There’s no better way to take a person for granted than by spending all your time with them. All parents adore their kids, but you’ve got to admit: being with them all day can sometimes lead to undervaluing them. When you’ve spent an hour scrubbing “washable” crayon off the wall, the Play Doh sculpture your child has created looks more like a mess and less like the proud product of his creative genius. It’s often easier to appreciate them more when they’ve been away - say, at their grandmother’s house for the weekend. It helps you to realize the importance of using your time with them to the utmost.
Make Quality Time a Priority
Just because you spend all day with your kids doesn’t mean any of that is quality time-and “quantity time” just isn’t as special. But even if your schedule is (am-packed, there are plenty of opportunities to squeeze in a meaningful moment here and there.
•Grocery Shopping
Point out colors, textures, unfamiliar fruits and veggies; older children can help read labels and compare prices.
•Cooking
Let your kids help. Even if it means cleaning up a little extra mess, the fun they’ll have is worth the hassle - and it benefits everyone. Even the smallest children can stir or help gather ingredients.
• Doing Laundry
Sorting clothes and measuring out detergent gives kids a sense of purpose and provides a good chance for conversation.
• Riding in the Car
Turn down the radio and sing songs that everybody knows; talk about the passing scenery make up stories.
• During Evening “Downtime”
Every once in a while, turn off the TV and have a family fun night with games, crafts, stories or puzzles that get everyone involved.
Remember: multitasking diminishes the quality of quality time, so be fully present and attentive to your kids during these moments!
Article written by Audrey from best toddler swing and Papasan swing review
For several years, there’s been an ongoing debate about whether or not pregnant women should indulge in caffeine. Some studies have indicated that high levels of caffeine negatively affect pregnant women and their babies. However, the real question may be regarding how much caffeine is safe to have while pregnant.
Caffeine is both a diuretic and a stimulant that increases heart rate and blood pressure, both of which aren’t good for pregnant women. It also causes frequent urination and this can lead to becoming dehydrated. You control how much caffeine you intake but you baby doesn’t. So it’s good to remember that caffeine affects your baby just as it does you, only more so.
In preparation for pregnancy, many women start practicing better health habits to make sure their bodies are healthy when they become pregnant. Reducing your caffeine intake is a great idea because studies have linked high levels of caffeine consumption to delayed conception. Low to moderate amounts of caffeine seem to be safe, but if you’re a heavy caffeine drinker, you should start cutting down when trying to get pregnant. Caffeine effects on sperm haven’t been conducted.
A daily amount of less than 300 mg of caffeine seems to be fine after conception. There are some studies that have found more miscarriages in women that take in over 300 mg of caffeine daily along with pre-term labor and low birth weight. Animal studies have shown reduced fertility, birth defects and other reproductive issues with caffeine but human studies aren’t showing these so far.
Something else that women need to consider is that drinking too much caffeine during the later stages of pregnancy will cause babies to absorb it from their mothers. This can lead to increased breathing rate, faster heart rate and tremors. In addition, women that consumed high amounts of caffeine late in their pregnancies can expect the baby first year to be a busy one. Babies that get too much caffeine before birth have been shown to have terrible sleep patterns.
If you’re thinking of becoming pregnant and you drink more than 3 cups of coffee daily, you may want to start weaning yourself down to a safer amount of caffeine before conceiving. It will be much healthier for both you and your baby.
Although things are changing from basic to “digital” in a tremendous speed there are values that luckily haven’t lost their meaning yet. One of them is books. If you add together all the modern educational methods, they still cannot cut it as good as childrens books, which are essential for bringing up kids the right way.
Teaching kids is a challenging and a very rewarding endeavour. And the first basic lessons above all other things is reading skills. Learning to read and appreciate books is what lays proper foundations in child’s development and education. You cannot acquire vital knowledge without being able to read efficiently.
Although in the last few years the prices of childrens books have slightly decreased, they can still be pretty expensive. That’s why it makes sense to plan upfront when stocking up.
One of the best and cheapest sources of books are charity shops, local discount stores and car boot sales - all these are usually full of used books that can be picked up at great prices.
The downside of buying used childrens books is that you cannot choose what you buy - instead you have to browse and make a choice from the limited supply that is made available.
If you’re looking for any particular type of books or a specific title that you need, check various online stores. Sometimes books that have been out of press for more than a few years can be picked up for ridiculous prices like pennies! And all you have to do is to pay for postage.
Being a prudent book buyer will get you more for less and make your children very happy.
« go back — keep looking »