Veggie Way

Preparing the older sibling for the birth of the new baby

2010-02-26T17:47:00.005Z

Days are passing by so quickly with two little ones.
Mum is still here and although she is doing almost all of the chores,I can hardly have sometime. I am either breastfeeding or changing the baby or I am spending some time with Defne.The weather is still very cold here so most of the time we are at home.Can't wait for spring now.
My heart fills with joy when I see Defne interacting with Derin.She enjoys singing to him. She tries to do her best to soothe him when Derin cries.
During my pregnancy we talked a lot about the new baby.About how our lives will change with the birth of the baby,what is it like being a big sister and how she was a baby once,how we will cosleep altogether, how mummy will also breastfeed the baby and how we will sling him..I had bought a few books to prepare Defne to being a big sister.I really think that these books were helpful.

I am a big sister The big sister tells about the advantages of being big and how she is interacting with the new baby.The only thing I don't like about this book is that the baby is bottlefed and breastfeeding is never mentioned at all.

Hello Baby is one of the most beautiful books I have seen.It tells the story of a home birth.So especially useful if you are planning a home birth. The illustrations in this book are beautiful.

On Mother's Lap is another book we enjoyed reading. A small Eskimo boy discovers that Mother's lap is a very special place with room for everyone.

Another nice book is The New Baby Sticker Book from Usborne First Experiences Series.

Baby bliss

2010-02-09T16:27:00.004Z

I thought I would give you an update about how we are.Our little boy is getting bigger. We are a little bit sleep deprived but enjoying the baby bliss.He is 3 weeks old now. Defne likes being the big sister and it is lovely watching them.She likes telling him what she is up to. When she brings a few nappies for him,she bends over him and says "Derin,I brought nappies for you" ;)
I want to write more but I am so sleepy at the moment that I can't write much.
So I am leaving you with a few pics.

20 days old

Derin's birth story

2010-01-27T10:10:00.004Z

My pregnancy with Derin was quite different from my pregnancy with Defne. Everyone says labour is faster and easier the second time round however our story was a bit different.

16th of Jan,Saturday morning 7.30 and I woke up with a sensation of water trickling down. Went to the bathroom and yes my waters was broken.
I took a shower,then called the hospital. I had a very fast labour first time (6 hours) so I was concerned that it might be much faster this time. However the baby had other plans.
We went to hospital around 9.30,I was having some mild contractions but nothing serious.So we decided to go back home. Time was passing but contractions were still mild. When your waters break, they want to do an induction if labour does not start in 24 hours( in case there might be an infection) I wanted to avoid an induction so kept active. I had a very beautiful birth experience with Defne and was looking forward to experience a similar labour with this little one,too. So I gently bounced on the birth ball and walked and finally after midnight I was having stronger contractions.
At 3 am we were back in the hospital,midwife checked me, I was at 5 cm.
I went into the pool and started using gas and air.Last time I loved it, this time it made me feel dizzy and I threw up in the pool! So had to get out,wait until they refilled it. It's difficult to express my feelings but I can say labour was much more intense this time, I could hardly speak to want some water etc. and I was very vocal. When his head was emerging the midwife said "he's looking at the stars" but I didn't get what she really meant. Had to push really hard and at 5.08 am he was there. it was just unbelievable! After the cord stop pulsating,DH cut the cord. So the early labour was longer than I had anticipated, but the actual labour was only 2 hours long.

The midwife then said he was back to back, that is why it was so difficult.

We left the hospital around noon,exhausted but very happy!
He was born 2760 gr which is about 6 pounds. He is gaining well though,was at birth weight on the 5th day. Thanks to tandem feeding my milk came in early.

Defne is such a lovely big sister! She is behaving much more mature than I expected.

This is minutes after the siblings met,Defne wanted to hold him immediately.

We are enjoying the baby bliss at the moment.My mum had come from Turkey a few days before labour and it's great to have help. It is still early days,but I am enjoying it much more this time. The first time,I didn't know how to hold the baby,how to breastfeed her etc etc. The second time,you are experienced and all of these come easier.

And baby makes four

2010-01-18T15:57:00.002Z

Our baby boy Derin was born at 5 am on Sunday morning.He is gorgeous.
My waters broke on Saturday morning but labour wasn't established until midnight.
We went to the hospital at 3 and he was born after 2 hours in the birthing pool.
All is well and we are enjoying our baby.

Happy new year!

2010-01-03T20:55:00.002Z

Although this is a late post, I want to wish everyone a happy new year!

Today Defne turned 3. I can't believe how fast time flies! She had a great weekend and enjoyed repeating that she is 3 now :)
As for me, I am 36 weeks now. Only 4 weeks to go! The hospital bag is ready now. Defne was born at 38 weeks + 5 days so I have a feeling that this baby might as well be a little bit early.Can't wait to see this little one!
Hope to update again soon.

2009-09-15T19:44:00.002Z

Hello after a long long time of absence!
So here I am, 20 weeks pregnant as of tomorrow! So the baby is half baked now!
Last month when we were in Turkey we had a scan, and learnt that this little one is a boy!
So here we go, a whole new experience! Defne is very excited with the idea of being a big sister! She strokes my belly all the time and sings to her brother! Looks like they will get on well ;)
Speaking of my belly, I am quite bigger than I was with Defne.
Oh and except the reflux that started about a month ago, I feel fine. However reflux is just awful. Once I throw up after or before breakfast, I feel fine and manage to keep my food down.Thanks to the MDC, I learnt about papaya extract and it does seem to help a little.
Defne has grown so much this summer. Not only physically, but she is also becoming an independent little person. She has just started to a Montessori nursery last week and looks like she's loving it. I will write more on that later.
Until then take care!

2009-09-13T09:01:00.002Z

I know I have been quite for a long time again,I will write more soon but before that I would like you to visit The Mother Magazine.I have written a lot about them in the past.Unfortunately they are going through difficult times.Please subscribe to keep this wonderful publication going!

The Mother Magazine

2009-07-27T20:15:00.005Z

We are expecting baby number 2!
We have known it for quite a while but I wasn't feeling ready to announce it on the blog yet.I am 13 weeks pregnant now and the baby is due in late January/early February.
This pregnancy is so different from the first one.I haven't had severe morning sickness like the last time which is great!
I feel tired and suffer from nausea from time to time but that is all and I hope these will pass in a few weeks.
We had our first ultrasound scan today and thankfully all is well.
Defne is very excited about the baby and tells everyone that she has a baby in her tummy,too :)

2009-07-20T20:21:00.003Z

Anybody out there?
It has been so quiet here,hasn't it?
I went through a difficult time of my life and did not feel like blogging.
I lost my dad last month.He was ill and not doing well but we were hoping that he would get well soon.Unfortunately he couldn't make it.
It is difficult being abroad in such times..I am glad that we visited my parents in April and got to see him for the last time.
One of my close friends who also lost her dad years ago,told me that grief, isn't something that will come, last a period of time, then go away. It's like an ocean, sorrow coming in like waves, then receding and coming back when you're not watching, hitting you full force in the back, or slamming you straight in the face. Then, it recedes again.I understand this more and more as time passes.
Well,that is all for now.
I hope you are all well.
Hoping to update with more cheerful posts soon..

2009-06-11T12:35:00.003Z

Lovely spaghetti sauce.
I used Jamie's simple pasta recipe,here,replacing tinned tomatoes with fresh ones.
I am loving tomatoes and basil these days.What do you enjoy?

Wordless Wednesday

2009-06-03T14:31:00.003Z

I like that she is lost exploring under this old tree at Kew Gardens.
Visit WW HQ here.

2009-05-28T10:32:00.003Z

I compiled this week's menu from The Fatfree Vegan Kitchen. We are trying new recipes this week and really enjoying them. Yesterday we had this ridiculously easy lentil soup.It was very cold here so was a very good choice.
For today I will prepare this eggplant and tofu in spicy garlic sauce.Sounds yummy!

Making Bubbles With A Sponge

2009-05-21T16:20:00.003Z

There are some amazing blogs which feature interesting activities to do with the kidlets. As much as I enjoy reading them,I do feel overwhelmed by them.Simply because I am not that organised and I am not a crafty girl.
If you are anything like me,then pop on over to The Wonder Years.I like her style: Everything is neat and tidy and most of the materials she uses can be found at any home.
Today we made bubbles with a sponge and Defne enjoyed it.When she began to lose her interest,she wanted a spoon and stirred and then she transfereed the bubbles on the sponge with the spoon.So much to play and learn!

2009-05-20T19:10:00.005Z

Defne has given up her naps and this leaves me with very little time to blog during the day.When she goes to bed around 7 o'clock I am totally knackered and just want some silence,grab a tea and watch a movie or read a book.
****
A few months ago I was in our local health food store with afriend of mine and she asked me if I have ever tried red quinoa.I hadn't so I thought I would give it a try and bingo! I like it so much,I prefer it to "yellow" quinoa now.It has a more nutty flavour in my opinion.It is very easy to prepare and very nutritious.

Photo from Wikipedia

I use this recipe from 101 Cookbooks and it goes down very well indeed.

Raw sweet potato crisps

2009-05-11T13:55:00.005Z

I bought Shazzie's beautiful book Evie's Kitchen a few months ago and have tried only one or two of the recipes. This weekend I decided to try another recipe and chose the sweet potato crisps.
I decreased the quantity in the original recipe and when they were done,I understood that the sesame oil was not enough.They turned too crispy for our liking but they go well with a bean dip or hummus :)

Evie's Kitchen is a beautiful book full of colorful pictures.

The book is divided into two sections.
In the first section, you can read about Shazzie's personal path to parenting and her thoughts and experiences on pregnancy,breastfeeding and natural parenting.The second section is full of kid friendly raw recipes.
Some require a dehydrator but some are really simple to make.
She also uses a fair bit of superfoods like maca powder,purple corn extract but I guess these can be omitted or replaced with something else.
Hope you have a nice week!

2009-05-10T09:38:00.000Z

Finally time to write a few words about our holiday.
We flew from Gatwick to Izmir where Soner's family lives.There was a big family reunion where Defne enjoyed playing with her cousins.She is the 10th and youngest grandchild on daddy's side so she had lots of fun there.
One day we visited the newly opened Izmir Wildlife Park.

