Flower Fruit Sticks

Idea credit: http://www.lindsayannbakes.com/2011/05/flower-fruit-pops.html

Ingredients:

1. Watermelon

2. Cantaloupe melon

3. Green grapes

4. food sticks

5. Cookie cutters

Directions:

1. Cut out flower shape from cantaloupe and watermelon.

2. Use a round cookie cutter to make a hole in the middle of the flower.

3. Swap the round shape around and place them into each flower.

4. Skewer through the green grapes as leaves for the flower.

5. Skewer through the flower 

6. Here you go, fruit flower sticks :-)

Here are the steps in pictures:

 I ran out of cataloupe and used dark purple grapes instead for the middle part of the flower.

Let Your Baby "Paint" the Wall

Age: From 1 year old

Materials:

1. 1 paint brush

2. 1 jar of water

Directions:

Let your baby/toddler paint the wall with water and a brush, or simply splashing the water and inspecting the paint brush.

25 May 2017 (1Y10D)

J Summary (8Y2M19D): Sewing

One thing I dread doing is sewing. Whenever our son asked me to sew something for him, I will stress over it. It is because no matter how I try, my workmanship is just so rough and not up to standard, and I couldn't avoid pricking myself. With almost all other things, I could improve and get better, but with sewing, I seem so hopelessly bad at it. But I will still do it, because he equates Mommy's love with it, and because I love our son, and hope that he doesn't mind the poor workmanship. Mommy has tried her level best. The left scout label was just sewn by me. It took me quite some time - sewn, undo, sew, undo and sewn again. After a few re-tries and some sore fingers, this is as best as it looks. Don't ask me how long it took me. I look forward to the day that he can sew on labels on his own... most likely he will do it better than me. He came home and was elated to see that this label was sewn on his scout uniform. At 8 years old, he didn't notice the bad workmanship, whew :-) It is so nice to do your best for someone and to be totally appreciated for it :-)

Montessori Activity: Inserting Ice-Cream Sticks

Age: From 1 year old

Objective: To train fine motor skills in a fun way

Materials:

1. Piggybank with opening at the top

2. 5-10 ice-cream sticks

3. 1 tray (optional)

Directions:

1. Demonstrate to your child how to do it.

2. Invite your child to try

Additional Information:

Don't be discouraged if your child is not interested or could not do it. Each child develops differently. Our Little FECS only did this activity at 2 years old, while our Baby FECS is doing it at 1 year old.

Video Demonstration:

Here is a video demonstration by our Baby FECS

21 May 2017 (1Y6D)

8 July 2017 (1Y1M22D)

C's Lunchbox - Rainbow Fruit Stick

From left: Purple grape, dark purple grape, blueberries, green grape, galia melon, pineapple, cantalope, water melon, raspberry, strawberry

Clockwise from left: bread with peanut butter, frozen peas, frozen sweet corns, watermelon, cucumber, gojiberries

C's Lunchbox - Flower

 Danish rye bread spread with cauliflower puree (white), carrot puree (orange), broccoli puree (green) and parsley

  Clockwise from left: Sweet corn & peas, carrot & cheese, sweet corn & peas, kiwi, pear without skin, blueberries and strawberries

All packed :-)

C's Lunchbox - Letter H

The Letter H Danish rye bread open sandwich spread with broccoli puree (green), carrot puree (orange), salmon puree (light orange), chicken puree (beige) garnished with cress (karse) and sprinkled with olive oil.

  Clockwise from left: Boiled broccoli & boiled champignon mushrooms, shredded carrot & de-skinned cucumber, sweet corn & peas, apple without skin, wholewheat spaghetti with olive oil and goji berries

All packed :-)

C's Lunch Box - Letter C

The Letter C for Chastine Danish rye bread open sandwich spread with broccoli puree (green), red pepper fruit puree (red), sweet potato puree (orange), sweet corn puree (yellow), cauliflower puree (white), chicken puree (beige) garnished with cress (karse) and sprinkled with olive oil.

