Do you need relief for a child who coughs in the middle of the night? Are you fed up with your own runny nose and stuffy head? You can make homemade herbal teas and herbal teas to help ease the unpleasant symptoms of coughs, colds, and the flu. This article includes a list of cold and flu fighting herbs, their healing properties, and clear instructions on how to use them.

Natural healing herbs to treat coughs, colds and flu.

Many herbs lend themselves well as main ingredients in medicinal teas to combat coughs, colds, and the flu. The herbs listed below are used in herbal tea recipes intended to enhance the healing process.

• Echinacea (Echinacea angustifolia): An immunity booster with strong anti-flu properties, take alone for three weeks, then stop for two weeks. Do not give to children under twelve years of age or to people with asthma.
• Evening primrose (Oenothera biennis): its leaves have anti-inflammatory, anti-flu and many other properties that improve health.
• French tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus): helps soothe coughs and has anti-flu, antibacterial and anti-allergy properties.
• Greek oregano (Origanum vulgare hirtum): It has many anti-flu and antibacterial properties. It can be used to calm allergy symptoms such as hay fever and environmental allergies. Marjoram can be used for similar purposes.
• Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) – a sedative that helps calm and induce sleep, and also has cold and flu-fighting properties.
• Peppermint (Mentha piperita): relieves stomach problems, helps with pain and also has anti-flu and antibacterial properties. Do not give to children under twelve years of age.
• Self-Heal (Prunella vulgaris): It has many health benefits, one of them being anti-flu. It can be used as a tonic.
• Peppermint (Mentha spicata) -same as mint. Do not give to children under twelve years of age.
• Thyme (Thymus vulgaris): has properties against cough and flu. Also an anti-inflammatory that helps with pain, digestion and stomach problems.
• Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) – Same as the Greek oregano, but also helps memory. However, take it only for three weeks and then stop taking it for two weeks.

How to make homemade infusions

For the herbs listed above for fighting cold and flu, use the leaves of the plants to make homemade herbal teas. You can make a tea using the herb alone, or add herbs to a base tea such as green tea or chamomile tea.

If you like, you can add lemon juice, honey, or another sweetener to taste. However, most herbal teas taste quite nice as they are. A little added honey will make most teas more palatable to children, but keep in mind that honey is not recommended for children under the age of two.

If you’re treating a cough, cold, or flu, it’s best to drink the liquid while it’s still warm. Obviously, teas made for children will need to be chilled to a safe temperature before they can be drunk.

Will need:

• clean boiled water, preferably spring water, fresh water or rainwater
• teapot and/or teacups or mugs, ideally porcelain, glass, ceramic, or enamel
• tea strainer (optional)
• lemon juice, honey, or maple syrup (optional)
• a base tea such as green tea or chamomile tea (optional)

You can use fresh or dried herbs for your homemade herbal tea. For each cup of tea required, use a small handful of large-leaved herbs or 2-3 sprigs of small-leaved herbs. It’s about a tablespoon of herbs per cup. Gently pull up large-leaved grasses to help the phytochemicals dissipate more easily in the water.

Put the herbs in your teapot or teacup and pour boiled water over them. Put the lid on the kettle or cover the teacup with a saucer to contain the volatile oils inside. Let stand for at least five minutes. If you use a teapot, you can strain the herbs while pouring the tea into a teacup. If you’ve brewed your tea in a teacup, simply let the herbs settle to the bottom. Sweeten to taste if desired.

Making herbal infusions is very similar to making tea. The only difference is that the leaves are steeped longer than herbal teas, usually a minimum of twenty minutes. Steeping herbs longer brings out their chemicals in much higher concentration. Alternatively, you can leave the herbs in the kettle to steep indefinitely, pouring in the fortifying liquid as needed throughout the day.

If you are pregnant, have asthma or allergies, have a thyroid problem, or are considering giving herbal teas or infusions to a child, check that you are using herbs that are safe for these conditions.

In one word: If your home and life are in chaos and you can’t seem to find any of your stuff because it’s hidden under clutter, Sink Reflections will help you get organized, regain control, and live with some cleanliness and peace. of the mind. Learn to love yourself, your home and your life.

why buy this book

If you’re so overwhelmed with clutter in your life that you can’t seem to find any techniques to fix it, then you’ll benefit greatly from FlyLady’s advice. Cilley’s own messy and chaotic life led her to come up with the ideas for this book. She will find an easy, loving, step-by-step process to get her home, her family, and her sanity back. You will see improvements from the moment you open the book. That’s how effective Cilley’s advice is.

