Family and Parenting

Our Interview with Josh from MomFaves.com Come Listen to the Show!

On today’s show we had the pleasure of interviewing Josh from Momfaves.com.  First off let me state that it is so refreshing to meet a man who truly truly understands all the struggles Moms go through in our daily lives. Thank goodness Josh is married to his beautiful wife Rebecca, because I was afraid out chatroom members would try to run way with him lol. Ok seriously, Josh started this site with his wife Rebecca to honor his Mother’s memory who sadly passed away from Cancer four years ago. Having techincal background, he wanted to offer a place that allowed Mom’s to have a voice to share their favorite sites, recipes and so much more.

MomFaves is a Social Networking site that was built just for us Moms! The wonderful thing about this site first off is the ease of use, you can navigate around the site very easily and find everything you are looking for. Whether it be  a great shopping deal, a great recipe, news stories, remedies, causes, Mom’s favorite websites and so much more. Also when you come across a great article or deal or article you can vote on this with the Fave It button which will allow Josh and his wife Rebecca to know which stories or deals or articles really interest other Moms. Along with the great content you can also meet other great Moms online which is where your networking comes in. From finding your favorite friends or Moms and adding them to your Girlfriends Lists or by meeting new Moms in the groups there is simply an endless amount of things you can do on MomFaves.

Josh also talked about his Blog Why Moms Matter Project this is a wonderful blog! On this Blog they have people nominate a Mom that Matters! This is very simple to do on the top of the blog in the cream section simply click on Nominate a Mom and simply fill out the form to tell them why your Mom should be showcased.  Some of the latests nominees on there now is the Famous Kathy Ireland, and then a special article on “Remebering Maddie” which is a touchng story! This is a touching blog posting on little Maddie who lost her life and their special show at Why Moms Matter Radio Show.

Josh also informed us that right before Mothers Day they will be offering a FREE Mother’s Day E-book featuring some of the touching and heartwarming stories that were featured on their Why Moms Matter Blog and Talk Radio Show. So be sure to check back often to see when that will be realeased and we will be sure to list that here on our site as well.  We wanted to remind that you also that MomFaves also has their own podcast that we briefly touched on above but is on Fridays on our Blog Talk Radio Network on this show they also feature their Why Moms Matter Project winners so be sure to tune in and listen. Click our media player below to listen to our latests show and please stop by visit all of Josh’s sites and don’t forget to listen to his Radio Show!

Family and Parenting

Our Interview with Carol McMannus Come Listen to our Show!

We are so thrilled to have had the opportunity to interview Carol McMannus, she was such a warm hearted lady to interview. Carol as so kind as to send me a copy of her recipe book titled ” Table Talk , Food, Family and Love” and I have to just honestly say I love this cookbook. One of the things that normally deters me from buying cookbooks is that the recipes are too big for me. Meaning I didnt understand half of the ingredients, or understand some of the lingo, or the fact that you needed to be a chef just to prepare the dishes. With this cookbook it was so reminiscent of small town America. The cookbook was full of good wholesome, easy to make but flavorful recipes in such a wide variety of styles. Another wonderful feature of this cookbook is the photos inside, not only is there pictures of the wonderful recipes, but also photos of a dog in the back of a truck, and Carol’s family sitting at a picnic table to a home cooked meal. Also you will find in the sides of the pages you will find great tips or additional recipes maybe to go with the main dish being featured, or wonderful quotes from famous people. There is just so much to love with this cookbook our favorite recipe I created with my twelve year old was the “Tried and True Meatballs” and my daughter just loved them. My daughter is a huge spagetti fan and has always asked me to make meatballs but I did not have a good recipe for meatballs until now.

Carol shared with us that the premise of her book was to get people to sit back down for dinner and to get to know each other. Her recipes do not require alot of ingredients but just fresh and tasty food that will make a big impact on your family. Carol started cooking at an early age and eventually opened up her own restraunt called Expresso Love and soon decided it was time for a cookbook that really showcased the importance of sitting down as a family and start cooking and eating together. We also touched on the subject that in today’s society there is a large number of children with weight problems because we are too reliant on fast foods to feed our kids, instead of getting down to the basics as our parents did and start serving healthy and tasty home cooked meals.

One of the things that Carol finds  so sad in today’s society is how dependant we have become on processed foods and fast food and sadly our families are suffering because of it. Carol also shared how a friend of hers said people should only shop on the outer aisles of your local shopping center because then you are purchasing only fresh foods which is so much better for your bodies and your children. While talking with Cathy we started to talk about how when our parents and grandparents cooked for us they saved all their left overs to use in diffrent meals, and each night we had home cooked meals so that we could take time to sit down and reconnect with each other and get to talk to one another.

