First steps

Posted on April 14, 2010 by zlatavaskova — Leave a comment

Edie’s first steps on his own

Life is such a curious thing. Since we are born we are constantly learning new things but compare to the first 3 years of our life when we have to learn most of the things to be able to survive the rest of the years are just additional.

Tabula Rasa of Edie started to be written more than year ago and he reached his 13 month of life. And he started to walk on his own. He is doing just few steps, but already that is such amazing feeling to see that he is running to my arms whenever he sees me. Since this time he will start to walk more and more on his own and also further and further from me.

Carlos’ mom told me some time ago. That babies are actually just borrowed to us for very short time. We are obliged to feed them, teach them, give them all our life, thousands of hugs, million of explanation why things works like they works, etc. And for that once we will see their successes and failures and soon they will leave. So there is only limited to enjoy their infancy.

Do you know a destiny of parents?

Learn how to survive without your child. And try to learn it from early beginning because they are becoming independent faster than we might thought before.

So enjoy with me and Carlos Edie’s first steps:

…………….. Keep walking ………….

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Amazing Colombia

Posted on April 14, 2010 by zlatavaskova — 2 Comments

How I found my new family

I have not been in touch with you my dear readers for some time. And there is one simple reason for that because I have been travelling with Carlos and Edie for 3 weeks through Colombia. Beautiful country with many colors, warm hearts people, great services, high safety, clean environment and magical nature and food.

I have that great opportunity to visit few cities and make picture for myself about Colombia. Once you enter insight you will have open mouth and eyes. There are so many things to see that you will never get bored. We have been very lucky, because our family is large and we could have stayed in their good hands and enjoy family feelings.

During our journey we have visited:

Medellin

Pereira

In the farm “Que pa que mas” near by Pereira

Near by the Pereira are located two theme parks. One is Parque del Cafe and the another is Pargue de Agropecultura “PANACA”. Both parks are introducing part of the Colombian culture. Parque del Cafe is talking about the production of delicious Colombian Coffee and PANACA is introducing the life and importance of village for cities.

“Without village there is no city” (Sin campo no hay ciudad!)

Salento – there was held our family reunion “Boterada 2010”

Bogota – as all capital cities Bogota is very busy, full of people, traffic and whole environment is too rushy for me. I prefer calmer places and nature. Although in Bogota U can find different museums (Museum del Oro, Botero Museum), famous Monserate monastir and various entertainment activities.

Near by Bogota is one of the biggest world attraction. There is located the biggest cathedral in the world. It is made from Salt.

And a bit further you can find the legendary Lake in Guatape which is known as “El Dorado” – lake where indigenous where sacrificing golden artifacts and Spanish wanted to pick all the gold from this lake for their selfish needs.

And after great time in the Bogota, the rushy capital we moved to Cartajena. Typical sea side and coast city. With warm weather and 90% humidity. Cartajena reminded me a lot Venecia with its narrow streets, colorful houses and sea smell. Cartajena has very beautiful historical down town with castle on the hill and newly build hotel side in Boca Grande.

Great and our time and travelling was over. The time which we spend in Colombia was unforgettable and I hope that we will soon come back.

And what I have learned being there?

That Colombia produce great coffee
That Colombia honor its people who are working in the countryside and are bringing food on their table.
That Colombia is safe, the news and media made bubble from conflicts which are based on very little area compare to the whole country.
That Colombia has great services, people are unbelievebly polite, buses are on time, people are helpful in any time.
That Colombia has many faces. You can find mountains, low lands, high lands. It has both seas Caribbean and Atlantic.

And Only thing which can threaten you in Colombia is the fact that you would love to stay there forever.

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Tagged with: Bogota, Cartajena, Colombia, culture, exploring, food, Medellin, Parenting, Pereira, Salento, thoughts, travelling
Posted in Venezuelan Diary

The funny moments in Edie’s life

Posted on March 20, 2010 by zlatavaskova — Leave a comment

Fun, Joy & Laugh

I think that the most important job of all parents is to make their babies happy. And I think that most of us try to thrive for excellence. It is not always easy especially if you do not sleep properly for more than 10 month and sometimes my imagination and ideas are being processed with the speed of snail. But anyway for my darling I would do fist and last to make him happy.

