DADS and STAY HOME DADS: Some Myths and Misconceptions

1. Men can't multi-task.
2. Men don't know how to look after a baby.
3. A mother's love is always best; small children need their mothers with them more than their fathers.
4. Men don't hear a baby crying at night.
5. Stay home dads are lucky because they get to play at home with the kids all day.
6. If you see a man out and about with kids on a weekday, it means he's babysitting.
7. Dads are no good at shopping for kids clothes.
8. Working Mums have to struggle with work-life balanca, but Working Dads don't.
9. Men can't breastfeed. 

(Source: 'The Parent Voice' Spring 2010 by City of Darebin)

I believe that most of the above are actually only 'practice issues' more than anything else (well, take the 9th out of the list of course). What do you think?

LETS SPY: Homemade Binoculars for Little Investigators

Do you feel bad about using so many rolls of paper towels and toilet paper at home on a regular basis but can't do without them? Well, at least you can try to reuse some parts of it, that may feel a bit better. Of course I only mean the clean rolls/tubes that are left over at the end.

This is a homemade beauty which will keep your energy bombs busy for quite a while, perhaps on and off though. It is homemade, cheap, and fun. If there is an elder brother/sister who can help the younger one, it is even better. If not, your child would appreciate your help and the time spent together making something fun. I am sure it will be one of the fond memories of childhood for them: Making things together with mum or dad.

The materials you will need for this activity can vary a bit depending on how crafty you would like to be or how much time you have got in your hands. The basic materials that you will need would be as below:

• One paper towel roll (cut in half to make it shorter and make it the required amount) or two clean toilet paper rolls/tubes
•  Some thick string, one shoe lace, or some ribbon (again, the length can vary depending on what you prefer and your child's size), 
• A hole puncher or a pair of scissors to make some holes on the rolls where the string will be tied. 

You may also need these if you prefer something that is not only practical bus also looks good too:

• If you prefer, you can also wrap the tubes to make them look nicer than the usual raw look in which case you will need a gift wrap or paper to wrap them with and glue to stick them on.
• Or you could let your child's imagination take in control and let them paint or draw on the rolls according to his/her taste. If this is the case, you would need a pen/some paint etc.

The idea is that the rolls become the binoculars and the string goes around the neck to hold it there. You may also need to somehow separate the two rolls rather than sticking them side by side again depending on the size of your little precious one. The pictures above are not the first or the best looking ones that we have made at home. This particular one was made by Mr. Hubby and Mr. Junior a few weeks ago. The gap between the rolls isn't the best as Mr. Junior can use only one eye to look through a hole as the other roll is too far on the side for him. However, because it is a 'masterpiece' of both him and his daddy, he does not complain about the imbalance of it at all! 

Have fun spying today!

GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOODS | Better Health Channel

I was planning to browse the article that I am sending you the link of but the factual information in it was so interesting, informative and important that I could not help but share the whole article with you. Just click on the link below and have a good read through it. It is really good to know!

Link: Genetically modified foods | Better Health Channel

HEALTHY, YUMMY, QUICK and EASY CHIPS?

Could anyone ever describe chips as above (especially 'healthy')? The answer is YES. I am talking about some homemade chips, of course.

This is one of our family favourites especially on Spring and Summer days. It is extremely easy and is definitely a healthy choice. It is much more inexpensive than the chips you can buy from today's almost every market. I am sure pretty much everyone in the family will enjoy this particular food.

Now, let me share with you this everyone-can-make type of recipe. First the ingredients of course:

• Lebanese bread (flat/pitta bread) (most supermarkets as well as mini-markets and bakeries in Australia stock them these days. They generally come in a pack of 5 but I would doubt you can go through it all at once unless you have a big family or a party going on)
• A working flat-bed toaster (sandwich press), grill or an oven (we generally use the toaster)

Cut up the bread to your preferred size and shape (you can separate the two layers of the bread or keep it double layered when cutting) and toast/grill/oven them until crisp. Don't walk away when you start cooking them as they need only a minute or two before they become nice and crispy. I recommend you dip it in your favourite homemade dip (we love our guacamole dip (the one with avocado) the most but experiment it with a variety before deciding on your family's favourite combination. You can also serve it with some spreadable cheese if you don't have a dip at the time. Just give it a try, you can't go wrong.

If you can think of another combination or a variety of it, please share with us.

Caution: It is addictive!!!

