5 Strategies to Transform Your Relationship with Your Teenager

5 Strategies to Transform Your Relationship with Your Teenager

We know, as parents, that the way we talk to our children becomes their inner voice. This starts when they are young and continues throughout their childhood and well into adolescence. Puberty does a number on any child, and at times it may seem that your teenager is going through a self-loathing stage.  Think back to when you were a teenager and I’m sure you’ll remember going through the same thing. It’s now, more than ever, that our teenagers need us to be their biggest fan. Or, at the very least, their second biggest fan (after themselves, of course). When you take in all of the peer pressure and what they see on social media and in celebrities; it’s no wonder that our relationships with…

How to Create a Reasonable Christmas Budget

How to Create a Reasonable Christmas Budget

While it may seem odd to start planning for Christmas in June, I feel that it’s really never too early to start planning. Maybe you do your Christmas shopping all year round or maybe you already set aside money each month for gifts. Whatever the case may be, it’s not too difficult to start planning for Christmas at anytime of the year. You could start by creating a Christmas budget for gifts and your budget could also include things like meals and decorations. Why you need a realistic and reasonable Christmas budget Whether you’re on a tight budget this year or you’re just trying to be more conservative with your spending, it’s smart to create a Christmas budget. Budgets put you in control of your…

My Top Fire Safety Tips at Home for Families with Young Children

My Top Fire Safety Tips at Home for Families with Young Children

When we begin the process of baby proofing and kid proofing our homes, we try to do all the things.  But, what are we doing when it comes to fire safety at home? As parents we do whatever we can to keep our kids safe. We baby proof before they can walk, we purchase smoke alarms, safety equipment, car seats… We do whatever it takes. This includes making sure that our homes are prepared for a fire emergency as well. “This was a sponsored post about fire safety tips for families was written by me on behalf of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company. All opinions are 100% mine.” How to Practice Fire Safety at Home Our homes are our refuge and where we raise our families…

How to Create Blended Family Rules That Everyone Can Agree On
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How to Create Blended Family Rules That Everyone Can Agree On

When a blended family comes together, it can be difficult at first. But it doesn’t have to always be that way. Here’s how to create blended family rulesthat everyone can agree on. It didn’t take long for Kyle and I to realize what we had together. And by that, I mean that it didn’t take long for either of us to realize that we wanted each other in our lives. What once was individual futures, was now our future together. What was once the rest of my life, quickly became our lifetime together. Point being, we knew what we had from early on in our relationship. And that also meant navigating our combined lives together as a blended family. It meant setting blended family rules and…

Protecting Kids From Extreme Heat

Most kids love summer. They look forward to a long period out of school. They enjoy light evenings when they can stay up later and play outside for longer. They love hanging out in the garden, playing with water, and having fun with their outdoor toys. You might have a family summer holiday planned, and plenty of day trips to exciting attractions to look forward to. Parenting can even seem easier in summer when we can save money by spending days in the garden, and pass the time with lazy afternoons outdoors. There’s less pressure to have big plans for weekends when your kids are happy in your garden with a bucket of water and some cups.  Photo Credit – https://unsplash.com/photos/R_BLOGXpsOg But, at some point,…

How To Stretch A Paycheck in a One Income Family

How To Stretch A Paycheck in a One Income Family

We are a one income family.. or at least, a one steady income family (and no, that one steady income is not me… yet).  As a mom of children with special needs, I’ve spent a good amount of time as a stay at home mom. Though one of my goals is to at least make a part time income with this blog, I’m not nearly there yet. So we have to be creative when it comes to the one paycheck and we’re learning how to stretch a paycheck. One way that we’ve done that is by creating a budget though there are several other ways to do this. Some we’re going to start and some we may do in the future. How To Stretch A…