Tips for Keeping Control

June 21, 2011 By admin 3 Comments
Being a mother of two children very close in age, can sometimes make me pull my hair out! Haley and Amberly are 18 months apart. It seems like that are fighting all the time and over any little thing.
Over the past few weeks, it seems like it has gotten worse. Everytime I turn around, I am hearing squeals, screams, cries and hits! Since they are so close in age, they like the same stuff. They want the same stuff and they do not under any circumstance want to share with each other!
 
Am I the only mom with this problem?
 
What am I suppose to do? I came up with a few tips to help make my day, yes MY DAY, go a little bit smoother! 
I want to suggest an easy tip. Buy two of everything, but realistically that is just not possible for me or my family. 
When Haley and Amberly are at the peak of their fight, (this is when they are both screaming on the top of their lungs) I do this:
Haley! Amberly! Sisters are not suppose to fight! (This gets them to stop.) I then explain how sisters are suppose to be best friends. (This sometimes works!)
I do this "Goggles" with my hands. I then start to look around the room and declare I am looking for the right choice! I say "I see Amberly not making the right choice & I would love to see her make the right choice with her sister". This ALWAYS works for some reason.
Teasing is becoming a huge issue between these two children. Haley will tell Amberly she is an "X" and Amberly will freak out. I don't understand it. I don't understand a 5 and 3 year olds problems! o.O t
 
Tip on teasing: I tell them both that teasing is not allowed. It is bad behavior and hurts feelings. That we do not want to hurt each other's feelings. I am still working on this with them!
How do you help reduce your children's fights?
 

Jennifer Clay is a mother to 2 little girls, ages 5 and 3.  She is the owner of www.jennifersdeals.wordpress.com  She is a full-time homemaker and is attending University of Phoenix to obtain her Bachelor's Degree in Health Care Administration. She loves finding deals, coupons, & awesome products to review and giveaway on her blog. She is fun, loving and caring and tries to find the best deals and products for her readers. She loves to read and write about anything she things will be interesting.

Filed Under: Parenting Tips

6 Ways to Save Money in the Kitchen!

June 21, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

No one would disagree that the kitchen is one of the most important areas in every home. It is where you prepare and store consumables and food. Come to think of it. You are actually spending much to replenish your kitchen supplies. Thus, if you could save on kitchen costs, you could surely save a lot to cover all other important expenses in your household.

Saving on costs in your kitchen would not be limited to reducing food expenses. Aside from slashing spending on food, you could still opt for other means to save money. Here are some practical kitchen ideas that could help you attain your goal of trimming down costs.

1.  Contrary to common notions, using a microwave oven could be less costly compared to cooking on a burner. In general, microwave ovens could use about 70% less electricity as opposed to using an electric stove. Thus, learn how to use it for steaming vegetables and cooking rice.

 

2.  Use just enough amount of water when boiling for specific purposes. Fill your kettle with only the exact amount of water you need, i.e. a cup or 2 cups. Use lids on pots used on the stovetop. Doing so would help attain faster boiling and quick cooking. Thaw food out prior to cooking so that it would take less time to cook. To correctly and effectively thaw food, put it in the fridge hours before cooking.

 

3.  Decide what you would get from the fridge before you open its door. We often open the fridge before we decide what to look for and take. It is a wasteful practice especially if you are conscious about use of electricity. Opening the door of the fridge would let cold air from the inside to go out. In the process, the machine would use more electric energy to bring down the temperature again.

 

4.  Set the fridge to the right and appropriate temperature. There is no sense setting temperature too low if there is no need to do so. It could consume more electricity. Also make sure it has ample space at the back for proper and effective ventilation.

 

5.  Run the dishwasher only when full. It is not practical to use it to do only a few dishes. On such a case, have the patience to do the dishes by hand to save on electric consumption. If you need to use the dishwasher, it would be more strategic to use it late at night when electricity tariff is much cheaper. Be on the guard to turn the machine off upon reaching the drying cycle. It could let the dishes dry naturally.

 

6.  Turn off kitchen lights when not in use. We often leave the lights on especially during night. This should also apply to all other areas in the house. You would be surprised how much you could save on your electric bill.

 

You could save on kitchen costs if you know how to do it effectively. By being fully conscious and mindful about how you use kitchen appliances, you could trim down energy consumption, which is taking more of the household budget for basic expenses.

