₦airaland Forum

stadora:
he ll b 1 by next month.

I jst woke up ds mornin 2 notice a little boil on my lo left down eyelid. Its nt painin him dou.
Pls wo has experienced this and wots d remedy?

Cc kaffy4bill, alphahandmaiden, tchiwinnie, oda experienced mamas

I'm always cAreful with eye area and rather than recommend an ointment, will leave this to a medical person, Kaffy4Bill

rofemiguwa:
Pls bring back our 2036 duchness of England.
We couldnt even get a peek.
Bikonu.
Lets catch a glimpse now we can still get autograph
Before e reach royal guards tinz

G'morning everyone!

I thought we could talk about a sensitive issue here today: Kpekusing.

How quickly did you return to it, how were your feelings about it and what helped to move the ministry along? Also, is anyone having some issues with it?

Let's share and help each other.

stadora:
Aooow, i missed d pix, bt am realy sure u had lots of fun. Enjoy ur salah holidays.
God bles ur family
How old is baby E

Amen and God bless you and yours. She's 15 months end of the month. How old is your baby?

faithisallihave:
Stooooopet. Humble much.
You know it all. You and Alphahandmaiden. You girls remind me of Hermione Granger.
Sometimes I wish I could hand one of you two my baby and get her back when you are done weaning her.

Hian! Alphahandmaiden knows a lot, I just dub her answers.

Meanwhile, how was everyone's Sallah? Share pics!

We went to the beach. I put madam in swimsuit and swim diapers and baby sunscreen (I've seen some at Ebeano and SPAR supermarkets). We now decided to build a sand castle (I know, I know, okoros feeling funky with ourselves ). Halfway through it, raising walls and columns, LASG realised we had not settled Omo nile, paid taxes or anything and sent a huuuggggeeeee wave to wash us and the castle away Baby E was holding onto this big seashell and even though the wave rushed her and she cried, she stubbornly held on, she no dey carry last! We have sand in the most awkward places but we had fun.

Baby E and Himself:

Rhukie:
@onegai please do you know of any place I can get empty jars of jam or mayonnaise in Lagos? Other mamas that have an idea please contribute

I found some online but they aee like N1500 per jar so that doesn't seem reasonable.

Fabmum, happy holidays!

anyaekekehinde:
That guy said the truth, you need not counter him with your lame argument.
Let me attack your statement, first of all, your opinion that "if we have just 3 people like dangote" is mere wish, you can never , I repeat never have any one like dangote, you know why because dangote has done what we call "capture the regulator" in policy making...
And he alone can enjoy (or enjoyed) the numerous sole importer status, extensive tax waivers, heavy bank loans that he wont pay and will be written off as bad debt at the end, easy access to cbn dollars etc, he will never allow you or anybody in our generation gain access into similar industry or to similar governmental treatment neither will he even allow the government enact fair competitive structure help nigerian people.
Illustrations
During abacha's time , CBN gave dollars to dangote at 21 Naira and other business men traded with dollars at almost 90 something naira( and you say dangote will not be rich or do you think dangote will allow another person gain such advantage)
When cement was deregulated, dangote crashed the price of cement to 300 naira to bag, this price then was below the existing unit cost of producing a bag of cement then( I know people like you will be shouting that he is a good man), he didn't do so because he so much love Nigeria or love Nigerian people, he did so that other people will run out of the market because he has excess cbn dollars to sustain that negative price, the moment most of those others packed up, he increased the price of cement to almost 1500 and lots of people lost their jobs in the other thriving cement factory( this is dangerous and wicked act)
Monopoly is not good for our economic health as a country, we have a population of 170million, wealth cannot just be in the hands of 1 or 2 persons and think we are well, the wealth must be distributed. monopoly kills innovation. For every 100 dangote employ in any industry he is, more people will loose jobs.

