Eight things I have learned from my family that I am grateful for

There are some things I've learned from my family, and for which I am very grateful for and I hope I will be able to pass them to my children.

 

1. About the School - it always has to be the most important thing to you

 

If you do not finish school, you'll face the bad choice of lousy jobs and wages insufficient to cover living expenses (which I have experienced in my student days and luckily didn't quit school because of  "a career" in McDonald's).

Never cease to learn and improve your skills. Always read something new.  Be a member of the local library. Learn foreign languages.

2. About the money - it does not grow on trees. You have to earn it. 

 

No one will give you the money for no reason. If somebody offers you money, there is some interest in this, and you have to check what kind of interest it is (or more clearly: Do not talk to suspicious strangers).

In my family, money has always been tight. Like most people, the 80s and the 90s were extremely difficult to us (and it is not much better these days) and I had to work so I could go to the university (see No. 1). Often I was furious about it, blamed politicians and I sometimes didn't show my best on the exams  due to being physically exhausted , but today I realize how it was a useful experience.

3. About the savings - you can only spend the money you have

This part I can especially thank to my grandparents, who remembered even more difficult times and who used to say that every penny needs to be rolled over twice before you spend it. Money buys the necessary things, and you should save the rest, "for a rainy day."

4. About the nature - Recycle.

 

Again, I thank to my grandparents who taught me to recycle. The fact I've learned it, is sort of responsible for starting this blog and for all the toys we made ​​from recycled materials .

Nothing should be thrown away, especially bread.  You can find a new purpose of each thing and if you must throw it away, take it to the appropriate container or a recycling yard. The nature is a gift from heaven, and you need you to preserve it.

5. About happines - it's in the little things

 

Money is needed to buy necessary things (see No. 3), but it can not buy happiness. A sunny day is a reason enough to be happy. And if you are done with all the work (see No. 7), you can go for a walk, what else do you need?

6. About a waste of time - long phone conversations, watching soap operas, reading gossip magazines and drinking at the pub are a waste of time, and not resting and relaxing, as it is now popularly called. Period.

 

 7. About leasure time - you can only get rest when you have finished all of your chores.

Going to the pub is not a "rest"  (See No 6). Chores are a necessity and must be done. Whining does not help, it only prolongs their performance. Get it done and then you can rest. Period.

8. About business- you're important to us, but the world does not revolve around you. 

When you get a job and start working,  your colleagues and employers will not dance around you or entertain you. The most important is the quality, not the quantity of work- the employer wants to see in which way  you can improve its performance, not how long you stay in the office. You need to work for yourself, not for the others. Someone else's job is always someone else's job.

***

It makes no sense to pretend that everything in my family was always perfect, because it was not, and there is not such a thing as perfection, but I'm really grateful for they taught me to deal with the difficulties in life, even when they are not there for me any more, and I think that's the most important task for any parent.

Why is it cool to represent maternity as something negative?

I accidentally ran into this video, which is actually a commercial for the Fiat 500L. I suggest you first look at the video, then read on.

I have to agree that there are plenty of elements which are really funny (I especially like the part about three months in pajamas, I guess, because I too had spent my first three months of motherhood dressed in that way). But what I do not like is a trend of representing motherhood in a negative way. As if it's cool to name the kids as brats, they are a pain in the ass or a disturbance in a restaurant or at the beach, motherhood is just another obligation, you have children because it's "proper to do so" blablablabla .....

Like life itself, motherhood is both bitter and sweet at the same time the, a worry and a joy, but a good organization is the key issue. A lot depends on whether a person is mature before he/she has children, which, unfortunately, many are not, and then starts the whole story with the children as a disturbance.

Yeah, it's not easy to put yourself in another place, it is not easy to accept that you don't have much free time as you had before, but with little effort and some good will (if not by pure instinct), everything is possible. Because a bad parent and child relationship can not be repaired even by a lawsuit, as it is done in China .

P. S. I don't understand how this car is large enough for three children. But, who am I to judge about this, since I'm "a conservative who drives a VW," as I was once etiquetted by my former colleagues.



P.S. Check the linky parties I'm participating in:

Parents in China can sue their children if they don't visit them

Since the world began, there have been unwanted children. And it is the mere (and a sad) fact that is not affected either by the awareness of modern contraceptive methods, and I doubt that anything will change by introducing health education on which there's so much controversy these days in my country.

And yes, it's sad that things in life turn out so that people who want children often can't have them (nor the complicated administrative procedures about adoption or IVF help them), and those who do not want to, have even more than they can feed or even treat children as some kind of interference or obligation.

