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Traveling with Infants – 3 Tips for New Parents

Preparation is the most important asset for a successful vacation with children. When traveling with infants, most especially, parents should plan and go through the trip in their minds several times in order to anticipate the ways to make Baby more comfortable whether traveling by plane, by sea or by land. It would also help if the destination is also kid-friendly, meaning they offer both safety and fun for infants. There are several places in the US where combining both these factors are possible. Florida, home of Disneyland Resort and other theme parks are used to handling children of all ages. Pennsylvania, home of Hersheyland and Chocolate World is another kid-easy destination. There’s also Virginia, Yellowstone National Park and San Diego which are top picks as well.

For such a trip, here are a few tips in order to get you organized:

Tip 1: Prepare yourself physically

Especially when you plan to travel alone, be sure that you are in prime physical health when traveling with the baby. You are the most important factor in determining whether your baby is comfortable on the trip or not. Almost surely, you will have to multitask. Trivialities like carrying your own backpack, the baby’s bag, the baby himself and travel necessities will tend to take a toll on you and your physical well-being if you don’t prepare beforehand. Be sure you exercise regularly so you don’t easily tire during the trip itself.

Tip 2: Brief the Infants before the Travel

It’s difficult for infants to instantly change their routine for one trip alone. That is why it is important to slowly ease him in to the rigors of travel. Is he a wriggly and active kind of baby, for instance? Then practice guiding him to be still while you’re carrying him so that you won’t tire too easily or there won’t be any dangers of him wriggling out of your arms during the trip. If you’re planning to use a baby carrier, ease him into that as well. If possible, do test runs with him. Take him on short bus rides or short ferry rides just to break him in and see what his initial reactions are. This way, you are also able to anticipate any mishaps that might occur on that big trip.

Tip 3: Pack his Comfort things

Although you’re sure to be packed already, it would help soothe the baby if he has things he’s comfortable with close by. Some bring a security blanket. Others bring their favorite teddy bear. Still others would bring a pacifier or pictures of loved ones to give the child a feeling of security in the midst of a new environment. You will be surprised how this will be of use in many occasions.

Lastly, don’t forget to have fun with your baby along the way! Point out to him new things that are unique to your travels. Traveling together is a unique bonding experience that is truly priceless, so be sure to make every moment of it count.

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Fun Thanksgiving Craft Ideas & Inspirations for Kids

Crafts are more than just a way to keep your kids occupied, while they’re working to create their masterpieces they’re also learning valuable lessons that will stay with them long after they’ve finished. In addition to fostering creativity and imagination, by taking the time to put effort into their project kids learn a good work ethic and build self-esteem while at the same time they also learn about shapes, colors and textures.

If you’ve done any crafts with your kids you know this is not an activity that you can set them up with and leave them unattended – there will be a thousand questions and likely a huge mess if that’s your approach. Taking the time to spend with your child while you work on a craft gives you a chance to have some fun time with them while you step back from the craziness of life for a little while.

So in the spirit of promoting fun with our children, here are a couple of homemade craft ideas you can do with your child:

Keepsake Handprints: You will need Crayola Model Magic, paint and a small bowl or plate. Make a flat shape of your child’s choosing, just make sure it’s bigger than your child’s hand (you can use a bowl as a guide for the shape). Press your child’s hand into the model magic to make an impression, peel it off of their hand and set out flat to dry for 24 hours. After the Model Magic is set you can paint the handprint in your favorite color. Let paint dry and give as a great keepsake gift.

Homemade Sidewalk Paint: This is environmentally friendly, easy to make & inexpensive! You will need ¼ cup cornstarch, ¼ cup cold water and 6 to 8 drops of food coloring. Put the cornstarch in a small plastic bowl and gradually stir in the cold water. Add your desired food coloring and stir. If the paint still feels too dry add a little more water until you get the right consistency. You can make as many colors as your heart desires by repeating the process with different colors. This paint washes off very easily and will not harm plumbing or plants. If you mix it in containers with lids you can keep the leftover paint for next time.

