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A mother is not the only one who has memories of baby and toddlerhood. Grandparents also play a very important part in the making and keeping of a child’s memories.

The advent of the holiday season marks the passing of another year. Each of us becomes a bit more nostalgic than usual at this time so rich in tradition and with the reminders of ending and beginnings so close on every hand. As minds wander over the previous year and holidays past we can see those little ones that are dear to our hearts and mark their growth with each Christmas.

It is often difficult to believe that the little one that runs about the house with pattering feet and a barely decipherable chatter was little more than a roly-poly smiling bundle at this same time last year.

Good intentions

Each baby is born to mothers who have the best of intentions to record and photograph each moment of this child’s life. Many mothers rise to this challenge amid hectic schedules and life’s demands. Yet few remain as committed to the scrapbook of the last child as they were with the first. Some mothers just don’t have time to even begin and those cute baby memory books remain untouched as the years pass.

Filling a need

Moms and Dads are not the only persons in a child’s life that have memories to record and share. Aunties and Grandmas also love and care for these babies from birth to the toddler years and right on up. This year why not give a gift that records and shares these precious memories with your precious baby?

Photos that are locked on computer hard drives or remain hidden on memory chips in cameras aren’t very accessible. Toddlers love to see pictures of themselves and hear stories featuring them as they were when they were a baby. A memory book dedicated to them will be a big hit.

The toddler is not the only one who will appreciate the memory book. Moms from the dedicated scrap booking enthusiast to the mom who never even started will appreciate photos of her child that are already arranged, journaled and require nothing of her time and energy other than pure enjoyment.

Unique perspective

Grandmas and Aunties have a unique perspective that they can share. As a grandparent or sibling you can share memories of the baby as well as the parent you knew as a child. Pointing out similarities in looks, behavior and attitudes is often fun for both the toddler and their parent to discover. You can also laugh more readily at the natural naughtiness of childhood. As a loved one not in the parental role it is a funny occurrence - not a tragic mess - when the toothpaste is emptied from the tube, or the butter is eaten in huge bites right from the cube.

Getting started

To start your memory book Christmas gift give yourself time to complete it. The value of this gift is in its creation and not the monetary investment, so make sure you give it the time it deserves. The internet will be your best friend. You can get the photos you need by sending them directly from your PC to the photo shop via email. This saves time and gas. If you have the capability you can even print the photos yourself at home.

Memory books come in all shapes and sizes. You can get a one-time book that you can fill, or you can get a book that allows for the addition of pages as the years roll on. Browse online to find the book that is right for you, and then get to work. This is one gift that will be pleasing to giver and recipient alike.

The American baby shower is a celebration in which a new-coming child is welcomed into the world by family and friends, and is traditionally “showered” with baby gifts. Baby showers have become increasingly popular in the United States, and the custom of hosting a baby shower is a wonderful way of helping expectant parents get essential items for the infant, such as baby bedding, strollers, clothes, and diapers. In America, baby showers are generally held about one to two months before the baby’s arrival. By having the baby shower a while before the baby is born, parents can be better prepared and have all the necessary articles, furniture, and appliances that a new baby will call for.

Although historians are not completely clear on exactly when the baby shower custom began in the world, there is evidence that shows the previous existence of what we would call today, a baby shower, in several ancient cultures. During the Roman, Egyptian, Indian, and Chinese eras, for example, newborn babies and their mothers were presented with a variety of hand-made gifts by family and friends, during beautiful feasts for the little girl that would celebrate their life. Historians believe that the American baby shower draws its origins from these ancient cultural traditions.

Baby showers did not become popular in North America until the baby boom era after World War II. They were actually held when the baby was presented after birth, and coincided with christenings and baptisms in the case of a religious family. These first baby showers were considered a women’s event, and by no means allow men as guests. The original post-birth American baby showers also served the purpose of giving the new mother and baby some company while they were at home for the first month of the infant’s life.

