Entertaining Your Baby {Guest Post}

Entertaining a baby is not an easy task. Now that Anderson is 4 months old he is alert and awake most (all) of the day and looking to be entertained (or feed, mostly feed) constantly. Maybe it's my lack of creativity at the moment, but sometimes I find myself at a lost as to how to keep him engaged and stimulated. Well, Ghezzi from www.pregg.net is here to help with activities to enjoy with your 4 month old.  Take it away Ghezzi….


Activities to Enjoy With Your 4 Month Old Baby  

When your newborn turns 4 months you will notice that his eyes are wandering more frequently. This is because at this stage, your baby could already differentiate between colors. He can also start focusing his vision on small things. He can already watch the things around him and may respond with a frown or chuckle. By this time, your baby may have a good grasp on little objects.

Upsy-Daisy as a Fun Exercise
The idea of this activity is to enjoy your baby’s reflex ability. Try to notice that at this stage, when he sits up he will close his eyes when you put him down and upon your lift he opens his eyes. Sounds pretty normal huh? But this is called the baby doll reflex and sooner he will lose this reflex and can take more control of his body movement. 

To do the Upsy-Daisy, put your baby on a soft surface to be safe. Let him hold your thumb (remember, your baby at this stage has good grasp), make sure to hold his hand too in case he decides to let go of your thumb. Sit gently on his feet and pull your baby to make him do sit-ups and as both of your face approaches each other, say “Upsy-Daisy!” Doing it repeatedly is a good exercise for your baby.

Play Puppet
This activity will be enjoyed by babies at 4 months and beyond. At this stage his vision is very clear and a colorful puppet will drive your baby to giggle crazy. If you don’t have one yet then grab the other pair of clean socks and add buttons, yarns, scrap fabric and some colorful markers. Play the puppet with your baby while he sits on your lap. Tell stories, sing nursery songs, or tickle your baby gently. Just remember not to let your baby put the sock near his mouth because he might swallow small objects and the marker ink.

Have you tried this with your baby? Did both of you have fun?

Ghezzi
Momblogger 
www.pregg.net

Thanks Ghezzi!

Homemade, Vegan Beauty Recipes {Guest Post}

I hope everyone is enjoying the weather as much as I am! It has been beautiful here and I am finally able to open the windows, spring clean, and start on our garden. Spring is such a wonderful time to make things beautiful again, don't you agree? Well, your in luck because today I have Marcela De Vivo who is going to give you some wonderful homemade vegan beauty recipes! I am so very excited about this because homemade beauty tricks never disappoint me. Without further ado, take it away Marcela....

Homemade, Vegan Beauty Recipes

Spring is here, so why not celebrate the return of Mother Nature with these astoundingly natural and amazingly easy to prepare vegan modes of skin and hair care? 

Even non-vegans may want to check out these wholesome natural options, as they often promise the same—or better—benefits without the often dubious chemical ingredients of their drugstore counterparts.

Shampoos and Conditioners

Out of all the alternatives to cruelty-free beauty care products, shampoos and other hair applications can sometimes leave newcomers wary. The prevalence of oils can instill fear of greasy after-effects, while the thinner textures are a wide departure from the creamy consistency of drugstore hair products.

However, vegan hair recipes generally only include enough oils to replenish dry hair, and their watery nature does not lessen their effectiveness.  Since some mass produced animal-friendly hair supplies may contain parabens, a type of preservative that may be linked to hormone imbalance and even breast cancer, this simple homemade shampoo is worth exploring:

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup liquid castile soap
• 2 tsp jojoba or grapeseed oil
• 1/8 cup aloe vera gel
• 5 drops of essential oil of your choice

Simply combine in a shampoo-sized bottle and shake vigorously.  For people especially worried about overly oily hair, the jojoba and essential oils can be eliminated.

Scrubs

Exfoliating is essential for any beauty regimen, as it lets clogged pores breathe, cleans up blemishes, and gives skin a silky texture.  Vegan solutions, however, often boast the extra advantage of doubling as moisturizers, especially those that include essential oils.   

Depending on oils you use for these DIY delights, fragrances—and price ranges—can vary greatly, so have fun experimenting with substitutions.  First time users are sometimes put off by the use of salt as the granular element in most vegan scrubs, but salt is remarkable for flushing out toxins and infusing the skin with beneficial minerals.

Here are two favorite selections:

Brown Sugar Body Scrub

This staple is so simple you probably won’t need to make a trip to the grocery store for its basic ingredients:

• ½ cup sea salt (Himalayan Pink sea salt is known to be the best)
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• ½ cup brown sugar (the dark kind is preferable)
• 1-3 drops of any essential oil if scent is desired

Mix these elements well and put the mixture in a shower-friendly container.  After you’ve rinsed off, apply to your skin with a circular motion, then rinse and gently towel-dry.  With its olive oil base, this scrub makes post-bath moisturizing unnecessary.

