Are you wondering how to have a magical Christmas for your kids when your budget is way too tight? Get these ideas on how to fill your Christmas with joy and generosity even if you are broke. One of the hardest things for single moms is not having enough money to make ends meet. This can be a problem especially when you are first separated from your ex and adjusting from the life you had to the ...
11 Journal Prompts to Get Over a Breakup
Journaling is healing. Make the most of your journaling by using these journal prompts to get over a breakup. A divorce or a breakup is painful even. The ending of a long term relationship is a loss to grieve if you were left or the leaver it is still a loss of the dream of what could have been and what actually was. I remember getting divorced and sitting for hours staring into space with a pen ...
Unique Gift Ideas for Kids Who Have Too Many Toys
Meaningful experience gifts are a unique gift for kids who have too many toys. Make awesome memories with these fun nontoy gifts to share. Don't add to the clutter and overwhelm with more toys for kids who have too much stuff. Meaningful Experiences for Kids Who Have Too Many Toys One of the sweetest memories I have of my youngest is him making a horse out of a box. He had plenty of toys, but ...
21 Baby Shower Gifts for Mom (Not Baby)
Are you looking for a unique baby shower gift for the mom to be? Get something that is for the mom, not the baby. The cute outfits for baby are always an option for a shower gift, but why not get a unique baby shower gift and make the gift all about mom. The best baby shower gift may not be a gift for the baby at all, but a gift just for the expectant mom. Relaxing Gifts for the Mom to ...
Adventures in SEO Honest Review
Click Here to Enroll by Thursday Night Last Chance to Enroll in 2019 Are you wondering if Adventures in SEO is worth it for you? I almost didn't take Lena's Adventures in SEO course. I am so glad I did. I think I would have quit blogging without it. If you are like me you've read the stories of bloggers who are making 6 figures a month and the got to the 5 figure a month level in a year or ...
9 Adorable No-Sew Halloween Costume Ideas
These DIY costumes are perfect for no-sew moms like me. I have a couple of friends who are wonderful seamstresses and used to make these elaborate Halloween costumes for their kids. As for me, I am more the let's see what is in the dress-up box that we can make into a costume kinda mom. At the age of nine, I sewed a 4-H project. Are you impressed I could sew something at 9, don't be ...
14 Easy Kid Friendly Egg Recipes for Dinner
Eggs recipes are easy, cheap and kid friendly meals for dinner, breakfast, and lunch. This article is part of a series 19 Foods to Make a Cheap Grocery When Money is Tight list. I've put together many ideas for you to cut your grocery bill, but one of the key ways to minimize spending on food is to plan your meals around cheap, healthy ingredients. There are so many options and eggs ...
Questions to Ask Kids to Get to Know Them
Are you struggling to know what questions to ask kids to get to know them? Here are 30 open-ended questions for kids to get you started on getting to know your child's heart. You are tired from working all day and know you need to get dinner ready fast before leaving again to take one of the kids to an activity. You want to make the most of the little time you have together and have a real ...
How to Set Future Family Goals and Why It is Important
Use future family goal setting to develop a sense of belonging to a team. Involve your kids in the process to teach them important life skills. One of the hardest things about becoming a single mom was I lost the dream I had. Grieving the dream of what I hoped and planned for was harder than losing what we actually had at the end. Sometimes life was so exhausting that it was a struggle to ...
Clever Storage Ideas for a Small Bedroom on a Budget
You will love these clever storage ideas for small bedrooms. These are the perfect solutions for bedrooms in small houses and apartments. One of the things that often happens when you get divorced is that you move into a smaller place at least for a while. Save Storage Space by Decluttering The first thing to do when you have a small space is to get rid of anything extra. If you have less stuff ...
161 Poverty Meals Eat Healthy When Money is Tight
Poverty meals made with healthy, cheap food. Save money by adding these dirt cheap meals to your meal planning rotation. Poor people food can be delicious. Food is a significant expense in the family budget. I've been putting together ideas for dirt cheap meals to add to my meal plan template. Cheap ingredients and budget-friendly meals made with healthy poor people food have been the cornerstone ...
How Journaling Can Help You Heal, Grow and Thrive
Inside: How journaling can help you heal, grow and thrive. Journaling tips for beginners, healing journal prompts, self-improvement journaling prompts. I've journaled for years. I sometimes journal daily and other times will only journal once a week or so. I find I journal most consistently when I am going through a difficult time dealing with loss, going through a transition or when I am ...
11 Easy, Cheap, Delicious Meals to Make with Leftover Pork
Pork roast is one of the cheapest meats to buy. If you watch you can usually find it on sale for less than $2 per pound for boneless pork loin. A pork shoulder roast can be found for even cheaper. I am always looking for how to meal plan with delicious, but cheap ingredients. You can make delicious meals with poor people food. This post is part of a series How to Make a Cheap Grocery List ...
What to Do When Your Ex Owes You Money for Unpaid Child Support
Are you in the middle of a drama thinking, "My ex owes me money for child support and I can't pay my bills without it"? If you are you are in good company. Every week I hear from single moms getting no help financially. Are you one of the single moms who is anxious, depressed, stressed out an angry, because court-ordered child support is going unpaid. Millions of dollars in ...
5 Days in New York City Packing List in May
I just got back from a sisters trip to New York City. My sisters and I have been thinking about going since my niece moved there a few years ago. She lives in a typical New York City apartment so there was not enough room for the 7 of us. We stayed in a lovely brownstone we found on Airbnb. If you haven't tried Airbnb check it out here for your next trip. It was much roomier and gave us room ...
