I'm a full-time mummy

Welcome to the November Carnival of Natural Parenting: Kids in the Kitchen

This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama. This month our participants have shared how kids get involved in cooking and feeding. Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.

As a parent, of course we would want our child to display good manners at all times. My MIL likes to say that whenever someone sees a child misbehaving, it will always fall on the mother's responsibilities to teach the child good manners and people will always presume that it is the mother who is not teaching the child properly (sigh!*)

So anyway, for this month's "Carnival of Natural Parenting", I would like to share with you guys how my husband and I teach and encourage our 32 months old son (his name is Benjamin) to adopt good manners and maintain his responsibilities during his mealtime. Now what we strives for Ben to continuously do this for his mealtimes are:

1. Pray before eat

Why? -This will teach Ben to appreciate his food and be grateful that he gets to eat everyday! Watch this YouTube video to see how Ben prays before he starts his meal. 

2. Wipe own hands and mouth if messy

Why? -This will teach Ben to maintain cleanliness at all time. I always have a wet handkerchief around me whenever Ben eats. And I'll try as much as I can to remind Ben to wipe his own hands and mouth when it gets messy - of course there are times, I just rush in and clean up for him, but yes, I do try to get him to do it himself as much as he can.

3. Saying 'Please' and 'Thank You' when he wants and get something

Why? -This will teach Ben to ask for something he wants instead of expecting things to be 'spoon-fed' to him!  Watch this YouTube video to see Ben at 19 months, learning to say 'Please'

4. Buckle up for Safety!

Why? -This is so that Ben always remembers safety is a must regardless where he is at. Watch this YouTube video to see Ben at 20 months, learning to buckle up the safety strap when he sits in his high chair. Before he learned to buckle the safety strap himself, he will often reminds us to buckle him up - even in his car seat!

5. To put the empty plate and cutlery into the sink

Why? -I'd want him to take on a more 'big boy' role by doing this and also wants him to feel that mummy and daddy trust him to do bigger tasks. Plus it does ease my workload now that he is doing this! I have just recently started teaching Ben to put his plate and spoon into the sink once he has finished his meal. So far so good!

So how about you?

What mealtime manners and responsibilities that you are trying to instil on your child?

Visit Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama to find out how you can participate in the next Carnival of Natural Parenting! Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:

