Monthly Archives: February 2015

Magical Design Ideas for Your Kid’s Bedroom

Everything that a child experiences as they grow up helps to shape them as an adult. I for one, remember many things that happened to me as a child and believe they contributed to my personality. I’m sure you do too. With this being the case, what could be better than designing your child a magical bedroom? It’s the place they’ll spend most of their time; playing, sleeping, doing homework, etc. Here are some tips that they’ll thank you for when they grow up:

Apply Wall Decals

Wall decals are great little tools for making a room more personalised and artistic. There are lots of different styles, so there’s something to suit every kind of child. You could get their name, the outline of a fairy, butterflies, animals, and more. They’re really easy to apply too, so you don’t even need that much patience to do it! In fact, I bet your little one would be happy to oblige (although you should supervise). Don’t worry, you can’t even tell that they are stickers. They look painted on!

Incorporate Plenty of Colour

Children’s rooms should be full of colour and excitement, although there are a few ways you can do this. You could go all out by using playful shades of yellow, green, red, purple, orange, etc. Or you could use pastels, which are a bit more calming for kids who can’t sleep very well at night.

Make Their Bed Double Up as Something Else

Instead of giving them a boring bed, let them have a bed that doubles up as something else. Be honest; we all wanted one when we were kids! You could get a pirate ship bed, a bed with a slide attached to it, a bed that looks like a dolls house…there really is no limit. You can even find designer boys beds in the shape of a big red bus. It might seem like a silly expense, but they’ll absolutely love it!

Mix and Match

Kids don’t want things to be perfect and matchy matchy. They’re not boring like adults. Instead, mix and match colours and pattern. You can do this by buying mixed sets of furniture, cushions, and accessories. It looks so much more fun!

Release Your Inner Artist

If you want to personalise your child’s room a bit, you can release your inner artist. Paint their favourite cartoon characters on the wall. Decorate old furniture to make it look like it came out of a scene from ‘Alice in Wonderland’. Cut out Peter Pan’s shadow on a piece of paper, place it over a lamp, and his shadow will play in the room.

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Make a Tipi

Another wonderful way to get crafty; make your kids a tipi. Kids love to have a ‘den’ to play in, and it’s also a great place to read or do homework. You won’t have to force them to go up to their room ever again!

Imagine how thrilled your child will be when they see their magical new room!

How To Be More Successful When You Play Pet Rescue Saga

There are so many that play Pet Rescue Saga. In fact, we noticed that many mothers play this game when they have downtimes. That is definitely understandable since the game is so colorful and enjoyable, with a premise that is surely attractive: saving pets.

Although the game is definitely great, it does tend to become more complicated as time passes. Because of this, here are some tips that will aid you to be more successful, thanks to this cool site for Pet Rescue fans.

Pay Much Attention To The Pets

Most of the people that play this game are focused on matching blocks. This is not what you should do. Your main focus should be put on the pets you have to save. Think about how you can get the pets down as fast as possible. Try to never place them on those blocks that have just one color since that will drastically increase difficulty.

Plan The Moves That You Make

Obviously, this is common sense. However, it is much more difficult than you may be tempted to believe. Planning moves will make it easier to clear your levels fast and boost scores. According to specialists, the goal should be to try to clear the blocks going up while starting from the bottom. This aids as colors drop and you can plan even further ahead.

Be Extra Careful With The Boosters

In order to increase energy levels in Pet Rescue Saga, boosters have to be used. You need to carefully choose them and take advantage of what they offer at the right moment in time so that you can gain the best benefits. Color pops can be gained for free so do not hurry and spend cash on that. Just spend money on boosters that are absolutely necessary in order to pass a specific level.

Don’t Clear All The Blocks

You will be tempted to do this but that is definitely not the case. In order to be very successful in Pet Rescue Saga, you have to focus on clearing those rows and columns that have pets in them.

Get Free Lives

You do need lives to keep playing the game. You will not receive them as often as you may like. However, the social aspect of the game is great. Remember that when a friend sends a life, you will not receive it if your life quota is full. Wait until you lose a life to get a brand new one. That will help you to play a whole lot more.

