Planning a baby shower

Who would have thought that the arrive of your precious bundle of joy, your baby, would have been met with so much activities? Whether its mom and dad mapping out the next 20 years of the child's life or the demolition of a portion of your home to build the perfect nursery, all involve needs to do a whole lot of planning. There is however, one bit of planning that helps mom and dad prepare without involving them directly. Planning a baby shower. In this planning friends and family of the couple play the greatest role. Now, even though it called a baby shower it seems, to be an occasion mostly for the mother-to-be. It is a party where friends and family come together and shower the mother with baby gift like clothes, furniture, toys and sometime, even money. It is, however, different from other parties. Following is an article from Terry Baeseman that I hope will help in the planning of this very special day. Remember if you have an experience that you would like to share with us at http://www.iwomenspace.blogspot.com send an email to everythingwomen@gmail.com we would love to hear from you and share your thoughts with our community of iWomen.











Baby Shower Planning Tips for a Great Baby Shower.
By: Terry Baeseman

Everyone has been to a baby shower that was boring and not much fun. They may have laughed and tried to make it work for the mother-to-be, but really did not have a good time. This is because baby showers, like any type of function or party needs some basic planning and researching to ensure that it is fun for everyone.

One of the first things to do is take the mother to be to a store and have her spend an afternoon making a wish list about midway through the pregnancy or as soon as preparations begin. There are many stores that allow her to do this electronically. It saves her information, and even family across the country to access the list at their local store or online. As each item is purchased it disappears from the list, so there are fewer repeat and more variety of presents at the shower.

After the registry or wish list is completed, then the mother-to-be is kept out of the loop. For the planner the busy part of planning the shower is just beginning. The planner needs to find a location for the party, make a guest list, pick the timeframe, and decide on food, drinks, and snacks, as well as the games and prizes for the winners.

The first thing to do is create a guest list. Enlist the help of the mothers-to-be husband or some other person living with her to help. Get the names and addresses from her address book, stop by her work, if possible, and find out who her friends are there. Go ahead and purchase the invitations and Thank You cards, however, before you send out the invitations is it important to look at the size of the list and pick a location to have the baby party.

Location of a shower can be a person's home, a small conference room at a club or hotel, or a local hall that rents out a multipurpose room. With the guest list is it best to figure about 2/3 of the invited guests will arrive. This gives you an idea as to the size of location you will need. You will want enough room for everyone to sit down and enjoy themselves, a place to set out snacks, food, cake and drinks, and a place to set the presents. Select the location and schedule it. Now it is time to send out the invitations.

Once the invitations are sent, preparing for the food and drinks, as well as games comes next. Keep in mind the age group of the guest list and make sure you have snacks, and drinks that will accommodate all guests. The same should go with the games you decide to play. The mother's-to-be grandmother may be attending and she may not enjoy the same thing as the 18-year-old niece. Keep this in mind and create a wide variety of games and refreshments that everyone attending the baby shower will enjoy, especially the guest of honor.

The day before the shower, pick up the balloons, and some prizes for the games. Unique and interesting prizes can always be found at dollar stores. Preparing everything the day before, will allow you to set up and get ready without feeling rushed. This relaxed attitude will roll over into the baby party, and help create a baby shower to remember.

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Terry Baeseman is a freelance writer, contributor, and editor of Little Baby Showers and can be reached at littlebabyshowers.com/

Baby on the way?

Planning for a baby, needs not to be an overwhelming experience. There are some things one can do to increase the chances of having a health pregnancy. Here is an article by Apurva Shree that may assist those mothers-to-be and those still considering.



Things To Consider While Planning A Pregnancy
By: Apurva Shree

Couples who are keen on planning a pregnancy will benefit immensely if they have a pregnancy checklist that can guide them and remind them of things that they may not even have considered. If you opt for pregnancy planning, a pre pregnancy checklist can get you prepared for changes related to pregnancy.

Pre Pregnancy Checklist

Having a baby is a wonderful experience and, as responsible parents, it is our duty to make sure that we do all that we can possibly do to ensure the healthy development, growth and delivery of the baby. There are several things that parents can prepare as a list from the pre pregnancy stage to ensure this state of affairs.

Be very sure that you want a baby with your partner, that both of you will be responsible and caring parents. If your relationship has some problems, be sure you sort them out as various pregnancy problems may cause serious strain on the relationship which may later affect the health of the mother and the child.