This same thing that dangote is doing now is what Rockefeller did during his time, his decision singlehandedly drove America into economic depression, Rockefeller became filthily rich and Americans became poorer not until they had to check him with Antitrust laws.
Next 10years, if we are not carefully, dangote will be installing president like how them Rockefeller were doing in USA then and later we will enter real economic depression, ( shebi we are in recession now, depression is even worse)

You are the only person seeing what I've been seeing for 5 years. Let them keep hailing him, he will own their children when he's done with Nigeria. Dangot will come to their village and select the best and healthiest of their kids to work for his family and Nigerians will be too desperate to do more than cry pathetically. Those who can see where Nigeria is heading to are giving their children options to leave.

tobimillar:
Bro, let's analyze this objectively. First we both agree that the only way Nigerian economy can grow is by having lots of budding start ups and reducing t dependent on imports. Emphasis on 'import dependent'.
Now, from the last 30 years, Nigeria has been depending heavily on importation of refined crude (Pms, apk, etc) and it took a dangote to identify the need. What happened to all the atiku's, the Otedola's the Chis Uba's and others before now? Let me tell you what happened to them. Most of them have refineries in South Africa, and other European countries or they are very comfortable with the excess dollar they make from the subsidy scam. Why can't state south south state government embark on building a refinery and improving their states IGR.? Why then shouldn't I celebrate dangote even when I know he is creating a monopoly. Take a look at rice, we hav been depending on importation of rice. Now dangote is involved, we are hoping for a change. Now it's coal. Dangote may be killing competitors, but he is filling a void lots of Nigerian billionaires are scared of filling

First, I'm a lady.
I agree with you: Otedola and co are not the best answer to Nigeria's problems because they benefit massively from Nigeria being messed up and governmental and institutionalized corruption. However, neither is Dangote a good answer to Nigeria's problems. All of them are two sides of the same coin.

Once there was a hypothetical mining company, they got their investors and technical know-how. They approached govt and got some headway (there's a reason your politicians are rich and it isnt that they stole directly from govt, it is because they align themselves with the right companies and use their influence to get concessions for that company. You cannot earn more than N100million without a politician in your pocket. Known fact about Nigeria). Somehow, they ran up against Dangote. Suddenly, BOI had fault with them. Same thing with another firm, govt agencies started seizing their supply trucks citing one misdemeanor or the other. Same thing with tomato paste and sugar. Now,all those people working for the other companies, do you think they're still getting paid even when their companies are not earning a profit? Imagine if we had a strong Middle class and Upper middle class, would we have a recession? No, because the best way to solve a recession is to spend money and distribute and have it flowing freely and not have everyone hoarding forex on the fear that Naira will crash further.

Remember the Graduate Driver program Dangote ran? I knew what was up, came to Nairaland to scream and shout till I was hoarse. Stay away, he is a ruthless capitalist and is only doing this to benefit himself (and get an international condition to some Bodies). Nobody listened to me and I was called a hater. Where are the Graduate drivers now?

Dangote is not a solution, not unless you like Slavery to masters of your own tribe and country rather than slavery to foreign masters. He is running the economy and you people, those of you waking up at 5am to go to work, earning N40k monthly and managing Grammar schools for your kids, are paying the price for his billions. Because you keep supporting him when you should be insisting on Govt setting caps on his behaviour. His refinery is being touted as the saviour of Nigeria, why on earth will any one want to give one man THAT MUCH POWER?

Abeg let me leave here, Himself and baby are sleeping away to sounds of Opera and Classical music. G'morning

To everyone hailing Dangote and hoping to join him soon, I'm surprised you can't see the obvious:

Why is Dangote the only businessman who is getting all these government concessions?

There are several businessmen also involved in these industries yet you hear nothing from them. That's because Dangote owns each successive government and they do their best to favour him. He has become an Oligarch. Go to Russia and see what their Oligarchs caused. A few people owning the country makes it poorer, not richer. The wealth distribution has to be spread more to make Nigeria a wealthy country. Dangote had been known to shut down his opponents businesses with bribes to government to help him. For every 500 jobs he created, he killed 1500 more. I'm saying this as a fact that I know, from people who worked under him and businesses he killed so he could move in and monopolise the industry. So as you hail him, remember this: he won't allow you anywhere near his level to join him. So your dreams will remain just that, dreams.

