There’s no doubt that times are getting leaner in our country.  A lot of people are getting laid off, or not getting raises and bonuses they had counted on.  Gas prices are fairly low right now, but could skyrocket at any time, and I don’t know about you, but after living through last summer, I always have one eye on that…because when gas prices go up, everything goes up.

The news isn’t all bad, though.  Many businesses are flourishing even as others fail.  And downturns and recessions are temporary; they won’t last forever.  So how can your family adjust its budget to allow for leaner times?  Here are a few ideas.  Keep in mind, though, that different things will apply to different families.

•    Make sure you actually do have a budget.  And yes, that means written down, on paper, or in the computer.  I know that many of us know in our heads what has to be paid and when, but there’s no substitute for having it in front of you in black and white.  Use an envelope system, where you do most things in cash, and you will be much less likely to overspend.  A budget also forces you to look at where those little amounts go…a few dollars here, a few dollars there…and how much they could add up to.  Finally, it forces you to decide what’s important enough to stay, and what can go, at least for the time being.
•    Do more free and cheap things together.  My family loves to go to movies, but that can get really expensive.  Why not have a family movie night instead?  It can be a regular thing, and each person can take turns picking the movie.  Or a family game night, which has benefits reaching way beyond simply saving money.  When the weather’s nice, go to the park—you can even bring a home made picnic.
•    Don’t stop saving.  When we’re strapped for money, it’s often our savings that are the first to go.  But even if you have to reduce what you put in saving every month, make sure something still gets there.  One rule of thumb is to always assume things will get worse before they get better.  You don’t want to dip into your savings now, because you might need it more later.
•    Look for bargains.  When we look at who is going out of business and who is growing, it’s the high end places that are suffering, and the discount places that thrive.  Wal-Mart, Family Dollar, and Dollar General are doing just great, and almost anything you need can be gotten at one of those places, instead of any of the stores at the mall.  Don’t be embarrassed to shop at garage sales, consignment shops, and flea markets, and to search around online for better deals than brick-and-mortar stores can offer.

A recession doesn’t have to be a scary time for your family.  Some easy, thoughtful steps can help your family get through these hard times and still have good memories to show for it.

For those of us who are divorced or widowed, we may often wonder if the man in our lives was the one love in our lives. Or, are we going to have another. Many women spend a great deal of time debating with themselves or discussing with others about this question. While there is no way to really know, most women of today believe that we can have many loves within our lifetime.
As divorce and split families have become more of the standard than the exception, many women are finding second chances for love later in their lives. And with the continued use of technology, there are so many more opportunities to meet men than there used to be.
The first thing to ask yourself is whether you are ready to meet someone new. Is it the right time in your life? Have you thought about how you plan to date with children? Do you plan to introduce men to your children and if so, at what time is the appropriate time? Once you are comfortable putting yourself out there to fall in love again, you need to determine how you are going to meet new people.
Today there are so many available options for meeting men. Most people meet their mates or relationship partners through family, friends or current circles of influence. Consider where you are currently spending your time. Is there the possibility that you will meet a new man in your current schedule? Or are you so busy working, shuttling kids to and from school and their activities that there are not any opportunities to meet someone new? If you are too busy, you may consider online dating. While this may sound scary, there are many women who have had very positive experiences using this technique.
So, a few things to consider. Do you believe that you can fall in love more than once? If so, do you believe that you have already had your chance? Or, are you more open to the idea that you could fall in love more than once throughout your lifetime? Neither answer is the right answer. Your answer is simply your answer.
I can share from personal experience that I have had more than one love in my lifetime. While it was not always comfortable initially to open myself up to a new love, every man that I have loved has had a very special place in my life. And while I may have just been lucky, I personally believe that we can love more than once. And while I certainly am a hopeless romantic and would like to think that one man will be it for me for the rest of my life, sometimes life throws us curveballs and points us down a different and unexpected path.