Select a reputed and trustworthy physician and get a check up. This may alert you to any condition that may cause possible complications during pregnancy, such as hypertension, diabetes, heart condition, epilepsy, etc. Vaccinations against hepatitis B, tetanus, German measles, etc. are given to those who need them.

If you are using condoms you may start baby making right away, but if you have used oral contraceptive pills, it is considered safe to get pregnant after three normal menstrual periods.

It may help you if you use an ovulation calendar as it will increase your chances of conception.

Planning a pregnancy can be good as the doctors recommend supplements of folic acid and multi-vitamins which have been known to reduce birth defects in the infant.

It is best if you keep your body weight ideal and did regular exercise to stay fit.

Avoid drinking, smoking, drugs, over-the-counter medication.

Read plenty of books to learn as much as you can to make pregnancy and child birth healthy and enjoyable.

Eat nutritious meals that are healthy, with plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. Nutritional deficiencies may cause infertility, so eat healthy. Avoid junk foods.

Try to stay stress free. Try stress management techniques.

Discuss the nature of your work with your healthcare practitioner. Ask if you need to make any changes especially if you are exposed to heavy metals, radiation, solvents, etc.

Start saving for childbirth as rearing a child may be expensive. Have a financial plan ready.

If you have been trying unsuccessfully for more than a year, consider taking fertility tests. If there are problems in both of you or one of you, stay calm and try the treatments suggested.

Get a good health cover that meets your needs.

If you are a working woman, try and learn all you can about maternity leave and pay in your firm.

Avoid foods such as raw or undercooked animal products or fish. Soft cheese, fish such as marlin, sword fish, shark are not recommended during pre conception or pregnancy.

Be sure to go for regular check ups, eat foods rich in folic acid, iron, calcium and take any supplements that have been recommended.

Stay relaxed and have an enjoyable and healthy pregnancy.

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Apurva specializes on pregnancy articles. He has written on a range of related issues as pregnancy planning, pre pregnancy checklist and pre pregnancy stage. Read more on Pregnancy Articles

Friendly Advice?

After the dust has cleared, and the newly married couple has settled in, it may be a good idea for them to prepare themselves for the onslaught of those wanting to share on how a marriage works. Keep in mind that these persons, for the most part are excited loved ones, who can only offer insights into what experience has taught them. They may not be experts on the topic so take their advice with a grain of salt. It is also a good idea to remember that or beware of those who are quick to identify with your pain or challenges without making an effort to understand the surrounding circumstances. Here is an article by Jacob Gan that attempts to identify the helpful and harmful nature of friends and others giving advice. I hope to get a lot of feed back from this article.Email me your thoughts: everythingwomen@gmail.com



Why Advice Giving Is Not Advisable
By: Jacob Gan

Often in our interactions with family and friends, problems being encountered would inevitably be brought up. Inevitably too, in trying to be helpful, we often react by giving advice on how to solve the problem.

However, this is generally not recommended, for the following reasons:

We assume we know what the problem is and forget to be a listener, to find out enough details about the problem and the other person's point of view.

We forget to extend empathy to the woes of the other person.

We get 'credit' for being the one to give the advice since the advice is likely to be something that the adviser has done or others have done that was successful. So if the listener does not succeed or had done it before but it was not successful, the implication is that it is not because the advice was not good, but the listener has not applied it well. This tends to make the advisee feel stupid and incompetent.

When we give advice, we're talking 'down' to the other person as we become the 'expert'. We're so eager to talk and show our knowledge and 'wisdom' that we do not interact at an 'equal' level with the other person. We take on the position of 'expert' and might tend to forget that the other person also has knowledge to share with us.

We are giving the message that we think the person cannot work out the solution himself. This is disempowering for the other person.

We belittle the efforts that have been taken by the person. We become the evaluator of what the person has done rather than helping him/her to self-evaluate.

Example of Advice Giving:

A: Jolyn and I are having problems. We have been having more quarrels lately.

B: Hmm… I'm always thought both of you were not suitable for each other. (B is getting credit for his prediction. B is not asking questions to find out more about A's problems)

A: Well, we were getting along pretty well. But I've been very busy with work recently and haven't had time to go out with her. She feels I'm spending too much time on work.

