Mom Writes Stuff

You can hardly contain your excitement as your best friend breaks the thrilling news to you:  she and her boyfriend are finally engaged!  You should know well enough not to get the couple a run-of-the-mill gift.  What you want is to get them a personal engagement gift.  You’d want to make their engagement a special event, and mark that with something which they will also remember you by.

First think about what they would like (what they need can come later, as a wedding gift). Consider any hobby which the couple may share. If they’re into sports, get them personalized memorabilia, perhaps. If they are both wine connoisseurs, why not get them personalized wine glasses? You may even ask the couple’s family for suggestions, since they would know best.

Choosing engagement gifts need not be a herculean task. Just tap into your knowledge of the couple’s personalities, and you’ll be fine.

Just because you’re a busy mom who looks after your family’s welfare 24/7, that doesn’t mean you no longer have the right to look good- even as you sleep.  Occasionally, it doesn’t hurt to reward yourself with sexy lingerie or figure-flattering teddies.  When looking through a wide range of teddies lingerie shops have to offer, do consider the following tips:

If you want to make your legs look longer, go for a sleek or body-hugging teddy.  They come in a high-cut panty design.

If you want comfortable sleepwear, choose loose teddies.  If you’re a little full-figured, you can go for a two-piece, camisole style teddy which provides a bit of tummy control.

If you have full breasts, try not to pick those bare-back teddies, as they provide little support for your breasts. 

Looking good makes you feel good.  If anything, that’s what we moms need- a mood pick up!  Teddies can give you that.  Just be sure to choose well, carefully inspecting the quality of the fabric.

Tags: choosing lingerie tips

We live in difficult times, it’s true. More than anything, we moms have mastered the art of penny-pinching, if only to save for our family’s future. We cut corners here and there, and try our hardest to make ends meet. We aim to give our kids a comfortable life, without having to scrimp on the essentials.

One of the ways to cut down on our expenses is by spending less on groceries. If you often feel that you need heavy-duty material handling equipment just to haul your shopping bags to your doorstep every time you do the groceries, then you may be buying more than what you really need. So, how can you exactly put a ceiling over your supermarket spending?

Make a list. And just like good ol’ Santa Claus, do check it twice. It’s almost a mortal sin to hit the supermarket without it. Going up and down the grocery aisles without a list in hand compels you to pull out anything you see on the shelves. Discipline yourself to strictly stick to your list.

Leave the kids at home. If you have kids in tow at the grocery store, you sometimes find it hard to say no to what they want.

Eat first. If you’re hungry as you do the groceries, you will tend to buy more of what you see, especially if they look scrumptious.

Saving money on groceries is not at all hard. All it takes is a good amount of discipline. After all, the money you’ll save will be for your family.

Tags: money saving tips, saving money

Gone are the days when all a pregnant woman had to wear were unflattering tent dresses which did nothing for her self-esteem. Just because you’re with child, doesn’t mean you don’t have the license to look good and celebrate your curves.

Fashion has certainly come a long way, as there are now a plethora of clothing options for the pregnant woman. Even the most frugal of moms will be pleased to know that there are discount maternity dresses available at our disposal. When shopping for maternity clothes, do consider the following staples which are sure to flatter your figure:

The One-Shoulder Top. These are simple yet flattering tops which show off one of your shoulders for a sexy look. Some of these come in tunics or comfortable form-fitting tops.

Maternity Jeans. These are adjustable at the waist as your belly gets bigger. They come in Capri styles or shorts.

Maxi Maternity Dress. If you must attend a special function, there are a wide range of dresses available. These tend to flatter your neckline and give enough room for your tummy. They have flattering designs such as ruffles. V-necklines also work to emphasize your upper body.

Tags: maternity clothes, maternity dresses

Our eyes are the windows to the soul, so it only makes perfect sense to care for them.  One of the things which could damage your eyes is harmful UV rays from the sun.  Whether on a cloudy or sunny day, we do need to protect our eyes, as those UV rays do permeate even through dark clouds.

