Tips to help older children prepare for the new baby's arrival

I must say that as time drew nearer for the birth of my second child, I was really trying to prepare my son for the arrival of his new little sister.  The day that my daughter was born, my son kept saying mommy I want to hold her; can I sleep in the bed with you too mommy.  I want to share with you a few tips that will help the older sibling prepare him/herself so that it won't be too hard once they see the new baby.

Tip#1

Allow the older siblings to help you with the baby.  What I mean by this is, when you get ready to change the baby, let the other child bring the diapers, baby powder, or whatever it is that you need.  I know personally for me, I allowed my son to bring me sarah's clean clothes, her bottle, and diapers.  As time went by, he started to feel like a big boy and being around the new baby didn't get to him as much.  Now, I must say that that still didn't stop him from getting jealous.

Tip#2

Make time just for the older sibling.  During the first couple of months, there will be a lot of attention paid to the newborn, so you have to be creative with this one.  With my two little ones, when Sarah would go down for her nap, I would watch a movie with Ishmael, or play his favorite game with him.  Sometimes, that didn't work, because how about little missy, didn't want to stop eating (I was still nursing her), so I would play with ishmael in between playing little games with Sarah while she ate.

Tip#3

Let the older sibling know that he/she is loved.  This may seem like a given, but little children still tend to get jealous of the new baby.  Even before the baby is born, keep remind them of how much mommy and daddy love them and that the new baby is not going to take their place.  I know with mines, I consistently allowed ishmael to feel my stomach when Sarah would be kicking, and I would tell him that "she was kicking trying to come out so she could play with him".  "Another thing I used to tell him is that he's going to be a BIG brother and little sisters love their big brother because he has to be the one to protect her.  

I really hope this get you on the right path as to preparing your older siblings for the new baby!

Best wishes,

LaTersa Blakely

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Still need some help about preparing for motherhood the second time around--Click here!

New mini diaper cakes!

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These are my latest invention.  These little adorable mini diaper cakes with stuffed animals will make the perfect, in-expensive baby shower gift or welcome gift for the new parents.  It is fully loaded and they come in boy or girl colors.

Ingredients

• 15-20 Pamper Swaddlers size 1 diapers
• Cute gross grain ribbon
• 2 washcloth spoon lollipops
• 1 stuffed animal
• 6 inch or 10 inch cardboard cake pan

Price: $24.99

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2011 Successful women in business--Dionne Wright

Full Name: Dionne Wright-Jones

Name of your Company: JH Custom Designs

Position: Owner

Website Address: http://jhgiftbaskets.com

Year Founded: 2006

Tell us about yourself and your business: I am a wife and WAHM of two.  My business, JH Custom Designs, is a gift basket business specializing in custom theme gift baskets. We provide gift baskets and gifts for individuals and corporate clients primarily through our online store. We offer hand delivery locally in Baltimore, Maryland and ship anywhere within the United States.

What inspired you to start a business?  I’ve always wanted to run my own business. About 10 years ago I was diagnosed with cancer. At that time I was told I might not have children after the chemotherapy treatment. I made a promise to myself and to God that if I was given the chance to have children I would do everything I could and work as hard as I could to be the best Mom I could be. When that time came I decided I wanted to stay at home and raise my children myself. I felt like there had to be something I could do from home that would allow me to stay at home and be a Mom while also contributing to the family’s income. I never returned to work after my maternity leave. I had a degree in a health related field, so I trained and started working as a Medical Transcriptionist when my son was 6 months old. After a couple of years, I realized that transcription was not for me. My husband, and biggest supporter, pushed me to start the gift basket business because he knew I had creative talents. I had always enjoyed party planning and decorating as well as making gift baskets and bridal shower towel cakes. 

Share one business goal: I would like to eventually expand our store from online to a brick and mortar retail location.

What would you say contributes to your success?  The help and support of my family has been the biggest contributor to my success. I couldn’t do what I do without my family backing me.

What advice would you give an aspiring entrepreneur? Don’t ever give up! Always surround yourself with positive people. When others help you along the way, pay it forward.

Anything else you want to mention about your business? I finally found a job that I love. It’s hard being the boss, but when you love what you do it’s a lot easier. I get to help put smiles on people’s face every day.

Enjoy,

LaTersa Blakely   

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5) I have implemented some of the strategies and have already started to see results

6) Videos are very down to earth and easy to follow

7) There are tons of technology tools that I can use without spending a fortune

8) I like it that's she's a WAHM mom as well.  So she understand some of the struggles that I endure sometimes.

