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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.

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Madlynn is Kid of the Month

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.”

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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.

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Holding Her Head High

Actress Janine Turner Inspires Single Mothers
New Book Uncovers Moving Stories of Single Mothers Throughout History

by Janine Turner

Nashville, TN – History yields to all types of mothers. Helena Augusta, abandoned single mother of Constantine, helped forever change Christianity. Widowed single mother Belva Lockwood would become the first female presidential candidate in 1884. And Harriet Jacobs, a slave, chose to live in a small airless attic for 7 years so her children could have freedom while diligently fighting for her own freedom and her children's safety.

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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.

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Consumer: womens news
 

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Single Moms - find here resources on financial aid, scholarships, help with basic needs, food, prescription drugs, health care, housing, legal info, and much more...

 

Single by choice

 

by Leslie - New York

Recently I attended several NYC meetings, asking mothers, tryers and thinkers what advice they would give to women embarking on this adventure of single motherhood. Suggestions ranged from follow your heart to practical tips on finding babysitters.

 

First, for the thinkers

"I always knew I'd have a child regardless of my situation. Everything doesn't have to be in place. You don't have to have the right amount of money. It doesn't have to be the perfect situation or the perfect time. I always knew -- I'm a tryer because I ran up against the age barrier. I am planning my finances, wanting to be between jobs when the baby's born to spend time with the baby. Also, get a stable place to live before you become pregnant."

 

"Don't do this unless you re positive there's no other way you can have a child in your life, before your clock runs out."

 

"If money and an independent lifestyle are very important to you, maybe single motherhood isn't for you. Talk to mothers, project yourself into their lifestyle and then decide if it s right for you. The Thinkers Workshop was helpful-- it gave me perspective-- that everything didn't have to be perfect-- different circumstances can work."

 

Go to a Thinkers Workshop to hear detailed stories from mothers. It was helpful to me."

 

Gather as much information as possible, then follow your heart. Ultimately, it s an emotional decision."

 

Don't think about it-- just do it-- if you think too long, you won t do it."

 

Now for tryers

"Find a doctor you can work with who isn't prejudiced against single women."

 

"For those thinking of adoption-- you're more likely to get a baby from a shoemaker than from a relative or agency. In other words, get the word out. Almost everyone loses one-- it s good to know in advance."

 

"Think of adoption as a positive alternative of choice-- the love isn't any different. The issues are different, but the love is not."

 

"What's important is at the end of your pregnancy, go to a Lamaze class, it's the same as with couples. Network and pregnancy classes help because you see others going through pregnancy also. You have the same anticipations and the same fear-- it s comforting."

 

"Save a lot of money so things aren't overwhelming, so you can pay for cabs, take-out food and a caregiver. Get a lightweight, portable stroller immediately."

 

"Build a good support system-- family, friends. Sometimes it's hard for independent women to accept help-- well, accept it! Look at your work situation. Being self-employed has pros and cons-- no paid benefits, but if I want to take a day off to go to the pediatrician, no one complains. I'm not at work so I can watch him pull his socks off and no one complains I m late to work. It s always a trade-off."

 

Tips for new Moms were concrete and practical

"Hook up with a social service agency-- get advice-- take parenting classes, join La Leche League, get advice on day-care. Come to SMC meetings. Get practical advice. I learned about natural consequences, for example, of my daughter not wearing a jacket. And I learned about reflective listening. "

 

"I'm very lucky, I have a beautiful child but it s not an easy thing to do. It's expensive and my quality of life has gone down because of his school tuition. And, forget about men for a while."

 

"You have to be willing to make sacrifices and not feel deprived. I don t care if I don t get to see movies for a few years."

 

It has put me in the mainstream of society. I'm not just a single woman."

 

"Get enough sleep!"

 

"I wasn't prepared for my second child-- all the permutations of relationships. But it's the best thing I've ever done-- you can't appreciate in advance what you are doing, but don t let that stop you."

 

"Try to get your own bedroom so every tiny noise the baby makes doesn't wake you."

 

"I liked sharing my room with my baby. He needed the closeness."

 

"Find a babysitter that will play with the baby, enjoy the baby."

