I've been asked this a few times this week, so I thought I'd share a list taken from one of my mommy forums. This is by no means comprehensive but these are all mommy-tested and approved.
First and foremost, for information on breastfeeding - go to Kellymom
Now, info on Pumps, parts and all:
Pump Recommendations
Medela Pump In Style
Medela Pump In Style Advanced
Ameda Purely Yours
Avent Isis
Whisper Wear
Lansinoh Double Electric (same as the Ameda Purely Yours)
Milk Storage
Gerber Seal 'N Go Breastmilk Storage Bags
Medela Pump and Save Bags
Lansinoh Breastmilk Storage Bags
Avent Via
Other Pumping Accessories
Medela Personal Fit Breast Shields
Easy Expressions Hands Free Pumping Bra (a lifesaver!!!!)
Medela Micro Steam Bags and Anti-Bacterial Wipes (never used this personally but heard good things about it)
Replacement Valves and Membranes for the PIS
Places to find pumps for less
breastpump.com
Birth and Baby
The Baby Bungalow
Other recommended vendors for replacement parts
Self Expressions
Pumps for Less
NYC people can get their replacement parts, pump rental and all things breastfeeding related at the UpperBreastSide store.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Shanghai noodles
So I bought bag of flat noodles and wondered what to do with it. Off to the internet I went to search for a recipe. I found this site.
Here's the recipe:
Stir-fried Shanghai Noodles Recipe
Ingredients :
1/2 pack thick yellow noodles, fresh ( 7 oz )
1 tsp chopped garlic
4 oz shredded green onions
5 oz sliced button mushrooms
5 oz cut chinese mustard greens ( aka Small Gai Choy )
1 egg
1 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp thick soy sauce
1-2 tsp tsp sweet soy sauce (ABC brand, bottleSweet Soy Sauce)
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp cooking oil
white pepper to taste
Notes : Sugar and molasses are already added in the thick soy sauce and the sweet soy sauce. Hence, no sugar is needed for this recipe.
Method :
1) In a pot of boiling water, cook the yellow noodles until the required texture is achieved. I like it springier, so I cook the yellow noodles for just about 5-8 minutes. Remove, rinse in cold water, drain and set aside to cool.
2) Add sesame oil and cooking oil to the cooked noodles. Mix well and set aside.
3) Heat the wok until it's smoking hot and turn the heat down to low. Quickly stir-fry the green onions and garlic until fragrant.
4) Stir in an egg, mix the cut mustard greens, sliced button mushrooms, turn the heat back high, and continue stir-fry for 1 minute.
5) Add the noodles, splash in the fish sauce, sweet soy sauce, thick soy sauce, white pepper to taste, and continue to stir-fry for an additional 2-3 minute or until evenly mixed.
Changes that I made:
- I had flat noodles instead of the egg noodles.
- I didn't have mustard greens. I used american broccoli instead and I pre-boiled it.
Verdict - stay tuned for lunch time tomorrow but at initial taste, it seems flavorful but dry.
Updated verdict - it is really dry. Flavor is there definitely. I really like the preboiling technique. Wouldn't be bad with a bowl of soup.
Here's the recipe:
Stir-fried Shanghai Noodles Recipe
Ingredients :
1/2 pack thick yellow noodles, fresh ( 7 oz )
1 tsp chopped garlic
4 oz shredded green onions
5 oz sliced button mushrooms
5 oz cut chinese mustard greens ( aka Small Gai Choy )
1 egg
1 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp thick soy sauce
1-2 tsp tsp sweet soy sauce (ABC brand, bottleSweet Soy Sauce)
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp cooking oil
white pepper to taste
Notes : Sugar and molasses are already added in the thick soy sauce and the sweet soy sauce. Hence, no sugar is needed for this recipe.
Method :
1) In a pot of boiling water, cook the yellow noodles until the required texture is achieved. I like it springier, so I cook the yellow noodles for just about 5-8 minutes. Remove, rinse in cold water, drain and set aside to cool.
2) Add sesame oil and cooking oil to the cooked noodles. Mix well and set aside.
3) Heat the wok until it's smoking hot and turn the heat down to low. Quickly stir-fry the green onions and garlic until fragrant.
4) Stir in an egg, mix the cut mustard greens, sliced button mushrooms, turn the heat back high, and continue stir-fry for 1 minute.
5) Add the noodles, splash in the fish sauce, sweet soy sauce, thick soy sauce, white pepper to taste, and continue to stir-fry for an additional 2-3 minute or until evenly mixed.
Changes that I made:
- I had flat noodles instead of the egg noodles.
