Showing posts with label mommyhood. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mommyhood. Show all posts
Thursday, December 12, 2013

postheadericon Messing-Up her Sleep

I thought she can already sleep from 8 pm until morning but she woke-up at 11:30 P.M. and until then she did not sleep anymore until this time. Time check: 3:01 A.M. and she is still up. I wanted to sleep but I just cannot, to the point that I don't want to just leave her alone just like that. I sleep next to her crib, by the way. Of course, I turned-off the lights. She cried, I tried to show a tough love. I pretended to sleep, turned my back on her (and even so she could see me and hoped she imitated but lo and behold, it did not happen. To my surprise, my husband awoke and comfort her daughter, and left one light open (aside from some light outside which got out from our window blinds).

And that was where the story begin. The story why she is still up until now. I still have find ways and means or try to understand why she has not back to sleep yet. Ooh life of a first time mom and no other reliever as a helping hand (literally). My DH has to work so that's understandable that he cannot help me that much, or that needed ones. Ooh well.

For now, I give her a break. I let her watch a Einstein lullaby songs in the iPad (No, she has not have it on her hand but some three meters away, it's like a small TV) so it would somehow calm her mind and sleep right after this. Wish me luck then. Thanks for the good luck. *wink*


Smile.

postheadericon Prevent Stretch Marks


Although, I have stretch marks out from having my baby during pregnancy, but the brighter side is, you can prevent unsightly stretch marks while pregnant. Try to keep your weight stable (as to pregnancy weight, not our pre-pregnancy weight) since stretch marks appear when the skin can’t adjust to the weight gain. Keep your skin moist and supple. Break or open a vitamin E and a vitamin A capsule and mix both with a teaspoon of vegetable shortening. Massage it all over the tummy area at night. Try to make it a nightly ritual. Take vitamin K as a supplement, or if your doctor doesn’t feel comfortable with supplements, add it to your moisturizer. Use it in the morning, or alternate it with the above treatment. There are new treatments which are available over the counter that flattens out the ridges of stretch marks. So if a few stretch marks have popped up, give it a try. After delivery, don’t be too hard on yourself in getting your body back. Your body won’t look like it did before pregnancy. Even when delivery is free complication, it takes at least six months for the body to recover.

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

postheadericon She Learns to Climb the Crib


My little tot is always on the go now. She likes the outdoor but it's cold season now so we can't be outside most of the time, unless if there's a sun. Kids can be tired of staying at home all day so I have to make sure she explore every corner of our house or give something that makes her busy.. If I have something to do in the kitchen, and she is not taking her nap, I usually put her in the crib with her favorite toys or most of the time, her iPad. But lately, I do not trust her alone in the crib. She learned how to climb on it. She find her way on how to be out of the crib. Okay, not that so because her crib is high. Only if the crib rail is un-up, which of course I have to make is up unless sometimes if she's asleep. If she's bored and want to go out on her crib, she yelled, or bites the crib.

Fortunately, her crib is non-lead paint and a crib rail with bars are not enough for her body and head to get out. It also has a firm and flat mattress that fits snugly into the corners. And besides, I put pillows as bumpers, but later I removed it for she begins to pull herself up by holding the crib rails. Whew! What a smart kid. :-)

postheadericon Kiddie Songs


I love kiddie songs even before I got a child of my own. There are many songs recorded and on sale but the following seems to be some of the common ones. Number one that I love is the "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" song. I think it is the most common kiddie songs that even kids before they turns two, he or she can already sing or demonstrate such song. Number two song that comes to mind is that "If You're Happy and You Know It". I think it is one of the charming songs that little kids can easily memorize. Do you agree?

Together with the first two is the Alphabet song. They can easily follow moms singing to them the alphabet song. Oh I can just imagine cutie kiddos singing these first three songs so nicely and so expressively. There are more to these songs including "The Wheels on The Bus", "My Toes, My Knees" and the likes.

So which one is the favorite song that your kiddo love?

