A sample video from Udemy’s bestselling online childbirth preparation course, https://www.udemy.com/childbirth-prep…
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Guest Post: How to Prevent Cyber Bullying
Over the past year I’ve had more and more clients report issues with their children experiencing cyber bullying, and have even had some of my younger clients relay their first hand experiences with it. So, I’m happy to publish this guest post from Anna Blake who recently released an educational children’s book on Internet safety.
How to Prevent Cyber Bullying
By: Anna Blake
Cyber bullying is becoming an epidemic and it has a serious impact on the mental health of both children and adults. You or your child can fall victim to cyber bullies at any time, even if you did not in any way engage with the perpetrators or provoke the attack. It is important to know how to prevent cyber bullying before it gets out of hand.
Online Monitoring
You should actively monitor your children’s online activities, so you can identify possible cyber bullying situations. The internet provides a level of disconnect that emboldens cyber bullies to say and do things they wouldn’t do in the real world. Your child may not know how to handle these attacks, so it is up to you to step in and handle the situation for them.
Make sure to take screenshots and save any audio or video messages, if you can. If the cyber bullies are known to you or your child, take appropriate action to report their behavior. For younger kids, you can inform the school, as most districts have a proactive policy that aims to stamp out cyber bullying. Otherwise, you may need to contact the police and determine whether the issue is within the realm of their cyber bullying unit, or to ask for a referral to a local organization that can help.
Tell your child not to engage with the cyber bullies and block them once you have enough evidence of potentially unlawful activities. It is also essential you protect you or your child’s personal information, as cyber bullies will use it as a threat or means to intimidate. Ideally, you will have had a conversation with your child about not sharing personal information in group chats, forums, or social media platforms that they wouldn’t share in the real world.
Signs of Cyber Active Bullying
If you notice your child does not want to spend as much time online, it may indicate she is being cyber bullied. Handle the situation gently and discuss reasons why she does not want to go online. You cannot help your child resolve the issue if there is a barrier to communication. Cyber bullying can cause a child to feel embarrassed and weak, so an understanding and empathetic approach is ideal.
Look and listen for signs of cyber bullying when your child is online. Preferably, online devices should only be used when you are in the room and able to effectively monitor what is going on, without encroaching too much on your child’s internet time. If a child is making a conscious effort to hide the device screen, it should set off alarm bells that something is not right.
Children are not as equipped to handle conflict as adults are, so monitor your child’s emotions while online. If she seems angry or upset, there is a very good chance it is due to cyber bullying. Encouraging your child to discuss their problems at this stage may prove difficult. However, you need to establish what is going on in order to help.
When a child changes her name on social media or creates a completely different account for no apparent reason, she is likely being stalked and tormented by cyber bullies. If you ignore these signs, the issue will only escalate to the point where your child feels there is nowhere left to turn. She will become withdrawn and emotionally distressed in social situations. This is the time where you must let your child know you are a trusted ally who will stand by her side.
Due to the fact that cyber bullying has become such a serious problem, there is plenty of support available for parents and kids. If you are finding it difficult to help your child, don’t be afraid to reach out to schools, public authorities, and any local support groups that are involved in combating cyber bullying.
About Anna Blake
Anna is a stay at home mom, wife and owner of very demanding cat, from sunny Chatsworth, California. When she is not busy chasing her 2 year old around, you can find her trying out new salad recipes or re-watching favorite chick-flick movies.
Together with her hubby they educate kids and adults about internet safety through their website and recently created an educational children’s book Internet Kids – Road Trip.
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5 Unique Alternatives to Baby Books (That Won’t Make You Feel Like a Failure)
*Quoted as expert
As a kid, I would flip through my baby book, hoping my mom had filled in some of the blanks while I was sleeping or at school. But every time I took the book off its shelf, I saw the same barren pages between the faded pale yellow covers. Listed were the date and time of my birth, my birth weight, a lock of hair from my first haircut … and that was all. I promised myself that if I ever became a parent, I wouldn’t start a baby book if I couldn’t commit to the project. As an adult, I know that I’m amazing at starting projects. But finishing them? Not so much.