To explain: let Nairaland become a multi-billion dollar potential earned and let Dangote become interested in Start-ups and social media. NL will either be forced to sell to him and the site will suddenly become spammed and start suffering crashes and having issues. Govt will start monitoring comments on the site and fighting everyone. Every thread will lead to wahala and dead ends. Dangote's website will seem like a safe haven and he will be able to control what you say and how and when you do. The End.

ahnie:
Zinc oxide cream like sudocrem right?or calamine lotion!

Yeah. I can't find Calamine lotion in my area, which is kinda sad Agnesia powder is Zinc oxide ans another compound. It's the delivery that makes it tricky but it's a great product.

eolowu1:
tanx so much dear Hmmmm my mum is still with me taking care of me and d baby, as u av said I will kip my cool and go down with only water to wash his face and shear butter as cream but I will try my best to get d dove soap. wot of rising powder can I apply cos I've heard so much abt d powder on dis thread

When it comes to powder I follow that rule. I have Agnesia powder but have used it no more than 5 times. If rashes come and she's not in pain or fevers, I let it be. If the rashes are bad, apply a zinc oxide cream.

stadora:
thanks mama 4 ur soothin words. Sometimes i wonda how u know all that u know and b able 2 dish out at every point in time. U re realy blessed. My kisses to baby E.
My lo is 11 months now.

Thanks @ mummy Ekene a.k.a Liftedhand. Is it jst me or did i hear u anounce ur bfp.

Hw fa maam Proudmum, its been long i saw ur post. Hope u are ok.

I don't really know much. It is reading, listening to the right people and trusting my instinct when I can. I made a lot of mistakes and I'm glad she's fine.

babythug:
Pap- nutritious or not?


Let's discuss!

This is not to cause quarrel here oh but for us to have a healthy exchange of ideas and notions.

I'd go first.

I think it's nutritious because it's made from the same grains - corn, Guinea corn and millet etc that many other baby cereals are made from...

Pap by itself is not that nutritious. Researchers from UNN Nsukka compiled data from Nigerian and Senegalese and Ghanian researchers and published a paper:

http://archive.unu.edu/unupress/food/V191e/ch06.htm

They recommend adding chickpea, groundnut and milk and sorghum to it. They also explain best ways to r
Prepare it to maximise nutrition. Pap is like Spaghetti. It's a long read but worth it. I saw it the first time this questioncame but that pap question became an argument so I kept quiet.

Here's a quote:

Many researchers have worked extensively on cereal-legume combinations in Nigeria. For example, Fashakin and Ogunsoola [20] formulated nut-ogi (a mixture of corn gruel and peanut), Akinrele and Edwards [25] formulated soya-ogi (corn gruel plus soya bean), and the Collaborative Research Support Programme (CRSP) Cowpea Linkage Project at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, formulated cerebabe (corn plus cowpea). Other useful combinations include ogi and melon protein (corn gruel plus melon seed) and cowpea-ogi [38]. Some of these combinations have been adopted by the food-processing industries and are available in the Nigerian market. Table 3 shows some blends used in West Africa [39].
However, Fashakin et al. observed that no single protein from the above sources was adequate to promote growth or enhance nitrogen retention as well as a milk-based diet [38]. To this end, a mixture of cowpea, melon, soya bean, and ogi was found to be superior to any single protein source in protein efficiency ratio, net protein retention, biological value, and net protein utilization [38]"

Basically, even pap and groundnut alone is still not that nutritious it requires a lot of additives.

So, I'm not on TeamPap because it requires so much to make a good meal for babies and those requirements can become hard work. There seem to be easier meals.

stadora:
thanks onegai 4 ur response, bt my lo has refused 2 eat anytin, even d pap, i force feed him b4 he eats it. I ve tried many varietes of food bt he spits out any food that enters his mouth, except 4 indomie. Bt i dnt want 2 b givin him indomie everyday.
D worst is dat i want 2 wean him by next month. But this 1 dat he s refused 2 eat, i dnt know how to go about it.
My felow team mates, is any of u experiencin this aswel?

