advice

It takes a village to raise a family; advice and tips to make the most of yours.

Motivating Your Child to Play Sports
The Perks of Playing Sports From soccer and professional boxing to games of hide-and-seek and fighting with Inflatable Pillows – games help shape a character, form new friendships, and learn teamwork. Of course, there are also other apparent gains, like making kids take more breaks from the glowing screens of their tablets and smartphones.
By Nessy Dry6 years ago in Families
Christmas Is Stressful When You Are the Working Poor
It’s getting to be that time of year. The time where my kids get excited for the up coming holiday and I start to get stressed about how I am going to pull it off.
By Jessica Hillis6 years ago in Families
The Holidays Aren't for Me!
I promise I’m not a Grinch, but I might be skipping out on the Holidays. Don’t get me wrong, I love Thanksgiving and Christmas and I love decorating for them (and will continue to do so in my own home). It’s my extended family that makes it very hard around holiday time. I wrote an article about “Becky” (which is up on my Vocal profile, please check it out), my aunt who is ableist and tends to point out basically everything she thinks I’m doing wrong in my life.
By Chronically Meg6 years ago in Families
5 Common Coparenting Conflicts to Stop Now
The endless back and forth, the texts, the emails, the drop off and pick ups, holidays, lawyers… there’s no end to the problems that come up when coparenting with an Impossible Ex. We’re exhausted, overwhelmed, sick and tired.
By Julie Beckerman6 years ago in Families
Baby’s Day Routine
Having a schedule for a baby is not easy and most times things don’t work to that schedule. This is mainly because baby’s feedings and naps goes by cue.
By Sawmiah Uthayakanthan6 years ago in Families
Normy and the Not a Spider Bite
My daughter sends me a text yesterday, “Can you send me all the insurance info. I’m at urgent care for an infection from a spider bite. Now I have shortness of breath, constant nausea, fever and super low blood pressure.” I take a picture of our insurance card with my phone and text it to her with a message to call me after she is out of the urgent care center.
By Sarah Seas6 years ago in Families
Cheap or Free Baby Boxes to Save You Money
As a first time parent, I was an eager beaver to start collecting as much as possible for our child before they made their arrival into this world. As with most families, though, we had bills and extra things that needed our attention as well, so shopping on a budget was always a difficult thing thanks to baby items being so expensive! So after hours and hours of researching all forms of social media and websites, I made up a list of places to try out and got some pretty decent items out of my haul that I brought in. So without any hesitation, I will share my findings with you and my experiences with them, and hopefully save you some money in the end.
By Jennifer Carlisle6 years ago in Families
Surviving the Holidays
Ready or not, now that Halloween is over everyone and their brother is talking non-stop about the upcoming holidays. This is a busy time of year that seems to arrive quicker and quicker each year.
By Kenna Rae6 years ago in Families
Tips for If Your Child Wants to Swim Competitively
Get Accustomed to Early Practice Times Whenever you talk to someone who has been swimming competitively, you will most likely hear about the dreaded early morning workout sessions. As with any activity that involves getting out of bed much earlier than your counterparts, it is essential to prepare as much as you can the night before, such as packing your lunch and laying out everything you will need to take out the door with you. Additionally, your child may have a difficult time not engaging with electronic devices such as their cell phone before going to bed. If necessary, make sure to set a time for devices to be turned off so they do not interfere with sleep that is crucial for waking early and staying energized throughout the day.
By Olivia Picton6 years ago in Families
9 Tips for Stay-At-Home Moms
When my daughter was born, my husband and I made the decision that I would stay home with her. At first I didn't like the idea, but slowly I came to enjoy it. After staying home for two years, I have come up with some tips for anyone who is thinking about staying home with their child.
By Caitlyn Popovich6 years ago in Families
Tips for Improving Parent-Teen Relationships
Teen years are one of the hardest periods in every human’s life. Your body is changing, your mind is changing, you experience so many controversial feelings; it’s impossible to handle sometimes. You are not yet an adult and not a child any longer. People keep expecting things from you like you are an adult and keep treating you as a child. It’s just hard to be a teenager. And it might be harder still to be a parent of a teenager. A bond with a teenage kid is fragile like never before; this relationship is easy to break, hard to restore and keep even the semblance of peace at home. And yet, here are a few things you still can do to improve things between you and your tumultuous teen.
By Alyssa Day6 years ago in Families
How to Know When Your Spouse Could Be Lying
You had a fairy tale wedding, and then all of a sudden life hit. All of your dreams simply disappeared, and over time you grew more and more distant in your relationship. If this sounds familiar, then read further to get a better understanding of why you may feel like you are living with a wolf in sheep's clothing.
By Olivia Picton6 years ago in Families