How to Make Your Own Baby Boy Gift Baskets

Baby boy gift baskets are great baby shower presents for mothers who are expecting a baby boy. By combining a number of small gifts into one present, baby boy gift baskets allow the gift giver to tailor the present to the parents' needs and desires. While it is possible to order baby boy gift baskets either from local florists or specialty shops or through online merchants, those who are looking to save a little money or would rather add their own personal touch to the gift can consider making their own baby boy gift baskets.

Baby boy gift baskets can contain a number of different kinds of items, from the whimsical (a musical toy or a silly baby hat) to the practical (baby boy night clothes, baby teething rings) to the downright necessary (diapers, baby wipes, etc.). Baby boy gift baskets can be as large or as small as the gift giver desires and, since they always contain an assortment of small gift items, are sure to be a hit with the parent and perhaps the baby as well. Be sure to remember that the gifts are for an infant, so please do not include anything that could constitute a choking hazard. The parent will be busy enough the first few weeks--the last thing she needs is to have to inspect all of the gifts to look for potential hazards.

By taking some time to consider the situation of the mother-to-be, it is easy to create your own baby boy gift baskets that are sure to be the hit of the shower.

For more information concerning baby showers please visit The Baby Shower Zone - a website that specializes in unique baby shower gift baskets Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tim_Bock

Baby Gift Baskets - A Personalized Way to Show How Much You Care

When baby showers abound what can you give to that new mom that will be a unique gift for baby? The choices for baby and infant gift ideas are considerable but one of the best baby gifts that you can give is a gift basket. A gift basket is one present that comes in many varieties, themes and price ranges and can offer great baby shower ideas when it comes to unique baby shower gifts. A vast selection of baskets exists not only for baby and mom but there are even gift baskets for dads, siblings and specific baby shower themes.

The diversity offered by gift baskets is never-ending. For baby you can give a diaper gift basket, baby necessities gift basket, baby bath time basket or an everlasting baby time capsule basket.

Distinctive gifts not just for baby

Baskets for the mom-to-be can be made up of maternity clothes, morning sickness remedies, products to pamper her with or even a spa-time basket. Unique baby shower gifts that are helpful, practical and a little luxurious. But let’s not forget about dad either. He’s going to need something to help him cope with that new infant in his life too so how about a daddy diaper tool kit or a new parent survival gift basket?

Pregnancy is an exciting time for a woman and her family. Whether you’re giving a gift for a new mom, soon-to-arrive baby or thinking of baby shower ideas, gift baskets make a great present. Baby gift baskets will provide many memorable and practical items for her and baby. With endless choices you too can find that truly magical gift for baby or new mom!

Looking for baby bedding, baby gift baskets, baby furniture, baby shower invitations, baby strollers, Robeez shoes, baby shower games or themes, please visit http://www.baby-shower-4u.com

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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Leo_Cuccione

Teens and Cells

Nearly half of the teens and tweens, 10-18 year olds, in the United States have a cell phone representing over $10 billion of the market according to a study released by the market research firm GfK NOP Technology.

Numerous cellular companies are offering cell phones and plans for the younger market. Nearly all of the major carriers including T-Mobile, Cingular and Verizon offer text and pic messaging packages and downloadable games and ringtones, which are very popular with the young crowd.
Recently new phones hit the scene, marketed to an even younger crowd. Firefly Mobile introduced its kid friendly pre-paid cellular phone with one touch mommy and daddy buttons earlier this year. Other companies such as Disney are expected to release cell phones marketed to kids and tweens as well.

“The teen and tween market is a critical one for wireless providers to capture, with 70% of its value coming from kids who spend more than $50 per month on their phone service,” says Ben Rogers, Vice President, GfK NOP Technology. “Clearly, the days when parents admonished their kids to use cell phones only for emergencies are over. Now, cell phones are a staple of teen and tween life, not only for calling friends and family but also for a range of other activities.”

More and more cool options are becoming available to the young crowd. Cingular just released its ROKR phone. The phone allows users to download iTunes and has regular phone functions. Websites such as www.teencells.com features cheap cell phone plans, ringtones, and more all geared to the young market.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Robyn_Abrames

Best Cell Phone for Young Kids

Just think of this scenario. Your kid has been bugging you all day and night for their own cellular phone, but you are apprehensive since, well, they are kids. Nevertheless, you cannot deny the fact that cell phones are indeed a good way of keeping in touch with your kids and keeping track of them when you are out. They can also prove to be highly invaluable when emergency happens within the family.

On the other hand, cell phones can mean responsibility. They have to keep track of their phone and need to be very mindful of any allotted minutes. They should also stay away from any expensive add-ons like swapping images or text messaging.

The Firefly phone can be the simplest phone that you may probably encounter. There are no keypads, no cameras, no MP3 players, and no video playback. Who needs them anyway? Instead, your kid will be treated to an almost candy-bar style. It is highly compact and very lightweight, which makes it perfect to your kid’s pocket or kiddie bag. Also included in the package are a backpack clip and a lanyard.

