love bomb

This week's love bomb recipient came from our team member, Sondra and it's for little Stella Joy. Sondra gives the story best:

" A few short weeks ago they arrived at Sick Kids Hospital thinking that their 2 year old daughter had an inner ear infection. They left the hospital with a diagnosis of brainstem glioma, a fatal inoperable brain tumour giving her only 3-6 months to live. They have both taken a leave of their jobs to relish in the time left with their beautiful daughter and I know that an outpouring of love and support would help them be held in love as they move through these months. There is little more to say but that a love bomb would be a small bubble of support in a pool of sorrow."

So, my lovely little love-tastic love bombing baby-cakes, let's drop the bomb on this post: http://stellabrunermethven.com/index.php?id=85 where Michi talks about knowing that acording to doctor's Stella will die this fall.


May you all have a lovely weekend, and as always, 'Keep smilin'...keep shinin', knowing you can always count on me. Fore sure. That's what friends are foooooooor, yeah.

Via/Katie

The origin of some popular Halloween traditions

Pumpkins
Many historians believe that Halloween's origins come from Scottish and Irish festivals. But whereas these Celtic nations carved Halloween jack-o'-lanterns from humble turnips, the Americans opted to use pumpkins to fashion Halloween decorations from. Perhaps it's the pumpkins size and colour which now makes it a more popular Halloween item than the rather bland looking turnip.
US ‘home-haunters'

Not content with merely putting up decorations, many American ‘home-haunters' painstakingly construct amateur Halloween displays in their front gardens. The US love of constructing a DIY ghost train ride near their front door is yet to catch on this side of the Atlantic, but Brits, and particularly British children, certainly love Halloween – we just have a different way of showing it!
Last Halloween, Waitrose reported selling 13 per cent more pumpkin-carving kits and 676 (yes, 676) per cent more pumpkins – enough to make a lot of pumpkin soup!

The origins of Halloween

Halloween is thought to have evolved from an ancient Celtic festival known as Samuin (variously pronounced as sow-an or sow-in). The Samuin festival marked the end of the harvest festival. It is a time when the Gaels believed the dead could come back to life to damage carefully-cultivated crops.

Bats

Bonfires are believed to have been a big part of the festival. The fires attracted insects and the insects attracted bats – hence bats have become an important Halloween symbol; one which is found on many festive decorations.

Costumes

And if you think the wearing of Halloween costumes is a modern tradition then think again – evidence exists that the superstitious Gaels wore special dress in an attempt to mimic the evil spirits who lurked near the bonfires. Some think that the costumes were donned to mimic the malicious spirits – a provocative activity! The custom of dressing up in costumes became very widespread once more in Scotland around the late 19th century.

Robert Burns and Halloween

The Scots revival of the Halloween tradition owes much to the popularity of a Robert Burns' poem called Halloween which was used as inspiration for those holding Halloween celebrations.

Apples

The Burns poem makes reference to an ancient superstition that if a young woman ate an apple in front of a mirror on Halloween the face of the man she would end up marrying would appear. Young women who don't wish to know their marital fate might find the alternative Halloween tradition of apple-bobbing a lot less stressful!
Many historians believe that Halloween's origins come from Scottish and Irish festivals. But whereas these Celtic nations carved Halloween jack-o'-lanterns from humble turnips, the Americans opted to use pumpkins to fashion Halloween decorations from. Perhaps it's the pumpkins size and colour which now makes it a more popular Halloween item than the rather bland looking turnip.

Tips for new moms

Being a new mom is hard and difficult, especially with no sleep! Although most people are well intentioned, many moms get less than helpful advice from others. Below are some tips that I came up with that are hopefully helpful! Some tips are common sense and some you have probably heard before.
Take a nap when baby naps. Common sense, we've all heard it before. But how many new moms really do this? It is so important to try and sleep when baby sleeps.
Make homemade baby food if you can. Making your own baby food is easy, less expensive than jars, and healthier! I have done both- purchased baby food and made baby food. You can save a lot of money by doing it yourself.
When in doubt, call the pediatrician. Usually a pediatrician has an on call service that will direct you to a nurse line. You can ask the nurse questions and explain the situation, all for free. The nurse will be able to tell you if you need to make an emergency trip.

