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by Lyn Lomasi, Write W.A.V.E. Media Staff  Image © Lyn Lomasi; All Rights Reserved In the age of computers, video games, and high tech toys, people often forget about the simple things. "But my kids are not going to play without anything missing bells and whistles," some of you think as you read this. You might be pleasantly surprised. Kids are more easily entertained than you think. All it takes is a little imagination, which can equal a ton of fun!
Toilet paper rolls can be many things. Ever tried handing your child an emptied tissue roll? You'd be amused at what they can come up with. My kids have made binoculars, bird feeders, doll furniture, telescopes, noisemakers, and so much more just from toilet paper rolls. Mock binoculars are simple two toilet paper rolls fastened together with tape. Attach string to a toilet paper tube. Then, smother it with peanut butter and wild bird seed and hang it out for the birds. Possibilities are endless! A kid with a box is a kid in heaven. Playhouses, dollhouses, cars, and more! Your kids can have it all with just one box. Have a pile of boxes? The more boxes you have, the better! Just ask my kids who I throw boxes at all the time. Entertain your kids and all their friends with interesting box creations. Construction paper and glue can save the day! Remember when kids used to sit around for hours cutting and gluing things? They still can! Give them the necessary supplies and let them have at it. It's amazing how entertaining a little paper can be. Let them come up with their own ideas, give them patterns, or dive in and create along with them. Yes, kids still love to color! A coloring book and a box of crayons can entertain kids for hours. In fact, spread everything out on the floor and color together. Not only will your kids enjoy this, but admit it - you love to color too! Giant coloring books are great for when everyone wants to color the same picture together. Save the colored pages to use as gift wrap in the future. Collect pieces of nature. Take the kids on a neighborhood adventure. No, not in the car! On your feet! Walk around the neighborhood. If there are trails in your area, even better. Collect pine cones, leaves, dried flowers, twigs, and more. You can use them later in arts & crafts projects, as well as study them scientifically. Getting back to the basics can be a fun and rewarding experience for you and your children. You may even find they enjoy it more than all the latest fad toys. Never throw away non-biodegradable items, unless they're toxic or contaminated. You never know what can be used as entertainment for the kids. You'll be helping save their imaginations, a well as the earth!
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Make and Use This Simple, Affordable Craft to Track Your Pregnancy  Image © Emma.Kate on Flickr, Used under Creative Commons License v2.0. Pregnancy is a significant time in a woman's life. It is one filled with many day-by-day emotions, both physical and mental growths, and events that a mother will want to remember for a lifetime. Well, OK, a woman may not want to remember heartburn or morning sickness, but most pregnancy memories are worth commemorating, and what better way than with a pregnancy day-by-day calendar? They are simple to use, cost-effective, and easy to customize.
Materials For a Pregnancy Day by Day Calendar Most of the materials required for making your pregnancy day-by-day calendar may already be lurking around your house. What isn't around the house can be found at most supercenters or craft stores, such as Hobby Lobby or Wal-Mart. You will need:
Making a Pregnancy Day by Day Calendar First, take 12 sheets of cardstock in one solid color that will be the main part of your calendar. Draw a light pencil line where the middle is on each sheet of cardstock. Leave the top part of your calendar sheets plain. Draw a calendar grid on the bottom half of each sheet with a permanent marker. If you are not so good at drawing or just don't feel like drawing, you can also print 12 copies of a blank calendar grid from CalendarPrintables.com and glue it to the bottom. There is an option of a blank calendar labeled month by month or the completely blank template. Once the glue or marker has dried on all of the sheets, fold the top half of each sheet down evenly and put a crease in it. Punch 4 holes along the crease. Stack those 12 sheets of cardstock together neatly so that the holes line up. Take a piece of yarn and thread the ends through the back of the first two holes and then tie that yarn into a tight double knot at the backside of the cardstock sheets. Now, tie the loose ends into a double-knotted bow. Do the same thing on the other side with the remaining two holes. This holds the calendar together. Now all that's left is to add memories. Suggested Entries For a Pregnancy Day by Day Calendar There are many things that could be kept track of using a pregnancy day-by-day calendar. During a pregnancy there are many milestones, emotions, and daily events going on. It is, after all, nearly an entire year of life. Adding Memories to the Top Half of the Pregnancy Day by Day Calendar The reason the top part of the pregnancy day by calendar is left blank above is to add bits of memory to it as the days go by. Some things to add to the top include pictures of the pregnant belly, ultrasound photos, handwritten notes to the unborn baby, and any other physical memory and decorations or trinkets that can be glued on. Adding Memories to the Bottom Half of the Pregnancy Day by Day Calendar The bottom half of the calendar is where the daily notes will be written. Things to write about include baby's development, mother's growth and health, countdown to due date (when it's close), pregnancy symptoms, emotions, and baby purchases. Obviously, this is not an all-inclusive list. There a great number of things that come up during pregnancy. Keeping track with this simple, but effective pregnancy day-by-day calendar will pay off later when you revisit it for memories. Track Mom-to-Be's Progressby Lyn Lomasi, Write W.A.V.E. Media Staff  Image © Emma.Kate on Flickr, Used under Creative Commons License v2.0. Pregnancy is a joyous time that will be treasured and remembered forever by the woman who is lucky enough to experience it. To help keep those memories alive, as well as to track the pregnancy as it progresses, it is helpful to keep a pregnancy calendar. Here are some good resources that offer a free printable pregnancy calendar.
