Prioritize Your Life: Make More Time for Achieving Your Goals and Enjoying Life

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For many people, it seems like life has two options: achieving goals and enjoying life. Neither one of them seems as if they are one hundred percent fulfilled. There seems to be a broad spectrum on the scale of go-getters and over-achievers versus those who slack in all departments.

Are You Ready To Start A Family?

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Knowing whether you are ready or not to start a family can be very difficult. Some people feel like they have always been ready to have children. There are then those who are never ready for this and don’t want to have kids at all. What is important to remember is that there is no right or wrong. You should not judge yourself on what others have done. You should focus on yourself and what is right for you. With that being said, read on to discover some of the signs that you probably are ready to have children.

Do you feel financially ready? Of course, money is not the most important thing in life. However, when you are bringing a baby into the world, it is important to be stable at least. You are going to be entering a period whereby you are going to have another life in your hands. You will need to buy more supplies, more food, and then you will need to start paying for school once your child starts to get older, and so on. It quickly gets expensive.

Are you ready to put down roots? Are you happy living in the area you currently reside in? Can you see yourself living there for the next few years? Are you happy to swap your regular holidays for the foreseeable future for this new life?

Do you have the capacity for empathy? This is a bit of a strange one, as there are a lot of people who cannot answer this question until they become a parent for the first time and they 100 percent know that they do have the capacity for empathy. However, there are a lot of people who have seen family planning experts upon learning they were pregnant because they simply don’t feel like they have this compassion or that it’s in their make-up to be a parent. This can sound unusual to those reading this who know they want kids, but for some people, it just wasn’t meant to be their path in life.

Is your relationship strong? Last but not least, you need to look at your relationship when you are considering bringing a baby into this world. This may sound obvious, but it is surprising how many people do not consider this at all. They simply decide they want to have a baby, even though their relationship may not be in the best place right now. Remember, having a baby will only add more stress and strain - it won’t fix anything. Your relationship needs to be strong.

All things considered, we hope that this blog post has helped you to figure out whether or not you are ready to have children. Even if you do feel ready right now, you may never feel 100 per cent ready because of the fact that this is such a big change in anyone’s life. Nevertheless, as mentioned, it is all about you and your partner, so concentrate on this.

How To Plan The Best Children's Party

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No matter what their gender or age might be, the most enjoyable part of a birthday for little ones (besides getting some fun presents!) is their party. Setting a date a few months in advance will give you time to plan the whole thing accordingly, and allow them go nuts with excitement as the big day approaches. Whether you’re DIY-ing at home or going all out, in this article you will find some of the best tips, tricks and ideas to help you make sure your child has the best day ever.

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Involve Them In The Planning

It's likely your little one will already have some ideas in their head of what they want at their birthday party. Some of these may be slightly outlandish and not particularly achievable, as unicorns are hard to come by, but you will definitely be able to decipher some great things to include on their special day. Get them to write down a few locations or themes and then you can decide which of those you think would be the most fun but also the most logical too. Giving them the opportunity to help will get them even more excited in the build-up to their party, and also make them feel more involved and special to be part of the planning. It also stretches out the experience from being just a few hours of joy to months of anticipation.

Who To Invite

Dependent on the type of party you’re planning, you have to establish a guest list. Make sure their best friend(s) are free on the day you’ve chosen for the event and establish the size of the group that can attend. If it’s a small get together such as a sleepover, keep the number below 5 and make sure it’s odd so as not to leave anyone behind - pairs always work better. If it’s a larger event like a disco, think about including all of their classmates or sports team members. This way you will be able to involve everyone they know and make it a lovely environment for stronger friendships to be built. If you’re doing the whole school class option, ask their teacher if your little one could distribute some invitations before a lesson begins; often if everyone will be receiving an invite they won’t say no. This can help to build their confidence too, and add to the excitement of it all.

The Budget

Possibly the most important influence to any decisions you can make to do with the party is your overall budget. If you don't have a lot to spend, consider some DIY options and get your child to help too. Spending some time with them to craft decorations or bake a big celebration cake will be a lovely experience, and will make the day even more satisfying for them when they know they contributed towards its creation. It’s also a lot cheaper to create these items yourself rather than outsourcing them, so it’s a win-win situation. If you’re looking for a day trip that won’t break the bank, get some discount Disneyland tickets for a magical cost-conscious adventure. There are many ways to save money whilst still planning the most memorable birthday, so do a little research on alternatives before spending more than required.

Party Favors

It’s a sort of tradition to hand out party favors to all of the guests when they leave so they have something to take home with them. The contents of their ‘party bag’ should depend upon the theme of the day. For a day of arts and crafts include some paintbrushes and pencils, for a wild day at an outdoor adventure park add some cool wild animal figurines or get an entertainer in to do brilliant themed face painting. Always include a piece of the birthday cake, as this is a party favor staple! There are many things that can be personalized and included, and it's possible to make most or even all of the party bags contents yourself.

Games Galore

Keeping your little one(s) occupied is difficult at the best of times, so when you have an entire group of children their age running circles around your feet, you have to invest in some games and entertainment. Again this really does depend on the location of the party, but there are a few go-to’s that you might want to consider. Treasure hunts are a tried and tested winner as all children will want to get involved, especially if they’re looking for sweets and candy. Taking the age group into consideration, you may want to think about hiring a clown or a professional children's entertainer. Unfortunately clowns have lost their touch over the years due to various horror films, but fortunately, a magician or a superhero would be a much better and accessible replacement.

