8 Solo/Single Parenting Money Saving Tips

Posted on June 30, 2016

When you’re on your own and don’t have two steady income coming in, you’ll have to pinch your pennies and watch your pennies.

It doesn’t mean you can’t have fun and do some cool things. You’ve just got to be strategic and plan around limited resources.

Here are 8 solid and basic tips for single parents, courtesy of Larry Mathis, author of Mom Was Right.

1.Track your expenses – This is key! You need to know where your money is going. Carry a note pad with you and write down every expense and then categorize them, i.e. eating out, school lunches, groceries, gas, etc. Another option is to get receipt and then take a picture of the receipt rather than writing them down. Be sure to write down everything, even if its just a pack of gum!

Use grocery coupons. Then take your coupon savings and our the money in a savings account!

3. Get rid of cable TV!There’s nothing on anyway.

Shop at thrift stores, especially for clothes and furniture. You will be amazed at what some people will throw away! You can also find great deals three on dishes and other household items.
Take your lunch to work. It’s easy to spend $5 – $8 eating fast food. $5.00 is over $100 per two weeks.

6. Pay with cash rather than credit or debit cards. Cash is much harder to let go of.

7. Save you pocket change. At then end of the day put you loose change in a jar. At the end of every onto put it in a savings account.

8. Like to read? Libraries still provide free books! Use a libraries rather than paying for books!

Good luck, parents!

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Independence Day: This Study Identified the Top 20 ‘Most Patriotic’ States

Posted on June 28, 2016

With the Fourth of July just days away, the personal-finance website WalletHub released its list of 2016’s Most Patriotic States as a follow-up to its recent look at the Best & Worst Fourth of July Destinations.

To identify the country’s patriotic hotspots, WalletHub compared the 50 states across 12 key metrics such as military engagement, voting habits and civic education.

Top 20 Most Patriotic States
1	Virginia	11	North Carolina
2	Alaska	12	Vermont
3	South Carolina	13	Idaho
4	Colorado	14	Wyoming
5	Georgia	15	Maine
6	Hawaii	16	Mississippi
7	Montana	17	New Mexico
8	Alabama	18	Wisconsin
9	Washington	19	Missouri
10	New Hampshire	20	South Dakota

Key Stats

Red states are more patriotic, with an average ranking of 22.5, compared with 28.3 for blue states (1 = Best).
Alaska has the highest number of veterans per 1,000 residents, 100.8, which is two times higher than in New York, the state with the lowest, 45.5.
Georgia has the highest percentage of residents who enlisted in the military (non-prior service), 0.063%, which is three times higher than in North Dakota, the state with the lowest, 0.022%.
Minnesota has the highest percentage of residents who voted in the 2012 presidential election, 74.37%, which is two times higher than in Arizona, the state with the lowest, 37.98%.
Utah has the highest volunteer rate, 45.2%, which is three times higher than in Louisiana, the state with the lowest, 18.2%.
Vermont has the highest number of Americorps volunteers per 100,000 residents, 58.91, which is eight times higher than in Virginia, the state with the lowest, 7.42.

For the full report and to see where your state ranks, please visit:

https://wallethub.com/edu/most-patriotic-states/13680/

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The 6 Things to Do if You Think You Might be Pregnant

Posted on June 27, 2016

So you just found out you are likely “knocked up” and it may or may not have been planned. Whether you were expecting and hoping for this news or not, there are several things you will have to do immediately as you deal with a surge of emotions and feelings.

Here is a list of 6 things to do right after discovering you are expecting:

1) Write Down the Dates: There’s a chance you’ve miscounted days and you’re actually not late, but if you are, it’s important to have accurate information about your missed period. According to a NEW survey from e.p.t, 45 percent of women said their pregnancy was unplanned … so you need to make sure you’re tracking correctly.

2) Don’t Wait Too Long to Find Out the Truth: If you are pregnant, there are certain things you should / should not be doing (i.e. taking prenatal vitamins, not drinking alcohol) so it’s important to find out as soon as possible. The e.p.t survey found that nearly half of women (47 percent) learn that they are pregnant within the first 4 weeks of their pregnancy. Only a small number (two percent) find out in their second trimester.

3) Take a Home Pregnancy Test: You don’t need to wait anxiously to find out the truth – you can pick-up a home pregnancy test at your local drug store. In fact, 8 out of 10 women first learned they were pregnant from a home pregnancy test, and nearly half said they took the test immediately after buying it.

