More Free Advice

When you've been on the job for less than a month, do not make your coworker mad by saying or doing any of the following.

1. Coworker: Where is _____? Me: They just stepped out and will be right back. Coworker: Oh, good because if they weren't here today, you'd hear about it. I think to myself: I fail to see how this is my problem.
   
2. Coworker: *Whispering* Get off the phone! I need to talk to you! *repeat ad nasuem*
3. Coworker to me: Wow. That's a big rock on your hand. Someone must really like you.
4. After helping your coworker through a crisis moment, your coworker puts his arm around your other coworker and says, "Thanks for being helpful. Mandie is not helpful at all."
5. After you tell him to get out. He sticks around and continues to berate you.
   

Learn from this guy's mistakes and don't repeat them.

Back to School

String Bean is much too young for school, but Mr. Bean and I both work for the college in our town. We are in the midst of the hustle and bustle of preparing for students to return.

Many of you are working on trying to get your children ready to go back to school. Having been a teacher in the past, here are my back to school tips from an elementary teacher's point of view:

1. Your child's teacher does not want to start off on the wrong foot with you and you don't want to start off on the wrong foot with your child's teacher. Stick to the school supply list. Don't send little extras like race car pencil sharpeners, cutesy but non functional erasers, or pens if they aren't on the list. You can imagine what is going to happen to your child and that race car pencil sharpener. Vroom, vroom.

2. If you're sending your child to school for the first time, it will break your heart if your child cries at the classroom door. Teachers are used to this. Give them a hug and move on. More often than not, your child will be just fine in 5 minutes, but prolonging the drop off only causes stress for the teacher, you, your child, and the class. It is not a good way to sart off the school day.

3. Junk food in your kid's lunch (or for a mid-morning snack) will only make your child hyper immediately following lunch and then crash after that. Please don't do that to your kid (or their teacher)!

4. Remember that your kid's teacher wants to work with you-not for you. In the end, the teacher is there to assist you with your child's education. Ultimately, you are responsible for supervising your child's education. This includes helping with homework, practicing reading and math facts at home, teaching character and citizenship at home year-round, and supporting what is happening in the classroom.

As you sing "It's the most wonderful time of the year" down the aisles of Target, be determined to help your child have the best school year ever!

Culinary Tips

I am less than a master in the kitchen. I have few skills. Just ask Mr. Bean or my brother-in-law about "The Great Pancake Incident." Or, ask Mr. Bean how he "enjoyed" my meatloaf this week.

I just cut up a plethora of fruit and vegetables (with Mr. Bean's help) for a welcome home party for my friend Aimee. Here's where I need your tips. The damage is already done, but for future reference, how do you cut cauliflower without mangling it into little bits? I'd be happy to hear your tips on that one.

I put Mr. Bean in charge of the strawberries and oranges. They turned out fine. I've done broccoli and peppers a million times. We bought baby carrots so they required no preparation. (That's my kind of cooking!)

I must say I did a fantastic job on the celery. I think my mom must have made celery a lot as a kid because I had flashbacks to watching her cut celery the whole time I was doing it. I felt completely at ease as I sliced my way through that vegetable.

Share you cauliflower tips. And while you're at it, I'll take your meatloaf and pancake tips, too.

Tips for Road Trips

I'm so clever. My title rhymes.

I asked some of our Twitter moms (and dads) this question, "What tips do you have for traveling on long road trips with young kids?" Here were some of their responses. I hope they help you as you drive "over the river and through the woods to grandmother's house" this season! We leave on Saturday for a 12 hour drive...should be fun!

frecklesthemom: I say pack your patience, stop as often as you need and take lots of stuff to help pass the time. We also bring a lot of music. And what would a long road trip be without fun games, like Ispy, Punch Buggie...? I pepper the music with some family friendly classics that Mom and Dad like, that way I don't go crazy along the way!

jenleereeves: Many, many DVDs and really good snack cups. My favorite, Snack Trap.

TwinToddlersDad: Make sure they are fed, and start right before their nap time so they can fall asleep in the car. Always works with our twins.

