I really love to bake but these days it's hard to find the time. So when I do find myself with a bit of extra time, I want to bake something that I know will get eaten and that will last us a while. The one thing I think most people love and everybody could make is a basic cake. When your cake is moist and delicious, your family and friends will love it just as much, if not more, than any complex baked good you can find on pinterest. Don't get me wrong I love those but sometimes you just have to get back to or start with the basics.
What you need:
5 eggs
250 grams of selfrising flour
250 grams of plain white sugar
40 grams of vanilla sugar
250 grams of butter
Start with melting your butter. Some recipes may tell you to do this in a bowl over a saucepan or something like that. I just put in the microwave. To the melted butter, add your sugar and 30 grams of the vanilla sugar and mix well. You don't need to use an electric wisk for this, just by hand is fine. Then you need to seperate your eggs. Put the yolks in with the butter and sugar and the whites in a bowl. This is a really important step to make your cake light and fluffy. Wisk the yorks with the butter and sugar by hand and then gradually add the flour. You can use normal flour and baking powder but I just use selfrising flour to make it easier. Then put the remaining 10 grams of vanillasugar in with the eggwhites and mix this with an electric wisk, or by hand if you are really strong, until it forms stiff white peaks. Add this to the batter and mix well.
I find this recipe to be a perfect fit for a bundt cake tin. To prepare your tin, smear the inside completely with butter and then dust it with flour so the bottom and walls are completely covered. Then you can pour in your batter and your cake is ready to be baked.
Put it in a preheaded oven at 175° celcius for about 35 minutes or until a scewer in the middle comes out clean. Be carefull not to put it in too long because you will have a dry cake.
Enjoy your cake.
maandag 24 augustus 2015
zaterdag 22 augustus 2015
Getting baby to sleep
I really wanted to talk about sleep and more importantly getting your baby to sleep. Luke has always been a great baby. You can take him anywhere, he is so sweet and mellow. At home obviously he plays like the wild child he is, but he doesn't get upset when he has to wait in line somewhere or when we go out to eat. The only thing that has kind of been a little bit of a problem is sleeping.
When he was a newborn he would not sleep in his crib. He would only sleep lying on my chest. After a few days of this (on top of having just given birth to him), I was exhausted. I have already talked about this in my baby must-haves so I won't go into it too much but a co-sleeper and a white noise bear helped with getting him to sleep. We still had our sleepness nights now and again but they weren't the rule anymore.
When we moved Luke to his room and he had to start taking naps in his room and go to bed before we would go to bed, and he started to sleep badly again. Once he was asleep he was kind of ok but getting him to sleep was a whole other story. He would scream and cry for up to an hour and eventually just fall asleep exhausted. During the day this was a really big problem, it made me feel so helpless. In the evenings, he would either fall asleep while I fed him or he would scream for hours. We would try everything, rocking him to sleep, sitting with him and quietly sing to him, letting him scream,...
I knew that rocking him to sleep or letting him fall asleep while feeding was not the answer but I did this for a while because it made me feel so much better than hearing him scream for an hour. It took until he was over six months for me to find the problem and it was so simple. For weeks I thought that it was my job to make sure he fell asleep. When he talked in his bed for too long I would go in and give him his pacifier. When his pacifier would fall, i would go in and give it back,... And he would cry as soon as I left the room. And then I started doing some research and found that babies talk away everything they did and saw before they fall asleep as a way to relax after all those stimuli. And I started thinking about it and applying it to myself. If I'm trying to fall asleep and someone would come in and check up on me every 5 minutes, I wouldn't be able to fall asleep either.
Once I realized that I didn't need to help him fall asleep and relaxed a bit more, things got so much easier. Of course I had to work on it a bit because Luke wasn't used to falling asleep on his own. The first few days I put him down and let him talk and cry a little until he started really crying. Then I would walk in, put him back under his sheets, give him his pacifier and leave. I never said a word and I tried not to look him in the eye. Sometimes I had to do this a few times and other times, he would fall asleep after the first time. Gradually he stopped crying so hard and I wouldn't have to go back so much. And now he just talks for a few minutes or 15 minutes depending on the day and then he falls asleep. At times I might have to go in once just to put him back under his sheets and give him his pacifier but then he will fall asleep within minutes.
The most important thing that changed everything has been my feelings about him sleeping. I was so focused on how much he should sleep and it stressed me out. Now I just think, " he'll fall asleep eventually and if he doesn't than he will sleep a little more later" and I really think Luke feels better about going to sleep now that I feel less stressed.
When he was a newborn he would not sleep in his crib. He would only sleep lying on my chest. After a few days of this (on top of having just given birth to him), I was exhausted. I have already talked about this in my baby must-haves so I won't go into it too much but a co-sleeper and a white noise bear helped with getting him to sleep. We still had our sleepness nights now and again but they weren't the rule anymore.
