Sleep Deprivation…I know it well!

Even before my son was born, I remember not sleeping well in those last few weeks of pregnancy…

Then, My beloved son did not sleep through the night until he was about 2 1/2 - and he only napped for about 20 minutes at a time!
And I often stay up late to work on this website!

So…how do I make it through the day?

I have a little secret I’m going to share with you! It’s the same secret that shift workers and emergency crews use when helping out in major disasters over the course of several days…

They Powernap!

There is an art to powernaping. Too long and you’ll be exhausted! Too short and you won’t feel refreshed either. But perfecting that art is too hard for an exhausted mother to do on her own…so…

A few years ago, out of utter desperation, I ordered a great Powernap CD from Wendi.com — the most popular hypnotherapist on the Web.

Thank G-d For Wendi!

This CD really, really helps when I’m dragging. Though the 20 minute powernap is the best, it also has options for 5 and 10 minute powernap!

I still use it ALL THE TIME. (I just make sure to set an alarm for a few minutes after the cd is over…just in case I go into a deep sleep, but that rarely ever happens)

Ladies, seriously, this is one of the best solutions I have to offer. If you are consistently sleep deprived — get this as a gift for yourself! You can find it at http://www.solutionsforbusymoms.com/powernapcd

If you ever wondered why your teenager drives you crazy, perhaps this small diagram will help you gain a clearer idea of what goes on in your teens brain most of the time!

(ARA) - There’s a reason that the old adage “if you can’t stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen” is so popular - cooking is a great metaphor for life. And, when it comes to teaching kids both practical and philosophical life skills, the kitchen is a wonderful classroom.

Experts agree that getting children involved with cooking has many benefits - from getting them to try new foods and learning about nutrition, to providing bonding time with other family members. In addition to giving kids a sense of accomplishment, children who cook learn a useful life skill - how to prepare meals for themselves, family members and friends, and perhaps members of their very own household later in life.

WebMD notes that many children begin to express an interest in food preparation as early as the age of 2 or 3 years, and it is possible to get them started at that age at the right pace and with close supervision. No matter what age you begin introducing your child to culinary skills, keep in mind it’s best to start simple and with foods that are already familiar to them.

Sandwiches are a good first-timer dish that kids can learn to create in the kitchen because they’ll likely grasp the basics quickly - two slices of bread or a bun and some nourishing ingredients in between. Sandwiches in particular offer kids the opportunity to get creative. Parents should encourage them to explore new types of breads and buns, including whole- or multi-grain varieties. They should also introduce youngsters to unique types of fillings, and encourage them to discover new ways to prepare foods they already enjoy.

Since burgers are so popular with both adults and kids alike, introducing younger cooks to different types of innovative or “gourmet” burgers, like those that include chicken, salmon or vegetarian proteins, creative toppings and inventive ways to prepare them, can also spark kids’ creative juices. For 10-year-old Emma Potts of Bonney Lake, Wash., creating a new burger was not only a fun way to spend time with her mother; it was a great way to help other children as well.

Emma won the 2009 Kids’ Cook-Off, sponsored by Red Robin, a restaurant chain that serves gourmet burgers. Her Spicy Honey Glazed Bacon Burger took top honors and will be served in Red Robin restaurants from Aug. 3 to Sept. 12. A portion of the proceeds from her burger’s sales will support child safety initiatives from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC).

This year, kids are encouraged to again get creative in the kitchen with their family. The fifth annual Kids’ Cook-Off is accepting entries from Tuesday, Aug. 3 to Sunday, Sept. 12. Children ages 6 to 12 can submit their gourmet burger recipe and a statement about why their gourmet burger deserves to be served at Red Robin and how they came up with it online at www.redrobin.com, or by mail at Red Robin Kids’ Cook-Off Contest, P.O. Box 133, Trenton, IL 62293. Fifty recipes will be included in a cookbook, and the grand prize-winning burger will be sold at Red Robin restaurants in 2011 to benefit NCMEC. For additional details on the prizes and competition, visit www.redrobin.com.

“We always encouraged Emma to participate in making family meals from an early age,” says Emma’s mother, Donna Beck. “It’s helped her develop confidence in the kitchen and a better understanding of how to eat well. Winning the Red Robin competition really gave her a sense of accomplishment - and she felt great that something she created will help other children.”

