Category: Parenting

Tips for Parenting Active Boys

Are you raising kids who are a bundle of energy? You will struggle to keep up with them before they get out of that playful stage. Although every child is different, the following tips will help you to keep up with active and playful boys:

Exercise

You should incorporate some exercise into your daily routine. Whether you opt for active games or exercise activities, just make sure that you add plenty of activity to your day. With plenty of exercise, your kids will burn energy and release stress.

Moreover, it is important to form healthy habits earlier in life. Buy a first aid kit for treating cuts and scrapes that result from rough play. However, if your little one gets badly hurt, you should take him to hospitals such as Seaview Ortho foot and ankle for a checkup. Our health is important at any age. Growing kids need the support of proper footwear just as much as adults do so they can maintain correct body alignment and stay comfortable in their active lives. Kids’ shoe inserts can help flat shoes be comfortable and supportive, which is especially important for children who are active.

Come up with a Routine

Spontaneity is fun but you need to teach your kids how to stick to a routine. If you are dealing with a hyperactive child, he will thrive on routines. If it is bedtime, you should have a bedtime routine that your kids can follow. Without a bedtime routine, you will have a hard time getting your kids to sleep.

When coming up with a bedtime routine, you should make it clear that they are not allowed to act crazy. Tell your little ones to calm down and prepare for sleep.

Assign Age-appropriate Chores

You should show your little one that you trust him with little responsibilities such as watering a plant. Odds are that your little boy will take joy in the chore instead of sulking as a teenager would. Toddlers love to contribute to the house chores because it makes them feel like a part of the household.

When the chore is complete, your child will have burnt energy and you will have one less thing to do around the house. Moreover, natural consequences such as the death of a plant usually teach great lessons. The key is to ensure that you give your son age-appropriate chores and supervise him.

Sports

Enroll your child in an active sport that keeps him running around. A good sporting activity allows your child to burn energy whilst encouraging cognitive and physical development. Sports also teach your child teamwork and discipline, making him a well-rounded individual. If your child ends up getting hurt on the field, you should visit professionals such as Portland sports injury doctors.  

Offer Choices

Whenever possible, you should try to give your child choices. Make sure that the choices you offer are suitable for his needs and appropriate. If you are raising an independent child, offering him choices will make him feel independent. However, choices are not always an option – when such situations arise, you should make it clear that there is no other choice.

Get Dirty Outdoors

Not every child likes to get muddy and dirty. However, you should let yours know that it is an option when playing outside. Life is too short to worry about staining clothes; you should let your child be a child. Digging in the soil is a great way for your little one to burn excess energy.

Of course, you should encourage your son to ask permission before going outside to play in the dirt. This way, you will be able to supervise his activities and ensure that he does not do anything dangerous.

Conclusion

Raising an active boy can be overwhelming, especially if you cannot keep up. You should enroll him in a sport, encourage exercise, offer choices, come up with a routine, assign age-appropriate chores, and allow him to get dirt outdoors. 

5 Best Vacation Activities for the Whole Family 

Going on a vacation with your family is one of the best things in the world! It’s a chance for you all to take a break from your busy schedules and enjoy your free time. However, wherever you go and whatever you like to do, you’re going to find a number of different activities that could turn your holiday from ordinary to amazing. It’s all about finding the right activities and making sure every member of your family enjoys them. Therefore, here are five family-oriented activities you should explore next time you’re on vacation.

Camping

If your kids are outgoing, outdoorsy and adventurous, this is the right activity for you and them. Although camping is one of the most enjoyable things you can do in nature, it actually isn’t as easy to do it while you’re at home, so going on holiday might be the perfect opportunity to go camping. This activity will make your kids understand why nature is so important and amazing, and they’ll surely start appreciating it more than ever after spending some time in the forest.

Of course, before you go camping, you need to get prepared. Learning a few basic things could go a long way, so spend some time doing that first. Find the right spot, improve your safety, make some cool food, and find a few games you could play while camping. This is something your kids will remember for the rest of their lives, so it’s definitely an idea to consider.

