Topic: Helpful Tips and Ideas

Many of us say No much more easily. The negative word allows us to remain in our comfort zone, but it also stops us from reaching our full potential.

No validates our fears. Yes vibrates us from them.

This program has won three national parenting book awards. We offer free material for you to download for yourself or your group.

So often we talk about what parents and teachers can do to help children succeed in school. Here is a list of easy-to-implement ideasfor students to help their teachers

These roadblocks can actually become stepping stones to your success.

By Karen Fusco

If there's a single group of people who are under appreciated more than any other group of people, it has to be single parents. While everyone knows being a parent is hard, being a single parent tends to be even harder.

Guilt is a common feeling in the landscape of care giving. Guilt can propel you to be the best you can be …or it can immobilize you.

By Anne Wolski

You want to be able to continue having a great relationship with your kids after separation or divorce. This means focusing on the kids rather than your ex-partner. You need to be parents rather than partners.

Breaking up is difficult enough without losing touch with your kids…you are feeling the loss of that everyday contact and you believe your children miss you too. You may not always be sure of the best way to be involved with your children. Remember – you are important to your children so make contact and hang in there for them.

by: Detra Davis

“Mama said there’d be days like this,” are strikingly honest lyrics that should be the introduction to the single dad’s national anthem. What mama didn’t say is that the days would sometimes go on, and on, and on, and on. It’s no secret that being a single parent is a tough job, and being a single mom is next to impossible, but being a single dad, now that is a death defying feat.

By Shelly Walker

I was a single parent for the first four years of my son’s life. Now, there are two kinds of single parents: those who are co-parenting with a non-resident parent and those who are simply raising their children alone. I was in this latter category and you know what? I liked it. Of course, there were times when it was hard and I felt resentful and angry at having no one to share the burden – or the first smiles – with. But for the most part, I was fine being a single mom for one reason: I didn’t have to compromise with anyone about how to raise my child. I knew he would never be spanked; that he would be raised in a positive, loving environment; that he would be taught my spiritual beliefs; that he would disciplined in appropriate ways.

By: Jessie Danninger

1. What is my filing status? (Married, Single, Head of Household)
Marital standing at year end determines your filing status for the entire year. If you have a decree of divorce or separate maintenance, signed by a judge, you should file as single. Regardless of whether you have a signed decree you may be able to file as head of household.

You’ve worked hard all year, and now that summer is here, you want to enjoy your time off with your kids. You might not have the time nor the funds to travel to a faraway destination, but at the same time, the thought of more barbeques and amusement park trips isn’t exactly taking your breath away!

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (No Child Left Behind) is designed to reform and improve student achievement and change the culture of America’s schools. According to this reform act each state must measure every public school student’s progress in reading and math in each of grades 3 through 8 and at least once during grades 10 through 12. By school year 2007-2008, assessments (or testing) in science will be underway. These assessments must be aligned with state academic content and achievement standards. They will provide parents with objective data on where their child stands academically.

Parents may not be aware that their school is required by law to offer school sponsored activities to promote parent involvement, and there are special funds allocated for these activities. The funds are used to pay trainers, facilitators, and instructors, along with the materials used in these trainings, food and child care services so parents can focus on the information being delivered.

by: Cyndi Roberts

One way that money slips through our fingers without our realizing it is by eating out at lunch every day.

Did you know that by taking your lunch 3 days a week instead of eating out, you could save as much as $800 a year? Think what you could do with that much extra money!

Your lunch doesn't have to be a sandwich and chips, either. With just a little bit of creativity and planning, brown bag lunches can be pretty delicious!

© 2003 by Nancy Twigg

The Easter celebration can be expensive, but it doesn't have to be. Here are some ideas to help you simplify and replace the commercial aspects of the holiday with activities that are more in keeping with the spirit of the season.

We have so much influence over the next generation! Lots of times we forget how much influence, as our children or grandchildren can appear to ignore us, forget us or even worse--run from us in o­ne way or another. Sometimes, we must just accept the fact that lots of times positive actions happen without positive recognition! Therefore, it behooves us as the 'grownups' in our personal worlds to keep looking for ways to help the young o­nes experience good times, feel nurtured and loved and to walk away from situations just a little more o­ne the road to developing as a whole person with a good sense of self. I can assure you that insistence o­n creating a meaningful world for our children does eventually pay off!

I'd like to share with you how Lorna did just that with her daughter Sabrina. Here is some of what she wrote to me:

© 2004 by Kyle Busch, author of: 
"Drive the Best for the Price ..."
www.drivethebestbook.com

The cost of vehicles and their related repairs are expensive. Although the tips provided in this article  will not eliminate such expenses, they will help you to take control of vehicle repairs and thus lower their costs.

by Sandy Shields

The following are my favorite frugal tips that I use o­n a regular basis. I hope that they will help you as much as they have helped me and my family.
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• Keep a positive attitude.
When you succeed at saving money you are helping yourself. Pat yourself o­n the back for meeting your goals. Remember that just because you have determined to live by a budget, does not mean that you are "cheap".

Finding any way to cut back o­n groceries these days is nothing short of a blessing.  Our friends at Kraft Foods have an offer that will save you money and maybe introduce you to some new products.

Get a box of their latest products worth $30 for FREE - all you pay is $4.99 S&H.  That will leave you $25 to spend elsewhere o­n your groceries! 

You will find that is the little things that can make all of the difference to you and your kids. Time can be saved by cooking way too much when preparing a meal. Sounds silly? Read o­n.

Child Health information from Canada's Paediatric Experts -- Caring for Kids.

Need help or ideas for your children? Everything from Head Lice to Advice o­n when parents separate. If you need an answer, look here first. Major topic areas are listed o­n the front page and you click through to an easy to find index.

This year, our family has rediscovered board games. Walk into any Toys R' Us and the wall of games is nothing short of amazing! Experience has taught us that the games of my childhood are the same games that my children enjoy: Monopoly™, Sorry™, Ker-Plunk™, Yahtzee™, and Mastermind™ just to name a few. Pull out an old board game tonight and have a blast with your kids, it's something that they'll remember forever.