Pregnancy itself can be one the greatest wonders in the world. One of the unique types of pregnancy is twin pregnancy which recently has grown exponentially all over the world. Some experts believe twin pregnancy is risky at some points. There is always the possibility of a complex situation for both babies. The fact of the matter is that the pregnancy, in many aspects, can be risky for a woman unless she is completely healthy. Still, there are many women who end up carrying out a successful twin pregnancy. To study and learn more, search the topic online.

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There are so many parents who really care about the fashion of their babies. Whether you live in Europe or in the United States, a European baby boutique can offer a whole range of different fashions in baby outfits. Fashion is important because it enriches a person’s lifestyle and at the same time, represents the personality of the person.  This is why some parents pay a lot of attention to the fashion of their babies. If you want to start exploring your options, you can search online to understand and learn more about European baby boutiques and baby fashion.

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The Web is a great place to search for baby shower gifts. When shopping for a present for the future mommy, it’s important that you get something adorable, but at the same time, also practical. Children’s clothing can give you a chance to score both. If the coming baby is a boy, military baby clothing makes a unique gift. These clothes range from army T-shirts to army onesies so you’ll have plenty of choice. Baskets baby gift are also baby gifts that have stood the test of time. When purchasing kids’ gift baskets, make sure that the package has all the essentials such as terry washing cloths, baby bath items and other treats that will pamper the new mommy.

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If you are on the lookout for a lucrative business then you might want to consider opening a childrens discount boutique clothes. Given the recession that’s affecting many families today, most people are looking for great deals where they can purchase good-quality products without burning a hole through their pockets. Add some baby boy gifts and baby girl gifts to your store since you can bet that giving gifts to babies is a practice that will never fade out. You might also want to feature a clothing line that carries apparel for infants, toddlers, a 1st birthday dress and more.

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Gift baskets make a fantastic baby shower gift. If you have a friend or a family member who is about to welcome a baby boy or girl, a baby basket will make a very thoughtful and practical present. Once you have found the ideal baby boutique to shop from, be sure to explore your options. There are baby gift baskets that come in various color themes. These baskets feature many baby essentials and toys such as a stuffed teddy, baby’s body wash, a bib, baby booties and a picture frame for the baby’s first picture. Baby shower gift baskets are also no longer limited to your traditional basket. Some are designed as a flower bouquet, wheelbarrows and more.

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Think back to when you were a child. Now think of the word “holidays.” What immediately springs to mind?

For me, it was…

Me, about 2, visiting Old Mr Keith’s farm for eggs.

When I asked Dad 101, his responses were;

With my cousins, on holidays.

It is now summer in Australia and many families are enjoying school holiday time together. I do however wonder if the simple pleasures of holidays a generation ago; when holidays were about doing fun, hands on things together as extended family – fishing, beach combing, bushwalking, camping – and children had more freedom to roam and explore (innocently) in *gasp*gangs playing outdoors; have been lost.

Have we traded the opportunity to create our own family fun for overseas flights, five star hotels and room service? Sure, we may visit a faraway, tropical oasis and swim but rarely do hotels provide space and resources for kids to TRULY BE KIDS. Kids Clubs have replaced cubby building. The Nintendo DS and portable DVD player are poor substitutes for making campfires or baiting a hook. Do we take a tour, rather than explore (as a family) for ourselves? How many of our children have caught dinner, cleaned and eaten it?

I wonder if, in our own desire to escape the pressures of busy working lives, we adults choose family holidays that suit our own need for an easy, luxurious getaway?

Like everything in our lives these days, I believe it is all about balance. Yes, it is nice that more families today have the means and opportunity to consider a broader range of family holiday options. I just hope that sometimes we choose the simpler ones for the sake of our children.

What words spring to mind when you think of childhood holidays? Can the same be said for the experiences of your own children?

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Bean was overtired and refused to go to bed,
While visions of yogurt and banana danced in his head,
Psych Mama in her sweats and an old knit cap,
Donned her gloves all ready to pack.

When out in the garage there arose such a clatter,
Psych Mama sprang from the kitchen to see what was the matter,
There was Psych Daddy all ready to help,
With boxes turned over as they fell from the shelf.

Reassured that Psych Daddy was not hurt from the spill,
Psych Mama noticed that he looked a bit ill,
His cheeks were flushed and rosy red,
He’ll be no help today as he has to go to bed.

Psych Mama took up the cleaning by herself,
As she dusted and vacuumed and took down the little elf,
The boxes finally packed, she exclaimed a sarcastic cheer,
“Thank goodness it’s over! Happy New Year!”

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One simple thing I quite like to do is set out an indoor picnic afternoon tea for Immy to enjoy after her nap.

As you can see, it really is simple. If you look in the picture, you will see the following;

• A silk scarf for the picnic rug (purchased at a thrift store). I really like scarves as they can be used for so many play experiences. A scarf can be anything from a swaddle for a baby to a superhero cape.
• Some ‘friends’ to share the meal with. This encourage Immy to engage in a dramatic, social play experience with her dolls and puppy and extends the fun out into other areas, it is no longer just about afternoon tea.
• Immy’s afternoon tea served in a little wooden bowl. I think this makes such a nice change from plastic or melamine (this is one of a set of four, also from the thrift shop).
• A teapot and cups (Immy uses the little silver egg cups as cups) to share tea with her toys.
• A little red bag, like a picnic bag it has some teaspoons and napkins inside.

Of course, your picnic setting could look entirely different, it really depends upon what engages your child to play. A picnic with dinosaurs served in a tent cave would be fun or a picnic on a beach towel with everyone wearing swimmers and sunglasses.

The point is, you are using the opportunity to set the stage for learning, yes, social/dramatic play like this is learning for young children. Taking a minute to present a fun experience in an attractive manner influences your child’s desire to explore and inquire. And, it really does take just a minute.

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A Little About Me (Amanda)

I am the Editor and one of the original founders of The Mom Crowd. There hasn’t been any drastic change in my life unless you count adding a second child into the mix this year. I feel that it is time for me and my co-writers to end this phase of our lives. The Mom Crowd has grown to be a wonderful, successful blog, but to take it to the next level of blogging would require more time than I am able to give the site. Blogging is so much more than writing blog posts, in fact that is the easy part! Blogging also includes marketing, networking, accounting, updating design, adding new features, search engine optimization, promotion emails and planning the blogs future. I don’t have time to keep all of it going.

As a result of The Mom Crowd ending in my life I am excited about devoting this new found time to new projects. I have a personal blog that got sorely ignored and I can’t wait to revive it. I want to blog more about my family and my random thoughts that aren’t necessarily related to motherhood. So you can find me over there. (You can also find Dawn at her personal blog and Amelia at her blog as well.)

This next year I have some new opportunities to serve at my church, River City Community Church. I also plan on helping my husband in a bigger role with his web development business, Grow Development. I am excited about the new opportunities that I have to serve others and help my family in 2010.

Finally, I helped create The Mom Crowd 3 months after quitting my full time Human Resources career. I needed a creative outlet that let me use my brain. This has been an amazing project and I have learned so much about leading a team, accounting, and networking! I think I am definitely more confident in my role as a Stay at Home Mom and I don’t need a successful project to define what I do now. I will be forever grateful for the bridge that The Mom Crowd created for me.

Thank You!

Thank you all so much for reading and commenting. Thank you to the sponsors of The Mom Crowd. Our goal has always been to encourage, inspire, and inform moms. My hope is that The Mom Crowd has helped you in some small way in your life. Thank you from the bottom of my Texas-sized heart for your comments and reading The Mom Crowd!

Our History

I co-founded The Mom Crowd 2.5 years ago with my friend McKenna. Together we brainstormed a name, design, blog posts topics, and the future of our site. We felt that we had information and encouragement for new moms to share with our friends. McKenna has expertise in Down syndrome and loves to research everything. I brought my own excitement of building a website and my knowledge of breastfeeding and natural child birth to the table. We felt like we could conquer the internet world and even host a conference one day! I registered a DBA and opened business bank account and got ready to launch August of 2007.

McKenna and I quickly realized that it takes a lot of time to write meaningful content 5 times a week. So we asked my friend Amelia to join us. Amelia has 3 boys, is a Bradley birth instructor, and shared our love of investigating motherhood. Amelia brought honesty and transparency through some of her mothering events and some interesting propositions to The Mom Crowd. Our site would not have been the same without her.

As the blog grew I needed more help with content so I could work on marketing and with advertisers on the site. Myself, McKenna, and Amelia all agreed to include our friend and frequent-commenter, Dawn. Dawn’s original title was “Pop Culture Correspondent.”  She wrote about movies and television shows portraying motherhood. She later wrote more about her own motherhood lessons with her children. These last few months she began writing our wonderful Abiding Monday series focusing on being a woman and a Christian. I am so thankful for the friendship that grew between Dawn as we worked together on The Mom Crowd and other projects.

This past Summer in 2009 McKenna stepped down from contributing on The Mom Crowd and we invited Christy to join our team. I hadn’t seen her in person in 14 years. She brought a fresh look at motherhood with her experience with Juvenile Diabetes and her amazing frugal sense. Christy is a wonderful mother and a great writer. I will always be thankful for her insight and time that she gave The Mom Crowd.

We have had some fun here on The Mom Crowd. Along the way McKenna and I thought we were going to be big internet stars and created a web show called, “The Mom Crowd Show!” We wanted to be the Diggnation or CommandN of motherhood. It was fun to film, but a heck of a lot of time to edit, render, and upload. We didn’t have the tools and equipment to make this happen full time, but we had a lot of laughs filming.

The focus of The Mom Crowd was always changing. In 562 blog posts we have focused a lot on Down syndrome, breastfeeding, natural child birth, being frugal, pop culture, and recently Christianity. I have loved every post and learned so much here.

Check Out These 10 Blogs

If you have enjoyed The Mom Crowd, here are 10 other blogs that I enjoy and I think you will too:

• Like a Warm Cup of Coffee- Sara Mae writes wonderful posts on Christianity, motherhood, and many other subjects. She is also fun to follow on Twitter.

• Kristi Stephens – Kristi loves researching the Bible and sharing deep insights in scripture. I love that she is real and isn’t afraid to share who she is online. Kristi is one to watch in up and coming blogs.

• Big Mama – Seriously funny. I had the privilege to have lunch with her one day and pick her brain about blogging. Sometimes I happen to sit on the same row with her at church. She is as funny in person as she is on her blog.

• Sarah Markley – I found Sarah’s site, because MommyZabs often posts links to Sarah’s posts on Facebook and Twitter. Sarah posts sometimes say what I am thinking. She wrote her post about temptation and marriage around the same time I wrote my post on the same subject.

• San Diego Momma – I got to meet Deb the writer behind San Diego Momma a few months after starting The Mom Crowd. She blogs unabashedly about her weaknesses and experiences with her own brand of wit and creativity.

• Firemom at Stop, Drop, and Blog – I somehow became a follower of Firemom on Twitter. I then read her profound story of her daughter and life with her boys. The blog is great and fun, be sure to check it out!

