You are here: Home / Archives for Family

Enjoying Your Vacation With Your Family

January 23, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Family vacations are about a lot of things. On the one hand, it is always great to get away from the stresses of your day-to-day life. But on the other hand, it is also great to get back with your family and remember that you have more in common than your last name.

It is too easy to get so wrapped up in planning your family vacation that even great cruise deals are not enough to tone down your stress level. Relax, and let your vacation be fun.

 

Image via Flickr

Don’t Treat it Like a Job

Yes, most people spend more than a third of their lives working. Yes, you will probably still be working decades from now. However, just because you are used to making everything about objectives doesn’t mean you should do that with your family involved. Family fun is about being close to each other and sharing some great experiences, not ticking off things you “should” be doing.

Going to the Grand Canyon is great, but not if it feels like a trail of tears. Travel deals are wonderful, but not if they get in the way of enjoying yourself once you get there. Relax a little bit, and the trip will flow so much better.

Look for Some Great Deals

Great deals are everywhere online. Every vacation spot on earth would love to have you visit them. When you have plenty of cash in your pocket because you took cheap New York flights or got a great hotel deal in Milan, you will have more spending money for your trip. You also won’t be as stressed about blowing tons of money on just getting there.

Don’t Be Afraid of Daycations

Sometimes a staycation or a daycation is the easiest way to enjoy some time with your family. In a daycation, you travel somewhere you can get to in less than a day. Sometimes you stay in a motel there, and sometimes you drive back during the night. In a staycation, you “play tourist” in your own town. Do your kids know a lot about the city you already live in? Do you? If you don’t, now might be the perfect time to explore it together.

There are a lot of variables involved in a family vacation. While “where you go” and “what you do” have infinite possibilities, sometimes the simplest things are actually the best. Just make sure your vacation is actually about spending quality time with your family.

Filed Under: Travel Tagged With: , ,

Important Tips for New Moms

June 27, 2011 By Leave a Comment
This baby is one month old. 

Image via Wikipedia

As a new mom, you will undoubtedly be faced with a lot of unfamiliar trials. That’s a normal part of being a new parent, and a learning curve that every family has to go through. However, there are a few tips that can help you get through the stress.

  • Allow yourself to get away. Sometimes, all it takes is a quick five or ten minute break to regroup so that you are able to handle the demand of a new baby. Don’t guilt yourself for taking a couple minutes to yourself to read something interesting, like Moontomars.org, or walk out under the sun. You’ll be surprised with how refreshed you will feel!
  • Remember to turn off mommy mode. All parents need a break, especially new ones that are stressed. You aren’t going to be helpful when you’re too frustrated to think straight, and you certainly won’t be able to calm down a crying infant if you’re emanating stress from every pore.
  • Your baby loves you. Parenting a newborn is rewarding task, even if it does get frustrating sometimes. Your baby doesn’t expect you to be perfect – they just want you to be there. Don’t worry if you don’t know what to do the first time around – in fact, you’re in good company because even second time parents don’t have all the answer!

The most important thing you can do right now is remember to breathe. Eventually, your baby will sleep the entire night and be able to communicate their needs to you in a more effective manner.

 

 

 

Filed Under: New Parents, Parenting Tagged With: , ,

Adjusting to a New Baby

June 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Baby-global 

Image via Wikipedia

It can be hard to adjust to having a new baby in the house, especially if you’ve never had any children before. Your sleep pattern will be disrupted, and it will be difficult to think of anything other than taking care of the baby. However, it’s very important that you remember to take care of both yourself and your partner so that your relationship and health are not compromised with the added stress.

  • Make time for a date away from the baby. You can find a babysitter you trust, or ask a family member to watch your infant – the important thing is that you get out for some time alone so that you can reconnect with your partner.
  • Join a parenting group in your community. This can be a great way to connect with other new parents, make some new friends, and receive help with the adjustment phase. Sometimes, all it takes is the reassurance that someone else is going through the same stressful situation. Parenting groups are a great place to find tips on feeding your new baby, and learning how to prevent common health problems as well, like constipation.
  • Visit Moontomars.org. You can find helpful advice and articles that will help you learn more about your infant.