4) Tell Your Significant Other: While 47 percent of women have discovered they were pregnant while with their significant other, 42 percent of women found out they were pregnant alone. So, you’ll want to share the news with that you’re special someone for support.

5) Call Your Doctor: Believe it or not, four out of 10 women call their doctor before telling their significant other. You’ll need schedule an appointment with your doctor to confirm your pregnancy, determine your due date, do an exam, and determine if you have any pregnancy risk factors based on your age, health and/or personal and family history.

6) Get a Handle on Your Emotions: Whether you’re pregnant or not, you’re emotions are in rare form, and not everyone reacts the same way …. According to the e.p.t survey, nearly 4 in 10 women (37 percent) taking a home pregnancy admitted to feeling more scared than excited (28 percent) about finding out whether they were pregnant. While 55 percent were relieved to find out they weren’t pregnant (false alarm!)

Good luck to you moms-to-be!

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July 4th Grilling: Here are 10 Spectacular Cook-Out Recipe and Menu Items for ya

Posted on June 26, 2016

The Fourth of July also means cooking out and grilling! If you are planning to stay in house or get together with other families and/or friends to have a slamming cook-out, it’s time to start planning the menu and decorations. You have a full week and and some change. Consider mixing up the usual and surprising guests with some different menu items. Check out these 10 spectacular dishes from our partners at Mode.com Foodie!

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Top Summer 4th of July Movies

Posted on June 26, 2016

Independence Day 2 is out in the theaters this weekend. The hubster were thinking of going to see it before realizing that we do not have a sitter on hand. The next best thing to heading to see a brand new release is to settle in for the night and have a movie night in.

How about use the July 4th holiday to re-visit old classics with an Independence Day or patriotic themes? You can get a movie on demand or head to your local Redbox kiosk and pick up one of these classical movies:

Jaws

Born on the Fourth of July

To Kill a Mockingbird

Top Gun

American Graffiti

Redbox has new releases available in time for the holiday!

Capture the Flag (family)
The Adventures of Petey & Friends (family)
Max (family/drama)
Joy (comedy)
Zoolander No. 2 (comedy)
American Hero (comedy)
The Martian (drama)
Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation (drama)
Tears of the Sun (drama)
Spectre (action)

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When Your Friends Don’t Get What You’re Going Thru, There’s Online Mom-to-Be Communities Like BrightBod.com

Posted on June 23, 2016

When I was expecting my first child, I did what a lot of anxious first time soon-to-be first-time moms did. I searched and found an online community of women who were also expecting. I felt comfortable being able to commiserate with other women in my same position. At the time, none of my friends were on the mommy and kids route yet. An online community was the next best thing to IRL (in real life) friends. That was over 14 years ago. Since then, several other online communities have sprouted up.

One new one, BrightBod.com, stands out because it is trying to position itself as more than an online community but also a potential alternative to folks to who do not have healthcare. A reader reviewer, Sharon, checked out the absolutely FREE service and here is her testimonial about her experience:

I wasn’t sure what to expect for my first prenatal checkup. I knew I was going to have lab work done and a complete physical. I was told by a friend that the hormones present in a blood test would confirm I was pregnant, but I wondered why they would be drawing blood to confirm I was pregnant (when any simple urine test could determine that). Actually, it wasn’t until I went to BrightBod.com that I was able to speak with another woman in a video chat about the emotional aspects of some of the tests my Doctor will be conducting.
BrightBod is where pregnant women go to connect with other pregnant women in a free video conference. You can video conference with another pregnant woman one-on-one or video conference with a Pregnancy Support Group. (All of the Support Groups at BrightBod.com are also free. BrightBod is paying people to lead their 30-minute Pregnancy Support Group video conference each week. Their email is [email protected].)
BrightBod.com has become one of my favorite sites. One of the first things I discovered about BrightBod is that I was able to select my Avatar from a big group of Avatars, which were in Yoga poses, Dance poses or Kung Fu poses. Then, I selected a hair color for my Avatar. Next, I selected a hair length. Last, I uploaded a pic I took of Central Park in NYC as a background photo.

Frequently, I like to use BrightBod’s custom 3-D backgrounds (Disco lights, Zero gravity, Magical forest, etc.), which move with my Avatar. Do I need a 3-D background to learn about Pregnancy? Definitely not, but it makes it so much more fun!After you sign up at BrightBod.com, select “My Avatar” (on the left-side navigation) and then, just select “Pregnancy” as your medical condition. When you click on the “Pregnancy” symbol on your Avatar, you can connect with everyone else, who also designated “Pregnancy” for their medical condition.

