Fun with Mama

Fun With Mama Has Moved To WordPress

noreply@blogger.com (Nadia) — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 20:17:00 +0000

I am proud to announce that Fun With Mama has moved to WordPress. I hope you will join me there!
Fun With Mama

Toddler Racket Ball

noreply@blogger.com (Nadia) — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 14:40:00 +0000

Here is a fun and simple idea to keep your toddler entertained.
This activity is fun and mess free!

All you need is a beach ball. (Or any ball that is light and filled with air).

Take a string and tie a knot around the area where you blow up the ball.

Hang it up somewhere.

Give your child a racket and allow them to hit the ball. Older kids love this activity too!

She was holding the bat the right way before I took the picture!

Caution: Watch Out! Pregnant Lady Near!

noreply@blogger.com (Nadia) — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 07:27:00 +0000

After laughing my head off at this post from Mayhem & Moxie I was just thinking about some of the weird and not so great moments of my pregnancies that I now find funny…

“Wow you're huge... Its cute, just like a baby elephant..” (yeah... because ya know, a baby elephant is so much cuter than a normal elephant right?)
This was coming from another pregnant woman who looked like a penguin but I mean... I do have manners…
My hair brush somehow falls on the floor while I’m using it,
"Faheem.." (I scream to the other room)
"Yeah?"
"Ummm I dropped my brush on the floor..."
I can see he is sort of annoyed that I called him all the way from the other room for this so I tell him how I hate to have to rely on other people and promptly remind him about the story of how I threw out my back in my last pregnancy by bending down (yada yada yada) and I had to get a painful injection in my back and couldn't even go to the bathroom on my own... so this is obviously the easier way out for him ;) "
I was craving an ice cream from McDonalds... as I get it and take my first lick it somehow falls.... I begin crying...
"Here, have mine"
"I don’t want YOUR ice cream!" I manage to get out in between the tears...
"Then I'll get you another ice cream babe"
"But I don't want another ice cream! I want MY ice cream… the one I had first!!!"
Faheem looks at me and laughs (in a cute way that made me laugh too)
I had a few red marks on my body(in my first pregnancy) which I actually thought were scratches for weeks (since I own a cat and all... )
No wait.. I don't actually own a cat... hmmm wow... they must be scratches of love. ;)
Wow I've never had that before... this is pretty cool....
After realising that the 'scratches' are what a stretch mark looks like I was down and temporarily depressed... Somebody mutilated my body!
I immediately spent hours researching new techniques to get rid of stretch marks... after coming out empty handed I fiound a lovely post somewhere about how someone says to embrace the marks of love from a pregnancy... a memory I can always physically see...
(Yay i feel better... ~~no really I do...~~ and every time I don't feel better then
I remind myself over and over about the marks of love from my kids and how I will always have them with me... FOREVER.. ~~or at least until I find a laser that works without burning off all my skin~~)
In my first pregnancy I counted my stretch marks and it bugged me. In my second pregnancy I wasn't phased by it.
I didn't count any.
I couldn't remember which one came when
I mean... it can't get any worse! (Oh YES it can!!)
After my pregnancy I went to get a quotation on the new laser for stretch marks.
"Wait, did I hear that correctly? You need to put me under a general anaesthetic. Then you burn off the skin and then new skin grows in its place? If I have stretch marks that obviously means my skin does not heal well... how would burning my skin off look better than the stretch marks?!"
When I'd eat at my mother in laws house I always wondered why she bothers dishing out food on our side of the table in a separate dishing out bowl... Can't you see that I’m pregnant? Give me the whole bowl...
It's not fun having to dish out food in my plate a million times while everyone else knows the food in that particular bowl BELONGS to me the pregnant lady.
If they didn’t realise that the food in that bowl belonged to me then my evil looks directed their way every time they would touch the spoon was a good indication.
After I gained 16 kg in my first pregnancy I vowed to watch my weight in my second pregnancy... That went out the window when the nausea and hunger pangs hit. I would do ANYTHING to not feel nauseous which meant eating and snacking throughout the day. Who cares? I’m pregnant and I'm hungry!
(Yep.. I gained a whopping 22kg's... or at least, that is when I stopped checking the scale.)
Why is it that people think it is ok to call a pregnant woman fat? You wouldn't call a normal woman fat. Do manners fly out the window when you are talking to someone pregnant? And.... "WOW I didn't even recognise you" is the same thing!
Well... I'll be the last one laughing when I get skinny again (and after 8 months post partum I could say HA Ha HA)

When I used to get worried that my son had not kicked for a while I'd tell my hubby to put his hand on my stomach and Deen would promptly kick like crazy... I say he was kicking because he was saying,
"It’s my mommy, get away from her.”
Faheem says it was because he loves his daddy so much that he was already trying to bond.
Potato’s potaaaatos… who cares?
My husband came home to me with my legs up on my desk sitting at the computer with my stomach fully exposed and my hand all over my stomach...
"Umm... What are you doing?"
"I'm watching the waves in my stomach.. It’s so cool! Come see"

I always wondered something when pregnant. Why don't they have a stall in the woman's bathroom specifically for the battered up bladder of a pregnant woman?
Then I had kids and I definitely think kids should get preference too... I mean... "Mama! Pee's coming out" should really set off some bathroom sirens! Everyone duck!

I’m looking for some laughs today after having had a rough last week… Please leave a comment from a funny pregnant moment

Blogging Station Blog Hop

noreply@blogger.com (Nadia) — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 10:45:00 +0000

Since starting the Pro Blogger and SITS Girls challenge a lot of my viewers happen to be fellow bloggers. I think it would be really interesting to see everyone’s magical blogging station where all your inspiration happens and where your posts are produced. What better way to get to know your fellow bloggers and their little quirks.

Here is my computer table where I do all my blogging. I would show you the rest of the study but ~~right now its a mess~~ it’s not relevant ;)

(ok so… I am in desperate need of de cluttering!)

My study is the worst lit room in the house. I’m hoping to fix that soon though!
I’d love to see if you have an organiser board/schedule board, an inspirational picture, something unique to you…

On to the blog hop! Post a picture of your blogging station. I’d love to be inspired by you.

