My Idea of Paradise

Traveling With Your Baby-Toddler-Child

2012-07-11T23:40:00.004-07:00

suitcase ride

Don't be afraid to travel with your little one!

We took our daughter on 7 roundtrip flights before her 2nd birthday. We definitely learned a lot in the process, and were so glad we didn't miss those special moments with family and friends. Here are some tips to help plan your fun low-stress family getaway.

Pick your travel times wisely

- Look for the fewest connections possible. This will reduce your overall travel time and help avoid those long walks between terminals.

- Travel during awake daytime hours rather than aiming for overnight or nap times. The likelihood your child will sleep while in a strange moving machine full of strangers is small (unless he's <6 month old). Don't set yourself up for crankiness and exhaustion when your child fails to sleep .

- Try to avoid early morning or late night travel times which adds stress for whole family's schedule.

Choose the best seats on the plane

- Use SeatGuru.com to avoid crampy or noisy seats, or ones that don't recline.

- Choose window seat to give you best privacy (appreciated by nursing moms) and quiet when your child needs to relax. Also great distraction/entertainment just looking out the window.

Save money by sharing a seat (<2 years old)

- This works best from newborn through early walking stage, and is toughest for active toddler or baby who can't rest in your lap.

- It helps to have two parents who can take turns holding child.

- Keep your car seat handy in case there's an open seat nearby for your child to use. All airlines will accept car seats as gate-checked item, so just bring it to the gate with you and ask before you board if there happens to be an extra open seat.

Choose a kid-friendly hotel

- Look for recommendations on TripAdvisor.com, narrowing down to best "Family" hotels.

- If you can find a hotel with suite (separate bedroom), this goes a long way toward adding comfort for everyone, especially around nap/bedtime.

- Request a quiet room.

- Ask for a crib. If you have a toddler ask for the dimensions to make sure it is big enough (some hotels only have small infant-sized cribs).

- Plan for extra bed for toddlers who are too big for crib. See below 'in your hotel' section for advice on making it cozy.

- See if they offer roomservice and whether there are kid-friendly options on the menu (next best option would be restaurants very close by).

- Bathtub is great, but you can also improvise using the sink to clean infants and shower for toddlers.

- Swimming pool is a bonus.

Pack as light as possible

Here's what you will definitely NEED

- Diapers, wipes, bib, change of clothes on you at all times.

- Milk, water, snacks on travel day. Use tupperware to compartmentalize food options.

- Pacifier if your baby uses one.

- New toys/books for entertainment. Choose small, lightweight ones (i.e. paperback books).

- Comfort item such as blanket or plush toy for snuggling and (hopefully) napping.

- Nursing-friendly clothing and/or cover up

- Medications (Acetaminophen/Tylenol and Diphenhydramine/Benadryl are always good to carry just in case).

You MAY NEED these items

- Stroller versus baby carrier, especially if there will be lots of long-distance walking on your trip. Consider borrowing/renting at your destination instead.

- Car seat if you will be driving (including taxi) at destination. This is one thing that is much cheaper to bring than to rent from rental car company. Consider buying a lightweight inexpensive seat for travel. We chose this highly rated one from Walmart.com for $39.

You DONT NEED to pack these with you

- Crib. Find a hotel that will provide you what you need, borrow at your destination, or rent one (ex. TravelBabees.com, BabysAway.com, Baby-Equipment-Rental.com)

- Booster or other dining seat, use what's at the restaurant and improvise when in your room (parent's lap works great, or pillow on a chair with arms)

- Tons of books and toys. Just a few will do.

- Daily vitamins/fluoride they can go without for several days with little consequence.

- Napkins, straws, tissues, plasticware. These will be easy to find at any coffee shop, fast food place, mall, etc.

In Transit

- Wear your baby to free up your hands, such as Ergo or travel backpack.

- Hang up a 'curtain' for privacy when nursing on plane (safety pin a small blanket between the seats)

- Make each distraction last as long as possible:

1. Point and narrate what's going on around you, especially during take off and landing (window seat works great for this).

2. Offer just 1 toy/book/activity at a time, saving the next for when that one is no longer entertaining.
3. Take a walk up and down the aisles, practice saying "hi" to friendly faces and other kids.

4. Bring out the more exciting options for last, such as fun apps on your phone (see my suggested iPhone Apps for Babies and iPhone Apps for Toddlers).

At your new destination

- Keep up your home routine as much as possible, especially waking, nap, and sleep times. If you usually do bath and books before bed be prepared to continue this ritual.

- Set aside extra time for meals, keep snacks and water/milk on hand at all times.

- Bring entertainment (small toy or book) for downtimes, especially in restaurants where you usually will wait for your food.

- Ask waiter to bring out your food as soon as its ready, rather than trying to pace you. This will help speed up the meal (2 hours is a long time to expect a little one to sit in a high chair).

In your hotel

- Set up dark corner/room of your hotel for sleep times, close curtains, hang a towel on side of crib that may be facing light source (be certain there is no risk of falling into crib or loops that could harm baby).

- Make a little sleep 'nest' for toddler in big bed, so it won't seem so huge. We used extra pillows as a border and put familiar blankets, plush toys in middle.

little bed-within-a-bed for toddler

- Offer extra snuggling time and be prepared to break a few rules while traveling to help your child feel more secure and comfortable.

- Bring along soothing bedtime music (we use iPod with portable mini speaker)

Got Allergies?
- If your child has food allergies you will want to carry a card detailing this. You will save yourself energy having to shout out the specifics over noise of a crowded restaurant, and the kitchen staff find it very helpful to have the information passed to them. We printed a few of our own and had them laminated. Now we just pull it out and give to person taking our order.

Supplies we like:

Few crayons, a pen, and pad of paper.

Some thin paperback books.

Bon Voyage!

iPhone Apps for Toddlers

2012-01-17T22:51:00.000-08:00

As an update to my post about iPhone Apps for Babies, I have an expanded list of games our toddler loves to play with on the iPhone. Comes in very handy for long plane rides or time in a waiting room, she will entertain herself with these for an hour at a time! I know no other 'toy' that can accomplish that.

But first, some practical advice to prep those of you who are newbies to this.

Protect your phone contents
Assuming this phone belongs to you, not your toddler, you will want to have it back in the same shape. Follow these simple tips to keep your settings safe before handing it over.
* Airplane mode- so there won't be any accidentally placed calls, texts, or emails.
* Restrict ability to install or delete apps, found in your general settings.

Two ways to let your toddler enjoy playing with your iPhone.
You may weight the pros and cons for either of these methods for introducing the iPhone apps to your child.
1. The One App at a Time method. This is where you allow access to just one app by using a device to block the home button (see Toddler Proof iPhone post for practical suggestions). Advantage is less fear about getting into places you don't want them to go (say you are expecting a call and so can't put in airplane mode). Disadvantage is that your kid will bother you each time he wants to change the screen.

2. The Freestyle method. In this case, you allow full access to your phone, no blocking of home button. You start by teaching them to swipe your phone on, swipe to move screens, tap on their personal folder for games, and move through the steps to play them. By far this is what your child will prefer, and you may be surprised at how quickly they learn to maneuver all the way from start to finish. This method plays into their short attention spans, allowing freedom to select, start and stop games when they want. This will also buy you more time from having to step in and help load up each new app for them.

Create a fun folder of apps

Three ways to listen to the sound
1. Straight from the source. Turn up the volume and let your little phone's speakers do their job. This works great in most situations, even on an airplane. I've never had any passenger complain about softly playing music or cute sound effects that come from the games. (I'm sure they'd MUCH rather hear that than screaming!)

2. Headphones. This is a great little set made just for kids, and has option of volume control so the sound can never get dangerously high. We got this for our daughter but she refuses to keep it on- probably because she's used to using the phone without it. If you start this way from the beginning your child may be more accepting.

3. Speaker. We love this speaker and use it lots to play songs, especially when traveling. The sound quality is really great, especially considering the small size. Easy to charge by USB cable. AYL Portable Mini Speaker System.

List of Recommended Toddler Apps (BEST ones listed first)
This is a list of apps not included in my iPhone Apps for Babies post (though she does still play with all of those, I thought I shouldn't repeat them here). I selected only the ones our daughter selects frequently, and put them in an order of her favorites.

Peekaboo Barn
$1.99
Intuitive, fun with barn animals that zoom up close and give their sound, then fade back into the barn behind the doors. Kiddo just needs to touch the screen for the next animal to show up. Good for both baby and toddler.

Peekaboo Wild
$1.99
Just like Peekaboo Barn, but with safari animals hiding in the grass. Just as fun.

ABC Song
FREE
Sometimes its the really simple things that are so enjoyable. Floating balloons carry each letter of the alphabet upward as the ABC song is sung. Our toddler will play this one over and over and loves to sing along.

Seuss ABC
$3.99
Exactly the same words and pictures as the book. This app will 'read' the story to your child, complete with sounds effects and red highlighting of the words as you go. Also has interactive features. Though on the more expensive side, this app is educational and holds our toddler's attention well.

Play & Learn Animals - Baby Flashcard Game
$0.99
Love that this has REAL photos with actual animal sounds. Also with lots of pages to browse through.

Alpha Baby
$0.99
This new companion program to the computer app (see end of post for raves about that) is clever and customizable. Kiddo taps screen to randomly see letter/number/shape/picture with voice over. To up the fun for older toddler, there is a quiz function ("find the ___"). Best part about this is you can replace the voice with that of your own, as well as have it include your own photos! Highly recommend this one.

Wheels on the Bus
$0.99
Interactive pictures (tap and things move/bounce/make noise) to go along with this very popular song.

Preschool Adventure
$0.99
Full of tons of games within one app, but perhaps an older kid can navigate them all. Our toddler loves to find her way to the 'connect the numbers' game which at completion forms a picture that then animates as reward. Great app to grow with, and great value for the price.

PlayPhone
FREE
Charming animated characters give a short message when you press them- with choice of recording your own sound/picture combination (haven't tried this yet).

Koi Pond
$0.99
Zen out by staring into the rippling waters filled with colorful fish. Tapping and swiping makes the water ripple and swish.

Bubbles
$0.99
Tap or swipe to make bubbles appear and float about. Tap them to make them pop.

Uncolor
$0.99
Wipe away the black to reveal the picture underneath. When uncovered, the animal will reward with a quick move with sound effects.

TozzleLite

FREE

Solve the puzzles by moving the correct picture into place. Each correct placement gets an animal sound or name of the object. Arrow guides as hint if having trouble. Rewards with music when solved. Really nice for free app.

Sing Along- 20 Nursery Rhymes
$0.99
Can't really explain why she likes this app, but she does. Familiar nursery rhymes with rudimentary moving pictures to accompany. Sung by guy with not such great voice, British accent, and sometimes slightly different tune/words than we're used too. There is a stop/restart button that little one enjoys using.

Animal Sounds for Baby
FREE
Very happy looking animated creatures flash on the screen, do a move or dance, and the name is said. Upbeat background music to accompany. We much prefer the Play & Learn Animals listed above for the realistic depictions. See for example this screenshot, supposedly of a bear.

Kidzongs
$0.99
Has songs with static picture and song lyrics. May be better suited for older kid who can read to sing along?

On a related note:
For the Mac Computer
Alpha Baby
FREE
This program is WONDERFUL for when your little one sees you on the computer and insists on taking a turn with it. This free program locks the screen so which ever key kiddo hits does something harmless and fun, such as make shapes, letters, numbers, show your photos- however you'd like you just specify in the settings. We have it set for fun sound effects, built in voice saying the letters/numbers that are hit, and displaying recently taken photos. Our toddler LOVES it and we love knowing our data is safe and sound while she plays. Highly recommended.

Anyone out there got an app their child just loves to play? Please share your recs here!

Earn Top Dollar From the Tooth Fairy

2012-01-04T21:06:00.000-08:00

Everyone knows the tooth fairy wants to collect perfect teeth. Kids leaving decayed teeth left under the pillow may find a few coins the next morning, but those leaving glistening white ones can earn as much as $5. True story!

There are certainly other good reasons to take care of those baby teeth.
* Establish lifelong healthy habits early.
* Save money, time, and pain of having to undergo restorative procedures at the dentist (drill and fill, or even worse- pulling teeth, yikes!).
* Bacterial causing tooth decay linger in the mouth long after baby teeth have fallen away, creating the same problems for permanent teeth.
* A mouth full of dental decay left untreated is like letting an infection fester, risking spread to other parts of the body.

first visit to dentist at 12 months

Best ways to prevent cavities (in order of most to least effective):
1. More frequent fluoride. This is the single most important item on the list as it strengthens teeth and makes them resistant to decay.
2. Less frequent sweets. Best time for sweets is with meals. Juice, even diluted ones, are worst for teeth. If you're going to eat a bag of candy, do it all at one time and with a meal; same goes for glass of juice.
3. Regular check-ups. Every 6 months to a dentist who will monitor teeth development closely and build a friendly relationship with your child so they don't fear going.
4. Brushing. Twice a day with fluoride toothpaste.
5. Sealants. This is done on molars when they start to appear around 6 years of age to seal the deep grooves that toothbrush bristles cannot reach.

You may be surprised to see brushing so far down on the list!

How do we make sure our children's smiles are healthy as can be?
Take good care of PARENT's teeth! You're assuming I'm referring to modeling good behavior for your children. Sure, that is helpful. But what you may not know is that a parent with bad teeth can DIRECTLY be responsible for their young child's cavities. That's because germs that cause cavities are not inherent in every mouth, they are CONTAGIOUS and are passed down from one generation to the next, or from a child's peers. This means you can prevent spread of these bacteria by keeping your own in check, especially during those first few years when a child's immune system is more vulnerable to new bacteria. More in this LA Times article.

Watch WHAT and WHEN your child eats. It is important to not only avoid sticky sugary foods that are a breeding ground for tooth decay, but also to minimize how frequently these are indulged in. Having a glass of juice at once is not nearly as bad as taking sips of it throughout the day which gives it more time to linger and cause problems. Same rule applies to bottle of milk, which is why we recommend never leaving bottle in baby's crib. It's best to avoid putting juice in bottle as well.

