Fran's Home & Family Tips
A to Z Baby Care for a Healthy, Safe, and Smart Child
An Excellent Britax Car Seat Should Always Have These Features
The National Transportation and Safety Administration reports that auto accidents are the number one cause of death in kids between the ages of 2 and 14 in this country. Many of these fatalities can be avoided with the proper use and installation of a car seat. Pick a rear-facing seat that fits your infant up to 20 or 40 pounds and then take the seat to your local fire station to learn how to properly install it in your automobile. Over 90% of all car seats are improperly installed, which can lead to major injuries or death, so take the time to learn how to install it properly! Then, a child needs prior to being able to use only the car’s seat belt.
A Food Processor Makes Baby Food a Snap
The American Pediatric Association suggests that babies are fed plenty of pureed produce to develop properly. Sure, buying packaged baby food is convenient, but it can be difficult to afford. Nevertheless, in today’s economy, preparing your own baby food with a food processor is a great way to cut costs while serving your baby the very best. Choose organic fruits and veggies whenever you can and find sales on these items in your weekly food sales ads. By purchasing organic fruits and veggies, your baby will be eating food that has absolutely no harmful pesticides. Several organic food organizations report that over time, exposure to pesticides in our food can develop into cancer.
Educational Toys Help Build Your Baby’s Intelligence
Wisely-selected learning toys will provide your baby’s mind with what it needs to properly develop. Black and white colors are best for little ones in the first stages of life (from around 1 to 2 months old). Lines, squiggles, and zig-zags are all designs for baby to observe and improve their brain development . In fact, science has proven that mobiles such as these actually enhance a baby’s brain development by increasing brain waves. For babies in the 8 week to five month span, colors are distinguishable and they pine for interactivity. Large picture books, big wooden blocks and puzzles, and activities such as plastic circular rings that can stack on a stick are all best types of learning toys.
By stimulating your little one’s development with good educational toys, feeding them homemade food, and properly installing a car seat, you’ll be giving them the very best care to get them started in life.
How to Have a Great Vacation Getaway With Your Kids
Escape with the Kids and Enjoy It
First, choose a location that has amenities especially for small children. A portable baby bed for your hotel room is a great start. In addition, kid-geared group activities with plenty of art projects, singing, and fun are the ideal answer to protests due to boredom. If you go to a place like Disney or Six Flags, you can certainly relax and allow the amusement park take care of the entertanment. Nevertheless, if you go somewhere on the coast, for example, you'll need to plan ahead as far as family activities and fun things to do. Frequently, you can reserve family activities over the Internet when making reservations for your airplane tickets and hotel stay. Don't forget to bring a travel stroller along with you for the whole getaway, and you'll have an easy time from the airport to sightseeing at your destination. It will help you while on vacation and can be the ideal snoozing place for your little one while you're out and about.
Tips for a Great Kid-Friendly Eatery
Eating at a restaurant can be challenging with a small child. However, you can have a great experience if you follow a few suggestions:
- Decide to eat at a place that includes food items made just for kids - Eateries like this generally have crayons and coloring gear, a feeding chair or booster seat, and sippy cup-type drinking.
- Have at least one meal at a eatery that includes a fun zone - This can make the whole eating experience better for your little one. Besides, the perfect incentive to behaving at the table is that they can visit the games and play area afterwards!
- Choose a casual-dining eatery -Eateries that have lots of hustle and bustle with loud conversations are the perfect place to dine with a little one. A loud squeal will meld impeccably into the loud surroundings of the room and your family will feel right at home.
Enjoy Doing Something You Love While on Vacation
It is possible to make your vacation worthwhile by setting aside some time doing things that youboth love. No need to leave your Callaway golf clubs behind when you get away with your children! Set aside some time on the greens for Dad while Mom stays with the little ones. Then, Mom can take time for herself and go to the spa for a luxurious body treatment. Many hotels have golf courses and spas on the grounds and also have Mizuno golf clubs for rent (so you don't have to travel with them). Family time is a perfect way to unwind your time off, but it's also important to unwind with some alone time.
