Category: Marriage, Family & Kids

It’s Time for Kids’ Play Minus the Usual Gadgets

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While I am not against kids using gadgets to play and learn something, I would also like to really see the kids of today also play games apart from their gadgets.Being a Psychology major myself, I have studied how important it is for kids to experience play using as many of their senses as possible.

Actual play apart from gadgets is a key in the development of children. Learning takes place as kids play. And of course, actual physical play with other kids will also help them in developing relationships and dealing with others. That’s why I appreciate this latest advertisement from a popular baby product. It reminds mothers and fathers to let their kids engage in play and games sans gadgets. It is indeed worth watching and I wouldn’t be surprised if a Psychology major,  Psychologist or Pediatrician helped influence or create this commercial.

Breakfast with the Word

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My husband and I believe that it is always important to be plugged into the source of life (John 3:36) 🙂  And so we have specific times when we go to God in prayer and reading His Word. These things we do separately as well as a couple.

The usual time when we spend time to read a Bible verse together and pray it through for the day is during breakfast time. We do this just before we thank God for our breakfast. A very useful tool for this is the wedding giveaway that our friend gave us about a year ago. Her giveaway is a small, beautiful box that contains scriptures. We started using this since last year (after using and finishing another scripture source then).

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I think that by doing this during breakfast time is a good reminder for my hubby and me that we do not live on bread (or rice!) alone (Matthew 4:4). And that our marriage will continue to grow strong because we acknowledge God as part of it (Ecclesiastes 4:12).

Three Ways to Celebrate This Easter Long Weekend

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With the Easter long weekend fast approaching, many people are figuring out what they’re going to do to celebrate the occasion. As a religious holiday, Easter obviously has greater significance for people of faith than for the non-religious. For some, it’s a bit of a confusing holiday; Easter doesn’t have the splendour and gift-giving of Christmas, and it doesn’t occur during a time of year when people traditionally have extended time off for travel, so most celebrations have to be close to home. This doesn’t have to detract from the fun though! The good news is Easter is the sort of holiday that you can celebrate almost any way you like. Here are a few ideas for things to do if you’re stuck.

1. Family Lunch/Dinner

Easter, like Christmas and other family-oriented holidays, is often a good excuse to get the family together for a meal. Naturally, that means cooking up a feast to feed everyone, so, if your appliances aren’t up to the task, now is the perfect time to visit a manufacturer like Asko or your local whitegoods retailer. Fish is often the food of choice on the day, so keep that in mind if any particularly religious family members are coming. Gift-giving isn’t traditionally something that occurs for Easter, but it has been gaining popularity among some particularly generous families.

2. Community Events

There are always plenty of community-organised events around towns and cities during the Easter long weekend. They’re a great opportunity to get everyone out of the house and make the most of your time off. Some places put on carnivals, others stage massive Easter Egg hunts. If you don’t have a community event in your area, consider organising one. Start by speaking to your local council if you need more information on that. For religious families, there are always plenty of church services going on all weekend and they often organise activities for the congregation too.

3. Non-Denominational? No Problem!

For those who aren’t particularly religious, it’s easy to feel a bit left out. Truthfully, you can celebrate the Easter holiday any way that you want. After all, four-day weekends don’t pop up very often, so you should make the most of it. Finish a weekend project you’ve been working on by getting the whole family involved. Watch a movie or TV show together, go on a family picnic, head to the beach, or even take a small road trip if the weather’s nice. Take a bit of extra time to plan an especially tricky Easter Egg hunt around your home and leave clues for the kids to find. There are no wrong answers here. Have fun.

Getting the family together for a holiday should be its own reward, and the Easter long weekend is a perfect time to do so. It’s the perfect excuse for a mid-year catch-up and, depending on where you are, the weather could provide a pleasant backdrop to your chosen festivities. What are your favourite ways to celebrate the Easter long weekend? Share your ideas in the comments below.

Ovulation: Key to Getting Pregnant!

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Have you and your husband been trying to conceive? Knowing when you ovulate is indeed one key to ensure that your dream baby will be coming soon 🙂

Knowing when you ovulate. It’s pretty easy to detect if you have a regular cycle and if you know what are the ways to do it but some women are clueless on how to know when they’re ovulating. Why do we need to know when we’re ovulating anyway? It is because; a woman can only get pregnancy when she is ovulating. http://pregnancytips.org has some tips to help you know when you are ovulating.

1. Software/Phone Apps. One search online and you see so many free apps that can help you detect when you’re ovulating. These apps are available for both Android and iPhone users. What these apps to is they calculate your cycle for you and tell you when you are ovulating. Most of these apps will only ask for the last day of your period, and viola! You’ll know when to expect your next possible ovulation date.

2. Ovulation Predictor Kits (OPK). These are over the counter, pregnancy test-like devices that will show a positive result when you are ovulating. You are looking for 2 dark lines for a positive result when using an OPK.

3. Basal Body Thermometers. Our body has different temperatures, especially when we are ovulating. These thermometers help you as you chart your temperature daily and when you see a sudden drop in your temperature, you are most likely ovulating.

4. Cervical Mucus. Yes, you heard that right. This is the cheapest, and for me, most accurate way in detecting ovulation. During other times of the moment, a woman’s cervical mucus is usually thick or yellowish. When a woman ovulates, her cervical mucus becomes like that of the egg white. And when you see that, it’s the perfect time for the sperm to catch the egg!