Real Life Solutions

Rediscovering the joys of shared meals

(ARA) - Having a family meal isn’t easily accomplished these days. Busy schedules, long work hours and even technology make it feel easier to simply grab a meal and go, rather than take the time to sit everyone down together around the table.

But American families really do miss coming together around the table. In fact, 93 percent of Americans acknowledge dinner time as the best way to connect as a family, according to a study conducted by Barilla. The obstacles barring the way for family dinner are work schedules, children’s schedules and picky eaters in the house. However, the benefits of overcoming these obstacles can be lasting for families. In fact, according to the study, Americans who eat with others more frequently are more satisfied with every aspect of their own lives, including their relationships, their physical and mental health and their level of achievement in life.

In addition, the study shows:
* Sharing meals ranks No. 1 above all other activities (including family vacations, playing together and attending religious services) in helping Americans connect with their families and their kids.
* Nearly six in 10 families agree that they don’t have as many opportunities to connect with their family or friends as they’d like.
* Americans who eat with others frequently report lower levels of overweight children.

“Family meals are more than feeding events; they are precious opportunities for family connection in a hurry-up world,” says Dr. William Doherty, a professor with the University of Minnesota Department of Family and Social Science and an expert on family time and family rituals. “Children grow up healthier, smarter and better adjusted when their parents take the lead in having regular dinner times.”

The importance of sharing dinner is not lost on chef Mario Batali or music star Martina McBride, who are working together with Barilla to spread the word about how families can ‘Share the Table’ and create lasting memories.

“Dinner is a time where everyone can come together, cook together and share together in a truly unguarded atmosphere,” says Batali, James Beard award-winning chef, restaurateur and author of “Molto Italiano: 327 Simple Italian Recipes to Cook at Home.” “I encourage all families to learn how getting their entire family involved in preparing and enjoying dinner can make a positive difference in their lives.”

A mother of three and one of country music’s top female vocalists, McBride understands the challenges of work/life balance and family dinners. “With my busy schedule, I have to be creative about making time for the family to dine together,” she says. “Now I keep a few staples on hand in the pantry and fridge so we can create a quick dinner together, even after a late day of work and school. And, I’m promising to help my daughters develop a healthy relationship with food that will stick with them forever.”

Martina’s tips for creating the best family dinner experience include:
* Once in a while, make everyday dinners seem fancier with candles, a linen tablecloth and your fine china. This will add an element of fun and something to get excited about.
* Carry on your favorite dinnertime traditions from your childhood and tell your children about family meals from when you were a kid.
* Plan ahead so you can fit dinners into busy schedules. Put the dates and times on your calendar and don’t budge.

Families can discover many ways to fill their meals with boisterous conversation, meaningful interactions and flavorful food at www.sharethetable.com. For every family who joins in the movement to create meaningful family dinner time by registering on the Web site, Barilla will donate $1 to Meals on Wheels Association of America, up to $150,000, to support home-delivered and congregate meal programs. Share the Table families can gain access to more than 700 Barilla recipes - including exclusive Mario Batali recipes - get tips from family experts, design custom weekly dinner plans and dining placemats and share their own dinnertime stories and pictures with others.

If you’re looking for some good meal ideas to serve at your next family dinner, Batali shares his favorite recipe.

Ziti with Spicy Pesto “Pantesco” and Pecorino Cheese
Serves four to six people

Ingredients:
1 box Barilla Ziti
1/2 cup mint leaves, packed
1/2 cup basil leaves, packed
1 cup parsley, packed
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained
4 medium fresh plum tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
sea salt
1 cup freshly grated Pecorino cheese

Directions:
Bring 6 quarts of water to boil and add 2 tablespoons salt. Place mint, basil, parsley, garlic, capers, tomatoes, black pepper, red pepper and half the olive oil in a blender. Process in short bursts until roughly chopped. Turn blender on full and drizzle in remaining oil and process until smooth, about one minute. Remove pesto and place in a large serving bowl.

Cook ziti according to the package instructions until al dente. Drain and transfer pasta to a large bowl. Add pesto and toss like a salad to coat. Sprinkle with grated cheese and serve.

Dinner Time Does Not Have to Be Stressful.

