Fran’s Home & Family Tips

Parenthood is one of life’s most enjoyable and challenging experiences. As parents, we want to teach them good eating habits, intellectual development, and always make sure they are safe. That’s the reason why it’s important to be congnizant of the 3 ways that we can give our babies the very best we have to offer. There are certain products and healthy lifestyle changes that can help. With the assistance of educational toys, a food processor, and an excellent car seat, our little ones will grow up to be well-adjusted and healthy people.

Look for Kids Learning Toys with a Good Reputation

Carefully-chosen educational toys will provide your baby’s mind with what it needs to properly develop. Black and white colors are ideal for little ones in the beginning stages of childhood (about 4-8 weeks of age). Lines, squiggles, and zig-zags are all marks for baby to see and enable their mental development . In fact, science has proven that mobiles such as these promote brain wave activity in babies and lead to faster brain development. For babies in the two month to 5 month range, colors can now be seen and they desire interactivity. Large picture books, big wooden blocks and puzzles, and toys such as plastic doughnut rings that can stack on a stick are all ideal types of baby educational toys.

A KitchenAid Food Processor is the First Step to a Healthier Baby

The American Pediatric Association recommends that babies eat a large selection of fruits and vegetable sources when they start eating solid foods. Sure, buying packaged baby food is convenient, but it can be difficult to afford. Nonetheless, in today’s economy, preparing your own baby food with a KitchenAid food processor is a great way to work with a limited budget while serving your baby the healthiest foods. Choose organic foods whenever possible and search for bargains on these items in your weekly food flyers. By purchasing organic foods, your baby will be taking in food that has no harmful pesticides. Pleanty of organic food organizations report that being exposed to pesticides in our food can develop into cancer.

An Excellent Britax Car Seat Should Always Have These Features

The National Transportation and Safety Administration warns that auto accidents are the leading cause of death for children ages 2 to 14 in the U.S. Many of these fatal accidents can be stopped with the proper use and installation of a car seat. Pick out a rear-facing seat that fits your infant up to 20 or 40 pounds and then take the seat to your city fire house so they can show you how to properly install it in your car. Over 90% of all car seats are installed inadequately, a mistake that can lead to major injuries or death, buy a booster seat, which is the last type of car seat that you’ll need until your child can use just the seat belt.

By stimulating your child’s mental development with good educational toys, feeding them homemade food, and properly installing a car seat, you’ll be giving them the very best care to get them started in life.

Vacations with the family are welcome events, particularly in this fast-paced world we live in. With duties such as paying the bills, going to work, and raising a family, a trip is ideal chance to relax and refresh your spirit. Even better is a getaway with the entire family. If you have very young kids, or even an infant, vacations can be a bit more arduous. Nonetheless, if you apply some quick adjustments to your itinerary, your time away from home can be the ideal vacation!

Escape with the Kids and Enjoy It

One way to ensure a great vacation with your kids is to choose a hotel location with plenty of comforts for families. A portable infant sleeper for your hotel room is a perfect start. In addition, kid-geared group activities with storytime, shows, and audience participation are the best answer to the “I’m bored” complaint. If you go to a place like Disney or Six Flags, you can certainly sit back and let the theme park do all of the entertaining for you. Nonetheless, if you go to a balmy vacation spot, for example, you’ll need to plan ahead as far as family activities and fun things to do. Many times, you can reserve family activities right online when reserving your airline and hotel stay. Be sure to bring a baby stroller along with you for the entire trip, and you’ll have an easy time from the airport to sightseeing at your destination. It will help you get around and can be the best napping place for your toddler or baby while you’re out and about.

Tips for a Great Kid-Friendly Eatery

Restaurant meals can sometimes be a dreaded experience for parents of a toddler or young child. However, you can make it as easy-going as possible if you follow a few guidelines:

• Decide to eat at a place that includes food items made just for kids - Eateries like this generally have crayons and coloring gear, a baby feeding chair or booster seat, and cups for kids that include lids and straws.
• Choose a casual-dining eatery -Eateries that have lots of noise with loud conversations are the ideal place to dine with a small child. A loud squeal will meld seamlessly into the noisy atmosphere of the room and your family will feel right at home.
• Have at least one meal at a eatery that features a play area - This can make the whole eating experience better for your little one. Besides, the ideal incentive to behaving at the table is that they can have fun afterwards!

