Search Results for: blog get your car ready for vacation

When Your Child Doesn’t Want to go to Preschool

Posted on by

Your child has been happily attending preschool for a while now. He or she always comes home with a smile and a story about something fun that happened that day. Now, suddenly, your child has started to resist going to preschool. What happened? Here is a quick checklist for parents who are baffled by their child’s declaration of “I don’t want to go to preschool!” Keep in mind that it is totally normal for a child to decided that he or she no longer wants to attend preschool. There are days when you don’t particularly want to go to work, … Continue reading →

Timing is Key for Budget-Conscious Travelers

Traveling during the peak summer season is nearly impossible for families on a strict budget.  This is especially true if you are flying to your favorite seasonal vacation destination.  Airlines show no mercy on penny-pinching passengers and traditionally increase already high airfares during the summer months. Fortunately, there are some ways you can save money when taking to the skies in the coming months.  The trick is to remember key dates as set by major commercial carriers.  For example, if you are traveling within the United States, airfares typically dip at the end of August, when airlines decide that summer … Continue reading →

Free Vacations for Teachers

  It’s said that teaching is among the most underpaid and underappreciated careers in the world.  The men and women who help shape our children’s futures are often overworked, and in a time when the economy is incredibly dismal, the idea of an educator spending precious cash on a luxury vacation is almost laughable. Well, if you are a creative leader in the classroom, who has always dreamed of traveling to the ends of the earth, get ready to smile. Thanks to Hilton HHonors, you can jet-off on a vacation to remember for FREE.  This year, the company is giving … Continue reading →

Are You Ready For Your Kids’ Winter Break?

With winter break just around the corner, home – based professional parents everywhere may be both excited about the opportunity to spend time with their children and anxious about whether they will be able to keep up with their workload while the kids are on break. Whether your kids are on break from day care, pre school, grade school, high school, or college, you probably want to spend more time with them than you normally have available during a typical work week. If at all possible, try to plan ahead so that you can lighten your workload during their vacation … Continue reading →

How Breaking Your Budget is Bad for Your Health

Here is another reason to stay on your budget. Breaking it can actually be bad for your health. Agonizing about how you are going to afford a new purchase can stay with you, even after you solve the problem. Researchers now say that our brains don’t like being in debt. Having fears about money affect our health long term. Whether we realize it or not, debt causes stress, and stress causes poor health. Stress and pain seem to register much more strongly than does pleasure. So, the next time you feel ready to break your budget, keep this in mind. … Continue reading →

Cold-Weather Gear for Your Pet

As the weather turns colder for most of us, it’s time to get our coats out of the back of the closet. Some of our pets require winter apparel as well, and ZooToo has a rundown of some of the latest products out on the market for keeping your pets warm. You can go with the traditional cute little sweaters and jackets that fill aisles at pet stores, or you can try something a bit different for your pets this winter. What you need depends on you and your pet’s lifestyle, so we’ll take a look at three different types. … Continue reading →

Score Big Bling on Your Next Vacation

Have you ever dreamed of being showered with diamonds? If so, you probably figured the bling would come courtesy of your sweetheart, not a chain hotel. But that’s exactly where you can win a whole lot of sparkle beginning September 28th. Holiday Inn locations in the United Kingdom are celebrating their 60th anniversary by placing real diamonds worth nearly $40,000 under select guests’ pillows. The diamonds will be left in hotel rooms throughout Europe, including Spain, Germany, France, Turkey, Belgium and the Netherlands. What’s more, you don’t have to stay more than one night in order to win. As added … Continue reading →

Dog Days of Summer: Pets on Vacation

Pet owners face a unique situation when making our summer travel plans: we have to worry about our pets. Do we only go places where we can take our pets, or do we try to find care for them while we’re away? Website Pet Relocation released its third annual Summer Pet Travel Survey. They found that 70% of the people questioned plan to travel with their pets. If you want to take your animals along with you on vacation this summer, there are a few things you have to consider. Make sure you can bring your animal with you where … Continue reading →

Top 10 Ways to Get Your Kids Excited About Reading: Family Bonding

Posted on by

Do you want to get your kids excited about reading? If so, get ready for the countdown: ten days of ideas that will get you and yours into reading! Today’s challenge? Make reading into a family event. While all of the past suggestions that I’ve made apply to families, today’s ideas focus on reading as a family bonding time. Make a book of family stories, or collect memories from family members. One of my favorite school projects involved collecting stories from my grandfather. I’m sure that you have some family stories floating around. Even if they’re newer stories about what … Continue reading →

Vacation Savings: Packing Food

Before you get ready to hit the road for your next vacation, have a plan to pack your own food and drinks. You’ll save a ton of money that can be used to help afford your vacation in the first place or to upgrade your accommodations. Plus, you’l eat healthier and waste less time. There is no more making reservations, fighting a long line of other vacationers or having to alter your activity plans to fit in with the scheduled restaurant meal times. When we drove down to Disneyland, we made sure that we had plenty of food and snacks, … Continue reading →