Tis the season of get-togethers and holiday travels. While it’s a joyous time of year, the hustle and bustle can create anxiety for children. Make your family visits and adventures enjoyable for one for all – with just a little preparation.
by Maisie Knowles
My husband and I are avid snowboarders. We met on the hills and never wanted to stop snowboarding. Then came the kids. Since daycare on the slopes can cost upwards of $95, it was almost impossible to get to the mountains without dipping into our rainy day fund.
Though our kids are old enough now to join us on the slopes, it still makes for a costly adventure. My love for the sport drives me to save as much as I can when we hit the mountain. Hopefully the following tips for saving on lift tickets, equipment and extras will help you enjoy some good powder without freezing your bank account when you plan for your next family ski vacation!
Teaching children about money management is an amazing gift a parent can give. Make it fun and creative for a win-win! Starting around age three, a child can start to grasp the concept of allowance. This is NOT money we just give them. They must actually do something to earn it. The seeds you’re planting are work ethic, responsibility and persistency. Who wouldn’t want their children to learn those big three lessons? This is where it all begins. Let your child know that you’d really love some help around the house and that they can earn some money by helping out. That money can be set aside in one container for fun things like toys and games. A portion of it will be put in a container and saved for something they want in the future. Help them think of ideas as what that may be. Maybe it’s a more expensive toy or a trip to the Zoo. The last part will be put into a container to be given to other people who need it. Just like sharing toys, it’s important to share money with others who need it. Help them picture the place the money would go. Maybe it’s a food bank, a religious organization or an animal rescue organization. By helping your child visualize what the money in each container will be used for, it gives them a clearer motivation for earning the money and saving it.
by Lorraine Brock
Label Maker… if you don’t have one now, it’s time to get one! Label makers have so many functions in an organized home or office. They clearly identify items, define the home for items in your spaces, and they also clarify the owner of items so others do not take or eat them.
When I was growing up in the late 70’s, on grocery days my mom would bring home a six pack of 1 liter glass soda bottles. There were five members in our family and my mom would write the initials of each member of our family with a black marker on our own supply of soda. I still don’t know who got the sixth bottle, but that’s another story.
Since there were no fancy labels on the soda bottles back in the 70’s, the idea of labeling even our beverages made the ownership obvious. Other items around our home were labeled in a variety of ways; sometimes with masking tape and a black marker, often with a piece of paper covered with clear packing tape. Although not pretty, they were good solutions.
by Samantha Conner
This time of year is always hard for me. Once the Fourth of July passes, it seems like all the retail world moves straight into Fall. Since I have lived in the South for the majority of my life, I have a skewed internal calendar. Summer lasts a good 6 months and then the other 3 seasons fight it out for how the remaining 6 months of the year will end up. Some years we get weird, cold snowy weather. And some years, we go straight from Summer back to Spring. This inconsistency in weather is what makes the time of year so hard for me.
My favorite hangouts, crafty stores and Nordstroms, keep tempting me with apple cider candles and snuggly cable knit sweaters. I realize it is September, but in the South, September is still summer and the poor scarecrows are even sweating.
So those pumpkins, orange leaves, and ceramic turkeys aren’t going to make an appearance around my home until October. In the meantime- and to keep my mind off those all the cute fall crafts– we have been doing a few things to spruce up the house for the change of seasons. Looking for a little change around your home? Try these quick fixes!
by Sara Sutton Fell, CEO of FlexJobs
Now more than ever, professional jobs are hiring that moms can do from home! Positions run across the board, including everything from administrative assistants all the way on up to CEOs. The fact of the matter is that allowing the option to work from home actually saves companies money, from overhead to real estate, but also from less employee turn over! Working from home does take discipline but removing the time it takes to drive to work during traffic hours alone saves several hours a week. With more and more small to large companies (IBM, AT&T, United Health Group, Cisco, etc.) jumping on board, the big question remains – how do you find the positions?
by Samantha Conner
Photos have always been magical to me. I love how time can be frozen. With a quick click, a memory can be preserved forever. In high school, I took photojournalism. We learned to process actual film in a dark room. Watching my images slowly appear on that glossy white paper got me hooked. Since that time, I have been a ‘documenter’. Our life, our adventures- big and small- they all end up in my camera.
I used to collect all those photos in scrapbook after scrapbook. But the gluing, cutting and stickers became too time consuming. I found myself dreading it. So I started a family blog—a place to preserve the photos and all of our stories. At the end of each year, I print my blog and have it bound into a coffee table book. It’s a great way to ‘save’ memories.
That instant sharing of photos and ideas then led to the creation of my “Crafty Texas Girls” blog. It has become another outlet for me to continue documenting through photography. I think between the two sites, my family blog and my “Crafty Texas Girls” blog, I have taken thousands of photos. But that does not mean I am anywhere near calling myself a professional! Instead, it has been a learning process. Some photos are great, some not so good. But from each photo a little something.
Now, if you are a professional photographer, own the latest version of PhotoShop, or know how to work your camera in ‘manual mode’—this article is not for you. But if you have a decent camera and the desire to capture your family and the moments you hold dear, read on. With a few simple tips, even the most novice photographer can take photos that are ‘frame worthy’.
TIP 1- Turn Off the Flash! Everyone, children, adults, even pets look better in natural light. The flash creates harsh lines and washes out color. Natural light is warm and soft. It illuminates smiles and highlights hair. The best natural light comes just before sunset, around 5pm. But even bright morning sun streaming through a window can look dreamy.
