There is no doubt about it; your life has changed permanently, and it has changed for the better.

However, that doesn’t mean you have arrived in paradise. Being a new mommy presents several of its own unique and difficult challenges to be overcome, and one of the main ones is adjusting to that stir crazy stay at home lifestyle you will probably be living in the first months of baby’s life.

Keep Working

The first advice, look for side hustles from home. Today’s world has the advantage of being super interconnected. Take advantage of this. You will be busy with baby, no doubt, but you will also have lots of downtime where you are staring at the walls or some TV screen, frustrated. Getting a flexible side hustle of some sort (there are so many literally), will keep your brain from rotting and keep you on an even mental keel, as well as bringing in some always welcome extra funds for baby’s needs and other necessities and luxuries of the world.

Take Baby Out Frequently

By frequently, we mean at least once a day, if possible. Don’t be overly worried about the weather either; just dress baby appropriately for the occasion and you will be fine. The fresh air and the change of environment will do both of you worlds of good.

Walking is also an essential physical activity for all human beings. No matter if one is an Olympic athlete or an office worker, all of us need a certain amount of time walking. It’s impossible to be healthy without that. The sooner you get back into this routine, the better. Of course, if the birth was unusually difficult, you may want to consult your doctor first, but let him or her know you really want to get back into things as soon as possible.

Keep The Home Well Stocked

Whatever you need, make sure you have tons of it, and a constant fresh supply. This of course goes for diapers, formula (if needed), baby food, laundry detergent (you will be doing a LOT of laundry, and the detergent of course has to be infant suitable), bottles, anything else you can think of. Babies have tons of material needs, and running out is not a good outcome! If you don’t have a membership at something like a Costco or BJ’s or Sam’s Club, now would be a great time to take one out, as you will be buying in bulk like never before with baby!

Winter is coming, and that means it’s time to prepare your home, car, and kids. Make sure you load up on ingredients for winter meals and plenty of hot cocoa. Let’s look at a few tips to make winter easier for you and your family.

Keep the Heat In

Winter gets cold, so make sure your heater is in top working order. Schedule a professional maintenance check and avoid costly breakdowns later in the season. It’s also a good time to change out your air filter. A fresh filter ensures that your HVAC system traps the dust and irritants that cause runny noses and coughs.

The south side of your home gets the most sun in the winter, so open the drapes or blinds on that side. At night, close all drapes and blinds to insulate against the cold window glass. Don’t leave kitchen or bath exhaust fans running for extended periods of time. Turn them off when you’re done. Check your vents and make sure nothing like furniture, carpeting, or drapes is blocking the warm air coming into the room.

Stock Essential Supplies

Keep your kitchen stocked with ingredients to make soups and stews. There’s nothing like a hot meal to warm the body on a chilly day. Use spices, herbs, and root vegetables to flavor your winter recipes. While you’re at it, stock up on the supplies you need in case a winter storm downs the power lines.

Some food items to keep on hand include bottled water, peanut butter, canned juices, crackers, bread, and baby food if you have a young child. Also, carrots, squash, apples, raisins, and nuts stay fresh a long time. Keep apples in the fridge for up to a month. Other items important during electrical outages include:

• Diapers
• Pet food
• Flashlights and batteries
• Extra blankets
• Jugs of water
• Salt and sand to spread on driveways and sidewalks
• Medication supplies to last several days
• First-aid kit
• Manual can opener
• Battery operated radio and clock
• Cellphone

Keep emergency supplies in your car too in case you get stranded. Check your antifreeze levels, battery, and tires. Always carry jumper cables, small shovels, an ice scraper, and flares in your car.

Bundle up in Layers

Winter means warm clothes, and nothing keeps you warmer better than layers. Make sure your children wear several layers, like t-shirts, sweaters, and jackets, during cold snaps. A good rule for youngsters is to add one more layer than you wear yourself. Keep plenty of hats, gloves, and scarves on hand for bundling up. If you live in an area that expects snow, make sure your family members all have snow boots.

