Feed Bubble Puppy: Alphabet Learner

My daughter is in LOVE with the bubble guppies so I made use of this obsession to turn screen time into more interactive learning time 

This has been great for her fine motor skills though I may make the slit in his mouth a bit bigger to avoid any possible frustration she may encounter.  

To make this little game was pretty east and not so fancy as you can see the sides of my cereal box on the sides ( so feel free to obviously be as thoroughly detailed as you like with this to improve on it) But I started with an empty cereal box ( not guessing there) then I printed a bubble puppy ( I choose this one: http://mewarnai.us/images/12515-bubble-guppies-coloring-pages-hey-its-bubble-puppy.gif) and printed it at 122% size. I reinforces the back with cardboard that I traced in the same shape. Color the puppy and then glue the puppy to the cardboard reinforcement. Cover the cereal box with light blue  construction paper. Then I cut a darker blue paper in zig-zag wavy strips. I glued the darker blue pieces on in different directions at times for a better wave pattern and used a glue stick for the construction paper to avoid wrinkles and buckling. Then I glued bubble puppy on to the box and reinforced him with two staples. The slit in his mouth I but with a narrow sharp knife. The letters I made were bigger than his mouth s the slit is wider than his actual mouth but that's ok. Then I made the letters with colored construction paper with upper and lower case corresponding letters.  I'm working on adding shapes and will be doing words as well. on bone shaped paper. I will cover the letters with contact paper or tape to cause less friction going in his mouth and allow more longevity with game.  

So far my little Miss seems to love it! I'll keep adding to it so it will be something she can use and stay interested in for a while 

Hacks: Mommy's Hidden Treasures

My daughter's picky eating started pretty much the moment she first started eating solid foods. And with her mobility and vocality. Now she can scream "YUCK", "BLECH", "NO" and run away so definitely have to take this battle uphill.    SO I know there are sneaky mom cookbooks out there and I need to grabs a few copies of each but in the meantime, I discovered a few hidden gems.  Now personally I never had issues like this. I was one of those kids that ate all her vegetables. And I do mean all of them. I loved brussel sprouts. I still do. I cheered when my mother made liver and onions. Now that doesn't happen anymore. But my little lady is a different breed. And while I realize it could be worse, because she loves broccoli and asparagus, I always prepare myself with a little back up to make sure her diet is as well rounded as possible.  SO here are a list of just a few of my favorite meal add-ons to up the health ante. 



1. Bolthouse Farm Green Goodness

 
This is fruity and sweet you don't realize that you're getting Spirulina, broccoli, Spinach Wheatgrass and even garlic. I'm sure you've seen this in your supermarket and some may have been put off by that funky green color but if you can get past the color it is so yummy and a nice way to get a fruit veggie blend into the kids. There is some green tea so I don't give her too much. But the best way to get around that color for me is to make it a true hidden treasure and put it in a smoothie. Some strawberries and raspberries make it red and you or your kids won't even remember this is in there. 




2. Eden Organic Pasta Vegetable Alphabets

I absolutely love this pasta. I make a tomato soup and add them to the soup for a hearty lunch for my daughter and lately I've enjoyed her delight at recognizing and calling out the letters. This is a 16 oz box and it can last quite a while because a little goes a long way. 1-2 tbsp uncooked will plump out and fill the pot. I usually use no more than 1.5 tbsp. One serving has 4g of fiber and 9 grams of protein that is awesome and perfect for pick eater and the only thing that beats that is that it's all organic!





3. Nutritional Yeast 


Ok so this is some new thing on the market but it is still a great way to sneak some extra nutritional value in your food. I typically add it to tomato based meals for a little cheesy kick or to things made with cheese.  I make my daughter a semi home made pizza. I use a whole wheat gorilla from Nature's Promise as the crust.  Sauce made with Organic tomato paste with a little water, garlic, onion powder, nutritional yeast, salt, basil and oregano then top with parmesan and mozzarella.





4. Vitamin Code Raw Meal 


Ok so this last one is more for mom and dad but it's good for the kids too. Feeling left out of the Raw Food movement? Interested but have not time to commit? Want to try the benefits of Raw food with ease? Realize that a salad barely constitutes raw food? This meal replacement shake is easy, organic raw and delicious. You can add it to snacks and deserts for kids. I just use a small amount for my daughter.




Those are  my four Hidden treasures! They've worked really well for me and I hope they do the same for you!

Model in the making

My dear husband and I have heard like all people with babies hear that our daughter should try modeling. We graciously nodded and shrugged it off for a while but then we decided to give it a try because it seemed like a great opportunity to put some money away for college.  So initially I started sloooooowly sending her pictures to agencies. We live in Jersey City so I sought out agencies in NYC. We got a few rejections, and one meeting…that turned into a rejection. (OUCH!). Now I used to do a teeny weeny bit of acting back in the dis,

so I know what it feels like to be selected and rejected. But somehow accepting rejecting for my daughter is a bit harder.  That's that mama bias coming out!  I mean how could you reject that face!