 

Andrew is a keen cook, who spends a large amount of time in the kitchen. When he is not cooking, Andrew is writer at australianlendingcentre.com.au

Filed Under: Fresh Coffee, Home Tips, Organizing Tips

Privacy Concerns for Mompreneurs

June 15, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

I have notice many bloggers and online entrepreneurs who seem to live very open lives online. By this, I mean they seem to share too much personal information without regard to the fact that anyone and everyone is reading what they are writing. Running an online business is great, but we certainly need to be mindful of personal safety at the same time. As I began my journey of running an online kids boutique, I suddenly realized there were several more factors to consider with regard to privacy. With that in mind, here is some advice for moms out there who want to maintain some level or privacy.

Register Your Domain with Privacy. I was surprised when I realized that the information I used to register my domain was so openly available. Many use their home address and cell phone numbers; no wonder we get so much spam.

Be Careful When Telling Personal Stories. When you are telling a story from the heart, it’s easy to slip in tidbit of personal information about your kids without thinking about it. Sadly, there are people out there who live to prey on our kids, and they wait for these opportunities. Don’t ever mention you church, synagogues, or child’s school by name.

Limit Your Personal Social Media Connections. If you have a blog or a website, you should have a corresponding Facebook Business Page to promote it. I do not recommend connecting personally with all of your fans as they will have access to more of your personal and private information. If you don’t really know them, do not accept them as a personal friend on Facebook or any other Social Media website.

Never Connect With Strangers through Location Based Applications. This includes apps such as Foursquare and actually Facebook Places because these apps actually tell people where you are when you check in and you don’t want people you don’t know to be able to track you, or have your personal information (such as your home address) and then know that you are not home.

My goal is not to try to instill fear in anyone, but just to remind us all that the world we live in is very connected and as Internet Entrepreneurs we need to be cautious of how all of these things work. I’d love to hear your thoughts and get some feedback, so feel free to comment below.

About the Author:
Inspired by her children, Valérie Susskind combined her passion for fashion and her Marketing MBA and founded TreZ’Unique, an online kids boutique clothing store in 2009. Valérie was born and raised in Paris, France where she was surrounded by haute couture fashion. She has since moved to New York and earned her MBA at the NYU Stern School of Business after which she spent 5 years marketing cosmetics and fragrances for luxury brands.

Filed Under: Business Nook, Business Tips, Fresh Coffee

A Parent’s Guide to Financing College

June 15, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

While the costs of a college education continue to rise, a college degree remains a very worthwhile investment for the earning and career potential it provides. Just because college tuition is rising does not mean that college is unaffordable. Parents of current or prospective college students have a wealth of resources available to help cover the cost associated with higher education.

 
Grants and Scholarships
 
Overall, grants and scholarships are similar in nature; both provide funding for a specific purpose and do not need to be repaid. Grants and scholarships are the best kinds of funding for college students, and they should be the first avenue of funding that parents should consider. These funding sources are available from a wide range of sources, both public and private.
 
 
1. Federal grants. The federal government provides grants for college students in the form of Pell grants. Pell grants are awarded based on need, and the calculation for this type of funding takes into consideration parental income level, other children in college and the cost of tuition, among other factors.
 
 
To have the best chance of obtaining federal funding, parents should complete the FAFSA as soon as possible. If the family has experienced exigent circumstances that affect the ability to pay for college, parents should discuss these matters with the college’s financial aid office.
 
 
2. College scholarships. In addition to federal funding, colleges administer scholarships to incoming and current students. The amount of scholarships available and the requirements for obtaining funding vary widely. While completing the <a href="http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/">FAFSA</a> and college financial aid application will likely be all that is need to be considered for college grants and scholarships, some majors and academic departments also offer funding that may have separate applications.
 
 
3. Other Sources. A plethora of other sources of grants and scholarships exist. The first source of outside funding should be a parent’s employer, community organization or other affiliation. Many colleges also provide a list of scholarships. Also, students can apply for scholarships based on career goals, geographic location, special skills, writing ability and disability, minority or veteran status.
 
Loans
 
 
Few college students obtain a degree without taking out loans; however, education is a solid investment. Sources of college loans include
Federal loans. The federal government offers a couple of loan programs. Some loans are available to students, and others can be taken out by parents. The government caps the amount that families can borrow, but the interest rates are lower than private loans.  Many financial institutions and private companies offer college loans.
 