Presents

One of the main reason children look forward to their birthdays is the hope of being drowned in presents. If you’ve splashed out on a big day, you might have to scrimp when it comes to buying them a gift. However continuing with the DIY method, you can create some smaller items on your own that relate to the theme of the party. It’s important that they can see the party as a present in its own right too. It’s likely they will get a few gifts if they host a larger event, so keep an eye on them to make sure they don't forget their thank you’s in the excitement of it all!

It’s hard to get every little detail to be perfect, but it really doesn’t matter! Focus on the experience as a whole, and make sure your child feels special on their big day. With this information, you should be able to plan and execute something spectacular for them to remember for years to come. Don’t forget to involve the special boy or girl in the planning of their party, and try to relax and enjoy yourself too!

New Parent? Here Is Some Advice For You

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So you finally home, and it’s just you, and your little one. Maybe you have a partner, perhaps you don’t. Either way, it’s a wild ride. The first few days, you’re being asked if the baby is 'good,' are they sleeping through the night, where do they sleep? You look tired. It’s an endless stream of well-meaning questions and advice. But in reality, a newborn baby sleeps, eats, and poops. They cry when they aren’t on you, and you’ve never been needed as much as this. You aren’t even 100% sure when to call your pediatric doctor!

It is hard but so, so wonderful too. The pressure we put on parents to have everything together from the moment the baby arrives is incredible. It’s hard to feel like you are failing, even when really you’re flying.

Here are some little pieces of advice, you can take it or leave it - just like everything, you know what is best for you and your baby.

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

Silence

Your baby has gone from living in your loud womb out into the world. And suddenly, we all start shushing. Tiptoeing around. And, actually, eventually, you might need to. But right now, they can take the noise of the hoover, you laughing with a friend, the washing machine and so on. Of course, if you want the peace too then indulge in it.

The Other Parent

Families come in many different forms now. But typically the person who gave birth will be the one that is parents A, but the bonding with parent B needs to be nurtured as early on as possible. If you happen to be breastfeeding, there are still many opportunities for the other parent to bond. Parent B will smell, sound, and feel differently than you do. So it is wise to start giving them time to get used to each other too.

Prep

Preparation will help you no end. Before the little one arrives, everything seems under control. However, when they appear, it can be whirlwind of diapers and babygrows. Help yourself out a little and have an ‘action’ bag. Pop it in the car - with two diapers, a thin pack of wipes, and a change of outfit. When you can predict the feeding times, get your partner to help make sure everything is ready for the next feed, or diaper change. If you don’t have a partner, then you will be your own best friend here and take care of the next feed prep as soon as you’ve finished the one you are currently on.

It will be busy, it will be emotional, and no one can prepare you for what is to come. You can devour book after book of fantastic information, but when it comes down to it, 3am can be exhausting and beautiful all at the same time. Try to take it a day at a time and remember you are recovering from bringing a human into this world. Be kind to you too.

“A new baby marks the beginnings of all things – wonder, hope, and a beautiful dream of possibilities.”

Is True Happiness Possible?

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Many people who have struggles in life often pooh-pooh happiness and like to claim that true happiness is not even possible.  The truth is there are different levels of happiness that you can experience in your life. It’s not a straight line. There are ups and downs that you will experience all throughout life but whether you are happy or not is all about your feelings.

You Have It in You

Just by virtue of the fact that you’re a human being and you can experience feelings, happiness being one of them, you know that true happiness does exist. You can probably write down many days and things that have brought happiness to your life over the years since you were born up until today.  If you are having trouble remembering these, start writing down one thing a day that makes you happy.  Even one word or one sentence can helpf boost your mood.  You can read more about journaling to find happy thoughts here.  

Look Around You

It’s amazing but while it’s easy to say that people cannot be happy unless they have their basic needs met. You’ll find that there are people all around you who do not have their needs met but who are very happy. Evidence suggests that lottery winners, those that inherit wealth, and the wealthiest Americans are, in fact, not happier than your average Joe.  More can be read about this on Marketwatch.com.  

It’s Not About Stuff

If you look at a list of the happiest countries in the world, you will realize that being happy isn’t about the stuff you have. The happiest people right now happen to live in Denmark. Most people who live there pay high taxes, live in small homes and tend to not be as consumer-driven as people in the USA, for example. But the USA is 17 on the list. That shows that happiness is not about stuff.

It’s Not Even About Goals

You may think that happiness is about reaching your goals too. But, it’s not. If you often say things like “I’ll be happy when…” then it’s not likely you will be happy. You can be happy today, before you reach your goals, while you’re on the path to reach those goals. It’s honestly more about the day to day living and not moments.

It’s Not About Your Circumstances

Now, of course, there are events or situations that are devastating.  However, for happy people, even the worst events will not make them unhappy at least not permanently. A happy person usually has the skills to navigate things about their circumstances. Dr. Gillian Mandich, a happiness expert, states that our circumstances account for only 10 percent of our happiness.

True happiness is about accepting that you can experience it, plus understanding what it really means. A happy person isn’t going to be the same level of happy 24/7, 365 days a year. When you observe that people who are sick with cancer are happy, that children who aren’t getting enough to eat are happy, and people living in huts in Africa are also happy it makes you realize that you can be happy too.