Search Results for: blog on your marks get set go

When Teen Siblings Don’t Get Along

Things in my home have gotten a little out of control lately. I think it’s a combination of hormones and the typical teenage angst that has my preteen and two teens going at it. At one time it used to be that at least two of my children would be on good terms but lately all three have been on the outs. It has been very frustrating to hear one yelling at another, one telling the other to “shut up,” slamming doors in each other’s faces and protesting to me how unfair life is because of their sibling. At times … Continue reading →

Can I Call Myself a Frugalista? A bit of Frugalista Gossip

When I started writing for the families.com Frugal blog, I decided to take a frugal fashion angle as my girl Mary Ann Romans seems to have the rest of the category well under control. After a little talk, we decided that I fit the frugalista mold and so, my “frugalista” blog posts were born. So a week or so ago, I got an email warning that there was a lawyer serving anyone who called themselves a “frugalista” telling them to cease using the term. (I never did get the warning myself.) I decided to put the phrase on hold and … Continue reading →

Your Employer Might Pay Some of Your Adoption Expenses

Did you know you could get adoption assistance from your employer? Nearly half of U.S. firms now offer adoption assistance, up from only twelve percent in 1990. You may wonder why an employer would offer to pay some of your adoption costs. Many employers say that it helps them be more competitive and they get a good return on their investment overall. Although I wonder if the more difficult economy we’ve experienced the last few months will lead firms to discontinue this benefit, I hope they will not. In any economic climate, a company is only as good as its … Continue reading →

Should You Set Personal Benchmarks?

The other day, I wrote about ways to track your productivity and the work that you are doing in your home business by creating categories and subject areas. While this may be helpful for some, there are other ways to periodically check to see if we are moving forward and following our overall plan to build our business. If you have a determined goal and a plan that you are using to grow your business, you can also create “benchmarks” or areas where you can stop, reflect, re-evaluate and check off once you have achieved them. A “benchmark” is really … Continue reading →

Can You Take Your Video Camera on an Airplane?

Yes, you can; however, using it to record images onboard a commercial aircraft is an entirely different story. It’s a lesson I learned the hard way during my recent flight to Hawaii. Since the birth of my daughter I have diligently brought my camcorder on all of our family’s vacations. When we fly I simply place my video camera in my carry-on bag and shoot at will. However, during our recent flight departing from Chicago to Honolulu I was told that shooting at will was no longer acceptable. Actually, this is a more precise recounting of what happened on board … Continue reading →

Do Certain Movies Make Your Husband Cry?

I have been asking Wayne (begging really) to take me to see Atonement for weeks now, and this weekend he finally did. He did not want to see this movie. For one, he doesn’t like “period” movies. Meaning most things set in the past. He especially hates anything set in the 1800s. (“I’m not watching any of that 1800 crap” is a favorite saying of his.) Atonement was not of 1800 vintage. It was set during the twentieth century, specifically around World War II. (World War II era films are acceptable in Wayne’s book.) But the other reason he dragged … Continue reading →

My Favorite Pet Blogs from the Past Year

Below is a list of my favorite articles I wrote during the past year, often with an explanation of what made them memorable. Five Non-Cash Ways to Help Animals/Shelters this Holiday Season: This was my first article to have a comment left on it. Is It Ever Okay to Kick a Dog?: This was my first article to ever get stars. The BMK Fund: This practice is very near and dear to my heart and it was neat to have a platform such as blogging for Families.com to share it on. How to Put Your Shopping Dollars to Work Helping … Continue reading →

Including Play in Your Curriculum

In Let There be Play I talked about children learning through play. No matter what the age or interests, the love to play. I talked about finding a curriculum that will allow them to play and have fun while learning. Here are some other ideas to include play and fun in your learning experience. 1. Read, read, read, and read some more. Jonathan knows how to read, but if you ask him, he’ll tell you he doesn’t. His self esteem when it comes to reading is still pretty low, though we are working on it on a daily basis. Does … Continue reading →

The Pets Blog Week in Review for Oct 8-14

Today marks the middle of the month. Say what? Didn’t it just start? Where the heck is the time going? I have no idea, but if you’ve been as busy as I have and didn’t have time to stay on top of the Pets Blog this week, no worries. Here’s the Week in Review that summarizes what Aimee and I wrote about on: Monday, October 8 In honor of Adopt a Shelter Dog Month, I gave six reasons why you’ll never regret adopting a dog. Aimee’s been doing a great job with a series of blogs on tropical fish, in … Continue reading →

Ghoulish Good Times In Chicago

I’ve told you where you can get your scare on in the Windy City, but if you have younger ghosts and goblins you’ll want to haunt more kid-friendly events. If you live anywhere near Chicago I would highly recommend attending some of the following family friendly Halloween-related events. Last weekend, we went to Pumpkinpalooza where my 3-year-old daughter had a blast painting pumpkins, creating Native-American crafts, decorating wooden bats, feeding llamas, and gorging herself on Halloween candy… all in 88 degree weather. (Now that’s freaky!) We can’t wait to get to attend these events: TERRORIFIC THURSDAY For city kids who … Continue reading →