Enjoy Doing Something You Love While on Vacation

Finally, make your vacation really special by setting aside some time doing things that youboth enjoy. No need to leave your golf clubs behind when you get away with the kids! Set aside some tee time for Dad while Mom babysits the little ones. Then, Mom can go somewhere alone such as go to the spa for a luxurious body treatment. Many hotels have golfing greens and full-service spas and also have golf clubs for rent (so you don’t have to lug them along if you don’t want to). Family time is a great way to enjoy your getaway, but it’s also important to unwind with some solitary reflection.

Using these 3 tricks for getting away with the family, you can let the heaviness of daily life go by the wayside and enjoy the getaway of a lifetime!

Summer is the ideal time for having fun while the kids are home for a few months. It can get financially burdensome taking them places that cost tons of money just to get in such as theme parks. If you are in a similar predicament as a large percentage of Americans are, you shouldn’t be concerned, because there are scores of inexpensive things you can do right at home. For kids 10 and younger, these activities are perfect. Most of these suggestions are centered on learning and activity together.

Using Household Items in Your Games

Use everyday items in your play around the house as props for your pretend news stories. An amusing thing to do at home is to pretend you run a medical clinic. Have the kids gather a baby doll or other toy and then use things from around the home that can serve as pretend surgical instruments. Most homes are treasure troves of oddly-shaped utensils that can be fashioned into surgical kits. You can also do another take on this game by pretending to run a television studio where the news is being reported. A baby doll or other toys can be used as part of the make-believe scenes that you and your child are describing to the imaginary viewers.

Bring the Fun Outdoors

An budget-friendly, yet really active thing to do is to go out together for a ride on mountain bikes. If you have smaller children, you can bring them with you in a trailer attachment where they can sit in an enclosed seat. For shorter distances, some children might want to use their skates to get around. To make it even more interesting, take your time and call out different items for them to spot while you’re out, like a treasure hunt. Things like lizards, airplanes, or dragonflies can all be great things for everyone to call out as they spot them. This game also works wonderfully on a nature walk and can be a learning tool about nature and their environment.

Escape to the Wild Outdoors

An activity that is a favorite among kids is to create the illusion of being out in the wild, such as on a safari journey. Gather some extra large bed linens and tuck the ends into chairs, the sofa, or to anything in the room that will hold steadily. Wrap the bed linens so that thekids feel like they are hidden by large forest trees or in the thick brush where the wild animals can’t see them. If you have a pair of binoculars, get them out for added fun. Have your kids round up all of the stuffed animals and animal figures they can find and arrange them throughout the space, partly hidden so you can only see their heads, and then use the binoculars to discover them. Ask the children to call the names of the animals as they find them and then make the sound of that animal. They always have a blast with this game!

Fun in the Evenings

As evening comes, the fun doesn’t have to stop there! Raise a tent in the backyard for the kids and bring out the binoculars so they can look up at the stars. If you have a fire pit or a small charcoal barbeque, you can make a wood fire for them. Have the kids get together some tree branches for browning s’mores. If you have time to take a short getaway this summer, go camping at a nature preserve or forest and extend your time enjoying nature! These suggestions will surely give you and your children some quality time together to learn, grow, and laugh.

The summer months are the perfect time to make some changes to your surroundings, since the kids will be in the house more. Small adjustments can be made to improve the look and feel of your living room, or even your basement or family room. These changes will bring your family together and will give the kids a great place to entertain their peers. It can even be the springboard for a weekly or monthly neighborhood game night! Try these great ideas and transform your home from ordinary to amazing in no time!