Rafting

This might not be the perfect activity if your kids are still young and can’t swim, but if they’re older and aren’t afraid of spending time in a tiny raft, this is the thing for your family. Rafting is another amazing way for your kids to be in the open and learn more about nature around them. Moreover, this activity is particularly interesting if your kids have never done anything as adventurous – this will turn into the most exciting day of your holiday, and your kids are going to love you for giving them a chance to go rafting.

However, you need to be extra careful when rafting with your loved ones. Make sure you follow instructions and don’t do anything even remotely dangerous. It goes without saying that you should make sure your kids are comfortable with this idea before you start planning it.

Scuba diving

If you notice that rafting is something your kids have enjoyed, you could take things to a new level and explore the idea of scuba diving with them. This will help them perfect their swimming and diving skills, and introduce them to an underwater world they can’t see anywhere else. After all, all of these things are vital for their general knowledge and understanding of the world, so it’s an activity that’s great on so many levels.

Again, you should check this idea with your kids and teach them a few things about scuba diving first. Also, make sure you all have some professional scuba diving equipment that’s going to turn this activity into an experience to remember. You could even consider getting this gear for your entire family and stop renting it every time you all want to dive together. This activity will bring you closer together and your kids will learn how to rely on you more than before, and that’s something all kids need to feel.

Road tripping

This is another way to help your kids learn more about the world they live in, but also a bit about the unknown regions in that world. Taking them on a road trip while you’re on a vacation is like a mini-holiday inside your regular holiday, so it’s much more fun than you could imagine. All you need is a car you can rent wherever you are, or Amarillo bus ride, a list of places you’d like the see, and some free time.

One of the ideas to explore is taking your kids on a history tour where they can visit all those important sites and places they learn about in school. This won’t be just an amazing learning experience for them, but an opportunity to see things they’ve probably never seen before. Ultimately, this might pique their interest in these things and show them how exciting historical items and places can be.

Volunteering

To be honest, this is an idea your kids are probably not going to love as much as they might love all the other suggestions. Volunteering is something not all people do when they’re at home, and it’s something even a few of them do when they’re on vacation, so why should you do it? Well, there’s one simple reason – because it’s the right thing to do.

It doesn’t matter where you’re vacationing, how much time you have and what sort of volunteering you opt for – as long as you’re doing something good for the people in need, you’ll be helping them quite a lot. Again, this is an activity you have to plan ahead, especially when you’re going on a vacation with your children, but it’s still an idea you can put into practice quite easily. Not only will you be doing something amazing for someone else, but you’ll also teach your kids a few things about being a compassionate and caring person, and that’s a life lesson you can’t put a price on.

Spending your family vacation on the beach is always a great thing to do, but being active and adventurous is even better. So, find an activity your entire family will love and turn your next vacation into the best vacation ever!

Peter is a parenting and health writer for Joyful Source magazine. Follow Peter on Twitter for more tips.

Breastfeeding or Pumping: Is There a Preferred Path?

If you are expecting a baby or have just given birth, you may be thinking about feeding choices.

If you are expecting a baby or have just given birth, you may be thinking about feeding choices. You favor breast milk for your baby, but are undecided about breastfeeding or pumping your milk.

 

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Making the decision before you give birth

You have decided that you want your baby to benefit from the nutrients and from the immunizing antibodies of mother’s milk, but you’re not sure what is the best medium for delivering the milk.

Think about the following three options:

• Only breastfeed: This is an easy decision to make if you are not tied down to a work schedule away from home, or if you benefit from a long maternity leave.
• Only pump: Your many obligations are eased by the convenience of the ready supply of frozen breast milk stored in your freezer.
• Combine breastfeeding with pumping: This arrangement suits many moms. Enjoy the intimacy of nursing your little one, but supplement his feeding with your own expressed milk.

Advantages of breastfeeding

One of the unique advantages of solely breastfeeding your baby is that you are always there to soothe her with close skin-to-skin contact. The bonding that takes place between you and your little one lasts forever!

Note that many of the advantages of breastfeeding apply to pumping as well, as in both cases, your infant benefits from the abundance of nutrients in breast milk.

What to do when life happens

As we all know, we can plan and plan, and then life throws us a curveball. You plan the birth. You picture breastfeeding your newborn in the delivery room, and continuing to cherish him at home.

Then things happen, and you adapt.