How old is he? And stop forcing him, when Himself and everyone used to force Baby E, she spat it out, cried and generally ran away and would Even refuse Cerelac. So I took my time and sat with her: it was exhausting but she now eats most stuff. I was given excellent advice by only one person who told me "don't force her and give her what you like eating".

EfemenaXY:
Now I fully understand KanwuliaExtra's comment about the potency of a jobless, black man's akamu.

Nothing like the potency of a jobless black man's akamu! Driver with 11 kids is a "blessing"! Emergency snip snip for this man biko! And of course he will make every migrant look bad. And then his fellow Africans will now be submitting almost DNA, their Grandmother's Fingerprints and Lie Detector test just to get 6 month visa to the U.K. because of this nonsense.

How come he's getting benefits? If he's not a citizen those kids aren't citizens.

eolowu1:
pls mothers wot can I apply on my baby, d rashes is spreading at first it was on his forehead dat was worn I changed his soap frm Johnson to baby tetmosol nw d ones on his forehead is goin nw its coming out frm his cheeks am even noticing somtin lyk eczema on his cheeks all I no is dat my baby's face is nt smooth pls a ftm

You know, you kind of sound frantic a lot. Do you have anyone with baby experience staying with you? Sometimes it helps just to have that reassurance. Take a deep breath, you're doing good! Don't panic, okay?

I think you're doing too much to baby. Eczema does happen and Newborn tend to throw a rash no matter what sometimes. Let his skin breathe, just wipe him down with water for now, he's not playing football so he's not dirty. Get a bar of Dove classic soap (you said you were in Ilorin so Dove Sensitive may be hard to find), rub a tiny bit on a washcloth and use it to wipe baby down every 2 days and then follow up by wiping him down with clean water after. Avoid letting the soap touch his eyes. Then dry him off.

Stop all the powder, it's not really good for his lungs and get some Ori (shea butter) or Goya Olive oil and use that as his cream.

Sometimes if you do too much, you end up aggravating the skin and cause dryness. It may look like eczema. So why not try this and then in 4 days' (yes be patient because Newborn have rashes for like 3 weeks easily), let us know if it is calming down. Cool?

Catholic and Anglican doctrine is almost 80% the same. The Anglican church broke away because of English Politics in the 15th/16th century. I have attended Anglican Mass and there was almost no difference. Even the Catholic church in Nigeria recognises Anglican baptism during Marriage classes. It is Pentecostal church that has different doctrines that the old-school churches don't accept.

OP, get your Reverend Father involved in this. It truly should not be an issue but in the East a lot of weird stuff happens (Fr. Mbaka is selling prayer scratch cards) and your Bishop seems to allow it. It is also Easterners that insist on asking the non-Catholic spouse to be signing undertaking (in Lagos the church is always upset to hear that kind of news).

ojac1:
Well, there is no wahala with sugar in pap.

It's the age thing, you don't want to load them with sugar or salt at that age.

Dexterush is right, NO SALLAH MEAT IN DA HOUSE?!!!!

stadora:
pls in addin grinded crayfish, wil it require u boil d pap, or is d hot water enof?
Also has any 1 tried addin potatoes, wil i cook d potatoes b4 dryin or i jst peel and dry b4 grindin?
Cc onegai, liftedhands, comtem2011, tchiwinie, lovinam, alphahandmaiden. Rofemiguwa, zaynie, ozycy, oda sabi mamas.

Hapy sunday 2 us all.

I've never tried potatoes with pap o. Is it digestible? Potatoes on its own is fine, just boil very soft and then mash with butter. I used to add thr crayfish after cooking but I'm not sure it was the right way so maybe add and leave on fire for a bit.

Eminya:
Happy Sunday mama's, finally out of peeping mode. Thanks for all the suggestions, Josh body is now smooth there is no trace of those allergic bumps. Onegai and Alphahandmaiden you two are doing a wonderful job here, May God bless you with more wisdom. I have learnt a lot lately from this page.
kidco I will soon contact you via whatsapp so that I can make my choice on the books I want

Thanks for your kind words.