The monochrome display is very small, so if your kids are having eyesight problems, you might give the phone an initial test run. The screen also shows the battery life, time, date, caller ID, and signal strength. And despite being a very small and limited phone, there are still a wide variety of choices when it comes to style. By default, the phone comes with its very cool see-through case. But you can also choose other extra color skins which you can purchase through Firefly.

What makes Firefly an ultimate kiddie phone is the kind of control parents can have over their children through their phone. The phone book, for example, can contain as much as 20 contacts, not to mention the designated numbers for both Mom and Dad. So for your kids not to go into a calling frenzy, you can protect the phone book and the call-screening function with a PIN. This means that when call screening is active, your kid can only receive phone calls from numbers that are stored only in their phone book—no unknown number can contact them. No numbers can be added to the phone book unless you enter the PIN, and even if the phone is capable of displaying a missed calls and call timers list, your kid cannot accept any voice mailbox messages.

Aside from these, the phone is practically barebones. There are no organizer and messaging applications, yet Firefly tries to compromise this with other functionalities. For example, you can choose from a wide variety of colors for backlights as well as screen animations. You can also activate the light while you are charging the phone. There are 12 monophonic ringtones which you can designate for every contact in your phone book, including those of Mom’s and Dad’s. Your child will definitely enjoy the varying lights sparkling every time the phone rings.
It may not be easy to teach responsibility to kids, but a Firefly phone can help you out. And with a price of $100, it is definitely worth every buck.


Milafel Hope Awe is a writer, copy editor, SEO specialist, and entrepreneur. She is currently sharing cell phone reviews and cell phone accessories at Cell Phone Review.

Coping with the Stress of Moving Home and Childrens Concerns

Moving house can be an emotional experience for adults, so imagine how much more unsettling it can be for children who don't really understand what's going on.

There are many things to consider when relocating, none more important than the impact of moving on your children.

REMAIN POSITIVE:

The secret is to remain positive.

Most often the reason for moving is a happy one, such as a new home or job promotion, which generates excitement and compensates for the inconvenience of packing up and relocating.

However if the move is associated with an unhappy event it can be hard to keep a positive attitude in front of the children.

Children feed off the emotions of their parents.

If you are not happy the chances are they are not happy either and will need more reassurance and attention to ensure the move is a positive experience for all of you.

TALK TO YOUR CHILDREN:

Explain to your children what's happening, why you are moving, where you are moving to and what they can do to help so that they feel a part of what's happening.

Listen to them.

Let them express how they are feeling, and empathise with them, even if some of their feelings are negative.

It is only natural they will be concerned, leaving familiar surroundings and friends.

Leaving the known for the unknown can be pretty scary.

Most importantly be honest with your children.

Reassure them that they are an important part of the family, and can help make the move a positive family experience.

TEARS AND TANTRUMS:

Children express their anxiety in a number of ways.

Tears and tantrums are the most common. If your children have moved before, and the experience was not a happy one, they may show signs of depression, withdrawn behaviour, or signs of aggression such as tantrums.

Once again, the answer is lots of reassurance and a positive attitude.

You can read more of this article at Moving Again

Family Beach Vacations

Family oriented all-inclusive vacation resorts provide vacations with activities tailored for the whole family. A family all-inclusive resort hotel features entertainment, activities and dining for all members of the family. Many all-inclusive family resorts include children’s clubs and activities targeted to different age groups from infants to teenagers.

Some all-inclusive resorts for the family provide vacation nannies, supervised day-care, and/or babysitting. Some may have a teen disco. Children stay free at some all inclusive resort hotels. Other resorts offer a deep discount for children. Some resorts can accommodate larger families and allow up to 3 children and 2 adults in a room. Some all inclusive family resort hotels have adult-only restaurants and areas, children-only and adult-only pools, and water parks.

Some of the Best Family Beach Vacations Resorts include:

By Ross Bainbridge

Atlantis Resort - Paradise Island, Bahamas, a 14-acre water park with waterfalls, streams, and lagoons with more than 50,000 sea animals. The Atlantis also has thrilling waterslides and a lazy-river ride, as well as a Discovery Channel Camp for kids.

Beaches - Negril, Jamaica offers kids programs from infant care to teen activities; other features are a major game complex and a new, on-site water park including snorkeling trips to a coral reef, and scuba diving for kids 12 and older.

Beaches - Providenciales, Turks and Caicos has a Kids club with daily nanny service for ages 0-2 in the nursery and 3-5+ Here the children enjoy ice-cream parties and arts and crafts. At Beaches Turks and Caicos, there are organized activities for older children. In the Pirates Island area, there is a 1950's diner, a Sega games center, a tropical game room with air hockey and pool tables, a disco, basketball court, swim-up soda bar and a swimming pool with water slides.

1% of Newborns Now Test-Tube Babies

June 20, 2008 -- One in 100 U.S. babies was conceived in a test tube -- and half these babies were twins, triplets, or higher multiple births, the CDC reports.

The CDC's most recent data on in vitro fertilization or IVF covers the year 2005. The data come from 422 of the 475 U.S. medical centers that provide various forms of assisted reproduction technology to people with fertility problems.