 Clockwise from left: Boiled broccoli & boiled champignon mushrooms, shredded carrot & de-skinned cucumber, wholewheat spaghetti with olive oil, sweet corn & peas, blueberries and strawberries

All packed :-)

C's Lunch Box - Girl

 Rye bread spread with broccoli puree (green), chicken puree (beige), wholewheat spaghetti for hair, red pepper fruit puree (red), carrot puree (orange), salmon puree (beige) and black sesame seeds

Clockwise from left: Boiled broccoli & boiled champignon mushrooms, wholewheat spaghetti with olive oil, shredded carrot & de-skinned cucumber, strawberries, blueberries and sweet corn & peas

9 May 2017 (11M24D): Now it is all ready to be packed :-)

C's Lunch Box - Chick and Star

Clockwise from left: Rye bread spread with broccoli puree (green), sweet potato puree (orange), red pepper fruit puree (red), carrot puree (orange), sweet corn puree (yellow), salmon puree (beige) and black sesame seeds, sprinkled with olive oil; hard boiled egg, black sesame seeds, tomato and broccoli, sweet corn and peas; raspberry with raisin; blueberries and pear without skin and goji berries, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds

J's Lunch Box - Goldfish

Goldfish open sandwich made of rye bread spread with sweet potato puree (orange), sweet corn puree (yellow), red pepper fruit puree (red), cauliflower puree (white), salmon puree (beige) sprinkled with olive oil.

When J saw me making bento lunch box for C, he requested that I made a goldfish for him. But he refused to eat it and took it back from school untouched :-(

C's Lunch Box - Rainbow

Rainbow rye bread open sandwich spread with pea puree (bright green), red pepper fruit puree (red), sweet potato puree (orange), salmon puree (beige), sweet corn puree (yellow),cauliflower puree (white), carrot flower and cheese circle, sprinkled with olive oil.

 Clockwise: Carrot, peas, sweet corns, goji berries, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, blueberries, raspberry with raisin and orange.

All wrapped up :-)

C didn't eat much of the rye bread today, but finished all others except carrots.

C Summary (11M19D): Empty High Chair

I came home, stared at the empty high chair and felt sad. I thought I will look forward to my freedom - some time to myself before I started work, and relish the chance to finally get to go through my to-do list, but I miss Baby FECS so much. She had spent the past 11.5 months everyday with me, sometimes driving me mad. But now that she has started nursery, I am missing her. still it's healthy for her not to be with Mommy all the time. It's good she is walking towards independence. That's life. I will soon get used to it and start enjoying my freedom.

C's Lunch Box - Teddy Bear

 Teddy Bear open sandwich made of rye bread spread with pea puree (bright green), broccoli puree (green), carrot puree (orange), sweet corn puree (yellow), red pepper fruit puree (red), chicken puree (white), salmon puree (beige hidden below broccoli puree) and black sesame seeds, sprinkled with olive oil.

 Clockwise: Shredded carrot, peas, sweet corns, goji berries, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, blueberries, raspberry with raisin and apple without skin.

All wrapped up together :-)

C ate all the rye bread today, making mommy very happy :-)

C Summary (11M15D): Baby FECS' First Lunch Box - Heart

Rye bread spread with broccoli puree, (green) sweet corn puree (yellow), chicken puree (white) and red pepper bell puree (red)

It's gonna be BABY FECS first day at vuggestue (day care) tomorrow. Will she cry? Will she get used to it? Maybe she wouldn't cry, but I will be the one to shed tears... tears of goodbye to her babyhood. I guess I will survive. After all, I have survived the day, when our Little FECS started daycare for the first time, right. I prepared her first lunch box tonight. Daddy FECS said over dinner that tomorrow marks a new chapter of our lives... Baby FECS will have her own activities and I will have my life back. I am filled with nostalgia for the last 11 months, since Baby FECS was born. It had passed by so fast, or maybe I have just zombied through it, half-awake and half-asleep, constantly lacking sleep with more things to do that time available.

I have felt that I have gotten nothing much done for the last 11 months, apart from getting Baby FECS to sleep and eat, and if I have a bit of energy left, to play with her (hardly) and bring her out.

With this new change, in fact, Daddy FECS has already handed me a new assignment - to clean the home, since our cleaning help has quit. Talk about getting my life back!!!

I am not so worried about Baby FECS not being able to adjust to day care. I am more worried about me. Would I be able to get used to it?

What shall I packed for a baby of 11 months old?

I prepared a similar lunchbox for our Little FECS, when he started vuggestue at 10 months old. So I repeated the same thing that I have done.