There’s only so much you can do to find information about your ancestors from using old family records, newspapers, and such. Sometimes you have to search elsewhere, particularly if you’ve run into a road block. Finding information on your family ancestors online is one way to get past those road blocks and get back on track.

Obviously you’ll need to have a starting place when you’re searching for your family online. You may have a list of names, birth and death dates, and places of birth or death. These are a great place to begin, no matter how you go about finding your ancestors.

Obituaries are printed for everyone who passes away. If your loved one passed away after 1962, you can search the Social Security Death Index to determine exact date of death. The index will provide the person’s birth date, death date, and the place they last resided. You may also want to try Genealogy Bank which has obituaries from over 1100 newspapers dating as far back at 1977.

If you already have some information about family members from the past, you may want to search for them on other online websites. Some genealogy websites are free to access and those might be the best place to start looking if you’re new to genealogy. After you’ve learned more about your family you may want to sign up for a subscription on the membership-based genealogy sites.

Free genealogy websites you may want to check out when finding information on your family ancestors include:

* Rootsweb.com
* MyHeritage.com
* FamilySearch.org
* EllisIsland.org
* CyndisList.com
* USGenWeb.com

Each of these websites will provide you with search functions as well as give you information on the best methods to search for your family online. Many genealogy websites also have forums where people can ask for information from people around the world.

The better-known genealogy websites require paid membership. These include Ancestry.com, Genealogy.com, WorldVitalRecords.com, and OneGreatFamily.com. These paid websites can be as little as $3.33 per month or as much as $24.95 per month depending upon if you choose to access to files in the United States or worldwide. Normally you will be billed annually for your membership.

If you’re not sure a paid membership site is right for you, most of them have trial memberships between one and two weeks. That will give you ample time to do some searching, find information that will be helpful in locating your family members, and let you know if there is a need to sign up.

As with any attempt at finding information on your family ancestors online, be sure to spell their name correctly. If you’re having problems finding them, you may want to consider that the surname (last name) may have changed over time. Try variations of spellings to ensure you find the people you’re looking for.

Everything is getting more expensive today. From gas to groceries, our hard-earned dollars are challenged to stretch further. Now, we may be able to ride a bicycle around town if we can’t put gas in our cars. But, we have to eat. There’s no getting around that. So, we have to find ways to spend less on groceries while still getting the things that we need to feed ourselves and our families. Here are six money saving tips to try the next time you go grocery shopping.

1. Clip coupons. They put those in the newspaper for a reason. If there are new items you want to try, use a coupon to get it at a discount. If you like it, you have saved some money. On the other hand, if you don’t take a liking to it, you didn’t pay full price. For me, coupons save an average of ten or more dollars per visit. That’s money in my pocket that I can put towards gas for the car.

2. Buy more staples than prepared foods. It is easier to buy a box of macaroni and cheese, but is it more economical? A large box of macaroni and a block of cheese will make more servings for your family than one box of prepared macaroni and cheese. The next time you go shopping and pick up a box or bag of an already prepared item, ask yourself if you can make that at home for less. If you can, then put that item back in favor of less expensive staples.

3. Buy in bulk. Consider the food items that you use most often. Cereals, meats, vegetables, condiments, juices, and paper products can be bought in bulk usually at a lower price at food warehouses like Costco, BJ’s, and Wal-Mart. If you have a coupon, you’ll save even more money.

4. Don’t shop when you are hungry. This is a definite no-no. Shopping on an empty stomach means that you will pick up more things than you need. You are more likely to pick up that bag of chocolate chip cookies or that box of donuts when the growling gets underway.

5. Take a grocery list with you. This is another protection against picking up things that are too costly. Check your cabinets and the fridge to see what you need and write them down. Remember, the goal is to stick to the list as much as possible.

6. Shop at the same stores. This is more of a frustration reliever. In a new store, you spend most of your time looking for things and walking up and down every aisle, which oftentimes leads to forgetting an item or two. Going to the same store each time makes you more familiar with the prices so you can estimate your bill as you write your grocery list.

Rising prices don’t have to mean a lean dinner table. There are ways to make your food dollar go further and if you take the time to implement the ideas listed above as well as others of your own, you’ll see savings each and every time you shop.

