Your body now more than ever needs the perfect skin treatment. Your skin is stretching and it is important to moisturize, moisturize, and moisturize some more. A yummy selection of body butters, scrubs, and foot and hand creams that smell so good you’ll want to eat them, are at your fingertips. But remember this is only for your skin, not your tummy. Hey, have fun with it and have berries, bananas, or other fruits to match the indulgent fragrances.

If you are at the end of the fabulous nine months packing that cute hospital bag, don’t forget to get one of those gift sets. Just between us, tell your husband you’d like a treat and let him surprise you at the hospital after the birth of your child. Get one of those cute bath sets. It would be perfect. It would be an ideal token to get one with a couple of towels so you can have one embroidered with the name of the baby and when it was born.

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Baby shower crafts are usually tied somehow to the theme of the party, which can be anything from storks to ducks to stars to teddy bears. Before deciding on what kind of baby shower crafts you would like to ask guests to bring to the party, decide on a theme and a color scheme for the event. If you are on a budget, at the very least decorate the party area with a banner that welcomes the mom. Featuring her picture in a prominent place is also a complimentary and flattering practice that makes her feel loved and appreciated by her friends.

Baby shower crafts are well suited to beading projects. A unique way to identify guests at a party would be to create baby necklaces, similar to the kind that are worn by babies at the hospital. These kinds of beads, which have letters on them, can be purchased at a supply store. The idea is that the necklace boasts the name of the guest and is worn during the party. Baby beads can be purchased at most bead and craft supply stores. Sometimes you can also get beads that are shaped like small toy building blocks. These building block beads suit showers that have an “ABC” or alphabet theme.

Party favors are often home made so they are also considered to be baby shower crafts. The easiest party favors are constructed out of blue or pink tulle or netting that is filled with tiny baby bottles, Hershey’s kisses, safety pins hung with good luck charms or other kinds of candies. Gummy bears tied with a pink or blue net make a nice party favor for guests to take home. Gummy bears can also be used to decorate a cake. A more elaborate baby shower craft that makes a great take home gift is an image of a teddy bear that has been inserted inside a plastic snow-shaker ornament. These empty snow-shaker ornaments can be purchased at craft stores.

Suitable baby shower crafts for a nursery rhyme themed shower include a paper tablecloth decorated with written out nursery rhymes and paper cutouts of popular nursery rhyme figures decorating the wall. A decorative centerpiece can be made of “silver bells and cockle shells” (lilies of the valley and seashells.)

Star shaped glitter can be sprinkled inside the invitation envelopes and also sprinkled around candles and flower arrangements for a star themed shower. Stars constructed out of aluminum foil can strung from ceiling fixtures and white twinkling Christmas lights can be used to enhance the celestial effect. The color scheme of this shower is usually silver and blue baby shower crafts. A nice idea is to put a portrait of the mother inside a giant hand-made star shaped frame and put in a prominent place. A money tree, which is a tree branch spray-painted gold or silver, can also be set up at this party and guests are encouraged to tape or pin money to the tree

This wonderful idea for a baby shower craft is a group activity. It is not for the shy mom as it involves her lying on the floor, while her friends make a plaster cast of her pregnant tummy. The guests mingle and chow down while the plaster cast dries and before they leave they inscribe their good wishes for the mommy and the baby on the resulting sculpture.

This party baby shower craft not only makes a hilarious video, but also leaves mom with a keepsake she can treasure for decades. One caveat: remember to lay plastic sheeting down on the floor and provide your guests with aprons or shifts to protect their clothing as things can get kind of messy. Also make sure that your bathroom is spotless and that mom has plenty of clean towels, as she may need to take a shower afterwards. This is because Mom’s belly is often prepped for the cast by using copious amounts of Vaseline. No matter how messy it may seem, trust us when we tell you that this is one of the best baby shower crafts you can give an expectant mother, as it is an artifact that she will cherish for years to come.

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Choosing the Best Baby Heartbeat Monitor

There are various forms of baby heartbeat monitoring devices available on the market, each having different features and attachments. The available options differ from each other considerably. Whether it’s a fetal Doppler baby heart monitor or an external electronic fetal baby monitor, a cosy fetal heart beat monitor or a BeBe Sound Prenatal Listener baby heartbeat monitor, each baby heartbeat monitor has some unique features which makes one model stand out over its competitors.

