Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Planning the Perfect Maternity Wardrobe for Breastfeeding

?I have nothing to wear!? Heard this before from a new mother?

After putting in much time and effort into planning their maternity wardrobe, many new mums suddenly discover they have nothing to wear after their baby arrives!

It is important to plan ahead while pregnant to ensure your maternity wardrobe will make the smooth transition from pregnancy to breastfeeding.

With a few simple tips planning the perfect maternity and breastfeeding wardrobe is easy and won?t break the budget either!

Start with the basics

Look at the basics in your pre-pregnancy wardrobe and replace these with the maternity versions. Maternity tanks tops with built-in nursing bras are fantastic and are easy to mix and match. Black, white and a print or brighter colour are great to start with and will go with most colours.

Tank tops will also take you through all seasons ? perfect to wear on their own in the warmer months and great for layering in winter.

Think Dresses

Dresses in flowing stretchy fabrics are fantastic for pregnant and breastfeeding mothers. With the right cut, dresses are very flattering on a baby bump and also great for the post-baby figure.

Make sure you have at least one or two dresses in your wardrobe that will take you from work, play and important functions such as your baby?s christening or naming day! Again you can?t go past classic black for classic style and slimming effect.

New styles of maternity dresses also include a built-in nursing bra, which is fantastic when you have to attend a function and breastfeed your baby at the same time.

Tops to take you everywhere

Once you have a baby you suddenly need clothing for all those outings ? mother?s group, coffee, shopping, trips to the doctor, the list goes on? Unless you want to spend your life in baby rooms, you need tops that allow you to breastfeed discreetly in public and look good too!

Again look for tops that allow for easy breastfeeding access and are flattering on your changing shape. Style features such as crossover fronts and side gathering are very good at hiding extra kilos. Many tops designed for breastfeeding are also suitable for pregnancy.

Look for quality

As a mum of two small boys, I know how tempting it is to go for cheap and cheerful when buying clothes. However, often these items are here for ?a good time not a long time? and won?t last the distance.

When you think about it, your maternity and breastfeeding wardrobe needs to last you for at least two years depending on how long you breastfeed and how many children you have. So in the long run it is better value for money to look for quality fabrics and styles that will last the distance.

Kelly Gough is a business mum who manages online store Nuvo Maternity (http://www.nuvomaternity.com.au) while also caring for her two small boys. Nuvo Maternity specialises in nursing wear and breastfeeding clothes.


Monday, April 6, 2009

Safety precautions for boating and hunting


Boating and hunting are certainly two of the most popular outdoor activities. In the following article we will take a look at each of them and discuss some of the safety risk involved.


Boating
The term boating usually refers to the recreational use of a pleasure craft. Fishing and waterskiing are two common boating activities along with many other sports. Millions of boaters can be found all around the world as it is an incredibly popular activity.


Boating Safety
For most people when they go out boating on the water the last thing on their mind is emergency preparation. This is a mistake which over time has cost many people their lives. Being prepared for an emergency is absolutely vital if you are going to go out boating. Common boating emergencies include someone falling overboard, boat breakdowns, boat leaks and capsizing.


Proper safety equipment is not only recommended but is mandatory in most places. Boating safety equipment includes life buoys, life jackets and ladders. A horn and bailer are also recommended and/or required in most areas. Survival suits are also recommended especially when boating in cold water where the risk of hypothermia is greater.


Proper maintenance of your boat is essential to ensuring a safe trip. Without proper maintenance your boat has a much greater risk of breaking down which will put the lives of everyone on board including yourself at risk.


Hunting
Hunting can be defined as the practise of pursuing some type of animal while attempting to capture or kill it. Hunting dates back many, many years and is a very celebrated pastime.


Hunting Safety
Unload all firearms when not in use. Although you may know that your firearm is loaded, the people around you may not. Never hop over a fence or climb into your tree stand with a gun that is loaded. When travelling on an ATV or other vehicle unload the gun as well.


Be sure that not only do you know what is in front of your target before shooting but also be aware of what is behind it. Many hunters leave this part out as they assume that they will not miss. That however is not the case.


The most important safety tip that we can offer you is to use common sense at ALL times. While hunting, do not at any time allow your emotions to override common sense.


Taking a compass and map with you will aid if you get lost. Even a flashlight is a good idea in case you become lost in the dark. The flashlight will also help in avoiding snakes and other potentially dangerous animals.


Following these tips will allow you a much better chance of having a safe and enjoyable time boating or hunting.
About the Author

Hunting Source provides information about hunting. Boating information can be found at the Boating Source.

Friday, April 3, 2009

Board Games The Best Selling Board Games Of All Time

It must have been a crushing blow. It was 1934, the depths of the Great Depression. Charles Darrow was unemployed. But, he had an idea. Actually, he had a board game. He called the game Monopoly. He liked the board game and felt it was his ticket to financial success and out of the desperation of the depression. Darrow had taken his game to the famous Parker Brothers game company to publish and help him sell.