Today, the modern baby shower is usually held one to two months before the baby’s due date, not after the newborn’s birth, like it was originally held. There has also been a recent trend in which families are breaking social paradigms and constraints, and therefore, co-ed baby showers are becoming increasingly popular. It is now common that friends and relatives of both the mommy-to-be and the daddy-to-be are invited to celebrate the coming of a new member of the family, regardless of their gender.

The gift-giving process has definitely evolved since ancient times when guests would bring handmade gifts to “shower” the baby. In modern society, the expectant parents usually register with a department store or a baby specialty store in order to create a wish list. Friends and relatives would then go to the store that the parents are registered in, look them up in the registries by name, and print out the wish list. This is a great way for guests to know what the parents need or desire as gifts the new baby boy.

The modern American baby shower is a wonderful way of welcoming a new baby into this world. Baby showers are enjoyable and fun for both parents and guests, and they are the perfect occasion to celebrate life and help parents prepare for the new coming baby.

Let me take you back a few years. It is Christmas Eve. You are running about the house pausing every few moments to strain your ears for any sound resembling sleigh bells, flight or a boisterous ‘ho, ho, ho’. What you do hear is mom calling that it is time to open a gift.

The first gift

You race as fast as you can to the tree. You hardly dare believe your ears: open a gift, now, tonight? Older siblings greet the news with less enthusiasm, and rather knowing expressions. Missing these subtle clues you tear into your box expecting to find the toy of your dreams. What you get are PJ’s.

Your childish heart is only momentarily dampened, older siblings dive into new jammies with familiarity and gratitude. This scene repeats every year. You can mark holidays in photos by what jammies you are wearing, not the gift you open.

A New Night Dress

Flash forward; you are the parent creating and contemplating holiday traditions. As you and your spouse begin a family the need for holiday traditions becomes more personal and warm. Your baby may not remember opening a red pair of footie PJ’s, but the photos will tell the story.

Christmas pajamas are a great way to curb, control or reward your toddler’s Christmas enthusiasm. Knowing there is a special gift under the tree that they get to open on Christmas Eve will occupy their attention and relieve pestering questions of, “When can I open my presents?”…or “Can’t I open just one?”

The practical side

As a toddler or child, it may not have occurred to you that your yearly gift of pajamas was not only fun, but practical. Christmas is in winter, and kids grow so fast. Often there is a need for warm pajamas that fit, which perfectly coincides with the advent of the holiday season. Making the necessary item into a fun tradition is a great way to meet two needs with one solution.

Toddler appeal

New parents might worry that their toddler will be less than pleased with this gift and feel cheated on Christmas Eve. This feeling of being slighted may lead their precious toddler to spoil the holiday spirit with a full-blown tantrum! Well, this is not usually the case. Toddlers just love to open gifts. They might show a preference for one toy over another once they are all opened, but if there is only one gift opened this is not an issue.

Toddlers also love to be included with what their parents or older siblings are doing. If mom, dad as well as brothers and sisters all get jammies, then your two year old is not going to be disappointed.

Let me take you back a few years. It is Christmas Eve. You are running about the house pausing every few moments to strain your ears for any sound resembling sleigh bells, flight or a boisterous ‘ho, ho, ho’. What you do hear is mom calling that it is time to open a gift.

The first gift

You race as fast as you can to the tree. You hardly dare believe your ears: open a gift, now, tonight? Older siblings greet the news with less enthusiasm, and rather knowing expressions. Missing these subtle clues you tear into your box expecting to find the toy of your dreams. What you get are PJ’s.

Your childish heart is only momentarily dampened, older siblings dive into new jammies with familiarity and gratitude. This scene repeats every year. You can mark holidays in photos by what jammies you are wearing, not the gift you open.

A New Night Dress

Flash forward; you are the parent creating and contemplating holiday traditions. As you and your spouse begin a family the need for holiday traditions becomes more personal and warm. Your baby may not remember opening a red pair of footie PJ’s, but the photos will tell the story.

Christmas pajamas are a great way to curb, control or reward your toddler’s Christmas enthusiasm. Knowing there is a special gift under the tree that they get to open on Christmas Eve will occupy their attention and relieve pestering questions of, “When can I open my presents?”…or “Can’t I open just one?”