Did you know that apple juice is the #1 cause of decay in infants and toddlers?
Here's a great visual provided by our dentist's office. On the left side are good choices, on the right are ones promoting cavities. You'll notice the right side is higher in sugar, sticky, and processed foods.

This doesn't mean you should never have the "bad" stuff, just save it for special occasions (once a week or less).

HEALTHY TEETH
Bagels
Birch Sugar (Xylitol)
Carrot Sticks
Celery and Peanut Butter
Cheerios
Cottage Cheese
Crackers
Deviled Eggs
Diet Soda Pop
Doritos
French Fries
Fresh Fruit (Sliced Apples, Oranges, Grapes, Bananas)
Hamburgers
Hot Dogs
Lunch Meat
Milk (White)
Nuts
Oatmeal with Sliced Bananas
Pasta
Pickles
Pizza
Popcorn
Potato Salad
Shredded Wheat Cereal
Sugar-Free Pancake Syrup
Sugarless Candy
Sugarless Gum
Vegetables
Water
Yogurt (Plain or Sugar-Free)

CAUSE CAVITIES
Candy
Caramels
Canned Fruit
Chocolate Milk
Cookies
Dried Fruit (Raisins, Figs, Dates, etc)
Flavored Yogurt
Fruit Cocktail
Fruit Roll-Ups
Gatorade/Powerade
Graham Crackers
Granola
Gum (Bubble Yum, Juicy Fruit)
Gummy Bears
Ice Cream
Hi-C
Honey
Jam & Jelly
Juice (Apple, Grape, Orange)
Kool-Aid
Marshmallows
Pancake Syrup
Pie
Popsicles
Pudding
Rice Krispy Treats
Soda Pop (Coke, 7-Up, etc)
Sugar Coated Cereals
Tang
Twinkies

(adapted from table by Dr. Pike, DDS)

Use fluoride toothpaste. Until your child can learn to spit out the toothpaste you have one of two options:
1) Use toothpaste without fluoride, or
2) Use a teeny tiny amount of fluoride toothpaste, no bigger than a grain of rice.
We opt for the second starting at a year of age, which is what our dentist recommends, to maximize fluoride benefits.
(An older child who can swish and spit may use fluoride rinses as well.)

Fluoride supplement. If you live in a place with added fluoride in your water, great! If you live in Portland, Oregon or any other city without fluorinated water, you need to give your child fluoride supplement. The pediatrician should prescribe this for you.

To find out whether your water has fluoride, check out My Water's Fluoride by the CDC or EPA's Consumer Confidence Report and search for your area.

This is what the American Dental Association recommends for fluoride supplement by age (when there is no fluoride in the water supply):
6 months to 3 years: 0.25mg fluoride daily
3 years to 6 years: 0.5mg fluoride daily
6 years to 16 years: 1mg fluoride daily

Clean those teeth, even baby ones. As soon as those first teeth pop through the gums parents should be cleaning them on a regular basis. For young infants that can be done with wet washcloth or infant-sized toothbrush. For toddlers the routine of using toothbrush with toothpaste twice daily should be taught. Make it fun by brushing your teeth alongside them- at this age they want to do exactly what mommy and daddy are doing. You can even let them hold your toothbrush as you brush, tell them thanks for helping, and now your turn to brush theirs. At this age (and for the next few years) do not trust your child to be able to adequately clean his teeth alone, you should be helping.

Side note about flossing:
Flossing is more important for older children and adults. At a young age, it isn't as crucial. According to our dentist, flossing on daily basis helps prevent gingivitis (gum disease), but does very little toward fighting cavities. Gum disease simply isn't a common problem in young children, it's more of an adolescent and adult issue. I would suggest using floss for obvious chunk of food stuck between teeth, and getting your child acquainted with it by 6-8 years so they will continue the habit later on.

Choose a child-friendly dentist and get regular check ups every 6 months. The time to start is at one year of age, even if there's just a few teeth poking through. This is because your child will learn to be at ease with the dentist (see photo at top of our daughter having a blast at her first visit) and parents will benefit enormously from the education your dentist will give personally. Prevention is KEY, so why not get information straight from the source?

Have your child's dentist apply sealants to molars as soon as they erupt, beginning around 6 years of age. This gives a protective coating to those deep grooves which brushing just can't reach.

Special thanks to Dr. Allan Pike and his friendly staff for their warm welcomes, great information, and very positive experience for our little one's visits.

New Baby Shopping List

2012-01-02T22:31:00.000-08:00

baby gear helps to get around

Friends often ask me for suggestions of what to buy when expecting a baby. The options and selection of things out there can be overwhelming. It feels nice to have a personal recommendation, even with the availability of all those reviews out there. For that reason I've decided to put together my list of things I was so happy we had for our daughter's first year and beyond.

Shopping Resources.
You may want to consult these detailed descriptions/reviews before making your decision, especially for the more expensive purchase items. More info about the online shopping experience can be found at my post I Love Shopping From Home.

1. Baby Bargains book by Denise Fields. Down to earth advice about what you need, how much to expect to spend, what brands have best reputation.

2. Consumer Search. Great online site with compilation of reviews from other sources.
3. Amazon Baby Store Sign up for Amazon Mom then order baby related items by 'Subscribe and Save' to save tons of money, and have them shipped right to your door. For example we would get Pampers Swaddlers diapers for less than 16 cents per diaper, includes delivery.

Nursery Basics
Crib- this one is beautiful, durable, safe, and grows with your baby into toddler bed, then becomes full size headboard. Delta Canton 4-in-1 Convertible Crib.

Mattress- does the job, safe and firm. Sealy Baby Ultra Rest Mattress.

Mattress cover- protect from all the messes your little one will make. This one comes off easy and goes in the wash. Buy two. Quilted Crib Mattress Pad.

Changing table with dresser. Saves your back from bending over to change on the floor. Dresser drawers very handy for baby clothes, diapers, etc. DaVinci Kalani 3 Drawer Changer.

Bassinet. It's important to keep baby next to your bed in those first couple months, and you will be happy not having to go far when you respond to his every 2 hour needs. Later can be used for naptime, or at grandparent's home. This one served us well, but beware it is far too cumbersome for airplane travel. Graco Pack n Play with Bassinet.
'
Diapers. I'll say it again. Sign up for Amazon Mom then order items such as diapers and wipes by 'Subscribe and Save' to save tons of money, and have them shipped right to your door.

Wipes. These work great on our baby's sensitive skin, have no smell, super soft, can open and remove with one hand, good price by subscribing. Huggies Natural Care Baby Wipes.

Glider Chair, oh so comfortable for nursing or soothing baby with rocking motion. Dutalier Ultramotion Glider.

Diaper Bag. Nice size and handy compartments for what you need to carry around. Got lots of compliments on this one. Skip Hop Duo Deluxe Diaper Bag.

Bath Tub. The sling is great for newborn, and it has two different seating positions: one for a reclining young infant, another for upright older infant. Works great until around 6 months of age when you will probably prefer using your regular sized bathtub. First Year's Infant to Toddler Tub with Sling.

Temperature Turtle because in those early weeks it helps to have a guide for how warm the bath should be- this gives warning beep if too hot or too cold. Later becomes a toy for baby to play with. Aquatopia Deluxe Safety Bath Thermometer.

Just In Case
Digital Rectal Thermometer. This is the only way to go if for the most accurate reading. Vicks Baby Rectal Thermometer.

Nose Frida. Sounds gross, but this works tons better than those bulb syringes. When baby has runny/stuffy nose you will want no other.

Comfort Items
Miracle Blanket. This is a must, and truly works like a charm. This has tons of fabric shaped in such a way that you can swaddle even the squirmiest little ones, which will help them to relax and sleep. Be sure to follow the instructions for best use, you will be so happy with the results.

White noise machine with iPod plug. This became part of our baby's sleep routine, listening to white noise or music while drifting off to sleep. The machine has built in options for white noise and lullaby melodies, and once you've tired of those options you just plug in your ipod and use whatever playlist you like. As a bonus, it has a soothing blue nightlight feature as well. Graco Sweet Slumber Sound Machine.

Musical Seahorse. Remember those cuddly glowworm you used to sleep with as a child? This is the modern version. Glowing belly with soothing tunes, our daughter loves this still. Fisher-Price Ocean Wonders Sooth and Glow Seahorse.

Nursing Mom
Medela Freestyle Breast Pump. This is the best out there. Easy, effective, small and portable. My insurance reimbursed me 100% for this, so you may want to look into whether yours would too.

Lansinoh Breastmilk Storage Bags, for storing breast milk. These are highly rated, easy to use, rarely tear. Subscribe to save money.

Breast Friend Pillow. Given to me as gift, and found it super useful in those early days/weeks trying to figure out how to nurse a newborn. Super comfortable with perfect shape to support your baby while she feeds.

Nursing pads. I liked both of these for different reasons. The wrapped ones were nice for throwing in your diaper bag to have on the go, the contoured ones lasted longer. Lansinoh Disposable Nursing Pad and Johnson's Contour Nursing Pads.
Nursing Bra. This one was super comfortable and attaches best to the Medela pump. Was my fave for wearing to work (where lots of pumping is needed). Medela Comfort Nursing Bra.

Traveling with Baby
Car Seat. This one pulls out of the car so you don't have to wake your sleeping baby. It also snaps into stroller frame (see next). Graco Snugride.

Stroller frame, for snapping in the above car seat. Too bulky for travel but handy in those first few months. Graco Snugride Stroller Frame.

Extra Base. You'll want one for each car. The base stays put while the car seat snaps in and out. Graco Snugride Car Seat Base.

Infant Mirror to keep an eye on with your backwards facing backseat passenger. Bearview Infant Mirror.

Ergo. This is an awesome baby carrier, wears like a front pack with hip belt so the weight is off your shoulders. Baby faces you which keeps him happy, warm, and snug. Newborn and tiny infants should use either 'infant insert' accessory or rolled up blanket to position correctly (they aren't ready to straddle you until months later).

Play Time
Books. It's never too early to read to your baby! I'll just give a few recs for newborn reading because the list of fave books is way too long to post here. Look Look by Peter Linenthal. Hush Little Baby by Sylvia Long. Time for Bed by Mem Fox. Baby Faces by DK Publishing.

Play mat/gym. Great for both tummy and back time, with lights, sound, and things to grab at. Great toy to grown with during first year. Fisher Price Rainforest Melodies Gym.

Fave toys: Sophie Giraffe Teether, Baby Einstein Take Along Tunes

Wearable teething jewelry. What a brillant idea! This one kept our girl happy on many occasions, and looks like a nice piece of jewelry- no one would ever guess it's for baby. Teething Bling Donut Shaped Pendant.

Older Infant
Enclosed area to play. Very handy once baby starts crawling around. Keeps him safe and entertained. We bought two and joined them together to give a greater space. Friendly Toys Little Playzone.

Yoga mats. These are awesome for crawling baby. I 'lined' the play area above with two of these.

Easy reach bookshelf. This has been our daughter's favorite spot to be. She can easily peruse and select the books she wants, and can replace them as well. The shelves hold varying sized books, and the drawers underneath are great storage for toys to clear the clutter from the floor. Sling Bookshelf with Storage Bins.

High Chair. If you can splurge, buy this one: Stokke Tripp Trapp Highchair- it grows with your child and provides comfy foot rest. Our daughter loves it. Before this we used Fisher Price Space Saver which worked wonderfully (especially loved having built in tray), but at around 18 months she outgrew it.

Placemat, for when toddler is sitting at the table without a tray. Helps cut down on how much you have to wipe down table. Kiddopotamus Tinydiner Placemat.

Freezing Cube Trays- please do yourself and your baby a huge favor and make your own baby food at home. See my post on Feeding Your Baby for details and more suggestions. These trays freeze food into cubes which can be stored in ziplock bags for easy reheating later. Fresh Baby So Easy Baby Food Trays.

Bibs. These were our faves, easy to wear, hard for baby to take off, easy to wash. Bumkins Waterproof SuperBib.

Mesh Feeder. For giving baby treats without worrying about biting off more than he can chew. Try frozen grapes or chilled apple slices- those teething gums will love you for it! Munchkin Fresh Food Feeder.

Doidy Cup. Don't wait to introduce baby to drinking from regular cup. In fact with this, you can even skip using sippy cups entirely (as we did). This ingeniously designed cup has handles and tilted design which is perfect for learning from. Get one and you will see.

Suction cup bowl. Use a bit of water then stick it to the tray. It stays put and the food doesn't get dumped all over the place.

Wearable Blanket. When baby is too old to swaddle, you want a supply of these to keep him warm. I can't vouch for this particular brand, but it fits the general idea of what we had (we got ours secondhand).

Picnic blanket. Awesome portable picnic blanket of substance. Messes wipe clean, thick and comfortable, easy to fold up and carry over shoulder. We use it a ton in good weather. JJ Cole All-Purpose Blanket.

Umbrella Stroller. This is light, great for travel, folds and opens with one hand, and maneuvers easy. Maclaren Volo Stroller.

Shopping cart cover. Seems silly but really heavenly with a baby. It's cushy and entertaining for baby while you shop, stores toys, doubles as high chair cover, and gives you peace of mind about all the germs now out of reach.

Stuff We Didn't Need or Like
Humidifier. Pain in the butt to keep filled with water, needs frequent cleaning or gross gunk builds up inside, and being in Portland we didn't actually need extra humidity.

Swing- our baby didn't like it, so it just sat there taking space until we finally gave it away.

Hook on High Chair- prefer the seated version, and this was way too bulky to use for travel.

Diaper Dude Bag- the idea was for hubby to use this, but he preferred his own messenger bag and never used this.

Boppy pilllow- wasn't much use, odd shape.

Babybjorn plastic bibs- the material in front is too rigid and sticks out, making it impossible for baby to sit right up against tray or table. Plus our daughter kept wanting to play with it. Much prefer the soft machine-washable kind.

