Monday, November 8, 2010
Sunday, November 7, 2010
10 Habits of Happy Parent
OK, I copy and paste this but its worth a read-
10 Habits of Happy Moms partner
by HybridMom,
1. Find time for yourself
Happy moms know they deserve a little time to themselves. When you know you're going to have a little room to breathe later on in the day, it's easier to take on everything that's in front of you. Our formula? Take 2 hours out for yourself every 3 days.
2. Don't make a happy baby, happier!
We all do it...you see your baby's head at what you're sure is an unnatural angle snoozing in their car seat. You just know they'll be happier if their head was straight. So you move them. And they wake up. Then they scream. Or, you see them playing happily in the sand. You just know they'll be happier if they played on the slide. So you interrupt them and move them to the slide. And they're angry. And they let you know they're REALLY angry. Here's the thing, they were happy. It can be hard to do, but if your kid's not complaining, leave them be! Happy baby = Happy Mommy.
3. Embrace the mess
So your house doesn’t look like something out of a magazine. That just means it’s cozy! Your children have hands coated in dirt from the playground and faces coated in spaghetti from dinner. It’s not gross—it’s an adorable photo op! Life is about how you look at things. Next time that pile of laundry that’s been sitting on the chair for three days starts to get you down, just remember… it’s probably feng shui.
4. Make time for your friends
Your family can survive without you while you make time to see friends. You are a woman with your own identity and its imperative that you and that identity go out for some margaritas once in awhile!
5. Stop blowing yourself off
While you may be the one taking care of everyone, it doesn't mean you can't also get what you want. Help your family realize your needs are as important as theirs and when mom is happy, everyone is happy, but when mom is not....
6. Get in the zone
Take 10 minutes to do absolutely nothing but rest. Take a break from your day, close your eyes, breath in slowly and deeply through your nose and exhale through your mouth. Repeat several times. Think about a place you love that is relaxing, spend 10 minutes there in your mind.
7. Remember your dreams and goals
Everyday we are encouraging our children to reach their full potential. But sometimes in the midst of being a parent we forget about our own dreams and goals. The best thing you can do to encourage a child is to lead by example –happy moms hold on to their dreams and goals and don’t let go.
8. Be lighthearted
Don't be the uptight mom. Be silly and dance with your kids to their music or tv show tunes. Be romantic and pull your partner into a waltz. Dance in slippery socks in your kitchen while making dinner.
9. Bend the Rules
One of the best parts of making the rules is occasionally breaking them. Maybe it’s taking your child out of school for half a day on their birthday, or waking them up in the middle of the night to see a sky of shooting stars. Happy moms know how to turn the mundane into fun.
10. Mind your own business
Concentrate on creating your life the way you want it. Take care of you and your family. Don’t get overly concerned with what other people are doing or saying. Don’t get caught up with gossip or name calling. Stop seeking the validation of others and be confident in yourself.
10 Habits of Happy Moms partner
by HybridMom,
1. Find time for yourself
Happy moms know they deserve a little time to themselves. When you know you're going to have a little room to breathe later on in the day, it's easier to take on everything that's in front of you. Our formula? Take 2 hours out for yourself every 3 days.
2. Don't make a happy baby, happier!
We all do it...you see your baby's head at what you're sure is an unnatural angle snoozing in their car seat. You just know they'll be happier if their head was straight. So you move them. And they wake up. Then they scream. Or, you see them playing happily in the sand. You just know they'll be happier if they played on the slide. So you interrupt them and move them to the slide. And they're angry. And they let you know they're REALLY angry. Here's the thing, they were happy. It can be hard to do, but if your kid's not complaining, leave them be! Happy baby = Happy Mommy.
3. Embrace the mess
So your house doesn’t look like something out of a magazine. That just means it’s cozy! Your children have hands coated in dirt from the playground and faces coated in spaghetti from dinner. It’s not gross—it’s an adorable photo op! Life is about how you look at things. Next time that pile of laundry that’s been sitting on the chair for three days starts to get you down, just remember… it’s probably feng shui.
4. Make time for your friends
Your family can survive without you while you make time to see friends. You are a woman with your own identity and its imperative that you and that identity go out for some margaritas once in awhile!
5. Stop blowing yourself off
While you may be the one taking care of everyone, it doesn't mean you can't also get what you want. Help your family realize your needs are as important as theirs and when mom is happy, everyone is happy, but when mom is not....
6. Get in the zone
Take 10 minutes to do absolutely nothing but rest. Take a break from your day, close your eyes, breath in slowly and deeply through your nose and exhale through your mouth. Repeat several times. Think about a place you love that is relaxing, spend 10 minutes there in your mind.
7. Remember your dreams and goals
Everyday we are encouraging our children to reach their full potential. But sometimes in the midst of being a parent we forget about our own dreams and goals. The best thing you can do to encourage a child is to lead by example –happy moms hold on to their dreams and goals and don’t let go.
8. Be lighthearted
Don't be the uptight mom. Be silly and dance with your kids to their music or tv show tunes. Be romantic and pull your partner into a waltz. Dance in slippery socks in your kitchen while making dinner.
9. Bend the Rules
One of the best parts of making the rules is occasionally breaking them. Maybe it’s taking your child out of school for half a day on their birthday, or waking them up in the middle of the night to see a sky of shooting stars. Happy moms know how to turn the mundane into fun.
10. Mind your own business
Concentrate on creating your life the way you want it. Take care of you and your family. Don’t get overly concerned with what other people are doing or saying. Don’t get caught up with gossip or name calling. Stop seeking the validation of others and be confident in yourself.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Best Blog on Stay at Home Dads
Daddy Dialectic
A blog for twenty-first-century parents
Saturday, August 14, 2010
What a Stay at Home Dad Wants Moms to Know, in Fourteen Points
Posted by chicago pop
Moms and Dads Socializing at A Local PlaygroundPrelude to The Fourteen Points (skip to bottom to get straight to it)Whenever I look back over my ongoing run as a primary caregiver and ask myself what have been the greatest challenges I've faced, two things immediately leap to mind. The first is that I am not a morning person, whereas my son is a morning person. Eighty-percent of the anguish of my life -- and perhaps his -- resides in this contradiction.As for the second greatest challenge, it can be summed up in one word: moms.This post is about a stay-at-home-dad's experience dealing with moms, a topic that I've treated before and to which I now return with the following list of Fourteen Points That I Think It Would Be Helpful for Moms to Know About Dads Like Me. This, in the hope that I can contribute to a reduction in the unmistakable awkwardness with which every group of moms typically receives a specimen of the modern parenting bestiary, the Cyclops of the playgroup set, the Quasimodo of preschool pick-up: the stay-at-home-dad.I put this list together because, to be frank, the difficulty of dealing with moms -- with stay-at-home moms in particular -- has come as the greatest surprise of my 3.5 year stint as my son's primary caregiver. As far as the moms in my neighborhood go my life has, during this time, become segregated like the orthodox synagogues to which I have never belonged, with men and women praying to the same god on either side of a dividing curtain. A sort of breast-feeding, stroller-pushing version of the Shriners, Elks, or Freemasons has absorbed all but the most independent of them into ritually pure conclaves which stand out as the most homogeneous social groups I have ever encountered.The magnitude of my surprise stems from the contrast with what went before. Whatever gender balance may have obtained in my place of work or in my social life, however many female friends and confidants I may have had, as soon as the women around me are assigned responsibility for the survival and upkeep of one or several munchkins, somehow a collective step is taken through a Way-Back Machine to the American 1950's, or closer in time but further in familiarity, to the post-revolutionary Islamic Republic of Iran, with veils and de jure segregation in public.
Unsuspecting Parents Step into the Gender Way-Back MachineSo easily does a new gender segregation seem to dissolve the happy gender mixing I once knew -- in graduate school, in corporate and non-profit places of employment, and in the halls of academe; so quickly do the moms who chose to stay at home shift comfortably into the ancient routines and traditions of gender segregated motherhood; so quickly is the network of venerable ladies' institutions known as "book clubs" re-purposed, refitted, and rejiggered into bright and shiny new "playgroups" -- that I have occasionally wondered if the women with whom I seem to share little but physical space on a playground might be more comfortable donning a veil, hijab, or chador, thus removing any ambiguity about their Social Preferences While Parenting.This regime of "separate but equal," as I mentioned above, stands in bracing contrast to my life-before-parenting. I've always had lots of female friends. In my freshman year of college, I immediately became best friends with a woman living across the quad. We shared coffee, gossip, and travels in Paris and Madrid, all without ever crossing the Rubicon of intimacy. She was one of several such female friends, some of them regular dance partners whose boyfriends didn't like to dance, some of them coworkers united under the yoke of the same eccentric boss, some of them academic companions with a shared set of intellectual pleasures and pursuits. I still have these friends. But, with the transition to parenthood, the rate of female-friend accumulation has hit a concrete wall and fallen onto the floor like a dead fish.Sweet baby Jesus, ladies --what gives? Why the wall? We can all clamor for the de jure institutional structures of parenting equality, but they are undermined if what we practice is de facto gender segregation. At some point, social attitudes contribute to the drag produced by social institutions on the progress towards equality. Until those attitudes change -- until the book-club-turned-playgroup comfortably admits its first Male Member, a separate but equal sphere of women's domesticity will be preserved into the 21st century.So ladies, I give you a Stay at Home Dad's Fourteen Points and say "Tear down that wall!"I've got some damn good recipes to share with you, when you do.The Fourteen Points#1. I don't want to sleep with you. So can we please just chill about that.#2. I've noticed that you rarely invite me to your functions or friend me on Facebook. Please see #1, which I hope will clear things up a bit.#3. Your kids will probably like me because I actually enjoy playing with them. So if you're friendly, I'll watch them so you can go take a coffee break with your SAHM-pack and talk about mom-stuff, like how you want to lose those extra 15 pounds.#4. Although even if you do lose those extra 15 pounds, I still won't want to sleep with you. Nothing personal. So again, let's please just chill about that.#5. I can be just as catty as you. (Eye-roll, then See #3-4)#6. I am not a pedophile. I mean, really.#7. I am actually a very good cook, and enjoy the conceptual overlap with chemical engineering, or how the strategic application of heat denatures molecular bonds.#8. Every time your kid sees a SAHD with a stroller in the park, packing his kid's lunch, handling visits to the doctor, picking him up from preschool, or hanging with their own mom on a playdate, she's that much less likely to grow up believing that these things must always be women's work.#9. If I never see your husband doing any of the above-listed things on weekends, days-off, or after work, I start to think you've got a bum deal and maybe think they really are women's work.#10. If I never see your husband at after-school potlucks or fundraisers or Sunday afternoon birthday circuits, I start to think he may just be a loser.
