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)

Related articles

• Top 5 Do-It-Yourself Kids Costumes (hellobeautiful.com)
• Greening the Kids’ Halloween Costumes (1800recycling.com)
• DIY Hallowe’en: Swedish Chef (boingboing.net)
• 5 DIY Halloween Costumes Made from Materials You Already Own (treehugger.com)

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.

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.

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.

Going on Vacation with Your Kids

If you are preparing to have a vacation with your family then there will be matters that you will need to consider–where to go, what items to pack, how to reach your destination (airplane or car?). Many parents worry about traveling with their kids because they fear that it will be full of hassle. The truth is, with enough preparation, your vacation with your kids can actually go smoothly. Here are some tips to keep in mind if you are planning to go on a holiday with your kids.

Where to go

Naturally, the first thing you need to do would be to choose a destination where you and your family can go. “Fun for the whole family” is the phrase that you need to keep in mind when deciding where to go. You might also want to establish what you want your trip to be. Do you want the vacation to be fun and relaxing, educational, adventurous or all of the above? Based on this decision, you can easily narrow down your choices. For instance, if you want your kids to have fun, then go to popular family places such as Disney Land or any other amusement park. For an educational trip, visit historical sites and museums. For an adventure, have your kids try out camping or any new sports. When planning your itinerary for the day, make sure you make the activities short and varied. Since kids have a short attention span, it will be better to avoid activities that last the whole day long.

What to Pack

Packing for kids is another preparation that can be tricky if you don’t know how to do it right. If you are traveling with a baby, the first things you need to pack would be all the baby essentials—such as diapers, bottles, etc. The same goes for small toddlers. If your little one is used to drinking on his sippy cup and has a security blanket then you need to pack all these for the trip. Packing for older kids is easier and you can even enlist their help to give them a sense of responsibility. Keep your destination in mind when deciding what children’s clothes to bring. For instance, if you are going to tropical Hawaii, then your kid won’t need his snow boots.

How to get there

Lots of preparation is done before an airplane can take off—such as double-checking the engine, cleaning the cabin, etc. You should carry out the same meticulous process if you are traveling with a car. Always update and upgrade the items in your tool box and make sure they are compatible to your car. Have your car checked out by elite team of mechanics since you do not want to run into a conflict on your way. Prepare food supply enough for the passengers (your family) as well as enough activities for the kids. Children can get pretty impatient on the road (or on the sky if you are going by plane) so it’s important to have something that will entertain them during the travel hours.

Working Moms, Are Your Children Eating Healthy?

Parenting is one of the greatest tasks that you will have to face in your lifetime. The task of being a mother is so demanding and consuming that for most women, it becomes their main career. However, if you are one of the many women who are trying to balance your job with being a mom then these new findings may interest you. A British study showed that a working mom can actually create an unhealthy environment for her children. According to the case studies, children who have full-time moms who stay at home are healthier than those whose mothers are working. This health discrepancy between children became most evident in the aspect of nutrition.

The fact is kids love to eat without giving any thought to nutrition. You’re not likely to see an eight-year-old choosing spinach over ice cream any day soon. When the mom is not around to provide food guidance then the child will simply devour anything he pleases—soft drinks loaded with sugar, bags of potato chips, candy bars, etc. Needless to say, unhealthy diet or food in the early ages can threaten the health of the child in future. And it’s not just the diet of the child that suffers. Lack of exercise is also rampant among kids who have working moms. They tend to use the computer and watch TV for longer periods of time. Unsurprisingly, they also spend less time walking to school.

It’s also not a surprise that working mothers have less time to spend with their children. Most of their days are dedicated to their jobs and we all know how tiresome working everyday can be. If you’re a working mom then you probably get home every day wanting nothing better than to take a few hours to rest. And the time you take to rest further subtracts from the time you spend with your child.

According to studies, almost more than half of the female population in the United States and United Kingdom join the work force shortly after giving birth. This study about working moms and kids’ nutrition is probably igniting an understandable outcry from working mothers everywhere. After all, with the current economic crisis, unemployment for men has grown more than it has for women. Because of this, many moms have no option left but to look and apply for a job in order to ensure the financial stability of their families. Unfortunately, there are many cases when the health of the family is overlooked.

So what can working moms do in order to maintain their job while maintaining the health of their kids? Organizing your time would be a great idea. No matter how tired you are when you get home, set aside an hour every day to spend time with your kids and be sure to teach them the importance of a healthy diet. If you don’t have time to prepare dinner, order take-out from a restaurant that serves healthy food. Enjoying outdoor exercises like a walk in the park or biking are also great ways to spend some quality time with your kids while ensuring exercise for everyone. If you have money to spare then hiring a maid would also be a great option. Be sure to train the maid to follow a healthy diet program when cooking for your kids. If you have other ideas how busy mommies can squeeze in healthy eating for their kids then be sure to share your thoughts!

The Pros and Cons of Staying Together for Your Children

If you’re a parent then you are probably familiar with the pressure of having to make the right decisions for your child at all times. What food to serve, what school to enroll in, what values to teach are only some of the everyday decisions that can affect the welfare of our children. However, what happens when these decisions become a lot more challenging? For parents who are unhappily living with each other, the decision whether to separate or not will be one of the toughest decisions they will ever make. Many couples find themselves unhappy with each other. If you and your spouse have tried time and again to fix your marriage to no avail then it might be time to look for other ways to resolve such matters. Settling this conflict is twice as hard on couples with children because the decision affects not only the couple but the little ones involved as well. Perhaps it would be a good idea to discuss the pros and cons of separating so you and your spouse can start taking an objective look on the matter.

