Monthly Archives: January 2012

Positive Parental Participation Wins Versatile Blogger Award

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There are so many awesome blogs out there.

It doesn’t matter if you are interested in gardening, cooking, technology, parenting, architecture, electronics, philosophy…or any other topic…there are blog communities waiting to connect with you.

When it comes to parenting, it is especially valuable to have so many helpful online resources…parenting is a really difficult task…and families these days are not close-knit the way they used to be in the “good old days”.  Young parents and new parents often have no family members near-by to rely on to help and give advice.

So I’m especially honored to have received this Versatile Blogger Award for my parenting blog…for the second time.  This time I have SmartyPantsFun to thank, a great website that provides creative crafty printables for kids.

According to the award instructions, I’m supposed to write seven things about myself and then pass the award on to 15 other deserving bloggers.

Seven Things About Me

1.    I weigh myself every morning, even though experts say not to do that.

2.    I eat a bowl of air-popped popcorn (with a TB of canola oil and a pinch of Celtic Salt) every night while I relax and watch TV or a movie with my husband.

3.    If I liked what I saw on the scale, I also eat a small bowl of ice-cream with a squirt of real whipped cream.

4.    I love Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series and have read and reread all of the books several times, even though each book is over 800 pages long.

5.    I also love Jean Auel’s Clan of the Cave Bear series and anxiously await another sequel.

6.    My writing goals for 2012 are: to work on the second book in the Show Me How series (Celebrating the Holidays Through Reading, Crafting and Cooking…this is the one I need crafts and recipes for and hope bloggers will come forward and contribute) and to take a picture book I wrote many years ago and rework it into an interactive board book series to help toddlers learn their colors, numbers and ABC’s.

7.    I am currently de-cluttering my home…one drawer, closet and shelf at a time.

The bloggers I give the Versatile Bloggers Award to are:

Mirth and Motivation

Spirit Lights the Way

My Life is my Rainbow

Piglet in Portugal

Tales from the Motherland

Sippy Cup Chronicles

Phrogmom

Because I’m the Mommy

Plate Spinning 101

The Mom Writes

Stacy S. Jensen

Like a Bump on a Blog

These are only a few wonderful writers out there…people who take the time to share their thoughts and expertise…and make us smile and cry and think and move forward.  I’m honored to have connected with these bloggers in 2011…and I’m excited to see who I will meet in 2012.

How to Create More Free Time and Save Money

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various potato dishes: potato chips, hashbrown...

Image via Wikipedia

 

Many parents are time-short these days.

With work and family responsibilities, there’s not a lot of free time for most moms and dads.

Here are two simple tips that can create more time and save money:

1.    Shop once a week.  Plan the week’s menus, make a list of what you need and then shop for everything at once using your list.  You’ll not only save time, but money as well…less gas with only one trip and you won’t be picking up items on a whim.

2.    Cook once a week.  Chose a morning, afternoon or evening when you have a few hours of uninterrupted time.  Make a roast chicken, baked potatoes and a couple of casseroles.  Store everything in the fridge or freezer and you’ll have dinners (and perhaps lunches as well) for the entire week.  All you’ll have to do is heat, add a side of salad or veggies and serve.

What do I do with the time that I’ve saved?  I read a book, exercise or spend some quality time with my family.

What would you do with your free time?  Do you have one or two top tips to save time and money?  Please share.

Related articles

2011 in review

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The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Syndey Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 9,200 times in 2011. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 3 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

My goal for 2012 is to post something of value for parents and children every day…a quote that inspires, a tip that might help make the day go more smoothly, an activity to be enjoyed by the whole family or a picture book review that will encourage parents to read with their children on a daily basis. 

I’m also going to be working on two writing projects.  The second book in the Positive Parental Participation series will be Show Me How! Celebrating the Holidays Through Reading, Crafting and Cooking.  I’ll also be involved in creating an interactive board book series that helps toddlers learn their colors, numbers and ABC’s, The Balloon Man.

Now I have a big favor to ask.  If you have a super cool holiday craft project that is quick and easy OR a child-friendly healthy simple holiday cooking activity, please visit my book website: www.positiveparentalparticipation.com and fill out the contact form.  You can win a copy of the new book if your craft project or cooking activity is chosen to appear in the book!

I’m grateful for everyone who visited Positive Parental Participation in 2011…thanks also to all who left comments and kind words.

May 2012 be filled with joy, good health and love for all of you!