Jewel90:
Hapi wknd beautiful mamas...pls can I add a little bit of sugar in d pap I make 4 my 8mnth old baby?

Probably not. Pap is not nutritious and you have to add all sorts to make it so (crayfish, soybean, groundnut, formula). Wait till 13 months fod sugar and give very little (I add less than a quarter of a cube of brown sugar to Weetabix for my 15 month old). Don't give honey, a mum told us here how her child died from it and doctors don't recommend it before 12 months.

Porn is not something anyone should consume. It is unhealthy. It is not attractive, no-one filming it thinks it is sexy, it is a fantasy and not really a good one. Let me paint a vivid picture for you:

Everyone, crew and cast come to set (someone's house). Whilst crew is putting up lights and rigs, sound is checking his boom (big mike) and director is talking to actors (who probably just met that day). There's no where to change they just go to one corner and remove cloth and if the actors are smart, they will carry their own bathrobe and slippers to be wearing around. The male actors take pills to keep that "stuff" up and most times he barely talks to the woman (they just met and this is a job). Makeup covers the actors bodies with foundation and powder (even their bumbums are powdered so it won't shine on camera and they have to cover boob surgery cuts, weird offensive tattoos, cellulite from eating too much bread, drug usage wounds because a lot of porn actors use drugs) and also mix the "money shot" liquid (oh, did boys think all that was real and natural?) They get on set and decide on condom usage (most directors don't like it because it doesn't sell well). They shoot, take breaks of upto 1 hour to change lights and soundproof and the man has to keep that stuff hard all through that (because they rented the lights and cameras and wasting time costs money and if any actor causes delay no-one will work with them). So everyone has to be ready once the director calls them. No "abeg let me try and get it up". But if he needs to, there's a prosthetic on standby that looks bigger that can be held by the man. By the way, females are paid higher than men and a lot of men tend to work in gay porn (which pays them higher). Now, for all those close-up shots, the camera man has to kneel down in between the legs of the actors and point the camera upwards, which is why you get scenes like man and woman standing and lifting one leg (they are trying to get a better shot). Try holding yourself in that position for 15 minutes without getting a painful cramp.

So, does this sound sexy? Why are you watching something so uncomfortable and why do we keep telling women to watch it? How does this improve life, how can any person throw away their marriage over something even the performers are only doing to get paid to pay for a mortgage on their house? How??

OP, show your husband what I typed. Tell him I got that info from people who work in the industry (even photogs in Nigeria exist who shot this and they will prefer shooting your average housewife than a stripper because strippers have dead eyes and frankly don't do well on camera). But it is NOT a glamourous job and they love-vendor their models out to politicians and rich men.

Now, for the cheating, calmly confront your husband. Tell him that if he is willing to risk his life for something so tawdry with a random stranger who can infect him with anything or even set him up and kill him, he is an adult but you will not be part of it. Tell him his fantasies are built on lies and it is better you and he stay in bed and figure out what really works than to be jumping like a housefly from poop to poop, never satisfied. And that if in this economy he is willing to spend much-needed, scarce money to fly and lodge in Abuja to meet up with a random stranger for an encounter that he will forget before 40, then you must question your own judgement in marrying him. Ask him to be a Man (not all these boys parading as men). And focus on what is important. Be calm when saying this.

favouredmumsy:
Please mamas in the house, my sister delivered 5days ago she is a ftm and she had episiotomy stitch and the nurse told her not to do sitz bath she is going through serious pains the she cant sit to feed her baby, please how is she going to heal fast, the pains does not even allow her to sleep at night.

Sabi mamas any ideas please?

Sandyvenny:
lovely mothers in the house, please help me touch light this. I 'm a mother of one. my baby is one year two months old. I weaned my baby @ 10 months and while breast feeding him I wasn't seeing my period. my period has returned. now, this is where i need your inputs. my period has been so irregular. last month 21st, I saw my period, yesterday, it has started flowing again. please, if there is a supplement you can recommend to aid conception, please do. I want to plan for another baby. thanks.