Top Tips on Keeping Your Kids Healthy This Winter

Your children’s health is of paramount importance. Many of us are keen to make sure that our kids are happy and healthy. In the winter, it can be tough to make sure that your children are the embodiment of health. Colds, sniffles and the like can have a devastating impact on your child. After all, children should be free to run around and play. Not, be lying on the sofa.

So, how can you make sure that your kids are healthy this winter? Here are some top tips that you can use.

Tackling the Indoors Problem: Get Cleaning!

The long, cold winter days often mean that we confine our kids to the house. After all, the wind and the rain can be unpleasant to play in. But, with that, we often forget the importance of cleaning for good health. Making sure that dust bunnies are not present is important. Dust and fluff can get on our children’s chests and leave them with severe coughs. Thinks like Tennant floor scrubbers are the best way to make sure that your home is dust free. Carpets can trap dust in the fibres which can get a child’s chest. But, wood flooring seems to collect dust behind furniture. Blitzing the house is critical to keeping your child healthy this winter. Especially when they are being kept indoors.

Washing Hands and Beating Bugs

Tackling germs can be problematic. Make sure that your child is washing their hands. After all, kids are tactical in their nature. At nursery and play groups, they often hug their friends. But, if their little friends have colds, you could all be struck down with a virus in the home. Washing hands regularly is important. So, do this after toilet trips and before meal times to keep your kids happy and healthy this winter.

Hydration Station

Kids never stop moving! But, keeping them topped up with fluids is important. Yes, that did sound like I was comparing a child to a car. But, if you think about it logically, kids need to make sure that they are hydrated. This is so that they can combat colds and illnesses more robustly. Milk and water are the best kinds of drinks. Milk is essential to keeping your children’s bones strong. But, water is great for keeping them hydrated. Try to avoid sugary juice drinks. These aren’t good at all. What’s more, they can cause tooth rot.

Jamie Lynn

Vaccinations: Flu Shots

Vaccinations are an essential part of life. Make sure that your child is up to date with their flu shots so that you don’t get struck down this winter! Injections can be scary to kids, but treating them to a new toy after should soften the blow.

A Good Nights’ Sleep

Having a good night time routine is important for your children and their overall health. A warm bath and a set bedtime are necessary for them to mini people. But, it’s also good to their immune system to have regular sleep at the same time. Implementing a good night time routine is imperative to kids. So, aim to get them into bed at the same time every night. This is the easiest way of combating illnesses.

Kitchen Tips: Get Your Kids Involved

The kitchen can be a harried place in your home —especially just as you’re preparing a complicated family dinner. But instead of always shooing your kids out of the kitchen, you can learn to involve them in what’s happening there, when it’s suitable. Kids love being a part of something bigger and more important, so get them involved and interested in the kitchen! You’ll not only gain some much-needed helping hands, your children can develop some skills and confidence in the culinary world. Think of how much this will come in handy, when they grow up and need to start cooking for themselves!

Of course, make sure to take safety precautions: children should never be allowed to handle sharp knives or raw meat, and you’ll want them to stay safely away from the hob, the oven, or any hot dishes or utensils. You may also want to keep them away from any delicate, breakable glassware or dishware. But read on for a few ideas on how to get your kids safely interested and involved in the kitchen. Meanwhile, for other kitchen tips and housekeeping advice, click here.

Setting the table — This is an easy task, but it adds a bit of formality which kids can take pride in. Rely on your kids to lay out the individual plates, silverware, and napkins, and they’ll learn a bit of table etiquette along the way. And with such a simple task, even the youngest or slowest child can master the art of setting the table. Just use your judgment when sharp knives or breakable dishes are involved.

Washing and drying dishes — Even though dishwashing can be a bore, it can be made much more enjoyable if duties are split up: one person collects the dirty dishes, another soaps and rinses them, another dries them with a towel. With a dishwasher, kids can play an important role in stacking dishes and running the machine. And don’t forget: they can also do their bit in returning clean dishes to their rightful places, as long as the shelves or cupboards aren’t too high for them.

