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Showing posts with the label family

8 Ways to Childproof your Home

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Being a parent is a major responsibility.  It takes a lot of work rearing a child.  We protect and take care of our children until they are old enough to take care of themselves. Making the home a child proof is one of the first steps we need to consider as soon as our child begin to crawl or walk. Though, home childproofing may not be 100% effective against unwanted injury, taking extra safety measures is needed to reduce the risk of unintentional injury by hazards in and around the home. Here are some ways to childproof your home that will keep your family safe. Door knob covers Using door knob and door handle covers will prevent kids from entering areas and rooms with possible risk or danger. Cabinets and Drawers safety latches Installing safety locks or latches on cabinets and drawers especially in the kitchen can help prevent access to sharp objects, household cleaners and medicines. Playpen A playpen is a form of childproofing . It will allow you less child super

Family Bonding Suggestions during Covid-19 Pandemic

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During the past few months of COVID-19 pandemic and until now, many find themselves within the confines of their homes. My family and I are no exceptions. With all the time in the world, anyone would expect that it will be easy to bond with the people they are with. As so it happens, it is not that simple. There are many things to choose from, and many preferences that need to be met. Most importantly though, you are looking to make the experience of family bonding as fun as possible.  While there have been many articles explaining how to build bonds , bonding activities are still mostly subjective. It is best to take your time and see which activities works best for you and the people around you. Here are some suggestions for bonding activities you should try to partake in! Binge Watching Shows! Binge watching is not a new activity, but it is the best family bonding activity right now. By having a show that everyone in the house watches, you are guaranteed to have a topic at the d

Practical Advise For People Going Through A Divorce

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Getting a divorce is a traumatic time for everybody involved. If you have decided to divorce your husband, you need some advice. Going through this period alone will be tough. You should make sure that you have the help and support of your family around you before you do anything. Your social support will be important during this period. After the divorce, you might not feel like yourself. Loads of people say that they feel lost in the first few weeks after a separation. Here is some practical advice that might help. Get some space Of course, you want space from your ex, but you need space from everybody else too. When you have gone through a divorce, everybody has something to say about it. Before you face people, you should take some time to be alone. You will need to answer loads of questions when you see people. For now, you should take some time to think about what has happened to your relationship . Book yourself a mini-break or take a few days away from home. You

The Importance Of A Family Photoshoot For Capturing Special Memories

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All the special reasons why you should go along for a family photoshoot… Whether you have been for a family photoshoot before or not, you will understand how valuable and special the images captured can be.  Professional photographers will have plenty of experience about how to make your children smile, laugh and generally enjoy themselves, so that every picture captures a natural happy moment.  Although nowadays we are spoilt for choice with the sheer variety of cameras and phones with high-quality cameras, the images still don’t compare to those taken in a studio.  So, it may seem like a mammoth task to get all your family looking smart and on their best behaviour to go along to a photography studio. Once there though, you and your family will no doubt have a blast and come away with some wonderful captured memories to last a lifetime.  Let’s have a look at some of the great reasons why booking in for a family photoshoot is definitely worth your time… Professio

An Easy Access Tub Helps Your Parents Remain Safe at Home

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Many of us have aging or disabled parents who want to retain their independence. They want to remain in their own familiar homes where they have built their memories. They do not want to move into a small apartment in a retirement center or a single room in a nursing home As their children or grandchildren, though, we notice when they begin to have difficulty with balance and mobility. We worry that could be injured if they fall. A fall in the bathtub is especially worrying, but there are two options. You can install grab bars and purchase a shower bench, or you can install  an  easy access tub   like a walk-in tub. Grab Bars and Shower Benches Grab bars are bolted to the wall, while one end of a shower bench sits outside of the tub and the other end sits inside the tub. The bench has a handrail on each end, a slip resistant seat, and rubber tips on the legs. It may have a depression for a bar of soap. Your parent will sit down on one end, lift his or her legs over the edge