And because I love to laugh and make fun I hope that Edie will not mind if I will share with you some of very funny moments from his first year of life:

When he was born it was winter, cold and nasty weather so when I was changing his diaper he always peed out. He was able to “target and fire” everything in the distance of about 1,5 meter so it means that I was peed over constantly, Carlos from time to time. I was changing our bed linen all the time and carpet in our room has to be washed also:) Everything would be all right if he would not pee few times on his head and twice straightly to his mouth……upppps!
He loves to be breastfed. Within the time he got very used to and because of that he got nick name “boobie-holic”. Now we have very nice time together he is always drinking from one breast and playing with nipple of the other side :)…too many details? But what is funny is his constant search for nipples. Now he also found his dad’s nipples and Carlos has tough time to protect his “macho property” because Edie does not make difference between mom’s and dad’s nipples. Both are nice toys to play 🙂 upssss
He is very much coquette with ladies around him. He is able by his smile attract all people around him and specially female gender. He loves to smile at people and not only once he made young ladies nearly pee into their panties because of his smile. Now he started to wave with his hand as greeting. Which is very cute. He is simply heart breaker.
After his 9 month passed. He found the difference between male and female. He is very happy of holding his “pie pie” all the time. Sometimes I even can not change his diaper so I let his hands insight of diaper and start to laugh. You should have seen that. It is sooooo funny 🙂
He had already the unique opportunity to try different flavors. His favorite is sand taste, soil taste and he licked already all possible packaging, things around him such as my shoes, my toes, floor, stairs, mirrors, sponge. When he is actually sucking my skin and licking it because he is teething he is able to make funny sounds such as farting or chucking 🙂
I do not know why but he loves to pinch my eyes and years. Since the time I have Edie I have his little fingers almost everywhere! He is very curious and he is fascinated the most by pinching my eyes. He is able to stick his fingers and be pressing my eyes that long that I feel that my eyes I already on the other side of my head.
Yeah and it is here, he has his first swimming pool game insight of toilet. You know my mom was telling me that we should keep the toiled closure close because kids like to put their hands insight. I though yeah that’s right but I will keep eye on Edie and doors from toilet close so he will not do that! But not really I realized that I can not have my eyes everywhere so in one moment he sneaked there and I just heard this nice “kvatch cvachty ” and found him bathing his hands in toilet. You should have heard that scream when I was taking him out of there 🙂

I believe that there will be another funny moments worth to share in the future. There were much more but I selected just those funky once 🙂

Keep laughing!

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Tagged with: Edie, fun, games, life
Posted in thoughts

Who is my the best personal teacher?

Posted on March 16, 2010 by zlatavaskova — Leave a comment

My life personal teacher

This post will be devoted to my son. Who is with me already one year. And during that time I realized how much he had changed me and how much I have learned about myself.

“If you are really not sure who you are, if you are not totally aware of your strengths and weaknesses…………You should have a child!”

Yes my best personal life teacher is my son. Surprise? I hope not, because it is the most natural think which probably every parent will soon or later found out.
It is such curious think about kids, because they behave exactly as we teach them. Because I can see on Edie my personal patterns. Little thinks which I am already doing unconsciously. Every day I can see and have to proof my patience, my skills to play, invent new things, be well organize (time management, task management). I am learning new things every day under his lead. He is actually not asking me to study books and follow particular patterns. He is just teaching me how to observe, how to understand, how to read his gestures (body language).

“Motherhood is the biggest life role which I can play. It is full of constant learning, making mistakes and then undoing them. Non of us were born as parent but most of us will take this important responsibility to our hands!”

Now as most of the mothers I am observing other kids. It is my new passion, to see their smiles, their first steps, their games a and even more curious for me is to keep observing their parents. How they are sharing different moments with their kids.