Then we flew to Antalya to visit my side of the family. My sister also came so we got to have so many baby cuddles.Defne enjoyed playing with Ela -she is 6 months now- and she was so gentle with her.

It was nice getting to see everyone again,despite some family members having health problems.
Defne was great on the plane trips and during the holiday.However towards the end,she was having meltdowns at the drop of a hat. I find this the most difficult aspect of a holiday with a child. Since our routine changes,she sometimes skips naps or prefers not to sleep. Having too many people around makes her more tired and all these conntributions can make her very difficult at times.Overall though,she had a great time with the extended family.
And did I mention that the weather was so nice and warm :)

2009-05-06T11:55:00.002Z

Days are flying by and I didn't have a chance to sit and write a blog post.
It has been a bit hectic here. I have yet to download our holiday pics.
Today we are homebound as we are expecting a parcel to arrive.
I hope to come back and write a proper post soon...

2009-04-29T09:26:00.002Z

Just a quick word to say we arrived home last night.
We had a lovely time with family and friends in Turkey.
Hope you are all well.Off to town for grocery shopping now.

2009-04-08T15:14:00.003Z

We are off to Turkey for a holiday tomorrow.
Hoping to be here 3 weeks later,wishing you a lovely spring!

Sleeping through the night

2009-04-06T18:30:00.000Z

My latest post for API Speaks

Back in November I had written about night-time parenting. I had asked how the situation is in other AP homes.
Well, things have changed quite a lot since and I thought it would be nice to give feedback.
Between October and December my daughter had a major sleep regression where she would wake up in the middle of the night and wanted to play for endless hours. Very tough days.. I tried giving up naps,moving her bed time, but nothing seemed to help.
In January we went to a short holiday and when we returned back,things began to change slowly. She was not fighting against sleep any more. When I told her, it was bed time, instead of running away from me, she began to choose the books she wanted me to read to her.
Gradually, she started sleeping for longer stretches,like 3-4 hours.
In the last 3-4 weeks, she has even technically slept through the night. (That is five or more hours without waking up for a feed) Once she slept from 9pm to 5am which was just unbelievable for me!
I have always nursed her to sleep,for many months in our Ergo,but one day she said she wanted to sleep on my lap.This shortened the time I had to spend every evening trying to put her to sleep.
Since a week or so, I nurse her until she gets very sleepy and then lie next to her,and say "close your eyes, it's sleepy time" and it works wonderfully. Last night she told me that she wanted to "look at me",so sweet! I gave her a big hug and she was happy to close her eyes.
I am so glad that our daughter came to this stage with no pushing from us. She does not sleep through every night yet, but I saw the light at the end of the tunnel.
If you are a sleep-deprived mama, just hang in there. It does get better.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-04-01T20:47:00.001Z

Wearing mama's boots are such fun!

To see more WW visit here

Muffin Tin Monday

2009-03-30T21:12:00.002Z

I can't remember when I first read about serving a nibble tray for the little ones is a great way to encourage them to eat something while they are on the go.
Defne loves this.Sometimes she can't get enough of a particular food and asks for more,some days she won't touch most of it,some days everything is eaten ;)
Cucumber sticks,apple slices,grapes,spelt puffs,cashew nuts and goji berries.

Introducing a second language

2009-03-26T17:17:00.005Z

Because both myself and Soner are non-native English speakers,we didn't want to teach English to Defne. Now that we are living here,she has lots of exposure to the language and given that young children learn a language so quickly,it wouldn't be a problem. But then I was also feeling a bit anxious that she would feel like a stranger when the time is ripe and she starts to nursery or school.
Then I came across this article, Giving the gift of a language by Annalisa Barbieri:

The thing about learning languages very young is that, just as they learn their mother tongue easily by being surrounded by it, they can pick up another in the same way: it becomes almost like one big language to them. It's not the difficult process it becomes after about the age of 10 or 12. Research has shown that after this age the brain handles language differently because until then it is constantly making neurological connections - after this age the hard-wiring slows down.

We decided to go for it. We ordered the BBC language course Muzzy that Barbieri mentions in her article and she just loves it.
It has been about 2 months now. She is learning English now,obviously in a very different way than we adults learn it and it is amazing. It came with a cuddly toy of Muzzy so she quickly bonded with it.
I observe that she is listening more attentively now when I speak to someone in English and sometimes repeats some of the words or remembers some words from Muzzy and keeps saying them.

A lovely book

2009-03-19T19:41:00.004Z

Look what arrived yesterday!
This is one of the most fantastic books I have ever seen!
I came across this through Pixie,thank you my dear! Pixie was mentioning Disposable Aardvarks' list of recommendations for vegetarian kids. Another thank you to you dear Veganf!
When I browsed it, I fell in love with this book:Food for Thought by Saxton Freymann & Joost Elfers.

The book explores colours,shapes,letters,numbers and opposites with the help of vegetable and fruit characters.
Defne enjoyed it,too.

Here are a few sample pages for your pleasure:

Defne's favorite books

2009-03-13T14:12:00.007Z

Dear Pixie inspired me to write a post about Defne's favourite books.

Now, first of all I have to write about The Bear series from Barefoot Books. We bought 2 of these when Defne was around 14 months old.She loved these,a few months later we bought the other ones. The books are beautifully illustrated. At 27 months,they are still read every other day if not every day!

Poppy Cat (Pisi Kedi in Turkish) was also bought when she was one year old during our holiday in Turkey. It has lift the flap and feel and touch pages.She still likes these.

Miffy is quite an old character,first published in the 60s. So Miffy's father is always wearing a tie :)Defne loves this rabiit very much. The book is written in a rhyming text which is great for language development.We have a few in Turkish.

This is a classic and I now know why.Eric Carle's books are just beautiful.
ETA:Eric Carle on Guardian today(14.03.2009)

In our local library there is a Maisy corner where all the Maisy books are displayed. I have introduced Defne to Maisy a few months ago and since then we literally live with Maisy and her gang ;)

After watching How to Catch A Star at the theatre,we also bought the book.This is one of the most beautifully illustrated books I have ever seen.

My Cat just sleeps is devoted to all cat lovers out there. It was in our Bookstart package which Defne was given on her 2nd birthday.

Piglet and Mama was borrowed from the library. It is a beautiffuly told story about a piglet who lost his mother in the farm and their reunion.We read this book many times cuddling each other.

Backpack Baby is great for all babies and toddlers who love their slings/wraps.It is a small book,very handy to pop in your bag so that the little ones don't get bored on short trips.

Now it is time to write about our books in Turkish for my Turkish readers. We had bought a few books last year after having read about them on dear Yasemin's blog. Limon Agacinin Sarkisi, Butun Gun Esneyen Prenses and Cikolata (all of these books are from Redhouse Kidz) are very much loved here. We are looking forward to buy more books in Turkish on our next trip.

Which books do your children love?

Update from us

2009-03-11T08:35:00.004Z

Defne has been sleeping really well at nights. This major development started after we came from Belgium and it is still going on. I can't believe it! She sleeps for longer stretches,like 3-4 hours. She even slept from about 12-5am 2 nights.Having said that for the last 2 weeks, she takes 30 minute naps in the afternoon (it takes me about 40 min. to put her to sleep and in return I get a half an hour break,not fair huh?) I think she still needs these naps however short they are,otherwise she can get grumpy.
We have started potty learning very slowly. Only problem she wants to sit on the potty with her pants. (rolls her eyes) It is still a development though,a few weeks ago she was rejecting to sit on the potty at all.
We started to Kindermusik 2 weeks ago.Defne enjoys it.
Spring is just around the corner but it is still quite chilly here.Next month we are flying to Turkey.It is lovely in April,not too hot,not cold,really lovely.My sister and my niece will be coming from Belgium,too so it will be a family reunion.

Love it or hate it

2009-03-06T00:17:00.004Z

Remember my post about vegan yeast exact? I had asked for help about to love this stuff.Thanks for all your suggestions at the time.
My sister is a huge fan of vegetarian yeast extract and thanks to her,she taught me to love it when I was visiting her a few months ago.
She told me never to forget that "I am a beginner", and I spread, maybe 1/8 of a teaspoon of yeast on half of a slice of bread and topped it with vegan cheddar cheese.It was tasty this way.
As I was preparing to write this post,I read about the history of it on Wikipedia:

Today, the main ingredients of Marmite manufactured in the UK are glutamic acid-rich yeast extract, with lesser quantities of sodium chloride (table salt), vegetable extract, niacin, thiamine, spice extracts, riboflavin, folic acid, and celery extracts, although the precise composition is a trade secret.[4] By 1912, the discovery of vitamins was a boost for Marmite, as the spread is a rich source of the vitamin B complex; vitamin B12 is not naturally found in yeast extract, but is added to Marmite during manufacture. With the vitamin B1 deficiency beri-beri being common during the First World War, the spread became more popular.

If you are still interested and give it a try,there are heaps of ideas on how to use the spread on the website of Marmite.

When you are feeling overwhelmed by breastfeeding

2009-03-02T09:50:00.001Z

My latest post for API Speaks

My daughter has just turned two. Breastfeeding is still going strong here and we have no plans to stop yet.
However, when your child turns two,you expect them to be more independent and breastfeed less. At least that was my expectation.
In January,we were away visiting my sister. Believe me, my daughter was feeding much more than her 3 month old cousin!
I started to feel overwhelmed but thought this was because we were away from home and she is missing daddy.
Once we returned home,to my surprise nothing changed.
I started to question whether this was normal or not.
Was it normal to breastfeed so much at this age or was she just trying to get my attention? Was she feeding just because she was bored or was I not able to meet some of her needs and was she resorting to breastfeeding?
For the first time in my breastfeeding career,I felt overwhelmed and tired about it.
Thanks to the internet,I turned to my online community.
I have learnt that while some two year olds are happy to breastfeed just a few times during the day,some increase the time they spent at mama's breast(especially around 2.5 years old as they go through a major development and they need the omega 3 in breastmilk.)
When I talked about this with our local LLL leader,she kindly brought Nursing Your Toddler to our next meeting. This book is great as it has a section about what to expect past infancy.
Kellymom also has a good article about dealing with these "velcro days".
I have recently read Veronika Robinson's book,The Drinks are On Me (She is the editor of The Mother magazine).
What she wrote,really spoke to me.