Why not buy this book?

If you can move easily to make progress on any task, have some kind of organizational skills that help you stay on top of things, then you won’t need this book. This book tends to be aimed at chronic clutter addicts and disorderly gluttons.

Why do I recommend this book?

Sink Reflections isn’t just about staying organized and keeping a home that works, it’s about loving yourself, your life, your stuff, and your family. It is a wonderful lesson to learn to take 100% responsibility for your things and your life. It teaches you that yelling at your loved ones for a clean home will only harm the family, the home, and the energy there.

The great philosopher Socrates taught his disciples never to accept anything without question. The question why has to be answered truthfully without flinching and requires great moral courage and an indomitable spirit of adventure to bring things to a logical conclusion, which can be off-putting and invite backlash from the uninformed public, especially if religion is involved. May He grant me hardness! I sincerely apologize, in advance. The theme involves Sita, whom I respect the most, Ram, the maryada purushottam, revered throughout India, and Lakshman, the faithful brother, who sacrificed his family life, to protect his brother and sister-in-law from him, in their long and tortuous journey. across the subcontinent, disregarding the threat of the wild animals and asuras that ruled the desert. Let’s be extremely cautious!

All went well, until the fourteenth year of their picnic excursion, enjoying the splendor of the virgin forests and emerald green hills. Then tragedy struck like in a Hollywood movie.

A beautiful golden deer appeared near the cabin, where the princely trio were camping. Her beauty and innocent eyes captivated the Princess. She just wanted to have it! They told him it was no ordinary animal; it was some evil being, with ulterior motives, sent to harm them. They had already incurred the wrath of Shoorpanaka (in the south it is Surpanakha) and killed his brothers who attacked them. They were expecting trouble.

But Sita will not listen to him. She wanted the golden deer. In the end, her husband relented. Entrusting the safety of his wife to his faithful brother, Ram went after the animal.

Oh help me Lakshman: I am in immediate danger: When Sita heard these cries, she urged Lakshman to go help Ram. When told that Ram is capable of defending himself and that this is a trick of the evil spirit who came disguised as an animal, Sita became enraged, turned wild and accused Lakshman of having dirty motives to possess her after Ram fell. dead. That was the last straw! Lakshman was gone instantly, leaving Sita defenseless. A sanyasi (a hermit) enters begging for alms. Every Hindu respects and welcomes such people. Unsuspecting, Sita leaves the hut and is kidnapped by Ravana to avenge the mistreatment of her sister Shoorpanaka. The seed is sown for the epic Ram vs. Ravana’s war.

In this unique episode, the poet Valmiki exhibits his superlative qualities regarding plot, characterization, and human psychology! We are interested in certain fundamental questions that arise from the whole sequence of events.

1) The first question is: why did Sita behave like a nine-year-old girl crying over a Barbie doll?

Sita is not an ordinary woman. She abandoned the pleasures of life in the palace and went with her husband in her naked clothes to the forest. This shows her high moral standard and her extreme devotion to her beloved husband. During her passage through the forest, she must have come across hundreds of deer and petted them. Therefore, the sight of the golden deer should not have excited her. When she was told that this is no ordinary deer, but an evil spirit disguised as a deer with definite motives for revenge, she Sita should have been convinced. In fact, any dutiful wife with any sense of responsibility would go along with her husband and forget the deer. Why did Sita, of such high standing and integrity of character, totally devoted to her husband, insist on the demand for her pet?

2) As a responsible husband, Ram should have convinced his wife of the futility of trying to capture the illusory deer. Why couldn’t he do this? When he was fully convinced that the deer is a mirage, he should have refused to budge. Why did he fail? He could have hit his wife for being so dumb and inflexible, why didn’t he?

3) When Lakshman left his wife and accompanied the princely couple, he had only one thing on his mind: the protection of his beloved brother and sister-in-law. He should have clearly told Sita that Ram is quite safe and there is nothing to worry about. If he could not tolerate Sita’s vulgar advances, he could have pretended to go but actually hid in the nearby bush. Why didn’t he do this?

