Just five minutes for me and a cozy cup of chai tea

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Sorry that it’s been awhile since my last post.  Life threw me a bit of a curve-ball and I’ve been reorganizing.  All is good, but I’ve needed to find some reinforcements to help with the kids so I can create time to work.

With my husband gone from before the kids get up until after they are in bed, I have gained a whole new appreciation for single moms.  Managing a house and the boys schedules alone seems to be a full time job.  Then add in work, and it’s total chaos.

Instantly, the little moments of “me time” whether it was grocery shopping solo or getting a pedicure totally evaporated into oblivion.  Where did “me time” go?

The other day, however, I got a little glimpse.  A cozy cup of chai tea, beautifully decorated with foam.  A warm spring morning.  A beautiful garden patio.  The sound of water dancing over a fountain.  And, the smell of spring in the air.  Just experiencing that moment was bliss.

With both of my boys off at their respective schools, Bobby at preschool and CJ at his playcare, before I dove into work, I took five minutes.  With every ounce of my being pulling me to occupy my time, it was totally and completely against my nature to step back and just be.  Five minutes to be present, to experience the patio, enjoy the chai, and breathe in the air.  It was heaven. And, the chai was spicy.

If you haven’t done it lately, I implore you to and before the kids go to bed.  Taking five at the end of the day when you are totally exhausted is totally different than sometime in the beginning when the day is fresh and new.  Try it out, you won’t be disappointed.

What’s your favorite way to take 5, I’d love to hear.

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The Mommy Diet

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Today, my husband surprised me by coming home with a lovely lunch from my favorite taqueria. Although we had a talk about avoiding carbs, the smell of fresh tortilla chips and fresh tacos was too much to resist. That subtle crunch of the chips yet the light almost creamy flavor of the tortillas contrasted with the spicy grilled chicken and fresh salsa. Add salt and there is a symphony of delight! So much for my efforts to limit carbs!

Why is it that whenever I start dieting, I end up gaining weight? Clearly, it’s due to lunches like today. So I’m not a fan of dieting, maybe that’s why I’m eternally a size 10 (a generous size 10). There’s just something about snacking on peppers, celery and asparagus that’s not completely satisfying. Don’t get me wrong, I love fresh fruit and veggies, but they just don’t compare to my comfort foods — freshly made thick tortilla chips, dark chocolate or rich ice cream.

There’s something about the end of the day. After dealing with two rascally weasels, indulgent foods seem even more decadent. They call to me. It’s as if they soothe the soul.

Then the justification comes in. Well, if I walked for forty minutes and did a Pilates class, then a few crispy chips shouldn’t hurt right? Oops, make that a few handfuls. And if I ran XX miles, then can’t I have all of my favorite foods?

In my book the mommy diet has to allow for some sort of indulgence. Maybe not everyday, but from time to time. Sure there are theories like Body for Life, which allows for one day off, or more strict regimes like South Beach, but what works long term? I’m now looking for a diet that allows cheese, chocolate and occasional tortilla chips. Any suggestions?

What’s your trick? I’d love to hear.

You Know You’re A Mommy When…

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This morning I loaded up my two boys into the double running stroller, locked the front wheel put on Pandora and took all three of us for a run.  Yes, that’s 60 pounds of kids, plus the double stroller.  I was determined.  With the two boys protesting at first, I played Pandora from my phone.   With songs like Old MacDonald and the ABC’s, the playlist got me thinking about little daily realities that make life as a mommy funny to say the least.mommy america

So, here ya go.  You know you’re a mommy when:

  • Your running playlist includes a song like Old MacDonald
  • Dinosaur bites and quesadillas become health food
  • You open endless packages of treats to survive grocery shopping
  • You justify not showering, because you don’t have the time.  After all doesn’t naturally shiny hair rock?
  • Dance parties include the Hokey Pokey
  • A night out is an event
  • You’ll dress in superhero costumes to make your little one happy

And last but not least, you wouldn’t change any of the above for the world.

