Filtering by Category: Health

Chanukah Gift Guide: Girls

Simple Spout

I just love it when little issues we dealt with all our lives are nixed through the most simplest of solutions! Say goodbye to stacks of dixie cups, germ-infested toothpaste cups, or cupping hands; hello, Tapi. The first "squeezable" tap-gone-water-fountain is blowing my mind! How simple?? And how genius! Perfect for kids faucets, toothbrush-tots-in-training, and family bathrooms in general! And with the array of available color options you can go bold to brighten and add some fun, or opt for white or steel to go as seamless as possible! Tapi from Dreamfarm, $4.95

Dunstan Baby Language

I'm sure most of you heard of the Dunstan Baby Language by now... I first heard about it from my mother, but unfortunately never really bothered to check it out back when Freida was a newborn. Someone (thanks Rach!) just mentioned it again - I never knew her famous debut was on Oprah - and I thought I'd share the wisdom: [googlevideo=http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4052428020269668962&hl=iw#]

This should definitely be added to every new-moms essential tools!! That is, in addition to (the completely amazing!!) Dr. Harvey Karp!

Spotlight Mom: Tracy Anderson

Lately I've been feeling bored with my regular exercise (treadmill) routine... there comes a point where you feel like it's just not doing it for you anymore, you know what I mean? Sometimes it's just fun to switch it up and go back to some old favorites - so I'm going back to Tracy Anderson's treadmill routine. I'm sure most of you have heard of celebrity trainer (and mother-to-watch) Tracy Anderson (her method really blew up in the past few years). I first read about her in an article featured in Cookie Magazine. It was right after I gave birth to Freida, and from what I read, it sounded like she had a pretty little method going - the line that really got me was "it's healthier for your kids to see you dig into a slice of their birthday cake with gusto rather than always seeing mommy counting her weight watcher points" - she was selling that as the main payoff for all the fitness work. I really related to that so I searched YouTube and started doing a preview video of her workout routine - I loved it, and after seeing results I ordered her Post Pregnancy DVD.

Now, I can't claim that I lost weight from it - a couple pounds at most - but that is because I wasn't properly dieting or doing serious cardio. What I will say for the DVD is that it completely strengthened my most important muscles in the most fantastic way! After giving birth (aside from the extra stomach pouch) our abdominal muscles tend to disconnect and fall lazily idle; making it extremely important to work those muscles afterward. The sequences in this routine made me the strongest I've ever been - my core, my abdominal, my thighs, and my abs were whipped into shape! I didn't even realize what kind of amazing results I got until I went to a class and showed these moves to some women - toned, fit, and slim women - who were not able to keep up at all! Again, this DVD alone will not yield wight-loss results, but Tracy promises that mixing this (or her Mat Workout DVD) with here Dance Cardio DVD or her awesome Treadmill Workout Routine (which I looove!) - will make your body issues dissipate and provide a "teeny-tiny" lean figure.

I would highly recommend the Post Pregnancy DVD for all post-partum mothers (come to think of it, this would make for a useful and original baby gift)! It is calming and low-key, set to classical music, and makes for a relaxing and strengthening post-partum workout (aside from the fact that the room decor she does the workout in annoyed me to no end!!). I did it for months with little Freida on a blanket on the floor right in front of me, she seemed to enjoy the calm of the music, and she would watch intently as I'd lift my legs or arms up and down... was good exercise for her development as well! :)

You can find out more about Tracy and her method here.

Here is the original video that I found and did for a while before buying her DVD:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taCiMBFc0sc]

Fall Festival

On a recent trip to Trader Joe's Freida discovered the pumpkin display and was infatuated with the vibrant colors, shapes, and the different textures. I had been wanting to take her to a pumpkin patch, but wasn't really keen on the obvious atmosphere at those October patches. After seeing how interesting she found the pumpkins, I did some online research and discovered a myriad of "pumpkin patch" spots that were much more "fall festival" than halloween. We trekked out into the hills of Irvine Park Railroad, and had a lovely day of fall festivities! Might as well take advantage of the seasonal events in your neighborhood; there is so much for the children to explore! Freida enjoyed an old fashion train ride through the forest brush, a petting zoo with baby animals (she saw her first peacock!), a walk through a straw maze, lunch on the duck pond, her first free-style pony ride, and plenty of pumpkin exploration! Sometimes it's worth looking around a little to find something a bit more neutral this time of year, rather than skipping it altogether...

The next morning I let Freida mess around with the inside of the pumpkins. She helped me scoop out all those seeds, and I gave her a bowl of them with pumpkin flesh still attached as a tactile activity (she didn't like the feeling much). I roasted the pumpkin in chunks (with olive oil, salt, and pepper) and we had it with dinner that night. The pumpkin seeds make such a great snack (and are loaded with magnesium, iron, and omega -3) - this easy recipe rocks!!

 © 2015 TheFroo. All rights reserved. Babyccino, Bubbyccino and Little Yogis are all trademarks of TheFroo®