Yoga sit-ups for beautiful mamas

Time for youself?

As a mama, it is really difficult to find time for yourself. The TV, magazines and the society in general show us girls that look like the lady below (taken from the - free- Douglas magazine)



Perfectly styled hair? Body in shape? Nails? Make-up? Fashionable clothes? How am I supposed to find time for all that? If I hardly have time to sleep!

I went to yoga lessons during my pregnancy and we had one session afterwards where we took along our babies. We got one good tip to exercise while playing with our babies. There is one that I like a lot, and it helps to get your belly back in shape. You put your baby lying on her stomach on top of your knees and legs. Then you can do few light sit-ups.



Well, I am not sure that will help me to look as great as the lady above, but it feels good to do some exercise from time to time and it is fun!

Note: Ask your doctor before starting with postpartum exercises! I did nothing but walking during the first two months after my baby was born.

Babylab: Making science move forward

When Paul was born, we got a letter from the Babylab in Leiden asking if we wanted to inscribe our baby. Babylab? Where? What? What do they do in the Babylab?

So, I made my bit of research before throwing the letter into the paper recycling bin: Babylab seemed to be a department part of the University of Leiden.

In the Babylab we try to find out how babies come to understand the world around them. How do babies acquire language? And how do they come to understand the relation between some action and the result of that action?

Source: http://www.babylab-leiden.nl/indexeng.html

Ok, it seemed like I could collaborate to some sort of research; let's do it! I incribed Paul, and later on, Anna as well. Never heard anything from them; although I was getting some newsletters from time to time.

After almost two years, I got a phone call. Asking if Paul could take part in a test. Yes! Funny! Finally! A couple of students came this morning to make the test. They were showing Paul a couple of images in a laptop and he had to say the appropriate word. The words were simple ones, but similar, such as: baard (beard) and paard (horse), duif (pigeon) and duim (thumb), dak (roof) and tak (branch).

It took around half an hour, and the students were very friendly with Paul. I truly admire they prepared a test that requires the full attention of a two-year-old child for so long! And it worked!

For people with small children living around Leiden; I recommend taking part of it. It is not much hassle for the child or the parents, it is interesting to see and you are helping making science move forward!

Somedays give me that feeling

Somedays I feel it is too much. Like when at the end of a working day I go to pick up the children at the daycare and they are (both) crying. Anna cries because she is hungry and Paul cries because he does not want to sit in his chair. He would rather be driving the car, of course.

What to do? Switch off the radio (and all those news that make you feel depressed). Put on the CD from Room Eleven, Six White Russians And A Pink Pussycat. Look for song number 12 'Somedays'...



Get the feeling at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zT0yl-Zol6U&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZ_cTxrOC0E

Sunshine, soft and easy
All the colors slide through my window
And brighten my walls
Oh, I feel alive

Somedays give me the feeling
Jumpin’ dancin’ laugh and singing
Somedays give me the feeling
Jumpin’ dancin’ laugh and singing!

It does work. Today they both stopped crying. Not sure if it was because of the song, or because I was singing as hard as I could: "jumpin', dancin', laugh and singing!' and they were thinking their mama was getting out of her mind...

And what about you? Which song makes you smile in a difficult day?

Love is in the air

For those among you who celebrate it: Happy Saint Valentine Day!

Some time ago I found out about the hormon oxytocin. It is the hormon involved in "long-term love", and it seems that there are few animals that produce it besides humans. It is linked to monogamy, promotes bonding patterns and it is produced by both sexes during orgasm (and now you may wonder why I am talking about it in my blog).

I was really wondering why you feel so good as mother when you breastfeed your baby. It feels very nice, just like you are deep connecting with the little one in your arms. Ok, I should add that the first week breatfeeding was not so nice; I felt it was just a bit painy and weird. But, I was wondering, do all mothers feel the same or was I an exception? The answer is (you guess it): oxytocin.

Oxytocin is produced during labour, it is also involved in the process of breastfeeding and in the bonding between mother and child. There are tons of information in internet about it (some weird webpages will even try to persuade you to buy a love potion made with oxytocin!). I am quoting now:

Oxytocin has been described as the ‘love hormone’ and it is secreted when falling in love with another adult, or a baby, and it makes mothers feel relaxed, contented and less anxious.

Source: http://www.moh.govt.nz/moh.nsf/indexmh/breastfeeding-preparing-skincontact

And another quote of a source that talks about oxytocin and love:

So the brains of people deeply in love do not look like those of people experiencing strong emotions, but instead like those of people snorting coke. Love, in other words, uses the neural mechanisms that are activated during the process of addiction.

