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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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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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Single Moms - find here resources on financial aid, scholarships, help with basic needs, food, prescription drugs, health care, housing, legal info, and much more...
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In trying to find some resources for me and my children .......I happened to come across your advertisement for this contest, and decided to give it a try as I feel that I have a story to tell. This is a real life story of a mom, (Me) who ended up in a very bad situation that went out of control with no warning.
I am a 39 year single mom of 3 small children ranging from ages 5 years old, 20 months old, and 5 months old. At the time of me becoming "Suddenly Single", I was only 4 months pregnant. I don't know how I've made it thus far.
My whole world shattered on November 9th 2004 when I had went to court with my fiancé who had to go to court for DWI issues. The judge set a bail higher than what had been already put down in another court, and me or my fiancé could not make the bail ......so I ended up walking out of that court building alone with 2 small children at the time. I had no idea what I was about to face the next year ahead.
I knew that my fiancé had past issues with drinking, but what I didn't realize is that he had it not under control, and that when he was out, and away from me he was acting under the influence, and that would later cause me amd my kids our present fate. Dave would leave out for work in the morning, and then come back home later in the evening a little intoxicated. Because I was not aware of what an alcoholic was, and how they acted I didn't realize that Dave was an alcoholic trying to control his disease himself, but couldn't. And he did try. He wanted to be with me so bad that he tried to stop, but without professional help that was impossible. He would be out and have his drinks with his co-workers before he got home. But unlike the co-workers who knew when to stop......... Dave didn't.
I won't deny that I love Dave very much and he loves me. We get along pretty well, and when I had first met him I couldn't believe how well we related to one another and got along. We started out as just friends as I was alone then and was pregnant, but not with the father of the baby. Dave right away said that if I didn't want this guy in my life that he would adopt the child by giving her his last name and being her father. That really touched my heart. That's what he did. Anyhow we used to sit up late at night for hours and hours and talk about our lives before we met, and our hardships. I couldn't believe how it seemed I'd finally met someone who understood me and I understood him. For once in my life I could relax and be Nice. Not someone made up just to please a man, and to keep him. As I talked to Dave I realized he had some past hurts. He was adopted and felt unwanted, and he had some past problems with drinking. Upon meeting Dave he had told me that his drinking was under control and me and my family believed that.
Well on July 5th 2004 I drove Dave to his bosses house to do some work. He does roofing and siding. The boss decided not to work that day, so Dave decided to go over to the guy's house next door to his boss's house and ask to borrow his truck to go and see about a side job. Well while Dave was driving he was randomly pulled over by a police officer who placed him under arrest. She smelled beer on his breath and saw the empty Red Dog beer can under his feet, and she placed him under arrest. So basically since November 9th 2004 when he was remanded I have been struggling along and having a terrible time making ends meet. I am disabled (Mental Health Issues-Major Depression, Anxiety, and Panic Disorder) and I get $122.00 a month from SSI, and $360.00 for my one child in child support, and $125.00 a week from my ex in child support. That equals $500.00 a month. So my total monthly income is $982.00 and our rent here in this apartment is $781.00 a month. I have to pay electric and phone on top of that. I lost my section-8 when I meet Dave and we combined our incomes. He had a pretty descent job. I have since re-applied for section-8. But at the present time I have been placed on a waiting list. Meanwhile I am really struggling along with the kids to buy the basic necessities. I am needing diapers, and wipes, and laundry detergent, and soap, hair care products, and money to just live on. I have been going in our apartment dumpster looking for pop cans to get extra change, and begging all of these different agencies to help me. There is no help. They all tell me that there is no funding available. I am at my wits end. My life has been turned upside down and I don't know what to do from day to day. Me and my kids go without a lot. Never without food because we do get food stamps, but I had to beg for my 5 year old daughter's school supplies. I don't have any extra money for those things. All of our money goes to the rent. I can't move either right now because the lease is in Dave's name, and I can't add my name cause I don't have good credit, and they told me that if they run my credit, and it comes back negative I'd have to move. Why? I have been paying the rent every month on my own since December 2004. Never late, never fell behind. But that doesn't matter those are the rules. I struggle along every month to pay the rent and they can't take my situation into consideration???
My fiancé was sentenced to a 1-3, and in the meantime I am trying to hold up the fort for me and my kids. I know that Dave is now getting the help that he needs and I don't have to worry about him. I don't worry about him. I can't. In the mix of all this I had to labor, and deliver a baby all alone without Dave. He wasn't here for me, or the children because of his own problems. I have hit rock bottom here, and see that there is no one out here that I can depend on but myself. If this man comes out and gets himself together that's great, but if not, no one else will ever be able to bring me down in this bad way ever again. I am doing very, very badly financially. And to add to my problems our van broke down so I have no transportation. I have lost so much.
My main goal is to keep a roof over my children's head, and not be homeless. I have no real supports out here. My family and his family are not supportive. I think my parents are just very hurt that I fell into this situation, and they are unable to help me financially. His parents??? I can't speak for them. But they have not been supportive to me at all considering that they have a 5 month old grandson that they need to be getting to know. They have only seen their grandson once, only because I sent them a letter begging them to come and see him. I am lost. I don't know what to do some days. I have no friends or people to just spend quality time with with the kids. I have looked all over our county for support groups but there is nothing.
So you may ask what my reason for writing you is??? To tell my story to someone that I know will listen. To tell you how I have had all this pressure on me, and that I am still trying to take care of me and my kids despite the situation that I have been left in. And to add that if I can get through this horrible time in my life I hope that I can inspire others who may end up in my shoes one day or who may already be in my shoes.
Well this is my story. And I don't mind sharing it with anyone who asks me about it. This is a learning experience for me. Us moms have to be self sufficient even if we have a man in our lives, because if he goes for any reason everything is on us.
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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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