Lifestyle blogger – cruises, organizing, managing money, and parenting.
Is there anything more pesky and annoying than trying to get your kids to do their chores? Unless you were born with that magically organized child (I never had THAT kid!), you are going to be fighting this fight for at least 18 years. According to my favorite behavioral psychologist Brian Wansink, the best way […] Read more…
It occurred to me that in this New Year’s motivational series, I had not included any posts about parenting. So, I am starting a 3-part series here about both parenting and organization – double win! This first one is about helping your kids organize their homework. In the next post we will talk about kids […] Read more…
Pretty typical picture isn’t it? Not just for teen boys, but for everyone. Seems like all of us are spending major amounts of time staring at electronics of all types these days – not just phones, but iPads, computers, video games, and TV’s. It’s to the point where it is getting a little scary. I […] Read more…
When you have a kid who has ADHD or is just plain disorganized, basic school stuff can be a real challenge. These are some tips to make it much easier for BOTH of you. It’s more of a Brain Problem than a Motivation Problem, (but it’s also a motivation problem) To me, the advantage of […] Read more…
Just a quick one today. I don’t know about you, but getting my kids to clean their rooms is one of the most stressful and annoying things I ever have to do as a parent (although teaching my teen to drive is definitely in the top ten!). Sometimes it takes half the day, many times […] Read more…
Our family is into Boy Scouts in a big way for 3 generations. Our youngest son was a bullied kid and we feel that Scouting really helped him overcome that situation. So I was quite delighted when BSA approached me and requested that I do a sponsored post for them on behalf of their BeAScout […] Read more…
This is a sensitive subject for every family. I think every family handles money slightly differently with their teens. But on the other hand, I think it is something we all need to get a handle on if you are raising teens. The decisions you make during these critical years are going to have a […] Read more…
Adrian contacted me this past week and asked if I would be interested in “Guest Blogging” on her wonderful, informative Blog about my college-bound daughter. Yes, yes I would, and I am so honored to be here. After much thought, and just seeing my oldest daughter graduate and walk the stage I thought it would […] Read more…
I’ll just say it – sometimes trying to teach a teen to clean is like teaching a pig to sing. It wastes your time and annoys the pig! One of the toughest parenting tasks is how to get teens to clean up their messes. Let’s face it; teens are so busy these days – […] Read more…
When we tend to think about our clutter issues, we mostly think in terms of how it affects us or our spouse. We don’t often think about how it might be affecting our children. However, their home environment clearly has an affect on our children. This can follow them throughout their lives. My Experience […] Read more…
I’m glad that bullying is getting a lot of attention in the news lately. I’m hoping that all this publicity will do some good for once, and maybe it will trigger some useful solutions to the problem. I’ve got a few ideas on the subject. My friend Jyl over at MomItForward started a discussion on […] Read more…
Sometimes our adult kids don’t use good judgement. We love them so we sometime help them a little TOO much. Adulthood is a time for them to stand on their own two feet, but part of good parenting is to gently ease them out of the nest and allow them to take full responsibility for […] Read more…
I’m watching the Dog Whisperer and I have to say, this show really gives me hope as a parent. Do you know why? At the beginning of the program, they show these dogs with all these issues – barking, biting, misbehavior of all types. These dogs just seem so out of control and completely hopeless, […] Read more…
Do you think your teen is awesome? It may be more important than you think. Think back to when your teenager was a tiny baby and you used to get so excited about the simplest things – their first step, their first word, or how cute they looked sleeping with their little butts in the […] Read more…
As a finance blogger and a Scout leader, I am passionate about teaching young people about money. To me, it isn’t just a one-shot deal. It is a string of opportunities to both teach them and show them some easy ways to manage their money. It’s not just being thrifty, though that’s part of it. […] Read more…