Family Reunion Planning: Types and Themes

I may have gotten ahead of myself in this family reunion planning series, since technically this post should have come before my post about budget, venue, and food. Considering the type of reunion you will have, and any theme you may want, will help tremendously when determining your reunion budget. TYPES Small, intimate gatherings are probably the easiest and most inexpensive family reunions to plan. These often include just a few of your closest family members, and may be held in celebration of a special event, such as an anniversary, birthday, graduation, baby shower, etc. Medium-sized family reunions can also … Continue reading

Do I Have To Play Games?

Recently I was at a baby shower and the women at my table got onto the topic of baby shower games. It became quite clear that while some guests enjoy the silly games at showers, some women absolutely despise them. Would you like to: *Guess which candy bar is melted in the diaper? *Mold a baby out of play-doh? *Draw a baby’s face on a paper plate (on your head)? *Unscramble fifty letters to make as many baby-related words as you can? *Guess the gestational period of various animals? *Taste unlabeled jars of baby food and guess what flavor they … Continue reading

Welcoming Puppy: Throwing a Shower

Since October is Adopt a Shelter Dog Month, perhaps you’ve decided to do that –welcome a dog into your family. Getting a new dog, be it a puppy or adult, is an exciting occasion. One worth celebrating. Why not do just that by throwing a puppy shower? What a Puppy Shower Is If you’ve ever attended (or maybe planned) a wedding or baby shower, it’s the same thing, just applied to a pet. It can be as elaborate an affair as you want, or you can keep it small and intimate. You can also invite other dogs to your party … Continue reading

A Unique Baby Shower for Preemies

We, being ever the party loving crowd, had planned our good friend a train themed baby shower for the arrival of her first boy. We bought the paper goods and decorations. Someone else was working on the party favors. I’d ordered the cake. Everything was set for the shower to take place about 7 weeks before she was due to give birth. However, our friend’s baby had other plans. He arrived 10 full weeks before she was due. Obviously, the shower was the absolute least of our concern. Thankfully, despite being 10 weeks early, he was fine. He survived and … Continue reading

Our Baby Week in Review: Sept 3-8

Happy Saturday and welcome to a new feature here in the Baby blog where every Saturday we will try to encapsulate the last week so you can have a bird’s eye view of what was presented and what you may have missed. I look forward to your thoughts and comments as these week in reviews are written just for you. September 3 On September 3, we brought you articles on baby showers, shower games and homemade baby gifts ideal for the expectant mother whether she is you or someone you know. For parents celebrating the birth of their baby on … Continue reading

Book Review: The Secret Language of Babies

This past week while browsing the bargain table at the bookstore, I came upon a title that really caught my eye: “The Secret Language of Babies: The Body Language of Little Bodies.” Written by Sally & Edwin Kiester, who wrote the Better Homes & Gardens New Baby Book, this book is just under 200 pages and is hard to put down. It’s full of large, colorful photos of the cutest babies (and their parents). It also features a language development charts, interesting baby facts, visual guides to interpreting baby’s body language, sounds, faces and cries, and interesting research about babies … Continue reading

What Your First Grader Should Know: Science

The most important thing to teach in early science is observation. Teaching your kids to observe, and make notes of what they see is as important as getting the concepts. They can draw pictures of what they see, make notes or even take along a camera to take pictures and scrap book their observations. Encourage, as much as possible, your child to describe details in what they see. Animals My kids are simply fascinated with the Sea World website. Check out the Shamu cam, print coloring pages and look at activities. Or why not play some animal games on the … Continue reading