A pregnancy calendar can be done in several ways, depending upon the individual's needs and preferences. Some women may simply want a calendar that details what their progress should be at certain intervals. Others may want a blank calendar so that they can personally fill in what goes on during their pregnancy for a wonderful memory later or even as a reference for their prenatal care provider. JustMommies.com has a free printable pregnancy calendar that tells a pregnant woman what to expect on each day. Baby's development as well as what the expectant woman will experience during pregnancy are included on this free printable pregnancy calendar. Each month also has a section on the bottom to fill in appointments and other important pregnancy information. No registration is required for the calendar. To track how far along you are in your pregnancy by the conception date, the due date, or the day of your last menstrual cycle, visit AmazingPregnancy.com. Simply enter in the information you have and click on "calculate my pregnancy calendar". The pregnancy calendar information is free and printable. No registration is required for the calendar. WebMD.com offers a free printable pregnancy calendar that details fetal growth, pregnancy symptoms, dietary recommendations, pregnancy tips, and much more. To get the free pregnancy calendar offered at WebMD, you must register with WebMd. However, registration is quick and free. If you were on the free pregnancy calendar page when you clicked to register, you will be directed straight to your calendar after registration, which is very convenient. For a free printable blank calendar to use for pregnancy, visit CalendarPrintables.com. The default calendar blank will be the current month and year. For another month and year, simply use the links below the calendar. They are categorized by year. These are a plain, solid color. There is also the option of a seasonal theme or a completely blank black and white calendar template. All options are free and printable.While these are not specifically pregnancy calendars, since they are blank, they work well for the expectant mom who wants to fill in her own pregnancy information. No registration is required to use these.  Image © Kit4na; Flickr.com Pregnancy can be a joyous time, but many pregnant women feel a variety of emotions, some not so joyous in nature. Pregnancy mood swings have long been a topic of discussion. However, many women are still surprised at the overwhelming emotions and mood changes they experience while pregnant. Below you will see some common emotional changes that affect pregnancy, as well as methods used to deal with those changes where necessary. Also included are some stress relieving techniques to be used whenever necessary. Excessive Crying Crying is very common in pregnant women. Hormones are at high levels, so normal thoughts of sadness can be multiplied easily. Some women find themselves crying over commercials, shows, movies, and life events, either out of happiness or sadness. The simplest way to avoid this is to try and avoid sad movies or those with exceedingly happy endings. However, crying is actually good for you sometimes, so I wouldn't recommend avoiding these completely. If you are crying because of life events, where possible try to stay away from people or places that are upsetting you and/or talk to those people to see what they can do to help. Unless the crying is caused by a form of depression or mood disorder, this is quite normal and nothing to worry about. Angering Too Easily While pregnancy can give you that glow, the hormonal increase can also cause some women to snap at a moment's notice. Depending on the individual, actions or events that cause these outbursts can be either mild, such as forgetting she wanted 3 ice cubes rather than 2, or as complex as forgetting it's her birthday. Even women who are usually calm can experience these emotional outbursts. If these outbursts seem too extreme, always contact your doctor to be sure you do not need to seek help from a therapist or medication. With this hormonal response, sometimes simple stress relief techniques can be very effective. Being Extremely Happy or Excited Joy and happiness can sometimes be greatly multiplied during pregnancy. Excitement can seem to be overly expressed at even the smallest of things. You might experience tears (and even jumps) for joy. This is perhaps the greatest of all emotional experiences during pregnancy. Treatment is likely not needed or recommended for this one. The only prescription you'll generally need here is that is of enjoying those joyous times. Stress Relief Techniques Simply taking a deep breath and holding it in for a few seconds before exhaling can help. Some may need to do this more than once for a full effect. However, don't do this too much, as you don't want to make yourself dizzy. If this technique is failing, simply try another. Prenatal yoga is also an excellent way to relax. Soaking in a warm bath can soothe the muscles as well as the nerves. Just don't make it too hot. Steam is not good for pregnant women. Ask your partner for a relaxing massage. If your partner is not available, you might want to spring for a professional prenatal massage. Talk to your doctors to determine if your symptoms and feelings need treatment by medication or therapy or not. Some extreme emotions may be an indicator of more dangerous issues, such as prenatal depression. Be sure all doctors know you are pregnant and are in communication with your prenatal care provider, in case any medicine needs to be prescribed. If medicine is necessary, talk to your medical professionals in detail to be sure you are getting medication that has the least effect on the baby as possible. Conclusion Women's health is important during pregnancy. Be sure to follow your doctor's advice. It is important to remember that not everyone will have the same experiences. With my experience, these hormone induced moods can happen during all trimesters of pregnancy. However, each person and each pregnancy can vary. |
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Lyn Lomasi is founder and owner of the Brand Shamans network. She is your brand healing, soul healing, marketing & content superhero to the rescue! Running a network of websites, tackling deadlines single-handedly, and coaching fellow writers, brands, & entrepreneurs to be thought leaders is her top priority.
While rescuing civilians from boring content and brands, this awesomely crazy family conquers the world, managing Intent-sive Nature while going on Upstream Parenting adventures & lessons, sometimes in an RV. They strive to cuddle with lions and giraffes. Until then, they settle for rescue dogs and cats. By supporting us, you support a single parent, healer, and minority small business that donates to and/or stands for several causes, including homeless pets, homeless people, trans youth, equality, helping starving artists, and more! A portion of all proceeds from our all-inclusive store, Intent-sive Nature goes toward worthy causes. For guidance in the world of freelance writing or for advice on her specialty topics, Ask Lyn. Archives
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