Exercise Can Improve Your Ability to Parent

Everyone knows that getting regular exercise is important. Exercise helps you lose weight, tone muscle, and stay healthy. Did you know that exercise can actually improve your ability to parent your children? This revelation could give parents a whole new reason to start exercising. Stasia Bliss wrote an article at Liberty Voice about the many ways that exercise improves parenting. She notes that when you are exercising you are nourishing yourself. Personally, I see what she is suggesting as “me time”. When you are exercising, your entire focus is on yourself and what your body is doing. It is a … Continue reading

Getting Organized for the New Year

If your New Year’s resolution includes getting organized in 2013, you are not alone. When the clock strikes 12 on January 1st, I am vowing to better manage all aspects of my life. Of course, that’s the same resolution I made in 2011 and 2012. Hopefully, the third time will be the charm. I’m a busy mom, just like millions of other parents in the world, and more often than not, time gets the best of me. Actually, it haunts, punishes and kicks the life out of me. Hence, my New Year’s resolution. If you are looking for affordable ways … Continue reading

Halloween-Themed Weight Loss Plan for Brave Parents

Have you seen Hershey’s newest Halloween treat? The Screme Egg is a twist on the chocolate giant’s popular Easter sweet, the Cadbury Creme Egg. The shape is the same, as is the egg’s white filling, but the Halloween version features a green yolk-like center instead of yellow. If that doesn’t make you scream, perhaps the nutritional value will. A single Screme Egg contains 150 calories and five grams of fat. While that may not seem like a frightening amount, consider that the average adult can fit roughly four of the eggs in his or her mouth at one time. Add … Continue reading

Have You Lost Your Spark?

Sometimes, you might wonder where along the way the sizzle with which you started out as a home – based professional began to fizzle. It is only natural for our passion and energy for our work to ebb and flow right along with other things that are happening in our lives. However, in order to have a successful home – based business, it is important that we keep our passion and energy as high as we can as much of the time as we can so that we consistently generate top quality work. That is a tall order, especially since … Continue reading

Are You Sleeping?

I’ve struggled with getting a good night’s sleep from the time I was a young teenager. When I became a single mother the problem only intensified. As a single parent it felt as if the weight of the world was on my shoulders. I had so much to worry about and was finding myself up at all hours of the night unable to get the sleep that I needed. I had tried all kinds of sleep aids, but to no avail. As the problem continued I found myself more exhausted than ever. I was unable to do the things that … Continue reading

When You’re Ready to Lose the Baby Weight

My baby is 9 months old, and I just recently started a diet. I hate diets. But, I’m motivated to lose that baby weight. In the past, I was motivated a little sooner than 9 months. I guess this time around it took me a little longer to get motivated because of the diet restrictions I had while I was nursing the first 5 months. Being deprived of so many foods was hard for me, so I was in no hurry to deprive myself again. But, as I stepped on the scales, and saw myself in pictures, I realized that … Continue reading

The Angst of Offline: Navigation

Of all the anxiety-producing categories, this is the one I identify with most. I have practically transferred my brain into my cell phone: it has archived all the names, places, dates, numbers, reminders, and notations – everything I can’t be troubled to remember. The first thing I do every morning is to check my calendar app to see what’s waiting for me. Without my cell phone, I would truly be lost. The amount of time and energy it would take to restore all that data is immense. The only time I’m ever really tempted to kiss a stranger is when … Continue reading

Ahhh, Technology

Can you imagine what it was like to churn your own butter, make your own clothes and then wash them in a nearby creek? Just the thought of the amount of work that went into keeping a family clothed and fed in pioneer days makes me tired. The time and energy that went into maintaining a home is mind boggling. Luckily for us, we have all of these modern conveniences. We have dishwashers to wash our dishes , washing machines to clean our clothes and vacuum cleaners to keep our floors clean. Lawn mowers are self propelled or riding, there … Continue reading

Legal Woes for Maryland Pit Bull Owners

A big headline here in Maryland lately has been an anti-pit-bull decision made by the state’s court of appeals. The case classified pit bulls and other “bully” dogs (meaning any dog with bull lineage) as “dangerous dogs.” This means that they are not included in the “one bite” exemption owners get before they are held liable for their dog’s action. That liability can also extend to anyone with control on the premises, including landlords, veterinarians, kennels/daycares, groomers, etc. The decision prompted widespread protest. Pit owners are worried that they’ll either be evicted, lose their homeowner’s insurance, or be forced to … Continue reading

Preschool Primer Part 1 – Is Your Child Ready?

Recently, it dawned on me that at some point in the future Dylan will not be spending all of his days at home with me. Preschool is a topic that I have not yet given much thought, so it is time for me to learn what it is all about. Today I decided to start at the beginning, with the question of determining when a child is ready to begin preschool. Dylan will be two and a half years old this month. That is the age at which many preschools begin accepting children into their programs. For some reason, I … Continue reading