Organize a Graduation Open House, Cheap, Easy Recipes and Tips

May and June mean graduation open houses. Are you hosting an open house? Here are some tips for planning an easy, inexpensive, festive buffet. This party planning guide includes recipes, serving and cleanup tips, crowd control and guest organization. If you are Type A OCD ADD DIY parent like me, you manage the whole show and not make time to visit. Here are planning, purchasing, preparation, serving and clean-up tips for a perfect open house. Graduation Party Food Tips: Plan a Festive Graduation Party Buffet Without Going Broke or Crazy!

Super Bowl 2013 Half-time Recipes in Baltimore Ravens, San Francisco Ravens Colors

Super Bowl 2013 party hosts, got vegetarian or dieting guest coming? You don't have to serve carnivorous treats only. Nowhere in the Super Bowl Sunday code does it say 'thou shalt have cold cuts and wings." Here's how to organize Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers themed recipes for dieting and vegetarian fans. Can't make it to New Orleans' Mercedes-Benz Superdome for Super Bowl XLVII? Here's a half-time buffet everyone will love. Super Bowl 2013 Vegetarian, Diet-Friendly Recipes

Keep Preschool, Toddler Children Busy With Free Activities

 As a 10-year homeschooling mom of four, I know about multitasking with kids. The hardest age of child to keep productively occupied is toddler. Maybe I should rephrase "productive" to "occupied in parent-approved ways." Our kids were always productively employed, at least in their minds. From a parent's view it looked like mess-making. And during the holidays it only gets worse. More work, antsy kids, abnormal schedules, added events make it more challenging to keep a toddler in check. Here are parent-friendly, child-minder holiday activities. For free printables to occupy kids, click the "printables" keyword on this blog or check out my link blogs. You'll find enough printable games, crafts, cut and paste toys and educational activities to keep an army of kids busy! Toddler Child-minder Activities for Busy Parents

Mealtime cheats, shortcuts for crazy-busy parents

With two of my four kids out of the house, life has slowed down a little. But when everyone was home and I was homeschooling, our lives were crazy-busy, 24-7. To stay (relatively) sane, I rely on several corner-cutting tricks. One the biggest drains on time is meal preparation. Here are my best mealtime cheats and food preparation shortcuts. Though these may not sound like money-savers, in the long run they can be if with an eye to saving.  Mealtime cheats, shortcuts for crazy-busy parents

Free Printable Halloween Trick-or-Treat Countdown Calendar

Oh the agony waiting can be, especially for little ones looking forward to Halloween. And for the busy mom, a restless child can be a real productivity killer. About a million times a day, they ask "When is (fill in special event)????" Till you want to shriek "If you ask me one more time, NEVER!" Why not turn kids' anticipation into a fun learning experience? Here is a free printable Halloween trick-or-treat countdown calendar. Using this countdown to Halloween, children can mark the days themselves. It's a counting lesson, telling time activity, comprehension builder and personal organizer all in one! And making the countdown calendar will keep fidgety kids out of your hair, erhm, I mean happily busy. And you won't have to worry about what mischief the bored child is finding to occupy herself with! At 3, my youngest once "made a cake" (which included paring an apple, cracking NINE EGGS and scooping out half a jar of peanut butter) all in the space it took me to go to the bathroom! We did salvage it, but I wish I'd had these free printables....! Free Printable Halloween Trick-or-Treat Countdown Calendar 

Montessori mom: At-home preschool dramatic play learning center

 As a special needs and former Montessori teacher, my classrooms have always been organized on the learning center principle. Learning centers are rotational play areas were children perform tasks related to specific content areas: math, reading, science, art, practical life, dramatic play. When I had children, I imported the learning center philosophy into my home. The play room was set up like a modified preschool classroom. Got toddler or preschool age kids? I highly recommend setting up learning centers. If you're homeschooling, learning centers are a must. Here's how this Montessori mom designed an at-home dramatic play area.  Montessori mom: At-home preschool dramatic play learning center 

How I Self-Discipline, Change Habits Using Al Anon Slogans

Self discipline is something I've never had trouble with. I've got a nasty case of low self-esteem. Auto-flagellation my modus operandi. But rigid self control isn't healthy. It doesn't work either. Here's a simple self-help plan I created, based on Al Anon principles, to modify behavior and change habits. It's how this WAHM manages to stay sane. Change Habits Using Al Anon Slogans

Recycled Halloween, Fall Crafts for Preschoolers

With older kids going back to school, little ones get bored. And bored preschoolers means parents must entertain or face consequences. Here are fall and Halloween-themed preschool crafts to occupy preschool children. These are great for a Halloween party, too. Easy, inexpensive crafts using recycled materials. Eco-Friendly Recycled Halloween and Autumn Harvest Craft Ideas 

