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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.

Kids of the Month

Jason & Sarah are Kids of the Month

Make the most of your weekend

by Charlotte Latvala

• Too much free time can be just as nerve-racking as an overload of scheduled events

• If you run errands over the weekend, make them enjoyable with silly games

• Put your children to sleep at their weekday bedtime

• Have a sitter take the kids while you enjoy an afternoon alone in your own home

Get active! These fun toys will appeal to both parents and kids this summer

by Stephanie Oppenheim - TODAYShow.com contributor

What was your family’s favorite summertime game? For my less-than-athletic family, it was badminton. While we probably weren’t very good at it, I can still hear the laughter and it remains one of those happy “every summer” childhood memories.

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Amazing Mom

Post your Amazing Mom story, comment on other stories. Winner receives a gift card. Winning story is posted here.

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Parenting Articles

Help Hiring a Nanny

Choosing a person to help care for your child is not a decision parents take lightly, so finding a nanny can be a grueling and nerve-racking task. However, there are some basic measures you can take to ensure you find the right person for the job. Nannies4hire.com gives us their answers to frequently asked questions parents have about getting - and keeping - a great nanny.

How do I go about writing a job description for a nanny?
What type of duration are nannies willing to commit to?
What should I ask the nannies that I interview?
Can I ask for references from previous employers?
Once my nanny arrives, how can I help us start working together?
How can I resolve differences over how my nanny works without offending him/her?
... SuperNanny.com answers your questions.

Tips to calm your child's first-day jitters

Parenting & Family, msnbc.com

Is your little one or teenager nervous about heading back to school?

by Ruth A. Peters, Ph.D.
TODAYShow.com contributor
updated 4:21 p.m. CT, Wed., July. 23, 2008

The first day of school is quickly approaching, and kids are anticipating that event with mixed anticipation and apprehension. Old pros, although understanding the routine and structure of the day, still experience a bit of the first-day jitters as they wonder who will be in their classes and how they will fit in socially during the school year.

Parenting & Family, msnbc.com

A teaching moment or the start of years of therapy? Plus, when Viagra fails

by Brian Alexander
MSNBC contributor
updated 8:58 a.m. CT, Thurs., July. 31, 2008

Will you spend the rest of your life paying for therapy if your kid walks in on you having sex? Is the pill to blame for one wife’s low libido? And when Viagra doesn’t work, what are other options besides the little blue pill? Got a question?

Some Fun Ways To Teach Your Child How To Read

Debbie Glasser, Special to The Miami Herald

"One of the best ways parents and teachers can help preschool children get ready to read is to introduce them to the printed word,'' said Laura Justice, associate professor at the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. "Pointing to the letters and words on the pages - not just the illustrations - can go a long way in helping young children understand how print works.'' The ability to read requires an awareness of a unique code: Print runs from left to right. Letters are different from words. Titles tell the name of a book.

Learning to read is a skill. Loving to read is a way of life. Reading brings us closer together; it can take us to places far away. Reading is the key to achievement and imagination, to understanding and to aspiration. A book is a science laboratory, an art museum, a guided tour through history, a great friend. Books put the magic in the carpet ride.

It’s no secret that kids imitate their parents. Show your child that reading matters – to you. Show them just how irresistible a good book can be.

What We’ve Been Reading will feature new book reviews, spotlight what librarians around the country are featuring on their shelves, and offer groupings of book reviews about subjects near and dear to children of all ages.

Reading to Babies, Toddlers and Young Children. The Why? The What? And The How?

by The Child Literacy Centre

Reading to your child is the single most valuable thing you can do. Why?

• It gives experience of different types of language, rhythms and sounds

• Research shows that pre-school children who are exposed to plenty of language (books and conversation) tend to do better at school

• it teaches about many topics which wouldn't come up in conversation

• it is a wonderful way to bond with your child

• it is very calming

WARNING: READING must be FUN, not WORK!

by Michele Germain, LCSW - www.thejillprinciple.com

When their parents date, it creates anxiety in children and teens. The changes and losses they have gone through often cause them to feel jealous and insecure. They may become uncooperative, withdrawn, and rebellious or over attached to you. Each child, depending on age and personality, will react differently. But it is important to understand that they are struggling with two main feelings. Being single with children has it own set of challenges can be demanding and exhausting. And as a single parent you can be confused as to how to parent and date at the same time. Keep in mind that communication is always the goal. We want to let go of blaming, angry outburst, silence withdrawal or acting out, all of which can occur in families, either by you or your children. Being sensitive to one another, respectful of your needs as well as your children´s needs is what will bring families together. Healthy talk is the way to get there.

Parenting Insight? Like Everyone, You’ll Learn to Trust Me

by Darcey Blain

Always one for offering an alternative point of view, I’d like to introduce my new column, Kids All Around Me. I’m not your typical parent living the average family life. I’m actually a forty-something, single mom living in an apartment with my teenage son, three cats and a pet mouse (the last of three mice we adopted last summer – the other two are in plastic bags and cardboard box caskets in our freezer waiting to be buried in the spring). I’m not kidding. This is my world and, honestly, I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I’m rarely bored and few would consider me dull. So, a parenting column? I know this stuff, really.

We Know How To Do Birthdays Right

by Darcey Blain

I’m exhausted. I just returned to my nice, quiet apartment after spending the afternoon at my niece’s seventh birthday party. Don’t get me wrong, I truly enjoy hanging out with five children between the ages of three and seven years for an afternoon. (Maybe enjoy isn’t exactly the right word, but it’s very close.) I’m just incredibly grateful when I can say good-bye, get my hugs and walk out the door with my 14-year-old and go home.

Talking to Your Kids about Drugs

by Amanda Bach

As a single parent, each much harder for you to have anytime to spend with your kids; Drug is a tough issue & sooner or later, you have to talk with your kids about it.

