Author Archives: loudmom22

Family Bonding Activities

Posted on by

family-bondingFinding time for family bonding activities can be difficult sometimes, especially if everyone in your household has their own individual schedules. However, even when you may find that it’s hectic or hard to schedule, a little forced family fun (also known as FFF) is important to do.

A lot of the different things you can do together as a family will greatly depend on the ages of everyone in your home and the number of people as well. To make our list of family bonding activities, we tried to make it so that they only require a minimum of two people but can be expanded for larger groups as well. We also tried to come up with as much as we could that is all ages friendly. Want to plan something with a two year old, a grandma, and a teenager? We’ve got you covered here.

Here are our ideas for family bonding activities:

1. Make a Collage: This can be a really fun activity to do with each other that might even become an addiction over time. It’s a great way to spend time with each other and you’ll be able to talk about almost anything. All you will need is a few magazines (at least one per family member), a piece of poster board or cardstock, and scissors and glue sticks. You can decide whether you’ll choose a theme, make the picture into a story, or cut out all of your favorite quotes and phrases. When you’re finished, you can hang it up on the wall, the fridge, or make smaller ones to save in a special book you make.

2. Play Cards: Card games have been a longtime means of entertainment for families and can also be a lot of fun. Younger children can play memory, go fish, old maid, uno, spoons or war. Older children and adults will like games like Rummy or maybe even pull out a few of your college drinking games (minus the drinking of course!)

3. Take a Walk: This is not only a great way to spend quality time together, but gives your whole family a great way to get some exercise as well. Even younger children may enjoy riding in a stroller and taking in the sights and sounds. You can walk in your neighborhood, the park, and many other places.

4. Family Movie Night: Pop some popcorn, pick a movie everyone in the family will enjoy and watch it together. Make sure that everyone gets a chance to watch something they enjoy to avoid fighting. Some might not think that watching tv together makes a difference, but it does – make sure you talk about the movie afterward.

5. Cook Together: Even younger children can get into the fun by measuring, mixing, and pouring ingredients into the bowl. Family dinner night is important but with our hectic lifestyles it is easy to overlook and forget about this classic way for spending time together.

6. Play Catch: Yes, this might sound like something from the fifties, but it’s a classic way to get to know your kids better. Catch doesn’t have to be reserved for just fathers and sons – moms and daughters can get on it as well. You can all stand in a circle and throw a large ball to one another or go with the old baseball and glove if you’d rather do that. If this is something you want to try and do on a regular basis, consider switching it up each time – maybe throw a frisbee or water balloon.

7. Go Shopping Together: While yes, it can be a lot easier to shop by yourself, taking a shopping trip together can mean a lot. Children can feel special and important helping you make choices, read labels, and push the cart around. The more you shop together the easier it gets and you’ll have time to talk to each other out of the busy schedule.

8. Family Makeover Night: Something that can be fun to do is to have everyone in the family get a makeover – this means where clothes they wouldn’t normally wear or wear their hair in a new way. While yes it’s likely girls will like this one more (especially if you involve non-toxic nail polish) you can still get the boys and Dad involved by spiking their hair or making them try on some silly clothes.

9. Karaoke Dance Party, Anyone?: All you need is a stereo and some speakers for this one. Dance around or sing to your favorite songs together. Go ahead and break out that air guitar.

Do you have any ideas or suggestions for what family bonding activities you can do together are? Share them in the comments below!

What to Wear For Family Portrait

Posted on by

family-portrait-tipsDeciding what to wear for a family portrait is probably one of the most important things to consider when getting a picture together with everyone. After all, these types of pictures with the family are the kinds that get passed around, made into calendars, photo cards, and more.

To help you decide what you should wear and get a beautiful family picture together, here are some tips below:

1. Timing is Everything: If you will be going to a professional photographer for the portrait, you’ll want to make sure that it’s a time when you and the other members of your family are not stressed. Make sure the kids are well fed and rested since this usually helps them be the most cooperative. If you go when you are all feeling rushed or stressed out, you’ll end up with pictures that show it.