The Best of Fun With Mama 1st Year

noreply@blogger.com (Nadia) — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 06:37:00 +0000

Today (Friday the 23rd of July) Fun With Mama turns 1! The year has passed so quickly and I am so excited that I have been able to document so much about our family in this past year. I will be creating a Blurb book of all the past years posts to keep for our own memories.
In celebration of Fun With Mama’s first year I have pulled together this post of our top ~~ten~~ ~~twelve~~ thirteen favorite posts!
If this is your first time visiting Fun With Mama this is the perfect place to start!

Fun With Mama’s Top ~~Ten~~ ~~Twelve~~ Thirteen Posts (in no particular order):

1. Colored Salt Tutorial

2. Create Your Own Stamp (with foam alphabet letters)

3. Puffy Paint

4. Make a Volcano

5. Play dough, Colored Pasta, and Rice Fun!

6. Elmo Cut and Paste Printable

7. Handprint Plaque

8. Lets Go Fishing Printable

9.Ladybug Cut and Paste Activity

10. Crawling Knee Pad Tutorial

11. Shaving Cream Painting

12. Bubbles Galore

And here is one I really like… something that keeps me motivated and inspired:

13. Encouragement

Delicious Milk Tart – Anyone?

noreply@blogger.com (Nadia) — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 06:12:00 +0000

Milk tarts happen to be one of the most delicious desserts ever and it is not nearly as hard as one would think.It is actually pretty easy! Thanks to the push and the shove from my friend Sameerah I have conquered it! (She also happens to be the most awesome milk tart teacher in the world! She is a woman of technology and often ~~forces me~~ teaches me to cook fun recipes and yummy desserts using black berry messenger.)

Deen loves milk tart and in the cutest way ever he comes to me and say “Mama, can you make me milk tart with love?”

This recipe makes two milk tarts.

Ingredients List

2 oz margarine (times 2)
sugar
2 eggs
1 heaped tsp baking powder
1 cup of flour
round silver milk tart foil dishes
1/2 a litre of milk
vanilla essence
corn flour
pinch of salt
cinnamon

(Part 1): Dough

2 oz (1/2 of 1/4lb)(=125grams) margarine

¼ cup sugar
1 egg
1 heaped tsp baking powder

Approximately 1 cup flour to make a soft dough. (dough should not stick to your hands).
Separate Dough into 2 parts (This recipe makes 2 milk tarts).

Press flat into a silver container. (covering bottom and sides in an even layer)

Bake in oven on 180 Celsius (350 Fahrenheit) until parts of the crust starts to get brownish in color. (Be careful that it doesn’t become too brown)

Part 2:
On the stove boil 1/2 litre milk with 2 oz margarine.
(When it has boiled it will rise)

Part 3:
In another dish mix:

3 tablespoons sugar
Pinch of salt
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
2 tablespoons maizena (corn flour)
1 egg

Part 4:
When milk boils (part 2) add part 3 to the mix and keep stirring till it becomes medium thick.

Pour milk into crusts.

Sprinkle cinnamon over and put in the fridge for a few hours.

Enjoy!

He Was Caught Purple Handed! Slime Tutorial!

noreply@blogger.com (Nadia) — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 20:39:00 +0000

We attempted to make slime today and it proved to be just that…. VERY slimey indeed!!

Materials Needed:

1/4- almost half a cup cornstarch(although I did end up using a tiny bit more)
1/4 cup glue
Ziplock bag
~~Food Coloring~~ Tempera Paint in your desired color.

A willing child is a must!

Add the glue and the cornstarch into the ziplock bag.

Add a few drops of f~~ood coloring~~ tempera paint
Mix it all together. I then took the mixture to the sink and let out any excess liquid as well as rinsed it out a little bit to get the food coloring as drained as I could.

You should end up with something like the above.
If not, you didn’t follow my directions… or your measuring cups aren’t accurate…ok fine if you did follow my directions then hey im only human… nothing is foolproof! Just mix a little bit more cornstarch in.. (not too much though)

Now let your kids loose… let them enjoy this interesting feeling slimey putty!
Deen literally played with this for a whole hour before deciding he was done. I kept hearing “Wow mama this is cool”, “Mama I love this”, “Mama this is so much fun”, “Mama look what its doing!”, ~~“Mama it looks like chicken!”~~

Watching Deen play so eagerly Aaliya was intrigued. She ran over to come see what all the fuss was about… she touched it and then pulled back with that huge expression on her face(in the above picture on the left). It was priceless!

She made sure not to touch it again!

Deen was fascinated! (So was I.)

When we were done the evidence of our activity was clearly in site for all to see.
Deen was caught purple handed!

“Mama, look! My hands are like Barney’s!”

“Wow Deen! That is sooooo cool!”
I wonder how long it will take for Barney’s hands to disappear…

Note to self: Next time, do NOT use food coloring! Use paint!

What I Love About My Kids - July

noreply@blogger.com (Nadia) — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 20:34:00 +0000

I’ve started a new workshop at Clickin' Moms called Finding The Light and although I have only completed one assignment(there are four) I have already learned so much! The class is about how to use natural light to take good pictures. (It covers angling, back lighting, etc). I wanted to share some pictures from my first assignment with my readers to show how much I have been learning in terms of my photography.

I am also going to include a list of the things I love about my children(this blog is a gift from me to them which they can one day look back on and know how much their mother loves them).

These are all shot using natural light(no flash), on Manual (no auto), and they have only been cropped and sharpened for the web.

(Except for this one below)

Check out those catch lights in his eyes! (yay! that is all natural).

