Tag Archives: Family

Apr 10 2015

Buy Baby Gifts Online For an Ideal Christening Present

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The arrival of a new baby is cause for great celebration and enthusiastic friends and family are anxious to visit the new parents and glimpse (if not actually hold) the new addition. Whether cultural or religious, welcoming the baby often involves traditional ceremonial acknowledgement.

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Image by Donal Mountain via Flickr

For Christians, this means Christenings or Baptisms; for Muslims, it’s Shahadah; for Hindis, it’s Jatakarma; for Buddhists, it can be Triple Gem (Theravada, Sri Lanka) Khwan (Theravada, Thailand), Dun and Dagang (Mahayana) – Tibetan Buddhists give new parents Hada scarves and make pancakes. Still, it is almost instinctual to offer the new mum and dad some kind of present, if only for the baby’s welcome.

It’s estimated that two billion people around the world identify themselves as Christians, who proudly shepherd their babies into their flock, through Baptisms and Christenings. Before you venture over to the best website for baby prezzies and buy baby gifts online from Baby Gift Box, it’s helpful to understand the tradition.

While the general concept of Baptism – inducting a child into the Christian church – is similar throughout the varied churches, there are subtle differences and meanings (not that this necessarily has bearing on the gift you choose to offer, but it does give context). Did you know that it’s likely baptism has roots in the Jewish purification water-immersion ritual Tvilah?

Types of Christening

  • Aspersion: sprinkling water on head
  • Affusion: pouring water on head
  • Immersion: dipping some or whole body into water
  • Complete Immersion/Submersion: just what it sounds like

Baptism is a symbolic burial and resurrection, as well as a supernatural transformation (think: Noah and Israelites crossing the Red Sea with Moses), a literal and symbolic cleansing. Some Christian groups see it as salvation and sacrament.

Christian Groups Who Practice Infant Baptism

(and services you might be invited to attend)

  • Catholics
  • Eastern & Oriental Orthodox
  • Anglicans
  • Lutherans
  • Presbyterians
  • Methodists
  • Nazarenes (some)
  • The United Church of Christ (UCC)
  • Moravians
  • Metropolitan Community Church
  • Wesleyans
  • Episcopalians
  • Reformers

Don’t fret if you’re not the same religion or know little of the family’s religious tradition – being invited to a christening is an honour and you should accept it as one. Please don’t show up just for the after party – it means a lot for the family for their loved ones to come to the actual ceremony. Dress appropriately. This does not mean you should look like you’re going to prom, but dress well and respectfully. A good barometer would be to wear what you wear to a Sunday church service. If you do not know what that means, look it up!

The most traditional baptism gift is a silver spoon (and yes, this is where the expression “born with a…” comes from), but other gifts considered traditional include silver cups, spoons, eating utensils, and porridge bowls.

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Image by Steven Tom via Flickr

Now that you have some context, you can focus on the fun part, and that’s choosing a gift for the precious bundle. As mentioned above, it behoves you to choose not only practical items, but ones that are appropriate and relevant to an event as important as a Christening. A search of the Internet is likely to lead you to buy baby gifts online from Baby Gift Box, because you’ll get truly quality items (believe us, your family and friends, as new parents, will now pay super close attention to these things) with meaning and importance.

Jan 20 2015

Craig Mills - I nominate YOU #MySpaNomination

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So this little comp popped up in my inbox this morning …

… #MySpaNomination with SpaSeekers by Jen at Love Chic Living. The comp invites bloggers and vloggers to nominate a deserving friend to win a spa stay for two at the K-West Hotel in London - which looks a teeny bit more luxurious than my Lego-ridden home right now.

In fact, from where I sit right now I have a veritable panorama of V-Tech and Fisher-Price, muslin squares and Huggies baby wipes. The carpet has absorbed its own weight in Aptamil follow-on milk and its resulting effects, spilled wine and other fluids I’d rather not admit to on such a public platform as this. The kids are transfixed by In the Night Garden and are thankfully oblivious to the downright hazardous conditions they’re being raised within.

My bathroom is brighter than a soft play centre with enough plastic toys to entertain a pediatric ward full of more deserving children than my two monsters. Relaxing candle lit baths lose their appeal when confronted by the toothpaste scum around the sink plughole and wide range of toilet training seats balanced precariously atop one another a good metre away from the actual toilet. Perhaps curiously we also own too many toothbrushes for a family of four, and my children have a thing for empty bubble bath bottles so we’ve afforded them no fewer than 6 to play with - all of which are appear to have pride of place on our bathroom shelf.

Needless to say, a caravan site in Bognor Regis is comparatively luxurious to this house right now, so the K-West Hotel is what I can only imagine Mecca looks like.

