Adopting Healthy Habits for Successful Delivery by Katie Moore

 This picture is borrowed from itestdna.blogspot.com

The thought of delivery day is one that is welcomed with excitement and a few nerves. This day represents the culmination of months of waiting and preparation, as well as the beginning of a new bond between mother and child that will last a lifetime. There are tons of preparations to make for the big day and weeks thereafter, but the good news is most of the important preparations can begin much earlier.

Healthy Diet

Delivering a healthy baby is a direct result of a healthy mother. Prenatal vitamins and regular check-ups, as requested by the obstetrician or other health provider, are the backbone of preparing for delivery day, but there are other things to do and research as well. Keeping a well balanced diet and adding about 300 extra calories to your diet around the start of your second trimester are what is recommended during pregnancy.

Exercise for Pregnancy

Whether labor turns out to be a marathon or sprint, it can be beneficial to adopt a physical fitness routine as soon as possible. There are a few instances that will prohibit the suggested moderate-intensity aerobics, and this is why discussing any exercise regime you would like to pursue with your doctor is an important part before beginning it.

Those new to regular fitness should definitely seek instruction from exercise classes tailored to pregnancy. Whether it is yoga, dance or water aerobics, mom and baby will gain many short-term benefits. These include a reduction in fatigue, easing up of nausea and other digestive problems, and more relaxing sleep patterns.

Meditation

Meditation offers numerous benefits to expectant mothers during their pregnancy and labor. Meditation is not a medicine, but rather a state of mind and many expectant mothers can find meditation to be calming and a helpful way to cope with any pain or nerves. There are classes that teach how to properly meditate during pregnancy and labor; the benefits of meditation will be lasting postnatal as well.

Pregnancy Classes

New mothers and even experienced mothers will benefit from attending classes geared toward the different stages of pregnancy. This is a great time to meet other moms and share information about resources and procedures. These classes are typically run by experts who are ready to answer all the questions or know where to find the answers. They teach about what to expect during labor and ways to help prepare you for delivery day. They also may offer explanations of circumcision or procedures like cord blood banking (click here for more information from Viacord), which allows a family to collect and store their baby’s umbilical cord blood at a private facility, as a potential future medical resource for the child or a sibling.

Having reliable information and being both physically and emotionally prepared are the best ways to reduce delivery day stress. Stress reduction is the key to a healthy delivery and a quick recovery!

This article was written by Katie Moore. Katie is an active writer within the blogging community who discusses maternity, motherhood, prenatal health, childbirth and other topics within this niche.  If you have any questions or would like to connect with Katie please contact her via twitter @moorekm26.

Giving Old Things a New Life

Hello!
Long time no hear... I've been so busy with stuff lately that I totally neglected my blog. Sorry!

Today I spent some time with my family checking out estate and moving sales. We're looking for some stuff and are always trying to buy second-hand, as we say in Europe.
In my case it's a Bernina sewing machine,or ideally sewing/embroidery machine, my husband is always looking for percussion stuff, and our boys are in the Star Wars mode at the moment.
A decent sewing machine at a private sale you might ask? Well, let me tell you my story about me and my sewing machines: I wanted to own one for the longest time and was waiting for one to just "fall in my lap". I got a vintage Singer from a fellow freecycler and couldn't be any happier.
But, the Singer and I, let's just say we didn't get along. Not at all. I spend quite some money on repairs and tune-ups, and still had a problem whenever I started a project, so the Singer had to go.
Soon after, I got my beloved "new" sewing machine, a Husqvarna Oscar, for $100! Including a high-end Horn sewing cabinet. From an estate sale. I'm not kidding!

I love my machine. But since I'm expanding my sewing, I want to upgrade to a machine that can do more. So I keep my eyes open. And until I find one (and I will!), I look for vintage bedding and such to give them a new life.
Today I found a really nice bed skirt in pink colors that will become beautiful doll cloths.
I also found this weird piece of fabric that I don't even know what it used to be. Heavy duty, white, with some velcro on it. I made a dust cover for my sewing machine, for the times when it's not sitting in the cabinet.

The point is don't just throw out unwanted things. Even if it has a hole, stain, or you just don't like it anymore - try to make something new out of it or find somebody who will do that. Or, if it's still usable, donate it, freecycle it, or even sell it. Let's keep it out of the landfill as long as we can!

3 Tips for Greener Outdoor Living in 2012 by Tina Foreman

With 2012 finally here, we’ve all probably got a few New Years resolutions we’ve made. For some it’s to lose those extra pounds, for others it’s to make more time for themselves, and some are even resolving to be more eco friendly around the home. If you fall into that last category, you’re in luck, because that’s what we’re going to talk about today. Here are 3 tips to help you be greener in your backyard for 2012.

Garden & Compost

Growing your own fruits and vegetables is one of the easiest ways to help the environment and a fun project for the whole family. By growing your own food, you help cut down on carbon emissions and don’t have to deal with any preservatives or insecticides on what you’re eating. And if you garden, it makes sense to go ahead and start composting. This is an easy task that only required a compost bin to get started. Simply fill it with stuff like egg cartons, newspaper, needles from your Christmas tree, and other compostable materials, and you’ll have a natural fertilizer to keep your garden thriving all year long.

Buy Recycled

Looking to redo your outdoor furniture or add a few new accessories to the patio? Then make sure you buy items made from recycled materials. Recycled used to have a negative connotation when it came to furniture items, but that’s no longer the case, as more manufacturers than ever are scheduled to release recycled lines this spring. The designs have come a long way, looking just as good as non-recycled models, so you’re not limited to dry, boring pieces. The lack of maintenance makes them attractive as well, as plastic only needs a good hosing down every once in a while to keep its appearance nice. It’s furniture that will last you for years and give everyone a comfortable place to relax, and you can be happy knowing you’re helping the environment by purchasing it.