- I didn't have mustard greens. I used american broccoli instead and I pre-boiled it.
Verdict - stay tuned for lunch time tomorrow but at initial taste, it seems flavorful but dry.
Updated verdict - it is really dry. Flavor is there definitely. I really like the preboiling technique. Wouldn't be bad with a bowl of soup.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Home Remedies
I read these in Parent's Magazine and thought it seems really interesting.
Honey and lemon juice for sore throat
Mix together a tablespoon of each microwave for 20 seconds until warm (not hot) and have your child swallow the mixture a teaspoon at a time.
Chamomile tea for colic
Steep tea for four to five minutes, let it cool to room temperature and then put one to two ounces in bottle.
Baking soda for bug bites
Mix a teaspoon of baking soda with just enough water to make a thick paste, smear it on the bites, and let it try.
cayenne pepper for nosebleeds
Keep your child's head upright and pinch his nostrils together for several minutes. Then sprinkle a pinch of ground cayenne pepper on a moistened cotton swab and dab inside the nose on the area of the bleeding.
Duct tape for warts
Place a small piece on the skin over your child's wart, but not so tightly that it hurts. Change the tape whenever it starts to get icky: in about a month, the wart should be gone.
A bubble wand for anxiety
Have our child blow long, slow steams of bubbles from the soapy wand.
Fresh Ginger tea for car sickness
add a teaspoon of shredded fresh ginger to four ounces of boiling water and let it steep for four to five minutes. You can add a bit of honey to make it taste better.
A credit card for a bee ting
Use he flat edge of a credit to gently scrape across the area until the stinger comes out.
Stick of gum for indigestion
chew some gym when she complains of a full stomach after a big meal
Don't try these
Whiskey for teething
Rubbing even a small amount of whiskey on a baby's gum can cause alcohol poisoning. Instead, gently massage the area with your finger.
Butter for burns
Petroleum jelly, oil and butter trap heat which can worsen a burn. It's best to soak your child's skin in cool water and cover with a sterile gauze pad. If it's oozing, call your doctor or head to the ER.
Bicorbonate for colic.
Some babies have died or suffered long term cognitive delay from swallowing this.
rubbing alcohol for fever.
It's true that it cools down your child's skin as it evaporates but she can also absorb and inhale the alcohol which could poison her.
Cigarette for tick removal.
The heat from a lit cigarette ca cause a tick to burrow deeper into the skin. Instead, use blunt tweezers to pull the tick out.
Honey and lemon juice for sore throat
Mix together a tablespoon of each microwave for 20 seconds until warm (not hot) and have your child swallow the mixture a teaspoon at a time.
Chamomile tea for colic
Steep tea for four to five minutes, let it cool to room temperature and then put one to two ounces in bottle.
Baking soda for bug bites
Mix a teaspoon of baking soda with just enough water to make a thick paste, smear it on the bites, and let it try.
cayenne pepper for nosebleeds
Keep your child's head upright and pinch his nostrils together for several minutes. Then sprinkle a pinch of ground cayenne pepper on a moistened cotton swab and dab inside the nose on the area of the bleeding.
Duct tape for warts
Place a small piece on the skin over your child's wart, but not so tightly that it hurts. Change the tape whenever it starts to get icky: in about a month, the wart should be gone.
A bubble wand for anxiety
Have our child blow long, slow steams of bubbles from the soapy wand.
Fresh Ginger tea for car sickness
add a teaspoon of shredded fresh ginger to four ounces of boiling water and let it steep for four to five minutes. You can add a bit of honey to make it taste better.
A credit card for a bee ting
Use he flat edge of a credit to gently scrape across the area until the stinger comes out.
Stick of gum for indigestion
chew some gym when she complains of a full stomach after a big meal
Don't try these
Whiskey for teething
Rubbing even a small amount of whiskey on a baby's gum can cause alcohol poisoning. Instead, gently massage the area with your finger.
Butter for burns
Petroleum jelly, oil and butter trap heat which can worsen a burn. It's best to soak your child's skin in cool water and cover with a sterile gauze pad. If it's oozing, call your doctor or head to the ER.
Bicorbonate for colic.
Some babies have died or suffered long term cognitive delay from swallowing this.
rubbing alcohol for fever.
It's true that it cools down your child's skin as it evaporates but she can also absorb and inhale the alcohol which could poison her.
Cigarette for tick removal.
The heat from a lit cigarette ca cause a tick to burrow deeper into the skin. Instead, use blunt tweezers to pull the tick out.