Homemade “Stained Glass” Decorations: You will need good quality wax paper, inexpensive crayons (cheaper quality crayons are actually better for this project!), hand held pencil sharpener, shapes to use as stencils, a hole punch, some ribbon, an old dishtowel and an iron. Fold your wax paper in half, using enough to be able to get multiple shapes from. Using the pencil sharpener, sharpen the crayons all the way down until you have a pile of wax shavings. (Use any color or combination you choose) Scatter the shavings evenly inside the wax paper and fold flat over them. Lay an old dishtowel over the wax paper to protect the surface of your iron, which should be on a high heat setting without steam. Iron the wax paper evenly under the dishtowel until the wax shavings are all melted. Let the paper lie flat until cooled. Using your stencils (you can use cookie cutters too!), outline your shapes on the wax with a pencil and then cut them out. Punch a hole in the top of your pieces and hang it in your window with yarn, ribbon or string.

Please visit the following sites for more great ideas.

http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/crafts-by-age/

http://www.allfreecrafts.com/kids/index.shtml

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DIY Halloween Costume Ideas for Babies & Kids

Halloween is getting closer and it’s time to start thinking about this year’s costumes, if you haven’t already! My kids actually have their costumes planned out years in advance, there are just so many options to choose from and Mom isn’t buying more than one each year…nope, I’m not. For some of you this is your first year to dress someone up. Obviously babies won’t remember a
thing, but that’s ok – it’s not really about them, is it? There are so many adorable choices for babies out there, really you can’t possibly go wrong everyone will be cooing over them anyway. Since that first year with your baby comes with so many expenses, some expected and some not, here are some Do It Yourself baby costumes to consider.

Sweatsuit Costumes are the easiest and fastest way to make a costume for your child. With a basic hooded sweatshirt or jacket, matching sweatpants, felt and hot glue gun, you can make just about any animal you can think of and you have the added benefit of dressing your little one warmly. Here are some instructions on how to create a few different animals, once you have the idea
you’ll see you can do anything with this basic beginning:

Lion: Glue yellow felt ears (semi-circles with the flatedgeglued down) to a yellow sweatshirt hood. Glue several brown felt strips around the hood to form a mane. Cut a length & glue to the back of the pants for a tail, using some yarn for the furry tip. Black eyeliner for nose, whiskers.

Puppy: Glue long dark brown felt ears to the sides of a tan sweatshirt hood. Glue dark brown felt spots all over the rest of the hooded sweatshirt and matching tan pants. Black eyeliner for nose & whiskers.

Kitten: Glue folded black felt triangles to the sides of a black sweatshirt hood. Glue a length of felt to the back of a pair of black sweatpants for the tail. Black eyeliner for nose & whiskers.

Skunk: Glue folded black felt triangles to the sides of a black sweatshirt hood. Glue a length of white felt down the back of the sweatshirt. Cut a strip of black felt and after glueing a white stripe of felt down it’s center, glue it to the back of black sweatpants. Black eyeliner for nose & whiskers.

Some other ideas can be made up almost entirely from items you have already have. How about a Princess? Any fancy dress your little one already owns, a chop stick with ribbon glued around it & several more to it’s tip, a headband wrapped in ribbon with any additional flair you’d like to add. Or how about a Cowboy? Jeans, a plaid or demin shirt, bandana and/or cowboy hat. Voila!

For additional ideas, take a look at FAMILYEDUCATION.COM, they have links to dozens of great ideas! (http://fun.familyeducation.com/halloween-costume/halloween/33247.html?detoured=1)

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Is Your Child Being Bullied?

A lot of us parents think that once we drop our children to school, we can rest assured that they are safe. Even though there are so many dangers surrounding them every day, a school is certainly a sanctuary that can offer safety and security to children. However, this is not always the case. One of the dangers that your child can be facing is bullies in school. A bully is almost a staple in every school and many children’s lives. There is always that one student who is a meaner or bigger than the rest who gets his or her pleasure from torturing others. Here are some information that you need to know about bullying and how you can resolve the situation.