Plan Around Functionality

Start your room makeover by getting rid of trash. Remove everything that does not elong there. If you have a place where you do bills and paperwork in the room, clean up the files, desk drawers and book shelves and get rid of the excess items that you aren’t using or that should be thrown away. Once that’s done, create an organized filing system that will help keep everything in its own place from now on. For instance, if you have photos that had been stored in a drawer, then you could buy a few photo boxes and divide them into spans of time, perhaps 5 years, so each box doesn’t get too full. Digitizing your pictures is another option that make more efficient use of physical space.

Create a Room that Suits Your Needs

If you use the room for multiple functions, such as a movie room and dining room in one, consider separating portions of the room for each purpose to give yourself as much room as possible. One suggestion is to cover and divide with a thick hanging rug and a hanging rod so that the area can be out of sight when it’s not being used. Pick a fabric that isn’t too dark or bright to avoid attracting attention to the separation. A tapestry hanging that is easy on the eyes with threaded designs looks very nice and adds to any room. Find high-end curtain rods to add a delicate and high-class touch to your new room!

Multi-Function Furniture Saves Space

Buy furniture that adds to the room by doing double duty. For instance, a corner TV stand with storage in the bottom area can put your DVDs and CDs out of view. You could also buy a coffee table that opens up, such as a treasure chest-tyle, where games and books can be stowed away. Another option for coffee tables is the kind of table that lifts up and can be converted into a dining table for eating. This means you no longer need a dining table and a storage chest.

Novelty and Fun Come Together for Winning Results

Find oddly humorous or original items that add to the overall theme of your room. You might look for a fun desk lamp to go with whatever theme you’ve chosen for the room. For example, a 50’s diner theme would go well with some neon signs and a diner-style. Also, a good game table can add many hours of play time for indoor family fun. Choose a multiple-game game table that has the types of games your family likes to play; many different options are available from air hockey to table tennis.With some imagination, you can transform your basement, TV room, or living room into an entertainment area that provides you with a place to hang out, have fun, and enjoy the summer!

More than any other season, summer is a great opportunity to loosen up in the open air and enjoy the mild evenings that come after a scorching day. Get-togethers are even more of a relief in the coolness of the evening hours. It’s a time for everyone to enjoy some time together laughing and having fun. There are great ways to transform your garden area into a great entertainment area without spending too much money. Here are some tricks to help you get the most out of the summer evenings to come.

Get the clutter cleaned up. Space is the main goal here, so take the time to rummage through the clutter that’s scattered in your backyard. A cabinet with doors, a tool rack, or a large storage bin are all ideal ways to store what you’ll keep and keep what you need nearby. Once the yard has been organized and you have more space to work with, get out the mower, cut the grass and edge it to create a manicured and professional look. A trimmed yard gives the impression of order and organization and is vital to any party spot.

After cleaning out the clutter, choose where everyone will sit. If you don’t have patio furniture, consider purchasing some at a garage sale or second-hand store and fixing it up yourself with some new cushions and repainting with some rust-repelling spray paint. You can get tons more dollars-worth of furniture for very little cost and then transform it to look like you bought it from an expensive design store. If you don’t have a shaded top in your backyard, consider leasing or purchasing a garden gazebo to make shade for your guests. They are like extra outside rooms and have paneled doors that are easy to come in and out of and provide a great area for socializing. They can also serve to keep the flying insects out if you choose to serve the food inside the gazebo .

Everyone’s favorite part of a summer party has to be what’s to eat and drink. Lemonade with frozen pureed fruit is a great way to add color, flavor, and pizzazz to standard lemonade. You can also freeze fruit punch into cubes and serve it with ice-cold fruit-flavored soda for a tart and tangy twist on a classic summer beverage!

Once evening falls, the flying insects come out, so consider buying the best bug repellent you can find to extend your night-time fun. They can really take care of the problem of biting bugs and make a better outdoor environment for you and your guests. Moreover, if you don’t have one already, you can purchase an outdoor fire pit or fire bowl for under $150 from a local discount store. Look online for classified ads by individuals wanting to sell their outdoor items in good condition, due to a move or remodeling. This is a great way to get patio items at a huge discount than purchasing them new from a retailer. As a suggestion, try hanging some lights outside to make your party even better!

