What to Gift a Mother for Her Birthday?

>> Feb 4, 2014

Birthday gifts for your mum can vary from luxurious items like jewelry to frugal ones like a bunch of flowers. But the value of the gift is judged by your mother on the thought behind it and not the cost.

The first task in selecting a gift for your mother is to ruminate on her. What personality does she have, what kind of work she does, what are her hobbies? Armed with this information, it becomes simpler to select her birthday present.

Some of the ideas on what to gift your mother are:

A gift from child or teenager: You are not expected to purchase expensive items. It is better to create something with your hands than to buy a gift. One touching gesture would be to gift a self made card with warm lines about your mum. A family album, a piece of embroidery, a drawing-all will be appreciated by your mum.
Gift for young mothers: They love getting baby items for their birthday. Small babies are expensive so if you pitch in, it will be much appreciated. Gift her skin care products so she can get over looking tired and stressed all the time.
Quality time: Do you live far away from your mum? Then spending quality time with her will be the best birthday present. Go home for a couple of days and organize a birthday party for her.
Photo shoot: Very often families do not have latest photos of themselves. Organize a photo shoot of the entire family together and gift it your mother on her birthday. Another related idea is to create a photo collage of all favorite old and new photos, which will be surely cherished by your mum.
Kitchen accessories: Kitchens are a much loved room for mums, so gift her accessories and gadgets she can use in the kitchen. You can even include décor items that beautify the kitchen space.
Body and bath products: Moms are always busy doing chores or attending office, so giving them time to relax and pamper themselves is a great gift idea. Gift her home experience of a personal spa. A birthday gift hamper containing body lotion, bubble bath salts, body oils, perfumes and other such items which will relax and rejuvenate her.
A day out at the parlor: Your mother may not have time to groom herself, being busy taking care of all needs of the whole family. Book a day for her at the salon with the complete works, like massage, manicure, pedicure etc. To add to the treat, you can invite her friends to join her at the parlor for a day of fun and relaxation.
Purses, clutches and hand bags: No woman can resist the treat of colorful, stylish purses and hand bags. Keep in mind your mother’s favorite color and design in bags.
Family vacation: For the bored and stressed out mum, gifting a family vacation occupies top spot. Decorate her hotel room with balloons.
Jewelry: They are a woman’s best friend. They are an eternal and beautiful gift for your mum. You can gift her jewelry made of her birthstones or lucky stones.
Give mum a free day: Give your mum a day off by offering to dust, clean and cook lunch and dinner.

Author’s Bio: She is associated with expressgiftservice.co.uk. She is coordinator of content at the website. She writes, manages and coordinates articles and blogs related to the site. She has a bachelor degree in Commerce.

Married Couples without Kids – Can We be Happy?

>> Feb 3, 2014

Most married couples intend to take a step forward into parenthood. Many marriages have the main purpose to have and raise kids. For parents, their kids are their biggest happiness. So, how about us –childless couple? Can we have a happy marriage life?

Though there’s an increase in the amount of couple who choose childfree living nowadays, for me and hubby, being childless is not our choice but a real fact that must be accepted. My womb was taken during a surgery last year. It couldn’t be postponed any longer as my health worsening fast.

Childfree married couple is still a minority in our society, that’s why meeting new people is never easy for me. I always face the same question and pity reaction when they finally know my condition. But I can say that I’m much stronger now. As Gede Prama said in his article ‘The Art of Healing’, suffering is a bell to remind you to come back home, to the home of peace. As long as I sincere and surrender, everything will be all right. As the time goes by, I don’t feel sadness anymore. The life keeps going on.

Ellen L. Walker, a psychologist, has written a book titled ‘Complete Without Kids’. I haven’t yet read her book, but in one article she mentioned about a study result stated that Couple’s Happiness can be reached by simply relationship maintenance. I think we should do this. We don’t have kids to brighten our marriage life, but we can reach happiness in our marriage by making our relationship stronger. We can be happy in ‘different way’.

Let me link this post to Blue Monday. Those are shadows of us. Captured one sunny morning, a few weeks before the surgery held. My hubby keeps telling me that my health is his most concern –above all. He can accept to be childless as long as I can get my health back. I’m fortunate to have a caring husband like him.