I have learned that well educated and raised kid comes from Educated parents. There is no limitation for kids to learn, it is just us “parents” who limits its kids by having prejudices or badly learned patterns.
Kids are tabula rasa, blank peace of paper which is not spoiled by any wrong experience. Only who can spoil the “new story” is us! So now I have unique time to keep observing and learning “pure unspoiled” patterns which were given to us by “mother nature”.

Edi is very good teacher. He is able to respond to any of my guidance very fast. He is able to track my persistence, by constant rules’ braking we put on him 🙂 He is able to show me that impossible is just silly word in my head (” because toilet is very good swimming pool and into my little nose can fit 2 and even 3 of his fingers at once).

I am actually just wondering where his guidance will lead in the future. We took mutual role of being guides to each other. I keep showing him his border. He has to know where he can go and where he is already too far.

“Because his freedom end where starts the freedom of another person!”

But on the other hand by observing his first steps, his constant and persistent attamps of trying things is miraculous and worth of admiring.

My life lecture of my son: If you want to achieve something, you have to master your skills, you have to be persistent and go over any obstacles with open mind because ” the impossible” does not exist.

(Eduardo Josef Botero)

PS: What if I can put into mum’s nose also 4 fingers at one. I think it is worth to try 🙂

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Tagged with: Edie, Education, fails and mistakes, learning, Parenting, philosophy, ups and downs
Posted in Parenting, philosophy

How to prepare home made B-day cake?

Posted on March 13, 2010 by zlatavaskova — Leave a comment

EASY and FAST B-Day Cake

Easy and fast that is my life motto. And for cooking is the most important to make everything easy, fast and tasteful 🙂

Because many of my friends asked for the recipe of Edie’s B-day cake I decided to write it publicly as inspiration and help for other mom’s who are having struggles with cooking.

How to prepare Edie’s B-day cake

(Called also “Hrnečková cuketová bábovka” = “Cup’s zucchinis cake”)

Potřebujeme (Ingredients):

2 – 2 1/2 hrnečku polohrubé mouky (cups of flour – semi big grains)
1 prášek do pečiva (pack of baking powder – or 1 big spoon)
1 hrneček cukru krupice (cup of crystal sugar)
1 vanilkový cukr (pack of vanilla sugar)
2 vejce (eggs)
5 PL oleje (big spoons of oil)
1 hrneček mléka (cup of milk)
1 hrneček nastrouhané cukety (cup of grated zucchini)
1 PL kakaa (big spoon of cacao)
50 g najemno nakrájených lískových nebo vlašských oříšků (small cuted peaces of hazelnuts or walnuts )
tuk na vymazání (oil for engrazing the cake form)
hrubá mouka na vysypání bábovkové formy (flour for filling form)

Jak na to:
Mouku smícháme s práškem do pečiva a prosejeme. Přidáme cukr krupici, vanilkový cukr, žloutky, olej, mléko, nastrouhanou cuketu, kakao a nakrájené oříšky. Vymícháme těsto a zlehčíme tuhým sněhem z bílků. Naplníme formu a upečeme při 160 °C. Pomocí špejle zjistíme, zda je bábovka upečená. Hotovou pocukrujeme nebo přelijeme čokoládovou polevou.

How to do it:

Mix flour with baking powder, add sugar, 2 yolks, oil, milk, grated zuchini, cacao and cut nuts. Mix all ingredients until U create nice smooth dough. Make the “snow” from the whites of eggs and softly mix it with the rest of dough. Put oil and flour into the form, be sure that all of the parts of the form will be covered by flour. Than pour dough into the form and bake under 160 °C. By wooden stick you can check whether the dough is ready. When the cake is ready you can sugar it with powder sugar or with chocolate.

And how the cake can look like:

1. Version I prepare simply, just few more tricks and it was ready. Have a look

2. Version was more advanced. I put the dough into tree different forms and made 3 levels cake. Look how nice it looked before it was totally eaten 🙂 Proof of being also tasty!

I can promise you that with this case you will never do bad. It is very simple, fast and with little bit of your imagination and invention you will never fail.

