4 Money Questions Parents Have

4 Money Questions Parents Have

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4 money questions parents have, will help you navigate uncharted territory. Before starting a family, personal finances are easy. You pay your bills every month, send a little to savings, and when unexpected car repairs or other costs come up, you usually have enough to cover it. But after kids? That’s an entirely different story. Having kids adds a lot of line items to your household budget. There’s not only more money going out, there’s also more to keep track of. It’s a lot to adjust to when you’re trying to figure out nap schedules and potty training at the same time. The worst thing new parents can do is avoid thinking about family finances. Instead of letting financial anxiety get to you, face these big financial questions head-on. Even…
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Don’t Let Caregiver Burnout Dictate Your Future

Don’t Let Caregiver Burnout Dictate Your Future

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Don't let caregiver burnout dictate your future. Having a child who has special needs can put a lot of strain on you, especially if you're the one who handles the majority of the responsibilities. Unfortunately, that strain can cause you to become stressed out and lead you to provide subpar care for your child. If you're a caregiver for a person who has special needs, it’s imperative that you place a priority on your self-care. There are many ways to address your fatigue and potential burnout when you’re taking care of your child. caring for everyone Evaluate Your Likelihood of Caregiver Burnout One of the best things you can do as a caregiver is to evaluate yourself to determine if you’re experiencing burnout or fatigue. Start by asking these questions: •           Do you…
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Increase Your Odds of Conception

Increase Your Odds of Conception

All, Health, Life, Pregnancy, Relationships
We will cover the best tips to increase your odds of conception in this blog. In my last blog about fertility, I talked about the basics in creating another life by following a love story of a maiden (egg) and her knight (sperm). What is seemingly a simple story that should have a happy ending, has proved to be a more complex task to achieve. At some point in puberty, we find out about the Birds and the Bees through family, friends, health class, reading, pictures, and exploration of our sexuality. Only to realize later in life that what we once believed right about sex and baby-making may have been a rumor or misconstrued by our undeveloped brain. Consequently, we will focus on relearning (and exploring) the birds and the…
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Help My Young Baby Won’t Take a Bottle

Help My Young Baby Won’t Take a Bottle

Breastfeeding, Infants, Parenting, Work
Help my young baby won't take a bottle and I have to go back to work! Or I need to go somewhere! Or my husband wants to feed him! Or I need surgery! Or you want to exclusively pump. You get the idea! These situations can be stressful, but it's ok. Just follow these tips to get even the most stubborn baby on board. Babies can be picky creatures from the beginning of life. Just as some older humans have individual quirks, so can a newborn. You probably know people who can be very strict with a schedule or need lists of everything, or maybe she doesn't like change. As well, perhaps you are the "go with the flow gal"? The person who may seem undisciplined or messy or can…
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You Don’t Need Milk. Here’s Why.

You Don’t Need Milk. Here’s Why.

All, Breastfeeding, Cooking, Health
Really, I was just as surprised to learn you don't need milk, so here's why... Anyone else feel duped by the dairy farmers? I grew up believing that drinking milk (from cows) was the most wholesome food, and I was allowed to ingest as much as I wanted. I'm quite sure my mother spent more money on milk than any other food group when I was young. It was a quick, easy, cheap way to get vitamins, calories, and minerals into her growing daughter every day. The best part was how much I liked it and could easily down 1/2 a gallon per day. Some of the slogans I heard growing up: Drink milk to get big and strong- quickly makes children interested.Milk does a body good- sold me!Got milk?-famous people…
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6 Telltale Signs Your Baby is Ready for Solids

6 Telltale Signs Your Baby is Ready for Solids

All, Infants, Kids, Toddlers
You’ve been breast or bottle feeding for about 4 months and you’re wondering when your munchkin will need more than just “milk.”  Maybe you’ve seen some signs that you think could be your baby asking for solid food or your pediatrician has encouraged you to start offering spoonfuls of baby food or it could be your mother is chomping at the bit to feed your baby something besides a bottle.  We all see family members who try to give “tastes” of anything, just to see a baby’s reaction- usually it’s ice cream or icing.  As mom it’s very stressful to fight off the eager grandparents especially when they say, “It’s just a little bit-It won’t hurt- you turned out fine.” Either way, knowing how to attempt a different feeding pattern…
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Sibling Rivalry

Sibling Rivalry

Health, Kids, Life, Parenting, Relationships
Sibling Rivalry-a competition between brothers and sisters-is, not a comfortable term coming from any parent. Matter of fact, it is the bane of every parent's existence. When pregnant with a second or consecutive child, we spend countless hours in a dream world of how we envision our perfect little family. Even those that grew up with sibling squabbles or still have some today will find themselves thinking, "that won't be my family." Seriously, don't we all think we can raise better kids than that? Or, you may be thinking that your parents didn't handle the rivalry the way you did and therefore escalated the situation. Always the parents' fault. Worse yet, could be the parent that still believes his or her sibling is "the favorite." I'm sure he/she thinks they…
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How to Build a Parenting Blog

How to Build a Parenting Blog

All, Life, Parenting, Pregnancy, Work
How to build a parenting blog starts with a bud of hope. Hope that my parenting wins and fails will entertain you. Hope that my expertise in pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding, and newborns will be enough to guide you on your unique journey. Most of all, hope that you will NOT feel judged but instead protected to find your inner voice. Emotions Used to Build a Blog It amazes me how much time, reflection, and planning I’ve put into this blogging venture. Many questions were swirling in my head about the goals and direction I’d like this platform to take for months before putting pen to paper (yes, I started with a pen). Not to mention the always nagging speculation on my self-confidence: could I, should I, what makes mine different…
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What you Need to Know About the Second Trimester

What you Need to Know About the Second Trimester

All, Infants, Pregnancy
What you need to know about the second trimester will give you the confidence to enjoy the rest of your pregnancy and prepare you for the arrival of your progeny. This period gives you an eagerness to learn about your changing body and find a way to embrace it. It's the time you'll relish the comfortability you feel in comparison to the rest of the pregnancy. By this time, you've accepted the pregnancy and put some semblance of order back into your life. You have more energy, feel hungrier, more clear-headed than you've been, and may even have a lighter mood. At some point between 16-21 weeks, you will no longer be "guessing" if you felt a kick and will likely cherish these odd sensations. Maybe you've even announced your pregnancy or…
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It’s Ok to Grieve the Pandemic

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It's ok to grieve the pandemic and any other life altering challenge! Existing during a pandemic is hard - to put it mildly. I'm quite sure we who have lived long enough to understand the crisis' of our history, never thought we'd live through a pandemic such as this one. With modern medicine, intelligent minds, and progressive technology, the thought of a microscopic bug taking over the world sounds ludicrous. However, here we are, smack dab in the middle of an unexpected catastrophe. In January, three months ago, before we knew the impact COVID19 would have on our lives, I fell down the stairs in my home. It is a boring story to tell as all I did was slip on a carpeted step with socks on. This small succession…
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