I also packed all her favorite food - strawberry, blueberries, sweet corn and her absolute favorite - goji berries (if I don' stop her, she can eat the whole packet!!!)

This is the very first lunch box I have made for Baby FECS. It will be very memorable to look back at it years from now.

How much time did I spend on it?

I have to confess, two full hours -  after Baby FECS went to bed from 7.30-9.30pm.

 First layer clockwise from left: Sweet corn, green peas, shredded carrots, apple slices without skin, blueberries.

The vuggestue told us during the first meeting that we have to peel the skin off apples and cucumber, since they can't bite it and are choking hazard. They also told us that raw carrots should not be included, since they are choking hazards.

I wanted her to get used to eating raw carrots, but raw carrots are too hard. It was actually our Little FECS who gave me this idea, when he made the carrot salad (which he learned from his after-school care) for us a couple of weeks ago. So I shredded the carrots for Baby FECS.

2nd layer clockwise from left: Rye bread and goji berries.

I have included sunflowers seeds and pumpkin seeds (since she still can't eat whole nuts yet).

I know I am going a bit overboard. Baby FECS is not going to finish such a big lunch box.

P.S. Ideas for future variation:

Boiled egg, cucumber without skin, small boiled chicken pieces, raisin, pear without skin, mango, water-melon, honey-dew, raspberries with raisins...

Easy Tomato Beetroot Soup

Ingredients:
1. 1 packet of cherry tomatoes (500g)
2. 1 carrot chopped large
3. 1 beetroot chopped large
4. 1 parsley root chopped large
5. 1 onion
6. 1 clove garlic
7. 1 slice ginger (optional)
8. 1 TBS olive oil
9. 1 tsp salt
10. 600ml water

Directions:
1. Add all the ingredients into the Philips soupmaker.
2. Close the lid and choose the cream soup setting.
3. The soupmaker will beep in 23 minutes and the soup is done :-)

Additional Information:
Daddy FECS made this soup for a light dinner tonight. I loved it so much that I asked him how he made it and quickly jot it down before I forget.

We garnished it with roasted green peas snack I made the other day and crispy spaghetti - we had some left over spaghetti and roasted it on a heated pan (no. 6 on my stove) with some oil. The garnish provided an interesting and contrasting texture to the soup.

If you don't have a soupmaker, you can blend the soup together with a blender.

Pan-grilled Califlower

Ingredients:
1. A handful of cauliflower florets
2. 2 cloves garlic chopped
3. 1 TBS cooking oil
4. Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Heat skillet with cooking oil.
2. Add cauliflower florets.
3. After 1 min until it is a little charred, turn over and fry the other side until a little charred.
4. Season with salt & pepper and serve :-)

Additional Information:
I made this for dinner this evening together with the beef steaks. After frying the cauliflowers, I pushed it to the side, add oil, fry some garlic and add the beef steaks. When the beef steaks are done, I moved the steaks to the side of the skillet, and moved the cauliflowers to the middle to absorb the sauce from the beef steaks. I served this with sweet potato sauce, a raw cauliflower salad on the side and cauliflower cream soup. It's surely a cauliflower theme dinner!!! So that was my experiment with the different way of eating cauliflowers all in a day. Mr. FECS enjoyed the dinner, and didn't complained that it was too much cauliflowers :-)

That's our dinner tonight: Pan-grilled cauliflower served with beef steaks and sweet potato sauce, raw cauliflower salad on the side and cauliflower cream soup.

Baby Activities in Copenhagen & Greater Copenhagen (Babysalmesang/Babytræf)

The following is a list of baby activities made for myself in Copenhagen and greater Copenhagen. Babysalmesang is a form of baby music offered free by the Danish churches. Some required per-sign-up, some does not required that. Baby FECS enjoyed it a lot.

Babytræf is baby-swimming and it cost 95 DKK at Kildeskovshallen Gentofte. Baby FECS just love it as she loves being in the water.