This is why I’ve never owned a baby book.
It turns out, I’m not alone. In the age of the smartphone, many parents are finding the traditional baby book just doesn’t make sense. That doesn’t mean those of us who are sans baby book aren’t capturing the important moments. There are plenty of ways to hold onto the milestones, the mispronunciations that are too cute to correct, and everything in between – while letting go of the pressure to fill in the blanks.
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4 | Film them
There is nothing quite like a video to preserve a moment. At the end of each year, Bailey Gaddis, the Ojai, California mother and author of “Feng Shui Mommy,” creates a “Year in Review” video montage of all the short takes she’s recorded of her four-year-old son throughout the year. Not only does the video showcase milestones and random sweet and funny moments, Bailey loves that they double as holiday gifts for the grandparents. As an added bonus, videos won’t create clutter.
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A little something to lighten the mood around childbirth.
7 Ways The Thomas Fire Forever Changed My Marriage (For The Better)
Sometimes, it takes a natural disaster to make things clear.
When an out of control wildfire chars over 242,000 acres, destroys 972 structures, and forces 88,000 people out of their homes, many couples are forced to come together in ways that leave lasting imprints on their relationship.
My husband and I spent a week holed up with our four-year-old in a hotel room escaping the flames and smoke of the Thomas Fire while obsessively checking our phones for updates and praying that our house survived. Our relationship was tested, but we came out of it with an appreciation for how we were able to show up for each other when things got real.
We were not the only ones. Many of the couples I spoke with post-fire reported significant shifts in their relationships after the shared experience of a natural disaster.
Ergobaby Omni 360 Review
My main issue with the classic Ergobaby carrier was that I could only (comfortably) have my son facing my chest. As he grew older, and had a desire to check out the happenings around him, he would get peeved when he was stuck looking at me (unless he was in the mood for some boob.) So, I’m happy to report that the Ergobaby Omni 360 carrier solves that problem and allows your babe to comfortably be carried in pretty much every position you can imagine: forward facing, outward facing, on the hip, and on the back.
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And, there are other perks attached to this updated Ergobaby:
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- The structured bucket seat allows baby to sit in an ergonomically-friendly position, in all positions, minimizing “my crotch hurts” fussiness.
- There’s also goodies for the adult. The crossbale shoulder straps and lumbar support allow you to go for hours with your child strapped to your body without feeling like your back is being slowly tortured. I would know – I went on a four mile hike with this carrier (and my child) and I could have gone further.
- You no longer have to worry about losing that bulky newborn insert. You can now simply adjust the leg width and wa-lah (!), newborn ready.
- It’s more comfortable for dads. My husband, who is a lot a bit larger than me, had problems adjusting our original carrier to suit his wider and taller frame. The Omni 360 carrier is so versatile and easy to adjust he gets a little twinkle in his eye when he gets a turn with it.
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While I was already a devotee of Ergobaby before this new beauty was released, the Omni 360 is such a champ I’m now that mom who accosts people at the park telling them how they MUST get an Ergobaby Omni 360 in their life.
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P.S. Dear Ergobaby, could you please figure out a way to add a cup holder and wine dispenser to your next model? Please and thank you.
7 Idyllic Winter Wedding Destinations
What better way to start this new chapter of your life than with a crisp white slate, set in a whimsical winter woodland?
Winter weddings offer many advantages (like better rates!) but one of the brightest aspects of a wedding during this chilly time of year is the cheery, loving, and fresh-start vibes reverberating through the season. Oh, and there are few things as romantic as cozying up by the fire with celebratory champagne and your sweetheart, while snow gently coats the land. The following destinations offer the best in winter wedding venues.
1. Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe – Incline Village, NV
Whether you want the backdrop of the deep blue waters of Lake Tahoe, an intimate mountain lodge, or the grandeur of the Lakeside Ballroom the Hyatt can deliver a wedding even more spectacular than all your Pinterest wedding boards combined. As you near the big day, the Hyatt will help calm your nerves with sunsets that make you forget to breathe, a spa full of magic-hand masseuses that melt your stress, and nearby tree-lined slopes that offer endless exploration.