Wrap carrier. We actually did like this for the first couple months, but after that much preferred the Ergo to take the weight off the shoulders. Plus it's quite a production getting this on correctly.

New Egg-Free Brownie Recipe, 1st Attempt

2012-01-01T21:46:00.000-08:00

(if you want to skip to the recipe, scroll to end of post)

In my quest for an awesomely delicious brownie recipe that contains NO egg, I have hit some hurdles, but also made some great progress.

I started with a recipe from this book, Bakin' Without Eggs by Rosemarie Emro.
This book was given to me as a present, and I am very very happy to have received it since I often have to cook without eggs due to food allergy in my family. There are several very happy reviewers of this book on Amazon, so it seems like it will be a great resource.

I had high hopes for the "Heavenly Brownie" recipe, promising to make the perfect eggless brownie. As I stirred together the strange mixture of ingredients (corn syrup? vinegar? sour cream?), I couldn't help but give it a taste. Mmm, quite yummy, so it felt like I was on the right track.

Sadly, the final product did NOT pan out. I blame the short cook time of only 20 minutes, which left my 9x13 inch pan of brownie dough just that- still dough-y! No good! Though it has already completely cooled by the time I realized this, I next tried what is never been recommended, and put it back in the oven to salvage it. Alas, all this did was turn the mixture into brownie bricks, totally glued to the pan, and pretty much inedible. Sad sad story.

And yet I remain undeterred in my quest. Maybe that recipe would have worked if I cooked it much longer to begin with (I'm guessing it needs somewhere around 40 minutes) and done a toothpick test before calling it done (something the book recipe makes no mention of doing). Right now I'm not ready to trust this book again with our family's urgent chocolate cravings. Instead, I rummaged around for another recipe.

I found a recipe for Brownie inside this vegan cookbook, Vegan Fusion World Cuisine by Mark Reinfeld.

I can only describe the book and its recipes as highly pretentious, which is a funny thing to be when you are a cookbook! Seriously, take a look at some of these items listed as ingredients for the brownie recipe: sucanat, spelt flour, arrowroot powder, kava kava, flax seeds... HUH? What the heck are those and what are they doing in a simple dessert recipe? Not only that, but items that are actually familiar are twisted around so to make you feel like what you have isn't good enough, they require, "sea salt" instead of salt, "filtered water" instead of water, "vanilla extract, alcohol-free" instead of vanilla extract. Come on! Gimme something I can work with here!

Anyway, after some online searches for what the ingredients actually mean, I decided to use the recipe as a rough guide, substituting what I actually have in my pantry and adding things found in a normal brownie recipe.

So now, I will introduce you to my first attempt at my own personal recipe, made up by me, tried and eaten by our family, with happily delicious results!

mmm, brownie

Dora's NO EGG Brownie Recipe - first attempt

Grease 8x8 baking pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together:
1/2 stick melted butter
3/4 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup sugar

Gradually add in dry ingredients which have previously been mixed in separate bowl:
1 cup flour (I use whole wheat)
3/4 teaspoon corn starch
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt

Fold in 3/4 cup chocolate chips. Pour batter into pan. Bake about 30-35minutes, until toothpick comes out clean.

I call this first attempt because although they turned out great, I feel there is room for improvement. My family agrees to serve as test tasters for as many future versions as I'd like to create, so of couse I must oblige. If I had to criticize this batch I would say that it could be more fudgy, more chocolatey, and less cake-like. I will be sure to keep you posted on my progress, but even if I don't come up with a better recipe, this one here is a crowd pleasing keeper!

Sleep Baby Sleep

2011-09-07T22:05:00.000-07:00

Trouble getting sleep? Baby cries whenever you put her in bed and leave the room? Hoping to find a way to teach your infant to sleep without all the fuss?

First off, know that this is but one of the MANY new skills that your child is working on, and that he will learn this in his own time. And even when he does learn to go to sleep on his own, there will be times needing extra help again (when vacationing, feeling sick, uncomfortable from teething, working on a new skill such as walking, experiencing separation anxiety, etc).

This may be the #1 most common "problem" for parents in the US, and a source for tons of books and advice for how to "fix" it. I believe the true source for the disconnect is that our lifestyle is simply not compatible with a baby's natural instincts, which is to be close to mom and dad at ALL times. That doesn't mean that co-sleeping or wearing the baby is the only answer (though it can be done safely-- parents should be aware that somewhere down the line they will want to have their own space, and the child will need to go through the same steps to get there).

Much of this is age dependent. Newborns through about 3 months of age can't be expected to follow any kind of pattern, and all cries should be attended to. This is the time for bonding, feeling safe and secure, needs being met. In these early months, the chance your baby needs food or diaper-change at any given hour are really high, so you may as well be close at hand

At around 4-5 months of age is when I recommend starting a true bedtime (and nap time) routine for baby in his own crib and room. This is about the earliest he can be expected to learn the patterns and feel safe without you immediately there.
Remember, your child's desire to be next to you even in sleep is completely NATURAL, and actually a very good survival instinct!

Helping baby learn to sleep on her own

- Anticipate sleepy times, don't let baby get overtired. The stress from missing nap or bedtimes may lead to restlessness. Look for classic signs like yawning, rubbing eyes, and crankiness.

- Create and stick to a pre-sleeping routine that follows a predictable schedule and pattern. For example 6pm dinner, 6:30pm bath, 7pm books, 7:30pm soft music and cuddles before laying down to sleep at 8pm.

- Make sure baby's basic needs are taken care of ahead of time (diaper changed, well fed, burped).

- Keep lights dim, voices and activity mellow for about 30 minutes before naps and 1 hour before bedtime.

- Darkness. Black-out curtains work wonders in the summertime. Keeping one small night light on is helpful to see your way in and out.

- Keep room temperature comfortable, somewhere around 68-72F, and baby dressed in comfy clothing such as cotton. Avoid poorly placed buttons or zippers that can be uncomfortable to lay on. Consider a 'sleep sack' for warmth in the winter once your baby is old enough to roll and crawl out from under the covers.

- Use baby's bedroom primarily for sleep, especially the crib.

- White noise and/or soft music is a great way to transition to sleep. You may wish to turn it on while in the room putting baby in crib, and let it play softly on timer for 30min to 1 hour. The Graco Sweet Slumber works great for us, and has a bonus night light you can use for checking on baby in middle of the night.

- Help baby get in the mood by holding, soothing, rocking for few
minutes before putting into bed. Put him down and say the same thing every time, such as "time to sleep (make sleep sign), you are so tired, I love you (give kisses), now goodnight (or take your nap)"

- After this, LEAVE the room even if he is still a little bit awake because staying too long can actually stimulate him to want to interact with you.

-If you are hearing loud cries, try giving him a few minutes to see if he settles down on his own. You may be surprised how quickly your baby can soothe himself, especially if you keep this up over days to weeks.

- If the crying concerns you, or is continuing for more than several minutes, it's fine to pop back in briefly (without turning on any lights) to check on things, give reassurance, then repeat the goodbye ritual ("time to sleep, you're tired, I love you, goodnight"). You may also want to reset the music/white noise timer to make sure it keeps going.

- The "Ferber Method" encourages you to take longer and longer between checks so that you are still there to soothe your baby, but not too frequently for him to learn to comfort himself. It is super helpful to stare at a clock to help realize that 2 minutes of crying, though small in theory, can feel like forever in the moment.

- Trust your instincts. If the crying sounds unusual or especially woeful, check in on baby and make sure things are okay. Sometimes the unexpected happens and needs your attention, like getting a leg stuck in a funny position, having an allergic reaction to something, or needing nose cleared to breath easier.

Advice from experts online:
Dr. Greene
Dr. Sears
Dr. Sears

Advice from parents online:
Naps
Falling asleep

Why Portland is the BEST

2011-08-07T15:51:00.000-07:00

Is Portland the right city for you?

Portlandia

I love Portland. It's by far my favorite city to live, play, work, and raise a family. I can say from personal experience of having lived in many other cities on both coasts and in between that this is the best place to be.

I know many people who are seriously considering relocating to the Pacific Northwest. They are drawn for a variety of reasons, and here are just a few:

Small city charm with big city resources

Since Portland is easily the largest city in Oregon, it functions as the cultural capital of the state. Here you will find a wide variety of arts, shops, restaurants, performances, and parks for the public to enjoy. And yet the city is one of the most well-planned which prevents it from overstepping its urban development, maintains a high number of green spaces, and provides the public with abundant options for mass transportation.

Affordable living on the west coast
Compared to all other major metropolitan areas on the west coast, Portland is the easiest on your pocket, with lowest overall cost of living.

ACCRA Cost of Living Index

Natural beauty and outdoor activities

Portland is surrounded by untouched natural beauty that ranges from thick wooded forests, the majestic Columbia Gorge, crashing coastal waves, Mount Hood wilderness, and central Oregon's dry desert landscapes. Outdoor enthusiasts will find and endless variety of things to do to enjoy time with nature.

Temperate climate

Not so hot in the summer, not too cold in the winter. Yes there are many cloudy rainy days from late fall through spring, but many would gladly take these mild wet days to avoid scorching heat or piles of snow.

On a similar note, Portland has a low risk of natural disaster according to this NY Times graphic.

Portland, Oregon's Superlatives 2010-2011
When people ask me to describe what it's like to live in Portland, Oregon, I direct them to this city's abundant list of recent BESTs.

Check out this awesome promotional video for Portland, Oregon

If you're convinced you want to move to Portland, and want to get an insider's scoop to the personality of the city with details for each of its neighborhoods and surrounding suburbs, you've got to read the Newcomer's Handbook for Moving to and Living in Portland by Bryan Geon. Even though our family has lived here for many years, I found many helpful tips, descriptions, and advice in this book for buying a home in the area.

Stuffed Peppers with Moroccan flavors

2011-06-30T13:24:00.000-07:00

Wow, I served my family a vegan meal for dinner tonight!
(Note-- we're not even vegetarian)

As you may expect, it was super healthy, packed with nutrients, and completely balanced. However, we were surprised at how filling and satisfying it was.

Living in Portland means high exposure to lots of alternative types of dining experiences, including vegetarian/vegan. We used to live near the Blossoming Lotus, which is a well known completely vegan restaurant. We first stopped by on a whim on one of our too-lazy-to-cook evenings, and got hooked on the complex interplay of textures, flavors, and fresh produce.

It seems the lack of meat as a protein is a great incentive to get creative with your ingredients. Usually the meat-free protein comes from beans, tofu (soybean), seitan (wheat gluten), or nuts. There is a much shorter prep time, and no worries about the dangers of being undercooked.

What I made tonight, and completely made up as I went, was stuffed peppers with a twist. While definitely a savory dish, the fruit and the cinnamon give it a sweet taste as well.

See recipe below if you want to try it for yourself, it's too delicious not to share!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Moroccan Inspired Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients:
1 T Olive oil
1/2 an Onion
2-3 cloves Garlic
1 package Veggie crumbles (similar texture to cooked ground meat, high in protein and fiber with zero fat)
1/2 an Apple
1/4 cup Raisins
1/4 cup Cashews
1 cup Mushrooms
1 cup Brown Rice, cooked
15oz can Diced Tomatoes
8oz can Tomato Sauce

1/2 cup Fresh Parsley

1 cup Baby Spinach

Salt, Pepper, Chili flakes, Cinnamon
6 Green Peppers

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large pan on medium-high heat, sauté olive oil, diced onion and minced garlic until aromatic. Add cashews and stir until toasted, a few minutes. Add veggie crumbles, diced apple, raisins, quartered mushrooms, and cooked brown rice, mixing ingredients together as you go. Turn heat down to medium. When apples have softened, add can tomatoes and tomato sauce. If mixture is too dry, add a bit of water to get a nice paste quality. Turn down to low heat, cover, and let simmer.

Meanwhile, bring large pot of water to boil. While waiting for the water to boil, prepare the green peppers by cutting off the tops and removing seeds and membranes. Drop them into the boiling water and allow to soften over the next 5-10 minutes. This step will save you lots of time in baking. Use tongs to carefully remove the peppers and position them upright in a baking dish.

Now add chopped fresh parsley and chopped baby spinach to the saucepan. Add salt, pepper cinnamon and chili flakes to your liking (the best chefs always taste as you go!). Again, add a bit of water if too dry.

Spoon the sauce mixture into your peppers and cover with pepper tops. If you have extra filling (and I always do), just pour it into your pan surrounding the peppers.

Bake 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Serve hot and enjoy!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sign Language for Babies

2011-06-29T22:27:00.000-07:00

Teach your baby to sign. You'll be so glad you did!

"more"

"apple"

If there's one thing I recommend parents teach their infants besides how to eat, sleep, and snuggle with you, it's this. Sign language is the best form of communication for babies and toddlers who aren't fully verbal yet, and it makes them smarter too!

Babies are more clever than you might think. In the first year of life they go from crying anxiously for their every need to toddlers who are anticipating the day and interacting with others. During this time their brains are primed for soaking up knowledge about this strange and marvelous new world.

This is the best time to learn one more super valuable new skill. There are so many great benefits to be gained from this small investment. Caregivers can easily work the signs into their ongoing interactions with their little ones, and use them in conjunction (as opposed to in place of) with words.

See this wonderful example of signing between mom and child.

Here's a simple breakdown of the advantages:
1) Your baby will be smarter because of the language stimulation.
2) Baby will be happier once his his needs are communicated effectively. This means a LOT less frustration, and a lot less crying.
3) Parents will be reassured in knowing what baby wants instead of having to guess.
4) Your toddler will be able to "read" a signing book to himself, and to you. So darn cute.
5) Your child will make up signs, sparking his creativity.

Examples from our own daughter:
- at 9 months old, telling us when she wants milk, and when she's tired.
- at 12 month old, excitedly signing elephant when she sees them.
- at 13 months, using her all-done sign to let us know when she's full.
- at 15 months old, using the hurt sign after falling down, instead of crying.
- at 16 months, using the potty sign to tell us that she's soiling her diaper (first step in potty training).

