Sharing Our Experiences

I am a stickler for routine and getting my toddler in bed on time. So by the time my newborns are 2 weeks old they are usually already sleeping through the night. And usually, I can time each waking moment, feeding time, nappy change and play time.

This often works a treat but on occassion, the routine is unsettled and that leaves the child unsettled also. The most common reason is usually due to illness or maybe you’ve had a family outing that has broken the normal bedtime rhythm.

Quality time for Ieremia and I is extremely important, and I know that as parents we all too often forget to make the time for our relationships and continue in the Mummy / Daddy mode. Time to yourself is important, if only to take a breather, reflect on your day and prepare for the next day. This precious time is most often found when your child is asleep.

Sleep usually provides that much needed break

Here’s a few of our tricks to ensure a stress free and child free evening.

An hour before bedtime, start winding down the day for your child. Let them know that bedtime is near and mark it with something that you will easily be able to do every night. Having a bath or getting into pyjamas is a great way to indicate to your child that this is the beginning of the night time wind down. That way when the shower is turned on or their clothes are changed, they know what will usually come next. If there is some resistance remember to explain why bedtime is required and continue with reading a book or picking a favourite toy to sleep with. I find that reading a book under dim light is a gentle path into noddy land for your little one.

By nature I have very little patience so after the book is read its time for kisses, cuddles and lights out. In our household its called “dark time” but once the lights are turned off its the final indication to the child that it is bedtime.

If your child does not settle and comes out of bed, take them back to bed immediately. Don’t be tempted to snuggle up on the couch until they fall asleep, this will cause them to want to do this every night. It is bedtime so back to bed they go. You may want to sit beside their bed for a little time to reassure them that all is fine but be firm, let them know it is bedtime. Even when the water works start, stay firm and stick to returning your child to bed. This is key to having your toddler in bed on time.

It may even turn into a tantrum but after a while your toddler will tire, for if you stick to a routine, they are tired and eventually sleep will come. Even if its after a huge tantrum, this can turn to your favour for afterwards, your toddler will fall into an exhausted heap on the floor.

I know that at the time you are going through these difficulties it is hard. I have been there often. But you need to be strong with yourself, to know that what you are doing is right.

In the long run, getting your toddler in bed on time, is beneficial to both you and your partner. Remember that as a toddler deep, uninterrupted sleep is the best thing for your child. When they wake in the morning they are well rested, full of energy and ready for a new day of learning and adventures.

I do beleive that getting your toddler in bed on time, helps sets a lifelong pattern of healthy sleep, reaping lifelong benefits for your toddler, and a more healthy balanced life in your relationship with your partner, and with your child.

All children are angels when they are asleep

Fuelled by the pitter patter of little feet as I go through my daily emails, I decided to write a post on an increasingly growing industry, MUMpreneurs and WAHMs (Work At Home Mums).

As I get older I regulary feel the responsibility to practice what I preach and to not just preach to my children. This has become even more so highlighted with my growing teenagers who are now looking to find their futures whether in higher education or employment.

My desire has always been to do what is best for my family, I worked in the IT industry for over 16 years purely because it was able to provide me a level of income that would adequately support my family. However, my passion has always been to write and most recently, to be a bigger part of my childrens everyday lives.

Late October I took the leap and decided that I had to do what was in my heart. I have often told my children the same, to find their passion and to be true to that passion and everything else will fall in to place. So to not be the hypocrit, I resigned from my job and have now become a MUMpreneur/WAHM.

The first hurdle that I had to overcome was the fear of the unknown, once I conquered this, everything became so much more clearer. I just took the leap, didnt even close my eyes, did it with my eyes wide open!! As I sit at the desk of my home office and look outside at the beautiful day and listen to the laughter of my children as they shower with their Dad, I feel a huge sense of achievement and contentment that I did not feel in my previous career and I truely feel blessed.

I found that when I finally made the decision to resign that the biggest contributing factor to my reluctance was finances. How do I continue to support my children financially? It may seem hard to believe but the amount of options that I found so that I could achieve my goal of working from home, were astounding, they just came in a flood of inspiration. I look at my office wall and have so many options I wonder why I did not take the leap earlier and rely on the many skills I already have. I took what I love to do, writing, and came up with as many options as I could that would enable me to have an income that would sustain my family.

Ive always been a risk taker, I like to think of those risks as somewhat calculated, but i’m also impulsive and it is these two things that helped me arrive at the wonderful decision I made a few weeks ago … to give up the day job and do what was in my heart.