Friday, November 15, 2013

postheadericon Working Mom


I know of many moms who are very workaholic. Workaholic in the sense that they have more than three jobs and they are also the one bringing and picking up the kids I school. Full time mom!? Oh how did they do it? I bet they are wonder woman or I can say that they are also a superwoman, in addition to the former.

A person works away from the home and she hired someone to take care of her two toddler kids. She said that she wish to be at home, but to meet all the responsibilities in their life as family, she has to help her hubby earn so that they can continue living their comfortable life. Thanks to her hired nanny, she can work away from home with confidence. Her nanny is very responsible and took care of the kids like they were here own children. So she never got a headache thinking of her kids (while she's at work) being mistreated. She is just so lucky. I bet that is the nice thing of having a very prayerful nanny.

How I wish I wish I am that mom.

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

postheadericon Back Into Shape After Childbirth


Getting your body back into shape is important. But remember, it usually takes a few months to lose that extra weight mommy(ies). Allow time for your body to recover, especially if you have stitches. For the first two weeks exercise should be light, increasing gradually to moderate activity to help your recovery. Daily exercise, even a ten-minute walk, will help tone your body and increase your strength and energy. Getting outdoors with your baby in her carriage will also clear your head, decrease stress and help you sleep better.

Begin with gentle pelvic exercise as soon as possible, then move on to moderate exercise of the abdominal muscles when you’re feeling up to it. Wait at least six weeks before doing any strenuous aerobic activity. As your body feels stronger, increase your exercise to low impact aerobics, such as walking, swimming or cycling. But make sure that you are eating well-balanced, nutritious foods to maintain your energy.

postheadericon A Quick Guide to Buying a New Fridge-Freezer


Mommy(ies), our fridge-freezer is past its best and may not be cooling as well as it should. Suddenly you're faced with a dilemma – what sort of fridge freezer model should you go for? Here's some information to take the research out of the equation. There are three kinds of fridge-freezers that can work their cooling and freezing magic in different ways.  
 Main types of fridge-freezer

Free-standing fridge-freezers such as the Beko fridge freezer are generally the cheapest and most common refrigerator model. They easily able to be fitted into most kitchens and come in a range of different colours and sizes.

Integrated fridge-freezers sit behind cupboard doors and blend in well with the surrounding décor of the kitchen. They're generally priced higher than free-standing fridge-freezers because of the customization involved.

Side-by-side fridge-freezers are also known as American-style models. They are quite large and often come with a range of high-tech features like a chilled water or ice dispenser and even in some cases a TV.  

So what suits your lifestyle?

The key to selecting the best fridge-freezer is by looking at your lifestyle and the number of mouths to be fed in your home. Families with tremendously busy lives, who often pull out frozen dinners from the deep freeze, will rally around a giant side-by-side model as though it were an old friend!

Alternately, a bunch of people living in a small flat in the city, will be conscious of the lack of space. The American-style fridge-freezer will dominate the kitchen like an elephant in the room. If you do have spatial concerns, a compact free-standing model is probably the way to go.

Some free-standing models can offer a surprising amount of storage space tucked neatly into a compact size. Free-standing models are generally cheaper to buy and run on less power than the bigger, American-style fridge-freezers so for those on a smaller, budget, this kind of product may be best.

Good luck on the quest to find the perfect fridge. Once you’ve pinned down your family’s needs, you shouldn’t find it too difficult to get a fridge-freezer that will keep your household and your purse happy.

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

postheadericon Mother As a Best Friend


Here’s one of the mother’s day quote that I love. It is by Ryan Crowe. It says: “Your mother is possibly the best friend you will ever have. She loves you when you love her back. She loves you when don’t. She loves you when you cry and when you laugh. She loves you when you are wrong and when you are right. She loves you because you are her child, forever and a day. If you want to catch a glimpse of what the love of God looks like, look at your mother.”

I really agree with the author. A mother’s love is so marvelous that no matter what we do, our mothers continually love us. They are suppose to be our best friend at all times but what usually happens is that some moms have never realized that it is so great to belong to a daughter-mom world.