#10a. Unless he works for Goldman Sachs and really is out making millions -- but then why don't you have a nanny?#11. I don't necessarily form male friendships on the basis of my role as a stay-at-home-dad, though I don't reject them for this reason, either.#12. Setting up a date with me on behalf of your stay-at-home-husband probably won't work. Just invite me to the next preschooler birthday blowout and see if maybe we hit it off.#13. I am capable of talking about episiotomies, natural birth, VBAC's, IVF, male and female infertility, breast feeding, doulas, food allergies, sleep training, disposable versus cloth diapering, developmental stages and delay, what you should pay babysitters and nannies, sippie cups, vaccinations, and how lazy your husband is.#14. I also really enjoy, and maybe even prefer, talking about things that have little to do with parenting.
A blog for twenty-first-century parents
Saturday, August 14, 2010
What a Stay at Home Dad Wants Moms to Know, in Fourteen Points
Posted by chicago pop
Moms and Dads Socializing at A Local PlaygroundPrelude to The Fourteen Points (skip to bottom to get straight to it)Whenever I look back over my ongoing run as a primary caregiver and ask myself what have been the greatest challenges I've faced, two things immediately leap to mind. The first is that I am not a morning person, whereas my son is a morning person. Eighty-percent of the anguish of my life -- and perhaps his -- resides in this contradiction.As for the second greatest challenge, it can be summed up in one word: moms.This post is about a stay-at-home-dad's experience dealing with moms, a topic that I've treated before and to which I now return with the following list of Fourteen Points That I Think It Would Be Helpful for Moms to Know About Dads Like Me. This, in the hope that I can contribute to a reduction in the unmistakable awkwardness with which every group of moms typically receives a specimen of the modern parenting bestiary, the Cyclops of the playgroup set, the Quasimodo of preschool pick-up: the stay-at-home-dad.I put this list together because, to be frank, the difficulty of dealing with moms -- with stay-at-home moms in particular -- has come as the greatest surprise of my 3.5 year stint as my son's primary caregiver. As far as the moms in my neighborhood go my life has, during this time, become segregated like the orthodox synagogues to which I have never belonged, with men and women praying to the same god on either side of a dividing curtain. A sort of breast-feeding, stroller-pushing version of the Shriners, Elks, or Freemasons has absorbed all but the most independent of them into ritually pure conclaves which stand out as the most homogeneous social groups I have ever encountered.The magnitude of my surprise stems from the contrast with what went before. Whatever gender balance may have obtained in my place of work or in my social life, however many female friends and confidants I may have had, as soon as the women around me are assigned responsibility for the survival and upkeep of one or several munchkins, somehow a collective step is taken through a Way-Back Machine to the American 1950's, or closer in time but further in familiarity, to the post-revolutionary Islamic Republic of Iran, with veils and de jure segregation in public.
Unsuspecting Parents Step into the Gender Way-Back MachineSo easily does a new gender segregation seem to dissolve the happy gender mixing I once knew -- in graduate school, in corporate and non-profit places of employment, and in the halls of academe; so quickly do the moms who chose to stay at home shift comfortably into the ancient routines and traditions of gender segregated motherhood; so quickly is the network of venerable ladies' institutions known as "book clubs" re-purposed, refitted, and rejiggered into bright and shiny new "playgroups" -- that I have occasionally wondered if the women with whom I seem to share little but physical space on a playground might be more comfortable donning a veil, hijab, or chador, thus removing any ambiguity about their Social Preferences While Parenting.This regime of "separate but equal," as I mentioned above, stands in bracing contrast to my life-before-parenting. I've always had lots of female friends. In my freshman year of college, I immediately became best friends with a woman living across the quad. We shared coffee, gossip, and travels in Paris and Madrid, all without ever crossing the Rubicon of intimacy. She was one of several such female friends, some of them regular dance partners whose boyfriends didn't like to dance, some of them coworkers united under the yoke of the same eccentric boss, some of them academic companions with a shared set of intellectual pleasures and pursuits. I still have these friends. But, with the transition to parenthood, the rate of female-friend accumulation has hit a concrete wall and fallen onto the floor like a dead fish.Sweet baby Jesus, ladies --what gives? Why the wall? We can all clamor for the de jure institutional structures of parenting equality, but they are undermined if what we practice is de facto gender segregation. At some point, social attitudes contribute to the drag produced by social institutions on the progress towards equality. Until those attitudes change -- until the book-club-turned-playgroup comfortably admits its first Male Member, a separate but equal sphere of women's domesticity will be preserved into the 21st century.So ladies, I give you a Stay at Home Dad's Fourteen Points and say "Tear down that wall!"I've got some damn good recipes to share with you, when you do.The Fourteen Points#1. I don't want to sleep with you. So can we please just chill about that.#2. I've noticed that you rarely invite me to your functions or friend me on Facebook. Please see #1, which I hope will clear things up a bit.#3. Your kids will probably like me because I actually enjoy playing with them. So if you're friendly, I'll watch them so you can go take a coffee break with your SAHM-pack and talk about mom-stuff, like how you want to lose those extra 15 pounds.#4. Although even if you do lose those extra 15 pounds, I still won't want to sleep with you. Nothing personal. So again, let's please just chill about that.#5. I can be just as catty as you. (Eye-roll, then See #3-4)#6. I am not a pedophile. I mean, really.#7. I am actually a very good cook, and enjoy the conceptual overlap with chemical engineering, or how the strategic application of heat denatures molecular bonds.#8. Every time your kid sees a SAHD with a stroller in the park, packing his kid's lunch, handling visits to the doctor, picking him up from preschool, or hanging with their own mom on a playdate, she's that much less likely to grow up believing that these things must always be women's work.#9. If I never see your husband doing any of the above-listed things on weekends, days-off, or after work, I start to think you've got a bum deal and maybe think they really are women's work.#10. If I never see your husband at after-school potlucks or fundraisers or Sunday afternoon birthday circuits, I start to think he may just be a loser.
#10a. Unless he works for Goldman Sachs and really is out making millions -- but then why don't you have a nanny?#11. I don't necessarily form male friendships on the basis of my role as a stay-at-home-dad, though I don't reject them for this reason, either.#12. Setting up a date with me on behalf of your stay-at-home-husband probably won't work. Just invite me to the next preschooler birthday blowout and see if maybe we hit it off.#13. I am capable of talking about episiotomies, natural birth, VBAC's, IVF, male and female infertility, breast feeding, doulas, food allergies, sleep training, disposable versus cloth diapering, developmental stages and delay, what you should pay babysitters and nannies, sippie cups, vaccinations, and how lazy your husband is.#14. I also really enjoy, and maybe even prefer, talking about things that have little to do with parenting.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Telling the World your a Stay at Home Father
This month we lost my Grandfather, he was my hero. He made me a better son, brother, husband and father. Grandpa was so well liked in this town and had given over the years to everything. At the viewing see allot of people I haven't talked to directly in many years " So what are you doing these days" Most know I was married and had a degree. ""Well, I'm a stay at home Dad!"" The look, The silence, was priceless. Some were postive, Some really didn't have much to say. O to be a fly one the wallo when they left. But the Bottom line, you can judge me all you want, My Wife and Son really are the only thing that matters in my life.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Daddy isn't something you can defined eazy-
I hate the bad label fatherhood gets some times. I know men are stupid and at times right out pigs. We all can name the typical father that works all day and does nothing for his wife or kids. He thinks the fact he work 8 to 5 is being a father, doesn't matter that his wife also works 8 to 5, does all the cooking, cleaning and most anything elsa. It's time male's become a husband and a father. Almost anyone can make a baby, but only few can become a father.
Next time, you go out for a beer or golfing, Stop. Maybe a hour at a park is the best thing in life.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Crazy Tales from Stay at Home Daddy's
Potty training your son for the first time and he hits nothing but your face. Then when done, he flushes the toilet and gets you a towel.
Taking recyle out in middle of winter, door locks and no keys or phone. Lucky a small window above sink is unlocked your 15 month old son is so smart he grabs keys from table and brings keys to sink.
Taking recyle out in middle of winter, door locks and no keys or phone. Lucky a small window above sink is unlocked your 15 month old son is so smart he grabs keys from table and brings keys to sink.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Teach and they will follow
Best part of being a Stay at Home Daddy? The teaching, its a extra hard job because you can never go home or have a snow day. But how much fun when they follow in your path.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
21 Things You Should Never Buy New
21 Things You Should Never Buy New
If you're looking to get the most value for your dollar, it would do your wallet good to check out secondhand options. Many used goods still have plenty of life left in them even years after the original purchase, and they're usually resold at a fraction of the retail price, to boot. Here's a list of 21 things that make for a better deal when you buy them used.
1. DVDs and CDs: Used DVDs and CDs will play like new if they were well taken care of. Even if you wind up with a scratched disc and you don't want to bother with a return, there are ways to remove the scratches and make the DVD or CD playable again.
2. Books: You can buy used books at significant discounts from online sellers and brick-and-mortar used book stores. The condition of the books may vary, but they usually range from good to like-new. And of course, check out your local library for free reading material.
3. Video Games: Kids get tired of video games rather quickly. You can easily find used video games from online sellers at sites like Amazon and eBay a few months after the release date. Most video game store outlets will feature a used game shelf, as well. And if you're not the patient type, you can rent or borrow from a friend first to see if it's worth the purchase.
