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Solo Mother

July 12th, 2008

A (former) single mother in Florida could use our help. He daughter, just 18, was returning library books to the night drop box when she was attacked, raped, and beaten so badly that she slipped into a coma a few days later.

This mother leaves her daughter’s hospital bed once a week, to go home and shower. There is no telling how complete a recovery her child can make, but she asks for our thoughts and prayers.

The man who did this to her daughter was only 16.

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By christina -- 0 comments

July 10th, 2008

Oh, and do you want to be in fabulous shape?

I found these instructional videos by my favorite tribal belly dancer of all time, Rachel Brice.

I hate crunches and sit ups and all that stuff. But I love to dance, and this ab workout is killer. And since it’s on YouTube, it’s FREE, single mothers! If you like this, run a search for her other lessons.

I’m going to try to get up early in the morning and start back in on the belly dancing. Who’s with me?

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By christina -- 0 comments

July 10th, 2008

Wondering what to buy at the grocery store?

Yahoo really caught my attention today. “The 20 Healthiest Foods for Under a Dollar” is definitely an article I need to bookmark and use often. Living as a single parent, it’s hard to make ends meet paying all the expenses of a two-income family on one, solomother income.

Oatmeal. Eggs. Kale. Beets. Watermelon. Where I live, even a half dozen eggs is around $2, and watermelon — when did watermelon get so expensive? But Brie Cadman has a point. There are plenty of delicious foods that are inexpensive and full of what’s good for us. So next time you’re at the store, pick up some whole grain pasta and wild rice instead of your white spaghetti and Uncle Ben’s. Look at the price of that expensive breakfast cereal and reach for the oatmeal once in a while.
Make a batch of oatmeal cookies with the kid sometimes instead of buying a package at the store.

Have fun exploring the the farmers’ markets, trying new produce.

Life is good, especially in the summertime.

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By christina -- 0 comments

July 8th, 2008

Single mother? Working mother? Single working mother?

I’m tired of labels. I’m tired of being a Single Mother. I’m tired of being the Single Working Mother. I’m tired of being tagged, cataloged, pigeonholed and discounted, disregarded, disenfranchised.

Grr. Soapbox, please.

It’s summertime. I want to be footloose and fancy free. Instead, I’m working on a national get out the vote initiative, stealing moments with my kid to soak in the good times, paying attention to my own mental and physical happiness, letting go of expectations and filling myself with the joy of anticipation, instead. But as we all know, it’s so hard to do all of this by ourselves.

That’s where Work it, Mom! comes in. It’s a neat group of working mothers, some single, some married, all with great advice and good tips and a helpful word or two when you need it most. I know it would be great to surround ourselves with like minded folks, and it’s easier sometimes to only hang with the single mothers, but there is danger in aligning ourselves too closely with what’s most comfortable. You forget to stretch, and dream, and grow. So head on over to Work It, Mom! and find some new friends.

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By christina -- 0 comments

July 7th, 2008

How to save a little money on your groceries

I was too late to sign up for a CSA, which is a bummer, as it would have netted me an amazing amount of fresh, organically-grown fruits, vegetables, and flowers for about $20 a week, and keep a farmer from selling his land to a McMansion developer. I’ll have to be a little faster on the draw next year!

All in all, though, I’m not doing too badly on saving money on groceries, even though I order them online and have them delivered (ahhh, the joys of living the single mother in the city life!) Last order I saved almost $50 — without coupons. Here are a few tried and true strategies to make your dollar, and your food budget, stretch further…

  • Check out the store circular for bargains–usually comes out in the Wednesday paper. Mark down those sale items you actually need, and ignore the good deal on something you wouldn’t otherwise buy, or on things that are bad for you but come with a tempting price tag. Junk food is a waste of money, no matter how deep the sale discount goes.
  • Plan your menu for the week, from Wednesday to Wednesday. You can take advantage of what’s on sale and build meal plans around that. For instance, meat loaf is great hot or cold, and can make brown bag sandwiches for a couple of days after your main, sit-down dinner. And if you don’t eat meat, I’ve got a great recipe for vegetarian meatloaf I’ll share with you one day. Take into consideration lunch and breakfast when you plan your meals, and use leftover vegetables in fritattas, last night’s dinner repurposed into tomorrow’s lunch, etc.
  • Keep an eye on coupons. Again, if it’s not good for you, or not something you’d normally buy, reconsider before you clip that forty cents off bargain. Watch your store, and use your coupons on double coupon days for maximum savings
  • If you find something at a great price, think about buying extra and freezing it if possible
  • Buy fruits and vegetables locally and in season. As fuel prices skyrocket, those extra dollars and cents for transportation costs are going to end up buried in your nectarines, and they won’t taste so sweet, anymore. If you’re a berry nut, perhaps a trip to a farm to pick your own is a wise investment, especially if you can freeze some

