How To Help My Baby Get A Good Night's Sleep

Learning to live with a baby in the house is a big challenge for even a seasoned parent, for every baby is unique. Getting the baby to sleep well is a big factor for parents, for when baby sleeps well so do the parents. There are countless tips and hints on how to help your baby get a good night's sleep, from blackout curtains to lullabies and pacifiers. Here are a few specific tips to help you be able to help your baby settle down and sleep well. A well-rested baby is a happy baby with well rested parents.

Atmosphere

The atmosphere of where your baby sleeps is an important factor in facilitating a good night's sleep. The room should not be to warm or too cold. A cool temperature is ideal for sleeping. Warm enough for light covers or pyjamas to be comfortable yet cool enough to breathe easily and rest well. Most people sleep better under cool conditions, babies are no exception. Some babies need quiet to sleep while others sleep better when they hear muffled household sounds. Once you learn what works best for your baby, you can adjust the atmosphere accordingly.

Lighting is also something to consider in the baby's sleeping atmosphere. Most people sleep better without any bright lights shining in. All electronics and bright lights should be kept from the room when it is time to sleep. Lights shining in from outside can be blocked with blackout curtains. These curtains can also let baby sleep past the crack of dawn. Blackout curtains can be easily closed at bedtime and opened when it is time to wake.

Routine

A soothing bedtime routine can help baby wind down and get ready for sleep. This routine need not be rigid or stressful, the point is to relax both you and the baby and get the baby ready for sleep. A baby's bedtime routine can be a warm bath followed by snuggle time and a story or soft lullaby, anything that is soft and calming that allows the baby's body to relax and wind down. This is a very important part of helping your baby get a good night's sleep. A baby that is wound up cannot relax and go to sleep. This is true for most people of any age.

By setting up a comfortable sleeping space for your baby and keeping the temperature cool and the lighting low, you are setting the stage for a good night's sleep. Helping your baby get a good night's sleep can be smooth sailing with attention to atmosphere, including lighting, and routine. A well-rested baby is a healthier and happier baby—which is what all parents want for their child.

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Gift Ideas for Medical Professionals

Christmas is just around the corner. In fact, today is the first Sunday of Advent. Are you already done with your Christmas shopping list? I must admit, I haven't even started mine yet. Right now, I am looking for gift ideas.

Are you looking for gift ideas for family and friends too? If you know of someone dear to you who works in the medical field, here's something that will surely delight them and will help spread the Christmas cheer: Christmas-themed medical uniforms. Scrub tops in seasonal print is just the perfect gift for the nurses and doctors and other medical professionals.

I would even gladly buy myself one... I have always wanted to don a scrub top. In my younger days, I loved to watch my aunt who is a nurse as she leaves for work and as she hangs her uniforms. I always thought that scrub tops are cool. Wouldn't it feel freat to also be wearing one? Even if I am no medical professional, I am the official nurse in the house. Perhaps owning a scrub top won't be so bad after all.

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Gone Formal

It is nice to dress up for formal occasions once in a while. When an invitation to go to a Gala Dinner arrived, I was having second thoughts at first but then again, such events only happen once in a while, so why not? It is a Filipino event anyway so we wouldn't be bored, knowing that we have friends whom we can sit with at the table. The Gala Dinner, which was held last night at the Maritim Hotel in Stuttgart, was in honor of the Filipino Nurses who came here in Germany some forty years ago.

Since it was a formal occasion, we had to dress up for the event. I am not fond of wearing dresses and wearing make-up, and my husband is not a fan of suits and ties and leather shoes. I always feel awkward when I am wearing dresses but I guess once you are there, you realize that you need not be so self-conscious since everyone is wearing formal wear too.

Thankfully, a friend Aunt's daughter also came to the event and she helped me with my hair and make-up. I do not wear any make-up at all, nor do I have my own set of cosmetics so I was really null when it comes to putting on make-up. She applied gold eyeshadow on the corner of my eyes and also some mascara on my eyelashes. While she was putting on my make-up, I suddenly thought of women having very long eyelashes. I wonder if they are natural or they used products to grow them. My eyelashes are okay but should I want to have longer ones, I'd better read about eyelash growth products reviews. She also did my hair and braided both sides and tied it on the back of my head, Tibetan style. The make-up I can say was just light and good enough for the evening. I don't know what I would have done without her help. The make-up suddenly gave me a boost of self-confidence. Hehe!

It was a nice evening, with good music and Filipino folk dances. Dinner was also nice and delectable. The highlight of the event: the recognition of the Filipino nurses who have been serving the sick and the elderly for forty years now.

The night ended suddenly for us when our little Princess got exhausted and wanted to go home so she can sleep in our own bed. We went home exhausted but feeling nice about everything. It is not so bad to go formal once in a while after all. :)

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Affiliate Networking

"Affiliate Networking" is not a new word to me. I always read about this term in affiliate sites as well as in blogs. I have also read some emails about it, with affiliate marketers trying to convince me why theirs is the best. Unfortunately, I never really understood what it is all about. With so many affiliate marketing strategies sprouting like mushrooms on the Internet, you never know which one is for real and will give the best results.

But what is an Affiliate Network? It serves as the "middleman" between those wanting to promote their affiliate programs reach a larger audience (advertisers) and website publishers who are aiming to find and participate in affiliate programs suitable for their websites and earn income from them (publishers). One such affiliate network is Blue Global Media, a performance marketing network. Since this company started as an affiliate itself, they understand the challenges that an affiliate faces in today's competitive market so that they design their affiliate programs to produce stable results.

