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5 Mistakes Busy Moms Can’t Afford to Make

November 7, 2020 by Mandy

Mistakes can happen when you have a busy life. As a mom, there are a few mistakes you can’t afford to make, but if you know them in advance, it may help you avoid them. The following are five mistakes to consider.

1. The Diet Mistake

A mistake most busy moms make with their children deals with their diet. Moms don’t always have time to cook, and this puts them in a bind. Some parents go to a fast food place to make sure their kids have a full belly, but most fast food options don’t offer the nutrition kids need. There are food services that deliver healthy meals if you don’t have the time. You can also do all of your cooking on the weekend and freeze everything for later. It might be a good idea to talk to a dietitian to ensure you are providing nutrient-rich meals to your family.

2. License Problems

Busy moms could make mistakes with their license. Some moms have so much on their plates that they have to speed from one place to another. Excessive speeding could cause your license to get suspended. Some busy moms forget to pay their car insurance, which can result in having a license suspended for no insurance coverage. Your car is your livelihood, so download an app to warn you if you’re going too fast and automate your insurance payment. Most companies offer a discount for automating payments.

3. Not Spending Enough Time

Quality time is precious to your children, but busy moms sometimes find it challenging to meet this need. The best thing you can do is rework your schedule to create these moments with your kids. Try to be honest and direct during those fleeting moments of the day when you talk to your children. Don’t let things like smartphones and tablets get in the way. Engage with your kids or just start talking so that they learn more about your ideas. Your kids are listening to you even if you don’t think so.

4. Splitting Adulting

Busy moms might split adulting with their children, especially if one of their kids is especially mature. Your children are still kids and can’t do the things you can. Children shouldn’t take care of siblings all the time, prepare all the meals, discipline younger siblings, and do other tasks that are usually an adult’s responsibility. This doesn’t mean your kids can’t help out sometimes or have chores, but it’s not wise to overwhelm your child with responsibilities.

5. Neglecting Financial Education

Kids learn a lot at school, but there are a few subjects schools don’t cover like finances. You can’t afford to overlook the importance of financial education for your children. Just because you don’t have the time to teach them doesn’t mean you can’t do anything about it. Online financial education can help your kids learn about money management. You can also download apps for them and offer an allowance or pay them to do some chores that might make your life easier as a busy mom.

Being a busy mom comes with its own set of challenges, but you can overcome them with planning and preparation. With a little planning and the right information, you can ensure your kids get the best of you.

Mom’s Guide to Holding It All Together Amid a Pandemic

October 29, 2020 by Mandy

Let’s face it. Moms have always had it rough, but this year has tested your willpower like never before. There’s the fear of you or your children contracting the coronavirus, the stress of your shrinking budget, the overwhelm of having a full house, and the pressures of an uncertain future that weigh heavily on your mind. Try as you may to be the rock your family depends on, the physical and emotional tensions are starting to show.

You’re tired all the time, you feel pulled in a million different directions, there’s always something that needs your attention, and once again, the things that once brought you happiness have been put on the back burner. Of course, you love your family. You also realize that these are trying times that are beyond your control. You want to be there for them, but the more you dedicate to their well-being, the less you have to invest in yourself.

Maintaining Your Sanity

Chances are, most women feel this way. The undue amount of pressure resulting from the current pandemic has been trying, to say the least. While it’s easy to put yourself at the bottom of the priority list, continuing this way will eventually cause more problems than it’s worth. To be quite honest, you’ll become so physically and emotionally overwhelmed that you won’t be able to be there for your family.

If you’re going to get yourself and your family through this, you must learn how to find balance, peace, and happiness, despite what’s going on in the world. This mini-guide will serve as a great starting point.

It’s Beyond Your Control

You have to remember that none of this is your fault or within your control. The pandemic, mass unemployment, economic crisis, distance learning, food shortages, natural disasters, and civil unrest aren’t your doing. There’s also nothing you can do to single-handedly change it. So, don’t make the mistake of trying to put everything you or your family is going through on your shoulders. Once you realize it’s beyond your control, you’ll feel an immense amount of relief.

You Can’t Do It All

The second point to keep in mind is that you cannot be all things to everyone. Not only are you one person, but you’re not superhuman. Piling all the responsibilities on your plate leaves minimal time to take care of your own needs and, ultimately, your family’s needs. It’s okay to admit that you can’t do it all.

Look over your list of daily tasks and compare it to the hours in a day. If you’re not able to schedule any time for nutritious meals, exercise, your career, passions, interests, and at least 7 to 9 hours of sleep, then you’re doing too much. Evaluate your list and eliminate unnecessary things. Then, talk with your partner, older children, and extended-family about assisting you with other tasks to lighten your load.