Mothers are first teachers. And yes, a best friend --- that's what bond I like for my daughter, her best of friends. :-)

Monday, July 15, 2013

postheadericon Shopping for Girls


As a mom I confess that it is so easy to shop clothes or anything for girls especially little girls. It’s a no sweat task for me. The picking and choosing is no problem, it’s just the time at times is not very favorable. There seem to be so many choices for girls. From their clothes to their hair clips, to their headbands, then down to their socks, shoes, sandals and even more. You just need to have lots of money to buy more than what’s needed for the princess of the house.

While we shop for our daughter /s, and even our hubby, there is one thing we totally forgot. Can you guess what is it? It’s that we forget to shop for ourselves. Right? We are so preoccupied of the things that will make our darling girls look so pretty, and we forgot that we too moms have to maintain our prettiness.

So next time you got out to grab things for your little girls, grab some for you, too!
 
Wednesday, July 10, 2013

postheadericon Other Tips for Your Toddlers


Toddlers are fascinated with books especially those that have vivid and colorful visual prints and images. Engage her to browse at these books while you go on to read to her the adventures of little duckling or the classic Pinocchio. Remember, even though your toddler is too young to completely comprehend an entire story, this is a stepping stone in stimulating his imagination. Attentive toddlers would have lots of “why’s” while you are reading books to her. If you get tired of the constant why’s, don’t simply fall back on “That’s just the way it is” or “Because I said so.” Instead, try to deflect them by asking her what she thinks. Her answer may amuse you, but mommy, try not to laugh at him/her. His/Her mind is really working in amazing ways as your toddler puts together what information she has about the world with a toddler’s fertile imagination. If you truly don’t know the answer, tell her the two of you can journey of finding it out together.

Great idea to ponder on, huh! 

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

postheadericon Childbirth Spacing


The decision to have a child is a basic human right of  a mommy and a daddy, but it also comes with risks and responsibilities. Responsible parenthood is encouraged as it brings more benefits to all the members of the family and society in general. The benefit from responsible parenthood includes allowing more time for you, as wife and mother, can provide love and attention to your husband and children. Also, this would an opportune time for you to finish a course or even pursue higher education so that you can work and practice your profession to help augment the family income. More importantly, this would provide enough time to regain your health as it usually takes two to three years to fully recover following a delivery. During this time, you can regain your strength and be treated for previous and concurrent illness or diseases. Because you are healthy, you can make sure your babies are healthy, too. So, childbirth spacing is essential.

Saturday, June 29, 2013

postheadericon Tips and Techniques for New Moms


New Mom, don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it, from friends, family, support groups or a professional. It will be better for you and your child. If you need a break, take some time out with your partner or a friend. Get some exercise. Even 10 minutes a day will help. Let yourself fall in love with your baby, of course. Every baby needs someone who is madly in love with her. If you can, sleep or rest when your baby does. Keep away from Facebook. It will just waste your time. Prioritize household tasks. Let some of the low priority ones go for a while and, when possible, delegate some to others. Go with the flow in the journey of being a mommy. It's hard but don't let it control your head. Forget schedules and efficiency. Your baby is generally not predictable and you can’t work on the rest of the world’s timetable when you have got a new born. Enjoy your baby today, don’t wish these early months away. Give yourself time to adjust. Nobody knows how to do everything for her baby overnight.

Remember the newborn phase is short. Don’t draw conclusions based on this brief period. Eventually, you would get a full night’s sleep again.
 
Friday, June 28, 2013

postheadericon How Can You Get Your Child To Be More Sociable?


Some children may be more naturally outgoing than others. I have learned that shyness or inhibition is influenced by genetic and environmental influences. However, mommies/parents/caregivers, I believed that this temperament is not necessarily permanent and does not necessarily determine a child’s personality when she grows up. In fact, these traits can be influenced by time and life experiences. Our daughter is fun to be with. At first, she is a bit shy, but when she feels that you are a good friend to her, she will like you, and she will play with you just like most children.