2. Choose a Color Scheme: A color scheme is very important and can help determine what all of you should wear. You can stick to just one color, or choose several colors that compliment together naturally. Having the same colored shirts or shirts that are complimentary to one another will help you get the best looking picture.

3. Minimize Logos, Writing, Etc.: Your family portrait should not be an advertisement for your favorite clothing brand. Make sure that whatever you are wearing it doesn’t have any writing or emblems on it. The only exception to this rule would be if you are going for a sports theme and everyone in the family will be wearing their favorite team’s jerseys.

4. Avoid Patterns: Too many patterns of different clothes can make it difficult for one to determine where they should focus when they look at the picture. Choosing solid colors may be the most simple way, but some can be successful with mixing and matching patterns if you have a good eye for it.

5. Pick the Right Background: The backdrop of the photo will be another important determination in deciding on what you should be wearing. If you are going to a studio, most backgrounds will either be blue, gray, or white. Some photographers also have the ability to change the background. If you’ll be having the photo done outdoors, you may want to consider what colors will contrast well against the sky or the greenery.

6. Look at Galleries for Inspiration: Most photographers will have an online gallery of their work, or you can always spend some time surfing the internet by searching for images. Looking at examples of what others have done and what you like the best can also help with deciding how you should all dress for a picture that will look professional and be memorable.

These are just a few tips and pointers that will help you achieve the best possibly family portrait. Remember the most important part: Smile and Have Fun!

How to Keep a House Clean

Posted on by

29_2305chaletct02 It can be somewhat of a challenge trying to keep a house clean, especially if you live with several people or young children who are busy and getting into everything. I’m often complimented on how clean my house seems even with three kids under the age 6 running underfoot, so I thought I would share some of my tips and pointers on what I do to make sure that the place isn’t a disaster area most of the time.

Here are some ideas to get you started:

1. Get Rid of Everything: Okay, well this may sound a little bit extreme. But it is true. If you get rid of everything, you don’t have very much to put away or dust and clean. We don’t have knick knacks on a coffee table. Heck, we don’t even have a coffee table. The kids have a few toys, probably more than I would like them to have. However, I usually purge through all of the things they get and either donate it or toss/recycle anything that is broken, worn, or missing pieces. It’s just a lot easier to clean up when there is not a lot of stuff you don’t use or need laying around everywhere. If you’re a packrat, this can be really hard to do. But once you get in that “simplified life” kind of mentality you’ll realize it’s a heck of a lot easier.

2. Establish a Routine: I try to keep a pretty consistent routine with the different household tasks I do. Obviously some days will be better than others and maybe sometimes I can’t always do my usual schedule. But by having a typical schedule of “Tuesday is laundry day” or my usual routine of doing the dishes right before bed is a good way for keeping the house a cleaner place.

3. Never Leave a Mess: Cleaning up after yourself seems like common sense, but most of the time if we get distracted or have a lot of things going on we might forget to put the peanut butter back in the cabinet after we made a sandwich or the kids might want to play with a different toy before cleaning up with the one they already had. By making a conscious effort to try and put things away as soon as you are done using them it will really help. (Note: Hopefully you already have some closet organization systems already in place for where things belong.)

4. Delegate: No one person can do all of the housework alone, unless maybe they are a maid and it is their full time job. (And even then, who is cleaning his/her house?) You have to delegate chores to other household members if you want to ever have a little time for yourself – otherwise they’ll be able to go enjoy everything and either your house will be a disaster zone or you will be stuck doing all the dirty work while they have fun, which can certainly add up a lot of resentment. Even young kids can have fun dusting or wiping down the bath tub, so getting them involved in it early will help them stick to it for a longer time.

