There’s hardly anything more exciting or more nerve-wracking for a parent than the thought of their child going to school. Your child is finally old enough to and of course, you want to make sure that your child is prepared for it, happy and loves it there.

You can’t guarantee the last two until your child has actually started school, but there are a few things you can do to make sure your child is comfortable with the concept of school and going there.

Visit School

Most schools and preschools will have an orientation day which allows you to bring your child in to meet the teachers, check out the classrooms and walk around the ground. Do not skip this. Point out the fun and exciting things, get your child as familiar as you can with the teacher, classroom and grounds. If you pass by it after or even before orientation day, point the building out to him as often as you can.

Pretend-Play School

Create your own school environment at home. Have art-time, break-time, story-time, snack-time and alternate being the teacher with your child so he understand the concept of having to follow another adult’s instructions.

All About School

Talk to your child about school in as positive a manner as you can. Make sure that you don’t make promises you can’t keep. Keep it simple, positive and factual. Read books or watch shows about first days and common fears.

Rules and Schedules

At least a month before your child starts school enforce simple rules around the house so that your child gets used to following them outside of the house as well. Change his / her routine as well so it fits better with school timings as well – bedtime, snacktimes and even naptimes may have to be altered to suit the new routine that your child will be adopting.

Socially Active

Again, well before the big day, plan more social activities and play dates. Being around other children and adults will help them get more comfortable with being around people all day long.

Prepping Fun

Enlist your child’s help in preparing for school. Take him shopping with you for clothes, shoes and supplies and let him pick out his own things and label them. Make it fun, exciting and let it build anticipation for him!

Goodbye Ritual

Don’t forget to plan a goodbye ritual with your child. While you’re talking to him about school, remember to also tell him that mommies and daddies can’t stay in school and when you leave, you’ll high-five them, maybe a special kind of hug or kiss or even a simple promise, like, ‘I’ll see you before the moon comes out’. Be creative and make it fun.

Celebratory Meals

Plan with him a special breakfast for that first day, something your child loves. Build excitement up to a week ahead. If your child is only going for a few hours a day to start with and will be back in time for lunch, promise him / her yet another favourite for lunch.

Stay A Bit

Most preschools will allow for the parents or caretakers to stay with their children for a day, or two or even a week. Stay as long as it takes for your child to get comfortable. Leave when he does, making sure you say goodbye and do your little ritual, if you have one. Don’t sneak out. Be confident, and consistent, at least on the outside, when you say goodbye and leave, even if your child is crying hard enough to break your heart a million times over.

And After

At the end of the first day, your preschooler will probably cry on seeing you again. Comfort him, explain that this is how it’s going to be everyday – that you will drop him off but you’ll be back to pick him up to. Ask questions but don’t press your child to share details. Be positive about the next day even if your child isn’t. It might take him anywhere from a week to a month or more for your child to be really comfortable with his school but he’ll get there.

Is your child starting preschool, nursery or kindergarten this year? If so, how are you preparing him or her for it? And if you’re an experienced mom with a school-going child already, what other tips would you add to this list?

Kids need sleep. Whether it’s in the form of an afternoon nap (and a later bed time as a result) or an early bed time is up to mums. Both options have their pros and cons but only one can work for you. Mums tend to have very strong opinions about which works best but the truth is that what works best – probably only works for you. Every child and parent is different. Just because my child sleeps better at night when she takes a short nap in the afternoon doesn’t mean yours will too.

The case for afternoon naps

Afternoon naps can be a double edged sword. A short afternoon nap means your child stays in a good mood in the evening and you don’t have to expend as much energy in keeping her happy. A nap in the afternoon though might also translate into your child not going to bed till 8:30 pm.

Going to sleep late may also mean that she will wake up late as well. It could either be a good thing or bad. A good thing because you’ll get to sleep in too or wake up early and take care of a few things before she wakes up. Or it could be a bad thing because if your child is school going, it might mean that she won’t wake up as easily.

