A Tribute To Russian Grandmas

They love their kids and grandkids and are fiercely devoted to raising both to be very well-fed, over-achievers.

Here are some of my favorite parenting wisdoms from Russian grandmas (please note: Russian grandpas are extremely fond of fishing and drinking).

1. You may be raising twice the amount of kids I raised, but I am still the expert on parenting and hence will dispense unsolicited advice constantly and with no restraint.

2. There's no such thing as 'too much' when it comes to feeding a child.

3. Bread is a food staple and must be eaten with everything.

4. If your child is not potty trained by age 1, you are a negligent parent.

5. If your child can't count to ten by age 1, he must be retarded.

6. If your child doesn't know the alphabet by age 2, he must be retarded.

7. You must rub your child down with vinegar to bring down a fever (please don't try this at home)

8. Your child will grow up sickly if you don't douse him with icy water every morning.

9. If your child is not wearing a hat in the winter, he will freeze off his brains.

10. If your child is not wearing a sunhat in the summer, he will get heat-stroke.

11. Tights are a must in all seasons for both girls and boys!

12. If your child did not grow up to be a Doctor, you failed as a parent.

Please excuse any offensive content in this post. I had to be true to Russian grandmas and if you've ever met one, you'd know that they are anything but politically correct.

{ This Moment }

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to the man I had four kids with (because good genes are a terrible thing to waste), and all the other fathers and grandfathers out there! 

Thank you for supporting us, teaching us, loving us, inspiring us, taking care of us, comforting us and playing with us. 

Thank you for your willingness to do those things that are less than pleasant, for taking the early morning feedings, for changing dirty diapers, killing spiders, taking out the garbage and most of all, for putting up with mommy!

We LOVE you!

New Crib + Organic Crib Mattress

Little Missy's quality of life just went up. Husband finally got around to building her a crib. Till now she slept in a bassinet, which she pretty much outgrew. Now we have two cribs in the master bedroom. Yes it's crowded, but we're hoping to set up a nursery as soon as we buy a house (right after winning the lotto). Till then, we'll continue in our rented apartment in New York - the capital of overpriced real estate.

Little Missy is definitely enjoying all the new space and the ability to see the room through the rails. She likes to peek at mama during the night and mama likes to peek at her. 

The crib we bought is identical to the one my two year old toddler still sleeps in, which is a Franklin and Ben Liberty 3-in-1 Convertible Crib. I always liked the classic look of spindle cribs and this white one is dainty, yet sturdy and does not overwhelm the room. The Liberty Crib is made of solid American poplar, which is in the category of hardwoods, though it's one of the "softer" hardwoods. I appreciate that a  toddler rail is included with the crib. A lot of other brands sell it separately. Overall, I'm pretty happy with this crib for the price.

The crib mattress is also the same as the one I chose for Ben two years ago. I only wanted an organic mattress for him, which does not contain any toxins or flame retarders. I will not get into what's wrong with conventional mattresses, you can google that if you're interested, but I'll tell you that after carefully considering all available options and prices, I settled on the Naturepedic Organic Cotton Classic 150. This is a 2-stage dual firmness mattress. One side is firm for infants to sleep safely, the other side is slightly softer for toddlers. The mattress has 150 coils and is filled with organic cotton. I was very impressed with the quality of this mattress and since Ben slept comfortably on it since he was an infant, I purchased the same one for Little Missy without any hesitations. This mattress costs $299 on Amazon, with free shipping and returns.

For baby's comfort, I covered the mattress with an organic quilted mattress pad, by American Baby Company, also purchased on Amazon.

The little pillow in the picture is there to help with flat-head, which all my babies seem to develop. This time I was proactive and got the pillow early one. There are benefits to being the youngest in the family. Parents already had a chance to experiment on your older siblings and have just a little more figured out.

Now if I can only get Little Missy to sleep through the night in her new abode, well, that would be just dandy!