One example of an unpredictable event is a premature birth. Thankfully, most of these tiny little ones grow up to lead perfectly normal lives. However, the period that they spend in the Neonatal ICU can be a trying for his parents. Depending on the size and development of the baby, his sucking reflexes may be weak, and interaction with him may be limited.

How do you deliver the abundance of nutrients that will boost his growth and development? How do you emulate the supply and demand magic that stimulates your milk supply?

The answer is straightforward: Use a breast pump. Neonatal wards are typically equipped with strong, hospital-grade breast pumps that are easy to use.

The advantages of pumping your breast milk

There are times when pumping is required in an emergency, such as the birth of a preemie. However, the use of a breast pump can also be appropriate for non-urgent life circumstances.

Major career decisions

When your maternity leave from work is over, employment while your baby is still nursing is made possible by expressing your milk. Your baby will keep gaining weight from the best possible nutrients for her development. Similarly, if you are working towards a degree or career diploma, you can pump the milk to be given to your baby in your absence. Pumping maintains your milk supply, allowing you to still enjoy the intimacy of breastfeeding your baby at home.

 

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Time-outs

While breastfeeding your baby, you may find that you need a break from time to time. A date with your husband, coffee with a friend, or an outing with your other children, can be a real boost to your energy levels. Leave prepared bottles of your own pumped milk at home with the minder, and then relax…

Dad’s Participation

Many fathers are quite gung-ho on playing a prominent role in the care of their babies. When you pump your milk, you are providing the opportunity for your baby’s father to bond with your child.

Breastfeeding difficulties

If your baby gets a little lethargic while nursing, for example, if he is placed “under the lights” when jaundiced, this can impact your milk supply. To build up your supply, you can express your milk with a pump, between feeds.

Sore nipples can be a drawback for new nursing mothers. Positioning the baby properly at the breast can resolve this, but while you recover, pumping your milk will maintain your supply.

Using a breast pump – a few tips

Not all breast pumps are made the same. The experience of expressing with a manual breast pump or with an electronic breast pump, for example, can be quite different. The following ideas may help you find the most suitable pumping solution for you and your baby.

• A quality breast pump can make the difference between an easy experience and a frustrating one.
• A double breast pump halves the time it takes to express milk from both breasts. It is commonly held that a double breast pump is an excellent means for encouraging the growth of your supply, by stimulating the Prolactin hormone.
• Do contact your friends or a lactation consultant. They can be sources of invaluable advice.
• If you are concerned about the cost of a high-quality pump, a breast pump rental from a medical equipment company is a feasible option.
• The U.S Department of Labor stipulates that mothers of babies under one year old, must be allowed time to express their milk during working hours.

To breastfeed or to pump

Breastfeeding directly, or pumping your milk, is not a black-and-white decision. The two methods share common benefits and work best together as a team. During a crisis, pumping may be the only solution for you. At other times, you can happily breastfeed without any need to pump. However, when circumstances call for periods away from your baby, a combination of breastfeeding and pumping is an excellent solution.

Ways to Enhance Your Beauty as a Busy Mom

Moms that work and all moms, in general, don’t get enough credit for what they are doing, which is work all the time, and most of that isn’t paid it’s for the family. During the busiest and most stressful weeks, it looks like that moms work more than 98 hours a week. So it is super important to spend some time pampering yourself to feel as beautiful as you can.

Eat Healthy Snacks

During those hard busy days having snacks is important because if you don’t, you will get hungry. When hunger hits you, if you don’t have some healthy food near you, of course, you will eat whatever you can find near you. To avoid those moments, prepare some healthy snacks for the upcoming week. Having a healthy snack will give you more energy and keep you from gaining unwanted pounds, and most important of them all, it will make you feel more beautiful and good about yourself. These Lactation Bites are delicious bite-sized snacks that include wholesome ingredients and beneficial herbs to give lasting energy. They’re also full of antioxidants and galactagogues which help Moms produce more breastmilk.

Sleep As Much As You Can

As we all know, sleep is essential. Most moms get only 5 to 6 hours of sleep per night. But that is not enough rest for a woman that works all day every day. Not getting enough sleep will affect how much you eat, how you look and how you feel. Moms need beauty sleep too. It is very important that you get 7 to 8 hours of sleep every night. With a good night’s sleep, not only will your body be thankful, but your skin and face will have a magical glow.