Using these 3 tricks for getting away with the family, you can let the burdens of responsibility go and enjoy the time off of a lifetime!
Ways to Make Your Kids Summer Break into a Fun Escape
How Regular Household Items Can Be Used in Your Games
Use everyday items in your play around the house as props for your pretend news stories. A fun game to play at home is to pretend you run a medical clinic. Have the kids gather a stuffed toy or other toy and then use things from around the home that can be used as fake medical tools. Most houses are treasure troves of odd and ends that can be fashioned into surgical kits. You can also do another variation of this game by setting up a mock news reporting studio for television. A baby doll or other toys can be used as part of the creative storylines that you and your child are reporting to the imaginary viewers.
Get Out on a Safari Trip
An activity that is a favorite among kids is to pretend that you're on a safari trip in your living room. Take out large bed linens and tuck the ends into chairs, the sofa, or whatever stable furniture is handy. Drape the bed linens so that thechildren feel like they are hidden by large forest trees or in the thick brush where the wild critters can't see them. If you have a pair of binoculars, take them out to enhance the game. Have your kids get together all of the stuffed critters and critter figures they can find and set them up throughout the space, partly hidden so you can only see their heads, and then use the binoculars to spy on them. Have the kids shout the names of the animals they find and then you can make the animal noise back at them. They always have the most laughs with this game!
Get Outside and Have Fun
A very low-cost, yet really fun thing to do is to get out side for a ride on bikes. If you have smaller children, you can bring them with you in a trailer attachment where they can be seated in a secured cart. For shorter distances, some kids might want to use their skateboard to move around. To make it even more fun, take your time and give the kids things to find along the way, like a treasure hunt. Things like birds, flowers, or squirrels can all be great things for everyone to call out as they discover them. This game also works wonderfully on a nature walk and can teach children about nature and their environment.
Things to Do After the Sun Sets
When evening comes, the fun doesn't have to stop there! Set up a tent in the yard somewhere and provide binoculars for they can observe the night skies. If you have a place where you can safely make a fire or a small charcoal barbeque, you can make a wood-burning fire for them. Have the kids gather some long sticks for browning marshmallows. If you have time to take a short getaway this summer, go camping somewhere fun and extend your time enjoying nature! These suggestions will surely give you and your kids a fun summer break full of imagination, activity, and learning.
Easy Ways to Turn Any Room into a Game Room
Plan Around Functionality
Start your room makeover by deciding which items you want to keep. Remove everything that is our of place. If you have a desk in the room, clean up the files, desk drawers and book shelves and get rid of the excess items that you aren’t using or that should be thrown away. Once that’s done, create a filing and organization system that will help keep everything in its own place going forward. For example, if you have pictures that had been stored in a drawer, then you could buy a few photo boxes and divide them into 5 year spans so each box doesn’t get too stuffed. Converting your photos to digital form is another option that make more efficient use of physical space.
Use Multifunctional Furniture to Save Space
Buy furniture that adds to the room by doing double duty. For example, a corner television unit with storage under it can easily stow away your CDs and DVDs out of view. Alternately, you can also find a coffee table that flips open, such as a treasure chest-tyle, where book and games can be stored. Another helpful style for coffee tables is the kind of table that lifts up and can be converted into a dining table for eating. This eliminates the need for a both a storage chest and a dining table.
Make the Room Multi-Functional
If you wish to use the room for multiple purposes, such as a play area, entertainment room, and office in one, consider dividing off portions of the room for each function to give yourself as much area as possible. One suggestion is to cover and divide with a thick tapestry hanging and a hanging rod so that the area can be out of sight when it’s not being used. Pick a fabric that isn’t too dark or bright so that the eye isn’t drawn to the separation. A tapestry hanging that is easy on the eyes with threaded designs looks very nice and adds to any room. Find high-end curtain rods to add a delicate and high-class touch to your new room!