• Happy Mom Amy at Makes Mom Happy – For product reviews, be sure to check out Makes Mom Happy and follow Amy on Twitter. She is a great follow and nice person. She really is happy and you never hear her crabbing much.

• Women Living Well – I found Courtney’s site through Kristi. Courtney has been on Rachael Ray showcasing traditional marriage and motherhood. Her site is helpful and encouraging to all women.

• Run Faster Mommy – If you are a runner, you must read Heather’s running blog. She is encouraging and helped me out a lot when I was confused about breastfeeding and marathon-training.

• Mom Bloggers Club – Technically this is not a blog, but I have to plug The Mom Bloggers Club. This is a great site to discuss blogging, meet friends online, and join groups. The founder, Jennifer James, is very nice and sincere. I really enjoy hanging out over there.

Phew! There are so many GREAT blogs out there. I could keep listing more. A lot of Mommy Blogs have started and have become successful since The Mom Crowd started 2.5 years ago. I am proud to have been a part of the mommy blog movement and I can’t wait to see the power of this blogging movement grow.

Thank you again for being a part of The Mom Crowd!

- Thank you photo courtesy of Vernhart

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Amanda’s post yesterday

About five years ago, I was an avid Oprah watcher.  I loved how she seemed to have less drama and more information on her shows than other talk shows and how she was always encouraging people to be a better version of themselves.  (Now some people may get mad at me for writing this and quite frankly I was having a hard time deciding if I should open this can of worms, but my heart said I should.)  I remember watching one particular episode where she was talking about writing in her gratitude journal and something she said caught me off guard.  She started talking about God, whom she had always claimed to follow, differently… like he was just a force and how we could harness the power He had by being good people.  She stopped talking about Jesus and started talking about a spirituality that was anything but Christian.  This belief system she supported grew and grew and she started promoting this “church” on her show.  I saw how so many women in our culture blindly followed her, even after knowing the Truth, because she simply was Oprah.  I felt sick.

Our culture tends to glamourize anything that celebrities do and women in our society are the ones that do it.  We are the ones that read the gossip magazines, that watch the gossip type shows… now I’m not suggesting that all of us do it, but we as women seem to be more vulnerable to this vice.  All this to say, the Bible warns us in 2 Timothy 3:5b-7 to “turn away from such people! For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”  By our very nature and by the proddings of society we are vulnerable to be influenced negatively. 

I write all this to say that we have to guard our hearts like never before (Proverbs 4:23) so that we can be godly examples to our children.  Let your children see you reading the Bible, praying, doing things that edify.  Don’t let the negative influences, even the ones that society deems as positive, impact your life so that your heart is no longer guarded.  It’s easy to let your guard down when something seems to be good… even when it’s not.  And by all means, guard the hearts of the beautiful gifts God has given you to raise.  What you bring into your life, you bring into theirs also.

How are you doing your best to guard your heart and that of your children?  What negative influences have you omitted from your life in order to guard yourself?

Photo courtesy of WolfSoul

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God says in Jeremiah 2:13 -

“My people have committed two sins:  They have forsaken me, 
the spring of living water, 
and have dug their own cisterns, 
broken cisterns that cannot hold water.

As a mom I need energy, life, encouragement, and love, because I am pouring out all day long. After the kids are in bed, my husband and I crash on our bed and “take 5 minutes.” We need to recharge and rest. The constant listening, concern, disciplining, and physicality of lifting children is draining.

I often look in the wrong direction to recharge my “batteries.” I sometimes fail to have a quiet time and meet with God that day. I don’t wake up until I hear my children are awake and the bustle of my day immediately begins. Why don’t I fight for time alone with God?

My friend, Esther, shared this quote with me this past week:

“God is your greatest fan. As your heavenly Father, He is constantly coaxing you forward into the heights of spiritual victory. When you neglect the secret place, He’s not disappointed in you, He’s disappointed for you. He sees the spiritual riches available to you, and His heart breaks when He watches you getting by-passed. He wants you to share in heaven’s best, and He looks with wistful longing when you short-change yourself spiritually.” – Bob Sorge

Ouch! We are robbing ourselves of God’s living water with the cisterns we have created for ourselves. We are short changing ourselves.

It is hard to find time to spend with God. I don’t like waking up early and my brain is fried and exhausted at night. I have to fight to find time with God. It isn’t easy. I sometimes sit at a crumb covered breakfast table with my 2 year old sitting next to me drawing in her own notebook. Sure, she is distracting, but at least I am sitting at the side of a river with flowing living water. Its probably better to be sitting at the river slightly distracted with my children, than not even going at all.

My mentor, Kristin, gave me this challenge and I am passing it along to you.  Before you do anything fun for yourself spend some time with God. What she means is before you sit down to watch TV or read or eat for fun do something to spend time with God. It could be reading the Bible, listening to a worship song, or saying a prayer. The point is to seek God for His life. He wants to be the source of our lives!

When do you find time to be with God? What are some of the “broken cisterns” that you have created that you use to relax?

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^“17 Now when they [the shepherds] had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. ¹⁸ And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. ¹⁹ But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰ Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.” Luke 2:17-20 (NKJV)

The shepherds who came to see Christ after His birth understood the importance of His birth and in essence were the very first missionaries for Jesus Christ.  In verses 9-14, angels came to the shepherds and proclaimed that they were bringing joyful news “to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”  The shepherds went and saw Christ and were compelled to go share the good news of Jesus with everyone they knew.  Then to top it all off, they went back and then glorified and praised God.

The shepherds on that first Christmas are a perfect example of what our hearts should look like every Christmas and year-round… hearts that long for the world to know Him and hearts that give God praise for sending Christ for us.  Even when we are trying to focus on Christ at Christmas, it’s easy to get sidetracked from having the right heart.  Make it a point this Christmas, and from everyday forth, to share the good news of Christ’s birth, death and ressurection and then daily go back and praise God for His love and mercy to all mankind by sending Christ for us.  It will give Christmas a whole new meaning for you and maybe for someone who’s heart is ministered to by you.

Lord, please give us the hearts of those first Christmas shepherds.  Let us see Your good works and know who You are, share it with the world, and always come back to give You the praise and glory.  Let Christmas be a time of ministry in our lives and not just a time of gifts, decorations and stress.  Thank you for sending us Jesus and for giving us examples of what You want us to do.  In His precious name, Amen.

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It turned out he left something at our house andI knew he had to come back, so I waited. My husband came home and I told him what happened. We talked about it and decided to wait for the boy to come back. When he came for his forgotten object, my husband casually asked, “We are missing some legos, did any end up in your pockets? Could you check?”  The boy felt in his pockets and said, “Oh, I guess I put some in there.”  Busted.

My husband said, “Thanks for checking.  We don’t want to lose our legos.”  And off the boy went back to his house.  After he left my husband and I realized we have several options on how to deal with this situation.

How would we want someone else to deal with our children should they steal something from another child? We would want them to be kind, but direct.  Not yell and shame.  I’m glad for his sake that he got caught.  Learning at a young age when the consequences are less costly is a lot better than learning them when the “price is higher” (i.e. stealing toys from a friend when you are 6 or 7 years old vs. stealing $$ from friends while older or stealing cars etc.) Of course a 4 year old taking toys from a friend’s house deserves a different approach to consequences than a 6+ old child.  A 4 year old may not fully understand what he/she did was wrong and need to be told directly “taking toys from a friend’s house without permission is wrong”.  A 7/8 year old is much more aware of appropriate behavior at a playmate’s house.

What should the consequences be for that child the next time he comes to our house? Possible options:

• Tell his parents and come up with a plan together.
• Make sure we put the legos away when he comes over to play.  (The boy likes legos a lot so I think they are a particular temptation for him)
• Ask him to check his legos to make sure that none of our other legos “accidentally” made it back to his home.
• Not let him play at our house anymore.
• Be a little more direct and tell him we know that it wasn’t an accident that those legos ended up in his pockets and that he won’t be allowed to play legos at our house anymore.
• Check his pockets everytime he leaves our house.
• Let it go and hope he doesn’t do it again.

Some of these options are more appealing than others.  What we ended up doing was talking to his parents and let them know what happened. I talked to his mom and told her that if the situation was reversed I would want to know what was going on with my kid.  We had a good conversation (although I admit I was very nervous because I don’t know the parents VERY well and I was worried about relational consequences–would she think I was accusing her of being a bad parent?  Their faith beliefs are different from ours–would she feel like we were being judgemental religious people?  Would she think I made the whole thing up?).  I told her that her son is always welcome to come play at our house. He is a very sweet boy and he plays well with the kids.  She was glad I told her and shared with me some things going on with the boy.

My husband and I decided that we would keep the legos put away when he comes to play and that he is welcome to play at our house anytime.  I feel satisfied in the way we handled the situation.  This was one of those issues that surprised me–I wasn’t really expecting to deal with stealing at such young ages (okay, I don’t think I was even aware that I MIGHT have to deal with it one day).  It was a good life lesson for all involved.

Have you ever encountered a similar situation?  How did you handle it?

photo courtesy of pooyall

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10 years ago last night, I met Dad 101 at a New Years Eve party at a Fremantle pub. Neither of use planned to be there but we were both separately coerced by friends to go. The rest, as they say, is history. The photo slideshow tells the following story…
Boy and girl meet
Boy had a job that took him away for long periods of time
Girl hated boy’s job
Boy and girl got engaged
Boy and girl got married
Boy and girl had lots of fun holidays together
Boy started part-time university in search of new job options
Boy and girl moved to Sydney seeking new adventures
Girl started wonderful job setting up a new child care centre
Boy graduated university
Girl went on a holiday without boy, she went with a girlfriend instead
Boy and girl bought trendy apartment near beach
Boy and girl acted to make girl pregnant
Girl had baby girl
Boy and girl love baby girl very much but no longer seem to have time for overseas holidays, go figure!
Boy and girl and baby girl move back to Perth to be near family
Boy and girl revisit where they first met
The End.

Wonder what the next decade will hold for us?

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Here is a month by month overview of the most popular posts (yours or mine!) since Childhood 101 started in the last week of May.

Perspectives

My first post which identifies so much of what I believe early childhood education SHOULD be about.

JUNE

Mudpies & Magpies: 10 Super Sandpit Ideas

A post which continues to be popular with Google searchers.

JULY

Creating Learning Communities

One of my posts from the Emergent Curriculum series; how we share responsibility as parents AND teachers to create the best possible learning community for our children.

AUGUST

DIY Kids Kitchen for Under $10

I can’t really go past the first DIY Kids project, the box kitchen, for the most popular post in August, though Encouragement vs Praise and Growing Kids Who Read were not too far behind.

SEPTEMBER

Frugal Friday, but Fun

This series contained lots of ideas for teaching children about money and no- or low-cost ideas for family fun.

OCTOBER

Gobsmacked

The highlight of October would have to be our trip to Singapore for the Nuffnang Asia Pacific Blog Awards. It still amazes me that we brought home the ‘Best Parenting Blog’ statuette! We had a great time getting to know other bloggers and I certainly learnt a thing or two about travelling overseas with a toddler!