5. If All Else Fails, Cheat: There will be times when you have unexpected company coming and you don’t have time to do a whole lot before they get there and arrive. When this happens, it is perfectly acceptable to cheat. Make the beds, light a richly scented candle to make the house smell nice and fresh, pick up everything off the floor and throw it in a box until you have time to return the items to their rightful place.  (Just be careful you don’t let it go for too long, otherwise you’ll have worse problems!

These are just a few of the things I do that help our house stay nice and neat. A lot of people cannot even believe that we have kids – many of them are people without kids who say my house is cleaner than theirs! If you do these few simple things hopefully you’ll notice not only a difference in how good you feel about your house but also how much more simple your life seems as well.

10 Things I Love Being About a Mom

Posted on by

You can’t really write a blog about being a mom and not write a post in honor of Mother’s Day. So to all the moms out there who have stopped by to read Loud Mom, Happy Mother’s Day to You!

I’ve decided today, since it’s a busy day filled with visiting hubby’s mom and of course my own mom, to spin off an article I wrote and published last year, so hopefully you will enjoy it.

The 10 Things I Love About Being a Mom:

1. An Excuse: Kids are wonderful excuses. Showing up late? It’s the kids fault. There’s chocolate all over my shirt? That’s from all the sticky hugs and kisses I get. Want to get out of somewhere you don’t want to be? Oh geez, the kids are really getting tired/hungry/restless – we gotta go!

2. On Demand Hugs: While this might change as my kids get older, for the time being I can always get a hug or a kiss anytime I ask for one.

3. Handmade Gifts: Who needs fancy store bought gifts when I get the best presents of hand drawn cards and dandelions picked out of the backyard? This year for Mother’s Day my son wrote a book all about me. Apparently he loves me the most because I go trick or treating with him. (Hard to believe he’s thinking about that in May!) He also wrote that I was a few years younger than I actually am and only weighed 95 pounds. Smart kid.

4. Watching the Kids Sleep: No matter how much your kids annoy the crap out of you during the day or what they’ve managed to destroy or make impossible to do, when you tuck them in at night and they fall asleep, there’s just nothing cuter or more rewarding.

5. All the Great Books: If I didn’t hae kids no doubt I would miss out on reading fantastic stories such as IF YOU GIVE A MOUSE A COOKIE and others.

6. Great Movies: It’s always relaxing to snuggle up with the kids watching a good movie or cartoons. We just watched Meet the Robinsons which ended up being a great little movie I liked more than the last 10 adult movies I’ve watched.

7. A New Language: Kids teach you all kinds of new words that you wouldn’t know otherwise. I doubt few people beyond moms would understand words like Boppy, binkie, bubba, gamote (remote) and elegator (elevator).

8. My Mini Van: I can’t believe I drive a mini-van and love it. It is seriously scary to me, since I thought as a teenager I would never drive one. But as the guy at the car dealership said, “Nobody wants to drive a mini-van, but you’ll be glad you do!” It’s super comfortable, the kids love it, and it’s got a built in DVD player to entertain them and lull them to sleep on those long car rides.

9. Let’s Play: I get to play with all kinds of cool things all the time. Legos, play dough, tea parties, pirates. I doubt if I didn’t have kids I’d be enjoying those things half as much.

10. I’m never lonely: Kids like to follow you everywhere and getting a minute to yourself can be tough. It’s good to know that even when I want to be alone I usually never am. I can’t even take a shower or go to the bathroom without some company usually!

If you’re a mom, share what you love about being a mom in the comments below, or what you love about your mom. Have a good one everyone!

Home Remedies for Mosquito Bites

Posted on by

Inspired by my first official mosquito bite of the season and a lifelong hatred of mosquitoes I decided I would share some of the numerous home remedies for mosquito bites I have tried and what has proven to be waste of time and effort as well as a few that sometimes actually work. They do make products that are a mosquito magnet in hopes that they would be helpful for getting rid of them, but I am not sure how well they work, and I’m not too keen on the idea of spending several hundred dollars to find out if it doesn’t. (Though if you want to send me one, I’ll surely test it out.)