When I clicked on the “Pregnancy” symbol and was presented with everyone else on BrightBod.com who was also Pregnant, I selected Lucy P. I chose her because she was young and looked approachable. I sent her a video request and she was very, very helpful. By the way, this was free, as is 99% of BrightBod.com.
Evidently, Lucy explained the blood test that I was so concerned about is done primarily to check for STD’s and to rule out genetic disorders. I also found out from Lucy in a video chat on BrightBod.com that a urine test will be necessary to make sure I don’t have any infections. She also said a pap smear will be done to test for Cervical Cancer and a vaginal infection. Of course, they will check my blood pressure, weight and a number of other metrics. Basically, they want to establish a baseline, so they can measure various concerns throughout my pregnancy, should they arise.

The Pregnancy Support Group on BrightBod.com will be a weekly event for me. For a half hour each week, sometimes, up to 20 of us will talk in a video conference (like Skype, but for 10 to 20 people at the same time, in the same video conference). I really like that because it’s so helpful to hear from a group of women, as opposed to just 1 other pregnant woman. Sometimes one-on-one is best, but other times, listening to different responses to the same question is immensely helpful.
Sometimes, you have to trust and go with the wisdom of the group!Of course, in the past, I referred to WebMD, but it is completely ridiculous for me to try and self-diagnose. I, for one, can’t ascertain any of the emotional content from reading a random anonymous person’s opinion. Further, I’m not a doctor; I don’t understand a lot of what I have read there. In my opinion, there is no longer any reason to refer to any other site because BrightBod.com is free and makes life so much easier and better.

I really dig the fact that BrightBod is working to position itself as America’s FREE Alternative Healthcare for women who cannot afford the real cost of Healthcare — Deductibles, Premiums, co-pays, and the like! Very cool!

I’m going to have to check them out myself. Consider signing up too! Do it Here!

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Exploring LEGO’s Decision to Buck the Trend and Stick with Gender-Specific Toys

Posted on June 21, 2016

In the current world we live in, a lot of parents are rejecting gender-limiting toys and I think we all can agree that LEGO company has taken the brunt of a lot of the animosity from modern parenting culture.

It has to do with the fact that while a lot of toy companies were giving up on long-held preconceptions about gender-specific products, LEGO when the other way, shed its gender-neutral past, and started creating toys targeted specifically at either girls or boys. LEGO said it had a good reason for separating the products.

The consumer website Consumerist broke down 5 lessons it learned from observing LEGOs model:

1. An Untapped Market: In 2008, LEGO looked at global data about who was buying their toys. It turns out, that roughly 90% of LEGO sets sold were bought for boys, meaning that nearly half the kid population wasn’t using their products.

“Seeing that the play pattern was really skewing so heavily toward boys, we wanted to understand why,” company spokesperson Michael McNally said. “We embarked on four years of global research with 4,500 girls and their moms. Some of the things we heard were really surprising and challenging in ways that weren’t really comfortable for us as a brand.”

2. Getting To The Bottom Of It: After finding that its toys were mostly sold to boys, the company set out to find out why that was.

Over four years, LEGO conducted global research with 4,500 girls and their moms. The company found some surprising and challenging themes in the way their toys were perceived, McNally tells The Atlantic.

LEGO tells The Atlantic that children in its focus groups consistently had distinct ideas about how to interact with the same toys they encountered, and that expectations seemed to be drawn along gender lines in focus group after focus group, even when those children were very young.

3. Boys & Girls May Use Same Toys, But Play Differently: The most important aspect LEGO says it found was that children play with the same toys very differently.

In one project, the company asked separate groups of boys and girls to build a LEGO castle. While both groups worked together to build the castle, they took different approaches to play afterward.

For example, the boys immediately grabbed the figures, the houses, and the catapults and started having a battle, McNally recalled, noting that the boys used the castle as a backdrop for their play.

On the other hand, the girls were more focused on the castle itself.

“They all looked around inside the castle and they said, ‘Well, there’s nothing inside,’” McNally said. “This idea of interior versus exterior in the orientation of how they would then play with what they built was really interesting. If you think about most of the LEGO models that people consider to be meant for boys, there’s not a whole lot going on in there. But [the girls had] this idea of, ‘There’s nothing inside to do.’”

Overall, the groups of children both expressed interest in the building aspect, but the following interaction showed girls overwhelmingly wanted to build environments and more details in their toys.

