Glogg is a traditional drink of the Swedish & Finnish Advent season - Advent being the six weeks leading up to Christmas. Glogg is traditionally made with red wine, and each small glass has a few almonds and raisins in it as well as the drink.

Glogg’s origins are with mulled wine - wine heated with spices. Mulled wine was known to medieval Europeans and celebrated from at least 400AD. In the 1800s, a special mulled wine was popular in Europe known as “Glühwein”, which began to incorporate the special Glogg ingredients - raisins and almonds. Glogg also tends to have more sugar as well as a heavier alcohol content. Given the frigid winters seen in Scandinavia, this must be an essential!

Glogg Recipe [from 1847]

• 75 cl (or one bottle) red wine
• 37 cl (or approximately one quart) water
• 3 cloves
• Raisins
• Almonds
• Cinnamon Sticks
• Sugar (to taste)

The temperature should not rise above 78.4 degrees Celsius (173 degrees Fahrenheit) in order to avoid reaching the boiling point and thereby loss of alcohol. For a really authentic experience serve with either some traditional Danish aebleskiver (puff pastry swabbed with healthy amounts of strawberry perserves) or Swedish pepparkakor (gingerbread biscuits).

Those locals privy to Trader Joe’s “Two Buck Chuck” (Charles Shaw) Red Wine is the perfect candidate for this type of holiday drink. The idea here is on the holidays have a pot of this brew on the back burner so while the family festivities are happening and people come to visit you can offer them a mug of glogg — sounds fun to say too.
[Image Courtesy of Dagmar T. of ACatInTheKitchen.Com]

Related Links:
ACatInTheKitchen.Com | First Advent
Wikipedia | Julebukking

   

The Zaky is an ergonomic infant pillow designed by a mom to mimic the size, weight, touch, and feel of her hand and forearm to help her baby with comfort, support, protection, and development. It can help calm your baby and help your baby sleep better through the night. The Zaky was originally designed for premature babies that have to be left at the hospital away from their mother – but it works wonderfully with all babies.

(Via PregnancyStore.Com)

   

For the dad who has everything… everything but a really cool birdhouse.
RALPH was inspired by Ralph Rapson’s iconic Greenbelt House design (Case Study House #4), which features an enclosed garden and angled rooflines.

(ModernBirdHouses.Com Vis a Vis YouGrowGirl.Com)

Related Sites:
YouGrowGirl.Com | Seven Cool Gift For Gardner’s In Your Life

DULY NOTED:
Mothers expecting babies can surf internet and find a great variety of information about babies. They can find baby name resources. They can shop baby toys online. They can seek information of day care centers in their area and if they wish to do the can buy crib bumper in advance.

   

Based on a classic Eastwood western, the Clint Eastwood For A Few Dollars More Minimates 4-Pack features entertaining characters from For a Few Dollars More. Don’t let these gunslingers get away!

Set to arrive in April 2008!

(EntertainmentEarth.Com Vis a Vis KidPoop.Com)

   

The Automoblox Company manufactures a premium wooden toy construction system based on automobiles. Automoblox combines the timeless warmth of classic, natural wood and modern materials with advanced car styling. All Automoblox have interchangeable components so children can rebuild and combine car pieces to make their own custom cars.

(Via TheToySpace.Com)

   

The Center For Disease Control has gone so far as to state; “it is well-documented that the most important measure for preventing the spread of pathogens(germs) is effective hand-washing.” And the Mayo Clinic advises when teaching young children to wash their hands as long as it takes them to sing “Row Row Row Your Boat” or the “ABC Song” the mean being about twenty seconds in length. But the most arresting information on the subject is this -

Infectious diseases that are commonly spread through hand-to-hand contact include the common cold, flu and several gastrointestinal disorders, such as infectious diarrhea. While most people will get over a cold, the flu can be much more serious. Some people with the flu, particularly older adults and people with chronic medical problems, can develop pneumonia. The combination of the flu and pneumonia, in fact, is the eighth-leading cause of death among Americans.” ~The Mayo Clinic

Alcohol-based hand sanitizers — which don’t require water — are an excellent alternative to hand washing, particularly when soap and water aren’t available and seem to be a big hit in the parent set, as you may notice when a mom (or dad) cracks open a diaper bag in the park or playground. They’re actually more effective than soap and water in killing bacteria and viruses that cause disease but have been found to be less effective in removing organic material they simply disinfect them.