My Journey with the EarlySense Percept Fertility Tracker
*I received a free tracker but was not compensated for this review.
My husband and I are currently on a yearlong recon mission to figure out the best way to conceive baby #2. . . when we’re ready. And yes, we know how babies are made, but we would like to skip the months of blindly trying and being faced with negative pregnancy tests – instead, we would like to know my body well enough to strike when the uterus is hot.
The discovery of the clinically-proven EarlySense Percept Fertility Tracker was a big win for us. The tracker consists of a sensor, that you place under your mattress, that tracks signals from your body like your breathing and heart rate. This information is used to predict your next period and 6-day fertility window, then sends this info to the corresponding app on your phone.
What I’ve learned so far from this contact-free fertility monitor:
*I always ovulate 12 days after my period ends. When it’s baby go time you’ll be sure to find me on this app on the daily, making sure I make the most of that sacred egg release.
*I’m a mediocre sleeper. According to the app I get an average of six hours of sleep a night (not great.) And, it takes me an average of 20 minutes to fall asleep, and I spend only 10 minutes in deep sleep.
*I’m less stressed than I thought. My mental app says my stress levels are high, but according to Percept my stress levels range from low to medium – so, yay! This makes me feel less stressed about being stressed.
Thank goodness for this nifty tracker because I was this close to making my husband help me track my basal body temperature and help me decipher what discharge was “ovulation discharge” – not as romantic as it sounds.
Wishing you happy and knowledgable baby-making!
Best Places to Ski in the Rockies
The Rockies are synonymous with stoke-worthy skiing but with so many resort options it can be tricky to pin down the spot that will be just right for your needs.
The following resorts offer a bevy of amenities; whatever kind of traveler you are, you’re certain to be pleased.
- Jackson Hole Mountain Ski Resort
Known for its extreme terrain and a few runs that require avalanche safety equipment, Jackson Hole is best left to the experts. A favorite for those who go hard is the heli-ski tour – what’s more extreme than dropping from a helicopter onto an epically steep slope?
If you prefer to leave the intense snow sliding to others, the overwhelming beauty of this rustic wonderland makes it a prime locale for sitting fireside with a hot cup of something tasty, while you take in the majesty of the American West.
Sleep: Spring Creek Ranch. Located on a wildlife sanctuary and towering 1,000 feet over the town of Jackson, these luxury accommodations will allow your ears to enjoy a symphony of howling coyotes and elks practicing their mating call, while your eyes feast on unbeatable views of the Teton Mountain Range.
Plus, the limitless blue skies and Wilderness Adventure Spa, which offers unique goodies like High Altitude Facials and Soul Readings, ensure your mind, body, and spirit leave refreshed.
Eat: Mangy Moose. This cavernous steakhouse offers location-appropriate hearty options, like elk burgers, prime rib, and brisket. The “Moose” also hosts live music and is a fave après ski bar for locals.
Explore: Tour the National Elf Refuge by horse-drawn sleigh. Sit back, cozy up, and get your camera ready as a horse pulls your sleigh through snowy terrain dotted with thousands of elk. These rides are generally available from mid-December through early April and allow you to fully immerse yourself in the Wyoming wilderness.
9 Hospital Bag Essentials You Need If You’re Giving Birth During The Holidays
*Quoted as expert
1. A Holiday Focal Point
Hypnobirthing practitioner, doula, and author of Feng Shui Mommy Bailey Gaddis recently attended a birth the day after Thanksgiving. “The mom had me set up a mini Christmas tree in her hospital room with a ‘Baby’s First Christmas’ ornament hanging on it,” Gaddis tells Romper.
Sounds cute right? In fact, the Christmas tree served a powerful purpose during the birth. “She used the tree and ornament as her focal point during the birth, saying it helped her look beyond the pain of birth and focus on the joy she would feel sharing her first Christmas with her daughter,” Gaddis explains. “And, because this mama is such a lover of the holidays, she had me run out to buy candy canes she could suck on for a jolt of refreshing energy.”
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Bailey Gaddis Blog 