The Truth About Your Diet During Pregnancy

One of the assumptions I made about pregnancy prior to becoming pregnant is I’d have a diet-related Get out of Jail Free card.  I knew that there are certain foods it’s best to avoid, but I thought at least I’d have a free pass to eat, well, not quite as much as I wanted, but to feel a bit more guilt-free about evening ice cream binges. That turned out not to be the case at all.  First off, the whole “eating for two” thing isn’t true.  At most, you should eat for one and a quarter.  In addition to that, … Continue reading

Is Your Child’s Idol a Loser?

She loved one of her songs, but thankfully, my daughter is not in love with pop sensation Miley Cyrus. I consider myself one of the lucky ones. The former “Hannah Montana” star has legions of young fans, though much to their parents’ chagrin. According to a new poll, 68% of parents say they can’t stand the 19-year-old and wish their children would idolize someone else. Moms and dads claim their displeasure with Cyrus stems from her public transformation from squeaky-clean Disney star to risqué, half-naked punk performer. Joining Cyrus on the list of most unpopular teen role models is another disgraced … Continue reading

Sick Days are Easier When you Work From Home

Working from home is wonderful for many reasons. Today, I an extra thankful to be working from home for one particular reason. A few days ago, my husband came down with a very bad cold. He was sick on his day off, and he had to miss two days of work after that. Fortunately, our boys do not seem to have suffered any ill effects. I, however, am slightly indisposed. Even though I am not feeling great, I seem to have a much lighter version of the cold that my husband had. Mostly, I am tired, and I find that … Continue reading

Are You Raising an Entitled Child?

It’s no secret that kids today have more than ever before. The majority of the elementary school classrooms I walk into have children with much nicer phones than I have. They also have ipods and all sorts of other things we didn’t have as children. They have no concept of the value of a dollar because things simply get handed to them without any expectation. As a parent we want to provide our children with as much as we can, but we also want to teach them the value of hard work. If you feel that your child may be … Continue reading

You Can Make Basic Home Repairs

Maybe you are one of those people that think you could never repair a thing in your home.  You let it go or hire someone to take care of it. I’m grateful to have a husband who doesn’t believe in hiring professionals unless absolutely necessary.  If he doesn’t know how to fix something, he will go through every means possible to avoid paying someone. The reason I am thankful for this is that the biggest costs when it comes to repairs is the labor.  You can pay $20 for the actual item that needs fixing or replacing but another $100 … Continue reading

Are You Emotionally Ready to Start Your Own Business?

 We all know that a business plan is essential for starting a home – based business. There are other things, though, that are just as essential to home based business success that get mentioned far less often. One of these things is emotional readiness. Starting a home – based business is a leap of faith, and whether you are employed at a job and planning to leave in order to start your own business or currently unemployed and about to invest what little savings you have into working from home, it can be scary to take the plunge. Fortunately, just … Continue reading

Whew, I Almost Bought That! A Tip to Avoid Impulse Buying

I’ve got to stop checking my Facebook news feed, not because I have been spending too much time being distracted (although that is probably somewhat true), but because I keep seeing all of these special offers, such as the Amazon.com Lightening Deals (“liking” your favorite store pages is one way to see exclusive deals this holiday season). Yesterday I almost grabbed one. I actually added it to my cart. With one click, Amazon would have happily wrapped the thing up in the smiley box and send it straight to my door. It was a popular video game that I knew … Continue reading

Splat Says Thank You!

How do you know if your child understands the true meaning of Thanksgiving? Before digging into their Turkey Day spread, many families go around the dinner table and share moments of gratitude. Kids are then put on the spot and forced to share one thing they are thankful for while a gaggle of extended guests stare them down. The end result: Typically, a long stretch of silence followed by a string of “ums,” “ers,” “ahs,” and more silence. If you are lucky, you’ll hear a barely audible, “toys” or a regurgitation of whatever the person ahead of your shy child … Continue reading

Thankful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ

Today is Thanksgiving and while my family that is close is not celebrating until tomorrow I can’t help but sit down for a few minutes today and think about all the things I’m thankful for as it relates to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. First, and foremost, I am thankful that I have a loving Heavenly Father that sent his son, Jesus Christ to die for my sins. I don’t often reflect on that miracle, but I do try and be thankful for it everyday. But, when you think about it, it really is miraculous. To have Christ as my … Continue reading

It’s Fall – Time to Redesign Your Garden Space

What are you thankful for today? Today, I am thankful for my new garden up the road – a borrowed garden in someone else’s yard that is so much sunnier than my own. I’ve been having a lot of fun experimenting with mulching techniques and garden design. In my own small garden, I’ve had to be quite creative about space. I live in a townhouse with a tiny yard, and my tiny yard doesn’t really have room for a big garden bed. For a few years, I tried having a garden bed, but it just didn’t make sense. It was … Continue reading