Note: If you have any leftover chips, just put it in an air-tight container until the next time or you can give it to your child to snack on (he is sure to love that crunchiness of it) or consume it with some homemade soup. You could even take it to work as a part of your lunch or snack. It is not going to leave you with a messy or smelly desk, nor will you have any oily fingers after eating it!

A 'DINOSAUR MUSEUM' NEEDED!

HELP!

This overcast Sunday morning Mr. Junior got up begging us to take him to a museum where there are lots of dinosaurs on display. Explanation and distraction techniques haven't worked for us today. What do we do now? Help!

MANUKA HONEY

Manuka honey is a 'must' for us at home. Even though it originates from New Zealand, the first time we learned about it was when Mr. Hubby and I were on a holiday in a beautiful tropical city of Australia, Cairns, about 5-6 years ago. Since then, we cannot do without it especially during cooler days when we are more prone to colds and bacterial infections.  We simply have a large teaspoonful generally in the morning when we feel that we are coming down with a cold etc (Note: when I say we, I exclude Miss Junior in this paragraph as she is too young to have honey yet. Please refer to my post titled WARNING: NO HONEY FOR BABIES -published on 11/11/2011- before deciding on whether to use honey for your children or not).  Below is some factual information I've found after researching for detailed information on active manuka honey.

Manuka honey is a form of monofloral honey that’s created by honey bees as they gather nectar from the flowers of the manuka bush (Leptospermum Scoparium).

It is possibly the oldest known medicine. Aristotle (384-322 BC) said, "It’s good as a salve for sore eyes and wounds" and Dioscorides (50 AD) referred to it as "Good for all rotten and hollow ulcers".

In New Zealand, Professor Peter Molan of the University of Waikato believes manuka honey is as close as you'll get to a medical magic bullet. According to a source, he says: "When it comes to serious infections, Manuka honey is particularly valuable because it has a much better anti-bacterial activity than other honey. When I cut my finger with a chainsaw quite deeply, quite a wide cut, I just put honey straight on it, wrapped it up and kept on working for the rest of the day — there's not a mark on it".

 According to professor Peter C Molan (MBE) BSc (Hons) Wales. PhD Liv. from New Zealand's University of Waikato, "It works on bacteria, fungi, protozoa. We haven't found anything it doesn't work on among infectious organisms."

Active Manuka honey is claimed to have 100 times more medicinal properties than the ordinary table honey. They have ratings and 10+ and higher are better than the ones with lower activity ratings such as 5+. 

Manuka honey is a healthy healing option and is often used for;

• Skin ulcers, wounds, boils
• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Stomach aches, ulcers and related conditions
• Ulcerative colitis
• Heartburn
• Sore throats, strep throat & colds
• Gum disease
• Acid reflux disease
• Esophagitis
• Diarrhea
• Constipation
• Gastritis
• Cold & flu symptoms & more

THE IMPORTANCE OF PLAY

Play helps babies and toddlers learn new skills, gain knowledge, explore their abilities and develop in many ways. During this age group, they're undergoing heaps of growth and development and playing can aid this significantly. In fact, engaging your baby or toddler in age appropriate play can do wonders for their early childhood education and learning ability and give them a good foundation for future learning.

Baby Play Ideas:

• Babies love songs, especially with repetitive words,
• Books are great for children and getting them into books from a young age is beneficial. Books for babies are often brightly coloured, have touch-and-feel aspects or may be interactive. You can read them stories and engage their attention with the colour and pictures.
• Hand and finger puppets are lots of fun and you can create your own stories to entertain your baby. Use funny voices or accents for an extra degree of entertainment!
• Rattles and other toys that make noises are lots of fun for babies.
• Baby play mats, which have rattles, scrunchy noises or other playful aspects included help gain a baby's attention. 

Toddler Play Ideas: 

• Making towers of building blocks is great fun, but develops key skills too. Children will probably love the part where they get to knock things down too!
• Many toddlers love dressing up boxes and acting out play themes.
• Drawing, colouring and other art and craft activities are loved by many toddlers, plus it can help their fine motor skills.
• Playing with a ball - either playing catch or kicking it around.
• Walking and running around outside or playing in a children's playground.
• For some outdoor activities, older toddlers can help in the garden, by watering plants or planting seeds.
• Singing songs is loved by toddlers too and adding actions adds an extra element. 

The above are some notes from a 'Positive Parenting' course.