These advanced baby heartbeat monitors can let one hear the exact heart sounds of the little one growing inside the mother’s womb. The sound-only baby heartbeat monitor for analyzing the heartbeat of a unborn baby is designed for clinical and medical use as well as for domestic use by the parents. Some home models also have video so one can see the baby (although the image is generated using ultrasound and not crystal clear). The sex of the unborn child can be determined using a video prenatal baby monitor.

Monitoring the heartbeat of the unborn baby at regular intervals is often recommended to those mothers who have an uncomplicated and healthy pregnancy. However, to those who develop certain complications such as pre-eclampsia, diabetes, any kind of heart disease, vaginal or urinary infections or is expecting twins are strictly advised to have continuous electronic fetal monitoring in order to keep track of any serious problems on the part of the child or the mother. Thus, choosing the heartbeat monitor depends on many factors and it is essential that an unborn baby gets monitored according to the needs of the situation.

Comparing the Prices of Baby Heartbeat Monitors

Pricing a baby heartbeat monitor mainly depends on factors such as the brand name, features, attachments, and quality. Sometimes the accuracy of a particular heartbeat monitor also contributes towards determining its price.

Starting as low as $25 for the BeBe Sounds Prenatal Listener, the prices go as high as $150 or $200 for a fetal Doppler ultrasonic baby heart beat monitor. One can choose exactly that which suits his or her budget and choose the features and quality that one can afford. However, one can’t fix the price of the baby’s health. It is more then anything in the world – it’s priceless.

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In an ideal world, the hospital, medical center, midwife or doula would send us home with our swaddled new life in our arms and a map titled: DIRECTIONS TO THE VILLAGE. A waiting entourage would whisk our little family immediately and directly to the village, where we’d be heartily greeted by its members as they broke the hand-holding circle to allow us entry. We would spend the next three years there, raising our children among veteran mothers, fathers and sage elders. After that time, we would cross the line between the cared-for and the care-giver, and stand ready in the hand-holding circle to open the gates for the next wave of new life.

Sadly, this is not the custom in American culture as it is in some others (without the map, of course). So we have to make our own villages.

If you live where you were born, you may have the benefit of having immediate or extended family nearby to help when a new baby arrives and then as they grow and, perhaps, are joined by siblings. Maybe you don’t. Regardless, here are a few things you can do to expand your own childcare village.

reate an informal babysitting co-op

Ever think of sharing sitting services with a trusted friend? Maybe you and a friend you know well just had your first child—or your third—and you’re wary of hiring someone you’ve never met to care for your baby. Maybe you both feel guilty about asking family for too much of their time, or you can’t. Why not work out an informal babysitting co-op in which one of you goes to the other person’s home to sit with and tuck in their kids while the other gets some much-needed time alone or with their partner? Then, trade. Or arrange a day to take a friend’s child for an early workout, then pick up their child with yours so they can do the same. These arrangements can work well with the right match—with the time spent away from home saving worry and care-giving costs.

Some cities have organized, formal babysitting co-ops, in which large groups of women belong and each provide sitting services on an organized point system. These formal co-ops are a big enough deal that there are start-up guides and local contact information available on the Web.

Join a babysitting introduction service

Babysitting introduction services like Student Sitters and Sittercity charge a fee for referrals on reputable sitters. The companies screen all the sitters, then you collect a referral for a particular job you have and are on your own to meet the sitter and determine whether they’re the right fit for your family.

Student Sitters operates in Washington D.C., Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, California and Florida near major colleges and universities. Student sitters register with the company and are screened. Their resumes and references are then posted on the company’s web site and parents can pay a nominal 90-day renewable membership fee to access the database of registered sitters or post a sitting job. Parents can accept or reject any applicant based on their own interviews and reference checks.

Most jobs postings receive quick responses, and in many cases, successful relationships can be built and nurtured over the entire course of a student’s educational career in your area.

Forge Relationships at your Daycare Center

If your children are enrolled in a part- or fulltime daycare center, and you really like one or more of their teachers, approach them with an offer to sit your children in your home during night and weekend hours. Your children have had a chance to develop a relationship with them, and you have had a chance to review their credentials and background checks. These can be some of the most successful in-home care situations.
Certainly every idea doesn’t work for every family. Even if these ideas aren’t for you, they might help you think of other ways to create your own loving village in which to raise your family.