In Dubai, afternoon naps are a good idea. Kids can recoup their energy through a nap after coming in from the heat. Another good thing about afternoon naps is that it gives the mum a chance to rest during the day. Taking a nap with the baby will restore energy and you’ll be better prepare to handle your baby if she decides to go to sleep later than usual.

Suggestions for afternoon nappers

• Don’t let them nap for more than an hour. If they sleep too much during the day, they’ll sleep late in the night and wake up even later. Your daily schedule would go off track in just one day.

• Schedule the nap early in the afternoon and soon after lunch. This way, your child will have enough hours after waking up from her nap to tire herself out before her bed time.

• If you’re not comfortable with your child going to bed later than the usual time because of the afternoon nap, put her in bed at her designated bed time. She’ll sleep when she’s ready but being in bed might slowly condition her to fall asleep on time. Also, even if she doesn’t immediately fall asleep, you’ll still be able to put your feet up and relax when she’s in bed.

The case for early bed times

Early bed times with no naps work for a lot of children and their mothers. They go to bed early leaving a major part of the evening free for mums. They can spend that time doing chores, having dinner and relaxing at their own pace. They can even go out if they want – which is definitely the biggest plus of an early bed time!

Early bed time might also mean an early wake up though – which is fine during the week. Being woken up by your little one at 6 am on a weekend however is not so fine.

Another downside to an early bed time is that children can become cranky in the evening because they’re tired after staying up the entire day. There are more fights, more chances of a tantrum and generally more complaining.

No nap for children during the day means no nap for you either. So you’ll be running low on mommy fuel too and might not be as patient.

Suggestion for early bedders

• Let your kids stay up late during the weekends. And by late I don’t mean unusually late. Just later than their bed times. If they go to bed at 7 pm on weekdays, push back their bed time to 9 pm. This way they’ll appreciate the weekend more.

• Structure their evening activity that doesn’t involve anything energetic. Let them watch cartoons or color. Get them to do an activity that would help relax them. This way they’re less prone to tantrums and can go to bed knowing that they’ve had their fun.

• Make the preparation for their bed time a relaxing time for you too. Once the kids are showered and settled in bed, read them a book. Prop your feet up or snuggle in bed with them to read. There isn’t a bigger relaxant than watching your child’s animated face relax into slumber and hearing their breath even out as they fall asleep.

An important point to note is that your child may have her own preference too. Listen to your child. If she sleeps better with an afternoon nap, let her take them. If she’s happier with no naps, there’s no reason to force her to nap either.

Afternoon nap or early bed time?

Personally, I’m in the favour of afternoon naps. Simply because it suits my baby and my routine better. I nap when the baby does and as a result I’m better able to cope as evening comes around and my child still has plenty of energy left to burn off.

So which side of the fence are you?

It isn’t easy being a mom during summer. Apart from perpetual complains of being bored, kids demand snacks with equal regularity. Now planned snacks are fine. We can plan and prepare them ahead of time and choose to be a little creative even if it takes longer than it would have otherwise. But what about those out of the blue snack demands? You just had lunch, how can you want a snack already?

Here are a few ideas that don’t take much time, are fun and easy to make – not to mention perfect for Dubai’s insanely hot summer!

Chocolate Covered Banana Pops

These are fun to make and oh so yummy!

• Peel bananas and cut them into 3 pieces.
• Stick popsicle sticks in them and put them in the freezer to freeze.
• While the bananas are freezing, melt a bit of chocolate and pour it in a narrow container. A glass works great for this. Leave 1/3rd of it empty so that the chocolate doesn’t spill over when you dip the bananas in it.
• Once the bananas have frozen, take them out, dip them in the chocolate, and put them back in the freezer for a few minutes to set. Don’t forget to put parchment or butter paper on the tray that goes in the freezer.

