Today let’s focus on just having fun and forgetting all the challenges of parenting. Rather than worrying about growth and development charts, why not have some fun? This is your chance! Getting out with your baby helps you both – it gets you out of the house, and provides baby with invaluable social interaction and brain stimulation. Here are some ideas on what to do with your baby which are both entertaining and educational.

Water Play

Babies love water. Depending on the season, try some of these water activities.

* Fill a wading pool with a few inches of water. Get into the water with your baby and enjoy pouring water through funnels, from cup to cup, and through tubes. You can get creative with this activity! Balls, plastic containers, bottles, and other items make great toys for the mini pool. You can do this in the bathtub with your baby, too.

* Lay down a plastic painting tarp in your house and set out containers of water for your baby to touch and explore. Spoons, bowls, pots, cups, funnels, pans, and so forth can all be set out for fun.

* Natural water sources, if you have access to them, can be fascinating for babies. Creeks, rivers, waterfalls, streams, and so forth can be shown to your baby. Hopefully, you can get close enough to wade or hold your baby while you wade, or let baby feel the water flowing. Tossing in some rocks is fun, too.

Visit a “Big Box” Store

Take your baby to a home improvement store where you can both explore exciting things like ceiling fans, lights, and fountains in the garden center area. Riding mowers, refrigerators, washers and dryers, etc. all make for interesting fun for your baby. Most such stores have hands-on areas where you can experience appliances, windows and doors, curtains, carpets, and an assortment of textures and colors.

Nature “Hike”

Your baby will almost certainly enjoy a trip to a local park, forest, or other natural area. This could just be your back yard. Talk about the birds’ calls and point out the feeling of the breeze or the sunshine. Let your baby hold pine cones, nuts (make sure nothing goes in the mouth), twigs, rocks, and so forth. Nature provides a lot of textures, sights, smells and sounds.

Scarf Dancing

You can combine exercise with fun and brain simulation by putting on some music and dancing with your baby. If he is not old enough to sit up, lay him on the floor on a blanket and dance around and over and around him. Let him feel the scarf, too.

If your baby is older, he (or she) can sit up and “dance” with scarves of his own, or play peek-a-boo with the pretty cloth while you dance. You can also hold your baby and dance with him. Choose light, brightly-colored scarves with interesting textures.

I have no idea why the media chooses to show parenthood as easy and blissful. Yes, it has it’s moments and yes, it’s incredibly wonderful – no arguement there. 

But so many new moms seem caught off guard by how tough it is.  They seem to wonder what’s wrong with them because their baby doesn’t come out of the womb and sleep through the night.  Guess what.  Most babies don’t sleep through the night for a few months – maybe even a year – and it’s no one’s fault.  Just as each person is different; each baby is also different.

So the next time someone asks you if your baby is doing this or that yet.  Feel free to tell them “no, not yet, but I’m sure he/she will on his/her own time” and change the subject.  Don’t let it get you down.  Most of the time people are only asking to make conversation anyway

Chicken Noodle Soup
Serves 2

Ingredients:
6 cups of chicken or vegetable stock
2 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tsp fresh ginger, grated
4 oz rice noodles
6 mushrooms, thinly sliced
4 tbsp frozen peas
4 green onions, finely sliced
4 tbsp soy sauce
Fresh basil leaves, torn

Instructions:
Add the chicken stock into a saucepan, together with the chicken, garlic and ginger. Bring stock to a boil, then quickly reduce temperature and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink inside. Remove the chicken from the stock and cut into chunks. Then return the chicken pieces to the saucepan and add the peas, mushrooms, green onions and noodles. Stir in the soy sauce and simmer until the noodles are soft.

Sprinkle with basil leaves and enjoy immediately.

A friend of mine recently had a baby.  Recently being 6 months ago that is   And she still has about 20 or so extra pounds to lose before she gets to her pre-baby weight.  She seems really upset about it and it’s not that I think she’s being silly wanting to lose the weight.  But I’d love it if she’d stop beating herself up about it.

