For the Smart Money Cookie

All of us want to help, protect, and shield our children from life’s daily disappointments. How can we give constructive advice, to a child, without being remembered as one of their worst critics? Any negative comment we make has a “ripple effect” and can turn into long-term hostility.

Unfortunately, some adults will criticize a child far too often and any “good intentions,” are turned into a variety of bad feelings, within the child’s mind. So, giving advice is a very precise skill.

If your child is sensitive, and most people are, the criticism of today will shape his or her perception of situations for life. Parents and teachers have to use negative reinforcement rarely and carefully.

After all, we cannot reward children for bad behavior. This is a form of “inconsistent reinforcement.” This can “backfire”, and you can eventually have a situation where any reaction you have doesn’t matter.

So where do you start? Firstly, realize that any time you spend with your child is valuable. The younger a child is, the more your words will have an effect. So, you can salvage a relationship at any age, but it is better to start now.

If you must give advice, there is a technique called “sandwiching,” which will keep your relationship intact. If you see where you could be of help, but want to retain a relationship of trust, you should try this method.

Here is an example of how you could use sandwiching to give a suggestion, without having your intentions misinterpreted. Let’s say your daughter finishes her book report; you have time to read it, and it has more than a few typos. You know she could get a better grade with a little improvement. So what do you do?

Compliment her about the fact that she finished her project on time. Then, gently point her toward a word processing program and the many functions that will make written work look much better. Finally, praise her for the content of her report. Notice that the formula: “Praise-advise-praise,” will work every time.

Children love recognition from adults, and with this simple formula, you can gently guide most children toward success. Due to overzealous criticism, some parents and teachers, who are insensitive, and too frank, often experience rebellion from children. Therefore, giving advice is a diplomatic skill that needs constant improvement. If you take the time to do this, your success rate will be extraordinary.

Paul Jerard is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center, in North Providence, RI. He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995. He is a master instructor of martial arts, with multiple Black Belts, four martial arts teaching credentials, and was recently inducted into the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame. He teaches Yoga, martial arts, and fitness to children, adults, and seniors in the greater Providence area. Recently he wrote: Is Running a Yoga Business Right for You? For Yoga students, who may be considering a new career as a Yoga teacher. http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html

How much weight gain is normal during pregnancy, and will you continue to have weight gain after pregnancy?

How will the link between pregnancy and metabolism affect how you’ll be losing weight after pregnancy?

Understand what causes excessive weight gain during pregnancy, and…

You won’t have any problems with excessive weight gain while you’ve been pregnant.

Will you get fat by having children?

Whether you’ll have weight gain during and after pregnancy is a choice, because it’s totally within your control once you understand what’s really going on, however…

Most women do have weight problems because of bearing children, and the reason is simply malnutrition. Strange but True!

The first thing you have to understand about pregnancy, is that the baby comes first. That’s a “Survival Issue”. Once you get pregnant, everything is geared for the survival and health of the baby.

If it wasn’t that way, we would not have survived as a Species!

What does the Baby Need?

In order to grow properly and be born healthy the baby is going to need lots of Nutrients, Vitamins, Minerals, Enzymes, etc…

If you provide these nutrients in order to grow a Healthy Baby, no problems, but if you don’t…

The baby will take what it needs from the mother’s body, and if that happens, you’re going to have “Two Problems”:

1. You’re going to be hungry all the time if you don’t provide the baby with what Nutrients it needs, so you’re going to overeat and have much more weight gain during pregnancy than you need to.

2. The baby is going to extract whatever Nutrients it can from your body, which is going to do a real number on your metabolism.

Now you have Two Problems!

First of all, you’re going to have excessive weight gain during pregnancy, which means that instead of gaining the normal 25 to 30 Lbs, you could gain up to 50 Lbs or more, and…

The extra weight, is weight which will be very hard to get rid of after pregnancy, because…

Secondly, your body has been drained of stored nutrients, which means that now, you probably have a slow metabolism, so instead of easily losing the weight after pregnancy…

You’ll probably continue to have weight gain after pregnancy also.

Heaven forbid if you get pregnant again.

The answer is very simple!

Just eat only healthy food so that you provide all the nutrients which your baby needs and you’ll have no problems.