Know what’s in your fridge. Serve reasonable portions and stop trying to catch up with the Cheesecake Factory. Eat smaller meals with healthy snacks in between. Steer clear of processed foods and individual packaging.

How are you making your food money stretch further? As a single mother, I worry about being able to provide for the two of us, and having a fridge full of good food is a defense mechanism against that fear. I need to lighten up, obviously!

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By christina -- 0 comments

July 6th, 2008

Single moms, vacations, and kids

The ex paid a little of what he owes the King of Everything, which means he’s only four months behind, now.

Boggles the mind, doesn’t it?

With the economy, gas prices, and work demands as high as they are this year, the KoE and I are not going to be going to Disney World OR Disney Land this year. We’re being resourceful, though, and if we can’t do something fancy, we’re going to still make sure we can do something fun. A friend’s sisters have a beach house up in Delaware, and we’re trying to get up there for a few days in the middle of July–but if that falls through, the three of us are still going to get out and GO!

Where?

Well, let’s see. I haven’t taken the kid to the top of the Washington Monument, ever. We haven’t done the Zoo yet this summer. There’s the discovery center at the Museum of National History. Chesapeake Beach is less than an hour away. We haven’t been to any of the public pools, though his grandparents pay for a membership to the hotel’s pool down the street just so the kid can go, every summer (thanks, guys!). We haven’t visited Mount Vernon, and I hear they did an amazing job with the renovations. All of that stuff is free or nearly so.

There’s Children’s Theater in the Woods over at Wolf Trap. We haven’t been to the Spy Museum or the Science Museum, or even to the Baltimore Aquarium.

We’ll make sno-cones and zoom Hot Wheels across the living room floor, pop popcorn the old-fashioned way, have pillow fights and grill in our back yard. We’ll plant flowers in our big pots, and herbs in little containers. We’ll bake cookies and shoot each other with water guns on the front lawn. We’ll go to the library and look for the best books ever, then pretend we’re at the beach and read them. We’ll make juice Popsicles and make a whole world in sidewalk chalk.

I only wish I could afford to take more than three days off in a row. Maybe in an off-year, a non-election year. Maybe when the economy turns around, or when non-profit jobs actually pay a livable wage.

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By christina -- 2 comments

July 5th, 2008

Holidaze for the single mother

I envy single mothers by choice. There is no conflict, there is no missing person in their lives. Holidays invariably remind me of the fact that I don’t have a partner to go through life with, grow old with… because all my friends are married, with children, and I’m single. There’s something about watching these friends go through the rituals of daily life and the ritual of holidays, and I’m on the outside, looking in.

So my 4th was bittersweet. The kid ran around on his grandparents’ roof with a handful of his friends, my parents were lovely wonderful amazing folks to people I call friend, and I stood in the rain under an umbrella and watched the fireworks, wondering if there’s a man out there who might ever make me feel fireworks, again.

And then I watched my son, sitting on the sofa on the deck, wearing a pair of safety goggles, hollering and whooping and having the time of his life and I thought, what I have is not that bad. Not bad at all.

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By christina -- 8 comments

July 4th, 2008

the 4th of July around the Lifestyle channel!

fireworks While the writers of the b5media Lifestyles Channel may be scattered about globally, one thing we all have in common is a celebration of fireworks.  Whether it’s the U.S. and our Fourth of July - or a very different kind of holiday in Perth - we all know the unique smell that penetrates the air and the sense of freedom the mere sound of them instill.  There is truly something so divine about a celebration of fireworks - they do create some of the most treasured memories.

Chloe of Tangled Thread shares a few festive fireworks and needlework patterns.

Kerri and Cory at Marriage Actually talk about why having a shared past is one of the best parts about being married.

