Busy bee

Been so busy since Thanksgiving. Had two birthdays yesterday and tomorrow have a christening and a wedding to attend. T's christening and my wedding...Good God give me strength because I am tired and the running around has been non-stop since we got here.  Anyhow gotta run!!!

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving. Enjoying our stay here in New York and waiting patiently for all the food later. In the meantime T and I would watch the Macy's Thanksgiving day parade. I wish we had a spectacle as big as it in the UK... sigh!

Indulging in snowy activities

Hello from New York state where T  is having a whale of a good time. It snowed here a couple of days ago, not London snow, I am talking proper snow. It all started as a small dusting the day after we arrived. T was loving it praying and asking for more big snow so he can go out sledding and build a snow man with his cousins. And his prayers were certainly answered because it snowed heavily overnight and he had tons of fun playing in the snow this afternoon. Now if he could just get himself up the slope the next time instead of asking me to ferry him. All the same it was quite an experience.

His first flight

T embarked on his first trip on an airplane last week and he was exceptional throughout the 8 hour flight. He smiled at everyone through check-in, sat in his seat without much fussing, ate the in-flight meals without much prompting and even took a 2 hour nap at one point. Upon our landing he was getting compliments left, right and centre. 'Oh wow I didn't know you had a toddler with you there', an older lady commented. 'He was extraordinarily quiet throughout that flight'. Let's just say I wasn't the only one that was impressed.

When T met Santa at Harrods

T went to see Santa at Harrods on Thursday and it was quite an experience. As soon as he saw the grotto and the Christmas decorations, he went absolutely nuts jumping up and down and grinning widely. When he met Santa, he walked up and said hi before requesting Woody (from Toy Story) for Christmas; he always told me he wanted Buzz but hey. I have to say I was well and truly impressed by the whole experience, it was well organised, we didn't have to wait long, and our Santa was as pleasant, believable and magical as ever. Can't wait to do it again next year.

Spice boy

T has a thing for spice. Given the choice between tomato ketchup and Sriracha, the latter always win. The surprising part is when I put it on his plate, he just doesn't just dip his food into it and lick it off, he actually scoops it up fast with a spoon and then asks for more.

Christmas came early

It certainly felt like Christmas came early in our household on yesterday when our Social Worker and good friend visited to present T with some presents for his trip abroad in the next few weeks. I was unaware he was bringing a gift and while out shopping earlier, I had purchased a pair of wellies in T's favourite colour (yellow) and TV character (Spongebob) which I was hoping to surprise him with when I got home. So when later in the evening T was presented with both items he could not contain his joy and excitement. It certainly felt like Santa had decided to visit early this year.

His first trip abroad

Finally after over a year of deliberation, we are going abroad on our first proper holiday away from home together as a family. We are flying over to the States to see relatives and everyone is so excited. It will be T's first time meeting the extended family as well as travelling in an airplane and he is so excited about the whole experience he has been screaming wildly at every plane that flies past us in the sky for the past few weeks. I hope he keeps the excitement and enthusiasm going especially on the long flight there because the last thing I want to be dealing with at 40,000ft locked up in a tube is a grumpy toddler.

Time to kick out his picky eating habits

I have so had it with T's eating habits. He has always been a bit of a picky eater from day one and I had always thought in time his appetite would improve and he would start to eat a lot more of the food we put in front of him. We eat quite a diverse range of food and cuisines; Italian, Mexican, Indian, African, Northern American, Thai, Chinese, vegetarian... you name it! I wouldn't say T was keen on any type of cuisine in particular however he always finished his plate of rice, pasta, couscous and chips whenever we made those. Lately however the story has changed and his eating habits have gone from bad to worse. Now the only item in his plate he ever seems to finish is chips, oh and not forgetting a bland Nigerian staple called garri which I introduced him to a few months ago. These days when we make pasta or couscous he is too busy picking out the extras added in to give it flavor he pretty much doesn't eat any of the food. He doesn't like any kind of red meat. He doesn't like fish at all. He doesn't like chicken. He doesn't like potatoes unless it's chips or crisps; jacket or mash potatoes are vile as far as he is concerned. He used to like raisins but these days he doesn't. He doesn't care much for toast and if I dare put anything on his toast in the morning without consulting him, I am taking a chance I might regret. He hates mayonnaise with a passion. His eggs have to be boiled (never fried) and the yolk removed. Depending which way the wind is blowing he'll eat corn or certain leaf salads. Broccoli and cauliflower have to be sauteed and retain their crunchiness otherwise it's a no. I could go on and on but I won't. Anyways today he barely touched his breakfast, lunch and dinner and after each one he had the nerve to ask for a treat or dessert which always comprises of an after meal yogurt or mini chocolate bar. He has been doing this for quite a while and had managed to turn meal times into a battle of if you eat then you can have dessert and before you know it we are still sitting at the table an hour later with me begging him to swallow the food in his mouth and him screaming at me not to take the plate away when I have just about had enough because he is still eating.  Anyway tonight I realised enough is enough after yet another meal time where I am sitting with a spoonful in hand waiting  for him to finish the mouthful he had been chewing for almost 10 minutes. I marched him down from the dinner table, took him into the kitchen, pulled out his bag of treats and desserts and told him to wave bye bye to them because that's all he ever seems to want to eat when in fact they are not the food he needs to grow and develop. He didn't think I am serious of course but he'll see. From now onward when he asks me for a treat, I will thrust a bowl of raisins, nuts or dried fruits in his hands. He can still have his favorite Petits Filous chocolate or vanilla yogurt of course, those are full of calcium and milky goodness. But instead of the mini-chocolate bars, he will now get offered a choice of fruit. That way if he still doesn't eat he can at least get the nutrients he needs from the fruit. That's right, I am going commando on him until he sorts out his non-eating at meal time ways. When he starts eating, then the treats can return.
Before anyone judges me as mean, let me explain where I am coming from. I grew up in a country and culture where food was valued and respected. Though my parents weren't poor, they didn't have the luxury of Western standards either and food was limited to mealtimes only. We had no snacks or treats in between meals so when I had food in front of me, I knew to eat it because if I didn't I would  have to go hungry until the next meal. I was one of the lucky few that knew the next meal will eventually come, some of my peers who lived just a few houses away weren't so lucky. The whole idea of fussy eating was alien to me back then as was the idea of having coke or orange juice during every meal. We had lukewarm water and at least I can say my water was pure unlike some of my friends down the same street. Coke, orange juice, dessert after food... all that was saved for when the rich neighbours were throwing a party and we were invited; not very often. So when I'm trying my best putting diverse types of food in front of T and he wouldn't eat 98% of them, I am thinking he is not hungry enough or he only wants to eat junk food. Poor thing doesn't understand how lucky he is and I cannot blame him because he is too young to process what is good and what is bad but I can guide and empower him to make the better choice. There is nothing like a fussy eater as far as I am concerned. What there is, are people who have a wide choice of food to eat but are too picky about what they eat. No one is born a picky eater, parents create picky eaters by giving their kids that option. It is simple, if you are starving and there is nothing else to eat, you will eat whatever is available, end of discussion.
Anyways back to the point of this post, If T is hungry I will gladly give him an apple or a banana. The days of him telling me he is hungry and he doesn't want an apple but he wants a bag of crisps and me indulging him are so over. When he nags me now I will remind him of the time he didn't eat his scrumptious dinner and I made him wave goodbye to his bag of treats. If I give him an apple and he doesn't want it, then he can go hungry until that apple will do or until the next meal time. Being mean to your child to teach them a good lesson comes with being a parent. I would be doing him a disservice otherwise.

