When I was in Japan, one of my favourite dishes was omurice.  There was a lovely omurice restaurant my friends and I used to frequent in Fukuyama. It's been eleven years since my teaching days in Japan, and every now and then I still get the craving for omurice.

Did you know that the recommended dose of vitamin D for toddlers and children is 400IU?

Research has shown that Vitamin D is important for our overall well-being because it has has many benefits on multiple organs within the body. Too little vitamin D can lower the immune system and increase the risk of heart disease, certain cancers, diabetes and more. Check this link for more information about vitamin D.

My doctor even mentioned the importance of vitamin D for adults. Our family spends lots of time outdoors (We're always outside! We live on a farm!), but I still take my Ddrops for Adults!

When Ddrops sent us Kids Ddrops, I wondered whether my toddler would take it. Most kids we know don't like taking vitamins, so this would prove to be interesting!

The result? She loves her Kids Ddrops!

I'm not sure if it's because of the picture of Dora the Explorer on the box and bottle or if it's because the vitamin D drops are really colourless, odourless, and tasteless! Just a single drop of Kids Ddrops equals the recommended dosage (400 IU). It's a fun way to take vitamins too! No need to mask the taste or chew tablets! The purified Ddrops contain no other chemicals or additives.

Little One thinks it's really fun to get her drop of vitamin D! No. I'm not kidding! She brings me the bottle of Ddrops in the morning and says, "I want Dora vitamin, Mommy!"

She loves it!

You can administer the vitamin D drop on a clean surface (like on a spoon) or drop it onto your child's food. Personally, we don't even bother dropping it onto Little One's food. She likes her Kids Ddrops as is. I put a drop on her finger and let her put it in her mouth. Of course, I make sure her hands have been washed first! Occasionally, we'll put it on a spoon, but she prefers it on her finger.
 
Who knew that taking vitamins could be so fun?


For more information about Kids Ddrops, check out the website here.
Follow news about vitamin D related to babies and infants, Ddrops™ and Kids Ddrops™ on facebook.com/babyddrops and twitter.com/babyddrops.

Whenever we have out of town visitors, I like to give them a little something tangible to remember Manitoulin Island by.

I am a huge supporter of local businesses. One of my favourites is Hawberry Farms. They have a huge selection of jams, jellies, chutneys, garlic sauces, syrups, seasonings, no-sugar spreads, and so much more. You can even order online and if you spend more than $48, you get free shipping!

We had heaps of family over for the long weekend. I decided to give them an Island gift that I absolutely love.

Red Pepper Jelly!
To me, there's nothing more delicious than warm, ooey, gooey, melted Brie on stone milled crackers. Melted Brie on crackers is the easiest go-to recipe I have when I need a delicious appetizer in a pinch!

Baked Brie Recipe

Method

1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2 On a stick-free cookie sheet, lay out the puff pastry flat; put brie round or wedge on top.
2 Spread jelly on Brie, fold dough over top, cutting off excess dough.
3 Bake at 350º for 25-30 minutes, pastry should be golden brown. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
4 Garnish with Basil leaves
5 Serve with stone milled crackers or any cracker of your choice.

Even Easier Melted Brie & Red Pepper Jelly Recipe


Ingredients
1 wheel of Brie
Red Pepper jelly
Basil leaves

Method
1 On a microwavable plate, place wheel of Brie and microwave it for a few minutes. Do not remove rind! Each microwave varies, so I won't give an exact time. Just make sure you don't melt the Brie so much that it's already gushing out of the rind!
2 Remove from microwave, add a few spoonfuls of Red Pepper jelly.
3 Garnish with Basil leaves, slice and eat with stone milled crackers. Enjoy!

Actually, it's not my toddler who is having issues with this whole potty training thing. It's me!

Part of it is due to me feeling guilty. Guilty that I have to work all day and not spend the time I need to be with her to teach her how to use the potty. She's pretty much potty training herself.

No. Seriously. She is.

Little One wears panties at home or goes around au naturel and tells us, "I have to go toilet!" She's been pretty good at #2, which surprises me. I've read that some children have a harder time with #2.  It's #1 she forgets about and has little accidents sometimes. Occasionally, I'll step into a warm puddle and moments later will hear, "I peed!"

Another thing is that though I should embrace each and every milestone and enjoy each stage of childhood, Little One being almost potty trained makes me a little sad. It signals the end of her babyhood. Of course it means the end of diapers (wooo hooo!), but the end of babyhood too.

Yes, I realize she's no longer a baby and I don't treat her that way. It doesn't make it easier though. I feel like having to work and being with students all day means I spend more time with other people's children than my own child.

One last potty issue is that I feel pressured by other moms who say things like, "Oh. She's not potty trained yet?" or "My child was out of her diapers before she turned two!"

Little One's pediatrician and Neonatologist mentioned that by 3, children are "ready" to start potty training and they "understand" what it's all about. She said that many parents rush their children and think that "Oh! The magical number has to be 2. By 2, they need to be out of their diapers!"

The more reading and research I've been doing, the more I realize that Little One is on the right track. She's showing interest in going on the toilet, she knows what to do, she tells us (most of the time) when she needs to go, and she's pleased as punch whenever she has a successful trip to the potty.

I guess what I really need to get into my head is that all children are different. They don't have to go by the same time tables...and, don't compare! This would be a lot easier if people didn't compare. Why do people do that? I know that we don't say, "Well, your child must be delayed because Little One was doing that a year earlier than your child" or "Wow. I can't believe he is so far behind! Our child was walking, feeding herself, saying the alphabet, talking, and writing her thesis and defending it before she was 2!"

