Make Money from Mom’s Taxi

Just when you thought you couldn’t wear another hat, your kid decides to join the school’s soccer team and now you are spending yet another afternoon carting him to and from practice, in addition to driving him to piano lessons, Scouts, and karate. Mom’s taxi is constantly on the move, so why not make money from your driving skills? While it’s not a traditional home business, running an independent taxi service is not a far-fetched idea for an ambitious mom; especially one who practically lives in her vehicle. If you are worried about the type of people you’d be driving … Continue reading

Koshik the Talking Elephant

Could our next best friend be an elephant?  Maybe not for most of us here stateside, where we’re not exactly equipped to properly look after pachyderms.  But the news out of a zoo in South Korea, reported by BBC News, shows that an elephant has entered the next stage of the human-animal bond: talking. Before now, the only animals we could conceive of really being able to replicate our speech were parrots.  Now elephants are joining the list.  Koshik is a 12-year-old Asian elephant that lives at a zoo in South Korea.  When he started making sounds that his keepers thought … Continue reading

Connecting With Your Toddler

It has been said that a toddler who feels a strong connection with his or her parents is more likely to be happy. Fortunately for parents, there are many ways that you can strengthen the connection that you have with your toddler. Even better, there are not likely to be any adverse effects from nurturing that connection as frequently as you can. Perhaps the essence of building a connection with your toddler can be summed up in two easy to remember words, time and attention. If you are anything like me, you may feel that time and attention are two … Continue reading

Talk to Your Kids About Voting

It’s the week of the big election. In just a few days we will find out who will lead our country for the next four years. The fate of our country is in our hands. Have you talked to your children about the importance of exercising your right to vote? For most of us it will be many years before our children are old enough to vote, but if you start talking to them about it now, they may begin to realize the importance of it. I have been amazed at the things children are hearing about the election right … Continue reading

What You Don’t Say

Sometimes it’s not what you say to your teen that speaks to them the most…it is what you don’t say. Your nonverbal communication could be saying something you don’t realize. Maybe you hear your teen say that you never listen. I know it’s been said in my home. But it can look like we aren’t listening if we aren’t looking at our teen when he or she is talking. If you continue to type away, wipe away, put away or whatever it is that you are doing…your nonverbal communication is really saying, “I’m not listening.” Or maybe your teen has … Continue reading

Are You a Good Housekeeper?

Are you a good housekeeper? What would others in your home say about that? I would guess it’s not something most of us think about too much. We have way too many other important responsibilities in life to give much thought to it. But for whatever reason, one day I decided to ask my family if they thought I was. Believe it or not, I had to explain to my teens what a housekeeper was. They had no idea what I was talking about. “What’s a housekeeper?” they asked. So I had to rephrase the question. “What kind of a … Continue reading

Politics, Social Media, and Your Home Based Business

The election is coming right up, and I will be so glad when it is over. While I have paid some attention to the discussions that are going on in order to make an informed decision of how to vote, I have refrained from participating in the outpouring of political discussion that has been going on on Facebook. That may seem odd to some people, I mean, I am a lawyer – don’t lawyers like arguing and debating? Sorry to disappoint, folks, but I only like arguing and debating if I am getting paid to do it. Anyways, as the … Continue reading

Are You Spending More to Save?

I am THAT mom. The one that’ll drive an extra five miles out of her way to save five bucks on her daughter’s Halloween costume, even though gas is just shy of $4 per gallon. Though, if I drive an extra 10 miles I can save six cents per gallon. I am THAT mom. The one that’ll spend five hours trying to calculate how much she really saved by utilizing the $5 off costume coupon. Even though the trip included sitting in a gnarly traffic jam which robbed her of 20 minutes of precious time. Make that priceless time. Walking … Continue reading

You Just Never Know

It has been one of “those” mornings. My youngest son woke up late and put the rest of the family behind. When we should have been walking out the door, same child was trying to quick finish something for school. Because we left later, there was much more traffic at the school to deal with. That meant more opportunities to be cut off, passed or to wait in the very long drop off line. Needless to say this also resulted in my day getting set back. You would think my mood would be sour. Normally my daughter would have been … Continue reading

Does Your Spouse Get Your Time?

One of the things couples fail to realize is that many marriage problems stem from a lack of time. You see, it takes quality time to nurture a relationship. If you are spending more time at your job or with your kids, then your marriage is bound to suffer. Now don’t get me wrong, different seasons in life require more attention than others. For instance, when my children were young they naturally required more of my time and attention. But even then, it didn’t necessarily mean my husband only deserved the leftovers. Time can’t always be measured in quantity. It … Continue reading