8 top tips for planning a baby shower

8 top tips for planning a baby shower

If you have been asked or volunteered to plan a baby shower you may start to feel overwhelmed with the task at hand. Of course, you want the day to go perfectly but there seems to be so much to do.

But do not worry!

Here are our top 8 tips for hosting an amazing baby shower which everyone will love especially the glowing mother to be…

1. Choose the right date

This will be largely determined by the mother to be depending how far along she is in her pregnancy and whether she wants it early or later. Any time after 6 months into the pregnancy is a good rule of thumb but don’t leave it too late or the baby could arrive before the shower! Once the date has been set, start to think about the invites and send them out in plenty of time for guests to RSVP.

2. The theme

Most baby showers have a theme to them. It could be a simple colour choice such as blue or pink if the gender is known. However, you could go for something more specific such as a princess theme, nautical or even two peas in a pod for twins. The decorations you choose will show your theme so pick one you can really be creative with. There are so many ideas online for a fun baby shower theme with DIY decorations which are much cheaper than buying things brand new. Check out Pinterest for some good decoration ideas.

3. Food and drink

No matter what time of day your baby shower is held, guests will probably expect a bite to eat at the shower. If you are having a morning baby shower you could put out a breakfast or brunch type of spread which is light for the guests. Other times may call for buffet or even a sit down meal that everyone can sit together and enjoy. If you can, try to tie your theme into the food as well.

4. Games

Baby showers will need some kind of entertainment so pick a few fun and active party games the guests can get stuck into and have some fun with. Common games include… Guessing the mothers belly size, guessing the date the baby will be born or even baby bingo!

5. Party favors

You could have party favors as prizes after the games you have held or you could put together a favor or goodie bag for each of your guests. These are typically matching with your theme and could be anything from cookies, cupcakes, pamper packs, magnets or candles.

6. Giving gifts

The unwrapping of the new baby gifts is one of the best bits about a baby shower where women will “Coo” and “Aww” at the tiny clothes and new baby gifts that have been bought for the new arrival. It is good etiquette to make a list of who has bought what gift and give this to the mother after so she can write thank you gifts after the shower.

7. Hostess with the mostess

Every shower needs a host. Unfortunately this means your hard work doesn’t end once all the decorations are up, the food is out and the games are ready to be played. Your hard work starts as the shower begins. Every shower needs someone who can take control of the evening and make sure things are moving along. Even if it is a casual get together, you can be there to make sure people start eating and then get everyone together to begin the games. It doesn’t need to be harsh or bossy but give a guiding hand through the whole event to make sure it doesn't get boring or lose energy.

8. It’s all in the details

There is a lot to do for a baby shower but remember what this occasion is for; welcoming a beautiful new life into the world, so you want it to be perfect! The small details make a baby shower such as… A hanging baby bootie from a door handle, colored ribbons on the balloons or a beautifully laid gifts table. All of your hard work will pay off when you look back at your finished party and see how much people loved being there.

Steps to Take When Your Child Gets Injured

Parents are often concerned about their child’s safety and happiness. While the latter is not so hard to accomplish, ensuring your child is safe can be quite challenging. In the first three years of their lives, children are highly energetic and very curious and this makes them vulnerable to falls and injuries. When you are overlooking your kids, you can make sure they are safe but what happens when they move out of your sight? Many parents are not equipped to deal with a situation when their child gets injured, especially when they are left under the supervision of somebody else. While some may pass off the incident as an accident, others would want to take legal action against the person responsible. For those who don’t know otherwise here are some steps to take when your child gets injured.

Be calm

Toddlers are highly emotional when in pain. The situation may worsen if you fail to control your anger when you see your child is cry. So be calm and hear out your little one before jumping to conclusions and blaming the nanny or other children for the accident. You will be in a better position to take appropriate action only when you have the facts right.

Gauge how serious the damage is

Children are bound to get hurt once in a while and more often than not the injuries are only minor bruises and scars. If you panic or worry too much, you could overlook the severity of the actual injury. Try to distract your child by getting him involved in a fun activity but do not overlook the emotional pain and trauma he has just experienced. Once your child has been taken care of, proceed to check how serious the damage was.

Seek medical attention immediately

In case the injury is serious, seek immediate medical attention. Take the child to the nearest medical facility because delay can cause his condition to worsen. The healthcare providers must be provided with your child’s medical history and all pending issues must be left for discussion when your child is in recovery.