Always Wear SPF

Most moms don’t have the time to go out on a ton of different moisturizers every morning. But wearing SPF will protect your skin from sun damage and skin cancer. So before you start skipping on putting SPF, look for BB or CC creams that have SPF in them, with that you are putting foundation and SPF at the same time. With this step in the morning, you will not only protect your skin, but you will also enhance your beauty.

Moisturize Your Hands

Moms are always cleaning, washing dishes, doing laundry, and because of that, your hands will suffer. Because of that, you need to be moisturizing them all the time. Put little tubes of hand creams into places that are easily reached, like your purse, car, desk drawer, or cabinet. Keeping up with moisturizing your hands will make your hands feel and look amazing. And we all know that ladies feel most beautiful if their hands are smooth and nice looking.

Save Time by Getting Eyelash Extensions

This is one of the best time-saving beauty tips for moms. Getting eyelash extensions, you are saving time every morning because you don’t have to spend time putting mascara on and putting fake eyelashes. Lash extensions are out in your current natural eyelashes. Many women who get lash extensions don’t wear any eye makeup at all, because they are such beauty on their own. They won’t leak and smudge as mascara will, and you will have fuller and more curled lashes. All you need to do is get high quality mink lash extensions, and you will feel the most beautiful even right after you get out of bed.

These are some easy, quick, and practical beauty tips and products in mind as you go about your hectic mom’s life. As a mom, you need to take a few minutes every day to take care of and pamper yourself, and that will do miracles for both your inner and outer self.

Guest Blogger Bio

Maggie Holmes is a passionate blogger keen on writing about beauty and fashion. Her exclusive hobby is to surf the net to find amazing articles that can inspire her with some fresh ideas for article writing. She loathes being a common person who wastes her time. 

You can follow her on Twitter at https://twitter.com/MaggieH04666334

Ways to Earn an Online Degree As a Busy Mom

Ever since you became a parent, your dreams of earning a degree might have taken a back seat. Between parenting and managing the house, it might seem like you barely have enough time for anything else, least of all yourself. But thanks to the internet, busy people—most especially busy moms—can earn that much-coveted degree without having to physically go to school.

But how would you do it with your hectic schedule, you ask? Let’s take a look.

1. Seek the Babysitter’s Help

You’ll need a few hours to yourself while attending your online classes, which means you will most likely not be able to attend to your kids in that span of time. Call your babysitter and ask for help. There’s no shame in relieving yourself of your babysitting responsibilities once in a while, especially if it’s to learn something new. As they say, reliable child care actually helps mothers improve their career.

2. Plan Ahead

If your online classes are scheduled, this means you would have time to plan your activities for the day. So if you have to take your son to basketball practice at 5 p.m. and your classes are at 5 p.m., then take him earlier. If you have to attend a meeting between parents and teachers at your daughter’s school next week, make sure to tell the school to schedule your one-on-one with the homeroom teacher at a time you don’t need to log in to study.

To keep track of all the things you have to do, and to avoid any overlap, make sure to bring a journal and jot those items down.

If, on the other hand, your online classes are not scheduled, then you wouldn’t have any problems. You’d be able to log in to your classes at a time that is most convenient.

3. Take Courses that are Flexible

There are online courses that are “friendly” to the busy people because they are more flexible. Consider avoiding a course that might require too much writing assignments and puts a lot of emphasis on deadlines. Courses like journalism might not be the best because you’ll be tasked to write a lot and trained to respect the dates of submissions, precisely because this is exactly what you’ll be doing once you become a media professional. In communication research, on the other hand, students are trained to conduct different types of research, which includes a lot of fieldwork and a lot of writing. These courses are obviously very time-consuming and will require your full attention. As a very busy mother, you may not be able to give that in the first place.

So, in thinking about which course to take, also consider what kind of career path it can give you. How about getting a marketing degree, where you will be taught how to effectively reach people? While your professor might also be the kind who likes to give deadlines, a course in marketing would be a lot less stressful and time-consuming compared to others.

You might also want to consider learning how to help manage branding and public image. With this course, you can be a social media manager, an event manager or a public relations officer, among other things. These jobs do not require you to render as much time in the office as other jobs would—something that works to your advantage as a busy mom.