Want to make it even cooler? Sprinkle nuts on the chocolate covered banana pop before putting them in the freezer.

The best part about this is that you can get your kids involved. After all, if they want snacks, they can very well help make them!

Smoothies

We can’t survive summer if we don’t know how to make smoothies. Our kids would rebel! This is as simple and fun a smoothie idea as it comes. Here’s what you’re going to need

• 3 cups of your chosen fruit – frozen.
• 1/2 cup cream
• 1/4 cup sugar
• Blender
• Spatula
• Ice cream scoop
• Mini ice cream cones

Blend the fruit, cream and sugar till smooth. Pour it in a container and freeze until firm enough to scoop. Once that done, scoop the smoothie onto the ice cream cones and serve – the kids and yourself!

You can also let go of the ice cream cones and just scoop the smoothie in a bowl. Throw more fruit on top as garnish. It just looks really pretty.

Milk Shakes

Milk shakes are delicious and so easy to get creative with. You can make them from fruits, chocolate, vanilla and even coffee. Though the last might not be kid friendly depending on your decision of how much caffeine (if any) your child gets.

Add milk, sugar, ice cream, cream and blend. I add ice (Ice makes for a nice slushy shake) if I don’t have or want ice cream and I usually don’t add cream unless I’m feeling indulgent. The option however is there and cream does make a shake, richer, fuller and yummier!

If you’re using fruits in your shake, blend less to leave a few chunks of fruit in the milk shake. And if you like thicker milk shake, add less milk.

So all you have to do is put everything you need in your blender and turn it on. Once your shake is ready, pour it in your child’s favourite glass or mug and serve!

Salad Bar

This is a personal favourite. I absolutely love how easy it is and how much fun it is for kids. To set up a salad bar all you have to do is – use stuff that’s already in your home. You can also choose the level of effort you want to put into it.

Carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes (or grape tomatoes), boiled potatoes, eggs (cut into pieces), beans, fruits, olives etc are all great item for a salad. You can also include other foods such as Chicken (boiled or grilled and cut into small pieces), cheese, nuts, pickles, pasta and pretty much anything else you want to put in your salad bar. Oh and if you have a salad dressing to go with it, all the better!

Once you’ve decided on what you want to include in the salad bar, set them all up in bowls and line them on the table. Hand your children a plate and let them make their own salad. Watch them pick and choose and feel smug that they’re eating healthy. You never know, they may even surprise you with their choice!

Do let your child have complete freedom in his choice. If all he wants to eat is carrots and cucumbers, let him eat those. The entire point of a salad bar is that they eat what they want. It’s a snack after all and you’ve made sure that all the options are healthy.

Cucumber sandwiches

Cucumber sandwiches are a weakness of mine. Easy to make, delicious and once you start eating them, it’s hard to stop! Or maybe that’s just me.

To make cucumber sandwiches in no time all,

• Grate a cucumber, put it in a strainer and allow it to drain. Whether you peel the cucumber or not is up to you.
• While the grated cucumber is being drained, mix 3-4 tbsp mayonnaise and 2 tbsp cream cheese in a bowl.
• Sprinkle salt and pepper (or paprika) to taste. You can also use a little garlic powder if you like.
• Mix the grated and drained cucumber in the mixture, spread on bread and refrigerate.

Don’t forget to cover the sandwich tray with cling wrap or the bread will dry out. And if you want to add something more, mixing mint leaves in the mix adds a great taste to the sandwiches too!

Got any favourite summer snack recipes that are guaranteed to make kids happy? Do share and make our lives easier!

With the temperatures soaring and the kids cooped up indoors with ‘nothing’ to do, popping a DVD of favourites or classics is my go-to tactic when I’ve tried everything else with my preschooler and she just won’t settle down with something that lasts more than two minutes.