When considering college loans, parents should carefully consider the loan amount, repayment terms and interest rates. One good thing about many college loans is that they do not have to be repaid as long as a student is in classes.
 
Other Sources of College Funding
 
 
Many families finance college through a combination of grants, scholarships, loans and other sources of funding, such as the following
 
Federal Work-Study. Another type of federal funding is federal work-study, a need-based program that provides grant money in exchange for student work on campus.
On-campus Employment. In addition to federal work-study, many campuses offer work opportunities for students. While the pay for these positions may differ from the pay for off-campus jobs, campus offices are more likely to work around a student’s schedule.
Fellowships and Future Employer Funding. Specialized programs in certain fields are available that pay for all or part of college expenses. These programs may be provided by state schools districts in return for some years of service upon graduation. Another source of similar funding is through military programs.
 
 
Many funding sources exist for college students; the key is to research and apply early and use all resources available.
Filed Under: Financial Tips, Fresh Coffee

Defining Moments

May 3, 2010 By Jgrimes 2 Comments

“Mom, I’m going to this,” my 16-year-old daughter, Malloree, announced as she slipped a pink invitation into my hand. She reached to hug the person who proudly presented it to her, one of the leaders of her small group at church. I barely had time to check out the date or even what type of event it was before we moved along with a crowd to exit the auditorium.

But it did not really matter, because through the years of raising three teenagers, I had learned to recognize this as a defining moment.

Defining moments matter. Defining moments confirm or change your course of action. Defining moments prove that what you are doing as a parent is working well, or perhaps just the opposite. Defining moments do not come easily, yet sometimes they arrive without warning. Defining moments are too important to overlook, so as a parent, you must learn to recognize them.

Defining moments are usually marked with one, simple statement uttered by your child.

“I want to try out for the school play.”

“My grades are dropping at school.”

“This group of neighborhood kids is giving me trouble.”

“I want to quit the basketball team.”

“Dad, I had a tiny accident, but I’m okay.”

“Mom, Paul asked me to go to the Prom!”

Defining moments should freeze you in your tracks; screeching the rest of life to a momentary halt so you can fully evaluate what your child just said. But more important, so you can determine what they are not saying. What unexpressed emotions lie behind those simple words?

In that one statement, your child is speaking volumes as to what is truly going in his or her life. You have to pause before you respond; pause long enough to find out when your son or daughter first starting feeling that way or noticed the problem. Pause long enough to find out what happened to cause the accident or what kind of trouble the neighborhood kids are causing. Grades may be dropping because school is boring and he needs a greater challenge, or simply because she cannot see the chalkboard.

Pause long enough to listen and prove to them that at that moment, nothing is more important than what they have to say.

Quitting the basketball team may not be the end of the world, if your son’s interest in other sports or activities has grown and they feel overcommitted or trapped by that one sport. Your daughter may be shyly announcing that she has her first boyfriend, and just is not sure how to tell you about it.

Defining moments should be treasured and respected, whether they are positive or negative.  Defining moments may provide just the comfort and reassurance you need as a parent to know that your child is progressing; overcoming challenges and making a difference.

That is exactly what Malloree’s unexpected statement told me on that Sunday morning. “I’m going to this” meant that she was feeling accepted in her new town, and was no longer holding herself back. An invitation to an overnight get together was a big step toward creating memories, and hopefully toward embracing this new chapter in her life.

One day, she too will recognize this as a defining moment. But until then, I am going to pause, reflect, and be thankful.






Filed Under: Fresh Coffee, Parenting Tips, Teens Tagged With: , ,

Put a Spin on Organizing

April 16, 2010 By Jnovak Leave a Comment

I have a cabinet in the kitchen area and on top I have my decorative canisters which I fill with my most commonly used items like pasta and rice. I usually have them lined up, which means: 1. there is a bunch of wasted space in the back row and 2. sometimes they get pushed back and I have trouble reaching them. So today as I was moving the lazy susan off the center of the dining room table I realized I could place it on top of the cabinet, put the canisters on top of it and easily spin them around to reach what I need. Where can you use a lazy susan? On top of the fridge? In the fridge? In the pantry? Give it a spin!