But she did get signed which is awesome and has been on a few auditions but no bookings yet. But it's still early. She's still new and there is lots of time.  But it definitely requires time commitment and a willingness to be on the move on a moment's notice.  Right now I just grab my camera and shot her as often  as I can so I have a updated looks for the agency at all times. Hopefully if I'm ambitious and consistent  enough I can make a few moves for her to get the ball rolling and then it'll have a snowball effect and she'll be on her way! 

Still not the nanny

Ok so I am thoroughly aware that my daughter and I are not twins. I get it.  And that's perfectly fine. This isn't some narcissistic rant but it is an observation (and a rant) about how much race (and color but mostly race) play into what people see when I am pushing around my daughter in the stroller.  "Is that your daughter?" Is a question I find myself answering often but I rather answer than have presumptions be made.

Now when you plan, carry and give birth and care for your child, having your maternity questioned can be insulting but the awareness that you are answering that question because of your race just adds injury to the insult because this is something that my husband would never have to deal with. And far too often people refuse to use their common sense or just refuse to hear or accept what you're saying.  For instance, there have been ocassions when people have seen my husband, daughter and I all together. A family unit. And still wonder who I am or say IF that's your daughter she's very cute. See what I mean, common sense. I had a woman I had talked to for MONTHS about our kids, who'd seen us all out together ask me after all of our conversations, "So, do you have children?" and asked me where I lived. So she couldn't fathom that we were neighbors nor that this was my daughter and once we cleared the air, she apologized, " I'm sorry, when I am seeing you I am seeing a nanny."

If you have any questions that race and sex as well, play a huge part in this, just flip the scenarios. Hell why not pay with both.

A) I imagine that if my daughter were to walk hand in hand with a friend of mine who were white, she'd be presumed her daughter with a lot more ease than she is presumed mine though neither of her parents are white.  

B) If my husband and I just changed sexes, NEITHER of us would hear these questions. As a black man with the same skin color no one would question if she was my daughter. They would just assume she was. And maybe this has something to do with the couplings people are accustomed to. But in a way, its also a sign of the times. Back in the 90's if I saw a black women with mixed children, regardless of similar features I would assume mom. I think most people would. But the number of nannies who are brown skinned has definitely increased and so have peoples presumptions and tendency to lump most black women pushing a stroller around in certain places nannies. Small mindedness and snap judgements as a sign of the times is bit….concerning.

What I can say is that I learned a lot about presumptuousness and how to navigate it when it comes to parent child relationships especially in the area of interracial relationships.

Small Beginnings: Video

I finally put together a video to reflect on pregnancy and those first few months. As we head towards Sen's 2nd birthday I guess I am feeling a bit nostalgic.  She is truly a rambunctious toddler now and it's amazing how quickly what seemed like such a stressful time in the beginning with the sleepless nights  mounted with questions on if you're getting it right, seem so serene in hindsight. Or is that just me? 

Check the link below!

Sen's Small Beginnings

The 2's have become "terrible" which comes with the territory (though I think challenging describes this Era best)and I want to be effective but not overbearing in my discipline. I want her to safely explore her work without too many meltdowns. The area you navigate with toddlers is so different with complex emotions that they themselves are still trying to express. So I guess the moments of baby reflection may typically start at this time and just intensify as they get older.  I don't need the Kleenex just yet but I'm getting them ready in the years to come. 

There will be poop

Sooo Sen is now just a day shy of 22 months and we are taking the potty training plunge. We are only a week in  and I am being met with that toddler will. I do think that whether the time is right or not depends on the  child.  And she seems ready.  She's  been announcing when she's ready to poop or has pooped already (gotta work on that timing). We have the potty ready, the  rewards system, chart access stickers all a go. We've been all smiles giving out hi fives hugs and stickers. But as the week progressed she stopped  telling me she had to go and seemed like she wanted to avoid the potty. We had no tears no yelling no frustration as far as I knew. But to keep this milestone one with positive experiences,  I won't push the  issue too hard but I will keep suggesting it and introduce the timer more next week.

The potty I'm using is the  Safety 1st Rewards Potty  includes the charts and stickers.

Sen's Second Halloween

Whoa baby have I been off the grid! So much has happened since I last blogged and I will be playing catch up most definitely. But not just yet. Right now instead I'll just focus on my little lady's 2nd Halloween. 

Now as much I would LOVE to envision myself as one of the craftiest most creative moms I'm certainly not. And no other time brings that to light like Halloween. I saw a homemade Wall-E costume, twins dressed like Run DMC. A former co worker of mine dressed as Daenerys Targaryen and her two kids were dressed as dragons. CUTE.  My honey was first dressed in a costume I referred to as a genie costume which was often met with blank stares when I guess I should have been referring to it as a Princess Jasmine costume. That was the week before Halloween. For Halloween she was dressed as Doc Mcstuffins. Not the most original but super cute. My thought was I wanted something comfortable I could put a jacket on underneath that she was likely to keep on for the duration and could be used for vocational dress up later. And at $14.79 how could I resist??