GRIPCOMMPR: Here are some travel tips for special needs families.

musingsfromme: DVDs, kids song tapes, mom sits in back with kids for part of ride to read to them/pass them items, lap desks for car seat.

nicroames: frequent stops, travel at night (they sleep)

MaiaKG: "road trip bingo" for route ...maybe 4 younger, use 'treasure hunt' i spy? how many x animal? how many sleeping?

SarahSingforhim: I love this "I Spy" Bag. They have to look for hidden items. Keeps them busy, and older ones like it, too. My dad used to give us beef jerky on long trips. We had to chew it so much, we would talk less! Ha! Sneaky.

craftymamaof4: I buy lunch boxes when the back-to-school stuff goes on sale, and fill with games, puzzles, treats, books and really special toys.

careywillems: magnets in a cookie sheet to hold paper. Sheet will keep crayons from rolling everywhere. White contact paper & dry erase markers.

copperbrickroad: we have the dvd player. Lil Einsteins works wonders. That and snacks.

peace_: Find out ahead of time where playgrounds you can stop at are and allow extra time so you can stop for play breaks.

brendacarus: Leave at bedtime & drive through the night. Need 2+ adults and a nap before or after, but we always do long drives(>10 hrs) like this!

Tips to Help Your Child through Stranger Anxiety

photo by sware

So, Miss String Bean is now in the full-fledged stage of stranger anxiety. We are getting ready to visit family for Thanksgiving and I'm expecting some drama and lots of tears. Here are some tips on how to handle stranger anxiety as you visit relatives this holiday season.

1. Acknowledge your child's fears are real. For most children, going through some sort of stranger anxiety is a normal developmental stage. Others have a completely normal anxiety or fear of new situations for most of their childhood. Acknowledge your child's feelings and do not force your child into a situation where he or she will become more stressed.
2. People who are familiar to you are not always familiar to your child. They are strangers. Don't expect your child to welcome kisses and hugs from people he/she does not know. After all, you probably do not kiss or hug strangers yourself! (Even if your child has met them before, they may not remember them!)
   
3. Warn relatives of your child's stranger anxiety. Great Aunt Sue wants to snuggle with your precious pumpkin. Imagine her shock, surprise, and feelings when your bundle of joy breaks out in tears screaming for Mommy. Give your relatives a heads-up that your child, although very loving and quite entertaining, will need a few minutes to get to know them (perhaps getting to know them again) before wowing them with all his or her charms.
4. Allow your child time to be come familiar with his or her new surroundings. If you give your child a few minutes to become familiar with the people and the situation they are in, many children will warm up and begin to work the crowd just like at home. Give them time.
5. Bring your child's favorite toy and let that new friend play with it first. String Bean has a favorite toy of all time-Curious George. We are bringing that guy with us to be an ambassador to the new family members she'll be seeing. If she sees that familiar toy, she will be more willing to go to that new friend and get to know them since her mind will be on George instead of on who the wacko is with the deep voice and the beard.
6. Remember your first priority is your child, not your guests. Your guests are adults and will understand that your priority is to comfort your child and look out for their well-being.

I'd love to hear your tips for curbing anxiety in little ones!

More Tips for the Holiday Rush

Don't forget to enter our giveaway which ends 11/30 at noon! As of this post, we have over 60 entries!!

Actually, I just have one tip, but I wanted to brag about getting some of my shopping done early for like the first time ever, and I did it without spending any money. Well, I did spend some money but mostly I just got rid of junk that was in my house. I participated in a swap on one of my favorite message boards and got some totally awesome present for my kids! It's been really hard not to just go ahead and give them the stuff because I know their really going to love it. Oh, hey, that's like another tip. Check me out, I have 2 tips! (I don't usually serve much purpose other than to make others feel better about themselves in comparison, so a pat on the back for me!)

Now for my original tip...
Make it yourself. I know I said I'm not crafty, but I have discovered a knack for...
Oh, wait, if you might get a present from me for Christmas, I must ask you to kindly stop reading now.

Okay, I have a knack for jewelry making and it's super fun, so I am making some bracelets and earrings and necklaces for Christmas presents. I bought some tools and equipment and found some instructions on-line and I am going to town with the beading.

People usually love homemade stuff and you can add that extra ingredient, LOVE, to all your homemade stuff. There is all sorts of stuff that you can make pretty easily. I know someone that made Vanilla, how cool is that? So, if you've got even the smallest bit of creativity, go homemade for Christmas. If I can do it, anyone can!