4. Special Occasion and Holiday Clothing: Sometimes you'll need to buy formal clothing for special occasions, such as weddings or prom. Most people will take good care of formal clothing but will only wear it once or twice. Their closet castouts are your savings: Thrift stores, yard sales, online sellers and even some dress shops offer fantastic buys on used formalwear.
5. Jewelry: Depreciation hits hard when you try to sell used jewelry, but as a buyer you can take advantage of the markdown to save a bundle. This is especially true for diamonds, which has ridiculously low resale value. Check out estate sales and reputable pawn shops to find great deals on unique pieces. Even if you decide to resell the jewelry later, the depreciation won't hurt as much.
6. Ikea Furniture: Why bother assembling your own when you can pick it up for free (or nearly free) on Craigslist and Freecycle? Summer is the best time to hunt for Ikea furniture--that's when college students are changing apartments and tossing out their goodies.
7. Games and Toys: How long do games and toys remain your child's favorite before they're left forgotten under the bed or in the closet? You can find used children's toys in great condition at moving sales or on Craigslist, or you can ask your neighbors, friends, and family to trade used toys. Just make sure to give them a good wash before letting junior play.
8. Maternity and Baby Clothes: Compared to everyday outfits that you can wear any time, maternity clothes don't get much wear outside the few months of pregnancy when they fit. The same goes for baby clothes that are quickly outgrown. You'll save a small fortune by purchasing gently used maternity clothes and baby clothes at yard sales and thrift stores. Like children's games and toys, friends and family may have baby or maternity clothing that they'll be happy to let you take off their hands.
[See 20 Things You Should Never Buy Used.]
9. Musical Instruments: Purchasing new musical instruments for a beginner musician is rarely a good idea. (Are you ready to pay $60 an hour for piano lessons?) For your little dear who wants to learn to play an instrument, you should see how long his or her interest lasts by acquiring a rented or used instrument to practice with first. Unless you're a professional musician or your junior prodigy is seriously committed to music, a brand new instrument may not be the best investment.
10. Pets: If you buy a puppy (or kitty) from a professional breeder or a pet store outlet, it can set you back anywhere from a few hundred dollars to several thousand dollars. On top of this, you'll need to anticipate additional fees and vet bills, too. Instead, adopt a pre-owned pet from your local animal shelter and get a new family member, fees, and vaccines at a substantially lower cost.
11. Home Accent: Pieces Home decorating pieces and artwork are rarely handled on a day-to-day basis, so they're generally still in good condition even after being resold multiple times. If you like the worn-out look of some decor pieces, you can be sure you didn't pay extra for something that comes naturally with time. And don't forget, for most of us, discovering a true gem at a garage sale is 90% of the fun!
12. Craft Supplies: If you're into crafting, you probably have a variety of different supplies left over from prior projects. If you require some additional supplies for your upcoming project, then you can join a craft swap where you'll find other crafty people to trade supplies with. If you have leftovers, be sure to donate them to your local schools.
13. Houses: You're typically able to get better and more features for your dollar when you purchase an older home rather than building new. Older houses were often constructed on bigger corner lots, and you also get architectural variety in your neighborhood if the houses were built or remodeled in different eras.
14. Office Furniture: Good office furniture is built to withstand heavy use and handling. Really solid pieces will last a lifetime, long after they're resold the first or second time. A great used desk or file cabinet will work as well as (or better than) a new one, but for a fraction of the cost. With the recession shutting down so many businesses, you can easily find lots of great office furniture deals.
15. Cars: You've probably heard this before: Cars depreciate the second you drive them off of the dealership's lot. In buying a used car, you save money on both the initial cost and the insurance. It also helps to know a trusty mechanic who can check it over first. This way, you'll be aware of any potential problems before you make the purchase.
[See 20 Tips for Cleaning on the Cheap.]
16. Hand Tools: Simple tools with few moving parts, like hammers, hoes and wrenches, will keep for decades so long as they are well-made to begin with and are well-maintained. These are fairly easy to find at neighborhood yard or garage sales. If you don't need to use hand tools very often, an even better deal is to rent a set of tools or borrow them from a friend.
17. Sports Equipment: Most people buy sports equipment planning to use it until it drops, but this rarely happens. So when sports equipment ends up on the resale market, they tend to still be in excellent condition. Look into buying used sporting gear through Craigslist and at yard sales or sports equipment stores.
18. Consumer Electronics: I know most folks like shiny new toys, but refurbished electronic goods are a much sweeter deal. Consumer electronics are returned to the manufacturer for different reasons, but generally, they'll be inspected for damaged parts, fixed, tested, then resold at a lower price. Just make sure you get a good warranty along with your purchase.
19. Gardening Supplies: This is an easy way for you to save money, and all you need to do is be observant. Take a look outdoors and you'll likely find such gardening supplies as mulch, wood, and even stones for free or vastly reduced prices. Used garden equipment and tools are also common goods at yard sales.
20. Timeshares: Buying timeshares isn't for everyone, but if you decide that it suits your lifestyle, purchasing the property as a resale would be a better deal than buying it brand new: on average, you'll save 67 percent on the price for a comparable new timeshare. If you're new to timeshare ownership, give it a test run first by renting short term.
21. Recreational Items: It's fairly easy to find high ticket recreational items like campers, boats, and jet skis being resold. Oftentimes, they're barely used at all. As long as they're in safe, working condition, they'll make for a better value when purchased used than new.
Lynn Truong is the co-founder and Deals Editor of Wise Bread, a blog dedicated to helping readers live large on a small budget. Wise Bread's book, 10,001 Ways to Live Large on a Small Budget, debuted as the #1 Money Management book on Amazon.com.
If you're looking to get the most value for your dollar, it would do your wallet good to check out secondhand options. Many used goods still have plenty of life left in them even years after the original purchase, and they're usually resold at a fraction of the retail price, to boot. Here's a list of 21 things that make for a better deal when you buy them used.
1. DVDs and CDs: Used DVDs and CDs will play like new if they were well taken care of. Even if you wind up with a scratched disc and you don't want to bother with a return, there are ways to remove the scratches and make the DVD or CD playable again.
2. Books: You can buy used books at significant discounts from online sellers and brick-and-mortar used book stores. The condition of the books may vary, but they usually range from good to like-new. And of course, check out your local library for free reading material.
3. Video Games: Kids get tired of video games rather quickly. You can easily find used video games from online sellers at sites like Amazon and eBay a few months after the release date. Most video game store outlets will feature a used game shelf, as well. And if you're not the patient type, you can rent or borrow from a friend first to see if it's worth the purchase.
4. Special Occasion and Holiday Clothing: Sometimes you'll need to buy formal clothing for special occasions, such as weddings or prom. Most people will take good care of formal clothing but will only wear it once or twice. Their closet castouts are your savings: Thrift stores, yard sales, online sellers and even some dress shops offer fantastic buys on used formalwear.
5. Jewelry: Depreciation hits hard when you try to sell used jewelry, but as a buyer you can take advantage of the markdown to save a bundle. This is especially true for diamonds, which has ridiculously low resale value. Check out estate sales and reputable pawn shops to find great deals on unique pieces. Even if you decide to resell the jewelry later, the depreciation won't hurt as much.
6. Ikea Furniture: Why bother assembling your own when you can pick it up for free (or nearly free) on Craigslist and Freecycle? Summer is the best time to hunt for Ikea furniture--that's when college students are changing apartments and tossing out their goodies.
7. Games and Toys: How long do games and toys remain your child's favorite before they're left forgotten under the bed or in the closet? You can find used children's toys in great condition at moving sales or on Craigslist, or you can ask your neighbors, friends, and family to trade used toys. Just make sure to give them a good wash before letting junior play.
8. Maternity and Baby Clothes: Compared to everyday outfits that you can wear any time, maternity clothes don't get much wear outside the few months of pregnancy when they fit. The same goes for baby clothes that are quickly outgrown. You'll save a small fortune by purchasing gently used maternity clothes and baby clothes at yard sales and thrift stores. Like children's games and toys, friends and family may have baby or maternity clothing that they'll be happy to let you take off their hands.
[See 20 Things You Should Never Buy Used.]
9. Musical Instruments: Purchasing new musical instruments for a beginner musician is rarely a good idea. (Are you ready to pay $60 an hour for piano lessons?) For your little dear who wants to learn to play an instrument, you should see how long his or her interest lasts by acquiring a rented or used instrument to practice with first. Unless you're a professional musician or your junior prodigy is seriously committed to music, a brand new instrument may not be the best investment.
10. Pets: If you buy a puppy (or kitty) from a professional breeder or a pet store outlet, it can set you back anywhere from a few hundred dollars to several thousand dollars. On top of this, you'll need to anticipate additional fees and vet bills, too. Instead, adopt a pre-owned pet from your local animal shelter and get a new family member, fees, and vaccines at a substantially lower cost.
11. Home Accent: Pieces Home decorating pieces and artwork are rarely handled on a day-to-day basis, so they're generally still in good condition even after being resold multiple times. If you like the worn-out look of some decor pieces, you can be sure you didn't pay extra for something that comes naturally with time. And don't forget, for most of us, discovering a true gem at a garage sale is 90% of the fun!
12. Craft Supplies: If you're into crafting, you probably have a variety of different supplies left over from prior projects. If you require some additional supplies for your upcoming project, then you can join a craft swap where you'll find other crafty people to trade supplies with. If you have leftovers, be sure to donate them to your local schools.
13. Houses: You're typically able to get better and more features for your dollar when you purchase an older home rather than building new. Older houses were often constructed on bigger corner lots, and you also get architectural variety in your neighborhood if the houses were built or remodeled in different eras.
14. Office Furniture: Good office furniture is built to withstand heavy use and handling. Really solid pieces will last a lifetime, long after they're resold the first or second time. A great used desk or file cabinet will work as well as (or better than) a new one, but for a fraction of the cost. With the recession shutting down so many businesses, you can easily find lots of great office furniture deals.
15. Cars: You've probably heard this before: Cars depreciate the second you drive them off of the dealership's lot. In buying a used car, you save money on both the initial cost and the insurance. It also helps to know a trusty mechanic who can check it over first. This way, you'll be aware of any potential problems before you make the purchase.