“Children Are Original Blessings Here to Learn their Own Song,” Raffi

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Raffi Red Shirt “We find these joys to be self evident: That all children are created whole, endowed with innate intelligence, with dignity and wonder, worthy of respect.  The embodiment of life, liberty and happiness, children are original blessings here to learn their own song.  Every girl and boy is entitled to love, to dream and belong to a loving ‘village.’ And to pursue a life of purpose.”  These beautiful words are taken from A Covenant for Honouring Children written by Raffi, the musician turned activist.

For those of you who’ve been keeping up with my blog lately, I’ve been on a Raffi kick.  Part of the reason for my current fascination with Raffi is due to the fact that my baby beluga singing boys get to experience Raffi in concert this weekend.  Another reason, however, is that Raffi has done so much more than create memorable songs, he’s started a movement to protect and honor all children.

If you’re like many of my friends, you may be wondering who the heck is Raffi as you’ve never heard of him.  Maybe you listened to other tunes growing up? Another possibility may be due to the fact that that Raffi has turned down countless opportunities to make his music more mainstream.  Committed to a belief that children should not be marketed to, he has declined all opportunities to have his music air on commercial television shows and advertisements.  He recently turned down offers to have baby beluga, the loved character from his hit song Baby Beluga, turned into a film.  The deal breaker was the fact that it would have included rights to advertise directly to kids.

Needless to say, Raffi fearlessly takes a stand for those things in which he believes.  Rather than sell his baby beluga themes to marketers, he went ahead and became an advocate for protecting the whales in the 1980s. He produced an album Evergreen Everblue, which has gained praise generally and even from the UN.  With songs like Big Beautiful Planet, We Are Not Alone, Just Like the Sun, the album offers multiple opportunities to teach children about where they live and taking care of it.

In the 1990s he took his advocacy further and developed a general guide for honoring children.  It evolved to become the Covenant for Honouring Children.   The themes are similar to those from the United Nations’ Declaration of the Rights of The Child.  “THIS DECLARATION OF THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD to the end that he may have a happy childhood and enjoy for his own good and for the good of society the rights and freedoms herein set forth.” CITE  Raffi advocates for a duty to “nourish and nurture” as well as a commitment to “peaceful ways.” CITE

The Covenant suggests nine principles for living:  respectful love, diversity, caring community, conscious parenting, emotional intelligence, nonviolence, safe environments, sustainability and ethical commerce.  The philosophy is explained in Raffi’s book Child Honouring: How to Turn this World Around.   The Dalai Lama in his foreword takes the philosophy further explaining that “Many of the world’s problems and conflicts arise because we have lost sight of the basic humanity that binds us together as a human family.”  Children understand the connection to each other.  And, as both the Dalai Lama and Raffi agree children are the seeds to the future of our world.

With such thought provoking words, one can’t help but reflect on how important it is for us to protect, nurture and love our seedling children at home, in our neighborhood and schools.

Feel like becoming a part of this revolution?  There are things you can do from just implementing the principles in your daily life to getting involved in the Child Honouring movement.   Spreading the word, adding your name to the list of folks calling for an end to violence against children, writing local elected officials about banning advertising to kids and donating money are all ways to further the cause.

For together we can make the world as Raffi envisions, to allow children “to learn their own song.  Every girl and boy is entitled to love, to dream and belong to a loving ‘village.’ And to pursue a life of purpose.”

Raffi is Coming to Town!

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Photo Credit Jon Benjamin

The all time children’s superstar, Raffi, is on tour!  Haven’t heard of Raffi?  Well, he has been creating classic children’s music since the 70s.  His songs like Baby Beluga, Down By the Bay and Apples and Bananas have captivated generations of children.

I’ve been a fan since probably the 80s when his tunes entertained me and my little brothers and sisters.  Now,  Raffi’s songs entertain my little boys.  On a daily basis, Bobby marches around the house singing Apples and Bananas.  And, CJ chimes in with grunts here and there.

I just can’t wait to let them sing Apples and Bananas with Raffi live in concert!  Luckily neither they nor I will have to wait that long since Raffi is on tour!

He will be in Berkeley on April 6, then hopscotching around the country.  Interested in more details? Then, click here.

The concerts will benefit the Center for Child Honouring, an organization founded by Raffi based upon a Covenant for Honouring Children, an absolutely inspirational movement promoting the rights of children and aimed at bettering the world for all children.  Check back for more information about the Covenant for Honouring Children as it more than warrants a separate discussion.