The findings highlight a major issue for IVF: multiple births. Because IVF is expensive, and in 2005 had only a 35% chance of resulting in a live birth, doctors most often implant multiple embryos into a woman's womb. The result: In 2005, 49% of IVF babies came in multiple births.

While IVF led to 1% of births in 2005, it accounted for 16% of twins and 38% of triplets or higher multiples. That's a $1 billion health problem, the CDC calculates, because twins and higher multiples are at high risk of being born prematurely.

Preterm babies have more health problems than do full-term infants, and IVF babies are more than three times more likely to be preemies.

"Approximately 42% of assisted-reproduction-technology infants born in 2005 were preterm, compared with approximately 13% of preterm births in the general U.S. population," the CDC's Victoria Clay Wright, MPH, and colleagues note in their report.

Currently, there is a trend among fertility specialists to encourage single-embryo procedures. Wright and colleagues argue that these efforts to limit the number of embryos transferred in each procedure "should be continued and strengthened."

Single-embryo transfers in women under age 35 had a 43% chance of resulting in a live birth. That's only 10% less than the 53% live-birth rate for multiple-embryo transfers.

"The 10% increase in the live-birth rate was accompanied by a 41% increase in the risk for a multiple delivery," Wright and colleagues observe. They suggest that IVF success should be measured not only by whether the technique resulted in a live birth, but by whether the technique resulted in a singleton birth.

Fertility, Infertility, and In Vitro Fertilization

The report carries a number of other eyebrow-raising findings:

• 42% of IVF procedures result in a pregnancy; 35% result in a live birth.
• The highest live-birth rate -- 52% -- comes from IVF procedures using freshly fertilized embryos from donor eggs.
• The lowest live-birth rate -- 28% -- comes from IVF procedures using the patient's eggs and thawed embryos.
• Low birth weight was seen in 9% of IVF single births, 57% of IVF twins, and 95% of IVF triplets or higher multiples.
• Premature birth occurred in 15% of IVF single births, 66% of IVF twins, and 97% of IVF triplets or higher multiples.
• 11% of medical centers performing IVF procedures did not report data to the CDC as required by federal law.

The report notes that one in 10 U.S. women of reproductive age has consulted a doctor for infertility issues. As 7% of women trying to have a baby fail to conceive after 12 months of unprotected intercourse, the popularity of IVF is dramatically increasing.

In 1996, there were at least 64,681 IVF procedures reported to the CDC. In less than a decade, this doubled to 134,260 reports.

The findings appear in the CDC's MMWR Surveillance Summary, "Assisted Reproductive Technology Surveillance -- United States, 2005."

By Daniel J. DeNoon
WebMD Health New

Budget your family holidays

I think most of you will say that having a holiday with a family is the best holiday to enjoy right? And here is another great site for planning and booking a great holiday with cheap price! You can enjoy a holiday with your family after so many works and tiredness. And what else that we want more than a cheap price family holidays vacation.

We cannot work all the time without a holiday, even a machine need a rest and maintenance too. Our nerves system cannot afford too many stress and we need to relax and get into peace condition. For the urban citizens, i don't think they really can get fully peace in mind staying in a city that are full with noisy sounds and disturbance. So they must have alternatives to release their stress with sometimes get out from the city to a peaceful places and get more fresh air by touring.

So a holiday is a must for every family and then you see how important to plan for that family holiday with great prices and services. Even a rich people love their money and want to save it right? So planning a great holiday must be with good service too, and that will bring us satisfaction. It is so easy to book for your holiday online with less effort and time.

And if you want more infos about the place that you want to go, you can find a lots at WikiTravel.com. It is such a great site for our reference about places all around the world. So for those who want to have a holiday with the family, happy holidays and all the best! :)

Teenagers + Alcohol Don't Mix

All we seem to hear about these days is teenagers and their "binge" drinking. The drinking age here in Australia is 18.
Wikipedia's description of "binge" drinking is:
For a typical adult, this pattern corresponds to consuming 5 or more drinks (male), or 4 or more drinks (female), in about 2 hours.

They note, however, that "in common usage, binge drinking is now usually used to refer to heavy drinking over an evening or similar time span - sometimes also referred to as heavy episodic drinking. Binge drinking is often associated with drinking with the intention of becoming intoxicated and, sometimes, with drinking in large groups." It is sometimes associated with physical or social harm.

I really don't know why it's being made such an issue now, when there's always been binge drinking. I know that when I was a teenager in the 60's the goal for a lot of my friends, was to get as drunk as you could and not worry about the consequences. So what has changed in 2008?
Have Government bodies finally realized that binge drinking causes a lot of problems in our society? The first thing that needs to be done here in Australia, is to raise the drinking age to 21. There's nothing more frightening than being confronted by a group of drunken teenagers out to cause trouble.

In the 80's my husband and I used to take our children to an annual "Food and Wine Festival", which was a great day out because we were able to try foods and wines we'd never had before and all the families and friends would sit in the park and have a picnic. It used to be a very pleasant day out for all of us!