Breastfeeding in toddlerhood can make the terrible twos,the terrific twos. Breastfeeding allows the child to have comfort during the time in their life when they are discovering they are actually a seperate being to mother. They come and go,from us,the matrix,back and forward,back and forward. We provide them with so many things when we breastfeed. Security in a mother's unconditionally loving arms,drinking liquid love,is something which lives within every cell of a child's being, and journeys with them through the rest of their life.

Learning my daughter was just going through a stage; I wasn't doing anything wrong and "this too shall pass" gave a such a relief to me that I started enjoying breastfeeding again.
She went back to normal in a few weeks. This made me realise that although she doesn't look like a baby anymore, she is still my baby who may need to breastfeed quite frequently. Knowing what to expect made all the difference for me.

2009-02-27T00:45:00.004Z

Hi there,
hope you are all doing well.
The week is passing by so fast.
I did some changes on my blog,I suppose everything looks much better now.
I hope to add more links in a few days.
By the way, I am quite happy with the menu I chose for this week,except for the quiche.I don't know where I did the mistake but the base turned out to be quite thick,also the filling was not as creamy as I had expected it to be.
Any vegan quiche recipe recommendations?

Menu Plan Monday

2009-02-23T10:13:00.000Z

I am finally back to meal planning this week.I hope to try lots of new recipes as recently I have been repeating the same things over and over.

Monday:Broccoli Quiche from the Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook p.103
Tuesday:Kidney Beans in olive oil
Wed:Chunky Celery Soup
Thursday:Heather's Quinoa Recipe
Friday: Yotam Ottolenghi's Two potato vindaloo
Saturday:Eat out
Sunday:Fettucine Alfreda (Vegan with a vengeance p.141)

You can find other menu plans at Organizing Junkie

Book Review:The Drinks Are On Me

2009-02-20T09:05:00.002Z

I have just read a book named The Drinks are on me.
Isn't it a beautiful name for a book about breastfeeding?
The author,Veronika Robinson, whom I have written about here many times,is the editor of The Mother Magazine.

In this book she shares her own experiences as a mother who breastfed her children for 10 years (including 5 years of tandem feeding).
As she says on the foreword,in an ideal world our mothers would have tell us everything they knew about breastfeeding.Sadly we don't live in this ideal world so she tells everything your mother never told you about breastfeeding.
She mentions the common issues about breastfeeding,the latch positions,the problems you may encounter (engorgement,mastitis etc )however what I like most is that there is a huge section about breastfeeding toddlers,tandem feeding,child-led weaning and how it feels to breastfeed older children (her daughters self-weaned at 7 and 8).
Veronika says that her utopia is that children are breastfed at least two and a half years and if parent-led weaning must happen,she wishes it to be gentle rather than abrupt.
This book is a gem, so inspiring!I couldn't put it down. Highly recommended!

Lots of activities this week!

2009-02-18T09:05:00.004Z

It is half term here so there are loads of activities in town.We went to Kindermusik on Monday as part of the Family Festival.It is a music class for preschool children.Defne enjoyed dancing and singing.Now that she is too old to go to Rhyme Sessions at our local library, we are considering going to Kindermusik regularly.
Then,yesterday we went to London,to the theatre for the first time.
We watched How to Catch A Star (written by Oliver Jeffers)at Polka Theatre.

I suppose it was very successful as the children sit still for 40 minutes and watched the play and really enjoyed it.We are talking about 2-5 year olds here ;)
I would love to take D. to this theatre more often,the only problem is tickets sell out months before!
Running off now as I have to get us ready for today's event:Boogie Babies.

Book Review:The Food of Love

2009-02-12T22:13:00.002Z

I have been waiting for this book since I had read Kate Evans' other book,Funny Weather.
Since my pregnancy I have read loads of books about parenting and breastfeeding,I have to say this one is extraordinary.
First of all,Kate Evans is a very talented cartoonist.
She talks about all aspects of breastfeeding(there are funky cartoons about how to latch a baby,mamasutra (advanced breastfeeding positions) and parenting with personal experience,up to date scientific information and humor.
She covers all the issues that you face from the moment you have your baby.Cosleeping,babywearing,why you should not leave your baby to cry it out.All of these,make it a perfect book in my humble opinion.
Guaranteed to make you laugh out loud!
I gave my copy to my sister who is a new mama.She also enjoyed reading it.
I wish it was given to all pregnant women for free.
You can find a few sample pages here.

Defne's new play area

2009-02-09T11:48:00.006Z

We live in a small flat so Defne does not have a room of her own or a play room.
When we moved here, she was only 5 months old and had only a few toys.
As time passed by her toys added up.We bought a toy chest, however, after a time,we found out it was no longer able to meet our needs. Some of the toys live in the depths of the chest where she can never reach. Some of the toys were never played with and there were a few clusters of toys around all the time.
Finally we decided to organize her play area according to the Montessori philosophy and we are very happy with the new situation.
According to Tim Seldin aouthor of How to raise an amazing child the Montessori way),

Left to their own devices,young children may tend to create chaos,but they also have a tremendous need and love for an orderly environment.
When everything has its set place your child can easily maintain order in her room. It is surprising what an impact this can have on their developing personality.

I would have never known this before but seeing my daughter,I definitely agree. D. always puts everything in its place.Sometimes when we are in the shops and she is browsing through the aisles,she takes something from the shelf and after having looked or played with it,she insists that we put it on its place :)
We bought a decent shelf and a few wicker baskets and voila!

We grouped some of the toys and put them in the baskets.For example all her little balls and puppets are in the first basket,the second one contains her kitchen utensils and the third one contains her musical instruments.
Her cuddly toys and dolls are in the toy chest next to the shelf and there are a few boxes on the floor.
This new organization enables her to see all of her toys (we are rotating them) and play with them as she pleases. Also, at the end of the day,everything goes to its place.
To find more info about how to organize your child's environment according to Montessori principles, check out Micheal Olaf's book, Joyful Child (available as pdf.)

Wordless Wednesday

2009-02-04T14:50:00.005Z

Photo by E.Sarisoy

Click here to see other people's WW.

2009-02-02T10:40:00.003Z

Hello,
we arrived back to home on Thursday.
We had a good time in Brussels with my sister.Although we spent most of our time indoors due to the cold weather,time flew so fast! My sister's baby is 3 months old now and life with a toddler and a newborn was so very busy.I don't know how mothers juggle with a few young kids!
Last night it started snowing here and when we woke up this morning everywhere was under a snow blanket.Lovely!I haven't seen so much snow since my childhood in Germany.
Defne enjoyed playing with snowballs.
Here are a few pics:

I am hoping to be back with more substantial posts in a few days.
Until then,take care!

2009-01-20T23:29:00.002Z

Hello,
I am writing from Brussels. We came to visit my sister and her lovely baby.
I am enjoying lots of newborn cuddles.Defne is getting a bit jealous though :) But she loves to sing songs and dance to her.Today she once leaned over her and gave smiles.Nice to watch. She also wants to breastfeed every time she sees her cousin breastfeeding ;)
I hope to post again some time soon.
With love,

2009-01-14T09:30:00.002Z

Hello dear readers,
I do not know what to write so I'm keeping my silence.Everything seems to be meaningless at the moment.
I can't justify whining about my daughter who wakes up in the middle of the night and wants to play for a few hours.I can't justify planning a weekly menu.
These all seem a bit awkward when innocent people are dying in Gaza and the world leaders seem to blind and deaf.
Like Cristy,I have read Naomi Klein's article on Saturday and am boycotting Israeli products.I am afraid this is all I can do at the moment.

International Delurking week

2009-01-07T21:21:00.003Z

I learned from Pixie that it is delurking week again.Let's play along before the week finishes :)
To be honest,in the past I always used to comment on the blogs I read.I wouldn't understand why one chose to delurk.However I do understand now.
Sometimes I just don't know what to say or sometimes I don't have the time to comment.Or sometimes I'm just being lazy :)
Also,I have been a blogger since 2005.Sometimes I'm losing my inspiration or sometimes I don't want to spend too much time online.I'm not an active blogger who joins the blogging carnivals or leaves comments on others blogs to invite readers to her own blog.
So,if you’re out there but rarely or never comment, please do so now! It’s your chance to say hello, say what you like and don’t like about the blog, and give me the inspiration to keep posting!

Meal Plan Monday

2009-01-05T14:47:00.004Z

We woke up to snow this morning which was lovely.But it's freezing cold.Brrr...
Meal Plan Monday is back again after a few weeks.I decided to try a few new recipes this week. Here we go:

Monday:Bulgur wheat pilaf with butternut squash and spring onions

Tuesday:Fennel & potato soup with herby scones (recipe is from the latest issue of The Mother Magazine)

Wednesday:Mushroom-Leek Quiche

Thursday:Green beans in olive oil

Friday:Sweet corn,black bean,pumpkin bake (again from The Mother Magazine)

Saturday:Pasta with tomatoes and herbs

Sunday:Kidney bean burgers on a bed of quinoa

You can find other menu plans at Organizing Junkie. For vegan menu ideas,pop on over to Cristy's Veg*n Meal Plan Monday.

Happy birthday to my baby!

2009-01-03T16:20:00.010Z

Two years ago today, I gave birth to this bundle of joy!How time flies!I can't believe she's 2 now.
We started the day a little late today.Defne woke up at 3am and was wide awake.So we all got up and read books with her. Miffy and Maisy are her current favorites. We slept around 8 o'clock and woke up around 1.30pm.
Lately Defne has been like this,she goes to bed really late like 12 or 1am.(Even 2 at times)She then sleeps until noon and has a late nap which is not my ideal way of living but I hope it's just a phase.Anyway, back to the birthday with some photos:
Many thanks to my dear friend Pixie who has sent these for Defne:A colouring pad along with a crayon pouch that she made herself.It is lovely with a fabric which has turtles on it.Excellent!

Defne does not like cakes with icing.So I made these raw sweets for her.The light brown ones are maca balls (made with a peruvian maca root powderhence the name)and the dark brown ones are special sweeties, both recipes are from Raw Living.The dark brown ones are a mixture of pine nuts,macademias,carob powder,dates and agave nectar.Defne loves these :)

And finally our birthday present for our little one:A small play kitchen that suits our small flat.
As you see, the girl is a busy mama, cooking food and wearing her baby!

