How to make your own Baby Board Books

Supplies You'll Need

•     30X20 Foam Board
•     Old Sales Ads (Any will do)
•     Glue or paste
•     Clear Contact Paper
•     Yarn or that plastic weaving thread
•     Carpenters knife, or sissor blade
•     Nail
•     Yard stick, and pencil
•     TLC

Birth Options

Many of you have noticed that the topic of pregnancy has been missing from my site.  The reason for this is that I never had anything particularly useful to impart on the topic of pregnancy and childbirth, this is due largely in part because of my own unresolved feelings regarding my first birth.  During my first pregnancy, my fear of pain during childbirth was much greater than my need for knowledge.  I think I even instinctively knew that if I did too much research on birth options I would likely find out information to discredit the method I was going with…which was as pain free as I could manage to get.  I read What to Expect When Your Expecting, a bland book devoid of birthing options and we attended hospital offered ‘prepared childbirth’ classes.

Pregnant tips for Eating

    Many women think that when they become pregnant it means they can eat anything they want. This is not true. What you eat during pregnancy can really affect the health of your baby and your own pregnancy, actually making it easier.

•         Your daily energy needs will increase by only 300 calories per day (100 calories = one slice of bread and one small piece of fruit), and this only during the second and third trimesters.
•         Vitamin and mineral needs, on the other hand, are high from conception to delivery. So, you must eat more nutrients for the same (or slightly more) calories.

Staying Healthy During Pregnancy

When you are pregnant it is even more important to stay healthy than when you are not pregnant because everything your body deals with your baby also has to deal with. To help your-self and your baby to be as healthy as possible, some simple measures can be taken.

1) See your doctor as soon as you think you may be pregnant.

    A doctor can provide you and your baby with special care when necessary and will keep track of how both of you are progressing throughout the pregnancy.

Fetal Movement

Q.     I am 16 weeks pregnant for my first time. I am sooooo anxious to feel some kind of life inside of me, but I haven't yet. How much longer before I get to feel my first “signs” of this little person being alive? Maybe I am a little impatient, but after the first three months of being incredibly sick, I feel like I deserve a little flutter of joy.

A.     Lots of women don't feel the baby until even 20 weeks. Think goldfish, butterfly, fluttery. My kid, however, first said hello with one big punch. By the way, the due date is 40 weeks from the first day of your last menstrual period.

Frugal Holiday Basics

Here are some guidelines for coming up with inexpensive solutions to holiday mayhem, though it really applies year round. Some of this info may seem old and outdated, but it is rooted in classic frugality! I have gleaned these things from many years of frugal holidays, as well as reading lots of great books on frugality, my favorites being the The Complete Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dacyzyn and some of the books about the Great Depression. It is amazing how resourceful you can be when you have to be or choose to be , without having to give up your quality of living.

Get Involved!

One of the ways we have brought our family closer together is by doing service for others. A great deal of the service opportunities that we have been able to take advantage of, were born out of our involvement in our community. 

My wife and I have been part of the Friends of the Library group in our town. This involvement has given us and our children the chances to be involved with the campaign for a new library and the many fun and fulfilling activities that have gone along with that.