Now, to get into more detail about signing and why I am such a strong supporter.

Natural History

Families in every culture have already been using motions to convey concepts. Think about the interaction that happens when playing peek-a-boo, waving hello or goodbye, asking to hand over something, and singing nursery rhymes. Babies eagerly pick up on these cues and learn to imitate them.

Language Development
A baby who is communicating by using signs is enriching the language centers of his brain in the exact same location that is used to learn verbalized words. At around 9 months of age when your baby realizes, "Hey, everything has a name associated with it!" he can start generating a substantial vocabulary of signs and use them to communicate effectively. This lays a framework upon which to build a rich vocabulary of words that will eventually all be spoken.

Physical Capacities
Infants who learn sign language have a significant advantage because the motor skills needed to speak words comes much later than those used to make hand motions. A baby can wave "bye-bye" by around 9 months of age, but it's not until around 12 months of age that you will hear those first words.

Not only is the starting point for these skills staggered, but the speed of acquisition as well.
A signing baby will know on average:
10 signs by a year
40 signs by 18 months
In contrast, babies can verbalize:
2 words by one year
10 words by 18 months

How to do it?
Though you will need to invest some time to learn the signs yourself, it is an easy thing to do. Eventually, using signs will come naturally in your everyday conversations with your baby.

What age to start?
The short answer is ANYTIME from newborn to preschool. Anyone who is interested should feel encouraged to try it.
For the most effective results, you should begin once your baby is able to focus on your interactions, somewhere around 4-6 months of age. It will take a couple months of you using signs consistently before your baby will start signing himself, so be patient.

Who should teach the signs?
The more caregivers who are involved in signing, the better for baby to pick them up quickly. Have both parents, grandparents, nanny, daycare etc. use the signs in everyday interactions with your little one.

Which signs to start with?
The best first signs are those things that are present in your child's everyday life, such as food. But anything that seems to catch your baby's fascination is great as well. Our daughter's first signs were "light" and "fan" because these were household objects she loved to stare at. Here's some great starters:
Mommy
Daddy
Milk
Eat/Hungry
Drink/Thirsty
More
All Done
Tired/Sleepy

Simply work them into conversations with your child, and use signs when asking questions such as,
"Are you hungry? Here is some applesauce to eat."
"Do you want more? Or are you all done?"
"Want some milk? Here is some milk."
"Are you tired? It's time to go to sleep."

The repetition and pairing with spoken words are key in this process.

How do we (the parents) learn signs?
Don't feel as if you need to learn everything at once. Just focus on a handful of words at a time. There are a ton of books out there on the subject, which honestly, I found too time consuming to pour through (If I barely have time to eat, sleep, and talk to my family then how am I going to read these books?). The books geared toward babies, however, I do find worthwhile since you can read this together with your child and learn as you go (see below for examples we love).

Choose your language. We chose American Sign Language (ASL) with few words modified to make it easier for babies, and tried to keep our resources consistently along these lines (to avoid confusion of having different signs for the same word).

I recommend using the websites below, signing board books to read with your baby, and maybe a stack of signing cards for your baby to play with. (Note, the flash cards aren't meant to quiz your baby, they are a focal point for talking; imagine it just like books but with the pages loose.) For the more ambitious, there are local baby signing groups you can join for extra practice with other families. We haven't tried this but it sounds like fun.

Websites with video demonstration:
Baby Sign Language Dictionary by My Smart Hands
Baby Sign Language
ASL Browser by Michigan State University
Born 2 Sign Language Dictionary (site is broken, hopefully will be fixed)
ASL Pro Dictionary

Songs with signs and motions
I'm a Little Teapot (book by Annie Kubler)
Wheels on the Bus (great book by Childs Play)
Itsy Bitsy Spider (book by Annie Kubler)

Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes (don't need a book, just point to the body parts)

Visual Signing books for babies and toddlers
Let's Sign by Richard Priddy (also comes with 32 cards)
My First Signs by Signing Smart
My First Signs by Signing Times
My First Baby Signs by Linda Acredolo (note, not all signs here are ASL)

Picture cards with signs
Baby Sign Language Flash Cards by Monta Briant
Let's Sign by Richard Priddy (cards plus book)

These are just a few ideas to get you started. Once your baby picks up on signs, you will marvel at how quickly new signs are adopted and how eager your child will be to learn more. You may also notice him using made-up signs for words that are important to him but don't know the signs yet. If you do see this, I say go for it and encourage this creativity by adopt the sign yourselves. Have fun with it!

Banana Molasses Bread

2011-06-23T15:12:00.000-07:00

If you like banana bread, you've GOT to try this variation! It's the most delicious quick-bread I've ever invented (and first). I basically merged two different recipes together, then added my own twists such as replacing the egg and changing to whole wheat flour.

Here's the recipe for you to enjoy.

Banana Molasses Bread

Mix together:
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1/3 cup oil
- 3/4 cup molasses

In a separate bowl mix dry ingredients:
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Mix all of above together, then in a separate bowl mash and mix:
- 3 very ripe bananas
- 2 tablespoons milk

Stir all ingredients together until blended, then pour into greased loaf pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour (toothpick should come out clean).

Serve immediately, or my favorite way- sliced then toasted then topped with cream cheese. Delicious! And also healthy as far as desserts go! See below (thanks to this website where you can calculate nutrition based on ingredients).

Nutrition Facts for 1 slice of Banana Molasses Bread
(1 loaf = 15 servings)

Amount Per Serving

Calories		169.8

Total Fat		5.2 g

	Saturated Fat	0.5 g

	Polyunsaturated Fat	1.5 g

	Monounsaturated Fat	2.9 g

Cholesterol		0.0 mg

Sodium		245.9 mg

Potassium		341.6 mg

Total Carbohydrate		30.6 g

	Dietary Fiber	2.6 g

	Sugars	12.8 g

Protein		2.4 g


Vitamin A	0.5 %

Vitamin B-12	0.1 %

Vitamin B-6	12.5 %

Vitamin C	3.8 %

Vitamin D	0.1 %

Vitamin E	5.3 %

Calcium	3.7 %

Copper	5.3 %

Folate	1.1 %

Iron	4.9 %

Magnesium	11.7 %

Manganese	15.3 %

Niacin	1.5 %

Pantothenic Acid	2.0 %

Phosphorus	1.1 %

Riboflavin	1.6 %

Selenium	4.6 %

Thiamin	1.2 %

Zinc	0.6 %

*Percent Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Toddler-Proof iPhone

2011-06-04T15:16:00.000-07:00

I've done it! I figured out how to make my iPhone safe and fun for our little toddler to play with.

Here's what was the problem.

As a baby, our daughter was happy to look into the phone, hold it, and flip it from front to back. The best apps were those that would hold her attention, make interesting sounds, and not escape when she touched a certain part of the screen. (see "iPhone apps for babies")

As she grew older, she learned how to hit the "home" button. The little round button on the bottom of the phone that allowed you to escape any app you were in. This caused frustration for her when the game would end sooner than expected, leaving me to jump in every few seconds to fix it. The home button also made my phone vulnerable to her accidentally placing phone calls, moving things around, or even deleting programs.

So I searched high and low for the solution.
I figured all we needed was a way to temporarily block the home button, perhaps with a special case. Simple, right? WRONG.
Many google and amazon searches later, I had come up empty handed. I even visited those phone kiosks at the mall, the Apple store, and the AT&T store. They all said the same thing: "There's no iphone case that covers the home button, that would make the phone useless!"

The closest thing I could find was this Fisher Price iphone case that hasn't been released yet:

It looks cool and blocks the home button, but it also transforms your phone completely into a toy. The side handles aren't really necessary, and makes it a bit more bulky to carry around. Plus, like I said, it's not even on the market yet.

Here's what I came up with.
OtterBox silicone case + firm piece of material (I used a purse tag) = toddler ready iphone! I just slip the little tag into place before letting her play with my phone, then tuck it behind the phone when I'm using it.

flexible case

purse tag

slip it between case and home button

happy girl with peek-a-boo iphone app

While writing this blog post I came across this little sticker that promises to keep your home button safe from tiny fingers, called the BubCap Home Button Cover. Looks like it could be worth a shot as well.

Now look at all the options you have!

===============================================

Update:

The Fisher Price case is now available to purchase online, and is getting mostly positive reviews. Still don't consider it the best solution for me because of it's bulkiness, but could be what you are looking for.

Toxin-Free Kids

2011-02-24T23:21:00.000-08:00

I didn't used to have any concern about the food available in the US. I believed our regulating bodies of government had our best interests at hand, and that all food on grocery stores shelves were safe for consumption.

My feelings have changed, especially when it comes to feeding my young child. There is clear evidence that a developing child's brain is highly vulnerable to toxin exposures. Even those found in everyday goods. See below for details, and how to keep your kids safe.

ORGANIC PRODUCE

For years I ignored the "organic food" section of the store, which appeared simply to be a more expensive version of the same thing. Why pay more? It all seemed like a fad, or a ruse that I wasn't going to fall for. All the while that section just kept growing, with organic labels popping up on all types of food imaginable.

Bella Organic Farm, Sauvie Island

The trend was really catching on (especially here in Portland), yet I remained skeptical. Where was the proof organic is better or healthier in any way? Traditional farming methods may use more pesticides, but these levels are monitored and checked to ensure they are safe for consumption, right?

An article published by the American Academy of Pediatrics journal in May 2010 completely changed my point of view. This study looked at kids from 8 to 15 years of age and assessed two things:
1) level of organophosphates (a major ingredient found in pesticides) measured in their urine
2) whether or not they could be diagnosed with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

There was a definite direct correlation between level of pesticide toxin and ADHD. This is major evidence of a potential link between this everyday exposure and a serious and incurable medical consequence. This report was more than enough to convince me of the benefits of organic foods.

In case there's any question that going organic means lower exposure to organophosphates, a 2005 study of elementary school children proves it. They looked at level of pesticide residue in children's urine before, during, and after eating strictly organic diet. After 5 days of eating a strictly organic diet the kids had no trace of organophosphates, whereas with conventional diet they all were positive for the toxin.

Since it does cost more, I find it best to go for those foods that have the greatest benefit from organic growing methods. In general, foods with thin skins which aren't peeled before consuming have greatest levels of pesticide absorption (ie. berries, bell pepper, celery have highest risk while banana, avocado, and citrus fruit are lowest). Some foods are naturally less attractive to pests (such as onion, asparagus, and broccoli) so they don't need much in the way of pesticide to grow. There are many helpful lists out there of the top foods worth going organic for.

Keep in mind that locally grown foods have a much lower level of residue than those imported from other countries because of what is needed to keep those fruits and vegetables fresh on their long voyage to your grocery store. Levels of exposure have been shown to be 2-3 times higher in imported goods compared to domestic.

In summary:
Best to buy organic and locally grown fruit: cranberries, peaches, nectarines, plums, apples, pears, berries, cherries, cantaloupe, grapes.
Best to buy organic and locally grown veggies: cucumber, bell pepper, green beans, celery, beets potatoes, lettuce, peas, tomatoes, carrots.
Safe to buy conventional: banana, citrus, avocado, onion, garlic, broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts.

AAP's groundbreaking article
Evidence that eating organic lowers exposure to organophosphates
A summary on choosing foods to lower pesticide intake (local grown and organic)
Great pocket guide to organic produce shopping
List of organic vs. conventional choices with explanations

NO CANNED FOOD

By now we've all heard of BPA, which stands for Bisphenol A, a component of many plastics. The potential risks for human health point to a number of very concerning effects including cancer, diabetes, obesity, and reproductive impairment. Toxin exposure of any kind will be magnified in a developing infant, which makes it all the more important to keep this away from our young ones.

BPA has already been completely banned from infant bottles in Europe for this very reason.
This chart is taken from a report by the European Food Safety Authority showing various exposure rates depending on age and method of feeding.

Conservative estimates of total dietary exposure to bisphenol A by age

Age of consumer	Food/Beverages consumed	Dietary exposure to BPA based on conservative migration value in microgram/kg bw/day
3 month infant	Breast milk only	0.2
3 month infant	Infant formula fed with glass or non-polycarbonate bottle	2.3
3 month infant	Infant formula fed with polycarbonate bottle	4 to 11
6 month infant	Infant formula fed with polycarbonate bottle and commercial foods/beverages	8.3 to 13
1.5 year-old child	2 kg commercial foods/beverages	5.3
Adult	3 kg commercial foods/beverages	1.5

To keep your child safe, look for BPA-free plastics such as bottles, teethers, and food storage containers.

This also means avoiding canned foods entirely since the inside metal is lined with it to prevent spoilage. Choose fresh, frozen, glass jars, or cartons instead of cans.
There are a few notable companies that use BPA-free linings in all or some of their canned goods: Eden Organic, Trader Joes, Native Forest, Vital Choice, Wild Planet, Oregon Choice. Check labeling and company website information to be sure.

How to avoid BPA

Pediatric Environmental Health

European report on exposure to BPA

US Dept of Health and Human Services

BPA info for parents by the AAP
Companies with BPA-free canned goods

NO TUNA
Mercury is absolutely toxic to humans. Remember the character of the Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland? He was crazy because of mercury poisoning, common in folks in the hat industry long ago, because of the chemical process used in making them. Mercury is still around today, and the biggest source is in our seafood. The consequences on a developing brain are well known, and include lower intelligence and learning disabilities in low doses, serious neurologic impairment and seizure in high doses. Pregnant women and children need to be especially cautious.

All creatures of the sea can be found to have trace amounts of mercury, but by far it's the larger size fish that have the most. Avoiding all seafood would be extreme, and would cause us to miss out on all the wonderful benefits from this healthy food source.
The smart thing to do is to avoid the big fish, including all types of tuna (that includes yellow tail and albacore), swordfish, bass, grouper, and orange roughy. Lobster may also be affected.
Good seafood choices that are lowest in mercury include tilapia, anchovy, catfish, crab, trout, shrimp, salmon, and squid.