Don’t Forget Whimsy and Novelty
Find oddly humorous or original items that add to the overall theme of your room. You might look for a fun table lamp to go with whatever theme you’ve decided for the room. For example, a pool-room theme would go great with a cue stick -styled. Also, a good multi-game table can provide many hours of entertainment for indoor family fun. Choose an all-in-one game table that has the types of games your family likes to play; many different choices exist with tons of different table tops.With some imagination, you can convert your basement, TV room, or living room into a multi-functional area that provides you with a place to hang out, have fun, and enjoy the summer!
Summer is the perfect time to loosen up outdoors and bask in the mild evenings that follow a hot summer's day. Get-togethers are even better in the chill of the evening hours. It's a time for family and friends to get together and have lots of fun while letting the stress melt away. There are creative ideas to turn your garden area into a great entertainment area without spending too much money. Here are some tips to help you make the most out of the summer evenings to come.
Get everything cleaned and organized. Space is the focus here, so take the time to go through the clutter that's scattered in your back yard. A cabinet with doors, a tool rack, or a large storage bin are all great ways to cover the rest and keep what you need nearby. Once the yard has been cleaned and you have extra space, get out the lawn mower, cut the grass and edge it to make it look like a professionally landscaped space. A trimmed yard gives the impression of order and organization and is vital to any party area.
Now that the outside area is well-organized, choose where everyone will sit. If you don't have patio furniture, consider purchasing some at a yard sale or thrift store and sprucing it up with some new, soft cushions and repainting with some rust-repelling spray paint. You can get tons more dollars-worth of furniture for very little cost and then change it into something you'll be proud to show off. If you don't have a cover in your backyard, consider leasing or purchasing a garden gazebo to make shade for your guests. They are like an extra room and have paneled doors that easily open up and make for an inviting area to sit. They can also serve to keep the bugs out if you choose to serve the drinks and food inside the garden gazebo.
One of the best aspects of parties are the refreshments. Lemonade with frozen pureed fruit is a great way to add color, flavor, and pizzazz to standard lemonade. You can also freeze flavored fruit drinks into cubes and serve it with ice-cold citrus-flavored soda for a tart and tangy secret ingredient!
As the night comes in, the flying insects come out, so consider buying the best bug zapper you can find to make your evening last even longer. They can really eliminate or repel the pesky bugs and improve your outdoor environment for you and your guests. Additionally, if you don't have one already, you can get something for making a fire outside for under $150 from a local discount store. Use a search engine to look for classified ads by individuals wanting to sell their outdoor items in good condition, because they're moving or redecorating. This is a perfect way to get anything you need for much less than if you'd bought it at a retail store. For added pizzazz, try putting up some lights outside to make your party really shine!
Throw the Best Baby Shower for a Wonderful Time
Great Baby Shower Gifts to Get Mom Ready
If you are the friend or loved one hosting the baby shower, be sure your expectant mother has either enrolled at a local store or online site to give the guests ideas as to what she needs. An alternative to this would be for her to make a list of what she needs, perhaps baby nursery set, a Fisher Price baby swing, or even a Baby Trend car seat. Specify the themes and colors she wants in the invitations and let the guests do the rest! If she needs a infant car seat, be sure to ask for one that grows with the baby, from newborn through booster seat, for example. If she needs a pram, suggest to the guests a couple of types that will allow for Baby Trend car seat to be set on it for simple transfer from the car to the stroller. A baby gym is an especially helpful gift because it permits mom to do things while the infant is being soothed. The most convenient kinds are those that have a carrier that detaches.
Games for the Shower Guests
Baby showers are known for their quirkiness and silly games. A game that is especially entertaining is "Don't Say That Word" such as "baby" or "girl" or "boy". Another favorite is a game involving baby food where the guests either smell or taste various flavors of baby food and try to guess what food it is. A game that's really fun as well is where a diaper is passed around, similar to musical chairs, and the interior of the diaper is a spoonful of warm fudge topping. This one is sure to get belly laughs from the party guests! Don't forget prizes for the winning players; it is suggested that you choose girly gifts like scented bath accessories, fresh baskets of flowers or plants, gift cards, or a gift bag full of something themed such as "everything for a pedicure".
