But the long wait is over now and here is the reason for not being active on the blog and the cyber world. I’ve become mom again and the newest member of the [...]]]>

Hi all, I’m sorry for being absent from blog for a long time without giving you an update on recent happenings.

But the long wait is over now and here is the reason for not being active on the blog and the cyber world. I’ve become mom again and the newest member of the family is a baby boy born on 20th Feb 2012.

I’ll be back to blogging soon with some fresh ideas. I am thankful to all my loyal readers for being there.

Right now I feel so overwhelmed with a mailbox brimming full of emails, comments, my newborn baby and a preschooler who feels she is getting ignored by her mommy.

Related Posts:

• No Related Posts

This guest post is filled with practical tips for new moms on giving baby a massage the right way. Though I have been a mommy for more than three years now but this is something I overlooked the first time. But this time I want to be more prepared than the first time [...]]]>

This guest post is filled with practical tips for new moms on giving baby a massage the right way. Though I have been a mommy for more than three years now but this is something I overlooked the first time. But this time I want to be more prepared than the first time and these tips are really good for an expecting mom like me.  

There is a long list of reasons why you should be giving your baby a massage, so it is surprising that few parents actually take the time to do it. As an adult, you enjoy a massage to soothe sore and exhausted muscles and invoke relaxation, but a baby gets a lot more out of a massage than just the feeling of being pampered.

Why Massage a Baby?

• Emotional bond – Interestingly, a routine massage is suggested to improve the bond that you have with your child.

• Improved Overall Health – Massaging a baby can improve digestion, sleeping patterns, circulation and muscle tone. It also stimulates all body systems.

• Developmental – Massage can help with coordination and cognitive development.

• Other – Additional benefits that baby receives through massage includes, reduced stressed for parent and child and relives symptoms of colic.

Getting Started

A massage is only as good as the environment that surrounds it. Trying to give a massage while watching a loud television in a bright room is not very soothing. Make sure that the room is a comfortable temperature and free of drafts; experts suggest 75 degrees Fahrenheit as being ideal. The room should be quiet, but soothing music or the sound from a fountain can be nice.

Always make sure that you have at least 20 to 30 minutes to devote. Turn your phone off and give your baby your full attention. As a general rule, strokes should move from the center of the body outward, all movements should be repeated on both sides. Most importantly, if you use an oil, always make sure that it is an edible oil, such as virgin olive oil, sweet almost, pumpkin seed or calendula. Never use mineral oil! It contains neurotoxins and can stop the skin from breathing. Not to mention, if it is on their hands and they put their fingers in their mouth, you are just asking for serious health problems, both short-term and long-term!

Massage Techniques

Always be very gentle and observant of how your child reacts to different techniques. You will eventually learn that they like and dislike certain things.

• Rolling Massage – Your baby should be laying or sitting as you begin at the thigh or shoulder and roll down the limbs. Gently massage the limbs back and forth as if you are rolling out a long piece of dough to create a pretzel.

• Milking Massage – As the name implies, the movement is quite similar to milking a cow. You form a bracelet with your hands around the upper arm or thigh and slowly slide your hands downward to the wrist or ankle.

• Bicycle and Butterfly – This is a fantastic technique to stimulate digestion and circulation. While your baby is on their back, hold their feet or ankles. Now, gently move them in a way that looks like they are riding a bicycle. The knees should come up to the stomach without causing any discomfort. When you are ready to do the upper body, you hold their wrists, bringing them in toward their chest and then moving them outward like a fluttering butterfly.

• Waterwheel – If your baby has a tummy ache, this is a good technique to promote digestion and soothe discomfort. Very gently start at an outer edge and slowly move your hands, one after the other like a waterwheel.

You may find that your baby enjoys being talked to in a soothing voice. Massage is a great addition to a bedtime routine as well. Follow the massage up with a warm bath, a story and a kiss, and they will likely fall asleep right away, and possibly stay asleep even longer!

Author Bio: Find the perfect nanny or become one yourself at Nanny.net.

Related Posts:

• Having A Baby For the First Time? How to Prepare
• Lessons of a Mom
• Great Websites for Moms To Be
• Getting to Know Anila Weldon of WELDON MOMS!
• Taking Care of Toddler’s Teeth

Today I am going to share with you an easy homemade rosewater recipe. As the name implies rosewater is made of roses. Rose is one of the most beautiful flowers with luscious scent and rosewater is a natural astringent.

I am a big fan of DIY and homemade and I’m always on the [...]]]>

Today I am going to share with you an easy homemade rosewater recipe. As the name implies rosewater is made of roses. Rose is one of the most beautiful flowers with luscious scent and rosewater is a natural astringent.

I am a big fan of DIY and homemade and I’m always on the lookout for ways to make things at home. It gives me a feeling of accomplishing something and it also helps me maintain green, healthy and organic lifestyle.

There are many uses of rose water.

Cooking/Baking

You can use it in cooking/baking, baths. Check out this great recipe of rosewater cupcakes and Kheer/Rice Pudding recipe. Both of these recipes require rosewater.

Body and Bath

It is great toner for your skin. In Summers spray it on your face to keep your skin moisturized and fresh. For winters you can make a great hand and body lotion which can also serve as a natural facial cleanser. I have been using this lotion for several years now. Here is my tried and tested recipe for making this lotion.