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When a man has sex with a partner other than his own, he will justify his actions as a reflex or a physical release of tension – “It didn’t mean a thing, its you that I love” or “I had too much to drink and she was throwing herself at me.” This is because men tend to view love and sex as two separate issues – the first is long term, whereas the latter is only a momentary , if not accidental, diversion. The affair is usually not meant to last or replace anything existing in his life. It was simply bad judgment and another stroke to his male ego. Women on the other hand, view love and sex as a package deal – each intricately entwined with the other, thus, bringing her emotions into an already steamy picture. “If you had listened to me or showed me more attention, I wouldn’t have been so drawn in by his affection.” Women also tend to give a little more thought to the future of an affair, weighing the pros and cons of both “relationships” with her heart.

Sometimes the consequences of an affair can be less about the actual relationship being betrayed and more about one’s impressionable upbringing. Was there respect between mom and dad, or was there always a lingering sense of regret and blame? Self esteem issues develop early, sometimes creating the need to feel anything besides insecurity. Children watch and learn how to interact with the opposite sex via their role models. If dad disrespected mom, ran around with other women and always came home drunk, a son will probably find himself wearing those same shoes. If mom strayed herself or simply accepted dad’s infidelities, then a daughter will probably repeat the pattern herself.

The reasons behind affairs can be quite numerous and complicated – Although it does seem that a man’s affair is more acceptable to society because of their lack of emotional expression. After all, boys are raised to be strong and stoic – The hunters in our society. If a hunter gets side tracked and arrives days later with provisions, it will be okay, because he has still provided for his family. For women its much more difficult due to her role in creating and grounding the family home. Girls are raised to be supportive, sympathetic creatures – The nurturer for the hunter. If the nurturer gets side tracked and returns days later – the family has been without all support and direction. This could very well be devastating to the clan.

It could seem that men of generations past have gotten preferential treatment when it comes to infidelity. Yet the fact still remains that females have probably enabled them. Perhaps subconsciously. By having been historically been prepared early in life to be more flexible and forgiving in all their relationships – men would have had the upper hand. Its only become more common, recently, to find many independent women who wouldn’t dream of accepting such behavior from their counterparts. So it would seem, that the outcome after betrayal still vary, based on gender, at such a primitive, basic level.

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The Nursery
Let’s start at the logical place – the nursery or baby’s room. The room where the baby sleeps will need a number of childproofing and safety enhancements, such as:

• Installing a baby monitor
• Wrapping any curtain or blind cords and place them out of reach. Unwrapped curtain or blind cords could pose a strangulation hazard.
• Choosing a changing table with a safety strap and high sides. The baby should never be left alone on the changing table.
• Covering any unused electrical outlets with a clear plastic outlet cover.
• Checking any baby toys for small pieces or sharp edges

The Kitchen
The kitchen is of course a safety hazard if proper precautions are not taken. When childproofing the kitchen, consider the following:

• Make sure all electrical appliances are well out of reach
• Keep all knives, scissors and other sharp objects locked up or out of reach
• Place childproof latches on all cabinets
• Keep plastic wrap, plastic bags and any similar items out of the reach of children
• Never warm up the baby bottle in the microwave, as the center of the bottle can become much too hot even though the rest is cool to the touch.
• Remove tablecloths to prevent the child from hurting him or herself by pulling objects off the table.
• Be sure to lock up cleaning products and other potentially hazardous household chemicals
• Keep the trash can lid tightly sealed
• Make sure the dishwasher is kept latched
• Make sure that a fire extinguisher is close at hand, and that all smoke detectors are in working order

The Living Room
The living room, hallways and other areas of the home should be thoroughly childproofed as well. Some items to check include the following:

• All electrical outlets should be covered with plastic outlet covers
• Childproof screens should be installed around all fireplaces, woodstoves and heaters
• Safety gates should be installed at the top and bottom of all staircases
• Drape, curtain and blind cords should be tied up out of reach
• Ash trays, matches and lighters should be kept out of reach
• Household plants should be kept out of reach, and any plants with poisonous leaves or flowers should be removed from the home
• All carpets should have non-skid backing material

The Bathroom
Last but not least, the bathroom should be thoroughly childproofed. The bathroom can present many safety challenges, and it is important to consider the following areas:

• Medications, toiletries, household cleaners, razor blades and any other potentially hazardous items should be kept in locked cabinets
• Childproof locks should be placed on all bathroom cabinets, including the medicine cabinet
• Non-slip mats should be used in all tubs and showers
• Babies and young children should be bathed using only warm water, not hot
• Children under six years of age should always be supervised while in the bathtub
• Electrical cords should be kept out of reach and well away from any water source
• Toilet lids should be kept closed
• The water heater should be set no higher than 120 degrees to avoid the possibility of scalding
• The bathroom door should be kept closed

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1. First of all, you need to learn to let loose a little bit and be comfortable with talking dirty. Just relax and let it happen. Maybe before you get into the talking dirty with your partner, you can do it alone while masturbating. This way you can come up with natural feelings you get while pleasing yourself and when you get those feelings from your partner, they can be applied.
2. Be yourself! Don’t try and imitate the actors in the movie you just watched to get you in the mood, you need to find something in YOUR personality that will work for you for inspiration.
3. Do some research on vocabulary. Avoid clinical terms and use more creative ones. Like what words would you use instead of vagina or penis?
4. Play with your voice a little. Maybe make it a little higher or breathier. How about speaking slower or even faster. Be commanding, shy, loud or even scream! Any change in your voice or the way you speak to your partner will definitely be noticed.
5. Use lots of description. Tell your partner how something feels and what’s happening to your body when they do what they’re doing to you. You can even tell your partner what you’re going to do when they’re finished, get them hot with the anticipation and excitement of it all.
6. Speech is portable, so why not use that to your advantage. Use dirty talk while your stuck in traffic on your way home, or in a crowded elevator. Leave sexy messages on your partners voicemail or call them on the cell phone while they’re on the way home. You’ll know for sure that your partner will be hot and bothered and ready to go as soon as they walk through the door.
7. Role playing is a great way to talk dirty because you can pretend to be anyone doing anything. It’s an act so you can do and say things that maybe you wouldn’t normally because you’re pretending to be someone else.

You should always know ahead of time what words your partner absolutely does not like. For instance, what word or phrases would your partner think is talking down to them and makes them feel disrespected? It’s important to know before it happens so as not to ruin the moment.

Talking dirty is a way of learning something about your partner that you didn’t already know. Get into it, have fun with it and experiment with it!

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One important factor that many women overlook, however, is health insurance and the toll private health insurance premiums will take on their budget.

Since most stay at home mothers don’t have the resources to pay cash, if you don’t have adequate health insurance you won’t be able to visit the doctor, go to the emergency room, and you certainly can’t get sick if it requires buying prescription medication. In other words, medical care may not be an option.

A paper by Cathy Schoen and colleagues of the Commonwealth Fund titled “Insured but Not Protected: How Many Adults Are Underinsured” outlines of the study of health insurance in America. They tell us that 35% of America’s adults were either uninsured or underinsured in 2003. According to the paper, approximately 45 million men and women were uninsured while another 16 million went without at least one of the four basic medical services.

If your spouse’s health insurance policy does not cover you, you may be looking at a very hefty premium each month. Some plans charge as much as $300-600 per month. While this number is frightening, it doesn’t have to be absolute. With some research and hard work, you should be able to get that premium down below $200, and possibly under $100 depending on your circumstances.

There are few short cuts when finding affordable health insurance. You can use online quote comparison services on the internet and get a general idea of premiums specific to your situation, but they are only the starting point. To find the best deals, you’ll have to dig deep.

Keep a master sheet in front of you with the most frequently asked information on it. Keep another sheet with questions you want to know about the health insurance policy up front. What is most important to you? What are their insurance deductibles, premiums, and coverage for various services such as doctor visits and prescriptions? Do they have any discounts? You will want to find out whether immunizations, lab work, preexisting conditions, pregnancy, and x-rays are excluded, to name a few.

A good place to start is the internet. There are several free services that allow you to submit your request to many health insurers at once. A word of caution – unless you want your primary email inbox spammed for weeks with health insurance quotes, you may want to set up a free account just for this purpose. There are many free email services out there, and you can delete the account when your search is done.

While the internet is a great resource, don’t forget about your local yellow pages. There may be a great deal to be found if only you do a little leg work to find it. Get referrals from friends and family. Find out if you can be covered under your spouse’s insurance, and if there is a family discount that may apply.

This is not a short process, and will take time. The more health insurers you interview, the more you will become aware of exactly what it is that your family needs. Take your time, interview thoroughly, and you will find what you are looking for.

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Choose the grooming procedure that is right for you.

