Many people often ask creative writers where we get our ideas. This poem was inspired by a variety of posts I read here at Babies Online, especially those that discussed bedtime routines and setting a schedule.

Then, my niece had an assignment in her college writing class to write a particular form of poem, a villanelle. I thought it would be fun to try!

In this form, the first and last line of the first stanza repeat. I gave it a twist, changing the second refrain in order to represent the rapidly passing time with a baby! Enjoy!

Breakfast, naptime, playtime, bath

Then off to bed with a lullaby

These newborn days go by so fast.

Our day is planned, a common path

Treasure each moment in my mind

Breakfast, naptime, playtime, bath

I try to make each second last

As gurgles and goos turn into “bye-bye”

These infant days go by so fast.

Others warned it would pass in a flash

And daily routines make the minutes fly…

Breakfast, naptime, playtime, bath

Then bedtime stories and your cute little laugh

Someday I’ll miss the cuddles and cries

These toddler days go by so fast

Then one day, no lullabies,

No more stories, nor cuddles and cries…

No breakfast, naptime, playtime, bath–

Childhood goes by so fast.

With an active toddler and another baby on the way, it can be a challenge to find snacks or dessert items that are both healthy and fast. In addition, my daughter is becoming increasingly picky when it comes to food; her breakfast meal can be especially difficult. We like to get her day started with a somewhat nutritious meal as much as possible, preferably made at home with minimal ingredients, and have this fall discovered one food she just can‘t seem to get enough of: pumpkin.

My husband and I aren‘t terribly fond of pumpkin ourselves. Sure, we‘ll eat pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving or a slice of pumpkin bread here or there, but it’s not something we‘d seek out. However, since discovering just how much our daughter loves the taste of the orange stuff, we‘ve changed our habits to accommodate her - and have begun to eat healthier ourselves in the mean time.

The best and easiest pumpkin recipe I have found is for pumpkin cupcakes. These are simply made with a box of spice cake mix and a can of pureed pumpkin mixed together and baked. Can’t get much easier than that, can we - In fact, if your child is old enough, he or she can even help out with this one, by opening the box of cake mix, stirring the bowl or helping to fill the muffin tins.

To make, combine a box of spice cake mix with a 15 ounce can of pureed pumpkin in a large bowl. Stir until moistened, then use an electric mixer to beat for about 2 minutes on medium speed. Pour into a prepared cupcake tin and bake at 350 degrees for15-20 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pans on a wire racks for 10 minutes, then remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Serve with cream cheese frosting, or plain. The cupcakes bake up to a somewhat dense, cake-like consistency, and are a great toddler breakfast or snack.

Young ladies and gentlemen, if you think that skipping breakfast is one way to lose weight, you?re wrong!

Recent studies showed that American teenagers who skip breakfast are more likely to be obese than those who eat a morning meal. This is based on the study of 2216 students in Minneapolis and St. Paul middle and high schools from 1998 to 1999 and again from 2003 and 2004. The survey showed that almost 19% of the boys and 14% of the girls skip breakfast. The majority of these kids came from low-income homes and were non-white. It seems that these kids are skipping breakfast to lose weight. However, the study showed that teens that skipped the meal were five pounds heavier on average, ate less healthy food during the day and resorted to fast food or food from vending machines and exercised less frequently than those who ate breakfast.

Obesity means a person has too much body fat, while being overweight means a person’s weight is more than what is recommended for his or her height. Obesity is not only an issue of being fat but is linked to health problems such high cholesterol, high blood pressure, asthma, and diabetes. The number of obese teenagers in the USA has tripled over the past twenty years and is now a major health concern that needs to be addressed.

Source:

Bloomberg.com 3 March 2008

Oatmeal has been in the news a lot recently. You probably know all about it’s cholesterol reducing properties, it’s high-fiber and low fat, it’s digested slowly and makes you feel full for longer so it’s a great food for dieters. And it’s cheap – a big tub of instant oatmeal is under $2 in my local supermarket.

It’s also reputed to stimulate breastmilk production in nursing moms.

But it tastes so…. blah. Here’s some ideas to make fast, tasty, healthy, warming, cheap breakfasts for a mom and older baby or toddler with oatmeal – also known as porridge in Scotland (and our house).

Purple Porridge

Ingredients – Instant oatmeal, milk, applesauce, handful of frozen blueberries.

Benefits – Calcium, antioxidants, two servings of fruit, loads of vitamins.

Remove blueberries from freezer and rinse away frost with warm water.
Prepare oatmeal with packet instructions. Stir in a blob of applesauce, about a third to a half of a small pot, and the blueberries. Stir and let sit for a few minutes so the blueberries defrost in the hot oatmeal.

My 20-month-old son calls this spotty pod, purple pod, or boobie pod. Well, how do you pronounce blueberries when you can’t say L or R?

You can use fresh blueberries too, if they are available. Or try strawberries, blackberries, or cherries, halved or chopped.

Adaption for younger babies – substitute baby oatmeal, whatever milk or formula you use, smooth applesauce, and mashed or pureed berries.

Orange Porridge

Ingredients – Instant oatmeal, milk, applesauce, apricot jelly, chopped unsalted almonds (optional)

Benefits – Calcium, the good fats in nuts, protein, vitamin A

Prepare oatmeal, then stir in applesauce, jelly and almonds, if using. You can also use chopped, dried apricots instead of the jelly, added to the milk and oatmeal at the start of cooking.

Adaption for younger babies – substitute baby oatmeal, whatever milk or formula you use, smooth applesauce, puree the apricots or apricot jelly, or use apricot baby food, and omit the nuts.

My mother had the most creative names for my childhood meals … macaroni & cheese and tuna, malted milkshakes with raw egg, and my all-time favorite, eggs in a bowl with toast.

A breakfast comfort food I had long forgotten, I stumbled across this recipe about a year ago and have been making it semi-regularly ever since. It’s only a 50/50 hit with the kids in my house, but I like it, so I continue to make it.

For this recipe to be complete, tear up pieces of toasted & buttered bread and place in a bowl. Pour creamed eggs over toast, mix, and dig in.

Enjoy!