The Scarecrows are Sweating

Fall Mantle

Easy Fall Decorating Tips to Spruce Up Your Home

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!

Work from Home Jobs for Mom

Work from home jobs for mom

Work from Home Jobs: Tips & Opportunities

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?

Don’t just ignore your troubled teen!

darlena mckenna, troubled teens

Keep talking to your troubled teen about their behavior — Don’t give up!

 

by Darlene McKenna, author of The Change

Is your teenage daughter or son just going through the normal stuff, or is it more?  Do they listen to you when they do something wrong, or do they simply repeat the bad behavior?  Are they staying out all night or not even coming home?  Do you even know where they are?   As a parent, do you find yourself tired and sick of all the battles?  Have you just had enough and do you find yourself ignoring your troubled teenager?

As a former troubled teen, I would like to share some insight on this question. I became difficult and I never listened to my mom.  It started with small stuff, like getting into fights and stealing things from her.  Before you knew it, I was out all night around a fire pit drinking.  Even the kids that I was hanging out with would say, “Darlene, you fell flat on your face last night.  Maybe you shouldn’t drink as much tonight.”  I didn’t care, and I would just go get another beer.

Why was I drinking so much?  I was listening to a negative voice in my head that I now refer to as the “bad guy.”  The bad guy would begin to whisper things in my head, like “Why are you such a loser?  Everyone has a boyfriend, except for you.  No one likes you.  Everyone is prettier than you.”  I was tough and I tried to ignore the voice.  My goal was to be cool and I knew I needed a boyfriend!