How to Help Your Kids Fall Asleep

Sleep is important. We all know what it feels like to have to get up and start the day after not having enough sleep. Before parents can turn in for the night they need to make sure their children are asleep. What can you do if your child is resisting bedtime or getting up at night? Here are some ideas that could help your kids to fall asleep. How much sleep do kids really need? The National Sleep Foundation has some recommendations that are based upon the age of the person. Adults need less sleep than children and babies do. … Continue reading

Why Regular Exercise is Important for Kids

Many of us realize that it is a good idea to get some exercise. Adults tend to think of exercise as a way to lose weight or tone up muscle. It turns out that getting regular exercise is more beneficial than randomly exercising done every so often. This is true for both adults and children. Are your kids getting the regular exercise? Regular Exercise is Important for Children The Mayo Clinic points out that the health benefits of getting regular exercise and physical activity are “hard to ignore”. Of course, some exercise is better than none at all. However, if … Continue reading

6 Products that Pay You Back

With a tiny investment, you can reap great savings rewards. Get a hold of the following products, frugally of course, and start saving now. Netflix or Hulu For just $8 a month, you can have access to hit television shows, movies, specials, sports, news and more. Compare that to $75-$300 a month for cable. Plus, with streaming, you can get your entertainment anywhere. You may already have everything you need to play streaming videos on your television. The Wii, Playstation 3, Xbox 360 and most Blu-ray players already offer a streaming feature. If you don’t currently own one of those … Continue reading

Don’t Judge My Choices Until You Live My Life

Is there anyone who hasn’t heard about the horrific shooting in Colorado? Friday at work it was all anyone could talk about and as fellow blogger pointed out in her blog, Watch Where You Point That Finger, everyone had an opinion about people taking their children to the movies in the first place. Apparently those people have never been single parents. Or maybe they’ve never been any type of parent but I know, as a single parent, sometimes, midnight showings are your best friend. If your kids are young, you hope they will sleep through the movie. As a single … Continue reading

Do You Allow Your Kids to Watch TV News?

After reporting and anchoring local TV news for more than decade, I never considered tuning out the events of the day after giving birth. I’ve watched the evening news religiously since I was in high school and never dreamed there would come a day when I would be forced to wean myself from my 6 o’clock fix. However, that day has come. A few weeks ago, I was in the kitchen making dinner with the TV news on in the background when my 7-year-old came waltzing in. Typically, she’ll sit on a stool at the counter and try to snag … Continue reading

Help Your Child Relax

In a recent study researchers found that over half of 7 to 9 year olds were feeling stressed. Those with divorced parents experience additional stress as they are going between homes and trying to balance all of the other little things in their young lives. As parents we want our children to be happy and enjoy life without getting bogged down by the pressures of everyday life. We need to create an atmosphere in our home that encourages our children to relax and enjoy being little. Don’t overschedule your children. While you want your children to stay busy and be … Continue reading

Saying No Can Bring More Joy Into Your Life

I struggle with saying no to people, including myself. Once I became a single mother I was determined to do the best job I could so that my child would not suffer from being raised in a single parent household. Part of that determination was feeling like I had to be everything to everyone. I never said no when someone asked for help. I never said no when Hailey wanted me to stop what I was doing and entertain her. I never said no when I would tell myself to just keep going, people live perfectly well on five hours … Continue reading

Leave Your Kids at Home

Recently there was a story in the news about a mother who is accused of putting her five year old daughter in a tanning bed. I don’t know if this woman is guilty or not but she certainly is fond of tanning. As a single mother I’ve had to take Hailey lots of places that I probably wouldn’t have otherwise. When I went to the emergency room, not only did she go with me, she had to drive me, with only a learners permit because I was in too much pain to drive myself. I will never forget how frightened … Continue reading

Your Baby Wants You!

There is always a recurring theme in my blogging it seems. I am a Mom. And, I often feel inadequate. Today has been one of those days. I woke up super grouchy due to my baby waking me at 4:15 am, the toddler waking me at 5:45 am, and my “big girl” waking me up at 6:45 am. Needless to say, I was not happy with anyone. I managed to get my girl out the door to Kindergarten and gave her a big hug before she left and told her I loved her. I hope she remembers that instead of … Continue reading

Do You and Your Spouse Sleep in Separate Beds?

In the days of black and white television, it was scandalous to show a man and woman in the same bed. I remember seeing episodes of I Love Lucy and wondered why Lucy and Ricky had twin beds—the world just wasn’t ready for anything more suggestive. Today when we hear of a man and woman sleeping in two separate beds, our thoughts immediately leap to the conclusion that they are having anger and/or sexual problems. But is that the only reason for sleeping separately? Some people are driven to the couch or to the guest bedroom by their spouse’s snoring … Continue reading