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Deen is 3 1/2 years old.
What I love about Deen right now:
- I love that he comes up with his own cute poses for the camera.
- If he is ever bored or in a room alone(within six feet from me) i hear him singing, “I’m so lonely… I’m so lonely… I have nobody…” and my heart immediately melts!
-The way he holds me tight and touches my face with his warm hands when I lay down with him at night to put him to bed.
- That he is such a book lover! “Mama, just one more!”
- He learned this song that he sings before he eats at school and he sang it for me…. “Blessings on the blossoms, blessings on the roots. Blessings on the leaves and trees and blessings on the fruits”….. then he closes his eyes tight and sings some mush that I don't even think he knows what he is saying… and then ends it with “blessings on our meal.”
- He stands on our coffee table and throws us a Barney Show…. “Ladies and gentlemen… this show of Barney is brought to you by….. YOUR imagination!”
- When he says “Mama… I’m so Proud of you!” for whatever reason he might be proud of me… just hearing him say it to me makes me proud!
- That I can actually have a real conversation with him and he has some very interesting thoughts.
- I don’t think I can ever get over how gorgeous Deen’s dimples are… seeing him smile makes my heart melt.
- Because of his Montessori school, he now calls his puzzles work. “Mama, can you help me with my work.”
- He is always so eager to do activities with me and I can see how much joy he gets out of each and every activity.
- Deen loves to just hang out with me and will sometimes just sit around with me doing nothing.
- He doesn’t mind that I give him a million and one kisses a day… I know these days wont last for long.
- That he can somehow make you feel so incredibly loved!
- Deen’s favorite song is Mama Mia and and Di Dee.

He made me laugh so much when I heard that while he and his cousins were watching TV they saw some product on TV that they wanted and he immediately announced to them, “No! You don’t get that here in South Africa… only in America!” because he has obviously heard me whining to my hubby that its so hard to find things here in South Africa and that you get EVERYTHING in America.

Aaliya is 14 months old right now:
What I Love About Aaliya:

- Aaliya is my little diva! She loves dressing up and wearing pretty shoes (even if they aren’t the most comfortable!).
- She currently says: mama, daaaaa (for dad), Deee (for deen), Shoes (I kid you not!), this (for anything she wants and points to), nadia!, iloveu(yes bunched together like that).
- I love how confident she is. If she is in a group of kids she doesn’t stand by me the entire time, she looks out to the world and walks around while interacting with others.
- I love how cheeky she is and how when she gets mad she backs away and lays onto the floor to throw a tiny tantrum… as if its the end of the world as she knows it.
- I love the sweet kisses she gives me whenever I say “ouch!” or ask for a kiss.
- How active she is and how she loves to climb on to everything. Her favorite thing to climb on currently is a chair… I think she is going to love Gymnastics when she gets older.
- Her beautiful hair locks (even though her hair is sometimes so messy! Apparently it is like how mine used to be when I was young)
- I love how she smiles with her teeth showing (although I do not have a picture of that particular smile).
- She currently has 6 teeth… 4 on top and two at the bottom.

- I love how she sings Barney’s “I love you” song all day… Even if she is mad or if her stomach hurts if I sing I Love You to her she stops crying and looks up at me with her beautiful eyes and smiles at me.
- I love how her world is all about me and how special she can make me feel knowing that she needs me and always wants to be by my side.

(oh and this was one of the examples of how NOT to take a picture (because the back lighting isn’t good… But I love how you can sort of see her dimple here and she just looks so huggable that I had to include it!)

- She loves to talk on the phone.
- She is so proud of the baby signs she currently knows and uses. She knows the sign for milk, drink, and eat.
- Although she can’t speak like an older child can, Aaliya understands things very clearly. If you tell her to sit or to give this item to Deen or anyone else, she listens.
- If you give her a tissue she pretends to blow her nose. It is adorable!
- She likes to choose her own shoes every day and if she doesn’t like the one you chose she will find the shoes she wants and will make sure you change them.
- Every night she brings her “ daaa” his slippers so his feet wont get cold.
- I love how she copies me(her mama). If I kiss someone, she kisses them too. If I give someone a high five, she does too!
- She is full of facial expressions and if she doesn’t know or like someone she gives them a very interesting look.

Before Aaliya was born I always wondered how I could possibly love another child as much as I love Deen since Deen filled up my whole heart but I learned that as a mother we apparently seem to get another heart hidden inside somewhere dedicated to each child….
I love you my little angels… to infinity….. and beyond!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

As you can see, my lighting seems to be pretty good on my pictures and I am so proud that I did not need to use my flash even though these pictures were taken indoors. Clickin Moms has proved to be such an amazing community where information is shared so freely amongst members… I hope to become a lifetime member there soon!
Are you interested in learning photography? Do you want to take better pictures of your kids? All you need is a dSLR camera. If you want to join a group of moms who love photography check out Clickin' Moms.

Build A Better Blog Challenge

noreply@blogger.com (Nadia) — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 22:18:00 +0000

The SITS Girls are hosting a really fun blog challenge to build a better blog in 31 days. I decided to jump on board seeing as the motivation of the group will continue to push me to put my best foot forward.

If you don’t already know, The SITS Girls are, “A group of more than 6,000 woman dedicated to supporting one another by leaving comments”. To be honest though it is much more than that. The SITS Blog features many interesting articles about blogging and every day they feature a blogger and showcase their best posts. It is so great to be introduced to new blogs and be immediately taken to the best posts on that blog.

The SITS Girls ProBlogger Challenge features ProBloggers e-book called 31 Days To Build A Better Blog. Each day you are given a task that you need to complete which will help you create a better blog. I purchased the e-book. (There is a discount code for the e-book for anyone who wants to participate in the challenge on the BlogFrog Post). The best part about this challenge is that there are already over 250 people that have signed up to participate… imagine having that kind of motivation?

We will all be motivating each other on Twitter as well as on BlogFrog.
If you are here visiting from the Challenge post you can add me to your twitter here: funwithmama

The challenge starts on July 19th. After having a look at the e-book, the information there is so informative that it is definitely worth checking out.

Since it is an e-book and I generally like to jot down my ideas on paper I created a Task Challenge booklet for myself to ensure that the ideas keep flowing (no matter where I am).

I thought it would be really helpful if I shared this with my fellow SITS Girls who also like to jot down their ideas on paper. I feel that this will make the challenge so much more organised for me.

Here is what the pages look like:

To download click on the image above or here: Build a Better Blog To Do List

I printed mine out and then binded it with my bind-it-all. You can punch holes in the page and add it to a binder or even more simple, staple the pages together.

Disclaimer: The 31 Days To Build A Better Blog Challenge is brought to you by ProBlogger’s Darren Rowse and the SITS Girls. The only thing here that is by me is my to do list. The above to do list does not contain any direct information on the e-book itself.