B: It shows she does not understand you (B is assuming he knows what the problem is). Maybe you should break up with her (advice giving, implying A cannot work out a solution). It could be a blessing in disguise.

A: I'd be miserable. Don't know what I'd do without her.

B: You'll get over it (B is not extending empathy to A). I did too when I broke up with Doris 2 years ago. (B is giving himself credit)

A: I sent her roses to make up but it doesn't seem to work.

B: I don't think that will work with her (evaluating what A has done). Since she wants time with you, just put aside your work and make time for her.

A: I have deadlines to meet.

B: Well, you have to decide what you want (this is not likely to be helpful to A's dilemma and might make him feel stupid and incompetent instead.)

Using Questions in conversations is generally more helpful as it helps the other person think through the issues that they have. Example is this conversation below:

A: Jolyn and I are having problems. We have been having more quarrels lately.

B: I'm sorry to hear that (extending empathy). Would you like to tell me more about it? (being a listener, to find out details of problem)

A: I've been really busy with my work and haven't had time to go out with her. She feels I'm spending too much time on work.

B: Has it always been this way with your work?

A: No, it's these recent two months because of a big project. Deadlines to meet and other work pressures….

B: Must be tough on you…. (extending empathy to A and indirectly giving credit to A for holding up)

A: Yah… but I do need to make time for Jolyn… I have been working too hard. I should ease up a bit (self evaluation). I think I'll send her some flowers afterwards and then call her for a dinner date tomorrow. (coming up with his own solutions)

B: All the best …

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Sweet Honeymoon

Now that your big wedding day has already been planned, what can you do about the big wedding night? Yes your honeymoon. It is just as important as your wedding day, but with less hassle. For this your plans will only affect you and your spouse. Some people are so drawn in by the overwhelming atmosphere that a wedding brings them, sometime they carry those jitters into their honeymoon; this may prove not to be a good idea. It is important to plan your honeymoon, with the idea in mind that it is meant to create a relaxing, sensual and fun environment. Here is an article by Adrian Adams that I hope may help when planning your honeymoon vacation.



Tips For Planning An Exciting Honeymoon
By: Adrian Adams

Getting married and going on a honeymoon are very exciting times. Yet too many people get so caught up in everything being perfect that they are stressed out on what should be a very enjoyable time. Since planning a wedding takes up so much time, the honeymoon should be the perfect opportunity for the newlyweds to relax and enjoy their time with each other.

The most important thing to consider for any honeymoon is your budget. You don't want to worry about the cost of it or you won't be able to fully enjoy it. Plan it in advance so you can get a great deal on it. Even if you can't afford to go far away, plan something fun and relaxing. There are wonderful bed & breakfasts located all over the place so you won't have too much trouble finding one.

Make sure your honeymoon plans include activities both of you enjoy doing. The whole point of the honeymoon is to spend your time together so make sure you will both like what is taking place. If you haven't been to a particular location before, make sure you have all the information you can find on it available. This way you can plan your trip accordingly. Be careful not to plan too many things to do so you can spend relaxing time together.



Make sure you have all of your documents needed for the trip. This may include passports, shots, photo ID, spending money, and anything else you need. Pack well in advance so you won't be rushed after the wedding to get your travel items prepared. It is a good idea to leave a copy of your itinerary and confirmation numbers with a trusted friend or family member so that you can contact them if you lose anything.

If you will be visiting another country for your honeymoon, you may find the culture to be very different. For example they may not approve of the public display of affection that many newlyweds engage in. Make sure you are willing to honor the cultural differences. If not, then choose a honeymoon location what this will be acceptable.

Most of all, enjoy your honeymoon. It should be fun and full of great memories. This is likely your first of many trips together as a married couple. As you start your life together make your honeymoon a very romantic and enjoyable time instead of one full to stress and too many activities.

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Enjoy a romantic honeymoon at our Dallas Bed And Breakfast. www.adallasguesthouse.com

Do Brides-to-be make mistakes?

Well, do brides-to-be make mistakes?

