Parents can continue to work whilst on camping trips with kids

It's the season for camping with your kids as kids love this activity when sleeping under canvas, having to visit an outdoor bathroom is concerned. It's all fun for the kids but parents setting aside their work schedule to be able to spend time with the kids could hamper some of their business. Parents you have no more to worry about for you can find easy access to work through the internet with some below your budget netbooks. This small lightweight netbook computer can be your saving light while you are on the move and at the same time accessing the internet.

Along with your other essentials, we all know the beachwear is what we cannot do if we are really going to spend time on the beach or make it a part of our camping trip. Parents can place their resting spot under a shady umbrella and connect to the internet in comfort while even keeping a watchful eye on their kids. You do in all in one, work and have fun while you camp along with your kids.

If we have to do a price comparison of all the camping equipment one requires for the trip, then one will realize that spending less than £200 on a netbook means saving a huge loss and one wouldn't have to tag along their bulky traditional laptops fully loaded with power and memory that simply isn't needed for many web application.

Keeping track of your baby through pregnancy weekly

Once you've found out your pregnant, it's time to focus on the trimesters apart from the health and other factors. Trimesters are different stages being monitored in pregnancy, and now is the time you can chart out a journal to keep track of your visits to the doctor or ultrasounds at different stage of your pregnancy.

This allows weekly monitoring is to ensure everything is going on fine with you and the baby and if any problems should arise, it can be spotted at the earliest to minimize the risk of further complications.

Wont you love hearing your baby's first heart beat or being alert to the first kick of tender limbs? This weekly monitoring helps to enjoy every weekly change that takes place within your womb as the baby grows, and you can write them down as memories. Your doctor will also be able to estimate your due date correctly through this chart.

So moms, take your pregnancy to a heightened stream of enjoyment and write a journal of your growing baby's activity, and others stages of growth.

Submitting your site to web directories

When i had created this blog site i had to begin submission to web directories for inclusion of this site. If i hadn't, probably Google would ever know my blog existed and wouldn't index my site. This is how i get all my visitors here who either search for keywords like pregnancy, parenting, childbirth, kids, etc... Though i haven't linked my blog site to other sites, it still ranked pr2 which means indexing of ones site is very very important.

A web directory lists web sites by category and subcategory based of the whole web site rather than just keywords or individual pages.

Newbie's who enter into the web world have lots to tell the world, they create web sites, publish a whole lot of content but don't submit to search engines or web directories for their sites to get indexed by those search engines. When a site owner completes building his/her site it's very necessary for them to submit their site to a free web directory because that's how one would gain traffic/visitors to his/her page. Who would know your blog does exist if you don't take the final step? They would be oblivious to your wonderful content and that for sure would make you wonder, because its obvious you may want to share your ideas, opinions and perceptions to the world. So come on, do the needful and submit to DMOZ where your sites finds it's way with the links of the same or other categories. The Open Directory Project is a web directory of Internet resources. This web directory is somewhat related to a huge reference library, hierarchically arranged by subject. Before they include your site into the directory it's evaluated by the community of volunteer editors. To submit to the Open directory you may want to read the instructions before submitting your site to save you from further hassles and confusions.

The other directories you could submit to is the Yahoo directory and the Jasmine directory

Preparing for natural childbirth- part 1

It's a good decision if you are intending a natural childbirth because it does have its advantages in the course of time. The first thing is to eradicate the fear within you and elevate your confidence level to enjoy in the preparation for the new arrival of joy. Your confidence also heightens your chances of birthing positively and successfully. Am sure the tips below will come of some use to you (this is part 1, part 2 coming up in a few days...)

Now depends where you want to give birth, which you would want to allow your delivery to be taken care of, a doctor or midwife. Many women in the past and even till today have been positive with the natural birth because they have experienced watching many deliveries in front of their eyes. They were aware of how much pain a women goes through, and that the pain and process doesn't last forever. They never even needed any lessons or knowledge because they saw natural birth take place in front of their eyes and they were very much witness of each happening at every state of the whole birth. They were so accustomed to natural births that all they needed was their family members and a midwife to carry out the birth at home itself.

These days, in the recent centuries, women opt for a hospital rather than a home delivery because of they belief in doctors that they can carry out the delivery safely. But despite your belief in your doc, women must be enlightened by educational birth tips and techniques. Though the doctor will carry out the whole procedure but it's the women who have to go through the labor.

So, whether or not you plan for a home, birth center or hospital, it’s equally important to engage in birth classes these days. As women utilize their complete mental and physical abilities during labor, these childbirth classes educate you to new breathing and coping techniques which eventually creates a positive impact on how your body responds during labor and proves beneficial during the time. This improves your chances of a comfortable and successful labor.

You can have the medication-free birth at a hospital but the experience of natural labor would be easier if you were at home right? This is when a birth center would come as a good option where you can get home-like atmosphere and support.

If you opt for natural labor at a hospital then you should discuss your preferences with your caretaker or doctor. Find out if you are required to have an IV and electronic monitoring and how would you get around it.

If the medical interventions are not acceptable to you, you may want a home birth or hire a midwife who would remain with you throughout your labor. These people are trained to help you cope with the medication free labor.