There are many ways to help a child to overcome shyness. But first, you have to look into why your daughter is too shy for her age. Go back to your earliest recollection of your childhood journey. Were you or your husband shy when you were your daughter’s age? Are either of you shy even up to now? Remember that you are your child’s social model. Your responses and interaction with other people is your child’s first social template. So, do better for her what you have not accomplished or done when you were still young. Imagine how you like her to be, start from there, and do great with her own pace. Good luck mommy! :)

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

postheadericon Mother : A Closest Ally


A friend of mine came across this quote and she giggled. “A daughter is a mother's gender partner, her closest ally in the family confederacy, an extension of her self.” I asked her why, and she said, " I believe that I am really my mom’s gender partner because I literally grow up very close to my mom and we almost do things together".

I think mothers and daughters share a very close bond if compared to other members of the family. I do not mean though that sons and moms are not that close, they even said that most have that latter bond which is son and mom that so close. They are but nothing beats a mom and daughter closeness, I think.

I love my daughter very much and somehow when she also grows up to be and adult and decide one day to start her own family, she will be able to share a bond with her kids closely like what we do now. I love my daughter to death. She is the sunshine of my life.

Friday, June 21, 2013

postheadericon My Awesome Little Helper


My toddler daughter SAM, just turned 21 months old can already do a lot. She can't speak that much yet and I even think she's a little delayed because of her oral aversion., but nonetheless because she can already utter few words and keeps on imitating me when talking to her (not every time but when she's relax, she's always on the go, as in curious in everything her hand can reach). I just have to keep closely on her speech development and eating status. And teach her more.

It has been months (maybe two or three months ago or so), she started keeping an eye on my feet that every time my feet are naked, she has to find my slippers or shoes and put it back on. It has been her habit, I think, and it amazes me. She's very busy toddler but never forgot to take a look at my feet if it has slippers/shoes on. Ha! She can also open our door bathroom as well as close the doors every time it is open. Looks like she's a door guard, I always tease that to her. :) She can do much more like putting trash in a trashcan, and the likes.

She can also relay a thing on her hand from our living room and just give instruction to give it to her dad in the bedroom --- she always does it perfect. She's a perfect little helper! ;-)

My SAM now understands more and I feel happy with that!

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

postheadericon Teaching Your Child to Talk


Here are some ways to boost your child’s vocabulary: A mommy or a parent must talk as much and as often as you can directly to your toddler, whether it is carrying on an actual conversation, singing a song or reading to her. Look at her while you talk. Let her see your face and your gestures.

Repetition is the key. If you read her a story, don’t get tired of reading it again and again. Repeat concepts taught as much as you can. Children’s songs are a great way to teach concepts by repetition. Example: My toes, my knees, my shoulder, my head.

Talk to her as you are talking to a grown-up. Kids in a learning journey say the cutest things, such as “wee-wee” for pee, “tenchu” for thank you, “pleet” for please, but don’t let these tempt you into mimicking them during conversations. Hearing you use baby talk may just confuse your toddler and won’t help her language development.

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

postheadericon Treat Her Well


It will be helpful for you to know your child’s temperament, or at least, to have an idea about it. By knowing this, you will gain valuable insight into your child and her behavior. If a child with a difficult temperament is challenging you, you probably wish to get at the root of the problem, mommy. Perhaps you found yourself viewing your child in a negative light by labeling her as cry-baby or a wild child.

I am lucky because my child has a little temperament, or perhaps I am quick to respond to her needs and wants before she explodes. Okay, she's still on her way to "terrible two" and let's see.

I believe that a child with a difficult temperamental is as normal as a child with an easy or slow to warm up temperament. I think, once the parents know and understand the child’s temperament, we can view our child’s behavior objectively. This will help us to refrain from emotionally lashing out or withdrawing from our child.

postheadericon Manners Matter


It is never too early to teach children good manners. Studies show that even at a very young age, kids are already capable of learning and expressing empathy and concern for others. Teaching manners becomes easier when it is a common practice in the household.

As social beings, children learn by doing. From birth onward, children are constantly picking up emotional and behavioral cues from the people around them, such as parents, siblings, caregivers and alike. However, it is not enough to simply tell children what to do and say; showing them by example counts most.