The best way to protect our eyes from UV rays is by wearing sunglasses.  Who would be insane enough to say no to a pair of Ray Bans which will make you look like Jackie O reincarnated, right?  Picking out a pair of sunglasses isn’t as simple as grabbing a can of tomato sauce from the grocery aisles, though.  You do need to put some careful thought into choosing a good pair.

Be sure to inspect the sunglasses.  They should give 99%-100% protection from both UVA and UVB rays.  If you happen to wear eyeglasses, you could look for prescription sunglasses, so they serve a dual purpose.

Comfort and style, of course, are major considerations.  Choose a pair which feels comfortable around your eyes.  Try on different styles to find one which suits your face shape.

A good pair of sunglasses will make you look good and protect your eyes at the same time.  Choose wisely, and you’ll get your money’s worth.

Tags: choosing shades, choosing sunglasses

Source: www.aboutpixel.de photo by Mr. Nico

As parents, we want only the best for our kids. We dream of a good future for them, a future devoid of a career in peddling cigars for less out on the streets. As long as they’re in school, we know they’re in good hands. And while in school, there is always the inescapable reality of homework. How can we help our kids with their homework?
First off, make sure that your kid is in a good mood when you’re about to do homework with them. If your kid is tired or cranky, he is most likely unable to produce best results with his homework.
Go through his assignment notebook, or wherever it is they write down their homework for the day. If you seem to be loaded with homework, start with the subject your kid finds most difficulty in. After you’ve tackled the tough stuff, he’ll find it a piece of cake to hurdle other assignments from easier subjects.
Be patient with your kid. If he doesn’t seem to understand the topic at hand the first time, keep at it, until he does. Sometimes, he may just need a fresh plan of attack on the subject. Try to answer that math problem in another way, and you just might arrive at a solution.
More than anything, it’s your presence and support that will help motivate your child to excel.

Tags: help your kids homework, kids and homework

As people mature, the metabolism tend to slow down and weight gain becomes a problem. Nowadays there ways to speed up metabolism and methods to lose weight faster. There are various supplements in the market such as those with conjugated linoleic acid; which promise to help lose weight fast. But the safest way to do it is to change personal habits and lifestyle; most especially the eating habits of a person.

Losing weight fast with the aid of these supplements can motivate a person and boost confidence too. It should be combined with proper diet and regular exercise to get better results rather than rely on using the diet supplements alone.

Summer is a great way to catch up on long, quality bonding moments with your family. Ideally, it is the perfect time to plan that much-awaited swimming vacation you’ve been dreaming about for several months now. For a successful vacation, make sure to plan ahead of time. Check out the resort you’ve been eyeing. If you can pay an advance visit, much better, so you can scrutinize the place.

Make sure to check if they have facilities to accommodate children or other needs and special concerns, including ada compliant lifts, lifeguards and safety gears for children. Make sure that they also have enough provisions for everything that you might need while vacationing, like restaurants and cafeteria, or a playground for the kids perhaps.

Sometimes, don’t you feel that whatever you do to make both ends meet, they still won’t? Makes you think that perhaps you just missed the “good luck” train. There still are other money-making opportunities out there to help augment our finances, and one business worth considering is a carwash business. More people are having less time to wash their cars, so this could be the answer to their dirty dilemma. So, how do we start a carwash business?

• Scout for a good location. You want to have a big enough space to accommodate at least 3 cars at a time. Put up your carwash in a place where cars frequently pass by. Setting it up somewhere near a cluster of condominiums is a good option.

• Get good equipment. For the basics, you’ll need pails of water, sponges, foaming soap, and an Ingersoll rand air compressor.

• Do a rain dance. Hope for rain. When it rains, it will pour money for you, as cars get muddy and dirty after the rain.

Parenting skill is something that will come out naturally. Although it wouldn’t hurt if parents would read guide books especially when their child is still an infant. When a baby cries it could mean a lot of things and one of which is discomfort. At a certain infant age between 6 months and up, babies will manifest signs of teething. There are so many things to learn about parenting and baby teething signs is one of them:

• Sensitivity and swelling of gums
• Biting and drooling more often because of itchy gums
• Very irritable
• Refuses to do bottle or food intake because gums are swollen and more sensitive to pain
• Disruptive sleep patterns