Source: http://www.oxytocin.org/oxytoc/love-science.html

Long live oxytocin!

Arri, arri, tatanet

Children love music, at least as much as adults do.

One noticiable difference is that children seem to like hearing the same song again and again. During a visit to Barcelona, my aunt taught the song "Arri, arri, tatanet" to my son, and this is now one of his favourites. The lyrics are as follow:

Arri, arri tatanet,
anirem a Sant Benet,
comprarem un formatget
per dinar, per sopar
i pel (Paul) no n’hi haurà!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1okqFEqeQKI

What does it say?

It tells about going to Sant Benet, buying cheese for lunch and for dinner, and it ends telling that there will be no cheese for (Paul). Yes, I know, it is difficult to believe that a child can like it, but he does!

How do you sing it?

You have to sing it with your child on the lap and pretending to be a horse. At the end of the song, you let the child fall backwards to the lap, (but catch it grawing his hands!). It is also very nice to do with two children.



Enjoy singing!

Happy birthday!

Today is my son's birthday: happy birthday Paul!



I believe in all countries there are songs that are sung during a birthday celebration. In The Netherlands, the equivalent to the 'Happy Birthday to You' is 'Lang zal hij/zij leven'.

For those who are learning Dutch and the Dutch culture; here are the lyrics:

Lang zal hij leven
Lang zal hij leven
Lang zal hij leven in de gloria
In de gloria, in de gloria

Hieperderpiep, hoera!
Hieperderpiep, hoera!

And this is the melody:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nrd8CGvRBJI

You are welcome to comment and add the songs used in your countries!

Little happy boxes: what is a "traktatie"?

In The Netherlands children bring little presents ("traktaties") to the school when they have their birthday. My son will become two years old tomorrow; which means that we had to prepare the little presents this weekend. It usually consists of a small sweet, or a little toy.

Personally, I believe small plastic toys are not that educative. Chocolate is also not that recomendable for young children. And I do not want to spend a fortune. So, what to do? Fortunally, after a walk around Hema, I got an idea for the "traktaties".

What did I buy?
- 2 boxes with 10 color pencils in each
- 3 different rolls to make the laces
- 1 package of colored sheets to make origami
- 1 package with 40 little carton boxes of Jip en Janneke raisins



I also needed some cello tape and scissors.

See the result below! Those are my little happy boxes ready to be distributed tomorrow! I hope that the children will enjoy them.



For more ideas about "traktaties", check the Home in Leiden website (one of my favourites!)

http://www.homeinleiden.nl/html/dutchfestivalsandtraditionstraktaties.htm

Keep it tidy

Children like to do whatever adults do. You have experienced that: you talk on the phone, your child wants to talk on the phone. If you read the newspaper, he will want to sit next to you and go through the pages and the same goes when you try to clean something, go to the toilet, etc. Sometimes it can be annoying, but you can also see the positive side of it. When cooking, cleaning or doing things in the house, I always try to give a small task to my son so he can "help me".

For example, I have to sterilize every evening the feeding bottles for Anna. I use a simple sterilizator from Prenatal. You have to put the bottles in a racket, fill it with water, and leave it 7 minutes in the microwave. That is something that Paul can help me with, and he sees it as a game (like making a puzzle) and he likes it a lot.



At the end, of course, it takes more time to do everything. Most of the times I have to clean what he tried to clean. But it is nicer to do things together instead of me pushing him aside. And I hope that in the long run, he will be a little boy who likes to help his mama!

Shake it, shake it!

Although apples and oranges are very healthy, I agree it is very difficult to get over excited about them. So, while we wait for the summer fruits to be available (e.g. strawberries and peaches), here is my tip to eat apples and oranges: make smoothies!

What is a smoothie?
A smoothie is a mix of juice/milk or yogurt with fruit. They are really healthy, easy to make and full of vitamines. They are nice for breakfast, for dessert or for 'merienda' (as we call in Spain the little meal we eat at 18.00).

How do I make a smoothie?Here is my recept of today (for two full glasses):
- One orange
- One apple
- One banana
- Some orange juice



Peel the fruit (specially recommended for the orange and the banana). Put everything in the blender and mix it! In about 10 seconds you have your smoothie ready to drink. My son really loves it and so do I!



I got the idea to make smoothies from a cooking book for children called 'Hoe overleef ik als keukenprins(es)?'. It translates in 'How do I survive as kitchen princess?'. Given the little attraction I have to the kitchen, I thought the book was totally meant for me. It is full of great tips!