Fortunately for Little One, I don't project these feelings onto her. I don't want her to grow up with a complex or anything. Instead, I keep the annoying things people say to myself (Ha! Or now on the blog!) and hope I don't die of stress or an anxiety attack.

Who says things like that? Why would it even matter? What pleasure do people get in comparing babies, toddlers, children?


Do any of you have inspirational potty stories to share? Tips, perhaps?

*Photo of Little One just after she got into one of our students' toiletry bags. She's covered head to toe in toothpaste. Nice.

Everyone knows that owning and starting up a small business can be exciting, but challenging and costly at the same time.  Just thinking of even here on Manitoulin Island, we have many talented small business owners with fabulous products and services to offer. Whether your small business be in the form of an organic soap making company, chocolate shop, photography business, jewelry making business, or quilt shop, (just to name a few!), extra funds are always useful.

This is why I am excited to spread the news about centrsource.ca! Small businesses all over Canada can will be happy to hear this!

CentrSource is having a contest for all Canadian small business owners just like you. You can win a grand prize of $15,000! 

TO ENTER:
Simply enter your business information and a product offer for friends and family to vote on.

Over $40,000 in prizes to be won!

* Grand prize of $15,000 cash + 6 months of free advertising on CentrSource.

* Secondary prize: One ad will be randomly selected out of 50 entries for one prize of $5,000 cash + 3 months of free advertising on CentrSource.

*  Every Week, there are chances to WIN! A winner will be drawn randomly from ALL ad entries each week to win one of 8 weekly prizes of $1,000 cash + 1 month of free advertising on CentrSource.

Think that's great? It gets even better!  Even if you don't have a small business, you can still enter to win an iPad 2 just by voting!

...The Crypt being MY BRAIN!

It seems these days, my poor Mommy brain isn't functioning as it should. I know what you're thinking. That's because I'm up at 4AM, blogging. Right? Truth be told, I'm not usually up this early (or this late...depending on how you look at it). We just got back from an airport pick up. A new ESL student arrived tonight. The airport is 2 hours from the Island. You do the math.

I'm so wired now, I can't sleep!

I was just thinking about how my brain seems to have gone to mush. Do you know that today was the first time I realized that BOGO means "Buy One, Get One"!?!?! I feel so stupid! I've seen commercials on TV for Payless BOGO days. It never even occurred to me that it meant "Buy One, Get One", even though I knew that Payless Shoes offered those deals! Duh!

The other day, I said "Steffi and Liz is" instead of "Steffi and Liz are". That really bugs me. I don't usually make slips like that. I majored in English and Linguistics. I teach grammar for a living! Incidentally, did you know that a "mistake" is different than a "slip"?
"Mistakes are errors in choosing an objective or specifying a method of achieving it whereas slips are errors in carrying out an intended method for reaching an objective." (Sternberg, 1996)

Just sayin'.

 Then I do really strange things like orchestrate a Surprise Birthday/Going Away party for one of my students and make the 4 (for the "24") backwards on the cake! I didn't even notice it until the other student pointed it out to me. My friend, who happens to also be a teacher commented, "Well, you teach literacy. Not mathematics."
Bwahahahahahaha! I'm so embarrassed. I'm thinking that I clearly need more sleep.

Me: A what!?!?!

Hubby: Just go to [name of store on the Island where Hubby gets most of his parts and equipment for the farm from] and tell them you're getting me an Economy Hooker and they'll know what I mean.

Me: Ummm...Okay.

I sauntered into the shop, chatted with the kind folks who work there, and then said, "[insert Hubby's real name here] wanted me to pick up and pay for an Economy Hooker for him".

Laughter.

Owner: I didn't know there was a such thing as an "economy" one! I thought they were all expensive.

Guy1: I've never heard of a husband ASKING his wife to get one for him, let alone PAY for it!

More laughter.

The owner went to the back and returned with the Economy Hooker.

She was not what I was expecting at all.

I learn something new every day on the Island!

An Economy Hooker is an anchor for a boat. Now our boat has an anchor! Yay!

My friend and his family came up to the Island for a visit last week. They gave Little One the most fabulous gift. A Ms. FOOD FACE plate!


It was the first time I had seen or heard of the Fred & Friends product. Little One loves it so much that she takes it everywhere with her!


Here's a photo of Little One's FOOD FACE plate on our recent brunch date with friends at The Garden Shed Cafe!


What a novel idea! Little One taps into her creativity through food art. It's fun and she loves eating from this plate. At first, I thought it might deter her and make her want to just play with her food. On the contrary. She actually wants to eat more from it!


Little One is not a picky eater at all and she's got a hollow leg. We have no problems getting her to eat, but this plate would be great for parents to try on their kids who may need some inspiration when it comes to eating. It's appealing, fun, and Little One approved!

We're  headed to the beach as soon as Little One wakes up! Yes, it's 8:30 on a Saturday morning and my toddler is STILL sleeping!

We're fortunate to be living on an island, surrounded by lots of beautiful beaches! Of course, we're taking along her Melissa & Doug Seaside Sidekicks Sand Toys! A day at the beach without building sand cakes? 

Before we head out, I would like to say that megcolmcg is the winner of 4 sets of sand toys from the Melissa & Doug Seaside Sidekicks collection! Congratulations! 

 

megcolmcg said... 18

"Liked" Random Thoughts and Musings from the Island REVIEWS on Facebook. me*******re@gmail.com

You will be contacted via e-mail. Please reply within the next 48 hrs or a new winner will be chosen. Thanks to everyone who entered! 

Hope everyone has a great weekend! Enjoy!