• Baking & letting go — Cooking with kids can be a mess. Nadia at Red White & GREEN Mom is learning to relax, be patient, and have fun with the process.
• Family feeding in Child of Mine — Lauren at Hobo Mama reviews Ellyn Satter's suggestions for appropriate feeding and points out where her family has problems following through.
• Children with Knives! (And other Kitchen Tools) — Jennifer at True Confessions of a Real Mommy teaches her children how to safely use knives.
• "Mommy, Can I Help?" — Kat at Loving {Almost} Every Moment writes about how she lets her kiddos help out with cooking, despite her {sometimes} lack of patience!
• Solids the Second Time Around — Sheryl at Little Snowflakes recounts her experiences introducing solids to her second child.
• The Adventure of Toddler Tastebuds — The Accidental Natural Mama shares a few things that helped her daughter develop an adventurous palate.
• A Tradition of Love — Kelly at Becoming Crunchy looks forward to sharing the kitchen traditions passed on from her mom and has already found several ways to involve baby in the kitchen.
• The Very Best Classroom — Alicia C. at McCrenshaw's Newest Thoughts reveals how her kitchen is more than a place to make food - it's a classroom!
• Raising Little Chefs — Chef Mike guest posts on Natural Parents Network about how he went from a guy who couldn't cook to a chef who wanted to teach his boys to know how the food we love is made.
• In the Kitchen with my kids — Isil at Smiling like Sunshine shares a delicious soup recipe that her kids love.
• Papa, the Pancake Artist — Papa's making an incredible breakfast over at Our Mindful Life.
• Kids won't eat salad? Try this one! — Tat at Mum in Search is sharing her children's favourite salad recipe.
• Recipe For a Great Relationship — Cooking with kids is about feeding hearts as well as bellies, writes Hannah at Wild Parenting.
• The Ritual of Mealtimes — Syenna at Gently Parenting Twins writes about the significance of mealtimes in her family’s daily rhythm.
• Kid, Meet Food. Food, Kid. — Alburnet at What's Next? panicks about passing on her food "issues" to her offspring.
• Growing Up in the Kitchen — Cassie at There's a Pickle in My Life shares how her son is growing up in the kitchen.
• Harvesting Corn and History — From Kenna at School Garden Year: The kids in the school garden harvest their corn and learn how much history grows in their food.
• My Guiding Principles for Teaching my Child about Food — Tree at Mom Grooves uses these guiding principles to give her daughter a love of good food and an understanding of nutrition as well as to empower her to make the best choices for her body.
• Kitchen Control — Amanda at Let's Take the Metro writes about her struggles to relinquish control in the kitchen to her children.
• Food — Emma at Your Fonder Heart lets her seven month old teach her how to feed a baby.
• Kitchen Fun? — Adrienne at Mommying My Way questions how much fun she can have in a non-functional kitchen, while trying to remain positive about the blessings of cooking for her family.
• Kitchen Adventures — Erica at ChildOrganics shares fun ways to connect with your kids in the kitchen.
• Kids in the Kitchen: Finding the Right Tools — Melissa at Vibrant Wanderings shares some of her favorite child-sized kitchen gadgets and where to find them.
• The Kitchen Classroom — Laura at Authentic Parenting knows that everything your kids want to learn is at the end of the ladle.
• Kids in the Kitchen — Luschka from Diary of a First Child talks about the role of the kitchen in family communication and shares fun kitchen activities for the under two.
• Our Kitchen is an Unschooling Classroom. — Terri at Child of the Nature Isle explores the many ways her kitchen has become a rich environment for learning.
• Montessori-Inspired Food Preparation for Preschoolers — Deb Chitwood at Living Montessori Now shares lots of resources for using Montessori food preparation activities for young children in the kitchen.
• My Little Healthy Eater — Christine at African Babies Don't Cry shares her research on what is the best first food for babies, and includes a healthy and yummy breakfast recipe.
• Two Boys and Papa in the Kitchen: Recipe for Disaster? — MudpieMama shares all about her fears, joys and discoveries when the boys and handsome hubby took over the kitchen.
• Food choices, Food treats — Henrietta at Angel Wings and Herb Tea shares her family's relationship with food.
• learning to eat — Catherine at learner mummy reflects on little M's first adventures with food.
• The Night My 7-Year-Old Made Dinner — Melodie at Breastfeeding Moms Unite! shares how her 7-year-old daughter surprised everyone by turning what started as an idea to play restaurant into pulling off making supper for her family.
• Cooking With a High-Needs Toddler — Sylvia at MaMammalia describes how Montessori-inspired activities and a bit of acceptance have helped her overcome hurdles in cooking while caring for a "high-needs" child.
• Kids in the Kitchen – teaching healthy food choices — Brenna at Almost All The Truth shares her belief in the importance of getting kids into the kitchen using her favorite cookbook for kids to develop healthy food choices now and hopefully into the future.
• Make Milk, Not War — Tamara at Tea for Three remembers the daily food fights as she struggled to feed a picky eater.
• teaching baby birds about good food. — Sarah at Small Bird on Fire writes about the ways in which her family chooses to gently teach their son how to make wise food decisions.
• 5 Ways to Enhance Your Baby or Young Toddler's Relationship with Food — Charise at I Thought I Knew Mama shares simple ways to give your child a healthy beginning to her lifelong relationship with food.
• Toddler at the Table: 10 Creative Solutions — Moorea at Mamalady shares tips for preventing meal-time power struggles.
• How My Child Takes Responsibility During His Mealtime... — Jenny @ I'm a full-time mummy shares how she teaches and encourages her 32 months old son on adopting good manners and responsibilities during his mealtimes...
• Kids in the Kitchen: 6 Tips Plus a Recipe — Kristin at Intrepid Murmurings shares six tips for overcoming some of the the difficulties of cooking with multiple young sous chefs, and a recipe they all can agree on!
• How BLW has made me a better parent — Zoe at Mummykins shares how baby-led weaning has changed her approach to parenting.
• My Budding Chef — Jenny at Chronicles of a Nursing Mom is no cook but is happy that her daughter has shown an inclination and manages to whip up yummy goodies for their family.
• Kids in the Kitchen: An Activity for Every Age — Gaby from Tmuffin describes how she keeps her kids busy in the kitchen, whether they are one week old or two years old.
• The Phantastically Mutlipurposed Phyllo — Ana at Pandamoly shares how Phyllo is used to create enticing dishes at home! Anything can be made into a Struedel!
• Kitchen Kids — Laura from A Pug in the Kitchen shares her children's most favorite recipe to make, experience and eat.
• Independence vs. Connection in the Kitchen: won't you please get yourself your own snack already? — Lisa at Organic Baby Atlanta wishes her daughter would just go make a mess in the kitchen. But her daughter only wants to do it together.
• Grandma Rose's Kitchen — Abbie at Farmer's Daughter reminisces about her childhood and dreams of filling her kitchen with people, love, noise, and messes.
• Healthy Food Choices for Kids — Jorje offers one way to encourage children to make their own healthy food choices at MommaJorje.com.
• Cooking food to thrive rather than survive — Phoebe at Little Tinker Tales is trying to foster a lifetime of good food habits by teaching her children about the importance of avoiding junk, cooking healthy meals, and learning about the whole food process.
• Evolution of a self-led eater — Sheila at A Gift Universe shares the story of how her son grew from nursing around the clock to eating everything in sight, without her having to push.
• 10 Ways Tiny Helps In The Kitchen — Jennifer at Hybrid Rasta Mama explores the ways in which her toddler actively participates in kitchen-related activities.
• The Complexity of Feeding a Child — Feeding children a healthy diet is no straight-forward task, but Lisa at My World Edenwild shares some general guidelines to help your child thrive.
• Lactation Cookies — That Mama Gretchen shares a fun recipe that will benefit both mamas and babies!
• 50 of the Best Books, Websites, & Resources to Inspire Kids in the Kitchen — Need inspiration to get your kids in the kitchen? Dionna at Code Name: Mama rounds up some of the best books and websites that can serve as a source for ideas, recipes, and cooking with littles fun.
• A 4-year-old's smoothie recipe — Jen at Grow With Graces and her son set out to make a smoothie without the usual ingredients. She let him improvise. See how it turned out.
• Independent Food Preparation (My Toddler Can Do That?) — Megan at Montessori Moments shares simple ways for children to prepare their own healthy snacks.
• Follow Your Gut — Amy at Anktangle shares her philosophy about intuitive eating, and how she's trying to foster her son's trust in his own inner wisdom when he feels hungry.
• A TODDLER-STYLE LUNCH + RECIPE — Manic Mrs. Stone photographs how to have messy fun during lunchtime with a helpful toddler.