Currently, bullying is a big problem that is getting more serious every day. According to studies conducted in every school, almost 50% of the children in a school are bullied at one time or another. Back in the day, bullying was concentrated in the school grounds. Nowadays, technology and the cyber world have extended the playground of bullies. Electronic harassment, cyber bullying and other forms are not uncommon headlines today. Here, we discuss common types of bullying, how to detect bullies and how to deal with them.

Physical bullying is the type bullying where the child experiences violence on the physical level. Kicking, punching, hitting the child with items are considered as physical bullying. In some cases where, you might also witness how the bully intends to destroy the items of your child. This case is still considered as physical bullying.

Verbal bullying is when the bully engages to name-calling and insulting your child verbally. Racial slurs, taunting, spreading rumors and teasing are all forms of verbal bullying and can have a very serious effect on sensitive children.

The last one is cyber bullying. In this type of bullying, your child will receive harassing emails or instant messages and intimidating or threatening web sites or blogs.

The moment that your child hesitates to go to school or seems to be afraid of the school then chances are he is being bullied. In order to avoid going to school, the bullied child will make up reasons such as stomach aches and other illnesses. Lack of concentration and interest in doing homework are also clear signs that something could be bothering your child. If you are noticing these symptoms on your child, it’s important to take immediate action before it’s too late. Children who are being bullied have higher rates of depression, anxiety, low self esteem and other mental conditions.

Studies also show that the child being bullied has a great tendency of committing suicide and you only have to look at the news to see how these grim findings become reality.

So how do you address a bullying situation? The first thing you need to do is encourage your child to open up to you about the matter so you can gauge the depth of the situation. If the bullying is a cause of alarm, notify the schools. Getting in touch with professionals on children’s welfare is also a great idea.

Essential Vitamins and Minerals for a Healthy Pregnancy

Pregnancy is one of the unique experiences that a woman can go through in her lifetime. There are so many matters that you need to consider before and during your pregnancy. Among these matters, nutrition (especially minerals and vitamins) are very important. Your health during pregnancy and the health of your baby will be affected by these vital matters. Ultimately, it’s in your best interest to make sure that your diet included the nutrients you need for a safe and healthy pregnancy. Here, we discuss some essential nutrients, minerals and vitamins that you should incorporate in your diet.

Vitamins

Vitamin A and beta carotene help the growth of teeth and bones. You can find this vitamin in potatoes, spinach, broccoli, carrots, cantaloupe, and pumpkin.

Vitamin D is responsible for body’s ability to use calcium as well as phosphorus. Like Vitamin A, Vitamin D also has an effect on the growth of bones and the teeth. Vitamin D can be found in sunshine during certain hours of a day. So it’s highly recommended that you spend plenty of time outdoors during the early morning. Be sure to drink and eat plenty of milk and fatty fish.

Vitamin E is responsible for the forming and developing the body—namely the red blood cells and muscles. Foods that are rich in vitamin E include spinach, vegetable oil (in moderate amounts), fortified cereals and nuts.

Vitamin C helps the body develop its immune system and absorb iron. Vitamin C is also an antioxidant which protects the tissues from damage. Vitamin C can be gained by consuming citrus fruits, strawberries, potato, tomato, green bean, bell peppers, papaya, and broccoli.

Vitamin B1 or Thiamin is able to regulate the nervous system and can provide you with energy. Rice, pasta, organ meats, pork, egg, nuts, wheat germ, fortified cereals, and berries are good providers of Vitamin B1.

Vitamin B2 or riboflavin promotes healthy skin, eyesight, and energy. Good sources include meats, egg, and fortified cereals. These foods are also rich in Vitamin B3. If your pregnancy is causing you some indigestion then you can sooth your stomach with foods that are rich in Vitamin B3.

If your morning sickness tends to be severe or frequent, you can improve your condition by giving your body enough Vitamin B6, which can be found in a variety of foods. These foods include oats, brown rice, bran, nuts, sunflower seeds, walnuts, nuts, pork, chicken, liver, spinach, egg, soybean, beans and carrots.