Monday
• 9:45-10:30am: Babysalmesang Lyngby Kirke (Very good quality) (Sign-up required)
• 10-10:45am: Babysalmesang Virum Kirke T: 45855715 (Very good quality) (Sign-up required)
• 10-11:30am: Babysalmesang Holte Kirke T: 45422177 (Sign-up required)
• 11:30-12:15pm: Babysalmesang Søllerød Kirke Søllerødvej 29, 2840 Holte T: 45802203 (12 max.) salmesang@gmail.com (Sign-up required)
• 11-11.30am: Baby-swimming, Kildeskovshallen Gentofte (0-6 mdr)

Tuesday
• 9-12.30 Blegdamsremisen indendørs legeplads legestue 0-3 år (No sign-up required)
• 10-10.45am: Babysalmesang Kristkirken 0-5 mdr (No sign-up required)
• 10.30-11am: Babysalmesang Christianskirken 6 mths old baby Chr. X Allé 120 tlf. 45 87 13 98 (No sign-up required)
• 10-10:45am: Babysalmesang Sorgenfri Kirke (alternate week) (Sign-up required)
• 10-12:30pm: Babysalmesang Hvidovre Kirke (11-11:40am) (No sign- up required)
• 10.30-11.30am: Babysalmesang Gl. Holte Kirke T: 45892231 (Sign-up required)
• 10-10:30: Baby-swimming, Kildeskovshallen Gentofte (0-6 mdr)

Wednesday
• 10-10.45am: Babysalmesang Sct. Andreas Kirke 4-12 mdr, Gothersgade 148, 1123 Kbh K (No sign-up required) (Very good quality)
• 10-10.45am: Babysalmesang Sct. Matthæus Kirke 0-12 mdr (No sign-up required)
• 10-10:45am: Babysalmesang Babysalmesang
• 10:30-11:15: Bistrup Kirke Birkerød (Sign-up required)
• 11-11.45am: Babysalmesang Sct. Andreas Kirke 4-12 mdr, Gothersgade 148, 1123 Kbh K (No sign-up required) (Very good quality)
• 12-12.45pm: Babysalmesang Sct. Andreas Kirke 0-5 mdr, Gothersgade 148, 1123 Kbh K (No sign-up required) (Very good quality)

Thursday
• 9-12.30 Blegdamsremisen indendørs legeplads legestue 0-3 år (No sign-up required)
• 9:30 - 10:15am: Babysalmesang Helligaandskirken T: 33 15 41 44
• 10-10:45am: Babysalmesang Helleruplund Kirke Signed up (Very good quality)
• 10.30-11.15 am: Babysalmesang Birkerød Sognegård T: 51622178 18/8-6/10 birgitte@birkeroedsogn.dk Sign-up required
• 10.30-11am: Baby-swimming, Kildeskovshallen Gentofte (0-6 mdr)
•  1.30-2pm: Baby-swimming, Kildeskovshallen Gentofte (0-6 mdr)

Friday
• 10-10.45am: Babysalmesang Babysalmesang Mariakirken (No sign-up required), Istedgade 20, 1650 København V
• 10.00 - 10.45am: Music and Movement is for babies, toddlers, preschoolers40 DKK for non-members. No need to book, just turn up! Østerbro International School, Rygårds Allé 131, 2900 Hellerup http://www.linkdenmark.com/playgroup/
• 11-11.45am: Babysalmesang Babysalmesang Mariakirken (No sign-up required), Istedgade 20, 1650 København V
• 1-1.145pm: Babysalmesang Babysalmesang Mariakirken (No sign-up required), Istedgade 20, 1650 København V
• 10-10:45am: Babysalmesang Højdevangskirken Irlandsvej 47, 2300 Kbh S eva@hoejdevangskirken.dk T: 32340253 Tue, Wed & Fri kl. 9-14
• 10-10:30: Baby-swimming, Kildeskovshallen Gentofte (0-6 mdr)
• 11-11.30am: Baby-swimming, Kildeskovshallen Gentofte (0-6 mdr)

Sunday
• 11-11.50am: Babymusik 1-3 yr old 120 kr. Brolæggerstræde 14 b., 1211 Kbh.K
http://www.detlillemusikhus.dk/ny/iweb1/Sessions.html

References:
www.salmedans.dk
http://kildeskovshallen.gentofte.dk/da/Sv%C3%B8mmehal/Sv%C3%B8mmeundervisning/Babysv%C3%B8mning-0-18-mdr/Babytr%C3%A6f
http://www.detlillemusikhus.dk/ny/iweb1/Sessions.html