Because she doesn’t get a lot of telly time, or even get to watch movies as much, these are a real treat. So far she’s watched only FIVE movies – two she watches quite regularly and the third being her first movie at the cinemas, UP and the two sequels to Ice Age. Going to the cinema was a fun experience for her and watching a movie on the big screen doesn’t quite compare to watching it at home. The other two, which I’m sure are also most kids favourites are:

Finding Nemo is her personal favourite. It’s the one that, no matter how many times she’s watched it, still holds her attention like nothing else. From the moment that the barracuda gets Coral, to Nemo’s first day at school, to when Nemo gets taken by the diver to Marlin and Dory’s adventures with the sharks, jelly fish and giant sea turtles – she’s completely absorbed in the movie. She’s curious about the kinds of fish and birds in the movie and I think, stumped by the portrayal of a whole new world under the sea.

Ice Age is our family movie. It’s the movie we’ve watched together and enjoyed many times over. It’s the movie we pop into the DVD player on a lazy Friday afternoon. My daughter loves ’silly’ Sid and the baby in the movie. She loves the action-packed scenes and she watches them with sharp intakes of breath even though she knows everything is going to be alright in the end. She laughs out loud at Sid’s antics and  the parts with the dodos. We’ve watched Ice Age 2 and 3, but this one remains our very favourite!

Now that she’s older, my husband I are looking forward to introducing her to children’s movies that we enjoyed. This summer, we’re going to watch:

The Jungle Book: I remember many a summer days spent watching this movie over and over again. I could probably still sing along to ‘Bare Necessities’. My preschooler is going through a love of all things forest-and-jungle relates, especially elephants so I think she’ll really enjoy this story of man-cub Mowgli reared by wolves in the jungle, and finally being taken back to human civilization in the care of a bear and panther and their many adventures along the way.

The Little Mermaid: This movie, about a mermaid princess fascinated with life on land will be perfect for my preschooler who is also obsessed with princesses as well sea-life, thanks to Finding Nemo. She already adores ‘Under the Sea‘ and has seen pictures of Flounder and Sebastian on her memory game pieces so this is one movie she’s looking forward to as well.

E.T.: This story about an alien getting left behind by his spaceship and the efforts of the three siblings who find him, to get him back is heartwarming and funny. I remember crying and laughing with this movie and even though, this movie isn’t considered ideal for viewing according to many parents, I think that there are many lessons to be learned from it, as well. And my preschooler is young enough that I can just rush over the parts I don’t want her watching.

The Lion King: Despite its dark undertones, that I’m hoping that my daughter most likely won’t pick up on, this movie is a a bittersweet coming-of-age story with a focus on all the right elements. Plus, Timon and Pumba are hilarious!

Monsters, Inc.: This movie maybe about monsters but they’re not scary monsters at all – just the cutest. And Boo – the little human girl – is just the most adorable cartoon character ever, in my books. I loved this movie and I think my preschooler will too.

The two movies that the jury is still out on are A Bug’s Life and The Incredibles. We’re not sure that our daughter is ready for them, much as we enjoyed them,

What children’s movies do you consider classics? Which of these classics / favourites do you plan on introducing your children to? What will you be watching with your kids on loop this summer?

As a mother, I’m often concerned about teaching my child the value of things. All too often children take things for granted. Instead of appreciating what they have, they take it for granted and feel entitled to those things.

The blame can’t be put entirely on the children though. Appreciation and thankfulness are taught behaviours. Parents tend to indulge their children. They want to protect them and keep them happy and they do it by making sure their child never lacks for anything. Unfortunately it often translates into children growing up expecting to have everything handed to them without any effort on their part.

So what can we as parents do to instill value and appreciation of things in our children?

Don’t replace things immediately

It’s natural for kids to break things. But do they understand the importance of the broken item? Instead of immediately replacing the broken item that belonged to them, wait a while. Let your child register it’s absence. When you do replace it, remind them about the broken one and ask them to take better care this time.