NOVEMBER

Play

November seemed to be all about play with Explore. Dream. Discover., Why Do We Keep Exploring this Message? and Playful Learning exploring why play is essential to learning. I also included some information for parents about children starting school.

DECEMBER

Everyday Glamour Challenge

The hit for December had to be the prior-to-Christmas inspiration for Mums of the Everyday Glamour series of posts written by a great group of gals (all Mums), exploring tips and tricks for finding a little bit of glam everyday. Oh, and the DIY Kids Ice Cream Shop and felt ice cream tutorial were popular too!

What an adventure starting this blog has been. I would love to hear what your favourite post has been!

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Fiona’s question

Hi Christie!

Just recently discovered your blog! I have a question for you as an ex-Early Childhood teacher.

My son is now 5.5 years old. He’s a bit reluctant to pack up activities after himself and does so begrudgingly (but at least he does so). Not as co-operatively as I would like, but not too bad. He’s actually good about cleaning up his bedroom floor at night, which is a job he likes.

However, the real issue is those times when he invests a great deal of time and creativity into making something. Today, my son really spent a long time before school, building a railway. He tried so hard to figure out ways to get the tracks rising up and then down, supported on blocks etc. He was really chuffed when he worked it out the way he wanted. Then he went on to build block stations all around and etc. etc. He’s an only child and perhaps a little too used to having things set up “just so” with no interference.

However, he *never* wants to tear down his creations! He gets quite frustrated and upset if I ask him to pack up one of his super-special marvelous creations. So we tend to leave things out (moved neatly in a corner). Then he will come home from school and add to it. And so on.

What did you do in the Early Childhood setting with the ‘super special creations’? Do you think it is a good habit for kids to get used to accepting pack up and starting again the next day, no matter what? I sort of don’t want to stamp out his creativity and efforts by tearing things down once he’s worked on them, but on the other hand, I just get sick of the procrastination with pack up time.

Hope you don’t mind getting email requests! Love reading your blog!

Fiona

My response:

Yes, in my early childhood setting we valued super special creations, our cleaners were used to vacuuming around interesting construction sites! There are a number of reasons why;

1. Children need time to see their ideas come to fruition and often this time is interrupted by other elements of the daily routine. By packing away for mealtimes or to go out, you child needs to start all over again each time and as well as being disheartening and frustrating, it often means children do not have the opportunity to make more detailed, involved constructions or creations.

2. By revisiting previous work, children usually engage in revising, extending and improving upon their previous ideas. This is an important part of the learning process.

In terms of managing the situation with your son, I suggest allocating a special space in his playroom (or your living room, if you are in the same situation as we are) to be his ‘project work’ space where he can keep projects in progress. This could be a shelf or a mat in the corner of the room. A lightweight piece of board to build on can make moving constructions around the room much easier.

I would, however, negotiate with him the number of ongoing projects that he can keep at any given time, this could just be one, if that is what you think will work best for you (I am unsure how tolerant you are, how much space you have or how large his projects are). Once he has reached the agreed number, he needs to choose which one/s will be kept and which will be packed away. This way he knows the limits ahead of time and he is responsible for making the choice of which to keep and which to pack away.

You could also involve your son in making a sign for his special space. For a small child they could make a picture representing ‘Don’t touch,’ similar to the photograph at the top of this post, older children can have a go at writing some words for their sign.

If you have a digital camera you may also suggest that your son take a photo of a project before he packs it away. These can be printed out and stuck into a scrapbook for him to revisit (and rebuild) at a later time.

I hope these ideas help Fiona and others facing similar difficulties. What are your strategies for managing super special creations? Please leave a comment below to share.

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This morning Immy was wandering around the house with an adult sized thong on her foot, saying, “Thong.” (insert short pause)

“Thong.” (insert short pause)

“Thong.” (insert longer pause as readers begin to wonder where I am going with this!)

Of all the millions of things this busy toddler did today, the reason I noticed this in particular, was that I have never told her what thongs are. Her Dad and I don’t wear them, and if we did then I would call them ‘flip flops,’ not thongs, thanks to the last six years living on the East Coast of Australia. The only reason this pair of thongs is even in our house is that they were being given away as part of some company promotion and Dad 101’s assistant at work grabbed a few pairs. One of these pairs made it home with an office Secret Santa present and was thrown into our shoe basket, where Immy discovered them this morning.

While I understand that this is not necessarily an indicator of her being some highly intelligent, gifted or talented individual, after all she could have picked up the word ‘thong’ anywhere – from Playschool, from family members, or maybe I missed a scintillating conversation about thongs between Immy and her dad; it was a definite reminder to me that children see and hear everything! It can be so easy as parents to forget this. Especially with babies and toddlers who are pre-verbal or still learning to communicate their thoughts verbally. They are like little sponges that absorb words, ideas, knowledge through some form of osmosis. Somewhere along the way, Immy has heard the word ‘thong’ to describe a particular type of shoe and is using it correctly, not ‘sandal’ or ‘shoes’ or ‘boots’ which are the everyday words we use when talking about our shoes, but ‘thong,’ a word she can only possibly have heard once or twice in her life.

A reminder indeed to watch what we say when our children are around as they hear it all and understand more than we think (both the good and the bad!). In this case, it was relatively harmless but who knows what the next ‘new word’ could be!

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the presents bought, and the shortbread made (thanks Amanda!)

but I still feel that something is missing. It took me a little while to put my finger on it….

I am missing my Christmas spirit!

Where can it be?

In the hustle of shopping, maybe I left it at the shops?

Or in the bustle of writing cards and sending parcels, maybe I posted it by accident?

Oh where, Oh where can it be?

Today I think I worked out why I was missing that joyous, Christmas feeling.

Music, we have no music!

(Well, actually we do have music, everyday. But it is of the Hot Potatoes or Dinosaurs Roar! variety, not the Jingle Bells and Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer type.)

I miss listening to Christmas Carols! Usually in my work with children, we would have had carols and all types of festive music playing for weeks now in the lead up to the festive season. Poor, neglected Immy hasn’t even been introduced to the joys of Silent Night or All I Want For Christmas or even We Wish You a Merry Christmas!

Fortunately, we still have time! Expect to hear this…

… on continual replay at our house for the next few days. And family coming to visit on Christmas Day, get used to the idea because Santa Claus is Coming to Town!

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It was so lovely to see her having fun and a good reminder that for children it is about learning with everyday things, as well as your time and interest in what they are doing that is most important.

For me, having worked for many years in child care, preschool and kindergarten, I know the types of toys and games two year olds love playing with and I want her to have as many of these learning experiences at home as she would if she were in an early learning program. I have to keep reminding myself that children learn from the simplest of items, not just expensive toys. Lids, boxes, sand, a tub of rice or flour and food colouring, are all bursting with learning potential through time to play alone and with an interested adult.

I think I might just wrap a new packet of patty pans to add to her Christmas stocking!

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Now, I am all for beautifully decorated, colour co-ordinated trees but I realised that once children are involved it becomes more about sharing a special tradition which fully includes them rather than how the finished tree looks. After all, Christmas as a celebration is extra special in so many ways once children are involved – their excitement, wonder and joy are truly infectious!

So we decorated our tree with lots of silver and red baubles and then came my favourite part of dressing the tree – adding a special collection of individual ornaments which Dad 101 and I have collected over the years. Each of these ornaments has a special association, a little story to tell – of a place we have visited, an event to remember, or a person we know. I thought I would share just a few…

This silver disco ball is from the night I first met Dad 101. There were hundreds of them hanging in the venue where we welcomed in the new millennium. We met not long before midnight struck.
This decoration I made at my grandparent’s house when I was a child. It is made from a cotton reel, ribbon, ric rac and a bell. My grandma kept it for many years before passing it on to me for my own Christmas tree.
This is the first of quite a few that we purchased on our trip to the states in November/December 2002. It is a beautiful wooden ornament which we bought at Macy’s in San Fransisco. They had the most amazing Christmas tree decorating ideas, all themed and representing everything from ‘under the sea’ to ‘fairy fantasy.’

From the multi-storey M&Ms store in Vegas.

A handmade ceramic bauble from Mexico which we managed to carry around for five weeks of travelling without breaking!

From New York, small Statue of Liberty figurine which I made into an ornament.

From my trip to the UK in 2005 with a very dear friend.

From Devonport in Tasmania, where we spent Immy’s first Christmas celebrating with her Dad’s family.

This one Immy chose on our recent visit to Singapore.

And this one I bought this year to add to a collection for Immy, for when she leaves home one day and starts her own Christmas traditions. I love the number 9 (which is meant to represent 9 Ladies Dancing from the 12 Days of Christmas song) as it is perfect to remind me that it is the one we bought for her collection in 2009!Do you have special ornaments which you hang each year on your tree? What do they represent to you and your family?

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And the winners are…

The winner of the lovely Exclusive Bags Leather Carry-all in Sunshine Yellow, valued at $270.00 is…

Jen with her super straight hair!

The winners of the jewellery items by the fantastically talented team at Jack Be Nimble are…

Kym of Adventures of my tots to teens and inbetween wins the piece by Jacqueline.

Cindy with her winning tip of naming that which she is thankful for, wins the piece by Alister.

Kelly of Be A Fun Mum wins the piece by Celia.

Cat from Adventures with Kids wins the piece by Kelly.

The gift voucher from abi and joseph goes to…

Louisa of Everything is Edible.

Candice with her tip for wearing concealer and mineral powder foundation.

Congratulations to all of the winners and thank you to all of the entrants for playing along.

Winners please email me your full name and address details (there is a link to my email in the top navigation bar, Contact).

And once again, thank you to all of the prize sponsors and guest posters for their wonderful contribution to the Everyday Glamour Challenge.

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In just twelve short months, he has transformed into an energetic, curious, thoughtful, and adventurous toddler. It took me about two hours to go through all the files upon files of pics (literally thousands–yes, I’m trigger happy) that I have of Bean to compile my favorites for this post. The longest part was not in deciding which pic I wanted to represent that month, but reminiscing about his first trip to the beach, his first solids, and learning to crawl. It’s amazing to see his personality develop as each month passed. But my, how quickly a year passes by. . .

February

March
First solid feeding

May
Boy’s Day

June

July
Maui

August

September
Sharing his first birthday cake with his best friend

October

November

December
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

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Mazatlan, Mexico

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I was a bit worried that there wouldn’t be enough things to do to keep our little active Bean busy (the kid programs on the ship have a minimum age requirement of 3 years old and the pool was only open to toilet trained kidds), so I ended up packing a whole suitcase full of books and toys. Turns out that having a whole ship to explore was more than enough to tire him out:

He caught up on some light reading in the library

He played a couple of games of shuffleboard

Notice his awesome technique:

Bean callenged Psych Daddy to a friendly game of one-on-one

Bean doing the happy dance as he made the game winning shot

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Bean took the cookies from the cookie jar!

Guess it was Bean after all. . .