Although babies are unpredictable and you NEED to be flexible, try to create a schedule for yourself and baby even if you don't follow it. This will help you stay a little more organized.
Don't forget to take pictures or video of your baby.

Don't be ashamed to ask for help. If you feel like you need a break or just need to take a nap, call someone or arrange time for somebody to come over.
Don't worry about your house staying spotless. Your house WILL NEVER be spotless again until your children are older to clean up for themselves. Sorry, those days are over.
Make crock pot meals or eat simple. If you didn't freeze meals before you had the baby, make meals with your crock pot. It is so easy to throw food in the crock pot and let it sit all day. Eat a sandwich or salad for dinner. Nobody expects you to cook a gourmet dinner.
Babies will cry. Sometimes we don't know why they are crying. Sometimes they cry over everything because they like attention. Sometimes they are hungry. Sometimes they are overly tired and cry. Don't feel bad to put your baby in an area that is safe for a baby (like the crib) and walk away for a few minutes and catch a breath if you are getting upset.

How to have fun trick-or-treating

Trick-or-treating is so memorable; waiting for a door to open while dressed in a Halloween costume is so exciting for young ones.

Yellow Moon has lots of trick-or-treat essentials which can make Halloween even more enjoyable for children. Items such as trick-or-treat gloves have fun seasonal motifs such as bats and pumpkins which can really make kids feel the part as they go door-to-door at this magical time of the year.

Halloween glitter tattoos and Halloween hand tattoos will add sparkle to the occasion and kids will want to wear them long after the festivities have ended.

Of course, doorsteps can be pretty dark at the end of October when costume-wearing kids go trick-or-treating. Eco-friendly vampire torches are so useful for children looking to have light-hearted fun in the evening; those who don't use one must be batty!

Flashing Halloween character sticks – featuring skull, witch and jack-o-lantern designs – can also light the way to hours of fun.
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Children will have their hands full if they don't prepare a method of storing all the treats they receive during a night of trick-or-treating. Pumpkin trick-or-treat buckets are easily big enough to store all their Halloween loot and conform to the Halloween theme by having a Jack-o-Lantern design.

What treats will go in the bucket? Adults can find plenty of inspiration by browsing Yellow Moon's range of trick-or-treat ideas. Halloween chocolate pumpkin balls are always welcome Halloween presents. Glow-in-the-dark bouncing eyeballs are also great fun.
What treats will go in the bucket? Adults can find plenty of inspiration by browsing Yellow Moon's range of trick-or-treat ideas. Halloween chocolate pumpkin balls are always welcome Halloween presents. Glow-in-the-dark bouncing eyeballs are also great fun.

In Scotland and Ireland it is common for children to earn their Halloween treat by performing a song, reciting a poem or telling a joke.

It is an enjoyable challenge for kids to think of songs and poems to recite on doorsteps to earn Halloween treats.

Halloween poems

Children love to come up with their own Halloween verse. Can they think of a short tale featuring traditional Halloween words such as ghost, pumpkin, bat, ghoul, spirit and spook? Once they have they could try and write a poem about it to recite on doorsteps.

There are plenty of great children's Halloween books which can provide inspiration for young poem and song-reciting trick-or-treaters.

Big Pumpkin by Erica Silverman is one such book. This tale is about a witch who grows the world's biggest pumpkin but has her plans for making a pumpkin pie thwarted when she can't remove it from its vine. Can the ghost, the vampire, the mummy or the bat help her move it?

Halloween jokes

If children would rather tell a joke than recite a poem then the good news is that there are plenty of Halloween jokes out there.

Below is a selection of the best ones; let's hope there isn't a ghostly silence after the jokes are told!

How do you make a witch itch?

Take away her ‘w'!

Why didn't the skeleton go to the party?

Because he had no body to go with!

What should you give a ghost who can't see?

Spooktacles!