Even with an extra 20 pounds, she’s still pretty.  And I bet you are too – that is, if weight loss is something you are striving for   Take a bit of money and buy a couple outfits that flatter your current frame – yes, even just two outfits.  I bet you feel a millions times better about your body already

All children seem to love stories – telling them and hearing them. This is one of those beautiful situations where what your children love is truly good for them. Children benefit a great deal from storytelling.

Without the use of books, telling stories takes on a different dimension. It offers a new way of looking at stories and is reminiscent of the old radio days, when families gathered around the radio to listen. But storytelling with a live human doing the telling can be quite compelling.

How, exactly, does storytelling benefit children? Here are some possible ways in which this ancient medium can have a positive impact.

Increased literacy

As young children listen to a storyteller, they are hearing inflections in speech and are hearing words presented in a compelling and fascinating way. Older children can expand their vocabulary and learn drama skills that may serve them well if there is an acting career in their future.

Storytelling also presents certain literary devices in a demonstrative and memorable way. Children will see and hear the building of plot, characterization, climax, conflict, conclusion, etc. Perhaps rhyme or poetic prose will be used to tell the story, allowing children to hear the way the language sounds and how that can add to a story.

Improves memory

Without books or illustrations, children have to remember key points of the plot and character names. This is an excellent exercise in memorization skills, and it also may help guide children when they wish to write a story of their own.

Increased imagination

Storytelling opens children’s minds to other cultures and life philosophies; it develops the inner world of imagination and creative thinking. Children tap into that wonderful imaginative mind of theirs are they provide their own images to the plot. Storytelling is also a way to bring history alive and inspire further exploration of historical events.

Ideas of what to tell stories about

If you want to engage in storytelling for children, you can come up with your own story or re-tell an old one that you heard growing up. Your own children might love to hear stories about their babyhood, or even about what it was like to be pregnant with them. Research your family background and find an interesting ancestor who lived an interesting life or experienced an unusual event. They will discover much about themselves this way, too.

If you are telling stories to a group of kids who aren’t all your own, stories about life in the past, in other cultures, or animals make good stories. Telling things from a unique point of view will get children to think about what life is like for others, a good precursor for developing empathy.

Telling stories offers yet another great, fun way to connect with your children and create great memories for both of you.

It can be tricky if you feel like your child isn’t doing things at the same pace as other toddlers. Is there something wrong? What’s considered normal? Should you seek help?

First, it helps to understand what medical experts consider normal speech development for a toddler. When your toddler was a baby between birth and 3 months, did he/she exhibit the following signs of normal speech development?

* Response to sounds such as smiling at the sound of your voice or increasing suckling
* React to your voice by calming down if upset
* Make cooing sounds

Between 4 to 6 months or so, did your baby:

* Turn eyes or head in response to sounds?
* Respond to music?
* Respond to noise-making toys?
* Make verbal sounds to express feelings like excitement?

Coming up to a year of age, does your baby exhibit these signs of normal speech development?

* Imitation of speech sounds
* Sounding like he/she is trying to say simple words, such as “daddy” or “mama”
* Responding to words you use (“cup,” “ball,” etc.)

Once your toddler begins to move toward the age of two, normal speech development takes the form of comprehension (he/she understands your words and can point to objects and body parts when you identify them), the use of consonants, and putting two words together to express simple ideas (“more drink” or “no ball”). Toddlers between the age of one and two will also enjoy listening to words in the form of stories and rhymes.

As your child approaches the age of three, new words are added to his or her vocabulary every few weeks, and parents can discern clear and exciting progress in their toddler’s speech. 

Help may be needed if:

Bearing in mind that children are individuals and the above milestones are based on averages, you might consider seeking speech therapy or similar help if your toddler exhibits little to none of the signs noted above. Other signs that something might be amiss include:

* Frustration and/or tantrums when trying to speak
* Short-term memory seems lacking or non-existent
* Seems to “tune you out” or not hear you when you speak

If you have concerns, your pediatrician can arrange for a hearing test and, if necessary, can direct you to a speech therapist. In the meantime, encourage your toddler to talk with lots of interaction, stimulation, and speech-stimulating games.

Experts agree that reading aloud to your toddler is important for normal speech development, so get out the rhymes and stories and show your toddler the fun and exciting realm of words. This can be a fun way to help stimulate your baby’s speech development.