A program that may be of interest especially to those wanting to make most our of their payday traffic and leads is the Payday Affiliate. With this program, round the clock affiliate support is provided to affiliates. Top-performing publishers also receive weekly payments. They have a high-powered tracking and performance management as well as in-house payday offers that are optimized for the affiliate's success. These are just some of the perks that payday affiliates enjoy with this program. Interested in becoming one? You are always welcome to apply online.

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Visiting Beautiful Prague

31 October 2011. It was a cold and cloudy day when we set off for Prague. It was a four-hour drive from Stuttgart and we expect to arrive there at around three. We left at around nine in the morning so you must wonder where the remaining two hours went. Of course, we need to do some stops in between, to empty our bladder, to eat and to stretch our backs and legs. The autumn landscape of Germany and Czech Republic was really beautiful. We had no problems on the way. I could even say it was a very relaxing drive... what with the autumn scenery and the "unhurried" manner of trying to reach our destination.

Even the fallen are still beautiful...

We made a quick stop at a parking area to clean our car's windshield.
I wanted to take clearer photos on the way. Before leaving, I couldn't resist
taking a photo of the road bend with the trees lining it.

It was a little past three when we arrived. Luckily, we were able to park immediately in front of the hotel. After checking in, we went to our hotel room and refreshed a bit. Then we called home since it was Nanay Tessie's birthday. We promised to call her that day so we did. After calling, we headed out and explored Wenceslas Square and searched for a a place to eat. We discovered Chinese Fusion, a Chinese restaurant. We were too early I think since we came at around 5:30. The place was still empty. The ambiance was nice but the food wasn't impressive. It was too salty for our palate, which is an understatement for someone like me who likes her food salty.

My little princess at the Chinese restaurant.  

After dinner, we walked some more until we reached this very impressive structure which is of the neo-renaissance style. At the top end of Wenceslas Square is one of Prague's landmarks, the National Museum (Národní muzeum). The interior is unfortunately closed for renovations until June 2015 so that we were never able to experience it's inner beauty. What we were able to enjoy though was its very beautiful facade as it stands proud and staunch in the night light. Equally staunch and proud is the statue of St. Wenceslas on his horse, standing in front of the museum.

The family in front of the National Museum.

After exploring and lots of experimenting with my camera to take night shots, we walked back to our hotel. We know that the next day promises more beautiful stories and discoveries and experiences.

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Let There Be Light!

Winter is almost here and that means longer nights... Did you know that winter is the time of year when more and more people become depressed? This is because of the lack of exposure to white light. If you want to beat depression, better have as much white light in your house as possible. And to make your room look modern, try putting up contemporary ceiling lights. There are lots of modern designs available today to suit your taste that have different lamping. Whether it is incandescent, fluorescent, halogen, or Xenon. If you want to stay healthy by having a well-lighted room and at the same time create different moods in your home, invest on lighting.

Some ceiling light designs that I really love are the following:

This is a flushmount ceiling light from Robert Abbey Lighting that has incandescent lamping enclosed in a frosted white glass. It is available in three finishes: antique brass, polished nickel and deep Patina bronze.

Got artwork in a room that you want to highlight in your house? This directional lighting with halogen lamps will do the trick! With a satin nickel finish, your room will always be modern and chic!

This two light semi-flush ceiling light is convertible! You can have it installed close to the ceiling or low by attaching the chain. That is why it is also perfect for the dining room!







Take your pick and make way for a more nicely lit room this winter season!

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Shopping Made Easy

Nowadays, I do most of my shopping online. If I am doubtful about a certain product, I would first check it out in the shopping centers, taking note of the size, model, color, etc. before I make my purchase online. Why do I bother to check when I can just purchase them right there and there? This is because most of the stuff sold online are way cheaper than those sold in shopping centers. So far, this is what I have observed.

So why is it cheaper? Maybe because there is no need to rent a place to display the products in an area where there are lots of people. The number of people will also be less. And they can just use the services of another delivery company to do the delivery of the items. I am pretty sure they also have a number of barcode scanners because handling items electronically is way, way more efficient when it comes to inventory and billing.

And there is this thing called Rückgaberecht, which is the right of the customer to return a product item without any questions within fourteen days from the date of arrival to your doorstep. It is the law and is applicable not only for shopping items but also for contracts, for example a mobile phone plan. This is so that you can return the product if it does not fit, or you don't like the color, or you just simply changed your mind.

Now, ain't shopping easier this way?

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At Last, A Holiday!

My hubby and I decided last weekend that we needed a break. It was also about time since I was also on the verge of losing my sanity... but this, of course, is just an exaggeration! :D

Saturday morning. Hubby woke me early with the words: "It's Prague!" I wanted to doze off some more since it was the weekend when it dawned on me that he wanted us to go on a short vacation. It may not be a long holiday, but it was better than nothing. And he chose Prague. We haven't been there before and it's not a very long drive... just about four hours from Stuttgart. I thought to myself, how on earth am I going to prepare for such a trip? I had tons of laundry to do, I needed to pack, we needed to book a hotel, I needed to read about Prague!

Then hubby showed me this great deal for a five-star hotel in Prague for two nights and when our booking was confirmed by the hotel, there was no turning back and everything was blitzschnell. I managed to finish packing and prepare everything for our trip the next day at "lightning speed".

Sunday. We arrived in Prague at around three in the afternoon. The drive took longer than expected since we had to stop for food, stretching and toilet breaks. I took photos on the way and I can say that just looking out my window and watching the countryside in its autumn glory helped to relieve the tension and stress that I was feeling for the past few months.

Our hotel was located at the heart of the city and I can say that we had a great stay. The buffet breakfast was superb, the room was large, it was quiet even though the hotel was in the middle of Wenceslas Square. More of our stay and our misadvantures in the coming entries...

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