As a mum, I’m beginning to appreciate the wisdom in my parents’ rule. They had a one time replacement policy. We were told that if we broke a toy (etc) a second time it wouldn’t be replaced. It made us treat the replaced item like a treasure and also generally made us more careful with our stuff.

Make them aware of adversity

As parents we fiercely protect our children. We don’t want them to know or experience the harshness of the world. They believe that the privileged lives they live are the kind every one has.

It’s important for them to know that it isn’t so. Tell them about people facing adverse condition. Give specific examples of people less fortunate than them. Of course it doesn’t mean you show them pictures and documentaries of the famine in African countries. Make them aware of the people they come in daily contact with. Your building’s night watchman, your maid etc.

Making your children aware of adversity will help them realize that they shouldn’t take things for granted.

Encourage charity

You probably donate your children’s old clothes and toys to charity. Involve your kids in it. Tell them that you will be donating clothes, toys etc to help children less fortunate than them. Ask them to choose what they would like to donate. Let them pick and choose what they want to donate from their stuff.

Involving your children in charity will make them feel helpful and they’ll realize that they can’t be cavalier about their stuff since it could help someone in the future.

Ask your child to contribute

At one point or another your child will want something really badly. Be it a new toy, pair of sneakers, bicycle etc. They might not necessarily need them but they’ll want it all the same. Instead of just saying no (which will eventually turn into a yes) or buying it for them right off, ask your child to contribute.

While asking them to contribute a small amount from their pocket money is a good idea, you can also ask them to do some chores as their contribution towards earning what they want. Do this for things they want and not need.

Forcing them to give of their time and money will make them appreciate and value the item all the more. And occasionally, your child just might decide that what they want isn’t worth the effort and you’ll be off the hook!

Valuing more than material things

Asking your child to contribute has another benefit. They learn to value the importance of work we do. They realize that their room doesn’t automatically clean itself, the laundry doesn’t fold itself and their clothes aren’t ironed by genies.

I consider this the side benefit of making children work for things they want. They realize that their mum works hard all day, every day. And maybe, just maybe, we won’t be taken for granted so much either.

When I was expecting my son, through the thrill of adding to our family another bundle of joy, I constantly worried about the effect it would have on my daughter. I talked to friends and family for tips to make this transition from only child to older sister easy for her, I even asked her pediatrician and read as many articles as I could find on the topic.

And there’s a lot of advice out there – some of it is brilliant and works for everyone and some of it, you have to tweak to suit your family, your child and your needs and some of it is so flaky, it will just make you laugh out loud.

I am going to share a compilation of the tips that worked just beautifully for me.

Before the baby comes

Keeping your child informed

• Tell him about the pregnancy earlier or later in your pregnancy depending on his age. My daughter was just under two when we found out I was pregnant. She was at an age where she was fascinated with babies so we didn’t bother waiting to tell her.
• Explain to him about the stages of the pregnancy in as simple terms as you can. I would keep telling my daughter that the baby inside was swimming, and eating and drinking and listening to her. This, I think, really helped her bond with the baby. She would often ask me what her baby was doing at that moment. It also helped in ensuring that she was careful around the belly in the later stages of the pregnancy.
• Make sure he knows the sequence of events and is prepared for them. I would keep reminding my daughter what was going to happen when it was time for the baby to come out of mommy’s tummy. I told her that I would have to go to the hospital and that her grandparents and daddy would be with her and she could come and see the baby and me. This was always met with tears, and her saying that she wanted to be with me but when time came, she was better prepared for it.
• Make your hospital stay as painless for him as possible. Ideally, your first child should stay in your own home during your own hospital stay because children find comfort in familiarity and routine but if you have no choice, make sure it is someone and some place that he is very familiar with. Doting grandparents or uncles / aunts are always a great choice.
• Keep reiterating the baby’s many needs and how they will have to be met. It is crucial for your child to understand how demanding and helpless babies are – how often they need to be fed, and changed and put to sleep. The younger the child is, the simpler the language you will have to use.