With vet bills being a given, you may think pet insurance is a great idea – I’m certainly considering it. You pay a monthly premium that is often very low, and in return the pet insurance company pays part of your vet bills. It sounds simple, but its worth is questionable. There are varying opinions regarding this relatively recent concept of pet insurance. Here are some of the pros and cons.

On the “for” side:

* For significant expenses, such as surgery or chemotherapy, pet insurance may help relieve you of crushing vet bills. For unexpected, catastrophic, medical emergencies, pet insurance can easily pay for itself. 

* Pet owners who own very old or sick animals may benefit from pet insurance. Owners of “risky” pets may also benefit, such as cats who like to hang out in the middle of the road or dogs that like to swallow every object within reach.

* You can still choose your own vet regardless of the insurance.

* There are options you can add on to your pet’s policy, such as coverage for wellness visits and/or teeth cleaning.

* Most pet insurance policies offer discounts for multiple pets.

On the “against” side:

* Generally speaking, pet insurance tends to cost more money than it saves. However, this is true of nearly all insurance of any sort.

* If you pay premiums and then do not have any claims (or few claims), the insurance company has your money. If you put the same premium amount into a savings account, the unused portion belongs to you.

* Studies show that the overall cost of veterinary care increases with insurance, particularly for common medical problems such as skin allergies. For example, the pet owner pays for deductibles, co-pays, costs that aren’t covered by the policy, and various procedures that aren’t covered by the policy. This can add up to a lot more out of your pocket than if you just paid up front for the vet care.

* Studies show that pet owners who have pet insurance will ultimately pay more for common ailments and routine care.

The basic dilemma with pet insurance is that it costs or saves based on possible circumstances, which you can’t predict. However, if you have a high-risk pet or many pets, having pet insurance might be an asset to you. If you have only one or two pets that are healthy and in mid-life, pet insurance will probably end up not being worth it for you.

You may not have thought of having a bird as a pet but they can be a great addition to your family. Generally speaking, smaller birds are better for beginners. They tend to be quieter, less messy, and have a shorter lifespan than large birds, some of which can live 100 years! Here is a list of some types of birds that make good family pets, and the general care they need.

Canaries

Cheerful and bright, canaries make nice additions to the home. They are less tame than some birds, however, and do not require extensive human reaction. This, of course, could be a pro or a con depending on your situation.

Canaries need a fairly roomy cage, a canary-safe space outside the cage to fly each day (cover windows and mirrors), and fresh food and water daily. Their cage should be cleaned every day – even twice a day – but this is not complicated. It’s usually accomplished by simply sliding a newspaper-lined tray out from the bottom of the cage and changing the newspaper. Perches will need to be kept clean as well.

Canaries benefit from “treats” and additions to their diet, such as dandelion greens, lettuce, carrots, and apples.

Budgies/Parakeets

These colorful “mini-parrots” are said to be the perfect family pet when it comes to birds. The whole family can participate in their care, and parakeets benefit from this social time. Budgies can also be trained to do tricks and even whole “routines,” and they can be taught to talk. Like canaries, parakeets should be given daily time out of their cage to fly and interact with the family. Their cage should be roomy and clean, with fresh food and water available.

Cockatiels

Cockatiels (not to be confused with much larger cockatoos) are a bit more “advanced” than canaries and budgies. Cockatiels are larger, they live longer (about 20 years), and they like to talk. Cockatiels need a large cage and need to spend a lot of time out of it with the family.

Having the cage in a high-traffic area of the home may be helpful in meeting your cockatiel’s need for interaction, but your bird needs a quiet place at night. All birds should have their cages covered by a blanket or thin towel at night. 

Another important thing to bear in mind is veterinary care. Avian vets are those vets who specialize in bird care; many “regular” vets do not treat birds. So before you make the purchase phone around your area and make sure there is a vet who will be able to treat your bird.

If you’ve ever felt the soreness of post-workout muscles, you know how painful it can be. Some experts say that this pain is caused by microscopic tears in the muscle that occur when you ask your body to do something new or more strenuous than usual.

