Teaching playing! (Neatness)

It`s about bedtime, feeling a bit sleepy I look around and as always realise that the kids` room is in a terrible mess - toys, blocks, dolls and balls are all around. Slightly irritated I start picking them up and putting everything into order. Some 10 minutes after almost angry I undress my girls and take them to the bathroom to take a bath, then comes the bed... at last ... for my daughters ... And I still have got lots of things to do before going to bed with my beloved husband. I am angry, tired and sleepy...
The same thing happens over and over again and being fed up with my mood I dicide that it won`t happen any longer! Want to be happy? - then be happy! What can be better than being a young caring Mom and a nice loving Wife??? Nothing.
Next evening the same about bedtime))) Looking around I understand that the room is still messy... but I am not!!!
'Hey Sweeties, want to play a game?'
'Suuuuure!!!' come my girls laughing.
'Let`s call the game "the Best Detective!"'
'OK. What are we doing???'
'See how many blocks and parts of your pyramids are all around! Lets find each of them to fill every box from the blocks and all the pyramids!!! but to do that it is important to pick up every toy since a block can be under...'
Some two-three minutes later all the boxes and pyramids are at their places and there are some toys left on the floor, but they are also put where they should be in no time. It is time to announce the winner! Certainly, my elder daughter is for the younger is just a year old))) Happy we go to the bathroom.
Next time we will play a game called "the Best Cleaner" or will make up a fairy tale about the sleepy and tired toys which need to be taken "home")))  Cleaning can be a fun!

New Principles To Cure Food Allergy

Today doctors no more recommend to follow strict diet excluding components which cause allergy in children. Instead they suggest that the amount of allergic food should be reduced to its tolerable minimum.
Strict diet is no more appropriate:
For a long time the only way to treat the food allergy had been the diet excluding the food to which a child was allergic.Nowadays the method has been replaced by the one according to which a child is allowed to consume very small amounts of allergic food.

According to the recent reseaches the effect of the strict diet could worsen allergy and in certain cases cause complete intolerance.Besides complete restriction put the child at risk of accidental allergen reintroduction, which causes food phobia and affects the life of the whole family.
Partial restriction?

The principle is common to the one of pollen allergy treatment when a small amount of pollen is injected to lessen the allergy. The minimal tolerable doze of the allergic component is to be determined by the doctor and it is also recommended to stay in hospital for a day so that to be taken some medical tests.

(According to Stéphanie Letellier, www.enfant.com)

Mother`s Love...

After the earthquake in Japan having reached the ruins of a young woman`s house the rescuers saw the young woman`s body through a crack. Her posture was very strange - she had knelt down just as if praying, her body bent forward arms embracing something. The destroyed house damaged her spine and head.
With the great difficulty one of the rescuers reached the woman`s body with his arm. He hoped she was still alive. Although the cold body proved she had died. Together with the rest of the rescue team the man left the house to inspect the next one. But some unknown force drew him back to the young woman`s house. Again he knelt down and pushed his head through a crack to examine the space under the woman.Suddenly excited he shouted: "A baby! A baby in here!"
The whole rescue team cleared the ruins around the woman`s body. There was a three-month-old baby boy under her. He was wrapped in a blanket. Obviously, the woman had sacrificed herself for the sake of her son. She covered him with her body when the house was falling down. The baby boy had still been sleeping tight when one of the rescuers held him in his arms. The doctor came immediately to examine the baby. Having unwrapped the blanket he found a mobile phone inside. On the screen there was a text message: "If you survive remember that I love you. Everyone in the rescue team read the message and everyone cried...
"If you survive, remember that I love you." "That is what a mother`s love is!

Diets: in accordance with the menstrual cycle

A woman body is a complex unity demanding and grateful. If we take care of ourselves then everything comes out just right and no problems appear but as soon as we forget about our body it pays us back in no time. So, answer one question what your menstrual cycle day is it today? It is certainly great if you can answer but there are lots of women who have no idea about the cycle day or what phase they are in. 

If you had started reading this article you must have been interested in loosing weight but you may probably ask how our menstrual cycle can influence out weight. If you are an experienced 'dieter' you probable have noticed that our weight tends to increase in the end of the cycle and it reduces after menses. The matter is that our metabolism and appetite depend upon lots of different things among which are: the age, season, time of the day and menstrual cycle day. 

