Happy Birthday to my son.

Happy Birthday!!Happy Birthday!!

Waoh 1 year has come and gone since I had my son.
We give God thanks.This blog came because of him and its being rewarding researching and using my first hand experience to help other parents.These are some pictures from his birthday party.Enjoy!!

Personal Hygiene in Children

Personal Hygiene in children can prevent some disease from occuring in your child like-dysentery,Diarrhea,Dental Carriers etc

Hygiene in children is easily achieved by carrying out the following:

1.Make sure before they eat they wash their hands.
2.They clean their teeth first thing in the morning and last thing before they go to bed
3.They have their bath twice in the day morning and night
4.They wash their hands anything they use the bathroom
5. They wash any fruits or vegetables before they eat it

We can expand this list.Please leave a comment.
Happy Weekend!

Nigerian Dish:Akara Balls aka Beans Cake

Origin:
Nigerian

This is enjoyed as a breakfast dish in Nigeria.Also called the Beans Cake or Akara Balls .Its contains lots of proteins and children love it.Its also low fat so it can be enjoyed by all and sundry

Ingredients:
Black eyed Beans 3cups
Pepper According to taste
Salt According to Taste
Onions 1 small sized one
Groundnut Oil

How to make it:
Soak the Beans first thing in the morning and allow it to stand in water for at least 3hrs.Wash with your palms to peel off the skin which by now comes off easily.
Wash properly to remove the skin as much as you can.
Grind it twice in a blender.Add ground pepper,onions and salt.Mix all together.
Put your frying pan to the fire.Add a sufficient amount to aid your deep frying.Allow to heat up for at least 5mins.

Put in the mixed up paste in spoons into the hot oil.
Turn as soon as the color changes to golden brown.
Bring them out once both sides are golden brown in color and place on a drip bowl to remove excess oil.

Serve Hot with Custard or Akamu(Made from Corn).
Enjoy!!

Naming your child

Naming your child
what you will need:Inspiration,History,Name book,your Husband's agreement.

To name a child is not an easy task but can be simplified by having your husband participate with you and drawing inspiration from your creativity.

Most times we women name our children ahead of time and when the time comes we notice the name doesn't fit either because of the sex or any other reasons best known to us.
Have a selection of 3 names and meditate well on them with your partner or husband and the rightful name will come.


Note:

Names are magical they led an individual all through their lives.

Hope this has been helpful.You can leave your comments and suggest further ways of naming your child right.

Happy Parenting!!!

Worst Parenting Moments?

Hey!How about a different twist today.
Lets have your comments on your worst parenting Moments and lessons we all can learn from it.
My worst parenting moments was leaving my child to play on his own and he went into the kitchen and picked up a knife at the edge of the table!!Oops!!Thank God I saw him on time.
Lessons learnt: Never leave your child unattended and also always keep sharp objects safely away

Places to take your child to this holidays

Some nice really cool places to take your child to here in Abuja(The Federal Capital Teritory) Nigeria includes the following:
1. Wonderland -Located in the central area abuja

2.Amusement Park -Maitama

3.Millienium Park

4.Ceddi Plaza -Watch Movies in a cinema here

1st year Birthday Celebrations

My Son turns 1 on the 30th of August.
Am on the lookout from really nice low key ways to celebrate his day.
Any suggestions?

Child Proofing your Home

You have to child proof your home especially as that tiny tot of yesterday starts crawling and walking around the house.

Take care of the following:

1.For your sharp edges attach cushioned corner-and-edge protectors

2.Take knifes far away from their reach to safer places

3.Have a child safety lock installed in your car especially if there is none on your car

4.Have a way of putting away glass furnishings from the house till they are older and wiser

5.Keep Drugs away in a medicine chest (Doctors always recommend this)

6.Have a Container for all their toys so that they don't trip and fall off it

7. Put safety covers in all unused electrical outlets. Keep switched plugs in the off position.

8.Always keep doors leading to the front and back porch locked so they don't wander away from the house

9.Consider the potential hazard of anything you drop into the bin. If you're using it to discard batteries, paper clips, plastic bags, or other dangerous items, place it out of reach, or in a cupboard which your child cannot open.

10. Keep pens, scissors, letter openers, staplers, paper clips, and other sharp instruments in locked drawers.

11. Domestic fires pose one of the greatest risks to children. Children playing with matches and lighters frequently start house fires.


This list can be expanded on by your comments which I will appreciate.

How to read to your 1year old baby.

Things You’ll Need

* A pictorial book that can also play some nursery rhymes

Step1
Find a great children's book and conducive place/time
Step2
Cuddle your child to yourself and start reading ,demonstrate with your hands while reading be as animated as possible
Step3
read and demonstrate for at least 10mins,babies have a short span of time to concentrate

Tips

* don't read when they are tired,hungry or sleepy
* don't read for too long a time

Wedding Anniversary!

We celebrated our wedding anniversary yesterday and it was fun!This is surely going to stick as one of my family traditions.In these day and age when marriages don't last up to 6hrs after declaring of vows between couples.
For Marriages to last I believe the two parties involved should delete the word 'DIVORCE'from their dictionary and decide to make it work .There is no perfect man or woman out there.The grass is not greener on the other side.
Marriage is a divine institution and not our idea!
Food for thought!!!