Minerals

To start caring for the baby inside you, folic acid supports the placenta, prevents spine bifida and other neural tube defects. Green leafy vegetables, spinach, beans, beets, broccoli, cauliflower, nuts, pasta, fortified cereals and orange or orange juice are all rich in folic acid.

Aside from strengthening bones and teeth, calcium is also responsible for preventing the blood clots and improving functioning in nerves and muscles. Milk, cheddar cheese, dark green leafy vegetables and juices are all tasty sources of calcium.

Iron is responsible for production of hemoglobin. Iron prevents anemia, low birth weight and premature birth or delivery. You can gain iron by consuming beef, pork, spinach, dried beans, dried fruits and oatmeal or grains that are fortified with iron.

Cheap Date Ideas for Parents

There are certain things that take place after marriage such as pregnancy, parenting, saving for the future and pursuing careers among others. In the middle of these things, couples forget about each other and the bonding between them grows weak day by day. However, there are ways to keep the bonding strong between couples and one of these ways can be dating. That’s right–just because you’re married doesn’t mean you can forget about going out on dates. Dating nowadays is not cheap. An ideal romantic date might be expensive and ultimately, both of you will sacrifice and decide to spend the money over more important matters. Here are some affordable ideas for your next date with your spouse.

Date during lunch time or breakfast time

Working couples are tired by nine in the evening and it’s often difficult for them to arrange a date by that time. It’s inevitable that couples would rather get some rest for the next day instead of dressing up and going out. This becomes a problem because we consider dinner as the only ideal time for dating, but guess what–lunch time can be an ideal time as well. Prices on the menu are affordable and you are energetic enough to have a great time with your partner. In addition, you are less likely to drink by lunch time and this can save you more money. Since your kids are in school, both of you can just enjoy spending time with each other without worry. During breakfast time, the prices on the menu are even cheaper than lunch time. Just imagine starting your day with your partner having a nice and quiet breakfast. What a way to start the day, right? It might not sound romantic to many couples. However, you might want to consider these options if you have time and money constraints.

Date after dinner time

If you used to be the life of the party or if you and your spouse used to set the dance floor on fire then there’s nothing wrong with reliving your party days once in a while. If you have a free weekend night on your hands then why not hire a babysitter to take care of the kids for the night? To make the most of your date night, try to avoid going to hot trendy clubs that are brimming with college party kids—unless you want to have vomit on your shoes by the end of the night. Instead, go to a more mature and classic club that caters to consumers your age. These clubs are bound to have better facilities, better drinks and better music. If you’re not the partying kind, you can also spend Saturday night having an intimate date right in the comforts of your home. You can send the kids to your parents for the night or take advantage of their slumber party in the house of another friend. Dating at home can be versatile: you can enjoy a quiet dinner for two, drink champagne out in the patio or rent a movie that you can watch while cuddling close to each other.

Strengthening Your Marriage

Marriage is complex world that everyone must carefully think about before entering. The fact that most marriages today end in divorce goes to show that not many people think about their decision to get married. This fact has made a lot of people hesitant about marriage or any serious relationship that could lead toward marriage. However, this doesn’t mean that all marriages are doomed to end. Whether you are about to walk down the aisle or you have been married for quite a while now, it’s always good to know the potential problems that lie ahead and how to surpass them. Here, we discuss the basic concepts that can strengthen and improve your marriage.

Respect and acceptance

The fundamental law of a marriage or any serious relationship is respecting each other. There is no doubt that you and your spouse love each other, but oddly enough, respect doesn’t always come automatically with love. Naturally, this leads one to question the authenticity of the love in the marriage. Respect is all about honoring your spouse as an individual—with individual feelings, opinions and thoughts. Just like respect, acceptance is also a necessary ingredient in any successful marriage. Unfortunately, only a few couples succeed in mastering this act. A lot of people who are in a relationship seek to change their partner somehow. Even though it’s good to bring out the best in our partner, you eventually have to see people for who they are and make the decision and if your personalities are compatible or will clash down the road.