Best Free Online Spelling, Vocabulary Games for Busy Moms

Need to keep an energetic kid busy while you work? Maybe you need some rainy day fun activities? Here's an idea--educational video games. I have a confession to make--I love online word games. For all the articles I write warning parents and kids about the dangers of obsessive game playing, I admit that there are advantages. Playing word games helps boost my visual tracking, perceptual acuity and typing skills (or so I tell myself). Mostly, I use them as a brain break from writing and research.  Best Free Online Spelling, Vocabulary Games to Boost Reading Skills 

Study Finds Gender Discrepancies in Parent Multitasking

Moms multitask more than dads but enjoy it less, says a parenting study published in American Sociological Review. Here's what the study found about parents and their differing responses to managing multiple responsibilities at once. The study tested 368 mothers and 241 fathers in dual-earner families. Participants were given a wristwatch to wear at work and at home, researchers told NPR's Morning Edition. The watch beeped seven times a day. When it did, participants recorded what they were doing at the time, how many tasks they were performing at once and how they felt about it.  Study Finds Gender Discrepancies in Parent Multitasking

How to balance family summer schedules with sleep-late teens

Summer vacation means different things for kids than it does for parents. Older kids and teens look forward to staying up late and sleeping late. Mom and dad, unfortunately, don't have that luxury. We still have that four-letter word (work) to look forward to. Here are tips to balance family life with late-blooming teens (---and cats!) and early rising parenting.  Balancing family summer schedules with sleep-late teens 

When to Quit Multitasking and Take a Break

Back Pain: Therapeutic Tips and Techniques Sometime, we multitask, organize, schedule and just plain do too darn much. It's important to know when to slow down and practice a little self-care. You can't pour from an empty cup. One of the loudest biofeedback warning signals that you've overdone it is back pain. Back pain has got to be one of the most difficult pain to manage, too. Other bodily aches are more localized. You can elevate your feet or adjust your arms to alleviate pain in those areas. The back comprises about half of the body. When back pain sets in, it's all-encompassing.

I have an on-going relationship with back pain. There are several factors that contribute to my back pain. I was born with congenital hips and wore a brace for the first year of my life. I have scoliosis or curvature of the spine. I have a spina bifida or unformed disk in my lower back. I also have several slipped or herniated disks. I haven't seen a physician or caregiver for my back for about eight years now, and I believe that arthritis has begun to take hold in my neck and lower back. I don't want to spend the money to prove or disprove my theory. I'm also eerily OCD, Type A, etc. Here are ways that I've found to slow down, relax and heal. Read more

How to Balance Family, Work, Play, Relationships and Life!

How do you balance work and family? How do you keep up with kids, relationships, love life, career, household finances and still remain relatively sane? I've held down a job, homeschooled four kids and survived to tell the tale. Here are some tips that work for me. Read more...

How to Multitask for Parents

Today's world demands that we wear about five hats all at once! Multi-tasking is an essential skill. So here is a guide for parents who need to be in several places and do several things all at the same time! A note of caution, however, it is not healthy emotionally or physically to be 'on jump' all the time. If you run in high gear all of the time, your engine is gonna quit much sooner. Here's how to multitask when you need to. Read on...

Coping Skill with Holiday Stress and Busyness

Holiday Stress Busters: How to Stay Healthy and Sane During the Seasonal Rush "Life is hectic, especially during the holiday season." How many times have you heard that. Holiday candles are beautiful, but not when burned at both ends. Feeling like your holiday candle just might burn out? Try these sanity-saving tips. Read More

Easy Ways to Get Organized for Winter

Easy Ways to Organize Your Possessions, Your Home, Your Schedule and Your Life Does your life feel out of control, chaotic, disorganized and overwhelming? Here are easy, free tips to organize, purge, free up resources and live simply. These tips won't cost you anything except the loss of a massive load of stress. Read More

Make Your Time and Work Online Multitask for You with Niche Blogs

Making Money Online: Niche Blogs vs. Personal Blogging Make your online writing and articles multitask. How? By creating niche blogs to showcase your articles, direct readers back to your content, link to your profile, earn page views and make money with Google Adsense on your blogs. Easy, organized and great multitasker. Read More

Home Maintenance Multitasking

Quick Tips for Home Maintenance that Will Save You Money and Make You Safer several ideas for improving performance and safety of your appliances and saving money at home View more

Make your Money Multitask

How to Generate and Keep Money You multitask,so why not expect your money to multitask, too? Yeah. Right, you say. No kidding! Here are 15 foolproof ways to make your money do double or triple duty! Tips for saving money, making money and keeping money. View more »

Multi-tasking and Simplify

Multitasking Tips for Moms of Many This article covers a wide range of ways to save time by learning how to do several things at once, what tasks to combine and how to do them efficiently. View more »