The Parker Brothers had agreed to look at the board game for Darrow. They were not impressed. Formed in 1883, by 16-year-old George Parker, the game publishing company had been making and selling games and puzzles for 51 years. During that time they had seen success and failure. Parker Brothers knew the game business. They knew what worked and what didnt. They knew what sold and what didnt. Representatives of the giant game company found 59 reasons why they did not think Darrows game could be successful.

Charles Darrow simply didnt agree. He believed. He decided to publish Monopoly himself and market it through department stores. He had 5,000 copies of the board game printed.

Hope was scarce during that harsh Christmas of 1934. Money was even scarcer. And, Monopoly was a hit. Nearly all 5,000 copies of the board game sold. Within a year Parker Brothers was publishing the game. It was the best selling game in America by 1936.

Monopoly is now published in 89 languages and over 200 million copies of the board game have been sold. More than 500 million people have played the game. It has also been adapted as an electronic game. Monopoly is firmly entrenched as the best selling board game of all time.

Monopoly is a relative upstart compared to other popular board games.

The oldest known board game is called The Royal Game of Ur or the Game of 20 Squares. This game was discovered in a 4,500-year-old tomb in southern Iraq. This game was played throughout the Middle East for perhaps 1,000 years or more. In fact, the rules of the game have been found in cuneiform tablets. Game aficionados can play this ancient game yet today, even though it has long ago faded from popularity.

Perhaps the oldest board game still popular today is chess, which first appeared in India by the sixth century A.D. By the year 1,000 it was being played throughout the Middle East and in Europe. The rules and game board design have evolved somewhat over the centuries, but the game is still very much the same as the ancient Indians played it. They could hardly have dreamed, however, of the world-class chess match play or the electronic versions of the game we enjoy today.

Another very old, yet immensely popular board game is checkers, also known as draughts. A form of checkers was being played by the Egyptian Pharaohs as early as 1600 B.C. This game has also evolved over the centuries. By the 12th century the game was adapted to the 64-square chessboard. Four hundred years later the rules involving capture were added, yielding essentially the same game we play today.

There is simply no way to tell how many copies of chess or checkers have been sold or how many people have played these games. If the numbers were known, they would have to be truly staggering.

Popular Board Games Share Common Traits

Other top selling board games include Yahtzee, Scrabble, Mahjong, Trivial Pursuit, Battleship and the Risk game. Most of these games were developed during the 20th century and all are still big sellers and tremendously popular.

These popular board games share some similar traits. Most of them involve specific strategies of play. When these strategies are employed successfully, the games are fun, challenging and intensely rewarding as players attempt to capture portions of the board and/or each other. Another common element in most of these board games is chance, or luck. Luck is introduced usually by drawing cards or rolling dice. The element of chance opens up possibilities for even more strategies of play. A final important trait of these games is that in one way or another they reflect the lessons of life. They teach competition and sportsmanship. They teach strategy and the lesson of never giving up.

Perhaps that is why Charles Darrow was so attracted to Monopoly. He believed that success comes by employing sound strategies to following a dream and never giving up. We are glad that Darrow didnt give up. We are glad he didnt throw the board game with 59 things wrong in the trash bin as he left the Parker Brothers plant in 1934.

About the author: Royce Armstrong is a successful freelance writer with a business and banking background who believes consumers should get the best value for their money when shopping for board games, family games and learning games.

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Scottsdale Arizona Real Estate Agent

A real estate agent is someone who facilitates real estate deals. Real estate agents market a property to be sold and try to get the best possible price and terms for their clients. If a client wants to buy a property, the agent ensures that the client gets the best possible deal. According to US law, a person needs a permit to act as a real estate agent in Scottsdale.

Scottsdale is the fifth largest city in the US. Scottsdale is growing fast especially in the northern regions of the city. There is a huge increase in the number of new residents every year. Increase in population directly results in an increasing demand for accommodation. This makes the real estate business a thriving business opportunity and many real estate agencies make use of this opportunity. Excellent climatic conditions, low tax rates and low housing costs are some of the other factors that contribute to the growth of the real estate industry in Scottsdale.

In a booming real estate industry, contrary to expectations buying or selling is not an easy task. Though there is sufficient demand, an amateur would find it a challenge to reach out to more buyers or sellers or strike a fair price on a deal. This is the chief reason for many property owners and buyers deciding to deal with an agent. Agents work on a commission basis but this does not deter people from dealing with them as long as they are able to strike lucrative deals. A single real estate agent can handle the case of both the buyer and the seller, provided he has the consent of both parties to do so. An agent is more experienced in property matters, trends and market conditions and will use this expertise to negotiate on behalf of clients. A large number of real estate agents operate in all the major cities of Arizona including Scottsdale Research on the Web or a quick scanning of the local Yellow Pages can help find an agent. It is important to talk to more than one agent simultaneously for a better chance of either buying or selling a property.

Scottsdale Real Estate provides detailed information on Scottsdale Real Estate, Scottsdale Arizona Real Estate, Scottsdale Arizona Real Estate Agent, Scottsdale Real Estate Agent and more. Scottsdale Real Estate is affiliated with Tucson Residential Real Estate.