Before the first snowfall, buy a sled. The plastic ones are inexpensive and offer hours of fun for kids and adults. Also, keep plenty of board games on hand and extra batteries for electronic games in anticipation of days when staying indoors is your only choice. Know the signs of hypothermia and frostbite. If you’re shivering, it’s time to go in.

Follow these tips, and remember to bundle up and stay safe this winter.

When a person finally reaches the point at which he or she retires, it really is a milestone. If you have someone in your life that is getting ready to retire, you likely are wondering what type of gift to give. There are seven categories from which an ideal retirement gift can be drawn.

Years of Service Gift

For generations, the most common type of retirement gift was one focused on years of service. This type of gift oftentimes was given by an employer. However, that was during a time period when most people spent the greater part of their working lives in one, or perhaps two, jobs.

With that noted, a years of service gift is still a solid choice, even if it doesn’t officially or formally come from an employer. This type of gift could come from family, friends, or colleagues and will still have a nice impact.

Examples of years of services gifts include things like a watch or some type of jewelry. Silver is a solid choice when it comes to this type of years of service gift.

Hobby Gift

If the new retiree enjoys some type of hobby, a gift related to that endeavor is wise choice. People have a wide range of hobbies in this day and age, some of which are easier to find an appropriate gift. For example, if a person is a wine connoisseur, you will likely be able to come up with some obvious options.

If your associate has a hobby you are not particularly familiar with, reach out to that person. Ask him or her what type of item would be highly useful in the pursuit of that hobby.

Travel Gift

If the retiree is fond of travel, or has indicated a desire to spend time traveling once retired, considering giving the individual some type of travel gift. Examples of these types of gifts include luggage, passport holder, or personalized luggage tags. Books about possible travel destinations are solid ideas.

Depending on your relationship with the retiree, and your own budgetary considerations, giving a trip is a wonderful gift for a retiree. If the cost of a trip is beyond your own budget, odds are you will be able to organize people to collectively buy this type of gift for a retiree.

Experiences Gift

By the time many people reach retirement age, they have accumulated a good deal of “stuff.” Another idea for a perfect retirement gift is something from the experiences category.

Examples of what you can consider giving from the experiences category includes tickers to a concert, theatre, or sporting event. A gift certificate to a nice restaurant is another idea.

You can take one of two approaches when you give an experience gift. First, you can take the retiree and his or her significant other, if there is one, to the experience. Second, you can purchase tickets and let the retiree plan the specifics with whoever he or she would like to take.

Industry Gift

Another category of retirement recognition is the industry gift. As the name suggests, this type of gift is something associated with the industry or profession in which the person worked. This type of gift does hearken back to days gone by when an industry gift was more commonplace. As with a years of service gift, some years ago, this type of gift was quite commonly given by an employer as a means of commemorating the work of a retiree.

Charitable Contribution Gift

Many people heading into retirement have spent at least part of their working career in support of some type of charitable organization, at least in some manner. In other words, there is a strong possibility that the retiree has what is best described as a favorite charity.

If that is the case, you might want to consider making a contribution to a particular charity on behalf of the retiree. If the retiree doesn’t seem to have a favorite charity, you could ask the individual if there is one he or she would like to see a donation go.

Social Gift

This is something of a derivation of the experience gift. A social gift oftentimes is something added to another type of gift.

In basic terms, a social gift is one in which you invite the retiree to join you for something like lunch or dinner at some point in the future. You could be creative and make a coupon which the retiree can redeem at some point in the future for a social connection of some sort.

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Jessica Kane is a writer for Silver Superstore, home of the internet’s best flatware.

For those of you reading who were teachers before or are teachers now, the thought of going into a classroom full of kids was frightening to say the least. You didn’t have any class management experience and although you were taught many strategies, by the time you got to the door of the room, you had forgotten them all. Parents have the same issues when trying to control their kids and there are times when you are not sure what is appropriate and what is not.

Most of us learned how to manage the class as we went along, but those first few months were a nightmare. Thankfully, it doesn’t have to be like that anymore and if it is your intention to get yourself involved in child care in Canberra then you should read on, to get some invaluable tips on how to instill discipline when you are dealing with sensitive children.