9) She pushes and motivates me to be the best that i can be

So, don't miss out on all the great knowledge that you can learn and start implementing into your business and your personal life as well.  If you are ready to move to the next level, Join Today!

I hope to see you there,

LaTersa Blakely

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How to make a diaper cake Easy Steps!

Determine what size you want your diaper cake to be and cut a circular base out of sturdy cardboard. Or you can use a corrugated card board cake pan that you purchase from your local Wal-mart, or JoAnns stores.

1) To design the top of the diaper cake, roll up a diaper, starting at the 'open' top end. Tie a small piece of ribbon around the rolled diaper to stop it from unrolling. This will form the center of the layer.

2) Place a baby bottle in the middle of the cardboard base, glass cake platter, or pizza pan.

3) To make the bottom tier, place a baby bottle or bottle of baby lotion in the middle of the cake platter and add about 7 diapers around the bottle and secure with one big rubber band to hold it in place. Form a 2nd ring of rolled up diapers with the remaining 11-12 diapers by placing them around the 1st ring of diapers. Complete it by placing a large rubber band around the entire layer. For the final ring of the first tier of diapers, tightly roll up 18 to 20 diapers but secure each one with ribbon instead of runner bands. Then place them around the second ring to form a third ring. Take a large, 1/2 to 1 inch wide ribbon and tie it around the entire tier to hold them all together in a circle shape.

4) To create the second tier, repeat the first step. Place the rolled up diapers around the bottle of the first tier. Secure the bottles with ribbons as before. Remove a few diapers and add some surprise gifts in their place, such as a rolled up onesie, receiving blanket, or baby bottle, or bath toys.

5) To form the top tier of the diaper cake, use a baby bottle, a rolled up baby blanket, or rolled up diaper. Wrap a rubber band around the rolled diaper or blanket to keep it from unrolling. Cover the rubber band with a ribbon.

6) Add little baby items like Pacifiers, bottles, lotion, bibs, receiving blankets, miniature stuffed animals, baby towel, onesie, wash cloths, baby hygiene products, toys, etc. Place them between the folds of the diaper, tuck the larger items into the outer layer of ribbon.

Secure them together by carefully inserting 1 or 2 wooden dowels through the base layer and then carefully stacking the other two layers on top of it, being careful to get the dowels between the diapers and not through any of the diapers.

7) To finish off you can wrap the diaper cake in cellophane or tulle. Tie at the top with a bow, or add a stuffed animal to the tie for a "topper" to the cake.

(4 Tier Boy Diaper Cake)

(4 Tier Minnie Mouse Diaper Cake)

HOW TO MAKE A DIAPER CAKE VIDEO INSTRUCTIONS---CLICK HERE......

(4 tier Winnie The Pooh Diaper Cake)

I really hope this helps you design your best diaper cake ever!

Warm Regards,
LaTersa Blakely

Need a great baby shower gift?--Click here!

Should I be alarmed about mood swings during pregnancy

Mood swings are a normal part of pregnancy.  A lot of women experience mood swings at some point during their pregnancy.  Sometimes, you will be heavenly in love with the ideal of having your little bundle of joy, but as fast as you can blink your eyes, your mood swing can change. Just a few tips to help you get through your body and its changes. Pregnancy within itself can be stressful enough whether the baby is planned or if it was a surprise.  It seems that getting close to the due date, your body can have about 10 to 20 extra pounds that can be a lot to swallow.  This amount of weight can make it hard for you to get a good night's rest.  You are probably wondering how can I find a comfortable position to sleep.

Tip#1

Take a deep breath and relax. I have to admit that my mood swings went up and down especially when it got closer to my delivery date.  I would be so frustrated because I could hardly get around without feeling tired.

Tip#2

If you are finding yourself getting depressed a lot, you should consult with your doctor or OBG-YN.

Tip#3

Remember the little bundle of joy that is inside of you, and think about how hard it might be for them to move around once they reach their big day.

Best wishes to you,

LaTersa Blakely

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Stay tuned for more pregnancy tips--Click here!

Out With the Old, In With The New!

Hello everyone, I do believe that Spring is finally in the air!  For those of you who don't know me, my name is LaTersa Blakely and I'm a WAHM (Work at home mom), where I design beautiful baby shower diaper cakes, baby shower favors, towel cakes and gift baskets.  I so love being at home with my children!!!!!!!!!!  I get a chance to be involved with my son's school activities, and take cool fun field trips with my children.  That is one of the joys of being home with my babies.

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