Tracing Practice Printable Worksheet

noreply@blogger.com (Nadia) — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 18:19:00 +0000

I created a tracing practice worksheet for Deen today which he really enjoyed. The theme is to help the babies find their mother.

All your child needs to do is draw a line from the baby to the mother… this is fairly easy but it is a great start to tracing and your young child will be very proud that they can accomplish this task and help the baby animals/fish.

Deen finished it really quick but he still liked it… I think I need to make it a bit more challenging for him but for a child slightly younger than him it would be a great introduction to tracing.

I’ve decided to share this printable with my valued readers.

To make this activity reusable print it out on paper and then laminate it.

If your child seems to be easily distracted and not able to focus I would cut each pair out to have them match the animal/fish one at a time.

To download click the link or the picture below.

Download Tracing Practice Worksheet

Fun And Easy Way To Share Ideas: Tumblr.

noreply@blogger.com (Nadia) — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 14:57:00 +0000

Have you heard of Tumblr.? Carissa at 1+1+1=1 did a very thorough post about what tumblr is and how to get started. It is a must read. In a nutshell, tumblr is a great way to share your favorite online ideas. If you see an amazing activity or a brilliant idea you post it to your tumblr. blog and it immediately shares the idea with all of your friends and followers. It is a great way to have access to the millions of ideas online without actually having to filter through millions of sites.

I've created these free graphics. Feel free to use these graphics (by saving and keeping it on your hard drive) on your blog. All I ask in return is for you to add me to your blog roll and to leave a comment with your blog address in my comments section so that I can have a look.

These four should look sort of like stickers (on a background that is not white)—see my sidebar.

These aren’t stickers and look as is:

You can grab my button on my sidebar.

Hope you find them useful!

Oh ya, don’t forget to follow me on tumblr. here

Don’t argue… Just smile and daydream…

noreply@blogger.com (Nadia) — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 11:18:00 +0000

After you have kids people start giving you ‘well meaning’ advice(when you didn’t ask for any) and they actually start arguing with you about just about anything. It ranges from why your child isn’t sleeping through, what you are doing wrong(while you are happy with your parenting choices), how you should make them sleep through, about how “back in the day when I had kids we used to give them honey”, or blah blah blah… (well isn’t that what it really sounds like in your brain while they are talking?)

So here is what happens when you actually argue back

Person 1: The sky is green.
Me: No, the sky is blue.
Person 1: No, the sky is green. I read it in a book.
Me: but the sky isn’t green its blue, I’ve read that it is blue in all the books I have ever read.
Person 1: Well, its green because that's what my books say.
Me: But my books don’t say that!?!?!
Person: Well my sister in law said the sky is green too so its definitely green.
(my brain is fuming now….)
Me: Maybe she is color blind because when I look at the sky its blue…
Person 1: Well I’m looking at the sky right now and it is definitely green.

Here is what happens when you smile and daydream:

Person 1: The sky is green
Me:** … smile. while I daydream about something else**
Person 1: The books I’ve read all say its green and my sister in law says its green so it has to be green.
Me: **still daydreaming and not listening…. smiling all the while and yet still holding eye contact**

Conversation over….

Which one is the better option? And no.. we didn’t argue about the sky being green (Although it felt like that)…

Most of the time I really am dreaming… but sometimes when I am on my defence I subconsciously zone out…

I think that people just need to realise that in life everyone’s opinions will differ so instead of making the other person go on defence and feel belittled by your argument… just agree to not agree… That’s always the best answer… and if you’re arguing with someone who just wont let up…. just tune out and day dream… it always works…

until you get caught not listening, that is! :) (happened to me a few times haha)

Guilty as not charged….

noreply@blogger.com (Nadia) — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 19:54:00 +0000

One thing that nobody can ever truly prepare you for about motherhood is the immense guilt that you begin to feel about everything and sometimes nothing too.

I’m not sure if this is just something I feel or if other mothers relate to me but the minute my kids were born I felt guilty. I felt guilty for not holding them all the time. I felt guilty for holding them too much, or holding them too little. I felt guilty every time they cried, I felt guilty when I went to the bathroom, I felt guilty when I took a nap and had someone look over my child for those few minutes. I felt guilty for hugging them too much, not hugging them enough, kissing them too much, cuddling them too much.

Anytime I needed to leave my child for 5 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours, or more I would feel this crazy guilt that over shadowed me wherever I went. If I went out for dinner with my husband and left my baby at home with his grandmother I thought about him/her every second that I was away and I felt guilty for leaving him.

Time passed and I started feeling guilty that my son had no friend or sibling to play with. I felt guilty that I was somehow depriving him of the best gift to offer your child, a sibling. Thoughts of having another child soon filled my mind.

I thought 2 and a half years of an age gap between my kids would be perfect and that Deen would be happy to have a sibling to play with.

Then when my second child was born the guilt multiplied! My new baby needed me to nurture her , nurse her, change her diaper while my older baby couldn’t understand why Mama wasn’t all his anymore. I felt guilty for having another child, I felt guilty for any moment my son looked at me and felt sad. I tried extra hard to read him more bedtime stories at night so that he could have more mama time.

As my second child (Aaliya) became more aware I started feeling guilty for her too! Am I giving him more time than Aaliya? Am I giving Aaliya more time then Deen? Who’s needs are being met? Am I favouring one of them?

I read in a book that a child's emotions are like a glass filled with water, you want to do to your best to keep their glass always full (or almost full). So I tried to make an extra effort to keep their glasses emotionally full at all times and meet every single need but for some odd reason as Deen’s glass would fill up, Aaliya’s glass would drop its level slightly. As Aaliya’s would rise, Deen’s would drop… and there again was the guilt! I don’t know if it is just about this age gap but we still battle to find balance. It is a constant struggle to not only meet the needs of my kids, but also my husbands (all the while not forgetting my own needs).

I struggle to find the balance of meeting everyone’s emotional needs but I know that we will eventually find a rhythm that works for us. These years are so short lived that I can hardly complain but it helps to know that there are others who feel the same way…. This is why I am a Theta Mom.