Spoil Your Dad With Your Love This Father's Day

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Of all the holidays in the year, Father’s Day is my favorite. I love being able to show my dad just how much he means to me, as well as to my children. They might have their own wonderful father - my husband, but my kids also have a close bond with their grandfather. I am thankful for many things in my life - my husband and children, our good health, and our happy home. But one thing that I am thankful for above all else is my dad. Ever since I was a child, I have been extremely close to him; no matter what ups and downs I have faced, he has always been there for me. From the moment his first child was born, my dad has always been an incredible hands-on father. From playing with us as children to being there to support us as we grew, there is nothing he hasn’t helped us through. me and my Dad For everything my father has done for me, Father’s Day gives me a chance to say a little thank you by showing him how much I care. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that the

Five Steps to an Early Retirement

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Early retirement is an ambitious and worthwhile goal – and despite the doom and gloom in and around financial markets since the Global Financial Crisis (GFC), early retirement is possible. All you need is a well thought out plan and some clearly defined action steps to set you on the road – and then it’s just a matter of following your course and staying focused until your goals are reached. Below are five steps to planning your early retirement – why not get started today? image source: pixabay.com Be Clear About Your Goals Take some time to get very, very clear about what you want to do in your retirement. And how early is ‘early’? Are you thinking of travelling? Starting a business? Just doing up your home, or alternatively upsizing or downsizing at all? Think carefully about these questions, as your answers will inform your plan and how you go about executing your roadmap to early retirement. Once you know where you’re going, you can work out the best way to get there.

Daily housekeeping routine for families with babies

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If you have a newborn baby, you have to start looking after, your priorities will be changed and your household work may become the last thing you want to do. There is a way to cope with both your parenting responsibilities and housekeeping, without sacrificing one of them. Using the baby carrier you can do your household chores and take care of your newborn, without a problem. Use these ideas for creating a successful housekeeping routine. Image credits to: Dave C - https://flic.kr/p/6k7FVk It's good to separate your household work between your family members. Everyone should know their responsibilities and do their part. You can also put a list with the tasks that needs to be done. Most daily housekeeping routines should include making the beds, putting clothes and children's toys on their places, washing the dishes, polishing counter tops, stoves, etc. The garbage should be thrown away in the proper places or moved to be recycled. If you have pet animals, you need

Wise Family Investments: Setting Up A Trust Fund

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During these tough economic times, investing in your child’s future is one of the wisest structured family investments that you can make. Despite the squeeze on household finances, more and more families nowadays find that it’s vital and practical for every child to have the best possible start in life through investing in a financial support scheme. A trust fund can be comprised of properties, cash, bonds or stocks intended to provide financial security and benefits to an individual. The amount of money invested in a child trust fund is a long-term savings that encourage parents to save for their child’s future. The recipient can withdraw the money only until a specified event occurs or when he reaches 18 years of age that he can already be eligible to receive a yearly income from the fund. Trust fund is about giving beneficiary money that your child needs but not providing them full control over the investment.  You need to delegate a trustee who will be in charge

Simple Snapshots: Background Ideas For Your Next Photoshoot

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As your kids grow, and your life as a family evolves and changes, capturing precious moments before time flies by can become very important. One way many families do this is with annual or regular family photoshoots, bringing everyone together to create some great family memories that you’ll be able to cherish, and show off for years to come. Creating an interesting and meaningful background with your photoshoot without having it overpower the main focus (which is, of course, your family) can be tricky. Next time you’re planning a photoshoot, think about trying one of these backgrounds. Nature Nothing makes a more beautiful background than a picturesque location provided by Mother Nature. Whether it’s a park, a hiking trail, a lake or pond, or just your own back yard, getting outside with your photographer can help provide some really beautiful moments. With this selection, you’ll want to work with your photographer on finding a time and location with lighting that will w