Where do you begin in teaching toddlers good manners? Start with the basics, saying “please” and “thank you”. If your little one wants a bottle of milk, teach her to ask for it in a proper way by stating, “May I have some milk please?” while you are pouring it. When you hand it to her, affirm and say “Thank you.” This is also works well if you and your child are visiting friends and relatives. When she asks for something, remind your child to say please and thank you.

postheadericon How to Find Safe Extra Money When Expecting


If you are expecting to give birth sometime soon, you want to have extra money in order to care for your child after he or she is born. Babies are expensive and you must be prepared to afford everything they will need. Here are four safe ways to obtain some extra money:  

Payday Loans
   Payday loans are short term loans that can safely get you cash in as little as 24 hours. There are many companies that offer payday loans and qualifying for one is pretty easy as long as you meet all the requirements, such as having a bank account and a steady job. In general, you have to have been at your job at least 90 days to qualify for a payday loan. Applying for one only takes a couple of minutes and you can apply online from the comfort of your own home. Upon approval, most companies will deposit the money into your bank account right away. Just make sure that when you get your next paycheck from your employer you are able to pay the loan back in full. This is the only truly safe way to obtain money from a payday loan.  

Yard Sales
  Most of us have at least some possessions we don’t want or need anymore. Having a yard sale and selling these possessions can be a safe way to get some extra cash for when your baby is born. You can either set up a yard sale in your neighborhood or get a table at a flea market. Flea market space must be purchased, so you will want to be fairly certain you will be able to make a profit on the possessions you sell. In the case of a typical yard sale, try to get others in your neighborhood to participate because this will draw more people in.  

Offer Services From Home
    Another great way to safely obtain some money when you are expecting a baby is to offer services that you can do from the comfort of your own home. If you are artistic, consider making artwork you can sell online or throughout your neighborhood. If you like to read and write, offer to write book reviews for new authors.  

Dip Into Your Savings
    Hopefully you have a savings account that you can take some money from if you find yourself needing extra money with no way to obtain it.

Monday, June 10, 2013

postheadericon How To Teach Your Toddler To Talk


We never fail to celebrate incomprehensible babblings uttered by our toddler, giving meaning to them as if they were real words. On the other hand, we mommies beat ourselves in frustration when every other child except your own has already begun talking. Indeed, one of the milestones that cause great excitement and anxiety in parents is their child’s speech development. Find out more about why children’s speech development is crucial and how a mommy/parents can help in such journey of your kid. We use speech to articulate feelings, thoughts and experience from something as primal as hunger to something as complex as anxiety or mixed emotions. For young children, speech is key in expressing preferences, dislikes and intentions. For older school-aged children, it is an indispensable ingredient of reading, spelling, mathematics and writing. Since speech is used in virtually all aspects of our lives, any breakdown, however small, impacts on the quality of our output at home, in school and in the community.

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This blog is a personal blog of random thoughts written and edited by me. For questions about this blog, please contact "Cacai M. (cacainad [at]gmail [dot]com)". Beginning this day, 2nd day of July 2011, this blog accepts forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, text link, or other forms of compensation. My Journey Being a Mommy blog accepts forms of cash advertising, sponsorship/advertisement/ads, text link/paid insertions or other forms of compensation. The compensation received may influence the advertising content, topics or posts made in this blog. That content, advertising space or post may not always be identified as paid or sponsored content. The owner of this blog is sometimes compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. Even though the owner of this blog receives compensation for my posts or advertisements, I always give my honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics or products. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely my own. I am expressing my own opinion about products and services, but I am not endorsing them. Thus, you should do your own research on products and services that I mention here in my blog. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question. About writings, pictures, or images of this blog -- you may not copy or reproduce any of it without prior consent of the blog owner, or written permission. This blog does contain content which might present a conflict of interest. Again, any further question/s, concerns, clarifications, and the likes -- please contact me through my email add: cacainad (at) gmail (dot) com .




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