You’ve Got To Sing When The Spirit Says Sing – Music, Child Development & Raffi

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Photo Credit Jon BenjaminSome say the first language of babies is music as they experience it in the womb.  From this early exposure, babies learn to love rhythm.  I noticed Bobby’s special connection with rhythm from the first moments of meeting him.  He was a bit of a fussy baby.  So, a constant dance-like bounce was all that would soothe him.  Once that stopped working, he would calm by listening to Yo Yo Ma.  The drastic impact music had on Bobby got me thinking about the relevance of music in his development.  I’ve learned that a connection with music plays an important role as the foundation for literacy and other social and cultural development.

Why is Music Important?

“The necessity of music in human intellectual development has been discussed as far back as ancient Greece, in the 6th century B.C. In Plato’s Book of Laws II, a discussion is presented between an Athenian student and his teacher, Clinias, that describes the ancient Greek views on the importance of music education.

Athenian: So, by the uneducated man we shall mean one who has no choric training; and by an educated man whose choric training has been thorough.

Clinias: Exactly.

Athenian: And, mark you., the choric art as a whole embraces both dance and song.

Clinias: No doubt.

Athenian: Thus it follows that a well-educated man can both sing well and dance well.

Clinias: So it would seem.” CITE

Many advocate for continuing a child’s early exposure to music.  One such group of experts explain: “Early musical training helps develop brain areas involved in language and reasoning. It is thought that brain development continues for many years after birth. Recent studies have clearly indicated that musical training physically develops the part of the left side of the brain known to be involved with processing language, and can actually wire the brain’s circuits in specific ways.” (Cite)

Music At Our House

Continuing Bobby’s exposure has been a bit tricky.   At 3.5 years old, he seems a bit young to sit through lessons.  But music is still on his mind.  The other day, he was in the backyard with two sticks.  One was double his height.  He held it upright in one hand and took another stick and began to strum the larger stick.  When asked what he was doing, he replied that he was playing the cello.  Later that night he pretended to play the flute.  And, his little brother, who we call Bam Bam due to his love of banging on everything and everyone, used two sticks to beat the ground.  Future drummer?  Maybe.  So, we had a delightful time singing songs amidst the trees.  After all, in the words of Raffi, you’ve gotta sing when the spirit says sing.

The favorite song these days is Baby Beluga. Thank you Raffi Cavoukian, the superstar of kids’ music, for creating this charming song that introduces lil ones to the wonders of the ocean.  Singing Raffi with my kids is nostalgic for me as I remember singing his songs with my six younger siblings.

The All Time Children’s Superstar, Raffi

Haven’t heard of Raffi?  Well he has been creating classic children’s music since the 70s.  I’ve been a fan since probably the 80s when his tunes entertained me and my little brothers and sisters.  For me, it is wild that now, I am enjoying his music with my own children.  What’s wilder than that? Well, letting them experience Raffi in concert.

Raffi will be on tour this year.  He will be in Berkeley on April 6, then hopscotching around the country.  Interested in more details, then check here.  The concerts will benefit Child Honouring, an organization founded by Raffi based upon a Covenant for Honouring Children, an absolutely inspirational movement to help make the world a better place for all children.  Check back for more information about the Covenant for Honouring Children as it more than warrants a separate discussion.

Ways To Introduce Your Kids To Music

There are so many ways to introduce young kids to music.  From streaming music in the background, asking them what they think of it, singing, dancing and playing instruments or sticks as the case may be.  In addition, concerts are a great way to let them gain another perspective.  Raffi’s concert is one such event and should be amazing!  But if you can’t make that, then check out your local community.  Consider attending a high school performance, church choir concert, music class or youth symphony.  Library storytimes also can incorporate music as well.

Thanks for reading!   Wishing you and your little ones magical times making music memories!

Pat Benatar Had it all Wrong – Birth is a Battlefield

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birth is a battlefieldAfter months of anticipation, and ages of waiting, motherhood arrives.  Whether it is a scheduled C-Section, induced or natural labor, after all of the waddling it is here.   An intense journey that fully pushes us to our limits and shows us that we can do things we had no idea we could, we meet our prize.  Intrigue, love, wonder, amazement at the process and the joy.