Important Questions to Ask during a Nanny Interview

A service of a Nanny is needed when both parents are working in corporate offices or managing a family business who usually have less time spent during the day in our homes to take care and cater the needs of our young kids. We need somebody whom we can entrust our little ones while we are out of the house. It is very hard to find a good and confident baby sitter nowadays, so it very important for us to pre-screen them very well before availing their services. Before moving on to the interview portion, take a look on her credentials. For me these three records are very essential to be examined first before I proceed on to the interrogation part. Resume  Recent Police Clearance or NBI Clearance Medical certificate Here’s a list of important questions we should ask during a nanny interview. When was your last employment on childcare or nanny job? Why did you ended your services with your prior employer? Let her explain the reasons, from there you could already t

Thrills on Wheels: How to Have the Perfect Family Cycling Adventure

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Weekends are to families what a fallen morsel of bread is to an army of ants- they’re both something keenly looked forward to.   After a long and tiring work or school week, all parents and kids can think about is a much-needed respite.  If spending hours at the mall no longer sounds appealing to you, why not try doing something different together as a family- like cycling?  If the idea of cycling is totally alien to you, here are some tips on how to have an awesome time cycling with the family: Safety comes first Before anything else, make sure yours and the kids’ bikes are safe to ride on.  If you hardly know anything about bikes, have an expert do a safety check on your wheels before you hit the road.  The brakes should work, of course.  Comfort is also important.  The height of the bike should be proportional to your height, and suspension has to be sufficient, in order to cushion the blow when you hit bumps on the road. 

3 Great Escapes for the Adventurous Family

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The time has swung around once again. The family holiday. Instead of packing the kids into the back of the car, plying them with electronic games and portable DVD players, avoiding their pleas of stopping here and pausing there (or fielding petulant requests to just take them home already), discard your plans for another cross country/state/town trip and inject a little excitement into their lives. Once we reach a certain age, we stop being adventurous, favouring caution instead, but what if I told you that adventure will bring everybody closer together? No more forced bonding moments or tense discussion about stuff or school or friends you don’t like, actual mutual discovery and affirming moments. Sound fun? Great, keep reading. image courtesy of Sura Nualpradid - FreeDigitalPhotos.Net The Great Barrier Reef, Australia Take a dive Down Under and revel in the beauty of an underwater wonderland, bustling with life and colourful corals. The kids won’t have time to get bored,

A Sensible Way To Buy Quality Baby Products For Less!

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Having a baby can bring so much wonder and happiness in our home. The little bundle of joy, the newest member of the family brings heavenly cheerfulness yet can also cost a great deal especially when it comes to buying infant items such as food, formula, diapers, clothing and accessories. As parents, we want our little one to have everything he needs and ensure that he gets only the best ones even if it means for us to go a little more than our budget. We can actually stay within a reasonable budget and still avail quality infant products for less through discount tickets for necessary items like babyoye coupons . With discounted vouchers we can shop among top baby brands for less! Thus, getting the best products for our little one without compromising the family’s finances. Photo credits:  David Castillo Dominici – FreeDigitalPhotos.Net Save on Diapers and Formula The biggest percentage of expenses associated with raising a tot goes to diapers and infant formula. Most p

What to do as Grandparents During a Child's Divorce

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If any of your children are going through a divorce, your role as a grandparent is about to really experience some major changes. Your days of being the babysitter, having fun times in the park and late night sleepover coordinator just became much more complicated. You now have to consider all the emotions of your child, your grandchild, your child's spouse and the other grandparents. These are not easy times, but here are a few suggestions for getting through this rough patch. The divorce is now public knowledge, and your job as grandparent should remain the same with your grandchildren. Your goal should now be to try and make those visits in your home as close to the visits were before the divorce. You want to try and give the children some normalcy, and you want to give them almost a safe haven where they can feel like things were before the divorce. Children do not understand all the complications that arise with a divorce, and many children blame themselves for the brea

