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Cutting Grocery Costs without Cutting Nutrition
Simple, healthy, and affordable ways to weather the rising price of food
by Karen Collins, R.D., American Institute of Cancer Research
Grocery prices are projected to increase again in 2008 – that’s following 2007’s highest annual increase in 17 years. But surviving these tough economic times doesn’t have to mean sacrificing good nutrition. Some simple strategies can help you cut food costs and eat more healthfully, too.
read more...
Some things should never be said...
by Kristyn Kusek Lewis
What Not to Say About Someone's Appearance
Don’t say: “You look good for your age.”
Why: Anything with a caveat like this is rude. It's saying, "You look great―compared with other old people. It's amazing you have all your own teeth."
Instead say: “You look great.”
read more...
7 love rules you need to break
‘Cosmopolitan’ magazine lists nonconventional tips for happier relationships
These relationship secrets go against conventional wisdom, but “Cosmo” believes in shaking things up. Colleen Rush shares seven new rules for today's relationships:
Just because you’ve always done something one way doesn’t mean it’s the right way. Remember how much your life improved when you finally gave up super-low-rise jeans, dating only bad boys, and dial-up modems? Relationship experts say that ditching the following seven love rules can be just as liberating — maybe more.
read more...
Single Mom Dating Tips from Ms. Single Mama
I have been a dating single mom for over two years now.
And the first thing I can tell you is this - it's not easy. First you have to get past your divorce, the heartbreak, the anger and the tears. And then, once you are finally ready to get back out there, you have to factor in the kids and their feelings.
Here are a few of my single mom dating advice articles that are a good base. Start here and then come back to my blog every day, because as you'll soon see - I'm learning as I go!
Ms. Single Mama advises on How to meet men as a single mom and date them, The good stuff: falling in love as a single mom, The not-so-good stuff: breaking up as a single mom.
read more...
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Written by or about Amazing Single Moms. These are stories of sacrifice, determination, will, the desire to overcome and love. Stories that may sound very much like your own. Please read and be inspired!
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I hope you consider my story. There is a lot more to it, but I just didn't think that I could fit everything in one essay. I just want to say that I am proud of being a single mom and that in many ways, I think my children and I are much better off.
I came across this website through a Google search for college grants for single moms and was really intrigued by the site and wanted to share my story with you.
Listing of Top Online Schools
My name is Christina and I am currently a single mother of 4 beautiful daughters, Jazmyn (17), Bristol (14), Belanah (8), and Fiona (2). Two of my daughters are on the autistic spectrum, Bristol has been diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome with a learning disability in language comprehension and Fiona has pervasive developmental disorder- not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS) with hyperlexia and echolalia. Many may think of this as a tragedy, but I don't see it that way. My children are beautiful and intelligent and special in their own way.
I grew up poor, but loved dearly by my family. I was at the top of my class in high school, even though I gave birth to Jazmyn during the first semester of my senior year. I continued on to college and did very well (I was on the dean's list), but I had to leave at the beginning of my junior year to better care for my children. I have worked a variety of jobs and lived paycheck to paycheck, but even though we were poor, my children never suffered. There have been many ups and downs in our lives and although there were some times when it seemed useless to go on, I focused on the positive things in our lives and we prevailed.
In 1999, I tore my acl and cartiledge in my right knee and couldn't work for about 3 months. I decided to pursue another vocation (I was a bartender at the time) and lucked out when a local casino was interviewing for blackjack dealers and providing the training free of charge. I did very well and in the span of a few months, I had learned almost all of the games and became one of the best dealers on the boat. I was making good money and had paid vacations and good insurance and life was looking up. I was promoted quickly to supervisor (pit boss) and life was good. I met a wonderful guy and married quickly and soon I was expecting a baby. I had a very difficult pregnancy and hard delivery, but she seemed very healthy and I was happy. When she was 7 months old, I fell at work and re-tore my acl and underwent extensive surgery to try to repair the damage. I was off of work again ( a very extended leave of absence) and now almost two years and several surgeries later, I am permanently disabled. During this time, I found out that my youngest daughter had multiple food allergies and severe developmental delays. After further testing, she was diagnosed autistic at 14 months without a good prognosis for the future. I took the initiative and worked intensively researching autism and developed my own system for teaching her to speak. I leaned sign language and used picture and books and played on the floor with her every day. Within 6 months, my 14 yr old was diagnosed with AS, I lost both my grandfather and father to pancreatic cancer, and my husband refused to accept Fiona's autism. I was very distraught and depressed, but I pressed on every day and worked so hard to deal with my losses and improve my children's lives.
It worked! Fiona has an great outlook for the future. Her IQ is in the genius range and at age two can read, spell, name very complex shapes (ie: quadrilateral, trapezoid, rhombus), and count to 100. Bristol is doing well in school this year and has finally become more social and is reading more. Jazmyn is a senior this year and is going to go to college and Belanah is a straight A student and a cheerleader. My husband and I have gotten divorced because of the issues with autism and my disability, but I am not afraid to be alone. I am self sufficient and although we don't have a lot of extra money floating around, my family is very happy. I am planning to go back to college to either teach special needs children or become a special needs attorney. I am very outspoken about educating the public about autism, raising awareness of it and helping other families learn how to teach their autistic child.
In closing, I just want to say that I know that this is a very limited essay of our lives and it would take an entire book to justify our struggles and accomplishments. I just hope that you can envision our lives from this brief glimpse and go on to touch someone else's life today. I strongly believe that everything we do could affect the entire world and if I can change a single person's life for the better, I may make a difference in the future. Kiss your children today and tell them how special they are and how much you love them and they may grow up to make a difference too.
