Family & Parenting Articles

1. New Mom...New Baby...New Debt?

By Susan Koiner Ah, there is nothing like being an expectant mom. Along with your expanding waistline comes the ever growing list of products for you and your new bundle of joy. Preparing for a new baby can be a costly experience, especially in the areas of clothing and nursery furniture. The good news is that it does not have to be! Let’s talk about buying baby clothes...think RESALE! Every new mom gushes... read more

2. Reaching Dreams Part 2 - "To-Do" lists

By Kara Kelso Why do you need a "To-Do" list? To reach your goals! Now how can a small daily exersize be the key to reaching your goals? Let me explain: If you have your goals in place, then you know what you want when you want it. But, if you don't have a plan on how to get their, your goals will never be reached in the proper time periods. So let's break this down a little further. Look at your main, ... read more

3. New Moms Share their Picks for the Best (and Worst) Baby Gifts

By Jennifer Kirkpatrick To find out what the perfect baby gift is, we went right to the source – new moms! We surveyed more than 200 moms to find out what gifts they loved, and which ones they wish they hadn’t of received. Here's what we learned... The 5 Favorite Baby Gifts We weren't surprised by the item most moms were glad they received. A whopping 52.7% of moms chose "clothes in larger sizes" as one of their fa... read more

4. Baby Shower Gift Ideas

By Criss White Selecting a present for a new mom or dad can be a challenging task. Baby showers are a great way to help support a new mother with her new baby. New mothers can sign up at a gift registry to avoid duplicate gifts and to indicate her gift preferences. Here are some good gift ideas for baby showers: 1) Diapers - Diapers are a popular gift for baby showers. Every new mother ... read more

5. Spare the Child, Ditch the Rod

By Mark Brandenburg This philosophy's been around a long time. In fact, a study done by Zero to Three, a nonprofit child-development group, found that 61 percent of the adults who responded condone spanking as a regular form of punishment. The percentage of parents who actually use spanking is believed to be much higher. And when my five year old son's behavior went beyond annoying a few days ago, I felt ... read more

6. Tips for Buying Baby Gear

By Eric Koshinsky Buying baby gear can be a frustrating experience for new parents who want to have the best for the baby without breaking their budget. You need to buy baby furniture, such as a crib or bassinet, a change table, high-chair, and a playpen. Parents also like to purchase a baby swing and a stroller for taking the baby for a walk. A cheaper alternative to a stroller is a baby sling where you can carry ... read more

7. Funeral Planning Checklist

By Charles Sieger Planning a funeral can be a very difficult task, especially considering the circumstances. When something as tragic as a family member or friend passes away, the last thing you want to deal with is planning the funeral. For this reason, we have compiled a list of things to remember when planning a funeral. Although this will not help with the emotional stress you are experiencing, it may take off ... read more

8. Guide to Easy, Affordable Baby Shower Decorations

By Jessika Ryder Great baby shower decorations are more about using your imagination than your pocketbook! You can create a wonderful party mood with simple, high-impact arrangements. This article details some of the best ideas for baby shower decorations. Use balloons artfully Balloons make it feel like a party! Always have balloons at your events. Here's a money-saver tip -- your local 99¢ store wi... read more

9. Great Appetizers for Baby Showers and Other Parties

By Criss White One of the biggest challenges for planning a baby shower or any other party is picking the right food. Appetizers and snacks are great for all types of parties, big and small. Here are some delicious appetizer ideas that you can make yourself or buy for your party: 1) Stuffed Mushrooms - Stuffed mushrooms are a tasty treat for any party. Larger mushroom caps of course ar... read more

10. Take Control of Your Gas Prices

By Granmamma Want to reduce your gas prices? Here’s how: By: GranMamma - Car pool. Join your neighbors for shopping and picking up the kids. - Walk. If your convenient store is just around the corner, you could be getting some great exercise. - Buy a five-gallon gasoline can and fill it up when prices are low. Then, when prices are outrageous, you’ll have something to fall back on. - Look into p... read more

11. How to Remove Blackheads

By Brenda H. Murphy The bane of most teenagers existence is pimples. But they may also have another skin problem that will stay with them past the hormonal years, and that's blackheads. These are something that can follow a person for much of their life, because they are related to two common factors of everyday life: oil production in your skin, and dead skin cells. Contrary to popular belief, blackheads are not... read more

12. Partnership Originated From A Dream

By Natali Roettger A few years ago I - Natali - was still living in Russia and had never dreamt of living in a foreign country. On a beautiful sunny day, back in 1996, when I worked as a kindergarden-teacher, we were given notice that our kindergarden was about to be closed down.Two months later I was out of work. Totally by chance - as it happens often - I discovered an ad in the newspaper, where a company offe... read more