Essential Oil Ambrosia Scrub

This is as exotic as the last recipe is no-frills, though in the end it’s simply a sophisticated variation on the base of all natural scrubs:  a highly moisturizing, invigorating, yet light skin experience. The ingredients are:

• ½ cup fine Bolivian pink salt
• 1 ounce papaya oil
• 1 ounce cherry kernel oil
• 15 drops rose otto essential oil
• 30 drops sandalwood essential oil

You may want to replace the costly essential oils with sandalwood and red rose fragrance oils, but as the Bolivian salt gives the scrub a delightful pink glitter. Substitutions will subtract from the full experience.

Masks

Maybe no other member of the skin care family provides the same sense of deep rejuvenation than face masks—yet they are the most likely to contain an arsenal of synthetic and/or animal-tested products.  Fortunately, homemade vegan alternatives are simple to make, and rely almost exclusively on ingredients you’d find in a healthful breakfast: oatmeal, orange juice, yogurt, and coffee.

A perfect illustration of the elegant purity of vegan masks is the strawberry and rice milk variety.  Simply mash 6 strawberries and ½ tablespoon organic rice milk into a thick paste, apply to your face, and let stand for 15 minutes before rinsing.  As strawberries are packed with salicylic acid, this is one of the very best home-grown ways of eliminating outbreaks of acne.

Marcela De Vivo is a freelance writer from Los Angeles. She specializes in a variety of health topics, from covering special needs, holistic and alternative therapy issues, to blogging about fitness, beauty and skin care. 

Basketball Season Is Officially Over {Guest Post}

Hello! I hope everyone had a great weekend! As of this weekend, I can safely say that our basketball season is officially done. Damien had a great season, and in my opinion, has become a great athlete!  He has really grown into himself in basketball throughout this season, and it was wonderful to watch him make that transition.

 Awarded MVP!

 I can safely say that we made it through the regular season, and the extended travel season, without any injuries. For those of you who have children in sports, you know that injuries happen often! Some of these can be bumps and bruises to broken bones and concussions. Yikes! Now that is serious stuff! To tell you a little bit more about how serious these injuries are is my friend John...Take it away John!

Hi my name is John O'Connor, I am a father, outdoorsman, sports enthusiast and passionate about living a healthy lifestyle.  Check out my new blog at bloggingwjohno.blogspot.com!


Keep Young Athletes Safe In Sports

Organized sports are not only a way for children to stay fit and healthy, but also a great time for kids to let loose and have fun with their friends.  Through sports children are able to develop many life long skills such as leadership, teamwork and discipline that they will be able to carry on with them into high school, college and well into the rest of their lives.  With all these great things that come with sports, parents do need to be conscious of the dangers and risks that contact sports may propose.

The NFL and Safety

Recently the National Football League has been revisiting its rules to keep their players safe from common injuries like concussions and ligament tears, to name a few.  The NFL has instituted new policies prohibiting players from using their facemask to hit others.  They also have implemented new rules that protect defenseless players in the game such as the quarterback and receivers.  These rules look to protect the quarterback when making a throw and the receiver when they are in the motion of making a catch.  Low hits on quarterbacks have also been prohibited to protect against ligament tears.  These rule changes have made the game much safer as the NFL continues to move forward in trying to further protect athletes.  Not only have these rule changes affected professional athletes but they also have filtered down into the college, high school and recreational sports that our children participate in all year round.

As a parent I am very excited and relieved to see a high level organization such as the NFL taking the initiative to not only to protect its own players but also to promote player safety in the leagues that our children play in.  On top of these rule changes the NFL has also created the NFL Evolution campaign to help educate us parents on how we can protect our children during contact sports.  The NFL Evolution provides not only insight on the sport of football but across the sporting world from snowboarding to soccer.  The campaign as mentioned above serves as a way for us parents to get a better look into sports and the possible dangers such as concussions that may be relevant if the proper precautionary actions are not routinely taken.

Some injuries that commonly result from contact sports may be concussions, ligament tears, heat stroke and dehydration.  As parents we should know the basics around these injuries so that we can keep our kids safe.

Concussions

Concussions are a traumatic brain injury that young athletes are at risk of developing during contact sports.  When an athlete is hit in the head with tremendous force a concussion may be the result.  Common symptoms of a concussion could be confusion, headaches, nausea, or fatigue.  More serious symptoms may be a headache that is worsening, changes in behavior, slurred speech and memory or hearing loss.  If any of these symptoms are present, your children should seek immediate medical attention.  In the case of hearing loss depending on the severity, a hearing aid may be prescribed in order to help combat the issue and increase hearing levels.  In order to help prevent against concussions and hearing loss, athletes should make sure that protective equipment such as helmets are up to standard, fit properly and worn at all times.

