Are You Too Critical?

How often do you start the day with a morning lecture? My 8-year-old daughter’s answer:  “Too many!” She’s probably right. If she asks for help locating her backpack, I spend five minutes “suggesting” that she hang it in the back hall where she can easily find it. If she complains about taking the same home lunch to school every day I “propose” that she expand her palate because there’s only so much I can do with strawberries, crackers and plain chicken. When she whines about not having enough time to eat a leisurely breakfast before school I “recommend” moving up … Continue reading

Never-Ending Advice

Remember when your kids were babies and everyone around you felt the need to give you parenting advice—even when you didn’t ask for it? Well, the unsolicited guidance doesn’t stop as your children get older. Case in point:  The other day my daughter and I were getting a bite to eat at a local family restaurant.  We frequent the eatery on a monthly basis because she loves the rotisserie chicken.  And by love I mean she’s so obsessed she will not order any other entrée.  Given her near religious devotion to the seasoned bird, I didn’t even bother to ask … Continue reading

Favorite Pick: Expanding Folding Crate on Wheels

Expanding Folding Crate on Wheels I know you are wondering why any person would need such a contraption. Do not dismiss this versatile, back saving, cart just yet. I didn’t think I needed on either. I took the advice of a reader and decided to give this a whirl. I discovered it was the one thing I never knew I needed. You see in my homeschool, we are hardly ever home. School is often on the go and that means lugging around a ton of school books and projects. I normally priortized and spread things out among the kids to … Continue reading

Molding Future Adults

Amid the chaos of everyday life, it’s easy to lose sight of the big picture of parenting. Very easy. When you’re in the trenches dealing with your baby’s dirty diapers, your tween’s potty mouth and the host of other excrement that comes with raising children, it’s hard to focus on the fact that you are molding future adults. Well-adjusted, responsible, thoughtful, charitable, productive adults. That’s the goal. The challenge is looking beyond the moment. These moments. The times when it seems easier to give up, give in, or frankly, not give a damn, rather than digging deep to teach your … Continue reading

Too Much Clutter? Why It Could Be Costing You

I love January because it is my best time for de-cluttering and organizing my home and getting a fresh start. The colder weather keeps us in doors more, so not only do we notice more clutter, but we have the time to actually do something about it. Weekends are perfect for major de-cluttering and organizing sessions, but I try to fit in at least 15-30 minutes a day, each day, during the week, in order to make some real progress on our clutter. A few days ago, I attacked my food pantries. Yesterday, I started following Peter Walsh’s 31-day challenge … Continue reading

Never Too Old

I was only 21 when I got divorced. I was extremely young, but I felt like I had lived the life of a much older woman. As time went on I wasn’t sure I would ever get married again. It seemed like I had been single for so long already, I just couldn’t understand why it was taking me so long to find someone again. I felt like I had a lot to offer, but all the men that kept coming into my life were, well…less than what I wanted for me and my son. Stealing credit cards and sneaking … Continue reading

Golden Globes: Did Jodie Foster Come Out?

Last night’s Golden Globes was a great night of pretty dresses, good jokes, lots of drinks, and a few odd moments.  I have to lump Jodie Foster’s speech under the odd category. The actress (who I think is absolutely incredible at her craft) received the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award.  She walked on stage looking stunning – the blue dress was beautiful and matched her eye color perfectly.  She looked gorgeous and young, but reminded the crowd she was 50. The speech itself was rather scattered to me.  She seemed to ramble about her age … Continue reading

Seven Year Old Cancer Patient Meets Justin Bieber

Millie Flamm is seven years old. She had concert tickets to see Justin Bieber, but was too sick to attend and had to sell the tickets. To make it up to her, Justin Bieber came to visit her and her family in private before the concert. There certainly seem to be a lot of little girls who adore Justin Bieber! Millie Flamm is one of them. She is seven years old, and was going to attend his concert at the Energy Solutions Arena, in Utah. Unfortunately, her cancer relapsed two weeks before the concert, and she was too sick to … Continue reading

Seven Things You Should Never Buy at the Grocery Store

There are certain items in the grocery store that will tend to cost you to spend more money than you should. Cut these ten thing out of your grocery store shopping on a regular basis in order to get the most for your money. 1. Cut up fruit and vegetables. You’ll pay much more for fruit and vegetables that have been pre-cut. While these items can certainly be convenient, it usually isn’t worth the premium price plus the shorter shelf life. If you really want your produce already processed, see if there is a version in the frozen food aisle. … Continue reading

Can Your Homeschool Blog Earn Money? {Part 3}

In, Can Your Homeschool Blog Earn Money?, Part 1 and Part 2, I discussed the background information you need before starting a blog that has the potential of earning you a profit.  If you missed those two posts, please take time to read them as blogs without a proper foundation do not earn profits. Not all profits can strictly financial but we all want to know now to earn cold hard cash.  There is no easy answer but there are avenues you can take to drive your blog to the bank. Here are some of the most popular ways to … Continue reading