Monday, January 23, 2012

Family Hiking Paradise

With children getting heavier and heavier these days it is important to go out as a family and have some healthy fun. A nice way to do this is to go hiking on a Saturday morning. There are some things that you should keep in mind.
Do not hike for too long: My kids are usually done after about three hours. You are the best judge of what your children can do. It is important that you remember that you cannot hike as hard, as long and as fast as you were able to without kids.
Bring a picnic lunch to enjoy half way through your hike: This will provide a break to sit and enjoy the nature around you. I have my girls make their sandwiches and pack the rest of lunch with me. This is a great way to get the excited about going.
Make sure that you have an emergency first aid kit: This is a scouting “Be Prepared” essential. You never know what can happen while hiking. It is important that you are ready for anything.
Bring plenty of water: Make sure that you pack enough water for everyone. You do not want anyone to dehydrate. This includes any 4 legged friend you chose to bring with you.
Make it fun: Make sure that you keep your trip fun. Play eye-spy or look at different things along the way. If you make it a stressful thing for your children they will not enjoy it. Kids like to touch everything so have a touch scavenger hunt where they have to find
Choose a hike that is family friendly: Children will not want to be rock climbing for part of their hike on their first time out. Make sure that the first few hikes are easy and increase difficulty as you go. Once you try a harder hike tell the kids what a challenge it can be. It is important to tell them what they have achieved.
I know that we really enjoy hiking with the girls. I think that perhaps they enjoy it more than we do from time to time. So get out there and get moving. It will make you a happier family, will help with weight loss goals, and will lead to family time together. My favorite time of year to go out for a family hike is in the fall. There is nothing better than the leaves turning vivid colors and the crisp air. I am looking forward to many hikes in the weeks to come! I know that the kids are too! So what are you waiting for? Get out there and get hiking! It is impossible not to have a wonderful time! You will be glad that you did!

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

If You Have A Pregnant Cat,You Should Take Care Of Her

Your pets reward you with favors now and again which you may not even realize. The miracle of birth, for instance. There's something very beautiful about seeing your pet mature and give birth to its own little ones, isn't there? And if it's a pregnant cat that you're going to be taking care of, then, even though they take care of almost everything on their own, you'll need some pointers to well, point you in the right direction. This Buzzle article has some tips on how you can take care of a pregnant cat, and in turn, help her have an easy and comfortable pregnancy delivery.

Exercise
There are some simple things that you can do to make sure that your cat's fitness level remains intact even during her pregnancy. You may take her for short walks or have her play with you for some time. Take care not to get her too tired as this may cause her some discomfort. Plus, pregnant cats generally like to be rubbed in their belly. So, you can do that for her as well. She'll feel nice. However, if she displays any signs that she doesn't enjoy it, stop immediately. You may end up doing some damage to the kittens, that can be as serious as a miscarriage.
 Nutritious Food
Just like any other animal, eating nutritious food is important even during a cat's pregnancy. Make sure she gets her fill of whatever she feels like eating. She will require two to three meals a day. Make sure they are filling, but at the same time ensure that you do not overfeed her. For a pregnant cat, foods that are high in minerals, protein and vitamins are very important. So, make sure she gets enough of these nutrients through her cat food. Good quality canned cat food is your best option. If that's what you've been feeding her, then you can continue with it until the last 2 weeks of the pregnancy. During this period, you may consider giving her canned kitten food, which is highly nutritious, even more than cat food. This will help her store more nutrients until her kittens are being weaned by her.
Health and Grooming
One of the most important points that you need to keep in mind when you have a pregnant cat at home is her health and her grooming. Her external as well as internal health needs to be check thoroughly to ensure that she does not contract any diseases to her kittens or to any other cats in the vicinity. If you know of her pregnancy within the first week, based on when she was mated, then ask her vet to have her examined for any possible infections, contagious or not, that could be contracted by her. If you think she has a problem with fleas, get her treated in the first week itself. The same should be done in case of worming her. Refrain from doing any of the above after the first week of pregnancy as it could harm the cat as well the babies. Also, avoid using any kind of antiseptics or creams that humans use, as they could cause skin irritation in her. As far as grooming is concerned, when she's nearing her due date, if she has long hair, you can trim the hair around her nipples a bit so that her litter can find them easily when they need milk.
Appropriate Arrangements
The responsibility of taking care of your cat during her pregnancy is a very important, not to mention rewarding one. When she's nearing her due date, she'll begin to exhibit some very telltale signs of it. She may start nesting, which means she will start looking for warm and cozy places to have her litter in. So, you can assist her in this process by making such places available to her and setting them up with the things that will keep her comfortable. A nice big cardboard box (which is almost twice her size), insulated with a nice warm blanket (fibers of which cannot get stuck in her claws), and her water and food bowl nearby are some of the essentials that you can keep at the ready wherever she decides to settle down. Also, see that in the last two weeks she does not go outdoors. This will ensure that she deliver the litter indoors and also she'll be protected against any potential dangers lurking outdoors.
The signs that your cat is ready to give birth include her nipples becoming pink, a slight fall in her body temperature and a change in her mood, which could vary from becoming lethargic to constant meowing and attention seeking. She could even not eat for a day prior to delivery. Keep the emergency vet's number at close hand at the time of birthing, because you never know what can happen. Besides everything mentioned above, give your cat all the love and affection that she needs, and she'll have a perfectly healthy delivery!