  • Social Media Manager: You’re essentially tasked to boost a company’s online presence and client engagement by producing good social media content and analyzing usage data, among other things. These do not require you to be in the office at all times since all you need is a laptop and an Internet connection. As a social media manager, you can actually also work from home and tend to your duties as a mom!
  • Event Manager: You’re in charge of running and organizing promotional events for a specific company. After attending the event, then, you can always go home and tend to other things. No need to report to the office afterward, unless of course there’s some paperwork you need to do. 
  • Public Relations Officer: A public relations officer, on the other hand, concerns herself with managing reputation through events and by writing press releases, among other things. These things can also be done outside the confines of the office.

In these situations, it pays to be practical but without sacrificing what you really want to be in the future.

Final Thoughts

Motherhood should never be a hindrance to achieving your dreams. If anything, motherhood should even inspire you to achieve them because you have a cheering squad behind you all the way—wonderful kids who look up to you in everything that you do.

Go and take that big step. When everything seems to go haywire, just remember that mothers are superwomen when it comes to raising their kids. Surely, earning an online degree is a walk in the park compared to that.

How to Find the Best SAT Prep Material to Help Your Kid Ace the Test

Soon, your child might be taking one of the most important tests of their lives. As a parent, you naturally want to help them ace the SAT (or at least get a passing grade) so they can enter into a good college. You might spend the entire day thinking about what you can do to help but have ended up being unproductive.

Take a deep breath! In this post, we share with you the ways you can find the best SAT material to help your child ace the test.

1. Check the Internet

The Internet is a gold mine of online programs for SAT takers, but always remember that your child does not have all the time in the world to go through all of them. It’s best to be picky and to choose an SAT program like PrepScholar SAT courses, which will pinpoint your child’s strengths, and the weaknesses they have to work on. Choose a program that motivates your child, not one that coddles them. Inspire them and not make them lazy. In short, sign them up for that one program that already covers everything and has been proven to be effective.

2. Spend Time in a Bookstore or Go to a Public Library

If there’s anywhere you have to be to score good SAT material, it’s the bookstore or the public library. This is where you are bound to find prep books that will assess what your child already knows and doesn’t.

These tests are important because they will give your child an idea of what the SAT makers actually want them to learn. Your child can also get a feel of how taking the SAT would be, allowing them to precondition their mind before actually going to “war.” Remember that the SAT is not only about your child knowing their world history or Math; it’s also about them knowing how to cope with the mental stress of having to answer difficult questions for hours on end.

Check out the reference books section, and spend some time going through the books you think your child will easily understand. You can go to other specialized sections and browse through those, too.

Here is a list of subjects you should cover with the books you purchase and borrow:

  • Literature
  • US History
  • World History
  • Mathematics
  • Biology
  • Chemistry
  • Physics
  • Foreign Language: Chinese, French, Japanese, Korean, Latin, Spanish, Italian, German or Modern Hebrew

This is not to say that you have to limit yourself to these subjects alone. The more subjects you can cover, the better.

3. Talk to Other Parents

There is absolutely nothing wrong with asking for tips from other parents who have already gone through the grueling process of helping their child prepare for the SAT. If we go by the saying that experience is the best teacher, these types of parents, then, are the best teachers for you. Go ahead and call your friend whose daughter passed the SAT with flying colors, and ask for titles of books she got to help her prepare. Or maybe host a lunch meeting for the “experienced” and “not-so-experienced” parents so you can get each other’s recommendations for other SAT material. You may have to invest a little time and even money to organize this last one, but once you have that list for your child, you’ll feel like everything was worth it.

Below is a list of questions you can ask fellow parents:

  • What SAT materials did you get your child? Where can I get them?
  • Did you enroll your child in an SAT prep course? If so, where?
  • How did you help your child study? Did you implement a strict study plan, or simply allowed them to go at their own pace?

Conclusion

The SAT is arguably one of the most important tests your child will take. It will, after all, determine which colleges they can go to. But the process of preparing does not have to be as cumbersome for your child. As a parent, you can do your part by making it as easy for them as possible. Get the best materials and courses so they don’t have to spend precious time they could to studying instead. Also, make their environment as conducive to learning as possible. If they want a change of scenery while studying, you can help them design the perfect outdoor reading nook.