Know the symptoms of the swine flu or H1h1 virus

Even the monuments are playing it safe. Photo: Cristiano Oliveira, Twitpic
Courtesy: BBC News

The Swine flu is creating havoc around the world.. its here and there, and everywhere. But as a mother and wife, you could prevent this virus known as swine flu and H1N1 virus, from affecting your family and others by understanding the symptoms asap.

Symptoms:
This type of flu being new no-one is expected to be immune, so be more alert parents/spouses/loved ones. There could be serious complications unlike ordinary flu, which could cause off and on pneumonia. Get your kids and yourself checked by a doctor should you find any of the symptoms like fever, cough, cold, headaches, fatigue, chills and sore throat occurring at your home. Pregnant moms and kids are at higher risk even through the ordinary flu, so frequent doctors check ups are necessary to assure everything all right.

These are serious symptoms which should be checked by your doctor as soon as noticed

In a child:
less or refusal of fluid intake
not interacting
color changes to blueish
fever and cough, off and on
breathing fast
unable to wake up
irritable child
fever with rashes
flu like symptoms improve but return, being severe

In an adult:
difficulty in breathing
abdominal pains
vomiting
dizziness
perplexed state
chest pains

What are pregnancy cravings and 3 ways to substitute them

It is said that almost every expectant mother has a craving for one or two foods during her pregnancy. A pregnant women craving for ice-creams, pizzas or cheese fillings during the mid of the night or early dawn don't seem rational, isn't it? But you got to live with one to believe the fact!

First understand why the cravings take place:

These yearnings are just a part of carrying a baby in your womb. It is stated that the taste or smell of the mother to be is linked through the powerful impact of the hormonal changes in the body, and that cravings vary from person to person.

Some experts have their say on what the cravings could indicate:

Iron deficiency - cigar butts, laundry starch, ice, mud are some of the carvings which surprisingly don't even contain significant amounts of iron. Ice is consumed a lot by women, as reported.

Vitamin B shortage - chocolate!

Protein - red meat.

Some say, the body just responds to nutritional requirements, while some deny it. Yet one shouldn't neglect the body's cravings and try substituting the healthy ones to the non-healthy ones.

3 ways to keep cravings in check:

Start your day with a healthy breakfast consisting of a toast with jam, fresh fruits, a glass of calcium-fortified orange juice and yogurt.

Exercising can help you go easy on your hunger and distract your cravings.

Remember if you are depressed, you turn to food, and this could instigate the cravings of pregnant-hood. Gain yourself some emotional support where you would feel loved and cared for and this will help to keep mood swings in check.

A few more posts, and then i'll elaborate the different types of usual and unusual, food and non-food cravings, including some added substitutes.

Causes for itching during pregnancy and how to avoid or relieve it

During pregnancy, there are a lot of reasons the skin tends to get itchy and irritable and mostly due to the hormonal changes the body undergoes which is believed as very common. Though the discomfort is temporary, but this shouldn't be taken lightly and one should check for other significations.

You will find the itching around the stomach and breast area in most women but could variate. Some women find their palms and feet itching like mad and this is caused due to an increase in estrogen which will eventually fade away post the delivery.

The itching may also persist and turn intense around the third trimester and this is caused by a condition called intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy.

Besides, the women who have already had eczema are likely to get worse during pregnancy while some women may have eczema for the first time during pregnancy.

How to avoid or give yourself relief from the itching:

Avoid hot showers as this could dry up the skin making the itching worse. Use a mild soap, rinse of the soap thoroughly and while you dry yourself with a soft towel.
Avoid scented powers or moisturizers. Wear light cotton clothes and avoid the strong rays of the harsh sun.

To get relief from the itching the first step is to never scratch at all or that will furthermore irritate the area! An oatmeal bath, cocoa butter or a dabbing of calamine lotion straight out of the fridge should work wonders for you.

Always check with your doctor. You and your doctor know best :-)

French toast in 15 minutes!

Ingredients:

1 egg
1/4 c. milk
dash of vanilla extract
1 tbsp. margarine
2 pieces of bread

Method:

1. Crack the egg into a medium-size bowl and beat well. Then mix in the milk and vanilla extract.
2. Put the margarine in a frying pan. Heat the pan on the stovetop on medium heat. It's hot enough when the margarine starts to bubble.
3. Dunk each piece of bread in the egg mixture. Make sure the bread is totally covered.
4. Cook the bread in the frying pan on low heat until the underside is light brown (about 5 minutes).
5. Use a spatula to flip the bread over, and cook again for another 5 minutes.
6. Use the spatula to transfer the French toast to a plate.

How to clean babys gums and teeth

It is important to clean baby's gum's or teeth from its early baby days because like kids and adults, teeth plays a huge and important role in a baby's life too, as it helps the baby chew its food and form words while speaking. Its also effects the baby's jaws in growth. Healthy teeth= a happy healthy baby :-)

You can start cleaning its teeth few days post the birth. Take a soft wet cloth, wrap it around your finger and wipe your baby's gum's after meals and feeds. This helps to remove any plague left over from eating. Make this a routine which will help the baby get accustomed to the cleaning and will help in the brushing of their teeth later on. Also help in the dental visits.

Once the baby is 1 year old, you can start using a brush with soft bristles and a toothpaste which doesn't contain fluoride. This type of toothpaste is safe even if the baby does swallow some of it.