You need to have good variety in your diet, and just get the healthiest food that you can buy. That’s a Win-Win situation, for both you and your baby, otherwise you both suffer, because…

Your baby could be unhealthy, and you could get fat for the rest of your life, or at least have a real hard time getting rid of the excess fat.

What’s Normal Weight Gain During Pregnancy?

In a normal pregnancy, you should have a weight gain during pregnancy of about 25 to 30 Lbs or a little more depending on the situation.

Lets say that you give birth to a baby that’s about 7 to 8 Lbs. Increased blood volume can be another 3 to 4 Lbs, and increased fluid volume can be another 2 to 3 Lbs.

Then the Amniotic fluid and a larger uterus can add an extra couple of Lbs each, plus larger breasts can weigh an extra 1 to 3 Lbs and the Placenta can weigh 1 to 2 Lbs.

On top of that, your body could store away anywhere from 6 to 8 Lbs of fat. (That’s a survival feature in case of famine).

Add it all up and you could have a weight gain during pregnancy of anywhere from 24 to 32 Lbs, but that’s nothing to fear, because very little of that is fat, and…

If you nourish both you and the baby during pregnancy, then your metabolism will remain normal, and you’ll have no problems with weight loss after pregnancy.

What’s Healthy Eating During Pregnancy?

This subject could cover many Volumes all by itself, but to keep it simple…

Eating healthy during pregnancy is no different than when you’re not pregnant, lots of fresh fruits and vegetables (organic if possible), and stay off the “Junk Foods”.

It’s not Rocket Science!

Go easy on the meats, and especially stay away from the cultured meats because most of them contain lots of Sulfites and Nitrites as preservatives and these are very unhealthy for adults let alone your baby.

Read the ingredients in all processed foods for these preservatives also, because they are very pervasive.

Take Top Quality Supplements

Since most of the foods available in the supermarkets today, are very deficient in nutrients, it’s important to take top quality supplements which your body can absorb.

However…

Only about 3 to 5% of most Vitamin and Mineral Supplements available on the market today are absorbed by the body and are a total waste of money.

The same Super Supplements which we recommend to our weight loss students are great for when you’re pregnant, because these are not weight loss products, but general Supplements, which…

Help people to become more nutritionally satisfied. If you’re more nutritionally satisfied, you’ll eat less automatically, and that’s why people lose weight while becoming healthier.

By giving better nutrition to you and your baby, you won’t have nearly as many cravings, and you’ll eat a lot less junk. This way, not only is it better for your baby, but you won’t have so much excess weight gain during pregnancy.

Don’t Diet Whatsoever

We don’t recommend dieting whatsoever, even for weight loss, but it’s especially important that you don’t go on a diet to try and prevent weight gain during pregnancy, because…

Your baby needs all the nutrients it can get in order to develop a healthy body.

Even if you’re overweight, when you’re pregnant is not the time to try to lose weight. Losing weight after pregnancy is the best.

Eating healthy and taking top quality supplements during pregnancy will help to keep your metabolism normal so that you won’t have abnormal weight gain while pregnant.

Register for the Slim America Project!

Even if weight loss is not an issue for you right now, do register for the Slim America Project, because you’ll learn how to eat healthier, what supplements to take, and just as important…

How to have your baby, without excess weight gain during pregnancy. That way, you won’t have a problem with weight loss after pregnancy.

Your baby deserves the very best that you can give it, and you are the only one that is in total control of its Future Life.

Armand Dupuis is a Personal Trainer, Lecturer, Teacher, &
Permanent Weight Loss Specialist, who has been a Serious
Researcher into Human Consciousness for 5 Decades.

Mr. Dupuis has presently specialized his Teachings, into
a powerful permanent and “free” Weight Loss System, and
Information is available on his Web Site.
http://www.slimamericaweightlossproject.com/ea

A common gripe in a stepfamily is that people feel they’re not being listened to.

We’re all busy and there is often a lot to be communicated in a stepfamily. It’s really important for everyone to have a say and be listened to. Equal amount of airtime can makes a huge difference too.

In our family, the after school, evening mealtime is the first time the four of us came together in the day. This means that we all have things to tell each other or ask and, in the past, it often resulted in everyone interrupting and bitty, unfinished conversations.

After eating we’d clear up and put away (our children have always been involved with this) and we’d all leave the kitchen. I often felt frustrated or fed-up at being interrupted and unheard. Most nights I also felt exhausted.