When we moved Luke to his room and he had to start taking naps in his room and go to bed before we would go to bed, and he started to sleep badly again. Once he was asleep he was kind of ok but getting him to sleep was a whole other story. He would scream and cry for up to an hour and eventually just fall asleep exhausted. During the day this was a really big problem, it made me feel so helpless. In the evenings, he would either fall asleep while I fed him or he would scream for hours. We would try everything, rocking him to sleep, sitting with him and quietly sing to him, letting him scream,...
I knew that rocking him to sleep or letting him fall asleep while feeding was not the answer but I did this for a while because it made me feel so much better than hearing him scream for an hour. It took until he was over six months for me to find the problem and it was so simple. For weeks I thought that it was my job to make sure he fell asleep. When he talked in his bed for too long I would go in and give him his pacifier. When his pacifier would fall, i would go in and give it back,... And he would cry as soon as I left the room. And then I started doing some research and found that babies talk away everything they did and saw before they fall asleep as a way to relax after all those stimuli. And I started thinking about it and applying it to myself. If I'm trying to fall asleep and someone would come in and check up on me every 5 minutes, I wouldn't be able to fall asleep either.
Once I realized that I didn't need to help him fall asleep and relaxed a bit more, things got so much easier. Of course I had to work on it a bit because Luke wasn't used to falling asleep on his own. The first few days I put him down and let him talk and cry a little until he started really crying. Then I would walk in, put him back under his sheets, give him his pacifier and leave. I never said a word and I tried not to look him in the eye. Sometimes I had to do this a few times and other times, he would fall asleep after the first time. Gradually he stopped crying so hard and I wouldn't have to go back so much. And now he just talks for a few minutes or 15 minutes depending on the day and then he falls asleep. At times I might have to go in once just to put him back under his sheets and give him his pacifier but then he will fall asleep within minutes.
The most important thing that changed everything has been my feelings about him sleeping. I was so focused on how much he should sleep and it stressed me out. Now I just think, " he'll fall asleep eventually and if he doesn't than he will sleep a little more later" and I really think Luke feels better about going to sleep now that I feel less stressed.
vrijdag 14 augustus 2015
Things I regret buying for my baby
In this post I wanted to talk about a few things that I regret buying either because they didn't perform the way I expected or because I really just didn't need them.
The first things I regret is the Childwood Evolu high chair. I really love the look of this high chair. It's just a very simple chair with kind of a modern design look to it. The only problem is that I can't use it anymore (kind of a big problem huh). The first problem is the harnas. The Evolu we have does not have a bar between the legs so you have to use the harnas. It is a 5 point harnas that can also be used as a 3 point harnas ( meaning that it still clicks if you only use the straps at the waist and between the legs). The straps over the shoulders I can't use because they cut into Lukes neck really hard even when he sits still. But being able to just use the harnas as a 3 point kind of helps with this problem. The big problem however is that I don't feel the chair is safe. Luke is a very active boy so he is not one to sit still. He will rock back and forth and wiggle and when he does this, the legs come of the ground and so I'm afraid he will tip over. I contacted the manufacturer but they just told me the chair is up to code so it's safe. I'm now just using a cheap Ikea chair because it is so much safer and it's more comfortable for Luke to sit in.
Another thing I probably shouldn't have bought was the baby carrier. This has nothing to do with the carrier itself but just with the fact that I never remembered using it. It is the Stokke carrier and I did try it and it is very safe and comfortable so if you really want one I do recommend it. I do think I will get a lot of use out of it when we have another baby because I will have Luke to run after and it will be easy to carry a baby around and have my hands free. But with Luke it only got used twice so I probably shouldn't have spend the money.
Another thing I never used and shouldn't have bought was the belly bandit. I loved the idea of it but it was just so uncomfortable. I'm quite a short person with a short torso and it just hurt and I couldn't nurse with it on because it pushed at my boobs. I do know a lot of women like it but maybe try to borrow one and test it before you spend the money.
I don't regret buying many things because I did do a lot of research. The best way to make sure you get the best gear for your baby, just read the reviews and the blogs.
The first things I regret is the Childwood Evolu high chair. I really love the look of this high chair. It's just a very simple chair with kind of a modern design look to it. The only problem is that I can't use it anymore (kind of a big problem huh). The first problem is the harnas. The Evolu we have does not have a bar between the legs so you have to use the harnas. It is a 5 point harnas that can also be used as a 3 point harnas ( meaning that it still clicks if you only use the straps at the waist and between the legs). The straps over the shoulders I can't use because they cut into Lukes neck really hard even when he sits still. But being able to just use the harnas as a 3 point kind of helps with this problem. The big problem however is that I don't feel the chair is safe. Luke is a very active boy so he is not one to sit still. He will rock back and forth and wiggle and when he does this, the legs come of the ground and so I'm afraid he will tip over. I contacted the manufacturer but they just told me the chair is up to code so it's safe. I'm now just using a cheap Ikea chair because it is so much safer and it's more comfortable for Luke to sit in.