I don’t remember exactly when I started hating mosquitoes, but I do know that it started pretty early. In the eighth grade I wrote an essay about how much I hate mosquitoes. It was our first writing assignment of the year and I was sitting in class itchy as could be.  Here is a short little excerpt of what I had written as a 13 year old girl:

“I hate mosquitos more than anything in the world. They must see me and somehow mistake me for the central blood bank. In the summer, it looks as if I’ve caught some strange contagious infectious disease from the pink polka dots of calamine lotion.”

Not much has changed since then, except I now no longer leave my house without bug spray. There’s a small bottle of it in my purse, the kid’s diaper bags, the trunk of my car, and I also keep it nearby on our porch and in the medicine cabinets. This probably seems like a little overboard, but it’s seemed to have become a necessity – without it I would be one itchy miserable mom!

Anyways, if you are like me, even with the best prevention methods you still end up getting bit from time to time, especially in unsuspecting situations such as while grocery shopping or taking a shower. So here are some things you can try for quick fast relief. Some of them worked for me, but not others – others I know swear by methods that were a total failure for me. Remember that this is no substitute for medical advice in any means  – I’m not a doctor, a nurse, or specialist of any sorts.

Calamine Lotion: My dear Calamine. (Y’know, Calamine could actually sound like a pretty girl’s name if I didn’t associate it with one of my biggest pet peeves in the world. ) What can I say about Calamine? It’s pink and so a lot of times it will get all over your clothes. It feels good for about 5 minutes and then the itching starts all over again.

Benadryl: Benadryl in both the over the counter oral medicine and the spray is always good to have on hand, though it only works about 75% of the time for me. When I have been attacked by mosquitoes sometimes taking benadryl medication will provide some relief for about an hour or two. Make sure you follow the dosing carefully – it will make you sleepy.

Witch Hazel: I’ve tried this one a few times, with and without baking soda mixed with it. This is usually best only for the mildly irritating single bite – not so good when your whole leg is covered in them and you are going crazy.

Deodorant: Someone suggested this to me once and I tried it. Unfortunately, the kind I use may be strong enough for a man and ph balanced for a woman, but it doesn’t stand a chance when it comes to battling bug bites. I haven’t tried other kinds or brands, which I’m sure may have different effects since they all have different ingredients.

Toothpaste: If you use a toothpaste with fluoride and baking soda in it, this may provide some very temporary relief. It works much better at making acne disappear than bug bites unfortunately.

Asprin: Supposedly if you rub an aspirin over the bite immediately after being bitten it will prevent it from getting all swollen and itchy. Haven’t used this one enough to say it works.

Aloe Vera Gel: Hey, while you’re rubbing a bunch of other weird things like toothpaste all over your skin, why not try aloe vera gel? Sometimes that cool soothing feeling helps.

Salt Water: Mix a solution of salt and water and apply to skin. Warning: If you’ve scratched the bite to the point where it is bleeding this is going to burn a LOT! The pain will make you forget how itchy it is!

Now that you’ve read all of these crazy concoctions and supposed cures for itchy bug bites, you may understand why mosquito bite prevention is the best thing and why I have a ridiculous supply of bug spray. There are two kinds of bug spray I have used that do actually work pretty well most of the time – they are Avon Skin So Soft, which even now comes in a spray bottle and is DEET free, as well as OFF! Skintastic . The Off! Shouldn’t be used on small children however, since it is believed that DEET is bad for them, which makes the Avon Skin So Soft a better choice if you have small kids.

Anyways, have any thoughts on mosquitoes? Anybody have an experience with a mosquito magnet? What crazy home remedies for mosquito bites have you tried?