Ligament Tears

Another common injury that may result from participation in contact sports is ligament tears.  The ACL is a necessary ligament needed to participate in sports. The ACL aids the athlete when running, jumping, cutting and landing.  It also helps to protect the leg against hyperextension and rotating improperly.  In order to decrease the chances of suffering from an ACL tear, athletes should make sure to religiously work on balance and agility exercises while also looking to strengthen the muscles of the leg.  Even the most physically fit athlete can suffer from an ACL tear, both of these tips will not completely prevent ACL tears, but will help aid the chances of it happening.

Heat Related Issues

The summer time is a great time of the year for kids but can also be one of the most dangerous times for children to be participating in sports, Heat related injuries such as dehydration and heat stroke are more frequent during the hotter months.  Athletes can easily become sunburned or dehydrated during the hottest months.  A few things can be done to prevent against these issues.  As parents we should make sure that our children are constantly drinking water and hydrated.  Not only should children be drinking water during games and practice, but also gradually during the day leading up to the sporting event.  Also we should look to purchase lightweight clothing, typically made of dri-fit material rather than cotton for our children.  Lastly, as always when out in the sun, children should be wearing sunscreen to shield the skin from harmful UV rays.

As parents we have to be cautious of the safety of our children at all times.  Following some of the information and tips mentioned above can help ensure that our children are safe and protected while playing contact sports.



{In you are interested in guest posting, please contact me at perfectimperfections23@yahoo.com}

{Guest Post} Preventing Diabetes Among Children

Hello friends! Today I have something special for you. Here I have a guest post about Childhood Diabetes by Carolyn. Carolyn is a 20-something year old with a passion for life, fitness and overall well-being. She is an avid cycler, golfer and has been known to bust some serious moves on the dance floor. Check out Carolyn’s blog at http://fullonfit.blogspot.com/!

Without further ado, Carolyn take it away.....

Preventing Diabetes Among Children

Not too long ago, my family learned that one of my little cousins was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes.  This was a complete shock to us all – I knew that she had been struggling with her weight, but I never realized someone her age (she’s only 13!) could develop Type 2. However, after talking to her doctors and doing some research, I learned that we were not alone in this issue. According to information from St. Joseph’s Cardiac Hospital of Syracuse, 215,000 children under the age of 20 have been diagnosed (yes, the total number of people – who have it but haven’t been diagnosed – is much larger) with Type 2, and this number continues to grow exponentially. 

Knowing how common this disease has become among children encouraged our family to learn as much as we can on how to manage it, and prevent it for my other little cousins.  Given how common diabetes is, and how fast it is growing within the global population, and especially among children, it is up to families to take the active steps necessary to help children avoid Type 2. Due to the fact that Type 2 is largely connected with obesity, the best ways to prevent it is through proper nutrition, regular exercise, and getting enough sleep.  Here are some tips to consider:

A Healthy Diet
The first thing to do when trying to eat healthier is to get rid of the junk food. Yes – get rid of it! If you don’t have it in the house you can’t eat it, and if you stock up the house with healthy foods you are more likely to eat it when you’re hungry. You know the foods I am talking about, too – the ones that are full of salt, sugar, and artificial preservatives. Also, ditch the sodas and sugary juices, the fatty meats, and the processed foods – you know, the things that tend to be the quickest to make because they are microwaveable!

Although they may not be excited at first, continue to encourage children to eat healthy foods, such as fruits, vegetables, protein, and whole grains every day.  Finding ways to make these foods appealing can call for a little bit of creativity, but the long-term benefits are worth totally worth it!

One healthy breakfast snack your kids will be sure to enjoy is a yogurt, fruit, and granola parfait.  You can put it in a pretty glass so that your kids believe it is dessert.

You can make it with the following ingredients:

1/4 cup of granola
1 cup of plain yogurt

Chopped fruits of your choice – banana, apple, strawberry, blueberry…
1 teaspoon of pure maple syrup or honey

Half of the granola is placed into the glass first, then half the yogurt is added, followed by half the cut-up fruit. Repeat the first step again, and top if off with the syrup or honey! Here’s another great site that we like to use as inspiration for healthy meals!

Exercise
Your children should be encouraged to exercise regularly to prevent obesity and diabetes.  Activities that will help them remain healthy are activities such as bike-riding, jumping rope, swimming, soccer, basketball or other sports that may interesting to them.  They can also mow the lawn or walk the dog to be physically active – the key here is to get them moving and get their hearts pumping every day!

Sleep
Recent academic studies have found a link between inadequate sleep among children and obesity later in life.  Your children should average at least eight hours of sleep per night, with nine or ten being optimal.  Kids who average less than eight hours of sleep per night, or whose sleep patterns are irregular, may develop lifelong metabolic problems leading to obesity, and possibly, Type 2 Diabetes.