New mom parties are the perfect way to show encouragement, support, and best wishes to any new mom. With her friends and family around her, she can know that everything is ready for the impending arrival. Even better is when the mom-to-be is bestowed with the things that she needs to arrange the nursery so she’s totally ready for the baby’s arrival. Baby showers are also a great opportunity to get the girls together for a fun time of laughing and goofing around.

Great Baby Shower Gifts to Get Mom Ready

If you’re the friend or loved one throwing the party, be sure your mom-to-be has either registered at a local store or online site to give the guests ideas as to what she would like as gifts. An alternative to this would be for her to make a list of what she would like to have, perhaps baby bedding set, a Graco baby swing, or even a baby booster car seat. Specify the themes and colors she wants in the invitations and let the guests take it from there! If she needs a Baby Trend car seat, specify types that adjust with the baby, from newborn through booster seat, for example. If she needs a baby buggy, suggest to the guests a couple of types that will allow for baby booster car seat to be set on it for simple transfer from the car to the stroller. A baby play gym is an especially useful gift because it permits mom to do things while the baby is being soothed. The most popular types are ones that have detachable carriers.

Games and Fun

Baby showers are known for their funny games and goofy fun. A game that is especially popular is "You Can’t Say That" such as "baby" or "girl" or "boy". Another popular one is a game involving baby food where the guests smell various flavors of jarred food and try to guess what fruit or vegetable it is. A game that’s really popular as well is to pass a diaper around, just like musical chairs, and the interior of the diaper is a scoop of warm chocolate frosting. This one is sure to get tons of laughs from the party guests! Don’t forget trophy gifts for the winning players; choose girly gifts like lotions that smell pretty, fresh pots of flowers or plants, cards loaded with gift money, or a gift bag full of something themed such as "everything for a pedicure".

Basic Décor for the Shower

Ornaments are always suggested, because they set the happy mood for the entire celebration. If you don’t know the sex of the baby, choose colors that reflect either gender. It creates a fresh color scheme and keeps everything bright! The cake can even add to the decor; add tiny plastic baby bottle favors and rattles, etc. that can be bought from a party store. They add originality to the dessert as well as to the theme of the event.

Be sure to give the expectant mother all she needs and you’ll have given her the best baby shower. The baby shower is also a perfect opportunity for friends and family to rally around her and have a few laughs. Few things are better than your guests saying that the party was the best they’ve ever attended!

No matter what kind of cook you are, from a professional caterer to an everyday cook, a good appliance that makes food preparation easier is one of the greatest tools in your kitchen’s arsenal. There’s an appliance for every cook’s kitchen, no matter what your goals are. Meals can be prepared in advance for people who don’t have much time to cut, chop, and prepare food for cooking. Catering professionals have only a short amount of time in which to meet the needs that their business demands. For people who make a habit out of eating well and preparing healthy meals at home, there are cooking appliances that can make food preparation enjoyable again. Maybe a recent remodel calls for some new appliances in your kitchen. Or maybe you need to help someone you love by giving them the gift of less prep time. The perfect choice is either a new food processor, bread machine, or Jack Lalanne juicer.

How to Make the Most Out of Your Dollar When Renovating Your Kitchen

Internet purchases are a wise choice for working with a limited budget of either time or cash. I enjoy getting the best deal possible on the item I’m looking for, and then buying from an out-of-state vendor with no sales tax, or that offers free shipping on top of an already outstanding deal. Saving on sales tax and shipping costs are good ways to cut costs back even further on your online purchase. Search the store’s site for special weekly or monthly offers or first-time buyer discounts. Doing an online search for ”discounts” along with the store’s name and you’ll discover codes to enter at checkout for things like free shipping, or even a whole order discount.