Advice: No matter what you will cook you will always make happy your child. And I believe that “home made” or “mama made” is always better than bought. Because the love and personal parental touch can be never bought!

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Tagged with: 1st birthday, B-day cake, cooking, cup's cooking, kids cakefast and easy, sweets
Posted in food, cooking and healty life style

How to surf?

Posted on March 9, 2010 by zlatavaskova — Leave a comment

Surfing (skying in the sea waves)

You know I love skying and in general every sport. But since I started to travel very much I missed already two winter seasons at home. And it is really something for me. Two years without skying is making impact on my passion for this sport. So this feeling of lacking my loved sport motivated me to find substitute. And I found it!

“Surfing…………my skying on the white waves of the sea”

I took one day course of surfing with my cousin in Margarita Island. So if you want to learn how to surf, keep reading and following pictures.

Surfing is not difficult sport, you just need to know basics and practice, practice and practice. It took us few falls and ups but we made it 🙂

So for surfing you need only board, good sun block and yourself. Surfing is done through few basic positions.

1. You have to find the center of the board, put your hand there and keep your chest (bottom part under the breast part). Keep your head up and body straight in the line.

2. second position is about lifting your body at once. You have to keep your body facing aside and head front. Your knees have to be turned to center and facing each other and your body weight has to be more front.

3. and then you try to stand up, keep facing front and try to keep balance. If you put more weight front then you will speed up if you put more weight back you will break.

And now look how the theory works in the waves. You have to start paddling with your hands when you have wave behind your board.

And after whole day of activity guess how did I end 🙂

But I have been awarded by certificate which is indicating my newly gained sport skill. I hope that once I will do surfing with Edie.

I love sports and I hope that I will be able to improve my surfing skills as much as possible. If you have any questions just ask I will be happy to help 🙂

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Tagged with: activities, free time, hobbies, sport, surfing
Posted in sport & activities

First year celebration – 12 month of Edie’s life

Posted on February 25, 2010 by zlatavaskova — Leave a comment

1st year, 365 days, 8760 hours, 525600 minutes………

That is the count down of one year life and believe me in the early age of our life this is one of the most exciting time with highest speed of development.

For me it is just like yesterday when Edie was born and I hold his little shaking and very fragile body in my arms. It is just like yesterday when I welcomed him in this world.

He was born in the Czech Republic, but his life is already connected with three continents. Because half of his prenatal age he spend with me in Thailand, after he spend 6 month is Czech and than he moved with us to Venezuela (Latin America). I would love to have his childhood also, believe me. It is colorful, adventurous and diverse.

But let me tell you what is new in his life and how we were celebrating his Bdays.

