Snowing in Spring…Adjusting Our Frugal Plans

It is a few days past the official start of spring, and I am looking at a wintry wonderland just outside my window. The salt trucks and plows have been by, but they have to be diligent. Already the driveway and roads are covered with white. Despite about three inches of snow on the ground already and more to come, schools are not closed today. There is no excessive wind, and we are used to snow. The weather has been wrecking some havoc with our spring frugal plans. We can’t get started on our garden, and may lose out on … Continue reading

Getting Your Kids to Listen to You

I’ve been a little frustrated with my son lately. It seems like I have to ask him ten times to do anything, and even then he still won’t do it. He’s unbelievably stubborn; and too smart for his own good. That whole reverse psychology thing doesn’t work with him anymore. I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve lost my cool with him before when he won’t do what he’s told, much less acknowledge that he’s even been asked to do anything. He’s a pro at ignoring. After our nightly shower battle, I finally decided to do a little research … Continue reading

Getting Ready for Back to School: Organizing School Supplies

I have to admit that as my children get older, the school supplies get easier…at least in the school system that they attend. They require fewer school supplies in high school, which makes my life easier and my pocketbook more full. However, I have always used a method of getting ready for school that not only saves me money but keeps us well stocked for at least a good portion of the school year. But it all begins in July. I regret not thinking about this last month but school was honestly the last thing on my mind. So perhaps … Continue reading

Getting Ready for Back to School: Family Calendar

Next week my teens go back to school. Although this school year will be a bit easier to manage (now that our oldest has moved out), I know I still need to make sure I am planning and preparing for a successful year. Now when I say successful, I mean organized and flowing. My goal is to reduce the number of chaotic mornings we have and make sure everyone knows what is going on each day. One of the systems I implemented last year and have faithfully continued is our color-coded family calendar. It is a dry erase calendar, hung … Continue reading

Get Healthy Now – Part 2

Still in need of some get healthy now tips? Here are a few more to kick-start you on your way to a better you: Eat more fruits and veggies! Every meal should contain at least one fruit and vegetable. We are supposed to have between 2 and 4 servings of fruit each day and between 3 and 5 servings of vegetables each day. Add up what you’ve had on any given day and it might frighten you (it has me!). Dry-brush your teeth. It may sound odd, but just 30 seconds of dry brushing your teeth (no toothpaste) can cut … Continue reading

Get Healthy Now – Part 1

If you are like me, you always think that getting healthy is going to be difficult and require a lot of change. But, I have to remind myself that just a few small changes will eventually add up to big results. I have the same problem with saving money. What small changes can you make right now to be healthier? Here are a few: Eat pistachios, especially if you have high cholesterol. Just two to three ounces of pistachios (unsalted of course) daily can raise your HDL, the good cholesterol. Avoid dry cleaners. I do this because I just don’t … Continue reading

My Dog Is Ruining My Carpet

My little dog is having potty issues. She is basically driving me out of my mind. I’ve tried everything, I kennel her any time I’m not home and at night while I’m sleeping. Somehow she still finds time to pee on the floor. I’ve been spending a lot of time lately spot cleaning the carpet and steam cleaning it and I’m learning more and more. The most important thing is to try to clean up accidents as soon as they occur. This isn’t always possible but once the urine soaks through to the pad it’s really hard to get rid … Continue reading

Mother Does Not Always Know Best

As parents, we often feel that we know what is best for our children. While we certainly do know what is healthy and safe for them, sometimes they know more than we do about what they need at any given time. Dylan reminds me of this at least once every day. You see, sometimes he tells me that he needs something and I brush it off. I take the usual route of assuming that I know what he really needs and I proceed in the direction of my assumption. A few minutes or a few hours later, I realize that … Continue reading

Insurance Blog Week in Review – June 10 – 16, 2012

Each week, the Insurance Blog Week in Review brings you a quick way to “ketchup” on all of the blogs that went up in the past seven days. There could be anywhere between twelve and fourteen blogs that appear here in a given week. What did you miss? Protest in Chicago Over Birth Control Mandate About 500 people attended a protest in Chicago to express their dissatisfaction about the federal requirement that employer sponsored health plans must cover birth control. Just One Ticket Can Raise Your Car Insurance Premiums Drive safe this Summer! You’d be surprised how much one traffic … Continue reading

Potty Time? Not Right Now

One of the big experiences that parents of toddlers encounter is potty training. This evening, I realized that Dylan really has not started potty training at all. He wants to wear training pants, but he does not want to stop playing outside or whatever else he is doing to let me know that he has to use the potty. He does not even tell me when he needs to be changed. It is probably a good thing that he has not started potty training, though, because I have not yet educated myself about how to do it. I want to … Continue reading