This post about summer chores for kids and smart money management has been sponsored by BusyKid. All opinions are my own. Ever since my kids were young, they have been given chores. Since we live in the burbs, they aren't out milking cows at 5 Am but I try to make sure they have a few things to do most days. Since they have a lot more free time during the summer, they have more chores to go along with more free time. Summer chores for kids are a great way to teach them responsibility. It also lightens your own workload at the same … [Read more...]
Balancing a Plentiful Life with Community Volunteering Keeps Kids Grounded
April 16, 2018 by · 7 Comments
This post about balancing a plentiful life with community volunteering has been sponsored by Reward Volunteers. All opinions are my own. I look around the area I live in and am both awed and slightly shocked by the wealth that surrounds us. My teens’ friends have homes with actual media rooms in them. Many had the newest iPhone by age 8. They often get brand new cars for their 16th birthday. This is not the way we raised our children. I don't want them to think this is common for most people. My husband and I are financially stable but … [Read more...]
A Message for my Daughter About Acting Her Age
January 22, 2018 by · Leave a Comment
I am writing a message for my daughter about acting her age as part of the #DisruptAging campaign. This post is made possible with support from AARP’s Disrupt Aging. All opinions are my own. When my children were young, they were very tall for their age. That means at age five, they were the size of an 8 year old. Which meant that when they ACTED five, they got some very nasty looks from people who wanted them to 'act their age'. The age they ASSUMED my children were, anyhow. It created a lot of stress for me and probably unreasonable … [Read more...]
Make Time for Music No Matter What Your Age
January 16, 2018 by · 6 Comments
Thank you Fender for sponsoring this post about why you should make time for music. Learn guitar at home with Fender Play! One of the first formal classes I joined with my children was a small music class at our church. The kids were babies and toddlers at that point. The instruments they used were wooden maracas and brightly colored shaker toys. We sang and we clapped and generally had a grand and glorious time for a solid hour. As the children grew up, they brought home the dreaded recorders from school. We signed them up for formal … [Read more...]
How to Stop Bullying in Schools: What Can Parents Do?
October 30, 2017 by · 1 Comment
Have you ever wondered how to stop bullying in schools from affecting your child? Kids of all ages can be mean. Bullying in schools happens more than teachers, parents or administrators can even imagine. Teachers have their hands full trying to instill order in their classroom. If they have a line of 30 kids to walk down the hall, they may only see what the first 10 are actually doing. That shy kid at the very END of the line? He may very well be getting bullied and no one even notices. Do you have a kid on social media? Cyber bullying … [Read more...]
Teenagers and Technology: Negotiating their Expensive Wish List
September 11, 2017 by · Leave a Comment
Teenagers and technology seem to go hand in hand nowadays and it can be a pricey combination. When my children were small, their wish list was relatively easy to handle. They wanted small things that were fairly inexpensive. I bought tons of LEGO (ok, not THAT cheap!) and art supplies (thank you, Michaels coupons!) and they were happy as clams on Christmas and Birthdays. But, now I have teenagers and all of a sudden my gift budget just isn't going to make a dent in the wish list they have in their heads. The primary desire of my teenagers is … [Read more...]
College Tour Tips and our UGA Tour Experience
September 5, 2017 by · Leave a Comment
I am the proud parent of a high school senior. That means I will have a college freshman next year which utterly terrifies me. Over the summer, we started our initial college search and have narrowed it down to a few schools. I started researching college tour tips and thought I would share our UGA tour experience with you. If you have a child heading off to college soon, these tips may help your college tour experience run a little bit more smoothly. This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through a link on this … [Read more...]
Fun Activities for Teens: How to Keep Your Teenagers Busy this Summer
May 30, 2017 by · 2 Comments
Last week was my teen's final week of school for the year. In order to keep them busy over the summer, I am always looking for fun activities for teens that they might enjoy. They work hard during the school year with many gifted classes and extracurricular activities so when summer rolls around, all they want to do is turn into vegetables that are plugged into electronic devices. I am all for a little down time over the summer but I seriously worry that my teenagers will grow roots if I don't come up with a plan! I am pretty sure that if … [Read more...]
Life Lessons for Boys That Your Son Needs to Know
May 1, 2017 by · 22 Comments
Are you wondering about which important life lessons for boys that you should be teaching your son? It isn't always easy raising boys in today's world. When my son was born 13 years ago I looked into his tiny face and wondered what sort of things he would accomplish in his life. Would he be a famous scientist? Maybe he would discover a cure for cancer or help bring about peace to nations at war. There are so many possibilities when a baby is born that it is just a bit overwhelming to realize that YOU are in charge of the fate of this … [Read more...]
Tips for Organic Gardening with Kids for a Fun and Rewarding Experience!
April 8, 2017 by · 2 Comments
Kids learn best when they are able to get involved with the learning process. Organic gardening with kids presents a great opportunity to teach your children valuable life lessons with hands-on experience. The most important thing to keep in mind when trying to get your kids engaged in the organic gardening process is to keep their interest. Plant growth takes time, and from seed planting until harvest time of vegetables or flowers, kids often lose interest. Use these tips to capture and hold their attention so you can have a successful summer … [Read more...]