Menstrual cycle usually takes about 28 days starting with the first day of menses and can be divided into three phases: follicular phase, ovulation and literal phase. The first phase is characterised by the growth of estrogen which will reach its top in the middle of the cycle. The middle of the cycle is known as ovulation. This is the time when a woman can get pregnant. Progesterone will grow slowly and reach its maximum in the end of the third cycle week. It will remain at its peak up to the menses thus every woman feels slightly pregnant being hungry, irritable and sleepy.

So, we can also divide our cycle into three phases. Phase A is the estrogen growth period. That is the best time to go on a diet. Let`s call it "time to loose weight" phase. Phase B is the progesterone growth phase, which can be called "time to keep weight". Phase C is the time when most women experience premenstrual syndrome. Let`s call it "time not to get fatter".

Children: Toddlers. Let`s Play Together!

Let`s go travelling!! 

You will need: a big towel or a blanket, pictures of different means of transport and toys.
Take a big towel or a blanket and spread it on the floor. Put your toddler onto it. Carefully and slowly pull the blanket with your kid on. Tell him he has gone travelling. Choose a vehicle you like - a car, a train, a boat, a plain... Explain that you are travelling by train (for instance) and imitate the sounds of a train 

You may show a picture of the chosen means of transport beforehand or when playing. Even if your toddler seems not to understand you he will certainly love the game and will soon start pronouncing the same sounds which is a good exercise to develop his speech. 
Toys will also be of a great help and fun in this game. Sure you have got a toy car, a toy train, etc among the toys. Use them to make your child understand better what this all is about. This game teaches a toddler to balance, imitate and widens his or her horizon.

Diets: Fasting (Part I)

This circle of articles is dedicated to fasting. Nowadays most doctors insist that fasting cannot be good for our health since it is a great stress to our body and vital processes. Still lots of people try fasting and find it extremely positive. So, who is right?
The first question to ask is: What is fasting?
Fasting is a period of abstinence from all food or specific items. Fluids are consumed in sufficient quantity to satisfy thirst and physiologic requirements. During the absence of food, the body will systematically cleanse itself of everything except vital tissue. Starvation will occur only when the body is forced to use vital tissue to survive. Although protein is being used by the body during the fast, a person fasting even 40 days on water will not suffer a deficiency of protein, vitamins, minerals or fatty acids. In the breakdown of unhealthy cells, all essential substances are used and conserved in a most extraordinary manner. There is an unwarranted fear of fasting that strength diminishes from the catabolism of proteins from muscle fibers. Even during long fasts, the number of muscle fibers remains the same. Although the healthy cells may be reduced in size and strength for a time, they remain perfectly sound.

Diets: Days of Limited Calories Intake (General Info)

The first probable question concerning LCI days may be: 

Are these days good or bad for our health?

Most dietologists will answer that they are certainly good. It is obvious that you won`t be able to loose the extra-weight you have gained in the last weeks or months but there are some benefits proving that it is very good for nearly each of us to have such days once or twice a week. Among them are:

1. These days stimulate metabolism.

2. They quicken the processing of fat stored in one`s body.

3. The help remove dead, dying and diseased cells and toxic waste matter out of one`s organism.

There are three main aims of LCI days.

The first is to let our organisms have a rest from a huge amount of extra food we consume each usual day taking no care of how it affects our body.  

Secondly, LCI days are aimed at removing dead cells and toxins from our bodies.

The third aim is to facilitate the process of switching to rational eating rather than swallowing everything we see.

The rules to follow during these days:

1. You should avoid intensive physical or emotional tension during these days. Try to spend them in calm and peaceful atmosphere. 

Diets: Basic Rules

I have been trying to loose weight for more than a year already. Well, I have succeeded but that is not enough, moreover, the New Year delicious dishes did their best... I have gained some 3 kilogrammes on.

So, it is high time I started my way from nearly the very beginning.

Today there is a huge amount of information about diets, healthy eating and so on. Having examined lots of different sources I came to the conclusion that there are some basic rules.

1. Still water! Plenty of water! 

I try to make it a rule to wake up and drink my first glass of water as soon as I come into the kitchen. Besides, I drink a glass 30 minutes before and after each meal. Water does help! It activates metabolism and washes toxins out. It is known that a person should drink as much as 2 litres of water per day.

2. Small but frequent portions!
I try to eat at least 4 times a day: first breakfast, second breakfast, lunch and supper. The ration varies each day but I always use a saucer (not a plate) so that to avoid overeating. 

