I can't remember when I first read about serving a nibble tray for the little ones is a great way to encourage them to eat something while they are on the go.
Defne loves this.Sometimes she can't get enough of a particular food and asks for more,some days she won't touch most of it,some days everything is eaten ;)
Cucumber sticks,apple slices,grapes,spelt puffs,cashew nuts and goji berries.
Because both myself and Soner are non-native English speakers,we didn't want to teach English to Defne. Now that we are living here,she has lots of exposure to the language and given that young children learn a language so quickly,it wouldn't be a problem. But then I was also feeling a bit anxious that she would feel like a stranger when the time is ripe and she starts to nursery or school.
Then I came across this article, Giving the gift of a language by Annalisa Barbieri:
The thing about learning languages very young is that, just as they learn their mother tongue easily by being surrounded by it, they can pick up another in the same way: it becomes almost like one big language to them. It's not the difficult process it becomes after about the age of 10 or 12. Research has shown that after this age the brain handles language differently because until then it is constantly making neurological connections - after this age the hard-wiring slows down.
Look what arrived yesterday!
This is one of the most fantastic books I have ever seen!
I came across this through Pixie,thank you my dear! Pixie was mentioning Disposable Aardvarks' list of recommendations for vegetarian kids. Another thank you to you dear Veganf!
When I browsed it, I fell in love with this book:Food for Thought by Saxton Freymann & Joost Elfers.
The book explores colours,shapes,letters,numbers and opposites with the help of vegetable and fruit characters.
Defne enjoyed it,too.
Here are a few sample pages for your pleasure:
Dear Pixie inspired me to write a post about Defne's favourite books.
Now, first of all I have to write about The Bear series from Barefoot Books. We bought 2 of these when Defne was around 14 months old.She loved these,a few months later we bought the other ones. The books are beautifully illustrated. At 27 months,they are still read every other day if not every day!
Poppy Cat (Pisi Kedi in Turkish) was also bought when she was one year old during our holiday in Turkey. It has lift the flap and feel and touch pages.She still likes these.
Miffy is quite an old character,first published in the 60s. So Miffy's father is always wearing a tie :)Defne loves this rabiit very much. The book is written in a rhyming text which is great for language development.We have a few in Turkish.
This is a classic and I now know why.Eric Carle's books are just beautiful.
ETA:Eric Carle on Guardian today(14.03.2009)
In our local library there is a Maisy corner where all the Maisy books are displayed. I have introduced Defne to Maisy a few months ago and since then we literally live with Maisy and her gang ;)
After watching How to Catch A Star at the theatre,we also bought the book.This is one of the most beautifully illustrated books I have ever seen.
My Cat just sleeps is devoted to all cat lovers out there. It was in our Bookstart package which Defne was given on her 2nd birthday.
Piglet and Mama was borrowed from the library. It is a beautiffuly told story about a piglet who lost his mother in the farm and their reunion.We read this book many times cuddling each other.
Backpack Baby is great for all babies and toddlers who love their slings/wraps.It is a small book,very handy to pop in your bag so that the little ones don't get bored on short trips.
Now it is time to write about our books in Turkish for my Turkish readers. We had bought a few books last year after having read about them on dear Yasemin's blog. Limon Agacinin Sarkisi, Butun Gun Esneyen Prenses and Cikolata (all of these books are from Redhouse Kidz) are very much loved here. We are looking forward to buy more books in Turkish on our next trip.
Which books do your children love?
Remember my post about vegan yeast exact? I had asked for help about to love this stuff.Thanks for all your suggestions at the time.
My sister is a huge fan of vegetarian yeast extract and thanks to her,she taught me to love it when I was visiting her a few months ago.
She told me never to forget that "I am a beginner", and I spread, maybe 1/8 of a teaspoon of yeast on half of a slice of bread and topped it with vegan cheddar cheese.It was tasty this way.
As I was preparing to write this post,I read about the history of it on Wikipedia:
Today, the main ingredients of Marmite manufactured in the UK are glutamic acid-rich yeast extract, with lesser quantities of sodium chloride (table salt), vegetable extract, niacin, thiamine, spice extracts, riboflavin, folic acid, and celery extracts, although the precise composition is a trade secret.[4] By 1912, the discovery of vitamins was a boost for Marmite, as the spread is a rich source of the vitamin B complex; vitamin B12 is not naturally found in yeast extract, but is added to Marmite during manufacture. With the vitamin B1 deficiency beri-beri being common during the First World War, the spread became more popular.
My latest post for API Speaks
My daughter has just turned two. Breastfeeding is still going strong here and we have no plans to stop yet.
However, when your child turns two,you expect them to be more independent and breastfeed less. At least that was my expectation.
In January,we were away visiting my sister. Believe me, my daughter was feeding much more than her 3 month old cousin!
I started to feel overwhelmed but thought this was because we were away from home and she is missing daddy.
Once we returned home,to my surprise nothing changed.
I started to question whether this was normal or not.
Was it normal to breastfeed so much at this age or was she just trying to get my attention? Was she feeding just because she was bored or was I not able to meet some of her needs and was she resorting to breastfeeding?
For the first time in my breastfeeding career,I felt overwhelmed and tired about it.
Thanks to the internet,I turned to my online community.
I have learnt that while some two year olds are happy to breastfeed just a few times during the day,some increase the time they spent at mama's breast(especially around 2.5 years old as they go through a major development and they need the omega 3 in breastmilk.)
When I talked about this with our local LLL leader,she kindly brought Nursing Your Toddler to our next meeting. This book is great as it has a section about what to expect past infancy.
Kellymom also has a good article about dealing with these "velcro days".
I have recently read Veronika Robinson's book,The Drinks are On Me (She is the editor of The Mother magazine).
What she wrote,really spoke to me.
Breastfeeding in toddlerhood can make the terrible twos,the terrific twos. Breastfeeding allows the child to have comfort during the time in their life when they are discovering they are actually a seperate being to mother. They come and go,from us,the matrix,back and forward,back and forward. We provide them with so many things when we breastfeed. Security in a mother's unconditionally loving arms,drinking liquid love,is something which lives within every cell of a child's being, and journeys with them through the rest of their life.