Take custody of the faulty product and look for witnesses

If the injury stemmed from a product, preserve everything that remains. Save all the documents related to the product including its receipt, warranty and instructions. If there were witnesses present at the time of the accident, jot down their contact details. As helpful as witnesses may be, they can also be very difficult to locate after an accident.

Get in touch with a legal professional

This is one of the most important steps to take when your child gets injured. If you want to establish that the other party is at fault, you must get in touch with a legal professional and report the incident. A personal injury lawyer can guide you through the entire process and also explain to you your child’s legal rights. He will ensure that the responsible party takes care of all medical expenses and he may also hire an investigator to find out additional information about the incident. It is best to go to a legal professional when you want to seek justice instead of taking matters into your own hands.

Approaches To Lowering Bad Cholesterol Naturally

Many believe that simply removing trans-fats and reducing saturated fats from their daily diet will reduce cholesterol. Paleo dieters believe another extreme. In this case, total fat intake is ignored as long as the eating plan sticks to the paleolithic regimen. (primarily fish, grass-fed natural meats, eggs, nuts, vegetables, and fruits). Neither eating  approach can be regarded as totally heart healthy since, in both groups of dieters, cardiovascular disease still occurs frequently.

Health Tests

Much confusion exists in the general public around heart disease because different people have different lifestyles and inherited traits. What may be a healthy diet for one person may not work for another. Even in the health community, practitioners often provide advice that is too general in nature, perhaps prescribing the latest cholesterol-lowering drug to their patients without gaining a full understanding of their patients' risk factors.

One of the direct ways of determining the health of the cardiovascular system is to have a qualified professional perform a carotid ultrasound. This non-invasive procedure involves no radiation and is completely safe. The patient lies on a comfortable table for about thirty minutes while a doctor or qualified technician passes ultrasound paddles over the neck's carotid arteries. The test provides physical images of the arterial walls and any observable plaque build-up. The health of the carotids reflects the condition of the overall cardiovascular system. When getting this test done, a person should find a qualified specialist since proper interpretation of the images requires a knowledgeable and practiced eye.

Most doctors overlook the above test and simply recommend a general blood workup showing total cholesterol (TC), LDL-C, HDL-C, and Triglycerides (TG). But a normal result here does not necessarily indicate a healthy cardiovascular system.

Another risk factor for developing heart disease is a larger than normal number of LDL particles in the blood stream together with small sized LDL particles. To examine the possibility that this combination is causing disease, a complete blood workup may include TC, LDL-C, HDL-C, TG, non-HDL-C, total LDL-P, small LDL-P, LDL size, inflamation marker CRP, synthesis marker Lathosterol/TC, absorption marker campesterol/TC, and absorption marker beta-sitosterol/TC. While this panel will demonstrate tendency, the carotid ultrasound represents the observable outcome and is still the preferred test.

If plaque is found developing in the arterial walls, the disease can be addressed. Most of the time, targeting a significant reduction in LDL-C and TG, and hopefully raising HDL-C, can stop further disease progression. And even better, these actions can reverse the disease by removing low-density lipid deposits.

Five Natural Approaches To Lowering Cholesterol

1. Diet

Across the broad population, lower cardiovascular disease is seen in people with a diet containing a high proportion of soluble and insoluble fiber, no trans-fats, a low amount of animal fats, and foods with a low glycemic impact. Such a diet includes primarily whole grains, low-carbohydrate vegetables, low-sugar fruits, and nuts. To a lesser extent, animal products are eaten, and the focus is on fish like wild salmon and sardines (avoiding larger, mercury-laden species), white meat from chicken, and lean red meat like buffalo. Dairy comprises the smallest part of the diet.

Other studeis show many processed oils should be avoided, with the preferred oils being extra virgin olive oil and cold-pressed extra-virgin coconut oil (which doesn't burn during cooking as easily as olive oil). High glycemic foods that spike insulin and blood sugar levels should also be avoided. These include not only sugar-loaded candies and sweets, but also foods made from processed white flour, certain root vegetables like potatoes, and sweet fruits.

2. Exercise

For cardiovascular health, the general advice is at least three days a week of aerobic exercise targeting the correct heart rate for your level of fitness and age. The American Heart Association offers a chart of target heart rates. In addition, it is recommended that resistance exercises for muscle fitness be included in a weekly exercise routine.