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December 25, 2008

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And it wasn’t exactly the picture perfect moment that I was expecting either.

In fact, it was an experience that I’m not quite sure we will do again for the next, oh, eight or nine years.

It all started innocently enough when my mom asked, “So has Bean met Santa yet?”

“No, not yet. I just haven’t had the time.”

“Well, we have time now–let’s go. I bet it won’t be that crowded since it’s raining.”

Yeah right.

Evidently the day it rains is the day that everyone decides to dress their kids in their holiday best and meet Jolly Old St. Nick. Except this guy wasn’t so jolly. Since we had to wait in line for an hour and a half I decided to do a mini research study into how many kids under the age of two cried the minute they were placed on Santa’s lap.

Turns out almost 100% of them did. Santa kind of had a panicked look on his face whenever a new baby was placed in his arm or a hesitant kid approached his knee. Santa also didn’t believe too much in conversation. He looked disinterested when a child started listing off their top must-haves for Christmas. I’m guessing Santa was burned out.

By the time Bean made his way over to Santa, Psych Daddy asked him, “So how’s it going, Santa?”

“Rough” was the grim response that we got. Okay then, let’s get this party started.

I tried to introduce Bean to Santa, but the photographer elf hurried us along (duh, can’t we see the long line of kids and their weary parents?). As soon as Bean was placed on Santa’s lap, he let out a blood curdling scream. Yikes. The photographer continued to snap three photos and showed us the proof.

Bean screaming, Bean in tears, Santa with a plastered smile on his face. You can tell he’s a pro at least when the camera turns on.

“So which package do you want?” asked the elf. Ummm. . .none. I can’t exactly see myself framing a 5×7 and sending off wallets to friends and family.

“Can we try again, but maybe we hold him instead?” was my answer. “I promise I’ll buy something.”

The elf looked annoyed, but he allowed us one more go. So without much further ado, I present to you our unplanned (hence no make-up, the hat covering the not-done hair, and the not-yet dried tears on Bean’s face) family pic with Santa:

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I remember playing on an Apple IIe (does that date me? Well, I was just a kid) that my dad proudly bought for my older siblings when they started high school. There are pictures of me playing Duck Hunt on our Nintendo and a Game Boy was the hottest toy from Santa.

I remember getting a pager so that I could be in constant connection with my BFFs and my boyfriend at the time. I still remember that 07734 was “hello” (type it into a calculator and look at it upside down if you can’t see it) and 411 meant to call a.s.a.p. to get the latest scoop.

In highschool after I started driving Clunker 3 (after Clunker 1 and Clunker 2 met their demise), my dad began to worry about me breaking down on the highway so he bought me my very first cell phone. It was for emergency use only and came with a phonecard that I would add minutes on as needed. It mostly remained “off” in my glove compartment since I couldn’t afford more minutes, but boy was I proud of that thing. It was as large as a brick and if the antennae wasn’t raised all the way up the call would drop.

Speeding up to today, I am even more so connected to technology. I use a computer and online programs as a large part of my job function, and when I get home I use my computer to help stay connected with friends and family. I must check my e-mail (for work and at home) at least 20 times a day. I check out Facebook to see if my friend’s had their baby, posts on a mom forum to read the latest going ons with my online friends, I text co-workers asking them questions and I text friends to let them know that I’m running late to our meet-up, I check my Google group to see where the next playgroup is, and of course I write my thoughts online in this blog.

I do this all in between work, playdates, swim lessons, household chores, and of course spending time with Bean (my number one priority). I blog at night and during naptimes, I participate in forum discussions during lunchbreaks, and I text while I’m vacuuming (kidding, but I do multitask a lot–which I think is typical as a mom).

I have begun to realize that I need a mini-break. I have a good excuse–I’ll be on a cruise ship where I’m positive I’ll have zero reception for my iPhone. Internet access costs a grip so I won’t be tempted to check my e-mail or catch up on reading my favorite blogs. I’m leaving my phone, computer, and everything else that connects me at home. The only things that I’m packing are a book, a camera, and my two favorite people in the world (why Bean and DH of course!).

I’ll be back in a few days where I’ll of course blog about our trip and I’ll let you know how bad the withdrawals were (kidding again, I really don’t think I’m addicted). Until then, hope you all have a happy holidays!

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From these reflections, I have identified 5 words that I hope to look to for inspiration, guidance and focus as this new year progresses.

This one comes first as I function best when I have good energy and lately it has been sadly lacking. I need to eat well and be active regularly to maintain my energy levels.

• No more skipped breakfasts or lunches due to disorganisation, distraction or deadlines!
• Better choices when I eat, this means less sugar and more SUPER foods.
• Get up from the computer more and MOVE!

This word (okay, two words) is about being truly present in my relationship with people I care about. Being attentive, really listening, spending time to develop authentic relationships with my husband and child, my family and friends.

We have been placed in the situation where we must move home shortly. In searching for our new home, I want to be sure that the one we choose truly meets our needs as a family and then I want to make it feel like a ‘home’ – welcoming, warm, fun, a refuge, a place of happiness, a place to entertain others. I know this will take time to achieve and I am excited about the potential of rewarding, hard work to grow this dream.

This one is for me. I want to find ways to spend more time writing with purpose.

I want to ensure that this year we dedicate time as a family to creating happy memories. Time passes so quickly, especially when we are busy being bogged down with daily living. Too often the weekend ends and we have done little more than complete chores and fulfill obligatory responsibilities. I want to make ‘fun’ part of every week for us as a family. More time to play, more time for outings, more time for friends, more time to relax.

What words have you chosen to inspire you this year?

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Yesterday afternoon, a good friend called me in tears to tell me that her fiancee was hit by a drunk driver as he waited for a tow truck on the side of the freeway with their friend. The fiancee was in critical condition (the doctors were not sure if he was going to make it, but he is now stable) and the friend died. She was pregnant with her first child.

A few hours later, another good friend of mine texted me to announce the birth of her little girl. She made her debut a few weeks earlier than expected.

Yesterday I felt anger, sadness, worry, and joy.

Anger for the driver who decided that it was okay to step behind a wheel after having too much to drink.

Sadness for the family and friends of the victims of his careless actions.

Worry that my friends baby was born early.

Joy that both mom and baby are reported to be well this morning.

Now I just feel drained after riding the roller coaster of emotions alongside my friends.

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The p90, other than containing preparation programs for the extreme version, contains a lot of added things which would help you achieve great results without having to indulge in the extreme nature of the p90x. These things include a complete nutrition guide, Tony Horton’s supplement guide and a full throttle power diet plan. It must be realized that this is just a preparation course and that finally, on completion of the p90, you would have to graduate to the extreme level. This program is also known as the power 90- home boot-up camp and uses Tony Horton’s trademark techniques to work up your body to the desired levels, without having to put in more than half an hour a day. Some of the common exercise routines included in the program are discussed in the rest of the write-up.

There are primarily four routines which are designed in a manner that they need to be done in the given order. The order is as follows- Sculpt circuit 1-2, sweat cardio 1-2, sculpt circuit 3-4 and sweat cardio 3-4.

The sculpt circuit 1-2 is a basic program containing basic pulls, pushes and crunches, which are soft, yet help in toning those smaller muscle groups, which otherwise are relatively under-worked or un-worked at all. This routine ideally lasts for 36 minutes in the learning phase. Once you know all the routines, you can complete the whole routine within 10 minutes. The second routine is the sweat cardio 1-2, which, as the name suggests, aims at burning that flab. It is a cardiovascular routine which aims at warming up your body and muscle groups before you can move onto more particular routines. The cardio 1-2 aims at working up your muscles without over-exercising and is therefore essential before moving onto more stringent exercises. This routine can also be done before playing a game or going in for a jog.

The sculpt circuit 3-4 is a graduation over the sculpt circuit 1-2 and aims at working up and toning upper body muscles in particular. Back, chest, shoulders and arms are taken care of when you indulge yourself in the sculpt circuit-34. the cardio 3-4 is the last step towards going extreme and burns far more sweat than the cardio 1-2. once you are comfortable with the cardio 3-4, it is an indication that you must graduate yourself to the extreme version of the p90 workout plan.

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There are some programs, other than the p90x, which focus specifically on clubbing movements involving both the crunches and cardiovascular burnouts. The Hip Hop Abs program is one such program. This program uses a tilt-and-tuck technique, and focuses on clubbing dancing movements with the crunches. Designed by Chris T, the program is very useful to chisel your abs by incorporating crunches in dance forms, making a great workout routine. The Abs sculpt 1, Abs sculpt 2 and the last minute abs programs are specifically designed routines under the Hip Hop abs program which target the abs and the obliques. The best part about following such a routine is that one doesn’t get bored doing the same stereotypical exercises over and over again.

The Tilt, Tuck and Tighten move aims at tilting the shoulders, tucking in the tailbone and tightening the abs, to give the maximum stretch where it is needed the most. Another popular program used to get those flat abs is the turbo-jam exercise routine, designed by beachbody, the parent company behind the p90x. Turbo jam uses a move called the Turbo-tuck, which is said to be one of the most effective methods of isolating the abdominal muscles during a cardiovascular workout routine. The turbo tuck requires tucking the tail bone using a standing crunch stance. Turbo jam workout routines are such, that according to people who have tried them, you would end up exploring and working out muscles which had never existed in the last of your thoughts. Ab-jam is one turbo workout that is focused entirely on the abdominal muscles, and like most ab-focused routines, it is a floor exercise. The routine is divided into two segments actually, the first segment if for newbies, and uses a standing stance, which aims at giving shape to the abdominal muscles. The second segment, which is an entirely floor-based workout routine is very difficult to complete and one might require multiple efforts to pull the routine through in the correct and desired form.

Finally, using the p90x chin up bar and curling your legs upward while keeping the upper body still, is a great full-body workout. With the arms and the back fully stretched, and the tail bone tucked in, this is one major fat burning routine, you just cant afford to miss if you want to get those great looking abs.

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Organic unique baby gifts and baby shower favors and toys that are made of organically grown cotton and other toys that are made from sustainable sources like woof or recycled paper are all the rage in tree hugging families. The appeal isn’t hard to understand. With all the scandal over lead poisoning in toys, it makes sense to avoid toys that are brightly colored or made from PVC or other toxic materials. This is even more important when you consider that your little baby will in all likelihood put every toy that he grabs into his mouth, raising the possibility of ingesting harmful colors and chemicals.

With organic baby toys, you don’t have to worry about him swallowing residues of chemicals from the surface of the toys. Unlike a few years earlier when green families didn’t have that wide a choice of organic baby toys, nowadays parents have an extensive selection of wooden grasping toys, soft cotton baby toys and other toys made of cotton and wood that are eco friendly and 100 percent harmless to your baby. Plus eco friendly doesn’t have to mean boring – these organic baby toys are colorful and fun!