Helping with cooking—Cooking and baking can be a great family activity together, and kids love playing chef’s assistant. While you won’t want your kids involved in anything dangerous, they can help to stir or mix together food. Or they can measure out teaspoons and cups of ingredients, according to the recipes. This is also a great way for them to learn to follow instructions.

Washing vegetables and fruits — This is another way kids can help out in a safe way. Rely on your kids to wash fruit and veg, or to do simple preparations like peeling oranges or snapping the ends off string beans. They’ll love the hands-on aspect of working with the fruit and veg.

Putting away groceries —When you’ve just come back from a shop, teach your kids to help you put away the groceries to their rightful places in the kitchen and pantry. They’ll learn to be organised, and it’ll give you a bit of a break.

These are just a few ideas, but getting your children involved in the kitchen is a great way to keep your kids active and engaged, while lessening your workload a bit. Here’s to some fun and productive family times in the kitchen!

How To Find The All Important ‘You-Time’

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When you have little ones in your life, it’s easy to forget about ‘you-time’. Hobbies, pastimes and activities tend to fall by the wayside when your life revolves around the children. Even carving out twenty minutes to read a book or take a bath can seem tough. As a mother, it’s important to take care of yourself as much as the children. Your wellbeing and happiness is an important factor in their growth.

With that in mind, it’s time to take back some time for yourself. It’s time to rediscover the things you love and reconnect with old friends. When you rediscover that time, it opens you up as a parent. You become more confident, happier and healthier. You’ll instinctively pass this joy onto your children. We understand that it’s difficult and lives are hectic, but here are some tricks we’ve found effective.

Schedule one night a week for you

The first thing to do is make your downtime part of the routine. If it’s part of your weekly timetable, it’s much more likely to happen. Don’t just promise yourself ten minutes after they fall asleep. Give yourself an entire evening. Use it to do what you love. The children can spend time with Dad or the Grandparents and you can wind down. Try to get out of the house and break free of the environment, it’ll do you wonders. Plus, it’s something to break the week up and look forward to.

Take advantage of nap times

Nap times are little pockets of heaven when you’re a mother. I speak to a lot of mums who use naptime as a chance to tidy the house or do the dishes. Forget that! Steal twenty minutes to read, exercise or just close your eyes. Use that period of time as a break from the day. Restore a little energy and learn to enjoy that small time to yourself.

Find help

Sometimes, you just need certain responsibilities and tasks to disappear. If you can free your mind of some chores and responsibilities, you’ll give your brain room to think. Take advantage of the community around you. Many housing communities have a HOA management service. This is a homeowner’s community system that manages maintenance and some landscaping. It’ll take the edge off some of your responsibilities and give you support. If possible, employ a cleaner once a week to help eliminate some chores.

Spend time with other mums

Even when you have the children in tow, try to spend time with other mums. Meet at the park so the children can play while you sit and catch up. It will feel a little like ‘you-time’ as you get the chance to chat to an adult! It’s also a great support system to exchange advice and stories. When things are tough, you won’t feel quite so alone.

It’s really important to find that right balance. Burning yourself out isn’t good for you or the children. Try to free yourself of any unnecessary chores and responsibilities. Then schedule some downtime and spend time with other mums. It’s all about finding little pockets of solace during the day.

Why All New Mothers Sometimes Feel Like They Can’t Cope

Ask any mother and they will tell you the first baby is always the worst. This is because, as a new mum, you are clueless. You don’t know what to do or why your baby is doing what they are doing. After the fear of pregnancy and giving birth, you are left with a tiny, helpless, grumpy little bundle. Every scream and cry worry you endlessly, and none of your maternal coping mechanisms seem to work. You are not the first mum to feel like that, and you won’t be the last. The test of trying to figure it out as you go along is part of the bonding process. The harder you work for it, the more baby knows you love him.

There are times though that you feel the whole world is judging you as a bad mum. Maybe baby has a stuffy nose, or they have been scratching themselves raw. We all worry our baby is too fat or too thin or too far behind the other babies development. Worry comes with the job. All babies catch colds every month. All babies catch themselves, then scratch that same spot because it itches as it heals. All babies have chubby and thin phases. No baby will ever be ahead of the pack on everything.