We follow attachment parenting, I breastfed Deen till he was almost 2 and I’m still feeding Aaliya (at 14 months), and I baby wear(use slings)… yet even so, I sometimes feel like I should have done more.

I am not a bad mom, frankly, I think I’m a pretty good mom. My kids are my life. I would do the invincible for my kids no matter what because I love and cherish them deeply. They are the biggest blessing in my life. They give me a purpose and importance and it is by far the most rewarding experience ever.

This here is a journey of mine into motherhood… the good… the bad… the ugly…

One thing I have never felt guilt for is… loving them so much!
Nope, that is something that I am very proud of. I am proud that not an hour (or two) goes by at home that my children aren’t reminded how much I love them. I can just look at Deen and say, “Deen….” and my son will instinctively say “I love you too mama”.

As I see Aaliya or Deen wake up in the morning and immediately look for each other the guilt decreases and I am reminded of what a special bond they share… and that is something that I offered them… the key to all of this seems to be finding a balance.

My lack of perfection and owning up to that makes me a Theta Mom.

How do you give each of your kids the attention they deserve and keep their glass always full? Did you/do you ever feel guilty?

Theta Mom is hosting a blog carnival this week where she asks her readers, what makes you a theta mom? Theta Mom stands for a The Truly Authentic Mom. "Theta Moms are authentic because we live authentic lives. Life isn’t perfect and neither are our kids." I decided to bare my soul today about something that has always baffled me about motherhood and this post was my contribution.

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse Movie Review

noreply@blogger.com (Nadia) — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 10:12:00 +0000

Ok I can’t deny it…. I love the Twilight series!
and and and…. I love Jacob! There, I said it.

This is coming from a mother of two… but hey I’m still only 24 years old (if that counts for anything?)

It’s not that I love Jacob the person or the actor, I just love Jacob the CHARACTER.

On Wednesday night Faheem and I went to watch Eclipse (Yes that is the first day that it was playing). If I had a ‘ Team Jacob ’ shirt I would have definitely worn it…
Hmmm…maybe I need a Team Jacob locket… or better yet… I love the bracelet that Jacob made for Bella with the wolf on it…

Faheem, if you’re reading this… I want a wolf bracelet too!
Hey and if you can make it yourself like Jacob did, even better! :)
if not…. here are a few places selling it… *hint hint*

This one can be purchased at Bella Twilight Shop

And this from My Bella Bracelet

Ok… so now on to the movie review

As a true Twilight fan I love the different interpretations of the book and the movie. Yes they are very similar, but if they were exact then how did I react so differently to the two?

While reading the books I was a die hard Edward fan….
In the movies I am now a die hard Jacob fan…

Doesn’t that tell you something?

I’m not sure if the reason I switched teams is because Taylor Lautner is such an amazing actor. He nails the role so perfectly. Although a movie can’t really show you what a character is thinking (like the book can), Taylor Lautner somehow manages to take you deep into his thoughts without even needing to say a word.

Rob Pattinson is really not my view of how I envisioned Edward to be (or to act for that matter).

But anyway… Lets get back to the Review of Eclipse:

For me, it was 4.5 stars out of 5 stars! I loved it! Eclipse has always been my favorite book and that carried out into it being my favorite movie! It would have been five stars for me if it was longer and incorporated a few more scenes.
Yes, there were a few scenes missing (and changed slightly):

Alice’s sleep over with Bella where she ‘kidnapped’ her(I remember Alice being at the sleepover in the book, not Edward but I could be wrong)
Angela doing Bella’s invites.
Bella’s thoughts on if she chose Jacob

There were a lot of lines that made everyone in the theater burst out in laughter:

“From now on, I’m Switzerland!”
”Doesn’t he own a shirt?”
“Well, I am hotter than you.”

The acting was better than the other movies. (Although Taylor Lautner did great in this movie and in New Moon).

Special effects were pretty good but I did notice that the wolves kept changing sizes…

Jacob and Edwards scenes together were intense and you could feel the animosity and jealousy between the two characters while their hearts both fought for the woman they love.

Supporting Characters got more on screen time and you get to see how cute Alice and Jasper can be together.

All Jacob and Bella scenes were captivating.

My Favorite Scene? Bella and Jacob’s Kiss (the one before he left for battle).
For a more in depth review check this site out: Eclipse Movie Review

Jacob Vs. Edward:

If I was Bella I would choose Jacob, he is more ‘ALIVE’.
I feel that they have more chemistry together and you can see the magnetic pull on screen between them(or at least from Jacobs side).
He protects her and even when he has to protect her for her own safety, it still bothers him that she is hurting. (When Jacob became a wolf and left Bella alone, he made sure to come to her room and check that she was okay. Edward on the other hand takes it into his own hands to ‘protect’ Bella and in turn hurts her more because she never understands the reason why).
I like Jacobs personality more, he is more active, bubbly, funny, snarky, and he wears his heart on his sleeve. He portrays his emotions more yet doing it in a very manly way.

I’m not really looking forward to Breaking Dawn because in all honesty I really did not like that book. I would have preferred if a new book was written for Jacob, one in which he finds someone who is worthy of his love, who helps him get over the heart ache and show him what true love feels like.

Are you Team Jacob or Team Edward?

Does anyone know what the name of the instrumental is on this short 13 second video? I love it.

I guess I will just have to resort to fan fiction to get my happy ending.
I’m going to start with this story: Never Too Late
and then The Sun On My Skin

Here is a nice fan fiction video:

What did you think of the movie?

What IS This? Shaving Cream Painting

noreply@blogger.com (Nadia) — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 08:38:00 +0000

The shaving cream painting activity is more about the process and the experience than it is about the final product.

Warning: ~~Do not have a heart attack when shaving cream ends up on your floor, walls, couch, hair, and in funny places you really it wasn't~~

Do this outside on a warm day..

Always gather your materials first:

Materials needed:

Newspaper is a must have for this activity to ensure easy clean up.
Cheap shaving cream
tempera paints(or finger paint)

and that's it!

Everything else is optional. I included different things that I thought the kids might want to experiment with like paint brushes, cotton balls, toilet paper rolls, colored rice, and some sprinkly stuff that I have no idea what it is called (lets just call it sprinkly stuff).