In-Store Tips on Saving Dough

If you plan to buy from a physical store, another money-saver is to look in your local weekly circulars for special discounts, coupons, or promotions that will give additional money off. Some retailers offer huge percentages off your first purchase if you open a charge account with them. A running charge balance makes me uncomfortable, so I always walk over to the customer service counter and pay off my card after every purchase.. Cardholders are subject to account specials for periodic purchases.

Getting Kitchen Gadgets to Make Life Easier

For many of us who are trying to improve our health, make sure to get one (or all) of the following: a food processor, bread machine, or juicer. A food processor allows you to slice, dice and chop fruits and veggies fast and easily so you’re never tempted to say that it’s too much work to prepare a healthy meal. A breadmaker lets you make breads of any flavor with zero preservatives or fat, using whatever healthy ingredients you want. A juicer is another appliance that helps with sticking to healthy eating. Juicing fruits and veggies is a wonderful way to extract all of the nutrient goodness you need.

Eliminate Wasted Time in the Kitchen

If you enjoy cooking or just want to make cooking more tolerable, any of the gadgets previously mentioned would decrease the preparation time spent on meals. You’ll reap the benefits of quick chopping and slicing to fast and delicious food on a regular basis. Eliminate hours of prep time spent to get food sliced, chopped, grated, etc.. These gadgets make it so easy to make breads, nutritious juices, and freshly sliced or chopped foods! Give yourself (or someone you love) the gift of saving time and eating healthily with one of these time-busting kitchen favorites.

Regardless of the size of your budget or the season, a new comforter, quilt set, or wool blanket can dress a room in splendor. These great additions can be used as the foundation to redecorating any room in the home, including the living room or family room. That’s right; bedding sets can do more for us than taking away a chill! With a little cash and a whole lot of imagination, you can make all of the areas in the house warm and welcoming.

Make Everyone More Comfortable All-Year Long

First, decide on the type of material you’d like your comforter set, quilt set, or wool blanket to be made from. Materials should closely match the season of the year; for example, darker and heavier fabrics are reserved for the colder and darker months while lightly colored and less-dense coverings are more appropriate for spring and summer. Goose down is a wonderful type of filler material for the colder months and helps you and your family stay comfortable inside, regardless of what the temperature is outside. A thinner covering is perfect for the warmer times of the year.

Design on a Budget Can Be Simple

If you’re working with limited finances, you can still make any room in your home feel like you’ve spent thousands on redecorating. The best accompaniments to a new comforter or bed quilt is a new coat of paint and some decorative pillows. A gallon of paint is less that $30 and is extremely affordable. Select colors for your wall that will highlight, but not exactly match, your new blanket, comforter, or quilt set. When everything matches, it makes makes everything look like it’s the same color, which is boring. Nevertheless, if you choose a color for your walls that is in the same color family, but of a lighter or darker shade than the other items in the room, the room will really pop. You can find discounted accent pillows with all the trimmings for less than you think! Search the Internet for the best deals on sets of decorator pillows and you’ll save a ton of money by buying them in bulk amounts.

Making Every Room a Unique Creation

Finally, purchase new sheets in a luxurious fabric to compliment your bedding set. If you’ve purchased multi-piece bedding sets and they already came with sheets, purchase a spare set for each room in a complimentary color so that you don’t get bored with the room and have a spare set to keep the room interesting. You can dress up a couch with a gorgeous throw that serves 2 functions; beautification and warmth. A quilt set that is a family heirloom can be proudly displayed on any wall to keep fond memories alive and doubles as an interesting addition to the room. With a tad of TLC and a small budget, you can effortlessly make any bedroom, guest room, or common area into something extra special.

Special things can happen with children and their toys. As a child, I can’t remember a girl who didn’t have a Barbie or a boy who didn’t run about the yard wielding action figures to take over the world. Scale model sets were scattered all over the floors of every playroom I came into as a child, including my own. We could build astonishing things with those building sets; towering buildings for our Barbie doll or stuffed toys to live in, a store for them to shop in; the things we could create was only limited by our imaginations. While these types of toys don’t usually fit into the category of educational toys, they can teach valuable lessons.