Fresh Squeezed Lemonade Recipe for a Hot Sunny Day

Posted on by

lemon-lose-weightOn a hot sunny day there’s nothing like a fresh squeezed lemonade shakeup recipe to enjoy while outside basking in the sun. We’ve finally got our first warm sunny day with temperatures above 70 degrees and let me tell you right now it’s wonderful. We’re supposed to have this beautiful weather for the next week or so – so if this blog seems a little neglected that very well could be the reason why!

I’m not sure what it is about lemonade that makes it the perfect compliment to when we’re outside grilling on a charcoal grill and enjoying a little barbecue picnic. Fresh squeezed lemonade is also perfect for sitting out on the front porch or the back deck while working outside or watching the kids play on their swing set.

So, to celebrate this beautiful day, here’s my favorite fresh squeezed lemonade shake up recipe to make an entire gallon for you and friends and family to enjoy:

You Will Need:
A nice big pitcher
12 Lemons at room temperature
Cold water
2 cups sugar or sugar substitute (As much as I try to be sugar free completely lemonade does need a little sweetener added to it! You may want to use more or less depending on the tartness of the lemons and your own preferences)
Ice

Directions:

1. Juice the Lemons: There are a few ways to get the fresh squeezed juice out of the lemons. For the best results, the lemons should be at room temperature. (You can cook them in the microwave for 10-15 seconds which may also help. You will then also want to roll them on a table to help the fibers break apart and get the juice flowing. There are all types of lemon juicers available from motorized to the standard type of citrus juicers. You can usually get them pretty cheap – less than $1 if you get a secondhand one or $5-$6 for a plastic one at the store. You simply cut the lemons in half and then turn it over the juicer, which will collect the juice for you.

2. Mix juice and sugar: I’ve found I like to mix the juice and the sugar on their own. This is the part that makes me call it a “shakeup” recipe. If you cover the container and shake it really hard I’ve found that’s the best way to make sure the sugar and the lemon juice is mixed together the best. Just be careful not to spill all the lemon juice you worked so hard on squeezing!

3. Add Ice and Water: Once the lemon juice and sugar is mixed, you are ready to add the water. I usually use a 2 quart pitcher and so just fill it up to the top line with water. Then using a wooden spoon I stir it all together. I do not like ice cubes in my drinks, but I’ve learned that this is just some weird strange quirk unique to me. Most people like ice in their drinks, and so assuming that you are “normal” you would pour it over glasses of ice. You can then decide to garnish with fresh lemon wedges or slices.

So there you have it, a fresh squeezed lemonade recipe for a hot sunny day. Enjoy!

10 Family Fun Earth Day Activities

Posted on by

Earth Day is April 22nd each year and there are many fun things the whole family can do to celebrate their planet together as well as focus on being more environmentally conscious and friendly. To kick it off this year, I’ve decided to create a list of 10 fun family earth day activities and projects you can do with your kids and friends.

A lot of people might believe that the whole concept of Earth Day is pretty silly, others may think every day should be earth day. However, realistically in a world of convenience foods and wrappers and electronics sometimes it can be difficult to practice being environmentally responsible 100% of the time. This is why Earth Day is such a great day to celebrate with your family – just one day of learning about better ways to take care of the earth or practicing different ways to be more eco-friendly can make a huge difference when millions of people are involved.

The ideas I’ve come up with here are completely simple and easy to do and only things I would actually do with my own family. You don’t have to have any special skills or knowledge. Most are also budget friendly and free to do. One of the big perks about being more environmentally conscious is that it can also save you money – since you are much more careful about buying things you don’t really need or throwing things away.

1. Plant Something
Kids are natural gardeners. I was amazed the first time my son and I tried planting tomatoes. He was three years old and I thought for sure he was going to crush or kill the plant. Instead, he gently lifted them out, “tickled the roots” as he likes to say, and helped me place the starters in larger pots.