If it is a warm summer day I would honestly say pull off your kids t-shirts. If not, then just fold their sleeves up and put on an art apron.

Spray out the shaving cream

Add the paint on top.

Now the fun starts!

Mix it up!

Feel the texture! Is it soft? Mushy?

Squeeze it through your fingers...

Mix colors...

Mama! Something is stuck on my hand!

What IS this????

Here is ~~my painting~~ one of the children's paintings...(of course.)

Isn't this picture worth a thousand words? THIS is why I am a mom and this is why I do art activities with my kids.

That is what our table looked like when we were done.

Remember the newspaper I told you about earlier? All you need to do is fold this mess up and throw it away.

Don't forget to take out your paintbrushes and any extras that can be re-used.

(If you are more efficient than me you wouldn't have had the paint bottles and colored rice tub on the table... thus no need to clean it up)

New Friend Friday

noreply@blogger.com (Nadia) — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 10:10:00 +0000

I decided to join in this week in new friend friday. The blog world is so big and I am hoping to find some new interesting blogs. (Although my list is already so long I can hardly keep up!)
How do you keep up with your favorite blogs?

If you want to check out more blogs have a look at these links:

Baking Barney Cupcakes

noreply@blogger.com (Nadia) — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 14:24:00 +0000

Deen loves to help me bake, especially if it has anything to do with one of his favorite cartoon like figures. In this case it was Barney.

I prefer to use box mixes when baking with Deen because it is just that much easier for me. I can then focus on ~~my camera better~~ him without having to worry about the 999 other ingredients in the recipe...(or worse yet... forgetting one of them!)

I first get everything ready for Deen so that all he needs to do is dump the ingredients in. If he was older and could measure then I would have all our supplies out and would ask him to measure as he added the ingredients.

See how easy and calm this is.... All he needs to do is throw the ingredients in...

Mix mix mix...

Separate each cupcake wrapper and put them in the cupcake tin...

Wow, who knew that there were so many learning opportunities in such a simple activity?

Separate the mixture...

Bake...

Cover in frosting...

Sprinkle on some sprinkles...

They definitely look better than they tasted....

I don't like the box icing at all...

Deen didn't seem to mind though! (and that's all that really matters anyway!)

Seussical Jr.

noreply@blogger.com (Nadia) — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 14:07:00 +0000

Today Deen and I went to watch a play called Seussical Jr.

WoW!!!

It was amazing! The play is about Dr. Seuss books but mainly focuses on Horton Hears a Who. I personally have not read Horton Hears A Who so I am not completely sure how true to the book the play is but nonetheless it was beyond how nice I think the book could be.

~~I mean... who knew that I could travel the world and reach far far away to another land where animals could speak and birds could whine about their feathers being ugly....~~

Deen loved it , of course! All the parents were also going on about how amazing the show is and how they think they are enjoying it even more than their kids are.

What I love about plays(theater shows) is that it uses so much more of your imagination. It takes you beyond where the television can and honestly brings to life a book in such a spectacular way.

We were all in the land of make believe....

Unfortunately we did have a small mishap due to the seating arrangement... here is what happened:
The children sat on the floor in front on a cushion near the stage while the parents sat at the back.... that was fine... until ...

...the moment the show ended...

As all the parents stood up I could not see Deen anywhere. I could not move to get closer to him...

My heart started racing... where is my son? What is he wearing? "ummm....I'm the one that put his jacket on before the show but I cannot for the life of me remember what he was wearing..." (can you tell I started panicking?)

As I frantically searched around me it seems that he was allowed to exit the theater before me. Eventually I just had to start pushing and shoving my way through people in order to find him.

The theater is in a closed environment so realistically nothing could have happened to him, but that didn't change the fact that he and I were freaking out for those 2-3 minutes where we both couldn't see each other.

Although we had a small mishap at the end, that definitely doesn't take away from the show. Anybody that lives in the Johannesburg area book your tickets to the show at the National Children's Theater. You wont regret it, I promise! :)

Fun with Rice - Great Learning Opportunities

noreply@blogger.com (Nadia) — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 16:02:00 +0000

There are so many learning opportunities that playing with rice provides..

A fun hiding spot...

A great texture to feel on your hands, face, and feet...

(Aaliyas toes)

and it also provides a great opportunity to work on pouring and cleaning up!

But best of all, it is FUN!

Deen helped me choose some items around the house that were tiny. It consisted mostly of small farm type of animals, a few cars, and some small fish. He then helped me put it into the bowl of rice and hide it. He had fun then trying to dig all the items out. For Aaliya, since she is still young, we let the animal feet show a tiny bit so she knew that they were there and she could easily get to them while still enjoying the benefit of feeling the texture of rice.

This activity kept the kids busy (with me...) for an hour and they both thoroughly enjoyed it.

Book Reviews - Our Toddler Favorites (Baby-2 years old)

noreply@blogger.com (Nadia) — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 15:35:00 +0000

Favorite books for a baby/toddler:
I have only recently started to read to Aaliya but these were Deen's favorite books when he was her age so these are the ones I am currently reading to her.

Bathtime Peekaboo is a fun interactive book that Deen and I read a million times over. Aaliya has taken interest in books recently and the DK Learning books are at the top of our list for her. I also read her Playtime Peekabo which is equally as cute. These books have stood the test of two kids and passed with flying colors. Each page has something related to the theme of the book hiding under an item. The child is then supposed to lift the flap in order to find if the item is hidden under the flap. These flaps are extremely easy for a young child to get to since it is a board book type of flap that is large. Some lift the flap books have flaps that are made of a thin paper and it can be extremely difficult and frustrating for young children to try and lift the flap up but the DK Publishing Peekaboo books will never give you a problem. I think the lift the flap part as well as having something to touch on each page(a fluffy ear or a bath sponge type of stomach) adds to a childs interest and keeps their interest in the book. Last night we purchased Hoppity Hop Peekaboo! and I hope to add more DK Publishing Peekaboo books to our home library.

