nowandlater

Teaching Kids to Make Tough Money Dec...

Last month I introduced Resourceful Mommy readers to Kidworth, a free service for parents to help teach children money management that will last a lifetime.  Their service allows parents to set up accounts for their children, create goals each child is working towards, and invite family and friends to help via emails, social sharing and…

Girl Carrying Christmas Gifts

Teaching Kids to Give This Holiday

I like to joke that my kids are spoiled, but not spoiled rotten.  The fact is that in some ways they live a life of excess.  Just last year they went to Walt Disney World three times – twice for work-related trips with me, and once for a fun weekend getaway.  I’ve never said no…

raguratatouillewraps

Mom’s the Word on Dinner –...

I’ve worked very hard over the last few months to change the way I eat – when, what, how.  The results have been wonderful for me as I’ve lost weight and improved my health, but the wonderful bonus has been that my family now eats healthier, more balanced meals.  I have always fed my children…

Kidworthlogo

Teaching Kids Money Management

My husband and I differ in opinion on many issues from our taste in music to our stance on politics.  However, one subject we always agree on is finances, including teaching our children the importance of money management at a young age.  Because my parents encouraged me to save money and facilitated the opening of…

Woman Sitting on Grass

Mamavation Monday: For Me

I don’t come from a family that hands out compliments frequently.  In fact, my entire small hometown in Pennsylvania is filled with the kind of people who will rebuild your house should it burn to the ground, but will not congratulate you should something wonderful happen to you.  Now, of course I’m generalizing.  In fact,…

Mother and Daughter Face To Face

When to Have the “Changing Body...

I have dragged my readers along as I complained about my husband giving me lingerie for my birthday, raged about finding my voice, laughed about avoiding a deer attack, struggled to lose weight, and shared way too much about my insides.  In the three years that I’ve been blogging, I’ve also taken you with me on my…

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Valuing What Your Kids Value

My husband and my son do not often always get along.  I like to joke that had my husband and I met when we were five, I likely would have driven him crazy, potentially pulled his hair or hit him, and definitely told him he was my boyfriend whether he liked it or not.  Our…

speaknowbanner

Speak Now for Kids Twitter Chat Wedne...

I hope that you will be able to join us and help spread the word about a very important Twitter chat this week for Speak Now for Kids. Speak Now for Kids is an advocacy campaign of the National Association of Children’s Hospitals (N.A.C.H.) designed to engage child advocates in communicating with Congress before they…

hikingwordlesswednesday

Wordless Wednesday: Big Kids

When your kids are born you can’t imagine them as big kids. The milestones you mark are tiny, incremental changes like first smiles, an extra half hour of consecutive sleep, a laugh. And then one day you drive to a mountain and say, “Climb up those rocks to the summit,” and to your surprise….they do….

Two young girls working on a laptop in the classroom

Online Safety Tips for Parents

Before my kids could tie their shoes, they could operate a computer from pressing the start button to opening Chrome to finding their favorite website in the past history.  I once ran down the five steps to the basement to grab a suitcase and returned to find that my three year old had tweeted his…

Firesafety

Fire Prevention Week

The FDNY and Matchbox® have partnered to create information for parents about how to help even the youngest children better understand the importance of fire safety. Parents can use the following tips to start this very important discussion with their family members and even print and hang it in their homes.  Watch for an upcoming…

doctor

Best of Resourceful Mommy: How to Cho...

A little over a year ago, I wrote a post called “Lessons From a Miserable Pregnancy: Choose Your OB Wisely.” After I received a call from a friend a couple of weeks ago, I realized that it was important to re-post this information. This friend called upset, suffering from a serious condition common in women…

HighlightsSOTK

Highlights State of the Kid Survey

I am honored to announce that for the third year I have been included in the Highlights’ State of the Kid survey, and this year I will be speaking the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. as part of Highlights magazine’s press conference to announce the survey results.  This year’s survey gave children from across…

ragujointheconversation

Dinner Helpers: How Do Your Kids Help...

Dinnertime in my house can feel a little frantic some nights.  Because I often need to work in the evenings, dinner needs to be wrapped up and cleaned up quickly.  My husband doesn’t get home from work until 6:00, so some nights we don’t even begin eating until 6:30 or later even though the kids…

childpassengersafetyweekscroll

Child Passenger Safety Week Twitter E...

It’s time again for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Child Passenger Safety Week featuring National Seat Check Saturday on September 24th.  To spread the word about the importance of child passenger safety and the resources available to parents, the Child Passenger Safety Twitter account has partnered with us to hold a Twitter Party!…

treedown

Living Font: The Day After the Storm

“These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”  John 16:33 Alternatively titled Five Days After the Earthquake OR The Day Before Kindergarten…Maybe What a week. Sometimes we get so busy surviving the day to…

juggling

The Things We Juggle

Work outside of the home…businesses inside of the home…childcare…school functions…permission slips and other endless pieces of paper…sports team sign-ups…music lessons…doctor appointments…dentist appointments…playdates…sleep overs…cleaning…vacation planning…memory keeping…memory sharing…holidays…birthdays…employees…friends…family…remembering, finding, knowing everything. What are you juggling? What has become just too much?

Noahreading

It Could Be Worse

About a week ago I was talking to a friend about a problem I was having.  The problem likely seemed trivial, but to me it was serious enough to warrant the conversation.  After going over and over the situation, looking at it from multiple points of view, he said these words to me, “You should…

noaheyes

My Baby Needs Glasses

Last weekend I traveled to San Diego for the BlogHer Conference, and while I checked in on my family every day, the fast pace kept me from talking to them very often.  Last night I stayed up half the night getting caught up with my husband not only on what happened at the conference, but…

Young Girl Jumping on Bed

I’m Taking Back My Bed

My bed is phenomenally comfortable.  After countless nights getting a better night’s sleep in hotel beds than in my own home, I spent some time and money and created a little slice of heaven I like to call MY BEDROOM.  Yes, my husband lives and sleeps here, too, but let’s be serious.  He could sleep…

sidewalk

Change of Direction

My pastor has a way of saying things during his sermons that I’m sure are meant specifically for me.  No matter how far back in the sanctuary we sit, his words find me with laser-like precision, cutting past the little old lady who has fallen asleep and the child scribbling on the bulletin to find…