To discover how to easily live on a budget and save money without giving up all of the things that you love visit http://www.reallifesolutions.net/budget_living.HTML

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Thanksgiving is always a time of fun, family and food. However, it is also a time when the kids can get a bit stir crazy, especially if the weather is bad. If you plan some activities that can keep them distracted, you won’t have to hear, “We’re hungry!” every five minutes this year.

If the kids are old enough, invite them to help fix dinner. There are simple things they can help with, including setting the table. Plan some things in the menu that are easy for kids to cook. Depending on the age range, some of the kids could really be a big help in the kitchen, even if it’s just getting utensils and potholders.

Set up a craft room where you can put out different supplies that are age appropriate. Let their imagination run wild. An older, responsible child or an adult, who isn’t helping prepare the meal, can keep an eye on the younger children. Make it a contest. See who can come up with the best turkey, Pilgrim or Indian drawing or costume. They could make a specific project, such as napkin rings, or other things that could be used to decorate the table. You could even challenge them to see who can draw or write the most things for which they are thankful.

Of course, another craft is the standard handprint turkey, where the children trace around their hands, with the spread fingers making the feathers. If you have a large window you want to decorate, you can also use tempera paint to make a flock of turkeys on your window. Add a little liquid soap to the paint first to make washing off both the window and the children easier. Let them paint their thumb and palm brown and the rest of the turkey “wings” (fingers) using other colors. Gently press their hands on the glass to see their turkeys appear!

If weather permits, have a mini-Olympics. Have various events the children can compete in for prizes. The sillier the games, the better. Two game ideas are an Egg Relay Race and Turkey Bowling.

Egg relay races (as long as you have enough for dinner) are always a favorite. All you need are two hard-boiled eggs (less messy), two spoons, and four bowls. Divide the children into two teams and line them up. Have the first child on each team take an egg in the spoon to the empty bowl, which is placed a few feet away. They have to deposit the egg in the bowl, bringing back the empty spoon. They hand off the spoon to the next child, who runs down to bring the egg back. This pattern continues, until the first team has all its members complete the task.

Turkey Bowling is easy and fun (and can coordinate with craft time). Get ten two-liter bottles, put a little sand in the bottom, and then spray paint them brown. Glue or paint feathers and faces on the bottles. Once they are dry, set them up in a bowling pin pattern, and then use a ball (small for the older kids, medium for the younger) and your set to get a turkey (three strikes in a row).

Keeping the kids busy will make the day much more enjoyable for all, and less frustrating for the grownups. You may discover some new traditions along the way that will continue when the children grow up and have children of their own.

Click Here For Free Holiday Planning Tips

In some cases, bad credit is a result of irresponsible money management. But it often occurs because of unexpected financial hardship. One day you might have all of your bills current, and the next you could become disabled or lose your job. And if you fall behind on your debts, it will wreak havoc on your credit rating.

Credit repair agencies claim that they can remove bad entries from your credit report. But did you know that you can often have them removed yourself at a much lower cost? There are two methods by which you may be able to get negative entries removed from your report.

Option #1: File a Dispute with the Credit Bureaus

The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) requires credit bureaus to investigate any item on your credit report that you dispute. If the information is found to be false, inaccurate or unverifiable, it must be corrected or removed from your report. The bureaus have 30 days from the time they receive notice of the dispute to complete their investigation.

If there is any inaccurate information on your credit report, a dispute is certainly in order. But some people have had luck disputing items that were in fact accurate, including judgments, collections accounts and repossessions. If such items are not verified by the creditor (or the court in the case of judgments) within the time limit for investigation, they must be removed.

If you decide to dispute a legitimate entry, simply write a letter to each of the credit bureaus stating that you dispute that entry. No explanation is required. But keep in mind that if the entry is verified, it will remain on your report. And if the creditor verifies the information after the 30-day time limit, the credit bureau may reinstate the entry as long as they notify you at least 5 days before doing so.

Option #2: Negotiate with Creditors

Dealing with creditors can be intimidating, especially if you’re not on good terms with them. But speaking to your creditors directly may help you get negative information removed from your credit report.

If you only have a late payment or two on your account, a creditor might be willing to remove the derogatory information once you’ve resumed a regular payment schedule. If you’ve experienced repossession or had an account turned over to collections, payment in full might persuade them to remove the negative entry. It sounds like a long shot, but you never know until you ask. Requests to remove late payment information may be made after you’ve brought you account current. But if you’re hoping for removal of a repossession or collection action, it’s best to negotiate a deal before you pay anything.