I don't know if you can take any drugs but everyone suggests Folic acid. Sabi mamas, input?

dexterush:
Pls mamas come to my rescue,my second boy started having itchy rash on his eye lid,I googled and got suggestions of placing cold towel on it,but it did nothing. Just checked it this morning and noticed it has started spreading to other part of his face.
Pls wat do you guys think,not looking pleasant at all
Pic attached to get a clearer picture.

Eye area is a very delicate area. I wouldn't tell you to run anything there without knowing the cause of it. Please take him to a doctor and if you can go to a GH, you will meet more specialist doctors. I don't think it is a serious issue but it isnt to be handled with self-medication.

Modified: I think I've seen this sort of rash before and it needs a dermatologist. Because of the hair loss on the eyebrow.

Have any of you guys done Community Outreach? The problem with slum dwellers is a mental one. When your environment is so run-down it affects your thinking. However when people try and help you out of It, you fight them out od cynicism and fear of change. Even if Government built low-cost housing, it would end up the same. Almost all of the low-cost housing I've seen looks rundown no matter what in a few years' time ans the inhabitants don't bother to maintain it but scream for government to keep their homes clean. Even abroad it's the same: go to the bad neighbourhood, fix the lights in the local park amd the next night the lights are broken because criminals need the place dark.

Slum dwellers have to help themselves. In Lagos I've seen people volunteer (and i have volunteered) to go into slums and clean or do school renovations. Just a few joined us. Yet it's their school. People will be cleaning up the beach access to your island and you will be there, sitting nonchalantly. Then complain that you didn't get enough help. If we opened free libraries in the worst slums, how many parents would make their kids attend? At least you need basic knowledge of English and Maths to trade. They need it to be great but their apathetic nature won't allow them stir themselves to help. I remember seeing the day i I watched some men sit and laugh and gist as one of them was tampering with the newly constructed drainage on Orile Expressway. Later when it floods, they will scream "Government ignores us!"

Doubledouble:
Father Lord, we give you all the glory for the gift of life. We thank you for you love, protection, provision and most importantly, for your Grace. Everlasting King of Kings be thou exalted in our lives forevermore. We thank you for our beautiful families, we thank you because in this hard and difficult times, you still give us reasons to smile. Take all the Glory, in Jesus name.

Father, we are mere mortals and big sinners. We have sinned against you in word thoughts and deeds. We ask o Lord that you please forgive us our sins, let the Blood of your only son, Jesus Christ, our Lord and personal saviour, wash away all our iniquities. Purge us with hyssop and we shall be clean, wash away our iniquities and we shall be made whole, in Jesus name. Forgive us both sins committed knowingly and unknowingly, in Jesus name. After forgiveness of sins, we ask for the gift of the holy spirit to abide with us and help us live sin-free lives in you, in Jesus name.

Father we ask that you continuously protect and provide for us in this hard times. Heal our land, o Lord. Make our country great and fruitful again, in Jesus name. Lead our leaders right and help them to make the right decisions. We pray for our husbands, father, they are the head, may they never become the tail in Jesus name. All that they need, physically, spiritually, emotionally to be the head, I pray you bless them with. Our children shall never spend their lives in pains, no evil shall befall them, sorrow shall never be their portion, they will live all the days of their lives in the goodness of The Lord, they will live long in good health, peace and love. The fear of The Lord shall be the foundation of their lives, in Jesus name. We pray for we mothers, give us the patience and wisdom to take care of our homes, no strange woman or man shall destroy the peace of our homes, in Jesus name. We ask for strength to be good custodians of our families. Help us to love and appreciate our husbands, help us to nurture our children in the way of The Lord. Father, on our day of glory, we shall not be absent, one minute silence shall not be observed for neither us nor our husbands, in Jesus name. Help us to manage our time, so as to be good wives, mothers and fulfilled career/biz women, in Jesus name. Meet everyone of us in this forum at our points of needs. Bless going outs and coming in. Strengthen this forum and chase all strange doings or plans from our midst, in Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Thank you Lord, for answered prayers. Thank you for your love, thank you for your faithfulness even in our unfaithfulness. Take all the Glory, honour and adoration, in the mighty name of Jesus, Amen!

