10 tips for a sensational baby shower

It's Baby Shower Time! Here Are Ten Fun Questions And Answers To Help You Make It The Best Party Ever.

1) Who should be the hostess of the shower?
Anyone can plan the shower -- family members, friends and/or co-workers. A mom-to- be can have many showers but it is wise to consult her or her mother (if it is a surprise) so that the themes can all be different -- this also avoids duplication of gift items.

2) Who pays for the shower?
The person that plans and invites the guests pays and it is usually considered her gift. Oftentimes, several people will get together and share the expenses. Potlucks are not only fun but budget-friendly as well.

3) Before the baby or after the baby is born?
For first-time mothers, showers before the baby arrives are great fun for her to look forward to in the last month of her pregnancy -- and she and the daddy can play and dream with all the gifts while awaiting their bundle of joy.

Mothers having their second or more children, "sprinkles" can be held before or after the baby is born. The up side of holding the shower after the baby's birth is that gifts can be chosen by the gender of the baby. In general, the shower should be held four to eight weeks before the baby is due, or four to six weeks after birth.
4) Who should be invited?
Traditionally, anyone who was invited to the wedding can be invited to baby showers. The best idea is to consult with the new mom and dad. Avoid inviting the same people to more than one shower, although some people want to attend several.

Best to invite by groups, for example, co-workers, church, etc. The mothers and grandmothers of the mom and daddy should be invited to all of the showers, but it is up to them to decide which ones they will attend.
Traditionally, the dad did not attend showers but does arrive at the end of the shower to say hello to everyone, help load the gifts into the car and to take his wife home. Nowadays, the dad can be invited to a baby shower and couples showers (men and women) are becoming more and more popular.

5) Surprise or not?
Surprise showers are fun to plan but are not necessarily fun for the mom who normally is tired of being pregnant! Besides, it appears to be more enjoyable for her when she knows people who love her are planning a special party. She'll be more prepared to relax and enjoy all the festivities, and if she already has children, she can make arrangements ahead of time for babysitting.

6) What if the guests don't know each other?
Provide easy-to-read name tags. These can be computer-generated in a pretty and baby-wish font. Hot glue some dried flowers, mini rattles, baby diaper pins (found in the party favor section of a craft store) or ribbons. Remember to have straight pins, too, so people can attach the tags.

7) Can the hostess provide gift suggestions?
Guests appreciate knowing what the baby needs or store where she is registered, so think about including a sheet with each invitation that lists this information.

If the mom is registered, the store ensures that there are no duplicates by keeping their computer lists updated as gifts are purchased. If the mom is not registered, then include a note in the invitation that if gift ideas are wanted, (name of person and telephone number) is coordinating a list and can be contacted.

8) Does the shower have to be held on a weekend?
The shower can be held any day of the week and at any time of the day that is convenient for the mom and the invited guests. It can be a brunch, lunch, dinner or just cake and punch. It can be casual, formal or better yet -- a fun baby shower theme.

9) Is it acceptable to serve cake and punch instead of a meal?
Cake and punch is very appropriate and makes for a shorter shower. Serving any meal is strictly up to the hostess. If food is served, plan on buffet-style and remember to provide either real dishes or sturdy papergoods because food does get heavy. If it is not a sit-down meal (restaurant or hall), remember that guests have to balance their plate, beverage and napkin on their lap.

10) What happens when?
There is no right way or wrong way -- just your way. An easy-flowing shower can be something like this:

• Upon arrival, guests are greeted, gifts put on the gift table, take their coats, pin on their name tag and offer them a beverage. (Provide a gift table near where the mom-to-be seated to open them. As guests arrive, ensure their envelope or gift tag is securely attached to their gift before putting it on the table.)
• Introduce them to other guests.
• When everyone has arrived, start with an ice breaker game (a simple, no frills, easy game to encourage mingling)
• If serving a meal, let the guests know when to help themselves.
• When the meal is over, serve dessert.
• While guests are enjoying their desserts, the mom can open her gifts.
• Play one last game and pass out any gifts for the guests to gently bring the shower to a close.

With a little planning, your shower will be a fantastically fun and memorable event for the guest of honor, the hostess and all of the guests!

 

Using our senses to be sensational

Everyday can be sensational. But what exactly are we referring to? A sensational day is full of different experiences that make us feel good, inside and outside. Furthermore, we ourselves can be sensational, it all depends on what we receive through our senses, how we perceive our surroundings, and how we interpret that information in our brains. As a standard definition, the Merriam-Webster dictionary states that sensational means "of or relating to sensation or the senses; arousing a strong and usually shallow interest or emotional reaction; exceedingly or unexpectedly excellent or great."

We all learned about our senses, from a very early age. Kids are taught in preschool how things feel, how they smell, how they taste, what sound they make. And when they enter kindergarten, they start learning about our five senses. Really? Just five? We all have heard about the sixth sense, but the truth is that we have eight senses.

Getting to know our senses

Taste(gustatory):We use this sense in our mouths and it helps us distinguish flavors and qualities of food, as well its textures. We can differentiate if a food is sweet, salty or sour. It gives us the ability to determine if it is mushy, chewy or crunchy.

Touch(tactile): This is the sense that allows us to feel when something comes in contact with our body surface (skin). We use it to determine is a fabric is soft or rough, how we feel when someone or something presses against our skin, even feeling when you are having your hair washed, combed or cut.
 
Smell(olfactory): It allows us to recognize the scent of the things around us and discriminate which fragrances are pleasant to us and which are not.

Sight(visual):Refers to how we see things and distinguish one thing from another. We use it to recognize facial expressions, to differentiate everything around us, and gives us the ability to focus on only one thing if we want to.

Hearing(auditory): This sense determines how we perceive sounds, so that we can listen correctly when someone speaks to us, or when there are alarms going off, and being able ti discern the noises around us.

Interoception: This is how we perceive and process the stimuli from inside our body, such as hunger, having to go to the bathroom, feeling pain or feeling tired.

Proprioception: We use this sense to determine the position of our body parts and what we need to do to move them using our joints and muscles. This sense is responsible for the pressure we need to make in and out, like when we jump, throw a ball, or grabbing a pencil to write or even hugging someone.

Vestibular: This is the sense responsible for your spatial orientation and your balance. This is done through our inner ear. It is related to our body movements and our postures. We use this sense when we go on a swing, when we are lying down, or doing cartwheels.

Sensory processing refers to how our brain understands what we experience through our senses. Nereida Ritz, OTR/L from Essential Therapy here in South Florida compared it to when we use a computer. "You type what you want in the keyboard, and then the computer has to interpret the information through a program, and then you see it in the monitor." However, if this information is not processed correctly, then we might not get the desired outcome. This is what happens if you have Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD). It can affect one of the senses, or more than one at the same time. In the book Sensational Kids: Hope and Help for Children with Sensory Processing Disorderby Lucy J. Miller, SPD is explained in more detail.

We all have sensory needs. The problem arises when those needs are not met properly and affect our daily life. If we can interpret and integrate our senses properly, then we can function effectively and feel sensational.