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7 Topics to Talk About Before Getting Pregnant
7 Topics to Talk About Before Getting Pregnant
You’ve always dreamed of having a family. Now seems like the perfect time in your life to get pregnant. Great! Here is a list of topics to talk to your partner about before you start trying.
Do They Want Kids
This first one seems kind of obvious, but it’s worth talking about. People can change their minds over time about having children. Some people always wanted them, but keep putting it off because the timing isn’t right. Only to realize they actually don’t see a life with children. That’s fine, but you’ll want a partner who is 100% certain that they want children.
Life As Parents
Talk to your partner about what you both see as life with children. Who will be the primary caregiver, will you both go back to work, will you have a nanny or will your children go to daycare? Do you see yourself as a stay-at-home parent? Is your partner on board with this idea? These are all important questions to discuss prior to starting a family. You’ll want to make sure you’re both on the same page before going any further.
Discipline
How will you and your partner discipline your children? Do you believe in spanking, or do you prefer to use positive reinforcement or timeouts. This is especially important to discuss prior to having children. People tend to have a clear idea of what they believe in, when it comes to disciplining their children and it’s important that your partner and you are seeing eye-to-eye. If not, discuss the pros and cons to both options and come up with an agreed upon method of action.
Living Situation
You may be able to skip this topic if you are in your ideal living situation. If you are living in the city, but want to raise your family in the suburbs, or are living in an apartment or condo and prefer to own a house to raise your family, it’s important to talk about this. You may want to make the move to your ideal location, prior to TTC. Although, this is something that you can do while the baby is small, it may be a little more difficult though. There is no perfect place to raise a child, it really has to do with you and your partner’s lifestyle. If you have many friends and family in the city, this may be your perfect place. Other’s may want to be in the suburbs with a big backyard. Think about your ideal family life and this should help you to figure out what your ideal living situation is.
Sleep Training Vs. Attachment Parenting
Like disciplining, people are usually firm believers of one or the other. Your baby is crying after you just put them down for a nap. Do you run to their room and pick them up to soothe them, or do you let them cry for a few minutes until they finally fall back to sleep on their own. If you and your partner are not on the same wave length about this topic, you will drive each other crazy. Look at all the pros and cons to both techniques and choose the option that works best for both of you.
Technology
Are you okay with your children watching TV, using iPads, etc. How many hours a day will they be allowed to use these gadgets? This topic is a new one, but an important one in this day in age. A lot of parents use iPads and cellphones to distract their toddlers when in the car or at a restaurant. Again, like every other topic there are pros and cons to both, and there are also situations when you may feel like it’s okay to use technology to distract your children and other times when it not. As long as you’re both in agreement with when it’s okay and when it’s not, that’s great.
Your Roll’s As Parents
Will you be a hands-on parent, do you prefer your children are more independent. Will you go outside and play with your children or let them play on their own. Or maybe it will be a mixture of the two. Whatever the case, speak with your partner as to how they feel they will parent and how you will. If you’re not okay with their approach or vise-versa, tell them why you feel that approach isn’t the best, in your opinion.
These are just some of the many topics you and your partner should discuss before planning a pregnancy. If you have other topics that you feel are important, let us know what they are and why they are important to you!
Gender Neutral Baby’s Room on a Budget
Get this gender neutral baby’s room for less than $800!
See below for the cost breakdown and links to where you can buy these items.
1. $99, HENSVIK Cabinet with shelf unit, IKEA.
2. $20, VÄDRA Babycare mat, IKEA.
3. $149, HENSVIK crib, IKEA.
4. $54.99, Belle Elephant Walk 4 piece crib bedding set, Wayfair.ca.
5. $189, POÄNG Rocking chair with Vislanda cushion, IKEA.
6. $90.99, WILDON HOME Trendy silver area rug, 5’2″ x 7’5″, Wayfair.ca.
7. $36.99, Annmarie You And Me Elephant paper print, Wayfair.ca.
8. $138.49, Birch Lane Charlton 1-light pendant, Wayfair.ca.
All these items total $778.46
(plus applicable taxes, pricing is from 04/04/18 and is subject to change)
7 Ways to Keep the Romance Alive
7 Ways to Keep the Romance Alive
The longer you are with someone, the more they become a part of your everyday routine. You stop going on dates, because staying in to watch netflix in your pjs is just so much better. Sometimes routine is good, even great, but sometimes it puts you in a rut. Here are 7 ways to keep the romance alive in your relationship, to get out of that rut.
Say I love you and Truly Mean It
Close your eyes. Seriously, close them. Now think about the first time you told your partner I love you. Do you remember the feeling you got. The butterflies, the crazy big smile, the nervous voice. That I love you was real, pure and beautiful. Now think of the last time you told your partner I love you. Maybe it wasn’t even a full three letter word, maybe you shorten it now: love you, you too or worse… mmhmm. *Cringe*. Over time it becomes routine to say it. From this day forward, mean it when you say it. Your partner will feel the love and appreciate it that much more.
Make Time for Date Night
I’ll be honest, there’s nothing more appealing to me than going home, throwing on my sweats or pj’s and laying on the couch. There’s also nothing wrong with that, but, a lot of couples tend to loose the romance when we stop dressing up and getting out of the house together. Although, not every couple is the same. There’s nothing wrong with at home dates. Grab some take out, light a candle or two, pour yourselves a glass of wine and voilà. There’s something great about having dinner with someone you love without your cell phone on the table or the tv on. Without any distractions, this gives you time to really talk with your partner. Wine really helps to get people talking.
