This is one of the easiest cool treats for hot days.
Easy Banana Ice Cream
Ingredients: One Frozen Banana
Freeze a peeled banana, and when it is frozen solid puree it in a food processor or blender.You can add a little milk if needed.
Voila– you have banana “ice cream.” You have to try it to see how much it actually tastes like the real thing.
Your kids will love it!
Before summer comes to a close, I have to share one of my favorite recipes of the season. It came from emeals and it is as simple as it is delicious.
Watermelon Salad
4 cups chopped watermelon
1/2 cup feta cheese
1/2 cup chopped mint
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt to taste
Combine watermelon with feta, mint, olive oil and salt. Serve chilled.
If you haven’t yet checked out emeals, I encourage you to do so!
…at first.
In honor of national breastfeeding week, I have a few thoughts.
I have now been non-stop nursing at least one, at times two children for 3 years and 11 months.
This afternoon, tired from chasing two boys in the extreme heat, all I wanted to do was lay down. We were also in a hotel (read: no kitchen). My 13 month old was hot, thirsty and hungry and wanted to nurse.
Our two wants meshed perfectly.
As I was laying there I thought- I wish everyone knew how easy breastfeeding can be. I’d much rather be able to just take a load off and feed my baby than have to track down bottles, cups, milk, powder, water, a refrigerator, microwave, et al.
I was able to rest while I was feeding my child. How’s that for multitasking? I find it works particularly well for lazy days, while traveling, on a plane, at the park, anywhere.
I say this knowing full well the many many hurdles that can get in the way of a successful breastfeeding relationship. I have personally experienced mastitis over 7 times, plugged ducts, thrush, vasospasms, a baby with reflux from over supply, exhaustion.
And I’ve had friends who’ve experienced much worse- inverted nipples, tongue tied babies, severe blood loss during labor (breastmilk is made from the proteins, sugars, and fat from our blood supply), breast implants and reductions, nursing twins and triplets…and they have ALL endured and breast fed their babies. I am so proud to call them friends.
The truth is, breastfeeding a newborn is hard. I wish there were more PR campaigns devoted to acknowledging that fact. Do the powers that be think that if we moms know the truth- that it’s not very easy in the beginning at best, and downright brings many women to tears- we’ll choose to just not even try?
I think not.
We all know how hard pregnancy is/can be, and yet we embark upon that journey willingly, knowing that there is an end in sight- an outcome that will outweigh any discomfort, illness, weight gain, stretch marks, heartburn, round ligament pain, incontinence, swollen ankles, bigger feet, wider hips, and loss of brain cells. Yes- we endure all of these things for the joy of holding our babies in our arms.
There are also many women who know exactly how painful labor and delivery can be, yet choose to give birth without any anesthesia. It is worth feeling every single contraction and pushing with Olympic strength to bring a child into the world.
Breastfeeding is also worth it too.
But it is NOT easy! It seems something as essential to the survival of humans as breastfeeding would just come naturally but it doesn’t. It is a learned behavior- not an instinct. We need to watch other moms breastfeed to learn how to do it, and we don’t.
I once watched an interesting video showing a gorilla in isolation with no idea how to nurse her baby, because she had never seen it done. She even held the back of the baby’s head to her breast in confusion. When she became pregnant again, the local La Leche League organized a group of breastfeeding women to show up at the glass of the enclosure to nurse their babies. They did this regularly, and by the time the gorilla’s baby was born she knew what to do and nursed!
She learned by example and fed her baby. She was not guilted into it or convinced by all of the studies proving the superiority of breastmilk. She saw it, so she did it.
It was never intended for us to just figure it out on our own.
Parenting is hard, and we can’t just walk away from it when the pain gets to be intense. My hope is that someday breastfeeding would be held in the same regard and that moms would be informed and supported enough in the work place, in the public square, everywhere inside and outside the home to the point that feeding babies anything other than human milk would be done so as an absolute last resort.
According to the American Association of Pediatrics breast feeding is a public health issue and should be treated as one, instead of a lifestyle choice. Since the majority of U.S. births occur in hospitals, there should be someone to assist the mother and baby with the very first breast feeding attempt.
In New York City when I gave birth in 2008, I kept asking for help from the nurses and I received none. “Just let us give the baby some formula,” said THREE different nurses. All the breast feeding classes I took while still pregnant did nothing for me in that moment- when I had a living, breathing, newborn baby rooting around at my breast.
So let me say it here, if you’ve never heard it before. Breast feeding will hurt. Your nipples will be sore. His latch might suck. You might feel awkward, nervous, embarrassed even. You might even get thrush or mastitis and your baby might be sensitive to the food you eat.
It gets better. Usually after the first 6 weeks, definitely after 3-4 months.
IT IS WORTH IT.
We all have thoughts on screen time for kids- how much is appropriate, when to allow it, whether or not to buy your three year old an iPad, etc. Even the AAP has weighed in and recommended that children under the age of 2 should not watch any TV at all.
I realize this recommendation is because babies and toddlers need human interaction, and many small children are just plopped in front of the television all day, every day. So in stead of saying any is ok, they take the position that none is.
Most of us have also resorted to handing our kids smart phones to prevent scenes in public places- on an airplane, in a super long line at the grocery store, at a restaurant that had to go to a restaurant next door to track down a high chair for your 14 month old (i.e. they were so un-used to accommodating babies, they didn’t have one), when your 3 year old cut his foot on glass at the pool and is otherwise non-distractable.
But this?
It’s a good idea to keep the phone protected, and I’m sure many many phones have been ruined by little hands. But I shudder to think about how often a child must be on a smart phone to warrant the purchase of a phone protector that snaps onto a stroller.
I also believe it’s OK to have things that are off limits to our kids. The problem is that they are wired to be interested in whatever we are doing, and they see us looking at our phones a lot throughout the day, so that’s generally what they want to play with. “If it is so interesting to mommy, then I must get my hands on it!”
My baby also really loves unloading the dishwasher and sorting laundry, and my 3 year old has had a full on tantrum because I wouldn’t let him mop, so yes, as it turns out they love to do what they see us do regularly no matter how “fun” it may or may not be.
Thoughts on babies needing a smart phone protector?
I loved searching for Waldo when those books
This month, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the beloved traveler, over 250 independent bookstores across the country are hosting a real life Where’s Waldo hunt.
The way it works is that participating localbusinesses have a 6 inch cardboard cutout of Waldo hidden somewhere in the store. When your child finds it he or she is given an “I spotted Waldo at _____________” card.
On August 4th, the bookstore host will have a big Waldo party with prizes and an appearance by Waldo himself.
The marketing behind this is genius. Even though we make every effort to support all things local, this hunt has taken us to 6 businesses so far that we’ve previously not been to- and purchased something at each. We are having a blast.
My son wakes up every day asking if we can “go find Waldo today”, and I love seeing the excitement on his face when he spots him. He’s learned a bit about determination too- as it took us 45 minutes to find him in one particularly Waldo-esque store. But I really don’t know who is having more fun- me or my 3 year old.
Check out your local bookstore and see if your city is taking part. You have two more weeks to join the fun!