[See 20 Tips for Cleaning on the Cheap.]
16. Hand Tools: Simple tools with few moving parts, like hammers, hoes and wrenches, will keep for decades so long as they are well-made to begin with and are well-maintained. These are fairly easy to find at neighborhood yard or garage sales. If you don't need to use hand tools very often, an even better deal is to rent a set of tools or borrow them from a friend.
17. Sports Equipment: Most people buy sports equipment planning to use it until it drops, but this rarely happens. So when sports equipment ends up on the resale market, they tend to still be in excellent condition. Look into buying used sporting gear through Craigslist and at yard sales or sports equipment stores.
18. Consumer Electronics: I know most folks like shiny new toys, but refurbished electronic goods are a much sweeter deal. Consumer electronics are returned to the manufacturer for different reasons, but generally, they'll be inspected for damaged parts, fixed, tested, then resold at a lower price. Just make sure you get a good warranty along with your purchase.
19. Gardening Supplies: This is an easy way for you to save money, and all you need to do is be observant. Take a look outdoors and you'll likely find such gardening supplies as mulch, wood, and even stones for free or vastly reduced prices. Used garden equipment and tools are also common goods at yard sales.
20. Timeshares: Buying timeshares isn't for everyone, but if you decide that it suits your lifestyle, purchasing the property as a resale would be a better deal than buying it brand new: on average, you'll save 67 percent on the price for a comparable new timeshare. If you're new to timeshare ownership, give it a test run first by renting short term.
21. Recreational Items: It's fairly easy to find high ticket recreational items like campers, boats, and jet skis being resold. Oftentimes, they're barely used at all. As long as they're in safe, working condition, they'll make for a better value when purchased used than new.
Lynn Truong is the co-founder and Deals Editor of Wise Bread, a blog dedicated to helping readers live large on a small budget. Wise Bread's book, 10,001 Ways to Live Large on a Small Budget, debuted as the #1 Money Management book on Amazon.com.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Piggy Bank and teaching you kids to save money-
It's always good to start teaching you kids to save money and the joy of puttting Money into the bank- It happen by mistake, I started saving are spare coins in my son's piggy bank. We would go to the bank every 7 to 10 days and count are coin's and place to money into his account, given me and my wife a chance to save some money in a bank account that was very handy. My son now LOVE's placing coin into his piggy bank, he counts every coin and get so happy when we go to the bank.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Bible School and a Stay at Home Daddy
Most people might take there kid to Bible School and leave or work in the same classroom as there son or daughter. I have the great pleasure this week to teach/coach the Recreation program at are bible school with my 21 month old son at my side the whole time. He is having a blast, playing with the kids, teachers and Paster Dave. He would rather his father be a music teacher, but Recreation is a nice second option in the eye of my son. I have a whistle tons of balls and we say ready set go alot!!!
Sunday, June 20, 2010
She Works. They’re Happy.by tara Parker-Pope
She Works. They’re Happy.
By TARA PARKER-POPE
Published: January 22, 2010
Graham Roumieu
Last week, a report from the Pew Research Center about what it called “the rise of wives” revived the debate. Based on a study of Census data, Pew found that in nearly a third of marriages, the wife is better educated than her husband. And though men, over all, still earn more than women, wives are now the primary breadwinner in 22 percent of couples, up from 7 percent in 1970.
While the changing economic roles of husbands and wives may take some getting used to, the shift has had a surprising effect on marital stability. Over all, the evidence shows that the shifts within marriages — men taking on more housework and women earning more outside the home — have had a positive effect, contributing to lower divorce rates and happier unions.
“Women no longer need to marry up educationally or economically, so they are more likely to pick men who support a more egalitarian relationship,” said Stephanie Coontz, director of research and education for the Council on Contemporary Families and author of “Marriage, A History: How Love Conquered Marriage.”
She pointed to herself as an example. “In my marriage, I have more education and, because he’s retired, more income,” she said. “I picked him not because I needed a meal ticket, but because I liked the fact that he respected me and had no problem sharing the responsibilities of daily life with me. More and more women now are able to make those choices.”
The changing roles in marriage often aren’t what many couples plan, but instead are a reaction to unexpected financial pressures. That’s what happened to Cynthia and Brian Walder of West Springfield, Mass., who had four children in five years. Although her first and second pregnancies were carefully planned, a surprise set of twin boys meant that their day care costs would be prohibitive if both parents kept their jobs. “Someone had to leave their job and stay home,” said Ms. Walder, who is 34.
Her marketing job with an insurance firm provided the family’s health benefits, so about a year ago, Mr. Walder, a 36-year-old real estate broker and consultant, opted to stay home. “It was stressful,” he said. “If you’d asked me five years ago would I be in this spot, I’d say ‘No way.’ ”
While it’s widely believed that a woman’s financial independence increases her risk for divorce, divorce rates in the United States tell a different story: they have fallen as women have made economic gains. The rate peaked at 23 divorces per 1,000 couples in the late 1970s, but has since dropped to fewer than 17 divorces per 1,000 couples. Today, the statistics show that typically, the more economic independence and education a woman gains, the more likely she is to stay married. And in states where fewer wives have paid jobs, divorce rates tend to be higher, according to a 2009 report from the Center for American Progress.
Sociologists and economists say that financially independent women can be more selective in marrying, and they also have more negotiating power within the marriage. But it’s not just women who win. The net result tends to be a marriage that is more fair and equitable to husbands and wives.
The changes are not without their challenges. “With women taking on more earning and men taking on more caring, there’s a lot of shifting and juggling,” said Andrea Doucet, a sociology professor at Carleton University in Ottawa. Her study, the Bread and Roses Project, tracks couples in the United States and Canada in which women are the primary breadwinners. But the dynamic is “not as easy as you’d think it would be,” she said. “You can’t just reverse the genders.”
Men, for instance, sometimes have a hard time adjusting to a woman’s equal or greater earning power. Women, meanwhile, struggle with giving up their power at home and controlling tasks like how to dress the children or load the dishwasher.
Linda Duxbury, a professor at the Sprott School of Business at Carleton University, recalls moments in her marriage when she was hesitant to give up control.
“My husband would dress our daughter for school, and I’d say, ‘Oh my God, she looks like a clown,’ ” Professor Duxbury recalled. “He would say, ‘That’s your hang-up. She’s happy in it. If you don’t like my choice, then you do it.’ ”
She added, “In many ways women are their own worst enemies — we want men to do it, but we want to tell them how they should do it.”
Men, meanwhile, can struggle with the social expectation that husbands should always be the breadwinner. The recession, among other things, has made that expectation less realistic.
“Today, men need their wives’ income,” says Joshua Coleman, a psychologist in San Francisco who wrote “The Lazy Husband: How to Get Men to Do More Parenting and Housework.” “There is an issue for men of: ‘What is my value here if I’m not bringing in money? I understand you want a communicative, empathic guy who does housework and parenting, but how much pride can I take in that?’ ”
A magazine editor in New York, who asked not to be named to respect her husband’s privacy, said that during her 10-year marriage, her husband lost his job, and her higher income became a regular source of tension.
“All of the sudden, I was bringing in all the money,” she said. “It was difficult to find a balance between trying to be supportive and nurturing and saying, ‘But we really need cash so, honey, could you take a part-time job?’ ”
Then he suggested she get an M.B.A. to increase her earning power. “I remember thinking at the time, ‘I’d hate that, and why does he think I need to have a dumb job just to make a lot of money?’ ” she said. “It put doubt in my mind: maybe there is a part of him very comfortable with me making the lion’s share of the money long term.”
Kristen W. Springer, a sociologist at Rutgers, has found that among men in their 50s, having a wife who earns more money is associated with poorer health. Among the highest earning couples in her study, a husband who earns less than his wife is 60 percent less likely to be in good health compared with men who earn more than their wives.
And despite the sweeping economic changes in marriage over the last 40 years, all is not equal. Even among dual-earning couples, women still do about two-thirds of the housework, on average, according to the University of Wisconsin National Survey of Families and Households. But men do contribute far more than they used to. Studies show that since the 1960s, men’s contributions to housework have doubled, while the amount of time spent caring for children has tripled.
And the blurring of traditional gender roles appears to have a positive effect. Lynn Prince Cooke, a sociology professor at the University of Kent in England, has found that American couples who share employment and housework responsibilities are less likely to divorce compared with couples where the man is the sole breadwinner.
Mr. Walder, who stayed home with his four young children, said it was challenging to set up a new daily routine. “In most instances the wife is the one who makes the decisions when it comes to the kids, and the husband follows the lead,” he said. “It’s weird to swap that role.”
His wife said she found it difficult to cede her role as the parent in charge. “It took me awhile to get to that point where I didn’t feel like I had to be at every doctor’s appointment or supervising and laying out a specific lists of chores,” she said.
But today, the Walders say the experiment has been a blessing. Most days, Mr. Walder takes the children to the library, playgroups or the museum. He handles light cleaning and laundry on weekdays and usually makes dinner. On weekends, Ms. Walder takes a bigger role with the children and does heavy cleaning, shopping and meal planning.
“I think she has the harder job,” Mr. Walder said. “If you asked me a year ago, I had the harder job. But now that I’ve got it, I love it. I wouldn’t want to give it up.”
Mothers tend to shower him with praise. “I get the same reaction from all the moms,” he said. “They say, ‘That’s great, my husband wouldn’t be able to do it.’ I think they’re selling their husbands short. All guys could do it, just like all women can be the breadwinners.”
Tara Parker-Pope writes the Well column for The New York Times and is the author of “For Better: The Science of a Good Marriage,” to be released May 6 by Dutton.
A version of this article appeared in print on January 24, 2010, on page ST1 of the New York edition.
By TARA PARKER-POPE
Published: January 22, 2010
Graham Roumieu
Last week, a report from the Pew Research Center about what it called “the rise of wives” revived the debate. Based on a study of Census data, Pew found that in nearly a third of marriages, the wife is better educated than her husband. And though men, over all, still earn more than women, wives are now the primary breadwinner in 22 percent of couples, up from 7 percent in 1970.