Hand washing is especially important for toddlers and children who attend child care. Children younger than 3 years in child care are at greater risk of respiratory and gastrointestinal diseases, which can easily spread to family members and others in the community, especially the elderly.

When Should You Wash Your Hands:

• After using the toilet
• After changing a diaper — wash the diaper-wearer’s hands, too
• After touching animals or animal waste
• Before and after preparing food, especially before and immediately after handling raw meat, poultry or fish
• Before eating
• After blowing your nose
• After coughing or sneezing into your hands
• Before and after treating wounds or cuts
• Before and after touching a sick or injured person
• After handling garbage
• Before inserting or removing contact lenses
• When using public restrooms, such as those in airports, train stations, bus stations and restaurant

It’s startling to find that news sources have shown in surveys of public bathrooms only 15% of us, on average, wash our hands adequately. This may seem like the most basic thing but when teaching your child or even reminding them of the importance of properly washing your hands you may want to keep in mind a few facts coming from the CDC;

Inadequate hand hygiene also contributes to food-related illnesses, such as salmonella and E. coli infection. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as many as 76 million Americans get a food-borne illness each year. Of these, about 5,000 die as a result of their illness. Others experience the annoying signs and symptoms of nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.”

Back in the day, ancient Greece that is - hand washing was associated with affluence and nobility as well as prayer and sacred spaces. Offering a house guest a basin of water and towel was a gesture of honor and civility. Not to say our relationship with clean slappers has been a tiddy one - for centuries there was no common belief that clean hands were important or proper. In fact, the common belief was disease came from decaying matter and foul smells.

Understanding it is one of the low-tech but effective ways to prevent getting and passing on the common cold and infections from Clostridium difficile to MRSA, SARS and bird flu — you may be a bit motivated the next time you’re in the kitchen to sing you ABC’s a bit slower while you wash your hands with your kids.

Sited Links:
Center For Disease Control | Clean Hands
Wikipedia | Hand Washing
Mayo Clinic | Hand Washing; An Easy Way To Prevent Infection

Related Links:
New York Times | Best Defense Against Drug-Resistant Bacteria: Wash Your Hands

   

Here’s a groovin’, versatile tote with both style and room to spare. Its velcro-enclosed clear vinyl sides hold two different authentic record jackets. Ours have Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Springsteen, Aerosmith, Joplin, Led Zepplin, Pink Floyd or Kiss on one side and a random rock favorite on the second side. When you want a new look, exchange them for covers in your collection. Two amplifier knobs (that still turn) decorate the sides and the two-inch wide shoulder strap is adjustable.

(Via Eco-Artware.Com)

   

It’s fascinating to me that baby formula companies in the sixties and seventies were able to sway an entire generation of mothers/parents away from breastfeeding, of course claiming baby formula (manufactured nutritional powder mixed with cows milk) is better for you than your own Mother’s milk! Well, it seems things are coming full circle. Yes, I think breastfeeding is a good thing and no I have no harsh opinion toward those who don’t. It’s a mother’s decision, plain and simple.

If your wife does breastfeed you may want to consider getting her some cute nursing wear for the holidays. For those dads out there who may not quite have a grasp on the differences between regular pajamas and nursing pajamas - let me provide some insight. Nursing wear tends to have very efficient and strategically placed snaps, gaps and “windows” to provide both momma and baby “access” to make the breast-feeding process both easy and discreet. I must admit this is some pretty exciting technology. The fine folks at NursingPJs.Com have a fine collection of nursing wear (and free holiday shipping to boot), that will please momma, baby and you (dad), as illustrated above.

Their is a plethora of scientific reports and news articles that state high and mighty claims about the many benefits to baby of being breast fed. Watching my oldest son get a battery of three shots (with the final being a tetanus shot in the thigh) while breastfeeding was a first-hand proof that their is some serious mojo in that milk. He didn’t bat an eye. Then again, he could be a robot. Personally, I side with the idea that the hormones/endorphines in the breast milk keep the baby comforted and perhaps block or lessen the impact of pain. All I know is by the end of the visit with the pediatrician, the only one not in tears was my son.