Read the rest

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Your Guide for Turning Your Bedroom into a Sleep Haven

Posted on June 21, 2016

It is important if you are a new mom that you are able to get sufficient sleep after having a baby. Nap times are essential also for making sure you are alert during the day, rested and capable of managing life and responsibility. Often times, fatigue settles quickly and you can doze off almost immediately. But other times, you may need some help.

And…we got tips! Courtesy of Dunelm, UK’s biggest home wares retailer., here are some ideas and suggestions on what you can do to turn your bedroom into a sleep haven. Enjoy and we do hope you are able to have peaceful nights of slumber.

How to turn your bedroom into a sleep haven

This infographic is brought to you by Dunelm.com

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Your Pup can Up the Ante on your Fitness Regimen; Here’s How

Posted on June 19, 2016

Finding a workout buddy to help keep you motivated when starting a new workout regime isn’t always easy.

For many people, finding someone with similar fitness goals, who isn’t flaky and is always happy to join you might seem impossible.

Cue the barking and wagging of tail! Your dog may be the ideal workout partner that never complains, keeps up with your pace and is ready to exercise at the wiggle of a leash any time of the day.

Here are some benefits of exercising with your dog and some essential gear to start your new workout routine.

Why Exercise With Your Dog?

Exercise is a preventive, miracle cure whose positive health benefits are extremely hard to ignore.

Besides controlling your weight, exercise prevents numerous diseases and maladies, including high-blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, depression, Type II diabetes and much more, the Mayo Clinic states. For your mental and emotional health, exercise is great at improving your mood, boosting energy and promoting better sleep habits. Throw your dog into the mix and you’re talking added health benefits for you both.

Similar to how exercise keeps you healthy and agile, your dog reaps similar benefits, including weight control, a healthy digestive system and reduced risk of heart disease. Exercise is also great for correcting behavior issues, such as attention-seeking, unruliness, hyperactivity and destructiveness. Exercising together strengthens your bond and promotes a strong, trusting relationship, instilling your pet with confidence and comfort as they interact with other humans and canines.

Exercises for Man and Dog Alike

When looking to start a new workout routine with your dog, find forms of exercise that work for you both. Start by talking to your doctor and veterinarian to find out how much exercise you and your dog need, as well as any recommendations or restrictions they may have. If you’re looking to ease yourself into a workout routine, activities such as biking or heading to the dog park are great options. Biking a few miles a day (or less) is easy on your body and keeps your dog active running alongside your bicycle. At the dog park, enjoy a nice stroll at your leisure, while you play fetch with your dog and work them out to their limits.

For fur parents looking to push themselves a little harder, hiking and rollerblading are fun exercise options to get you and Fido moving. Explore new hiking trails that satisfy both your desires for exercise and nature, and work your way up to more difficult terrain and increased mileage as you see fit. Similar to biking, rollerblading keeps your dog running, while you get to cruise along. Rollerblading is a total-body, cardio exercise that uses your abductors, adductors, quads, hamstrings, glutes and calves.

For water-loving dog owners, stand-up paddle boarding and kayaking are great forms of exercise, especially if your dog enjoys swimming. Hop onto your paddle or kayak and enjoy exercising along the water, while your dog occasionally hops in and swims alongside you, exerting a lot of energy while getting an excellent workout.

What Gear Do I Need?

Starting a serious workout regimen with your dog that goes beyond walking requires more gear than your average leash. Start with protecting yourself from the elements as you spend more time outdoors. Wear sunscreen, invest in a great pair of sunglasses that fit your activity needs, find rain gear to keep you dry, and wear an excellent pair of shoes tailored to your workout regime.

Now for protecting your pup: Keeping their paws healthy is extremely important. In the summer, keep your dog off hot pavement as much as possible, moisturize their paws, use paw wax and even try dog shoes. In the winter, use dog boots if necessary and keep your dog away from salted roads as it could be toxic.

When biking or rollerblading with your dog, use a tow leash that keeps your dog close and keeps your hands free from the elements. For water activities, a life jacket for both you and your dog will keep you safe and give you peace of mind when your dog hops in a stream or lake.

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Father’s Day: Meet the Modern Millennial Dad (INFOGRAPHIC)

Posted on June 19, 2016

Happy Father’s Day!

Today, there are 70.1 million dads in the United States. Of those, about 1.4 million are stay-at-home dads. Imagine that compared to decades ago. Also, about 1.4 million men are single dads and the sole caregiver to their children.

The modern dad certainly is different. Want to explore some stats about what else makes up the attributes of the “modern dad”? Enjoy this Infographic courtesy of the folks at Giftagram on–demand gifting app, Giftagram (free on iOS and Android).

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