Organic cotton that’s used to produce soft stuffed animals and other playthings is also used to create exquisitely soft baby girl/baby clothes. These organic baby clothes are made of cotton that hasn’t been treated with chemicals. This makes the cotton not just stronger but chemical free ensuring that your baby’s tender skin is safe. As with organic toys, these clothes aren’t restricted to T-shirts and shorts. You can choose from a wide range of nightwear, outerwear, body suits, play wear and soft comfy pajamas. Your baby will love the soft snugness and you’ll love that it’s 100 percent organic and natural.

Organic baby girl clothes and baby boy clothes, and toys don’t have to be expensive or difficult to source. Every toy store worth its name has an organic toys section while online stores will offer organic toys and clothes that are gentle on baby’s skin and your wallet! Check out some of our organic baby gift baskets for some more ideas.

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 Dog Beds for Big Dogs – Get the best selection and the best price. Guaranteed. Great variety of personalized dog beds, dog feeders, dog mats, dog clothes and more! Come and see for yourself and www.dogbedsupplies.com

Here is a quick overview of the Sporting Group dogs and their characteristics:

The Sporting breeds are today’s age version of the hunters helpers. They are bred to assist a modern hunter who hunts with a gun rather than a net. This breed is bred to work with the hunter to extend the hunter’s ability by either finding, moving or bringing back the birds the hunter has captured.

This group is made up of the beeds which include Pointing and Setting Breeds which “freeze” in mid stride and “point” to game.

The group that brings the game or moves it around is the spaniels which range back and forth close to the hunter, flushing game so that the hunter can shoot it.

The group that brings back downed game is the retrievers, which mark where the game falls and return with it over land or through water.

This is a short overview of the sporting group of dogs and which sub groups make up this large breed. Next we will look into the specific breeds which make up each of the subgroups so everyone gets a good idea of the personalities and characteristics which are part of each breed.

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Invitations

You can make your own handprint footprint invitation by simply searching online and finding a free stock image to use and then simply printing it on good quality paper. You can choose pink or blue ink if you know the gender of the baby or yellow if the gender is a surprise!

Decorations

You can purchase a footprint stamp at any craft store and a simple plain white tablecloth and then just stamp the white table cloth the the footprint stamp. You can customize your table cloth as well with other phrases or words of encouragement for the new mom as well.

Another great idea is to create a bouquet of baby booties for the new mom and make it look like rose centerpiece for each of your tables.

Baby Shower Favors

As a favor, you can purchase little soaps that are made to look like baby’s footprint or handprint to hand out as favors for your baby shower guests. This also a useful item that is sure to be favorite among your guests.

Baby Gifts for the Mom to Be

And since your theme is pitter patter, you can also suggest to your guests to bring gifts that match the theme. There are so many different items that are perfect:  Handprint Footprint Frames where you can create a mold of your baby hand  or foot and treature it forever. Or a handprint footprint keepsake box that will allow the mom-to-be to take an ink impression of the new baby! Any of these items are sure to be a hit as those tiny footprints are always great to remember later on in life. You can also create your own baby gift baskets to match your handprint footprint theme. Simply purchase frames, onesies, a bottle and some teddy bears, decorate your basket and it’s surely to bea hit!

Food

Another way to add on to your theme is to make cookies that look like little feet or hands! Simply purchase a cookie mold and you can bake the rest.

These are few great ideas to get you started on your way to planning a great baby shower for your friends or relatives. They are sure to enjoy and appreciate the gifts and all your hard work!

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Recently, more specifically this weekend my daughter decided all on her own that she would take the next step and start clapping. We were all sitting down watching a rather crazy movie and as she was sitting on her father’s knees watching the movie it came to an end. The next part is rather amazing because I don’t understand how it happens but she just started clapping for no reason and without anyone showing her how. It’s weird because as we realized she was doing something she hasn’t done before, she just kept on going. After she started clapping we decided to encourage her by rolling a ball at her and letting her play with it. Every time she would catch the ball we would start to clap for her showing her that she did something good. After that she would start clapping on her own with us. It was so amazing. It’s like receiving a baby shower favors that just touches your heart and makes you remember the day forever.

Just thinking about it for a second is really interesting. Clapping isn’t something that’s too difficult to do. All it really is is slapping your hands together to make a sort of noise. So why is it so amazing to see a 8 month old baby do it. Well for starters when its your first child and she does something so amazing that you didn’t think she could do it is simple for lack of a better word amazing. You don’t really think a child that young can just start to do something out of nowhere for no apparent reason. Its just such an amazing thing to watch and it makes it all that much better when she is your own daughter.

All those nights that I had to get up and try to figure out why she was crying and what was wrong become more and more worth it as she does new things every day. I can’t believe it but soon she will be all over the place. First this week she finally crawled and now at the end of the same week she is clapping. Both things require a lot of coordination. My little baby is growing up so fast.

This author lives in Flemington, NJ with her husband and 5 month old daughter and is an expert contributing author for a luxury wedding favors boutique offering variety of beach wedding favors, destination wedding favors. This author and WeddingFavorStation.com is also dedicated to providing valuable and informative articles on wedding planning, wedding party ideas, wedding dresses styles and wedding etiquette.

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Before you go rushing out to the store to buy your pal his very own bed there are some preparations that need to be done before its all said and done. First things first you need to measure your pet to make sure you don’t buy something too big or too small. To measure, first measure from the tip of his nose to the tip of his tail and then from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet. This will give you a runabout measurement to work with. If you plan on getting something that has cushions or padding then it is my suggestion that you add about 12 inches to this measurement to make sure your pet has enough space.

Next you need to do a little detective work and see where your pet sleeps the most and in what position. If your pet likes to sleep snugly then you might want to invest in a donut shaped bed. If he likes to spread out and sleep with a lot of room then a circular or squared shaped bed is right for him. When choosing your large dog beds, make sure you get something appropriate to his age and needs as well. If your dog has joint pains then it would be a good idea to get an orthopedic dog beds that isn’t too close to the floor so that he doesn’t have to bend too much to lie down. It is also especially difficult to pick himself up when getting out of bed. This is why if you have a dog with joint pains you should get him a bed that is higher off the ground.

Lastly when you have gone out and bought your bed you need to make sure you put it in the most appropriate spot. The answer here should have been discovered when you did your detective work on where you pet sleeps. By knowing where he sleeps and placing the bed at that specific location you increase your chances of your pet actually sleeping in the pet beds. This is especially true if you have an older dog that isn’t trained to sleep in the actual bed and has slept everywhere else.

A dog bed is an excellent investment not only for you but especially for the health and happiness of your pet.

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If you know the baby is expected to be a boy or a girl, sometimes it is a good idea to wrap a gift in a nice blue or beautiful pink but don’t become complacent with your colors. There are many other colors you can choice from. Here are some other options to get your creative juices flowing.

Are you going to a baby shower where you know the mother isn’t sure of the gender of the baby? Wrap the baby gift in white paper and tie the gift with two ribbons instead of one. For this idea you can use a pink ribbon and a blue ribbon. Tie the blue and pink ribbons together and tape to the back of the package. Then have the ribbon form a bow on the front of the package from the two colors of ribbon.

Want to add a cute topping to any baby shower favors packaging? There are many things you can add such as a rattle, teething ring, baby mittens, hair bow, small picture frame, or a small stuffed animal. All of these items can be fastened with the ribbon you tie the gift with and these items can also be used by the baby.

If you like anything teddy bear such as teddy bear baby gift baskets, do a teddy bear gift wrap! Use gift wrap paper that has teddy bears on it, or a soft cocoa colored gift wrap paper. But a small teddy bear on the top of your package and tie with a brown or a white bow. You can often find teddy bear rattles or teething rings that have teddy bears on them. You can also take this idea and apply it to any sort of animal. For example, wrap with a duck theme. Use yellow paper or paper with ducks on it and tie with a large orange ribbon. Top your gift with a traditional yellow rubber duck.

For a pretty look for a spring baby shower consider a very floral look. Wrap a gift with floral or plain but colored paper. Use a green or purple ribbon and tie it in a bow. Top the package with some fresh spring flowers. Cut the stems of the flowers very short. Add the flowers the morning of the baby shower for best presentation.

Does the baby have an older sibling? Consider giving a small sibling gifts for the new brother or sister. A new baby is often a hectic time and seeing their new brother or sister get so many gifts can sometimes be overwhelming, and leave many children feeling a little forgotten. Consider getting an older sibling a storybook or a stuffed animal as a special big brother/big sister gift.

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1. “Heaven was designed for humans. The reason dogs may be there is for us, not for themselves. Dogs will go to heaven perhaps because of our relationship with them. I would think a loving God wants us to be happy and allows us to have animals that shared love with us.”  — Rev. Brian T. McSweeney, vice chancellor of the New York archdiocese.

2.  “Dogs are subject to reincarnation … as well as the law of the karma, which determines the form of the reincarnation. Dogs an go to heaven or dogs can go to hell. A dog’s actions decide where it goes, like a human’s actions.” — Lama Pema Wangak, directory of New York’s Tibetan Buddhist Center

3.  “The vast majority of Southern Baptist believe only human have souls, which most likely preclude dogs from reaching heaven. But the Bible notes that someday the lamb will lie down with the lion, which would lead you to believe that heaven may be somewhat like it is here, and there may be animals.” — Herb Hollinger, a spokesperson for the Southern Baptist Convention.

4. “Everything, humans and animals, every blade of grass, all are endowed with a spirit and every spirit returns to its creator….Every animal based on how it lives in this world will reap its reward, its divine bliss in the world to come.”  — Rabbi Gershon Winkier, an exponent of mystical Judaism who lives in Cuba.

5.  “I think the species as a whole is a natural shoo-in.”  — Stephen H. Webb, associate professor of religion and philosophy at Wabash College and the author of On God and Dogs.

So you see, dogs can and most likely will join us in heaven, if you believe in such a thing! They will have their dog beds and elevated raised feeders or even their orthopedic dog beds waiting for them at the gates of heaven.

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The ingredients you will need:

Two 9-inch round cakes and one 13by9 ich cake, cooled.  Prepare the cakes from packaged mixes.
Three 16 ounce cans white forsting.
Yellow and red food coloring
1 Large marshmallow
1 Blue M&M
Fabric baby sling

Carefully remove the cakes from the pans. Wrap each cake in plastic wrap and freeze the cakes for 1 hour to  make for easier cutting and fewer crumbs. Remove the plastic wrap from the cakes. Cut the cakes in two circles, and other shapes to create the body parts of the stork. and place the pieces on a cake board that measures at least 32 by 22 inches. Mix yellow and red food coloring into 2 cups of frosting and use the orange frosting to color the stork’s beak, legs and feet. Decorate the rest of the stork’s body with white frosting. To make the eye, cut the marshmallow in half and nestle the M&M into the top of one half. Set the eye in place on the stork’s head. Complete the cake by positioning a fabric baby sling from the stork’s beak.

This recipe makes 24 servings.

Now go enjoy yourself and make sure you have a good time. Your guests and the mom to be are going to be in SHOCK when they see the beautiful baby shower cakes you’ve created in the new arrival’s honor.