2008-12-25T10:45:00.002Z

Hello again!
I came here to say that I finally feel much better and almost recovered.Yay,it's so nice to feel healthy(well almost)again.
I wanted to take this oppurtinity to wish you a merry Christmas if you're celebrating it.And happy new year!
I'll be back in the early days of the new year!
Till then enjoy the holidays and the festive season!

2008-12-17T19:49:00.002Z

So I was thinking that I'd be back by last Monday but just couldn't.
I'm still sitting here with a stuffed nose, which causes me a headache.It lasted so long and it's so annoying and tiring.
Although I enjoy reading your blogs,I do not feel like writing at the moment.
I hope you're all well.

2008-12-03T16:32:00.003Z

Things have been hectic here since Monday,hence my absence.
D. came down with a nasty cold and needs lots of cuddles and attention.
She comes to me and says "sit on mummy's lap" (in Turkish,of course) She's back to almost exclusively nursing.The only thing she eats is raisins at the moment.
She has been waking up around 2 or 3 am for a few days in a row,plays for an hour or so and then goes to sleep again.So we wake up late,I also need to nap with her at times.As I said things are hectic :)
I try to read your blogs but cannot find time to comment at all.
D. is very interested in the keyboard and whenever I sit to read something,she comes and presses all the buttons.I lock the laptop if I'm not at the table.Are your little ones so interested with your laptops/computers?How do you cope? I'm considering to buy a toy lap top for her :)
Hopefully she'll get better soon and I'll be back,too.
Take care!

Nighttime Parenting

2008-12-01T14:25:00.001Z

If anyone out there is wondering about D's sleep,of course, she didn't repeat that long stretch again.She's coughing and a bit poorly and back to lots of nursing.
Here's my latest post for API Speaks.I had written this before that lovely night(!)
and I'm keen to see other people's comments.

My daughter is almost two years old. I still nurse her to sleep in the sling.Once in the afternoon for a nap and once in the evening.This process takes at least 30 minutes if I’m very lucky,if not more than that. When she falls into deep sleep,I transfer her to the bed.

If you had told me this when I was a mom of a 3 month old,I wouldn’t believe it.Back then I didn’t know that most of the babies need some kind of parenting to sleep.
My daughter has never been an easy sleeper. She still wakes up at least 3-4 times during the night.
While she was growing, I have learned that it is perfectly normal and healthy for them to wake up during the night.
I have seen babies who easily drift off to sleep and I have seen babies who gave their parents difficult times and as a result were unfortunately sleep trained.I wholeheartedly believe that sleep training is harmful for babies.
While I don’t feel resentful for helping my daughter going to sleep, I’d like to gently encourage her to sleep on her own, if it’s possible at all? And, yes, we do have a sleep routine, bath, stories, etc. But they only seem to help her wind down and accept that it’s bed time.
I wonder how is it going at other AP practising homes? When did your little ones begin to sleep for longer periods? How do you put them to sleep? When did they stop nursing to sleep? Are they happy to roll over without breastfeeding?

and she slept through for the 2nd time

2008-11-28T09:24:00.004Z

Heyooo!I'm so excited and proud of my little girl.
She slept through last night for the 2nd time. But then don't get me wrong,by this I don'T mean she slept from 7pm to 7 am. For some baby experts,they are considered to have "slept through" when they sleep 4-5 hours,since their sleeping patterns are different from us adults.
Anyhow,D. went to bed at around 11pm last night. When I woke up around 4 am,I noticed that she hadn't woke up. I just couldn't believe it but then I checked the straps of my nursing vest and they were undone, which meant I wasn't dreaming ;) But then I couldn't go back to sleep, thinking about blogging it and stirred a bit, well,she woke up. Oh the joys of being a mother and a blogger ;)I'm quite hopeful that this may be a beginning.Fingers crossed!

Have a nice weekend!

2008-11-25T13:31:00.004Z

Hope you're all doing very well.
It has been rather cold here lately.Despite the cold weather we went to London on sunday.Currently there is an exhibition about Darwin in the Natural History Museum. It was very exciting to see the first edition of the book, The Origins of Species, the letters written by Darwin and all the fossils he collected through out his big journey.
Defne fall asleep just as we arrived the museum so we took our time at the exhibition.She woke up as we were finishing and was quite excited to see the butterflies and pigeons and et al.
We then walked to Wholefoods,sat at their cafe, bought a few bits and bobs and returned home.
For dinner I prepared a stir-fry with soba noodles.

As you see in the pic, I prepare lots of veggies, pak choy,sweet corn,sweet peas,carrots,onions and red pepper.I added tofu cubes which I mixed with chinese five spice and tamari.It was quite tasty.Thanks to Pixie,it's even tastier when I serve it with sweet chilli sauce ;)
Wishing a lovely week.I'm off the read my book now.Soner has surprised me by buying this book which I had been eagerly waiting for.

2008-11-20T14:36:00.002Z

These vegan delights were scoffed by us last night.
Tagliatelle with dried porcini mushrooms and brussel sprouts with garlic and balsamic vinegar.

I used the tagliatelle recipe in the latest issue of Observer Food Monthly.
As for the brussel sprouts I used another cooking method this time around.I first heated my cast iron skillet for a few good minutes.Then added 3 tbs of olive oil and 2 cloves of garlic(chopped).When their colors turned, I added the sprouts. Then I turned off the heat and cooked the sprouts stirring everynow and then.Added salt and a few splashes of balsamic vinegar.A nice crust appeared on the sprouts which was something I was looking for ;)This way the sprouts were tender and crispy, instead of overdone and mushy.Just what I wanted.
And all these were served with a salad made with alfaalfa sprouts.Too many sprouts for one night ;)

2008-11-18T14:46:00.002Z

Defne caught a mild cold and was so listless on Sunday.I can say it was one of the most difficult days of our parenting career.She refused napping although she was very tired.She didn't want to do anything except listening ryhme songs and dancing to them.She only slept at 1am that night.Fortunately though she is on the mend.
I think it has also got to do with her speech development. She is stringing two word sentences now and learning a few words everyday. We really felt last week that something happened and she had an enormous development.
Yesterday I was so tired that I skipped menu planning.
Today we are having a not-so-dirty rice for dinner.
What about you?

AP while on vacation

2008-11-14T08:52:00.005Z

This post which I had written just after our holidays wasn't published on API due to another theme on October.It's published today,just in time, as it's international babywearing week right now.

We have just returned from a holiday which lasted 4 weeks. We have been to 4 countries, visited our extended families, went to the beach and stayed at 7 different places.
I was a bit anxious that it would be too much for our 20 month old daughter but she handled it very well.
We don’t need many things to keep our baby secure and content, even in unfamiliar places. Attachment parenting allows us to travel lightly. We never need to carry a travel cot or think about where our baby will sleep. We don’t need to take a stroller with us, our baby carrier does the job.
During the first 2 weeks, we were in Belgium visiting my sister. While we were there, we decided to go to Paris for a day trip. One morning we took the train from Brussels and within one hour we were there.

We visited all those well known places and around six o’clock we headed to the Eiffel Tower. We would just have a look and leave. We were already tired and hungry and we were reckoning that there would be a long queue of people who wanted to go up. However there wasn’t and suddenly we decided to go up and see what it is all about. So our visit took longer than we anticipated. Poor Daphne was very hungry and wanted to breastfeed. She was in the carrier, so most people didn’t notice it but a few women smiled at us. Who would have thought that I’d breastfeed her at the top of the Eiffel Tower? Well, it was a lovely moment that I’ll never forget.

Paint with your veggies!

2008-11-12T13:48:00.005Z

A much appreciated activity from the book Fun Start, I previously written about.
Give your little one a piece of carrot,a floret of broccoli and a small celery stalk and let them go messy ;)We used finger paints but water colours should work well,too.
Defne is really into playdoughs and painting these days.So she really loved this. Brilliant for the days when it's raining heavily and you are homebound all day long!

Menu Plan Monday

2008-11-10T10:02:00.004Z

It has been raining heavily here.The best day to enjoy your cup of tea and perusing the new books which arrived today.

DH requested sandwiches for his lunch box so this week we're having different sandwiches.There are heaps of ideas here.Tell me,what's your favorite sandwich?

Monday:
L:Sandwich
D:Green beans in olive oil served with basmati rice

Tuesday:
L:Sandwich
D:Noodles with cauliflower with almonds,sesame seeds and capers

Wed:
L:I can't believe it's waldorf salad (from Detox Your World)
D:Lentil veggie chimichangas from ED&BV p.132 and a salad

Thursday:
L:Roasted Veggie Rice Salad
D:Teriyaki Quinoa from ED&BV p.167 with Pan-Fried Tempteh p.62

Friday:
L:PB&J sandwiches
D:Pizza

Saturday:
L:Veggie Bean Burritos
D:Spicoli Burgers from ED&BV p.145 and popcorn fries p.161

Sunday:
L:Eat-out
D:Pasta with aubergine sauce

You can find other menu plans at Organizing Junkie. For vegan menu ideas,pop on over to Cristy's Veg*n Meal Plan Monday.

2008-11-07T13:33:00.003Z

There was a time in my life when I always used to bake our own bread.It was so lovely! However then we moved to Algeria. The oven in our house was not good so I gave up.Then Defne was born and I didn't dare try baking a bread for a long time!I was really missing it lately.Last week I bought a home-made bread from our health food store and Defne loved it.So I was thinking to give it a try.And as I wrote earlier,today was the perfect day for it ;)
Defne enjoyed helping me as well!
I think we'll bake lots of breads in the days to come.

I helped D. shape the small roll. I only used whole meal flour so it doesn't look soft but it's very tasty. Click here for the recipe.

I'm an auntie now!

2008-11-07T11:16:00.003Z

Remember my sister was pregnant? Her due date was 4th of Nov. but there were no signs from the baby.Yesterday evening,she called me and said that they were going to the hospital as she was having strong contractions.All night I waited a call or a text from them.Every now and then I checked my mobile but no news. I anticipated she was having a long labor.
In the morning I called her husband,obviously his mobile was switched off. So there was nothing I could do.
I decided the best way to calm myself would be baking a bread.Just as Defne and myself finished kneading the dough,I got a telephone call. Their baby girl was born at 10.40am this morning after a long labor. Both mother and baby are healthy.
I cannot wait to see their pics!

What have we been up to?