13. Send Your Child to College FREE!

By Granmamma Send your Child to College FREE! By: GranMamma College is one of the largest expenses through the course of your child’s life. It is also one of the main causes of debt in America. With today’s rates of inflation, it is very hard to save for an event that will occur eighteen years down the road. However, capitalistic America has provided many ways to send your child to college without paying... read more

14. What You Need to Know about Baby Monitors

By Eric & Lisa Koshinsky Baby monitors are an essential part of baby gear. When you have the baby asleep in the crib, you don't have to keep constantly checking to make sure that he/she is all right when you have a baby monitor. You have one part of the monitor in the nursery and the other in the same room of the house where you are. Every move and sound that the baby makes come through the speaker so it is almost like yo... read more

15. Getting The Most From A Romantic Relationship

By Alan Detwiler Romantic relationships happen because of the hopes and dreams a couple has for a happy life together. The relationship will continue to be pleasant and rewarding as long as the hopes and dreams are kept alive by staying concerned with what is good about the relationship. This article suggests ways for staying aware of what makes your romantic relationship worthwhile. Don't Expect Too Much -... read more

16. Facts about infant crying – the “healthy reasons”

By F.P. Larson Infant crying can be frustrating and frighteningly for parents. When you are unable to calm your baby, you forget that all babies cries, crying is the way babies communicate. An average infant cries an average 2-3 hours per day. As we all (hopefully) know, there are no such things as an average infant and parents have enough to cope with to use a stopwatch on their baby and calculate crying averag... read more

17. How to Find the Right Virtual Assistant for You

By Alice Seba If you search on Google for “virtual assistant”, you’ll find a ton of listings. You can search through those, check out their services and do some interviews. I’d take a shorter route. Find some other people you trust and ask them who they use and recommend. Then go from there. You’ll do a lot better seeking out recommendations. If you don’t know anyone personally…ask people in your networking ... read more

18. How to Remove a Permanent Marker Stain

By Brenda H. Murphy Due to the unique contents of various inks, not to mention the color and materials of a garment, no one solution works for all clothing or all types of markers. Remember when trying to remove a permanent marker stain, that you should first check the garment for its content, as well as any manufacturer's instructions. Make sure you have a pad of paper towels underneath the area of material that... read more

19. Tips For a First-Time Dad

By Jackie G. Maxwell So you’re going to become a father. Now is not the time to panic. You’ve got lots of time to get used to the idea, before that new life you helped create, arrives to join your own. These tips for a first-time Dad will help you to survive the pre-baby and post-birth jitters. Be supportive of your partner during the pregnancy. Some women have a more difficult time than others, and the fluctuat... read more

20. A Chance for a Home

By Tanya Sturman A Chance for a Home "He is happiest, be he king or peasant, who finds peace in his home." Johann von Goethe Home. Family. Backyard cookouts. A table laden with more than we can eat on Thanksgiving day. These things ground us, offer us stability, and give us an environment where we can learn, explore, grow, and even self-actualize. Yet for 210 million children, these basic human needs will nev... read more

21. Traveling with Kids

By Susanne Myers A little preparation will make a big difference in how enjoyable traveling with your kids can be. Use some of our tips and ideas below, whether you and your children are traveling by car or plane. After all, this is the time of the year when we are ready to relax and rejuvenate, not stress about how to get to our favorite vacation spot while listening to “Are we there yet?” every 10 minutes. Outli... read more

22. Moneynet sounds alarm over poor-paying children’s savings accounts

By Moneynet Interest rates on children’s savings accounts – some of the most heavily marketed of all savings products – can leave kids badly out of pocket, online financial data service Moneynet warns today. In some cases, the difference in rates can be several per cent (see data below), meaning that over a period of years – the accounts are typically held for the longer term – the end savings pot can vary... read more

23. Life insurance, the universe and everything

By Rachel Lane You may have noticed that life insurance is coming back into fashion. It’s true that it may not be the financial term on everybody’s lips, but sales of life insurance have been going up, according to the Association of British Insurers. Whilst we may not be saving the volume of funds that the financial institutes would like, we are at least flirting with the idea of becoming a little more protec... read more

24. Has anyone seen my twenties?

By Rachel Lane Premature aging is spreading across the UK and is particularly prevalent amongst recent graduates in the UK who, upon leaving university, are plunged straight into fears about the property ladder, pensions and paying off their student debts. These young people graduate at the age of 21, do not pass go and head straight to 35, worrying about their personal finance investments before finding the... read more