FDA warning of mercury in seafood
FDA list of mercury levels in types of seafood
Great PBS article about the issue
Guide to mercury levels in seafood

NO FARMED SALMON
Salmon raised in farms rather than caught wild in the ocean have high levels of polychlorinated biphenyls or PCB, a toxic chemical that persists in the environment and contaminates the food supply. PCB is a well known carcinogen. It also has negative effects on the immune system, reproduction, and neurologic development. It has also been known to cause elevated blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

Though PCB manufacturing in the US has been banned since 1979, it has not been eradicated from our environment. Farmed salmon swim in contaminated waters, and are fed a diet rich in fish and fish oils which are also tainted.

Choose wild caught salmon, or another type of low mercury fish to serve your kids. Alternatively, trim the fat and broil, bake, or grill the salmon rather than frying in order to reduce exposure.

PCB in farmed salmon
Health effects of PCBs
PCB information

NO IMPORTED POTTERY
Lead ingestion in kids causes a host of problems: developmental delays, hearing loss, speech problems, behavior and attention problems, growth restriction, puberty delay, anemia, and nutritional deficiencies.

Sources for lead in the environment are found in certain paints (especially those before 1980), ceramic glaze, home remedies (Azarcon, Alarcon, Greta, Rueda, Pay-loo-ah, or Kohl), industrial products, and art supplies.

Avoid these hazardous sources whenever possible, and be especially aware of goods or foods that are imported from countries without regulations as strict as those in the US.

Oregon lead exposure questionnaire
Medical effects and management of lead exposure

It's NOT Hard to be Healthy

2011-02-23T22:22:00.000-08:00

Being in good physical health is so very important to our well being. In this modern age filled with decadence and convenient shortcuts, it has become too easy to live a dangerously unhealthy lifestyle. The cause of most of the medical problems US adults are facing today can be directly traced back to poor choices made in food, lifestyle, and activity. In other words, we are often the cause of our own accelerated mortality.

We hear everyone talking about the problem: high and rising rate of obesity, heart disease, diabetes.
We know about the solution: sensible balanced diet and exercise.

But all this talk seems to mean little to the masses who would rather try out a quick gimmick to reverse weight loss so they will feel like they look better. Since when is this only about how we look? What about what goes on inside our bodies that fuels our minds and guides our lives?

I though I'd share my point of view on being healthy. I've never found it difficult to maintain a healthy weight. People may say that I'm lucky, that it's genetic, that I'm blessed with a good metabolism. Or even that I suffer and don't eat as much or as pleasurably as I want to. I can tell you that none of that is true. Why? Because I have family members who are obese, and those who are healthy, and the difference between them is clearly the choices they make, the foods they eat, the activities in their day. Nothing to do with luck. And about my enjoyment of food? It is 100% wonderful and satisfying, without ever going hungry or missing any type delicious experience.

As you will see, it is mostly about the food since it's much harder to exercise off extra calories than it is to avoid them in the first place.

Here's how I do it.

Keep an eye out for fiber
For some reason much of our food has been processed to the point of removing this very valuable and important component. The lack of fiber in our diets has a number of negative consequences: the need to eat a larger quantity of food before feeling satisfied, more dental cavities, higher risk of cancer and heart disease.

So when you have a choice at the grocery store, flip the box/bag/jar over and look at the fiber content of the food you're about to buy. Look at the dietary fiber content, and buy products that say "whole grain" or "multi grain" or "high fiber" especially in the staples that you eat frequently. For example choose brown rice, whole wheat pasta, whole wheat bread, and whole wheat tortillas. They taste just as good and give you tons better nutrition.

Even in places you may not expect, you can find high fiber alternatives: pancake mix, pasta sauce, snack chips, breakfast bars, and canned soups. Even in your dessert! Choose ones made with oatmeal, fruit, graham cracker, and nuts. Make your own baked goods using whole wheat flour
http://www.fda.gov/food/labelingnutrition/consumerinformation/ucm078889.htm

Mostly eat at home
It's simple. When you cook your own food you know exactly what's in it. You know how much oil you added, what cut of meat you used, that you used margarine instead of butter, and low fat cheese instead of heavy cream.

See my post on favorite cookbooks to help with ideas for creating simple or sophisticated meals. Or try these great websites for recipes: http://www.foodnetwork.com/, http://www.cookinglight.com/, http://www.jemangelaville.com/, http://www.epicurious.com/, http://allrecipes.com/. Remember to use the recipe as a guideline, so that you feel free to use lower fat higher fiber ingredients wherever you can.

Eat the veggies first
Plan your meals to have each of the important food groups:
* protein such as seafood, poultry, beef, soy, dairy, or beans
* veggie or fruit
* starch
Make it a habit of going for your veggie/fruit item first, while you're most hungry. The first food you eat tastes best because of heightened sense of smell and taste (natures way of helping find our next meal), and you're much more likely to eat a good portion of it when your appetite is at its peak.

Love the taste of water
There is no reason sugar needs to be added to water in order to quench your thirst, yet that's just what people reach for when they drink juice, soda, flavored coffees, etc. The drink industry is an explosion of varieties and flavors, all serve just one purpose: taking in extra calories that your body doesn't even realize are there. Research has shown that we cannot account for all the extra (empty of nutrition) calories when we drink rather than eat them.

In a study at Purdue University, participants were split into two groups – one that consumed 450 calories a day in jelly beans, the other in soda. After a month, researchers found that candy eaters ate less food, naturally compensating for the calories from the candy. The soda drinkers did not reduce the amount of food eaten, so their caloric intake increased as a result of drinking sugar-sweetened beverages.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10878689
http://oregon.gov/DHS/ph/cdsummary/2011/ohd6003.pdf

Please for your child's sake, do the same for them. Kids do NOT need juice, they will happily enjoy water and milk. This will set them up for a healthy future, free from this overly sweetened habit that so many have.

Breastfeed
There are three main reasons women gaining weight during pregnancy.
1. The actual weight of the fetus (smallest contribution).
2. Supplemental nutrition and circulation for the growing fetus.
3. Energy stores needed to produce milk for soon to be new hungry baby.

Pregnancy can take a high toll on a woman's body, and much of this is easily reversed by doing what nature intended to nurture their newborn throughout their infancy. Women who bypass this process not only lose out for the health and development of their child, but for their own health as well. The high metabolism required for breastfeeding is a crucial step in readjusting the body to life after baby. It helps with everything from weight gain to mood to bonding to lower risk of cancer. Not to mention resources, time and dollars saved, but I digress...

http://www.nrdc.org/breastmilk/benefits.asp
http://www.llli.org/NB/NBJulAug01p124.html

If your mouth is bored, chew gum
Gum is tasty and harmless if sugar-free, and sure beats the consequences of smoking cigarettes, sipping on sugary drinks, or munching on chips and cookies. Also, try a tall glass of water, you may be surprised how well it hits that spot that thought was craving sweet or salty snack. Your body's signal for thirst can sometimes be mistaken for the munchies. Seriously, try it and see for yourself.

Take the stairs
Park farther from the door, take a stroll after dinner, plan weekend activities that get you moving. Even if you don't join a gym or push yourself to do aerobics or weights at home, you can build in some activity into your daily routine. If your job is to sit in front of a computer screen most of the day, then change into a standing desk to get you back on your feet. Rather than tire you out, you will feel rejuvenated by the added movement, no longer slumping and sinking into your chair.
http://www.discoverwalking.com/blog/burn-more-calories-take-the-stairs.php

standing workstation

Get lots of sleep
How much is enough? You'll know it when you hardly need your morning alarm clock to get you out of bed in the morning. However many hours that is, and for me it's 8-9, is how much you should aim for on a regular basis. When you're up longer you eat more without expending much more energy, you become cranky, you make poor choices, you don't feel up for being active, and you seek out the easiest path possible. Not a good set-up for healthy living.

Which leads me to caffeine. Let's face it, people use this as a drug to take the place of sleep. The problem is that its effectiveness wears over time, so that one cup becomes then four then six to keep you going without crashing. Pretty soon you're needing it just to get through the day, and no longer getting that bump in energy that you used too.

By living on coffee/soda/energy drinks you are depriving your body of its natural instinct, which is to sleep in, nap or go to bed early. It's easier to skimp on good sleeping habits if you have this crutch, and in the long run you will not be at your best. Nothing can replace a good night's sleep. Nothing. Not to mention the side effects of too much caffeine, such as high blood pressure, heartburn, and stomach ulcers.
http://www.livestrong.com/article/97493-caffeine-longterm-effects/

If you find you're having trouble going to bed at a decent time, you may want to look at your evening routine. The light from a TV screen or computer acts to stimulate your brain into thinking it is still daytime, preventing you from becoming drowsy as you should. You may want to choose reading a book instead.

That's about it! Honest. No funny diet trick, no extreme workouts, no suffering. I don't have to worry about my portions because the food I select is healthy to begin with. I simply stop when I feel full. And that is a good feeling indeed.

New Home Dreaming

2011-02-12T23:00:00.000-08:00

The market is ripe with low interest rates and abundance of homes on the market, an opportunity that has us seriously considering buying our first family home.

I find myself dreaming of things that would make our new place ideal.

LOCATION
1. Safe neighborhood. This has to be the first priority. The ability to wander freely at all hours without worrying about looking over your shoulder; a front door that doesn't need 4 different locks; windows without bars on them.
These crime databases will search for details by location, giving a pretty good idea of overall safety:
http://spotcrime.com/
In Portland:
http://www.portlandmaps.com/maps/police/

2. Highly walkable.  With actual sidewalks, not just a stripe beside the road. I want us to be able to step outside and walk/bike to the park, to the store, or to a restaurant. Benefits include getting great exercise, getting to know your neighbors, exploring your town on foot, stopping to smell the roses, avoiding sitting in traffic, sunshine and vitamin D.
http://www.walkscore.com/

3. Awesome school district.  Public education is free (aka paid for by our taxes), and we plan to take full advantage of this for our children. Sadly, not all schools are made equal, which means we have to actually live next to the ones we like the best.
These sites offer free rankings, summary descriptions, and even parent/student reviews of schools.
http://www.greatschools.org/
http://www.schooldigger.com/

4. Easy freeway access. This will save time on our commute to work, visiting friends and family, and taking adventurous weekend trips. Spending hours in the car just to get through the day is a set up for exhaustion and stress.
http://maps.google.com/

ORIENTATION
6. South facing windows that get lots of sun. Lots of sun equals much happiness, warmth and energy. It can save on your winter heating bill, though cost a bit in the summer.
Using the "satellite view" function, you can literally see the beams of sunlight either hitting or missing the windows of your house. Lots of tall trees may be pretty, but they can be a nuisance if they're blocking your view of blue skies and sunshine.
http://maps.google.com/

YARD
7. Plenty of space to play, garden, BBQ. A deck or patio would be fun for this as well. Not only for us, but for our kids who need to stretch their limbs, get dirty, and discover the micro world of bugs.
8. View of to enjoy: from atop a hill, sunset scape, or mountain view. Privacy would be great, and may be achieved by either location of house or strategic placement of landscaping. Certainly no tall shadowy buildings, unfinished construction projects, poorly maintained properties, or busy roads in front of the house.

KITCHEN
9. Spacious, open, with central island. We love to cook, and want our kitchen to keep inspiring us to do so.
10. Gas stove. Gotta have that quick heat with visual cue to know how hot the pan is.
11. Counter for stools. Great for entertaining guests or keeping an eye on the kids while you cook.
12. Easy to clean.  Since we'll be doing this on a daily basis, it needs to not be complicated.
13. Modern appliances.  Take advantage of kitchen technology and energy efficiency to save on both time and money.

SPACE
14. Comfortable enough for all to have our own space to sleep, play, work, and entertain guests.

When it comes down to price and what's affordable, I'm sure there will be lots of prioritizing and negotiating which niceties are truly necessary and which will have to go. I'm betting if we focus on those things that will keep us happy on a daily basis, those practical matters that affect the mood, energy, and flow of our daily lives, we will be much more satisfied in the long run than if choose the place with the fancier trimmings.

EASY Egg-Free Cupcakes

2011-01-29T18:34:00.000-08:00

Baking for vegan? Got allergies? What to do about the egg part of the recipe?

What to do when you CAN'T use these?

I needed to make some egg-free cupcakes for a birthday party recently, and after perusing many options and suggestions, I decided to try a few different versions to see how they would turn out. I did NOT want to make them from scratch, if at all possible. It turns out you don't have to!

The egg in the recipe serves two major purposes. It BINDS the ingredients together, and it helps it to RISE. Both of these features can be bypassed using other ingredients.

Steps to EASY Egg-Free Cake/Cupcakes!
1. Duncan Hines Cake Mix- look at the ingredients, there's no egg and no milk in the box.
2. Substitute for the egg binding. There are many options here:
   * Applesauce, use 1/4 cup per egg
   * Banana, use about 3 tablespoon per egg
   * Sweet Potato, about 3 tablespoons per egg
3. Make sure it will rise high. Substitute the water with soda of complementary flavor to your cake mix (stay away from diet soda).
   * Sprite for yellow cake
   * Cola for chocolate cake
   * Ginger-ale for carrot cake
4. Follow mixing and baking directions as you would normally.
4. Frost with ready made frosting, again it's easy to find egg-free (and milk-free if you need it) varities. Duncan Hines is a good place to start, but there are others as well.

Et Voila! Party cakes or cupcakes are ready to go!

I made three different varieties and they all turned out wonderfully.

Yellow cake mix + Sprite + Applesauce = YUMMY! I thought this version tasted the best and was easiest to make, since the applesauce is ready to go. The texture of the cupcakes were perfectly light and moist. Frosted with chocolate frosting, delicious.

Chocolate cake mix + Coke + Banana = Indulgent! Extra step to mash and measure out the banana, and I could taste the banana and cola a bit more than I had expected. Still very tasty chocolate-y treat. Frosted with fudgy chocolate frosting.