2008-11-05T14:02:00.003Z

A friend of mine came over from Germany this weekend. We didn't have the chance to see each other since 2004.So it was really nice catching up with her. She is my friend since childhood and because we have been living in different countries we never get to see each other frequently.However this doesn't make any difference :) When we see each other,it's just like we were together last week.
***
Defne is such a joy.She is building up sentences now and saying a few new words everyday.This phase is just lovely.
***
Last night D. was sleeping in the bedroom.We heard her voice from the baby phone.But then she stopped and I thought she drifted back to sleep. About 5 minutes later, we heard a voice coming from the door of the living room where Soner and me were sitting.We thought the neighbours upstairs caused that.Then the door opened very slowly which blew our minds suddenly: Then entered our little monkey! For a moment, it was just like a horror movie! Normally D. always calls us or cries when she wakes up.So we weren't expecting her :)
She came to the room saying she wants to play! Oh well, I could hardly put her back to sleep at 1.30!!
***
Defne really enjoys reading books.She has always liked reading.
She loves to sit on the armchair like daddy or mummy and takes a book and pretends reading,babbling through the pages! She has her own books but her all time favourite is our Oxford Dictionary.She just loves it and wants to sit on Soner's lap whenever he takes it, so that they read it together! And I mean whenever! Interestingly, a while back we went to a friend's house and I was looking at her library.Defne found the Oxford dictionary there and wanted to have a look!

2008-10-30T17:04:00.003Z

It's officially winter here! We not only woke up to snow yesterday, but I also baked some peanut better cookies today! It is definitely nice sipping your tea, nibbling cookies while your friends are visiting and the toddlers are playing around ;)
Tomorrow marks the end of Vegan Month of Food. I really enjoyed it.
Hope you did, too.

A week of dinners

2008-10-28T14:48:00.006Z

Here is a round up of our dinner pics from last week.For your pleasure ;)
Mushroom Stew with beetroot stalks (recipe from the latest book of Tijen Inaltong),served with garlicy yoghurt and rice

Chickpea Sensation Patties and baked potato wedges

Stir-fry with soba noodles

Pizza (with a hummus spread) (the pic was shot before it was baked)

Green beans in olive oil

Sour eggplant stew with red rice

Zucchini,Potato,peppers and sundried tomatoes served with pasta and green salad

The mushroom stew and chickpea sensation patties were soo good.I will definitely make these again.

If my blogging buddies came to town,where would I take them?

2008-10-28T08:52:00.004Z

Last Friday,Daphne and myself met with dear Bazu.
Our plan was to have lunch at Southbank and then walking to Covent Garden.
Bazu happilly accepted it when I asked her if she'd fancy going to Wagamama,(she hadn't been there before)
I would carry Defne in the Ergo but she had other plans!She walked all the way to Covent Garden.(Thanks for your patience Bazu)
We went to Neal's Yard Cafe where we had vegan ice cream.Mmmm!
Back in March,when dear Pixie was here,we did the same route and restaurants and enjoyed it very much.
I had once written a post about my favorite restaurants in Istanbul.In London I always seem to go to the same places,so if any of you vegan folks are coming here and would like to meet me,you know what I'll be offering ;)
(I think Bazu will post some lovely photos from our trip in a few days.)

Meal Plan Monday

2008-10-27T11:45:00.007Z

Another week is starting again.So here's our menu for this week.

Monday:
L: Mixed Veggie Couscous
D:White bean stew,rice and cacik

Tuesday:
L:Kidney bean salad
D:Roasted tomato-fennel pasta from ED&BV p.142

Wed:
L:I can't believe it's waldorf salad (from Detox Your World) A new favorite!
D:Orange-sesame tofu and coconut lime rice from ED&BVp.136 &157

Thursday:
L:Roasted Veggie Pasta Salad
D:Quinoa risotto with mushrooms and thyme

Friday:
L:Broccoli Rice Salad with sesame and ginger
D:Kidney Bean Burger,oven baked potatoes and salad

Saturday:
L:Veggie Bean Burritos
D:Sunflower-Lentil Pie (VLV p.103) and salad

Sunday:
L:Greek Bamati Rice (VLV p.94) I made this before,lovely!
D:Pizza

You can find other menu plans at Organizing Junkie. For vegan menu ideas,pop on over to Cristy's Veg*n Meal Plan Monday.

My favorite foods:Pasta (Part 4)

2008-10-24T09:24:00.002Z

Anyone out there who doesn't like pasta?
I love love love pasta.I like it creamy,the perfect comfort food.
I love this creamy eggplant pasta,I love creamy artichoke pasta,I love pasta with varius kinds of vegan pesto sauces. Dreena's lemony cashew pesto sauce or a simple pesto sauce that I make with sundried tomatoes,basil,walnuts,garlic,lemon juice,capers and olive oil.
Recently I have also become a great fan of noodles served with sauteed veggies.(Sometimes I also add marinated tofu to add some protein)
Of course, a lovely tomato sauce made with fresh tomatoes and garlic is an all time favourite. This pasta was an old favorite, but I think I have had enough of it.If you like peas,I highly recommend it.
How do you like your pasta?

Tips from my kitchen_4

2008-10-22T12:33:00.003Z

Keep your garlic in the fridge, they will be better there.
I used to keep them in the cupboard only to find "empty" garlics a few weeks later.Then my sister taught me this tip a few years ago.Interestingly,I found out that she had forgotten this when I visited her.I said "Don't you keep the garlic in the fridge anymore?" "Why?" said she to my surprise and I explained her the reason.She had completely forgotten it ;)

What have I eaten and what I have never eaten?

2008-10-22T08:23:00.005Z

I got this list from Al and thought it might be fun to do my own list.
Rules are simple:

1) copy this list into your own blog, including these instructions.

2) bold all the items you’ve eaten.

3) cross out any items that you would never consider eating.

4) post a comment here once you’ve finished and link your post back to this one (note: I have no idea where this originated ... sorry unknown blogger!)

5) pass it on!

1. natto
2. green smoothie
3. tofu scramble
4. haggis
5. mangosteen
6. creme brulee
7. fondue
8. marmite/vegemite
9. borscht
10. baba ghanoush
11. nachos
12. authentic soba noodles
13. pb&j sammie
14. aloo gobi
15. taco from a street cart
16. boba tea
17. black truffle
18. fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. gyoza
20. vanilla ice cream
21. heirloom tomatoes
22. fresh wild berries
23. ceviche
24. rice and beans
25. knish
26. raw scotch bonnet pepper
27. dulce de leche
28. caviar
29. baklava It's impossible for a Turk to not eat baklava!
30. pate
31. wasabi peas
32. chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. mango lassi
34. sauerkraut
35. root beer float
36. mulled cider
37. scones with buttery spread and jam
38. vodka jelly
39. gumbo
40. fast food french fries
41. raw brownies
42. fresh garbanzo beans
43. dahl
44. homemade soymilk
45. wine from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. stroopwafle
47. samosas
48. vegetable sushi
49. glazed doughnut
50. seaweed
51. prickly pear
52. umeboshi
53. tofurkey
54. sheese
55. cotton candy
56. gnocchi
57. piña colada
58. birch beer
59. scrapple
60. carob chips
61. s’mores
62. soy curls
63. chickpea cutlets
64. curry
65. durian
66. homemade sausages
67. churros, elephant ears, or funnel cake
68. smoked tofu
69. fried plantain
70. mochi
71. gazpacho
72. warm chocolate chip cookies
73. absinthe
74. corn on the cob
75. whipped cream, straight from the can
76. pomegranate
77. fauxstess cupcake
78. mashed potatoes with gravy
79. jerky
80. croissants
81. french onion soup
82. savory crepes
83. tings
84. a meal at Candle 79
85. moussaka
86. sprouted grains or seeds
87. macaroni and “cheese”
88. flowers
89. matzoh ball soup
90. white chocolate
91. seitan
92. kimchi
93. butterscotch chips
94. yellow watermelon
95. chili with chocolate
96. bagel and tofutti
97. potato milk
98. polenta
99. jamaican blue mountain coffee
100. raw cookie dough

What's in your (vegan) freezer?

2008-10-21T15:06:00.004Z

Lovely Pixie tagged me and wanted me to show our freezer.
So it goes!
Initially I took the pics of the drawers but they were very dark.So I had to pull out everything and organise it.Thanks Pixie!

Started by Billy at Vegan Talk, the rules of the game are simple:

1. Take a picture of the items in your freezer
2. Post the picture to your blog and give a summary of the items
3. Tag 5 vegan bloggers

Here you see store-bought pizza bases,pitta breads,a bag of chopped celeriac and some fresh tymes and rosemaries in a zip bag.

Then we have corns,beet greens,kale,sliced bagets,blueberries and a tub of ice-cream.

Bags of frozen chickpeas,kidney beans and some more greens!

Left-over coconut milk in the ice tray,peas and red lentil soup for emergency cases!

I always try to stock some bread in case we forget to buy some.Sliced bagets are very handy if you crave garlic bread! We don't buy frozen veggies, but I'll throw some fresh veggies in the freezer if we won't be consuming them in the near future!Same for fresh herbs and greens.
Feel free to tag yourself if you'd like to play along.

Meal Plan Monday

2008-10-20T12:36:00.005Z

Last week,I really enjoyed the kale and rosemary tofu balls.
This week,these will be served chez Isil!

Monday:
L: Couscous Salad
D:Mushroom Stew with beetroot stalks (recipe from the latest book of Tijen Inaltong) and rice

Tuesday:
L:Kidney bean salad
D:Chickpea Sensation Patties and baked potato wedges

Wed:
L:Avocado and bean salad
D:Sour eggplant stew with bulgur pilaf

Thursday:
L:Pasta salad
D:Green beans in olive oil

Friday:
L:PB&Banana sandwich
D:Pizza

Saturday:
L:Cauliflower stew
D:Stir-fry with soba noodles

Sunday:
L:Eat out
D:Zucchini,Potato,peppers and sundried tomatoes served with rice and green salad

You can find other menu plans at Organizing Junkie. If you are particularly into meat-free menu ideas,pop on over to Cristy's Veg*n Meal Plan Monday.