Amen and Amen!

Thank you for a lovely prayer.

When I saw this story this morning, I got a bit worried. I have a feeling this sweet little boy has Down's Syndrome and his parents know and they may have abandoned him. It has been known to happen. I hope it isn't the case.

Congratulations!! Whoop Whoop!!

1st Birthday shoot

More idea for shoots loading below.

6. Props: you can find good props anywhere. If you aee using balloons, if you want them to float they have to be professionally filled with helium. For those in malls, those party stores sell the balloons and will inflate them if you buy from them. If you want to use real flowers, get Bougainvillea and put it in your little girl's hair (it's a pretty flower) or Hibiscus. Cut out letters and alphabets from carton and paint with acrylic or poster colour or cover in white carpenter glue and pour glitter on them to make glitter letters and leave it to dry. You can make anything you put your mind to. That last picture, that is a box of carton painted. Simples.

7. Get into the frame! Shoot with your kids and turn it into family photo session.

Take the rest of the money you get as savinsavings from not throwing a party and open a bank account for your child. They will appreciate that money more when they grow up. My father did that and bought us shares in companies. I still get money paid into my account till today. Even Treasury bills at 14% interest for 6 months is better than nothing.

Have fun and Happy birthday to all our LOs.

1st Birthday Photo shoot

I remember thinking with some trepidation what I was supposed to do for Baby E's birthday. A party (which would have to be a bit lavish), a photo shoot, how many cakes, who would cater, dj or not, it was a bit overwhelming.

And the economy tanked.

So many other factors came into play in cancelling daughter's 1st birthday party (they decided to fix our road and blocked it, Himself was sent on a work meeting on the day to Port Harcourt, it was a Monday, the baker upset me, some family kept pressuring me to give "befitting" souvenirs and hire pricey vendors because it wasn't "anyhow people" coming ). We settled for a photoshoot. Let me tell you, the pressure of people asking "why are you not doing a party?" was upsetting.

See, if anyone gives you grief about not doing something you cannot afford at that point, make them pay. My sister taught me that, she said that was the only way to get Naija people to shut up is to say, "fun mi lowo" and they will suddenly start minding their business.

If you are also planning on not having a 1st birthday party, don't be discouraged. Have a wonderful photo shoot and capture the memory. I cannot remember 90% of my birthday parties ans I certainly cannot remember the ones before age 10 years unless I look at pictures. So pictures are more important than the party (which you won't enjoy sef because you will be running around and the celebrant will be following you, dazed).

1. Have a budget. Very important. Set how much you want to spend. If you go over, it won't be by too much.

2. Find a photo you like. There are special children and baby photographers out there in Lagos and they do a wonderful job. They charge like N70,000. So it might be pricey but they help you with props for the shoot. The only issue I see is that they recycle ideas. You can use cheaper photographers and know you'll have to do more work.

3. Find a theme and get props for the shoot. A lot of photographers appreciate it if you have an idea and samples when you approach them (because they don't have ideas but no be me talk am o ).

4. Have your "model" fed and napped before the shoot. Look for a location like outside it is usually cheaper to shoot there than in a studio (Alausa has a beautiful park and there are others in Lagos). Best time to shoot is early morning and late afternoon (because the light is ideal and it isn't too hot).

5. Get ready for crazy! Your model will crawl off the set, never look at the camera so carry their toys and be prepared to stand behind the photog and dance and sing to make them smile. It is easier getting Area boys to cooperate than to get a perfect baby picture.

Below are sample ideas

Mama's, please don't forget ww will start tomorrow with some prayers and maybe share a word or two. Thank you.

maran1983:
Hi, do you have a number I can reach you on? I'm asking because I am one of those that signified interest for books for Abuja mums.

The thing is, my kids ages range from 6-2, so I'd like to have books that span across their age range. How can we achieve that? Is it better I order books specifically for my kids,away from the group buy?

Cc: Onegai, kidco

It depends. If you can find someone in your neighbourhood that wants for that age group or you can buy for yourself.