3. Plan what you eat beforehand and stick to your plan.

Words that touch so deeply...

Only One Mother

Hundreds of stars in the pretty sky,

Hundreds of shells on the shore together,

Hundreds of birds that go singing by,

Hundreds of birds in the sunny weather.

Hundreds of dewdrops to greet the dawn,

Hundreds of bees in the purple clover,

Hundreds of butterflies on the lawn,

But only one mother the wide world over.

The author is unknown

Something old, something new,

Something borrowed, something Blue,

A silver sixpence in her shoe.

All brides-to-be know this traditional poem, and of the tradition of wearing such items on their wedding day to bring good luck to their marriage.

The poem and the tradition stem from some ancient superstitions and each item in the poem represents ceratain things.

The rhyme dates back to the time of Queen Victoria
Something old:
Represents continuity with the bride's family and the past, usually a ring or a piece of jewellery that has been passed down through the family from generation to generation.

Something new:
The wearing of something new shows the bride is looking to the future of her marriage. This could be the wedding dress or the lingerie worn under the dress.

Wedding Superstitions

Proposing and Engagement

A woman should only propose to a man during a leap year, otherwise it

endangers the marriage.

Engagement and wedding rings are worn on the fourth finger of the left hand because it was once thought that a vein in that finger led directly to the heart. 

It is bad luck for the bride to remove her engagement ring before the day of her wedding. 

Stag parties were first held by ancient Spartan soldiers, who kissed their bachelor days goodbye with a raucous party. 

It is unlucky for a woman to marry a man whose surname begins with the same letter as hers:To  change the name and not the letter, Is to change for the worst and not the better. 

Buying the engagement and wedding rings at the same time is thought to bring bad luck. Wearing the wedding ring before the ceremony is also considered bad luck.

Words that touch so deeply: A Legend

There is a legend about a bird which sings just once in its life, more sweetly than any other creature on the face of the earth. From the moment it leaves the nest it searches for a thorn tree, and does not rest until it has found one. Then, singing among the savage branches, it impales itself upon the longest, sharpest spine. And, dying, it rises above its own agony to out-carol the lark and the nightingale. One superlative song, existence the price. But the whole world stills to listen, and God in His heaven smiles. For the best is only bought at the cost of great pain . . . Or so say the legend.

Colleen McCullough (The Thorn Birds)

Wedding Anniversaries: the 1st!

Well, the first and the most difficult year is up! Congratulations!
Now is the time for the spouses to celebrate their first anniversary. Though in different countries the first anniversary symbols are different (paper in the US, cotton in the UK and chintz in Russia), the meaning of them is the same. There were quite a lot of arguments and problems during this very first year, the couple is supposed to get used to each other but their love is still passionate!
Why paper?

Children: Toddlers. Let`s play together!

Look what we have found!

In the colourful mood! 

It is a nice game you can play with your toddler to help her learn the colours and differentiate among them. So, let`s get started.

Choose a toy of one colour and place it in front of your toddler or let her hold the toy. Find one or two more toys or any other things of the same colour. Talk to your toddler about what you have found out. For example: "Look! This blue plate is the same colour as your blue ball." or "This table is brown just like your favourite Teddy". 

There is one more way to play this game. Take a basket and walk around the house picking up the things of the same colour. 

You won`t notice how soon your toddler will learn the colours having fun and playing!

When the Kid Is Ill: Synechiae

I wonder why a new-born baby-girl`s Mom is never warned by a neonatologist that there might be cases of synechiae with girls. It happened to me twice with both my daughters. The first case wasn`t serious, the children gynecologist did some painless manipulations to Teona and she was alright. But with Sophya it was just terrible. 

In the middle of summer I took my girls to their granny. Suddenly Sophya (6 months old) felt uncomfortable and irritated which puzzled me since she had used to be an active, joyful and calm baby. Watching her for a day or two I realised that to pee was a problem for her. We immediately went to a hospital to take the urine test which was a bad one, there were too many leukocytes. The next morning we were brought to hospital again to examine what had gone wrong and to start the treatment. Fortunately, the gynecologist found the problem but that happened only after 3 antibiotics injections and much more painful blood tests. Three days later we were allowed to go home with the diagnosis Sinechiae instead of the supposed urinary tract infection. 