I say "used to be" because the binge drinkers invaded our space and were noisy and obnoxious and not what we wanted our children to see. They spoiled what was a great event for families and turned it into a drunken orgy.

I am not totally against drinking and I enjoy the occasional glass of wine, but what I do object to is having out of control, drunken teenagers in my face.
It really goes back to parental responsibility. Parents have to start taking responsibility for their children's actions and ensure that their teenagers grow up to be well adjusted, responsible adults.

Susan Denny has been happily married for 38 years, has 4 adult children (all married) and 6 grandchildren. She has many years experience with families and relationships and has been involved in the Self Development industry for nearly 20 years, starting with one-on- one training with Bob Proctor in 1990. She has since attended many seminars hosted by world renowned Gurus in the Self Development and Internet Marketing areas. Go to: http://healthwealthequalshappiness.com for more information, tips and ideas.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles

Mattel Recalls 9 Million Toys Dangerous to Children

By Pamela Mortimer

Mattel, Inc. has issued recalls for approximately 9 million toys that may contain lead paint or pose a choking hazard.

On Tuesday, Mattel, Inc. issued a recall for approximately 9 million toys that came from a Chinese manufacturer. The toys may contain small magnets that could be swallowed by children, or in some cases, the toys may contain lead paint.

Included in the recalls are 253,000 die cast Sarge brand cars, due to exterior paint that may contain lead levels exceeding the federal standard. Also included were 7.3 million play sets; 345,000 Batman and "One Piece" action figures, 683,000 Barbie and Tanner play sets, 1 million Doggie Day Care play sets, and a number of Polly Pocket dolls.

The recall was issued through a news conference as well as through the company’s website.

According to Nancy A. Nord, acting Consumer Product Safety Commission chairman, no injuries have been reported in regards to the products involved in the new recall. There were injuries reported last November which prompted a previous Polly Pocket recall.

"The scope of these recalls is intentionally large to prevent any injuries from occurring," Nord said.

The recall does nothing to ease the minds of the consumer who are understandably concerned over products manufactured in China. A string of Chinese-made products have been the target of recalls in recent months, from tainted toothpaste to millions of toys. Toy sellers have become increasingly anxious, fearful that consumers will begin to shy away from toys made in China. Approximately 80 percent of toys on the market today are manufactured overseas.

Mattel faced a different recall two weeks ago when a European retailer alerted the company that a number of their toys were made using the toxic lead paint. The contamination affected approximately 1.5 million toys.

"There is no excuse for lead to be found in toys entering this country," Nord said. "It's totally unacceptable and it needs to stop."

Mattel took out full-page ads on Tuesday in The New York Times and other major newspapers, citing its position. Mattel said it was "one of the most trusted names with parents" and was "working extremely hard to address your concerns and continue creating safe, entertaining toys for you and your children."

Mattel, who is the parent company of Fisher-Price, discovered the most recent problems while investigating the earlier recall that took place in early July. On July 6, the company stopped all operations at the Chinese factory that produced the toys and launched an investigation into the use of the lead paint. Consequently, Chinese officials temporarily barred the toys' manufacturer, Lee Der Industrial Co., from exporting its products. On Monday, a state-run newspaper reported that Cheung Shu-hung, a Lee Der co-owner, committed suicide at a warehouse over the weekend, apparently by hanging himself. It is not uncommon for disgraced officials in China to commit suicide.

Previous to the recent discoveries, Mattel had never issued a recall for any toys because of lead paint.

By Buzzle Staff and Agencies

Toys For Newborns

Newborns enter the world with a natural curiosity of their surroundings. They love to study faces and are intrigued by lights and sounds. Surrounding your infant with safe toys that stimulate her mind will provide a strong foundation for healthy growth and development.

Babies spend most of their days eating and sleeping. A newborn will typically sleep between 14 and 16 hours a day. Soft, soothing toys around the infant’s crib will provide hours of enjoyment. Mobiles are available in many styles and colors. The spinning movement intrigues baby and the soft music soothes and relaxes her.

Your infant can best focus on things that are 8 to 14 inches in front of her. Bright, bold primary colors and high contrasting patterns in black and white are most pleasing and stimulating to a newborn. Toys with movement and sound will spark your baby’s curiosity and keep her entertained. Infants can not grasp a rattle to play on their own, but they love to watch you shake the toy. By about 2 months old, an infant will begin to bat at her favorite toys with her hands and feet. Soon after, she will learn how to create sounds with toys by herself.

A baby’s enchantment with the human face is a normal part of newborn development. Mirror toys, like the Baby Shakespeare Peek-A-Boo Mirror, will quickly become an infant’s favorite. Easy to push buttons create stimulating sounds while your baby studies herself in the shatter-proof mirror.

Toys are an important part of childhood development. From birth, little ones are quickly learning and growing though their play environment. Toys that use simple buttons and knobs to create sound or light aid in an infant’s cognitive development. Logic and problem solving skills begin to emerge as your little one learns to use her hands and feet to activate the toy. Activity centers and play gyms can help in the development of large motor skills as well as cognitive skills. Using her arms and legs, your baby can create enthralling music and lights. Newborns can lie on their backs and play with the colorful pieces that dangle above them as they explore new sounds and movements.