The process is physically and mentally taxing.  At times, I think that Mother Nature is cruel to place so many physical requirements on the mother.   The pregnancy, the birth, and then the physical care of the newborn.   Add to that the physical requirements of a postpartum body, needing simultaneously to recover, restore and supply for a baby.  The entire process is nothing short of amazing and draining.

This may sound like a bit of a rant.  To be honest, it is.  There is a point to it.  There are things us moms can do to take care of ourselves and prepare ourselves for this journey.   As moms we often forget about ourselves.  In a life where getting a shower is a luxury, can we really take care of ourselves? Well, maybe not to a level we did pre-kids, but there are things we can do to get off on the right foot.

Before having the baby, plan & prepare.  Stock your freezer with prepared or purchased meals.  Collect lists from your favorite take out restaurants.  Make lists of things that folks can do to help you when they visit.  Plan help – friends, family, neighbors.  And, check out my article on the gear to have on hand.

Get back up.  Plan who is going to help you when you get home from the hospital.  Don’t end up like me after my second child.  My first day home, my husband was back at work and I was taking care of both boys.  My older son was in the process of weaning off a medication that caused him to have uncontrollable crazy tantrums.  Sometimes they’d last for over an hour.  No joke.  Anyways, by the end of that day, I was so exhausted physically and mentally.  A friend came by and brought dinner.  I was so grateful and thankful for the mere presence of my friend, but embarrassed that my house was a mess, my son was having a tantrum and the baby was screaming.  That said, her being there was a gift.  Later that week, I asked another friend to come by to help with bathtime.  Again, I was grateful beyond belief.

My point is simple – secure help.  If you don’t have family in the area or if they were like mine unavailable, then call upon friends to come help or if you are in a position to hire help, then hire as much as you can afford.

When you are in the hospital, get all the help you can.  There are tons of resources while you are in the hospital.  From lactation consultants to the nursery, there is a huge support network there to help you recover.  My biggest advice is to utilize the professional babysitters and get some sleep.  It could be months or years until you’ll get to sleep for more than a couple of hours at a time.  I’m sure Dr. Sears, the proponent of attachment parenting would disagree with me, but seriously, adjusting to life with a newborn and taking care of one is so difficult.  Why not get some sleep?

With my first son, I kept him in the room with me the entire time.  I felt a duty to care for him every minute (and I still do).  But with my second son, I still feel this connection but knew that I’d be going home to taking care of two boys.  So, I took advantage of the newborn nursery.  The first time I sent him, I was a little hesitant.  But as soon as he was wheeled out, I crashed.  He was brought back in three hours later.  And, then after a bit he went back.  I crashed again.

Use a lactation consultant – Another huge resource at the hospital are the lactation consultants. Before I tried nursing, I had friends who made it look so easy.   It was like something out of a movie – the baby  calmly and happily latched on.  Mom had a conversation while nursing.  Then baby detached in a happy milk coma.  With my first son, I had major issues getting him to latch properly.  Nursing was a bloody and painful experience.  Who knew it didn’t have to be that way? I sure didn’t.  With my second son, it was much easier, which I attribute to the refresher course given by the lactation consultant while I was in the hospital.  Whether you’re a veteran nursing mom, or not, using a lactation consultants is totally worth your while.

Going Home

No one talks about it.  So here goes – You go from being able to control your schedule to having to spend endless sitting on the couch, laying in bed or rocking in a chair feeding baby.  When you’re not feeding the baby, if you have a fussy baby, you are soothing the baby.  With my first son, this meant spending hours bouncing him on an exercise ball. The ball was fabulous at first as it made him so happy, but as the months went on, I began to loathe that ball. It was a bit like a prison, but the only thing that made him happy.  So, anyone who came to visit took a turn on the ball.

How do you make this easier?  Well, why not have books downloaded on your kindle or smartphone so that you can easily access them during those late night feedings.  You’ll eel more connected anyway.  In addition, like I said above, plan for help.  One of my girlfriends put it best when she said get all the help you can afford.  Whether you hire a nanny or swap I owe yous with your girlfriends, there are tons of creative ways to make it work.

Well, thanks for reading.  I appreciate having this platform to share tips from the trenches.  I’d also love to hear yours.