Search Results for: blog spending simple time together

Simple Life is the Most Rewarding

Leading the simple life is not only less expensive, but it can be more rewarding, too. The last few days after Christmas have been wonderful. We’ve spent no money at all, but we have been having the best time. Days have been spent playing board games, cooking good meals, watching a gentle snowfall and the winter birds outside our windows, visiting neighbors, making a snowman, drinking hot chocolate, watching a Star Wars marathon, and just being together. It has been a perfect time after the busy Christmas rush. The simple life. Today, we’ll go to church and maybe hike through a … Continue reading →

Timely Wisdom From The Great Depression

In these tough economic times, we may come to a point where we feel like we are fresh out of ideas for ways to save money and make our dollars go further. When this happens, it may be useful to look back in time and call upon the wisdom of our ancestors who survived the Great Depression. If you are lucky enough to know someone who lived during that time, they probably have many stories to tell about how they got through those lean years. Some of the things that people did during the Great Depression make just as much … Continue reading →

Are You Spending Too Much Time In The Kitchen?

Working from home has many benefits, and a smaller grocery bill is one of them. Whether you are accustomed to stopping for coffee or a latte on the way to work, picking up lunch from a sandwich shop near the office, or both, you will spend less on food by eating three meals a day at home on most days. Eating meals that you prepare at home is not only economical; it can be healthier if you stock your fridge and pantry with foods that are good for you. All of this sounds great, and it is, but my inner … Continue reading →

Toddler Time

Ready, set, play! Nothing says lovin’ like an afternoon of fun with your curious toddler. Forget about spending a ton of money on fancy electronic toys. Instead, employ the following ideas to engage your tot in a day of discovery: CATCH WITH A CATCH Toddlers love to be chased, but there’s even more to love with this simple game when you spice it up. For example, instead of merely tagging your tot, the next time you catch her, plant a big kiss on her cheek or scoop her up into a big bear hug. My toddler loved getting tickled whenever … Continue reading →

Working Through the Difficult Times in Your Marriage

In every marriage there are going to be difficult times. These could be times when you and your spouse are not getting along. These times could come as a result of medical problems or other crises in your family. It could be that one of your has drifted away from the marriage relationship. It is important that you spend time together working through these difficult times in your relationship. Here are five tips to help you through these times. 1) You should pray together every day. As you pray together you will grow closer. You can pray that your differences … Continue reading →

Finding Time To Do Things One on One

For those of us who have more than one child, it can seem like we are always doing things “in a pack”–the challenge comes with trying to find ways and time to make “dates” and do things one on one with each of our child. It’s tough enough when they are young, but as they get older–it can be even more of a feat to find a way to keep the parent-child relationship strong. When my children were young, sometimes having time with just one of them was as simple as taking only one with me to the grocery store … Continue reading →

Five Simple Ways to Improve Your Journaling

Journaling is my favorite scrapbooking subject. I’ve mentioned it before. It is a piece of yourself you can pass on for generations, and it tells about who you are and what you were doing in your lifetime. I always encourage scrapbookers to include journaling on all their layouts. Often times though, people are stumped on how to get started, or are looking for ways to make their journaling better. Here are five easy ways to improve your journaling. Write from Your Heart This has to be the single best way to improve your journaling. Just let your pen flow and … Continue reading →

Seasonal Family Fun for Less

Now that school is back in session, the weekends are precious for families who love spending time together. However, enjoying special bonding time shouldn’t put you in the poorhouse. To get the most bang for your buck, look for community events that are fun, kid-friendly, and cheap. Here are a few affordable ideas: Missouri: This weekend in St. Louis you and your children can take in the spectacular sights associated with the 40th Great Forest Park Balloon Glow and Balloon Race. On Friday, September 14th, take a stroll along Balloon Lane where you can get up close to dozens of … Continue reading →

Schedule Everything!

I never realized how important a schedule was until I was a mom. When I became a single mother I found that schedules were even more important than I thought, and not just for Hailey, for me too. I soon discovered in the first months of craziness that is single parenting that I could not get a thing done. Laundry would be washed but not folded, dinner cooked but not cleaned up, grocery lists made but forgotten. Everything quickly got out of hand. I had to get my home life under control so I could make sure that Hailey and … Continue reading →

Green Tips For Your Home Business

When you make the switch from working outside of the home to working from home, you do something wonderful for the environment by cutting out your daily commute to and from work. Even if you were not driving a very long way to go to work, cutting out that vehicle trip five days each week does reduce your effect on the environment. Now that you work from home, you may be spending a lot more time at your house than you did before. This is a great opportunity to take some time to learn a few new habits that can … Continue reading →