Those are only some of the many ways you can help as a parent. If you do your part and your child does theirs, there’s no reason they won’t ace that test.

Tips for Helping Children Develop Better Study Habits

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

The “back to school” mood is a special one for parents and kids alike. In the first week or so, your little ones will excitedly share their impressions from the summer break, while parents still have some time to adjust to their new schedule, probably packed to the brim with extracurriculars, play dates, birthday parties, and let’s not forget the holidays. 

As soon as that youthful frenzy fades in the face of new homework assignments and upcoming tests, your kids will once again have to deal with distractions, study sessions, and limited access to their favorite TV shows. To give your kids the positive nudge they need to study more efficiently, give learning a fun twist, and to eliminate distractions, here are a few tips to get you started as soon as all that buzz dwindles!

Develop a routine

Much like with all else in their lives, kids work best and develop with ease when there’s a reliable, stable routine they can follow. Kids need structure so that they can develop good habits, and if you help them mold the right kind of routine around their studies, then homework and studying will not be any trouble for their curious minds. Although using a planner or a digital tool may be appropriate for older kids with established habits, perhaps a more creative approach would work best with youngsters.

Set up a little to-do board above or next to the study desk in your kids’ bedroom. They can use it to pin tasks, homework reminders, study groups, and new lessons they have yet to master, color-coded, and add any notes they please. You could even use planner stickers to make it more fun for them.

Create a study nook

Photo by Ellen Qin on Unsplash

The little board is neither the beginning nor the end of your project for the kid’s study nook, on the contrary! In order to inspire hours of uninterrupted learning, the kids need to immerse themselves in an environment specially designed for that task only. In addition to equipping their room with a desk of appropriate height and storage space, you should look for an ergonomic chair that will give your little ones ample support.

Help your kids organize their materials, books and notebooks, their drawing material, and other items they need. Encourage them to keep their desk tidy and to use the desk for their school tasks only, so that they can keep distractions to a minimum.

Encourage creative outlets

Every child has different proclivities, and they all have their own processes to master new skills and absorb all of this knowledge shared with them at school. Some kids like to write it all down in neat notes, others love brainstorming, while some enjoy a more visual approach. Both for their art projects and for underlining the most relevant bits of information, using paint markers can be helpful to give their study sessions a creative edge.

They can assign colors to different subjects, such as orange for history and blue for math, or they can use them to practice drawing and coloring. Add to that, help them master the art of mind mapping so that they can remember information with greater ease.

Inspire your kids to collaborate

Photo by Rachel on Unsplash

Some kids do enjoy studying on their own, but that is certainly not always the case. Plus, enabling your kids to study in pairs with their school friends can provide them with new perspectives and ways to better review the subject matter from each lesson, especially if they come up with unique ways to revise lessons together.

Teamwork is a life skill that every child should slowly develop, so even organizing study groups before tests can be a good way for them to revise and go over the lessons more than they would on their own. Plus, the prospect of some fun time with friends after the study session is a great source of motivation to inspire them to be truly efficient and dedicated to the task at hand. 

Work on eliminating distractions

One of the biggest sources of study trouble for most kids is the time they spend using various digital devices. As soon as their social media apps notify them of a message, they’ll quickly abandon what they were doing to check their phones. This kind of disruptive behavior will only make it harder for them to develop self-discipline and focus.

So, from the very beginning, implement certain rules such as limited time of phone and tablet use, and keep those devices away or turned off during study sessions. Of course, you should lead by example, so make sure that you use digital devices in moderation as well!

 

Our kids live in a very noisy world oversaturated with distractions, so your approach to their schooling will make all the difference in how they form their own attitudes towards learning. Use these tips to teach them good study habits from day one, and they’ll later use them in life and work as well. 

5 Tips to Increase Parent Engagement in the Classroom

Today, more than ever, it is vital that parents are actively involved in their children’s school lives. Between the increase in bullying and harassment, the decrease in the national graduation rate, and the stress and worry over the possibility of school-related violence making sure that your child’s education and safety should be at the top of every parent’s priorities. To make this process easier, here are a few helpful suggestions:

Student Information System

Most schools today offer various types of easy-access student information systems that allow you to monitor your child’s progress as well as a number of school-related activities such as report cards, upcoming events or field trips, notable school functions, and many other features. They can often be accessed through the school’s websites or with dedicated apps.