Get Ready for the Holiday Rush

Don't forget to enter our giveaway which ends 11/30 at noon! As of this post, we have about 50 entries!!

If you are like me, you aren't made of money. If you are made of money, send me some or we can't be friends anymore.

So, if you aren't made of money, and you're still reading this, I urge you to get going on your Christmas shopping NOW! I've been watching the news and the latest report is that retailers are offering deals usually reserved for after Thanksgiving now. Also, stores are bracing for smaller than usual sales, so their inventory is low. Things like electronics and toys are expected to be sold-out earlier than usual which means finding that perfect gift may be more difficult to find this year if you wait.

Here are some tips for Christmas shopping in 2008:

1. If you don't already have a budget, set one. Remember it is not the amount of money spent, but the thought that goes into the gift that really counts. A gift that cost $20 can have the same impact as a gift that cost $100 if that $20 gift really means something to the recipient. Demonstrate to your loved ones that you really know them by giving a gift that will be treasured by them.
2. Spread out your shopping over the season instead of doing all your shopping at once. This tip will help you with your cash flow. Every pay period, I set aside some money to go shopping with. This year, I have 12 people I must shop for. I'm doing about 3 of them on every pay period so I can avoid using the credit cards.
3. Make a list and check it often! If you can plan out what you're getting for each person on your list, you can watch the sales and purchase gifts when they go on sale. Remember a lot of retailers are giving out coupons this year. The jackpot is purchasing that gift when you have both a sale and a coupon. This requires some planning, but will really save you a lot of money in the end.
4. Skip the card with the gift. Make a homemade card or just add a "to/from" tag instead. This could be a huge savings for your family. Line Hallmark's pockets on other holidays!
   
5. Consider gifts that last a lifetime. Last year, our daughter was 6 weeks old on Christmas Day. What do you get a 6 week old? Instead of getting her a toy she'd never remember, we purchased her a precious gemstone. This is a gift that will last a lifetime for her; however, this was a lot more expensive than a normal budgeted gift. This year, since she's just 1 and probably will not remember what we got her, we are getting her a donation to her college fund. This is a great gift for little ones who will outgrow those clothes or toys you're tempted to give them.
6. Don't forget charity. Keep room in your budget for charity this year. With the economic downturn, many charities are having to cut back this holiday season. Since many charities help those who can't afford Christmas this year, consider doing your part to spread Christmas cheer. Some great Charities that you can give to are: Toys for Tots, the Salvation Army, and your local food pantry or church. This could be a great new Christmas tradition for your family.
   

Got great tips for Christmas shopping this season? Let us hear them!

The Trouble with Joint Accounts

The trouble with joint checking accounts is that more than one person is taking the money out of it. If more than one person is depositing money - no problem. The more the merrier. It is when two people are deducting from it that problems arise. Take for example the "fun" Mr. Bean and I had this week. We do most of our shopping together, but we have "his" and "hers" wallets, so receipts take residence in one or the other and don't always meet up again until I decide to record the expenses in Microsoft Money.

Now, imagine with me a pay period where both "his" and "hers" collect receipts for 2 1/2 weeks without meeting up again. This is a recipie for disaster and is exactly what happened to us this last pay period. Luckily, our bank was slower in recording the expenses than we were, so we dodged a big bullet.

To keep you from making the same mistake that we *almost* made, here are some tips:

1. If you are like us and treat your checking account as an in/out account, consider setting up an auto withdrawal from your savings account should your checking account dip below a pre-set amount.
2. Agree that whomever is the primary financial person in your family holds all the receipts when you go shopping together.
3. Once a week, put all your accumulated receipts into a envelope for the financial partner in your joint account relationship to enter into the system. Make it a habit by doing it on the same day every week. Pick two days a week to do this if necessary. (You can set a reminder using Outlook or other scheduling software.)
   
4. Move to the "envelope system" like my co-blogger Amy and her husband do. When you get paid put all your money in various envelopes for various expenses. For example, have an envelope with a preset amount of money in it for groceries, eating out, debt reduction, entertainment, etc.

Anyone have other tips to share with us to keep from accidentally overdrawing joint accounts?