You can plant just about anything. Seed packets are available in stores for less than $2 a package and you can get a small bag of potting soil for less than $5 if you don’t already have dirt to use at home. Anything can be a planter – old dishes, old shoes, even egg shells, so it can also be a lesson in reusing old items too. You can try your hand at flowers, herbs, vegetables, even grass seed. Teaching kids how plants grow will give them excitement to watch it as it sprouts and blooms. You can also talk to them about how plants help keep our air clean so we can breathe.

2. Eat Dirt
No, I don’t really suggest you and your kids go out to the backyard or a nearby park with a spoon and a fork. But dirt is another name for a fun treat that kids can eat either at school, as a snack, or after dinner treat can be a good old classic recipe of dirt. It’s made out of mostly crushed up Oreo cookies, pudding, whipped cream, and some gummy worms. To make it healthier, use skim milk, sugar free pudding, and the reduced fat cookies. You can find the official Nabisco Recipe Here.

3. Go Unplugged
We constantly have televisions, video games, computers, and lights on in our homes. For one day and one day only (and maybe even for just an hour or two) take some time and go unplugged with everything that requires electricity in your house. Not only will it will teach the kids that turning off lights and unplugging tvs will help the environment – but it could give you and the kids a chance to go play outside, read a book, and spend some other high quality time together with one another.

4. What Can I Do With This? Game
Most of us somewhere in our closets, basements, garages, and maybe all three have “junk”. There’s plenty of things we have that we don’t really need anymore or use and probably should just be tossed in the trash. While cleaning out junk doesn’t sound like any fun, it can be if you make a game out of it. Take whatever objects you’ve found that you think you should throw away and then have the whole family brainstorm for different things they can do with it. Maybe an ugly old sugar bowl can become a basketball hoop. Maybe that broken action figure can decorate the window blind handle. Be creative and see what you can come up with!

5. Decorate Your Own Reusable Grocery Bags
Getting into the habit of reusing cloth grocery bags isn’t difficult to do at all – and can make a big difference in landfills since those plastic bags can take up to 1000 years to biodegrade. You can make your own if you are crafty, but if not blank canvas totes are often sold in craft stores or can even be ordered online for less than $2 a bag! Decorate with permanent markers, iron on transfers, fabric paints and more. You’ll also be amazed at how much better they are for carrying things – you’ll never worry about one of those plastic bags breaking again!

6. Go For a Nature Walk
Walking outside in a park, the woods, or maybe even in the backyard can all be a fun way to spend time together and really marvel in how wonderful our planet really is. Look at the clouds, the trees, the flowers, the animals. You may even want to consider making a scavenger checklist of things for the kids to look for. (For example, a leaf, a pine cone, a bird, etc. etc.)

7. Make Your Own Paper
Each year tons of paper is thrown out or wasted. Chances are if your kids go to school they come home with countless worksheets and flyers. (Unless you’re lucky and they have a teacher who goes paperless!) The good news is you can turn this paper into fresh new sheets for your kids to use for craft projects and artwork. Instructables.com has a lot of videos and how-to’s. This project is a little more advanced and probably better for older kids, but can still be a great fun messy project to dig into together that is also good for the environment!

8. Take a Trip to the Museum:
Museums are a great place for kids to learn about the world and the environment. Learn about animals, stars, rocks, plants, and more. You can find a museum near you by visiting museum spot. Many will have activities for kids just for Earth Day and admission is usually very affordable. This one is perfect if your Earth Day is rainy or cold!

9. Watch Earth Day Movies:
After you’re hour of no power (or however long you decide to go unplugged in our suggestion above) you can always watch some movies together with your kids about the environment. One of my favorites is Over the Hedge, which is about animals who are at risk for losing their homes. (Don’t worry – it has a happy ending!)

10. Visit the Library
There are many books available about our environment at your local library. You can read stories, learn about anything from erosion to recycling, and get books about even more fun projects you can do together. Best of all? The library is free. Be sure to see if they have a copy of The Lorax, which is a great book by Dr. Seuss to read to kids about protecting our earth.