As we raise our children, we often search for strong role models to include in their lives. Role models can be parents, friends, family, religious leaders, teachers, famous figure heads and celebrities. Each role model within a children’s life has influence over who they will become over time. While some role models have direct influence over our children, others influence through example. Many parents around the world are excited about the inauguration of Barack Obama as President of the United States. How can this historic event and this historic person be a role model for your family?
With the historic presidential inauguration recently behind our nation, what learning opportunities are there to share with our children? After all, Barack Obama is the first African American President of the United States. And, he is one of the youngest, presidents at the age of 47.
Age is Not Always Relevant
Many children or adolescents get frustrated as they mature with comments such as, ‘you are too young’ to do……While there are certainly age requirements and suggestions for many important milestones within a child’s or a young adults life, there should also be limitless options. For example, what if your child has an above average IQ and has the opportunity to move ahead a grade in school or to attend a gifted and talented program. This accomplishment is not related to age, it is offered because your child has earned the opportunity.
What about influencing others; is there an age requirement for that? As children age, they will be presented with a variety of informal or formal leadership opportunities. Leading a school project, becoming captain of the basketball team or even capturing the lead in a school play are all examples of leadership. The ability for Obama to capture a formal leadership position at such a young age offers encouragement for all children who would like to make a difference now in their lives as well as in their future.
Color Blind
Racism as well as inequality still remains in almost every culture around the world. While many groups struggle to gain equality, when someone of color achieves such a high accomplishment, it creates hope for all other members of that particular race. Obama becoming elected and inaugurated as the President of the United States offers hope for not only every other African American in the world, but to all other minority races. It has even offered hope to women who one day seek the opportunity to seize a powerful leadership position.
Becoming the first African American president has now paved the way for others to follow. Encourage your children than anything is possible! Anything at all. Use Obama’s story as well as others of accomplishment as examples for your children that they can achieve anything that they set their minds to.

Congratulations to all Americans and my very best wishes for 2009! Karina.

If you think about it, even we normal women have miraculous bodies, bodies that know just what to do to make, grow, carry, deliver, and feed a totally unique human being.  Getting in shape is important, but it’s also important to remember that your body gained weight in its performance of a miracle.  So, don’t be mad at your body, okay?  Be patient with it; it has just done something really amazing.  Besides, look at your beautiful baby (preferably when he’s sleeping, not screaming or spitting up); even if you never lose that pregnancy weight, isn’t it worth it?

So, now that we’re in the right frame of mind, here are a few reasons why we all want to get our old figures back:

•    To be at our best.  You probably know by now how much energy that little one takes.  The better shape you’re in, the more energy you have.  And if you have another child or two at home, you still have to run after them, as well as attend to your newborn.  When we’re overweight, we don’t have the energy we need to do well all the things moms have to do.
•    To be good examples.  With all the horror stories about the spread of diabetes and childhood obesity, it’s really important that we create a healthy family culture for our kids to grow up in.  Good eating habits and an active lifestyle are an important part of that, and will take us a long way to looking and feeling how we want.
•    To boost our self-esteem.  When we were 8 or 9 months pregnant, we felt hideous, but at least we were going through it for a really good reason.  After childbirth, we’re all lumpy and saggy, as the muscles slowly contract and the fat that we collected sort of settles in.  But we can’t say we’re doing it for the baby anymore; now we’re just fat.  It’s depressing…
•    To get our sex life back.  In most cases, after that 6 week waiting period to have sex after childbirth, our husbands won’t care if we grew an extra head.  And the guys aren’t the only ones eager for some alone time, right?  Still, it’s hard to feel sexy when we don’t feel attractive.

One important thing to do is breastfeed your baby.  Besides the benefits to the baby, breastfeeding makes your uterus contract more quickly, helping your tummy shrink faster.  Breastmilk is also full of fat…fat it has taken from your body to give to your baby.  And breastfeeding burns about 500 calories a day.  It would take a long walk on the treadmill to burn 500 calories, so don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.

So, it’s true, losing pregnancy weight and getting our figures back are real concerns for most women.  We all should be working on that.  But you know how to lose weight and be healthy—exercise and eat nutritious foods. Spend more calories than you take in, balance carbs and proteins…you know this stuff.  Everyone knows it, but the question is, are we doing it?