If You Can’t Get the Bad Entries Removed

There is no guarantee that disputing information on your credit report or negotiating with creditors will get negative items removed from your record. If it doesn’t, the best thing you can do is try to build up some positive information on your report.

The first thing you need to do when trying to rebuild good credit is bring past due accounts current. Try to work out a deal with your creditors to accomplish this, or talk to a credit counseling agency. But don’t miss payments on current accounts to put money toward those that are past due. If it comes down to paying one or the other, keep the current account current.

Once you’ve brought all of your accounts current, put a priority on keeping them that way. Making your payments on schedule will raise your credit score, and with the passage of time, the good entries may outweigh the bad.

Additional Resource:

37 Days To Clean Credit — An Effective Credit Repair System That Instantly Deletes Inquiries, Charge-Offs, Late Payments And Judgments From Credit Reports

Fall is a great time to enjoy activities that you may not have had the opportunity to enjoy during the summer because of the oppressive heat.  Now would be a great time to plan a trip to enjoy the great outdoors.  Camping, hiking, backpacking, and geocaching are just a few of the activities that would be more enjoyable during the crispness of autumn.

While it’s true that you can go camping during the summer, unless you are able to travel to the mountains where it’s always cooler, it may have been too hot to enjoy the trip.  One of the benefits to camping in the fall over the summer is that bugs are less likely to be a problem.  You’re also less likely to come across snakes as they will be searching for dens in which to hibernate this winter.

Autumn camping gives you the best of both worlds – warm days to enjoy hiking and traipsing around nature, but cool enough to truly enjoy cuddling up around a campfire.  What is better than a crisp autumn evening, making S’mores around the campfire, and enjoying the aroma and sounds of the crackling fire?  When the leaves start to change colors and the air turns cool, this is the perfect time to pitch a tent and enjoy a weekend of camping.

You can enjoy a hike in the woods during the summer months, but you won’t get quite so hot during the fall.  In fact, one of the biggest reasons to wait until fall to go hiking is that you won’t have to fight with tons of other people as you travel along the trails.  Not having to deal with as many people is a great reason to wait until later in the year to hit the trails.  It would also be a perfect time to take someone on their first hike.  They won’t have to worry about carrying quite as much in their backpack and the scenery will be a joy to behold.

Backpacking, which is really a combination of hiking and camping, is another activity that can be enjoyed during the fall.  It’s a great way for you to take a day or two to get away from the daily grind, reconnect with nature, and refresh your spirit.  Be sure to take along plenty of water, even though the weather won’t be as hot, you’ll still need to keep yourself well hydrated.

A recent activity that people are enjoying is geocaching.  The best of hiking and backpacking, geocaching is a trip with a purpose – locating the cache that was hidden by another participant.  This activity, however, requires that you have a GPS unit to find the cache, but requires you to be prepared to climb, hike, and hit the trails. You are allowed to remove items from the cache you find, but you are also required to leave something for the next person to find.

All of these activities can be enjoyed during the spring and summer months, but they can be just as enjoyable, if not more so, during the fall months.  The weather is not going to be as hot, there will be less people to contend with, and the scenery will be beautiful.

Hot lunch at school can become quite expensive.   Figure on average, hot lunch costs $2.10 per day if you include milk with the meal.  If you have three children, $6.30 a day, multiplied by five days, that’s $31.50 a week… just for lunch!  Is it convenient for parents? You betcha.  Can it be expensive?  You betcha!

I’m going to give you some excellent money saving lunch ideas.  It’s important to remember that you must not embarrass your children with the lunch you force them to take (egg salad sandwiches aren’t real popular in school).  You need to come up with some fun, tasty meals that will make your child the envy of the lunch table.  The object here is to save money and ensure your well thought-out lunch doesn’t end up at the bottom of the trash barrel.

I remember a day when it was cool to bring a thermos to school.  Mine had My Little Ponies (the original ones) and my brother’s was Lost in Space.  Kid’s thermoses are quite adorable, however a word of caution: they don’t keep hot foods as hot as the trusty metal and glass thermoses.  Just be certain to preheat the thermos with boiling water, and then put the hot food directly into the thermos.  Your hot food should stay warm until lunch time, four hours later.