Glycerin, Lemon and Rosewater Lotion

Pour it in water while taking a bath to be fresh and scented all day.

Now that I have told you many benefits and uses of rosewater, I am going to share with you an easy method to make your own rosewater at home.

You should choose home grown roses to make your rosewater for maximum benefits.

You will need;

1. Rose Petals 2 handfuls
2. Distilled Water 2 cups
3. A Glass Jar

Method

• Take fresh or dried rose petals and put them in a glass jar.
• Cover it with boiling water.
• Seal the jar with lid.
• Let it set overnight.

See how easy it is! Now you can use it in your food and beauty recipes. 

Related Posts:

• Glycerin, Lemon and Rosewater Lotion
• Mums DIY Pamper Guide
• Enhance your Beauty with Aloe Vera
• Kheer Recipe

Of course, everything sails along smoothly under clear, sunny skies; but rainy days create special opportunities for family fun and games. Next time the rain falls from morning until night, carpe diem!

As you plan rainy day activities, keep in mind developmental psychologists forcefully deliver one unforgettable message: You are your children’s favorite [...]]]>

Of course, everything sails along smoothly under clear, sunny skies; but rainy days create special opportunities for family fun and games. Next time the rain falls from morning until night, carpe diem!

As you plan rainy day activities, keep in mind developmental psychologists forcefully deliver one unforgettable message: You are your children’s favorite plaything and companion, and rainy days will be far more fun for your children and you when you share activities. The experts stress you have only a couple of years between the time your child starts walking and talking and the time she starts school. Every minute is precious, because you prepare your child for her solo ventures into the world, and you create priceless memories for both of you. Similarly, with older children, you have only a couple of good years before they go off to college and get real lives of their own.

• Go on outdoor adventures. Devoted fans of Winnie the Pooh remember that Christopher Robin didn’t care what kind of weather it was so long as he could be out in it. Most kids share Christopher Robin’s opinion. In a slow, steady all-day rain, nothing—absolutely nothing—is better than making a mess in some good clean mud. For health-conscious moms, allergists reassure that children who get good and dirty have fewer allergies and fewer allergy attacks than children who stay perfectly clean and tidy all the time. For moms with light-colored carpets and beautiful hardwood floors, the veterans point out that the kids are already wet; just hose them off, and then get them straight into a hot bath.

• Cook and bake. Always fun, cooking and baking are extra fun on rainy days, when beefy chili or a hearty soup and biscuits or muffins are extra appealing. Experienced, strategic moms encourage the kids to make a mess in the kitchen while they’re preparing their favorite recipes, because a good mess enhances the fun factor; but, more importantly, getting the kids to an added bonus: After a long morning of cooking and cleaning, kids eat well at lunch and then take good, long naps.clean-up their mess assures that both they and the kitchen end-up cleaner and neater than when they began. Mom’s point out

 
• Break-out the butcher paper. A 1000-foot roll of butcher paper costs about $17 at a restaurant supply store, and kid-savvy moms agree that $17 investment pays dividends for years. Of course, the butcher paper gives you an inexhaustible source of art and craft paper, and it encourages kids to draw big pictures, so they have a lot to color. Butcher paper also is great for making big books and ginormous cross-words; it works especially well for making story boards or scroll stories. In fact, most moms recommend you simply set-out the roll, some scissors, crayons, and other basic art goods, allowing the kids’ imaginations to guide them to all kinds of unexpected fantasy destinations.

 
• Play your favorite board games. The Parker Brothers surely had rainy days in mind when they invented “Clue” and “Monopoly.” Among fiercely competitive ‘tweens and young teens, a hotly contested game of “Monopoly” can continue all day, especially when accompanied by good snacks and their favorite Disney Channel shows in the background. Card games have similar appeal. Uno, of course, is a perennial favorite, but you may want to prepare the kids for summer sleep-over camp by teaching them the basics of Texas Hold ‘Em.

• Books! Read them, write them, illustrate them. Of course, left to their own devices, kids gleefully will spend entire days glued to the television set—easy, but neither healthy nor genuinely fun. You can, of course, help the kids make imaginary movies in their minds’ eyes by reading to them. No one ever met a child who did not love having an adult read to him or her. Harry Potter is a rainy-day natural; so are the Lemony Snicket Series of Unfortunate Events . Really to engage kids’ imaginations and get them writing their own amazing, adventure-filled stories, look for Chris VanAllsburg’s The Mysteries of Harris Burdick, a brilliantly illustrated collection of provocative story starters.

If your children are a little older, you may want to borrow a page from the Mary Poppins playbook: “In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun.” Seize the opportunity to clean-out the closets and toy boxes, collecting items for donation; or take the day to deep-clean floors and walls and rearrange furniture in the kids’ bedrooms. Add music and a little competition, and these terrible tasks can become fun and games.

Photo credits: Sky Arts Interactive Masterpiece by futureshape/flickr; Reading is fun by John-Morgan/flickr; Life by Will Folsom/flickr

Author Thomas Hathaway is a financial consultant and suggests there are times when instant payday loans may come in handy while waiting for your regular paycheck date.

Related Posts:

• How to Make Arts and Crafts Fun (Even if You’re Not a Naturally Crafty Parent)
• Online Games for Preschool Kids