Mosquitos

>> Feb 2, 2014

They weren’t interested in me; they weren’t moving at all. Are they male mosquitos that survive by feeding on flower nectar and sweet juices? In mosquito's world, only female ones that also need the nutrition of blood for their eggs development.

^{Camera Critters}^{; Saturday's Critters;}^{NF Winged}

Yoga Poses for Balancing Your Chakras

>> Jan 31, 2014

Yoga, according to the ancient history is related to chakras. The term ‘Chakras’ comes from the language Sanskrit in India, the English translation for it is ’wheels’. Men of great knowledge believed, each individual is having 7 chakras in the body. The life of a human being is based on these 7 chakras, located from the base of the spine to the head. These chakras are the energy centers in our bodies.

These chakras are energy vertexes powered by a life source or prana. Hence it is essential to clear the energy blocks from our chakras, which allows the Kundalini energy to rise through us, revitalizing and upbringing our minds to new heights.

Each chakra is associated with particular functions within the body and with specific life issues and the way we handle them, both within us and in our interactions with the outer world. Chakras can be thought of as sites where we receive, absorb, and distribute life energies in our body. Through external situations and internal habits, a chakra can become either deficient or excessive, imbalanced and blocked.

Asanas, or stances, are postures of body that is used to activate these chakras.

The first Chakra is the “Muladhara” chakra, which in English means ‘root’. The location of this chakra is at the base of the spine. The 1st chakra is the one that will help to keep you grounded and centered. It is associated with survival instincts and base communication. The concerns associated with this chakra involvesfood, clothing, and shelter that are practical things. The emotion related with this chakra is fear. The lesser we are connected to the earth, the more we fear. To ground yourself, go for a walk, be out in nature, and connect to the nature.

In yoga, standing poses balances and strengthens the 1st chakra, makes the body become more grounded. One among them is the standing crow posture.

Crouching with hands parallel to the ground and the standing straight, and repeating.

The second Chakra is the “Svadishthana” chakra, which in English means ‘One’s own place or self’. This is located in the lower abdomen an inch below the navel. This chakra makes way for emotional and sensual movement in our life, opening to pleasure, and learning to "go with the flow".Yoga teacher all watery things about us are in association with this chakra: circulation, menstruation, urination, orgasm, tears. Water flows, moves, and changes, and a healthy second chakra allows us to do so.

One of the postures that help you is the Frog Pose. Crouching with hands on the ground. Then lifting the lower body with the hands still touching the ground and repeating.

The third Chakra is the “Manipura” chakra, which in English means ‘Lustrous gem’. It is present in the area of the solar plexus, navel and digestive system. It associates with power, self-esteem and vitality. Bikram yoga stimulates the 3rd chakra. Be sure that this chakra needs heat stimulation before participating in Bikram yoga.

The fourth Chakra is the “Anahata” chakra, which in English means ‘Stillness’. This chakra is located in the Heart, also is known as the Heart chakra, since it governs our institution and love. When the fourth chakra is deficient, one might have the feelings of shyness and loneliness, with physical conditions being asthma, lung diseases or shallow breathing.

In yoga, any postures that have a backward bend, opening chest is a great practice to stimulate this chakra, and an example would be the camel pose. Standing straight on knees and bending backwards to touch heels.

The fifth Chakra is the “Vishuddha” chakra, which in English means ‘Purity’.The first of all among the spiritual chakras. The 4^th chakra is both spiritual and the physical chakra,it’s a bridge between the two. The fifth chakra is located in the throat, hence has to do with communicating, and speaking.

Yoga poses that are good for the 5th chakra are Bridge pose, Camel pose, neck and shoulder stretches and Plow pose.

The sixth Chakra is the “Ajna” chakra, which in English means ‘Beyond wisdom’. The location of this chakra is above and between the eyes. Yoga poses for the 6th chakra are supported forward bends and also eye exercises.

The seventh Chakra is the “Sahasrara” chakra, which in English means ‘Thousandfold’. This chakra is the crown of the entire chakras, symbolizing the highest stage of enlightenment. The seventh chakra can only be conquered with meditation.

Author Bio: Kunal Chhibber is a professional content writer He has also written many informative write-ups doing exclusive research on the Yoga poses for balancing certification. He is a graduate in management; music is a passionate hobby to which he is committed to as a part time Disc Jockey.