Three tips for your new journey – Fatherhood

Long gone are the times when only the wife took care of the newborn. Times have changed and with many companies granting paternity leave, husbands could be seen at the forefront in taking care of newborns and mothers. Even as he resumes work, he has to manage his hours in such a way that he can take care of both the mother and the baby. Here are some tips for those who have just stepped into the most blessing phase of their life – fatherhood.

Learn the tasks

Simply because it was your wife who carried the baby for nine months does not mean she is completely aware of baby care. Taking care of a baby is not restricted to her only. Persevere with the complicacies of parenting skills and it will not take much time to know the difference between a baby crying for a nappy change and when he or she is hungry. The key is to learn from each other how to put the baby to sleep, bottle-feed and give a bath among others.

Mother care

Remember that your wife has gone through no less than a grueling experience. In addition to your help with baby care, she also needs you and your attention and support to get back to a normal routine, both psychologically and physically. Take care of the new arrival while she rests, make a cup of tea for her and compliment her recovery. These are some of the elementary tips to show her affection and encourage her.

Family Bonding

When you and your partner spend time taking care of your first baby, the time spent leads to close knitting between the three of you. And, it takes no time to realize that you three are family now. Take out time and go for a walk together with the baby. The feeling is just amazing.

More Details

Three ways to jazz up your home this New Year

With your just a few days away, you might be wondering how to deck up your home in a unique and attractive way. Whether or not you plan to have a party at home, it is fun to have some unique other at home around this time. Listed below are some interesting ideas to give your home a festive look.

Light up balcony

You can now give your balcony a complete makeover by lighting it. Use floor lamps, paper lamps and serial lights. You can dedicate a corner of your balcony for seating and place flower pots in one side of it.  Make sure that you place a small table for keeping drinks and eats.

It’s time to jazz up your dinner table

It is a very common scenario in most households that most of the tableware and dinnerware keep laying in cupboards for a long time. If this is also the case with you then is the right time to take out those dinner sets and tableware. Deck up your dining table with a kitschy tablecloth and arrange dinnerware in a neat way. You can also place some artsy stuff and wine bottles to make it appealing and attractive.

Give your living room a makeover

If you plan to throw a party at home then start by clearing the clutter in your living room.  Make furniture to other rooms and make proper arrangements for proper floor seating. Spread a carpet and place some cushions on one side to give it a cozy look. Do not forget to have a music system and speaker so that you can dance and have some fun. Buy some confetti in different colored balloons and hang them in different corners of the room. You can make use of your old wine bottles by stuffing some serial lights in them.

Four must-have bridal accessories

With your wedding day drawing closer, there are so many things that strike your mind. You want to be perfect on this special day of your life. Starting from your lehenga to your make-up, everything needs to be just perfect.  Jewelry and hair accessories have an extremely important role to play in your overall look. Listed below are some accessories that make a must for you.

Jhoomars

Usually, worn for nikaahs, however, with changing times, even other brides are also getting spellbound about it. It is one of the most sought-after hair accessories which dangles the right and left sides of your forehead making the bride look extremely beautiful. You can either wear it alone or pair it with maang tikka.

Maathapatti

If you have a broad forehead then it is just meant for you. It gives an illusion of a small forehead. Given that they have an extension, these are considered more extensive in comparison to maang tikkas. Also, they cover your hair as well. There are plenty of options to choose from. While the ones with a single chain lend a regal look, ones with multiple chains on both sides give an elaborate look.

Floral accessories

It works really great for Mehandi functions and other such ceremonies. You can make use of flowers to adorn and accessories your hair buns or make maang tikkas out of different flowers. Not only do they bring a refreshing and new look to conventional ones, but they also lend a feeling of splendid.

Maang Tikka

When it comes to the bridal look, it is simply incomplete without maang tikkas. These just look ravishing when placed on your forehead. You can go low on other accessories while wearing maang tikkas because it is the ultimate show stopper.

All set to get hitched? Do consider these three points before taking the decision

While marriages might be made in heaven, it appears that we have to prepare and complete the task here.  When it comes to weddings in India, there is a long checklist that has to cover several areas – right from matching kundalis to checking social status. While most parents continue to believe in checking the guna of the prospective groom or bride, taking real steps can help achieve much better in long term. If you are all set to take the plunge then find out whether the prospective groom or bride fulfills these points.