Carrot cake mix + Ginger ale + Sweet potato = Spiced Goodness! The work to cook and mash the sweet potato was definitely the hardest part. The taste combination worked wonderfully. Frosted with cream cheese frosting.

My recommendation would be to use the applesauce because it's easiest (no prep), has light and even consistency, and doesn't add a strong taste of its own. This with the soda trick is an easy no-fail way to make your egg-free cake.

By the way, MUCH cheaper than buying from a vegan bakery. Those places were asking $3-5 per cupcake! I bet mine tasted just as good too.

Let me tell you all about you

2011-01-16T21:53:00.000-08:00

People love to analyze themselves, to figure out why they do things a certain way, what motivates them in everyday life, and what draws them to others.

Moving one step further, people really enjoy it when someone else can give them the answers and fill in the blanks for them. This I think explains the love of horoscopes and fortune telling. I was surprised to learn that more than 1/4 of all Americans believe in astrology. This reality has been highlighted recently with all the buzz about zodiac signs and shifting planets that has been in the news lately (and much talked about).

In case you are one of the last to know, here is the article that explains why the sign you thought you were may not be your true one. And here is an article (one example of many) that highlights the identity crises that are happening all across the country.

In honor of all this frivolous hubub, I'd like to offer an alternative system for identifying your strengths and characteristics.

Twelve Signs of the Garden
Based on what delicious produce is at its peak of perfection. What better way to connect with your roots?

Grapefruit
January
You feel your good intentions are sometimes misunderstood, what you thought would be a sweet gesture might be interpreted as bitter instead. You have a sunny outlook even in dark and gloomy days. You tend to keep your feelings to yourself but when you feel a connection you aren't afraid to open up. You mix well with Grapes.

Celery
February
Hearty and robust, you have a strong sense of yourself and your beliefs. You don't shy away from a tough task. When socializing you tend to soften up a bit and give others opinions a chance, even if at first you don't think you'll agree with them. You mix well with Eggplant.

Rhubarb
March
You are a surprise to those who take the time to know you. You get along with a wide variety of other people, and adapt well to various circumstances. You mix well with Strawberry.

Mint
April
You enjoy adding your thoughts to the conversation or issues at hand. You don't require much to remain happy, you find peace in your surroundings. You mix well with Watermelon.

Garlic
May
You give strength to those around you, even in very small amounts. Your feelings are very easy to interpret, even from across the room. You mix well with Eggplant.

Strawberry
June
Others find you to be very attractive and enjoyable to be around. You are very giving and generous. You don't feel the need to be critical of others, you would rather lead by example. You mix well with Mint.

Eggplant
July
You enjoy your originality and individuality. You don't conform to the ideas of others, preferring to take the time to figure things out for yourself. You mix well with Garlic.

Grapes
August
You sometimes feel like you're being pulled in many different directions. You can be comfortable in many different situations because a piece of you can adapt in any variety of ways imaginable. You mix well with Apple.

Watermelon
September
You have a strong presence, and it can be difficult for just anyone to get to the real you. But once you let someone in, they discover what a softie you are. You mix well with Strawberry.

Cucumber
October
You have a long history of being in just the right place at the right time. You appreciate those slices of life that others may miss. You mix well with Celery.

Pumpkin
November
You are very down to earth and tend to have friends with similar values and beliefs. You enjoy the unexpected things that add spice to life, such as travel and adventure. You mix well with Apple.

Apple
December
You are very genuine, kind, and compassionate. You like to mingle and meet lots of new people regularly. You mix well with Grapes.

I promise these signs will not change according to the planet or stars (except I suppose in a billion years when the sun moves far enough from the Earth to change the growing patterns of our fruits and vegetables..)

What do you think? Were the descriptions eerily accurate for some of you? Would you believe I have an amazing ability to predict who you are based on this system?

Let me introduce you to the Forer effect. It basically says that if an authoritative source gives an analysis that is supposedly personalized to the individual, and it includes a mostly positive traits, then that person is highly likely to believe this to be an accurate assessment.

To prove the point, an experiment was done by psychologist Bertram Forer in 1948. He gave his group of students a personality test. They were told that based on this test they would be getting a summary of what kind of traits each of them possessed. The tests were collected, scored, and then a summary distributed with what they believed to be individualized description. They were asked to give a rating how accurately the summary applied to them. On a scale of 0 (very poor) to 5 (excellent), the average rating was 4.26, which means the vast majority felt this was indeed a great personality test.
The funny thing was, they were all given the exact same description! Here is what it said:

"You have a great need for other people to like and admire you. You have a tendency to be critical of yourself. You have a great deal of unused capacity which you have not turned to your advantage. While you have some personality weaknesses, you are generally able to compensate for them. Disciplined and self-controlled outside, you tend to be worrisome and insecure inside. At times you have serious doubts as to whether you have made the right decision or done the right thing. You prefer a certain amount of change and variety and become dissatisfied when hemmed in by restrictions and limitations. You pride yourself as an independent thinker and do not accept others' statements without satisfactory proof. You have found it unwise to be too frank in revealing yourself to others. At times you are extroverted, affable, sociable, while at other times you are introverted, wary, reserved. Some of your aspirations tend to be pretty unrealistic. Security is one of your major goals in life."

Very easy to see how these statements apply to most of us.

For those of you who enjoy this sort of subject matter, I highly recommend you check out this book, How We Know What Isn't So, written by Tom Gilovich. It talks about why we tend to believe things that simply aren't so, from the psychologists perspective. It's an easy and very engaging book to read. I have a copy on my shelf, and have gifted it to a very grateful family member as well.

How Clean is Your Favorite Restaurant?

2011-01-10T22:22:00.000-08:00

While waiting to pick up some take-out food from one of our favorite local restaurants last weekend, my eyes fell upon this most unfortunate sign in the window:

"Public notice

Upon last inspection this establishment

FAILED TO COMPLY

with the acceptable sanitation standards

of the Oregon Health Division

of Sanitation"

A few questions came to my mind:
What? Was I reading that correctly?
They're still in business? Is that even legal?
Is my food ready yet?

Funny thing was, I seemed to be the only person who noticed the sign. I happened to be waiting outside for my order, enjoying the crisp wintery air and the peaceful night. There was a steady stream of people wandering in for their take-out packages, oblivious to this important public announcement posted right by the door.

When I got home my husband and I did some researching on the topic (over a plate of pad thai...hey we were still hungry!). Here's what we learned:

Clean Eating
1. Unannounced inspections are done periodically to evaluate the sanitation practices of every restaurant. The inspector pokes around the kitchen, observes the staff, and tests the quality of the food, its storage, and its preparation.
2. They earn a score for their cleanliness, with a minimum needed to "pass."
3. If this minimum is not achieved, the restaurant must make appropriate changes within a certain time frame or risk being forced to close business.
4. A placard proclaiming the results of their most recent inspection must be posted for all to see.
5. Recent inspection results are available to the public, and includes detailed accounts of any violations.
6. You can look up restaurants online! Not for the faint of heart, er, stomach. You risk reading some unsavory details about what goes on behind the counter at your frequented eateries.

Here are the sites for curious Portlanders:
Multnomah County
Washington County
Clackamas County

To find the website for restaurants in your area just search Google for "your county" plus "restaurant health inspection"

It's a good thing we finished our food before reading too far, because although the meal was tasty, the reviews were pretty unappetizing. Don't think we'll be eating there again...

The Power of Choice

2011-01-09T02:04:00.000-08:00

When I was a kid, I knew I could be whatever I wanted to be when I grew up. It was a wonderful feeling. My first big dream was to be a singer. As a little girl I would perform from my "stage" in the living room and belt out my favorite songs (ah, Dolly Parton) and show off how I could sing my A-B-C's in vibrato (like the opera), which I considered to be very advanced.

As the years passed, my world of possibilities became more limited. By the time I was a teenager I could feel the pressure to make the right decision for my life's purpose and direction.

I came to the conclusion that I had two choices:
1) lawyer
or
2) doctor

For some reason I thought those were the "best" jobs out there. Even though I knew very little about what either of them would actually entail, let alone what the various other options might be. After more thought, some very enjoyable science classes, and an inspiring health class, I decided I would be a doctor.

What had started as a wide open meadow of limitless possibilities, had now evolved into a well defined path leading toward a distinct goal.

This is NOT a story about ending up in the wrong place.
Today I am completely in love with what I do for a living. Working with kids and their families, learning new things on a daily basis, watching technology advance with the field, and teaching. It is an honor and a privilege to be a part of these patients lives.

It's about finding my voice again.
What I also love is my ability to define what, where, and when I do my work. Without this power, the joy is much harder to come by.

Getting here was hard.
Medical training in the US is founded on many years of tradition. The field enjoys a very special place in the working world, where the expectation of one's commitment are set extremely high, and since there is no other way to earn your MD to practice in this country, this is the path every candidate must take.

After graduating high school, I spent 14 years following a training path, working grueling hours along the way. This involved moving around the country, studying like mad for exams, giving presentations, and spending countless days/nights/weekends/holidays in hospitals, clinics, and at home tied to my pager. It's what every doc goes through. It's tradition, what is expected.

Stepping off the beaten path.
The really interesting part is what happens after training. What choices are presented to us, and what we believe we SHOULD do next. It's very similar to what I felt as a teen, that I had only a couple of choices if I wanted to do the right thing. I see it over and over in my colleagues who struggle with wanting something different, something as of yet undefined, because all they see is the narrow path laid out before them.

It's still a wide and gorgeous meadow out there!
I know, because I made it here. I have the power to decide when and where and how much I want to work, and what a great feeling that is! This may seem obvious to someone on the outside looking in, but for me it was so liberating to realize that I had choices again. The choices made me feel powerful, in control, and yes, very happy!

Open up your options.
You are the only one who can put limitations on what you do. It may feel like you don't have options, but you do.
I love learning about jobs I've never heard of before. Established ones like industrial designer, or new ones like social media expert. There's so much out there it's hard to imagine how anyone can decide what's best for them without trying out a few first.

I really love those stories about people finding their true calling in a surprising way. There's been lots of them lately with the recession; folks who were fired from an unfulfilling job who were then free to find their dream job. Others find their calling later lin life, such as the late great Julia Child.

It is true that if you have a passion, and follow it, you can find a way to make a living doing it. It's not just a childlike expectation, it's what happens everyday to those who are wise enough to find the power of their own choices.

Thoughts for my fellow and future MDs out there:

- First know that there are many many many other jobs in health care that puts you directly in front of patients in every possible setting: for example nurse practitioners and physician assistants work in clinics, hospitals, and surgical rooms alongside physicians doing very much the same type of work. You spend a fraction of the time in training and work much more reasonable hours.

- In college you can major in anything and still go to medical school, as long as you take the pre-requisite classes.

- You can take time off for other pursuits in between training steps and not be at any disadvantage (ie after college, or after med school). Many places see it as a bonus if this life-experience you gained makes you more well rounded.

- Your school or residency or fellowship program may have the option of non-traditional schedule for your training. For example, you might take time off (many months) and make up for it. Or you might prefer to stretch out your training but work half the time.

- Fellowship is not necessary to have a great and successful career. Do it only if you are truly inspired by that subspecialty field, not because you feel you need more training.

- In fellowship, know that you don't have to work in a lab in order to do great scholarly work. There's clinical research, advocacy programs, and teaching/curriculum development to consider as well.
- Jobs are very flexible. We are lucky that there is a steady demand for doctors. This allows for great flexibility in what type of work you want to do. Don't just sign up for whatever job offers come your way. Think first what you want (location, patient population, clinical setting, research demands, hours, call), then go after exactly that. Don't settle for the next logical step in your path, define it yourself.
- Locum tenens and moonlighting work is super easy to find and buys you time to find your dream job.
- Know that you can use your MD in many ways besides clinical. You may prefer to do research, work for pharmaceutical company, do consulting work, public health, politics, education, etc...

I Love Shopping From Home

2011-01-07T22:28:00.000-08:00

Let's say you want a garlic press. You're tired of holding those little cloves of garlic on the cutting board while you mince them. You want a nice one that works well and is comfortable to hold. You don't need it right this moment, but it would be nice to have it soon, so that it's handy when the urge to make stir fry strikes.

So you wait until the weekend when you have some free time, get in the car and drive 20 minutes to your store of choice (Target perhaps), try for a close parking spot but fail because everyone else shops on Saturdays too, walk about a mile's worth circling the store for not just the item you want, but other departments of interest too (might as well, while you here...), wait in line to check out, pay for your cart full of stuff (half of which you probably didn't actually need), run through the rain back to your car, and drive the 20 minutes back home.

Pop online (Amazon, for example), type "garlic press," search through the results for your perfect fit and price, see that a hundred+ reviewers have given this product an average of 4.5/5 stars, click in into your virtual cart, then find the lovely item on your doorstep a few days later.

Is there any contest here?

I'm moving more and more over toward shopping in the comfort of my own home. There are lots of compelling reasons:

* Less time running errands. Driving around town isn't fun, especially when the store you decided to go to doesn't have what you were looking for. Which leads me to,

* Greater selection of items than can be found at one store.

* Smarter shopping, thanks to the gazillions of reviewers who have already rated and commented in detail about products they've purchased. You can save yourself from shoddy workmanship or poorly designed items by reading these.

* Save money. Often (though not always) the price online is lower than what you would find in a store, even after factoring in shipping.

Example of items I have bought online in the past year:

-Baby gear: clothing, toys, books, car seat, stroller, bib, etc.

-iPod speaker/docking station

-Portable Hammock, father's day gift for my husband.

-Diapers. (We pay less than 16 cents per diaper to have top-o-the-line Pampers shipped conveniently to our home! How? Amazon's "mom membership" plus "subscribe & save" option.)

-Groceries. This is a new one we are exploring lately. Both Safeway and New Seasons offer nice online shopping and delivery options, though they do charge extra for the service.

Of course there are limitations. If you're buying something new and unfamiliar, it's usually best to see it in person. Also when it comes to things that need to fit, such as shoes or clothing, it's best to be able to try it on.

