Do More for Others With What You Already Have

Earlier this week, a friend’s Facebook post read “happy Tax Freedom Day! As of today, you are officially free of your tax burdens. 102 days of work to pay your taxes for the year.” When “doing” their taxes, many people scramble for receipts that they hope will somehow qualify for a charitable giving deduction while others just wish that they had done some type of giving during the past 12 months. In years past, I have found myself asking questions like “what am I doing with all of my money” or “have I really not helped anyone the entire year”?

In the madness of this great life, I admittedly find it hard to remember the needs of others outside of my own family. Given the economic climate, many people are not in the position to give monetarily but do give to others in many different ways. This is a wonderful alternative and should be celebrated. This post is for those of us who may not necessarily have the time or talent to donate but who would like to use monetary means to somehow help their fellow man.
As an example, with very little effort, one could begin the year with saving a minimum of just $25 per month that will then build by the end of the year into a $300 donation which could do a lot of good for any number of charities. In the remainder of this post, I will attempt to share some of the madness which is my means to this end.

Now, how does one go about saving a little extra on a monthly basis? I’m glad you asked! I don’t pretend to be very good at spending less money, but, in recent months I have made a concerted effort to try. Since making this change, I have learned that the majority of excess expenditures have gone toward activities and the food purchases made during said activities. After making this observation, I began my first baby step in the money-saving direction by packing snacks before going on any type of family outing. I try to make it a personal rule to “never get caught unprepared”. Before each family outing, it has now become routine for each child to take a couple of minutes to pack a special toy, favorite snack and some type of drink before putting on shoes and a coat and walking out the door. Once I began doing this, I noticed, right away, that there were less “emergency” stops at fast food restaurants and far fewer arguments with my children over whether or not to buy snacks at the cash register. There is something to be said about the health benefits related to these choices as well, but that’s another blog post entirely! I will say this, however… For those with picky eaters, first of all, God bless you! A big problem with picky eaters when trying to grab nutrients while out and about is picking something that they will actually eat. Packing snacks from home eliminates the madness of the pleading with little ones and, my personal favorite, the deal-making like “five more bites and we can…”


Another huge benefit to packing your own food can be appreciated when making the trek to places like the zoo. We have an amazing zoo near our house that my family likes to visit as often as possible. Before my epiphany of packing our own food, we used to begin each zoo visit by waiting in line at a fast food counter and then spending the next 45 minutes to an hour fighting other zoo guests and seagulls for a table and rushing our kids to eat and not play with the enclosed toy so that we could “go have fun”. When looking back on this, one word comes to mind… “Ridiculous”. Now, we have the option of eating at our leisure. We still make the packed food fun by sticking with a zoo theme with animal crackers and by using cookie cutters to make sandwiches into the shapes of the kids’ favorite animals. This has inspired new conversations that sometimes get some interesting looks, like “do you see that elephant honey? Mm-hmm. I eat him!”

When packing food isn’t an option, I do try to conserve on menu items as much as possible. I do this by ordering water, instead of fountain beverages at some places or by allowing tiny kids, who eat very little anyway, to share meals. For instance, when visiting a popular family games and pizzeria joint, I am sure to bring the reusable beverage bottles once purchased at the chain and then I have the kids share a menu item. Let’s face it. They’re there for the fun and not the food anyway!

When splurging on a treat, like a special trip to the movies, theatres and other family friendly businesses often have products that cater to savings through family-style sharing. Parents can request extra bags and cups for divvying up concessions. Even the pretzel counter in most food courts have pretzel sticks designed for easier sharing.

Savings can go beyond food expenditures as well. I am sure that many can relate to the sticker shock felt when looking at merchandise at special functions like kid’s concerts, the circus and other “kid friendly” venues. I have learned that a little planning ahead, like buying and then packing similar toys that light up or have the face of a favorite character can bring just as much joy to a child at a fraction of the cost. This little trick came especially in handy during a recent family vacation to a very popular resort and theme park (wink).

Playdates are another area of potential savings. In the past, I have been notorious for making plans to meet up at places that charge some type of overhead either through meals, ticket purchases or the sales of some other type of merchandise. Parks, splash pads, the public library (if developmentally appropriate), indoor playgrounds, recreation centers and other free venues can provide just as much if not more opportunity for creative play.

