Blog Archives

Helping Your Child Stay Fit

Would your child rather watch television and play video games all day than move an inch? Children are battling obesity and inactivity at alarming rates. It's time to get our kids in shape now, before they face serious health problems in the future. But how? As you can guess, the plan includes lots of fun. Any time you can add excitement and laughter into an activity, you've got a winner. Let's take a look at some of the ways you can help your child not only become healthier, but enjoy the ...
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Christmas Gifts and Celebrations That Won't Break the Bank

If not for the fact that Christmas is a time of laughter and merriment, the yuletide season can be awfully frustrating especially for people who have a budget to think of. With lots of expenses for the Christmas celebration already lined up at your door -- decorations, dinner, gifts -- sticking to the family budget can be difficult, at best! That is, unless, you are smart enough to come up with creative ideas on how to spend Christmas with a bang without spending a lot. Here are some tips: 1) ...
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Let Your Child Get Dirty! It's Essential for Physical and Mental

Are you still following your child around worrying that they might stain their clothes? Do you forbid playing outside because they might get dirty? Do you see germs and infections in every step they take? Are you trying to keep away friendly dogs or cute kittens because they might be disease carriers? Do any of the sentences above represent your attitude towards your child? If yes, you must reconsider. Depriving your child of physical contact with the "Dirty, Outside World" is bad for its ...
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Christmas Action Plan

With Christmas a mere 10 weeks away I imagine many people starting their shopping and preparing for the holiday season. Here in Australia the party season has begun Christmas decorations already on display in store windows, the heat is rising and the countdown started. I love this time of year! For me it's about the spirit of Christmas, that feeling of peace and good will to all, and that of spending precious time with family and friends. It's a time where I pause and reflect on the 12 months ...
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Tips On Hosting a Christmas tree trimming party

Do you remember when the Christmas season was less of a hassle and more of a joyous time spent with family and friends? Back in the day, families just seemed to have enough time to sit back and enjoy the holiday season. Today, on the other hand, many people get harried, rushed and basically stressed out during the Christmas holiday. There just seems to be no time to enjoy any of life's simple pleasures when there is so much shopping and entertaining to squeeze in during a short period of ...
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The Barney Cure

Every parent has dealt with a preschooler who won't cooperate. They're crying, screaming, kicking, waving their arms, or dropping to the ground and refusing to walk. Parents and preschoolers have two different agendas. Your preschooler wants to play, watch TV, color with crayons, or whatever. As a parent, you have to be somewhere in 15 minutes, or you're running late. If you're not going somewhere, it might be the child's naptime or bedtime... whatever the reason, you need to come up with ...
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Fun Things To Do At Home With Children

Having seven children - five of them boys - they love spending time outside getting muddy. However as the nights draw in and the weather becomes wetter and colder outside play has to be cut to a minimum most days. The problem with staying inside to play though means that the first choice is either watching television or playing on the play station. Not wanting to encourage too much 'couchpotatoism' in my children I have to keep lots of fun and entertaining ideas up my sleeve to entice them away ...
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Memories of Grandfather's Billiard Room

I always loved that my Grandfather had a billiard room in his home. I used to spend a lot of time with him when I was young. He taught me to "shoot stick", as he called it, when I was maybe 8 years old. My Grandparents would entertain quite frequently, and they would regularly invite some of their closest friends over for a banquet and cocktails. Their gatherings would often run into the wee hours, by which time I was expected to be sleeping. I would usually spend an hour or so reading each ...
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Spending Time With Your Baby - Making The Most Of Joy.