Put Self-Care on Overdrive

Your family indeed needs you, but you also need yourself. If you’re going to maintain your sanity during the pandemic, you must be a priority. While your busy schedule might prevent you from dedicating as much time to yourself as you’d like, there are ways to adjust. Put self-care into overdrive by finding small things to boost your mood throughout the day.

You could learn how to make strong coffee and indulge in a fresh cup each morning before waking the kids up. Why not take the first hour of each day to exercise, shower, and complete your skincare routine? If there’s something small that you’d like, treat yourself on occasion. When is the last time you’ve been out with your girlfriends? Schedule a virtual lunch or watch party and catch up.

No one expected this year to turn out the way it did. Though the pandemic has resulted in a lot of stress, tackling it on your own will only fail. The best way to survive these uncertain times is to remember it’s not your fault, you’re not built to do it all, and that you have to remain a priority.

Ways to Spend Quality Time With the Kids

October 28, 2020 by Mandy

As a result of the national pandemic, parents and kids find themselves spending more time at home. While things like work and school remain a priority, everyone has a lot of free time on their hands with the interruptions to everyday life. It doesn’t take long for boredom to set in, causing even more madness during already chaotic times. Though there’s a lot you can’t control, you can ease the tension and keep the peace in your household by finding fun ways to spend time together. Continue reading for some fantastic ideas.

Arts and Crafts

No matter how old you are, tapping into your creative side can be a ton of fun. When your schedule allows, spend time completing arts and crafts with your kids. You can use crayons and construction paper to draw pictures, cut out pictures from magazines to make a collage, or use old socks, yarn, and buttons to make puppets with smaller children. Older kids would love to learn how to sew, crochet, or make bowls, vases, or plates with pottery clay. If you’re looking for something more sophisticated to try with your significant other, you can set up a paint and sip station at home for a romantic yet fun evening together.

Dance Party

Another universal and fun activity children (and adults) of any age will love is dancing. There’s nothing like jamming to your favorite tunes to get your blood pumping and calories burning while lifting your spirits. It’s also a great way to tire the kids out before putting them to bed. After homework and dinner are finished, grab your portable turntable or Bluetooth capable music device and turn on your favorite playlist. Let your hair down and invite the kids to join you in an impromptu dance session. You can take turns showing each other how to do popular dance moves from your era.

Family Game Night

Select a night each week to host a family game night. Whether your kids love video games or board games, you guys will have so much fun competing in a little friendly competition. You can even have prizes for the winner like toys, gift cards, trophies, or medallions. The kids will also have a blast helping you to prepare snacks for the fun-filled activities. If it’s been a while since you’ve seen some of your other relatives, you can even host a virtual game night so they can play from home.

Day Trips

If traveling with your family during the pandemic isn’t feasible for you, there’s always the option to take day trips. Whether you know it or not, there are a lot of fun and affordable things to do nearby. A day out of the house gives everyone a change of scenery and a taste of normalcy, which does wonders for relieving stress during the pandemic. You can visit a museum, catch a drive-in movie, go to a state park for a picnic, rent a boat and go fishing, and so much more.

Community Events

If you’re looking for something affordable and fun to do with your kids during the day, why not check out community events? By checking your city, county, or state website, you can find a list of upcoming events you can attend. There are many safe functions your kids will love this time of year, from fall festivals and hunted houses to movies in the park and pumpkin picking. Just ensure that everyone has the proper face mask and practice social distancing to reduce their risks.

After keeping it close to home for the past few months, chances are you and your children are going insane. Though your health and safety have to remain a priority, you don’t have to sit at home cooped up and bored. With a bit of time, creativity, and some extra cash, you can boost everyone’s mood and create new memories that your children will remember forever.

5 Ways for Busy Parents To Improve Their Health

October 28, 2020 by Mandy

As parents, we understand the value of a productive schedule; While we’re busy making the kid’s lunches, getting them out the door and on the school bus, and battling chaotic morning traffic, the thought of staying healthy slips into the back of our mind. How can we, as parents that don’t have a minute to spare, get in shape, and maintain our health?

If you’re ready to implement some easy-to-follow tricks into your daily routine, here’s what you should consider.

1. Pre-Cooked Meals

Having a well-balanced diet filled with healthy fats, good carbohydrates, lean protein, fruits, and green veggies is the cornerstone of a healthy body. However, we don’t have time to cook these meals each night while juggling our other responsibilities. If this sounds like you, pre-cooked meals are going to be your lifesaver!

