Bringing Up Bébé

Bringing Up Bébé
Written by Pamela Druckerman

When I checked this book out, the librarian told me that it is the ONLY parenting book that people bring back and say they really enjoyed. Not just found something important or applicable, but actually enjoyed reading.

I enjoyed it too! It's a parenting book, but it feels like much more than that. The author, Pamela Druckerman, is an American who moved to Paris with her British husband and had three children in France. She muses about the differences between Americans and the French, but really starts to explore when she realizes that most French children are well-behaved, sleep through the night by two months, and eat (and enjoy) gourmet meals - All while their mothers are skinny, impeccably dressed, and radiating an aura of composure. Surely, they must be doing something right! The novel shares what she finds through anecdotes, observations, and a sprinkling of statistics and scientific studies. It is interesting, informative, and fun to read.

While I'm not sure I agree with everything (most French mothers abandon breastfeeding soon after leaving the hospital) and probably can't incorporate everything while living in America (no cheerios, raisins, or goldfish throughout the day), there were several nuggets of wisdom that I do want to try to use in my own parenting. Here are eight things that stuck out to me while reading.

1. Rather than rushing to soothe a crying baby, pause and observe him to discern what he really needs. Even from birth, he needs opportunities to learn how to self-soothe and fall asleep on his own. (p. 45)

2. Stop snacking! Within a few months, even babies are eating at normal mealtimes (approximately 8 am, 12 pm, 4 pm, and 8 pm) in France. Children have one designated goûter (snack) at 4 pm. This helps them learn to patiently wait until then for a special candy or treat and they come to meals hungry! (p. 56)

3. Coping with frustration is a core life skill. French parents do not believe that teaching children to wait will damage them, but that their kids will be damaged if they can't cope with frustration. Learning patience means learning self-control, which allows kids to have fun rather than be anxious, irritable, and demanding. (p. 73)

4. You must taste everything! French parents want to introduce their children to the rich world of flavors and help them appreciate each one. Kids are served the wide variety of foods that their parents eat (there are no "kids' foods") and, though they do not have to eat everything on their plate, they must taste everything. (p. 202)

5. Talk about food. Introduce a vegetable to your child and ask, "Do you think this is crunchy, and that it'll make a sound when you bite it? What does this flavor remind you of? What do you feel in your mouth?"
You can also play flavor games. Offer different types of apples and let the child decide which is the sweetest and which is the most acidic. Or, blindfold the child and have him eat and identify foods he already knows. (203)

6. Do not offer a different food to replace a rejected one and act neutrally if the child won't eat something. Instead, prepare the same food many different ways and offer it many different times to help your child learn to like it. (p. 203)

7. Believe that babies and toddlers understand what you say and can act on it. You can teach them and they can learn to control themselves, even in their first year. In addition, let the child play an active role in obeying by giving him time to respond. (p. 94)

8. The perfect mother does not exist. Guilt is a trap that is unhealthy and unpleasant. Be balanced in all parts of my life and don't doubt whether I'm good enough. I am. (p. 146)

While I already love everything French, Druckerman admits that she never particularly loved Paris or the French. Nevertheless, she began to see the wisdom in how they view children and what they are capable of. This one is definitely worth reading and thinking about!

Roasted Tomato and Ricotta Crostini

I found this recipe on Martha Stewart's website this week and pinned it so that I would remember it. A couple of days later, The Today Show had a guest chef who made these same crostini and they looked so good. I had to try them! They were super easy to make (but the tomatoes do take a little prep) and so delicious! I altered the Martha Stewart recipe by adding basil and garlic because everything becomes twice as good when you add those two magical ingredients.

Crostini means "little toasts" in Italian and is basically toasted baguette with any type of topping. Bruschetta is a common favorite, but these are a tasty mix between bruschetta and a caprese salad. The hardest part is finding a good baguette. Do you know where I can find an authentic French baguette in the U.S.? I miss that crunchy outside and soft, chewy, flavorful bread inside. All for less than one Euro on any street in France. We just don't make them quite like the French. Mmmm, I love bread!

All you need:

• grape tomatoes
• fresh basil
• ricotta cheese
• baguette

Things you probably have on hand already:

• olive oil
• garlic
• salt
• pepper

I brushed the baguette slices with olive oil and broiled both sides. Then, I rubbed them with a fresh clove of garlic and topped them with ricotta, basil, and a few of my roasted tomatoes. YUM!

Cheesecake Bites

Here's the recipe!

I have an interesting relationship with cheese.  I can really enjoy a good cheese.  I think I learned this during my 18 months in France.  The French make cheese like Americans make cereal.  They have an entire refrigerated aisle dedicated to every kind of cheese you can imagine.  I was always amazed at the variety and selection of cheeses. One of my favorite things to do was browse the selection and choose a new cheese to try that week.  When visiting Paris with Jacob, I asked him several times if we could just buy a chunk of cheese from a farmer's market and a fresh baguette for lunch.  It may be my absolute favorite meal.

However, I don't seem to appreciate melted cheese as much.  I have been slightly disappointed in the world-famous Chicago Deep-dish Pizza.  Don't get me wrong - It's good.  It's just that the deep dish is filled with melted cheese.  And it turns out that Chicagoans don't really like sauce on their pizza which is actually my favorite part.  I feel the same about quesadillas and really gooey mac and cheese.  I just don't like eating a mouthful of melted cheese.  

But back to the good stuff.  I love that Jacob can appreciate a good cheese like I can and sometimes we'll buy a fancy cheese and pretend we're back in France.  You can find some really good ones here, though the selection is generally quite a bit smaller (and we have yet to find a really good, authentic baguette!).  This weekend we wanted to share our love with some friends and hosted a "Cheesy Game Night" where each couple was invited to bring a yummy cheese to share.  We ended up with quite a good spread and some seriously yummy snacks.  

To go with all the salty snacks, I wanted to make something sweet and found these delicious-looking Chocolate-Covered Cheesecake Bites on Pinterest (because I DO love a mouthful of cheesecake).  The recipe was easy to follow, not too difficult, and turned out SO GOOD.  I was quite relieved that we had a few leftovers.  I will most definitely make these again.  These bites are not a last-minute kind of dessert because you do need to make the cheesecake the day before and freeze it.  But none of the steps were terribly time-consuming and they came out looking pretty good if I do say so myself.

  

I stuck pretty close to the recipe, though I did slightly more cream cheese and slightly less greek yogurt (a little closer to the original recipe that she followed).  I only dipped about a third of the cheesecake bites, left a third plain, and drizzled chocolate and peanut butter on a third.  I have never thought to put coconut oil in the chocolate to thin it out (I've only ever used shortening).  It worked so well and gave the chocolate a slight hint of coconut flavor which tasted really good.  I would definitely recommend making these.  You will not be disappointed.