Family genes and health

No doubt that discussing each other’s families might appear an interesting task, however, do not take it lightly at all.  Make it a point to find out about medical conditions prevalent in each other’s families.  Major health laments such as genetic details, chronic diseases, and surgeries.  It is extremely important to run a background check or research these before taking any decision. There are many pre-martial counselors who suggest couples undergo a genetic blood disorder test to detect any problem.

Financial stature

Despite the fact that both (the prospective bride and groom) are financially independent, it is very important to check the financial stature of each other for a secure future. As per studies and research conducted, it has been found that marriages can fall apart due to financial dilemmas. Also, financial difficulties are known to be the root cause of most problems in marital life.

Cultural and religious beliefs

It is extremely crucial to understand religious temperament and beliefs of each other before you decide to take vows. As human beings, each one of us is defined by our respective education, food habits, religion, ethnicity, culture and languages. Hence, discussing each other’s cultural and religious preferences, similarities and differences is important.

Cool office gifts for this festive season

Do you want to make Christmas and New Year fun at your workplace?  If yes then opt for these fun options and enhance the experience at your workplace. Given the fact that the season of gifting is here, and you are dreading the famous Secret Santa game at your office then welcome to the club. This one-office ritual is no less than a devil in disguise because you never know with who you will be playing Santa. Here is a list of some fun and interesting gifts that you can try to gift this season.

Brooches and scarves

If you are looking for some interesting lifestyle products then buy a pretty scarf. Most people love layering, and when it comes to women, it just makes for the perfect gift. Cuff links, a brooch, or a tie-pin can also be considered.

Potted plants

If you want something different and unique then leave a touch of care on your colleague’s desktop. Nothing can be compared to a small potted plant.  Consider succulents that need low maintenance and care and instantly add color to a desk.

Craft kits

Now it is often that you look for gifts that can be used later by the recipients. Choose something that recipients can use to create some interesting stuff, for instance, a sewing kit for those who love knitting or a craft kit for artsy. You can further add a touch of personalization by leaving a message admiring their handwork.

Photo collage

If photographs excite and enliven you and the recipient then choose from a collection of nerdy and gawky ones where you two appear together. You can now make a small collage with fun captions and small anecdotes. Choice of photographs should be done with great care so that they can leave a long-lasting impression on the recipient.

Do not pressurize your child!

It is quite often to see that most people pressurize their children to score better grades. However, if you want them to be successful in their life then avoid it. The obsession with scoring good grades is common across the globe. What most parents forget to pay attention to is that they do this at the cost of kindness and social skills. It can go against helping children become successful and well-adjusted in life, says a study.

When parents stress the achievement of kids much more than their decency and compassion during their growing-up years, they end-up sowing seeds of poor well-being and stress. This not only mars their confidence but also their ability to perform well in life. The right development of kids is important for achieving success in life.

If you want to foster academic success and well-being during the formative years of a child’s life, surrounding early adolescence, findings of the study conducted suggest that parents should emphasize respect and kindness for others at least as much as they accentuate extracurricular accolades and academic performance.

The study was conducted on sixth-grade students from an affluent community. It mainly focused on perceptions of parents’ values in 506 students. Kids were asked to rate the top three of six things that they think their parents valued for them. Three values were related to personal successes such as good grades and a successful and promising career and remaining there were about decency and kindness towards others.

Results of the study conducted showed that fathers and mothers perceived stress on achievement versus interpersonal kindness that played a prime role in academic performance and personal adjustment of the child as did perceptions of parents’ criticism.

Six must-have gym bag essentials

Are you a fitness freak? Do you love hitting the gym on a regular basis? However, you just carry along gym clothes and nothing else? If yes then odds are that you would end up looking not as great as you might feel after a workout session.  Here, we have compiled for you a list of 6 gym bag essentials that you must carry along without fail.

Gym Towels

You will surely need two towels for the gym. Wondering why? One towel for wiping the equipment before and after you make use of it, and a separate towel for you to wipe after taking shower. Drying off or wiping with a towel after it has been used by other gym goers is unhygienic and unsanitary.

Additional shaving kit

This is a must-have for those who hit the office directly from the gym. You can get off the treadmill, hit the showers, and become preventable before leaving for the office.

Nutrition Bars

For the days that you have been juggling between office, gym, and home or vice-versa or that you are famished after a workout, carrying nutrition bars in your gym bag would help you re-fuel. In addition, it will also keep sugar cravings at a bay.