Read all Amazing Mom Stories, post your own story, comment and share your experience with other single moms!
Amazing Mom Stories Previous Winners
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"She Reminds Us"
by/with Mike Greca
Dedicated to all mothers
In mothers arms a baby sleeps
She swears she hears an angel breathe
Baby wakes and hungrily
By mammas breast the baby feeds
She Reminds Us
That love can conquer anything
Daddy's left them all alone
Always drinks but never phones
But she'll make sure her baby grows
If it's the last thing in life she ever does
She Reminds Us
That love can conquer anything
She reminds us
There are some things only wider eyes can see
Boy he grows
By mammas love
And mamma knows
That heaven above
Gives its angels just enough
Though daddy could not give
Mamma loves him twice as much to cover it
And the boy he grows.....
Days than years go flyin' by
And mamma's still working overtime
Makin sure her little boy becomes
Twice the man his father never was
She reminds us
There are some things only wider eyes can see
She reminds us
That love can conquer anything
Mamma loves, and her love is loud
Boy he grows into a man strong and proud
Mamma loves, and her love is loud
She reminds us that love can conquer anything
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9 Cash-Saving Tips That Pay Big Bucks
complaintsboard.com
The expression "a penny saved is a penny earned" doesn't cut it these days. But saving a few dollars here and there can add up...
read
more...
Try out these Thanksgiving recipes from tasteofhome
You May Have Too Much Debt But You Also Have Options
How Life Works
If you feel like you're in over your head with personal debt, you're not alone. Millions of Americans have become overextended, many as a result of easy credit and the recessions. Credit cards, medical bills, personal loans and raising interest rates do not make a good financial mix.
read more...
Suze Orman's Recession Rescue Plan - helps you survive in times of financial crisis
OPRAH.com
Do you know what your family would do if you lost your job - or worse, your home? Financial expert Suze Orman is ready to help you
devise a recession rescue plan to survive - and possibly thrive - during this deepening financial crisis...
read more...
Could fat babies mean fat toddlers?
A new study from Harvard Medical School found that babies who gained weight quickly had a sharply higher risk of obesity. The study
followed close to 600 babies and found those in the top quarter of weight for their length at 6 months had a 40 percent higher risk of
obesity by age 3 than smaller babies.
read
more...
The 10-Ingredient Shopping Trip
By Tara Parker-Pope and Mark Bittman
... In his latest “How to Cook Everything” segment on the Today Show, New York Times food writer Mark Bittman makes it
surprisingly easy to cook a week’s worth of dinners with just a 10-ingredient shopping trip.
read
more...
Finding last-minute tuition money
There's still time to find funds for this semester's college tuition. But you'll have to move quickly.
By Gerri Willis
It's only a couple of weeks or even days until school begins. And if you don't think you'll be able to get a handle on your college
tuition bill, here with your guide to last minute money.
read more...
Short-term Payday Loans
econ4u.org
...Which are more expensive, late fees or short-term loans?...
A short-term payday loan can be a better option than overdraft fees, reconnect fees, late payment fees or a damaged credit rating when
the loan is repaid promptly. However, these loans are not suited for longer repayment periods...
Being realistic about budgeting can help avoid the need for short-term borrowing.
read more...
Your Just-in-Case Emergency Plan
by RealSimple
Who do you call if you can't make it home in time to meet the kids' bus? Who do
you trust to take in your mail when you're on vacation? Who do you trust with
the extra set of keys to your house?
read
more...
How to save $10,000 in 2009
By Liz Pulliam Weston
If you were hoping for a list of small tweaks you could make in your spending to save $10,000 a year, sorry. The reality is that
$10,000 is a lot of money. And saving big money usually means making big changes in the areas where we spend the most, such as:
Housing, Transportation, Food.
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more...
The Super, Sexy, Single Mom on a Budget
by Renee Rayles
A quick reference guide designed for the busy, single mom who has
little time to read while running the mom taxi, cooking dinner, helping with homework, and trying to fit in a date night every now and
then.
32 and Counting? Finding Your Happily Ever After Today
by Gi Gi
The author talks about the struggles a single mom goes through and the discovery that you can have HEAT (Happily Ever After Today) just
as you are, being single, taking care of your kids...
read more...
Single Mothers &
Male Role-Models / Mentors
Single mothers carry an enormous load of responsibility, especially those having sole and/or primary custody of minor children. They
nourish, they nurture, they teach, they discipline, they shelter, they protect, and they provide… all without the assistance of another
equally-invested adult.
read more...
Your 5-minute guide to protecting your identity
20 steps to protect yourself from identity theft, and seven ways to clean up things if you become a victim.
read more...
TheOnlineMom.com offers parents and consumers a guide to the top-rated, age-appropriate, kid-tested and parent-approved tech toys and gifts.
read more...
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw
by Jeff Kinney
For those wondering why tween boys don’t read very much, the answer is that more books aren’t like this...
read more...
Get more self-confidence
Psychiatrist Gail Saltz and body language expert Janine Driver discuss ways to gain more confidence.
read more...
Get back in the game! Dating after divorce
Dr. Laura Berman offers smart strategies for finding romance again
TODAYShow.com contributor
Dating is often a risky and adrenaline-pumping adventure, but when you date after divorce, hearts aren’t the only commodities on the line. Between kids, potential step-relations, money issues and exes, dating after divorce can be a tricky and stressful undertaking.
Rather than delve into this stress, many divorcees choose to isolate themselves from dating and romance.
read more...
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