Decorating for a Baby Shower
Ornaments are always great, because they set the happy mood for the entire celebration. If you don't know the sex of the baby, choose colors that reflect either gender. It creates a fresh color scheme and keeps everything bright! The cake can even serve as a decoration; add tiny plastic baby figurines and pacifiers, etc. that can be purchased from a discount party supplier. These items add originality to the cake as well as to the purpose of the event.
Be sure to give the expectant mother all she needs and you'll have given her the best baby shower. The baby shower is also a perfect opportunity for loved ones to support her and have a great time. Nothing is better than everyone leaving the party feeling that they had the best time!
Find Great Deals on Small Kitchen Appliances Like a Bread Machine or Juicer for Less
Budget-Friendly Ways to Update Your Kitchen
Getting these small kitchen appliances online can save you time and money. I especially love finding an excellent price on the item itself, and then finding a vendor that is out-of-state (no sales tax), or that gives no-cost shipping in addition to their low prices. These days, avoiding sales tax and shipping are easy ways to get the best price possible for your Internet buy. Search the store’s site for special weekly or monthly offers or first-time buyer discounts. Online searches for ”discount code” and then the store’s name to get codes for free shipping, percentages off your total, or even a whole order discount.
How to Stretch Your Dollar at the Store
If you plan to buy from a physical store, another money-saver is to look in your local weekly circulars for special discounts, coupons, or promotions that will give additional money off. Some stores have promotions and incentives for first-time credit card account holders. I prefer to keep my credit card paid off so I don’t have to pay interest charges each month, so I walk straight to the customer service area and pay my card off before leaving the store.. If you have a charge account, you’ll get special discounts every so often just for having an account.
Getting Kitchen Gadgets to Make Life Easier
For many of us who are trying to improve our health, make sure to get one (or all) of the following: a food processor, Panasonic bread maker, or power juicer. A food processor allows you to quickly and easily dice, chop, or slice fruits and veggies so you’re never tempted to say that it’s too much work to prepare a healthy meal. A breadmaker lets you make breads of any flavor with zero preservatives or fat, using whatever healthy ingredients you want. A power juicer is ideal for grinding up the healthiest of nature’s bounty. Juicing fruits and veggies is a wonderful way to extract all of the nutrient goodness you need.
How to Make Your Food Prep Time Less Painful
If you enjoy cooking or just want to make cooking more tolerable, any of the gadgets mentioned above would make preparing and cooking meals a more enjoyable experience. You’ll really see the difference in how fast you can get your meals ready. Say goodbye to wasted time getting food chopped, sliced, and grated. These gadgets make meals, salads, smoothies, and fresh bread easier than you ever imagined! Give yourself (or someone you love) the gift of saving time and eating healthily with one of these time-busting kitchen favorites.
How to Choose the Best Electric Blankets for Every Season
Make Everyone More Comfortable All-Year Long
First, decide on the type of material you'd like your comforter, bed quilt, or blanket to be made from. Materials should closely match the season of the year; for example, darker and heavier fabrics are reserved for the colder and darker months while colors of a lighter hue and coverings that aren't too heavy are perfect for summertime and springtime. Goose-feather-filled bedding is perfect for those colder nights and helps you and your houseguests to feel warm and cozy, no matter how treacherous the weather might be outside. a lighter cover-up for the bed is perfect for the warmer times of the year.
Design on a Budget Can Be Simple
If you're working with a tight budget, you can still make any room in your home feel like you've spent thousands on redecorating. What goes best with a new down comforter or bed quilt is a coat of beautiful paint in the room and new decorative pillow accents. Enough paint to cover a standard room will cost only about $20 to $30. Try and choose colors from your down comforter, bed quilt, or blanket that complement, but don't exactly match, your wall color. When everything matches, it makes makes everything look like it's the same color, which is boring. However, if you choose a color for your walls that is in the same color family, but of a lighter or darker shade than the other items in the room, the bedding and the wall color will be highlighted. You can find trimmed out pillows to accent your furniture for less than you think! Search the Internet for the best deals on sets of decorator pillows and you'll save a ton of money by buying them in bulk amounts.