Books are also a vital part of development. Soft, fabric books and chunky board books are perfect for newborns. Reading to your baby not only develops a stronger bond between you and your child, it instills a love of books in your baby that will grow with her. Infants enjoy books with pictures of other babies, textured pages, and books that produce sounds.

Music is a favorite for children of all ages, especially newborns. Infants love sounds and music is integrated into a number of the available toys. Music alone can be just as fascinating to your baby. A small CD player is a great nursery addition. Soft lullabies will lull a baby to sleep, while upbeat songs can be enjoyed during playtime.

The best gift you can give your new baby is the gift of learning. Newborn toys that stimulate with sights, sounds, and textures will soothe and entice your baby as well as help her grow and develop.
By Nicole Munoz

Learn How to Make Your Kids Love Bath Time

By Allison Whitehead

Some kids just don't like bath time. It doesn't matter what you do, they delay the point of getting in and they hate every minute they are in there.

But there are ways to solve the problem. If you can turn bath time into a more enjoyable activity you stand much more chance of not only getting through it with the minimum of fuss, you might actually have a problem getting them back out again.

So how exactly do you make bath time for your kids a better experience all round?

The key to success is to introduce educational toys into the bathroom which can help to take their minds off the fact that they really do need to have their hair washed. The bathroom can be the perfect place to start learning about the alphabet and numbers, for example - try buying some bath crayons to write on the tiles with. You can write some sums on the tiles before the kids get in the bath and see how many they know the answers to. Bath paints are a similar option to consider - you can write on anything (even skin!) so you can easily get them to have fun and be washing themselves at the same time.

For younger kids, the best bath toys are brightly colored ones they can use in the water. Wind-up bath toys are particularly popular and you can get a wide range of them for just a few dollars each. If you can teach your kids that bath time is something to be enjoyed rather than dreaded you will find you have a much easier time of it and have less battles to get through.

Involve the kids in your quest to buy some good bath toys as well. Ask them what they would like and listen to what they say, always making sure they bear in mind you can't afford to buy every single thing they find of course! In time you will have a nice collection of educational bath toys and plenty of things to ensure the kids will be looking forward to their bath each and every time.

Top 20 Items To Pack In A Diaper Bag

By Danielle Hollister

1. Diapers (5 -7 is a fairly safe supply)

2. Wipes

3. Cream (like Desitin, A&D ointment, Vaseline)

4. Baby Powder

5. At least one bottle of juice or milk

6. A few jars of baby food

7. At least one clean outfit

8. A few bibs

9. A few cloth diapers to clean up spit and other spills

10. Items to entertain your baby (rattles, books, toys)

11. Baby thermometer

12. Teething rings

13. Biter biscuits or similar type of crackers

14. Medicine for fevers, colds, related symptoms

15. Any prescription medications

16. Measuring device for medications

17. Baby Nail Clippers

18. Phone number of Baby's Physician

19. Any stuffed animals or favorite blankets your baby needs to fall asleep

20. Any parenting books you refer to frequently to find answers to unexpected questions

Save Money and Add Personality with Homemade Baby Shower Party Favors

Baby showers are a lot of fun, but they can also be very expensive. If you are looking for a way to cut down on the cost of your upcoming baby shower, you might want to consider making homemade baby shower favors.

Homemade baby shower favors can be very simple or extremely elaborate. If you are looking to save money, you might lean towards simpler things. If you are more interested in adding some personal elements to your party and cost isn't much of a concern, homemade baby shower favors can be a great way to let your personality shine through!

Thank and Reward Your Guests with Party Favors

Baby shower favors are a great way to thank your guests for coming to your shower and bringing gifts for your new baby. They can also tie into the party itself if you use them as prizes for the winners of your baby shower games.

Homemade baby shower favors can be personalized for each guest, either with their name or with a picture of them. A fantastic idea for unique homemade baby shower favors is simple picture frames with a baby picture of each guest inside.

This idea requires some planning, but it yields spectacular results. First, buy an inexpensive, undecorated photo frame. Then glue some tiny plastic baby-themed decorations all around the outside of the frame. Alternatively, you could paint the frame with the colors or baby-themed pictures of your choice.

Then comes the challenging part: finding baby photographs of your guests. This isn't too difficult if most of your guests are family members. Just look through old family photos or ask other family members for old photos. Be sure to use copies and not the originals!

These homemade baby shower favors can be used as place cards at the table, or you can leave the names off of the frames and make a game of everyone trying to guess which picture belongs to whom.

You can make much simpler homemade baby shower favors with similar positive results. A plastic bag filled with candies and tiny plastic baby bottle decorations can be a cute and quick party favor. Simple cardboard boxes can be decorated and filled with mints or scented tea light candles for more sophisticated homemade baby shower favors.