Because of the availability of helpful reviews and the chance for lower prices, I often use a combined mode of attack: browsing stores while typing choices into my iPhone web browser to see what I can find out about it online. Or vice versa, researching online then popping into a store for a test run. This method is well worth the time investment for larger ticket items, so that you always end up with the best product for the best price.

My Favorite Resources for Reviews:

Electronics

http://www.cnet.com/ gives really comprehensive descriptions, ratings, images, and even video demonstrations of their products.

Baby Gear, website

http://www.consumersearch.com/family-and-pets this has combined reviews from all sources possible and nicely written summary of best choices .

Baby Gear, book

Baby Bargains by Denise and Alan Fields.

This is a must have for new parents, it helps navigate the very confusing world of baby related "stuff" that you suddenly need (and tells you quite honestly what you won't need to waste your money on).

Best for general/miscellaneous/random reviews:

www.amazon.com since they sell everything from food to clothing to electronics to books to plants, chances are whatever you're in the market to buy is also being sold and reviewed extensively here by customers.

now, don't go too far with the concept...

The (Bad) News

2011-01-07T00:34:00.000-08:00

I literally grew up watching the evening news. As young as I can remember, I would perk up when hearing the theme music. I would mimic my father as he stood before the TV screen unconsciously stroking his mustache, carefully studying the events unfolding. Each night we gladly welcomed Dan Rather into our home (we "knew" him way back when he was a local news reporter).

I carried on this tradition when I left home for college and beyond. My day didn't seem complete without a nightly recap of the latest events from one of the trusted anchors. Even with the availability of online news articles, I kept up my ritual, enjoying the tidy 30 minute package of stories, conversation, and video footage that brought it all to life.

It's been many months now since I stopped watching the news, and I know I am much happier because of it.

Why did I stop?
Because it's mostly bad news! Bad in more than one way.
1) For some reason it's the rare but horrible things that happen in the world which qualify as newsworthy. Threats, murders, accidents, disasters, and scandals get top billing.
2) Stories are sensationalized, with snippets made to grab your attention rather than deliver true substance. "Coming up, an amazing new discovery that will add years to your life..." or "the hidden danger inside your own home that could be making you sick..." The answers to these teasers are almost always a fairly boring one, that put in the right context isn't actually a breakthrough at all.
3) Because of the need to report the latest updates about headline stories, the shows are often repetitive. Think of day #xxx of the BP oil disaster and you get my point.

Bad news is bad for me.
I can't easily brush off the suffering of others, their stories and their pain linger on with me. I analyze and imagine scenarios where I might find myself in a similar situation. This makes me sad and fearful. This is the opposite of happy.

Is it because I am unusually empathetic? Is it because I'm a mother whose heartstrings are more easily pulled? Am I somehow flawed for not being able to distance myself? Or perhaps it is the news that has changed, becoming increasingly shocking and dramatic as it vies for the public's attention.

I don't need it, and I don't miss it.
I continue to stay informed, even perusing news sites on a daily basis. But I keep away from those stories with morbid or depressing headlines (which seems to be a great majority of them). Sometimes I still read them, and often regret doing so.

I know many will think I am being naive, wanting to be blissfully ignorant (yes Dad, I hear you saying this). But I'm okay with that. I think a little bit of ignorance in this case is good, even necessary.

Media influence is strong.
There is absolutely a correlation between what information/stories/events we are exposed to and how we feel about the world we live in. If we are constantly barraged with warnings about crazed psychopathic killers on the loose, we are bound to feel afraid and mistrusting of others. It's a natural response, it's how we adapt to our surroundings and survive.

But this is completely unnatural. It's not normal to know the gruesome details of every bad deed done by the few among hundreds of millions of us. Though real and true, these stories fail to represent the vast majority of law abiding and downright pleasant folk out there. Ordinary nice people don't get screen time, they are taken for granted.

Look for example at what it's done to Halloween.
Think back on those treasured memories of being a kid excited to dress up and ring the neighbor's doorbells asking for candy. Kids don't do this anymore! They go to safe havens instead, such as the mall, zoo or shopping center. Parents feel it's too dangerous, that you can't trust strangers, even in your own neighborhood.

This can all be traced back to media hype, DESPITE a lack of any true danger!

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1933329,00.html

In 1985, Joel Best, a professor of sociology and criminal justice at the University of Delaware, studied media reports going back to 1958 and found no evidence "that any child has ever been killed or seriously harmed by a contaminated treat picked up in the course of trick-or-treating." Most of the 100 or so cases of alleged poisoning over the past 50 years, he adds, were probably hoaxes.

Speaking of media, I highly recommend using DVR device such as TiVo to help minimize (or eliminate) time wasted on commercial advertisements. You can actually focus on watching your favorite shows at a time and pace that is convenient for you, AND you don't have to wade through the muck of sponsors trying to sell you things. Saving time and saving sanity, who wouldn't love that?

The Perfect Winter Drink

2011-01-02T21:37:00.000-08:00

I've just come up with the most delicious drink that's also very simple to make and perfect for those cold winter evenings. I must share it with the world!

The taste is familiar, hot spiced apple cider, but the formula is new. Simply warm up a cup of cider, and plop in a bag of Tazo's sweet cinnamon spice tea! It's so brilliant, I don't know why I didn't think of is sooner!

I bet this would work with red wine too, also known as mulled wine or "Glogg."

Happy 2011 everyone!!

Feeding Your Baby

2011-01-01T13:49:00.000-08:00

As a pediatrician and member of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), I agree with and follow the vast majority of guidelines put forth by the AAP. As a woman of science and a mom, I can see how some of the advice and policies are based less on researched evidence and more on tradition.

One of the BIG areas that I feel needs changing is that of starting baby on solid foods.

Why is this important to me, and why should it be important to all parents out there?
* You may be restricting your children from a wide world of delicious foods.
* This may cause them to grow up with a narrow selection of taste preferences.
* This leads many parents to panic and give their child whatever they will eat, often resulting in too many starches and sweets.
* This may contribute to unhealthy feeding habits, which could be a source for overweight and obesity issues.
* This may also be a cause for our leading nutritional deficiency, iron.

Here are some of the steps TRADITIONALLY put forth:
(see example here http://www.oregondairycouncil.org/resources/free_downloads/downloads/htfyb_english_2010.pdf)
- Wait until baby is 4-6 months of age, and watch for signs of readiness (sitting upright, lack of tongue thrust, watching you eat or grabbing food from your plate).
- Start with just rice cereal for a month or two.
- Next give one new food per week, so that you watch for signs of allergic reaction. These should be cooked pureed fruits or vegetables.
- Next try meats (still only one new food per week).
- Give 100% fruit juice to drink, limiting to 4-6 oz per day.
- Delay eggs until after 1 year of age. Delay peanut products until even later.

Do these sound familiar? Many pediatricians are still offering this advice, even though MUCH of it is outdated and inconsistent with current scientific findings.

Here are the points with which I disagree:

- Wait until baby is 4-6 months of age, and watch for signs of readiness (sitting upright, lack of tongue thrust, watching you eat or grabbing food from your plate). Yes, but don't wait past 6 months unless there is good medical cause (such as developmental delay, severe medical condition, or prematurity). Your baby needs the added nutrition that comes from solid food starting around 6-9 months of age, and also needs to learn to love this important new part of his life.

- ~~Start with just rice cereal for a month or two.~~ There is NO reason to restrict your infant to rice cereal. It was historically thought to be an "easy food to digest" and that is why it is commonly recommended. Thought there is nothing wrong with rice cereal, other foods work just as well or even better as first food introduction. Don't be afraid to try mashed avocado, banana or sweet potato!

~~- Next give one new food per week, so that you watch for signs of allergic reaction. These should be cooked pureed fruits or vegetables.~~ I have to go against even the AAP on this one. They say to wait 3-4 days between new foods, which is better than a whole week, but still I believe this is excessively conservative and unnecessary. See below for full discussion on this point.

~~- Next try meats (still only one new food per week).~~ No reason to delay meats! They are extremely high in nutrition for your baby, loaded with iron, protein, zinc, fat (which at this age is a good thing, needed to grow and learn), and other goodies.

~~- Give 100% fruit juice to drink, limiting to 4-6 oz per day.~~ Babies need NO juice. I recommend not giving juice at all. It's basically sugar water, high in calories, low in nutrition, and absent any of the fiber that real fruit contains to help balance the sweetness and slow digestion in your stomach. Give milk and water instead!

~~- Delay eggs until after 1 year of age. Delay peanut products until even later.~~ See below for AAP revision of guidelines about when to introduce what foods.

WHAT ORDER OF FOODS IS BEST?
Kudos to the AAP for releasing a change in policy in 2008 regarding introduction of allergenic foods.
http://www.pediatricnews.com/article/S0031-398X(09)70296-6/fulltext
Prior to that, it was recommended to delay introduction of known allergenic foods until after a certain age, in order to help decrease risk of developing allergy to those foods. The culprits included fish, shellfish, eggs, and peanuts. Over the years many good studies were done to see if delaying until the child is older to try these foods would decrease their rate of developing allergies. Results were NOT at all in favor of this practice, and in fact some studies showed an increased risk of food allergy development for those who delay versus those who don't. Thus, the AAP's revised statement says it matters not at all what order of foods you give to your child, or at what age (as long as they are old enough for solid foods of course).

So for the record, there is no reason to delay or deny your baby of the flavors of the world (if you know there is high occurrence of food allergies in your family, you may choose to be careful with certain high risk foods). You are free to have fun with food! Don't be bound by bland, low nutritious rice cereal! Give your little one peanut butter, eggs, or soft/mashed fish at whatever age you like (again, assuming he is ready for solids).

ABOUT THE ONE FOOD PER WEEK RULE
This tradition has to go. It is so embedded in the US practice among doctors and families, and really has very little redeeming value.

Here's the ONLY argument for waiting between foods:
1. You can catch what food(s) your baby has allergy or intolerance to much more easily and quickly.

Here's my argument against this policy:
1. Giving foods slowly will NOT prevent food allergy, it may only help in detecting it.
2. If your baby has an allergic reaction, you will be playing the food elimination game no matter what. You will become an investigator of your baby's diet to find for certain what was the offending food so that you can avoid it. If the problem persists, you will likely see an allergist who will test your baby for common food allergies (skin test is best, blood test distant second- but that's a whole other discussion).
3. There is a fairly narrow window of opportunity when your baby is willing to try whatever food you put in front of him. Why not take advantage of this and give as many foods as possible? Later when your little one becomes a picky two-year old, you will have a wider variety of foods to choose from that you would otherwise (one per week is very slow and limited!).
4. The chances of having an allergic reaction to food is very small (about 4%). And even for those who are food allergic, the vast majority will be to the high risk culprits: milk, wheat, soy, egg, fish, shellfish, peanut, tree nut, strawberry. So if you do want to be cautious and aware, introduce just those foods with a watchful eye. But don't worry so much about peas, carrots, apples, bananas, etc.

for more info:
food allergy prevalence in the US: http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/reprint/124/6/1549
general resource on food allergy: http://www.niaid.nih.gov/topics/foodallergy/documents/foodallergy.pdf

WHO CAN YOU TRUST?
If you're looking for a great online site with family friendly and science based advice on feeding baby, here is my favorite:
http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/
They offer step-by-step guidance that follows what the AAP recommends (don't get me wrong, I AGREE with AAP on most things!), have great food and recipe ideas, and tackle many of the common questions and problems parents may run into. Here is their section on starting solid foods:
http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/solidfoodstages.htm

ABOUT JAR BABY FOODS
When did it get in people's minds that babies need to eat processed food from a jar? This is the most backward thing I can think of for a new eater! Babies need to taste the foods that we eat, experience the aromas and textures and flavors that CANNOT be preserved in a jar. Have you ever tasted jarred baby food yourself? If it doesn't taste good to you, you better believe it won't be a treat for your baby.

That doesn't mean your infant won't eat it (he most likely will), but he won't enjoy a processed/stored jar of peaches the same way as if you picked a ripe one, steamed and mashed it yourself. As your baby graduates to table foods, he will enjoy the same delicious foods that your family enjoys more readily if he's been having tastes of it all along.

Making your own baby food is very very simple, earth friendly, and saves money! Here's a nice guide to help you get started. It's what our family used and gave us great results (just ignore the places where they insist you give only certain foods at certain ages, since we already know this advice is outdated).

DONT FORGET FINGER FOODS!
Babies need to practice feeding themselves at a young age, again for the enjoyment and texture, but also to develop the all important finger-pince grasp. By prolonging spoon feeding your baby mashed foods you deprive him of the opportunity to learn this new skill (everything in an infant's environment is large, so as not to be choking hazard. small pieces of finger foods is a novel thing to a new feeder). As soon as your baby is old enough to scoop food off a tray and aim toward his mouth (around 7 months of age), you should be offering finger foods. Everybody knows and loves Cheerios, which are perfect size and shape and even nutritional. But don't forget pasta, cooked veggies, and pieces of soft meats and fish. Basically just look at the foods you eat and figure out which ones are soft enough for "gumming."

Here is an example plate of food we would feed our happy hungry healthy 11 month old (who only has 2 teeth), who by the way LOVES to eat all varieties of food.

(water from a cup, slow-cooked pork, broccoli, tofu with tomato sauce, cranberry sauce, and squash)

I'm happy to answer any questions or clarifications I can.

Family life in the US

2010-12-20T22:08:00.000-08:00

The United States has it all wrong when it comes to family.

The defaults are as follows:

- Work till you drop: 50-60 hour work-weeks are routine; also common is having only couple weeks vacation per year.

- Long commutes to and from work: either long lines of traffic or many miles to reach place of work.

- Relative isolation from family: the concept of extended family does not really exist here. Many people move around to where the jobs are, not where their family lives.

