Search Results for: blog setting your house in order

Planning For A Vacation With Your Toddler

In about a month, my husband and I will be taking our sons on our annual vacation to Cape Cod. My dad has a time – share week there, and we go there to stay with him. Last year and the year before that, we had a great time vacationing with Dylan. This year will be the first time that Blake goes to Cape Cod. While I am not worried about our vacation, I do want to prepare myself (and my husband) for our first lengthy excursion with a two and a half year old and a baby who will … Continue reading →

Setting Measurable Goals with Deadlines

When it comes to housekeeping, having no plan is what usually causes disarray, disorder and uncleanness. Too many of us rely on what we “hope” to get to, what we would “like” to accomplish. But this doesn’t really get us anywhere. I have talked in the past about this but I want to remind you that when it comes to setting goals, they have to be measurable. General goals such as, “I want a clean house” won’t work. You can’t really measure a clean house because your idea of clean and my idea of clean could be completely different. So … Continue reading →

The Importance of Taking Care of Your Home

In my last blog I asked if you were overscheduled. This is important to know because it can affect so many areas of your life, including the keeping of your home. If you have determined that indeed you are overscheduled, then its time to learn what you can do about it. I think the first thing is to really grasp the importance of maintaining a clean, orderly home. Too many people think it’s the last thing you should be concerned with. In fact, I have heard some try to sound like the best mom in the world by making comments … Continue reading →

Setting Expectations for Dog Training

Do we expect too much from our dogs? Sometimes we think that dogs should jump to obey our orders, and many dog owners soon find out that perhaps we’re not viewing dogs and how we train them in the right way. Pet website ZooToo has an overview of how the dog training process works, explaining why many of us might be going about training in the wrong way. What’s always important to remember, especially when bringing a new dog home, is that there will be a honeymoon period but that period will end. New dogs, especially ones from shelters, brought … Continue reading →

Aggression in Multiple Dog Households

Here at the pets blog we’ve published many articles on dog aggression. It seems like one can never have too much advice on how to handle it; anyone who’s seen dogs fighting, and not in the playful way, knows how upsetting it can be. Today I’m going to focus on how to handle aggression between dogs in a multiple canine living situation. If you’ve already one dog and you want more, you need to be ready for the possibility of the rare or occasional spat between them. If at all possible, introduce the dogs before adopting your second, to make … Continue reading →

Talking Money With Your Honey

Did you know that money is the most common cause of disagreement among couples? Whether a couple is rich or poor does not matter, disagreements about money are common among couples from all points on the economic spectrum. It’s no wonder, then, that many couples avoid discussing finances at all costs. What if you knew that discussing your finances together could actually improve your relationship, if you went about it the right way? You would probably be more inclined to give it a try. Tackling the tricky area of finance as a team can actually strengthen your relationship and keep … Continue reading →

What Are Your Thoughts On Money?

Many of us do not usually take a step back and think about the thoughts that we have about money. Each of us thinks about money many times as we navigate our way through each day. We stop at the gas station and realize that the cost keeps going up and up. We then wonder whether we should cut back on driving or just figure out how to accommodate the extra cost somewhere in our already thinly-stretched budget. At meal times, we decide whether we will dine out or eat at home – each of those choices involves spending money, … Continue reading →

Your Family as a Business

One of my dear Facebook friends lists herself as the Chaos Manager for her family. The family is listed as a company: Last Name, Inc. I love it. If you think about it, running a household and family is like running a business. The family has regular expenses – rent, mortgage, utilities, and groceries – and income. How have you got your family business planned? Do you have a monthly and yearly budget? Do you know exactly where all your family’s money is going? Do you know how much you have coming in from all sources? In order to run … Continue reading →

Take Time for Yourself This Holiday Season

Parents of children with special needs are notorious for not setting aside any time to themselves. They work day and night to care for their children and rarely take even fifteen minutes to relax. During the holidays, it only gets worse. There is so much more to do and so many projects to take care of this time of year that by the time the holidays are over, parents haven’t gotten to really enjoy any of the festivities. Make this year different. Give yourself the gift of day off. Get a friend, relative or respite care provider to watch your … Continue reading →

Setting Up Your First Budget as a Couple

Newlyweds face many challenges as they seek to form their own family unit. They struggle to get along with in-laws, they have to put up with their spouse’s snoring and bad habits, and they must learn to think in terms of “us” instead of “me.” Perhaps one of the most difficult challenges they face is that of constructing a budget for their new household. Engaged couples do well to sit down together and look over their financial status, making important decisions for their future. Will they both continue to work, or will one stay home? Will they keep both their … Continue reading →