Pros of separating

Creating a resolution in a conflicted relationship where a child is involved in is a complex process. The truth is that any situation where parents have to separate will be devastating to any child. What you can do is evaluate the benefits of ending your marriage and think about how it may affect your children. You might think that to grin and bear it for your children is the best decision but the truth is you could be harming your children more by staying in an unhappy marriage. Being an unhappy wife or husband can easily stop you from being the best parent you can be. You might even start resenting parenting because of all the sacrifices you have to make for your kids. Another advantage of ending an unhappy marriage is the fact that you won’t have to expose your children anymore to the animosity between you and your spouse, which can be more harmful for them than divorce.

Cons of separating

The cons or disadvantages of separating should be considered carefully by couples who decide to separate without trying to save their marriage. Remember that separation can cause your children to think they should be choosing between their mother and father. Divorce is almost always traumatizing for the child. Since the child still does not have enough knowledge about life, it might take him years to recover and understand the event that took place. Many children from a “broken home” see their home life as a shadow that hangs over their social life, personal life, school work and future relationships. Depending on the child, some would see their parent’s separation as a reason to avoid stability while some will see it as a cautionary tale to avoid for their own families.

In the end, it’s important to know that every couple faces a tough time in their relationship where separating can seem like the best solution. However, being a good spouse and a responsible parent means that divorce should only be seen as the last resort. In the event that it’s unavoidable, children should receive the guidance they need to get through the ordeal. What do YOU think?

Read more about what the experts are saying here: http://marriage.about.com/od/divorce/i/gooddivorceiss_2.htm

Baby’s First Valentine’s Day – Make it Memorable!!

Your baby’s first Valentine’s Day is special. As a dad, you want to make sure you do everything to make this a memorable day. There is no limit to your options—you know your baby best and can find things to do that you and your baby will both enjoy.

Here are some ideas for dads on celebrating their baby’s first Valentine’s Day:

1. Dress up your baby: Find your baby an appropriate outfit to mark the occasion. Think of something with cute red hearts all over—the perfect choice for any baby’s first Valentine’s Day.
2. Have a photo session with your baby: Take lots of pictures to keep the memories of this day alive. Let your baby pose with different people amongst your friends and family members, with pets, and in different situations. You can later compile these into a scrapbook and preserve the memories of your baby’s first Valentine’s Day.
3. Prepare a special treat: Serve your baby your love in the form of a tasty treat. Use heart-shaped pans to make your baby some Valentine’s Day cookies or muffins. Serve them as little red hearts with strawberry jam or red sugar crystals. An even easier option is to make your baby some sandwiches and cut them up to resemble little hearts.
4. Give your baby Valentine’s Day popsicles: Here is another novel idea to make your baby’s first Valentine’s Day special. Use heart-shaped molds to make Valentine’s Day popsicles for your baby. Simply freeze fruit and vegetable juices or pulp in the molds with little sticks in them. Give them to your baby to relieve teething pains.
5. Gift your baby a Valentine’s Day basket: Celebrate your baby’s first Valentine’s Day traditionally with a gift basket. You can put some new toys and clothes in it. Also, remember to include something to keep a record of the day, such as a baby handprint kit, or a picture scrapbook.

Reinvent Romance Back Into Your Relationship After A Baby

The first time Tom and I went out after our daughter turned 2, was a surreal experience. We went out to dinner, ate in peace and actually were able to have a normal conversation that did not involve the words: “No, don’t play with your food”, “Don’t throw your fork and food on the floor”, “Don’t stick noodles in your nose!” and sooooo  many more versions of this!

Don’t get me wrong! We’ve gone out all together but that is an experience for a different post!

I cannot tell you how refreshing it can be to go out and just enjoy a night out! But it does involve some planning ahead of time and a reliable babysitter. Here is a great post from The Bump with some creative ideas on how to spice up your Valentine’s Day.

Planning ahead is key here!

Gone are the days when you and your partner can jump up and go out to dinner or even a movie. Try to plan in advance either a long lunch from work or even take a day off and enjoy a spa massage, mani-pedi, or even couples’ facials. Anything to break the routine of work, home, diapers, bottles, pumping, feeding, etc.

And even if you stay at home with the baby, it’s still a good idea to prepare in advance, get a babysitter, pump extra milk.

Simple gifts can be appreciated more than store-bought gifts.

I must admit, in those early days with an infant, the opportunity to take a shower and/or a nap, was an absolute luxury. Give your partner a few hours off to do something for themselves or even treat them to a massage, a relaxing bath, a middle of the day nap and a home-made dinner would be an absolute thrill!!

Get adventurous and creative!

From The Bump: Couples therapist and The Nest expert Dr. Ingrid Schweiger of New York City says “Valentine’s Day is an opportunity to make your relationship center stage again.” While a dozen roses, a box of chocolates and a fancy dinner out are all great (and universal) ways to woo your partner, think about what you can change within your own home. “A clean bedroom, a made bed, some candles and soft music is pretty romantic when you’re used to diapers, bottles, piles of laundry and dirty dishes,” says Blumencranz. Once baby goes down for the night (or for a couple of hours) uncork the wine and whip out the china—even if it’s just takeout or pasta on the fancy ware, the ambiance is key. Bonus points if you take the time to cut out little hearts from construction paper and sprinkle them on the table when your partner isn’t looking. And remember, says Blumencranz, Valentine’s Day is the day when you show your partner how much he or she means to you. The day can be as special as you want it to be. Dr. Schweiger agrees. She says the biggest mistake you can make is to not acknowledge the day because baby is here. Schweiger recommends writing your partner a love letter. “Even if life has been stressful with all the changes brought by parenthood, reflect on what makes your partner unique and lovable,” she says. “Deepening your intimacy is what it’s all about.”

There you have it. So even in a tough economy you can enjoy your Valentine’s day as a couple and bring romance back into your relationship!

Next Page »