4) Ravan was a very powerful and brave fighter. When they insulted his sister Soorpanaka and cut off her breasts and nose (did they have to do this to a woman?), he should have challenged the princes to a fight and not sneak into the hut like a thief.

and robbed Sita. His wife Mandodari had counseled Ravan against this heinous crime. He had better feelings for the lovely princess and was just waiting for an excuse?

The principle of unpredictability

Every human being is subject to an unreasonable and mysterious reaction at one time or another. It is difficult to cite examples from my own life, most of the time I have let myself be carried away as if by a current, as if I had no will of my own. I recently started writing and I feel a bit nervous. We were not bad when my father separated from our ancestral home and wandered from one place to another. When he finally built a house and settled down, he called him. A mother, a young widow, and four of us children, all under the age of sixteen, were left in the lurch with virtually no income. Why did he break up in the first place? Napoleon Buonaparte was a great statesman. He has written a great deal during his last days in prison on the island of St. Helena. It is worth reading even today. Why did he want him to conquer the world? Hitler could have remained undefeated if he had not attacked the USSR. Why didn’t Kamsa put Vasudeva and Devaki in separate jail cells?

Every human being carries an invisible load, which I call spiritual baggage, consisting of the things they have seen and experienced, which is stored in their computer called the brain. It works even when you sleep. Poets and writers try to dissect it. Scientists are far from even guessing what happens there. We always blame one thing or another without understanding anything. This baggage vitiates our judgment at critical moments.

I am a firm believer in Him. My reason tells me that He is everywhere, it is not necessary to go to a temple. But I enjoy the trip to any temple. It’s very relaxing. My Christian friend might like it, if it’s a church. A Malayalam Muslim poet has written a beautiful hymn in praise of Sree Guruvayoorappan (there is a temple of the deity -Krishna in Delhi) which ends with the plea that, at least in the next janam, he may have a chance to have a darshan of the temple deity. (If I have the power, I will allow all devotees free access to the temple as in the gurudwaras)

To return to Sita.

You will have to answer a series of inconvenient questions. Why didn’t she resist as soon as she realized that he was not a sanyasi? Ravan had a curse. If he touched a woman against his wishes, he would perish. Without touching her, how could he drag her to the helicopter? (Pushpaka viman) Why didn’t he jump up and kill himself like any chaste schoolgirl might now? Why didn’t he fast forward to death as Medhaji would now? Finally, she ended her life when a repentant Ram asked her to return to Ayodhya from the forest where she was unceremoniously dumped in hiding, simply because a worthless washerwoman made some derogatory remarks about her staying in the custody of Ayodhya. Rawan. Why didn’t she show the same spirit at that time?

RAM:

He never behaved like a gentleman. He hid and killed Bali when the latter was fighting Sugriv, his own brother. (What a curse on mankind! Brothers rarely remain friends: Ambani vs Ambani). When the dying Bali confronted him with the question: Why did you kill me like a coward, Ram, instead of expressing sympathy for the dying hero (Bali was a remarkable fighter. He once humiliated Ravan by pinning him down with his tail and submerging Ravan again and again in the sea!) abused him from right to left: “Who are you to question me? Do you know that I belong to the Ikshuki race? You are just a monkey. You illegally took away your brother’s wife. You deserve to die”. A knight should be more courteous to a dying hero. Will George Bush use such words to a dying bin Laden?

The teaching of reading intervention is qualitatively different from the initial teaching of reading. By definition, the initial reading instruction didn’t “take” to a sufficient degree, so things need to be done differently this time to improve the chances of success. According to reading research, these odds are not good betting odds. Only one in six high school students who are below grade level in reading will ever reach grade level.

Much has been written about the features of recovery readers. Suffice to say, knowing your developmental characteristics is just as important as knowing your specific reading deficiencies. Effective reading intervention instruction depends on addressing both components.

But knowing specific reading deficiencies is crucial. The use of prescriptive diagnostic assessments that will produce the data necessary to inform instruction is the only non-negotiable prerequisite. Teachers need to know exactly where their students are in order to get them where they want them to be. Once administered, the reading intervention teacher is faced with the “snowflake phenomenon.” No two recovery readers are exactly alike. One does not have phonemic awareness; one does not know phonetics; one does not know how to mix; one lacks fluency; one is deficient in vocabulary; one has poor reading comprehension; and one has poor reading retention.