Are Your Children Ready For School?

by Dorothy M. Neddermeyer, PhD, MSW, CSW, CCH, CRT

To adequately prepare your child for school you need to prepare your child to protect him/herself from cunning sexual abuse perpetrators.

"Finding Neverland": Finding the child in my parenting style

by Meg Dendler from Spirituality.Com

I’m Captain Hook.

I thought this as I watched Finding Neverland, which depicts how Scottish playwright James Barrie (played by Johnny Depp) comes to write the much-loved play Peter Pan. I couldn’t avoid seeing the parallels between Barrie’s inspiration for the villainous Captain Hook and how I act with my own children. I was horrified.

Watching this brilliant film really opened my eyes to something I had let slip away in the past few years: the appreciation of childlike qualities. The movie, based on real events, follows Barrie as he forms a friendship with four young brothers who have just lost their father.

I'm adopted and that's okay

by Jodie Swales from Spirituality.Com

When I was 18 years old, I learned that I was adopted. The news upset and confused me. I was relieved to hear my brother was really my brother— at least I had one real relative, I thought. But I began to feel so lonely. And even though for the sake of my adoptive parents I tried my best to pretend that nothing had changed, I still had a lot of questions.

Who were my birth parents? How could they give up my brother and me? Were they still alive? These questions pulled on my spirits like lead weights.

Soccer mom practices civility on the sidelines

by Sandra Scott from Spirituality.Com

I couldn't believe the words coming out of her mouth—well, almost couldn't. I was sitting next to my friend Barb, while we watched our daughters' varsity soccer game. Her loud, angry criticisms, directed towards the field, went way beyond the line of civility. And I must admit, I had been guilty of this less-than-stellar behavior myself.

When my daughter first started playing soccer as a pre-teen, it was all about fun. She enjoyed it, and so did I. And for the most part, the only calls from the sidelines were shouts of encouragement.

by Beth Carey from Spirituality.Com

Her already short skirt hiked up even higher when 14-year-old Anna slung her backpack over her shoulder. Her mother, Dara, watched with dismay.

A mother/daughter trip to the mall the day before had been a trying experience. That skirt was the only one Anna wanted. Dara thought it was just plain too short, but compromised by saying Anna could have the skirt if she used her own money. Deal! Now Anna was wearing it to school the very next day.

Helping a Lonely or Rejected Child

written by Lawrence J. Cohen

When a child comes home and says, "No one likes me" or "everyone hates me," it can be hard for parents to tell the difference between temporary exclusion versus ongoing rejection.

• Before you intervene in your child's social difficulties, ask yourself some questions about your own history.

Where did you stand in the group in term of popularity? What were your friendships like at that age? Do you and your child have different temperaments when it comes to socializing?

written by Dr. Clare Albright, Psychologist and Parenting Coach.

Most people have more training before they receive their driver's license than before they become a parent. Educating yourself on how to communicate effectively with your child can be the key to achieving your parenting goals. If you do not have children of your own, these 10 tips can help you whenever you are around children.

• 1. Draw children out to speak about the things on their minds. You can 'prime the pump' by talking with them about their favorite foods, toys, movies, video games, etc.

The Most Expert Parenting Advice

by Susan Webb from Spirituality.Com

I've come to the conclusion that I'm a good parent. But I didn't always believe it.

When my son was about six months old, he spit up a lot no matter which formula I fed him. (I tried breast-feeding him when he was born, but he wouldn't have it.) Lacking confidence in my own judgment as a new mother, I prayed, read magazines, consulted the birthing hospital, asked many of my friends for their opinions and tried all of their advice. But I soon found their ideas conflicted and trying to do them all just made me more anxious. And, he still spit up all the time!

Divine Daycare

by Laura Matthews - from Spirituality.Com

My kids know from daycare.

Between the two of them, they were in ten different childcare situations before the age of five. The stresses and changes in my life -- divorce, moving across country, several different jobs -- required their care situations to change frequently as well.

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How to deal with economic stress

Stressed about the economy? You certainly aren’t alone. According to a recent survey from the American Psychological Association, 74% of Americans say work or money cause them stress and anxiety. The thing is, stress has a huge impact on your body. It can cause headaches, impair your immune system, disrupt your digestive system and can even affect heart function. Here are some stress-busters you can start today to help curb your symptoms.

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...

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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.

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

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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Discover your personality type and what careers are best suited for you

What they play: Kids and video games

Parents, are you left in the dark? Arm yourself with these three tips

by John Davison - Co-founder of WhatTheyPlay.com

Call it a generation gap or a digital divide, if you're a parent who is a little clueless about what video games are appropriate for your child, you are not alone. John Davison, one of the founders of What They Play, offers tips that help take the mystery out of the video games your children are playing.

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How to answer 6 of kids' toughest questions

When kids stump you with one of these six questions, you can rely on these answers.

Questions, such as: Why didn't I get invited to that party? Where do people go when they die? How do thunder and lightning work? Where do rainbows come from? Why do we have to move?...

Is it harder to raise boys or girls?

by Paula Spencer

• Boys may not listen as well as girls because their hearing isn't as good from birth

• Girls are rigged to be people-oriented, while boys are more action-oriented

• Girls tend to grow up less confident and more insecure than boys

• Boys are harder to raise early on, but girls become more difficult as preteens

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My Story as a Single Mom

by Gail Showalter

Author Gail Showalter is looking for stories from single mothers to use as examples in a book that will reveal how personalities affect the different ways we handle difficulties. This submission should tell of a situation that you found yourself in as a single mother. It should tell what you did and relate that to your own personality and temperament. In other words, why you did what you did when another person of a different temperament probably would have done it entirely differently given the same circumstances. To find out more about the submission, CLICK HERE.

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