Toys of all shapes and sizes and genres are important to children, even those that parents may not initially consider to be educational toys. This is as true today as it was 30 years ago when I sat playing classic board games with my sister. Children learn through play, and they cultivate their imaginations and their critical thinking skills. While parents may think that only educational toys would actually be able to teach a child anything, that would be an error. Actually, most toys are educational toys when you understand that a child learns from playing freely.

Card games, while supplying lots of entertainment, also work on developing a child’s thinking talents as well as coping skills. Every player does not win when we play classic board games, and sometimes losing at something is as important for a child to learn as winning is. When there is a winner and a loser in a board game, one player is humbled while the other, hopefully, learns to be a polite winner. With the help of a thoughtful parent, children will expand these skills. So popular are certain board games that they are now being made in ways that they can be played in the car. Travel games may not be as energizing as the original board games, but it sure keeps a child engaged in the car!

Over several decades, parents and children have spent hours of quality time over model sets. The vibrantly colorful blocks in a Lego set bring forward the very best in a child’s imagination, and keep them engaged for days. What is so great about model sets is that just one set could create many of different items, from a robot to a fire station. Over the years, Lego sets have grown to where there are now sets just for girls, such as the Belville line. Obviously, boys love Lego sets like Bionicles or Star Wars. But every child can practice dexterity and resourcefulness through Lego sets, and that’s what really matters.

Need convincing of the value of Lego sets as an educational toy? Studies prove that children develop new brain connections when playing with model sets. By merely playing with their Lego set, children also learn spatial concepts, cause-and-effect, and fine motor skills. This is a wonderful way to learn!

Quite a bit of wizardry occurs in the kitchen! You probably have memories that consist of the smell of cakes baking in the oven before a main holiday, or of grandfather cutting the turkey with the electric knife on Thanksgiving after it has been removed from the oven.

The kitchen is not all about making memories; it is simply a place to be comfortable while creating great dinners to enjoy with the family. In many cases certain tools, such as that perfect kitchen knife set or the roasting pan that makes chicken nice and juicy, can add to the functionality of your kitchen. While luxuries like an electric roasting pan were not around while I was growing up, these items have become supplies that no avid cook is able to do without.

Why do we find that we need such tools to cook when our grandparents did not? In simple terms, they make life a whole lot easier. For example, when putting together a smaller meal, using a All-Clad roasting pan that uses a standard outlet may save time and money on the electric bill when comparing it to heating an electric oven. You may find that not all roasting pans are electric, even though this is the type that seems most economical. Some roasting pans are the regular ones that we used in the oven. Granite Ware roasting pans, for example, have been available for decades. They aren’t heavy and are easy to clean, which shows why roasting pan are still some of the most popular kitchen tools around.

Another great cooking tool is the gourmet outdoor grill. Outdoor grills are great for meals such as steak or chicken, but can even be used to cook vegetables or breakfast foods. Cooking food on an outdoor grill gives you a chance to enjoy some fresh air and the view of your backyard while making the family meal.

Outdoor grills are available in 3 different versions: charcoal, electric and gas. The nice thing about this is that between those three types of outdoor grills is a grill for any budget. Many people have a gas grill that they use at home, as well as a gourmet outdoor grill that can be perfect for camping or going to the beach and mountains.

A reliable kitchen knife set is certainly a necessity if one is to really enjoy a meal that requires cutting. Get rid of that old knife set and splurge on a good kitchen knife set. You can be sure you will enjoy this investment for many years. A cutlery set, just like with outdoor grills and even the roasting pans mentioned in this article, come in a range of prices to fit every budget. Just like having the right tools in your garage, you must have the right tools in the kitchen. Without them, completing the task at hand can take more time.

By implementing the right tools in the kitchen as well as in the dining room, all meals can become a new experience. You want the best for your family and for yourself, so pick out a nice set of dinnerware that makes you feel good and create a great meal. You just may sense a new mood at the dinner table!