As much as we would like to believe that we are perfect, there are moments when we could have done something a little different and probably save on time, money and emotional distress.
For a bride-to-be these moments may be more frequent than some would like to admit.
I would imagine, that for a young lady who has probably thought about her wedding day for most of her life, the actual moment may become more and more over whelming as the big day draws near. After all her job is not as simple as her future husband's, for the most part, all he needs to do is show up looking half way decent. On the other hand, the success of the wedding presentation, the guest satisfaction, the little things that make that day memorable, rises and fall under the apparent responsibility of the bride-to-be. Here is an article by Amy Nutt that may help to calm some nerves as she highlights a few things that brides normally stress about or just plain forget.





Brides-To-Be - Top Ten Pre-Wedding Mistakes And How To Avoid Them

By: Amy Nutt

Planning a wedding can be one of the most exhilarating, yet stressful times of a woman's life. Whether you are going extravagant, or just keeping it simple, there are many details that must be addressed, and often, little time to do them. This time constraint is often the source of many common mistakes made by brides before a wedding. Lack of research is another contributing factor. This, however, is often due to the fact that most brides have never planned a wedding before, so the process can prove a bit daunting. Below are the top ten mistakes commonly made by many brides-to-be, and how to avoid them.

Not sticking to your budget. Often times, couples will set a wedding budget, then make further plans without keeping it in mind. This can be a big mistake. While it's easy to get caught up in the excitement and frenzy of planning a wedding, it is important to follow your budget. Failure to do so can either result in spending more money than what you have, or being disappointed when you can't pay for something you are set on doing.

Messing up the marriage license. There are a number of rules and regulations surrounding this process that it is easy for couples to make a mistake. Because the bride often plans the wedding, the groom usually takes care of this detail, but it is always something the couple should do together. It is a good idea for the bride-to-be to get involved in this one so both parties know what is needed and when to do it.

Ordering the wedding gown too late. If you have your heart set on a specific gown, you will want to take care of this early on in the planning process. Even if this detail is not as important to you as it is other brides, it is a good idea to have this one taken care of early. Most times, the gown must be altered, sometimes even more than once, so attention should definitely be given to this major detail.



Waiting to book hotel rooms. A common mistake made by many brides is waiting too late to book hotel rooms for wedding guests. This is especially important if you are getting married during a busy time of the year, or would like your guests to stay in a particularly busy hotel. This detail should be taken care of soon after the wedding date is set. It's much easier to re-book a room in advance than it is to find a room at the last minute.
Inviting too many guests. When choosing a place for the wedding and reception, make sure these sites can accommodate the number of guests you would like to invite. This is crucial because you often take care of this detail well in advance, certainly long before you have received notice of who is and isn't coming to the wedding.

Indulging in last-minute beauty treatments or crash diets. Getting a facial the day before the wedding can be a bad idea. Instead of rejuvenating your skin, it can actually lead to break-outs, especially if you have never before used the products included in the facial. Because of this, you have no idea what they may or may not do to your skin, so take precautions. The same goes for crash diets. You want your dress to still fit the day of the wedding, and going on a crash diet could result in its being too big.

Failure to understand invitation postage. Many brides are not aware the invitations often require additional postage, therefore, these items are often sent out without it. If this happens, the postal service will return your invitations to you, and you will be responsible for including the proper postage and sending them again. This, of course, can significantly delay the entire process, not to mention add stress to your wedding planning.

Ignoring religious restrictions. Skipping pre-marital classes or failing to wear the appropriate wedding attire can result in your wedding officiate refusing to marry you when the big day arrives. To avoid this, make sure you understand what will be required of you and your husband-to-be prior to the actual wedding. This is especially important if you do not practice the same religion.

Trying it on your own. If you are lucky enough to have been offered help by friends and family members, take it. There are so many details to attend to that it can easily become overwhelming and you may find you will need all the help you can get.Forgetting to focus on what it all means instead of just the actual event. Yes, the wedding is important, but you should always keep in mind that you are getting married and starting a life together. Brides be good to your grooms and grooms to the same to your brides.
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The Perfect Wedding Guide for Toronto Weddings - a wedding directory, wedding services and wedding retailers.

" Thinking of getting married"

'Tis is the season for love.



The wedding day is a special day in the lives of every engaged couple. Whether they choose to get married in an elaborate ceremony with a large number of guests, or have a small intimate gathering of close friends and family, it is an event they both will remember for a lifetime.
Those memories, in many cases, turn out to be more impacting than the actual wedding day itself. Therefore, it is important that you try to minimize those things that would tarnish the hind sight view of this important day.
It has been my experience that the number one issue that most couples have when planning for their big day is how to pull off the best, biggest, most glamorous, memorable, tasteful, one day event on planet earth ........ with a small budget. I'm sure you have some stories about how you did it, we would love to hear them. Here is an article written by Kyle Richey suggesting ways you can have your dream wedding on a modest budget.