Edie has now 77 cm and 9 Kg
He is receiving mother milk only in the morning. I still keep this beautiful moment for us and hopefully I will be still able to breastfeed him for some time. Although my lactancy decreased a lot so lets see. During the day he is eating what we are eating. He has days when he eats a lot and then he is something like “poo machine”. His “outs” are more than his “ins”. But he eats about 6 times per day. Breakfast (oatmeal, or arepa, or bread with cheese, tomato or fruits), snack (creckers, fruits), lunch (all what we have), snack (fruit), snack (joghurt or compotas), dinner (some creamy soup or puree). He drinks mainly water, but also he is trying everything what we drink (natural juices, milk, flavored water – just a little I do not like to give him sweets).
He sleeps very well at night. He had his routine. At 7pm dinner, around 8 pm bathing and after we just put him to his bead. I sing a song and he falls a sleep. The time of carrying is over. He is just waking up because he is thirsty. Especially here in Venezuela is now very hot (more than 30 C) so he is asking for water. He drinks and falls a sleep again. He wakes up at 5 am and then I take him and let him drink milk and be cuddling with me in the bed.
He loves to play – there is no change and now we started to go to baby gym. He loves to spend time with other kids so I try to be out with him as much as possible. He also loves water and on the beach he spends most of his time playing in the sand. He likes his texture and taste. He is able to play nicely on xylophone, he is able to twang the strings of guitar. He loves music and now he is always swinging his body into rhythm of music. It is fun to see him dance. He tries to draw with crayons, but he is eating them too so I have to control him while doing art stuff. He loves to put tops and closures to different boxes, bottles and everything what has some top. I let him. He loves to take things off the box and put them back (this is the good part). He is rather organized. And he loves to play “hide and seek”.
His motorical skills are improving. He is drinking from his bottle with holders on his own, he tries to feed himself alone. But i have to help him to pass the spoon to his mouth. He tries to drink form glass (but mostly he is so far blowing in than drinking) and from bottle. He likes to play with cutlery, and any kids of things which are given to his hands. He is trying how the things works.
He is able to stand up on his own, to slide down from the bed and stairs, he is walking around the things by holding them and with support he is trying to walk as much as possible.
He is very social. But very attached to me as mom. Not so many people can carry him and for long time. Even he does not want to go to hands of his dad, grandma or Sandy. He is holding me tight most of the time somebody else wants to take him. So I became his personal carrier and believe me or not “he is heavy” so my back suffers a bit. But I consider it like a training. Because when I feel his little hand holding my arms I forget every pain for this feeling. He loves to greet people. He is waving on the streets to people which give him back smile. And he is flirting with nice girls on the streets and when they smile at him he became shy and hide his face on my chest. It is such a cute moment.
He is very sharing person. When he eats or chew something what he likes he always offer the things to others to eat or chew with him.
He is not talking. Although he is trying. Sometimes we are guessing that he said something in some language. But he is saying still mamma, memme (this means all other things, thirst, hunger). He is “juuuud and wowed” by things. I heard him to say baf like a dog and huiiiii like horns of the police car.
He is learning fast. I am giving him about month to learn how to walk. Lets see his improvements.
Edie is wonderful child, sometimes crying too much but it is just because he want to go out or to do things on his own and I do not let him. I strongly believe that I have to show him already now where are limits for his behavior otherwise he will be abusing our benevolence and liberty. He understand perfectly the word and meaning of “NO” but depends only on his mood if he wants to follow or not. We just have to be consistent.

Now it is a time for his cake and typical Venezuelan B-day song;

And some other random pictures for his one year picture gallery

Whatever you do may seem insignificant to you, but it is most important that you do it.

Mohandas Gandhi

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Tagged with: 1 year, 12 month, Baby development, Birthday party, breastfeeding, Cumpleanos Feliz, eating, improvements, mothorical skills, Parenting, sleeping, social skills, Venezuela
Posted in Baby development

First steps and slides of Edie

Posted on February 25, 2010 by zlatavaskova — Leave a comment

First steps and slides

I love this life proven joke, you have to know it also:

2 years you are teaching your child eat, walk, talk and do things on his own and then you are trying even harder another 16 years to make him sit and shut up!

And because we are exactly in the phase 1 I would love to show you first steps of Edie. I know he is walking with my help but if you would be with my son as much as I am then you would celebrate it too. I have still in my head this little angel which was not able to even turn and then it happened and since that time he fall down form the bed many time 🙂

Now he is already in the stage when he is trying to stand up on his own and he learned how to slide on his belly down from our bed (14. 2. 2010 exactly on St. Valentines day). In the first moment we were so happy about his improvements but immediately after that we realized how easily he can reach higher places and new things and happiness was over 🙂

Few minutes of fame were over…………but isn’t it great how fast is he improving and growing?

Look at him, how lovely shaking and unstable he is 🙂

Edie’s first stand ups trials

Walking with mom’s support

And more improvements is coming every day. With child the live is never boring!