So my partner and I decided to make a few subtle changes. Rather than something that we just wanted to get done and out of the way we made our dinner a more social experience.

We asked them to lay the table, including glasses and a water jug and we decided to serve the food at the table.

To encourage a decent conversation we each wrote on a small piece of paper something that we wanted to talk about over dinner. The paper was folded and placed in a bowl.
Then one by one we pulled out a note and had a conversation about it. We decided we’d go around the table twice to see what everyone thought or felt about the subject then drew the next one out.

It worked wonderfully, having everyone focused on one topic at a time. We had a lovely time. Everyone engaged and felt listened too.

An amazing unexpected benefit also occurred. We found that at the end of clearing up everyone was in less of a rush to get away. We felt like we’d had a enjoyable social experience as a family and were all really contented.

Having the children be involved with things that are happening in the home is a great benefit. If you want to have your children be more involved than they have been be sure to make any changes subtly and gently.

Let them know it’s going to happen in advance and avoid dumping things on them last minute and show respect, by making them feel part of the process when you can, by discussing changes with them before they happen - if they are old enough.
Over to you - how could you use the information in the newsletter to benefit you and your family?

Want more help?

It doesn’t need to be hard going in a stepfamily. You don’t need to feel pulled in every direction or be confused over how to deal with issues that come up. I can help you build strong relationships and a happy home. To find out how visit ==>www.TheStepfamilyCoach.com

Wishing you a happy month,

Jo
www.TheStepfamilyCoach.com

The Stepfamily Coach offers support and guidance to divorced and separated parents who are blending their family to a new family. Grab your free report “7 Secrets For Blending A Family Without The Stress And Strain” from http://www.TheStepfamilyCoach.com

Some babies go for solids in a big way right from the start, but others are more reluctant. A baby’s first taste of solid food should be exactly that, just a taste, so don’t be concerned that your little one isn’t chomping through three bowls of baby food a day at the beginning. First foods should be in addition to the milk the baby normally has, not a replacement.

The World Health Organisation recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months to avoid potential allergies, excema and asthma. All babies are different though and there are a few signs that a baby is ready for solids.

• The tongue stops thrusting everything out of the mouth
• The baby grabs food off your plate
• The baby copies you when you eat
• The baby can sit up unaided
• The baby opens its mouth for the food

If your baby isn’t interested in solids at 6 months there is some argument for trying them with a spoonful of something each day as this is supposed to be the best time for them to learn about new tastes. Some people say that if you miss this ‘tasting window’ the baby will be a fussy eater in the future.

First foods

If you are worried about allergies there is a sequence of introducing solids for the allergic child developed by Vancouver Hospital and Health Sciences Centre. It lists foods and the age at which they should be introduced. The main things to avoid at first are nuts, wheat, unpasteurised cheeses and eggs.. Baby Organix have removed gluten from their stage 1 and 2 baby foods and clearly label those that are gluten and lactose free.

So, how do you make baby food? Choose a nice looking vegetable, a carrot or a potato and steam it to within an inch of its life. Squish this through a sieve and add the milk the baby normally has until it looks like thin mush. You can steam, squish and sludge food to freeze for the future, ice cube trays are a good way to do this, just freeze and decant into plastic bags when they are solid. Banana is a great first food, just mush some up with a fork, place that bowl in another with some hot water and stir ’til it gets brown and mushy, no need to sieve.

Expressing milk

The most popular expressing pump is the Avent Isis. The easiest way to express is to do it first thing when you have the most milk. Start the baby off on one boob and when the baby activates the let down reflex unlatch it and put it on the other side. The milk should then pump quite easily but be careful not to overdo it at first or you risk sore nipples. The baby is used to and probably likes the taste of your milk so mixing it with steamed veg will make the solid food more palatable for them.

Second Stage Solids

When the baby is used to the slushy stuff you can start to introduce a bit more texture to the food, either by whizzing it to a less slushy consistency, mashing it roughly with a fork or adding flaked rice (from health food shops). Finger foods such as rice cakes or chips of steamed veg may go down well though you have to watch the baby in case it chokes. If it does choke, turn the baby upside down over your lap and give a sharpish tap to the centre of the back. This should dislodge the food. Never try to fish anything out of a babies mouth unless you are sure you can grab it as you may shove it further down the throat.