Another thing I probably shouldn't have bought was the baby carrier. This has nothing to do with the carrier itself but just with the fact that I never remembered using it. It is the Stokke carrier and I did try it and it is very safe and comfortable so if you really want one I do recommend it. I do think I will get a lot of use out of it when we have another baby because I will have Luke to run after and it will be easy to carry a baby around and have my hands free. But with Luke it only got used twice so I probably shouldn't have spend the money.
Another thing I never used and shouldn't have bought was the belly bandit. I loved the idea of it but it was just so uncomfortable. I'm quite a short person with a short torso and it just hurt and I couldn't nurse with it on because it pushed at my boobs. I do know a lot of women like it but maybe try to borrow one and test it before you spend the money.
I don't regret buying many things because I did do a lot of research. The best way to make sure you get the best gear for your baby, just read the reviews and the blogs.
zaterdag 8 augustus 2015
Baby must-haves 3-7 months
Before I start my post about baby things I regret buying, I thought I would first tell you about my must-have item for months 3 through 7.
I founds that at 3 months the baby toys really started to become interesting for Luke. He started to really enjoy his mobile. That was the first toy he got excited about. He would wiggle and kick or just stare at the soft animals going around and around with his big interested eyes. As the weeks went on, he got into more and more toys like soft books, a rattle,... Then when he was a little over 4 months I found that he needed more. He wasn't happy with just playing on his back anymore. I did a lot of research and finally bought him a Fisher Price jumperoo (the rainforest one). The first time I put him in it, he cried but after about a day of sitting in front of it with him and showing him the toys and colors he got used to it. We never put him in it for very long but he loved it. The jumping was fun of course but I really liked to see him working his little hands to grab the toys. It's not cheap but for him it was absolutely worth it.
Another thing I'm so happy to have is the Beaba babycook. If you don't know what a babycook is, it's a steamer and mixer in one. You put the vegtables in the basket and steam them and when they are done, you can use the same device to mix them into a nice puree for your baby. You don't have to keep an eye on it as you do when you cook them in a pot and steaming the vegetables will keep a lot more nutrients than cooking will.
I started reading to Luke when I was still pregnant with him but in the last few months, he seems to really like a story before bed. His favorite is "the wizard and the hopping pot" by JK Rowling. This is a story in the book The Tales of Beedle the Bard. Do keep in mind that some of the stories in this book might not be appropriate for really small children. Another favorite is "the gruffalo" by Julie Donaldson and Alex Scheffler.
Nestlé dessert...this is Lukes must-have!. He is a really good eater, fruit and vegetables more than milk but he'll pretty much eat everything. The Nestlé desserts however he won't just eat, he will devour them. The baby vanilla pudding is his favorite. This is obviously a treat and not for every day but he enjoys them so much I can't help but give in sometimes.
Those are the main things I can think of but, as everything does with babies, these can change really quickly.
I founds that at 3 months the baby toys really started to become interesting for Luke. He started to really enjoy his mobile. That was the first toy he got excited about. He would wiggle and kick or just stare at the soft animals going around and around with his big interested eyes. As the weeks went on, he got into more and more toys like soft books, a rattle,... Then when he was a little over 4 months I found that he needed more. He wasn't happy with just playing on his back anymore. I did a lot of research and finally bought him a Fisher Price jumperoo (the rainforest one). The first time I put him in it, he cried but after about a day of sitting in front of it with him and showing him the toys and colors he got used to it. We never put him in it for very long but he loved it. The jumping was fun of course but I really liked to see him working his little hands to grab the toys. It's not cheap but for him it was absolutely worth it.
 |
| Fisher Price jumperoo |
Another thing I'm so happy to have is the Beaba babycook. If you don't know what a babycook is, it's a steamer and mixer in one. You put the vegtables in the basket and steam them and when they are done, you can use the same device to mix them into a nice puree for your baby. You don't have to keep an eye on it as you do when you cook them in a pot and steaming the vegetables will keep a lot more nutrients than cooking will.
 |
| Beaba babycook |
I started reading to Luke when I was still pregnant with him but in the last few months, he seems to really like a story before bed. His favorite is "the wizard and the hopping pot" by JK Rowling. This is a story in the book The Tales of Beedle the Bard. Do keep in mind that some of the stories in this book might not be appropriate for really small children. Another favorite is "the gruffalo" by Julie Donaldson and Alex Scheffler.
 |
Nestlé dessert...this is Lukes must-have!. He is a really good eater, fruit and vegetables more than milk but he'll pretty much eat everything. The Nestlé desserts however he won't just eat, he will devour them. The baby vanilla pudding is his favorite. This is obviously a treat and not for every day but he enjoys them so much I can't help but give in sometimes.
Those are the main things I can think of but, as everything does with babies, these can change really quickly.
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