Making Every Room a Unique Creation
Finally, find some great sheets to buy that match your new bed coverings. If you bought a set that came with sheets already, purchase a spare set for each room in a complimentary color so that you don't get bored with the room and have a spare set to keep the room interesting. You can dress up a sofa with a warm throw, such as one made of chenille, and you'll have a warm (and beautiful) place to relax. A bed quilt that is a family heirloom can be proudly displayed on any wall to keep fond memories alive and doubles as an interesting addition to the room. With a little imagination and time, you can effortlessly make any living room, bedroom, or spare room into a glorious escape.
Learning Life Lessons with Games Such as Toy Building Sets
There is something special about children and their toys. As a child, I can’t remember a girl who didn’t own a Barbie or a boy who didn’t run all over the yard wielding action figures to conquer classic villains. LEGO sets were strewn all over the floors of every playroom I went into as a child, including my own. We would construct amazing things with those toy building sets; giant buildings for our Barbie doll or stuffed toys to live in, a store where they would buy all of their groceries; the possibilities were only limited by our imaginations. While toys like these don’t neatly fit into the category of educational toys, they can teach valuable lessons.
Every type of toy is important to children, even those that parents may not first think of as educational toys. This is as true today as it was decades ago when I sat playing classic board games with my sister. Children learn through play, and they expand their imaginations and their critical thinking skills. While parents may think that only educational games are able to to teach a child anything, that would be a mistake. In essence, most toys are educational games when you understand that a child learns from free play.
Card games, while supplying lots of entertainment, also work on developing a child’s reasoning skills as well as coping skills. Everyone doesn’t win when we play board games, and sometimes losing at something is an important lesson for a child to learn as emerging victorious is. When one player wins and the other loses in a board game, one player is humbled while the other, hopefully, learns to be a polite winner. With the help of a thoughtful parent, children will develop these skills. So popular are some board games that they are now being made in ways that they can be played in the car. Travel games may not be as energizing as the original board games, but it sure keeps a child engaged in the car!
For many decades, children and their parents have spent hours of bonding time over toy building sets. The wonderfully colorful blocks in a Lego set bring forth the very best in a child’s imagination, and keep them busy for days. The great thing about toy building sets is that just one set could create many of different items, from a robot to a gas station. Over the years, Lego sets have grown to where there are now sets specifically for girls, such as the Belville line. Logically, boys love Lego sets like Bionicles or Star Wars. But youngsters can learn dexterity and inventiveness through Lego sets, and that’s what matters.
Need more understanding of the value of Lego sets as an educational toy? Studies show that children grow new brain connections when working with toy building sets. By simply playing with their Lego set, kids also learn spatial concepts, cause-and-effect, and fine motor skills. There’s no better way to learn!
Outdoor Cooking Lovers Can Use a New Outdoor BBQ Grill and a Gourmet Knife Set
An abundance of wizardry occurs in the kitchen! It’s likely that you have memories that involve the aroma of cookies baking in the oven before Christmas, or of grandfather carving the turkey with the electric knife on Thanksgiving after it has been finished cooking the oven.
The kitchen is not just about making memories; it is simply a room to be comfortable while creating great dinners to share with the family. In many cases certain tools, such as that perfect cooking knives set or the stainless roasting pan that cooks up chicken nice and juicy, can add to the functionality of your kitchen. While specialty items like an electric roasting pan weren’t found in many kitchens of the past, these items have become supplies that no avid cooking enthusiast is able to do without.