While the changing economic roles of husbands and wives may take some getting used to, the shift has had a surprising effect on marital stability. Over all, the evidence shows that the shifts within marriages — men taking on more housework and women earning more outside the home — have had a positive effect, contributing to lower divorce rates and happier unions.
“Women no longer need to marry up educationally or economically, so they are more likely to pick men who support a more egalitarian relationship,” said Stephanie Coontz, director of research and education for the Council on Contemporary Families and author of “Marriage, A History: How Love Conquered Marriage.”
She pointed to herself as an example. “In my marriage, I have more education and, because he’s retired, more income,” she said. “I picked him not because I needed a meal ticket, but because I liked the fact that he respected me and had no problem sharing the responsibilities of daily life with me. More and more women now are able to make those choices.”
The changing roles in marriage often aren’t what many couples plan, but instead are a reaction to unexpected financial pressures. That’s what happened to Cynthia and Brian Walder of West Springfield, Mass., who had four children in five years. Although her first and second pregnancies were carefully planned, a surprise set of twin boys meant that their day care costs would be prohibitive if both parents kept their jobs. “Someone had to leave their job and stay home,” said Ms. Walder, who is 34.
Her marketing job with an insurance firm provided the family’s health benefits, so about a year ago, Mr. Walder, a 36-year-old real estate broker and consultant, opted to stay home. “It was stressful,” he said. “If you’d asked me five years ago would I be in this spot, I’d say ‘No way.’ ”
While it’s widely believed that a woman’s financial independence increases her risk for divorce, divorce rates in the United States tell a different story: they have fallen as women have made economic gains. The rate peaked at 23 divorces per 1,000 couples in the late 1970s, but has since dropped to fewer than 17 divorces per 1,000 couples. Today, the statistics show that typically, the more economic independence and education a woman gains, the more likely she is to stay married. And in states where fewer wives have paid jobs, divorce rates tend to be higher, according to a 2009 report from the Center for American Progress.
Sociologists and economists say that financially independent women can be more selective in marrying, and they also have more negotiating power within the marriage. But it’s not just women who win. The net result tends to be a marriage that is more fair and equitable to husbands and wives.
The changes are not without their challenges. “With women taking on more earning and men taking on more caring, there’s a lot of shifting and juggling,” said Andrea Doucet, a sociology professor at Carleton University in Ottawa. Her study, the Bread and Roses Project, tracks couples in the United States and Canada in which women are the primary breadwinners. But the dynamic is “not as easy as you’d think it would be,” she said. “You can’t just reverse the genders.”
Men, for instance, sometimes have a hard time adjusting to a woman’s equal or greater earning power. Women, meanwhile, struggle with giving up their power at home and controlling tasks like how to dress the children or load the dishwasher.
Linda Duxbury, a professor at the Sprott School of Business at Carleton University, recalls moments in her marriage when she was hesitant to give up control.
“My husband would dress our daughter for school, and I’d say, ‘Oh my God, she looks like a clown,’ ” Professor Duxbury recalled. “He would say, ‘That’s your hang-up. She’s happy in it. If you don’t like my choice, then you do it.’ ”
She added, “In many ways women are their own worst enemies — we want men to do it, but we want to tell them how they should do it.”
Men, meanwhile, can struggle with the social expectation that husbands should always be the breadwinner. The recession, among other things, has made that expectation less realistic.
“Today, men need their wives’ income,” says Joshua Coleman, a psychologist in San Francisco who wrote “The Lazy Husband: How to Get Men to Do More Parenting and Housework.” “There is an issue for men of: ‘What is my value here if I’m not bringing in money? I understand you want a communicative, empathic guy who does housework and parenting, but how much pride can I take in that?’ ”
A magazine editor in New York, who asked not to be named to respect her husband’s privacy, said that during her 10-year marriage, her husband lost his job, and her higher income became a regular source of tension.
“All of the sudden, I was bringing in all the money,” she said. “It was difficult to find a balance between trying to be supportive and nurturing and saying, ‘But we really need cash so, honey, could you take a part-time job?’ ”
Then he suggested she get an M.B.A. to increase her earning power. “I remember thinking at the time, ‘I’d hate that, and why does he think I need to have a dumb job just to make a lot of money?’ ” she said. “It put doubt in my mind: maybe there is a part of him very comfortable with me making the lion’s share of the money long term.”
Kristen W. Springer, a sociologist at Rutgers, has found that among men in their 50s, having a wife who earns more money is associated with poorer health. Among the highest earning couples in her study, a husband who earns less than his wife is 60 percent less likely to be in good health compared with men who earn more than their wives.
And despite the sweeping economic changes in marriage over the last 40 years, all is not equal. Even among dual-earning couples, women still do about two-thirds of the housework, on average, according to the University of Wisconsin National Survey of Families and Households. But men do contribute far more than they used to. Studies show that since the 1960s, men’s contributions to housework have doubled, while the amount of time spent caring for children has tripled.
And the blurring of traditional gender roles appears to have a positive effect. Lynn Prince Cooke, a sociology professor at the University of Kent in England, has found that American couples who share employment and housework responsibilities are less likely to divorce compared with couples where the man is the sole breadwinner.
Mr. Walder, who stayed home with his four young children, said it was challenging to set up a new daily routine. “In most instances the wife is the one who makes the decisions when it comes to the kids, and the husband follows the lead,” he said. “It’s weird to swap that role.”
His wife said she found it difficult to cede her role as the parent in charge. “It took me awhile to get to that point where I didn’t feel like I had to be at every doctor’s appointment or supervising and laying out a specific lists of chores,” she said.
But today, the Walders say the experiment has been a blessing. Most days, Mr. Walder takes the children to the library, playgroups or the museum. He handles light cleaning and laundry on weekdays and usually makes dinner. On weekends, Ms. Walder takes a bigger role with the children and does heavy cleaning, shopping and meal planning.
“I think she has the harder job,” Mr. Walder said. “If you asked me a year ago, I had the harder job. But now that I’ve got it, I love it. I wouldn’t want to give it up.”
Mothers tend to shower him with praise. “I get the same reaction from all the moms,” he said. “They say, ‘That’s great, my husband wouldn’t be able to do it.’ I think they’re selling their husbands short. All guys could do it, just like all women can be the breadwinners.”
Tara Parker-Pope writes the Well column for The New York Times and is the author of “For Better: The Science of a Good Marriage,” to be released May 6 by Dutton.
A version of this article appeared in print on January 24, 2010, on page ST1 of the New York edition.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Six smart summer snacks for kids
Six smart summer snacks for kids
By Marie Oser
Posted Wed Jun 9, 2010 10:20am PDT
Related topics: Health, Food and Drink, Kids, Tips More from ecomii Healthy Living blog 5
votes
Buzz up!
1
digg
digg Kids need a lot of energy to keep going during the summer. As soon as the school year is over they are suddenly on the go, riding their bikes, swimming, playing sports, or off to the park to meet friends. Daily schedules are out the window, and it can be a challenge to make sure they are eating as well as they should.
It’s a good idea to stock up on small portable foods that pack a lot of nutrition. Kids, teens, and ‘tweens all tend to eat lots of small meals throughout the day and it’s a good idea to keep wholesome snacks on hand.
Whole grain waffles, pretzels, breadsticks, tortillas and pita pockets, hummus, granola, and trail mix are convenient foods for a quick pick-me-up that are healthful and satisfying.
Any snack a child makes is a snack that child is likely to eat, and younger children will especially enjoy being involved in choosing and preparing simple snacks. Having fresh and dried fruit, popcorn, nuts, nut butters, and a variety of raw veggies on hand can make quick and healthy snacking a breeze.
Here are six snack ideas that are healthful and economical. For healthy kids and a healthy planet, be sure to choose organic foods with little or no packaging.
Smart snack ideas:
Fruit kabobs are easy and fun. Chunks of fruit, such as apples, peaches, pineapples, bananas, grapes, and strawberries are tasty and colorful. Little ones will appreciate most any fruit threaded onto wooden skewers.
Spread almond or peanut butter on thick slices of apples, pears, and nectarines. Cut fresh, crisp celery stalks into 3-inch pieces, fill with nut butter and sprinkle with fresh blueberries or raisins.
Smoothies are super-easy to make and a great way to get a chilled beverage packed with sweet fruit, vitamins, and minerals into your kids on hot summer day. Combine a handful of frozen strawberries, a medium banana, and a cup of fortified orange juice, soy, almond, or rice milk in a blender and buzz for a minute.
Combine whole grain, ready-to-eat cereal, and granola with dried fruit and nuts in a zipper-top sandwich bag for a tasty high-energy snack to go.
Carrot wraps are easy to make in advance. Spread a whole grain tortilla with hummus, top with carrot sticks, sliced avocado, and baby spinach. Roll up, slice in half, and wrap each half tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Kids love dips. Hummus and guacamole in many styles are pretty convenient and widely available, but you can mash a ripe avocado with a dollop of your favorite salsa, too. It doesn’t get much easier (or fresher) than that.
Marie Oser is a best-selling author, writer/producer and host of VegTV, Follow Marie on Twitter
By Marie Oser
Posted Wed Jun 9, 2010 10:20am PDT
Related topics: Health, Food and Drink, Kids, Tips More from ecomii Healthy Living blog 5
votes
Buzz up!
1
digg
digg Kids need a lot of energy to keep going during the summer. As soon as the school year is over they are suddenly on the go, riding their bikes, swimming, playing sports, or off to the park to meet friends. Daily schedules are out the window, and it can be a challenge to make sure they are eating as well as they should.
It’s a good idea to stock up on small portable foods that pack a lot of nutrition. Kids, teens, and ‘tweens all tend to eat lots of small meals throughout the day and it’s a good idea to keep wholesome snacks on hand.
Whole grain waffles, pretzels, breadsticks, tortillas and pita pockets, hummus, granola, and trail mix are convenient foods for a quick pick-me-up that are healthful and satisfying.