If you are tired but still worrying and trying, you are being the perfect mum. You’re not going to be able to relax because your baby’s well-being is too important to you. However, there are some tips and tricks available to help you get through the tough times. Never for a second think that it’s not OK for you to nap while baby is asleep. It’s essential that you do, for your own sanity! Use a sling or harness to keep baby close while you do the chores, so you’re not using nap time to get it done.

For scratchy babies, do your best to keep nails short, by tearing ragged ends, not cutting. Also, take a look at Scratchsleeves to cover up wayward fingers and give sore skin a chance to heal. For those times when you worry about baby’s weight, keep a diary of what they eat, and what they do. You will probably find they are eating very well and are particularly active. Every time they have a growth spurt, it changes their proportions a little, and can make them look thinner. Weigh them regularly if you are concerned.

Thanks to Flickr for the pic

If you feel like you can’t do this and you’re not coping, then you are perfectly normal. Mum’s have a tough time of it when they first have a baby. Your hormones are a mess, and you are very sleep deprived. But if you are reading this, then you are probably doing just fine. If you are concerned about how you are doing, join a mother’s group and speak to your health visitor. The odd teary day is to be expected, but if it frequently happens , you may want to ask your doctor to do some health checks for you.

We’re Living in the Future: Pregnancy Tech That Sounds Strictly Sci-Fi

It’s a great time to be alive. Advances in technology make things that were seemingly impossible a century ago – or even just a few decades ago – a reality. This technology applies to nearly everything in our daily lives, so why should pregnancy be any different? Just a quick look around our homes shows technology that would have been straight out of the pages of a 1950s sci-fi novel.

So, what are some of the most exciting pregnancy-related breakthroughs of the recent past?

Fertility Treatments

Approximately 7.3 million Americans in their reproductive years are infertile, according to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control). This accounts for approximately 12-percent of the total parenting pool in the United States. Until just a few decades ago, there wasn’t much we could do about this.

Now, we have several methods that could potentially help a previously infertile couple conceive a child including fertility drugs, artificial insemination, and in vitro fertilization (IVF). Among the most sci-fi of them all is IVF, which involves removing eggs directly from your ovaries, mixing them in a lab culture dish with your partner’s sperm, and then implanting the embryo in your womb. Who would have thought that one day you could conceive a baby in a laboratory glass? In fact, that’s what “in vitro” means – in glass.

Genetic Testing

Equally sci-fi sounding is the ability to learn specific traits of your baby before he or she is ever born. Commonly, this is used in the form of prenatal DNA testing. This is a test that your healthcare professional will typically order for advanced age pregnancies (when the mother is 35 years or older), if there is a family history of genetic defects, or if there is a positive serum screen and ultrasound finding.

The test is done off-site at a lab, and only requires a small amount of blood from the mother in order to deliver a positive result for the presence of trisomies, such as: trisomy 21 (Down syndrome), trisomy 18 (Edwards syndrome) and trisomy 13 (Patau syndrome).

Improvements in Pharmacology

Medical advances in pharmacology have also made it possible for women to greatly reduce the likelihood of premature births, cerebral palsy, and birth defects. By taking Progesterone women are less likely to experience giving birth prematurely, a condition that results often in brain damage or death. In fact, Progesterone has been shown to decrease the likelihood of premature births by 50 percent. Medication, MgSO4, further benefits mothers by helping to prevent Cerebral Palsy, especially in premature pregnancies – a feat that not even a simple medication would have been able to fix 15 years ago.

Greater understandings of supplements have also helped women receive better care and support in recent years. Folic Acid, a type of Vitamin B, has proven itself to be something of a supplement superstar for pregnant women. Taking 400mg of Folic Acid before coming pregnant and taking 600mg of Folic Acid during pregnancy can prevent 70 percent of all birth defects, especially spinal defects.

It’s a great time to be a parent. It seems that the technology surrounding motherhood is increasing faster than at any rate in history, and a future could entail any number of possibilities. If you think pregnancy technology sounds like science fiction now, imagine what will be possible in 20 years.

Revolution Mother