Archives for 2012

Using Time Wisely: Counting my Blessings (110 – 118)

November 21, 2012 by Tracy

Photograph Credit: Microsoft Images

During this season of thankfulness and gratitude, I would be remiss if I did not include a Counting my Blessings post. Realizing that it has been almost two months since my last gratitude report, I need to stop and reflect on my blessings.

This past month has been very difficult. Among difficulties at school which overflows into home life, I find it hard to compartmentalize these issues. But when I can take a step back, I realize how fortunate I am and count these blessings:

110. Reliable God. With a constant open door, I can run to the throne of grace and pour out my heart. He listens, comforts, and guides through each step of the way.

111. Constant husband. Paul continues to take my calls and listen to my feelings. Though I am usually very level-headed and analytical, I get extremely emotional when my kids are involved. Paul balances me well, and I’m so blessed to have him by my side on this journey of life.

112. Wonderful friends. Two very close friends have offered listening ears and shoulders to cry on during these heart-breaking times.

113. Generous parents. When I needed help, my mom came to the rescue. She helped with meals, cleaning, and watching my kids during Fall Festival week. Her husband came to help the rest of the week, and I’m so thankful they were here.

114. Sewing mom. With Fall Festival scheduled so close to Halloween this year, my mom made my daughters’ costumes. They both love the movie Tangled and desired the Rapunzel costume. My mom came to the rescue and made not only their dresses, but also the hair. 😉 My son dressed in his soccer uniform for his costume as he did not want to dress up this year.

115. Wonderful Halloween party. My oldest daughter is overflowing with creativity. She loves decorating, drawing, crafting, cooking, and anything else she can get her hands on. In focusing her energy, she helped decorate our house for our Halloween party.

116. Finding an after-Halloween sale. In stopping at Walmart to get a new lunch bag for my son, my youngest daughter and I found about 6 shopping carts full of leftover Halloween items marked 75% off. In digging through the items, we found an adult and a boy’s costume along with lots of prizes, decorations, and face paint for next year’s Halloween party. I was thrilled to restock our supply for less than $20.

117. Friends. I am amazed at the number of people I can call friend. I am rich because of their friendship and truly blessed.

118. Family. Having lost my Grandmother and Great Aunt this year, I am truly blessed to have known them. Because of their influence, investment, and encouragement in my life, I learned from their example and am able to impart those same qualities to my own children. Though I miss my Grandma T. and Aunt Bonnie, I know I shall see them again which is a blessed hope.

In this season of Thanksgiving, you might find it difficult to find something for which to be thankful. You might see your world falling apart or crumbling at your feet. If you find yourself doubting and struggling, look up.

Take a few moments to pray, breathe, and remain quiet. With your mind cleared, focus on your blessings. There is always someone who wishes they could switch places with you.

Knowing how blessed we are, our family is honored to take a meal to those struggling in this world. They have it tough, and we get to bless them this Thanksgiving. In giving to others, may we find additional ways to count our blessings as it is more blessed to give than to receive. Happy Thanksgiving!

Question: For what are you thankful today?

Keeping Children at the Table: Reusable Placemats

November 20, 2012 by Tracy

Entertaining company with a meal brings about a change in my children. I’m not sure if it is because talking about their day gets overtaken with conversations with our guests, but my children seem to eat lightning fast with guests.

Any other night, they linger and chat and need reminding “to eat.” Even though we include the children into the adult conversations, they seem to finish early and want to depart from the table with company present.

In noticing this pattern with my children, I tried incorporating placemats and dry erase markers with their table setting, and it worked. When my children completed their meal, they remained at the table and colored their placemats.

Not only do my children enjoy these placemats, but also their friends. The children stay at the table and participate in the conversations while coloring their placemats. Win, WIN, WIN!

After the dinner, a simple wipe with a paper towel (or from my daughter’s finger :-)) removes the colors. Our reusable placemats keep children at the table meal after meal after meal.

How to Make Reusable Placements

1. Enlarge or print a coloring page or printable, like these adorable ones from Cheerios & Lattes.

2. Laminate them or place them in a plastic envelope purchased at a craft store.

3. Color, draw, and write with dry- or wet-erase markers.

In using time wisely to entertain family and friends, reusable placements assist hostesses in keeping children at the table. As you execute your plan on Thanksgiving Day, consider adding a reusable placement to each child’s place setting.

As they finish their meal, they can remain at the table coloring and creating with the markers provided. With happy children, the adults can interact while all guests remain together. Happy entertaining!

Question: While entertaining, how do you keep children at the table?

How to Make Cleaning Fun for Children – Part 3 of 3

November 19, 2012 by Tracy

Photograph Credit: iClipart

In training our children to help around the house, this series continues to encourage me to make cleaning fun.

I get caught up in just doing it myself because I can do it faster and better than waiting for my kids to figure it out. However, as I teach them and mentor them, there are six more hands working. In the long run, we can accomplish more together while having fun.

Thus far in this series, we have seen how creating a game for laundry and pickup and providing a tool make cleaning fun for children.

If you have older children who are not interested in these games or using the cleaning tool, then maybe a non-monetary reward will spur them on to motivational cleaning.

Part 3: Give Non-monetary Rewards

Most children – no matter their age – want to know how much they can earn for doing chores. Some families instill an allowance system or a reward chart for completing designated tasks. You may or may not choose one of the options, but children of all ages need encouragement.