Any snack a child makes is a snack that child is likely to eat, and younger children will especially enjoy being involved in choosing and preparing simple snacks. Having fresh and dried fruit, popcorn, nuts, nut butters, and a variety of raw veggies on hand can make quick and healthy snacking a breeze.
Here are six snack ideas that are healthful and economical. For healthy kids and a healthy planet, be sure to choose organic foods with little or no packaging.
Smart snack ideas:
Fruit kabobs are easy and fun. Chunks of fruit, such as apples, peaches, pineapples, bananas, grapes, and strawberries are tasty and colorful. Little ones will appreciate most any fruit threaded onto wooden skewers.
Spread almond or peanut butter on thick slices of apples, pears, and nectarines. Cut fresh, crisp celery stalks into 3-inch pieces, fill with nut butter and sprinkle with fresh blueberries or raisins.
Smoothies are super-easy to make and a great way to get a chilled beverage packed with sweet fruit, vitamins, and minerals into your kids on hot summer day. Combine a handful of frozen strawberries, a medium banana, and a cup of fortified orange juice, soy, almond, or rice milk in a blender and buzz for a minute.
Combine whole grain, ready-to-eat cereal, and granola with dried fruit and nuts in a zipper-top sandwich bag for a tasty high-energy snack to go.
Carrot wraps are easy to make in advance. Spread a whole grain tortilla with hummus, top with carrot sticks, sliced avocado, and baby spinach. Roll up, slice in half, and wrap each half tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Kids love dips. Hummus and guacamole in many styles are pretty convenient and widely available, but you can mash a ripe avocado with a dollop of your favorite salsa, too. It doesn’t get much easier (or fresher) than that.
Marie Oser is a best-selling author, writer/producer and host of VegTV, Follow Marie on Twitter
Sunday, May 16, 2010
You might be a Daddy but your No father sir-
Anyone can become a Daddy, Any One can work 24/7 and claim to be a Daddy because they make so much for there family. But your not any father. Does you son even know you or more important do you know your son? My life as a Stay at Home Father has given me a whole different view on good and bad fathers? Such as going to the bar right after work, or watching a sporting game during the three hours you were with your son. " I had a good night watch the baseball game with my son" Really was that a good night for him? Take him for a walk then read his bed time story or help with his bath. Or how about take him to a baseball game?
Are you really putting your family first when you work 24/7 or is it your escape from the life you never wanted? When you get married and start having kids that doesn't make you a family man your actions due. Watch yourself walk and think do you life what you see? Are ou a true father or are you repeating the mistakes of your father.
Facts:
You can make a million more then me doesn't make you better-
You kids could live in a gold house- Doesn't make you a better father then me.
Only reason I judge you is because you look down at me. I'm smiling taking my son to Elmo with out a care in the world. You are confused because I should be sad at my life. But i take that $1.oo you refused to pick up and made into a $100.
Are you really putting your family first when you work 24/7 or is it your escape from the life you never wanted? When you get married and start having kids that doesn't make you a family man your actions due. Watch yourself walk and think do you life what you see? Are ou a true father or are you repeating the mistakes of your father.
Facts:
You can make a million more then me doesn't make you better-
You kids could live in a gold house- Doesn't make you a better father then me.
Only reason I judge you is because you look down at me. I'm smiling taking my son to Elmo with out a care in the world. You are confused because I should be sad at my life. But i take that $1.oo you refused to pick up and made into a $100.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Explain your resume Sir
Question? Mother's of the world how do you answer this question? Why is there no employment during these times? I'm, dealing with some funny looks and a few interview's that are killed before I have the shot to interview. I'm sure most women smile and say I was a stay at home mother and ran the homestead. The person doing the interview says OK and doesn't really think anything of it, its very common for Mother to take a year or ten to focus on the family Now try being a Man in this world and saying those same words, it killed an interview even before I was considered for an interview. The look on his face when I told him I have been a stay at home father since October of last year. I could have just walked away there. End of story please don't apply here any more.
Monday, April 19, 2010
No more Bath's for my 18 month old son!
I had a issue with my son. He loved bath's like would stay for hours if we allowed him. My and my wife were scared. Even did a few Internet Searches with no answers. I seem to have figured it out. Getting the bath water almost cold, just a step above cold. luke warm-
Monday, April 12, 2010
Great article on Spanking
Study: Spanking Kids Leads to More Aggressive Behavior
Buzz up!342 votes Send
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Facebook Twitter Delicious Digg Fark Newsvine Reddit StumbleUpon Technorati Yahoo! Bookmarks Print By ALICE PARK Alice Park – Mon Apr 12, 1:50 am ET
Disciplining young children is one of the key jobs of any parent - most people would have no trouble agreeing with that. But whether or not that discipline should include spanking or other forms of corporal punishment is a far trickier issue.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) does not endorse spanking for any reason, citing its lack of long-term effectiveness as a behavior-changing tactic. Instead the AAP supports strategies such as "time-outs" when children misbehave, which focus on getting kids to reflect on their behavior and the consequences of their actions. Still, as many parents can attest, few responses bring about the immediate interruption of a full-blown tantrum like a swift whack to the bottom. (See pictures of the evolution of the college dorm.)
Now researchers at Tulane University provide the strongest evidence yet against the use of spanking: of the nearly 2,500 youngsters in the study, those who were spanked more frequently at age 3 were more likely to be aggressive by age 5. The research supports earlier work on the pitfalls of corporal punishment, including a study by Duke University researchers that revealed that infants who were spanked at 12 months scored lower on cognitive tests at age 3.
"I'm excited by the idea that there is now some nice hard data that can back up clinicians when they share their caution with parents against using corporal punishment," says Dr. Jayne Singer, clinical director of the child and parent program at Children's Hospital Boston, who was not involved in the study. (Read "Should Kids Be Bribed to Do Well in School?")
Led by Catherine Taylor, the Tulane study was the first to control simultaneously for variables that are most likely to confound the association between spanking and later aggressive behavior. The researchers accounted for factors such as acts of neglect by the mother, violence or aggression between the parents, maternal stress and depression, the mother's use of alcohol and drugs, and even whether the mother considered abortion while pregnant with the child.
Each of these factors contributed to children's aggressive behavior at age 5, but they could not explain all of the violent tendencies at that age. Further, the positive connection between spanking and aggression remained strong, even after these factors had been accounted for.
"The odds of a child being more aggressive at age 5 if he had been spanked more than twice in the month before the study began increased by 50%," says Taylor. And because her group also accounted for varying levels of natural aggression in children, the researchers are confident that "it's not just that children who are more aggressive are more likely to be spanked."
What the study, published Monday in the journal Pediatrics, shows is that outside of the most obvious factors that may influence violent behavior in children, spanking remains a strong predictor. "This study controls for the most common risk factors that people tend to think of as being associated with aggression," says Singer. "This adds more credence, more data and more strength to the argument against using corporal punishment."
Among the mothers who were studied, nearly half (45.6%) reported no spanking in the previous month; 27.9% reported spanking once or twice; and 26.5% reported spanking more than twice. Compared with children who were not hit, those who were spanked were more likely to be defiant, demand immediate satisfaction of their wants and needs, get frustrated easily, have temper tantrums and lash out physically against others.
The reason for that, says Singer, may be that spanking instills fear rather than understanding. Even if a child were to stop his screaming tantrum when spanked, that doesn't mean he understands why he shouldn't be acting out in the first place. What's more, spanking models aggressive behavior as a solution to problems.
For children to understand what and why they have done something wrong, it may take repeated efforts on the parent's part, using time-outs - a strategy that typically involves denying the child any attention, praise or interaction with parents for a specified period of time (that is, the parents ignore the child). These quiet times force children to calm down and learn to think about their emotions, rather than acting out on them blindly.
Spanking may stop a child from misbehaving in the short term, but it becomes less and less effective with repeated use, according to the AAP; it also makes discipline more difficult as the child gets older and outgrows spanking. As the latest study shows, investing the time early on to teach a child why his behavior is wrong may translate to a more self-aware and in-control youngster in the long run.
See pictures of kids comparing their paychecks at school
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Facebook Twitter Delicious Digg Fark Newsvine Reddit StumbleUpon Technorati Yahoo! Bookmarks Print By ALICE PARK Alice Park – Mon Apr 12, 1:50 am ET
Disciplining young children is one of the key jobs of any parent - most people would have no trouble agreeing with that. But whether or not that discipline should include spanking or other forms of corporal punishment is a far trickier issue.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) does not endorse spanking for any reason, citing its lack of long-term effectiveness as a behavior-changing tactic. Instead the AAP supports strategies such as "time-outs" when children misbehave, which focus on getting kids to reflect on their behavior and the consequences of their actions. Still, as many parents can attest, few responses bring about the immediate interruption of a full-blown tantrum like a swift whack to the bottom. (See pictures of the evolution of the college dorm.)
Now researchers at Tulane University provide the strongest evidence yet against the use of spanking: of the nearly 2,500 youngsters in the study, those who were spanked more frequently at age 3 were more likely to be aggressive by age 5. The research supports earlier work on the pitfalls of corporal punishment, including a study by Duke University researchers that revealed that infants who were spanked at 12 months scored lower on cognitive tests at age 3.
"I'm excited by the idea that there is now some nice hard data that can back up clinicians when they share their caution with parents against using corporal punishment," says Dr. Jayne Singer, clinical director of the child and parent program at Children's Hospital Boston, who was not involved in the study. (Read "Should Kids Be Bribed to Do Well in School?")
Led by Catherine Taylor, the Tulane study was the first to control simultaneously for variables that are most likely to confound the association between spanking and later aggressive behavior. The researchers accounted for factors such as acts of neglect by the mother, violence or aggression between the parents, maternal stress and depression, the mother's use of alcohol and drugs, and even whether the mother considered abortion while pregnant with the child.
Each of these factors contributed to children's aggressive behavior at age 5, but they could not explain all of the violent tendencies at that age. Further, the positive connection between spanking and aggression remained strong, even after these factors had been accounted for.
"The odds of a child being more aggressive at age 5 if he had been spanked more than twice in the month before the study began increased by 50%," says Taylor. And because her group also accounted for varying levels of natural aggression in children, the researchers are confident that "it's not just that children who are more aggressive are more likely to be spanked."