By necessity, an effective reading intervention program must be based on differentiated instruction. A standard program that starts all students at the same level or has all students use the same workbooks or receive the same direct instruction will address some needs of some students, but not all needs of all students. Anything less than the latter is nothing short of professional negligence. Would a medical patient who schedules a doctor’s appointment to treat a variety of illnesses be satisfied with receiving the same course of treatment as all patients, ignoring some problems and being treated for problems that do not require treatment? Even the staunchest advocates of the current health care system would find this type of medical practice unacceptable.

With regard to the placement of students in reading intervention, several factors must be considered. The main one of them must be the reductionist consideration. First, if the student is placed in a special intervention class, which class is replaced? Pulling a kid out of a literature class is a lot like “robbing Peter to pay Paul.” Poor readers require compensatory instruction, not just different instruction. Second, multiple measures are needed to ensure that a student needs reading intervention and has a reasonable chance of success in the reading intervention class. Standardized tests can provide an initial classification; however, the student’s history in the cumulative records and diagnostic assessments detailed above must be analyzed to refine the classification. Behavioral considerations are legitimate concerns; many students who read poorly tend to compensate with inattentive, absent-minded behavior. These students need an intervention with a behavior specialist who will also teach them about their reading deficiencies. These students don’t need another platform in a typical reading intervention class to prevent their peers from learning.

The biggest variable that will determine the success of a reading intervention class is the teacher. A well-trained teacher with superior management skills, sufficient reading training, and a commitment to formative and diagnostic assessments to inform differentiated instruction are the keys to success. The teacher should be the “best and brightest” on campus, not the new teacher fresh out of the teacher credentialing program. Reading intervention is the most difficult subject to teach and requires a special teacher. The students for whom our educational system has failed the most deserve no less.

So what to teach? The task is overwhelming. Remedial reading is not just skill instruction or extra reading practice. Effective reading intervention involves both content and process. Reading is both the what and the how. The short answer is that the students themselves determine the what through their diagnostic assessments. The teacher decides the how through differentiated instruction. Beyond this cryptic, yet accurate answer, certain components will certainly require attention in a reading intervention class for students of any age. The following is an instructional template that will provide a proper balance between what and how with a brief description of the instructional component and a percentage of the class that will need the component:

• Small group fluency practice (emphasizing repeated readings within the group’s zone of proximal development (15%)
• Phonemic Awareness Practice in Small Groups (10%)
• Small Group Phonics Practice (10%)
• Individual sight word and syllable practice (10%)
• Guided reading, using self-questioning comprehension strategies (15%)
• Direct Instruction and Whole Group Vocabulary Development (10%)
• Small Group Spelling Practice (10%)
• Small Group Matching Practice (10%)
• Independent reading at the individual student’s instructional reading level (10%) and for homework

All of the components described above are necessary to ensure a successful reading intervention program for students of all ages. All of these instructional components with supporting resources can be found in these two comprehensive curricula:

1. Find multiple-choice assessments on two CDs, blending and syllable activities, phonemic and phonemic awareness workshops, comprehension worksheets, multi-level fluency passages on eight CDs, 390 flashcards, posters, games, and more to differentiate reading instruction in the comprehensive Teaching of reading strategies

2. For individual sound spelling worksheets that correspond to the comprehensive spelling assessment, spelling rules with raps and memorable songs on CD, spelling tests, Greek and Latin vocabulary worksheets, syllable practice, spelling games spelling, vocabulary games and more for spelling differentiation and vocabulary instruction, check out Teaching Spelling and Vocabulary.

People looking for healthy weight management know to stick to the greens platter at parties and buffets. After all, vegetables are a good health food packed with beneficial vitamins, nutrients, and fiber. But some vegetables, particularly cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower, can cause severe gastric upset when eaten raw by patients undergoing gastric weight-loss surgery. In fact, there are many examples of weight loss surgery patients who experienced such severe gastric discomfort after eating raw broccoli or cauliflower that they had to go to the emergency room.