Listening and communicating with each other

As marriages last longer, the quality of communication between the couple also deteriorate. Individual careers, children, chores, finances and other concerns build up inside the marriage that the couple often does not have time to tall about their feelings. If you and your spouse rarely speak to each other except to ask and answer questions or give orders then this is a sign that you need to start working on your communication again. Remember during your first dates or the early days of your marriage where the two of you will talk for hours? All in all, one of the most important foundations of a strong marriage is communication.

Passion and romance

Just like communication, passion in a marriage can also wear out as the couple stays together for a long time. After all, who has time for romance when there are groceries to buy, bill to pay and children to raise? Couples are usually preoccupied with these domestic concerns that they end up not paying attention to each other anymore. To solve this, make it a priority to have at least one date night a week, no matter how busy or stressed out you two are. Dates don’t even have to involve going out. Your romantic date can be as simple as sitting together out on the patio, opening a bottle of champagne and rediscovering why you loved each other. Do your children make it impossible? Send them over to a slumber party or to a relative who can take care of them for the night.

Tasty Recipes for Summer

As we are moving close to summer time, everybody’s preparing for this season of fun under the sun. Summer brings its own special activities such as its own food recipes. It’s going to be hot, humid and storms will take place in some places. Indeed, in hot and humid weather, certain foods can be really refreshing such as ice cream, a cold drink and more. These refreshments would really make you feel that summer time is the best time of the year.

Aside from desserts and drinks, there are so many recipes for summer that might interest you. Here are some recipes which can make your summer a memorable time for you and your family.

Let’s start with making a salad, a butter bean salad to be more specific. To prepare for this type of salad, you need:

3 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar

5 Tbsp. olive oil,

¼ tsp pepper,

Chopped parsley (parsley can bring a lot of taste and a good aroma in salad so put in as much as you want)

2 (15 oz.) cans butter beans (rinsed and drained)

11 oz. corn can (drained)

14.5 oz. can zesty chili diced tomatoes (drained)

Small red onions chopped (not more than 3 pieces).

Simply prepare a big bowl and combine vinegar with olive oil, salt and pepper. Make sure you mix it well. Afterward, add the parsley and start mixing again. It’s good to consider that you should mix parsley in the bowl well and add the rest of the ingredients. Mix them well, chill the bowl for two hours before serving and enjoy the salad.

Some people might not want to spend so much of time cooking in their kitchen. Eventually, they will decide to dine out and often this act can be a part of a lifestyle. If every material is ready and laid out on the kitchen table in an organized way, cooking can be much easier and faster than what you think. So make sure that you always carry out an organized approach in cooking. Now we move on to the main dish which is lemon thyme grilled chicken. Here are the ingredients you need:

4 boneless and skinless chicken breasts (if you are serving more people then simply add to the amount)

1 tsp. dried thyme leaves

3 cloves of garlic (minced, always keep in mind that garlic can bring a very good taste to your food so if you want to add a bit more flavor then its completely up to you)

1 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. salt

3.5 tsp. lemon juice (it would be great if you use real lemon)

3 Tbsp. olive oil

To prepare this meal, you will first place the boneless skinless chicken in a bowl and pour lemon on the chicken breasts. Make sure the chicken and lemon juice are mixed well. Add the rest of the ingredients, cover the bowl and chill it in your refrigerator for 1-3 hours. Prepare the grill while the chicken is in the refrigerator. Initiate the fire a quarter of an hour before you bring out the chicken. Grill the chicken for 5-7 minutes on each side. Ultimately, it’s up to you how you want your chicken—some prefer their meat well-cooked while other prefer it rare and a bit juicy

With these two recipes, you will surely enjoy your summer time meal. To lean more about summer recipes, do some research online.

Fun Summer Activities for Your Kids

Summer time, summer time.

Summer as a season has its own advantages and people and families are excited about this time of the year. Everybody has a plan to accomplish and if you have a family, you certainly have plans of going somewhere or doing something with your family this summer time.

