Search Results for: blog the less is more philosophy

Baby Gear – The Useful And The Useless

With so many baby items on the market today, first – time parents are often confused when they sit down to create a baby registry. How do you know which things you will need, and which you can do without? One idea is to look around for lists on the internet. Many experienced moms and dads have shared their opinions about what they used, and what they found useless. Use these lists as inspiration, and as food for thought about whether the items mentioned on the lists fit with your philosophy about how you would like to parent your child. … Continue reading →

A different type of frugal blogger

What do you get when a spendthrift marries a frugal person? You get a frustrated frugal person. Being married to a man who loves to buy cool stuff, my in goal in life is either to talk him out of purchases, or to beat him to the punch. In other words, I find good deals on things he wants before he pays full price for them. With that said, I am new to the frugal blog, but not to families.com. I have been on the site for a couple of years now as the Homeschooling blogger. I now have the … Continue reading →

What is the Lesson I can Learn Here?

Some of us belief that life is random—that things happen on a natural course and there is no purpose or no plan. Others of us believe that everything is very structured and everything has a purpose and someone who is dictating what happens all the time. Still others of us have a more moderate view of the way life works—regardless of your personal philosophy, I do think there are constant lessons offered up that are ours for the learning. Even the most painful and chaotic situations can have nuggets of learning opportunities tucked inside. Getting through a rough patch is … Continue reading →

More International Hotels that Treat Your Kids Like Royalty

Most parents agree that if their children are happy they are happy. These days more and more hotels around the world are latching on to that philosophy and upping their game when it comes to creating kid-friendly atmospheres. Dozens of upscale properties are now targeting tots in an effort to win over their affluent parents. Here are several more international hotels making headlines for their superior kid-friendly amenities: CHINA Just in time for the 2008 Summer Olympics the Commune by the Great Wall hotel has just completed its new children’s facility. The brightly colored kid-friendly structure hosts programs specially designed … Continue reading →

The Less is More Philosophy

In the Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dacyczyn, the “bible” of frugal living to many, Amy receives a letter from a reader who finds a card in the street that reads “Less is More.” The reader holds on to this car and uses it as a philosophy, until she finds out that the card actually came from a packet of cigarettes (Less tar = more flavor). In spite of the card’s real intention, the less is more philosophy is a good one to adapt. Using less, taking less, and even having less can lead to a happy life. I know that … Continue reading →

The Homeschooling Blog Week in Review: September 3 to September 10

As you’ve probably noticed, I’ve been an absentee blogger. Our schedule has changed for the fall and adjusting always takes some time. Nonetheless, if you’re behind in your home school reading, I have a whole bunch of great blogs for you. So grab your cup of coffee, sit down, and start reading! September 3 Will Homeschooling Regulations Prevent Child Abuse and Neglect? Opponents to home schooling will often to point to the few but very tragic cases where parents have kept their kids home from school in order to hide abuse that is going on in the home. Some say … Continue reading →

Lessons From Unschooling Families: The Smiths

I had asked last week in the forums for suggestions on blog topics. Mary Ann Romans wanted to know about unschooling and essentially how kids will learn everything they need to know if there is no plan in place. Yesterday I talked about unschooling as a philosophy, our own experience leaning towards unschooling with our son (although we are definitely not unschoolers) and I gave an example of one family I knew, and how they incorporated unschooling into their learning environment. Today, I am going to talk about the Smiths, another unschooling family I know with a slightly more radical … Continue reading →

The Frugal Blog Week in Review: Jan. 27 to Feb. 2

Hello there! It is a quiet Saturday evening on the day before the Superbowl. my husband is getting the last kid to bed, I’m listening to my new Nora Jones music, and I am seriously thinking of taking a nice hot bath. Before that, though, I wanted to bring you the week in review for the Frugal Living Blog. I know you read every blog faithfully, so I’ll just assume you want to reread them all again. Saturday, January 27 Save on Paper: Take Advantage of Junk Mail In an earlier blog, Save on Paper: The Three Best Ways, I … Continue reading →

More on Charlotte Mason and Living Books

Andrea’s recent post about her use of a Charlotte Mason (or, “CM”) curriculum inspired me to share a little more about how we use Miss Mason’s methods in our homeschool. Charlotte Mason, a 19th century British educator, was unmarried and childless, but she had a keen understanding of children and an expert’s eye for what interests them. One of the most prominent tenets of her philosophy — her belief that educators and parents should make use of “living books” rather than textbooks — has had a strong influence on our homeschool and on my personal philosophy. I was just beginning … Continue reading →

Golden Globes: Did Jodie Foster Come Out?

Last night’s Golden Globes was a great night of pretty dresses, good jokes, lots of drinks, and a few odd moments.  I have to lump Jodie Foster’s speech under the odd category. The actress (who I think is absolutely incredible at her craft) received the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award.  She walked on stage looking stunning – the blue dress was beautiful and matched her eye color perfectly.  She looked gorgeous and young, but reminded the crowd she was 50. The speech itself was rather scattered to me.  She seemed to ramble about her age … Continue reading →