Magic Years Nursery

Archive for December, 2008

Feeding a family is a big job. Kids want to have food on the table three times a day, seven days a week. Mom knows she needs a bunch of emergency recipes that can easily be created in minutes. When you’re running late, and time’s running out, you want meals that Dad can put together, too. Here are some fast meal ideas that you’ll love.

Dip It: I haven’t met a kid yet that didn’t like to dunk carrots into ranch style dressing. Build on that “meal” by creating a whole arrangement of vegetables to dip. Choose some nice fresh cucumbers, celery, broccoli, carrots, red bell pepper, green bell peppers, radishes, and cauliflower, and arrange them on a plate just for your little dipper. Watch your picky eater devour their plate of vegetables before they even know what they’re eating.

Saved by a Sandwich: Start with two waffles, an English muffin, bagel, croissant, or a hotdog, hoagie or hamburger bun. Simply add jam, peanut butter, fruit slices, meat, hummus, veggies, eggs, or cheese. The possibilities are endless.

Never Fail Noodles: Every pantry should have an assortment of noodles at the ready. When dinner plans are unsure, noodles will be there to pull off a family-friendly meal in a minute. Start some noodles boiling and search the kitchen for goodies to add. Try adding some leftover vegetables to your hot noodles and topping with cheese. If you have a can of chicken broth you can make a quick soup with noodles and some celery and onion. A skillet dish with some hot, cooked noodles, pasta sauce stirred in, and topped with cottage cheese makes a great mock lasagna.

Wrap it Up: If you’ve got tortillas and leftovers, you’ve got a wonderful meal. Warm up your leftovers and wrap them up in a tortilla with some cheese. Voila! Leftovers Burrito.

Potatoes If You Please: If you want a really nutritious quick meal, try potatoes. You can peel and boil a batch, mash, and top with a quick gravy made with leftover chicken or beef, cut up and added to some melted cheese and milk. It only takes about 5 minutes to microwave a potato, so you can quickly serve a baked potato topped with anything that happens to be in your pantry or refrigerator, like black beans, onion, and diced chicken, and top it all with cottage cheese.

Simply Soup: When you have leftovers, you can make a soup that will please everyone. Start with some broth, add some onion, garlic, and celery and bring it to a boil. Now turn it to a simmer and start adding your bounty. Leftover potatoes, rice, or noodles are a good start. If you have leftover spaghetti sauce with noodles, add those and you’ll have the start of a minestrone.

Sundown Breakfast: Scramble up some eggs, put some pancakes on the griddle… it’s time for dinner! Breakfast is an all-hands-on-deck meal where everyone can get into the act. Dad, scramble those eggs, Mom, flip those pancakes, Brother, pour the milk, and Sister, butter the toast. Now, doesn’t everyone feel all nice and warm inside?

When dinnertime is rushed and your creativity goes out the window, come back to these ideas and your family will have a meal in minutes.

Being pregnant is the most ecstatic period of a woman’s life. Pregnancy marks remarkable emotional, mental and physical changes in the woman’s body. Intense deal of excitement accompanies these changes, marked by anxiety and uncertainty. A woman, however, need not experience worries and sleepless nights. One can lead a better life during the duration of the pregnancy by being acquainted with and appreciating these changes.

During the first trimester, marked from conception to 12 or 14 weeks from the last normal menstrual cycle, a woman often experiences morning sickness (vomiting and nausea), tiredness, tender breast and frequent urination. Taking small frequent meals can be very helpful in preventing nausea. The mother-to-be may have alternate activity and rest periods. During this stage, walking is the most suitable physical activity.

The second trimester is often considered as the “Golden Period” of pregnancy. This is because by this time, the physically demanding early signs and symptoms of pregnancy are all over. Better sleep patterns is established which is a major sign of progression in the process of healthy pregnancy. During this time, the mother-to-be might get to hear the first heartbeat of the baby. This is the most joyful moment is a mother can experience. In around 19 weeks, an ultrasound may be conducted. This may make one feel the different movements of the baby inside. Stretch marks may be visible during this time, which is a great sign of worry for the to-be moms. By not itching the abdominal area, the chances of pregnancy stretch marks may be greatly reduced.

The final stage of pregnancy is the final trimester. This is the time when the fetus becomes too huge to move in the uterus. One may feel tired and short of breath due to the increased growth of the fetus. A fetus usually settles into a head-down position in the uterus at the end of the third trimester. Now, one should get ready to welcome the baby in this world.

Pregnancy also involves many changes in a woman’s lifestyle. Avoid detrimental substances such as nicotine and alcohol. Cigarette smoke can lead to low birth weight in babies as well as miscarriages and tubal pregnancies. Alcohol and other toxic chemicals and substances such as paint fumes are damaging to the mother and to the baby.

Prenatal nutrition is essential during pregnancy, so don’t diet and drink plenty of water, about 6 to 8 glasses a day. A diet containing the essential nutrients and vitamins are vital to the development of both mother and child and supplemental vitamins are necessary as well. Perform as much exercise as safely possible, and get plenty of sleep. Regular activity such as walking, yoga, and swimming during your pregnancy will help alleviate swelling, fatigue, and backache.

Giving birth will no doubt be one of the most magical moments of a woman’s life and to ensure that your child is strong and happy, it is important you do all you can to have a healthy pregnancy.

Should there be a need to prove who the father of the baby you are carrying is, paternity test can be done after giving birth. DNA material from both the baby and from the alleged father is needed to perform the legal paternity testing and this DNA paternity test is very much close to 100% accuracy.

In order to solve a child’s behavior problems at home and school, a parent needs to get with their teacher or significant other to determine what the problem is. Stay consistent with discipline to solve a child’s behavior problems with tips from a day care owner in this free video on parenting advice.