Pre-cooked meals, as their name implies, are various dishes that you cook in bulk. Pick any day out of the week and schedule an hour or two where you can cook undisturbed. Incorporate healthy proteins, green veggies, a carbohydrate source, and a piece of fruit into each meal. Cook enough meals for, say, three or four days in advance. Then place each meal into a container and store them in your fridge or freezer.

2. Gut Health

Optimizing your gut health is one of the most overlooked tools for getting into shape. When our gut has healthy bacteria, digesting foods, and optimizing the nutrition from those food sources is fast and efficient.

When we’re low on healthy gut bacteria, it can cause problems such as constipation, fatigue, weight gain, and skin irritation. To counteract this, we must incorporate probiotic supplements into our routine. Probiotics, put simply, are living organisms that maintain and regulate gut flora. When we increase the number of healthy bacteria, we have in our system, our stomach and digestive system work more efficiently. Give probiotic pills and drinks a try for the sake of gut health. It could make a world of difference to the way you feel day-to-day.

3. Consistency Over Duration

With your current schedule, you can’t block out hours each day to get into the gym. Instead, we encourage you to develop the habit of consistency, not duration. It’s far more efficient to go for a brisk walk for ten or fifteen minutes every day instead of walking three hours once a week.

4. Calorie-Counting Apps

The most crucial step to staying in shape is knowing the number of calories you consume daily. If you go over your body’s calorie limit, you tend to gain weight. Go under this number, and it seems like weight melts off your frame.

Instead of pulling out a scratch pad with every meal and jotting down numbers, use calorie-counting apps to your advantage. These apps use an intricate database filled with thousands of foods and beverages. Take the guesswork out of your meals with these easy-to-use applications.

5. Involve Your Family

If you find it difficult to sneak away from your kids or family to maintain a fitness routine, bring them along with you for the journey! Not only will it free up valuable time in your schedule, but getting healthy as a family is a beautiful sight to see.

Encourage your kids to run, play, and have fun while walking on a trail or hiking up hills. Meanwhile, you can engage in conversation with your partner, family member, or friend. By doing this, you maintain your health and invest in the future of your family!

5 Things Parents Should Look for when Helping Teens Choose a College

October 23, 2020 by Mandy

Writing, reading, and arithmetic are the main things parents want their kids to learn in school, and that’s what they look for in any school they choose for their children to attend.

However, once school is done and the graduation cap is thrown into the air, most parents find that choosing a college is a whole different ballgame. Many kids choose to go to college directly after high school, so you should be ready for this eventuality. Below you can find a few of the things that you should look for in a college when helping your teen choose the best one for them.

Campus Safety

The very first thing any parent or teen should look for in a college is how safe the campus is. From having university lockers so packages are kept safe until students can retrieve them, to well-lit parking lots and paths, there are many ways to keep your students safe. While most college campuses are extremely safe, you want to ask about the things above, as well as check the crime rates on the campus and in the area surrounding the college before making a final decision.

Available Majors

While this may seem like a no-brainer, you need to check to be sure that the college your student is considering has the majors they want to pursue. College is first and foremost about getting a well-rounded education, so offering your student’s chosen field of study is essential.

Class Size and Teacher to Student Ratio

It’s important to know what class sizes are going to be like before your student sets foot on campus for that first year. Is your student going to be just someone taking up a seat in a 400 seat lecture hall or will the professor know your student by name? This is up to the individual student and their parents. If your child learns better in a smaller environment, then you don’t want them to be tossed into an environment where no one knows who they are.

The Location of the College

Location is extremely important to many students and their parents. You want your child to be close enough to friends and family that if something happens, someone can get to them quickly. At the same time, you know they need to spread their wings and test the waters, so them being away from home for college is a good thing. Questions such as whether to go to school in a big city or a rural area need to be addressed as well. It’s not a great idea to go from a small country town in the South to a huge college in New York City and be on your own right away.

Accreditation

Being a college graduate will do your child little good if the college they choose isn’t accredited. Make sure to review a school’s accreditation carefully before making a final decision. A diploma from an accredited college or university goes a long way with future employers. There are even online colleges that are accredited if your child should choose to go the online route with their education.

Try to let them Make the Final Choice

While it’s your money, probably, paying for their college education, you do want your children to be happy in the college they choose. Tour colleges together, then sit down and make a final decision based on what your child wants and what you will allow.

These are just a few of the things you should look for when helping your teenager choose a college. Remember, the final decision should be made together for the best results.