A Parent's Blog

So since I have been back to work , it is hard to even breath never mind come home and make a home cooked meal! Yet my husband purchased one of the new Eclectrics® Mixer, for me on our anniversary and it makes cooking so easy. I can be holding Gianna and throwing things in the mixer at the same time and not need my hands at all!

My all time favorite recipe to make is tole house cookies! I think I ate about 100 dozen while I was pregnant with my daughter. I learned how to make this recipe with my mother when I was a little girl and I think I have mastered it. I included the recipe below so you can share it with your family:

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
• 1 cup chopped nuts

PREHEAT oven to 375° F.

COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

BAKE for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Anyways, with my new Hamilton Beach® Mixer I can mix anything with its 12 settings offer more* mixing flexibility and precise control. My Kitchen Aid I think has only 5 different settings. The other thing that is amazing is it has 400 watts of power to mix even the toughest jobs like 9 dozen cookies at once. Where as my old mixer only did one batch at a time. You can get the mixer in a variety of different colors to match your kitchen and also it come with many different mixing attachments to tackle whatever recipe you our making.

You have to try the Hamilton Beach® Stand Mixer, it is the best mixer I have used in years.

So this was Gianna’s first Halloween and it was so much fun. I ended up having to maker her costume because there is not one store on the face of the earth that has costumes small enough for a 2 month old. So, She was a little Indian girl, it took me and my mother combined two days to maker her costume, but as you can see it came out cute.

We had all of the family come over our house for a Halloween party, which was nice because we didn’t have to drive all over creation to see all of the grandparents! So I figured everyone would like to see Gianna’s first Halloween pic, hope you enjoy it!

I wish we had know about the Mutsy baby stroller before we registered for Gianna’s. They are very stylish, come in a great assortment of styles and colors, have a modern, almost futuristic design, and can be used for a variety of different functions. There are 5 different models that you can choose from and they are all interchangeable. The models include the Urban Rider, the Urban Rider “Next”, the 4 Rider, the 4 Rider Light, and the 3 wheeled compact Spider, which is great for traveling. They even have a brand new stroller model that will be introduced this fall.

You can check out any of the Mutsy baby strollers at any large local retail store. There, you can try out all the different functions and get a feel for how the stroller performs. Mutsy also has a special adapter for the Graco Snug-Ride car seat which allows for easy conversion. Older kids will also have fun in these strollers which allow them to “steer” and ride. You can even put the Mutsy stroller seat into a frame called the Babysitter and it conveniently becomes a baby rocker.

This is the best all-in-one stroller that you can get. Again, I wish I had known about these before we spent hundreds on the one that we have now. I suggest that you try one out for yourself and you too will fall in love with it!

Seeing that Gianna just had her first round of shots on Friday, I figured that I would share some tips on how to comfort your baby after they get theirs.

First off, I don’t know of anyone that likes to go the doctor’s for a shot, especially babies or little kids. With that said, I know from first hand experience now that it can be even more difficult for a parent watching, then a child actually receiving one. You feel so bad for them and when they get that first little poke, you can just see a look of pain upon their face and you just want to cry.

In some cases, your baby may have a slight reaction to a vaccination and might have trouble eating and/or sleeping afterwards. The best thing that you can do for them at this point is to make sure your baby is comfortable and if needed, try to use some home remedies to help relieve some of the more minor reactions. If by chance your baby develops a slight fever, try giving them some acetaminophen (Tylenol) - first consult with your pediatrician, which will help relieve the pain and hopefully reduce the fever.

Most of the time they administer the shot(s) in their thighs which may become red and swollen. Applying a cool compress or ice pack for 10 to 20 minutes can reduce the redness and swelling. Our doctor also recommended massaging her leg where they injected the shot, to help disperse the medicine so it wouldn’t become inflamed. Besides that, a mild skin rash may develop which can last for several days, but usually disappears on its own without any treatment.

Try to keep your home as quiet as possible and hold your child when they need it. This will help them feel more comfortable, relaxed, and secure. Also make sure that your child drinks plenty of liquids so they don’t become dehydrated. One last thing that you may want to consider, is keeping the temperature in your home and in the baby’s room at a comfortable level because they are more likely to become fussy and irritable if they are too warm.

On the positive side, keep in mind that this is just a temporary affair. Your baby will get back on their normal eating and sleeping schedule soon and you’ll be able to enjoy every minute that you spend with them. Luckily for us, Gianna only showed a slight fever within the first 24 hours and then after that she was back to her normal little self!

I’m sure this happens to a lot of new moms out there, but don’t worry you’re not alone!

When you first become a new parent, dozens of questions start running through your head, such as: What and how much do I feed them? What do I do if they don’t stop crying? And what should I dress them in today? These are just a few examples, but you feel as if you know nothing about taking care of a newborn. Well here comes the dilemma. You have all these people around you, family and friends that have children, giving you advice on how to raise your child. It’s overwhelming and at the same time all these suggestions contradict each other. So, what should you do?

Well as time goes on, you start feeling uneasy about whom you should be listening to. Do you listen to your parents or do you listen to your best friend who just had a child two years ago? For God sakes, even the folks in stores are poking their heads in the carriage offering some quick tips that they believe to work.

To be honest, the way you parent changes constantly and what may have been the way 5-10 years ago, is outdated and not recommended in today’s day of age. One huge common misconception, that we continue to hear about, is placing our baby on her stomach when she’s going to bed. This might have been okay back then, but forget it today! That’s one of the first things they tell you NOT to do.

Your family is just trying to be helpful and you have to remember this. Try not to get annoyed and be patient with them. They may argue the fact that they’ve already raised a child (being you) and that you came out alright. Try explaining to them, in a calm manor, that things are different now and that it’s recommended that you… (Explain the solution to the issue you are talking about). When in doubt, you can always ask your child’s pediatrician.

We all feel overwhelmed by these new responsibilities and when other people start questioning the way we raise our child, you start asking yourself: “Am I a good mother, or not?” Don’t let this distract you! From the moment that you gave birth, your maternal instincts set in. It doesn’t matter what other people tell you! You may not be an expert in parenting (yet), but you’re setting the course for your child’s future. You know your child the best and know what it is that they want and need.