When you first bring home your Bouncing New Baby, you will surely feel you want to watch over her and be with her much of the time, especially if you are a first time parent. Newborn babies are fascinating even if they are not yours; when they are your own, that special feeling takes off into the stratosphere. You may feel tempted to hold them, watch them and chat to them the whole time; even when they are asleep you will enjoy standing silently over them and observe them in their ...
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Hello World

Remember how you wished your baby would learn there is more to life than crying, feeding and sleeping? Your wishes are coming true. Your baby's third month will see her become much more interactive. So much so with some babies, that parents secretly sigh, "Why doesn't she ever sleep?" Wonder what to expect in the third month? Good night baby Worried that your baby is still not sleeping through the night? Most three month-old babies need at least one feed in the middle of the night. You can ...
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Children of the 21st century

The good old days as I remember them were just that, the good old days. Children of the 21st century Playing hopscotch hide and seek even a game of rounders was all in a day's fun for a thirteen year old in the good old days. Of course all good things come to an end when called in against your will and ordered up the stairs to wash behind your ears before bed, while the children of the 21st century slap on war paint to disguise their identities for approval into many disco night clubs. ...
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Books that Boost your Morale

Research has shown that laughter can reduce stress hormones. And disease-fighting white blood cells go up as well. The anticipation of happy times can slash depression levels by 51% and fatigue by 15%. So here is a list of books to make you smile. They are easy to read! Boogers are My Beat by Dave Barry Dave Barry is a humorist and newspaper columnist who pokes fun at the lunacies of everyday life. You Know You're 40 When.......by Ann Hodgman and Patricia Marx These authors remind us that the ...
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Find New And Exciting Halloween Masks For Your Next Costume

For most people that don't enjoy wearing messy makeup, Halloween masks are the next best option to complement your Halloween costumes this Halloween season. There is a Halloween mask existing in all-imaginable characters, and this year some brand new products are available online. If you're searching for something new and unique for your next Halloween party, below is a list of hot new masks available to fit everyone's creative costume needs! If you're big into the latest movies, and are ...
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Get Unlimited Dose Of Laughter with Bollywood Comedy Videos

Every year, Bollywood churns out a gigantic number of films ranging from action to comedies. Comedy films have their own set of loyal audience and often act as a complete family entertainers. Some of the classic movies are Padosan, Jaane Bhi Do Yaron, Chupke Chupke to all the Govinda flicks to Hera Pheri, Munnabhai series. People love to watch these films and with computers they prefer to watch comedy scenes from the Bollywood movies. These scenes can be watched on the Internet in the form of  ...
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Guerilla Parenting Techniques

When you hear the phrase, 'guerrilla parenting techniques', what images come to mind? I see a big, broad shouldered soldier, dressed in green fatigues, with brown paint on his face. His chest is crisscrossed with ammunition for the guns strapped on his legs. He's quietly hidden under the cover of trees, waiting to snipe away at the enemy with maximum impact. The word 'guerilla', was a term borrowed from Spanish used to describe small combat groups. Guerilla warfare operates with small, mobile ...
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The Best Toys For Your Baby

The Best Toys For Your Baby Baby shower When choosing toys for your baby you should remember that they should be both fun and educational ' there are a wide range of toys to choose from that can make your baby squeal with joy and we will discuss some of them in this chapter. There are toys for four different stages during your baby's first year and we'll look at each one individually: Newborns ' the choices here include hand held toys, tape players/music boxes and unbreakable mirrors ...
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An Empty Nest is for the Birds

An Empty Nest is For the Birds by S. M. Calhoun It was just a simple child's book, its total vocabulary consisting of only five words. Yet, as I listened to a student read it on this particular day, I felt like weeping! What was wrong with me? The story was about a young bird getting booted from the nest and gaining independence. As a mother, I had just begun to experience the reality of an "empty nest." While the mother bird was cheerfully kicking her youngsters out, however, I had been ...
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Surviving a Family Reunion

Surviving a Family Reunion I left home at 5:00 am on a Thursday morning, and returned Sunday evening at 7:00 pm, travel weary with feelings of exhilaration and exhaustion.......yes, like many of you have, I had just attended my family reunion. It has taken me a week to recover from this one'..emotionally, mentally and physically. Is it my age? (45) Was it the heat factor? (100+° for four days) Was it the unfortunate consequences of air travel? (very late arriving baggage) Or is it merely the ...
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