his very kool product for new Dads’ – The Milkooler. Yes that’s right it’s a stubby holder for a baby’s bottle. Aside form being super cute there is more to this product than the novelty factor. It keeps Milk warmer, or juices cooler for longer, it is far easier for little hands to hold, it prevents the sun getting to the contents inside and when children are in the mimicking phase it is just like an adult stubby holder. They are inexpensive, fit most bottles and scrunch up easily in a nappy bag.

My son is totally breastfed but still uses his on some of his sippy bottles and bottles of expressed breast milk. My partner loved this product and it went straight to the top of his ‘Great kids gear’ list. We have ordered a few more for expectant friends.

This review was published originally at Connect2mums.

The power of positivity

It is passé these days to speak of the difference a positive attitude will make to the outcome of any endeavor. It is almost a truism. Everybody knows the difference positivity will make, yet it is the first casualty when things get tough. Perhaps this is why I found Mel Hayde’s message in ‘Terrific Toddlers’ so refreshing.

‘Terrific Toddlers’ is a simple, practical book about a revolutionary concept; that we can teach our toddlers values like kindness, respect, gentleness, patience & compassion. And the assertion that compassionate, gentle, patient toddlers throw less tantrums.

Mel, who has used the philosophies and techniques of ‘Terrific Toddlers’ to raise her own 3 children, offers real-world mum friendly advice. The book is concise (I was able to read it cover to cover whilst my toddler had his afternoon nap) but contains no fluff.

The take away for me was a reminder that my actions are a greater teacher than my words. That my tone, body language and reactions mean as much as my words do. That calm words won’t mask inner frustration and that there is a better way.

This review was completed in conjunction with Connect2Mums, my online family where mums, mumpreneurs and inspirational women meet.