Keep a School Schedule

School-age children seem to be busier than ever in this modern world. Numerous after-school clubs and activities, sports, as well as any other interests that they may have can interfere with what is ultimately the most important thing at this point in their lives: their education. Making sure that their academic life remains the focus helps ensure good grades year to year and helps to provide students with better opportunities in the future. 

Penciling in non-negotiable homework time, moderate TV or internet time, and a regular bedtime routine is critical for your child’s academic success. These activities give you a chance to be involved, too.

Create a School Calendar

Another way to stay engaged and up to date on what is going on in your child’s school life is by organizing a calendar with all of the one-time or regular events taking place during the year. Listing items such as sporting events, dances and social activities, special assemblies, career days, and any other special events will give you the peace of mind of knowing what is going on during any given day.

Engage Your Child in Regular Conversation

Something that seems to be getting harder and harder these days is communication between parents and children. While it’s true that kids (especially teenagers) have never been overly eager to chat with their parents, the gap may actually be widening due to the ever-increasing workloads of parents and lack of traditional family time. Setting aside even just a few minutes a day to have an open and honest conversation with your child will help you to stay clued in on what’s going on in their lives.

Keep Open Lines of Communication with Teachers and Administration

Make it a point to stay in regular contact with your child’s teachers and other school staff. Knowing how they are doing not only with their grades, but their social interactions, extracurricular activities, and overall academic wellbeing will let you know what areas in which your child is excelling in, and which ones they may need a little more help and encouragement in. Utilizing all of these tools, in addition to using any available student information systems is your best bet to ensure their success.

How to Treat Nail Fungus Naturally During Pregnancy

As a mom-to-be, you know all the joys and wonders of expecting a baby to enrich your life, so you cherish the nine months of that blissful process. Yet, pregnancy sometimes comes with different discomforts that make self-care a bit more difficult. From swelling, backaches, hormonal changes that affect your skin and hair, all the way to various bacterial and fungal infections, your body is changing all around, and treatment often needs to differ from what you’d do without a bun in the oven.

One particularly unpleasant scenario no future mom wants to even think about, let alone plan for, includes treating fungal nail infections. Of course, ideally, let’s hope you never have to go down that path. Just in case you do, there are various natural ways you can help your toes heal without the use of excessive medication and antibiotics that could otherwise cause health issues for you or your baby. Here are a few to keep in mind.

Focus on prevention 

Let’s start off with a few simple, easily applicable tips and behavioral changes that can reduce your chances to get a fungal infection in the first place, which is especially risky during pregnancy when your immune system might be weaker, or you’re experiencing feet swelling. Of course, summer heat can’t help, hence the need for taking extra precautions!

  • Dry feet are healthy feet, so if you work out or sweat a lot due to the weather, make sure to wash your feet with mild soap and water regularly, and keep your feet dry.
  • Regular trimming is essential, and keep your grooming tools clean and disinfected. 
  • Choose breathable shoes and bamboo socks, which are naturally moisture-wicking and keep your nails and skin healthy.
  • You can even wear special anti-fungal, copper-infused socks that help kill the bacteria and fungus that could cause an infection. 

Feat soaks that heal your toes

If you’ve already contracted an infection, you should do your best to heal it in its earliest stages, and preferably before it spreads to other toes. In case you can pinpoint the shoes and socks you’ve worn when you’ve noticed the infection begin, get them properly cleaned and disinfected. 

Some natural soaks are great for treating infections. For instance, adding baking soda paired with vinegar in your warm water soak can be very effective when applies several times per day. Alternatively, some oils such as tea tree oil, oregano oil, and orange oil are extremely helpful with fungal infections. An old natural remedy might not be your favorite, but you can try it nonetheless: rub some garlic over your infected toes, as its natural antibacterial properties can be very powerful against milder infections. 

Laser therapy

Before your mind instantly leaps to hot and painful laser treatments, this option is far more comfortable and actually more effective in treating fungal infections. The key difference is that cold laser treatment for nail fungus uses low-intensity blue light for targeting the actual fungus, and red light for improving your overall immune system. This combination means that you’re using light against the infection without causing any harm to your toenails or skin around them.