Filed Under: Fresh Coffee, Home Tips, Organizing Tips

A Parent’s Prayer for Their Teen

April 2, 2010 By Jgrimes 4 Comments

Dear God, I need to talk to you for a minute about these kids you gave me. First of all, let me make this clear. I adore them. They amaze me, a million different times throughout each day. They are clearly your creation and not my own. And for this, I am thankful. I could have never come up with something this wonderful, even if you had asked me to write out what I had in mind on paper before they were born. But, I want you to know that I am scared. The world looks to me, as their parent, to teach them and protect them, raising them to be successful adults. I wonder why, then, must the world work against me on every step? As a little girl, my precious daughter – well, actually, she is Your precious daughter – happily skipped through her day, treasuring each moment and believing anything was possible. But somewhere along the way to being a teenager, she lost her joy.

Now, her days are filled with paralyzing self doubt and deceptive invitations to the path of acceptance. My adorable son, who once started each day by holding my face in his hands just to tell me he loved me, can no longer look me in the eye. He tries to hide behind walls built over time, convinced that I will never understand him. But I see through to his breaking heart, and mine breaks right along with his. It always has. Always will. These are your children. And they are perfect. How can I get them to see that? How can I protect them from the false expectations of their peers, who are all struggling to find their way just the same? How can I prove to them that they were designed to stand out, rather than to fit in? Sometimes, I watch them sleeping and this is my silent prayer for them: Hold them in your arms. Always.

Reveal yourself to them often, proving that they are never alone. Help them to be strong enough to make a difference; to change the lives of others rather than changing who they are to fit in. Make their paths straight before them, just as you promised to do, and then give them the strength to follow. The decisions they make today can alter the path of the rest of their lives. Please help them to better understand this, and protect them when the time arrives to make those choices. Show them that the rules we have in place are to protect them; not to prevent them from having fun, but rather to keep them from crossing lines into adulthood long before they are ready. Help them understand that once you cross those lines, there is no going back to being a kid. Help them never to doubt you, especially when teachers and others cause them to question their beliefs.

How can they ever find their true value if they believe they were an accident or grew from the ground or from monkeys of some sort? Their very existence proves that You are real, so please comfort them and give them your answers long before they need them. I pray these same things for their future spouses and children. Protect their future and create it in a way that brings them all closer together and to you in the end. And God, please keep whispering these things to them until they are ready for me to tell them face to face. Because Lord, I adore my teens, and am so thankful you chose me to be their parent. Give me what I need to do the job you asked of me, and hold me when I’m scared. I never want to let either of you down. In Jesus Name, Amen


Filed Under: Fresh Coffee, Teens Tagged With: ,

3 Time Saving Ideas to Try Today!

March 26, 2010 By Jnovak 1 Comment

In an effort to save some time and our sanity I thought I’d share three tips for making our day a little easier:

1. If you’ve ever “lost” your car in a parking lot try this: take a photo of the sign post near where you parked. When I was in the mall last week I snapped a photo of the name of the entrance I used so I’d be sure to exit out the correct door. Whenever possible always try to park in the same row in specific lots so you can find your car again.

2. Prevent the toppling of frozen foods from your freezer onto the kitchen floor, keep bags of veggies stacked with a bookend or two.

3. When making an appointment, try to get the first one of the day or the first one after lunch, there is a better chance you will be taken on time. Jot the phone number next to the note on your calendar so you can confirm the day of. Yes, even call your hairdresser, you never know if he or she called in sick that day or is running a half hour behind, things you’d like to know before you drive all the way there. You can fill any waiting time by bringing something to do with you, a handful of business cards to enter into your address book or the top two magazines from your own reading pile so you’re reading your stuff and not the articles in the waiting room. Next time we’ll talk toy storage and I’d love to hear about your best tip or biggest problem, don’t be shy send me your comments now.

Filed Under: Fresh Coffee, Home Tips, Tip Jar Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Self-Esteem and Your Teen

March 12, 2010 By Jgrimes 2 Comments

I have yet to figure out exactly when it happens. There is an unidentified moment that a child goes from enjoying life and exploring the world to becoming overtly aware of what others think. It does not happen gradually. It is more of a before and after type of transition; like crossing an imaginary line into a new dimension, with no way to go back. Some seem to handle it gracefully. Some embrace it and use it to their advantage. Some seem as if they have been preparing for this moment their entire lives, while others seem totally caught off guard by it.