Breastfeeding benefits both mother and child

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Mother and child bonding usually starts during pregnancy but the unique bonding experience between the mother and child created by breastfeeding is beyond compare.  Some young and first time mothers were misled thinking that infant formula does very well as a substitute for breast milk, maybe because of lack of awareness or due to the abundance of different feeding formula available in the market. The fact remains that the human milk is unique as it protects the health of the child by providing a special nutrition. Breastfeeding should begin as soon as possible after giving birth in order for the infant to nourish the thick yellow liquid called colostrum, the first breast milk which is very rich in antibodies and nutrients. In order for your baby to get the colostrum he needs, he must be fed every 1-3 hours or 8-12 times within 24 hours after birth as his tiny stomach can only hold a small amount of milk.  Babies must be breastfed on his first 6 months to continue until 12 mon

My son and his guitar, making beautiful music

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My youngest son’s summer music lessons have been a successful fulfillment in his desire to learn how to play the guitar. A recital after a month’s session has proven that his skill in taking on this musical instrument has dramatically improved, as he does not only learn how to strum the guitar but also can read notes and chords. Because he wants to learn more, he asked me and his dad’s permission if we will allow him to continue with his guitar lessons on a weekend basis as school year is about to begin by first week of June. Naturally, we said yes, we want him to hone his talent and skill in guitar playing but in one condition that he will also make good in his academic performance as well. Automatically, he answered it’s a deal so we enrolled him again for another set of guitar sessions and made arrangements with his weekend schedule. Earl’s Music Learning Center is the music school wherein my son, Yahmir took his summer guitar lessons. It is administrated by two young entreprene

Dapper and Distinguished Gift Ideas for Dad

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Father’s day is an exclusive occasion to mark and honor the deeds and sacrifices of a father who always works hard tirelessly to make a difference in his child’s life. His endless support being the pillar of strength of every child and his most oftentimes misunderstood discipline in raising good and well-rounded children is what it takes to be a great dad. On this special day, take time out to appreciate and show admiration for your own dad. We can show love and express gratitude in many ways. Choosing dapper and distinguished gift ideas for dad may seem a little hard and tricky.   Here are some important things to remember when buying a special gift for father. Think of his interests and hobbies. If he is engaged in watching movies or reading books and newspaper in his spare time, a best seat in the house will most likely be well appreciated.   How about buying him a lazy boy or a set of coffee table with a comfortable arm chair?

Special Maternal Bond on Mother’s Day

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What it takes to be a mother? Being a mom does not end by just giving birth to a child. It encompasses great job and responsibility done in an incomparable manner. No words can convey the heroism and majesty of a mother’s unconditional love. We may be having and enjoying a lot of beautiful things around us but there’s only one mother in our life. Celebrating a special maternal bond this Mother’s day can let her feel how important she is to us – her children. Aside from her birthday and special family occasions, to treat her like a queen in this time of the year where the whole world celebrate and honor all mothers around the globe is indeed something exceptional that she will cherish and always remember. Our beloved mothers deserve more than just a bouquet of flowers. A mother who loves her children more than herself ought to have an extraordinary day full of fun and surprises. Mom and me when I was still a child

5 of Brisbane's Best Parks to Capture Your Next Family Portrait

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Residents of Brisbane are fortunate that they live in a very green city. It is a city full of open spaces and parks that are fantastic for families. There are hundreds of parks in Brisbane, and these parks make ideal spots to take a family portrait in. Here is a guide to five of the most beautiful parks in Brisbane that you can use as the setting for your next family portrait. 1. Roma Street Parkland This is perhaps the most elegant park in Brisbane. There are lots of manicured lawns and hedges that you can use as the backdrop for a family portrait. There are fountains, artworks and statures that can be incorporated into the composition of your portrait as well. There are also lots of flowers planted in Roma Street Parkland that add a lot of beauty to the surroundings. 2. Sandgate Foreshore Though this is not the typical city park that is full of grass, Sandgate Foreshore still makes a pretty setting for families to get their portraits taken in. This is a long stretch of beau