The reason weight loss surgery patients of all procedures (gastric bypass, gastric sleeve, adjustable gastric banding, or gastric banding) are prone to discomfort after eating raw cruciferous vegetables is a matter of balance. Vegetables are rich in enzymes that are believed to aid digestion. However, due to the shortened gastric tract and loss of stomach acid, vegetables cannot be fully digested on their short journey through the intestinal tract. The problem is compounded by the presence of cellulose, the dietary fiber in vegetables that requires gut bacteria to process it. Even without gastric weight loss surgery, many humans lack enough gut bacteria to break down cellulose enough to prevent symptoms of gas, bloating, and cramps.

After weight loss surgery, many patients are intensely focused on becoming healthy and managing their weight through proper diet and nutrition and increased daily activity. These are admirable activities that often lead to the dilemma of eating good and healthy vegetables with the risk of severe gastric disorders. Frustrated patients wonder, If it’s so good for me, why does it make me feel so bad? Good question. There are some steps that can be taken to reduce the discomfort that follows eating raw vegetables so that we can get our nutrients and enjoy them too. Have a look:

• Experiment with caution. If you don’t know how you’ll respond to raw vegetables, go easy at first and avoid the embarrassment or embarrassment that can come from eating too much of a good thing. Also, remember that from one day to the next the food will taste different. Always practice moderation as you notice how food feels to you that day.
• Lightly steam or parboil vegetables to begin breaking down the cellular structure, which helps intestinal acid deal more quickly with digestion. Remember, if you can’t digest the vegetable, you won’t be able to absorb the vitamins and nutrients from the vegetable. To serve the steamed or parboiled vegetables cold, simply prepare them ahead of time, drain the water, and pat dry. Plate, cover and cool. Then serve cold with a lightly seasoned vegetable dip made from yogurt that contains healthy bacteria to aid digestion. Avoid dairy-based sauces, such as those made with sour cream, as this can increase the chance of stomach upset.
• Take a digestive enzyme as directed before or shortly after eating raw vegetables. There are many digestive enzyme supplements available at a reasonable cost. Many weight loss surgery patients report that papaya enzyme is effective in reducing digestive discomfort. According to a papaya enzyme manufacturer, the dietary supplement contains “papain, a proteolytic enzyme and a popular ingredient in dietary supplements used for digestion. Taken after meals, it is a perfect natural supplement that can aid in digestion.” and can help reduce the effects of poor digestion, including heartburn and gas.” As with all dietary supplements, please note that the FDA does not evaluate these claims or approve the supplements for their stated use. Consumers should consult with a healthcare professional before using any dietary supplement.
• Chew, chew, chew. Remember that digestion begins in the mouth and it is essential to thoroughly chew all raw vegetables to give your gastric system the best conditions to digest food and benefit from the vitamins and nutrients it contains.

In 1979, in the populous city of Bogotá, Colombia, doctors faced a perplexing situation. They were experiencing a shortage of incubators in the city hospital and a serious infection was spreading among the patients. Doctors had to find a solution to keep premature babies warm and protect them from infection. Thinking about how kangaroos keep their newborns in their pouches, the doctors came up with a plan to use the mothers’ bodies as incubators. As expected, the newborns stayed safe and warm as they snuggled against their mother’s skin. Kangaroo Mother Care was developed as a solution to a challenging situation and has been studied and found to be an effective method of caring for premature babies at home.

In the early 1980s, UNICEF noticed what doctors in Bogotá were doing and noted the benefits of KMC. By wrapping the newborn against the mother’s chest in a sling, the baby stays warm and has adequate access to the breast for feeding. One of UNICEF’s missions in the early 1980s was to promote exclusive breastfeeding for infant health and to discourage the marketing of breast-milk substitutes. The kangaroo mother protocol promotes a very healthy and protected environment for premature babies and encourages exclusive breastfeeding. In an effort to educate communities in South America, UNICEF published a brochure, in Spanish, on the kangaroo mother care method. It became more apparent, through widespread use in the region, that this form of parenting was highly effective in creating a viable living environment for the newborn baby.

UNICEF support lays the foundation for the growth and development of the KMC concept. Research and practice of this method of newborn care spread throughout Europe and North America, and was implemented in communities in Africa and the Middle East. Medical researchers began to delve into why this care worked and how this form of early nurturing may be at the root of successful maternal care throughout the centuries in the most primitive societies. In 1991, Dr. Gene Cranston Anderson, a doctor of research nurse, published the first research review on KMC. The publication confirmed the usefulness of kangaroo mother care in the development of premature babies and in increasing the bond between mother and child.