The practical side

As a toddler or child, it may not have occurred to you that your yearly gift of pajamas was not only fun, but practical. Christmas is in winter, and kids grow so fast. Often there is a need for warm pajamas that fit, which perfectly coincides with the advent of the holiday season. Making the necessary item into a fun tradition is a great way to meet two needs with one solution.

Toddler appeal

New parents might worry that their toddler will be less than pleased with this gift and feel cheated on Christmas Eve. This feeling of being slighted may lead their precious toddler to spoil the holiday spirit with a full-blown tantrum! Well, this is not usually the case. Toddlers just love to open gifts. They might show a preference for one toy over another once they are all opened, but if there is only one gift opened this is not an issue.

Toddlers also love to be included with what their parents or older siblings are doing. If mom, dad as well as brothers and sisters all get jammies, then your two year old is not going to be disappointed.

My husband and I exchange gifts with several of our neighbors each year for the holidays. It seems that each year it gets more difficult to think of a gift. This year we decided to give them wine and cheese gift baskets. We did not like the pre-made cheese gift baskets that are available in the kiosks in the mall so we decided to create the baskets ourselves.

The pre-made cheese gift baskets included processed cheese spreads. We were concerned about how long some of the baskets had been sitting around. We thought that if we made our own baskets the cheese would be of higher quality and we could choose varieties that we knew our friends liked.

It is easy to find attractive baskets for the personalized wine and cheese basket. They can be found at many craft or import stores at reasonable prices. Find an inexpensive cheese cutter to place in the basket as well. You can purchase your cheese selection at any quality deli. Since the meat departments only wrap their products in unattractive paper you can wrap the cheese in plastic wrap. During the holidays it is easy to find holiday design plastic wrap. Next, select the wine to be included. Boxes of specialty crackers are all that is really needed to finish this off. Once you have all the items assembled, place some shredded paper in the bottom of the basket. This serves as perfect filler.

Once the cheese is wrapped, put the filler in the basket and arrange all the items. Use the filler to cushion the bottle of wine and make the basket look nice and full. You can wrap the entire basket in cellophane wrap, but it is not absolutely necessary. Finish it off with some curling ribbon and you are ready to go. Keep in mind that you will have to keep it refrigerated. This is one of the main reasons that the ready made wine and cheese gift baskets incorporate the processed cheeses.

The neighbors all liked receiving these lovely wine and cheese gift baskets. Some of them used them for entertaining while others kept them all to themselves. We decided that they were such a hit with our neighbors that we are going to start giving these baskets to our families as well. If storage is an issue, just pre-wrap the cheeses and assemble the baskets right before the gift exchange. Whether you select one of the pre-made wine and cheese gift baskets or create your own it will be a gift that is loved by the recipient.

As technology advances, it is becoming increasingly clear that there are many ways that people can help save the environment and profit from doing so as well. It does not seem long ago, that thinking about using solar energy as a sole source of power seemed quite far-fetchen.

Becoming green or environmentally conscious is a trend that is becoming increasingly popular as oil prices skyrocket and wars are waged. This is a bit more complicated than simply making your home more efficient with new vinyl windows. When it comes to solar power, many people are seeing it this way of using energy is advantageous. Here is a closer look at the basics of commercial solar power, which is fast becoming a booming business for many.

What is Commercial Solar Power? If you are not savvy on solar power energy you may have never heard of commercial solar power. Commercial solar power is simply the process of somebody selling solar energy to others. For example, any person that can produce solar energy can then sell that solar energy to others. This is done through a well-organized system of power grids.

Commercial solar power is a simple concept of supply and demand. There are people that can produce solar energy, and there are people that want to buy it. In fact, the US Department of Energy is now encouraging people all over the United States, to capitalize on commercial solar power. This is a cost effective way for businesses and homes to both use and profit off of solar energy.