My favorite foods:Soups (Part 3)

2008-10-17T09:35:00.003Z

I love soups, especially in the cold winter evenings.
Traditionally we also have soup for breakfast.Though it's not a common thing in the modern times while you're rushing to work.
Anyway, my all times favorite soup is Turkish Red Lentil Soup and the Ezo the Bride Soup (Actually they are quite similar and you can find these almost at every Turkish restaurant). Other favorites are yoghurt soup (I make a vegan version),puy lentil soup with dried shiitake mushrooms,mung bean soup with coconut milk and this chickpea noodle soup.
As you see I like my soup a little bit chewy.I'm not a great fan of blended soups.Another soup I dislike is rice soup.Because mom always cooked it when we became ill :)
What are your favorite soups?

Can I just moan today?

2008-10-16T15:31:00.005Z

It has been such a hard day.Defne woke up at 3 am in the morning.
She wanted to get out of the bed and I knew that we'd be up until morning as last thursday she did the same,with a small difference.She woke up 2 hours earlier this time!I took her to the living room so that DH could sleep.
I was really upset though and just wanted to sleep. At one point I was very tired and even shed a few tears as none of my attempts for putting her to sleep were fruitful.Then S. woke up around 5.30 and we drank coffee and ate something and listened to some lovely music which D. enjoys,too. Then I felt better,read some poems from this book and did a list of Defne's vocabulary (she adds a few words every day these days) Then S. went to work and finally around 8 o'clock we were in bed,snuggled together.
You'd expect that she'd sleep a few good hours,wouldn't you? No,she woke up at 11 o'clock. We went to town, had lunch at a cafe,went to the bookstore,bought her a new magnetic book. She hasn't slept or napped and she's still a bundle of energy!!
I really wonder how tonight will be.
In case you are here, for the Vegan Mofo, I'm sorry dear reader.I don't have much energy to add today except that I'm cooking a big pot of lentil soup right now.

Tips from my kitchen_3

2008-10-15T08:01:00.003Z

I'm being lazy today and cannot think of any tips worth sharing here.
Would you like to share a tip from your kitchen?

Wordless Wednesday

2008-10-15T07:45:00.003Z

Bubbles,bubbles everywhere!
Click here to visit WW HQ.

Meal Plan Monday

2008-10-13T11:13:00.003Z

Last week's menu was really nice. I especially enjoyed the black bean patties and lemony cashew basil pasta. A big thank you to Dreena Burton! We'll have it again this week. This week's menu is as follows:

Monday:
L: Chickpea & Couscous Salad
D:Steamed Kale & Mashed Potatoes with a salad ( Kale recipe is from an old issue of The Mother Magazine)

Tuesday:
L:Pecan Fried Wild Rice VLV p.70
D:Vicki's Hummus Quinoa Casserole VLV P.110 with a salad

Wed:
L:wheat berry salad
D:Rosemary Seasoned Tofu Balls with salad

Thursday:
L:Waldorf Salad (DYW p.299)
D:Turkish Red Lentil Soup served with steamed veggies and salad

Friday:
L:Coleslaw
D:Vegan Pizza

Saturday:
L:Quinoa Spring Salad (VLV P 71)
D:Stir-fry with basmati rice

Sunday:
L:Eat out
D:Lemony Cashew Basil Pasta (ED&BV p.131)

You can find other menu plans at Organizing Junkie. If you are particularly into meat-free menu ideas,pop on over to Cristy's Veg*n Meal Plan Monday.

My favorite foods:Breakfasts (Part 2)

2008-10-10T09:55:00.003Z

Breakfasts are the favorite meal of Turkish people.Even if we don't have much time,we are very fond of our black tea,cheese and olives. (Here's a lovely post if you'd like to read more about Turkish breakfasts) So in the beginning it was difficult for us to adapt a vegan breakfast.
Now my favorite breakfasts are:
*Muesli with rice milk (We tend to consume vegan milk options like rice,quinoa,oat or almond milk so that we don't over do soy products)
*Peanut butter and jam on toasted bread
*Smoothies
*Tofu Scramble
*Mashed avocado
*Tofu sausages cooked with tomatoes

Since Defne,I don't have time to cook waffles or vegan French toast for breakfast but I wouldn't say no to them if someone had cooked them for me ;)

As for vegan cheese,it's not available in Turkey. When I came here,I tried all of the options and wasn't very impressed.Yet I had learned that it takes some time to get used to.Now Redwood's cheeses and Tofutti cream cheese are my favorite ones and we sometimes buy these,too.

What are your favorite breakfast options?

to be continued

Related post:My favorite foods:Salad sauces

Vegan Yeast Extract

2008-10-09T16:56:00.002Z

Today I need your advice dear readers,especially those of you who are vegan,help me.
We have been supplementing for B12 but I decided to buy yeast and give it a try.
To be honest,I didn't enjoy the taste of it. Do you use yeast? If so, how do you make it edible ;)Erm,I mean,how do you consume it?

Tips from my kitchen_2

2008-10-08T08:04:00.003Z

*Picture by Alice Waters from allposters.com

A few months ago,I learned from Veggie Chic that tomatoes taste better if you don't keep them in the fridge. I have been storing them in the fruit bowl and it does make it a difference ;)

2008-10-07T13:55:00.003Z

There's a farmer's market on the 1st Tuesday of every month here.I have just bought these beauties from there. The bunch on the left is purple kale and the bunch on the right is beetroots as you see.I will chop the leaves and freeze them and maybe use them next week.
There was a recipe that I wanted to try,which called for beet leaves.I haven't decided about kale yet.Maybe I'll try this again.What's your favorite kale recipe?

Meal Plan Monday

2008-10-06T11:07:00.003Z

So here's this week's menu ladies and gentleman!
I really enjoy this as it gives me a chance to be more organised about what to buy and cook. As a bonus I also get to try new recipes ;) This week I'm trying a few recipes from The Everyday Vegan (by Dreena Burton) and Detox Your World (by Shazzie) and also a few online recipes of a fellow blogger.
You can find other menu plans at Organizing Junkie. If you are particularly into meat-free menu ideas,pop on over to Cristy's Veg*n Meal Plan Monday.

Monday:
L: Mixed Veggie Couscous
D:Creamy Mushroom Soup and a salad

Tuesday:
L:Waldorf Salad (DYW p.299)
D:Roasted Veggie Feast with a big fat salad

Wed:
L:Peanut butter banana sandwich served with soymilk
D:Black bean millet patties (TEV p110) with pita bread and salad

Thursday:
L:Chickpea salad with rockets and tomatoes
D:Soul foul chilli (TEV p87)

Friday:
L:Pasta Salad (Recipe belongs to the lovely Ilva at Lucullian Delights )
D:Orange sesame tofu/coconut lime basmati (ED&BV p.157)

Saturday:
L:Mediterranean stir-fry with tofu (Click here for the recipe)
D:Vegan Pizza

Sunday:
L:Eat out
D:Lemony Cashew Basil Pasta (ED&BV p.131)

My favorite foods: Salad sauces (Part 1)

2008-10-03T14:04:00.007Z

Here's another theme for the Vegan Mofo. I'm going to share my favorite foods with you every week.
Here's part one:Salad sauces

I like to have different sauces for different types of salads.
If I'm having a green salad, I prefer a French sauce (shake olive oil,minced garlic,agave nectar,salt,lemon juice and mustard in a jar, and voila,you have it) Or sometimes I'd like olive oil,pomegranate molasses instead of lemon juice and cummin seeds.

If it's a tomato salad,then definitely pomegranate molasses! I love its tangy taste.
For this spinach salad however, I prefer balsamic vinegar.

If I remember,I'll also add some seeds to our salads: My favorite is hemp seeds.
Would you like to share your favorite salad sauce(s)?

You can find an index of my salad recipes on the right handside.

to be continued

2008-10-02T22:02:00.003Z

As you see,planning our menu is not enough. I have to be more organized.

Monday was okay but on tuesday I found out that there were little insects in the wheat berries' packet! So I had to make a puy lentil salad.
On wednesday, I forgot buying the snow peas which I needed for the noodle recipe.So I made a different sauce for the noodles.
Oh well,for today's lovely quinoa stew,I didn't have any cooked chick peas.Nor did I have the time for cooking some.So I used kidney beans instead. Not too bad,but still!

Tips from my kitchen_1

2008-10-01T13:26:00.005Z

Since coming to England, I got this bad habit of relying on canned beans. These were also available in Turkey, but I had never bought one back then. People really don't buy cannned beans over there. However being a new mum,I wasn't very organized and found them very convenient. Until I learned that there are some toxic substances, namely Bisphenol A, in the lining of cans, which are harmful for you.
I'm really bad at remembering to soak the beans overnight so I bought a pressure cooker a few months ago and am quite happy with it. Every now and then I cook big batches of beans and freeze them. Dead easy and no more cans, thank you very much!
By the way,I'm not a big fan of pressure cookers. I don't use them for cooking vegetables, only for beans. (They heat up to very high degrees and kill all the good enzymes in veggies)

Vegan Month of Food!

2008-10-01T13:10:00.004Z

It's Vegan Month of Food! A blog event organized by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. I am participating first time this year. Because these folks had lots of fun last year and because I see that I haven't been writing about food lately. So wish me luck! I am supposed to at least 20 posts related to vegan food this month!
Every week I'll post a cooking tip from my kitchen,we'll have the Menu Plan Monday. Maybe I can come up with a few other ideas,too. Hope you enjoy!
Also, if you are trying to be a vegan or vegetarian or just have concerns about changing your diet, here I'm. Ask me and I'll do my best to reply.

For a list of participants,click here.

I love you this much

2008-09-30T13:01:00.003Z

It was inevitable. The sore throat and runny nose I mean! I have been feeling so cold since we returned back and at last I have caught the virus :)
I'm drinking a cuppa of sage tea right now.It's sooo good!

While we were away, the lovely Pixie passed an award to me:

Thank you Pixie!

So now,it's my turn.
The participation rules are simple:

1. If you get tagged (and want to play along), write a post with links to blogs that you love,
2. Link to this post (from Emila’s illustrated Blog) so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme.

I have given an excellence award to some of my favorite blogs in the past.So this time around I would like to pass on the award to different blogs.So here it goes:

1) To Elif who is living in Netherlands with her lovely twins.She hasn't been writing very often as she is leading a busy life with her toddlers.But I do miss her posts and hope that she retunrs back!

2)Evren is a Turkish mother who lives in Malta. Her blog is about simplistic living. We have lots in common and her posts really speak to me!

3)Rara is a vegan friend of mine who lives in Istanbul. She writes about politics,music and art (in English).