Old Fashioned Summer Family Fun Activities
Plan old fashioned summer family fun activities that harken back to a time before teenagers had cell phones and video games were a favorite activity. These activities will give you a chance to connect with your kids and make memories. Some of my favorite memories as a child are playing family games in the evening. I have favorite memories as a mom of taking the kids to the lake or ...
Perfect Cousin and Sister’s Trip to New York City
We took cousin and sister's trips when our kids were elementary, middle school and high school age. Our families were spread over 4 states so one of the ways we stayed connected and gave the cousins the chance to get to know each other was to go on sister's trip and bring the kids. The sisters would meet somewhere for a long weekend with our kids and include my brother's daughter. It was ...
Best Maternity Photos for Single Moms
You deserve to have some lovely single mom maternity photos. Look through the pictures to get inspiration for your maternity photo shoot and the lovely gowns to make your pregnancy photos a stunning keepsake memorializing this special time. You will be glad you took the time to document the special time before your baby arrives. Try a Lake for Your Single Mom Maternity Photos Try ...
9 Easy Ways to Decorate With Wooden Crates
Decorating with wooden crates is perfect if you are moving often or as a versatile element for a growing family. They give your home a cozy and are perfect if you like a farmhouse or shabby chic style. When I was researching ideas to make your rental feel like home I kept running across ways to decorate with crates. I love this idea because of the flexibility they offer. As a bonus, if you are ...
9 Quick Decorating Ideas to Make a Rental Feel Like Home On A Tight Budget
Inside: How to make your temporary rental feel like home. One of the stresses after a divorce or a break-up is moving and setting up a new home. Usually, if you are the one to move out you will either live with family or rent for a while. I remember when I first separated from my ex-husband we moved into an apartment. At the time I expected that we would reconcile and the ...
10 Amazing Single Mom Family Picture Ideas
Inside: Fun ideas to make your single mom family pictures extra special. If you are like me when I first got divorced my family just didn't feel complete. I struggled to put my life back together again. The idea of taking a family picture with only the 3 of us seemed a little sad. We did take a few when the kids were growing up and I am so glad we did. Snapshots and selfies are good, but having ...
How to Get What You Want in Divorce Mediation
Divorce mediation is stressful. These do's and don'ts of divorce mediation will make it much more likely that you will get what you want from the divorce mediation process. I've talked with many parents going through the divorce process. Usually, divorce mediation is recommended as a way to come to an agreement about child custody and the division of property, child support, and possibly ...
Should You Pay Your Kids to Do Chores?
Paid vs. unpaid chores is a hotly debated issue among parents. Learn the system for chores and allowance that works to raise responsible kids, who can manage money. You might think paying for chores is an easy allowance system. You take care of getting chores done and you have a way to pay allowance. It's a great theory right? Maybe it works for some families.I've heard a lot of ...
42 Fun Activities for Kids at Home
Inside: 42 fun activities for kids at home instead of screen time. Here in northern Minnesota it starts snowing in October and our last snow storm is usually in April. That is a good 6 months or more of winter. When it is 45 below zero (this is not an exaggeration) it is a lot of work to back the kids up to go do something away from the house. I have had a lot of experience keeping kids busy at ...
Advice Your Teenage Daughter Needs Before Her First Date
Get the ground rules you need for teenage dating. You need this dating advice on teenage relationships as a parent. It is helpful for the over 20 crowd too. As a psychotherapist, I often talk to college women about problems they are having with college life. Often those problems involve their dating relationships. Some of them had excellent guidance from their parents when they were young ...
29 Books to Read When Your World is Falling Apart & Your Heart is Broken
Inside: Single Moms' recommendations for best inspirational self-help books to read when your world is falling apart and your heart is broken. These books will inspire you to pick up the pieces of your life, heal from a break-up, keep going and build a new & better life. Best Books to Read When Your World is Falling Apart After a Divorce or Breakup As a clinical social worker who ...
How The Best House Rule for Kids Will Change Your Life
When you use this house rule as your first house rule you will only need two house rules for your kids. There are different philosophies on setting up house rules for kids. Family rules for teenagers can be especially tricky. Teenagers need both boundaries and freedom. I am all for simplicity. It took me a while, but I finally figured out the best house rules. I figured out by the time my ...
Free Printable Inspirational Quotes for Single Moms
I love inspirational quotes and sayings. It's hard being a single mom and these motivational quotes will keep you inspired when life seems like too much. You can print these quotes for free wall art. If you are looking for something besides quotes for wall art I put together a resource for all kinds of free printable wall art here from modern to vintage. To get access to the printable ...
Stunning Free Printable Wall Art
Inside: Where to find free printable wall art. Get free vintage posters for the family room and nursery. Print free modern art for the living room or beautiful water colors for the kitchen. Art is an important element in decorating, but it can be expensive. I had heard that there is art to be had for free. I started hunting around the internet to see what kind of art I could find. I am amazed ...
How I Decorated My Small Front Porch on a Budget
Inside: Small front porch decorating ideas on a budget My front porch is one of the favorite parts of my house. The porch floor was a boring gray when I bought the house, but I knew it had potential. I am not much of a decorator or do it yourself project person, but I had seen a painted floor that inspired me. Decorating my front porch was fun and easy. If I could make a boring room cute and ...