Heather at A Creative Journal shares her first memory of firecrackers with a view from Australia.

Christine at Mad Cropper remembers Guy Fawkes Day, a day celebrated in New Zealand with lots of fireworks. Find out why Guy Fawkes is celebrated by the English and most commonwealth countries. It is indeed a blast from the past!

Mary Emma at Quilting and Patchwork, provides a quiz for her readers.  See how many of the quilt designs you can connect with historical Americana - events, objects or people.

Marye at Baking Delights reflects on just how much menu’s have changed over the years while at Kettle and Cup she shares a modern twist that many are sure to love with her Non-Alcoholic Long Island Iced Tea

Kelly Saunders at Thrifty Mommy shares her favorite 4th of July memory - I just can’t spoil the surprise - check it out.camp-weary-parent-125 

Char and Christine continue Camp Weary Parent with this weeks Patriotic activities:  Star Spangled Rocket and a week full of other fun projects

Marcie and Mary Emma are blasting through books with Fourth of July and summer recommendations at One Book Two Book. Make sure to check out Fourth of July Books for Teens and The 10 Best Fourth of July Picture Books

Linette at Robust Cooking shares 10 Healthy 4th of July Dessert Ideas.  At Mother Earth’s Garden she calls out the old saying about corn - “Knee high by the fourth of July.”  At She Knows Parties, she shares fond memories of her summers and holidays as a child.

Karen at Thrifty Mommy probably has the most reason to celebrate the fourth as anyone I’ve heard - join Karen as she shares family photos of one of the most memorable nights in her families lives.

Sandy at All Holiday Cafe provides us with a list of when Independence Day is celebrated in various countries around the world.

Christina at SoloMother shares her own experiences of celebrating the 4th of July in the nations capital.

Susan at PlayLibrary shares her memories of playing the classic game of Zimm Zamm during her family’s annual July 4th barbecue celebration.

Heather at Chocolate Bytes may not be having a ‘blast from the past’ but she’s got one heck of a yummy red, white and blue treat she’s serving up.

Eliza at Babylune reflects back on early holiday celebrations with baby on board and looks to this years celebration - their first out of the military.

And finally, there’s me - Gayla at MomGadget - Without fail, each year my memories race back to an earlier time when life was much simpler and we’d celebrate our summer holiday with relatives down in the holler in the hills of Kentucky - this year - I share a Bluegrass Kinda Fourth of July.

To all our readers in the U.S. - we wish you the happiest and safest of holidays - and everyone else, thanks for allowing us to share our own memories with each of you.

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By christina -- 0 comments

July 2nd, 2008

The Fourth of July where I live

Fourth of July Fireworks by befehr on StockXchngI’m a native Washingtonian. No, not the state… the city. You know, big pencil on a hill, pretty white house, and when we say, “Let’s go to the Mall!” we’re not talking about shopping.

I’ve watched the fireworks from the Mall, from friends balconies and corporation’s suites and my parents’ rooftops. I’ve seen them in Kennebunkport and Dubai. I’ve watched the grand finale on the National Mall and laughed as children ran around the woods with sparklers in their hands.

The spectacle has grown more spectacular over the years, with smiley faces and planets streaking up through the night. What I remember, more than the brilliant colors and the body-shaking thump of the rockets going off, is the feeling of awe and total happiness, in that moment, at that time, each night, for forty years.

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By christina -- 1 comment

July 2nd, 2008

Ahh, summertime, and the New York Times is easy

PICNIC!

I love it when the New York Times comes up with quick culinary fixes like their 101 20-Minute Dishes for Inspired Picnics. The KoE and I love picnics.

I’m in charge of salads for my mother’s rooftop Fourth of July celebration. I think I’ll make…

Number 12:
Slice a few bulbs of fennel and some tart apples; dice some jicama. Toss together with freshly chopped tarragon, basil or chervil (if you can find it), olive oil, salt, lots of pepper and lemon juice. Celery is good in this, too, as are oranges and cheeses, especially sheep’s cheeses.

Spread that blanket and get out into the sunshine, single mothers. Picnics are a great, inexpensive change of scenery. Put a bottle of bubbles into your basket and there you go… instant magic.

Picnic by Mooncat on StockXchng

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By christina -- 0 comments

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