- Complete disregard to the importance of motherhood: there exists NO guaranteed paid maternity leave to care for newborn baby, let alone paternity leave. I was shocked to see the list comparing US parental benefits with other countries in the world: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parental_leave

There are only 3 other countries in our same boat: Lesotho, Papua New Guinea, and Swaziland. Great company. It's just sad and wrong, and it makes me want to move to Sweden where new parents enjoy 16 months PAID time to be home with little junior!

- Lack of social support for child care, which is a basic necessity for working parents.

- Premium on material wealth. Bigger home, shinier car, newer clothes, brand name logos promise to bring happiness and popularity, but deliver on neither. They just drain bank accounts.

Where does this leave most Americans? Struggling to make ends meet while fueling this gotta-have-the-next-big thing lifestyle. Exhaustion. Lack of emotional support. Disconnection between parent and child due to the restricted amount of time they get to spend together during those crucial early years and beyond.

This is more than an inconvenience, it is a broken system woven into the fabric of our society. Mismanaged priorities turns unhappy people into dysfunctional families. And not in the funny Griswold family sort of way. Divorces, broken homes, lost children, frustrated parents.

What to do? I don't claim to have all the answers, but I do have some ideas.

1. LIFE>work balance. This is crucial. There are those who are truly inspired by their work in a way that no other endeavor can fulfill. They want to spend every moment possible pursuing their career goals, and this brings true joy to their lives. Then there's the vast majority rest of us who want a fulfilling career but don't want to kill ourselves over it. We want a colorful life, with leisure, adventure, hobbies, friends, and plenty of rest in between.

2. Realizing what's truly important. Hint, it's not a fancier car or a pricey piece of furniture or even a string of meals at the most expensive restaurants. It's the relationships with family, friends, and strangers (friends you haven't met yet). It's learning new things, exploring different cultures, sharing in the arts, cultivating a talent, communing with nature, finding true love, and perhaps raising a child.

3. Building better communities. Literally. Planning ahead to make them walkable with close proximity to basic needs and jobs. Bringing public transportation to the modern age with transit systems that are safe, reliable, and affordable. Bridging cities with high speed trains. Investing in high quality public resources such as schools, libraries, arts, community centers, and parks.

4. Paid parental leave. We are so overdue for this one. Mothers shouldn't be forced back into work just weeks after giving birth because they fear for losing their jobs. Fathers need time to be home to share in parenting duties and bond with their new child. Breastfeeding is hard enough without the added stress of working, commuting, and pumping round the clock.

5. Socialized child care. Families who need to work shouldn't have to struggle to find quality childcare at an affordable cost. Why not subsidize with government funding, similar to what is done for public education? Additionally this would help better regulate daycare systems to ensure the kids best interests are always placed first.

6. I want to say something about the importance of extended family, but I don't know what the solution would be. Maybe it's having better access to local jobs to prevent the need to move away in the first place? Maybe it's that people in this country just don't realize the value of having others around to love, guide and support them? Maybe it's promoting community programs that aim to fill the gap by sharing of ideas, resources, and social events? Maybe it's a little from all of the above.

I feel so very lucky that my husband and I can afford for me to spend tons of quality time at home with our daughter. I spent the first 12 weeks of her life home with her, and since then worked only on a limited basis. We are bonded even further by exclusive breastfeeding , the benefits of which cannot be compared in any way to taking milk from a bottle. This wouldn't have been possible without the initial time at home, the generous accommodations made by my place of work, and the time that her father/my husband has taken to be home as well. She is healthy, happy, and thriving in the best ways possible, and so are her parents. This is how every home should be.

Best Cookbooks

2010-12-19T22:32:00.000-08:00

How can you not love cookbooks? They sing to you with their mouthwatering full color covers, pages full of enticing foods, aromatic ingredients, creative imaginings of meals you never had before!

I love browsing cookbooks. But after years of trying recipes and falling for so-so collections, I can honestly say I am happy with the books I already have. I'm here to share our collection with you, so that you too can enjoy the fulfillment that comes with knowing your next meal is just a flip of a page away.

And yes, having a cookbook is still very relevant in this age of internet recipes galore. The internet is a magical place for finding information, but what about when you don't need a million choices but just the ones that work best? What about when you need inspiration and don't have those search terms in your head yet? Having a resource you trust will guide you through to the delicious end results is an absolute necessity, don't miss out!

BEST NEW COOKBOOK, geared toward the busy mom (or dad) who wants to put together fabulous meals in the quickest time possible, with the least amount of brainpower and effort possible.
Time for Dinner, by Pilar Guzman and friends.

I love love love the layout of this book! I didn't think I had any use for another cookbook until I met this one.

They have a section for make-ahead meals, for when you have a chunk of time (Sunday afternoon, perhaps) and want to get some cooking done to spare you for the next few days. It's brilliant, and wonderful time savor!

There is also another section that's built around the main ingredient you may have already lying around at home. Why isn't every cookbook organized in this way? If it's last minute and your stomach is already growling, you just flip to the page with the stuff you have (say fish), choose the variation that interests you (can of tomatoes, etc), and end up with gourmet flavors at a fraction of the time (fish chowder stew, yum)!

I just got this book a couple months ago, and already I've learned the coolest trick for cooking squash. Just poke a hole in it with a screwdriver, then bake for an hour. So simple! And it works. Voila, tasty squash to use in as many ways as you can imagine (and of course they offer great suggestions here).

The set up is modern, relevant, and absolutely works.

BEST COOKBOOK FOR INTERMEDIATE KITCHEN LEARNING, extremely comprehensive, and well-written.
How to Cook Everything, by Mark Bittman.

It's just like the title says. This book has extended explanations for every new ingredient covered, tells you first how to make that meat/veggie/fruit/whatchamacallit sing in the simplest way possible, then gives ideas for how to take it to the next level, then the next.

It gives confidence in cooking, by breaking it down for you. It doesn't assume you know any fancy cooking terms, it shows with simple illustrations how to prepare the food, starting from when you pull it out of the grocery bag.

It honestly took my husband from amateur experimental chef (with frequent misses...), to glorious creator of mouthwatering delights. He lives by this book, in the kitchen. Seriously. His salmon with red wine sauce is to die for! And many other meals can be credited back to this gem.
(Thank you to the wonderful friends who gave this as wedding gift!)

BEST TIMELESS COOKBOOK, that every kitchen should have.
Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook

An oldie but truly goodie, this cookbook never goes out of style. Despite the fact that many of the recipes have been in here since the 1950s, don't think for a second that they won't be relevant today. Just tonight in fact we enjoyed an amazing slow-cooked lamb and fruit stew, courtesy this book.

It covers everything from salads to mains to desserts to baking bread to crockery cooking and more. It's a great book to have on hand for those classic recipes. Like their version of Waldorf Salad that is the best tasting I had ever had (hint courtesy the cookbook, use flavored yogurt instead of mayo!)

I suggest this as a starter cookbook for the 20 something fresh out of college, ready to start making simple meals at home, and dishes they can happily serve to dinner guests. But still like I said, it is a staple that I still use it all the time (beyond my 20s...).

BEST VEGETARIAN COOKBOOK. I was lucky enough to go to college in the same town that this book was born. Ithaca, New York. Home of the awesome Moosewood Restaurant.
Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen.

Each recipe is lovingly handwritten, complete with quirky doodles, quotes, and all. The combinations are fantastically innovative, and numerous. You will never get bored of vegetables again. Especially rewarding are the soups and stews. Is it bad that I use those as backbone for making my own version and adding meat? Heck no, I'm the one eating it and I happen not to be vegetarian!

There's a lot of variations on this book that have sprung up since the lovely original. I admit I haven't tried them, because I haven't needed to. The first is that good, it doesn't need a sequel!

BEST ASIAN COOKBOOK. This one is very true to authentic tastes, with delicious twists that give it modern feel. Think California Asian-fusion cuisine, and you'll get the idea.
Quick Cooking with Pacific Flavors by Hugh Carpenter and Teri Sandison.

Love love love every single recipe I have ever tried out of this book! It never fails to tantalize my taste buds. I know the Tropical Salad recipe by heart and it has become one of my trademark never fail dishes (getting hungry just thinking about the zingy lime/ginger/cilantro dressing atop salad filled with mango, avocado, and tomato, mmmm!). Other delights include asian bbq marinades for meat or fish, warm curry soup, spicy caesar salad, and many more.

This book does a great job teaching the basics about ingredients to help you navigate the "ethnic" aisle of your grocery store, or better yet the Asian grocery store you might otherwise get lost in. Right down to the brand names, they give you their take and preference to help make your meal the best it can be.

BEST PERSIAN COOKBOOK. And I should know, being Persian myself.
Food of Life by Najmieh Batmangli.

There's really no contest here. This is the only cookbook you can find that delivers on its promise to help you make authentic home cooked Persian dishes. And the photography is just gorgeous.

This isn't easy cooking by any means but to be fair, that's what it take to make this type of cuisine. Gourmet stews bubble for hours to perfection, even the rice is a 2 day event- to make it just perfect. This may seem absurd to us busy American's, but in Iran, it's a way of life.

If you want to start off easy go to the appetizer and salad section. You will get a feel for some of the flavors with much less prep-time. Then when you feel like really diving in, try the Fessenjun (pomegranate and walnut stew), it's to die for!!

BEST QUICK-MEAL COOKBOOK. That is, a book geared solely toward making meals quickly and efficiently. And deliciously of course.
Express Lane Meals by Rachel Ray.

You gotta love Rachel Ray, she's so gosh darn endearing and charming. And boy does she know how to cook with colorful flavors. This book is great for menu inspirations.

The idea is to keep on stock certain go-to staples, which are listed out nicely. Then there are few ingredients to put on your "express shopping list" which you then pick up for that particular meal. The organization is nice, moving from simplest up front to more complicated recipes in back.

We keep going back to it because of the ingenuity. Who would have thought a can of clams could turn into the perfect pasta sauce in twenty minutes? Or that anchovy paste is a must have ingredient? Rachel Ray, that's who. She's got lots to teach, and she does it with style.

With that, I give you the perfect culinary repertoire of recipes to entertain and delight you. Bon Appetit! Or as we Persians say, Nushi Jan!

iPhone apps for babies

2010-12-07T22:07:00.000-08:00

Yes it's true, my infant daughter loves my iPhone, and she has her own apps on it. Pretty much as soon as she could start grabbing for things, she would grab for my phone. It didn't even have to be on to be fascinating for her, flipping it back and forth to admire it's shiny surface. But to really capture her attention, I loaded up some apps. These comes in VERY handy in certain situations when you prefer not to have a hysterical crying baby on your hands. Such as in the grocery store, in the car, on a plane, or whenever all her other toys have ceased to amuse her.

Going looking for baby apps isn't as easy as you would think. For some reason Apple doesn't make searching through apps at all easy, or intuitive, or even fun. So I turned to internet searches. Even that didn't give me the answers I wanted very easily. Apparently people aren't seeing the value in a good baby app, and those that do claim to be child friendly are actually geared toward older age that can interact on a higher level (like reading or counting).

A great baby app must have these qualities:
- attention grabbing, with colors, shapes, and sounds.
- interactive with very simple (often accidental) swipes or shakes of the phone.
- NOT be easily exited once it's started. Many apps we've tried seem good until they fail at this point, which renders them pretty useless because if I have to step in and reset the program every couple minutes.
- be free or close to it. I don't want to spend $5 just to try a program on my phone. At that point I may as well purchase a real toy.

So here is my list of awesome baby iPhone apps, the names written exactly as you'll find them in iTunes store.
1. Sound Shaker ($1.99, http://www.tickletapapps.com/soundshaker and http://itunes.apple.com/app/sound-shaker/id336912043?mt=8)
This is by far her favorite. Simple little balls appear wherever the screen is touched. They roll and rattle around as the phone is moved, they grow and turn into tweeting birdies when your finger is held down, and the sounds are pleasing to the ear, much like wind chimes.

2. Peek-a-Boo (FREE, http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/peek-a-boo-baby-rattle/id320877923?mt=8)
Another big winner that brings happy smiles to her face. The animals appear with a touch and announce themselves with a bark, meow, grunt, what have you. The phone vibrates each time a new animal appears, which I think she gets a kick out of as well.

3. Look Baby! (FREE, http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/look-baby/id325952583?mt=8)
This app is fun and interactive, but unfortunately a bit too easy to exit out of. There are four different modes/games, a simple giggling teddy bear, floating bubbles that pop, jangling shapes, and butterfly that changes colors. There is a constantly playing music in the background that is super soothing, like a lullaby. This app is good for the quick calm down distraction.

4. Peekaboo Barn (FREE for lite, or $1.99 for full, http://www.peekaboobarn.com/)
I haven't bought the full version on this yet, simply because hey, how many apps does a baby need? The lite version is very cute, so I have a feeling the full one will be worth the money. There is a big red barn full of animals that zoom in one by one to introduce themselves with their respective noises. Not easy to exit, plays almost like an animated cartoon. Lite version ends way too quickly, so really it's just a teaser to try and get you to buy the full one.

5. Bebot ($1.99, http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bebot-robot-synth/id300309944?mt=8)
This is one on my husband's phone, and he claims that she loves to play with this. The screen becomes a sort of touch synthesizer that gives off robotic/electronic type sounds. Bonus points for not being easy to exit.

A discussion of baby apps wouldn't be complete without a word about apps to soothe your baby to sleep. This is actually our original use of the phone on her behalf, to play white noise at bedtime. Here's what we love:
WhiteNoise ($1.99, http://www.tmsoft.com/iphone-whitenoise.html and http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/white-noise/id289894882?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D6)
There's a large list of sounds to choose from, and they aren't just a short loop that repeats over and over. The ocean waves (a fave) actually sound realistic, and so does the stream (another great one), and many others. Not just for babies! You may actually enjoy setting this up to drown out sounds that may be keeping you up. It has a timer and fade away options that are great for being able to leave it in baby's room and walk away.

Now, I wonder when she'll actually get her own phone? Or perhaps iPad, could it be the world's most expensive toy?

If you have apps you love for your wee little one, please do share!