Rodney is sharing his tips for dealing with finances on family vacations: When I was a little kid, I loved going on vacation. I would jump in the car without a care in the world and enjoy every moment of sunshine showering down upon me. Of course, when I was a kid I didn’t haveRead More
Healthy Hydration Tips
I learned a few things from my Grandma that while simple, are actually quite healthy. My grandma taught me to open all the blinds in the house as soon as I woke up. Opening all the blinds and getting as much light as possible in the house early in the morning helps you feel moreRead More
Teaching My Girls About Boys…From Daddy’s Point of View
Article by Rodney Southern As a writer who spends his entire summer working from home with two ten year old twin daughters under my roof, I relate to the dog days of summer. My girls are my world and I would not dream of having it any other way, but I also need my silenceRead More
How to Help in the Fight Against Hunger in the Summer
Have you ever wondered where the children who receive free breakfasts and lunches get their meals when school is out? My daughter took a gap year between getting her degree and going to grad school to volunteer and work in our school district as a substitute teacher. She came home from one school and toldRead More
Tips for Dealing with Motion Sickness
Do you have someone in your family who suffers from motion sickness? Not only do they suffer, but it can complicate your travel plans! My husband is a pilot and my kids have inherited his cast-iron stomach, but I sometimes suffer from travel sickness. I have created a list of tips that help me reduceRead More
Dealing with Lactose Intolerance and Lactaid Product Giveaway
I have mentioned on numerous occasions that my oldest son is lactose intolerant. His reaction to lactose was quite severe when he was young, so we pulled all dairy from his diet. Now when he accidentally (or intentionally) ingests dairy his reaction hasn’t been as extreme. And sometimes, like when he consumes certain cheeses, heRead More
The Benefits of Procrastinating Dinner
Isabella McBride, author of “Funny Woman Guide to Get Organized NOW! or at Least Sometime Before You Die. . .“, is sharing the benefits of procrastinating dinner: It’s late afternoon. You’ve been avoiding the dreaded question: What’s for dinner? Suddenly a horrible bolt of lightning strikes you. You forgot about an important meeting you haveRead More
Naturally Frugal Tip: Make Your Own Foot Scrub
Spring is right around the corner! Which means I am going to want to wear sandals, but I have neglected my feet all winter long. Now I have some work to do to get them ready before we visit family in California. But just because I am going to have to put some time intoRead More
Southern Hodgepodge Cookbook Bundle
The Southern Hodgepodge Cookbook Bundle is on sale for $4.99. It includes the following three eBooks: Sunday Savings – Simplify Sunday dinner with easy recipes to make ahead of time. Southern Celebrations – Classic Southern recipes for luncheons and showers. Slow Cooker Batch Cooking – This book helps you save time on weeknight meals by batch cooking someRead More
Tips for Fitting Short Bursts of Exercise into Your Day
Last month I wrote about how I lost 15 pounds in 2 months doing short bursts of exercise. Since then, I have lost several more pounds and I thought I would share how I fit those short bursts of exercise in my day. Dress in Comfortable Clothing to Get More Exercise: To fit more exerciseRead More
Pizza Recipes and Game Night Coupons
One of our favorite family activities is Pizza and Game Night. When our schedules allow, we try to do this once a week. It is a great way for us to connect and spend quality time together. When my oldest kids were in high school, I tried to throw one game night a month for themRead More
Shipping Options to Help Keep Christmas Presents a Surprise
One of the items my son repeatedly said that he wanted was a toy cash register. He loves numbers, math, and money, so when I found the Teaching Cash Register on sale at Amazon I bought it. I made a huge mistake and did not check the “this is a gift box”, so Amazon, slapped aRead More
Our Christmas Tradition: Stockings on St. Nicholas Day
Every year I vow that I will share our Christmas traditions with you and then I get busy and don’t follow through. So although I don’t like discussing Christmas until November I am going ahead and doing it now before life gets busy. Our traditions have evolved over time, but one thing that was importantRead More
Fit Exercise into Your Busy Schedule with FitOrbit
It is hard for me to carve time out of my busy schedule to go to the gym. FitOrbit offers a convenient and affordable way for busy moms (and dads) to achieve their personal fitness goals. FitOrbit provides: Unlimited access to a real personal trainer who is available to you around the clock. Customized,Read More
Tools for Staying Healthy from WellPoint
Last week I had the privilege of participating in a conversation about The Evolving Role of Health Insurers with The Motherhood and representatives from WellPoint. You may not recognize the name WellPoint, but you probably recognize their affiliates like Anthem BlueCross BlueShield, which happens to be my health insurance provider. While it is nice that our health insuranceRead More
Vacations for Children of Varying Ages and Interests
I have a 16 year spread between my oldest child and my youngest child. When planning a family vacation I am dealing with different ages, different stages and vastly different interests! I have learned through trial and error a few ways to make vacations more enjoyable for all of us. Planning Vacations for Children ofRead More
Are Your Pets Part of the Family?
Updated: The Motherhood has posted the highlights from our chat. You can read Pets Are Family Members Too and share your pet stories. Tomorrow, I will be co-hosting an all-text chat on the The Motherhood. We will discuss caring for our pets and how we treat them like members of our family. We would love for youRead More
Is it Important for Your Kids to Believe in the Easter Bunny, Santa and Fairy Friends?
The Easter after my daughter’s second birthday, I mindlessly followed all of the same rituals as my parents and grandparents. We made sugar cookies, sent cards, and of course decorated eggs. Shortly after returning from Church on Easter morning, we took her on an egg hunt in the backyard. After collecting the eggs and locatingRead More
How to Read to Wiggly Children
I often overhear parents say, “I would like to read to my child more, but he/she (let’s face it, it is usually a he) just won’t sit still”. As a former reading lady and mother of several wiggly children, I thought I would share some of the tricks that I use to read to wigglyRead More
Fun with Numbers and Top 10 Counting Books
My son loves numbers! One day after reading his favorite counting book, Chicka, Chicka 123, I helped him create his own apple tree for the numbers to climb. He really enjoys doing art projects based on his favorite books, so while it is not fancy, it was lots of fun, easy, and inexpensive. We justRead More
