It’s the end of summer. Time to wrap it up, and start thinking about school! Fortunately, there are usually a LOT of great sales before school starts. You can plan ahead and decide where and when you can get the most out of your clothing budget!

Coupon sales are popular at some big chains, and often they will give you another coupon at check out to encourage your return. One year a local outlet offered a ten dollar off coupon with each purchase of $40 or more.

I had $200. Did I go and spend it all at once, and get a $10 coupon for a later visit? No, I did not. I went in, spent $40, got my coupon, went back the next day, bought $50 but only had to pay $40, and so on!

Six trips later, I had $250 worth of merchandise, and I hadn’t broken my budget! (OK, this was back when gas was still affordable, and the store was close to home!) I am a bargain hunter, I admit it! Also, the clothes from the outlet were much better quality than what I was normally able to afford.

Back to school sales are also a good way to save money.  Those ‘tax free weekends’ are a great time to stock up, and each year more items can qualify for this special discount. Save your change through the summer so you can make sure to get the most out of your money!

Hopefully you will be ready for fall in plenty of time, and be able to avoid the big rush. Happy shopping!

Does your house look like a tornado picked it up and shook it? If you have kids, you know what I mean! There’s clothes on the floor, and toys, and books, and schoolwork, and - OK. You get the idea. As you probably know if you are a parent, children have that mysterious tendency to drop what they are doing at a moment’s notice and move on - and I do mean literally DROP.

I blamed it on my husband’s genes (he will always drop his socks exactly one inch to the right or left of the laundry basket, but never, ever IN it) and so I suffered in silence for years. Then I realized that I kept a flashlight by the bed not for emergencies, but for when I needed to get up in the night for a sip of water, because I was afraid of mutilation of my feet by a Barbie shoe or a Matchbox car.

So I invented the Monster Maw. I made a big sack with a drawstring out of a large piece of furry brown and green fabric, and hot-glued yellow triangles of felt around the opening for teeth. I added scary eyes made out of more felt, and introduced my children to my new friend. “Hey, Kids, meet the Monster Maw!”

My husband began crawling around on the floor with it, and growling. He started picking up the kids’ stuff and putting it in the bag! I told the children with a smile that they would now be visited by the Monster Maw every night at an unknown time. Any toys or clothes eaten by the Monster Maw would be put away for one week, at which time they would have the chance to earn them back by performing a special chore.

I would keep a list, and if a toy was eaten by the Monster Maw more than twice, it would be forfeit! Same for items not redeemed within one week. The kids stared at us like we were out of our minds, and ran to clean their rooms and rescue there most precious things. By bedtime, the Monster Maw had nothing left to eat, and within the week the kids had the rest of the house sparkling as they earned back their belongings!

It actually worked really well, and made the kids’ job of keeping their rooms clean much more a priority to them! The Monster Maw hasn’t made a visit in over a month, and my kids have learned how important it is to pick up after themselves.  ☺
Sarah P.

Dear Tech Support,

Last year I upgraded from  Boyfriend 5.0  to  Husband 1.0  and
noticed a distinct slow down in overall system performance,
particularly in the flower and jewelry applications,
which operated flawlessly under  Boyfriend 5.0 .

In addition,  Husband 1.0  uninstalled many other valuable
programs, such as:    Romance 9.5  and  Personal Attention 6.5,

and then installed undesirable programs such as :

·          NBA 5.0,
·          NFL 3.0   and
·          Golf Clubs 4.1.

Also   Conversation 8.0  no longer runs, and  Housecleaning 2. 6
simply crashes the system.

· Please note that I have tried running  Nagging 5.3  to fix these problems, but to no avail.

What can I do?

Signed,
Desperate.

DEAR DESPERATE,

First, keep in mind,
·          Boyfriend 5.0   is an Entertainment Package, while
·          Husband 1.0  is an operating system.

Please enter command:  ithoughtyoulovedme.htmland
try to download  Tears 6.2  and do not forget to
install the Guilt 3.0 update.
·    If that application works as designed ,
Husband 1.0  should then automatically run
the applications  Jewelry 2.0   and   Flowers 3.5.

