Search Results for: blog making a difference at christmas

Splitting the Difference

In addition to her pediatrician, our daughter sees two specialists. One is the pediatric surgeon, who performed her operations, and the other is a gastroenterologist (GI doctor). Both are concerned with making sure Lily is feeding normally, maintaining appropriate weight, and not experiencing any symptoms of reflux. The doctors are familiar with one another as they both work for the same children’s hospital, and I know that each has a high opinion of the other, because they have said as much. However, I suspect they have little communication with each other, and therefore, they have a difference of opinion on … Continue reading →

Christmas Carols

I’m a sucker for Christmas carols. Three of my favorites are ‘O Come, O Come Emmanuel,’ ‘O Holy Night’ and ‘What Child is This?’ Mick’s favorite, as others mentioned in the forum, is ‘Silent Night.’ But, as Janet and others said there are so many great carols to choose from. One of the reasons I particularly like ‘What Child is This?’ is because the birth and the death of Jesus are linked together which they should be. Too often it seems people want to enjoy and celebrate the Christmas story and the birth of Jesus as a baby but forget … Continue reading →

The Difference Between Two Digital Cameras From the Same Company

Camera shopping is no easy task, especially if you are in the market for your first digital camera. Navigating the maze of features is challenging enough without having to figure out why some companies make virtually the same camera with two different names. Add to the confusion a company like Nikon, which is guilty of the aforementioned offense then has the audacity to simply add an “x” to the end of the camera’s name to differentiate it from its “x-less” counterpart. I’m referring to the Nikon D40 and D40x digital cameras. They are both decent SLRs, but they are fundamentally … Continue reading →

Making a Difference at Christmas

A small group of volunteers have found a way they can help others, who are less fortunate this Christmas. They have opened up a shop in Nowra, as they have done other years. The shop only opens for the two or three weeks leading up to Christmas. The premises are donated for this short period of time rent free and the shop is staffed by volunteers. In this short term shop which operates each year, the volunteers sell Fair Trade products from Asia, Africa and South America. They also sell books, cards, hot chocolate and coffee. 25 volunteer staff will … Continue reading →

Christmas Cards, Letters, or Pictures: Which Represents You as a Couple?

Our first Christmas as a married couple, which would have been December 1995, I started the tradition of sending out Christmas cards for both Wayne and I. Back then I picked cards with funny or clever pictures, wrote a short, quick note to the recipients, and mailed them. Christmas 1999 marked the first time I attempted a Christmas letter, which I’d previously never had much respect for. Most of the ones we received painted an entirely too rosy picture of friends and family living entirely too perfect lives. We knew the letters meant well but were stretching things a bit. … Continue reading →

Christmas Scrooge or Holiday Angel?

Here in the Frugal Living Blog, we talk a lot about how to save money and be thrifty. And now that we are in the middle of the holiday season, we are focusing a lot on having a frugal Christmas, from decorating to gift giving. We pinch those pennies and make our money go as far as it can. But, as you know, there is a difference between being frugal and being stingy. Sometimes, our frugality makes us better people beyond saving money. How? Well, one thing I have noticed about people who pinch their pennies, is for the most … Continue reading →

All About Me- a New Blogger in Town

I started blogging here at families.com less than a week ago, and am just now getting around to introducing myself. I am blogging about home business topics, using my experience to generate advice that other families can use. I started out very small, selling inexpensive items on eBay. I worked up to larger items, then expanded into having 100 or more listings at a time. My record was about 175 simultaneous listings on the site one year at Christmas time. I evolved from eBay into three other sites and sold on all four simultaneously for a couple of years. Needless … Continue reading →

Time to Review Your Homeowners Insurance Policy

Did you get something big and expensive this Christmas? That new item is probably not specifically covered by your Homeowners insurance policy. Start off the new year by visiting with your insurance agent, and making sure that all the goodies that Santa brought you are covered. A good time to sit down with your insurance agent to review your homeowners policy is right now. Christmas is over, and you will want to make sure that the new, expensive, items that Santa brought you and your family will be covered by your policy. This is especially true if you got new … Continue reading →

The Importance of Staying Connected

Today was one of those days where I would have been wise to heed my own advice. How many of us, when we have time and space to do so, think of wonderful ways to approach parenting and then as soon as the kids wake up the next morning and we are launched into action promptly forget them? It happens to me more often than I would like to admit, and it happened today. Last night, I was really thinking about ways to focus on maintaining a strong connection with my boys throughout the hustle and bustle of the holidays. … Continue reading →

Freeing Myself

The refrigerator is stocked and yes, it contains a ham. But this year I’m not making the ham until New Year’s. I have decided to drastically change things up. What you will find stocked in my refrigerator and cabinets are taco fixin’s. This Christmas we are going the non-traditional route and having a huge taco bar. My husband is going to make his delicious Spanish rice and I will also be making homemade pico de gallo and a tres leches cake (a white cake made with 3 different kinds of milk—my version is 2% milk, whipped cream and coconut cream). … Continue reading →