To inspire budding cooks to get creative in the kitchen, parents can help their children prepare Emma’s winning gourmet burger recipe at home while also thinking about their own burger creation:

Spicy Honey Glazed Bacon Burger

Ingredients:

Sesame seed bun
Juicy beef patty
Green leaf lettuce
2 slices Havarti cheese
2 slices ripe red tomato
3 strips Applewood smoked bacon
Red Robin seasoning (available for purchase at all Red Robin restaurants)
4 ounces honey
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
6 ounces mayonnaise

Directions:

Prepare a honey glaze by mixing together the honey and cayenne pepper. Separate the mixture in half into two bowls. Glaze burgers with one half. Mix the mayonnaise into the remaining half and set aside.

Cook the burger to taste. Toast the bun until golden brown. Spread a thin layer of the honey cayenne mayonnaise mixture on the top and bottom of the bun. Sprinkle Red Robin seasoning on the cooked burger patty and drizzle some honey glaze on top. Cover the patty with Havarti cheese and melt it on top.

On the bottom bun, layer the lettuce, seasoned beef patty, tomato and bacon. Cover with the top bun and serve with fries.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

As a parent, you’d like your home, community, and children’s schools to be greener. Unfortunately, daily life can get in the way of that. You have limited time and budget in which to make the world around you a more sustainable place.

But fortunately, going green doesn’t have to be difficult, time-consuming or expensive. In fact, a smart and savvy parent can go green and save green at the same time. Here are a few easy ways you can change the world for the better, and even have fun while you’re at it:

* Click it - Most children (and a lot of adults) have no idea where the power comes from. So leaving lots of lights on in the house is no big deal. Teaching kids the value (monetary and environmental) of turning out the lights they’re not using is a direct way to connect being greener with something your kids do every day. You could even have competitions with your kids to see who can turn out the lights the fastest.

* Slay vampires - Just because something’s off doesn’t mean it’s not still using electricity. While some newer appliances and gadgets are getting much better at using minimal electricity while on standby (or “off”), many continue to be “energy vampires.” Cell phone chargers are infamous for using nearly the same, if not equal to, the electricity that’s used when charging a phone. Here again you can make a game out of “slaying the vampires” with your kids. They have fun and you save money.

* Strip - Does the thought of unplugging and replugging cords for so many things make you think you’ll never stick to it? Easy — get a power strip for each cluster of things you have in the house (i.e., family room, kitchen, kids’ play room) and plug everything into those, rather than each in its own plug. Then, you can easily turn several things off (and back on) at once. Even the most affordable power strips have the ability to have some dedicated plugs for those “need to be plugged in” things like the refrigerator.

* Get trashy - As a parent you probably go through lots of food for your kids that comes in difficult- or impossible-to-recycle packaging, as far as you know. There’s a company called TerraCycle that makes products like umbrellas to backpacks, gardening products to recycling bins from  recycled trash. TerraCycle works directly with the public, enlisting their help in the form of “brigades,” - self-organized groups of people, typically schools - that collect packaging. The newest collected product is Malt-O-Meal, the cereal company that long ago decided to “Bag the Box,” skipping the paper box that is typical of cereals; that alone already reducing the packaging by 75 percent.

Kristen Burke, a third grade teacher at Signal Hill Elementary School in Manassas, Va., leads one of these brigades. “The more my class and I began collecting, we truly began to look at trash in a different light,” she says. “It was no longer trash to us, instead, it was things that could be turned into new products, as well as money to help our school. While raising money for our school was a wonderful incentive, it has become even more so during the times of budget cuts within our school. We have found a way to help our school and save the environment.”

But in the end, the smartest resource you may have for going greener may be right under your nose - your kids. Children are increasingly green savvy, and they probably have a lot of great, creative ideas that you’d never think of. They get to be helpful, you learn some new things to do, and everybody - including the planet - wins.

If you want to get started immediately in greening your home, try upcycling some of your own trash to make a wallet.

Food Wrapper Wallet

Materials:
1 clean, empty food package (at least 7 inches by 5 1/2 inches in size)
1 ruler
1 pen
1 pair of scissors
tape
1 self-adhesive Velcro fastener

Directions:
1. Cut a rectangle that is 7 inches by 5 1/2 inches in the package. Centered inside the rectangle, draw a smaller rectangle that is 4 inches by 2 1/2 inches. This smaller rectangle will be 1 1/2 inches from each edge.

2. From the top edge of the smaller rectangle, draw a semicircle that intersects with the top of the large rectangle and the corners of the small rectangle. Repeat for the other three sides. Cut around these lines.

