How to Make the Most of Your Liberal Arts Degree

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When I graduated from high school, I knew there were two things that I loved—reading and writing. 

I told everyone I knew that I wanted to be a writer, and the majority of them asked, “But what will you really do?”

My eighteen-year-old self felt misunderstood, but now that I have children of my own, I understand the question much better.   I majored in English, and my husband majored in anthropology; no offense to other poor souls in these majors, but fresh out of school, there is not much that you can do with degrees in these areas.
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The New American Family: Flexibility and Unconventional Lifestyles to Make Ends Meet

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child_painting

The following was written by my wife, Mrs. Craig.  She was kind enough to share her take on our current lifestyle.  We changed things up in our household  a couple of years ago…I’ll let my wife tell the story.

The last time I wrote a story for this site was almost 3 years ago.   Much has happened since then!  I wrote a narrative about my decision to take a leave of absence from my job, as a school counselor, to stay home and raise my 1 and half year old son and 8 yr old daughter.

[Glen: here's the article - A Mother’s Struggle Between Work And Kids]

Many events have taken place since I shared that story with you.  It was an account of a working mother who became a stay-at-home mom.  The story changed as you will see below.

Life as a Stay-at-Home Mom

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Cheap, Inexpensive, and Frugal Halloween Costume Buying Tips

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chewbacca-and-yoda-costumes

Who dressed YOU?

Halloween is great fun! I remember how exciting it was going around town in my Halloween costume, getting candy from all of the neighbors.  I still get to enjoy that now through my kids!

Do you remember those old Halloween costumes? You know the ones that came in a box and it was made up of a thin plastic mask with eye holes that hurt and it was held onto your head with an elastic piece that usually didn’t last the night and the body of the costume was a plastic sack-like piece you climbed into which also didn’t make it through the night?  Those were great!  I remember one year I was Chewbacca and another I was Yoda ( I remember terrorizing my younger sister with those masks too; I was such a stinker!).  I’m sure I was Superman and Batman as well.
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Work from Home? Why You Should Consider Child Care

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Mother and baby in home office with laptop

When I first started working from home, my son (who is now in elementary school) was three. One of the most common questions I fielded was this: How do you get work done with a child at home?  The answer: I send him to the sitter.

People are often shocked to learn that my son went to the sitter, and later to preschool, when I am a work from home parent.  After all, isn’t one of the reasons some of us work from home is to avoid sending the kids to the sitter?  This is only partially true.  I like working from home because it provides me with flexibility, and, of course, because I can spend more time with my son.  But that doesn’t mean that I keep my son home all the time.  Indeed, having my son in child care has helped me be more productive, as well as provide the opportunity for more quality time with my son.

Here’s why you might consider child care when you work from home: Continue Reading

Kids & Money – The Financial Apple Doesn’t Fall Far From the Tree

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Changes you can do to teach financial literacy to kids

For those of us with kids, we hope to pass down certain traits—good looks, agility, perfect vision, smarts, business savvy. But what of our money management skills?  Financial finesse rarely makes it onto our list of personal strengths, yet it’s a crucial life skill everyone needs to acquire.  A Charles Schwab 2010 Families and Money survey found that “not saving early enough for retirement (43%), not saving money for emergencies (42%) and carrying credit card debt from month to month (30%) [were] cited as the top three financial mistakes [parents] fear their kids will repeat.”  Don’t let your kids make your same mistakes or fall into that ever-growing percentage of 18-24 year-olds who file for bankruptcy.

Here are 4 simple things to do differently (or start doing) as a parent, to ensure your kids gain financial awareness from an early age and build responsible habits.

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Where To Find Cheap Fun Family Activities – 6 Places

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Ask anyone with kids and they will tell you – going out with the family can be expensive! Think about it – every activity you might do yourself is multiplied by the number of people in your family.  Going to the zoo by yourself could cost you $10, for example, but for a family of five that could be $50 just to walk in.

But there are ways to find cheap, fun family activities!  Here are six places to look:

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I’m Sick Of Hearing It’s For The Kids

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Child Holding Change

Ever run across someone that gives their children everything?

All the latest clothes, electronic gadgets, extracurricular activities, lavish weddings, education, you name it they have it.  And then you find out the parents are struggling to keep their heads above water financially.  Not “we’re just getting by.”  No.  I mean one month they don’t pay cable, another month they miss the electric bill; the rent gets paid late; always something and always “it’s for the kids!”

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Does Your Kid Deserve A Credit Card?

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Credit_Card_Payment

If the thought of your 18-year-old on the loose with plastic in hand terrifies you, you likely share the sentiment of many parents in the same situation.

Lawmakers seem to agree as well, which is probably why the Credit CARD Act of 2009 has made it much harder for young adults age 18 to 20 to obtain their own credit card.

Under this new act, anyone under the age of 21 has to meet a few extra requirements before being granted a line of credit.  They either have to either prove their income is high enough to pay off the bill or have someone over the age of 21 with sufficient income and credit co-sign (i.e. Mom or Dad).
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Organic Food Is Not Expensive

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Red and Green Apple

In a previous article I talked about small steps to eat healthier.

Well, a study is out showing a possible link between certain pesticides and ADHD.  The survey studied over 1,100 children between the ages of 8 and 15.  Interviews with the parents determined which children had ADHD.

The findings then found that for those kids with the most frequent pesticide found in their urine samples, 20% had ADHD as opposed to 10% in kids with no trace amounts.

So I ask you this: Is eating organic food really expensive?

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