Taking care of a tiny being that can’t voice its needs is a difficult task, and having a trusted resource to read can be very helpful. As a new parent, you aren’t expected to know how to do everything! Books and online articles can be wonderful preparation for the actual event, and can become a valuable tool to lean on during tough times.

 

 

 

Filed Under: Baby Care, Parenting Tagged With: , ,

Planning the Perfect Mommy’s Night Out

May 15, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Being a new mommy can be exhausting. One of the biggest complaints that new mother’s have is that there is no real conversations with adults, and they find that this is something they crave. The perfect solution for allowing new mom’s that ideal adult time, while still getting a break, with a mommy’s night out.

Planning The Perfect Night Out

A mother holds up her child. 

Image via Wikipedia

This is a great opportunity to take advantage of the extra help that others around offer to provide. There are a couple of different ways to go about planning this, and much of it depends on the stage that your baby is in. For instance:

1. If baby can sleep through the night and is bottle fed, then this might be a good time to ask a fellow mom to help out. This creates a nice relationship with another new mom because when she would like her night out, you can return the favor.

2. If baby has health issues, needs breast milk, or still very young, then depend upon a significant other or a grandparent. These people will be better suited to handle the challenges of working with a new born, and they also will not mind if you call a few times to check in.

It is important that new moms get their time with friends. There are days that are stressful, and it is important that you network to find friends and family members that will support you when you need your time. Some experts have suggested that new mothers get one afternoon a week to themselves in order to maintain positive mental health.

Filed Under: Parenting Tagged With: , , ,

Just for Mom: Taking a Mini Vacation

May 11, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Having a mom mini-vacation is extremely important for your health. It is easy for a mother to get into a habit of only focusing on everyone else. This is a dangerous habit because you need time to relax, reflect and sleep. Think back to before you were a mom, if you can remember, and it’s likely you did things on your own or with your friends on a regular basis. You had a good balance of social, work and alone time. That balance is even more important when you become a mom.

Never feel guilty about occasionally needing some time away from your children. This gives you the ability to refresh and clear your mind. Your children will still love you when you return home from the spa or dinner with your girlfriends. Mom time is so important because it gives you the ability to still have your identity. Sure, you are still mom, but you are also a person.

Not only does me time benefit you, it also benefits your children, your partner, your work and your life. You will begin to notice when you need a mini vacation because you will start feeling overwhelmed, trapped and irritated. Get out of the house and allow canada 411 to help you find a place you can relax. You should be getting about six hours of me time a week. It may seem like too much, but it is less than one hour a day.

Your family needs to be able to operate without you once in awhile. Give your partner the chance to be in charge. Everyone benefits from your mini vacation.

Filed Under: General, Parenting Tagged With: , ,

Honor the Family With Your New Baby’s Name

January 25, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Your new baby is a new individual, but your whole family is excited that it’s coming to be a part of the tribe.  You’ll hear your mother say the baby looks like her daddy.  You’ll hear your father say the baby looks just like his sister.  It’s natural because we are all proud of our families.  Therefore, you might want to consider honoring your new baby with a family name.

You may want to choose a middle name that honors a brother or sister, or parent.  If you love your brother Justin, but you’re having a baby girl, try something like Justine.  Some names are unisex, so they’ll work in many ways.  Maybe you’ll combine a couple of family names to create your child’s name.  If dad is Terry and Mom is Lynne, Terry Lynn for a boy or Terri Lynne for a girl would make both new grandparents proud.

Another way to honor the family with your new baby’s name is to use a surname.  It’s common for the British to use a surname as a middle name.  A child might be Julia Scott Jones.  Scott may have been the grandmother’s maiden name.  This kind of name honors the bloodline.

Of course, you may want to use yours or your husband’s name for the child.  Certainly baby boys can be Juniors and so forth.  But using the new dad’s first name as that baby’s middle name is a great identity for the child, too.  Some expecting parents like to keep the baby’s name a secret and then surprise some deserving relative upon the baby’s arrival.  Nothing makes a grandpa prouder than to know his first grandson is named after him.  It expresses your eternal love for the honored family member.

If there’s not a family member to honor, best friends are good name choices, too.