There are plenty of books geared towards explaining the situation as well, picture books as well as story books. Some of the popular television shows have big sister / big brother DVDs as well.

Enlist his help for preparations

Involve your older child in helping with the preparations for the arrival of the baby. Let him help choose clothes, toys, bedding, bottles, set up the nursery, and so on. My daughter loved buying clothes for her baby.

Choose a special gift for the baby

Help your child buy the baby a gift for when s/he comes home, kind of like a ‘welcome home’ gift. Help him wrap it up, stick stickers on it and keep it safe for the baby wherever he likes. My daughter and I gift-wrapped the assortment of gifts she wanted to give the baby when he finally came home over ten times because she would want to ‘make sure everything was still in there.’

Spend special time together

Some people suggested that this might make it harder for my daughter to accept the new baby because she would miss having the special time with me. It might be true, but I went with my gut and did it anyway. Both of us enjoyed the special time and I think that it helped her feel more secure and loved.

After the baby comes

Have the baby bring a gift

Buy your child a gift he will love, along with a note from the baby. We did this for a whole week with our daughter and she loved it.

Give him ‘ownership’ of the baby

Even if your older child is too young to help with the baby, he can still help with things like handing you diapers and wipes during diaper changes and the towel while you bathe the baby.

Share your time effectively

The first few weeks, especially if you breastfeed, can be frustrating for the older child. Use feeding time effectively – make it activity time where you sing songs together or do a floor puzzle together or draw funny stuff and play simple games. Tell him stories of when he was a baby – my daughter loved hearing those.

Bigger but still a baby

One of the things I found most striking right after I had my son was how overnight my daughter, only two and a half at the time, suddenly seemed so much bigger. It’s so easy to forget that s/he is still a baby too. He’s feeling a bit displaced, and he needs time to figure out and get comfortable in the new family dynamics. Be patient, be loving and accept that there will be some regressing, resentment and anger.

If you’ve already had your second child, what tips worked best for you? If you’re planning or expecting your second child, what tips have you been given?

In Islam, pregnant and lactating women are exempt from fasting as long as they make up the fasts when they can or make the payment in lieu of it. The choice is up to the woman, depending  on how she’s feeling physically and spiritually.

With Ramadan right around the corner, many pregnant and lactating women are trying to decide whether they’re going to fast this year or not. A pregnant or lactating woman’s nutritional needs are different and this year, the fasts will last roughly 14 hours here in Dubai. Combined with the peak of summer, it is a decision women should not take lightly.

For the last four years, I’ve been either pregnant or breastfeeding. For three of those years, I chose not to fast but this year, since my youngest is 9 months old, and on solids, I will try fasting again. With a curious and active preschooler and an equally curious and active baby, I might not be able to make it through the month though.

If you’re pregnant and in your first or last trimester, or exclusively breastfeeding a baby under six months of age, talk to a doctor before you make the decision to fast. If there are any  complications or health issues, it is best you do not fast.

But if you’re in good health and your doctor okays it, plan your meals, and snacks carefully so that you consume all major food groups: bread and cereal, milk and dairy product, meat and bean, vegetable and fruit. Ensure you get plenty of water and rest.

The pre-dawn meal that you start with should consist of complex carbohydrates and / or fibre-rich foods, because these are foods that will digest and help release energy slowly during the long hours of fasting. They are found in grains and seeds, like barley, wheat, oats, millet, semolina, beans, lentils, wholemeal flour, rice, potatoes with the skin, vegetables such as green beans and almost all fruit.

When it is time to break your fast, make sure that the meal is small but healthy. Break your fast with dates and water, followed by fresh fruit or fresh fruit juices, porridge, low-fat yogurt or boiled egg / grilled chicken / baked beans with wholemeal bread.