While the majority of my suggestions may relate more to families with younger children, opportunities to save can also be found for parents of older kids and adults themselves. For some reason, the cost of participation in sports and other activities tends to increase as kids get older. Fundraisers or booster clubs can be very helpful in raising funds for any number of extracurricular activities. Even the smallest difference in savings can go a long way when donated to a charitable cause.
Anyone who has parented a “tween” or teen for a second can tell you that, while they ask for fewer things, the exorbitant cost of the items that they do ask for makes up for it. As a disclaimer, I will have to defer to my dear friend Mac for all things coupon oriented. But, to help pay for the costly “must haves” I can recommend online searches because I have found that the internet has great deals on latest and greatest gadgets for far less. When bargain hunting isn’t enough, or even when budgeting for spending money, I don’t think its overreaching to ask teens to use their own money saved from babysitting, gardening/lawn maintenance or garage sales to help or “go halvsies” with you. Be careful though! Doing so may accidentally teach them a little something about work ethic or pride in ownership.

Adults are very good at spending money without even realizing it. Because of this, sizeable savings can be made with very little sacrifice or variation from their normal routine. To test this theory order water interchangeably with your drink of choice the next time you go out socializing with other adults. Many clubs also offer free sodas to designated drivers. If you’re not much for alcoholic beverages anyway, try ordering water and sharing apps (not the techi kind) the next time you go out to dinner with friends. Even buying generic brands on just about anything in stores or waiting for clothing items to go on sale or bringing the receipt back for a price adjustment once they do can provide sizeable savings.

Making simple choices to save small amounts of money could add up to sizeable donations either at the end of each month or on a yearly basis. In this post, I have provided you with just a handful of savings ideas designed to help you begin brainstorming what types of savings can be had in your own finances so that you can do infinitely more with what you already have. My challenge to you is to now go out and see all that you can do for your fellow man.

Ways Even the Busiest Moms Can Be Fabulous!

Okay. So here's a confession... I just spent the morning organizing cute springtime outfits, and then matching them with shoes and accessories that are just as cute. I then moved all essentials into a fabulous tutu diaper bag. At first glance, one might think that I did all of these things for one or all of my children. Admittedly, no. I did these things in an effort to fulfill my goal in presenting the best version of myself. Why? It recently occurred to me that many parents go to great lengths to dress and groom their kids within an inch of their lives as a means of attaining optimal cuteness, but then leave little time to prepare themselves for their day. Too many times I have spent hours, primping, ironing, etc. to get my children ready only to leave myself minutes to do hair, makeup and dress myself before running out the door. I then spend the remainder of the day wishing I had just given myself a few more minutes to get ready. To this I say "no more".

From this day forward I vow to make it a rule to always try to present the best version of myself to the world. I do this, not because I care so much about what others think, but rather as a means of sending myself the message that I am worth the effort it takes to feel good about how I look. If this post is sounding all too familiar, I challenge you to make similar changes in your own life. How does one go about this? I'm glad you asked!

First, always present yourself to the world as if you’re going to be mobbed by paparazzi at any given moment. Sound silly? Stick with me on this one. You’re halfway there. Sometimes, all people get of us as our lives intersect is one small snapshot. Wouldn’t you prefer their snapshot of you be favorable? When we make ourselves conscious of this fact, we tend to make our demeanor and, in turn, our attitude respectively more likeable and positive.

I am sure that we’ve all seen the unattractive pictures of our favorite stars in their not-so-happy moments. My friend Stephanie puts it best when she calls getting angry “being ugly”. Just as routinely as you do a booger check before getting out of your car (don’t deny it), you should always do an attitude check both for yourself and for those whom you encounter throughout your day.

Next, never wear clothes that make you feel uncomfortable or unattractive in any way. We all have those comfy sweats we like to wear around the house. Why only around the house? Because they’re ugly!! If you wouldn’t be caught dead in them, get rid of them! Replace them with a cute track suit that you CAN wear for a quick trip to the store if need be. This is only an analogy but make it a rule that all ugly and ill-fitting clothing that doesn’t make you feel your best must be tossed.