What the study, published Monday in the journal Pediatrics, shows is that outside of the most obvious factors that may influence violent behavior in children, spanking remains a strong predictor. "This study controls for the most common risk factors that people tend to think of as being associated with aggression," says Singer. "This adds more credence, more data and more strength to the argument against using corporal punishment."
Among the mothers who were studied, nearly half (45.6%) reported no spanking in the previous month; 27.9% reported spanking once or twice; and 26.5% reported spanking more than twice. Compared with children who were not hit, those who were spanked were more likely to be defiant, demand immediate satisfaction of their wants and needs, get frustrated easily, have temper tantrums and lash out physically against others.
The reason for that, says Singer, may be that spanking instills fear rather than understanding. Even if a child were to stop his screaming tantrum when spanked, that doesn't mean he understands why he shouldn't be acting out in the first place. What's more, spanking models aggressive behavior as a solution to problems.
For children to understand what and why they have done something wrong, it may take repeated efforts on the parent's part, using time-outs - a strategy that typically involves denying the child any attention, praise or interaction with parents for a specified period of time (that is, the parents ignore the child). These quiet times force children to calm down and learn to think about their emotions, rather than acting out on them blindly.
Spanking may stop a child from misbehaving in the short term, but it becomes less and less effective with repeated use, according to the AAP; it also makes discipline more difficult as the child gets older and outgrows spanking. As the latest study shows, investing the time early on to teach a child why his behavior is wrong may translate to a more self-aware and in-control youngster in the long run.
See pictures of kids comparing their paychecks at school
Scared about going back to work
Not sure what will be worse, DJ having to go back to daycare or Daddy having to leave him and not have that control. Mr. Mom isn't going back to work yet, however he is looking much harder. Its hard being a Mr Mom because it seem's like your standing alone where nobody understand what you are dealing with.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Enjoy the present !!
Today it was 80 degree's almost no wind and sunny. I spent most of the day outside with my 18 month old son. Wow on a day like this when most people are part of the busy rat race only getting a few hours at night or during a short lunch to enjoy the day. I'm sitting on a park bunch teaching my son the word Geese. Just then the two Geese sitting in the water call three of the friends and we watch other Geese land from the sky. I hope most people in life have seen wildlife up close. If not please do with your children,wife,husband or yourself. However to watch this process though the eyes of my son was so amazing. A really life learning classroom was so great and rewarding for his father. I have bills, house stuff that needs to me done and jobs to apply for. But I was thinking how I need to enjoy the present and keep a level head to tackle the issues of tomorrow. Because those issues will be there but today will not be around.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Why a stay at home Daddy?
I have been asked this. From people that care and people that hate. Got a nice email from a crazy man down south seems, I'm going to hell for taking care of my son and allowing my wife to work. This coming from a guy that has been married three times and claim to be a paster.
I stay home because, My last job after a hard 2 weeks of work after paying for daycare I too Home $20 bucks. That is 80 hours for $20 bucks, then you add the fact that DJ wasn't sick staying at home. I stay at home because I would rather teach my son the sign for Please rather then another kid.
Bottom Line I stay at home because its the best thing for my family. Will I work again, sure will. When? Great question, I live my life for what is best for my son and wife. SO when its best for my family. We will know, and that all that matters.
I stay home because, My last job after a hard 2 weeks of work after paying for daycare I too Home $20 bucks. That is 80 hours for $20 bucks, then you add the fact that DJ wasn't sick staying at home. I stay at home because I would rather teach my son the sign for Please rather then another kid.
Bottom Line I stay at home because its the best thing for my family. Will I work again, sure will. When? Great question, I live my life for what is best for my son and wife. SO when its best for my family. We will know, and that all that matters.
Weekend as a Single Man!
My wife and son took a small trip today to KC.
I have a huge list of thing to get down.
However it been a very long time since I was alone. Since I could watch a whole movie without stay up late. It so stange to not have a second voice in the house other then the dog. I got a few little things done. But as much as watch a movie or two was fun, I sure miss the smile of my wife and son.
I have a huge list of thing to get down.
However it been a very long time since I was alone. Since I could watch a whole movie without stay up late. It so stange to not have a second voice in the house other then the dog. I got a few little things done. But as much as watch a movie or two was fun, I sure miss the smile of my wife and son.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Mommy Mommy
At his highest yelling voice. With a big smile he runs to hug his mother. I'm happy for him and his Mommy. However, I don't get that. I deal with the diapers the crying, the bad. Yes, I have many positive parts to this job, but there is is a huge hole for a stay at home parent. To spend the day working and come home to relax with a happy kid. To leave you job and come home, for a stay at home parent to leave his or her job they have to leave the house the kid and the wife or husband. Then you get bad feeiing not spend time with your spose.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Monday, February 1, 2010
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Free things during hard times in America-
I have really tried hard to find things to keep us busy yet that are free.
Library is a great resources for any person but a life saver for a stay at parent. Place to relax,explore,get books,cd,dvd's have story's read and meet new friends. Its like a breath saver for a parent. All of these thing for free. Which is so nice, even if we had extra money we would use this often. Being in a town like Urbandale we can almost go to a different library every day. We only go to two right now Mondays and Thursdays.
Mall Living in the great snowy cold Iowa- You can walk around shop and not really spend money- Often times malls have a playground for kids. Negative? Parents are morons and sometimes have no control over there kids which leads to a pocket full of problems- But going early or when things getting crazy just leaving-
Parks- Well i look forward to warm weather and parks, but right now for Mr Mom its not much of an option.
Antique Malls This can be fun and can me a night mare- Again if you know you kid you can judge this better. Some place will be better then other. My son is great for 40 min, but i need to have full eyes on deck-
Mother groups- ( most place love having a daddy join) We have a place here in Urbandale Called Yost Family Chiropractic that does some great Mommy and me- Where they bring in great programs, often groups or business that charge but its free . Its a great marketing idea both for Yost and the Business they bring in. Because every town has Music classes, etc but its hard to pay for them with out trying it first. Places like this a great for a stay at home parent.
Bass Pro - Ok not a joke. have you been to a Bass Pro? A good hour to walk around and explore, every town a child and father would find fun. They have a huge fish tank and feed it three times a week. Where you can watch. A great learning town. Warning they throw in life fish to other fish- Me and my son enjoyed it but some might not.
All town and States will be different. Some will have maybe a great list but the key is to find things that are free and can keep you child attention, have fun and maybe learn a thing or two.
Library is a great resources for any person but a life saver for a stay at parent. Place to relax,explore,get books,cd,dvd's have story's read and meet new friends. Its like a breath saver for a parent. All of these thing for free. Which is so nice, even if we had extra money we would use this often. Being in a town like Urbandale we can almost go to a different library every day. We only go to two right now Mondays and Thursdays.
Mall Living in the great snowy cold Iowa- You can walk around shop and not really spend money- Often times malls have a playground for kids. Negative? Parents are morons and sometimes have no control over there kids which leads to a pocket full of problems- But going early or when things getting crazy just leaving-
Parks- Well i look forward to warm weather and parks, but right now for Mr Mom its not much of an option.
Antique Malls This can be fun and can me a night mare- Again if you know you kid you can judge this better. Some place will be better then other. My son is great for 40 min, but i need to have full eyes on deck-
Mother groups- ( most place love having a daddy join) We have a place here in Urbandale Called Yost Family Chiropractic that does some great Mommy and me- Where they bring in great programs, often groups or business that charge but its free . Its a great marketing idea both for Yost and the Business they bring in. Because every town has Music classes, etc but its hard to pay for them with out trying it first. Places like this a great for a stay at home parent.
Bass Pro - Ok not a joke. have you been to a Bass Pro? A good hour to walk around and explore, every town a child and father would find fun. They have a huge fish tank and feed it three times a week. Where you can watch. A great learning town. Warning they throw in life fish to other fish- Me and my son enjoyed it but some might not.
All town and States will be different. Some will have maybe a great list but the key is to find things that are free and can keep you child attention, have fun and maybe learn a thing or two.
Taking leadership and notes
I have had order in ny life when I was single and had free time. Granted I should have been living life more. My mother always said I might have been mess but I always had thiongs in there place. That has been trown out the window however with married life.
But I have taken control of the daily plan with my son, taking notes- when sleep-eat-etc to see if there are any patterns in his postive days vs are negative days- Its a start to see if we can help with a sleeping better.
But I have taken control of the daily plan with my son, taking notes- when sleep-eat-etc to see if there are any patterns in his postive days vs are negative days- Its a start to see if we can help with a sleeping better.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Stay at home daddys
"All men who have achieved great things have been great dreamers." - Orison Swett Marden
Monday, January 25, 2010
Great story about Stay at Home dad and Wife coaching-
Yori's in a zone -- coaching and being a mom
The last place Connie Yori expects to have a mom moment is while she's running her Nebraska women's basketball team through a workout.
Understand now, it doesn't matter what Yori's up to - when she's zoned in on something, she's completely into it. For example, while her unbeaten squad was in the midst of knocking off ninth-ranked Baylor in Waco, Texas, last Sunday, the heckling Bears fan who was determinedly trying to get the attention of Yori with some overly personal, inappropriate rants was the one who left red-faced. Yori, you see, was in tunnel-vision mode and didn't hear a word.
And so one day last fall when her two favorite guys - 5-year-old son Lukas and husband Kirk Helms - made a rare visit to practice, Yori was undaunted by the section of bleachers that had come unlocked from its stacked position and chattered into rows.
Until, that is, she felt the thud from someone having abandoned those bleachers for safe ground.
LUKAS!
"He jumped off there and the whole thing collapsed, and we thought something happened to him," junior guard Dominique Kelley said. "Everybody stopped and (gasped). But he was fine ... (and) when she saw he was fine we went on about practice."
OK, let's not throw mom under the bus. If there's one thing that could distract Yori from her job, it's her only child.
The one she gave birth to the summer following her second season at Nebraska - when she was three months shy of her 41st birthday.
For her, the experience is so rewarding that she makes up words trying to describe it.