Say Thank you
Maybe your partner always opens your door for you, or maybe he just spent the day renovating your bathroom. These two simple words really show your appreciation for what your partner does. Whether it be for you or for the house. If you always wash your partner’s car, but they never thank your for it, you may begin to feel unappreciated. When you’re feeling unappreciated from your partner, you may start to feel the romance fade. Always show your appreciation, it’s super easy to do, just make sure you take the time to do it.
Kiss Like You Mean It
We wrote about saying I love you and meaning it. Now it’s time to remember they way your partner and you used to lock lips. It was anything but boring. A steamy kiss is a sure way to bring back the romance in your relationship. And I mean a real kiss, I’m not talking about a peck. Kiss your partner like it’s the last time you ever will.
Give Them a Compliment
There’s nothing better than receiving a compliment when you’re feeling great or even when you’re not feeling so great. When is the last time you told your partner how good they looked. How nice that new haircut looks, or how amazing their laugh is. You may have told your partner you love their laugh before, but I doubt they will be mad if you go ahead and tell them again. Compliments really boosts our self-esteem, so why not make your partner feel a little more confident.
Make Them Laugh
There’s nothing better than a fall-off-your-chair laugh. After all, laughter is the best medicine. After a long day at work, laughing with your s.o. can make everything better. It will also help you appreciate one an other, for being able to turn a bad day into a good one. Having a laugh with your s.o. lightens the mood up and allows you to get away from the stresses in life. It will allow you to welcome a romantic gesture.
Have Fun Together
In life there is a lot of things to stress over: money, work, family and so on. Make time to do something fun with your s.o. Go for a hike, kayak, go bowling, do a colour run, go apple picking, join a sports team or go to the spa. Do something you will both enjoy. It will allow you to have some quality time together while also enjoying an activity you both like.
Make sure you do these 7 things on a daily (or weekly) basis. Every couple is different so adjust these guidelines to fit your lifestyle. Let us know what you and your s.o. do to keep romance in your relationship.
11 Dreamy Gender Neutral Baby Rooms
11 Dreamy Gender Neutral Baby Rooms
Here is a list of 11 of my favourite gender neutral baby rooms. Links to original images are below each image for those who may want more info on the decoration and furniture.
White & Green
This first gender neutral baby room is light, airy and cozy! The greenery paintings matched with the perfect-coloured green curtains add some colour to an otherwise pretty beige room. The fuzzy pillow and bronze reading light add some warmth to the room. Whether you’re bringing home a little boy or little girl, this room will be the perfect place to get some z’s.
White, Grey and a Pop of Yellow
I truly believe white, grey and yellow will always be the perfect colour combination. The happy yellow is a perfect colour for a baby’s room. It adds some happiness and life to the bright room. I absolutely love the animal paintings on the wall. There’s nothing better than some images of baby animals for your little baby’s room.
Mountains for your Future Adventurer
If you are creative, this may be an option for you. You could also hire someone to paint this beautiful mural for you, if not. This room is perfect for the baby of an adventurous couple / parent. The simple geometric animals add some warmth to the room, as well as the cute lantern (sitting on the log table to the right of the image). I guess grey is really in right now, from the looks of it!
Wood Accent Wall
Add a log cabin look to your nursery, by creating a wood accent wall. Remember, wood can be stained, and even painted. Feel free to buy a lighter wood or paint the wood a happy colour. I’d go with a lighter crib to add contrast against the wall, or even a black crib. Also, not a huge fan of carpet on-top of carpet, but to each his own.
Greige at It’s Best
Chandelier– check! Wooden moon wall art – check! Giant photos of rabbits – check! I love a lot of the pieces in this room, and it seems to work thanks to how neutral all the elements are. Like I had said earlier, not a huge fan of carpet- on-top of carpet, and this room seems to have layered not two but three carpets! Other than that, this room is quite adorable for a baby girl or boy.
Moon & Stars
This nursery is incredibly cute. From the fabric cloud, moon and star, to the polka dot accent wall and the interesting furniture and art pieces. The map carpet on the light grey wood floors is a great extra. I love all the texture in this room – did I mention how fun the tissue paper pompoms were!
Nursery Fit For a Safari Guide
The black and white jungle animal wall paper. The tribal print blanket. The tribal style foot rest. Everything about this room screams safari. I love how perfect the neutral walls and furniture compliment the accent wall and materials used in this gender neutral nursery. Absolutely perfect.
Ship-lack & Wicker
The brightness of the walls paired with warmer neutral brown is the way to go. This nomadic rug fits perfectly in this neutral baby’s room. It adds some subtle colour to an otherwise achromatic room.
Wall Paper and a Camel
The moon phase wall paper is simple, yet exciting. The wicker center light adds some warmth to the room along with the burnt orange blanket, cozy floor pillow and adorable camel photo. I love how much texture there is in this room, from the light fixture, the carpet, the basket, curtains and more. This room is nothing less than aesthetically pleasing.
Can you say Cactus
This accent wall is full of life. The deer antlers are a bit over-kill if you ask me. I think this wall is perfect all by itself, no need to add artwork to it. The plain white crib stands out thanks to the contrasting colourful wall. I’m not a huge fan of fur, but this chair looks super modern and pretty cozy with the faux (?) fur throw.
Wild and Free
Pale blue, almost grey walls, paired with coral and grey carpet? This is a perfect contrast for a gender neutral baby’s room. The artwork on the walls are subtle but stand out. Just loving how bright this room is and really in to the round blanket trend as well.
