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When Your Doctor Frustrates You

What can you do when you are frustrated by your doctor or your medical care (or the medicare care of a loved one)? It turns out, quite a lot. There are many reasons why your doctor may frustrate you, and some of these issues can be addressed directly with the doctor or the office. For example, if you feel that they doctor is talking at you instead of to you, you can gently point this out. Make sure that you bring a list of questions or concerns with you to your appointments and don’t be afraid to speak up when … Continue reading →

Micromanaging Your Teen’s Life

Do you attempt to micromanage your teenager’s life?  What that really means is you are trying to control it.  Yet these are the years when we have to learn when to let go, when to start loosening the apron strings. This takes a lot of trust and for me, prayer.  It’s difficult to do.  You sometimes question whether you have done too much or not enough in letting go. At the same time, new freedoms must be earned.  The first day your teen gets his or her driver’s license, you don’t hand over the keys and say, “Have at it!”  … Continue reading →

Managing Family Paperwork

You know, I just had a realization. This realization involved the family paperwork. I do far too much of the stuff. Our paperwork takes at least 45 minutes every day, and that’s with one child. Granted, we have some complexities, but so do all families. I have a medical condition that involves paperwork. We’re members of a number of farm shares that need paperwork-related attention. We go to church. My daughter has extracurricular activities. She goes to school. I attend classes. We have a lot of pets. I run a couple of small businesses. Oh yes, and there are the … Continue reading →

Time to Get Your Flu Shot

I am a big believer in flu shots. Every year, I sign myself, my kids and my husband up for this important inoculation. While last year was one of the mildest flu seasons on record, don’t expect the same for this year. Two new flu strains have emerged, and fortunately, this year’s vaccine is ready to get you protected. While a flu shot is now recommended for almost everyone over the age of six months, studies show that many people are still reluctant to get their. In fact only about 52 percent of children and just 39 percent of adults … Continue reading →

Top 5 Skills for Frugal Times

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about the times that we’re in. I’ve been thinking about ecology and about frugality, and about how challenging economic and ecological times mean that we need to think hard about the skills that we develop. I’ve been considering the skills that are most useful in these times. Here’s what I’ve come up with: a list of the top five skills for frugal times. What would you add or subtract from this list? 1. Growing your own food and medicine This is something that I write about a lot. I love plants, I love being … Continue reading →

What Your Dog Says About You

I don’t know if this is a new trend or an old one experiencing a revival, but lately I’ve seen a lot of “what does your dog’s breed say about you?” style articles. I’ve even seen a few ones related to romance: what does your boyfriend’s dog say about him, or about his sex life? While I find the latter a bit of a stretch, I think maybe there might be some truth in the former. The breed of one’s dog might say a bit more about one’s living situation than personality, so that two vastly different people might both … Continue reading →

Navigating Your New Role as a Step-Parent

Managing the dynamics of a blended family can be rather challenging. This is new territory for everyone involved. For the first little while everyone may feel as if they are on an emotional rollercoaster. Some days may work out better than others; the important thing is that you keep at it and communicate often with your partner throughout the process. In the meantime, here are some important things to remember as you are embarking on this new journey as a step-parent. In the beginning it is best to let the child’s biological parent be the primary parent in charge of … Continue reading →

Help Your Child Relax

In a recent study researchers found that over half of 7 to 9 year olds were feeling stressed. Those with divorced parents experience additional stress as they are going between homes and trying to balance all of the other little things in their young lives. As parents we want our children to be happy and enjoy life without getting bogged down by the pressures of everyday life. We need to create an atmosphere in our home that encourages our children to relax and enjoy being little. Don’t overschedule your children. While you want your children to stay busy and be … Continue reading →

Using Your Phone To Manage Your Life

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Remember the day you separated from your ex husband? For many of us that was the day that divided our neat, orderly life from the chaos that reigns today. Let’s face it, it’s hard to be all things to all people, especially when those people aren’t even old enough to cross the street alone. What am I saying? It’s not hard, it’s impossible. All we can do is keep trying to find new ways to get some semblance of control and order in our lives, or make peace with the chaos. For me the only thing that works is lists, … Continue reading →

Managing Your Mail

We often think of clutter in the way of large items and “stuff.” But paper can be a real source of clutter, especially the mail. This is a real thorn in my side because although I manage my mail, my husband doesn’t. So he has piles of paper, all stuff that has come in the mail, in various areas. Honestly, if it weren’t for online bill paying, I don’t know how he would do it because you can’t find anything. But I will ignore his piles and just share with you what I have done. And yes, I have tried … Continue reading →