Traveling in summer time is one of the most popular activities and kids love it. There are numerous locations that you can travel to and visit. Some prefer to take a break from the heat of their environment and travel to cold places and spend summer there and some prefer to travel from their cold environment to warmer places. No matter what place you and your family choose to spend your summer time in, you need to consider taking the right measures for your travel. One great factor that you might want to consider is to travel light. No matter what sort of transportation you are using to reach your destination, traveling light can be a great advantage on your part. You will be able to carry your load everywhere you go. Make sure to choose the right items based on the environment that you and your family traveling to. Consider choosing the right spot so your kid or kids can enjoy a lot of activities such as swimming in the sea and skiing in cold mountains.

Aside from traveling and other sorts of activity to entertain your kids, kid’s summer activities can take place in your own house such as planting a garden. However, in some places, the weather can make it challenging to plant a garden so plant a garden with respect to your environment. Here are some plants you might want to consider growing: potato, tomato, cucumber, peas, carrot, turnip, sunflower, squash and etc. To learn about how to plant these plants in your backyard and what sort of environment is suitable for each plant, you can always conduct your research online.

Other kids’ activities that you might want to consider are watching any sports game or movies since these can be quite entertaining and fun. A car race can really keep them frozen in their chairs. Baseball games can make your kid jump in his chair from excitement and a sci-fi movie can help their imagination grow. For your child, anything can be entertaining as long as you provide enough guidance during the activities. One of the main things that kids love about these activities is the snack that you provide them with. So as long as you provide a tasty snack, you can expect that they will be on their good behavior and enjoy the activity at hand.

Aside from entertainment in summer time, reading a book can be a great activity to be introduced to your kid. So many parents tend to forget the joys of reading when they were young. However, if you just take the time to remember your own childhood, you might recall how somebody would read some stories for you while you would take a look at the pictures in the book and you will feel like you’re in a new different world. To lean more about kids’ activities this summer, you can surf the net for more ideas.

Decorating Your Children’s Bedrooms – Fun Project For the Whole Family

Designing a kid’s room might not be the priority of some parents but if you value the comfort, safety and happiness of your children then you will put a lot of time and planning in creating a good space for them. There are so many factors and items that you need to consider if you want to design your child’s room. Often, this task can be quite confusing.  In this article, we point out at some fundamental factors and items that you need for designing your kid’s room.

Materials used in the room

We are all affected by the environmental crisis nowadays and this matter has caused so much conflict all over the world.  Whether you’re a devoted environmentalist or you just wish to try a greener lifestyle, consider using efficient materials when designing your kids’ room. For instance, look for energy-efficient features when shopping for lamps to be used in the room.

Materials used on flooring, ceiling and window glasses can have a lot of effect in conditioning the room temperature. You will be able to adjust the temperature of the whole house or room by simply replacing the old materials with new and efficient materials. To learn more about these materials, you can always conduct your research online or talk to your local contractors

Another important factor that you need to keep in mind when putting together your kid’s room is the durability of the furniture. For example, you don’t want to purchase a bed only to see it worn down after a year’s use. You want furniture that will last even as your children grow older. If the room you are designing is for more than one child, then durability of the furniture becomes even more important.

Decoration of the room

From lava lamps to stuffed animals, accessories are part of the decoration in your kids’ room. The best way to find out how to decorate the bedroom is by asking your child what sort of accessories and decoration he wants in his room. If you recall your own childhood, you will remember that kids love to be involved in decisions-making, so enlisting their help will certainly make them feel confident and valued.

Design, Colors and Theme

To make decorating the room easier, it’s usually best to start with a theme so you can start decorating and buying items based on this motif. The theme of the room should be something that your child is interested in. For instance, if you have a little boy, popular room themes would include sports, space, cowboys, robots and such. Themes like fairies, princesses and Barbie are popular among girls. If you prefer a gender-neutral theme, you can go for animal safari or a nature theme. Although you probably want to go all out with your chosen theme, be sure that you decorate the room in such a way that your kids can change the design of the room once they get too old to be sleeping with their favorite cartoon characters. As for colors, it’s generally recommended to go for brighter hues since they can make the room brighter and more inviting.