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Wheatgrass is the young grass of the common wheat plant (Triticum aestivum), taken just after sprouting. It is freshly juiced or dried and grounded into flour for human consumption. The consumption of wheatgrass began in the 1930s. At that time Charles F Schnabel tried to popularize this plant. Then in the 1940s Ann Wigmore continued to contribute to the popularization of wheatgrass. Wigmore even has written several books about wheatgrass as she believed it helps treating her cancer. About 70% of its content is chlorophyll. chlorophyll is the basis of all plant life, and is probably the most health promoting nutrient. Science has proven that chlorophyll arrests growth and development of unfriendly bacteria. Wheatgrass powder also contains 20 amino acids, several hundred different enzymes not found in other foods, as many as 90 out of 102 possible minerals, vitamins and other important nutrients. It is a great supplement for people on diet, for sports people, and for people who want to maintain a healthy immune system.

The Carob tree is an evergreen shrub or tree native to the Mediterranean area. It is cultivated for its edible seed pods. It grows well in warm temperate and subtropical areas and tolerates hot and humid coastal areas. It is a drought-resistant. The carob tree is typical in the southern Portuguese region of the Algarve, and in southern Spain, and on the Italian islands of Sicily and Sardinia. The tree bears fruit (carob pods) after six to eight years of growth. When the tree reaches 12 years old, it can easily yield 100 pounds of pods a year. When the tree grows older, its annual yield can increase to an average of 200 to 250 pounds. Amazingly it can continue to yield carob pods for 100 years.  Carob powder was also a common sweetener. Dried carob fruit is traditionally eaten on the Jewish holiday of Tu Bishvat. Carob juice drinks are traditionally drunk on the Islamic holiday of Ramadan.

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The shower trays used need to be practical and suitable for the cubicle more than anything else. It does not matter what the style or color is, it needs to serve the purpose. When a person uses the shower, water must drain continuously with no clogging. Another aspect to look for is that it fits the enclosure perfectly. There are no loose ends or gaps between the bathroom wall and the shower tray. The shower trays are either flat bottomed or slightly tilted.

When opting for the shower trays made of stone resin, they don’t need a base to hold them up. They can stand on their own, and will not get damaged. Some of the most popular shower trays come with a side tiling fitted in them. This helps keep water within their walls and doesn’t let it slip outside. If you want to lift the tray off the floor, then you need to create a base made of wood. The gap should be enough to fit the pipes and help smooth drain of water. Some of them come with special waste traps, which will collect all the grime and dirt, leaving the tray clean.

At the time of installation of the shower trays, decide on what model you have chosen. Following that, you can build the base and seat the trays on top of it. Make sure to hammer it into place, so it doesn’t wobble later on. In most cases, the bottom is sloped and the pipe connected to the drain pipe should be led to an outlet that does not allow water to accumulate. Those pipes must also be checked and only when green signal obtained for the plumbing do you go ahead and put your shower trays in place.

Rectangle, square, or quadrant, these are the options one has in picking out their shower trays. If you want to get adventurous, you could pick out a ceramic tray and fit it with colorful tiles. But keep in mind; these had better be slip proof to protect the lives of people using the shower. In homes where there are only doors to half of the shower, remember to fit them deeper than the edge of the shower enclosure.

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Before picking out the shower enclosures, make sure to sort out the shower trays as well. The size must be measured and accurate, better to compare it with that of the enclosure to avoid any unpleasant surprises. Most of these shower trays are made of stone resin or other durable material. These are the ones that can stand the water pressure, and not give in easily. They will also last long, and need little or no maintenance at all. The regular scrubbing and cleaning will keep it shining and sturdy for years to come. At times, upon insistence of the home owner, these shower trays are made of glass, or ceramic. But in such cases, be careful about usage, and don’t put too much pressure on them.

Next thing to look at is the shape of the enclosures. The shower trays need to be of the same shape and mould with the door fitted on the enclosures. Instead of trying to work at it on your own, it is best left to a professional to get it installed. The tiling on the wall, frame of the door on the shower cubicle all need to be in alignment and fit snuggly. One way of checking if it is fit correctly is to pour a glass of water, and see how it flows. If it goes straight to the drain, then the tray is fit well, else you need to make adjustments. But don’t overlook the spill over or leakage of water, as this could ruin the walls and the entire room in no time.

Since we invest quite a bit in the shower trays, get the best available, as this will keep your bathroom lively and perfect. Check with the dealer on the warranty that comes with the shower trays, and if you can, pick up extended warranty as well. It is wise to have the trays inserted a bit lower than the floor level, as this will avoid water from seeping under the door onto the bathroom floor. The drain pipe must also be fitted in the trays, and there must enough space for water to flow through, else it will stagnate.

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It might seem to pick out shower enclosures, but one needs to keep in mind the size of the room and the kind of enclosures they desire. There might be homes with big spacious bathrooms. Here, you can install a quadrant shower enclosure. These come fitted with good quality doors fitted in aluminum frames. You can either slide the door or open them outwards when you wish to use a shower by Mira Showers. These are not only elegant but make the room seem more luxurious than it is. It also provides privacy and lets you soak in the shower to relax.

There are some bathrooms that come with a bath tub, and so the space available for shower enclosures might be less. Here, you can install modular enclosures, which can be adjusted and fitted based on the space available. Since, these come with a shower unit, you don’t have to spend extra on those. The flooring and walls of the enclosures are made of material that doesn’t break easy or get slippery over time. Therefore, they are child proof as well. If your room has a circular wall, you can have a big enclosure on it, with doors around it; else you can opt for a square shower enclosure. They come with 6mm safety glass and the door seals tight, not letting water slip to the area outside the cubicle.

The shower enclosures can also be customized based on your preferences. If you want the doors to be made of thick frosted glass, you can get them tailor made. In case your bathroom has a big window, you could put in thicker glass for increased privacy. Choose the color of the frames based on the color theme across the room. But make sure to use material that won’t rust or spoil easy.

Most bathrooms have dry area and the wet area, so place a bath mat just outside the shower enclosure. This will prevent making the floor wet, which could be dangerous. Shower enclosures come across price ranges, so based on the size of your wallet, make your decision and enjoy a rejuvenating hot shower in royal style.

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The onset of such decline starts from the age of 20 and gets worse with advancing age. This condition in humans is medically termed as Presbycusis. The reality is for the aged people the higher frequency sounds are as good or bad as silence.

Presbycusis Causes

The causes for presbycusis are many including hereditary reasons. The faster the cochlea in human ears ages, faster is the effect of presbycusis. Also ‘Atherosclerosis’ that causes depletion of oxygen supply to cochlea speeds up aging of cochlea and faster presbycusis.

The process of presbycusis accelerates if one is suffering from hypertension or exposed continuously to noise that stresses out the cochlea. Aspirin is believed to have effects of expediting presbycusis.

Intake of high proportion of fats with diet increases the chance of atherosclerosis and consequent presbycusis. Supply of blood to blood vessels of cochlea gets reduced with diabetes as well as smoking which are also causing factors.

Presbycusis Symptoms

As people age the process of presbycusis diminishes their hearing. The basic symptoms are the fading of the sounds both in terms of volume and clarity. Hearing becomes difficult and the words from other people tend to sound less distinct.

Hearing and differentiating high pitched sounds especially become more difficult. Even the slightest noise in the background makes hearing others inconvenient. Sounds from women’s voices are of higher frequency and are therefore more difficult to hear than men’s voices. Presbycusis is more pronounced for high frequency sounds.

High frequency ringtones

Teen Buzz (also known as Mosquitotone or Zumbitone) is a popular ringtone that was hijacked from a technology that was originally used to repel loitering teenagers from shops in the United Kingdom. Inventor Howard Stapleton developed the “Mosquito device” for Compound Security Systems.

This device emits a modulated 17 kHz sound that proves to be a great annoyance to teenagers or anyone younger, but leaves most over thirty years of age unaffected. This is due to presbycusis, a normal loss of acute hearing that occurs with advancing age.

There are a number of different Mosquito ringtones available in various formats for free download online

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People may fall in excessive debt due to various reasons beyond their control like not knowing fund management, defaulting in credit repayments, sudden financial crisis, etc.

Often they knowingly get trapped in bad debt due to living beyond means. In all these situations, bad credit mortgage loan may help them in getting back on track and getting a fresh opportunity.

Advantages

Bad credit mortgage loan is possibly the only means to own a home even while in bad debts and having a poor credit score and hence aim for a credit report repair. The high interest rate on this loan is often offset by the benefits of not having to pay rent and becoming owner of a home which in itself has lot of advantages.

Another redeeming thought is that the loan will come to an end but the house will be there for lifetime. If repaid regularly, the credit rating goes up making the debtor eligible for loans at better rate of interest. With better credit score, a better bad credit mortgage loan can be availed.

Disadvantages

The very high rate of interest is the most major disadvantage of a bad credit mortgage loan. People with poorer credit scores generally avail of this loan and therefore have to pay much higher interest than they would have paid if they had better credit scores.

To the lenders of the bad credit mortgage loan, poor credit rating means higher risk and hence the charging of higher loan price by them for such loans. The high interest rate results in higher outgo of funds for the debtor to repay the loan. The debtor therefore often has to remain satisfied with a home not exactly to his liking since he has to make the purchase at a low price.

What is Bad Debt/Credit?

Very often people find themselves steeped in debt which has accumulated over a long period. The financial problems when they become acute appear before the debtor like a monster that is difficult to escape. The reasons are often personal and beyond the control of the person.

Sometimes the person immersed in bad credit himself is the reason owing to his habit of financial indiscipline and recklessness. Lack of knowledge in the areas of budgeting, availing the right credit, correct repayment plan, etc. are the factors that compound the phenomenon of bad debt and bad credit repair needs to be considered.

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When looking for a trusted health insurance agent to help with your insurance needs, you should check to make sure that they are independent. By going with an independent health insurance agent, they usually represent multiple insurance carriers and can help YOU find what works best for yourself. Check with your California health insurance agent today for a quick quote and a health insurance plan comparison so that you can make the best choice for your individual or family’s health insurance needs.

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Modern Eco Homes is a website which can help you in finding new ways to be more environmentally friendly. They sell a range of environmentally friendly products for use inside and outside the home. These are items that you may not know can damage the environment such as eco friendly furniture and they have more environmentally friendly alternatives which are either party or fully recycled or manufactured using more eco friendly techniques. They also have solar powered items and ones that do not use chemicals.

They have a large range of different types of items available to purchase online. Their range of eco friendly prefab homes includes a sun shed / greenhouse and a garden cabana. You can find details of a custom cabin and they even have details of a trailer. The idea of these is not only can they be made with recycled or renewable materials but they encourage a more simplified way of living which can more easily be made environmentally friendly. Their outdoor range includes chairs, stools and tables as well as table and chairs sets ideal for patio use. Most of these are made from sustainable woods. Their indoor range is much more extensive and includes tables, chairs, sofas, beds, rugs, bedding, bowls, lamps and fans. The rugs are chemical free and some other items are made from renewable resources. The eco friendly pet beds include organic and environmentally friendly wood designs. Their range of solar powered products includes outdoor lights and solar panels.