However, remember, overuse of the above application
can cause  Husband 1.0  to default to
Grumpy Silence 2.5 ,  Happy Hour 7.0  or  Beer 6.1 ..
·          Please note that  Beer 6. 1  is a very bad program that will download the  Farting and Snoring Loudly Beta.

Whatever you do,  DO NOT under any circumstances install
Mother-In-Law 1.0 (it runs a virus in the background that will
eventually seize control of all your system resources.)

In addition, please do not attempt to reinstall the
Boyfriend 5.0-program These are unsupported
applications and will crash Husband 1.0 .

In summary,  Husband 1.0  is a great program,
but it does have limited memory and cannot learn
new applications quickly. You might consider
buying additional software to improve memory
and performance. We recommend
·          Cooking 3.0  and
·          Hot Lingerie 7.7.

Good Luck!
Tech Support

I love Sundays! I always plan to do something relaxing with my kids. Yesterday I decided to take my eight-year-old daughter and nine-year-old niece to see a movie. We love going to the movies - it can be such a great experience! We always buy popcorn and soda and we hold hands. Everybody feels connected and close, and we have a wonderful time.

We decided to see “Wall E”. The kids and I loved it! For those who haven’t seen it, this is a new, very sweet Pixar’s movie about small robot named Wall E who saved the earth. After the movie we discussed about importance of recycling, and how love can save the world.

The kids were funny - they felt really connected to the little robot and the problem of pollution. They talked about how is it important to save, and not to litter. I felt that the girls not just had a good time but learned something!

After that we had an ice-cream and did some shopping. We bought t-shirts with “I Love Green” logos and matching flip-flops. I saw some very nice sweaters and asked the girls if they wanted one, but they said “We have clothes - let’s not waste!”

I was so proud of my girls. I felt that I learned something too! 

You hated it when your Mom said it. You swore to yourself that when it came to raising a child of your own you would NEVER say those eight awful words.

You would be the perfect mother, and your children would be perfect angels. You would rule with a gentle but firm hand and never raise your voice. In your world, the children would be fed, bathed and lovingly tucked in bed by six, and your husband would be greeted by sweet serenity every night when he crossed the threshold.

You didn’t take in to account what the cost of raising a child would have to your psyche! When talking to children you find yourself spiraling down into this dark place, as nothing you try seems to get through. One by one, you break every vow you ever made about the way you were going to raise YOUR kids. Your voice rises to a screech, and your mood plummets.

You’ve tried the time out, which you always despised when you were a child. Doesn’t work. You send them to their rooms. They color on the walls. You threaten them with grounding - from what? They’re two and four! You toy with the idea of sending them to bed with no supper - but you know you’re wayyy too much of a softy to follow through.

And so you fall back on the one method you swore you would never resort to, the ultimate threat of everywhere fear…

“You just WAIT until your FATHER gets home!!!”

It’s OK. When they grow up, they’ll say it to their kids, too.

Dealing with the loss of a family pet can be hard, especially if you have small children! At the same time it is heartwarming to see their simple faith that everything will be OK.

We had a sad day about a month ago when our family pet became very ill. Mia, our family watch dog, had come home with us as a puppy when we celebrated buying our first house. My kids were only four and two.

We called her ‘the family dog’, but she was really my husband’s.  She watched his every move, and ignored me, and put up with the children with a kindly but bored expression. She never barked, or tried to dig holes, and we all loved her like she was part of the family!

She became very sick very fast, and the vet couldn’t help. He said she looked like she had been poisoned! She couldn’t walk, so my husband had to make the hard decision. He had her put down, and asked a friend if we could bury her on his wooded acreage in the country.

I and my husband dug the grave, and laid her in it. The children covered her with fresh flowers and grass, and we put in the biggest dog bone we could find. I and my husband were both crying - and my husband doesn’t cry!  My two older kids looked at each other , then my daughter put her arms around him and said,

“It’s OK, Daddy! Don’t cry, Mia is running in the sky and chasing rabbits!”

And just like that, it was OK. We still miss her, but her daughter Jingles is in our back yard, and somewhere, Mia is chasing rabbits!

Learning to be social is a part of growth development that takes time to show! My daughter is an extremely friendly child - the kind that starts up a conversation with anyone, invites them to her birthday party, and reminds them they will need to bring a present!

