Experiencing The Empty Nest Sydrome? Are you feeling blue, you don't know what to do with the extra time, the house is too quiet, you open their bedroom doors and there's no one there? Cheer Up! There is life after raising your children and here are a few tips that will help you move forward with your life:

• Enroll in an adult education class or take a few classes at your local college.
• Make dates with your husband or significant other. If you're not involved join a singles group.
• Get a new hair cut or style.
• If your child has moved permanently, utilize the extra space. Turn their room into an office, den or work area for your crafts.
• Start the business that you always wanted, but could never find the time to devote to it.
• Indulge in your favorite hobbies.
• Make a trip to the local animal shelter and pick out a furry friend.
• Start a book club with family and friends and host regular meetings.
• Eat out as often as you like.
• Start those home improvements that you wanted, but couldn't afford.
• Plan week-end get aways.
• Start scrapbooks for each of your children.

Take one step at a time, and you'll move forward to the next phase of your life. There is life after the children, and be assured you will learn to enjoy it.

8:00 PM
Categories: empty nest sydrome;. Author: rmgales

Need to free up a hand when you feed your infant? Wish the bowl didn't move when your toddler eats? The Baby Dipper Bowl is your answer. Barbara Schwartz holds the patent on this ingenious invention and owns http://www.babydipper.com/

I was excited when Barabar asked me to review The Baby Dipper Bowl. We're always on the look out for products that make make life easier for mom. When I received the set, I was impressed. I love the color of the bowl and the shape was well thought out. The shape helps with placing the food onto the spoon and the spoon rests in the bowl easily. Great concept if you have the baby in your arms rather than the high chair, which happens often when visiting friends or grandma.

The spoon is contoured with a contrasting handle in yellow. This is a great stimulation for baby. The bowl has a non-slip base to help prevent sliding. This benefit is two-fold, great bonus for mom keeping the bowl stationary while feeding baby and a great bonus for toddlers learning to feed themselves.

The bowl is great for cereal or apple sauce for infants and toddler's fruits or spaghetti. This set would be a great practical baby shower or new baby gift for a first time mother too. The Baby Dipper Bowl gets two snaps and a booty shake. It goes in grandma's bag for sure.

One of our readers will be the recipient of The Baby Dipper Bowl too. How awesome is that! The packaging is very nice, it's ready for gift giving when received. Here's how you can win? Visit The Baby Dipper Bowl and let us know what you like about the set. Please leave a valid email address. Posts with invalid addresses will be disqualified Give Away will end April 1, 2009 at mid-night and is open to US and Canada Residents 18+ only.

Want extra entries:

• Subscribe to our blog
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6:19 AM
Categories: Baby Dipper Bowl, baby shower gifts, Give Aways, infant feeding set, toddler feeding sets. Author: rmgales

11:04 PM
Categories: blog give aways, Give Aways, Leg Huggers. Author: rmgales

It's Quotable Sunday thanks to Toni at A Daily Dose of Toni. I love Quotable Sunday. It's an opportunity for me to reflect on the quotes that I share with my readers. Because it's Black History Month, I decided to use African Proverbs or quotes from African Americans for Quotable Sunday during the month of February. I hope you enjoy them.



All great achievements require time. - Maya Angelou



There are two kinds of worries -- those you can do something about and those you can't. Don't spend any time on the latter. - Duke Ellington



I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody. - Bill Cosby



I know that you cannot hate other people without hating yourself. - Oprah Winfrey



Character, not circumstances, makes the man. - Booker T. Washington



If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else. - Booker T. Washington



We hope that you enjoyed our quotes. Leave us a comment and let us know which is your favorite. Be sure to visit A Daily Dose of Toni for more quotes.

2:02 AM
Categories: famous quotes, Quotable Sunday, quotes. Author: rmgales

Do you believe children today have less respect for elders and using manners is of no importance? I have found that excuse me, thank you, and please are not a part of our children's vocabulary these days. When did we lose this value? Teens have either cut in front of me or reached acrossed me and never uttered a word. When I was raising my daughter, teaching her good manners was very important. I still believe to this day that good manners will take our children a long way.

I have wondered how children these days interact with their parents. Manners are taught and they should be taught at home. Along with manners comes respect. Instilling manners is a sign of respect for your parents and your upbringing as well as respect for yourself. By teaching the basics of manners, you will be teaching your child respect and to be polite. No one wants to be around rude and impolite children. These rude and impolite children will grow up to be rude and impolite adults. Here are a few tips to get your child on the road to respect and being polite:

• Start with please and thank you. When you ask your child to pick up their toys, get ready for their bath etc. say please. When your child abides say thank you. Children learn by example.
• Teach your child to say yes ma'am and yes sir when they are answering. This is extremely important, especially when they are responding to seniors.
• If you are going to allow your child to answer the phone, teach them to say hello when they answer and to give the phone to an adult. (It's very rude to have a child answer the phone and they just sit there and breathe or hang up).
• Teach your child to say hello or hi when you introduce them to friends, co-workers, church members or you have visitors in your home.
• Teach your child to share toys, treats etc. when playing with friends or siblings.
• Teach your child the importance of not interrupting adult conversations unless it is an emergency.
• Teach your child basic table manners. This will be important when you're dining out or invited to a friend's home or family gathering during the holidays. Your child needs to understand that they can not play with their food, slurp, burp, or create games with their eating utensils. If a burp does arise, teach them to say excuse me.
• Teach your child to say excuse me when they need to pass in front of an adult or get around them.
• Teach your child to say excuse me when they are reaching in front of another person.
• Teach your child to wash their hand with soap and water after using the bathroom and before meals. Also, teach them to wipe their hand on a towel and not on their clothes. Teaching them to use hand sanitizer is a good idea when soap and water is not available.
• Teach your children to wipe their nose with a tissue and not their hands. Also, picking their nose is improper.

Using patience with your child is a must while teaching them manners. They won't learn overnight, so it's important that you remind them of the importance of manners often. As they get older and they have mastered the basics, you can instill other values.

3:00 PM
Categories: childrens value, manners, teaching child manners. Author: rmgales

9:55 AM
Categories: Amy Redus, Clara Harris, David Harris, Oprah Winfrey. Author: rmgales

It's Quotable Sunday thanks to Toni at A Daily Dose of Toni. I haven't participated in a few weeks, but I decided this Sunday would be a perfect time for me to get back on track. In honor of Black History Month, I will be using African Proverbs for the month of February. I hope you enjoy them:

*It Take A Village To Raise A Child
Hilary Clinton made this African Proverb famous. It was true than, and it is true now.

*We start As fools and become wise through experience.
None of us are born with tools for life. We learn as we go and from our experiences. I look at each day as a learning experience with the expectation that I will go to bed knowing more than I did when I woke.

*Don't set sail on someone else's star
Don't wish for someone else's fortune. Be happy for them, but set your own destiny. You will enjoy the experience so much more when you arrive.

*Confiding a secret to an unworthy person is like carrying grain in a bag with a hole.
Oh yes, your secret will leak out little by little. Be careful what you say, and who you say it to.

*There is no medicine to cure hatred
Be kind to one another. When you open your heart to love and respect, there is no room for hatred.

I hope that you have enjoyed these proverbs, I have enjoyed sharing them with you. Let us know which is your favorite, and don't forget to visit A Daily Dose of Toni for more quotes.

8:13 AM
Categories: African Proverbs, Black History Month, Quotable Sunday. Author: rmgales