I am writing this post after reading an article about how parents in China can sue their children if they don't visit them regularly . All the laws of this world can't fix the parent and child relationship built on poor basis, the one without love, mutual understanding and respect. Declaration of the Rights of the Child has been in force for several decades (actually, more than 50 years), and there are still those who could not care less about it.

My point of view is definitely in the contrary to the traditional one, but I see the fourth commandment of God as a mutual and reciprocal relationship.

Being a parent is one of the most demanding roles in a person's life and it is frustrating if you didn't got into it at a mature age, after completing your schooling, employment and finding a home. But you can't blame a kid for that. I do not write this for making myself a moral authority, but only to remind you of the fact how we treat children today, so they will treat us in the future. Perhaps some believe they are doing their best, but is it really true if you do not respect their wishes? Unreasonable wishes of a toddler, like leaving the house in the middle of a winter without a jacket is not what I have in mind.

I recommend you to watch Merida the Brave and you'll probably understand what I'm talking about.

Entertaining children while cooking

Soon there'll be that famous holiday madness when everyone of us spend a lot of time in the kitchen, because there are always some (un)announced guests.

And how to entertain kids during this time?

 Here are some of my ideas:

Magnets on the refrigerator

As you can see on the photos below, The Cars mania still lasts in our house, but there are other magnets as well. Both of my girls like to have fun in this way. The Older likes to create a story, while The Younger just takes them on and off, but half an hour of peace for me is "guaranteed."

Tunnel with balls

I have seen this idea in several versions on Pinterest . It is super simple, you'll only need a TP tube, little ball or a marble and some glue - I've used Patafix. Unfortunately, this is just not appropriate for younger children as they can swallow a marble and since they had no developed a sense of how hard they can push, they often break this toy. And Patafix attracts them to put it in their mouth. So this is definitely a toy 3 +.

If you have a bigger bouncing ball (like those from vending machines in shopping malls), then it is good to add some additional sticky tape because such balls are heavier, therefore, the rolls need additional security. 

The lower part of my kitchen wall is lined with a cork board, so we made this without any problems, but these can be pasted on a fridge or a window. I don't believe it would be held firmly enough on a plain wall, and there is a danger of damaging wall paint while removing the "installation".

  
P.S. I know these are lousy photos, but the light in my kitchen is so poor - I think I have a next DIY project for the hubby. :big grin:

A pinwheel in flower pots

A pinwheel must spend winter somewhere - a great place is the kitchen window, there it will always be warm for it. And the girls love to spin it, spin and spin until they are feeling dizzy. Or until a decorative flowerpot is broken. Therefore this activity is also recommended for bigger kids. I allowed the Younger to play with it, but soon the pinwheel itself (thankfully not the flower pots) was damaged before I managed to take some photos. It is this type of pinwheel, click here for a tutorial to make one.

Source: prittworld.com.hr

Involve them in cooking

 

 super tasty chocolate muffins are made in this way ...

This is definitely their favorite. A cute apron with a funny saying and here we go, ready for action. This is appropriate if you are not in a hurry and if you don't mind the mess. It can be a great opportunity to learn something new, and you can even make real scientific experiments.

My girls especially like when we use cookie molds, it reminds them of play dough. 

 

I've shared this post on the following linky parties:

How to encourage children to read and to love books

Ever since I can remember, I'm crazy about books. Often I hear the story of how, at the age of three, I used to sit, crossed my legs, took a picture book (holding it upside down) and then I would say, "Reading, reading .... and here's where the story ends!"

I seem to have managed to encourage this love with both of my girls. Maybe it's because I read a lot during pregnancy and used to lay the book on the belly :)))))

Here's how their reading corner looks like:

Originally it was a dice table, its top plate can be removed, and below there are two vessels. In the summer, we used it for water games, and over the winter it got completely new purpose.

I think The Little is definitely one of the youngest visitors of our great library, and currently she is most interested in throwing as many books as possible, off the shelves. Luckily she is so cute (objective Mom!) so the librarians still forgive her. Although there is one giving us significant looks.

Where and how to get affordable books

 

Once a year, at the Spring Fair, our library sells written-off books at a bargain price, which is a great source for supplying the home library, since they sell books in a really good condition. Purchasing second hand books is also possible on ebay and other similar sites. There is also a specialized book fair every year in November at my hometown, so I try not to miss it, since all the relevant publishers offer new books also at bargain prices.

The best picture books we have ever read

 

Here's a list of picture books that we've read and I recommend them to everyone, since they are educational and we had a lot of fun while reading them.

A few books for parents are also on this list, but since they are offering activities for children, they should definitely be a part of it.