4)Melissa is an American mother who has a 2 year old toddler. Just today she has announced she's expecting baby number 2. She writes about Montessori activities and I am amazed at how creative she is!

Meal Plan Monday

2008-09-29T09:12:00.005Z

So here I join Cristy and Pixie at menu planning Monday.
This has been something I have wanted to do.Thanks girls!
You can see other menu ideas at Organizing Junkie.
If you are particularly into meat-free menu ideas,pop on over to Cristy's Veg*n Meal Plan Monday.

So here's our menu this week:Some of these recipes are particularly loved in our home and some of them will be tried out for the first time.Let's see how will be our first week.

Monday:
Lunch:Quinoa Spring Salad (VLV p.71)
Dinner:Pasta with veggies (mushrooms,courgettes,asparagus,etc)

Tuesday:
L:Wheat Berry Salad
D:Sweet potato lentil chilli from EDBV p.101 and Basmati rice

Wednesday:
L:Warm Potato Salad with pine nut dressing (EDBV p168)
D:Noodles (EDBV P.144)

Thursday:
L:Rice Salad with nuts
D:Warmly Spiced Quinoa Chickpea Stew (another Dreena Burton recipe available at Foodtv.ca)

Friday:
L:Pasta Salad with root veggies
D:Vegan Musakka/Basmati Rice/Salad

Saturday:
L:Veggie Bean Burritos
D:Lemon Herb Tofu (VLV P.65)/Bulgur Wheat Pilaf/Salad

Sunday:
L:Eat out
D:Broccoli-walnut-pasta/salad

2008-09-24T21:23:00.004Z

What a day! I have been busy tidying up the house,washing the laundry,putting away the summer clothes.
The weather has been cold and rainy and I think it feels colder for us as we were sun bathing on the beach last week!
The holiday was nice.As I had written before we went to Belgium for 10 days,came back to England and the next day we flew to Izmir (Turkey). My sister is 33 weeks pregnant (I'm so excited for her). Having Defne at their place was like an internship for them :) At the end of the 1st night, her husband asked if Defne might be hyperactive!! I said "no,she is just a normal toddler" :)
During one month we stayed at lots of different places and met lots of people. I thought that it might be a bit hard on Defne but she really managed it well. Except her very first tantrum at the hotel in Antalya ;) I think our next door neighbor was impressed!
Towards the end of the holidays, she got into the habit of deciding what to wear (or what not to wear, I should say?) Some days she really didn't want to wear a t-shirt as you see in the 1st pic of my last post. It wasn't a problem at the seaside but on the day of our return I felt I needed to draw the line. However I learned that I shouldn't insist on such occasions as she was just crying her head off and not wearing anything. So I let her run around with a nappy, then she was a bit calmer, she accepted wearing a shirt. About half an hour later,we were on the bus,she was in the sling.And she finally accepted wearing a t-shirt.
Anyway,we enjoyed our time at the seaside. The last time we went to the beach I was pregnant and even then we hadn't stayed this long. Defne loved the sea and playing in the garden all day long. One night she woke up at 5 am and told us that she wanted to go to the seaside and swim. Excellent! Her language is really coming along now and it's really impressive how they suddenly start saying new words!
She is also telling me when she needs to pee. I think we may start potty learning very soon? Anyone else in that stage now?
I have made some plans on holiday. Some are related to our day to day life,some are related to life in general and some are related to food (like I really want to start baking breads again)More on these late,now I'm heading off to the sofa where I'll enjoy reading Orhan Pamuk's latest book "Masumiyet Müzesi".

We're back!

2008-09-23T12:49:00.005Z

We arrived home on Sunday night.
It was a very nice holiday for all of us.
The weather was lovely, although it was hotter than we expected.
We spent a week by the beach. Defne just loved the sea.She learned lots of new words like: the sea,mountains,palm trees etc. She enjoyed the company of the animals.This dog was living in the hotel.She was a very friendly dog and Defne was trying to speak to her.One day we were sitting in the garden.I was reading a book and gave one to Defne so that she can read,too.She took it and went near the dog and said "kitap" (Turkish for "book") with excitement.It was so funny!

Having been away from home for so long,I have lots to do now.I'm hoping to catch up soon!

Wordless Wednesday

2008-09-03T10:12:00.002Z

Defne at Notre Dame de Paris, yesterday

Visit Wordless Wednesday HQ for other WWs.

Veggie Way will be dormant while we're on holiday in Turkey.As Pixie says, enjoy the silence!

Hello from Brussels

2008-08-28T08:37:00.004Z

We arrived on Monday and having a nice time here.
I may update again later but for now I'm leaving you with my latest post on
API Speaks.
Enjoy!

Parenting Blog Carnival:A day in the life of Isil & Defne

2008-08-25T10:30:00.004Z

Defne and myself generally wake up around half past eight. We spent about some time breastfeeding and playing in the bed.
Then while I'm having my breakfast (Defne sometimes has a few bites or doesn't want anything at all),she either plays with her toys or does some painting. Meanwhile I check my e-mails and the blogosphere ;)
Now that it's not school term, we aren't going to any play groups. During the term time, we go to two play groups and one baby rhyme session at the library.

Sleepy Defne painting at her table

Then I tidy up the house. Defne likes to help me so I always make sure she has the necessary tools ;) This way both of us have fun. If I have to vacuum the house, I put her on my back in the carrier. Otherwise she's afraid of the vacuum cleaner.
Ater that,we read a few books. Defne generally chooses one from The Bear series.She so much loves these books.
Sometimes we make Montessori activities like these.
Then we have our lunch. After lunch, Defne has her daily nap. If we are out, we have our lunch at the park, weather permitting.
While Defne is napping, I make myself a nice cup of tea. I either read a book or update my blog or do something that I need to concentrate without Defne being around me.
Her daily nap is around an hour. When she wakes up, we get ready for going out. Sometimes we go to the play ground or to grocery shopping. Sometimes we go to the riverside where we feed the ducks.
When we return home, Defne plays with her toys while I'm preparing the dinner. Soner generally comes around 6 o'clock. Defne screams with joy when he enters the house. He asks her how she spent the day and she tries to tell him how her day was.
After dinner, D. likes to play with Soner or wants him to read some books to her.
Around 9 o'clock we start the bed routine. Bathing, brushing the teeth and hoping in the sling where Defne goes to sleep. When she's fast asleep, I transfer her to the bed.

To read other contributors' posts, check out the Carnival HQ.

She's speaking English!

2008-08-21T08:52:00.002Z

We're not speaking English with D. but obviously she's exposed to the language a lot as we're living in this country.
She knows most of the English nursery rhymes and dances to them.She's also learning some words from them.She has been saying "up" for quiet some time.
Yesterday we sang a few nursery rhymes and she's now saying "up and down" very very clearly ;)

News..News...News

2008-08-20T13:41:00.003Z

Dear Pixie had posted a lovely post about her daily life a few days ago.Lots of readers enjoyed it very much,so now she's hosting a blog carnival.The theme is A day in the life of you. Visit the link for details.It sounds really fun.I cannot wait to read everyone else's posts.

****

There is a webinar about cosleeping on Friday, August
22, at 11am Pacific (6pm GMT)

Join Mothering, James McKenna, Dr. Paul Fleiss and the founders of
Attachment Parenting International for an exclusive webinar on
cosleeping sponsored by Arms Reach (www.armsreach.com) on Friday, August
22, at 11am Pacific. Registration is free at
https://www2.gotomeeting.com/island/webinar/registration.tmpl?id=721965936.

James McKenna is among the country's leading experts in cosleeping
safety. He is a researcher and the director of the Mother-Baby
Behavioral Sleep Lab at the University of Notre Dame. Dr. Paul Fleiss is
a pediatrician and the author of Sweet Dreams: A Pediatrician's Secrets
for Baby's Good Night Sleep, as well as numerous scientific articles
published in leading national and international medical journals.
Barbara Nicholson and Lysa Parker, Attachment Parenting International
cofounders, will share their attachment parenting expertise.

Learn why cosleeping is both a natural and an effective way to foster a
safe, nurturing environment for babies. Leading experts in the field
will present their latest research and host a question and answer session.

Update

2008-08-20T10:23:00.003Z

It's been a while since I last updated so I thought it'd be nice to write about what we have been doing in bullet points.

-Last week we met with one of our friends in London. Our plan was to take the girls to Coram's Fields, however the weather put us off. So we met at the Royal Festival Hall. Currently they have an exhibition: Psycho Buildings and a lovely surprise for us. There is a children's space in the hall where children are invited to make their own psycho buildings using mattresses that are covered in colourful and/or fluffy fabrics. Our little ones enjoyed jumping and crawling on them. Worth a visit if you're visiting London.

-Food wise,I have developed another taste,thanks to Pixie:Fried tofu cubes dipped in soy and sweet chili sauce.
We never use this sauce traditionally and I hadn't tasted it before. But I just had to give it a go as Pixie says it's her all time favorite snack. Now, I just can't get enough of it!

-Summer has finished here methinks. It has been cloudy and rainy lately.

-But who cares? We are off to Turkey in a few weeks. We'll visit our families and we will also spend some time in Cirali (south of Turkey) where we'll enjoy the sea :)I'm really excited for this upcoming holiday as D. will see the sea for the first time.I hope she likes playing with sand by the beach.

-Before Turkey, Defne and myself are heading to Brussels to visit my sister. I'm going to be an auntie soon! My sister is 7 months pregnant at the moment -I'm so excited for her-. While we are there we'll also go to Germany and visit my aunts. And while we're there, we decided to go to Paris for a day-trip. I hope D. won't be overwhelmed by these busy days.

That's all for now. Tonight a friend is coming for dinner so I've to tidy up a bit now.

Wordless Wednesday

2008-08-13T08:36:00.003Z

She likes to wear mummy's slippers!
Click here for more wordless wednesdays.

A day at V&A Museum of Childhood

2008-08-12T15:11:00.009Z

Last Thursday, we met up with my friend B. and her baby girl. Our plan was visiting the V&A Museum of Childhood. When we met up, we were all hungry and B. offered going to a cafe that she likes: Wild Cherry Cafe. I liked the atmosphere of the cafe and enjoyed the meal, too. They even serve vegan cakes and other treats. Could I ask for more? Defne and myself had a lovely vegan chocolate cake.
Then we headed to the museum. It wasn't very easy to browse the collections as I had to watch D. She still likes to climb on every stair at sight ;)
For me, it was interesting to see the toy collection.I especially liked the doll house and childcare collections.
There are lots of play areas for children and a little shop where you can purchase some toys.
For older children there are lots of other activities and events as well. Definitely worth going again.