Now that you have all of these great ideas on some fun things you can do as a family together for Earth Day, you can help make a small little difference in keeping our world a safe, clean, and happy place to live! And hopefully you’ll agree with me that most of these ideas were pretty easy. (Okay, so maybe the paper making one will be tricky – but should be okay for older kids!) You can choose to do some of these all on April 22nd, or spread it out throughout the week and weekend as well.

If you have any ideas for family fun earth day activities and projects, I’d love to hear them in the comments below!

Strawberry Hemangioma on Infants

Posted on by

Seeing a strawberry hemangioma on infants when you have a newborn baby can be alarming, but for many parents it is nothing for any major cause of concern. Sometimes also called a strawberry birthmark, they are actually very common. My daughter was born with one on her stomach right above her belly button, which made me interested in learning more about them. (Once the doctor wrote down and spell out the word “hemangioma” for me of course!) As she gets older we have already noticed it has started to fade away considerably, and expect it to be completely gone before she reaches her third or fourth birthday.

What is a Strawberry Hemangioma?
Basically a hemagioma is an abnormal cluster of blood vessels that collect in one spot that causes a red patch on the baby’s skin. They can appear just about anywhere – on the head, face, arms, stomach, legs, feet, etc. Most of them first show up within the first few days or weeks though it can be a few months and then progressively get a little larger for another few months. Typically by the time the baby reaches his or her first birthday the hemagioma will not get any larger and will actually start doing the reverse of fading away and shrinking.

The causes of this condition is relatively unknown still, though it is common. It is slightly more common in fair skinned girl infants and premature babies, though there seems to be no link to genetics or actions that the mother did during pregnancy.

What is the treatment?
For most infants, no treatment is necessary whatsoever. If the strawberry birthmark is in a place that it does not affect their normal development, the doctor will likely take a look at it when they have their periodic check-ups, but often will advise that no treatment is needed. There are a few cases however when a hemangioma must be treated, such as when it poses a threat to the baby growing and developing. For example, if the mark is extremely large in size it may be necessary to shrink it, especially if it is being scratched or risks becoming infected. Others that appear in places such as the ears, eyes, throat, or internally can be a cause for concern for both parents and doctors alike.

Fortunately, there are many different options available for treatment if it is believed to be necessary. Steroids, either taken orally or injected into the birthmark directly can often reduce the size and swelling without the need to surgically remove them. If this is unsuccessful, then laser surgery may be needed to remove or reduce the size of it. If your child needs treatment, speaking to your doctor will help you understand the best way to remove it as well as discuss the benefits and risks to the different ways to treat it.

Now you know everything you need to know about a strawberry hemangioma on infants! If you have a story to share about your kids, feel free to leave it in the comments below.

Free Handwriting Fonts for PreSchool

Posted on by

If you like making things on the computer for your toddlers, you’ll love these free handwriting fonts for preschool aged children. You can make all kinds of different crafts with them, ranging from unique printables to signs for your home or even cut them out for large letters they can play with. They can also be great for your scrapbooking projects as well. All of the fonts are 100% free, you just need to follow the link to the site that has them to download.

To install the fonts on Windows Vista, all you need to do is download it, unzip the file, then right click on it and choose “Install” – your computer will guide you through the rest.

I have only included sites where I regularly download fonts myself, so I am pretty sure they are all spyware free, but please check just in case – I cannot take any responsibility for any damage you do to your computer when installing these fonts.

My Favorite Free Handwriting Fonts for Preschool:

Angelina is a light, fun style perfect for your preschool girl. You can learn more about it and download here.

Anmari is a fun, cartoon style handwriting font that has a bit of playfulness to it. You can download it here.

The name of this font may be Catholic School Girls, but you certainly don’t need to be Catholic or a school girl to appreciate the nice curved letters and how well this one could work for preschool applications as well! Available here.