A few hours later, have a healthy dinner, with options like whole-meal bread roll without butter (choose herbs instead), filled with egg and tomatoes, chicken and salads, low-fat cheese and salad, or tuna with cucumber and tomato; vegetables which are steamed and wholewheat pita with hummus; grilled chicken, meat, or fish with a big bowl of raw salad and rice or bread. And make sure to follow it up with a serving of fresh fruit for dessert.

To have a safe, healthy Ramadan this year, remember to avoid fat, sugar, salt as well as caffeine, which is a diuretic and stimulates faster water loss through urination, as much as you can. Maintain a low-fat diet as far as possible – bake or grill everything. Choose to eat more fruit and vegetables.

Are you pregnant or breastfeeding and fasting this year? Have you done it before? If you have, what tips would you give other pregnant / breastfeeding women?

Getting your children to help around the house has two major benefits. Our work load lessens and the kids learn to handle responsibilities. However, getting them to help around the house is another matter altogether.

No child likes to do chores. To them, it’s work and work is just not fun. And how could it be? They see you slaving around the house all day, every day. Not how they want to see themselves.

To get your children to help around the house, there are a few things we need to take note of.

Make them age appropriate

Your toddler isn’t too young. They can do simple chores. Start by asking them to put their toys back in place. Give them one place to put everything in. Simplify it by having a basket that they can put their toys into after playing with them.

Older kids can help set the table, clean their rooms, dust around the house, feed pets, take out the garbage etc. Figure out which chores are age appropriate for your child and make them a daily routine for them.

Share their workload

Don’t let them do the chore every day. Offer to do it every now and then to give them a break. You never know, one day your child will surprise you by offering do your chores! Don’t count on it though…

Assign regular chores

Regular chores instill a sense of continued responsibility in a child. Assigning regular chores will streamline their daily routine and they’ll learn to adjust their day accordingly. Eventually a time will also come when you won’t have to remind them of it.

Although, if the chore is not to your child’s liking, there is a good chance that you’ll have to remind him of it every time. My mum always had to remind me to dust. It goes without saying that I hated that chore and always tried to get out of it by pestering my sisters to exchange chores with them. Of course it didn’t help that they hated dusting too.

Take turns – you too mum!

Kids are more likely to do chores if they see their mum doing it too. Take turns so that your child gets a day off from it. Instead of randomly letting your kid off the hook and doing the chore, take turns. The pleasure of it not being your turn to wash the dishes is huge!

Encourage

Let’s face it, no one loves doing chores. Not even mums. Which is why we need to encourage our children. Let them know how much they’ve helped you out and what a good job they did.

Say thank you

Always remember that the children are helping you our around the house by doing chores. Thank them for it. Reward them too. And no, unlike us, a simple thank you is not always enough reward for children. Be moderate with rewards lest they start taking it for granted. Just often enough that they feel good about doing chores.

Make it fun

It’s all in the attitude. If there’s laundry to be folded, call it a folding party and sit down with your child to fold the clothes. Use it as a time to talk.

If there’s dusting to be done, turn on some music and watch your child jig around while dusting.

To take the fun up a notch for younger kids, hide some money (a couple of Dirhams will suffice) in their room. Then challenge them to find them while cleaning their room. Of course, finder’s will be keepers.

All parents have their own ways of getting children to help around the house. How did you get them started with chores?

Between children, house and everything else, we slowly tend to let go of things that were once important to us. One of the first things to go is exercise. Because really, which mum in her right mind would get up early in the morning to go jogging when she’d been up half the night soothing a teething baby and fighting monster under her kindergartner’s bed?

Not me that’s for sure!

There’s no denying that exercise is good for us. Forget weight loss – we’re not even going to go there. But what about staying active and fit? What about not letting our joints rust? What about not groaning when we stand up after bending down for more than 30 seconds? That last one has been plaguing me since my first born’s birth.