Pain relieving spray or cream

Such sprays and creams are enriched with menthol which helps in relieving tension relax joint pain and muscles. Use it a prior to workout for enhancing the program or speedy recovery in case of any pain or discomfort.

Deodorant

This is one of the most obvious gym essentials that men should carry along. However, there are some men who do not even pay attention to it. You must always take shower after hitting the gym. However, if you are not able to do so because of some pressing emergency, deodorant would always come in handy. Otherwise, also, you should use deodorant before leaving the gym.

Ever wondered why your stomach growls?

The Greeks called it “borborygmi” – a medical term for stomach growling.  Now that many people think that it comes from the stomach, it is not exactly true. It originates when excessive gas in the stomach moves back and forth in the intestines.

Only a few people are aware that their stomach growls when they are hungry and blood sugar levels also dip in the same case. The growling sound indicates that it is time to feed the stomach so that the intestines can get much-needed nutrients from the blood. As soon as something goes into the stomach, the growling stops, and the digestive system starts absorbing the food instead of moving the air.

However, the main question which might be doing the rounds of most people is how the air gets trapped inside the digestive tracts. One of the primary reasons is talking between the leans. When you talk while having meals, the air enters the digestive tract. In addition, drinking excessive fluids or eating too fast at the time of working out can also enable air to enter the human body.

Here is a glance at the process which makes the growling sound

The process which indicates that it is the time for the body to feed the hungry stomach is known as Migrating Motor Complex, also known as the MMC process. In other words, it means that the intestines and stomach get involved in sensing the absence of food in the body. Consequently, receptors in the stomach wall end up creating waves of electrical activity triggering the sense of hunger. It is important for you to know that poor MMC functioning can cause nausea, indigestion, vomiting, and abdominal pain.

Three food combinations you should avoid

Both ignorance and little knowledge can be harmful. Sometimes we end up pairing foods in such a way that even the healthiest ones can cause more damage than good. There are some food items which we need to avoid in combination. Here, we bring to you a list of common food combinations that might be harmful to your body.

Cold drink with chess food

Is not it sound mouthwatering to have pizza with a cold drink? However, it is not a healthy option at all. Those who love to dig into cheesy food should avoid them along with cold drinks. Carbonated drinks comprise of a high amount of fructose which is not only difficult to absorb but also causes abdominal discomfort. In addition, it also causes obesity because of its high sugar content. On a similar note, choices contain a high amount of fat which increases obesity.

Fruits after a meal

The best way to consume fruits is at least an hour before your meal because they work like an appetizer. If you consume fruits right after the meal then all the nutrients are not absorbed properly. Make sure that there is a minimum gap of thirty minutes between a fruit snack and a meal. According to healthcare experts, a person should consume one seasonal fruit every day for better health and fitness.

Banana and milk

Although it is counted among one of the heaviest combinations for the stomach, it can be proven otherwise too. If you have an extremely good digestive system, then only have milk and bananas. Bananas turn sour in the stomach curdling the milk and causing heaviness. Some people find it difficult to digest milk due to a lack of digestive enzymes triggering abdominal problems. So, try to curtail this combination from your diet.

Five tips to keep body odour at bay

Body odour can make things worrying for many people. It can be an embarrassing situation when it comes to attending a gathering or being part of any social event. No doubt that it is one of the worst issues that one has to live and deal with – no matter what the gender is. Listed below are seven things that you can do to prevent body odour.

Don’t spritz on sweat
Try to avoid colognes when you are sweaty.  It is important for you to know that cologne camouflages sweat, and subsequently, body odour for a relatively much shorter span. However, as soon as the effect wears off, you are suffocating and stinking – that too at once.

Deodorant vs. antiperspirant

A deodorant comprises of antiseptic action against the bacteria in the body, thus neutralising the sweat whereas an antiperspirant covers the smell of sweat by clogging and blocking sweating glands. It is always suggested to choose a water-based deodorant.

Shave off your body hair

If you have excess body hair then also your sweat glands are in overdrive and so is your body odour.

Make sure you take baths regularly

Taking bath regularly is to your body what vaccination is to disease. When you take shower regularly, it reduces the number of bacteria in the body which is considered one of the main causes of the odour. Ideally, one should take shower two times a day.

Switch to natural fabric like cotton

The tighter clothes you wear, the chances are that you will perspire more and thus sink more. Let your body breathe. It is suggested that you should avoid excessive layering. Wearing extra clothes add to the sweat, consequently to the odour. Stick to fabric like cotton.