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Babysitting Co-Ops

Babysitters are expensive, and living on one income can make it hard to hire one. So what are you supposed to do when you have to go someplace without the kids? If you are lucky enough, you are blessed to have family and friends who are willing to provide free babysitting services. However, if you are not so lucky, you may want to consider establishing a babysitting co-op with other parents in your area. A babysitting co-op is an arrangement with several parents to swap babysitting services with one another, at no cost. Babysitting co-ops can be started with several … Continue reading →

Single Parent Travel: Camps Designed for Single Parents

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In a previous post, I talked about planning a vacation as a single parent. This post discusses some of the many places that offer vacations that have been designed for single parents and their children. Rocking Horse Ranch Resort Rocking Horse Ranch Resort is located in Highland, New York, about 90 minutes north of New York City. The 2010 weekend-long single parent camp takes place during mid-November, and starts at $615 (the cost of one adult and one child). The cost includes amenities and activities, including horseback riding, swimming, childcare, hayrides, talent shows, line dancing, bonfires, fitness center, and more. … Continue reading →

Hiring Help When You’re a Single Parent

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My most recent blog post was really more of a vent about the frustrations that sometimes come with the territory of being a single parent, mainly because we are left to do most everything ourselves. I have recently been considering hiring someone to mow my yard for me. It’s a job that I really don’t enjoy, and also one that doesn’t get done nearly often enough due to my number one obligation: my children. There are a few chores you could hire someone to help with: yard work, housekeeping, and childcare. Yard Work: This could include gardening, mowing, shoveling, and … Continue reading →

Can Education Influence Teen Pregnancy and Adoption?

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My last few blogs have dealt with educating young people. I started with suggesting that children at the elementary age learn about adoption and also about how to access community resources for various needs. (When I worked on an information and referral phone line at a Family Resource Center, I had one volunteer, a woman of about sixty, who suggested we have a training session on how to use the phone book. I learned not to assume anything regarding education.) I mentioned a class called Crib Notes written by Lyn, our education blogger here at Families.com, which teaches middle school … Continue reading →

More Ways to Help Foster Children

In a recent blog,I wrote about helping foster kids prepare for life after they turn 18, when they will likely lose their outside support systems—both financial and emotional. In the next blog I wrote about how you might help by tutoring, mentoring, serving as a Court-Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Volunteer, becoming a foster parent or adopting an older child. This blog will discuss a few more ways to help foster children. First, there’s my fellow blogger Kori’s great idea on donating your kids’ old things to the foster care system. This seems to me to be an especially good idea … Continue reading →

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge – A Review

Are you considering a trip to Disney World soon? Are you looking at all the different Disney World resorts and trying to figure out which one will be the best to stay at for you and your family? Let me share with you my experiences staying at the Animal Kingdom Lodge in October of 2005. Deluxe Resort Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge is considered one of the deluxe resorts and it’s actually located the furthest from all the theme parks save for the Animal Kingdom itself. The Lodge offers Savannah view rooms that look out over part of the Animal Kingdom’s … Continue reading →

5 Simple Ways To Save Money

There are dozens of ways to save money everyday. Living the frugal life takes care and practice to get it just right. The goal is to make it a part of your everyday life so you don’t have to think about it, you just do it. Purchase in Bulk/Use Coupons Don’t run out to get things when you need them, instead bulk up. Purchasing in bulk reduced supply costs by a fairly large fraction. And when buying in bulk, don’t just limit yourself to food items. Think of things such as paper plates, toilet paper, paper towels, diapers, pens or … Continue reading →

My Baby is Afraid of Day Care

Even the most social and outgoing of babies can get frightened or suffer from separation anxiety when their mother or father drops them off at the day care or even with the sitter. Don’t be surprised if your baby resists being left with the sitter (even one that is a relative) and that you and they know very well. It’s very normal and their fears are very real. There are lots of things you can do to help cope with this separation anxiety. You should start practicing these techniques while they are very young because they will serve you well … Continue reading →