Going Solar is the Right Thing To Do: The next time you get your electricity bill, especially during the hottest part of the month, you may think that using solar power is a good option for you. You would be right in thinking this because many homes all across the world are now looking for alternatives to expensive electricity. You are not alone in thinking that solar power could benefit your home or business. Because electricity is a nonrenewable source, it is proving to be quite cost prohibitive for many businesses and homeowners. You simply cannot do without electricity–unless of course you are going solar.

If you are thinking about going solar, and you want to buy commercial solar energy, you will need to be connected to a power grid. Your energy provider can help you set up this type of grid and you will soon be on your way to being environmentally conscious and saving money in the process.

If buying gifts this year for whatever reason, whether it’s your babysitter’s Birthday, a Christmas gift for your neighbor, a Valentine’s gift for your favorite Aunt, or a Thank You gift for someone who took care of your dog, has you panicked, join the club. Families all over the world are feeling the pinch of an exceedingly tight budget.

Normally when people are struggling with a tight budget, things that are considered unnecessary are the first things to go. Gifts are often the first things to be cut out of our budget, but we never feel good about that. We want to show our love for the people we care about, and who care about us, by giving gifts. How do we accomplish that with limited funds? By using our creativity and giving gifts that we put our heart into.

Making chocolate treats is one of my favorite gift ideas. It’s pretty simple to impress someone with a beautiful box of chocolate covered pecans or chocolate dipped pretzels. Chocolates always seem festive, and homemade chocolates say you appreciate someone very, very, much indeed.

Chocolate gifts aren’t as hard to make as you might think. With a little practice, you can create marvelous confectionery delights that will thrill your friends and family and make you the talk of the town! This is a fancy chocolate treat that no one makes for themselves, so it is the perfect gift.

Chocolate Dipped Coffee Spoons

There’s a delicious connection between coffee and chocolate, so this gift is a natural for any coffee drinker on your gift list. Man or woman, if they drink coffee, they’ll love this gift.

This is what you’ll need:

You’ll need to buy heavy duty plastic spoon, I like the clear ones. If you’ve got a great thrift store or antique store in your community, you might be able to find some unique silver spoons that would definitely add a special touch. Be sure they’re in good condition, then wash and dry them well.

In the baking aisle of your grocery store, you will find milk chocolate coating. This is the chocolate you’ll want to use. Don’t use the Real Chocolate as it is way too fussy and you don’t want to worry about it not turning out right.

Peppermint oil flavor and other goodies like peppermint candy are good additions to the chocolate spoons and add yet another fancy element to them. You may also wish to sprinkle on some little candies like you would buy for sugar cookie decorations.

Parchment paper is a must for covering the cookie sheets. Do not use waxed paper. Warm chocolate has a tendency to stick to waxed paper. The parchment paper will make your finished product a lot easier to handle, and your clean-up a bit nicer, too.

Each spoon will be wrapped in a clear cellophane candy bag. You’ll find these in a craft store with all the candy making supplies. Also, at the craft store, be sure to pick up some decorative items to tie the bags shut, like ribbon, gift wrap ribbon, raffia, or jute rope.

Follow these simple steps:

Place a large pot of water on stove, bring to boil and turn off heat. Meanwhile, cut your chocolate into small pieces and melt by placing in a small heavy pot inside the larger pot of water that has boiled. When chocolate starts to melt around the edges, remove from hot water and stir with a rubber spatula or big wooden spoon until all the chocolate has melted. Be careful that you don’t splash any of the water from the big pan into the small pan.

When the chocolate is melted down, take a spoon and carefully dip it into the chocolate, hanging on to the handle, and place it on parchment paper on your tray or cookie sheet. Now is the time to add any decorations like sprinkles or crushed peppermints. Then continue dipping each spoon and decorating. When you are done, take your cookie sheet full of spoons and place it in a cold area. You can put them in a freezer or refrigerator but don’t let them stay in there because they will get moist. If you do use the freezer or refrigerator, take them out in just a few minutes and let them totally set up somewhere dry.

When your spoons are all set, place one in your cellophane candy bag and tie shut with some of your ribbon or raffia. You can embellish your ribbon with a little candy cane or anything else that would make your gift package special. You can also package more than one spoon in a candy box for someone who is lucky enough to receive more than one chocolate coated spoon.

