Search Results for: topic tag add ons

The Controversy Over School Vouchers in Wisconsin

In Wisconsin, Governor Scott Walker created a proposal to make a school choice voucher program for students who have special needs. A group called Stop Special Needs Vouchers is protesting against the proposal. The group, which includes parents, feel that the plan would end up making it harder for students who have special needs to get the support they require at public schools. A school voucher is a controversial topic for many reasons. There is potential for people to object to the system that is used to determine whether or not a child qualifies for a voucher, to object to … Continue reading →

Grocery Store Reflections

Today I went grocery shopping. My shopping habits vary quite a bit, sometimes I have a good bit of money and can go in with a list and stock the fridge, freezer, and pantry, and sometimes my mission is more about trying to get just a few basic items for as little money as possible to last us for as many days as possible. For some reason, my trip to the store today made me feel all reflective about the topic of grocery shopping. I wonder what grocery shopping is like for other people, are the same kinds of thoughts … Continue reading →

Beware the Green Eyed Monster: How Jealousy Can Impact Your Blended Family

I tiptoed up to the topic, believing that most of us are pretty sensitive about it: “Sometimes step parents feel…I don’t want to call it jealousy, but…” at which point Kelly, eight years into her step mom experience, interrupted, “Oh, you can call it jealous! I was definitely jealous!—of a six year old, no less!” We were talking about what can often become a defining dynamic between children and step parents, and consequently, a divisive issue for a biological parent and their spouse. It’s not an emotion many of us are willing to cop to, especially if the trigger is … Continue reading →

Getting Serious About Heat Conservation

We’ve been practicing frugal living in our home actively for about eight years. Most of those years have involved a lot of lifestyle changes, from having three kids to moving to a larger home. While we have kept up with being conservative about our spending, we haven’t been able to make any dramatic changes above and beyond what we do on a daily basis. This fall, we have made it a priority to work on heat and energy conservation even more than we already do. This is an area that we can always improve. We’ve completed most of the necessary … Continue reading →

Food, Favors and Decorations to Complete Your Family Election Party

My last blog outlined invitations and possible activities for an Election Day (or Night) Party. This blog will help you prepare for the party. Favors/Name Tags Make name tags/favors in which the name is on a white circle of cardstock. Folded loops of ribbon be glued to the back of the cardstock around the edges of the circle. Leave two ribbons (hanging down. This resembles the rosette ribbons worn by members of political parties in England (hence the term, “showing your colors”). If it’s just a family party, rather than names you could make ribbons of different countries and write … Continue reading →

Do OTC Medications Affect Fertility?

The topic for this blog came from a question asked in our forums. In fact, there is some evidence that certain medications can interfere with fertility. Whether or not these medications would completely prevent pregnancy is unclear. It is actually widely believed that some common medications can interfere with ovulation. These are drugs known as NSAIDS, and sold under names like Aleve, Advil and Ibuprofen. In the book Stay Fertile Longer: Everything You Need to Know to Get Pregnant, the author talks about this link. The reason cited is that these medications block the production of prostaglandins, which interferes with … Continue reading →

Reasons Why Teachers May Suggest that Twins be Separated Continued

For the past few days, I have been discussing education and multiples, mainly twins. The main topic with twins is whether to keep them in the same homeroom or separate them into different classes. Most every school, teacher, and parent can give you an opinion on the topic. However, each set of multiples, just like single birth children, should be looked at separately. My previous discussion talked about how there can be some reasons why teachers prefer or suggest that twins or multiples be separated. The first reason listed was academic differences. Sometimes one child will do far better academically … Continue reading →

Great Books for Daddies to Be

Father’s Day was this past weekend. If this is your first baby, the holiday will soon take on new meaning for you and your partner. Becoming a father is a defining moment in a man’s life. Here are some great books for your man on the subject of fatherhood. Becoming a Father: How to Nurture and Enjoy Your Family by William Sears, MD. Sears is a pediatrician and the father of eight children. He is best known as the person who coined the phrase “attachment parenting”. Sears has written many books on the subject of parenting. This one is written … Continue reading →

Conservation Equals Frugality: A Review of Articles

Did you know that you can search articles in the Frugal Living Blog by category? Off on the right side of your screen, below the list of blogs is the “frugal categories” list. You can click on a category to go straight to blogs related to that category. It is a great way to find exactly what you need. One of our newest categories is conservation. This is one of my favorite topics. Not only does conservation save you money, it also saves on resources for the world at large. Conserving resources helps the planet, and also provides additional resources … Continue reading →

Read the Instructions!

Posted on by

Let me start this blog by saying I am both a nerd and a convert. Oh, yes, and a readaholic. When you add those three together, you get someone who did an amazing amount of research into the church both before and after joining. I’d like to take a great resource that you may have overlooked – your manuals. The church has provided an amazing number of resources throughout the year. My first calling in the church was as the ward librarian, and I was amazed at the number of books available. (I’m one of those people who has to … Continue reading →