Stan and Jan Berenstain: The Berenstain Bears 

Source: en.wikipedia.org

I know many of you must have heard of them before, or even read them in your childhood, since these books celebrate 50th anniversary, but to me they are something rather new, because they have not been translated into our mother tongue until recently.

Excellent, educational picture books that talk about real situations children cope with, titles say it all: Too much TV, Too much junk food, Messy room, Big Blooper and many more.

Highly, highly recommend!



Scaredy squirell

Excellent, high-quality picture books that talk about how we protect children too much, preventing them in exploring the world. Although published back in 2008, this is also something new for me (think I haven't seen it so far at the local library). My girls love it so much, it's very funny.

Source: kidscanpress.com

Dick Bruna: Miffy

Who hasn't heard of Miffy? Simple shapes, vivid and memorable lyrics are a magnet for children, but also for mums and dads. The books are available in hard and soft covers, so that the smaller and bigger children can have fun with them.

At the age of two and a half years, my older daughter  already knew to recite most of lyrics from "Miffy is crying", which tells you enough about the simplicity of its verses.

I also like "Miffy and the new baby", since it's a great explanation and preparation for the older kids at the arrival of a new baby in the family.

There are many great cartoons with Miffy as well. 

Source:miffy.com

Tony Ross: The series of picture books about the little princess 

Excellent, educational picture book, aimed at children aged 2-4 describing the topics such as hand washing, potty training and combing, the skills which kids at this age are adopting, and this picture books certainly can help them in doing so, because they are written in a funny way and accompanied by simple illustrations. 

Source: harpercollins.co.uk

Unfortunately not all of the published titles are translated into our mother tongue, so my kids have read only "I want my potty" and  "I don't want to wash my hands". Looking forward in finding new titles in our language.

Christmas things to make and do

Mommy looks forward in reading it, since it has more than 80 (easy!) ideas and activities for the upcoming holidays. I have a feeling that you will be reading about the activities from this book very soon. :)

Source: IglooBooks.com

And finally - Read, read and just read .....!

See what I have pinned about book love .

NOTE: originally I have included more books in my Croatian post, but I couldn't find all of the books translated in English, so I've shortened the list.


P. S. Have you seen this great linky party?

Colorful healthy snacks

When you serve food in a fun way, it is always easier to persuade children to eat something healthy, even the picky eaters.

Food served in this way can be a real piece of art, like these I pinned on Pinterest. But to be honest, most moms have no time for such things, and need simpler solutions.

Here's what I did - I cut fruit into smaller pieces and removed the seeds - in this case bananas, nectarines and grapes. If you want, you can peel the peaches / nectarines, but since this is the nutritient rich part, I didn't do it, but my girls are "big and grown up", as they say, so if you are preparing it for a younger child (under one year, or for a child who yet does not have a lot of teeth), it might be better to peel it.

Here's how it turned out: the preparation lasted longer  than it took the girls to make all the fruit disappear from the plate, as you can see the little fingers were pulling fast for these colorful and healthy snacks.

P.S. I was featured on this amazing linky party, go and have a look!

The International day of the girl child

Ever since I found out the (female) gender of my two children, I hear about how "it would be nice to have a little boy as well."

Truly the saddest part to me is the fact these comments come mainly from (older) female ladies.
Is it a sign that they were discriminated in life because of their gender, I can't tell, but those comments (in the 21st century!) are very inappropriate, and quite rude, I'd say.

I accidentally stumbled upon this post about how, for the first time this year (yes, the first time!) the world celebrates the Day of a girl child on October 11th, so I'm writing on this occasion.

I have been having numerous arguments with people around me regarding this issue (and I do live in urban area!) I even started a discussion on a local forum , in which I could see how many parents of girls also faced with such prejudices. Does it really matter, I ask you? Today, when there is no separate entrance to a school building (take a ride along Draskovic Street in Zagreb, Croatia, and you will see that anachronism on the building of a primary school). Luckily, that is left in the past.
Today, when it is a normal thing that women are highly educated, employed, drive all types of motor vehicles and even fly into space, does it really matter is it a boy or a girl?

Source: http://alum.mit.edu

But apparently there are individuals in whose minds the gender dimension is The thing. Just look at popular cartoons- at the beginning of Lion King 2, Timon and Pumba 2 faint when they hear that Simba had a daughter. In "Lady and the Tramp", Jim Dear jumps with delight when he finds they got a son. However, with their new cartoon, Merida the Brave, Disney definitely abandoned helpless-princesses and princes-who-rescue them philosophy.

To be clear, I'm not a feminist in a way that I have low opinion on men. I am just someone who is aware of the importance of both genders. And we should be here for each other.

Alive and healthy baby. That's only that matters.