Now that you have rid yourself of things that make you feel unattractive, the next step is to incorporate all things that make you feel your own uniquely fabulous self. Start by planning outfits that make you feel fabulous. This will eliminate the need to "throw on" the first thing you see in your closet. Next, plan what makeup and hair styles you'll wear with each outfit. Then move to polishing off the look with accessories, matching handbags, shoes and the like. Make no mistake, even in the dead of winter, sunglasses are always a must! You can pick a pair that shows off your inner rock star or do like the Kardashians and buy some that look big enough to eat your face. All this planning ahead of time will take the guess work and frenzy out of getting ready. Finally, add your own flare. If nail polish makes you feel fancy, ALWAYS wear it! If pink hair and pearls are what make you happy, make them a necessity!

If this message rubbed you the wrong way as shallow, rest assured that on any given day I could care less what others think of how I look. I do have to say, however, that Fashion Designer Isaac Mizrahi is right when he says that the little things women do to polish their physical appearance change the way they feel about themselves and the way they act entirely. It is because of this that I say these changes are necessary. When making these alterations to your physical appearance, make them only for yourself. Do only those things that will allow you to look and feel the best version of yourself. When you have done so, you should have a final product that allows you to navigate this world with a level of confidence that cannot be shaken.

Are Your Kids Math Ready for the Big "K"?

I realize it's been awhile since my last post, but rest assured this mom has been busy beyond belief! While still struggling to get my infant on a schedule that will allow this stay-at-home blogger to make my naptime confessions, I find that it is my eldest who has recently been most in the forefront of my mind.

As the weather reluctantly shifts to Spring, my thoughts gravitate more and more toward school preparedness. When weighing all of the factors as to where to place my child in school next year, this decision-making process has educated me on all matters regarding "kindergarten preparedness".

Many of us can remember when the focus of school was still just on the three "R's", reading, writing & arithmetic. The goal of this blog is to share strategies that I have used over the past few years to teach my children the latter.

Many parents have their own set of tools in teaching literacy to their small children but then fall short when it comes to teaching them math skills. In a recent study discussed by Hechinger (2010) when assessed on math proficiency “fifteen-year-olds in the U.S. ranked 25th among peers from 34 countries”. (www.bloomberg.com). Given this, and other similar findings, parents in the United States should make efforts to stymie this trend by helping their children master numbers concepts in the development of early math skills.

Counting. Step By Step.

To teach my children how to count, I added a song to the end of their “ABC’s”. Because they are the hardest numbers for children to remember, I was sure to include the “teens” and had the song count up to twenty. I then taught these concepts in this order…
• Counting by tens
• Counting from ten down to zero
• Counting from twenty down to zero
• Counting up by fives (especially helpful in teaching children to tell time)
• Counting up by two’s

Just as in learning to write letters, children can learn to write numbers with tracing pages found in workbooks or downloaded from the internet. A very simple way to help kids grasp math concepts is to make them aware that math is all around them. At the same time it is important that children learn that numbers have value that can be counted. Counting is imperative but it can also be a fun skill to master. Parents can make a game of it by collecting their children’s favorite things and then having them count and then add and subtract these items including snacks, toys, books, cars, blocks, etc.

In an age where everything is digital, the concept of telling time by using hands on a clock can seem abstract. Timing traffic lights is a fun way to teach the concept of seconds and minutes. From here, parents can work on teaching children to “tell time” with use of clocks that they can manipulate in whatever form, be they toys, drawings, puzzles, etc.

From learning fractions of time, children can begin to learn fractions of other numbers by measuring fractions of amounts for recipes while helping in the kitchen. One favorite game in my house is called “the Pizza Game”. I constructed this game using colorful paper, crayons and scissors. The concept and construct of this game is very simple. I had the children help me color a number of round pizzas that I cut out beforehand. Once they were decorated, I cut the pizzas into different fractions. For instance, one pizza is cut into fourths, another into thirds, etc. These game pieces can then be played in ways only limited by the imagination. My children enjoy putting different pieces (or fractions) together to make one whole pizza (i.e. 1/2 + 2/4 = 1 whole).

I recommend visiting www.kidzpage.com to help teach youngsters other key concepts including tall-short, over-under, assigning values to different pieces of currency, comparing weights and shapes and other like lessons. I realize that all strategies shared in this post are not an exhaustive list of readiness requirements. Such a list could be provided by any local school district. What this blog has provided are simply a handful of concepts I wanted my children to master prior to entering school and the strategies I used to serve as a means to that end.