No matter what type of homemade baby shower favors you decide on, you can count on them being a hit with your guests. You'll not only save money – you'll show your guests that you appreciate them, too.

Secret Mothers’ Business. What’s it all about?

From the moment you give birth to your first baby you instantly join a worldwide, ancient club with the pregnancy and the birth being the initiation into this club. To some of us the initiation process is relatively easy and to others not so. Although the members of this club may be from different cultural and religious backgrounds they all speak a universal language of motherhood.

Can anyone prepare you for what it means to be a mother? Well quite frankly no they can’t. All the prenatal classes, books and movies in the world cannot prepare you for what’s to come. And it is probably better that way because some of the stuff…some of the secret mother’s business is enough to make you think twice about the whole idea. Did I ever imagine that one day I would be tickling my baby’s bottom with a parsley stalk dipped in olive oil to try and ease his constipation.* Or could I imagine that I would have to hold my little bundle down while a doctor tried to insert a tube into his nose so he could breathe? Did I think I would have to stay up night after night trying to get my little sick bub to sleep? Use a nasal aspirator to extract snot from his nose, and the list goes on. No, no, no, no, no. I did not think I would be doing these things…but they were necessary and all part of being a mother.

BM (Before Motherhood) I would not stop a stranger to ask if they were happy with the toddler seat attachment for the pram they were pushing. Who even knew what a ‘Parents Room’ was let alone where each one is located in every local shopping centre? And when I found out that Sophie Delezio was unlucky again to suffer horrendous injuries it felt like my heart was being pierced with a sharp barb. I could not hold back the tears.

There is a universal bond with other mothers that gives you comfort in those difficult times – a sense that you are not alone and going through what ever challenge it is, alone. Both my boys were not good sleepers so there were many a night spent sitting in the dark on my couch in the wee hours of the morning and what got me through this was the thought that I was not alone. How many other mothers in the world were also awake at this time trying to feed/comfort/settle their little one?

The secret mothers’ business isn’t all bad…when your newborn follows your every move with their eyes, or your little one says mummy for the first time, chooses you above no one else in the world to comfort them and runs to you with open arms when you have been away – these are the magical moments, the moments that make your heart sing. To see your first born embrace the new addition with such affection, or pull funny faces because he knows it makes the baby laugh gives you a wonderful, ‘too much’ feeling. Growing up my cousins and I had a saying for when you had an overwhelming sense of love for something. We labelled this ‘too much’ as in ‘too much love’. As a mum I have these ‘too much’ moments every day.

So mums, through the good and the bad stuff we need to stick together and help and support each other. Sometimes we can be too critical and harsh on each other. Breast versus bottle, cloth versus disposable, control crying versus not letting baby cry, working mum versus stay at home mum…every mother has an opinion on these issues and others but we need to respect each others opinion and support each other in the choices we make even if we don’t agree with them. It’s a hard enough task without being critical and judgemental on ourselves.

To all the mums out there keep up the good work, think about the rest of us when you are just getting through the day and to all the new mothers out there…welcome to the club.

Kid Party Idea

Kid party idea is the creator of all kid parties. Brainstorming kid party idea and kid party theme will be the most crucial stage of kid party planning and thus do it right at first time will win you half the battle.

Below are some tips for you to brain storm a kid party theme

Ask your child

It is so easy to get carried away with planning a kid party and completely overlook the needs and wants of your very own child. Therefore, employ your child as your consultant and plan the kid party with your child.

The easiest way is to ask your child what your kid want for his or her birthday party.
Your child may announce that he want to bring his whole class to watch Spider man movie. If your budget does not allowed than you might asked him to choice three of his close buddies to go for the movie and follow by ice cream and brought a birthday cake home for the birthday song.

Always Plan the party with your child ---- or at least ---- with your child in mind. Thus employed your child as your consultant for brainstorming kid party idea and planning.
You will have lot of fun with them in the process of planning and take this opportunity to communicate and understand your child better.

Hello ! My child is too young to make decision.

Yap! I heard you I didn’t forget those cute toddlers under the age of 2 who might not be able to tell you what they want for their birthday parties.
For this age of group they don’t have any expectation on their kid party but in general they are curious to anything that is colorful and attract to music. Brainstorming your kid party theme toward this direction and you will be on your right path.

If my child can’t decide and don’t know what he want for his birthday party

Observe what is your child favor?

Ask yourself the following questions.

1.What is your child favor TV show or movie?

E.g: Flintstone, lion king, spider man, etc…..

2. What is your child favor cartoon character?

E.g: Barney, Lion King, Mickey mouse etc…

3. What is your child favor story book?

E.g:Snow white, three little pigs

4. What is your child favor toy?

As a caring parent I am sure you will be able to answer the above questions
straight away. These questions will evolve lot of kid party ideas for you.

Oops ! I have too many kid party ideas and don’t know which to choose

Don’t forget your consultant? Choice three kid party ideas and let your consultant choose one that he/she is most excited.