As we all approach the New Year, we can’t help but think of the things that we didn’t accomplish last year or how we could have made the prior year better. This is because as humans we have a tendency to dwell on the negative and “could haves” “would haves” should haves. This phenomenon has been studied and addressed by countless professionals; however no one can come up with why we are so hard on ourselves. Maybe we cannot explain the phenomenon, but we can do something about it. As we bring in the New Year we can take forward a new theory and lease on life. Read on the sweets New Years Eve story ever.
As I sat dwelling on the fact that I was not being wined and dined to bring in the New Year it came increasingly depressing as I watched my surroundings. With children under feet that were fighting, bickering about who got what toy, a husband watching football to no avail, my day seemed that it couldn’t get any worse. The mounting dishes and floor in need of vacuuming seemed to be a never ending task on my eternal chore list. With little help cleaning the house, cooking the meals or taking care of my snoozing pouch, I began to wonder if my past several years were how I planned them. No, the answer quickly darted into my head, so drawing from a recent magazine article, I began to plan in my mind how I could make 2009 a year that was only to dream of.
One of the comments in the magazine article was how to be thankful for what we have, family members, friends and our surroundings. Looking around, I thought to myself, how could anyone be thankful for a dirty house, screaming children and a couch potato of a husband? It dawned on me that maybe they were doing those things because I hadn’t made the changes that I vowed at 2008’s New Year resolution. Was this my fault? Would things turn out differently if I changed? It was almost like a flash of light and all I could feel was a renewed source of energy. I actually had a good idea, the first one in several years! My life was changing!
I gathered the courage to call each and every child over to give thanks to my higher power. As I held them in my lap, I prayed that they could stay safe and move with me through the changes that I was proposing. For my husband, I was thankful that he has job, makes decent money and was not running the streets with women like many of his buddies. My entire thought process and feelings changed as I began moving down the list of changes. As I came to each and every blessing in my life, it was like a light went off in my head of why things were great. My children are healthy, happy most of the time and best of all we are all together.
Life may not always seem like it turned out the way that we planned and it can be frustrating, however is it or are we looking at it wrong. As I moved to change my life it became increasingly apparent that my attitude had fallen in a slump of dwelling on how things could be, instead of what I have. So, as 2009 moves in let’s make a list together and give thanks for the things, people and blessing that we have in our lives. It may not be perfect, but it is ours and we can make what we want with it!

Guest writer Julie.

I get a lot of questions about how I manage to get my kids to behave, eat right and help around the house. The answer is simple. I bribe them.

People don’t like to say ‘bribe’, though, so now I call it a ‘reward system’. Here are a few parenting tips on how to reward your own kids!

1.    Make a rule that they behave in school. If they do, they get to have their TV time for the day. If not, sorry! No TV. I have an agreement with my kids’ teachers to send a note home if my child misbehaves so I know instantly instead of at the end of the week. They usually behave!  When they don’t, they don’t even ask to turn on the TV.
2.    Make a rule that they eat all of their dinner without complaining. If they do, they get dessert. If not, sorry! No dessert. I don’t fight with my kids about eating. Even my two year old in the morning knows if he eats his eggs, he gets syrup on his pancakes. If he doesn’t eat his eggs, his pancakes are plain. He usually eats his eggs! When he doesn’t, I don’t make a fuss.
3.    The kids have a list of chores. There are ten chores to do each day. If they do them, they put a sticker on the chart. They get a dime for each sticker. The money they earn is for special snacks, ice cream bars, temporary tattoos and other stuff they can get at school. If they don’t earn their money, they don’t get to buy stuff at school the next day. They usually get to shop at school! If they don’t, they don’t even complain.

I don’t know if you will choose to use this parenting tips with your own kids. All I can say is, bribing - I mean, rewarding - my kids, works for me!!

Last week I was a volunteering as a chaperone for my daughter’s class field trip. It was the trip to the local Space & Science Observatory Center, and honestly, I didn’t expect to enjoy it (don’t tell my daughter!). I was thinking that a space exhibitions wouldn’t be very interesting for an adult, and that I was only going because I am helping with a lot of small things in Kristina’s school this year - I was so wrong!

It was amazing! First we saw 3D movie about stars. It was presented in a very comprehensive way so the children could relate and understand. The story was about two kids who built a rocket from an old refrigerator box, and their imaginative journey into the solar system. After the show, the children enjoyed seeing the exhibition with the real space ships and telescopes.

My favorite activities ones that allowed the children to do different learning projects about the space, microbes and space station life. They had a chance to learn about the NASA space station, and why Japan, Canada, Russia and many other countries joined the project. They watched another movie about life aboard the space station and how the cosmonauts exercise and keep their muscles strong.

It was very informative and fun trip! This is a great place for children and parent to go and learn. I hope you can use this parenting tip for your rainy day or clear night weekends. There are so many things to learn in the observatory centers! It might be not only a one time visit - I know we are definitely going to come back during the night to see the stars in the telescope!