Tips + Tricks | mumwrites

How to Give a Unique Gift at a Baby Shower

23.May.2013 By jareds_mum Leave a Comment

tips + tricks, gift ideas, gift ideas for babies

a simple yet cute baby shower gift set

Traditionally, when a friend gave birth, you would buy a card and a little gift for the new baby after he or she had arrived. One of the latest trends though(which we can thank our neighbors across the pond for is for the friends of the mum-to-be to throw a baby shower. Baby showers are great fun; they’re a way for everyone to celebrate the pregnancy, share parenting tips and hopefully enjoy some cake! A big part of the baby shower tradition, however, is giving gifts. This can be quite a high-pressure event – what if other people have spent more on their gifts? What if you give the same present as somebody else? What if you forget the gender of the baby and hand over an assortment of baby blue when everyone else gives pink?! A good suggestion to combat these potential social faux pas (apart from the last one, which you will just have to plough through with a smile and a return receipt) is to try to choose an unusual gift. Baby outfits, toys and nursery decorations are all undeniably useful, but the parents will probably receive more than enough of these. Selecting something a little bit different will make your gift stand out from the rest, and show the expectant mum how much thought you have put into it. It might even earn you an extra slice of cake!

Below are some of our favorite unique gift ideas

A Family Tree

This is a brilliant gift idea if you’re a family member, or close enough to the family to know details of relative’s names and connections. Some companies allow you to make customized family tree posters online, or if you’re good with arts and crafts then you could always create your own tree to be displayed on the wall. Add in the names of the parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins and then leave a gap for the baby for the parents to fill in once they have decided on a name. This is a really unique way to celebrate the birth of the new arrival, and it will also be something that the child will treasure as they get older.

A Baby Coin Set

When giving gifts before the baby is born, it can be difficult to get anything that’s personal. Their birthday, name and even gender can sometimes be complete surprises. One thing you can be quite sure on, though, is the year that the baby will be born (unless the due date is late December!) so year-dated gifts are a good choice. The Royal Mint do a range of baby and christening gifts, where you should be able to find a coin that suits your tastes and budgets. Lucky silver pennies and ‘My First Coins’ sets are both unique keepsakes that are a great alternative to the usual silver bangles or spoons. If you have a large budget, you could even consider one of the Mint’s more expensive coins, which could serve as an investment for the child when it’s older.

Name A Star

Naming a star after a newborn baby is a really special way to mark the importance of the birth. Usually, these come as gift sets which allow the parents to fill in the details to register the star once the baby is born and a name has been chosen, so its still a suitable gift for a baby shower. The baby then usually receives a gift certificate and information about their personal star. It is such an interesting thing to have, meaning that you are also giving the gift of the baby always having a fun fact about themselves to share!

A Perfect Mother’s Day Gift: A Good Night’s Sleep

13.May.2013 By jareds_mum Leave a Comment

A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor’s book. ~ Irish Proverb

Nothing prepared me for the sleep-deprivation I encountered when I gave birth to my little man and became a mother. Not the all-nighters I used to pull up in College finishing something school-related or just plainly having yet another difficult night sleeping due to insomnia. Not all the times I spent wide awake in the wee hours of the morning, later on when I was working in the city, with my nose buried on my favorite Harry Potter books.

Truth is when I finally got to go home with my child, after a few days in the hospital, I was awake for almost 48 hours. I was simply in awe and I was careful not to sleep a wink lest the little bundle of joy that was peacefully sleeping in the baby crib that we placed in my room will disappear and that I will soon find out that he was just a figment of my over-zealous imagination. Of course, it turned out he was not and that episode was followed by many a number of sleep-deprivation episodes later on.

That is why I think one of the best things you can gift mum on her day is the gift of a good night’s sleep just so she can catch up on all the naps she missed taking care of the little toddler who simply refused to take his own nap or the night rest she forgo to be able to care for a sick child or just to simply watch the little one while he is deep in slumber, wondering what he was dreaming of when he smiled in his sleep.

A good night’s sleep, may that be in a form of a good quality adjustable memory foam beds or a dainty silk pajama that you think mum will appreciate, is a perfect Mother’s Day gift in my opinion. Of course, you can always go overboard and transform mum’s bedroom into something much more relaxing and enticing to sleep, just like the one pictured above, but you do not really need to break the bank to give mum a sound sleep that she deserves. If you are on a budget, you can simply download soothing and relaxing music onto mum’s player which she can listen to while she catch up on her zzzz or you can always buy her one of those aromatic and calming shower gels she used which can help her get a sound sleep after a relaxing and invigorating bath. I know I could use one!

Filed Under: tips + tricks Tagged With: sleeping matters

Gearing Up For The May 2013 National and Local Elections

3.May.2013 By jareds_mum Leave a Comment

Philippines Today, tips + tricks, current issues

My own copy of the Voter’s Information and Instruction Sheet {VIIS}

So are you ready for the 13 May election?

Campaigns and meeting de avances have elevated to feverish pitch now that the 13 May election is fast approaching. You will hear numerous candidates jingles blaring even in the very early hours of the morning with highly-active campaigners doing their rounds of barangays in the city. The little man has woken up with a start on few occasions because of them.

I just got my copy of the Voter’s Information and Instruction Sheet {VIIS} when we recently went home {to my parents’ home}. I am not sure whether they issued a similar hand out in the previous election, but I am glad they did. It is a perfect guide for voters, especially for those who are doing it for the first time. If every people lining up at the voting centers come 13 May have read the instructions found in this sheet to heart, then I see no reason why the election will not be as stress-free and hassle-free as everyone hope it will be.

Here are the tips found on the Voter’s Information and Instruction Sheet and I thought I’d share them with you, just in case you failed to get your own copies:

How To View A Sample Ballot Of Your City or Municipal Using The Comelec Website

Visit www.comelec.gov.ph {although I just checked now and the site is down for some reasons}
Click on the “Ballot Templates” tab
Click on the name of your Region
Click on your city or municipal’s name under the name of your province
Wait for the ballot template to fully load. You can also choose to download or print the form

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Philippines Today, tips + tricks Tagged With: current issues

How To Look Fabulous in Whatever Body Shape You’re In

2.May.2013 By jareds_mum Leave a Comment

Ever since my body shape drastically changed after giving birth, I really had a hard time finding the clothes that fit perfectly. Nothing from my old wardrobe seem to fit and those that actually do are never the same size I used to wear! I have to admit, I have grown bigger the last four years after giving birth to my little man. I have trouble coping with the weight gain most of the time and other times I am in denial, struggling to make some of my old clothes fit, but in vain. That is why I had this nagging feeling that I do not look as good as I used to. There are bulges and unsightly lumps everywhere and I am feeling more uncomfortable each day.

Now that I have been living with the saddlebags for a while, since I have not been successful in getting rid of them as much as I want to, I think I have also grown to accept that I have considerable grown in the last 4 years and I am starting to feel comfortable in my own skin again. Am trying to live and deal with the extra weight and all its physical manifestations, as well as trying to accept that I may never look and weigh the same way. The best thing I’ve ever done so far to ease the discomfort is to wear appropriately-sized underthings and I tell you they make a world of difference.

Here’s a fabulous infographic I recently came across that will guide you in choosing the right underwear to flatter whatever body shape you have and trust me, be wise enough to heed these nifty tips as they can really work magic in making you look and feel great. Of course, we can think about the work out and diet, afterwards!