One of the greatest perks of this treatment is that your body cannot really develop any form of resilience to it, which is often the case with repetitive use of antibiotics and topical treatments. The duration and number of laser treatments will depend on the severity of the infection, so your doctor will help you determine what you need to do to speed up the process.

Tweak your diet

When you’re relying on Mother Nature to do the healing, you also need to make sure you’re doing everything in your power to help your body heal. For instance, what you eat makes all the difference, especially during pregnancy, in terms of fortifying your immune system and helping you fight off an infection, and prevent one in the future. 

For starters, garlic has antimicrobial properties perfect for the situation, so add some freshly crushed garlic over your tomato salad, or add it to your kefir drink. While we’re at it, dairy products rich in probiotics such as kefir and yogurt are an excellent choice, too. Finally, prebiotic-packed foods such as fruits and veggies are a must, since they are loaded with all of those essential micronutrients that your immune system needs.

As beautiful as this time of your life may be, you need to pay special attention to the kind of decisions you make with regard to your health. If you find yourself battling a fungal infection on your nails, try these natural solutions that will kick the infection to the curb, and of course, always talk to your doctor about the best way to move forward. 

Art Of Styling Your Baby Bump

All mothers to be can’t wait for their babies to come to this world. However, even though beautiful, pregnancy can sometimes be tough on the woman’s body and self-esteem. Luckily, if you’re a mom-to-be, you can rely on some stylish clothes to style your baby bump and still feel and look amazing. So, go through your wardrobe or get the new pieces and style that baby bump relying on these tips. 

Use Loose Fitting Clothes and Busy Patterns

Loose-fitting pieces for the beginning of your pregnancy. Even though there isn’t a bump you still might feel a bit bloated and you might want to hide that and provide a bit more comfort. You can rely on loose-fitting tops or go for a flowy dress and these clothes will help you feel comfier and help you feel less self-conscious about looking bloated. Additionally, clothes with busy patterns will also help you hide any undesirable bulges that aren’t really a baby bump yet. 

Maternity Tops 

Maternity tops are a way better option for styling your baby bump than the regular shirts. This is because they are ruched at the sides which will help you highlight your bump while still keeping your silhouette. A regular shirt will only make you look large and bloated and it will provide no silhouette. So, it’s safe to say that maternity tops will become your best friend and they are really comfy. 

Flowy Maxi Dresses

Unless you have your baby bump during the winter, you can rely on maxi dresses. They are flowy, they are not restraining and you won’t feel bloated and huge. Rather, you will have room for moving, while your baby bump will be accentuated and you will simply look gorgeous. What is more, you can add some accessories to your maxi dress, such as a nice scarf or some simple romantic jewelry and wear the outfit on a date night with your SO.

Ruching All the Way

Just like maternity tops, any piece of clothing with ruching on the sides is simply awesome for your growing baby bump. Not only will such clothes provide some extra space for the bump, but they will help you highlight your bump, instead of just making it look frumpy. What is more, ruching is a pretty trendy style, so it won’t be hard to find various options that are non-maternity clothes. 

Knotted Tops Over Dresses

If you want to look a bit more chic while carrying your child for nine months, you should opt for this combination. Depending on which trimester you’re in, you can pick a maternity or non-maternity dress and throw a stylish top over it. Then put the end of the top in a knot, right above your bump and you are ready. This will help you create an illusion of an empire waist which will nicely highlight your baby bump. Plus, this combo can make a non-maternity dress appear more flattering with your bump and you will simply feel and look amazing. 

Maternity Jeggings are a Must

Everyone puts on their baby weight in different places, but the most common one is on your upper legs. This will make wearing any of the maternity pants and even dresses a bit too difficult and you need something comfy. That is why you should invest in a couple of pairs of maternity jeggings. With these, you will extra space, they won’t tear that easily and nothing will be too tight. Plus, you can easily pair these with any top of your choice and always look stylish. 

Your baby bump is growing more and more with each week, and it may make you feel uncomfortable and bloated from time to time. However, if you know which clothing pieces to focus on, you can easily style your baby bump and feel amazing all the time. So, check out these tips, find your favorite outfits and enjoy every trimester.