A Mother's Incoherent Ramblings

My firstborn turned 13 last week! She's now officially a teenager and I'm panicking. Where did the time go? I still vividly remember the day she was born. Was that really 13 years ago?

We definitely have all the symptoms of teenagehood around here:

• Butting heads - CHECK!
• Trying very hard to fit in - CHECK!
• Wanting to stand out from the crowd at the same time - CHECK!
• Doesn't believe parents know best - CHECK!
• Spends hours on the phone - CHECK!
• Nightly pimple cream application - CHECK!

It feels as if just yesterday she was a sweet happy-go-lucky pre-schooler with chubby cheeks, huge eyes and a sense of wonder. Now she's a moody young lady who expects to be treated as an adult. I know this is a normal part of growing up, and a mother's job is to try and let go a little, but my heart is breaking because right about now, it hit me that she won't be mine forever. Though I knew the day she would fly out of the nest would have to come eventually, nothing in my parenting journey really prepared me for coping with just how fast that day is approaching. Tick, tick tick, every minute brings us closer to the eminent.

When your child is little, you want to protect them from all calamities of the world. You believe, that if only you hold them tightly in your arms, nothing bad can touch them. You dote on your babies and you kiss their little cheeks. It doesn't enter your mind that there will come a day when your child will no longer want your protection.

Back when doll-houses were not passe 

On the other hand, just last week, my daughter did skip with me outside in broad daylight, while singing "we're off to see the wizard...". Sure, she did it just to embarrass her brother, but even so, maybe not all is lost yet.

I have lots of hopes for you, my love, and one of them is that you remain a child just a little longer. Not for my sake, but because life will catch up with you faster than you realize and this is the only childhood you'll ever have. Enjoy what's left of it!

100% Pure Mother's Day Gift Sets + FREE Express Shipping

If you're out of ideas as to what to get Mom (or wife or yourself ) for Mother's Day, you've got to check out these glorious skincare and cosmetics gift sets by 100% Pure.
Luckily for last minute shoppers, EXPRESS SHIPPING is FREE May 4th - May 6th. No minimum purchase required. 

All 100% Pure products are made without any synthetic chemicals, chemical preservatives, artificial fragrances, artificial colors, harsh detergents or any other unhealthy toxins. Cosmetics are made with fruit pigments and don't contain any synthetic fragrances, alcohol or emulsifiers. The Pure products are also vegan.

I'm very selective of what I use and at this point, 100% Pure is one of my "go-to" skincare brands. I also love their lipsticks and tinted lip balms.

Natural Goodness

{ This Moment }

My baby girl is snoozing in my arms.
She's not in deep sleep, placing her down will mean she'll immediately wake up.
I put aside all my "to dos" and sit here holding her.
I watch her little face and listen to her breathing.
I inhale her sweet baby scent.
Her eyelashes are fluttering.
Her delicate face expresses pure contentment.
I stroke her hand lightly.
Her skin is so unbelievably silky.
I think about how blessed I am to be a mother, how nothing else that I do comes close to the awesomeness of motherhood.

These moments are so precious, yet so fleeting.
It seems only yesterday I was holding my baby boy like this, now a rambunctious toddler.
How I wish I can freeze this moment in time...

It's A Girl!

Hello lovelies! It's been so long since my last post. This blog came to a screeching halt due to little Missy's arrival in November.

Born 8lb 15oz (All those cookies I ate had to go somewhere.)

Hobbies: Eating and pooping. 

Sleeping - not so much.

Born with a full head of hair, a manicure and the roundest cheeks I've ever seen on a newborn, little Missy is a show-stopper. Her 19 months old big brother finds little Missy to be an exotic creature. He likes to observe her from a safe distance. Overall, he's pretty sympathetic to her needs, except for when he wants me to play with him, in which case he points to a stroller and says "Put baby down".
 As for mama, I'm only just starting to emerge somewhat from the sleep deprived daze that I've been in for the past two months. Hopefully, I'll be back to reviewing baby products and bringing you the latest sales and deals on a more regular basis, so please stay tuned.