Guess you should have some ideas by now. Your kid party idea might have some themes couple with it. Take a look at our correction of
http://www.kid-party-idea.com/kid-party-theme.html

Introducing Kid Play Food to Your Kids

Parents are often concerned about introducing the concept of kid play food to their children especially if their kids are boys. The usual idea is that kid play food may be just for girls. This may not necessarily be the case. A lot of certified chefs are males and they may have started with just their own set of kid play food. In most cases too, kid play food can effectively teach kids healthy eating habits.

In introducing kid play food to your kids, it is important to take a close look at each food item in a kid play food set. Try to pick kid play food items that have gender neutral colors. You can also go for a set with various appliances and utensils like ovens and grills just to make sure that you have a “manly” set of kid play food appliances. As for kid play food design, it would help your kids if you picked items that are simple in design and easy to recognize.

If you are a parent with specific food or eating habit rules and principles, then you should also consider weeding out kid play food items that go against your beliefs. Vegans for example can take out all the meat items. Whether you are a vegan or not however, it is also a good idea to take out all the junk food items or items that may imply eating too much sugar and preservatives. These items can include packs of junk food, pies, hard candies, and cola bottles.

You can encourage kids to become more interested in their kid play food and on food and health in general by bringing your kids to the grocery as you shop for food. It is also a good idea to let your kids help around in the kitchen when you prepare and cook food. Your little boys can be tutored by the father of the house to remove all traces of role stereotypes.

Teach your kids how to play with kid play food by participating. Line up some stuffed toys or have the toys sit on chairs around a table. Help your kid prepare a pretend meal and serve the meal to the stuffed guests. It is suggested that you maintain constant communication with your child as you prepare the pretend meal. Ask her what ingredients are in the meal she is cooking and why these ingredients are good for people to eat. Make “yum-yum” sounds as you feed each stuffed guest.

Is Travel with Your Kids a Monumental Family Disaster?

Whatever your mode of travel, there will be special challenges if you take the kids along. The key to sanity is some careful planning - and a calm, unruffled approach.

* Where Should we Stay? *

If you are planning at stay at a bed and breakfast, do some research. Many bed and breakfasts are not suitable for children. However, you may be able to find a 'farmstay' - a bed and breakfast on a farm that allows your kids to interact with the animals. This can be an unequalled family experience - especially for city dwellers.

Staying in a hotel? Do they provide extra cots and/or cribs for children? Do they have a restaurant with a kids' menu? Is there a playroom or playground on the premises? Are there children's activities nearby?

* What Should I Pack? *

Use common sense. Every family is different. Check the following list and pack what is appropriate for your household:

- Small first aid kit

- Liquid anti-nausea medication

- Liquid Tylenol

- Individual-sized tissues

- Moistened hand-wipes in individual packs

- Paper towels

- Photos of the kids and important details regarding medications

- Telephone numbers of doctors (at home and at your destination)

- Copies of passports, birth certificates, custody documentation

- Decks of cards, favorite toys, children's books

- Coloring books, crayons, mechanical pencils, paper

- Crossword puzzle books, erasable pens, highlighters

- Windbreakers, slickers, umbrellas

- Sunglasses, hats, sunscreen

- Plastic bags from grocery store checkout (for storage and cleanup)

* Diaper Disposal *

There are scented disposal bags available - or you might want to pack some small zip-lock bags. Plastic grocery bags or newspaper bags can also be used. The solid matter should be disposed of down the toilet. Next, roll the diaper up with the soiled area facing inwards so that you have a compact bundle with the plastic on the outside. Place the diaper in the zip-lock bag, seal most of the way, then press out as much air as possible while you complete the seal. Discard in a bathroom garbage container or outside garbage bin.

If you are outdoors and there are no outhouse or bathroom facilities nearby, you should carry the entire diaper contents with you, disposing of appropriately when you find a garbage bin or bathroom. DO NOT leave diapers or diaper contents behind. Besides polluting the environment, some animals are attracted to human waste. Protect the environment even more by making sure that you purchase biodegradable diapers (or switch to cloth).

If you must carry soiled diapers along with you for any length of time, you might want to consider packing a few deodorant disks or a baking-soda based scented deodorizer.

* Snacks *

If your children are finicky eaters, chances are you will encounter problems with airline and restaurant meals. Pack a few nutritious snacks. Snacks may include fresh fruit, granola bars, individual-size cereal boxes, cheese and crackers, raisins, unsalted peanuts - or snack-size containers of applesauce, puddings, and fruit cocktail.

* Boredom *

Boredom is always going to be a problem. Even a half-hour trip seems like a long time to a young child. The easiest and most accessible boredom solution is YOU. Use the time to interact with your kids. Ask them questions. Get them to tell you stories if they are old enough. You can keep young children entertained by telling them stories - complete with sound effects of animal noises, whistles, and whatever else you can invent.

Play guessing games like 'I Spy' with older kids, or get them involved in some children's cards games. Although games like 'Go Fish' can be played with a regular deck of cards, there are many games with special, brightly-colored decks made just for children. Do an internet search for 'card games for kids' and you'll find plenty of resources.