Long before the well identified awkward stages of braces, clumsiness, voice changes and growth spurts are the younger moments when no one cared about stick up hair  and unmatched clothing. But there comes a time when a child becomes aware, unfortunately. As a child begins his or her school years, it seems that they become more self-conscious with age, primarily regarding their appearance, but the effects go much deeper that that. Their peers provide the acceptance that becomes the deciding factor on almost every choice they make. Believing in Santa stops once a child has been laughed at for it. Reading is curbed when the athletic kids make fun of someone who is curled up with a book at recess. A favorite cartoon character shirt is tossed aside when it is referred to as “babyish.” Though not all peer interaction is negative, it is important for parents to recognize the role it plays as their children grow into teens. Perhaps even more important is to understand that all teens experience low self-esteem – even those that mask it by wearing too much make up or by bullying others.

The worst athletes want to be like the best athletes. The best athletes are rarely satisfied with their performance, and always hope to do better. The Homecoming Queen never feels beautiful or thin enough, and the Chess  Team Captain wishes he could avoid his gym class. No one, at the end of their day of high school, comes out of it saying “I sure feel better about myself today.” It just does not happen. If you were to question everyone across the country at their ten year high school reunion, regardless of the size of the school or whether it was public or private, everyone would say they felt invisible at some point. They would admit to never completely feeling accepted, even those who graced almost every page of the high school yearbook. So what is a parent to do? How can we help our teens with this truth? Here are a few suggestions:

  1. Prepare them for it. Point out how low self esteem causes characters on television shows to sometimes make the wrong choice. Notice this in movies as well. Remind them how the heroes always learn to stand on their own two feet. Discuss how even adults struggle with self-esteem issues, but the happiest people are the ones who learn to move past it.
  2. Surround them with grownups who are supportive, consistent, and never fickle. Their world changes day by day. Help them plug into something deeper than the whims of their current peer group.
  3. Help them get their mind off themselves. Low self-esteem is magnified when that is all they have to focus on. Get them in a youth group at church and a service oriented group. Seeing others less fortunate changes their perspective, and working with a group of people is just as beneficial.
  4. Point them toward their future. By keeping the bigger picture in mind, they can recognize that these kids will not be moving with them to the next chapter of their lives, and that most likely only a handful of them will remain friends. College and life choices are individual choices and cannot be managed by their peers. The sooner they realize that, the better.
  5. Challenge them to watch out for someone needing attention. Make a point each day to look for a new kid or invite someone to sit at their lunch table. It will help them to get past themselves if they are a part of the solution.
  6. Understand that they may not feel comfortable discussing these issues with you, because they know what you will say. You will tell them they are wonderful and that you love them. They expect to hear that from you, so it no longer carries much weight. They may withdraw when they are down on themselves, but that is when they need you more than ever.
  7. Pray for your kids. They need it, and so do we, as parents. The more they pull away from us, the more we need God to help them to make sense of their world and point them in the right direction.
Filed Under: Fresh Coffee, Teens

Watching Out for the Compliant Child

January 30, 2010 By Jgrimes 2 Comments

As a mother, we are intensely thankful for our compliant child. Usually the most serious of our brood, he or she is the rule follower, seeking to help us keep everyone else in line. Long before we suspect that she has done anything wrong, she comes to us with head hanging low, admitting her shortcomings and outlining her plan for an acceptable punishment. A compliant child is a blessing to any mother who often wonders if we are getting through to our children. But as the compliant child grows older, it is important for us to help her guard against this personality strength that could later become her greatest weakness. Underneath her need for compliance is an intense desire to please others. She can only rest once she has done enough to fill the needs of everyone around her. Compliant kids are the people pleasers, and world soon learns that if you want something done quickly and correctly, give it to one of them. However, the compliant child is also a perfectionist. This combination is only beneficial when one learns to draw her own boundary lines. Feeling the need to be perfect multiplied by the desire to meet the needs of others can leave the child running on empty in the long run. Another downfall of compliance is that many times, this child waits to be told what to do. She becomes so used to exceeding expectations, that she fails to learn to think for herself long enough to ask what she wants out of life. The compliant child is destined for later success as an adult, but only if she gives herself permission to not be loved by everyone. And discovering her own answers to her questions, rather than weighing the answers of others, will offer the greatest boost to her self-esteem. So, watch out for your compliant child, at least until she learns to watch out for herself, for a change. As many mothers can attest, if they examine themselves closely, they must admit that they began their lives as the compliant child.


Filed Under: Parenting Tips
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