Now that you’ve finished tying up all those pretty little gifts, aren’t you pleased with yourself? You have spent your time creating gifts that show you care. Instead of running out to the store to quickly buy yet another gift card, your gift shows that you took time to plan and make a very special someone a very special gift… straight from the heart.

Amtrak discount tickets can make for a fantastic holiday. Not only do they provide a comparable vacation to any overseas location, there are considerable savings to be had. The rail company also tops it off with top class and efficient service that is always required for the best travel transportation.

The discounts from Amtrak result in extremely competitive prices even when relatively compared to other forms of transport like air travel. They add to the value one looks out for in any holiday or tour package. There is also their Guest Rewards program that rewards loyal users of their train network with future savings and gifts.

There are further discounts available from the rail service every week. These discounts apply to selected routes and destinations, which changes week from week. The variety keeps things fresh and encourages customers to explore the variety of holiday destinations in the United States.

Many discounts offered can be as much as up to 15% from the original retail prices. There are also popular rail passes which encourage regular users of the Amtrak trains to buy in their tickets in advance, with the attraction of marked down prices.

Such price savings offered by Amtrak can be considered a steal, especially when one factors in their overall low prices, easy access and comfortable travel. One might not be able to travel to exotic overseas locations, but there are equally interesting places to visit in the United States using the national railway network.

The options for cheaper tickets are extended to online options. Some discounts are only available online, either directly from Amtrak, or through various travel agents.

The whole experience is heightened by the journey itself. Travel by rail can be exhilarating if the routes cut across beautiful sights within the country. Amtrak networks have fortunately been planned to pass by some of the best scenery in North America. All this without the need to spend on expensive tickets normally associated with air travel.

Train travel is also much more comfortable nowadays compared to the past. Amtrak trains have updated services, and are very smooth on the tracks. With the various benefits both direct and indirectly, enjoying a great holiday with Amtrak travel has never been easier and cheaper.

Many people come to Cuba to enjoy its rich cultural values and the work of its musicians, artists and dancers; to explore its cities and heritage sites; to savour its cuisine; to participate in the many international conferences, congresses and summits; to get marry or spend a honeymoon or simply because they want to share in the Cuban people’s obvious enjoyment of life.

The Cuban archipelago consist of the island of Cuba, the isle of Youth and around 4195 other cays and islets for a total land area of 42,854 square miles (110,992 square kilometres).

Cuba counts more than 300 natural beaches which are unique for the different hues of their clear, calm water; the beauty of its pristine cays; and their fascinating seabed.

Thousands of coral formations surround the archipelago, forming the habitat of more than a thousand species of fish, 200 varieties of sponges, 59 varieties of Coral as well as thousands of crustaceans and molluscs’ species.

Scuba diving in Cuba is based on the principle of conserving its underwater ecosystems. Many areas of access to this activity are protected areas with a wide range of facilities: accommodation, ports and water sport bases.

Cuba is an ideal place for a holiday. Go on excursions, hikes, tours and circuits to explore its green valleys, mountains and forests, following labyrinthine paths filled with history.

From the sea enormous fortresses welcome you. At their feet, you will find cobblestone streets, pillars, balconies, arches and balustrades - building in a riot of styles.

These are only very few motives for considering holidays to Cuba as your next ideal destination. There is a wealth of alternatives that you can think of. If you picture in your mind swimming with dolphins, relaxing on a white sandy beach or plainly soaking up the feeling of its dynamic cities you have that for granted.

We fishermen pay lots of money for readymade fishing baits! The fact is that if they were so wonderful, companies would not have to keep on offering new baits all the time! Just the same number of fish or more, can be caught as a result of making your own unique baits and this will save you bags of money too!

In fact when you have made your homemade baits despite any mistakes you might make, well over 80 percent of your recipes will catch fish and equal results on readymades with ease. The fact they will be fresh and new is a giant factor in this too. New baits will arouse far less care and suspicion for most fish as they have never even been hooked on your new bait before. One of the great things about homemade baits is that they can keep you well ahead of the fish and fellow anglers who always follow the crowd using readymades, giving you even better consistent catches and more big fish!

