Archive for the ‘Family and Friends’ Category
8 Ways to Manage Timefor Busy Mothers
Many mothers juggle a full-time job while trying to maintain the home for their spouse and children. While it is easy to become overwhelmed, there are a few practical steps that busy mothers can take to save time and cut down on their stress levels.
1. Plan your menus: Planning has a lot of advantages allowing you to save money and enjoy meal times that are no longer harried and stressful.
2. Advance meal preparation: With technology on your side, you can make two to three meals simultaneously. One can be served, while the others are frozen for later. Cook double portions of the meals and when you need it; you will have a meal ready.
3. Neighborhood Meal Rotations - If you have neighbors you are friends with then you may want to do some meal cooking rotations. This way everyone saves time; it is even possible that you will only end up cooking one meal a week.
4. Errands - Route your errands to be taken care of on the way to and from work. By taking care of errands on the way to someplace else, you will save gas and time and not feel so overwhelmed.
5. Car Pool - Taking turns getting kids to and from school or sharing a ride with other working moms can be fun and time-saving as well.
6. Get the family involved! In order to be successful at managing your time you will need to enlist the help of everyone in your household. Draft your children’s help in keeping their own rooms cleaned for rewards of some type.
7. Split the housecleaning chores into small tasks that can be managed on a day-to-day basis so that it doesn’t overwhelm you. You will find that by doing this you have more time for other things.
8. Be Realistic - There is no such thing as supermom or perfect mom. Learn to say ‘no’ or you will never find a way to manage your time.
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Tags: Family and Friends, organization, parenting, time management
Outdoor Adventures and Family Activities in New Jersey
Planning an adventure that doesn’t have to be a plane ride away? Why not take your pick on your very own New Jersey’s outdoor options? New Jersey isn’t just an average suburban state. It definitely is not. It has more to offer the adventurer inside all of us than anyone could’ve ever given it credit for. From kayaking to camping, whale watching to bird viewing, the Garden State’s recreational pride is really one for the record books.
You can try the ten mile long island between the historical Barnegat Bay and the amazing Atlantic and get your fix of sunset picnics on the beach or hitch a ride on the back of a dolphin with your snorkels. The Island Beach State Park boasts more than three thousand acres of pure beach adventures and activities for saltwater fishing trips or just overall family fun.
The animals in New Jersey’s excellent wildlife are as amazing to watch as they are diverse. If you want to watch whales, there are boat tours which take you to experience these great mammals in the flesh. Or you can stop over one of the bird watching sites along the Atlantic City Flyway and take a refreshing look at herons, shore birds or the northern diamondback terrapin.
If you’re itching for nature, the Garden State has plenty of protected wildlife reserves, national parks and camping grounds like Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, to give you your fix for natural activities, or just offer you a breath of fresh air. Outdoor enthusiasts are sure to find what they’re looking for in New Jersey.
You can strap your skis for a skiing adventures in the snow counties or pedal a path through unexplred woods and mountainlands, the abundance of activities never end for both you and New Jersey. Go fishing in the rivers that flow to the Atlantic and share salmons with the bears or ride your canoe to meet the ocean. New Jersey is the ideal place to get a natural vacation.
This little historical state doesn’t always have to be that state connecting New York and Philadelphia. If you just take the moment to notice, it can also serve you the adventure you’re looking for.
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Tags: activities for kids, camping, family, Family Activities, Family and Friends, fun, new jersey, new jersey beach, new jersey camp, new jersey family activities, new jersey outdoors, outdoor adventures, Shows, Travel
Teaching Your Kids How To Keep A Budget
The global economic crisis is bearing down on everyone. We’re all feeling the crunch in our daily lives. Gas prices are going up and with it several other commodities that we just got used to taking for granted. All these problems all lead to a point where we, as citizens, should teach our children how to handle money responsibly.
A budget is a very important part of the household system. It helps maintain a balance that would otherwise put the entire family into financial chaos. By having your children learn the importance of keeping a budget, you’re slowly teaching them how to become more responsible and wise consumers. They can actually find it a fun activity to allot some of their allowance money for certain things that they wouldn’t have thought of otherwise.
You can teach your kids this importance by letting them handle a little amount of money by themselves. You have to make sure that they handle it as responsibly as an adult. You can also suggest some ways to make more money from it. Perhaps a business from their arts and crafts hobby. Having your kids learn the importance of money early on in life is a good way to be sure that they are responsible users of money in the future.
There are a lot of advantages that you can point out to your kids. For example you can say that having a budget helps you to save up for a trip to Disney Land. You have to simplify it for them by saying that saving up subsequently leads to good stuff in the future. Maybe you can suggest a few things that he or she might want to save up for, like a brand new gadget or a shopping trip.
You have to make sure as well that they see the disadvantages of spending all your money irresponsibly. Your kid needs to learn to start being responsible because you’ll never know when you’ll need some money in the future. Ask him to save up for college now, and you’ll be surprised at how much this affects how he grows up to be a good and relevant citizen.
So teach your children the value of money and let them see how important it is to keep a budget. You’ll never know how much you need in the future until you need it.
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Tags: Arts And Crafts, budget, cash, children, colorado, crafts, economy, family, Family Activities, Family and Friends, family budget, finances, fun, home budget, kids, money, parenting
Reasons To Start Homeschooling Your Child Right Away!
Did you know that homeschooling has been getting more and more popular recently? There are a number of factors causing this. For a start many parents are not happy with the quality of teaching in public schools these days. For the most part it is more question of the parent wanting his or her children to have more one-on-one teaching.