You know what that is like if you have social children too! You love the fact that they aren’t shy, and secretly worry that they will try to befriend the wrong person. You have to let them grow, however, and being able to interact socially will help them a lot when they start school.

Then there are the other children of the family, that are almost painfully self conscious. My littlest boy has decided he doesn’t like people. Little old ladies who try to chuck him under the chin are met with squinched up eyes and a mournful puckered mouth. If they persist, he pretends he is a baby coyote and goes  “Oawoooooohh!” (Then everyone laughs, which just makes him madder!)

That’s OK! He will outgrow it, if I insist on taking him with me to the store and on errands, and not giving in to his shyness. My middle son was shy too, but he got over it. I took him to several mothers day out and bible school programs at churches the summer before he started kindergarten, and he quickly learned how to make friends.

As long as you expose your child to sociable situations, they can learn how to be more sociable. They all just do it in their own time! So don’t worry if one is outgoing and another shy. They will each grow at their own pace.

Sarah P.

Long gone are the days of formally teaching our children etiquette. No longer must they learn to bow or curtsey prettily, or to arch their pinky over the handle of their teacup. They aren’t expected to sit ramrod straight with hands folded, or to be seen and not heard.

Thank goodness! I have enough trouble teaching them how to floss! However, when dealing with children and manners, there are still some basics that should be addressed.

If your child shows just a rudimentary knowledge of etiquette, dinner can be a much nicer affair. Sometimes I wonder if people simply don’t realize when they have failed to teach their children any form of table manners at all.

It’s not just elbows on the table ( I am guilty of that one from time to time!) but chewing with your mouth open or wiping your mouth on your sleeve.

Sure they are just kids, but they will be young adults one day, and do you really want them to embarrass themselves? It’s not like they grow up and magically know these things. That is what we, the parents, are for!

Otherwise your teen may come home sobbing one day for being made fun of by her peers for burping loudly or using her napkin as a Kleenex. All of which can be avoided with just a word or two from you.

Moral of story? If you have kids, teach them basic table manners. Hey, if you don’t have kids, teach the neighbor’s! They will thank you someday. Not today, of course, today they will roll their eyes and go “Moo-ommm!”

But someday…

Sarah P

Bugs are terrific for teaching your child to love nature and respect good qualities at the same time. You can show your kids an ant or a bee, and watch them demonstrate teamwork and industry. This makes a great lesson for any child!

My kids catch bugs with abandon, all summer long, and I myself used to run a tidy summer business as a child, keeping the local science shop stocked with insects for the high school kids’ entomology projects!

A favorite present for any child is a bug catching set. A wide mouthed butterfly net and a jar are basic, while a magnifying glass to look at tiny details is a bonus. Fireflies are always a winner. These little black bugs with their light up tails make a great nightlight for one night - just remember to leave air holes, and set them free in the morning!

My daughter has a ladybug passion - she has insisted that every birthday cake since age two be adorned with the little red bugs sporting shiny black spots! Her quilt has ladybugs too, and she is pestering me for the matching rug.

Teach your children to love nature, and see it in the smallest bug that crosses their path!

The whole family, kids included, should be involved in charitable giving. Teaching your child to be generous and kind can start in early childhood, as you let them see you be charitable towards others.

Giving at the office is well and good, and you can discuss why you support various causes and charities, but you should be showing your child how to help people in a personal way! I and my children go and sing and put on silly plays for the residents in a nearby assisted living center - it doesn’t matter what we do, they are just so happy to see young, bright faces!

Look for ways to be a role model for your child, even if you don’t have much money. You can always lend a helping hand and they can come along for the ride! Check to see if a shut in needs a hand with spring cleaning, or volunteer to help a senior citizen with lawn work in the summer. Charity should be year round - giving season shouldn’t have an expiration date.

When your child is old enough for an allowance, teach them to hold a little back to give away. We don’t tithe, but we do save a portion of our money and donate to worthy causes we run across, from a local family’s medical fund to a neighbor’s flat tire emergency.

Offer for your whole family to spend a Thanksgiving afternoon helping to dish up goodies at a local soup kitchen, or let your child pick a toy from their Christmas list to purchase for an angel tree at school.

Nothing feels so good as giving, and surely you would want your child to experience this special joy!