Moo, Baa, La La La is associated with amazing memories for me of my reading relationship with Deen. Deen at the age of 13 months could already recite the words to this book. I would read to him and say, "A cow makes..." and he'd say "moo..." a sheep says "baa" three singing pigs say....then he would point and in his adorable baby voice say "no no noo nooo" thats not right... the pig says " oik" all day and night. Although he couldn't pronounce everything completely it was even more adorable and I don't know if I will ever be able to give this book up. I wish I had recorded it with my video camera like I had planned to do on so many instances but yet they grow up so quickly and somehow time passes you by.
I have now started reading this book to Aaliya (yes I know I am very late on that but up until this point I was using all my reading energy on Deen since he loves it so much).

Goodnight, Gorilla - Now I am not completely sure what it was about this book that held Deen's interest for months. For a few months this was honestly Deen's favorite book (probably around 16 months). At 16 months this was his must read bedtime book. The book is about a zookeeper who checks on all the animals at night before he goes to bed but a cheeky gorilla steals the zookeepers cage keys and the Gorilla sneakily lets out all the animals that the zookeeper says goodnight to. This book is made up of very few words but the pictures seem to captivate toddlers. Deen's favorite part in this book was when the lights went off and the only thing showing on the page was the zookeepers wifes big eyes.The copy we own is the extra large board book, I'm not sure if that made the difference in why he loved it but its worth checking out.

Goodnight Moon - I do not think any home library should be without this book. This calming tale is so relaxing and the last picture of the room with the night sky showing trough the window is one of the most beautiful pictures I have seen in any board book. The book starts off in the great green room and states all the interesting items in the room and then we say goodnight to all of them. This book not only winds your child down but it also winds you (the parent) down. I personally love this book and believe this is a must have book that belongs in every childs bookshelf. Goodnight Moon is a peaceful, calming, lulling book that will surely have you and your child yawning and ready to go to bed.

Trust me, when I say that we have a lot of books (especially for the 1-2 year age group) but the books above were our personal favorites. Other popular books that we own for this age range are:
The Very Hungry Caterpillar (which is also a captivating story),
Guess How Much I Love You (such a sweet book but I find that Deen only started loving this book now at age 3 and this post is about favorite books for a one year old.),
Big Red Barn (This is such a popular book amongst kids at this age and I always see it mentioned on various forums but Deen
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? ( rythmic verses and simple watercolor like pictures are very popular with kids.)

What were your toddlers favorite books?

Why is it important to read to your child?

noreply@blogger.com (Nadia) — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 15:35:00 +0000

A book opens your child's imagination to a world of endless possibilities...

We are a book loving family. Deen would spend his whole day reading books if he could and that is something that makes me proud. I have always loved to read and when I was pregnant with him I envisioned reading books to my child. I currently don't have a reading area, but in our new house(that we are currently building) I am hoping to incorporate a reading area somewhere for our kids. I started reading to Deen him early on and I think that honestly helped him with his advanced vocabulary. We also loved baby signing time but we can talk about that another day.

Reading to your child from the time they are a baby creates a love for reading that the child will continue nurture throughout their life.

Board Books Vs Paper Books?
When I was searching for books for Deen when he was a few months old I couldn't decide whether to purchase a board book vs paper books. From what I see, the difference is that sometimes the paper books include a few more pages to the story that the board book doesn't have.... BUT... the book is so much safer with a toddler if you buy the board book version. The child will enjoy holding the book on their own and you as a parent will not be worried that your child will tear the pages. For a baby to about a 2 1/2 year old I do believe its a better idea to buy the board book copy as this will last you for years to come.

********************************

(Taken from United Through Reading Family Literacy Foundation Article)

Why Read Aloud with Children?
· Studies prove that the most important thing adults can do in preparing
young children for success in school and reading is to read aloud
with them.
· Many doctors believe that a child that has never had the experience
of being read to is not a fully healthy child. The American Medical
Association has suggested that all doctors prescribe "reading to
children".
· Reading aloud with children regularly is an extremely effective
medium to build relationships and communicate with children.

The Many Benefits of Reading Aloud with Children:
• Children's self-esteem grows as they experience the security of having
a parent or other caring person read aloud with them.
• Children experience increased communication with parents and
other family members.
• Children are introduced to new concepts such as colors, shapes,
numbers, and alphabet, in a fun, age appropriate way.
• Children build listening skills, vocabulary, memory and language skills.
• Children develop imagination and creativity.
• Children learn information about the world around them.
• Children develop individual interests in special subjects like dinosaurs,
cats, or cars.
• Children learn positive behavior patterns and social values.
• Children learn positive attitudes towards themselves and others.
• CHILDREN LEARN THE JOY OF READING!

********************************

Organza Hide and Seek

noreply@blogger.com (Nadia) — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 10:59:00 +0000

Here is a simple yet effective activity that is great for babies 9 months and older.
Take a small bear or something similar to that and show your child as you place it in the organza bag.
Let her watch how you have put it in and since the organza bag is clear she will know that the item is still inside.

Then give her the bag and have her figure out how to get to the item.

If the hidden item is something that interests her she will be motivated to figure out why she can see the item and how she can get to it.

I didn't have a bigger organza bag otherwise I would have used that to make this activity a little bit easier for her.

This activity is great for the supermarket, while in the car(as long as the item is big enough not to pose a choking hazard), and for the five minutes that you may need to keep your child busy.

Simple, effective, mess free, and FUN!

Snuggle Up In Your Blanket Of Love

noreply@blogger.com (Nadia) — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 08:04:00 +0000

Her eyes open... but she can't see anything... the room is dark... She wonders why she can't see.
The room is quiet. She listens carefully for the soothing sounds of her mothers heartbeat but she can't find it. Is mama here?
She can't smell her mothers calming scent. Is anyone else here? Am I alone?
She turns to her left and searches with her tiny hands for the warmth of her mothers body... Nothing. She turns to her right and searches again... but nothing.
She begins to cry...

Mama's comforting hands quickly rest gently on top of her. She feels secure again knowing that her mother is always near. Mama begins to pat her down softly... and within a few seconds she dozes back to sleep... safe and sound.

A few hours later she begins to feel thirsty...
She doesn't know how to satiate (sā'shē-āt') that thirst... She turns to her left... then to her right... but she is still thirsty. She cries out for help!

