It’s A Women’s World

As an avid coffee drinker, I never understood the reason behind decaffeinated coffee. Seriously, you drink coffee for the caffeine fix! Why on earth would you ever want decaffeinated coffee, doesn’t it just defeat the purpose of the whole drink? I finally was shown the light as to why this sludge called decaffeinated coffee exists, and it was to sustain me with some sort of indulgence during my pregnancy. I found out very quickly that I did enjoy the flavor of coffee and I wasn’t just drinking it for the caffeine fix.

I’m one of those nutcases that reads up on everything that can possibly go wrong during pregnancy and try to avoid possible causes like the plague. I have avoided aspartame because they are unsure of the effects if may have, I have avoided lunch meat because of the minute possibility of listeria infection, and I avoided caffeine because of the possibility that it may cause miscarriage. Now, keep in mind that you would have to drink at least three cups of regular coffee per day in order to reach the parameters that were measured in the studies, but I was convinced and scared enough to commit myself to only drinking decaffeinated coffee and sodas.

So, about halfway through my pregnancy, there is some expose show on television that looks into whether the decaffeinated coffee you order from different places is actually free of caffeine. I know that decaffeinated coffee has some traces of caffeine and is not completely void of the substance. I did expect that I was not getting amounts close to that of caffeinated coffee. But you know what they found? That at several places, in fact almost sixty percent of the time, the caffeine levels in decaffeinated coffee was very similar to those of regular brew. Many times it was due to cross brewing or machines that were not thoroughly cleaned before the next pot was brewed. Now in most situations that does not really affect anything. However in situations where medical conditions may exist this is completely unacceptable.

I realize that my situation was far from one that this was truly affecting anything, but I am deranged enough that I completely cut out decaffeinated coffee out of my diet during pregnancy too, unless I brewed it myself at home. No more caffeine free flavored coffee during fall and winter until after pregnancy and that little change of events certainly did not help my demeanor during those last few months!

For a child under five, you may find that one of the biggest highlights of their day is music. Children respond to music in a way that they may one day lose after they reach adulthood. They have a knack for hearing children songs and allowing themselves to totally be immersed in what they are hearing. For them, it can be an experience like nothing they have ever had before. As we grow, we learn to worry about what others think, but a child doesn’t care. When they hear children songs, they give it everything they have and have a blast doing it.

You can see this for yourself if you go to a Wiggles concert. Watch the children as The Wiggles begin to sing their children songs. It is truly a sight to behold and as you watch the children, you may understand why The Wiggles love what they do so much. To see that much joy and that much abandon in a child is truly a magical sight. The children songs that The Wiggles produce seem to bring this out in spades.

You don’t have to go to a concert or a show to find children songs for your child to enjoy. You can find CDs, DVDs and television shows they can watch. You want to find something full of children songs so that they aren’t planted on the floor passively watching the show. You want something with tons of music and interaction. When my daughter watches The Wiggles, she is up on her feet and moving the whole time.

For a special gift for your child, you can get children songs personalized for your children. You can find these CDs online and in the mall. Your child’s name can be inserted into the CD to give your child a special thrill when they listen to the children songs. Keep in mind that children are egocentric under age five and they think everything is about them anyway, so they may not go nuts when they hear their name, some children expect it.

If you have a talent for singing or playing guitar, don’t be afraid to play along with some of your kid’s favorite children songs. They will love the interaction and the special time with you, and will be impressed that you like what they are interested in. If you are really talented, go ahead and write some of your own. You may be surprised with what you can come up with, as long as you learn to think as a child. Children songs are about them, so keep that in mind as you write.