My children are young, and rewards are a big deal to them. Wanting to reward them, Paul and I have an allowance system in place, but we also reward along the way with non-monetary awards. Some of our choices include the following rewards:

Family Walk

My kids move so quickly to finish picking up when they know the reward is a family walk through our neighborhood. Loving to go outside, my children desire to ride their bikes, push a baby stroller, or take a stroll as a family. Again, this reward may or may not work with older children. I’m not quite there yet as my children are ages 7, 5, and 2.

Movie Night

All curled up in Daddy and Mommy’s bed under the covers with a bowl of popcorn and a fun movie motivates my kiddos to complete the task requested.

One-on-One Time

Getting the privilege of going grocery shopping, getting nails painted, baking, cooking, or playing a game alone with Daddy or Mommy is a special privilege in our house. Though we try to spend one-on-one time with each of our children each day, Paul and I give extra time as a reward which gets chosen more than the other rewards offered. 🙂

Planned Outing

With numerous outing opportunities, we sometimes choose a reward as a family. Keeping our home looking nice is a group activity. So, when we finish the tasks, we enjoy celebrating our accomplishments together. From a museum visit to a bounce house session to entertaining friends, we find a group reward just as beneficial as an individual award.

As you encourage and teach your children how to clean as part of the family, those sessions don’t need to exude boring and dreaded tasks. Learning along with you, I am trying to make cleaning fun for children and adults.

Life is too short to hate what you are doing. By making a game, providing a tool, and giving non-monetary rewards keeps my children interested and my house maintained.

In using time wisely, keep trying ways to include your children. As they feel part of the family and contribute towards its workings, they will enjoy the rewards, and hopefully, find the process fun. Happy playing!

Question: What rewards do you offer in your home?

Retirement: Selecting Beneficiary Designations

November 18, 2012 by Tracy

This series has been filled with lots of information. Hopefully, the information has been helpful and not confusing.

With so many options, one can get lost and lose hope. My goal is to present the material as thoroughly as possible without overwhelming you with information. 😉

We began this retirement category with an overview, the types of accounts, and allocating your money.

Once you have your retirement plan and diversified your contributions, the next step is designating your beneficiaries.

Selecting Beneficiary Designations

Beneficiary Defined

In the event of your death, your beneficiaries are the people, trusts, or estates to whom you leave your benefits. You will need to designate at least one beneficiary for each retirement account.

Beneficiary Types

There are two types of beneficiaries: primary and contingent.

Primary

A primary beneficiary inherits the retirement benefits immediately upon the death of the account holder without going through probate and without consulting the will. Even if the account holder’s will gifts the retirement account to another, the benefits fall to the primary beneficiary.

One can name more than one beneficiary giving each a percentage of the benefits, but the total percentage must equal 100%. For example, Uncle Bob – 50%, Aunt Mary – 30%, and Cousin Joe – 20% = 100%.

If an account holder names someone other than a spouse as a primary beneficiary, most providers will require written permission from the spouse before accepting the beneficiary.

Contingent

The contingent beneficiary will receive the benefits if the primary beneficiary is unavailable or unwilling to do so. You may name more than one contingent beneficiary, but you must select the percentage per beneficiary. In some cases, you may name a second contingent beneficiary in the event the primary and the first contingent cannot accept the benefits.

Beneficiary Selection

If you are married and have an established trust, make your spouse your primary beneficiary and the trust your contingent beneficiary. If you have children, you might consider making your spouse your primary beneficiary, your children by percentages your first contingent beneficiaries, and then your trust your second contingent beneficiary.

If you have a trust, then contact the attorney who established it to ask for guidance regarding naming your beneficiaries. Each state or commonwealth handles probate, wills, and beneficiaries differently. Your attorney can advise accordingly.

Beneficiary Update

In the event of a birth, death, or divorce, you may need to update your beneficiary designations. As a general rule, check your beneficiary designations annually.

In using time wisely, check your retirement accounts for your beneficiary designations. If needed, make any necessary changes and keep copies or e-mails of all correspondence.

Weekly Project: Update your retirement beneficiaries.

As we continue organizing our important documents, designating and updating our beneficiaries guarantees our primary beneficiaries the benefits of our accounts. You have worked so hard to choose the right investment and allocated your contributions. Take time to designate your beneficiaries to guarantee those benefits to those you love. Happy designating!

Question: How often do you check your beneficiary designations?

American Express: Small Business Saturday – November 24, 2012

November 17, 2012 by Tracy

Photograph Credit: American Express

If you have an American Express charge card, you have an opportunity to receive a $25 credit on your next statement.

American Express has embraced Small Business Saturday and encourages consumers to support these businesses on November 24, 2012.

Per American Express’ website:

Enroll your eligible American Express® Card to GET $25 BACK WHEN YOU SPEND $25 OR MORE at a qualifying small business location on November 24, 2012.

How it works:

1. Enroll an eligible American Express Card. Enrollment is limited and opens at 12:00AM MST on November 18, 2012 and continues until 11:59PM MST on November 24, 2012 unless the enrollment limit is reached sooner.

2. Use your enrolled Card to spend $25 or more in a single, in-store transaction at a qualifying small business location on November 24, 2012. For information about qualifying small business locations, visit ShopSmall.com.

3. Get a one-time $25 statement credit for that transaction from American Express within 8 weeks.

In using time wisely and stretching your dollars, enroll your American Express card before heading out to your favorite small business on Saturday, November 24, 2012. Happy savings!

Question: Will you participate in Small Business Saturday?

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