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Be Present and Connect With Your Child

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I live a busy life. As a single mother with a full time job, I don’t always have the time to do what I would like to do. One of the things that is most important to me is connecting with my daughter. I want to be present for Hailey’s life, I want to be involved, I want her to know that, not only do I care about her, but that I’m interested in her as a person. The challenge is always, how to find the time to really connect with my child. Time is precious but so is a … Continue reading →

Must – Have Baby Items

In my last post, I talked about baby products that you don’t need. The logical follow up to such a list is a list of must – have baby items. Like the last list, this one comes with the caveat that all parents have different parenting styles and will therefore find different items useful. Here are the baby products that my family found to be the most useful. Baby slings are amazing. What’s more, they are simple and easy to use. When Dylan was born, I registered for and received a couple of baby slings. My parenting style largely follows … Continue reading →

Getting to Know Your Teen Better

On Monday we celebrated Christmas with my sister’s family, my dad and stepmom. When we go to my dad’s house it always starts the same way. My children and their cousins disappear to the expansive basement to play hide and seek in the dark, while the adults sit in the living room and talk. The most my dad and stepmom get to hear about the kids is what we adults share. But they don’t get much of an opportunity to really get to know their grandkids. They aren’t the most talkative and most answers to their questions are pretty simple, … Continue reading →

A Horse of a Different Color: Single Parenthood of a Widow/Widower

Becoming a single parent by virtue of a divorce is devastating to some, a relief to others, depending on the circumstances. You may have had a wonderful spouse and thought that your marriage was unbreakable. Surprisingly, one day the carpet is ripped out from underneath you and you are hit with some surprising facts about your significant other that you were not aware. That is when the roof caves in and everything you thought you knew was a lie. To others, you might have fallen out of love, had an abusive partner, or a partner who just did not want … Continue reading →

Frugal Month in Review: September 2008

Now that September is come and gone and the kiddies are settled back into school and regular routines, it is time to welcome the fall. Still, there is plenty of good stuff that went on in September, including a bunch of ways to save money. September 1st Frugal Living Week in Review: August 25th Through August 31st Food and back to school are the two things on my mind this week. I e-mailed my son’s teacher ahead of time to ask about additional supplies that she might need for the classroom. She said that she usually asks parents for antibacterial … Continue reading →

Baby Blog Week in Review: July 28th Through August 3rd

Safety and summer fun have been two themes occurring in the Baby Blog for last week. From tougher toy standards and new information about you baby and second-hand smoke, to fun in the baby pool and enjoyment through volunteering, you’ll find a variety of information and opinion. Some of it might even be controversial. Add your comment! Here, now, is the week in review. July 28th Baby Blog Week in Review: July 21st Through July 27th What types of activities do you like to do with your baby? Is it playing on the floor, reading or taking walks? How about … Continue reading →

Teachers That Influenced My Homeschooling Journey Part 2

In part 1 of Teachers That Influenced My Homeschooling Journey, I wrote about two teachers from my early years that had a part in my decision to homeschool as an adult. In part 2, I will discuss high school teachers that also influenced me. I had many good teachers in high school. I also had several very bad teachers. With two exceptions, the bad ones stand out the most in my memory. There was the typing teacher who was a bully. She purposely mispronounced my name and told me what a rotten kid I was because I would insist that … Continue reading →

Frugal Living Month in Review: June 2008

What a happy month is June, filled with the renewal of spring and the promise of summer. In the last month, we have shared so many ideas for frugal living and saving money. This past month has seen some pretty big increases in food, gas and other items (look for an upcoming post about strawberries increasing more than 100 percent). Now more than ever, it is important to save money where we can. This is why I decided to do a month in review. June 2nd Frugal Living Review: May 26th Through June 1st Garage sale shopping has got to … Continue reading →

It is Okay to Introduce New People Slowly

I should probably admit up front that I learned this lesson the hard way—as single parents, it is perfectly alright if we want and need to take our time before introducing new friends and/or dates to our children. Often, we might feel pressure from either side—our kids want to “check out” this person we might be seeing or getting to know and our new friend wants to “check out” what our children are like. As the parent, though, we do get to choose and while I’ve heard different opinions on this—for me, slow is better. I want to be clear … Continue reading →

God Centeredness in a Post 9-11 World

I think we all struggle to come to grips with what happened six years ago. It’s unfathomable that people would cause other people such misery and destruction. On 9-11 I was here in New York City. As the rest of the world watched the horrors unfold, I was in a hurried mode getting kids packed to go into school for the day to help where I could there. We went into overdrive trying to make sure family members were safe, (one brother in law is a pilot who was flying at the time), and I knew that I had work … Continue reading →