Friday, June 13, 2008
A family that wiis together
The family C is definitely WII-ing together. The purchase initially was for me. I wanted to find a way to get healthy within my specific time constraints (READ - no time). I think the WII Fit fever has spread.
Rave:
- I like the variety in the offering. However I am at day 18 ad I have unlocked almost all the games, so I am afraid I am running out of "variety" soon.
- The exercises are fun. The aerobics are the most fun. The yoga is good too. I am horrible at the balance games.
- There is something for the kids to do. The running game is good for both g and s. g can even follow along a step class.
- Hula Hoops - need I say more?
Rant
- I would wish that there would be a workout routine like a whole workout rather than pieces. Most exercises (especially the yoga stuff) has a bit of an introduction and commentary from your "trainer" afterwards. Since I am doing this because of time constraints, this is even more annoying. In the first week, a 30 minute workout would take me almost 45 minutes to get through. I do understand that most newcomers to exercise need the instructions/demo, but why can't I just skip it when I've seen all of this?
Rave:
- I like the variety in the offering. However I am at day 18 ad I have unlocked almost all the games, so I am afraid I am running out of "variety" soon.
- The exercises are fun. The aerobics are the most fun. The yoga is good too. I am horrible at the balance games.
- There is something for the kids to do. The running game is good for both g and s. g can even follow along a step class.
- Hula Hoops - need I say more?
Rant
- I would wish that there would be a workout routine like a whole workout rather than pieces. Most exercises (especially the yoga stuff) has a bit of an introduction and commentary from your "trainer" afterwards. Since I am doing this because of time constraints, this is even more annoying. In the first week, a 30 minute workout would take me almost 45 minutes to get through. I do understand that most newcomers to exercise need the instructions/demo, but why can't I just skip it when I've seen all of this?
Monday, June 09, 2008
Why can't we all just get along?
I am fresh from a big vaccine discussion on one of my mommy groups and I am spent. After that blood bath, I got another email from another mommy "friend" telling me how I was so "wrong" about my thoughts on this zoo (she loved and I hated). It has taught me one thing that when it comes to kids, parenting and things we do with our kids, there doesn't ever seem to be one right answer. However, I would like to submit that opinions (as in like and hate) has very little to do with "right", right?
Like all opinions, I don't think that mine weighs any heavier than the "paper" that this is being written on but like all opinionated people, I chose to write them anyway and share. I also believe in contributing to the "system". I read other people's reviews and get a lot of insight from them, so I think it is only fair that I contribute as well so that people may avoid my pitfalls.
I am wondering now if I should ever share my thoughts. Most people, once a parent, begin to adopt ideas and viewpoints based on their experiences of parenthood. Some then feel that because it had worked splendidly on Junior, then it must be as sacred as gospel. What saved me from that narrow point of view is little s, who firmly rejects being a copy of her older sister. s is fierce in her independence and refuses to follow any of her sister's footsteps. It almost seems like she takes great pains to avoid them.
I find that I have "encounters" with those parents often. However the "reality" is as diverse as the personalities of each little child. "What works" runs the gamut.
In the end, I bowed out of the vaccine discussion with this thought - all parents really have the same goal in mind, "the best for our kids." So as I continue posting my thoughts and opinion on the web, know that I will only be expressing one of the many viewpoints that make this parenting thing an adventure, a struggle and a joy.
Like all opinions, I don't think that mine weighs any heavier than the "paper" that this is being written on but like all opinionated people, I chose to write them anyway and share. I also believe in contributing to the "system". I read other people's reviews and get a lot of insight from them, so I think it is only fair that I contribute as well so that people may avoid my pitfalls.
I am wondering now if I should ever share my thoughts. Most people, once a parent, begin to adopt ideas and viewpoints based on their experiences of parenthood. Some then feel that because it had worked splendidly on Junior, then it must be as sacred as gospel. What saved me from that narrow point of view is little s, who firmly rejects being a copy of her older sister. s is fierce in her independence and refuses to follow any of her sister's footsteps. It almost seems like she takes great pains to avoid them.
I find that I have "encounters" with those parents often. However the "reality" is as diverse as the personalities of each little child. "What works" runs the gamut.
In the end, I bowed out of the vaccine discussion with this thought - all parents really have the same goal in mind, "the best for our kids." So as I continue posting my thoughts and opinion on the web, know that I will only be expressing one of the many viewpoints that make this parenting thing an adventure, a struggle and a joy.
Thursday, June 05, 2008
Children's Place 20% off coupon - exp 6/30
Just thought I'd share this printable Children's Place coupon for 20% off entire purchase.
It's also valid for use online.
It's also valid for use online.
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