3. Fold in all four semicircles so your cut piece folds up to the size of the small rectangle. Tape the bottom flap and two side flaps in place.

4. Attach one side of the Velcro fastener on the inside of the top flap. Fold down the flap so the other side of the Velcro attaches to the outside of the bottom flap.

If you’d like to join or start your own TerraCycle Brigade, go to www.terracycle.net.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

It is easy to get caught in the rush of things when you are in college. In the midst of studying, part-time jobs, socializing, and extracurricular activities, you are most likely to forget one of the most important things, which is straightening out your finances.

Here are some tips on how you can save money as a student:

1. Plan ahead. If possible, do this even before you move into your dorm room.
• Check if you are eligible for scholarships and other grants before signing up for any form of student loan.
• Construct a cash flow. First, from where do you expect to get money? Make a list of your income, be it from your parents, your student loan, or your part-time job.
• Forecast your expected monthly or weekly expenses for food, books, etc. Once you have set aside a budget, be strict with yourself and stick to it.

You will never know what unexpected expenses would come your way, so it is better to have a plan for financial emergencies.

2. Save on food. One of the major expenses that you have as a student, which you might have ignored when you living with your parents, is your food allowance. Avoid eating at fast food outlets, as this is most likely to ruin your budget. Pack your lunch and plan your meals as much as you can. This also will help you keep off unwanted pounds!

3. Take full advantage of student discounts. Those ID’s in your wallet are not just for show. Student ID’s and memberships in organizations are honored in several establishments which offer discounts. Also, patronize a certain establishment regularly, and you are bound to get bonus cards for being a loyal customer.

4. Use your cash as much as you can. Since you already have a draft of the items where you will spend your money, it is easier to monitor your cash flow. Avoid using your debit card when you have cash with you. Use your credit cards or write checks only in emergencies. Having debit cards, credit cards, and checks handy might lead you to overspend.

5. Keep yourself busy. Join clubs according to your field of interest. Keeping busy will let your mind wander and help you stay away from things that you are likely to spend money on when you get bored. Examples of these are snacks, movie tickets, or game rentals.

You will be surprised at the amount of money that you actually will save by spending less on luxury items, following your budget plan, and saving for financial emergencies that you are most likely to get as a college student.

Parents often complain that teenagers do not listen to them. The opposite is true when it comes to advice regarding money matters. Many teens actually welcome their parents’ input about their finances. Take advantage of this open door, whenever possible!

In the past few years, teenagers have earned billions of dollars with part-time and summer jobs. Some have spent most of what they earned, while others saved most or even all of it for a big purchase, or their college education.

Kids these days are becoming more and more aware of their family’s source of income and financial status. They apply these money-spending principles when they venture out on their own. Thus, it becomes more of a parent’s responsibility to start training their teenage kids to use their money wisely.

Here are some ways you can teach your teens to save those hard-earned bucks:

1. Lead by example. With your lifestyle, the children will see how you spend your money. If they see you allotting a certain amount for a specific household need, they will eventually do the same when they get to earn their own keep.

2. Help your teens get a bank account. Establishing a bank account under their name would give them an instant financial responsibility. Sit down and explain to them how to manage their own account, and the rewards that they get once they save enough. Their savings could go to their college tuition, or big-ticket item, such as a car. Additionally, it gives them a sense of accomplishment once they have saved up, with something concrete to show for it. Also, you may check out the special benefits that banks offer for teens, who open their accounts at such an early age.

3. Balance the checkbook. With everyone using credit and debit cards to pay for the majority of transactions, balancing the checkbook has become a lost art. Sit down with your child and teach them both how and the value of understanding where their money is going, how it’s coming in, and knowing what they have at the moment.

4. Construct a spending plan. Once they hear the word “budget,” teens tend to cringe at the mere thought of having to restrict the spending of their money. Instead, you and your son or daughter could build a spending plan. This would get them excited, and think of ways on how they can wisely spend their savings. Also, have them list down their earnings versus their expenses. Let them know the difference between the items that they need and the luxury items that they want, which they can actually do without.

5. Make a mock investment in the stock market. Doing so will make them aware of the options that they have financially. Casually introduce to them the business part of your daily newspapers and have them make pick the manufacturers products that they like. Explain to them how the numbers work, and let them pick an amount to “invest.” Monitor the stocks together, answering any questions they have, and give them some, as well, to test their understanding.