Book review: My child won't eat

2008-08-08T09:41:00.002Z

In honour of the last day of the World Breastfeeding Week,I decided to post a review about this book. Dear Pixie had posted about it a while ago. So I borrowed Dr.Carlos Gonzales' book from my local LLL chapter at our last meeting.

The message of the book is simple:
Trust your child and do not force him to eat. As parents, our duty is to provide healthy foods and snacks (always keep in mind that their calorific needs are different from adults)and our children will decide when and how much they'd like to eat. Because they KNOW how much food they need.

The book is divided into 4 parts:
Causes
What to do if your child won't eat
How to avoid the problem in the first place
FAQ
and it the appendix there's a small section about the history of the weaning process which I found quite interesting.Very different from today!
I also liked the sections about "breastfeeding a la carte" and "introduction to solids". Here, the writer tells the importance of breastfeeding on cue and how a baby can get the optimum nutrition from breast milk if she is let to decide when and from which breast to feed.
The writer especially points out that in today's modern world, you rarely meet with malnutrition whereas obesity is becoming epidemic.There are a few stories about children who were literally force fed,really sad to read.
In my experience, every new mum worries about her child's weight or whether or not the child is having a balanced diet. I'm really happy that we followed Defne's cues. At 19 months today, I can say that she gets 50 % of her food from table foods and 50% from breast milk. Occasionally she'll rather prefer more mama's milk ;)
Highly recommended!

Nightweaning?

2008-08-04T14:02:00.004Z

Last night was a bad night in terms of sleeping. Defne woke up around one o'clock,wanted to nurse,nurse and nurse.I can understand when she wants to nurse because she's hungry or when she wakes up for a reason and needs to nurse to drift back to sleep.I can also understand when she needs to nurse because she has gas and can't get rid of it.At these times she doesn't let me go and wants to nurse for quiet long periods.When I understand that she has gas,I cuddle her and walk in the room. This however upsets her very much, she wants the boobs and cries.So we go to the living room where I let her play a little, while she burps and then we go back to the bedroom and it takes a while to put her back to sleep.
This happened twice last night and in the darkness of the night, I thought whether we should start night weaning. There has been times I have thought about it but I know that we are not ready. I was reading about it on the MDC forums and I came across an article by Kathy Dettwyler.It gave me strength so I just thought I'd share it here,in case there are other mamas like me.

Human children are designed to be sleeping with their parents. The sense of touch is the most important sense to primates, along with sight. Young primates are carried on their mother's body and sleep with her for years after birth, often until well after weaning. The expected pattern is for mother and child to sleep together, and for child to be able to nurse whenever they want during the night. Normal, healthy, breastfed and co-sleeping children do not sleep "through the night" (say 7-9 hours at a stretch) until they are 3-4 years old, and no longer need night nursing. I repeat -- this is NORMAL and HEALTHY.

To read the rest of it click here.

Celebrate World Breastfeeding Week (1-7 August 2008)

2008-08-01T13:50:00.004Z

Today is the first day of World Breastfeeding Week.
Hello to all breastfeeding mamas and moms-to-be who are out there reading this post.
Last year in August, I wrote quite a few blog posts in celebration of WBW.
(All my blog posts about breastfeeding can be found here.)
I don't think I need to add anything more. As you regular readers already know,Defne is 19 months old and we have no weaning plans yet.
****
API Speaks is holding its very first contest is giving away 2 books about breastfeeding.One of them is The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding and the other one is Mama Knows Breast by Andi Silverman (which I reviewed here before).Good luck!
****
I came across this lovely video on a forum.
It's a short version of a breastfeeding video shot by LLL Bulgaria.The long version of it should be aired on a national TV today.It was inspired by Dar La Teta es Dar Vida, the beautiful video which I came across at Pixie's site.

Enjoy and happy breastfeeding to you all.

AP and Grandparents

2008-07-31T09:30:00.001Z

My latest post for API Speaks

We moved to another country when I was 6 months pregnant. Leaving all our extended families back home, they weren’t quite aware of our parenting choices.

We had decided to co-sleep with our daughter so we didn’t buy a crib/cot for her. During the early weeks, my mom was quite anxious that we might roll over her. As weeks passed she would ask me, again and again, when we would buy a bed for her. I explained her that we loved her being with us in the bed and they shouldn’t worry. Above the safety measures, they were also worried that she wouldn’t leave our bed once she got used to sleeping there.

We had the chance to go back home when our daughter was 4 months old. During this holiday, mom saw first-hand that co-sleeping was perfectly safe and it was lovely having your newborn beside you. It also made night time feeding easy for us.

Once our baby was 6 months old, she began to ask when we would start her offering solids. My daughter was not interested yet. But mom and grandma were very concerned. They’d ask me every time, as if I was depriving her of food. I’d tell them that, during the first year, solids are only for fun and tasting. As long as the baby is breastfeeding and gaining weight, there’s no need to worry.
During our visits to home, they had the chance to observe our child and our practices.

My mom loved wearing her first and only granddaughter and taking her on walks. We talked a lot about attachment parenting, about why we have to fulfill our little one’s needs during their childhood and how such children turn into well adjusted adults. We talked about extended breastfeeding and why we had the intention of co-sleeping until our daughter feels ready to move to her own bed. I’m very happy that she understands it all and has become very supportive.

Recently mom told me that my cousin and her wife decided to let their baby cry-it-out. Hearing this broke my heart, but after all, everyone has their own parenting choices and unfortunately there wasn’t much to do.

Last week, as I was speaking with my sister (she’s expecting her 1st baby, due in November), she told me that mom had told her to make a decision about the baby’s sleep arrangements. She added that deciding where the baby would be sleeping was very important, as any change to that affected the baby badly. I was glad to hear that she mentioned the family bed, and that she has normalised this in her head.

Now, if only she doesn’t ask me repeatedly when we would wean Defne now that she’s 18 months old!

Mexican Stuffed Peppers

2008-07-28T11:35:00.004Z

I just noticed that I haven't shared any food photos in ages.So here goes:
This recipe is from The Guardian (couldn't find it online though and the author's name is not specified either). This turned out very lovely.We served it with a crispy salad.
Double or triple the ingredients depending on how many hungry people you have at home.
Enjoy!

Ingredients: (for 1 person)
1 tsp of olive oil
60 g of onion, chopped
60 g of sweetcorn
60 g of green beans
1 tomato
60 g of brown rice, uncooked weight
2 peppers
1 tsp of sliced almonds
1 tsp of pumpkin seeds
1 pinch of dried thyme
1/2 dash of hot pepper sauce, or to taste
1 pinch of cayenne pepper
1 Pinch of Marjoram

1. Preheat the oven to 180 C.
2. Cook the rice according to package directions, omitting any added fat or salt.
3. Cut the tops off the peppers about 1/3 the way from the top and scoop out the seeds. Stand the peppers on a steamer rack, cover them and steam them for about 5 minutes. Set the peppers aside to cool.
4. In a small pan, heat the oil, add the onion and sauté until golden brown. Transfer the onion to a large bowl and combine it with the remaining ingredients.
5. Check the seasoning, and divide the mixture between the peppers, stuffing them to the top.
6. Stand the stuffed peppers in a baking dish, put the dish in a hot oven and bake the peppers for 25 minutes.

Wordless Wednesday

2008-07-23T08:54:00.001Z

Endless fun with a box of shredded paper!
Wordless Wednesday HQ

UK Breastfeeding demonstration on Youtube

2008-07-20T19:29:00.002Z

The Breastfeeding Rally

2008-07-18T21:42:00.006Z

We went to the Breastfeeding Rally today.My friend B. and her lovely daughter N. also came.
It was nice for us to meet up with all these women who also came for standing up for their rights.

It was drizzling all day,so we hadn't packed our picnics.Fortunately B. had a blanket,so we had a nice time while Defne chased after the pigeons.
We sang a breastfeeding song which was filmed and should be soon on Youtube.

Thanks to Veronika Robinson who organized this event and to all who came to the Parliament Square today!

New books

2008-07-16T15:04:00.000Z

Look what arrived to our doorstep yesterday:We have been waiting this box set since March and at last it was delivered.

Four beautiful board books from the Mini Masters series,by Julie Merberg and Suzanne Bober, all packed in a colorful box. The set includes: Dancing with Degas, A Picnic with Monet, A Magical Day with Matisse, and In the Garden with Van Gogh.
So far Defne liked Degas the most.She likes to pretend dancing like the ballerinas she sees in the pictures.
Reproductions of great masterpieces inspire an appreciation of beauty at any age. Such pictures can be hung at the child's eye level at home.Not an option for us as we're renting this flat.So these books came very handy.

Raw cacao

2008-07-15T13:01:00.005Z

It has been more than a week since I last posted.We have been well though I have been lazy composing new posts.
Today I would like to write about chocolate.One of our guilty pleasures.
It's said to be very healthy,full of antioxidants, isn't it?
Here in England, I learned about raw chocolate and raw cacao.They are available in our local health food shop.Very tasty,though they are very expensive. But a small piece is enough to satisfy you,as they are very dense.
The conventional chocolate is heated to high tempatures and loaded with sugar,milk and saturated fat.Indeed they are far from being healthy.

Cacao tree,El Salvador,2005,by Soner

The raw cacao beans can contain dozens of natural phytonutrient compounds, including: magnesium, anand-amide, phenylethylamine, arginine, polyphenols & epicatechins, serotonin, iron, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and the vitamins A, B, C, D, and E.

A German study published in the Journal of Nutrition found that women given a special portion of cacao beans each day reported skin that was moister, smoother and creamier. The researchers hypothesised that the flavanoids in the cacao, which absorb UV light, help protect the skin to glow, improving appearance (Long-term Ingestion of High Flavanol Cacao:J Nutr. 2006 Jun;136(6):1565-9.).

Source:Gillian McKeith

Our mini food processor died a few weeks ago so we replaced it with a new one which can also grind beans and nuts.I had bought a packet of raw cacao nibbles,so they will go into smoothies every morning.I also found a few recipes online which look very tempting.I'll share the photos when I try them.