Now I’m not saying that you will produce a wonder bait which fish simply jump straight into your net and beg for! Even with the very best baits, all the usual skills of fish location, bait application and skilfully playing your big fish are still required. But on your own homemade baits, the rewards and joys of catching your personal life time best fish on your personal secret bait formula is just incredible. This is why it is so important to exploit the massive fish catching factor of making your baits very unique.

Bait only really has a peak of effectiveness when fish feed confidently on it because they know they most likely will not get hooked and risk getting taken home for tea. Sure we put them back, but if you were hooked and dragged out of your safe air environment into a foreign one you would be wary of any bait that has led to you being hooked previously too! Making your own alternative secret bait recipes is such a great advantage over the masses who use readymades without a further thought to their never talked about disadvantages!

On the point about fish learning by association, you will also find with readymade baits that they frequently have to be changed to new ones because they get over-used and fish associate them with danger of hooking or capture. Whereas with homemade bait this rarely happens because you alone are fishing your bait so it cannot get over-used so intensively as readymades. This means your baits will remain effective very likely indefinitely which means you can focus on your fishing and have complete confidence that your bait is always working to best effect and has not blown! Some baits get based around flavor attraction on a carbohydrate ingredient base mix. Many others utilise to a greater extent a food bait approach using nutrition as the fish feeding triggering mechanism.

It might sound hard, but making baits that really work effectively is easy, and your baits do not need to be perfect like commercially produced machine rolled round or barrel shaped boilies or pellets shapes etc. There are obviously very many methods of making baits and you do not need to follow conventional steps at all, in fact there are many steps you can leave out completely. This makes things very much easier, saves hours of time and take the least effort possible!

As I said, round baits are not needed. Things have changed drastically in the last 3 decades. There are many methods which introduce free baits well over 100 metres accurately, including ground bait slings, spods and PVA bags and nets etc. So you do not need to ever roll your baits. To make a starter effective bait you need only use one ingredient or a couple like soya flour and semolina, add enough eggs to bind them together, and make a dough to use as bait (and every bait can be different!) These might be used as paste or cut or divided into many different shaped and sized bits which you might scald with water or boil for a few seconds to harden them up to make them more resilient.

Making baits is very easy. You merely need a large container to mix your ingredients in and a knife or spoon to mix the materials to form a practical bait dough. First just get a handful of eggs and a teaspoonful of cake flavor and mix together well, then add your dry powders, etc a bit a time until a firm dough is reached.

You can use your dough as paste bait immediately or if you are making bait for later use, then form some into individual baits and air dry them or steam or boil them, dry them overnight on suitable paper or towels and bag and store them in polythene bags. Freezing seals in bait freshness which is very important. If you remember to write which ingredients and levels each bait was made with, then you will never forget how to make them again! Normally it takes 6 large hen eggs to produce about 2 pounds of finished bait dough to use, or produce paste or air dried baits, steamed or boiled baits etc. Some baits will break down faster or slower than other mixtures depending on the number of eggs you use; the more soluble the ingredients and the more of these used, the faster your bait will dissolve in water.

Having the knowledge to be able to consistently make homemade baits for a mere 3 pounds or 6 dollars per kilogram, instead of 12 pounds or 24 dollars is stunning. Just think of the saving on 10 kilograms costing 120 pounds or 220 dollars! (90 pounds or 180 dollars is a giant saving and is literally homemade made money!)

If having a different bait can produce such a difference in results you may as well have the goal of being as innovative as possible with yours as you create new versions for those big fish you dream of catching. The spooky thing about new baits on a water is that they very often produce the biggest most sought after fish within a short space of fishing time because they are fresh and new. Now this is as great a motive as anyone needs to take up bait making and is the icing on the cake. You can use simple forms of bait mentioned here, but you will discover that with successful baits comes the excitement of making more creative ones, and bait making can be extremely exciting, even an integral addictive part of your fishing, as you thirst for more information!

By Tim Richardson.