What I'm Up To

After a 2-month absence, here a little overview over the current state of affairs at our house (in parts totally stolen from Pinky!!)

I'm currently...

... reading:  Tons of Christopher Moore books, and some random reading material I've picked up at the give-away at my work's library

... trying: Not to whine too much. My mood swings are more than annoying, especially because I am painfully aware of them and can't get away from myself. I wouldn't know what to do without the the family's general understanding of my moodiness.

...  anticipating: The arrival of our baby boy, of course!

... buying: Last odds and ends for the baby, school supplies for Lily.

... lusting for: wine and vanilla cream pudding. Can't indulge in the one but totally going for the other!

... enjoying: Daytime naps and the occasional realization that we're home owners. Somehow, it hasn't quite sunk in yet, and if we're thinking about it, we feel so grown-up, which cannot be because after all, we're still just over-sized kids, right?

... cursing: Not being able to sleep at night, itching all over from a liver insufficiency. Can't wait for things to go back to normal!!

... listening to: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Buena Vista Social Club, Amy McDonald, and the ever-present songs from Frozen.

... watching: Game of Thrones, Battlestar Galactica

... devouring: said vanilla cream pudding (can't beat 80% cream!!!)

... waking up: At the oddest times. When you can't sleep at night (meaning: impossible to fall asleep before 4 or 5 am), wake-up time is quite random at the moment.

... feeling: Thankful for all the good things in our lives; the fact that we're finally living in our new house; that we're going to have awesome neighbors; that our little lad is going to be here so soon; that Violet got to start her speech therapy and is already making progress; that Lily is looking forward to her long summer break and first day of elementary school; that hubby may have a serious prospect of starting his own business; for the translation work that's coming in; for the love and support all around me.  (you see, I missed way too many TToT-weekends!!)

Have a wonderful day, everyone!

Impending Hiatus

Two more nights in our old home. It's a mess, and pure chaos. Our nutrition is seriously lacking these days (as in cake for dinner tonight - at least it was home-made cake, and Father's Day in Germany), I don't know where anything is, The kitchen needs to be all packed up by tomorrow afternoon, and I haven't even started, and I feel so behind on schedule.

Once we've moved to the new house, I'll be on a forced hiatus for a couple of weeks, maybe longer. According to the last notice we received from our provider, our phone and internet will be hooked up on June 18, if that doesn't change again, like in April and May. So I will have some time to actually finish some projects around the house, maybe start on a knit blanket for the little lad, support my friend on some translation work, and get ready for my maternity leave starting July 2.

I will try to check in as often as I can, but simply can't promise anything at that point!  I hope you all will stick with me after all!

I'm Back!

Yes, people, here I am again, re-emerged from the depth of my hobbit-hole hiatus. These past months I have not been idle but writing privately, thinking about new columns to be added and in which direction I want to go with this blog. A lot of new ideas have sprung up, starting with a new food column “Modern Cooking” with delicious dishes accommodating working parents with easy modifications for different kinds of diets (vegetarian / vegan, dairy-free, etc.); luckily, our family does only have to accommodate 2 kids of diets now, since Violet has outgrown her lactose intolerance. I have also become a member of the growing crowd of Pinterest addicts, trying myself (mostly unsuccessfully) on various crafts projects (pictures to come). Our family life has been fairly uneventful, even though radical changes have taken place in the extended family (sorry people, nothing to be discussed on here at this point). It is amazing how events that are supposed to be painful can still make you emerge relieved and stronger. Mostly, I am at a good place these days, even though shopping for clothes has me in despair at times (even though I love my body most of the time, the fashion industry certainly doesn’t). So, I am definitely looking forward to how this works out in the months to come. As always, feel free to comment, I am grateful for any kind of critique from my readership.

Hiatus Break: My First Article On Adventures in {Baby} Food

As you all might have noticed by now, my blog is on involuntary hiatus due to weird living conditions. I don't know how it is with you, but I am all about atmosphere when it comes to writing. I used to stay up after Richard went to bed, sit on our comfy couch with a cup of tea or hot chocolate, and recap the day. Now, our computer sits in my grandfathers former workshop, which is not quite the environment I need to relax and be creative.

Anyways, this is just as a little break from this hiatus and to let you all know that we're doing alright. As soon as we have moved to our new apartment by the end of the month or early next month, the blog will continue as usual. As of now, I would like to share an article with you that I wrote for Adventures in {Baby} Food, an awesome website I am writing for. Please check it out for yummy recipes, advice on many topics around baby and children, as well as great give-aways.

Here's my article on relieving gas in young infants, beyond your gas-relief drops.

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I can imagine that most of you parents dealt with this at one point: a bubbly baby wiggling around and wailing in pain, trying to get the nasty gas out, followed by a few relieving pooties and maybe a poop. I dealt with gas with both of my daughters. For our older daughter, we turned to gas relief drops from the local retailers once she hit the 2-months mark, for lack of further options. Now, with our second daughter, our wonderful midwife helped us analyzing the issue and using more natural ways to relief our daughter from her gas pains.

The first, and probably easiest way, is for your moms to analyze your own diet, in case you’re breastfeeding. I spent a few nights walking my daughter around the apartment, trying to offer some relief. Soon, our midwife suggested cutting all milk and milk products from my diet. This was hard at first, but soon found valid alternatives. Milk hypersensitivity is one of the main reasons for gas in newborns, which does not mean that your baby will be lactose-intolerant. The protein in cow milk, which can be found in human breast milk, can just be too complex for baby’s immature digestive tract to deal with. Further common hypersensitivities include soy, coffee, and very acidic foods.

In case changing your own diet does not help, your choice of natural remnants is considerable. Brewing a serving or two of fennel tea each day helps to reduce gas in your baby’s tummy and also soothe her digestive tract. Kidsorganics recommends making this tea yourself “by taking a small handful of fennel seeds, placing in a tea diffuser, and steeping for at least 5 minutes in a cup or pot of hot water”. Please only give your baby a few drops of this tea, because it also acts as a mild diuretic and could cause dehydration if given too many servings. You can also look for soluble fennel or well-tummy/anti-gas tea in your baby food aisle.

Another remedy for gas in young infants is homeopathic chamomile pearls. They are easy to dose (just place one or two pearls in your baby’s cheek once or twice a day) and can provide instant relief for your little one. Chamomile pearls are all-natural pain relievers and can also be used for teething. If this sounds like your option, please consult a naturalistic doctor in your area before giving it to your baby!

One last natural gas relief remedy for your baby, which is 100% without side effects and can also cure other digestive issues such as constipation, is all-natural caraway seed ointment. Just rub a tiny amount on your baby’s tummy in the morning after the first diaper change and at night after bath. The massage, along with the essential oils, helps relaxing your baby and has a positive impact on her overall digestion.

Most of the remedies described above can be purchased fairly inexpensively in your health food store, the baby food aisle at your local retailer, or over the internet, for example at Zooscape. As with all medications, please consult your pediatrician or naturalistic doctor before starting your wee one on a regiment.