So for a huge number of reasons, I’d like to nominate this man to receive a spa retreat, not least because I’ll divorce him if he doesn’t take me with him.

Don’t get me wrong, there is no one more deserving than he. His job is a varied one not limited to:

  1. Binman - He is capable of lifting black sacks heavy with nappies, half-chewed chicken nuggets and other delights from Brabantia bin to dustbin. Mummy is probably capable of such momentous feats herself, but is usually too hungover to risk it.
  2. Insect Handler - We somehow operate an almost Buddhist sentimentality to spiders in this house. Left to me, I would coat the little bastards in Windex, bleach and whatever else lives under the kitchen sink, but Craig lifts them with deference to the safety of the garden where they can sprint back in through the windows he insists on opening despite the subzero temperatures outside.
  3. Head Cleaner - Whether the tool required is feather-duster, vacuum cleaner or damp sponge, this man is a consummate professional. Of course, I partake in daily chores too, but I leave the particularly hideous jobs such as Vanishing poo from bodysuits to him - he’s just so much better at it than me.
  4. Head Chef - This guy does a mean Chicken Dippers and chips for Child 1, also chops and mashes strange concoctions of fruit and vegetables for the fussiest baby in the UK, and whips up low fat meals for the two of us despite the fact he doesn’t need to lose weight.
  5. Electrician - Not only has he singlehandly hooked up no fewer than 8 baby monitors in his short time served as a daddy, he also runs a 24 hour help centre for any electrical questions throughout the day. Typical call-outs include the not loading of Fireman Sam on Netflix, tripped circuits and lost internet connection.
  6. Handyman - This is slightly tenuous one as I would not trust this man with a power drill, but he is great at screwing things, replacing batteries in toys, and mending toilet seats that have graced an over enthusiastic 2 year-old bum.
  7. Bill-payer - Yes, he does all of the above whilst working a 60 hour week. This allows me to sit on my back-side and write about the chaos in my home rather than sorting it out (and enter blogger competitions like this one, of course).

If you think you know someone equally deserving (trust me, you don’t), you can enter the competition here. Entries are due by March 16th 2015 (which is way too far away - I might have run naked to a mental hospital by then).

Please support my cause by RTing this entry, and forcing the comp adjudicators to recognise that by my winning they will be doing a great service to my children, my long-suffering other half and the whole of mankind. Thank you.

Finally, If my landlord is reading this, please don’t throw us out… I might be exaggerating the condition of your property

Dec 16 2014

How care at home can improve family life

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Do you have an elderly relative or relatives who live on their own? It’s something that pretty much all of us have to deal with at some point, and for most of the time it’s not really an issue. However, it can get to a point when they struggle to look after themselves and need some assistance. You then have some decisions to make about what to do next.

You can up the amount of time you spend round there helping out, or you can explore different types of care, either a care home or care at their own home. Many prefer to have care at home and this can improve family life for many reasons…

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Takes pressure off you and other family members

It might seem like a bit of a selfish thing to say (or even think about) but having an elderly relative that needs a lot of assistance is a big responsibility for you and your other family members, and it can be difficult to juggle this, your work and your own family life. If you’re not careful then it can take its toll and you can burn yourself out. However, if a carer were to come in, even just a few times a week, it can really take the pressure off you and spread the responsibility.

Means they can stay at home

Many elderly people (for good reason) hold their home very dear to their heart and simply don’t want to leave it. Having a carer means they can stay at home, a place that no doubt holds many memories for them, and could well ensure they’re happier in later life, which of course leads to a happier family life for everyone.

Companionship

If you have an elderly loved one who lives on their own then companionship is a massive issue, particularly if you aren’t able to visit as often as you’d like. Loneliness is a big problem in the elderly, and having a carer come in can really help this. Carers aren’t just there to come in and do housework or make meals; they’re also there to be someone to talk to. For example, with care at home at extracareathome.org.uk, all the carers are trained professionals who come in and listen, help and give advice, which can all be absolutely invaluable. The NHS has more information on loneliness in the elderly if this is something of concern.

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Self esteem

By being able to stay at home and still do some things for themselves, this can massively increase self esteem. Whilst there’s nothing wrong with going into a care home, some may find it reduces self esteem, at least to start with, but care at home means they keep more of their independence.

You still have some control

You may very well enjoy caring for your elderly relative and don’t feel you want to pass that care over just yet. By having care at home, you can work with the carer and then can still care for them when the carer isn’t there, which might be a good compromise for you.

It can be good for the kids

Visiting grandma or grandpa’s house is always a special thing for children and something they’ll hopefully remember forever, so by having care at home, this is still a possibility.

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