Go Solar

The past few years have seen the explosion of solar outdoor accessories and 2012 shows no signs of that slowing down. Solar technology has come quite a long way since its beginnings, with those old, limited designs and low lighting power. Today, tons of popular outdoor items have solar models – everything from wind chimes to bird baths to Christmas lights! The advantages of solar are numerous. For example, the lack of wires means you’re not limited in where you can place your items by where the closest outlet is. Another big one is how it cuts down on the electric bill, as saving money is something everyone’s trying to do more of these days. Solar items look good, they save money, and they reduce energy use – what more could you want?

If you’re looking to make some green changes to your outdoor living space in 2012, keep these 3 tips in mind. They’ll help you create a thriving, environmentally friendly paradise right in your own backyard!

About The Author – Tina Foreman is a writer with Outdoor Living and always keeps up with the latest in green home design. For more on items like plastic planters, solar fountains, gardening supplies, or a picnic bench, visit OutdoorLiving.com.

Happy 2012!

Wishing everybody a very Happy 2012!!!

Here some quick earth-friendly tips for a greener start into the new year:

• Serve home-cooked meals
• Use re-usable dishes and glasses (there's re-usable plastic out there, for example Preserve
• Don't buy cheap China-made decorations in the dollar store that you'll throw out the next day. Instead, get creative with what you have or what you can use over and over again
• For the new year, try to decrease the amount of garbage you create (buy bulk, compost, buy less in general, pass on what you no longer need instead of throwing them out)
• Do one good thing in the old year. My boys and I rescued two abandoned puppies yesterday! But anything, big or small counts! 

Be safe! 

Mario MANIA - again!

Hi everybody - I hope you had wonderful holidays!
We kept it simple and as green as possible with home cooked meals, very few presents, wrapping with re-used gift wrap and/or re-usable fabrics, online holiday cards and so on.
I believe in self-made gifts whenever possible, so our sons got one-of-a-kind crocheted dolls - Mario and Luigi - under the tree. It took me about 15 hours to finish these, and I'm very happy to say that the boys love them.

To see more of the stuff I've done, check out the "GarbArt or Recycled Art" section on top of the blog, or click here


I'm very happy to pronounce that Lili, Meili and Beau at 33 Watchung Plaza in Montclair is selling some of my dolls.

Happy New Year to everybody!

Self Made Holiday Cards

I must admit - I love getting cards in the mail. It's just different to get a real greeting that you can display in your home rather than looking at it on the computer.
This year I wasn't able to send out real cards, unfortunately, due to a very unexpected trip out of the country from which we returned only a few days ago, so I'll have to send online greetings to family and friends this year.
I still needed a bunch of cards for teachers etc.though and just wasn't able to find my stock of holiday cards (must be the jet leg... don't you hate it when you know exactly that you own something but aren't able to locate it in your, um, messy home?!)

So, instead of buying cards (how boring, anyway!) I looked around in my house for what I could use to create new cards out of old stuff.
Here are a few I came up with:

These first two cards are cut-outs from holiday gift bags that ripped and therefore are not re-usable anymore.
I made some other cards from old cards (you know, I save everything, much to the dismay of my family :-). Unfortunately the cards are sealed in envelopes and I forgot to take pictures. Just wanted to throw out some ideas - get creative! Find festive motives from used cards, magazines, gift bags - whatever you can think of, cut it out and glue or sew it onto cardboard (recycled, if you can), and stick it into an envelope. Voila - you have a one-of-a-kind greeting card!

The next three cards are made of fabric scraps. I machine-stitched around the shape and around the edge of recycled cardboard. The envelopes are made from fabric scraps as well, but if you do something like this, you might just as well take a "normal" paper envelope.

On another note: the lucky winner of the Made From Earth holiday giveaway is Laurie. Congratulations!
Laurie, please send your address to YourGreenerFuture@gmail.com so I can forward it to Made From Earth and thanks for participating!


Happy Holidays to everyone!

Holiday Giveaway MADE FROM EARTH!

Hi!
It's been a while - things are hectic with the holiday season coming up, I'm sure you can all relate.
If you're looking for a gift, either for someone else or yourself, I have a suggestion: check out Made From Earth's Vitamin Enhanced Moisturizer!
A few months back I wrote a post about this company's products (click here to read it and to re-freshen your memory about things to avoid in cosmetic products).

Let me tell you - it's not easy to find a trustworthy company that sells trustworthy stuff nowadays. There's hidden chemicals and toxins in almost everything I take the time to really check out.
A little while ago I was lucky enough to receive Made From Earth prime product, the Vitamin Enhanced Moisturizer. Just like with the other products I tested months ago, I wasn't disappointed in this one, either.
The list of ingredients is short and you'll know and will be able to pronounce everything you read there, the product is 100% vegan and it feels and smells really, really nice.

I get a lot of requests to review products on the blog lately. And I'm not easy to please :-)
So far, Made From Earth is the only product I actually did review (for all the others I wouldn't have too much good things to say). Give it a try and check it out. They deliver worldwide!

One lucky reader will be getting a Vitamin Enhanced Moisturizer FOR FREE!

All you need to do is
* leave a comment on the blog site directly or on Your Greener Future Facebook page saying what your favorite natural skin care product is and why, plus
* Like Made From Earth on Facebook and/or follow Made from Earth on Twitter.

Contest ends on Tuesday, December 20 at midnight Eastern Standard time and is open to participants worldwide. Good luck!