Ice Candles

Enchant your children with a magical and easy outdoor activity that will tranform your backyard into a winter wonderland.

Read the instructions for Ice Candles.

Cervix dilation is one of the earliest signs that the birth of your baby is imminent. As you approach your due date, your doctor will check your weekly visits to see if you are dilated. Dilation begins once you have lost your mucus plug and cervical effacement has occurred. You may also experience a bloody show, a mix of blood and mucus when you lose your mucus plug.

There are three stages of labor: latent labor, active labor, and the delivery of the placenta, which is often glossed over when discussing labor.

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Editor’s Note: The clay recipes in this article were published with permission by Trish Kuffner, author of The Toddler's Busy Book.

People often have a specific idea of what parenthood will look like for them. Perhaps you've imagined they'll have all boys, or one baby boy and one baby girl. Maybe they've hoped for twins for as long as they can remember. Some couples will try to follow old-wives tale practices to conceive a certain gender baby such as eating lots of vegetables and fish to get pregnant with a girl or only having sex on certain days of the month.

Note: This article has been updated with the latest marriage advice and research for 2021.

When a married couple walks down the aisle, physically or metaphorically, on their wedding day, divorce and separation are the furthest thoughts from their minds. Your wedding day is one of happy beginnings and hopes for life-long togetherness. The unfortunate truth, however, is that many marriages do end in divorce. People change, grow, develop new interests, or take career paths that lead them in a direction they never imagined. And while none of these are excuses for divorce, they are often part of the cause.

The third trimester is dedicated to intensive fetal growth. Your fetus will gainfully half its weight during this period. In the final months, there will be further essential lung and brain development.

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A 3-year-old appears happy to have a new little one in the house, but the sudden increase in temper tantrums tells a different story. A ten-year-old feels resentful of her older sister's academic success and the praise she receives for it and begins misbehaving, slamming doors and screaming at her parents.

While the United States has come a long way in terms of maternity leave, the country is still behind compared to other nations in laws requiring time off and lack of nationally mandated paid leave. The Family and Medical Leave Act dictates the rules in place for taking a leave from and returning to work amid pregnancy, birth, and postpartum stages. Unlike many other nations, in the U.S., there is no requirement for paid time off following a birth, though twelve weeks of unpaid leave are required by law for the majority of workplaces.

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Gone are the days when cell phones and tablets were for grown-ups. Now preschool-aged kiddos have access to mom and dad’s devices and elementary school-aged children have smartphones of their own. This makes the use of a parental control app, screen time management solutions, and apps to track kids’ phone use an absolute for 21st century parents.

Editor’s Note: We know raising kids can be hard. That’s why we’re dedicated to making your life easier with the latest and greatest parenting advice and products. We wanted to let you know that if you chose to purchase one of the items featured in this post, we may receive a small commission for it.

Eight Ball is a Billiard game played with a total of 15 object balls numbered 1 through 15. The goal of each player is to pocket all of his or her group of object balls 1 through 7 (or 9 through 15) and win the game.

You will either play the solid-color balls or the striped balls. You'll establish who plays which at the beginning of the game after the break.

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Your baby can inherit a lot more than just eye color and height from its parents. As you await the arrival of your new baby, you’ll probably wonder not only what they will look like, but how they’ll act, talk, walk, and more.

When it comes to choosing baby names, deciding on a middle name can be an exciting challenge. You can use a middle name for so many purposes. The first thing to consider is your intention behind choosing a baby name that includes a middle name. Is your priority to choose a middle name for your baby girl or baby boy that honors a family member? Would you like to choose an older family name to honor your heritage?

More: 75 Modern Names for Babies

You're 41 long weeks into your pregnancy, and your baby has still not made his or her arrival into the world yet. By the third trimester, you're tired, bloated and so ready for this baby to come out, so what's the hold-up? Why haven't you gone into labor yet?

An abnormally long gestation period or an overdue pregnancy can be an incredibly frustrating time for expectant mothers. 

Research shows that breastfeeding provides many health benefits for both mom and baby. A newborn baby needs regular feedings, and breast milk is considered an optimal source of nutrition for infants during the first few months of life according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.  

Household pets, like cats and dogs, are a part of the family. They give you love and joy, and I'm sure there's no chance they'll be moving out to make room for your baby. But keep in mind that pets can bring more than fun into your home—they bring in diseases that can be dangerous to both you and the fetus.

Taxoplasmosis in Cats

Your cat can quite innocently cause some trouble during your pregnancy. Cat feces can contain a microscopic protozoan (a very tiny organism) called Toxoplasma gondii. This protozoan can be passed to a human in two ways:

The positives

Homeschooling is becoming more popular every day, with a growth rate of 7 to 15 percent per year. There are about two million children currently learning at home. Homeschooled kids do well on standardized tests, are welcome at colleges and universities, and as adults, have a reputation for being self-directed learners and reliable employees.

Your rights

Managing Your Maternity Leave

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