TIME’s List of 30 Most Influential Teens of 2017

TIME creates an annual list of the 30 most influential teens. When the TIME staff puts the list together, they consider accolades across numerous fields, global impact through social media, and overall ability to drive news. Here is a quick look at just a few of the teenagers who TIME considers to be among the 30 Most Influential Teens of 2017. Rayouf Alhumedhi is sixteen-years-old. She is from Saudi Arabia, is muslim, and wears a headscarf. When she searched for a headscarf emoji, she couldn’t find one. Rayouf started a campaign for the headscarf emoji, and appealed to both Apple … Continue reading

How to Declutter Your Social Media

Want to start off the new year with a nicer, happier, more interesting online experience? One way to do it is to take the time to declutter your social media. Keep the connections that add value to your life and get rid of the rest. You might also want to cancel accounts on social media websites that you have stopped using. Social media can be fun and entertaining. Unfortunately, it also has the potential to turn into a drama-filled, stressful, nightmare of a place to visit. The problem with following too many people is that it makes it hard to … Continue reading

Where to Find Great Recipes from Kraft

What will you be feeding your family for dinner tonight? There are times when that is a rather difficult question to answer. It helps if you have plenty of recipes to choose from. Fortunately, there are many places to find recipes from Kraft. There was a time when people had to rely on cookbooks, women’s magazines, and the box of handwritten recipes that their mother and grandmother handed down to them for recipe ideas. Today, companies that make food products are very active online. This makes it really easy to find plenty of recipes that include products from your favorite … Continue reading

Less is More: How Not to Feel Deprived

Buying less not only means saving money, but it can also be freeing in other ways. For ten years of my life I gave up coffee. This was mostly because of two factors. My new (then) husband could not stand the smell of coffee brewing, and during those ten years, I was either pregnant or nursing or both, and choose to stay away from the caffeine. I didn’t actually miss coffee much after a little bit, and I could knock that expense out of our budget. I no longer felt I needed coffee, had desires for coffee or felt deprived … Continue reading

Disney’s Recent Racial Controversies

Disney might be considered a family-friendly company, but that doesn’t mean it’s free from all controversy.  When it comes to its own properties, Disney is far from perfect, and there have been some big examples in the past year. The first has to do with “Princess Sofia,” and it’s not over whether or not she’s teaching princess obsession to toddlers.  I didn’t comment on the story for a while because the details kept changing, but things have seemed to settle down.  In the fall, promotional images of the film were released.  They revealed that Sofia’s mother had darker skin, eyes, … Continue reading

How to Use Garage Sales to Get Out of Debt

Garage sales can help you get out of debt in at least two major ways. Learn how you can use this staple of American culture to your advantage, as you pay down your bills and obtain financial freedom. Dave Ramsey, financial guru, once said to get out of debt he held a garage sale, selling so much that his kids thought they were going to be next. While this may seem like an extreme thing to do, the fact is that it is a good strategy to use in your arsenal of tools that will get you out of debt. … Continue reading

A Year in Disney Fandom: D23 Events for 2013

Any D23 members wondering what will be on the official Disney Fan Club’s schedule for 2013 don’t need to wait any longer.  The official D23 website and the official Disney Parks blog have both posted announcements of the fan club’s 2013 events. The most exciting news to come out of D23 for 2013 is the announcement of a second year of Fanniversary.  The event, which is open to the public (but D23 members get first registration), is a must-attend celebration for any Disney fans.  It’s hours spent reveling in the best of Disney movies, history, park attractions, and more.  Special … Continue reading

It Is Never Too Late To Work From Home

No matter how long you have been in your current job outside of the home, it is never too late to make the switch to working from home. Perhaps you are ready for a career change and want to try something new. You may have always dreamed of having a different career, and now might be the right time to explore it. If you are over fifty and you are thinking of making the switch to working from home, go for it. Do not let anyone talk you out of it because of how far you have come in your … Continue reading

Community Activities For Toddlers

If you stay home with your toddler, chances are that you have realized that being a stay at home parent does not always entail as much staying at home as the title may imply. Some of this may be due to your own need to get things done like grocery shopping and other errands, but some of it depends on the temperament of your toddler. Personally, I spend quite a bit of time at home and I could stay at home for days, but Dylan likes to go places. In fact, if we don’t go somewhere on any given day, … Continue reading

False Assumptions

One of the things I have always prided myself on is being a parent who listens. In that my children know they can come to me no matter what the problem is, including if they have done something wrong. Although I have conveyed this message to them time and time again, it doesn’t mean they will always take me up on it. That is one of the things I learned through some struggles last year with one of my teens. So now I know to never assume all is well. Let me share just a small example of what I … Continue reading