3. Stress

Another contributing factor to heart disease is stress. Meditation is one effective way to lower stress, and some recommend transcendental meditation.

4. Sleep

A good night’s sleep makes you feel good and it’s healthy too. Studies suggest that good sleep habits reduce the risk of heart disease. Researchers recommend at least six hours a night with seven to eight being the norm.

5. Supplements

Oat Beta-Glucan

Scientific research over several decades shows that the oat constituent called oat beta-glucan lowers cholesterol. Nutrim® is the oat beta-glucan supplement mentioned most frequently in the medical community. Developed by the USDA, Nutrim® contains concentrated levels of bioactive oat beta-glucan, the cholesterol-lowering part of oats. Nutrim® qualifies for the FDA heart health claim, has no side effects and is a natural oat phytonutrient. The suggested dose is 750 to 1,500 milligrams of oat beta-glucan twice a day. More information about Nutrim® can be found at the author's website.

Omega-3 Fats

Omega-3 fatty acids (EPA/DHA) lower blood triglyceride levels. The typical recommended dose is 1,000 to 2,000 milligrams twice a day.

Red Yeast Rice

Red yeast rice, used over many centuries in China, contains the active component monacolin K, also known as lovastatin, the active ingredient in the prescription drug Mevacor. Label warnings on Mevacor include advice against use by pregnant mothers and people with liver disease. There is quite a bit of variation from brand to brand for red yeast rice, so safety data varies. The suggested dose is 1,200 milligrams twice a day.

Consult With Your Doctor

In general, whenever considering a new health plan, especially concerning heart health, it's a good idea to consult with a qualified physician. Working with your doctor, the approaches discussed here can assist with your cholesterol-lowering needs. Some people may be able to avoid prescription drugs altogether, while others may need drugs at the outset, but later may be able to transition to an all-natural cholesterol-lowering routine.

Author Bio:

Jonathan Sherman is co-creator of HeartHealthySolution.com, a website offering clinically-proven natural solutions for lowering cholesterol. When not researching heart health, he can be found enjoying the outdoors with his family.

Vibrant Ideas for Kids Bedroom Interior

Add colors in your kid’s life by incorporating several unique ideas to transform their old boring room into a comfortable and vivacious place. To equip them with more interesting, creative and imaginative surroundings add their personal dwelling with cool stuff. While decorating kid’s room you must keep in mind their gender, personality, space, their likes and dislikes. As for children a bedroom is more than just a place to sleep it is a place to do homework, play games, rough-house, read, day-dream, visit with friends and stockpile toys. Get up parents stop pondering and start working on your kid’s room. Be more creative and add some color to your kid’s life by applying following ideas to your kid’s room.

Give your little girls bed room a fantasy dream like look by creating a dream like enchanted feeling with butterflies flying around, painted French style furniture and piping on the headboard, in this feminine style scheme, brightly colored sheepskin rug inject a splash of color the room. Hanging a fabric in a soft, delicate pattern over a bed will instantly transform the room.

A boy’s room with union jack would definitely attract your kid. A floor to ceiling blackboard enhances this playful child’s room. The area is defined by using a contrasting neutral paint on surrounding walls, creating a boundary. Union Jack could be dotted around the quirky and eclectic children’s home office. Vintage furniture would give the room an industrial vibe, while colorful accents pop against a neutral backdrop.

Give life to the imagery fairy tales of your baby girls and decorate their room accordingly to give them the real fairy tale feel. Place Twinkle fairy castle bed with snow white bed sheet, wooden fairy Bedroom flower lamps, Mushroom cushion stepping stone, Fairy lights, Fairy dust craft, Girls Fancy Swirls Wall Decal Quote with Birds and Butterflies – Glittering Dust, Fairy Wings, Dreams, awesome fairytale mirror sticker, Woodland fairy  bedroom set, small colorful fairy doors. Use wall papers and wall hangings of Cinderella, Snow white, beauty and the beast, sleeping beauty etc. to give it a more fairy land look.

Kids with intense passion for sports would love to live in a sports themed room to get that sporty sensation. Add the accessories related to their favorite sport, for instance, soccer themed bed and bed cover, baseball cushions, basketball wall hanging or use racket, bat or hockey as wall hangings, football shaped wall clock, posters and wall papers of favorite sports man or team names, tennis themed rugs or carpets, curtains with prints of their favorite team logos like logo of Manchester United etc.