Since 1990, Kangaroo Mother Care has become a widespread practice among all classes and societies in the world. In tribal villages, kangaroo mother care ensures the viability of premature babies where advanced technologies are not readily available. In the most advanced societies, the kangaroo mother method is accepted as a good practice in the care of newborns and the development of the mother-child bond. In addition, the method allows premature babies to leave the hospital, under a doctor’s supervision, with the mother much earlier than was possible in the past. This natural approach to incubating newborns is an efficient and cost-effective way to provide an environment conducive to growth and development. Even today, there is still ongoing research on the effectiveness and possible applications of the Kangaroo Mother Care method.

I really don’t think anyone really knows what it’s like to become a grandpa for the first time until are a. Hearing other new and recent grandparents talk about their experiences always seemed a bit irrelevant to me at the time. I initially thought that all the talk about how wonderful it was to them was frankly a bit of a stretch…that was until…yeah…it was my turn.

My only daughter is the light of my life. When she was born, she was unsteady in the delivery room and I cut the umbilical cord that separated her from her mother. My life completely changed at that moment. Since then, I have always tried to be involved in her life by giving her love and guidance.

Almost 9 years ago, my daughter gave birth to my first grandchild…a beautiful girl then and now. I wasn’t prepared for the feelings I had when I first saw her, and how those feelings grew over the next few years.

I’ve heard other people say that the best part of being a grandparent is “spoiling the child and then giving it back.” Well, that may be somewhat true because you don’t have to deal with a lot of the difficult issues of parenting, however, now I know that when my granddaughter is in pain…it hurts, and when she’s happy…I’m happy. It’s really no different, from the point of view of feelings, from what it was with me daughter.

About 7 months ago (ironically on my birthday) my wonderful daughter blessed me with another grandson…this time…a sweet boy. What can I say? wow! What a bless! It still amazes me how wonderful being a grandfather can be.

Preparing for a new baby is a job for new parents and, depending on the grandparents’ involvement, it can be for them too. Baby showers are great for getting plenty of essentials for the upcoming arrival, however in my experience the grandparents may need to fill in some of the gaps.

As future grandparents, we can help paint and furnish the baby’s room. I remember, before the arrival of my first grandson, focusing on the comfort of my daughters getting up in the middle of the night. So I bought her a rocking chair with an ottoman to rock the baby while she fed him. It was clear to me that meeting my daughter’s needs was just as important as the needs of the new baby.

So the best advice I can offer is to get as involved in your grandchild’s life as possible. Respect the wishes of your grandchild’s parents. Provide a friendly guide if she asks for it. And above all… love them with all your heart and soul. With God’s blessings you can’t go wrong.

“Nothing has a stronger influence
psychologically about their environment.
they lie and especially in their children
than the unlived life of the father”.
–CG Jung

After a bad night with hardly any sleep, you’re sitting in front of your computer staring at the blank screen. You wonder if you will be able to do it, finish that article, story or novel that you started months ago. The urge to write is overwhelming, but you freeze. Not only are you exhausted, but the baby you put to sleep less than half an hour ago is whimpering in the crib. Your four-year-old son just barged into the office and tugged at your elbow begging for a snack, even though he had lunch an hour ago. This is useless, I better give up, you tell yourself as you try to hold back a scream. To your horror, you suddenly find yourself sympathizing with those animals that eat their young…

Do not despair. Take it easy. I’ve been there and I know exactly what you’re going through.

The truth is that you can write, but you need to have four things:

The right state of mind

Before planning a program, the most important thing to do is to put your mind in the right frame. Remember that your children will not stay small forever. Time goes by fast (I assure you it does!) and soon they will be old enough to go to school. However, until that magical day arrives, you will have to “steal” time to work on your project. Wanting to finish an entire novel in a month at this point in your life is unrealistic. Don’t focus so much on the “end product” as on making that “end product” a little at a time. Small paragraphs are what articles, stories, and novels are made of. The important thing is steady progress, and as long as you take steps to stay on track, you’re on the right track. These little bird steps, no matter how small, will give you a sense of accomplishment and keep you guilt-free to enjoy your life and your family.