Leftovers make great thermos food.  Make sure you get a wide mouth, shorter thermos. You could fill it with soup, stew, mac and cheese, hamburger helper, chili, spaghetti and even hotdogs.   Another idea is to fill the thermos with taco meat with the cheese already added.  Then put a hard taco shell or a soft tortilla into the lunch bag and your bambino is ready for a fiesta!
 
Of course you could also serve cold lunches in the thermos.  How about tuna salad, macaroni salad, or spaghetti salad?  Or fill it with antipasto – variety of meats and cheeses.  Don’t forget about celery and peanut butter or crackers and cheese.  Roll-ups go over well, too.  There are a couple different variations:  Cream cheese spread on a slice of salami, with a sweet pickle inside; or instead of rolling up a slice of salami, roll up a tortilla that is stuffed with ham and shredded cheese.

Forget those pre-made lunches in a cardboard box.  Forget the standard PBJ.  Think out of the box. Economical can also be fun. Your child’s friends will try to trade their lunch for the fun meal you packed!

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Let’s go! Let’s go! Come on … you’re going to miss the bus!  I don’t know where your favorite jeans are; it’s not my responsibility.  What do you mean you still have homework?  Did you brush your teeth yet?  Let’s go!  I’m leaving… NOW!

Oh I hope your mornings don’t sound like that above.  If it does, it’s not too late to turn that ship around.  The key to having a stress free morning routine is to have a smooth bedtime routine.  Remember, a routine is something that is followed regularly, standard procedures.  Without the consistency you will have an uphill battle.

Here are some tips to a stress free morning routine:

• No yelling.  Raising your voice, albeit frustrated, is only going to escalate matters.

• Early to bed, early to rise.  That one is simple.

• Showers and baths should be taken at night.  You think you’ll have time in the morning, but you rarely do.

• Look over all homework for completeness before bed; don’t assume it’s finished.

• Before bed ensure lunches are made, backpack is packed and there are no surprise “Oh I need xxx today!”

• Give singular instructions.  Don’t say, “I want you to finish your homework, eat breakfast, get dressed, comb your hair, brush your teeth and be in the car by 8:15.”  To a child, that sounds like “blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah.”  One instruction at a time works wonders.

• Provide instructions once.  If you’re doing this, stop:  “Johnny, it’s time to get dressed.”  Two minutes later, “Johnny, we’re going to be late if you don’t get dressed now.”  Two more minutes later, “Johnny, honey, I told you to get dressed.”  “Johnny, Mommy is going to be late, now go get dressed.”   To a child that sounds like “Oh mom is good for asking about five more times before she really goes ballistic!”  Repeated requests only send the message that junior doesn’t really have to do it now.

• Set consequences and stick to your guns.  If you tell your child the car is leaving at 8:15 sharp, make it happen.  Clearly you can’t leave your child behind, so leaving without her isn’t an option. Tell her you will be leaving whether she is ready or not.  Sending a 10 year old to school with uncombed hair, pajamas and an empty belly might be just the catalyst for change.

You are the parent; you set the tone for the morning routine.  You need to be actively involved in the morning routine.  Follow the steps above and I guarantee ‘joy will come in the morning!’

It seems like there is no rest of the weary. And, the weary person is usually mom. Moms take care of hearth and home, but who takes care of her? If you are a busy mom, learn to value yourself as a person and schedule personal time.

Personal time is a right of being a person. Each of us has the capacity to nurture others but that type of care takes its toll.

A car is filled with gas to make it run. Eventually the gas runs out and your car won’t move unless the car is replenished with fuel. The same goes for you. Emotional issues can develop when you don’t take the time to take care of your emotional well-being, not to mention the physical results of emotional neglect.

Mom time refuels the tank so that you can give to your family as well as yourself in equal measure. Don’t be ashamed to sit for fifteen minutes doing nothing. In the springtime, relaxing in a hammock under a tree is the perfect getaway from the pressures of the day. Reading a book for 30 minutes can also seem like heaven to many moms.

