InvitingSmiles Blog

It is time for the holidays and for some families that means flying with your children for the first time. Many of us have experienced a flight with a small child on board where they talked, whined, cried or squirmed the whole way. While this may have made you uncomfortable, you can now understand how the parent must have felt.

Your first step is to accept that it is natural for a child, especially a toddler, to become bored, and want to play and move around. It will happen, so you will need to relax and not worry about what others may think. (more…)

Working moms often feel guilty, stressed, overwhelmed and exhausted. The trick is learning to balance family, home and work. This is not an easy task, but many women today manage to do it. What it really comes down to is some serious organization in your daily routine. Once you have established a schedule, you will realize that you can do this and still relax and spend quality time with your family.

First make a list of all of the things that must be accomplished each day. Prioritize that list. Share the list with your spouse and split it up. If two parents work, then two parents need to share in all of the parenting and household duties. For instance, take turns making dinner. One night you can cook while he takes care of the kid’s needs. The next night you switch and he can cook. Same with bathing, homework, bottle making, etc… (more…)

You may have heard of moms reading to their unborn baby, but you may still wonder, ‘Can an unborn baby really hear?’ We can still hear sound when we are under water, so it stands to reason that once the fetus develops all of the functioning parts of the ear, he can hear as well.

The development of the fetus’ ears and the necessary nerve endings to hear occurs approximately in the 17th and 18th week of pregnancy. You may even notice an extra kick or movement when there is a sudden loud sound around you. Your baby will soon recognize your voice and may be calmed when you speak. (more…)

Outdoor weddings are beautiful! However, Mother Nature can be unpredictable. Therefore, your first consideration should be the weather conditions of the season.

I am sure there are not many outdoor weddings in the cold, snowy, holiday season. If your heart is set on being outdoors, but the weather is just too cold, settle on a warm indoor venue with excellent window views.  You could offer an outdoor activity for the reception, such as a carriage ride, or a fun snowball fight after the rehearsal dinner. (more…)

With the holidays just around the corner you are probably starting to think of menus, parties, shopping and all of the planning that goes into these special events. Office parties are always an employee pleaser. I had the enviable task of planning our office Thanksgiving and Christmas parties each year. Coming up with new ideas and different menus was not always easy.

The first thought most people have for work parties is to have the traditional holiday meal. The problem with this is that most people are planning that exact menu for their family holiday dinner. I would always try to find something that most people would enjoy like catering BBQ or Mexican food or maybe Italian food. We never had to worry about ordering any type of desserts, as almost all of the women loved to bake and bring goodies for all to share. Know ahead of time that whatever you choose, someone will not like it, so do not be offended. (more…)

It’s amazing how many great stories I have heard about how people spend their Christmas morning. I love stories of tradition and strong family ties. One woman told me that when she was a small child, she and her siblings would get so excited just knowing that Christmas morning they would awake to the smell of coffee brewing and homemade cinnamon rolls in the oven. She told me that she and her siblings would almost knock each other down trying to get downstairs first.

Once downstairs their mother and father would be waiting in the kitchen. Mother would have hot Cocoa with marshmallows waiting for them; they would drink the Cocoa anticipating the cinnamon rolls coming out of the oven. They would watch their mother frost the cinnamon rolls and the frosting would melt down the side of them. No one could make cinnamon rolls like their mother. Of course once the cinnamon rolls were gone they were just as excited to move on to the next anticipated event; opening presents. (more…)

Many families have traditional Christmas Eve festivities. Growing up, we had a tradition of opening one present on Christmas Eve. When I started dating my husband, I joined his family for their Christmas Eve celebration. We decided that once we were married and had our own children, we would not only combine the two family’s traditions, but add on a few of our own.

The first thing that we did in combining our Christmas Eve traditions was to decide what kind of food we want to eat the day before our grand meal. A family favorite of ours is Mexican food. So, we would make dinner reservations at a local Mexican restaurant. At the time we started doing this there was only one restaurant open in our town. Now many restaurants are open on Christmas Eve, so we have a few to choose from. (more…)

At your very first OBGYN appointment to confirm that you are pregnant, your doctor will likely start you on a regiment of prenatal vitamins. The reason for this is to make sure that your baby will get all of the nutrition required while he/she is in the womb.

The prenatal vitamins have the essential vitamins that pregnant women need. They contain folic acid, iron and calcium; these are the really important vitamins your baby needs. For instance Folic Acid can reduce a baby’s risk of birth defects such as spina bifida. With spina bifida the nerves are left exposed which can lead to varying degrees of paralysis, incontinence and different levels of mental handicaps as well. Calcium helps the baby’s need for minerals to promote good bone growth. Calcium will help an expectant mother keep from losing bone density. Iron helps the mother and child’s blood carry oxygen. Prenatal vitamins will help keep your energy levels up especially during busy times like the holidays. (more…)

Is giving or receiving wedding rings a part of your Holiday plans this year? Knowing the history and symbolism of wedding rings may make your proposal even more meaningful. Why a ring and not a necklace, or earring? 

A ring is circular. There is no beginning and no end.  Therefore, the ring is symbolic of eternity. When you exchange wedding rings you are giving each other a symbol of your eternal love and commitment to one another.

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Are you planning to go Christmas caroling this year? As a child, our family went caroling with our church every year. It was a great family and friend activity, and people really seemed to enjoy listening. If you do not have a particular group to sing with, then start a Christmas tradition and plan a Christmas caroling party.

Send your invitations early! You can send the carols you have chosen as well, so your guests can practice at home. There will need to be some dates set before the party to practice as a group. Some of your friends may want to host their own practice party. While all people may not sing on key, there should be a few friends that can carry a tone and lead the group. (more…)