Good physical condition

You might think, “Are you physically fit? I thought this was an article about writing.” Well, you can bet it is. Let’s face it, moms who take care of young children are always tired. And tired people do not particularly like to sit in front of the computer and write; they want to collapse on a bed. Moms urgently need to raise their energy levels! A good diet and a little exercise can do wonders for raising energy levels. Eat protein-rich foods and plenty of fruits and vegetables. Stay away from white flour and sugar as well as junk food. Eat three meals a day with a light, healthy snack in the afternoon and another before bed. Stay away from those high energy bars though. They’re so high in carbs that your blood sugar levels will spike and then crash, leaving you feeling even more tired and hungrier than before. Low-fat cottage cheese and a couple of almonds, with a bit of fruit, are a great choice for a snack. Drink plenty of water! Scientists have discovered that dehydration is one of the main factors that make a person feel tired.

Finding time to exercise can be difficult, so it’s a good idea to do it with your child. If you have a stationary bike or other exercise machine, do 15 minutes while your child watches Teletubbies. You don’t have to exercise for a full hour. Even 10 minutes will do the trick. Take your baby for a walk in the stroller at least 3 times a week, preferably in the morning when he is cool and calm. She will calm your nerves, she will rejuvenate you and even inspire you. Your baby will love it too. Not only will she enjoy the “sights and sounds” but it will probably make her feel tired and eager to take a longer nap later in the day, just what she’s looking for!

A well planned schedule

Okay, so you’re in the right frame of mind and you’re eating right and exercising. Whats Next? A well-planned schedule that fits your lifestyle and plays to your strengths and weaknesses is a must. But keep an open mind and don’t be unrealistic. If your baby naps in the afternoon, don’t set your writing schedule in the morning, or vice versa. How long each writing session will last depends on your lifestyle and the children’s habits. You can choose to write half an hour every day or one hour every other day. Up to you. The important thing here is to keep it accessible and stick with it.
There is one thing I highly recommend: if you can handle it, take no more than two nights off of your project. Not only will it stop your momentum, but it will give your brain plenty of time to generate doubts and excuses to procrastinate.

You may be wondering: But how do I get rid of my children!?

If your children are old enough to go to daycare, your problems are solved. Simply set your writing schedule during those hours. For those of you whose children are still at home, there are other possibilities:

Write early in the morning before your children wake up, during their naps during the day, and after they go to sleep at night. (See why you have to stay physically fit?) I have a friend who wrote two books this way.

If you can afford a babysitter, perhaps your neighbor’s teenage daughter, to watch your son while you write in the next room (that way you can keep a close eye on them), then go for it!

Write while your child watches his favorite video movie. Do you want to see it again? Move along! This is not the right time to consider the effects of too much television on children.

Go to the local library and write while your child listens to Story Time! Almost all libraries, and even bookstores, have story hours for children. Take advantage of these.

If you have a writer friend who’s also a mom, list her as your “writing partner,” take the kids to McDonald’s, and write while your kids play in those weird play tunnels. “Hey, wait a minute!” you believe “You said to stay away from junk food.” Nice try, but even McDonald’s now offers a good selection of salads and fruit cocktails. Also, I never said a hamburger now and then would kill you. You might even reward yourself with a hamburger…AFTER you’ve met your minimum writing quota for that day.

Invite your writing buddy’s mom(s) to a “writing morning” at your house and write while your kids play together. They can take turns with their houses. Also, as a group, you can consider hiring a babysitter for these occasions. Writing with a support group of people who are in the same situation as you is often very rewarding and productive. Plus, it’s much cheaper when each of you contributes to paying for the babysitter. You may even want to start a club and meet once a week.

Determination

None of the above will help if you don’t have the determination to stick to a schedule. Think about it. Do you want to reach seventy years old without having achieved your goal, that masterpiece of a novel that will give you multiple contracts, fame and fortune? You will never know unless you take the first step. Family, and especially your kids, should always come first, BUT don’t use your kids as an excuse not to write. The truth is that life is so hectic that there will NEVER be a “perfect” time to write. I assure you that if they are not children, later on you will come up with something else like your procrastinator. The program may be difficult to follow at first and you may need to tweak it, but eventually you’ll be glad you did. Otherwise, you will live with self-blame, self-loathing, disappointment, and frustration.

Have to. Start today. Now.