How to Teach Your Child Positive Thought Skills

Parents understand the value of teaching their children math skills, the alphabet, tying their shoes and instilling social skills. What is less obvious is that children also need assistance in learning positive patterns of thought.
Here are five ways to teach your child the skills of positive thought.
Teach an Attitude of Appreciation.Teach your child positive thought patterns of appreciation and love as they go through their day. In the animated storybook, "Goodnight Moon," a little bunny says good night to all the items in his room before going to sleep. This attitude of appreciation will go a long way toward role-modeling for happy, healthy children.
Make a Game of Finding Things to Appreciate. When you are riding in the car, upon waking, meal time or going about your day, bring up things to appreciate and have fun doing it. Use the first letter of the alphabet to find things to appreciate around you or use your imagination. Rhyming appreciations or singing them are also fun ways to learn. The animated storybook, "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?" uses rhymes to teach colors.

Use Uplifting, Positive Words in Conversations. Examples of positive words are enjoy, love, sweet, precious, fun, smile, and wonderful. Affirmations are statements that are repeated often. Repeat positive phases throughout the day that you would like to reinforce. The encouraging book, "I Think I Can," uses a repetitive thought pattern to reinforce a desired outcome.
Watch Positive Movies and Read Positive Books. How we feel throughout the day is the direct result of what we think about or surround ourselves with. Our thoughts determine how happy we are from moment to moment. The images and words we immerse ourselves with are very important to our current moods. Teach your child to think the best thoughts they can in any situation. The Sesame Street book, "Everybody Dance," as well as many other books and movies make life fun and interesting.
Talk about Positive Outcomes, instead of things to avoid or fearful outcomes. Talk about safety, security, happiness, respect, freedom, peace of mind, clarity and health. Be more a solution thinker than a problem thinker. Thinking about negative outcomes in our mind causes stress. Thinking about positive outcomes is a major cause of hope and happiness.
Everyday parents role-model patterns of thought to their children. Teach your child positive thought skills. Positive thought skills is something fun to learn and practice together.

Easy Tips For Potty Training For Girls

Parents have a special moment when they are with their little ones and those remain as sweet memories for them for their entire life. Most parents think that potty training toddlers is quite difficult. You love to be with your little ones but when it comes to changing the diapers of the child and that too the dirty ones it becomes really difficult. Now to help parents and ease their work there are so many potty training programs available for parents online. All the parents go through this problem when they have to clean their little one's potty and wish if they could get some alternative way wherein they did not have to do this.

When you are raising your toddler it can be the most difficult work for you. So it is important to take interest in the potty training girls for your little one. Before that you must know whether your little one is ready to take the potty training. If you compare a toddler girl with a toddler boy then you will notice that boys generally take long time to get trained than girls. There is another reason why potty training toddlers takes long time. This is because the parents start training when their kids are physically or emotionally not ready. Some parents think that diapers are better than the potty training because they think that to teach something forcibly may damage their psychology.

To know if your baby girl is ready for the potty training you must go through a checklist and this is the first step in giving your baby an effective training. Once you know that she is ready then you can give her the training. You must focus on the timing of the training as well when you are training your little girl. You must properly plan the routine of your little girl when you are deciding for potty training girls. If the training is not planned properly it can be stressful and difficult job for both parents and kids. Secondly parents must be patient while dealing with their kid's efforts to learn something new.

It is necessary to use good equipment for your toddler when you are beginning with potty training toddlers. Make sure your little girl is comfortable when she is doing this and avoid using the toilets that the adults use. You can get an adapter seat that can easily get attached to the regular toilet's top. You must give your toddler a good training about the adapter so that she can use it easily. Most parents look forward for the potty training for their little ones even though this is a difficult task. If you follow the steps of training properly then it will not be irritating and difficult.

September photo contest!

Prizes: $25 gift card from bath and body works. AND (if you're in the Central PA area, a FREE 1 hour photoshoot.

RULES:
001. You must go "LIKE" http://www.facebook.com/asrojuan

002. Only enter ONE picture

003. You may ask friends, family, coworkers etc to vote. HOWEVER they may only vote ONCE. They must be a fan of the page to vote.

004. Please include your name and facebook addy when you enter.

005. All photos must be sent in by September 10th 2011.

006. Please send all pictures to hellobabydollz@gmail.com