Halloween

We had such a fabulous Halloween this year thank heavens. Aside from the usual pumpkin carving, T had his friends over for a kiddie Halloween themed party and it was so much fun.
After the fiasco that was last year that saw no one knocking on our door to trick or treat even though we had lit pumpkins out and lots of candy to hand out, we decided to hit the town this year. At first we were not sure where to go having scouted the local area and noticed there wasn't much going on in terms of pumpkins on display outside houses however after some brief research online, we decided to go to St Johns Wood. It was a great decision because the whole area was packed with kids trick or treating and locals playing music and handing out candy to all the little ghouls and monsters that knocked on their door. T was dressed as Spongebob and his outfit was highly complimented by the many people we encountered on the night. The best part as well was rain which was forecast, stayed away. All in all, it was a great night and T got a massive haul of sweets and candy I needn't return to the store for at least the next few months. We can't wait to do it again next year.

Children centres

If you don't make use of your local children centre, you need to have a change of heart and start using it. Other than the free range of support and services it may offer, the amount of freebies you can receive there have to be seen to be believed. Books, baby products, household products, toys, activity fun days, luncheons...  these are just some of the things I have received free of charge from the children centres I used in the last year. But it doesn't stop there. In the last year, I have been to over six different children centres in my area. They really do do a difficult but they do it very fantastically well. So far, I have had no reason to be unhappy or to complain about them. If you haven't done it yet, go check out the children centres around you, after all it is your taxes that goes towards funding them.

Goo fun

Brought T this £1 bowl of goo two days ago. He has had way much fun with it than with the £10 toy he was given last month. Who says you need something of huge value to stimulate their imagination... not me!

Hard time blogging

I really wished I blogged a lot more these days however I just can't seem to find the time to blog as of late. T has grown into a young toddler now and with that comes a lot more responsibility on my part and less time to do other things I would like to do. Since he is not at nursery yet, I find myself running from play group to play dates, dreaming up ideas to keep him entertained, or doing other random chores around the house with never enough time to do anything else let alone blog. I am so preoccupied with keeping him busy, all I notice now is that the sun is up, the sun is down, next day, etc. In addition I am no longer obsessed with what day of the week it is or the excitement that Friday brings because I no longer get something called a day off.  But that is besides the point. The main reason I don't blog as much anymore is because as soon as I get the itch to sit on the computer, T also gets the itch to sit on my lap for cuddles or  to watch that Elmo's clip he's seen for the umpteenth time again on YouTube. By the time he is done, I have already given up or lost interest. I suppose blogging when he has gone to bed is an option but by that time in the evening I am so mentally drained the last thing I want to do is sit in front of a computer writing so instead I always end up opting for a good TV show and a cup of hot chocolate. Whomever said being a parent is a 24/7 type of job did not lie. It is the hardest job in the world and that is why many aren't cut out for it.
Nevertheless once in a while everything falls into place and I do find a quick moment to blog. This moment is one of those. T is watching TV and playing with some goo I brought him earlier. I for some strange reason haven't managed to doze off while pretending to watch and enjoy the boring cartoon he is watching so lets see how many blogs which I have been saving I can quickly knock out before he changes his mind. Hopefully my break from the blog won't be as long again in future.