Other sources point out the role of lactic acid in muscle soreness – this by-product of cellular respiration can settle into the muscles during the hours following a workout, setting the stage for muscle pain.

How can you avoid this crippling feeling after working out? Here are some ideas on how to reduce muscle pain after exercising.

Hydration

Drinking plenty of water before, during, and after your workout helps your body flush out those by-products your body produces as a result of burning energy.

Slow Start-Up Cool-Down

It may help your muscles to start and stop your workout gradually. If you jump right into intense muscle strain, it could produce more damage than if you warm up with cardio exercises first.

Stopping exercise abruptly may not be good, either – if you work your muscles intensely, and then go sit on the couch, your blood – loaded with all kinds of microscopic by-products from your workout – may “pool” or stagnate in your muscles. Since the blood vessels remain dilated for some time after a workout, say experts, having a cool-down period where you walk gently and keep your muscles moving should greatly minimize the next-day soreness.

Calcium and Magnesium

These minerals are crucial for muscle integrity. Taking a calcium and magnesium supplement daily is recommended to prevent muscle soreness – you might want to increase your intake of these minerals on the days you work out by eating foods with lots of magnesium and calcium: black beans, dark leafy greens, and low-fat dairy products, for example.

Stretching

As part of your warm-up and cool-down, include stretching. This oft-repeated advice is easy to forget, but it’s considered very important for preventing pain after your workout. At the beginning of your session, stretching preps the muscles for a more strenuous workout by increasing flexibility and circulation. At the end of your workout, stretching helps relax tense muscles and keep circulation moving.

Take a Cold Shower

Okay, maybe it doesn’t actually need to be cold – but cooling your muscles down after a workout might help prevent muscles soreness, say some sources. While most of us think of heat to relax muscles, cold is said to reduce inflammation, and inflammation is the culprit in muscle soreness that results from muscle damage. A bath or shower in water as cold as you can stand may help keep your muscles from becoming swollen and sore.

Sometimes, especially when you’re so busy as a new mom, you can find that life just doesn’t feel as fun as it once did. When we do have a moment to reflect, we may find ourselves dissatisfied with how things are. This, in turn, may lead to more activities and stress than ever, as we try to avoid thinking about the life we’re unhappy with.

Learning to love your life is a key element in breaking this cycle. Here are some tips on how to achieve that.

Look for ways to reduce your stress

This can take many forms, but most experts agree that a combination of exercise and meditation is most effective. Meditation and/or prayer helps ease and calm the mind. Physical exercises help align the body and bring physical balance and sometimes relief from pain. These are vital aspects of a life well loved. Some ideas include:

* Yoga
* Meditation
* Martial Arts
* Pilates

Supplements may also help with stress relief, particularly fish oil and/or flax and evening primrose oils. Because these oils are also implicated in depression relief, it may help you love your life.

Stop trying to explain things to other people

A sense of self-justification can wear you out. If you feel the need to explain and justify yourself and your actions all the time, you will not only wear yourself out; you will wear out those around you. Learn to let it go – if people misunderstand something, it really is not a big deal.

Focus on being healthy

Taking care of yourself is a big step in the right direction. You may find it a lot easier to love your life if you feel good, if your digestion is healthy and your body exudes a healthy glow.

First, eat a healthy diet. Go for organic foods wherever possible, and eat whole, fresh foods rather than packaged ones. The fewer chemicals in your diet, the clearer your mind is likely to be. Preservatives, artificial coloring and flavoring, and pesticides may have a profound effect on mental and physical functioning, and if you want to love your life, your mind needs to be clear and free of depression and confusion.

Many sources point to sugar and caffeine consumption as being the culprits in depression, sluggishness, weight gain, and insomnia. So a healthy lifestyle would involve very limited amounts of these substances in your diet.

Exercise is another important aspect of building a life worthy of loving. It’s certainly part of a healthy lifestyle, and it helps both mind and body. Loving your life may be a lot easier if you are happy with your body.

Loving your life means being happy with your mind, body, and personality. It means accepting who you are and being comfortable in your own skin. You deserve happiness as much as everyone else around you.  If these tips don’t help, please talk to your doctor about it and don’t let it go.  Your happiness is very important