Spooky Dolly

My little one played with the doll yesterday and pulled some of its hair out from the pleats.

It was on my bedside table and was the first thing that came into sight when I woke up. Kind of spooked me out!!!

Pancakes for 8 month olds

Here's a simple pancake recipe I tried this week. The texture was perfect for my 8 month old to chew with her gums.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp rice flour

Half a large banana

1-2 tbsp milk

1 egg yolk

Blend all the ingredients to form a smooth paste. The batter should not be very runny. You might use more or less milk to adjust the consistency.

I used only the yolk of the egg since I was apprehensive of the protein in it's white. Check with your child's doctor before giving whites. If your child is already used to eggs, then you can add a whole egg.

Now grease a nonstick pan with a little butter. Pour the batter in small spoonfuls to make little pancakes. Flip them when you see air bubbles on top. The batter cooks fast so be careful not to burn it.

Cook for a minute on the other side and remove into serving bowl. This recipe is suitable for baby led weaning.

You can feed them to older kids too. And even mom! Ahem ;-))

My toddler's favorite meal

Peas 'peace' rice is one of my toddler's favourite meals. I call it peace rice as it is finished without much cajoling. And mommy's at peace when the food isn't leftover.

Soulmate by Karen Salmansohn

Another lovely picture:

The Koi Pond @ Strawberry Hill

This little koi pond is at StrawberryHill, Bedugul, Bali. The bijou resort is cosily tucked into the misty hills of central Bali. A bunch of cottages surrounded by pristine,serene nature offers a relaxing getaway from the busy throes of the south. It's a stone's throw away from Pura Ulun Danu and the biological gardens.

The entrance to the cottages:

The cottage we stayed in:

They serve fresh homegrown strawberries with breakfast. The farm :

Red and pink marigolds:

We spent 3 days of our vacation in Kuta and 1 day in Bedugul. Kuta has many pubs for the night owls. One can take surfing lessons and experience some impressive spas. Dinner at Jimbaran bay as the sun sets is a must do.

Easy Clown's Hat

Tomorrow is Circus day at school for my toddler and we are short of the right costume. So we did this activity.

The stationery store is just a hop and skip away from our home. We got :

a birthday cap,

a white chart, any colour will do

colour papers,

craft glue and a pair of scissors.

Begin by pasting the chart on the cap to cover the print. For this, cut out a semi circle, with radius equal to the length of the cap, from the chart. Fold it into a cone and adjust it on the cap. Glue it on.

Cut small circles from the coloured papers and stick them on to the cap.I let my toddler stick the circles because she likes to work with glue.

Cut a few strips of the coloured papers and stick them in a bunch on the tip of the cap. You are done!!

Cashew Brittle/Chikki

Made this today with 1 cup cashew nuts, 1-1/2 cups jaggery.

Dissolve jaggery in 1/4 cup of water and heat it in a heavy bottomed pan till you get a hard ball consistency.

Remove from heat and add the cashews.

Let cool a bit, not completely. Shape into balls or cut into squares while still warm.

Once cooled, store in an air tight container.

Vegetable Puree for 7 month old baby

This simple and wholesome vegetable Puree is a must try, if you haven't done yet. I wasn't sure my baby will like it but she almost finished it.

Ingredients :

1 medium sized carrot,

1/2 small potato,

1 small piece bottle gourd,

1 small piece pumpkin,

2 cups water

1/2 tsp ghee, optional

Dice all the vegetables and pressure cook them with water.

Drain the veggies of extr. Water

Blend, strain and serve with a dash of ghee.

When baby gets used to this puree, you may add more veggies to it like peas, beans etc. This puree may also be mixed with cooked Dal for a high protein meal.

Do not add salt to the puree or any baby food. I'll post later why salt is bad for babies. Baby food tastes good enough without spices.

To keep baby attentive while feeding, maintain eye contact and tell a story or rhyme with vivid facial expressions.

Do leave a comment if you like this.

To my children

A beautiful poem by Helen Steiner Rice :

A wee bit of heaven, drifted down from above;

A handful of happiness, a heart full of love;

The mystery of life so sacred and sweet; The giver of joy, deep and complete,

Precious and priceless, so lovable too; The world's sweetest miracle,baby, is you.