Wedding Anniversaries

Year	Traditional (U.S.)	Traditional (UK)	Modern (U.S.)	Traditional (RF)
1st	Paper	Cotton	Clocks	Chintz
2nd	Cotton	Paper	China	Paper (Glass)
3rd	Leather		Crystal, glass	Leather
4th	Linen, silk	Fruit and flowers	Appliances	Wax
5th	Wood		Silverware	Wood

When the Kid Is Ill: Tonsillitis

Sore throat, fever, chills and body aches... Familiar symptoms? One always has a difficult time if he has tonsillitis.
First, some general information on the illness:
Tonsillitis is an inflammation of the tonsils most commonly caused by viral or bacterial infection. Symptoms of tonsillitis include sore throat and fever. While no treatment has been found to shorten the duration of viral tonsillitis, bacterial causes are treatable with antibiotics. It usually takes around three weeks to recover.
Common symptoms of tonsillitis include:

Cooking For Kids: Soups - Oat Soup With Beef Meatballs

You will need:
Oat groats - 30 gr
Carrots - 50 gr
Beef - 400 gr
Eggs - 1
Greens (parsley, fennel)- 20 gr
Food energy - 357.2 kcal
How to cook
1. Mince the meat twice.
2. Add an egg to the mincemeat.
3. Mix the mincemeat+the egg, beat it up and make small meatballs.
4. Boil the broth (made beforehand) and put the oat, carrot and meatballs in the boiling broth.
5. Cook the soup until it is ready.
6. Before serving add the finely chopped greens into the soup.

Cooking For Kids: General Info

Today everyone tries to eat healthy food, but when it comes to children the aspects of healthiness and safety take the first place.

This article is dedicated to general tips about cooking for children.

Getting the ingredients ready

Milk (except for sterilised) should be boiled for 2-3 minutes to prevent the spread of pathogenic microbes. Then the pan should be put into a wider pan with cold water. The boiled milk can be stored in a fridge for 24 hours. If the milk turned sour, use it to make pancakes or something like that. Don`t give it to your kid.

How to defrost frozen meat : put it into the fridge (at about +7 degrees C) for 10-18 hours. Defrosting shouldn't`t last longer than that and the temperatures should`t be higher since the meat will no longer be juicy. Wash it before cutting into pieces. That will help to save the juice it has in. Do not leave the meat in water so that it doesn`t loose any mineral salts.

When the Kid Is Ill: Fever. Waiting For the Doctor

What should a Mom do when waiting for a doctor if her baby has a fever?

• First of all, do not panic. If the kid`s temperature is more than 38 degrees C, you may give him some infant acetaminophen or ibuprofen to bring down your child's temperature. I usually use suppositories so that not to make harm to my kids` stomachs.

When the Kid Is Ill: Fever

Fever is quite a common symptom in many illnesses. No wonder each woman is scared when her baby has a fever and is nearly always at a loss whether to call the doctor immediately or not. Here are some tips.

The first thing is - never rely upon yourself when it comes to taking your baby`s temperature. They often recommend to just kiss or touch your baby's forehead. If you think he feels hotter than normal, you're probably right. But it is not always that right! My children for instance are not hot as far as their foreheads are concerned but I can tell for sure if they are feverish or not judging from their hands. So, to make sure take the thermometer. By the way this is the first recommendation our pediatrician gave us when my elder daughter was born.

Children: Toddlers. Let`s Play Together!

Fingers talking!
If you are waiting in a queue or going somewhere in a train or a bus having no toys with you don`t worry. So that your toddler doesn`t get bored take a pen and draw smiles on your finger pads. Those funny  faces can sing songs, tell stories and play with your toddler while you move your fingers talking with different intonation. Be sure that your child will love it and you won`t notice how quickly the time will go by!  

Children: toddlers. Lets play together!

A Book About Us!

Most of one-year-olds are able to say a few words and understand much more. My daughter can say "ma-ma, pa-pa, bow-wow" and some other words. She doesn`t like books much but she just adores watching photos. I guess it will be interesting for her to 'read' a hand-made book containing photos and images of the people and things she can name. So, it is quite easy to make such a book. You should choose several your kid`s favourite words and select matching pictures - a photo of Mom, Dad, Granny, a picture of a car, dog or a kitten. Glue these onto separate sheets of paper and make a 'dictionary-book', join them together. You can also make this book in another way. Just put those photos into an album and sign each image. It will be a fun to look through this book again and again!! 

