TSA responds to sippy cup incident
After the TSA got a lot of bad press about them abusing a woman at Reagan National Airport who was trying to take a sippy cup on the plane, the TSA have released a video to let people make up their own minds about the incident.
It does change the story a bit, judge for yourselves after watching the video. Also, check out more info over at the Washington Post which has an article regarding the Sippy Cup Spill Sparks Tiff at National Airport saga.
Some Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway Toys Recalled
Recall of some Thomas & Friends™ Wooden Railway Toys due to lead poisoning hazard.
The recall involves wooden vehicles, buildings and other train set components for young children listed in the chart below. The front of the packaging has the logo “Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway” on the upper left-hand corner. A manufacturing code may be located on the bottom of the product or inside the battery cover. Toys marked with codes containing “WJ” or “AZ” are not included in this recall.
Odd how some countries still use something that was banned in the United States about 30 years ago.
Single Income Family Virtues
MommySavers: Moms Living Well For Less is a great website with comprehensive info on practically any topic a stay-at-home mom could want. Daddies might find some interesting information here too. The site has lots of coupons, money-saving ideas, resources and support.
My favorite article is Embracing the Virtues of the Single-Income Family. According to the author, Christine Conner, the six virtues are Sacrifice, Humility, Simplicity, Humor, Gratitude and Reject Materialism.
Our own single-income family has had to embrace these values daily. We have both made sacrifices in our careers and lifestyle in order to become a single income family. No longer DINKs (double-income no kids), we have had to sacrifice vacations, new clothing, eating out, and other purchases that would have been made without a second thought. What single income family has not faced the humility of telling their double income friends that they can no longer meet at a restaurant two or three times a week?
Simplicity is one virtue that has been much harder for me to embrace than my husband. Consider this: when I met him he owned a mattress, stereo, wooden bowl and wooden spoon. He did have clothing, blankets and some other cooking tools, but we’re really talking minimalism here. We’ve sort of met in the middle so to speak and we do try to keep our life and home simple. Simple play with the kids is possible too! A sandbox with some old plastic cups and spoons can keep the boy entertained for quite a while. A set of legos can keep both the boy And his father building and playing for a whole afternoon.
Try to find the humor in the little things. Like ranch dressing on your son’s upper lip like a bleached mustachio. Or the huge pile of pillows and blankets that he drags out to the living room and piles on the dog so she can ‘go nigh-nigh.’ It may be hard to see the humor in the termite infestation or need for a new air conditioner, but eventually you will see that it is easier to laugh about it than cry about it.
In this day and age of blatant consumerism, it may be difficult to ignore the commercials of all the things you ‘need.’ I think that rejecting materialism is a difficult virtue to embrace. So, I think of my favorite virtue: Gratitude. And I try to be thankful for all the things that I do have. A roof over my head, food to eat and clothes to wear. I have a wonderfully supportive husband who works hard to provide the income that we do have. And I have a son who keeps me laughing every day and makes me eternally thankful that I can be at home with him.
Four Tips for Kids and Money
Help your kids become financially smart. Here are four tips to get you started.
1. Start at a young age.
Talk to your toddler when you are in a store. They may not understand money, but the earlier you use the language, the easier it will be for them later on. Kids begin to learn about money in Kindergarten. Make sure they have some background knowledge of what money is used for by the time they get there.
Continue reading at strausnews.com.
Stretch Your Dollars
Here’s another website with articles about one-income families. The Dollar Stretcher posts articles every other month or so with ideas and stories from those families who are making a go of it on a single-income. The rest of the site has lots of financial advice on topics ranging from automobiles to day care, holidays to retirement planning, and taxes to vacations with lots more in between.
Photo Safety Tip for Outings
Here’s a fun and easy safety tip that I try to follow when taking the kids out and about. And by out and about, I mean the Zoo or a Museum, not the grocery store. Although this could work for grocery store trips, let’s use the Zoo as an example.
When we arrive at the Zoo, I take their picture with my digital camera (or camera phone). Now I have at least one good photo to use in future photo albums and (here’s the safety part) if - God forbid - they go missing, you have a very current photo to share with the authorities.
Cool Mom Picks website
Their motto is, “We find it, you flaunt it.” Cool Mom Picks finds the coolest things on the internet for moms (and dads and kids too). There is a daily post with two or three Cool Mom Picks. Or you can check out the archives for picks by topic or month. My favorite is Maternitywear That Doesn’t Suck and Reads (cool new books out there). There even a category with cool stuff for dads with great Father’s Day ideas.
*Note: Most of these cool things are not cheap. I like to look at them for ideas (clipping a baby blanket to the stroller so it doesn’t get kicked off) and I like to read about the new books and then request them from the library.
Destination Dinners as a Gift
I recently attended a bridal shower where the bride-to-be received a Destination Dinner as a gift. What an amazing and unique gift!
Destination Dinners was established as a California company in 2005 by Lisa Diamond, a self proclaimed “culinary adventurer”. Each kit is designed to provide a delicious, authentic dish for four, coupled with fun and educational facts about the food, etiquette and culture of each destination.
Destination Dinners is perfect for travelers, foodies, and people curious about cultures from around the globe. Designed as a gift, yet affordable enough to buy for yourself, the kits are customizable to meet the needs of both consumer and corporate customers.
Of course I had to check out the website to see how pricey they are because I want to give them as gifts in the future. The current price is $20.00 per kit plus shipping. Each kit serves 4-6 people and comes with detailed instructions, the more unusual ingredients, a shopping list for the common/perishable ingredients, trivia and more. It seems like a great, reasonably priced item that would make an excellent gift.
Eight Frugal Father’s Day Gift Ideas
Check out eight ways to save a little money this Father’s Day over at TheSimpleDollar.com. Some great tips, just make sure the father in question isn’t expecting a Rolex! But then, what self respecting single income family man would be expecting that anyway?
What the World Eats
Here is a great photo gallery about what different families eat around the world. From a few dollars a week to $500 a week, you can put your eating habits in perspective.
Our single income family eating budget is $350/month in case you want to see where we fit in. I was surprised at how most of the families spend more than that in a month.
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