Try To Use Your Normal Voice

This is easier said than done, as we need to raise our voices to get above the din that is children screaming and running around the classroom. At some point, we will lose our voices due to this and it isn’t the best way to get your student’s attention. If you want your student to talk in low, soft tones, then you, too, need to talk like that. You should use different tones when you are asking about different things. If you want the students to put away their toys and return to the mat, then use a matter of fact tone. If you want to ask them questions and would like responses, then use an inviting tone. Check out more articles for tips on how to adjust your voice in the classroom.

 Only Talk When The Students Are Quiet

It’s difficult and you have to fight the real temptation to talk. After all, you are there to educate and to impart knowledge and you should be talking, but only when they are quiet and they are listening to you. Wait for them to be quiet and if they aren’t, then wait a little longer. After a while, the students will notice and will tell the others to be quiet also. Just be patient and the kids will eventually stop talking and begin to listen. 

Use Body Language And Hand Signals

Little things like raising your hand and establishing eye contact with your students helps to calm down a rowdy classroom and it may take a while for them to catch on to this, but it will happen. Turning the lights on and off is a sure way to get their attention and it can also be used as a countdown to the end of a test or an assignment. Clapping your hands also works.

More importantly, make sure that your lesson is planned and is fun. There is nothing worse than a bored student and having thirty of them in one place is even harder to handle. Talk less and allow your students to talk more.

When you become a parent, suddenly the idea of flying becomes a lot more stressful. Not only do you have to worry about getting to your gate on time, you also have to worry about getting there with your kids in tow. Booking business class flights can take away some of the stress since you have more space to move around, but it also means that you have to worry about annoying your fellow passengers, who have paid thousands of dollars to enjoy the privilege of travelling in peace and quiet.

If you’re planning to book a premium ticket for your family, here are some tips for flying business class with a toddler.

Bring things to do

You’ll want to keep them occupied as much as possible, so pack a holdall with colouring books, puzzles and a tablet loaded with movies and TV shows they like. Yes there are 20” entertainment screens with noise cancelling headsets, but perhaps the selection of kids movies onboard might not be very extensive.

Take advantage of the business class perks

Flying business class means you’ll have a larger baggage allowance, which means you can bring as much stuff as you need for the kids. You’ll also benefit from dedicated check-in desks and priority lanes, make the whole airport experience a little more relaxed. Your airline may even provide you with a chauffeur driven car to the airport, so take advantage of this if you can.

Arrive to the airport early

Give yourself plenty of time at the airport so you’re not rushing through the airport like the McAllisters in Home Alone! By arriving early you’ll be more relaxed, which means they’ll be more relaxed too. You’ll usually have access to the business class lounges, which sometimes have kids facilities to keep your toddler entertained.

Check if you can pre-order kids meals

Some airlines will provide special kids meals in business class, while others have a more limited selection. You can call up the airline before your flight to check, but it may also be worth bringing some snacks just in case they’re not so sure of the food.

Choose two seats together

Often business class is organised in a 1-2-1 layout, which means there are two seats together in the middle, and single seats next to the windows. If you wish to be seated near your child then you’ll want to choose the middle seats – the privacy divider will come down so you can easily pass things over to them. Of course one of the brilliant things about business class is the seats are incredibly roomy, so you don’t have to worry about them kicking the seats in front. The seats also convert into fully flat beds, so you can change them into pyjamas and put them down to sleep. You’ll usually be given an amenity kit with perfumes and skincare products, but sometimes airlines also provide special kits and toys for the children too.

Flying business class with a toddler isn’t easy – the last thing you want is them running around the cabin during the flight. Some parents may gasp in horror at the thought of traveling with kids in the front end of the plane, but if you know they can be well behaved then there’s no reason why you shouldn’t fly business class on your next family vacation. With plenty of space, noise cancelling headsets and a catalogue of entertainment, your kids will soon settle down and enjoy the flight.