Absolutely heart this moment!

I secretly snapped this shots of Ben holding his baby sister's hand. He doesn't know I took the pics!

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Few days ago, I received an email from Jeff Gold with regards to his music album and after reading his email that he composes relaxation music for spas, massage and yoga, that has also become popular with parents of special needs kids (mainly children with autism) who listen to help them relax and sleep, I decided to review his "Escapes" music album. 

To tell you the truth, I've never been to a spa before (not kidding!), so I have no idea what sort of music they played at the spa, and my children are not autistic so, my reason for reviewing this is to see whether it does help me to relax or not. Being a SAHM, I'm cooped up in the house (our bedroom mainly) 24/7/365 and I'd love to give this a try! Anyway, my review as below...

* Title: Escapes - Music for Relaxing
* Price: $8.00 (Digital Album), $15.00 (CD includes download of 15 tracks album)
* ASIN: B0027CHR6Y
* Label: Jeff Gold Music

What's good?

* The songs are really relaxing and helps take your mind off from the hectic life and just enjoy the peaceful moment.

* These are some of the songs that I kept playing over and over on my laptop:

#2 - Hanalei (Love this! You can click on the song title to hear it on YouTube)
#3 - Escapes
#4 - Fine by Me Slowly
#7 - Gentle Rain

* In song #15 (Safe Harbour), I could imagine myself sitting on a beach staring at the sunset, watching as the sun goes down and the sky turning dark... nice!!!

Room for Improvement?

* In song #3 (Escapes), there are certain part during the chorus where I thought I heard sighing sound (very fast) - got me creep out initially wondering where the sighing sound came from.

You can purchase it from Jeff Gold's website, Amazon or the iTunes Store.

Now, Jeff has graciously offered my blog readers and visitors a discount coupon code when you purchase his album.

The code for the 25% coupon discount is "Relax" (no quotes) and can only be used in the cart on his website. He is also offering a free song download for "Del Playa" by visiting http://jeffgold.bandcamp.com/track/del-playa-2

I received no monetary compensation for this review, I was provided with the authorised password to download the 15-track album in MP3 format to assist my review. All opinions expressed in this post are my own. Please do your own research when purchasing products, as your opinions may differ from mine.