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Tagged with: 11 month, crawling down the bed, Edie, first steps, kids motorical development, Parenting
Posted in Baby development

Parenting reflexion – how was the first year of experience

Posted on February 24, 2010 by zlatavaskova — Leave a comment

Emotions, learning, exploring

Emotions – whole year and even prenatal time was full of emotions. Everything what was happening was so new, so exciting and unique. You can not repeat this time again and I definitely felt so many new feeling which without Edie I would not have had opportunity to live it. Since he was born my life totally changed. I am not anymore alone in this world and I have to take care 24/7 about little man. Before I had Edie I was thinking how I would be able to take care of somebody if I am able to make dry every flower and able to forget to feed my fish for few days……but yeah. I have learned very fast and every day is now different and full of changes. My biggest emotions came with particular things. I have been crying when Edie was, I was laughing when Edie was. Surprisingly he is the only person which is able to make me drive crazy. I am very calm person but when he starts to cry because of ony reason, believe me I am becoming crazy. Kids are the best teachers of patience, tolerance and love.

Learning – this is such a simple and basic thing I am doing on everyday basis. Since Edie was born there was nearly any activity repeated. He is developing very fast and I am practically pushed without any previous notice and explanation to keep learning and catching his development pace. It is not easy because kids do not ask for permitions. They are just here waiting what we as parents can offer them. Edie is challenging me every day. He is looking for new things, new activities and I am here for him, exploring our mutual road of learning. I have learned a lot from him. I started to play guitar, because he like music. I am able to perform most of the daily activities only with one hand (cooking, cleaning our flat, going on toilet – bit challenge, etc.) because in the other I am holding him. I have learned also how to rest fast and effectively together with him. I have learned what makes him laugh, cry, happy, entertained, bored. I think that I have learned many things about parenting too. I have been asking many mothers and fathers around for advices, discussing with many parents around in Venezuela. Challenging them and myself in good will of giving my son as much as possible. Learning process consist for me of 80% observation, studying, open mind, absorbing, feeling and 20% performing, applying what I have learned and improving what have been done before.

Exploring – that is exactly the biggest part of being parent and having your child. I have never thought how many things are needed since early beginning and probably nobody will know it till you do not became parent. The parenthood as itself is the unknown journey. Your boat is sailing to the future with good will of raising Good Person. You have a goal but nobody can tell you how to reach this goal. Nobody have thought us in the schools the most basic things such as “to be parent”. We are bearing the biggest responsibility on our shoulders and especially in the beginning you have no idea how the things will work, you have some ruff idea what you are supposed to do. You just go ahead and keep exploring even you have no idea where the wild water of life will take you. Exploring is not scaring it is just widening your horizons and enriching your life.

So if we count all pluses and minuses to have a baby is big Gain. Your life obtained big motivation to do things. Your life is enriched by special family spirit which you can keep growing.

Into my hands was given the biggest gift in my life and it is life of the another person!

There is nothing more beautiful and challenging and worth to being loved than is your child. Because it is your love, it is your heart and it is your life!

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Tagged with: emotion, exploring, kids life, learning, one year of kids life, Parenting, parenting reflection, reflection
Posted in Parenting

Jamie Oliver carries his mission for healthy food for our kids

Posted on February 17, 2010 by zlatavaskova — 1 Comment

Healthy food means healthy life

You will not believe me but I always loved to cook and prepare different culinary specialties. I was always “watching under the hands” of my foreign friends and learning “by doing” different recipe.

All this years of cooking, experimenting resulted into the simple result that when I gave a birth to my son and he became 6 month olds I started to cook for him different dishes. I have never thought that I would be feeding him by junk food such as hamburgers, preprepared formulas and letting him drink coca cola and other artificial stuff full of con-servants, colorants and other additives.

For me always had huge reason the motto:

Healthy food means healthy life.

And I got so shocked about the news which brought Jamie Oliver about the results of USA kids. I knew that people over there are not eating properly but that even kids can not recognize different vegetable feels sad. They are taken out of the real world and they have to face the artificial created stuff which is considered as real. I am shocked how much money are spend for brainwashing customers about dietary advantages of eating fast food, if everybody can see and there were proved the unhealthy effects of eating it.

I am big fan of Jamie Oliver and his wish about better dietary for our kids because I can see how much good food influence the quality of our lives.

So I can strongly recommend to watch this video and think what we are eating in our homes and which kind of food is served to our the most loved once.