For children’s room in an attic, consider lining the walls with tongue and groove paneling; it is not only an authentic means of insulating the roof but adds an extra touch of character to the converted room space. Add a red spool bed with crochet wool blanket offers the ultimate in cozy charm. Create a mini image gallery on the wall featuring photos, pictures and wall décor.

Add a little imagination and creativity in your kid’s bedroom to give them a feeling that they have the world of their own with perfect surroundings.

About the Author:

James Allen writes about the vibrant ideas and themes in kid’s room interior, furthermore how you can make their bedroom more interesting by applying unique ideas and themes. He also loves to write about photos printed onto canvas.

How to Lighten Your Grocery Load

Living frugally is hard enough in this economy, none the less trying to eat smart and healthy. Despite your efforts, it still seems that you are spending too much money at the grocery store. Fortunately, there is a way to help lighten the financial load of your grocery bill and feed your family. The best way to do this is through gardening. It is simple, the more you can rely on your own crop, the less you have to depend on and spend at the grocery store. Whatever you cannot grow in your garden or backyard, buy at the grocery store.  

Gardening, some people love it, some people grimace at the mere thought of hoeing weeds, bending over, and watering plants. However, this could make quite a dent in your food budget. Fresh vegetables and fruit can be grown right on your property and enjoyed all summer long: green beans, peas, lima beans, potatoes, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, onions, spinach, lettuce, carrots, beets, and much more. Also, fruits like strawberries and grapes can be added to your garden while pear, apple, cherry and peach trees can be planted. These delicious and incredibly healthy fruits and vegetables can be grown right in your backyard and best of all lower grocery costs. Just think, with every bean and tomato you pick, you are saving money.  

What about the winter?

During the spring and summer, eating from the garden is simple and fun. But during the winter your money making garden now is on hold. Thankfully, in the spring, you have the option of growing more produce than you need. This way you can freeze and can your produce for the winter months. Most vegetables can be frozen and even canned, depending on how you want to eventually eat them. You can also freeze or can your fruits, that way you can enjoy them all winter long.

Eating out of your own garden is not only cheaper, but also healthier. You be confident in knowing where your food came from and what is in it. The fresh taste will become a hit, and gardening is a great activity for families to do together. You will be able to save a lot of money through gardening, while putting better, fresher, and more quality food into your body. It is a great way to combat high food prices and enjoy delicious fruits and vegetables straight from your backyard.     

Kelly Shertzer works in Web Marketing at Medical Support Products Inc. On the side she enjoys a life full of health and fitness.

Teen suicide and Cruelty in the Media

By Dennis Matthews

Every week we hear of another case of a young person committing suicide because of bullying at school, or on the internet. The all important Facebook post seems to have become the favorite place to exercise this particular form of digital cruelty. It does not help that the adults in the media are practicing the same form of cruelty on every new cast, entertainment show, and gossip website. Politics seems to be practicing a particularly malignant form of cruelty. But we’re all a little cruel, aren’t we?

Cruelty does not escape even the most loving mothers. When a mother is tense and tired, many times, she lets her child cry for milk for some time, ignoring the cries. The child does not understand any of his or her mother's problems, but only wants to be fed. It is not the child's mistake, but he or she is hurt. Why? There are husbands knowingly not trying to help their wives in household chores or wives knowing all about husband's career problems and still blaming him for small mistakes. Children being targeted for a physical attribute; size, shape, color, sexual orientation, we know this is not a new phenomenon. Are all these not parts of a cruel nature?

Companies not responding immediately to consumer's problems, consumers hammering the companies for smallest faults, lawsuits being filed for trivial matters, students made to over-achieve in the schools to get higher marks at the cost of their childhood, politicians accusing each other of crimes they never committed, and so many other such instances that can be cited to prove that somewhere in our life, we begin losing our compassion. Sadly, in most of the cases, we are not aware of our cruelty. We become aware of it only when we are targeted. Don't you agree that the world is slowly becoming a cruel world?

Is it not playing out before our very eyes in almost every form of media that we consume? Are not our children showing the symptoms of the mental and emotional abuse that this constant barrage of cruelty inevitably causes? Won’t there be permanent scars? If you kick a dog every day, won’t the dog be afraid of your foot every time he sees you walk near him? We react in much the same way as animals; except we have the power to exact vengeance on a world we believe has cruelly mistreated us; Jared Lee Loughner, James Eagan Holmes, Adam Lanza etc. We should all try to be more aware of our treatment of our fellow human-beings and fight the temptation to be cruel to one another.