The two most common methods of eyebrow maintenance are waxing and tweezing. For women with naturally bushy or dark brows, waxing may be the best option.¹ Tweezing is best when only a few stray hairs need to be removed. With either method, it is best to stop after each wax application or after plucking a few hairs to evaluate shape.

Select a natural, flattering style.

Eyebrow shape and style changes with fads and fashion, but no woman can go wrong with a shape that is natural-looking. While it may be necessary to trim, pluck or wax eyebrows that are naturally bushy, styles that are rounded and gently arched appear more natural and flatter nearly every face shape. There are three simple steps to shaping eyebrows at home:

Hold a pencil parallel to the bridge of your nose; the inside edge of the brow should start here. To find the highest point of your brow, hold the pencil parallel to the outside corner of your iris. To find the outside edge of your brow, angle the pencil diagonally from your nostril to the outside corner of your eye.
Mark the spots mapped above with an eyebrow pencil and begin tweezing or waxing as needed. To keep a more natural effect, never remove more than a few rows of hair at a time, and may need to only remove a few hairs from the top of the outer edges to create a more subtle, natural downward slope.
To complete grooming, brush brows upward and use a small pair of scissors to snip the ends of any long hairs which may remain.

Completing the look.

Once you have an eyebrow shape that flatters your face, the next consideration should be the color of the brows. While this is only a concern if you dramatically change the color of your hair, take note that it is unsafe and unwise to attempt to use chemical dye to alter eyebrow color. The best option is to use either an eyebrow pencil or eye shadow, or a combination of both, in your desired shade.

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Get down low.
For starters, get down low. Take a crawl around your home in every room your child might possibly spend time in, and look for hazards. It might feel ridiculous, but seeing dangers from your child’s eye view is the best way to discover potential harm to your child, as well as to spot breakables you’ll want to move to higher ground.

Carry a notepad with you and take note of everything that needs childproofing. Don’t rely on your memory to recall every danger.

Purchase a childproofing kit.
Once you have determined every childproofing need, purchase childproof locks, outlet covers, and surface bumpers. A combination childproofing kit is a good start, but you will likely need to purchase a few additional accessories to suit your home’s unique needs.

Cabinet locks.
Cabinet locks install to the interior or exterior of cabinet doors to keep small children away from harmful substances. Cabinet locks work by catching the cabinet door once it is opened one or two inches; spring-action child locks are pressed down past the keeper so the door may be opened by adults.

Cabinets that cannot have interior locks installed can be fitted with exterior child locks. Several varieties are available. Exterior child locks may be permanently installed, or they may straddle door knobs with ratcheting action to keep two doors from opening.

Outlet covers.
Outlet covers are one of the most important childproofing features. Outlet covers are quick and easy to install. Push an outlet cover into every available electrical outlet, including extension cords and empty power strip outlets.

There are a variety of outlet cover designs available as well. Full plate covers are installed over the entire unit, with a sliding or turning outlet cover opening. These usually work by inserting the plug, turning to open the outlet, then pushing the plug into the wall outlet. The cover snaps closed when the plug is removed. The advantage these covers have is that the lock is never misplaced or forgotten after outlet use.

Surface bumpers.
Furniture with sharp edges and fireplace hearths may need padded bumpers to cover the edges in case your child falls against it. Most varieties are elasticized and stretch easily over the edge. Some stick on.

Safety gates.
Purchase and install safety gates at every doorway and stairway where children should not enter.

Pressure gates are appropriate for doorways and the bottom of stairs to keep children from climbing up. At the top of stairways, gates should be permanently installed so that a push or fall of a child does not dislodge them and send your child tumbling down the stairs.

Fireplaces and wood stoves must be properly gated as well. Fence and gate systems should be permanently mounted to the floor and/or walls to secure stove areas.

Knob covers.
Keep children from wandering outside and away from off-limit rooms with door knob covers. Knob covers fit loosely over the knob, hindering children from turning the knob to open. Adults squeeze the knob cover (without removing) to open the door.

Childproofing is very important in homes with mobile babies and toddlers. It is never too early to start childproofing, you’ll simply be ahead of the curve. Even a baby that rolls around at a few months of age needs to be protected from themselves and their environment. Having the task of childproofing out of the way before baby starts traveling will prevent an unfortunate circumstance or a rush to secure the home while trying to keep a curious baby sedentary.

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