So if you want to turn your house into a modern eco friendly home then take a look at their website and find out what you can do and what furnishings are available to help you. Choose from organic, sustainable, recycled and chemical free items to help to reduce your impact on the environment.

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Why Website Templates Are The Way Forward In Web Design

Gone are the days when you had to rely on a web-designer to design your websites. New technologies with innovative ideas have brought out a new variant to this trend in the form of ready to use website templates at a fraction of the cost.

So what are web templates?

Well, to put it in a simple way, web templates are nothing but ready made web-pages that can be used to create websites in seconds! How you ask? Web templates act as html coded dummy web pages that contain model content. Now these templates can be edited with ease (to add content, graphics, logo, pictures etc) to create professional web pages in less time.

How to edit web templates

Now the next possible question that arises is as how to edit the web templates. Most web templates are editable and can be edited using popular html editors like FrontPage, DreamWeaver, GoLive and Photoshop. These html editors are easy to use and have a friendly interface. You need not be a pro to use them. Anyway in case anyone finds the editing part difficult they can always go for template customization services that are provided by most web template providers.

Where Do You Get Them?

Like most things in life, theres good templates and bad, in my opinion Web Refill is one off the hottest template sites out at the moment, offering bang up to date designer templates, coded to strict standard of W3C. They also offer custom templates designed by experienced designers to help install your unique and professional online identity.

What Do You Save?

Web templates can really help you save up lots of money and time and best of all help you do professional work. Just imagine hiring a web designer to design your website. As most of you must be aware, a web designer can charge you anything between $50 to $2000 for designing a single web-page! And then there is the time factor. Usually web-designers take a minimum of 10 -15 days to complete a website.

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In early 2008 there seemed to be an increase in those looking for property. However a depreciating sterling exchange rate has helped to further dampen interest with any drop in the Euro value of property being undermined by, or even wiped out by the poor prevailing rate of exchange.

Interest still is present though in both Moraira and Javea and as properties for sale are beginning to dry up, the supply side of the economic curve may prove to be the solution to the property markets problems.

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Our mission here was to go on a hunt to a few trendy NYC restaurants that opened in the past few months and take a peek at what’s in their bathrooms. The majority of them we noticed had fantastic Glass Sinks in all kinds of shapes. Our favorite was a square shaped glass sink that resembled a cylinder.

Another creative design was a bright red hand made glass vessel sink composed of two layers of tempered glass that was an absolute eye catcher. We won’t mention any names but this restaurant got an A+ for bathroom remodeling creativity.
Another eye catcher at a downtown bistro was this beautiful rich copper Mediterranean inspired round vessel sink which was an amazing complement to the entire restaurant’s decor. This was a Middle Eastern place that is famous for its amazing food and stylish decor. Great choice!

Any way you look at it, home decor is a great way to enhance your business or your home. Even the Do It Yourself Bathroom Remodeling gurus can take advantage of these amazing styles and ideas but simply taking notice of what the latest trends in decor or manufacures are these days.

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Apricot kernels are the kernel of Apricot. It is commonly known for containing amygdalin, which is sometimes called “vitamin B17″. Apricot kernels are strong-tasting and bitter, and are known in culinary contexts as bitter almonds or apricot almonds. They feature in recipes for apricot jam, marzipan and Italian amaretto cookies and liqueur. Taken in excess, they may produce nausea, fever, rash, hive nose, headaches, insomnia, increased thirst, weakness, lethargy, nervousness, various aches and pains in joints and muscles, a drop in blood pressure. A clinical trial of Laetrile (amygdalin) carried out in 1982 by the Mayo Clinic and three other U.S. cancer centers under National Cancer Institute sponsorship, found among other things that several patients suffered from cyanide poisoning.

There are two types linseed: brown linseed and golden linseed. These two types linseeds have similar nutritional values and equal amounts of short-chain omega-3 fatty acids. Linseed is a great source for Omega 3. Omega 3 has super polyunsaturated Essential Fatty Acid. Omega 3 is referred to as essential as it must be ingested in food directly as the body cannot synthesise it from other foods not containing Omega 3. If our bodies are short of Omega 3 and EFA, we could have dry flaky skin, weight increase, poor concentration or attention deficiency, lack of energy etc etc

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Guarana is the well-known plant in the Brazilian rain forest. It is an evergreen climbing vine indigenous to the Amazon Basin and is mainly cultivated in Brazil. The word guarana comes from the Portuguese guaraná. Guarana plays an important role in Tupi and Guaraní Brazilian culture. Guarana fruit is of hazelnut size., and has black seed. Chemically equivalent to caffeine, guaraná is of interest for its potential effects on cognition. In rats, guaraná increased memory retention and physical endurance when compared with a placebo. Traditionally Brazillan use Guarana seed to treat headaches, fever, aphrodisiac, bacterial infections etc etc. It increases concentration keeps a clear head and drives out mental boredom. Guararana also works as a sexual stimulant. Mixed with coffee it strengthens the effect of the caffeine, which means extra energy.

Cacao butter are known as theobroma oil. It is the pale-yellow, edible natural vegetable fat of the cacao bean. Cacao butter is extracted from the cacao beans and can be used to make chocolate, cocoa powder, pharmaceuticals, ointments, and toiletries. Cocoa butter has a mild chocolate flavor and aroma. White chocolate is made from cacao butter. Raw cacao butter is made using cold-pressed method, which reserves the natural nutrients to the largest extent. Cacao butter is a very stable fats, containing natural antioxidants that prevent rancidity and give it a storage life of two to five years, making it a good choice for non-food products. The smooth texture, sweet fragrance and emollient property of cocoa butter make it a popular ingredient in cosmetics and skin care products, such as soaps and lotions.

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New York City has the largest mass transit system in North America with approximately 4.7 million people a day and some 1.4 billion riders passing through its turnstiles each year.

Did you know that most visitors to New York stay for seven to ten days and spend the first three days lost? It doesn’t have to be that way.

This easy-to-follow entertaining DVD will teach you everything you need to know to efficiently and safely navigate your way around NYC.

Storeyline Productions, Inc. has recently produced a 30 minute DVD called Your Guide Around NYC, which is a licensed product of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, New York City Transit and is the first of its kind on the market.

It is an entertaining half hour program that teaches visitors and newcomers to New York City how to use New York City’s mass transit system. It covers the subway system, the buses and the AirTrain.

It also gives general navigation tips for getting around NYC as well as a visual overview of the city’s highlights and tourist destinations. Those who have viewed it have found it to be a valuable educational tool.

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All the poker room reviews listed at CommunityGamingNews.com have been written by experienced online poker players. The object of these reviews is to give our visitors all the information necessary to make an informed decision about where to play online poker, as this is not always an easy choice. There are lots of poker rooms available and they often market themselves as the best, with great games, the highest bonuses and the best promotions.

That’s where CommunityGamingNews.com and our objective poker room reviews come in. Our editors are experienced online poker players with vast knowledge about the established poker sites. They have played countless hours at rooms such as Titan Poker, Full Tilt Poker and Doyles Room Poker, and know the fine details about the rooms, from specifics about the software to the general flow of player traffic. Our editors monitor the poker sites closely and make sure the poker room reviews are always fresh with the latest information.

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Problems with a locked phone

The products of Apple Inc. are popular worldwide and there are many that would gladly get themselves an iPhone to replace or complement their iPod. When the iPhone was launched in the summer of 2007 it was limited to the US market and could only be acquired through commitment to the phone company AT&T. The phone didn’t reach Europe until late fall the same year which meant that many users could only read about this new and exciting device. 

Although Americans could consider themselves lucky to be able to actually get the iPhone, they would have to agree to the terms of AT&T and sign up for at least 6 months and many times even more. This was considered an outrage by many as it certainly limits the idea of a competitive phone market where customers benefit from the companies having to beat each other with good prices and offers. With the iPhone the only offer was the phone itself, which in some eyes could be considered quite a trick on the consumer, and this can only be bypassed by simply unlocking the phone. 

Global needs

In my search for an unlocking solution i was amazed to see that there were several options available, after digging deeper into the matter i found many many downsides to the methods used. Most iPhone unlocking solutions require you to be tech expert, or be willing to invest many many hours into the unlocking software, jailbreaks, ssh access, downgrading, detemening bootloader versions etc etc. Still i was detemened to get my iPhone unlocked for free and to learn the basics of the software unlocks that were available. After reading trough forums for many long hours i decided to give it a go. I picked the most recommended method and started with jailbreaking my phone. Unfortunately i learned the hard way that many things can go wrong, and after hours of trying to hack my iPhone, i ended up with a bricked iPhone that was completely unusable. That was the end of my precios iPhone. Just like that, gone..

Fortunately my local shop figured out a way to ‘virginise’ my broken iphone for $75,- Wich fortunately made it working again, but still locked to AT&T. So after 3 weeks of studying, hacking into my phone, being sick in my stummach, desperately looking for a solution and paying $75,- the result was that i was still stuck at AT&T.. Not a great result to say the least.

My friend however had a different approach. He just purchased a membership at an iphone unlocking site ( i think it was not even $30,-) downloaded their software, and had his iPhone unlocked within 10 minutes without any problems! I was astonished to see how easily this software unlocked his phone, automaticly, without needing any knowledge – just pressing a few buttons! The software was so simple that i decided to give it a try with my phone, and guess what, 3 minutes later my phone is unlocked!!

Conclusion:

Free stuff brings risks, huge risks when unlocking an iphone. I had to learn that the hard way. I there are several reputable websites that sell a decent unlocking solution. So if you want to unlock your iPhone i recommend you get a membership at a reputable website like www.iphone-sim-unlock.com where my friend bought the software. You will unlock your iphone within minutes, with no risk, and if your smart, you start unlocking your friend’s iPhones for $25,- to

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Hosting Marketers hosting plans have loads of bandwidth, but realizing that many customers want to try a ffmpeg hosting with a low-cost monthly fee, so Hosting Marketers as established a new site FFmpeg Hosting which as plans starting at $2.95 a month, the web space and bandwidth are proportionally less then the plans FFmpeg Hosting has.      

FFmpeg is a collection of software that can record, convert and stream digital audio and video over the internet. FFmpeg allows Hosting Marketers customers to run similar websites like YouTube and software such as Clip Share, Ostube, PHPmotion. In addition to FFmpeg, the following modules have been installed on Hosting Marketers servers: Mplayer + Mencoder, LAME MP3 Encoder, flv2tool, Libogg and Libvorbis.

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For example, the latest Forex news may be that certain currency is losing steam and you need to make a move and trade right away. This can be accomplished by using a metatrader forex advisor which will allow you to input your criteria and then it will watch the market fluctuation for you and keep a close eye on highs and lows and sell for you when a pre-determined number is reached. This can happen any time – day or night – whether you sleep or not. This is of course NOT a substitute for Forex news sources which you need to follow closely if you plan on becoming a serious money maker with Forex.