In addition, another main concern of parents is a protection issue in regards to their child’s safety. These concerns surround shootings, gangs, drugs and the anger of children in general in today’s society and this anger manifesting itself on school campuses.
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Tags: children, education, family, Home, homeschool, kids, learn, learning, parenting, school, schooling, self improvement, teaching, textbooks
The Top 6 Pacifier Safety Tips
Not all babies need or like to have pacifiers but for some, a pacifier can be a source of comfort. In any case, if you do choose to get a pacifier for your baby, there are a couple of safety tips that you need to consider.
Don’t Accessorize
Most pacifiers that have been directly released by companies have been made with an eye on safety features. The worst mistake that any parent could do would be to accessorize pacifiers or buy ones that have been modified or accessorized.
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Tags: babies, baby, baby accessories, baby furniture, baby furnitures, baby pacifier, baby safety, family, Home, home and family, parenting
Mortal Skulls Motorcycle Club a Run for Awareness
Do you remember the Story of 11-year-old Carlie Brucia ? Carlie was the Little girl from Long Island NY who while staying with her Mother Down in Florida was Kidnapped and Murdered on Super Bowl Sunday, 2004. Her abduction was captured on video in front of the car wash where she was Kidnapped by Joseph P. Smith,Who has since been found Guilty of first-degree murder, sexual battery and kidnapping.
The story was carried nation wide and was heartbreaking to all who heard it. Now there is an old saying that every dark cloud has a Silver lining and if that is true then the Silver lining here is Matt Barbis, Carlie’s Cousin who started the Rose Brucia Educational Foundation (http://rosebrucia.org) with the Mission of reducing child abductions.
Matt goes around to Schools and preforms Puppet Shows and teaches children how to react and what to do if someone ever tries to adduct them. As you can imagine Matt’s Mission does not come without expense and the Foundation runs on Donations from Groups, Individuals and Businesses.
Matt who Rides a Motorcycle had seen the good that Bikers on Long Island do to Raise Money for those in need, He wanted to Start a Motorcycle Run to help raise Money for the Foundation. A Motorcycle Run is a lot of work and Matt was Referred to the Mortal Skulls Motorcycle Club (http://Mortalskulls.com) Who do a Run and/or Benefit every year.
When the Mortal Skulls Motorcycle Club heard Matt’s story and what his Mission was they quickly decided that this would be the run and benefit they would be doing for many years to come.What better cause can there be then keeping Children Safe? said one of the Members.
For the past 3 years now on the Third Sunday in June the Mortal Skulls Motorcycle Club have hosted the run and raised money for the foundation, The run starts every year at the Bellmore NY Train station on Sunrise Hwy,with sign up from 10:30 am till 12 Noon, and has ended at local Long Island Bars with live Music, food,Appearances by local NY Celebrities and so much more. The recommended Donation for the event is $10 per person and Run Shirts are available for an additional $10 with every penny of the Proceeds going to the Rose Brucia Educational Foundation. The Mortal Skulls Motorcycle Club Thank all who have come out to help and Support the event every year! This Fundraiser has quickly grown into a huge Long Island NY event, With the continued Support of the Long Island biker world and appearances by Celebrates it will continue to grow for many years to come!!!
I am Your Bro L.J. James AmericanBikerX.com. About the Author: LJ is a major part of LJ’s Motorcycle Club. LJ’s Collection Agency is a huge supporter of tLJ’s cause.
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Tags: bikers story, motorcycle club, run for awareness
The Power of a Simple Sketch
According to animator Dieter Mueller, “In animation the essence of a scene is often best captured in the initial rough drawings…” Visual artists often use sketches as preliminary studies for the final finished work of art. Sketches are done quickly, with less attention to detail and more to the spirit of the subject matter. Simply defined, a sketch is the outline or general delineation of anything. Sketches serve as rough drafts for what would eventually become a fully designed finished product.
Sketching is also a process which sets the artist to start thinking from a broader base, which may allow for more innovative, “out-of-the-box” concepts. A sketch is never a position of commitment; the artist has produced an idea on paper, but is still quite free to build on it or, to reject it. Sketching provides the freedom to venture with different methods and approaches. Because they are done quickly, sketches give the artist ample time to contemplate different ways to illustrate an idea.
A sketch is usually done very freely, and is a very effective and efficient means to communicate important ideas. By beginning with a sketch, an artist, animator, designer, etc, is able to express and explore a concept without being bogged down by measurements and logistics. The sketch is thus a tool to explore the heart’s desire.
Even a three-year old can produce a design with a sketch. Child’s Own Studio works from child’s sketches in each and every project. Some of these drawings made by children are indeed truly sketches with scratched out changes and scribbled messages for Child’s Own to take note. These drawings or sketches are effective and powerful enough to generate the soft toy making process and to yield a finished product. In this unique collaboration between artists (Child’s Own and child), the child provides a sketch that can only be described as a true expression of his heart’s desire.
Child’s Own enjoys the challenge of turning the sketch into a three-dimensional finished product that embodies the essence of the child’s drawing. I personally enjoy the drawings and treat them with care, and when done, return them to the artist. The final product, based on a child’s sketch, is of course, meant to capture the spirit and essence of the child. This is what makes Child’s Own soft toys unique and more characterful than mass-produced store bought products. The power of the simple sketch is made very apparent by every hand crafted soft toy at Child’s Own.
Wendy Tsao is a proud mom who dreamt of putting a smile on her child face by
transforming his drawing into a doll. Now she is helping other moms experience
the same priceless moments of joy and happiness by transforming their child
favorite drawings into dolls.For more inforamtion please visit:www.childsown.com
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Tags: custom made toys, home art, sketch art, toys from sketches