It didn’t take me long to realize that formal exercising was out of the question. There just wasn’t any time and frankly, no motivation either. Instead of fretting over how my body ached and how rusted it felt after the birth of my baby, I decided to think up ways to exercise my body without exercising.

How is that even possible you ask?

Take the stairs

You’ll huff and puff but after a couple of weeks you’ll do it less obviously until one day you’ll barely feel out of breath. Take the stairs at your office. Start with three floors. If you’re on a floor higher than that, take the lift from the third floor. Apply the same at your apartment building.

Going down the stairs is easier so tackle more floors when going down. Climbing up is tougher so start with what you feel is right for you. Remember, it ain’t exercise if you don’t feel a little exertion at least.

Squat

The next time you’re picking something your child dropped, squat instead of bending down. Don’t bend at your waist to pick. Lower your hips and back till you’re squatting, pick it up and straighten while keeping your back straight. Eventually your legs will stop screaming in protest when you get up after squatting.

Run

After your children, race through your grocery shopping, walk briskly at the mall (havoc for us window shoppers!) or play tag with your kids in the park when the weather permits. You’ll be out of breath and end up holding the stitch at your side, but it’ll be worth it when you end up feeling active instead of rusted after a while.

Work out with your kids

So you’ve tried everything and still feel you need to do more? Get your kids involved. While you’re walking the treadmill, ask your kids to work out with you. Hand them filled water bottles to use as dumbbells. Play a Pilate’s or Yoga dvd and get them to do it with you. Or find one especially geared towards kids and let them follow it along while you do your exercise.

How do you as insanely busy moms stay fit? Share your secrets and help us all!

When my daughter turned four months old and I got the green-light for solids, I was still working full-time and the thought of the added work of steaming, pureeing, labeling and freezing was more than I could handle. Store-bought, jarred food was the answer. We did some research and settled for organic brands with no salt, no sugar and free from preservatives and chemicals for cereal and fruit and vegetable purees.

My daughter took to solids like a pro and was on jarred food for five months after which she often joined as at the table and ate straight off our plates. She’s a good eater – with a healthy appetite, love for most fruit and vegetables and the willingness to try everything.

When my son started solids a few months ago, I’d been a full-time mom for more than a year and I wanted to give homemade babyfood a go. I read everything I could find on it and bookmarked Wholesome Baby Food.

I started my son on rice cereal first, store-bought organic and followed it up with homemade applesauce, before introducing other fruit and vegetable purees and soups every three to four days. For the last three months, he’s been fed a variety of fresh and as far as possible, organic, home-made babyfood, that even my preschooler digs into.

He’s been introduced to squash, carrot, potatoes, green beans, chick peas, bell peppers, red kidney beans, lentils, spinach, broccoli, sweet potatoes alongside pears, prunes, avocados, apricots, strawberries, bananas, persimmons and grapes.

I steam the fruit or vegetable, before pureeing, and storing in containers, labelled and dated. I only make enough to last two to three days, with one serving of cereal at mealtime.  Once a week or so, I also boil and puree organic pasta, or make him wholewheat flatbread, which I grind before serving. I make soft, mushy rice, and serve mashed. Last month, I bought and cooked an organic chicken and it was relished by the children.

I’m definitely more experimental with my son, secure in the knowledge that I know the exact source of and the conditions in which his food was prepared. It’s extremely gratifying to watch him finish every morsel and open his mouth for more.

It may sound like a lot of work  but once you get started, it isn’t so hard at all. You don’t need any extra equipment either – I use just my food processor.

Having said this, I’m not implying that jarred babyfood is not good enough. With the natural and organic options available, it’s a perfectly acceptable route to take, and a necessary one, if you’re working full-time like I was.

But if you’re buying jarred stuff just because homemade babyfood seems like a scary and arduous path to go down, I’m here to tell you that it’s not. It’s easy and fun.

What did your babies grow up on – home-made or store-bought? Why? If you’ve never made your own babyfood, would you be willing to give it a go?