One-year-old! Developmental Aspects

There is no one like your child

Every child's development is unique and complex. Although children develop through a generally predictable sequence of steps and milestones, they may not proceed through these steps in the same way or at the same time. I for one know that for sure. Having two daughters I can state that even having the same parents they are totally different starting from their character! Below is a snapshot of this year.

Sleeping well: babies

Is it difficult to make your baby fall asleep? Does he or she sleep well at night? If I were to answer I would say that it is rather easy to make Sophy fall asleep, but she doesn`t sleep well. Her day naps last 40-60 minutes twice a day, in the evenings she goes to bed at 9 p.m. waking up at midnight, at 3 a.m. and at6 a.m. It is difficult to find the reason for this since she isn`t hungry or hot (the average temperature in the room is about 23 degrees C). It might be teeth but we haven`t been sleeping well for half a year already. Our neurologist sees no problem here which is rather encouraging. So as far as I can understand I am the only person to define the problem and eliminate it.

Christmas fortune-telling in Russia take place during Christmastide. Christmastide is a two-week period in winter starting from the Christmas Eve and finishing on January 19th that is on Epiphany

The fortune-telling at this time is considered to be the most truthful.

Cristmas fortune telling is the most positive. It isn`t worth paying attention to the things you don`t like about your future! Here are some popular fortune-tellings! I hope they will be truthful and bring you lots of positive emotions.

Wedding Anniversaries: the 7th!

The seventh wedding anniversary is the Copper one. It is an important wedding date although it is not round. Being a good electrical and heat conductor copper is soft and ductile. Thus it is considered that the couple who has managed seven years together have adjusted themselves to one another.

Teaching a Toddler To...: WALK

Sophya is one year and 12 days old. She does almost everything that is supposed at her age except for walking. Although I do understand that all children are different and develop according to their own scheme I started to get a little worried about it since my elder daughter began walking at the age of 12 months and all my friends` kids do walk even being younger. So, I studied the question in the literature and would like to share some interesting facts.

Is my Baby Ready to Walk?

Children: toddlers. Lets play together!

In the Kitchen!!!

Bored in the kitchen

Every toddler`s Mom knows that it is very difficult to find time for everything. I am not an exception. Sometimes it was just impossible to manage the dinner or do the washing-up since my daughter did not like the kitchen. A month ago I found the way out! I took out a small pan and a wooden spoon and offered them to my girl. The result was stunning, it took her more than half an hour to play with just two kitchen items!!!

The Recipe of the Day: Cake Napoleon!!!

This year I decided to try myself as a real chef which means that I am able to make the most favourite New Year cake in family - Napoleon.
I must mention that this is one of the most popular home-made cakes in the Russian Federation.

When the Kid Is Ill: Rose Rash

Being 11 months of age my little daughter once got up feverish. The 

fever was about 38 degrees. I gave her some antipyratic medicine but it did not help much. She neither coughed nor had running nose so the only thing I did was wiping her face, hands and feet with a wet cloth so that to make the fever go down. The next morning our paediatrician came to see my girl, she prescribed no medicine except for some immunostimulatory suppositories and nasal spray. Besides I was told to make her drink as much as possible since that really helps to remove to remove toxins. So I made some chamomile tea with honey in one of her bottles and filled another one with water. I must admit that it was not that easy to fight the fever since it went up every four-five hours.

When the Kid Is Ill: Stomach Flu

We are three days back from the hospital having overcome three drop counters and many more injections. The matter was that my elder daughter was brought back home from kindergarten because of vomiting. It continued for 12 hours (about 10 times) and in the evening my daughter was feverish. The next day the temperature didn`t fall down but my sweety no longer felt nauseated. That calmed us down and we decided not to go to hospital. It was only 50 hours later (from the very beginning) that we took her to the hospital. The doctor was really furious about the fact that we came only then since Teona`s condition was serious, the doctor doubted if she should be taken to reanimation for she had been dehydrated in spite of the fact that we had made her drink mineral water very much. To cut the long story short we were in hospital with my both children for a week with the diagnosis gastroenteritis. Here is a short reference on the illness and some practical advice.

Children: toddlers. Lets play together!

Roll it to me
Balls are popular toys for toddlers. Bouncy balls are best kept outside, but soft, foam balls make great indoor toys. The best ball game to start playing with your toddler is an easy version of "catch." Both of you sit on the ground facing each other with your legs apart and toes touching. You can now roll the ball backward and forward to each other without it going out of bounds. Fun for building arm muscle strength and hand-eye coordination.