Her mother comes quickly and tries to pat her down but she begins to cry again.
Mama scoops her up, holds her tight and takes her into her warm bed where Mama then nurses her...

She places her tiny hand on her mothers heart... soothed by the calming sound of her mothers heartbeat that surrounded her for the 9 months she lived in her mothers womb.

Her mothers soft lips press lightly on to her forehead as she hears her mother whisper, "I love you my precious child" and although she can't speak yet, she has heard those words at least ten times a day every single day since she was born. She knows that it is something good and special. Her heart gets a tickle of warmth and happiness as she dozes off into blissful sleep held in the support of her mothers blanket of love.

------------------------------

Last night, before I went to bed I thought of how my daughter may be feeling through the night which would explain her night wakings. The above thoughts are what I came up with.

Don't get me wrong though... I do believe that a baby is lucky to know how to self soothe and I know that in due time it will happen. I don't need to force that with crying it out as I do not want to become desensitized to my daughters cry. Cry it out doesn't specifically work for me and my family but I do not judge others who have chosen that route. We all need to do what is best for our own family.

I tried patting Aaliya down so she doesn't rely on nursing to sleep which seems to be working well. When I see that she is nursing only to fall asleep I lay her down in her cot(which is a few feet away from my bed) and lay one hand lightly but firmly on her shoulder (as if I was holding her... or as if she was swaddled) and I pat her down with my other hand. She usually falls asleep within thirty seconds.

As she wakes up through the night I check on how many hours it was since she last fed. If it was recently then I try patting her down first for a minute. If she carries on fussing then I pick her up and feed her. She will then either co-sleep with me for the rest of the night if I am very tired or I will put her back in her cot until her next wake up.

I am hoping that with the patting down first she will learn to self soothe on her own when she is ready.

The best part about all of this is there is no crying involved. I feel that we are meeting both her needs and mine.

I read this article on cry it out a few months ago and it deeply touched my heart and soul. I would like to share it with my readers: Just Let Her Cry

Wish me luck, that this works for us long term.
:)
Thanks everyone for your kind thoughts and e-mails... I loved reading every single e-mail with your thoughts and experiences.

I wanted to leave you guys with a song that I sing to my daughter and son.
It is a song I heard on Barney when I was pregnant with Aaliya and it really stuck with me. I love every single thing about this song and it makes my heart tingle with warmth:

Oh, sweet little girl
Oh, sweet little boy
Rest your head on a cloud
Made of feathers.

Oh, sweet little lamb
Oh, sweet little child.
Snuggle up in your blanket of love.

A hug and a kiss
A nighty-nite story.
There's nothing you'll miss
till you wake in the morning.

Oh, sweet little girl
Oh, sweet little boy
Rest your head on a cloud
Made of feathers.

Oh, sweet little dear
I'll always be near.
Loving you now and forever (my love...)

Fifa World Cup 2010 Opening Game

noreply@blogger.com (Nadia) — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 07:39:00 +0000

Yesterday, we went to the FIFA World Cup 2010 Opening Game....
Can I say... WOW!!! We had such a great time and created such amazing memories! We have waited so many years for this that it feels sort of bittersweet now that it has finally arrived.

Check us out in our Diadora soccer shirts supporting our home team South Africa!

Unfortunately, we got there a bit late so we missed the whole opening ceremony...
We couldn't leave too early since I didn't want to leave Aaliya for so many hours.
Its ok though since I heard the opening ceremony wasn't anything special!

Deen had a blast blowing his vuvuzela!

We had some great seats thanks to my amazing hubby!

The crowd was so lively! The game was so much fun to watch! (And this is coming from a person who hates to watch sports on TV... the only sports I like to watch on TV are Ice skating or Gymnastics)

It was FREEZING cold though! I can't imagine how I am going to survive during the night time games!

The game was South Africa Vs Mexico... but I have to say wow the players on the Mexican team were extremely fast runners!
The game ended up in a tie... South Africa with 1 goal and Mexico with 1 goal.

Come on South Africa!!

Mama Zombie - Sleep Deprived

noreply@blogger.com (Nadia) — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 07:23:00 +0000

I thought it was just a phase that she was going through but it seems that Aaliya has honestly become a bad sleeper. She is 13 months old and wakes up sometimes about 4-5 times a night. The good thing is that she is only awake for maybe 3-4 minutes at a time... all she wants is milk and then she is back down quickly.
Anyone have thoughts on how to help me?

Here is what we have been doing recently...
At about 7.30 I give her some baby chamomile and rooibos tea(not always)
Around 7.45-8ish We go to the room where the lights are off(except for a side light) and I give her a short quick massage.. (usually only her legs since thats where she enjoys the massage the most).
I put her pj's on and then breastfeed her to sleep. She generally goes to sleep around 8.30.
I lay her in her bed and she usually sleeps till around 11-12 before her first wake up. After her first wake up(or second wake up depending on when I go sleep) I keep her in my bed... since I am way too tired to get up and put her back in her crib.. we co sleep the rest of the night.
She is then up every 2 hours for a quick 3 minute feed.

I have tried putting her back in her cot after her first(or second) wake up but she still wakes up after 2 hours....
I'm not really sure what to do but I am becoming so tired in the day that I am exhausted by 9 pm which is usually my time with my husband. We relax and watch all our tv shows together, talk about our day, etc.

Deen and Aaliya both currently sleep in my bedroom. Deen sleeps in his car bed which is next to our bed and Aaliya sleeps both in our bed and her cot.

About a month ago Aaliya slept through the whole night without even waking up once... 12 hours! I was so surprised and thought something was wrong with her... (but thanks to my angel care monitor I could see the light flashing that she was indeed breathing)

Deen was a horrible sleeper like this until I stopped breastfeeding at around 21 months(I was 11 weeks pregnant with Aaliya at the time). After 2 days he started sleeping right through the night and has become an amazing sleeper(once we get him down.. that is..)

I have been very patient with her sleep until now as I know how quickly they grow and I believe in night time parenting when the child needs it... I love the extra cuddles... and all of our special moments together.... but knowing that she CAN sleep through the night shows me that she is doing this more out of habit instead of necessity for those feeds. I don't mind one or two feeds at night if that is what she needs.... but four?

I'd love your thoughts? :)