 

"For finding babysitters, put up signs, advertise in the Irish Echo, ask friends. Don't go through an agency because they charge a lot more money. Use word of mouth. Ask in prenatal classes, ask at the playground. Having had intermittent babysitting helps when you have to get a full-time sitter when you have to go back to work. My child is 6 months old and I'm finding it hard to let go."

 

"I know how you feel, I quit my job and started a business at home in order to stay with my child. Money is nothing compared to watching your child grow."

 

And some parting words

"Come to terms with the fact that your child won't be what you expect. He or she is a person in his own right and it s amazing to watch this person develop."

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Top 8 Tips for Reducing Kids Screen Time This Summer

Reducing time spent in front of televisions and computers is one of the easiest ways to improve your family's health. Here are eight simple ways to limit screen time so you can help crank up your kids’ energy, re-charge their minds, and improve their health.

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What would you change?

Weekly Column, by Annette Bridges

Change -- some people dread it, and others can’t get enough. It may be much like the idiom, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” When it comes to what we would alter or why we would make a modification, the answers vary because we all have different things we value, want, need and consider important.

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Being a Role Model

by Laurie Cesario-Overton

If I had to choose one sentence that would best describe what I feel parents need to learn, it would be this: Be your child's BEST ROLE MODEL in all the ways that truly count. Be your child's HERO. Whatever you do, do it for all the right reasons.

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How to Find the Best Car Loans for Single Moms

Financial Advice for Single Moms

The best car loans for single mothers might be just around the corner at your local car lot.

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3 Money Rules for Stay-at-Home Moms

As we all know, life is unpredictable. We lose jobs, get divorced and even become widowed...
Here are three steps stay-at-home parents should take to better manage their own and the family’s finances.

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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.

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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.

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Crystal Bowersox - A Single Mom And A Real American Idol

Read how the amazing Crystal Bowersox. the runner-up of American Idol Season 9, handles fame and life as a single mom, raising her 17 month old son.

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5 Ways for Single Moms to Save Money

Single moms are always looking for ways to save money, and for good reason... It’s important to find ways to cut corners on the little things that perhaps you don’t think about too often, because those are usually where your biggest money drains are.

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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...

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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?

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How to save $10,000

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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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.

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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.

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Mom's Obesity Raises Newborn's Heart Risk

from the National Institute of Health

The more obese a woman is when she becomes pregnant, the greater the likelihood that her newborn baby will have a congenital heart defect, a new study suggests. The finding raises concerns because 1 in 5 women are obese at the start of pregnancy in the United States.

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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.

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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.

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TheOnlineMom.com offers parents and consumers a guide to the top-rated, age-appropriate, kid-tested and parent-approved tech toys and gifts.

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Single Moms in the News

6 Best Celebrity Single Moms
Read about Halle Berry, Sandra Bullock, Michelle Williams, Reese Witherspoon, Kimora Lee Simmons, Mary-Louise Parker... 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...

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Get more self-confidence

Psychiatrist Gail Saltz and body language expert Janine Driver discuss ways to gain more confidence.

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Teens Report Parental Inattention to Their Important "Rites of Passage" has high price tag

by Amanda Bach

Almost half of America’s high school teens report parental inattention to what they consider to be key transitions during their adolescence, according to a SAAD.org study released. The study suggests that this lack of timely parental involvement in important “rites of passage” comes with a high price tag: the potential for dangerous behaviors that can lead to illness, injury, or death as teens seek alternative milestones to demonstrate growing maturity and independence.

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HowToDoThings.com

Is resource with a multitude of "How-To" topics. For instance, single moms can find helpful information about family life with informative articles on the topic of "Building a Family". HowToDoThings.com presents expert-contributed information on a wide variety of family-related topics, including adoption, pregnancy & birth, parenting, and celebrating family events. Some of our most popular articles are on subjects like "How to Understand a Fetal Monitor", "How to Prepare for Breast Feeding while Pregnant", "How to Set Up an Inflatable Birthing Pool", "How to Choose Nanny Agencies", and "How to Buy Infant or Baby Cribs".

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