"It's the awesomest, awesomest thing," Yori said. "I think of myself as a mother before I think of myself as a coach. That's way more important. And I don't mean coaching isn't, but ... "
Her situation definitely creates a special appreciation.
"I'm not a normal mom. I don't get to spend as much time with my child as a lot of parents do, so I really try to value that time," said Yori, who declined to have her family photographed for this story. "But it helps, because Kirk is home and he can be consistent with him ... so it works out good."
Yori and Helms were married for nine years before Lukas came along. The two met at an Omaha Racers game when she was the coach at Creighton, and his initial introduction as she walked by in a group didn't exactly make her heart flutter. But at another Racers game, Yori's friends, spotting Helms again, told her if she didn't go talk to him, they would.
She then discovered he had a huge interest in basketball (he officiated games, too), and a relationship blossomed.
Before Lukas arrived (fittingly, mom was officiating games at one of her summer camps at NU the day before he was born), most of Helms' days were spent juggling projects as an independent contractor.
For the past five years, he's made major cutbacks to that schedule to be a stay-at-home dad.
"Your life kind of happens," said Yori, who speaks glowingly of her two years coaching at tiny Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, but also remembers thinking, "How am I ever going to meet anybody there?" when she was trying to decide whether to stay or take a job at Creighton.
That choice, as well as one to leave her alma mater for Nebraska in 2002, worked out smashingly.
"I got an awesome husband, I know that," said Yori, joking that if anyone in their home is serving dinner at 6, it's going to be him. "Frankly, there's not a lot of men who would do what he does, so I'm very thankful that I met the right guy and got married at the right time."
Yori also is grateful that the career opportunities presented to her have allowed her to remain near her central Iowa hometown of Ankeny and Helms' Omaha family.
In other words, being at Nebraska is about as good as it could get. Especially now.
The Huskers, now 17-0, have never been ranked as high as their current Nos. 6 and 7 positions in the national polls. And all of this has happened during the last year before Lukas starts school.
"He stays up a lot until 10 or 11, where most kids that age are fast asleep," Yori said, "so that's the time I try to spend with him, when I get home and I've got that hour or two-hour window. That'll change next year."
What won't is her love of parenthood and home life.
"Her favorite movie is ‘It's A Wonderful Life.' That should tell you a lot about her," said Omahan Bridget O'Brien, one of Yori's college roommates. "People think she's just this competitive coach, but she's so ... generous and warm. Her home is always open."
And should you decide to drop by, Yori will even share her family. Well, some nights, anyway.
"One of the things she tells us is that wherever you are and whatever situation you're in, you have to devote 100 percent of the time to that, and you can't think about anything else," Kelley said. "So she gives us her undivided attention for these two-and-a-half, three hours (of practice), and then she sets it aside and goes home and spends time with her family. She emphasizes how important family is and how much meaning that has to her life."
Considering his wife's line of work, "It's like she has teenage daughters every year," Helms said. "But giving birth and being a mom, it's just on a totally different plane.
"As soon as practice and games are done, the first thing she wants to do is spend
The last place Connie Yori expects to have a mom moment is while she's running her Nebraska women's basketball team through a workout.
Understand now, it doesn't matter what Yori's up to - when she's zoned in on something, she's completely into it. For example, while her unbeaten squad was in the midst of knocking off ninth-ranked Baylor in Waco, Texas, last Sunday, the heckling Bears fan who was determinedly trying to get the attention of Yori with some overly personal, inappropriate rants was the one who left red-faced. Yori, you see, was in tunnel-vision mode and didn't hear a word.
And so one day last fall when her two favorite guys - 5-year-old son Lukas and husband Kirk Helms - made a rare visit to practice, Yori was undaunted by the section of bleachers that had come unlocked from its stacked position and chattered into rows.
Until, that is, she felt the thud from someone having abandoned those bleachers for safe ground.
LUKAS!
"He jumped off there and the whole thing collapsed, and we thought something happened to him," junior guard Dominique Kelley said. "Everybody stopped and (gasped). But he was fine ... (and) when she saw he was fine we went on about practice."
OK, let's not throw mom under the bus. If there's one thing that could distract Yori from her job, it's her only child.
The one she gave birth to the summer following her second season at Nebraska - when she was three months shy of her 41st birthday.
For her, the experience is so rewarding that she makes up words trying to describe it.
"It's the awesomest, awesomest thing," Yori said. "I think of myself as a mother before I think of myself as a coach. That's way more important. And I don't mean coaching isn't, but ... "
Her situation definitely creates a special appreciation.
"I'm not a normal mom. I don't get to spend as much time with my child as a lot of parents do, so I really try to value that time," said Yori, who declined to have her family photographed for this story. "But it helps, because Kirk is home and he can be consistent with him ... so it works out good."
Yori and Helms were married for nine years before Lukas came along. The two met at an Omaha Racers game when she was the coach at Creighton, and his initial introduction as she walked by in a group didn't exactly make her heart flutter. But at another Racers game, Yori's friends, spotting Helms again, told her if she didn't go talk to him, they would.
She then discovered he had a huge interest in basketball (he officiated games, too), and a relationship blossomed.
Before Lukas arrived (fittingly, mom was officiating games at one of her summer camps at NU the day before he was born), most of Helms' days were spent juggling projects as an independent contractor.
For the past five years, he's made major cutbacks to that schedule to be a stay-at-home dad.
"Your life kind of happens," said Yori, who speaks glowingly of her two years coaching at tiny Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, but also remembers thinking, "How am I ever going to meet anybody there?" when she was trying to decide whether to stay or take a job at Creighton.
That choice, as well as one to leave her alma mater for Nebraska in 2002, worked out smashingly.
"I got an awesome husband, I know that," said Yori, joking that if anyone in their home is serving dinner at 6, it's going to be him. "Frankly, there's not a lot of men who would do what he does, so I'm very thankful that I met the right guy and got married at the right time."
Yori also is grateful that the career opportunities presented to her have allowed her to remain near her central Iowa hometown of Ankeny and Helms' Omaha family.
In other words, being at Nebraska is about as good as it could get. Especially now.
The Huskers, now 17-0, have never been ranked as high as their current Nos. 6 and 7 positions in the national polls. And all of this has happened during the last year before Lukas starts school.
"He stays up a lot until 10 or 11, where most kids that age are fast asleep," Yori said, "so that's the time I try to spend with him, when I get home and I've got that hour or two-hour window. That'll change next year."
What won't is her love of parenthood and home life.
"Her favorite movie is ‘It's A Wonderful Life.' That should tell you a lot about her," said Omahan Bridget O'Brien, one of Yori's college roommates. "People think she's just this competitive coach, but she's so ... generous and warm. Her home is always open."
And should you decide to drop by, Yori will even share her family. Well, some nights, anyway.
"One of the things she tells us is that wherever you are and whatever situation you're in, you have to devote 100 percent of the time to that, and you can't think about anything else," Kelley said. "So she gives us her undivided attention for these two-and-a-half, three hours (of practice), and then she sets it aside and goes home and spends time with her family. She emphasizes how important family is and how much meaning that has to her life."
Considering his wife's line of work, "It's like she has teenage daughters every year," Helms said. "But giving birth and being a mom, it's just on a totally different plane.
"As soon as practice and games are done, the first thing she wants to do is spend
Friday, January 15, 2010
Nap time is like a MMA fight-
I just got a blood noise after a 20 minute battle with my 16 month old son- Not a joke, granted because of alleges my nose is like Rick Flair forehead, Its a easy bleeder. I think as a father and a stay at home daddy, I'm doing a good job with almost every aspect of this job. Nap time however seems to be a battle the young rookie is beating the old Veteran.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Mr Mom returning to Football?
I have had a great desire to play football again. No matter where or when as long its not a flag football game. Really league, teams, tackling, etc. There are many forms of pro football leagues in Iowa. Heck Des Moines has 2 women pro teams. But I was looking at the Iowa Eagles playing out of Fort Dodge. Why Fort Dodge, because they want me to play with the. So what does sime pro football play? Well you have to pay to play. Any where from $200 bucks to $500. How can I during a time I'm a stay at home Daddy and money is tight use $500 of the family money to battle that monekey? Plus the extra time and risk of getting hurt. MY wife can't afford me to be hurt and not able to take care of are Son.
Wait a year get in shape and play in Des Moines-
Play now and risk it-
Not sure-
Wait a year get in shape and play in Des Moines-
Play now and risk it-
Not sure-
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
The good and the Bad of Mr Dad
Taking my son to a Mr Mommy group and getting to watch him play with others How many other father can say they had that chance. That was fun to have that chance.
http://www.meetup.com/MommyandMeYFC/calendar/10615847/
Thanks Yost Family Chiropractic for hosting the event.
The bad? My son going from giving me Kisses and saying I love you to him beating me in the middle of the night. He gets something like a nightmare which leads to Daddy losing some blood. Its such a roller cost of positive and no negative-
I would kill to have my son Sleep 10 hours 3 night a week- Might save daddy's life-
http://www.meetup.com/MommyandMeYFC/calendar/10615847/
Thanks Yost Family Chiropractic for hosting the event.
The bad? My son going from giving me Kisses and saying I love you to him beating me in the middle of the night. He gets something like a nightmare which leads to Daddy losing some blood. Its such a roller cost of positive and no negative-
I would kill to have my son Sleep 10 hours 3 night a week- Might save daddy's life-
Sunday, January 3, 2010
For the love of God kid Sleep-
I know parents at time lie or just don't answer the question 100% when asked how does your kid sleep- But can my son be the only one that never sleeps- 6 hours in a 24 hour span would be a great night and almost never more then 2 hours at one time. I have more then once the last few nights had breakfast at 2am and had a mid morning nap at 6 am- What to do? I would kill to crank up the Ipod and walk round the track for an hour, but I live in Iowa and at 9:30 at night I'm sure the temperature is near 0 degrees and the many feet of snow would stop me from that- Well in more younger age I would have tackled that challenge in shorts, but in my mid 30's that would lead me in the ER and I'm trying very hard to avoid that this year-
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