How To Plan A Low-Budget Wedding That Feels Like a Million Bucks: The Right Way!
By: Kyle Richey

Your wedding is a special day that you may remember for years to come.
First, congratulations on combining your life with your special loved one! In this article you will learn how to have a great wedding day without going into debt for years to come. Marriage is a wonderful thing, but you need not spend thousands of dollars on a wedding day in order to have a memorable, fun and exciting wedding day. You can learn how to plan a low-budget wedding day to have a lot of fun without spending too much money on one day in your life.

Do You Need A Wedding Planner?
Even when you are planning a wedding on a small budget you may or may not need a wedding planner. A wedding planner can help you plan your wedding on a small budget, but sometimes you just do not need to make that another expense. Instead of a wedding planner where you would be relying on a person to help you plan your wedding, you should try a software program to get tips with wedding budget guides that will help you plan your wedding day within your budget. This will also help you keep the quality in your wedding day, but you will have guides to follow so you will not be able to go above your wedding budget if you follow the guides. This can help you a great deal and keep you away from spending too much money and time on a wedding planner.

Budgeting Your Wedding Expenses
Your wedding expenses can be broken down into several categories to help you budget your wedding day a lot easier. You should start with your main and most expensive costs for your wedding day to get an idea of where you stand on your wedding budget. Start with the costs of your reception, ceremony, and honeymoon. All of these parts of your wedding are important and require the most costs out of anything else.

Your wedding ceremony:
You can save money on your wedding ceremony by having it held at a family or friends house instead of at a venue. You can ask your family member or friend to host your wedding at their home, and it will not cost you anything to simply have your wedding ceremony there. Your wedding reception: If you have your ceremony at a family member or friend's house you could also have the reception there to save money. If they have a nice yard or a good-sized entertaining room you could have it in there.

Your honeymoon:
Instead of flying on an airplane to some exotic place you could take a road trip to a quiet town and rest, relax and have fun with your new mate in a hotel room, ranch, or other place to stay. Keep it cozy and real. Tips On Saving Money On Your Wedding And Retaining QualityIt can be easy to cut corners in your wedding expenses to save money while retaining the quality of your wedding day and your honeymoon. You can simply cut things out of the wedding that are not necessary such as wedding favors, fancy centerpieces, etc. You could also opt to make them yourself if you have the time.

Create the wedding invitations yourself as well instead having some super fancy ones created for you. You can do a lot yourself instead paying a lot of money to others to get it done for you, and don't be afraid to cut some small costs out of your wedding. This is your day! By budgeting properly you can save a lot of time and money. You can keep track of all of your expenses with some software. Enjoy your wedding day without blowing away your budget!

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Don't be one of the thousands of people who fall into debt and get so stressed about their wedding that they miss out on the fun. Figuring out www.day2cherish.com/weddingbudgetsecrets">how to plan a low budget wedding is easier than you think! Learn simple tips and let software help you plan your amazing wedding and save $8,241+ now: www.day2cherish.com/weddingbudgetsecrets">www.day2cherish.com/weddingbudgetsecrets

iWomen Space Six Week Writers Choice

Happy Summer everyone......

First, let me apologize to you guys for my absence for the last couple of weeks. I have been thinking of new and more relevant ways to connect with you, my loyal readers.
Therefore in keeping with the commitment of "iWomenspace", for the next six (6) weeks I will be posting articles from established writers, relevant to women matters and issues. I will also like to invite you to write to me with your concerns and feedback, write to everythingwomen@gmail.com. If you have something, anything you wish to share with this community of women....and a couple of men, then write it down and send it to me I will review your comments/articles, for approval, and post them. It is my hoped that these articles will provoke conversations that will encourage and help women in their day to day life and provide men a unique view through the portal of what make a woman, a woman. There are also benefits to subscribing to this blog. Not only will you be kept updated on the content, you will also receive awesome discounts and be apprised of sales on all of the advertised merchants on this blog. I'll be waiting to hear from you. For the next six weeks it’s your show. Enjoy.