Dennis Matthews is a writer, musician, husband and father of two wonderful daughters. He lives in New Jersey.

Benefits of White Kidney Bean Extract for Weight Loss

If you are tired of those spot fats and are a bit lazy to join the gym to lose them, you are not alone. After all, everybody under the sun wants to get into shape, though a majority don’t like sweating it out in the gym or foregoing their favorite foods to stick to a diet. But you can’t negate one fact – you must have a sound health to live a healthy life; and being overweight doesn’t allow you to enjoy life to the fullest. But people who need to lose weight often find it a hassle to go to the gym and do all those strenuous exercise. If you too belong to this league, white kidney bean extract is the ideal solution for you. It is such a product that helps you lose weight without doing a lot of exercises or following a strict diet. If that sounds interesting, here are some important facts about it.

What is white kidney bean extract?

This is a natural substance, commonly used as a  weight loss supplement. Acting as a natural starch-blocker, it reduces the absorption of carbohydrates and speeds up the process of weight loss. As studies have shown, white kidney bean extract plays a significant role in reducing the carbohydrate absorption in human body. Since carbohydrates are available in different sizes, ranging from single units to long polymer chains, it is important to break them down in their simplest form even before they are absorbed by the body.

How does it work?

Alpha-amylase, which is one of the main carbohydrate digesting enzymes that naturally occurs in your body, is prevented by the white kidney bean extract from breaking down carbohydrates into glucose. By delaying the process of alpha-amylase activity, white bean extract ensures that there exists only a little amount of glucose that can be turned into fat. By blocking this enzyme to act, white bean extract helps reduce the digestion of carbohydrates in the small intestine. As a result of this, the remaining carbohydrates that don’t get digested in the small intestine, pass through the body, before getting absorbed. Thus, it helps the process of weight loss. In other words, white kidney bean extract reduce the negative impact that carbohydrates have on fat metabolism, and at the same time, decrease the amount of total calories that are absorbed by your body.

Benefits of White kidney bean extract

There are a number of benefits that the intake of white kidney bean can bring your way. Let’s take a quick look at what you should expect when you use it as a supplement for weight loss –

• This extract helps reduce the absorption of starchy carbohydrates. So, foods like rice, potatoes, pasta, cereals and breads cannot affect the weight loss program that much adversely as they would have otherwise done.
• Fruits and vegetables that contain healthier carbohydrates are important for your health and this extract doesn’t purposefully reduce the absorption of these carbohydrates.
• White kidney bean extract is widely known as a supplement that helps in weight loss. But it is also used as an effective method of reducing abdominal fat as well as for preventing obesity.
• The intake of white kidney bean extract has shown a decreased fat volume in many users, without affecting their lean muscle mass.

Apart from working as a supplement for weight loss, white kidney bean extract controls blood sugar, offers protection against heart disease and diabetes, fights insulin resistance, gives a boost to your energy levels, thus improving your physical activities as well as athletic performances. It also helps prevent colon cancer and reduces symptoms of arthritis.

Side effects of white kidney bean extract

Though there is not much information available about the side effects of using this extract as a supplement to aid the weight loss, no harmful effects have been recorded till date. Certain minor side effects like nausea, gas, bloating, diarrhea etc. can occur after taking this extract on a regular basis for a certain period of time. Apart from that, it should be kept in mind that this extract should not be used by children, pregnant women or people who are undergoing some medical treatments and take medicines regularly to treat pre-existing diseases.

Where you can get it?

Though white kidney bean extract is widely available in many natural food stores, you can also buy it online. There are many websites that offer special discounts on them as well. However, you should ensure that you get the genuine product, which is why it’s advisable to buy it from reputed online stores. You can shop around a bit and choose the product that suits your requirements perfectly. You can also look for them in the stores that stock specialized dietary supplements. Use it after consulting your health expert or doctor in order to achieve the best possible results and that too, within a quick time frame.

Bio: This post was written by James Hundson fitness expertise. I research & write reviews on health, fitness, muscle building,supplements, weightloss, massage, yoga, diet, alternative medicine, sports, etc.

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