Don’t forget: frustrated writers are frustrated moms. Frustrated moms are unhappy moms. Artfully accomplished moms are happy moms who can give themselves to their loved ones without reservation.

It’s a great honor to be invited to a baby shower, so when you show up you’ll want to make sure you have an appropriate gift. There are a ton of options out there, so it can be a bit difficult to decide what you want to get. Fear not though, with just a few steps you can ensure you get the perfect gift for your friends and their baby.

Make it personal

One simple thing you can focus on to make it easier is to make personalized baby gift baskets. Compared to the alternative of buying a pre-made basket, this will really make parents feel appreciated. So what goes into one of these sneakers? Well, whatever you want. But before you go shopping, you need to know the gender of the baby. Baby items are very gender specific. Clothes and blankets are blue for boys and pink for girls. In fact, most of the things you would put inside the basket are gender specific. For example, think of toys. For kids, you’d want things like toy cars and action figures, like GI Joe.

Money

The next factor that needs to be considered is the price. Like everything, baby gift baskets cost money. It’s great to be generous, but try to keep your balance. Don’t spread out. Fortunately, creating a unique basket doesn’t require a huge investment. Many things can be made at home, such as blankets and baby clothes. This is a great way to ensure your gift is quality, personal and frugal. Remember, it is very important that your gift is of good quality and lasts a long time.

elections

While the variety of options may seem like it makes it difficult to choose, it’s actually a great thing. This means that you don’t have to stick with buying poor quality baby items. You can shop around until you find exactly what you need, at exactly the right price. Look around different places to see if you can get the same thing for a better price. Chances are you can. Baby products can be found everywhere. You could browse Wal-Mart, Target, and even browse online. With all the discounts and great deals on the internet, it should be easy to make personalized baby gift baskets.

Suggestions

At this point it should be clear how to choose. But you also need to know what to think. Anything the baby needs during the first year is a great idea. For example, parents will need lots of diapers and lotions. You can also go with blankets and clothes as these will definitely be a necessity. There are always pre-made baskets to choose from, but only buy one of these if it’s her only option. It’s always best to choose things yourself, because that way your gift will be much more personal and help you connect more closely with the parents.

Remember last Mother’s Day when Dad made the barbecue. It must have been fun. But then, at the end of the celebration, your mom smiled, she thanked everyone, and she busied herself cleaning up the mess! His special day of hers went through the veins doing all that extra cleaning work and increasing her effort!

Father often loves to put on the barbecue to help with the meal of the day; and mom’s, while they appreciate it, are made to do a lot of extra work instead of the promised relaxation. Some families, smart enough to foresee the problem, move to the nearby restaurant and spend hours together waiting.

Gourmet kitchen stores are looking into the problem and have come up with some pretty interesting solutions.

These stores allow guests to come together as a family and prepare meals for their family using all fresh ingredients. They are given explicit instructions and are allowed a thorough examination. Thus, you can prepare a nutritious and delicious meal for the family. You can take it home and freeze it. While serving, simply heat it up in the oven and serve it fresh and fragrant. It can also be packaged in various sizes to suit individual needs. The dishes you can make include a nice long variety, to name a few:

Yo. coconut shrimp
ii. Caribbean Pork Roast
iii. pasta dishes

This type of arrangement requires some planning in advance, but once you are determined to do it, it will certainly be a blessing for the family during special occasions. Like Mother’s Day – it will extremely lessen your cleaning work without kitchen utensils. Plus, while you’re cooking, you don’t have to rush around the kitchen and gather ingredients.

However, if you still want to become a hero, after the gourmet cooked meal, try to collaborate with the whole family and clean up the mess after the meal. Let your mom sit back and relax, and actually enjoy the big day.

Gourmet cooking may not be so cheap. Still, compared to six servings at your favorite restaurant (until and unless it’s McDonald’s), this would be a lot easier. Above all, it would give your mother a sense of your consideration, love and affection. Also, cooking at the deli with her brother and her dad, who barely know how to cook, could be a lot of fun and collect some moments to remember forever.

There are several gourmet kitchen stores with various names. Find one near you. For this, simply enter the keywords – Meal Prep Centers – into Internet search engines. And what’s next, plan a big meal for all those special family occasions like Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, or other holidays or birthdays. These meals are definitely a good idea for nights when you just want to laze around and stay hassle-free.