A Child’s Self Esteem and the Frugal Life

My daughter came home the other day from a doll playdate. The girls all brought their 18-inch dolls, you know the American Girl Doll kind. My daughter does have a real American Girl Doll, given to her on her birthday after more than four years on her wish list and some creative saving. She is fond of that doll, and has never once complained about the fact that it is her only one (it is not unusual for her peers to have three or four of these dolls as well as all of the accessories). She did complain though that … Continue reading

Are You Raising an Entitled Child?

It’s no secret that kids today have more than ever before. The majority of the elementary school classrooms I walk into have children with much nicer phones than I have. They also have ipods and all sorts of other things we didn’t have as children. They have no concept of the value of a dollar because things simply get handed to them without any expectation. As a parent we want to provide our children with as much as we can, but we also want to teach them the value of hard work. If you feel that your child may be … Continue reading

Stretching Your Cruise Dollar

The best way to make the most of your next cruise is to select one that appeals to every member of your family.  After all, no one wants to waste time and money traveling with unhappy companions. In order to make every penny of your cruise vacation count look for ships which offer a range of activities for passengers of all ages.  Fortunately, these days mega-fun vessels are not hard to find.  Some of the world’s largest ships are home to massive on-board children’s play areas broken into separate zones for different age groups.  Other noteworthy features include multiple family-friendly … Continue reading

The Five Dollar Doctor

There is a lot of controversy about Obamacare and socialized medicine, but one thing is true (at least to me) – everyone deserves medical care.  How can you say that someone doesn’t deserve medical care just because they can’t afford insurance or aren’t lucky enough to work at a place that provides affordable insurance for them? All of this might not be a problem if more doctors were like Russell Dohner.  Granted, at age 87, Dr. Dohner is in his twilight years, but he still sees patients seven times a week at his practice in Rushville, IL, not far from … Continue reading

Raising Money Savvy Children

Logan and I went to the dollar store tonight. Originally this was just to pick out some Christmas presents for some dear friends of ours, but when Grandpa heard where we were going he couldn’t resist giving Logan a few dollars of his own to spend while we were there. Logan of course was very excited to get to pick some things out, but more importantly it provided a perfect opportunity to teach him a mini lesson on some rather important topics in today’s society. While he is only four, he was able to understand that two dollars can only … Continue reading

Utah Has a Children’s Health Insurance Program

Private health insurance can be too expensive for some families to purchase. State run programs, like Utah’s Children’s Health Insurance Program, can help Utah families that don’t have health insurance coverage for their kids. Here are some details about the eligibility requirements. The state of Utah has several different public health insurance programs. In addition to their Medicaid program, Utah also has a CHIP program. CHIP stands for Children’s Health Insurance Program. CHIP is a state run health insurance plan for children who come from families that are unable to afford to buy health insurance coverage for their kids. It … Continue reading

Insurance Blog Week in Review – April 29 – May 5, 2012

Every week, the Insurance Blog Week in Review quickly goes over all of the blogs that were posted in the past seven days. There can be anywhere between twelve and fourteen different blogs that appear here weekly. What did you miss? This is an easy way to “ketchup” on everything. Ohio Requires Insurance Coverage for Exotic Animals Ohio now requires owners of exotic animals to purchase a certain amount of liability insurance coverage for each animal they own. They also have to prove that they are providing proper care for the animals, and that they have good fences. The Insurance … Continue reading

Cleaning Up After a Sick Child

It was a lovely Saturday, or it would have been if I hadn’t woken up to a three year old throwing up on me. Poor little thing. Ivy spend the night last night and got sick in both of our beds. I don’t think my washer has run this much in one day since Hailey was little. Cleaning up vomit is never fun but if you don’t get to it immediately it will stain. So if you have a sick kid, as soon as you get them cleaned up throw the bedding in the tub, especially if it’s the middle … Continue reading

Special Needs Blog Week in Review – March 25 – 31, 2012

Once a week, the Special Needs Blog Week in Review gives you a quick description of everything that hit the blog in a given week. This is a great way to figure out if you missed anything that you wanted to read. It can also be helpful for those of you who want to scan through it, to find blogs that are specifically relevant to your family’s situation. Oklahoma Judge Rules School Vouchers are Unconstitutional School vouchers seem to be very controversial right now. In Oklahoma, there is a law called the Lindsey Nichole Henry Scholarships for Students with Disabilities … Continue reading

Single Parenting an Opposite Gender Child

I think I’ve had it pretty easy as a single mother, I had one child and she is a girl, this is territory that I know! What if you are a single parent raising the opposite gender child? You have some learning to do and it will be easier than you think! Dad while discipline may come easier for you than the nurturing side of parenting, you must remember to nurture. If your little girl gets a boo boo it’s important that you are comforting and kiss it better if necessary. This is not the time for life is not … Continue reading