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Hiking With Your Family May Be Interesting

Hiking is an increasingly growing family activity, many parents report that hiking with their children creates a sort of communal task that everyone has to achieve, and that family bonds are stronger then ever due to this family activity.
The challenge of the hike combined with the effect that the time the family spends together is in the outdoors with a kind of “mission” is great for creating stronger relationships and trust between family members, especially among siblings.
Hiking is a great way to get exercise, experience the outdoors and spend time with your loved ones. The wilderness is jammed-pack full of scenes and animals you may never have had the options to see before. You can do things the good old-fashioned route, or you can take an already made trail. Either way, there is a lot to be experienced with nature. The natural environment provides the perfect setting for quality family time.
Much has been said about the effect that hiking has on the mental and spiritual side, the psychological significance of the modern man against the force of nature, all this becomes even more important when thinking about a family unit performing the hike.
Hiking can even be a spiritual process as we are all a part of nature, and if you can see this, you’ll discover there are many small wonders you haven’t even noticed yet. The spectacular colors you can see when you are hiking are breathtaking. Everything from flowers to the autumn leaves. Some hiking expeditions are more strenuous than others. So it depends on your physical side just how much you want to endure. If you just want a friendly walk without much effort, you may want to stay on a state park trail.
If you are thinking about trying the hiking for your family, you should try and make everyone a part of the team, even in the preparation phase, try and have a family meeting, decide what food you want to take with you, how many stops you want to take, what are the goals of the hike and more issues that you do not want to leave for the final moment. You can also try and create a sense of challenge by setting a clear goal (reaching the top of a hill, overlooking some nice view, or just starting a trail and finishing it), and plan a moderate celebration once you are successful.
What is awesome when you are hiking is if you can find places that are high up in the air. This gives you the options of looking down upon a vast amount of land, more importantly is that you can use this to show your kids how the effort has paid off, and teach them an important lesson about effort. Remember, a picture is worth a thousand words. Imagine what could be said about the ones you take when you find something that just stands out.
Once you have had a few hikes with your family you may want to consider becoming more professional, again – you can use every step to increase the “togetherness” and the family bonding process, you can discuss what equipment you need, assign a research task to family members and have a second meeting after a few days to agree on the budget and spending and go get your hiking equipment, the only thing you need to remember is that you can not get better equipment for one member only, you can set to phase, the adult equipment phase and the kids hiking equipment phase, but try not to get new things to only one of your children, this may create jealousy.
Join the adventure and go hiking with your family, you will be surprised how much it can bring into your own family cell. Good Hiking!