* Inactivity *

Sitting still for long periods of time is not a natural activity for children. If you're on a plane, train, or bus, get up and take a walk down the aisle once every hour. When travelling by car, find an appropriate pullout and play frisbee or go for a short walk.

* Relax - Lighten Up - Unwind *

Treat every family trip as an opportunity to connect with your children. Relax, enjoy their unique personalities, and enjoy yourself!

There are many more travel tips available at: 1000tips4trips.com - and you can search for more ideas at this page of search engines. If you are trying to find a bed and breakfast, boutique hotel, or bed and breakfast, try: 111 Travel.

Kids' Toys for Travel

James Brown

The school summer holidays are fast approaching. Six long weeks of keeping the kids amused.

Are you dreading those long drives to the coast etc? And the kids always shout "I'm bored" or "Are we there yet?" Well fear not, the solution is simple, why not stack up on travel games! They're big enough to keep the kids quiet, yet small enough to fit in the tiniest space, even a handbag. Also suitable for boat, train and plane travel.

There are old favorites like, Ludo, Snakes and Ladders, Chess, Backgammon, Checkers and Solitaire. No need to worry about pieces going missing as they are magnetic, so they don't fall off the board and onto the floor or down the side of seats. They pack away easily so there's no fuss. You can buy as a complete set or individually.

Activity books are also great when traveling. Some come as an activity pack, that includes crayons and their own plastic wallet, these have coloring in, puzzles and games. Ideal for the younger ones.

Dice even playing cards, can be put into a pocket they can be used anywhere even on the floor.

Other travel games such as, Monopoly, Scrabble, Othello, Connect 4, Battleships, Cluedo and Trivial Pursuit are smaller versions of the original board game. These don't have magnetic pieces. They can be stored in car door pockets, or in children's backpacks, to be played on planes, trains and boats, as well as in the car.

Of course you don't have to pay for keeping the kids quiet, you could always make up games of your own, such as Geography, you take it in turns, starting from the letter A then B and so on, you can use countries, towns, street names, and villages. Or you could use the last letter of the previous word for the next one, either of these are great fun when you get to the letter Y, as it gets harder. Or you could take paper and pen and make your own crosswords. There's also I Spy.

Travel games can be bought at toyshops, online, even newsagents and supermarkets have started stocking them. The magnetic ones are $2-$3 each, and the miniature ones range from $6 to around $15. The complete sets vary from stockist to stockist.

These games are not expensive, but well worth investing in, just to keep everyone happy and relaxed. Have a great summer!

James Brown writes about LeapsAndBounds.com coupon code, CrayolaStore.com coupon.

Bullying Kids - Should Not Happen!

Children have hundred excuses to forward if you catch them bullying others. "I was only teasing Dad!" or "It was just a joke, never mind!" These are some of the common excuses made by Bullies. It could be anyone, small kid or a grown up, a boy or a girl. If your kid is hurting someone, either physically or emotionally, then he/she is turning into a bully and that is not a very good sign.

Given below are some of the common acts of bullying kids:

• They always pretend to take things in an easy manner.
• They never allow other to speak. Moreover, they speak loudly.
• Smaller or younger kids are their main targets. They also look out for kids with no friends.
• They usually spread false rumours.
• They often hurt their victim by teasing, blackmailing, hurting them or by damaging their belongings.

Here are some significant tips to handle the bullying behaviour of your kid:

• Sit calmly with your kid and make him/her understand the distinction between an unacceptable and acceptable behaviour.
• It would be advisable for parents to avoid any kind of accusation or confrontation with your kid. You must talk coolly and calmly with your kid.
• Suggest alternatives to avoid the bullying behaviour. For instance, you must have patience, count one to ten or respect others.
• Set some rules to stop the bullying behaviour of your kid. Explain the consequences of bullying behaviour.
• You can also take help of school authorities to put an end to the bullying behaviour of your kid.

By Suchita Sehni

Are You Lovable?

This looks like an awkward question. Who will confess that he/she is not lovable? But the truth is that many of us are not lovable at all. Can you imagine of a small kid? A kid is always lovable. Why? If we can answer that question, we will solve the puzzle about whether we are lovable or not?

A kid is innocent. Knows nothing and is totally defenseless. You love a kid, because he/ she wants you to protect him/her. You love a kid because of innocence. You love the kid because of the smiling face. You love the kid because the kid has no malice towards anyone. Does not desire any thing bad for any one. Recognizes no enemies and has faith in everyone. The kid is totally free of all negative emotions. That is why we all love a kid.

How many of us are like that? How many of us keep a smile on our face forever? How many of us are free of negative emotions? Not many. Agreed that we are grown ups and can not be like a kid. But surely we can borrow some good qualities from the kid. How about forgiving everyone? How about not getting angry at all? How about having faith in everyone unless proven otherwise? How about loving everyone? How about stopping judging anyone?

Once we acquire some of these qualities, we will become lovable. Believe me that it is that simple. All of your friends and colleagues will begin liking you more. You will get love from unexpected quarters. You will get your dream darling in a little time, after you transform yourself.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=CD_Mohatta