The view from my office

Are you in need of expert conception advice and tips? Have you ever wondered how to get pregnant? These questions evoke varying responses from different people. Romance and emotion do play their part in the decision of having a baby. However, it is not uncommon to feel pained and frustrated, especially among the couples who are not able to become parents. Ideas of a kinky nature are bound to come to such couples.

Most newly wed couples take adequate protection against having a baby too quickly. However, in a matter of months, even as the duo is still getting to know each other properly, the eagerness to conceive a kid increases. This is hardly surprising, given the natural instinct of motherhood in ladies. A wife always wants to become a mother, since that gives her a sense of fulfillment. Thus, even in a fiercely competitive world, where the cost of everyday living runs into thousands, the craving for a baby remains high.

However, the females need to know how to get pregnant in a proper, healthy manner. The welfare and healthiness of both the mother and the kid, who would be seeing the light of the world soon, is of paramount importance. Hence, a careful perusal of the following discussion is necessary for me to help provide expert conception advice and tips:

• Women should start preparing to become a mother, at least 3 to 4 months prior to the actual delivery,
• Holistic measures for the maintenance of good health conditions is necessary for both the mother and child,
• A soon-to-be-mother should completely shun smoking and drinking habits,
• It is of paramount importance that no drugs of intoxication are consumed,
• Healthy, adequate nourishment is extremely necessary for women at these times. This is because both the pre-delivery and post-delivery periods are generally rather stressful for them, and
• For maintaining the desirable health conditions, minerals, proteins (that are easy to digest) and minerals should be consumed in adequate amounts.

It is also crucial to pay heed to some other important factors. Some such factors are:

* Thorough knowledge of one’s own body ? The period of ovulation in a woman is the ideal time for her to conceive a baby. Thus, she should be aware of the time of ovulation. There are, fortunately, many ways to find out what the time of ovulating would be. The ‘Post Ovulation Time’ (also termed the Luteal Phase) has to be estimated. This period, i.e., the time between ovulating and the date of commencement of the menstrual cycle, generally is fixed at 14 days in most women. The period starts after the length of the Luteal Phase, or 14 days after the occurrence of ovulation. There is an alternative way to find out the period of ovulation, which is based on the Basal Body Temperature method (i.e., the BBT technique). In this method, the temperature of the vagina is recorded by a specially-made BBT thermometer. This is done everyday in the morning. During the period of ovulation, this temperature rises significantly, and such increases can be easily tracked. For higher chances of conceiving a baby, sexual intercourse at these times is ideal.

* When does sexual union help in conception the most? ? This information is necessary, since it ensures that the sperms of the best quality enter the female body at the time of ovulation. Sperms should have quick reaction time when a woman ovulates. Hence, fresh sperm is required to be present in the body of the female immediately before ovulating. However, there may occur certain problems in the sperm of the males too. In such cases, men should not be releasing sperms, for a minimum of 3 days before the scheduled day of sexual union. These data is extremely important, in case you are wondering how to get pregnant.

* The ideal frequency of lovemaking for higher chances of conceiving ? Among other factors, a correct estimate of the ovulation period in women and the overall physique of men determine the ideal frequency of sexual union. There is a school of thought that, sperm count goes down, with a resultant weakening of the male sperm, if intercourse is held everyday. Conversely, others tend to think that the male sperm becomes ineffective, old and stale (with much lower potency) if it remains within the testicles, due to prolonged periods of abstinence. It is generally recommended that, sexual union, during the period of female ovulation, should be held about once in every 2 days.

In providing my expert conception advice and tips, my aim is to provide holistic solutions to the question of how to get pregnant. Such an approach helps to gain an insight about the inner workings of our body, and the reasons for not conceiving earlier. It also comes up with several usable solutions to this problem, including medicines and herbs of Chinese origin as well as changes in eating habits and overall lifestyle. Suitable exercise methods and, if required, acupuncture is also recommended. Unlike the conventional methods, the holistic approach has no adverse side effects, and has a much higher chance of providing the desired results. Hence, in these cases, holistic approach works much better than conventional ways.

This article is based on the book, “Pregnancy Miracle” by Lisa Olson. Lisa is an author, researcher, nutritionist and health consultant who dedicated her life to creating the ultimate pregnancy solution guaranteed to permanently reverse the root of infertility, help you get pregnant quickly and naturally and dramatically improve the overall quality of your life, without the use of prescription medication and without any surgical procedures. Learn more by visiting her website where you will find more expert conception advice and tips:
Pregnancy Miracle.