Blog Action Day 2008

Blog Action Day 2008



The 2008 edition of Blog Action Day is launched. The goal is basically to get as many bloggers as possible writing about the same issue on the same day. Why? To raise the awareness about that issue and make people talk, think and act about it.

Personally I think that this is one of the best initiatives going on around the blogosphere lets not keep complaining about world hunger and write about the change we want to see. If it keep growing at the current pace soon it will be having a real impact on the life of many people.

If you remember, last year (topic was the environment) it was a great success with more than 20,000 blogs participating, and an estimated RSS readership of 14 million people. The global conversation that it fostered was so big that many mainstream media and newspapers covered the event as well. And that is good for all bloggers, because it shows the world the power and importance of this new media.

This year the issue we will talk about is poverty. Put a mark on your calendar: October 15 is the day.
See you there!

Measles

My Son caught measles from his creche by the way he is 11 months 2 weeks old now and it only came out some days ago after he had experienced very high temperatures for 3 days running.Though the break out is of the mild type.
He was immunized against it but because a baby in his creche had it and was still coming to school,guess that where he picked the measles from.

Currently we are treating with antibiotics and calamine lotion.
I trust wMeasles, also known as 'rougeole' in French, is a disease caused by a virus, specifically a paramyxovirus of the genus Morbillivirus. 'German measles' is an unrelated condition caused by the rubella virus.

Measles is spread through respiration (contact with fluids from an infected person's nose and mouth, either directly or through aerosol transmission), and is highly contagious—90% of people without immunity sharing a house with an infected person will catch it[citation needed]. Airborne precautions should be taken for all suspected cases of measles.
He will come out of it quickly,he manages to eat now so its improving.God will heal him I know.
Parents make sure you immunize your babies as at when appropriate.
It saves the babies life.
Out of this experience I trust his immunity will improve.
Have a blessed day!

Helping your teething baby

Teething is really a stressful time for baby and the whole family.
To help baby make use of the following:
1.Teething gel
2.teething powder
3.paracetamol
4.sponge baby when temperatures are highafter some days of severity the teething pains will subside
my baby always experiences high fevers while teething and these are the strageties that I use.
You can leave comments on how you help your teething baby through the ordeal.
Happy Parenting!!

Working Mother Strategies.

All parents work, of course, and staying at home with a demanding baby or toddler is equally, if not more, taxing than going back to your old job. There are new skills to be learned, but no one around to train you. Added to that, there is no recognition of the hard work being done, and not a salary cheque in sight. It's not all about money, of course, but in today's world, dropping one person's income is often more than a couple embarking on a life together can absorb. And while full-time parenting is doubtless the most satisfying job in the world at times, it is one that fewer and fewer women are doing, as the opportunities that are open to working parents increase. There has never been a better time to consider being a working parent.

1.Invest and buy a daily journal booklet or an electronic palm top or PDA
2.Have a plan the week before on the major and minor activities of your week ahead of time
3.Then following your planner,it will help you direct your energies on major events then when you are done with that you can now handle the minor ones
Strategies to Use:
Learn to say NO at times when you can't take anymore work from colleagues,friends or family.Remember you are not superwoman.
Try and Plan two events that can be managed at the same time in such a way that you use one stone to kill two birds.

Happy Parenting!

Counting my blessings

counting my blessings!
what a hectic week its been so far.
work has been very hectic and tough.on top of that my baby has been going through bouts of fever due to teething.But in all i decide to count my blessings not everyone has a job or a baby.So when am feeling stressed all i need do is to sit back relax and count my blessings.see you soon

Nigerian Dish -Egusi Soup

Egusi Soup

Recipe
Meat -1 kg
Fish -1 Large size
Stockfish -1 Medium
Meat -500g
Crayfish -4 tablespoons
Melon (ground) -1 cup
Pepper(ground -2 tablespoons)
onions medium size
achi seeds -2 teaspoons ground
palm oil
seasoning cubes
ukazi leave - 2 hand fulls
salt to taste

Method
Boil Meat season well and salt adding onions for 40 minutes.Wash the stockfish and boil to soften a bit.Clean up the fish and keep aside.
wash the ukazi leaves very well and keep aside.add palm oil to the pot to just cover it and put in onions and your ground egusi.allow to fry for a while.then add water to the pot.add your achi to form a slightly thick paste then add the meat,fish,crayfish,pepper,stockfish and salt allow to simmer for 15 mins,add the ukazi and allow to simmer for 10 mins.put off the fire ans serve hot with fufu,garri ,tuwo or pounded yam.

Controlling tantrums in your children.

Parenting is a tough job and when your child grows up and begins to throw tantrums its equally not easy to manage.

At 11 months my baby has started to throw tantrums especially he wants something that has been taken away from them.Tantrums can be looked at positively that means that your tiny baby can reason and coordinate well.But it also has to be managed well.

For babies it always good to be gentle yet firm with them.If they carry an object that could harm them gently take it away and replace with something that will equally grasp their attention then you quickly hide away the offending item.

In older babies talk to them and make sure that they always understand the points where they are being corrected.Don't always pacify your child's every want.Its not good upbring and never will be.They will certainly row up violent adults that will certainly at that point be difficult to train.

Most children even want to see that you can be firm though secretly.
Happy Parenting!!See you next time.

My Celebrations Month!!

August is a month that we celebrate in my home.
My Wedding Anniversary and my first child's birthday!
I thank God for this month!
So i look forward to this month.
What are you looking forward to this month?