Another must have tool is an interest rate table. There are many websites that will outline for you current interest rates for a number of different countries and allow you to go back in time and see how and when interest rates were changed by the central banks of those countries.

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What is Forex, some of you may wonder? According to Wikipedia, the foreign exchange market exists wherever one currency is traded for another.  This is the largest financial market in the world, and includes trading between large banks, central banks, currency speculators, multinational corporations, governments, and other financial markets and institutions. The average daily trade in the global forex and related markets currently is over US$ 3 trillion.

Forex brokers in the US are most likely very active at this time especially now since the USD has fallen below EU and other stong currencies.  One of the daily tools they use is a pivot point calculator.  Some of these support floor, Woodies, Camarilla and Fibonacci pivots, and Tom DeMark levels. You can enter the Open, High, Low and Close figures, select the number of decimal places to display the results to and press the calculate button.

It is amazing the kind of information, tools, help and training you can get for free only from simply reading forex blogs. So go and make some money!

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Make a list of what you are looking for. If you are not sure, choose one of the three companies we just mentioned and then use their features as I guideline. Do some comparison-shopping and see which company has more to offer. You want to the most gigabytes and the most uptime. If the company does not offer at least 99.9% of uptime, look elsewhere.

Uptime is what keeps your website on the web. If you have an e-commerce site then you will want to have as much on the web time as possible. Even being down for an hour can cost you a lot of money. If the company has a phone number, call them and ask them any questions you may have or search more info on forums and bloggs. If you have any questions that you did not get the answer to, don’t rush to make any decisions.

Remember that web hosting is not a luxury for your website, it is a necessity. So take some time and shop around. Get the most from the money that you will be paying every month. Choose wisely, but also keep in mind that if you aren’t happy with the hosting that you have chosen that you can change at any time. But make sure that there are no contracts involve that could really affect your website availability.

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The important thing to remember is that you have to use backlinks with another site that has some relevance to the site you have. The search engines will not give you results if you link to a site that is totally opposite of what your site is about. There are backlink directories that will help you find other sites that are willing to shore backlinks. There was a time when you could pay for a backlink on another website but now Google disapproves of that method. So a directory is a great way to see who is willing to help you with your traffic. One of the most important things in SEO is PageRank.

If you notice on all website pages there is a PageRank. The higher the number the better off you will be. PageRank will get you a higher search engine ranking. In addition, if you backlink to another website that has a high PageRank then you will start to see more traffic. SEO takes time, hard work and a lot of dedication. If you are planning to keep your website around for a while, take your time and do some effective backlinks and other SEO methods and you will be successful. You may not hit the nail on the head the first time when it comes to SEO. You may have to try other methods before you start seeing a change in your PageRank and search engine listing.

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Bei Männern ist auch eine Haartransplantation eine Option. Dabei werden Bündel von mehreren Haaren von der Rückenseite der Kopfhaut auf die kahlen Stellen an der Vorderseite verpflanzt. Der Vorteil der Haartransplantation liegt in der schnellen und dauerhaften Durchführung, allerdings kostet eine Haartransplantation zwischen 2 und 5000 EUR, manchmal auch mehr. Es gibt verschiedene Techniken um eine Haartransplantation durchzuführen, grob unterteilbar in “Strip” und “FUE”. Bei einer Haartransplantation nach der Strip-Methode wird ein Streifen entnommen, während bei der FUE einzelne Haarbündel herausoperiert werden. Die Unterschiede zwischen den Methoden sind groß, genauso wie die Kosten.

Alopecia areata ist eine autoimmune Krankheit, ähnlich wie die Neurodermitis. Im gesunden Menschen schützt das Immunsystem den Menschen gegen Infektionen und Krankheiten. Bei einer Autoimmunkrankheit greift das Immunsystem des Körpers fälschlicherweise einen Teil des eigenen Körpers an, wie den Haarfollikel oder die Hautzellen. Auch Neurodermitis tendiert dazu, am häufigsten bei Kindern und jungen Erwachsenen herauszukommen. Jedoch kann Neurodermitis auch ältere menschen betreffen, ebenso wie Neurodermitis durch psychologischen Stress gefördert wird. Es gibt mehrere verschiedene Hypothesen bezüglich dessen, was Neurodermitis verursacht. Genetische ursachen scheinen bei der Neurodermitis eine bedeutende Rolle zu spielen, da es eine höhere Häufigkeit innerhalb einer Familie gibt. Auch Asthma, allergischer Heuschnupfen und Schilddrüsenkrankheiten treten bei Verwandten mit Neurodermitis gehäuft auf.

Eine weitere erblich veranlagte Krankheit mit einem Beginn schon bei Kindern ist ADHS, eine Aufmerksamkeitsdefizits-Störung. Die ersten Anzeichen von ADHS sind schon bei Babys zu erkennen, die sehr oft schreien und erste motorische Probleme aufweisen. Mit Schuleintritt kommt es in vielen Fällen schon zu ersten Konflikten. Das ADHS führt zu unruhigem Verhalten, Beeinträchtigung von Konzentration, Wahrnehmung und sozialen Kontakten, sowie zu der konfliktträchtigen Problematik keine Arbeitsaufgaben zu beenden. ADHS ist relativ häufig, ca. 3-5 % aller Kinder sind betroffen. Eine sichere Diagnose sollte auf jedem Fall von einem ausgebildeten Arzt oder Psychologen gestellt werden. Als Therapie von ADHS kommen Arzneimittel wie Strattera oder Methylphenidat in Kombination mit einer psychologischen Verhaltenstherapie in Frage. ———-

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History in African Masks What do have african masks to do with this question? Lets have a short look back to some development many years ago in art. No, not the history of the web, but the development of design. We had a similar change in the world of design slightly more than 100 years ago, when “modern art” started to boom. Up to the end of 19th century, the known art was “old-fashioned”. A great change took place when a new simplicity of design, created in view of african masks and african figures, became famous in Europe. Indeed the old african tribes had carved their african masks in a puristic, simple and valuable style, that even nowadays you can put african masks on front of any website. What is their special juice?? It is the high level of abstraction of the african masks, with details like eyes “unusual” in size, the natural color worn by long use, and the clean carving really resembling to the art objects of todays web designers.

So lets focus on the first important conclusion: it is simplicity, which is a key factor. And it might well be the case, that this is the strongest factor. Puristic layout, simple fonts.Combined with the freedom to do the things like you want: strong and colourful.

But let us have a closer look at some examples of Web 2.0 websites. One of the most prominent example is a website about fonts. Yes, one of these boring places with thousands of fonts – or not? Well, have a deeper look yourself to a font site a great experience. A nice example for such a uptodate design site with fonts shows the combination of a simple but unsual design, strong colours, great visuals … and the best fonts you may find.

Another good example, how to make a boring thing to a great experience may be a standard web directory. Not a web directory with plenty of nerving advertising, no – a simple, colourful web directory immediately becomes a nice place.

Both sites – the site with fonts and the web directory – are quite puristic in concept. Indeed you don´t need too many colours. But you can play with them if you have the right site. In contrast to a web directory anime sites are usually colourful – dedicated to younger people loving anime storeis. But an anime site just black-and-white would not be attractive. So this unusual anime website draws its attraction from the simplicity. No text, just one picture to start. Only if you go accross the picture with your mouse, you come to the services this anime site offers.

In this way african masks showed a great influence on modern things like web directory, anime or font site – funny, isn’t it?.

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Most people will search the Internet for hours looking for a way to make some extra cash and some will get bored quickly and be frustrated to find out that making money online with a home based business opportunity isn’t always as easy as it seems. A lot of people look for a quick way to make cash and can be mislead by earnings statements and absurd “get rich quick schemes”.

Home based business opportunities are slightly different. They offer a way of making a living online just how you would if you were going to work every day. They are not, thank god, a get rich quick scheme and can be easily implemented to start earning you some money.

Types of business
There are many different types of home based business opportunities and some can be a waste of time but others that are more stable can offer you the chance to work at home in your own time and earn the money of a full time paid job.
Choosing an opportunity is easier than you think, with several sites offering reviews and opinions on each and every new opportunity that hits the Internet daily. It is always a good idea to try before you buy but in some cases it can be tough to try them due to the investment required. In my opinion you should not be required to invest too much when starting a home based online business and it can be difficult to find the genuine good deals.

Get the facts before you act
Sites that offer you a review service in order to determine the opportunity for you are really easy to use and generally cut out the middle man and enable you to see what you are getting before you part with your cash.

Is it easy?
Home based business’s are a great way to earn a living nowadays and it is getting easier as each program is brought out. Of course you don’t have to follow an already set up program, you can choose to work from home doing your own thing. After all this is why they call it a home based business. There are so many things to choose from including, typing and data entry, completing surveys and even running your own online store either at eBay or on your own website.

Is it for me?
If you choose to set up a home based business you want to make sure you are able to put in the time and effort, as I said before it isn’t just a case of answering a few questions, putting your website up and waiting for the cash to roll in. However, if you do it right and do put the work in, the amount of money to be earned can outweigh your 9-5 job quite easily. So for those of you who are really looking to work online, not just sit back and wait for money, then what are you waiting for? Get your home based business opportunity set up and running as soon as you can so you can prove that making money online can be done and although it is hard work, it sure is worth it!

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We’re turning the poker world completely upside down and on its head!

UltimateBet has set out to accomplish the impossible – we’re going to give some of our unluckiest players a bad beat story that EVERYONE will want to hear. Players who sit down at our Bad Beat Jackpot tables can win big when they lose large.

What, exactly, is a bad beat?

When the worst hand comes from behind to beat a better one, is that a bad beat? No! A bad beat is when the worst hand comes from behind to beat YOUR better hand. Bad beats are personal – it feels like there’s some vast conspiracy against you. And when you corner some poor soul to tell them the sordid details, no one ever wants to hear your bad beat stories! Not even the one where you raised with Aces and this IDIOT called with Jack-Four suited.

Your loss is your gain!

If you lose with quad Eights or better you’ll take home a hefty cut of the Bad Beat Jackpot that grows by leaps and bounds with every hand that’s dealt at our Bad Beat tables. We collect $.50 from every raked pot at our Bad Beat tables to build up the Jackpot until some desperately unlucky soul gets coolered by a cold deck…and wins a bundle!

Get in the loser’s circle and win!

Since we don’t want anyone at the winning table telling bad beat stories, we’ll share the wealth like no one else in online poker.

When the jackpot is hit, 25% will remain in the jackpot to seed the new jackpot. 10% goes to the house, and the rest of the cash goes to the players. The player suffering the bad beat gets half, the lucky duck who won the hand gets a quarter, the other players dealt in the hand get $1,000 each and the remaining 25% (and this is where it gets interesting) is divided amongst ALL bad beat players at that limit and game type. It is the Ultimate Bad Beat Jackpot and it is only at UB. Everybody wins especially the loser!

Our Bad Beat Jackpot tables open up on Monday, September 24th. Take a seat and wait for your horrible, horrible luck to make you rich!

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