Throw A Baby Shower For Her Not You!

I'm a little bit disgusted. I went to a baby shower today but it seems like the friend who threw the shower did it more for her then she did for the mother. The mother to be really likes Victorian things, is a vegetarian and is a bit shy.  So she was a bit aghast when she walked in to find herself confronted by clotheslines hanging with hand me down clothes, big meat lasagna and women playing 'who has the poopy diaper.'  However the woman who threw the shower has more this sense of humor.   They also served chocolate cake when I know that the mom-to-be's favorite flavor is lemon. 

My point here is that he intention of a baby shower is to throw the expectant one a party she will love! The intention literally shower the mother with blessings, gifts and the good will of her best friends. It is not a religious rite, although as late as the forties and fifties, baby showers were thrown in conjunction with a baptism or a christening. 

If you are asked to throw a baby shower for a good friend don't tell yourself that all that matters is that you are motivated by your heart. You also need to make some kind of attempt to please her.   Sit down and take the time to figure out what makes her tick, what her taste is and what her favorite colors are. Try to make her as happy as she can be on that special day.

Consciously ask yourself a few questions about the mother. Who is she? What does she like? Is she religious? Is she a feminist? Is she a busy multi-tasker?  Is she struggling financially? Is she sentimental, practical, business-like, shy, formal, friendly?  Is she a stylish individual or is she happiest kicking around in a sweatshirt? Does she drink or is she a member of MADD? Any dietary restrictions?  Does she hate pink?  Can you see her child wearing a black leather jacket instead of the usual furry little pom poms? 

These are the type of things you have to ask yourself before throwing the shower. For instance if she hates arts and crafts don't even think of making a plaster model of her swelling belly –she is going to hate you for that and store the thing in the garage. Sit down and make a list of your friend’s likes and dislikes. This will help inspire you to manifest an event that is uniquely personal to her. 

Rites of passage are deeply personal so it is very important that you don’t string a diaper clothesline across the living room of a stylish status conscious friend or serve lots of cake to a mother with gestational diabetes. Do a little research and make use of available resources.  The biggest mistake that most people make when they throw a party for another person is making the theme more personal to them, than the mother. Those Barbie dishes and towels that you adore collecting, might not suit the mother-to-be who may throw them up on eBay or give the away the first chance she gets!

Parenting Tips
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Pomegranates Like Kids!

If you want to get your kid to eat something healthy and something that he or she might even perceive as being candy then try giving them pomegranate pips. These are the shiny juicy seeds of the pomegranate fruit and some kids really love them. If your kids don't like them then it is probably because of the sometimes sour or nutty taste that the pip's hard center might have. However for the most part you should be able fool your kid into thinking that a pomegranate is some kind of candy partly because it is so shiny and red.

A word to the wise – it is probably best to shell your own seeds out of freshly bought fruit no matter how time consuming you find this to be as the prepackaged pips that you can sometimes get taste really sour and fermented.  I wish I had a tip for saving you time when it comes to shelling pomegranates but it is one of those complicated fruits that is labor intensive no matter what you do. One good thing about a pomegranate is that peeling and shelling one can actually be a great activity for an older child, especially a fatter one that needs to learn how to not eat mindlessly in front of the television.  Getting pomegranates out of their shell does take some effort and concentration that encourages the overweight child to focus on the food and be more mindful of what is being consumed. 

Why should you feed your kid pomegranates in the first place? They have a ton of Vitamin C and anthocyns that can help protect your child's vision. Anthocyns, which give the pomegranate its blue red color can also help prevent your child from free radicals in the form of pollution, too much sunshine, carcinogens (from that barbecued hamburger) and tobacco smoke. They are also very good for a child's gums. 

If you can't get your child to eat the pips of a pomegranate then try giving them the juice. Most kids love the juice and you can get all kinds of generic brands of it now that is made from pure fruit without having to invest in that expensive POM stuff. You can also try sneaking into other foods. Pomegranate juice is a great addition to a salad dressing that is made with vinegar, oil, red wine and shallots.  You can also make pomegranate jelly using ordinary gelatin or you can add the juice or pips to strawberry or grape jello. Almost no kid can resist this especially if you have a little shot of whipped cream on the top. 

Pomegranate syrup, the stuff that bars use in cocktails, actually tastes really nice on pancakes so that may be one way of sneaking those anthocyns into your child's diet.  A good combo is pancakes heaped with bananas that is then drooled with a mixture of pomegranate and maple syrup that has been slightly warmed on the stove before serving. 

Parenting Tips
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