We may ask ourselves how our grandparents did without these items? To put it simply, they make life a great deal easier. For example, when getting a smaller meal ready, using a roast pan that uses a ordinary outlet may save time and money on the electric bill in comparison to heating up the entire oven. Not all roasting pans are electric, though this is the type that seems most economical. Some roasting pans are the traditional type that is used in the oven. Magnalite roasting pans, for instance, have been used for decades. They don’t weigh a lot and are easy to clean, which explains why stainless roasting pan are still some of the most popular kitchen tools around.
An important cooking tool is the barbecue grill. Outdoor grills are useful for meals such as chicken or steak, but can even be used to grill vegetables or breakfast foods. Many people enjoy cooking on an outdoor grill because they can enjoy their yard and fresh air while cooking the family meal.
There are three basic choices in outdoor grills: charcoal, electric and gas. What’s great about this is that between those three types of outdoor grills is a grill for each budget. Many people have a barbecue grill that they use at home, as well as a barbecue grill that can be perfect for camping or going to the beach and mountains.
A reliable cooking knives set is certainly a requirement if one is to engage in a meal that needs some preparation. Throw away that old knife set and indulge in a new cooking knives set. You can be sure you will enjoy this investment for many years. A cutlery set, just like with outdoor grills and even the roasting pans mentioned in this article, come in a range of prices to fit every budget. Just like having the right tools in your garage, you must have the right tools in the kitchen. Without them, completing the task at hand can take more time.
By implementing the right tools in the kitchen as well as in the dining room, all meals can become a new experience. You want the best for your family and for yourself, so buy a nice set of dinnerware that makes you feel good and create a great meal. You just may become aware of a different mood at the dining table!
How to Know Which Tandem Stroller or Baby Jogger Stroller is Right for You
The right choice of stroller or jogger stroller is one of a new parent’s most important decisions. As far as purchasing a stroller, there are options to go with different lifestyles. Some parents may require a double stroller, while others may be most interested in getting a baby jogger stroller so mom and dad can keep up their desired activity level. A jogging stroller can be used on different surfaces depending on the size of the wheels. Baby joggers with larger wheels – about 20 inches – are said to move more smoothly. The larger-wheeled jogger stroller works well on rough terrain, and in the end, it just looks great! Jogging strollers with shorter wheels, about 12 inches, will turn with ease. These strollers, which usually have swivel wheels, are for daily use on flat surfaces. Even though all parents do not need a jogging stroller, many choose them just for their look. The price of a good jogging stroller ranges anywhere from $100 to $300 depending on its features.
For parents who require a baby stroller that carries two, double strollers are the right choice. The double stroller is identified by different names, which include tandem stroller and duo stroller. A tandem stroller is a double stroller that seats two small ones front-to-back. Features that add to the appeal of a tandem stroller are that it provides ease of folding, gives each child their own canopy, and also many times has two reclining seats. Double strollers are a perfect choice for families with twins, and even families with one infant and a toddler, since this baby stroller has the ability to grow with the children. Another situation where a duo stroller answers a need is in a day care center. Having a good baby stroller is one thing, but for a day care center where there are many children who need to go outside in the fresh air during the day, a double stroller is able to to take out two at a time for a walk around the neighborhood.
If you are a parent looking for a baby stroller, you need to look for certain things. A baby stroller must be durable. This goes for double strollers and jogging strollers. Nobody enjoys the thought of going for a walk and feeling a wheel become loose due to poor construction! Going with your baby for a walk is something that should create a feeling of relaxation and happiness to both of you, not stress.
Another characteristic of a baby stroller that is essential is comfort. There should be plenty of padding in seats of both double strollers and jogging strollers for an enjoyable ride for the baby. An uncomfortable seat is going to produce an uncomfortable baby. An uncomfortable baby is a fussy baby. If your child is uncomfortable in their baby stroller, you may find that you end up carrying them. If that’s the case, then the whole objective of the baby stroller is defeated.
When thinking about what size of baby stroller to buy for your infant, it is important to point out that the smaller the baby, the larger stroller you need. While many people prefer the idea of a small baby stroller that is easy to move, larger baby strollers have more features such as oversized wheels, shock absorbers and more padding for a comfortable ride. That is how to travel in style!