Filed Under: Baby Care Tagged With: ,

The Importance of Family Planning

January 5, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Having a child can be overwhelmingly complicated and confusing. With so many different options, an already hormonal new mom is caught in a hurricane of information that often contradicts and confuses. When you need to make sense of what is going on with all of the major changes that come along with starting a family, planningfamily.com is one resource that can help to calm your anxiety and give you the information you need to be empowered about your body and your life.

With thousands of possible pregnancy symptoms, it can be really helpful to know that the special mixture of symptoms unique to your pregnancy are normal and healthy. Whenever you need to know if what you are going through is natural, the Internet can be a source of great comfort. So many of the symptoms that can happen during pregnancy can be extremely shocking and strange and getting reassurance from other moms via blogs and web sites can make the difference between a joyful pregnancy and a stressful one.

Other factors that you may need help sorting out during, before and after pregnancy, are financial planning, finding a pediatrician, figuring out what childcare situation works best for your family, baby names and milestones. Being able to find all the information you need to plan for your family takes the hassle and stress out of one of the most important periods of your life.

Tracking your pregnancy week by week can also help you to know about possible changes coming your way. When you know that what is happening to you is normal, you will be relaxed when it does. Likewise, when something that can commonly go wrong does, you will be empowered with the knowledge to know what is wrong and what level of action is appropriate to counter it. Planning your pregnancy is the first step you can take towards being the best parent you can be.

Filed Under: Parenting, Pregnancy Tagged With: , , , ,

Bringing Home Baby

December 29, 2010 By Leave a Comment

There is nothing like the joy of bringing home your baby from the hospital. When mother and child are released there is sure to be a great celebration but if you are not properly prepared that celebration could quickly turn into an extremely stressful event.

Even if you think you are prepared, odds are you are not. There will be a wide range of emotions that everyone in the family will experience. Older siblings may exhibit jealousy, grandparents may not know when to leave and husbands may feel left out. Handling these little complications can be furthur complicated by a crying infant and irregular sleep habits.

A little bit of planning before the big event can help to insure that the homecoming goes as smoothly as possible. Hopefully, there was a baby shower to help you stock up on all of the supplies you are going to need. Stockpile diapers and bottles and other essentials long before the birth so no one has to run out and get them the minute mom comes home. It is also a good idea to make arrangements ahead of time if someone will be staying with you to assist with the newborn. Communicate this information to everyone in the family so that there will not be any surprises.

If you have older children, make sure that they are prepared for what to expect when the baby comes home. Tell them how the new child will require a great deal of attention in the beginning and apologize in advance for not being able to spend as much time with them. It is also important to encourage the older sibling to help with the care for the newborn baby, this can help head off any feelings of jealousy. There are some great books that you can buy for older brothers and sisters to help prepare them for a new addition.

Filed Under: Baby Care, General Care, Parenting Tagged With: , , ,

Father and Mother Know Best

December 3, 2010 By Leave a Comment

The best advice that you will get in caring for your new baby is from other couples who have recently been through it. Perhaps you have a sister or brother who have a young child and the memory of getting through those first few weeks is fresh in their mind. It could also be a close friend who has just gone through it and may not only be willing to share some advice but maybe baby clothes and other equipment to save you some money.

Another great resource for caring for a child is your own mother. While it may have been a few years since they went through the process of taking care of a baby, they took care of you and no doubt gained some child rearing wisdom. A recent survey found that almost half of new moms rely on their own mothers or their mother in law for advice on how to care for their child. In fact, when they have a question about what to do most say they would call their mom before calling their doctor.

The best advice any mother or friend can give to a new mom is to try and prepare your home for the new arrival ahead of time. This means stocking up on diapers and baby bottles. It also means stocking the refrigerator or freezer so that you have easy to prepare meals for yourself and husband. You also might want to stock up on paper plates and cups so that you do not have the added concern of washing dishes.

Helpful tips from moms who have been through it will come in very handy, however there are those relatives who are a little too free with advice. If you know someone like this who is constantly trying to tell you what to do or how to do something, simply thank them for the advice and tell them you have things under control.

Filed Under: General Care, New Parents Tagged With: , ,