Here are a few tips to help you fit in much needed “mom” time:

1. Get up early if you have to. When you have kids, the day begins at a hurried pace. Once you hit the ground running, there is no stopping you. Waking 30 minutes to an hour ahead of time means quiet solitude to drink your coffee, read a book, meditate or listen to music.

2. Turn ordinary experiences into major events. When you take a bath, add candles, bubble bath, quiet music and/or an inflatable bath pillow. Your regular bath has now become a spa level experience. If you watch a movie, turn out the lights, pop a bag of microwave popcorn and curl up on the couch.

3. Ask your significant other for help. Kids love their mothers but time spent with dad is important too. Let them bond with dad while you go shopping for a new outfit or root around in the garden. Since the time is yours, do whatever you like.

4. Use the Boy Scout motto. Always be prepared and you can spend more time in a relaxed mode. Fix lunches the night before. Iron clothes for the next day and place backpacks by the front door so kids can grab them on their way out. The fewer things you have to do throughout the day, the calmer you will be with your family and not experience burnout.

5. Take exercise breaks. When you get a few minutes the last thing you want to do is exercise but getting a little physical activity in your day has far-reaching implications. Exercise helps you to think clearly and stretches the muscles. Also, stress will drain away as powerful endorphins are released into your system. Do jumping jacks during a television commercial or jog to the bus stop to pick up the kids.

6. Laugh at regular intervals. Keep a funny calendar cube on your desk or subscribe to a daily joke site. Laughing releases stress and can lift your spirits significantly. It also keeps the abs tight.

Moms, take care of you. Your family would miss you if you were not around to love and care for them. You owe it to yourself and you deserve a break from the daily hustle and bustle.

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The time we spend with our families is priceless. But most popular family activities are quite expensive. Even a simple night at the movies can put a serious dent in the budget by the time you buy tickets, popcorn and drinks for everyone.

Fortunately, there are cheaper alternatives to expensive family outings. They provide the opportunity to have just as much fun at a fraction of the cost. Some are even free.

Movies and Music

Kids are often itching to see the newest releases at the movie theater. Doing so even once a month, however, can get pricey. One alternative in some areas is the drive-in. Admission is usually much cheaper than it is at a regular theater, and some let you bring your own drinks and snacks. Drive-ins usually show fairly new releases, so the kids can say they saw something that’s not out on video yet.

Some theaters offer reduced-price matinees during the day. Some even have free kid-oriented movies on weekend days. These options offer the theater experience without the outrageous cost.

Kids often want to go to concerts, but tickets to see the most famous bands are far from cheap. Check your local paper for free concerts in the park. Many areas have them during the warm months. Young children can enjoy the music without the huge crowds and deafening sound systems, and older children might gain an appreciation for less well-known bands.

The Great Outdoors

Nature offers a wealth of possibilities for family outings. Camping is a wonderful activity for families, and it doesn’t have to be expensive. It can be as simple as pitching a tent in the back yard, or you can spring for a camper and rent space at a campground. Bring the grill and some hamburgers or hot dogs, or catch some fish to fry.

Parks are great for day trips. Those with playground equipment can keep youngsters entertained for hours on end. Hiking trails offer opportunities for exercise and exploration. Most parks have picnic facilities, so you can pack a lunch instead of eating out.

Other Ideas

Here are some more inexpensive family activities to consider:

* Play miniature golf. Admission is usually quite reasonable, and it provides the opportunity for relaxed yet engaging family competition.

* Visit a petting zoo. These small zoos do not have the exotic animals you see at larger ones, but kids can feed and pet the animals.

* Go to a museum. Some offer cheap or free admission, while others cost more. But the larger and more expensive ones often sell season passes, so if you live close by, you can visit numerous times for one low price.

* Go boating. If you’re fortunate enough to live near a body of water, boating is fun and relaxing. Canoe and paddleboat rentals are inexpensive, and when you’re done boating there are usually other cheap or free activities in the area.

* Attend events at a nearby college. These may include plays, concerts, dance recitals and movie showings. Prices are low, and student discounts usually apply to kids, too.

Having fun as a family doesn’t require a six-figure income. If you look hard enough, you can find lots of free or cheap activities that parents and kids can enjoy just about anywhere.

Mom, You Know Family is Important, but Where Do You Find the Time? Click here for instant help.