Bibs. Bowls and spoons

My 8 month old gets too distracted with bibs so I either feed him naked (him not me!), in already dirty clothes or I tie a dishcloth round his neck. Tommee Tippee sell a range of useful bowls. They have small containers with snap on lids that fit into a larger storage container with a small gap. I heat food by putting a defrosted ice cube of it into the smaller container and hot water in to the second. Stand the smaller in the larger and mix until the food is piping hot to kill off any lurking nasties then let it cool down again. You can get soft tipped heat sensitive spoons that show when the food is too hot for the baby, or you can test it on the inside of your wrist. It is handy to have 3 spoons when the baby starts to grab them. The baby grabs the first spoon, you use the second, the baby grabs the second, you use the third, the baby grabs the third, drops the first, you use the first…… this saves loads of arguments and tug of war games and I have been told it works with toast, rice cakes and slices of fruit.

Copyright Lisa Cole, http://www.lactivist.co.uk

The Mothers Milk Marketing Board at http://www.lactivist.co.uk sells pro-breastfeeding and gentle parenting advocacy slogan t-shirts and accessories for funky mums and kids.

The method know as three dimensional ultrasound is used in early pregnancy, it provides 3d images of the fetus. Most of the time these pictures are collected and joined together to created a “4d ultrasound”.

Three dimensional scanning works similarly to the usual ultrasound methods except that the ultrasound scanning pulses can be sent from many directions. The ultrasound pulses are reflected back then captured to provide info to construct a 3d picture in much the same way as 3d pictures. 3d ultasound scanning was started by stephen smith and olaf von ramm at duke university.

It is important to understand that sonologists all over the world always pictured 3d pictures of anatomy or pathology in their minds whilst doing 2d scans. However, until recently it was very difficult to do this kind of reconstruction on on info using ultasound scanning. With the introduction of baby scans for the first time allowed us a view into the thinking of a sonologist and hence letting us see the images on the ultrasound machine.

3d imaging should utilize ultrasound energy following the same limits as conventional 2d ultrasound to create the 3d images. There is no data to suggest any harm due to 3d ultasound scanning, its use in non-medical situations needs to be undertaken with the understanding that a risk may exist.

Also remember to store your new born babies umbilical cord blood cells by using people like cells4life.

The method know as three dimensional ultrasound is used during early pregnancy, it provides 3d pictures of the unborn baby. Most of the time these pictures are collated and combined and animated to produce a 4d ultrasound scan.

Three dimensional scanning works in the same way to the usual ultrasound methods except that the ultrasound pulses can be sent from many directions. The ultrasound waves are reflected back and captured and provide information to construct a 3 d image in much the same way as 3d pictures. 3 dimesional ultasound scanning was started by stephen smith and olaf von ramm at duke university.

It is important to understand that sonologists all over the world have always conjured 3d pictures of the body in their minds while doing 2d scans. However, until recently it was impossible to do this type of reconstruction on on info using ultrasound. With the introduction of ultrasound baby scans for the first time allowed us a view into the thinking of a sonologist and hence letting us view the images on the ultrasound machine.

The 3d/4d ultrasound image should utilize ultrasound energy following the same limits as conventional 2d ultrasound to create the 3d images. While there is no information of harm due to 3d ultrasound, its use in none essential situations should be undertaken with an understanding of the risks involved.

The method know as 3d ultrasound scanning is used when a woman is in early pregnancy, providing 3 d pictures of the fetus. Most times the ultrasound pictures are rapidly captured and combined and animated to produce a 4d ultrasound scan.

Three dimensional scanning works in a similar way to the normal ultrasound methods except that the ultrasound pulses can be directed from multiple directions. The waves are reflected back and captured and provide information to construct a 3d image in in the same way as 3d movies. 3d ultrasound was devised in the usa.

It’s important to understand that sonologists around the world always pictured 3d images of the body in their minds whilst doing 2d scans. However, until recently it was very difficult to do this type of reconstruction on on patient information using ultrasound. The advent of 4d baby scans for the first time allowed us a peek into the mechanics of thinking of a sonologist and so allowing us see the images on the ultrasound machine.

The 3d/4d ultrasound image should utilize ultrasound energy following the same limits as conventional 2d ultrasound to create the 3d images. While there is no information of harm due to 3d ultasound scanning, its use in none medical situations should be undertaken with the understanding that a risk may exist.