Blog Disclosure Policy

Having a disclosure policy on your blog is not only a tool to adhere to FTC guidelines but allows you to maintain your reputation as an ethical blogger. Readers do not want to be “tricked” into clicking on affiliate links. Readers do not care if you get paid to post, paid for a link, paid if they buy from your affiliate link, or compensated with review products. They care that you are open and honest about those affiliations. Potential companies and sponsors also want to know your interests. As a blogger who may represent their product, they want to make … Continue reading

Sunny Travel Funnies—-Cross Country Crack-Ups

It’s been a while since I wrote my last installment of the Sunday Travel Funnies, but this week it’s back… with some major crack-ups. We begin in Jacksonville, Florida where a driver there caused an accident that would no doubt have Bill Cosby shaking his head. According to police, a truck driver narrowly escaped serious injury (he did sustain injuries but has since been released from the hospital) this week when his truck smashed into another vehicle and flipped over on a local highway spilling thousands of Jell-O snack packs on I-95. Police say the truck driver lost control of … Continue reading

Generous Celebs Keep the Giving Going

There’s nothing like tax time to get you to review just how generous you’ve been in the last 12 months. And it’s not just you—–many Hollywood celebrities are taking time to total up their good (financial) deeds and some have been quite a bit more generous than others. Take for example, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. The handsome Tinseltown duo is known for helping those in need with their time and talent, but did you know that according to federal tax filings, the pair routinely digs deep (really deep) into their wallets to aid the less fortunate as well? According … Continue reading

The Cross of Nero

I’d like to start out with an excerpt from an article I found online regarding the life of Nero. In addition to learning about his apparent self-absorbency, perverse sexual behavior, and lack of regard for even those who were close to him; this portion of the article shows his particular hate toward Christians: “Nero, always a man desperate to be popular, therefore looked for scapegoats on whom the fire (Great Fire in Rome; July 64 AD) could be blamed. He found it in an obscure new religious sect, the Christians. And so many Christians were arrested and thrown to the … Continue reading

Is Your Child a Born Giver?

  Does giving come naturally to your child? Headaches, anxiety and gray hair don’t count. Rather, consider whether or not your child is innately predisposed to be generous with his possessions without being prompted? As we countdown to Christmas, we’d all like our children to remember that it is better to give than receive.  However, a new study found that most kids tend to be selfish with material items, unless they know their generosity will be seen by others. The research, recently published in the journal PLoSOne, suggests that children as young as five years old strategize ways to advertise … Continue reading

Hurricane Sandy Relief Continues to Pour In

Hurricane Sandy happened almost a month ago, but the devastation it left in its path will take a long time to clean up. There are still about 120,000 people without power in New York and New Jersey, but that also includes homes there were too damaged to have power anyhow. If anything good came from this, it is the generosity of Americans. Some physically went to damaged areas while others gave what they could to help the victims. I already wrote about celebrities that gave to Hurricane Sandy relief, but it is worthy to note that Lady Gaga donated $1 … Continue reading

National Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day

Guess what today is? It is National “Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day.” And the timing couldn’t be more perfect, with Thanksgiving right around the corner. If you are hosting the Thanksgiving meal, you want to make sure everything is spotless. And you definitely want to make room for the food, so why not take advantage of this National event? Personally, I will be saving this job for the weekend. If you can do it today, go for it. But remember, this isn’t just about taking out the stuff that’s growing mold (oh, I hope that isn’t happening in your fridge—talk … Continue reading

Anthem is Discontinuing My Health Insurance Policy

Anthem Blue Cross has decided that they are going to “discontinue” the health insurance policy that they sold me about four months ago. There is absolutely nothing I can do about it. I feel like the company lied to me, and I also feel like this is a form of “bait and switch”. Those of you who have been following my blogging here on the Families.com Insurance blog already know about how hard I’ve struggled to find health affordable health insurance coverage. In 2009, I lost my job as a teachers aide, which meant that I lost my insurance coverage … Continue reading

Do You Pay Attention to Street Signs?

Stop. Slow Children at Play. Do Not Pass. Yield. Merge. We see these words and phrases on signs as we travel along roads across the United States, but how often do we really heed the warning? I readily admit that I’ve come to a rolling stop on more than just a few occasions. In fact, three years ago, I was pulled over for failing to come to a complete stop at an intersection between a middle school and a high school. Fortunately, I got off with just a warning. Had the police officer not been so generous I would’ve had … Continue reading

A Day at the Zoo Part I

We have a zoo in our city. It is not a big zoo by any means, but it does have more than enough animals to entertain a toddler. I am not a particular fan of animals; I remember going to this same zoo as a child and being scared to death especially by the goats in the petting part of the zoo. The cost of admission to this zoo is more than a movie ticket (something my husband and I never spend money on). Thanks to my very generous in-laws, we have a year long family pass to the zoo … Continue reading