Healthy Wealthy Living

So many parents ask “So, what can I do to help my child(ren) continue to learn and progress with math and reading over the summer"? As a teacher, I always recommend that parents do continue to work with their children during the summer so that their children don’t have what I call, the “summer loss” syndrome.    I would say “just a little everyday”. Not a big deal, right? Well, that was before I was a mom. Now, having two little ones at home, I know that just a little bit can become a big deal. You still want a stress-free summer that is fun for your children and yourself. Here are some simple summer learning ideas that will make that “a little everyday” a lot easier and something fun that your child will look forward to. You will take pride in the fact that you are helping your little ones with math and reading skills and your child will have so much fun, he will not realize he is doing school work! Simple Summer Learning Activities : If y...

I don't know if you ever feel the same, but something I struggle with is finding a balance between family responsibilities and spending time with my almost 4 year old. I constantly have something on the to-do list whether it is doing dishes, folding laundry, making my monthly meal plan…the to-do’s never end. I also have a little one, an only child, that always wants me to play with her.  I recently came across the following Polish proverb: I am getting much better at stopping what I’m doing when my preschooler says “mama, let’s play together”.     As you know they grow so fast. In the blink of an eye, there may come a time when she is 13 and no longer wants to spend time with me.   The chores will always be here AND will eventually get done.   

Now that you’ve started to use coupons to stock your homes with your favorite foods and cleaning items it’s time to really think about your stockpile. It is important to be realistic with the amount of space that you have and can devote to your grocery items. I am lucky enough to have a full basement with plenty of space to store my items but if you don’t have this luxury you can be creative without making your house look like the local convenience store. Storing items under beds and in closets is a great way to keep organized and to maximize your space. If you are going to do this I highly recommend keeping your items in Rubbermaid plastic totes that are labeled with the contents. The totes help to keep critters out and the labels will keep you from having to rifle through each bin trying to find what you need. Also keep your like items together. I have all my cat and dog food together on one shelf, all my paper goods on another, all baking items together an...

Bathtime, it is either a time that you little ones love or hate! There was a time, not too long ago, that my preschooler would run when I said “tubby time”. Since, baths are a necessity, I had to come up with some ideas to make bathtime fun for her AND me! By using everyday items you have around the house, you can turn bath time into play time! 7 Fun-filled Bathtime Ideas : Bubbles - I pour a little bit of bubbles in a cup and give a bunch of different shaped bubble wands. She has fun blowing bubble while I wash her hair with ease. Cups & Cooking Gadgets - She loves playing pretend cooking or pouring water from one cup to the other. Sometimes I ask her to make me hot chocolate, coffee, etc. Instead of putting up a struggle she is focused on her task at hand. If she starts to get frazzled, I’ll distract by asking “can you please put some milk in my coffee”. Works everytime! Plastic Toys - Give your child plastic tub-safe toys of different weights. Play the...

You’ve heard the statistic before: Nine out of 10 small businesses fail. So what are those 10 percent who are successful doing differently? Having recently launched my own life and career coaching business for women, I thought I’d share my top 9 tips for success. This is the second article in a two-part series. The first article covered tips 1-5. If you missed it, you can read it here . Below, you’ll find tips 6-9.  6. Get comfortable with self-promotion. In order to make an impact on the world with your service or product, people have to know about you. Many people—especially women—are uncomfortable promoting themselves, but if you decide to become an entrepreneur, I believe marketing must be your top focus—especially in the beginning. Some people think of marketing as sleazy or dirty—and certainly, when done the wrong way, that’s how it can come off. But I believe that there’s an authentic way to market your business by demonstrating to potential customers that...