Child’s play looks and feels exactly like the name sounds and is perfect for any early childhood learning printing project. You can learn more about it and download here.

Everyone knows that crayon is the writing utensil of choice for young children, preschoolers, and moms who can’t find a pen anywhere to save their life. This font wonderfully captures the look and feel of writing in crayon. Available Here.

Dad Hand goes to show that not just moms are involved. It also has the playful and lightweight handwritten style that might be great for your kid’s projects. Also, this fun font is easy to read. Get it Here.

Dear Teacher looks as if it has been written by someone who is just learning to write, which makes it great for just about any craft or project related to early learning. Download Here.

Pencil Pete is a great font that looks as if had been written with a pencil and would be fun in different colors and sizes. You can learn more about it and download here.

These are all great fonts for using for your school, scrapbooking, craft projects and will give you that pre-school handwriting look pretty easily and professionally. Be sure when downloading the fonts that you take special attention to the licensing and usage terms and conditions of each font – some may be restricted for personal or non commercial use only.

Do you have any favorite free handwriting fonts for preschool or know of any other good sources for getting free fonts? Share them in the comments below.

Starting a Scrapbook Business

Posted on by

Starting a scrapbook business can be a unique business idea if you enjoy scrapbooking and would like to turn your hobby into a home based business and extra way to earn money.

Like all businesses, a scrapbooking business requires a little planning and learning to be successful, but it is not any more difficult than starting any other business.

Here are some things to consider before starting a scrapbook business:

What Services Will You Provide: There are many potential services you can offer in a scrap booking business. You can sell scrapbook supplies and host scrapbooking parties, you can create custom made scrapbooks for others to give as gifts, or you can teach others how to scrapbook. Think about what you would need as someone who scrapbooks, or what others have asked you for help with – those are all potential ideas for the services you can provide others with your own scrapbook business.

The Demand For Your Services: People may not know that they need your services, or there may be so many people that need your services that you will have no problem finding customers for your scrapbook business. Do some research both online and off on realistically how many customers you can expect.

How You Will Market Yourself: How will you spread the word that you have started a scrapbooking business? You can do this through a variety of ways, both online and off. Creating a website, networking with others, and even well researched advertisements can help you spread the word and market yourself and your services.

What Are Your Start Up Costs: Every new business has start up costs. You will need to calculate everything it will cost you to get started, including scrapbooking supplies, marketing materials, and any other expenses. Don’t forget you will also want to check with your local laws on starting a business to make sure you have done all of the necessary steps in starting your own home based business.

How Will You Sell Your Products and Services: You can sell your products and services online and off. You can sell products on sites such as eBay and others or create your own. To sell your products off line, you will need to decide how you will go about contacting and managing customers and orders.

All of these questions will help you create a business plan for your scrapbooking business. A business plan may seem like a pain, but it is essential in starting your home based business in an organized manner and making sure that it is the right decision for you before you incur any start up costs or invest time into it. Once you have done some careful planning and research, you may be ready for a step by step book such as this ebook you can purchase with a 30 day risk free trial here.

If you prefer a “real book”, Amazon has several that may be of interest to you:

The Scrapbooker’s Guide to Business: This guide gives you a variety of different scrapbooking business plans you can use to model your own, as well as many resources and different ways for promoting yourself. Read Reviews

Scrapbooking for Profit: Cashing in on Retail, Home-Based and Internet Opportunities: This book gives you a variety of different ideas and gives you all the information you need to know for starting your own home based business. It is slightly outdated, but covers the basics you need to know. Read all reviews.

Secrets of Scrapbooking Success : Making Money, Making Memories: This book gives you the information you need to know for starting a scrapbook business, as well as many real life stories from successful scrapbook business owners. Read Reviews…

There are many other books available that cover all the aspects to starting and running a scrapbook business – click here to see them all.

Know of any other resources for starting a scrapbook business? Share them in the comments below!