We also discussed how alot of us are so busy taking our kids to school functions and sports events that we tend to just grab and go at fast food places to pick up fast food instead of preparing your food ahead of time so that you can enjoy a healthier and home cooked meal.  When Carol’s kids were growing they too were so busy with sporting and school events but she still found the time to make sure her kids had a healthy home cooked meal to enjoy together as a family. And that is not to say that you cannot go out to eat Fast food occasionally but it is nice to make sure you set aside a couple meals a week that are solely time to spend with your family.

Carol’s book is amazing I have already created my grocery lists for next week with recipes from the book so I am so excited to start making and enjoying more of this yummy recipes! Here is just a small sampling of some of the recipes in the book:

• Baked Italian Chicken
• Honey Mustard Beef Stir Fry
• Love’s Fritta
• Walnut Oil Vinaigrette
• California Pizza
• Amish Cocoa Square (Yummy tried this one)
• Raspberry Turnovers

To purchase your own copy of Carol’s book “Table Talk, Food, Family and Love” please click on our link below and Click below to listen to our show!

Family and Parenting

Frugal WAHMs Talk Radio April 9th Show

On today’s show we had Suzy Yahl Marta The Founder and President of Rainbows a wonderful organization that helps chidren with grief and loss through situations like divorce, death, family member deployed, in prison, or other painful seperations. This was a wonderful interview, Suzy was very relaxed and very easy to speak to and so informative. Suzy explained how after her own painful divorce and not finding good resources to help her children through this difficult time she began working with other concerned parents. Before she knew she was organizing weekend retreats for both single parents and the children involved to help them deal during this difficult time in their lives.

Family and Parenting

Frugal WAHMs Talk Radio April 6th Show

On today’s show we were so honored to have with us Book Author Karen Gonzalez. Karen was here to share with us her latests E-book titled “Family Folktales: What Are Yours?“. We learned alot about Karen today, she shared with us that every since she was eight years old she found herself writing and it became a passion for her. As a child she remembered taking childhood books and rewriting them to create her own story. Later on Karen developed a career as a journalist featured in several magazine and as a Journalist for several well known companies.

Karen explained to us how she got started in writing FolkTalk writing and she also explained a little bit more about what exactly FolkTale writing is. Along with telling us how she got started she shared some great tips with us for if you wanted to try your pen or keyboard at Folktale writing. Some of the wonderful tips she shared is a FolkTale is simply how you perceived or understood a story you were told or heard. It does not have to be filled with tons of accurate information but it is your sharing a story or something that happened in your point of view or how you saw it.

Family and Parenting

Moms & Dads…These Are For You!

Prior to having our kids someone wise told us the following:

Keep your marriage strong and vibrant, remain each other’s best friends. After your kids are grown and out of the house it will just be the two of you, and you don’t want to be living with a stranger.

What are some ways to do that?

*Keep having dates — if you don’t have a lot of time, even once a month works. And they don’t need to be long or expensive. Since we don’t eat out much we make sure and have a mini-date every Sunday morning at Caribou Coffee

*Communicate — ask each other about their day. Don’t assume how someone’s day went, aske them. You can share in their joy, or comfort them if it was a downer kind of day.

*Have fun — laugh and enjoy, even if silly little things. Laughing is one of THE best stress relievers!

*Compliment — remember how good it felt when you were dating to hear even the littlest compliment on your hair, or clothing? Well, I’m pretty sure you would still feel good to hear things like this, and so would your spouse.

*Little favors — for me, it is sometimes the act of a little favor that really makes me feel good. Now don’t laugh, but emptying the dishwasher, some cleaning, changing the bedding…all save me time and are really appreciated when I’ve not even asked for help.

*Intimacy — we won’t get too detailed here, as I’m sure you know what I mean

*Renew your vows — we did this for our 10th Wedding Anniversary, and our three children were our attendants. We are planning on doing it again for our 25th in a few years.

This is only a rough draft of things we have done. And there are many households where there is a single parent, or partners. We would love to hear everyone’s ideas on what works for you.

Family and Parenting

Your Child’s Friends…Don’t Like?

It’s a challenge most of us face at least one time — not approving of our child’s friend, or group of friends.

When our children are at a younger age, toddlers to elementary school, we can have great influence on whom they see, and ultimately whom may become their best friends. But as they get older we see them less, and they become more independent. It is part of the maturing process, and picking friends is part of that process. We may still want to jump in, but knowing how and when is key.

My husband has a lot more tolerance than I do, and often reminds me that many issues or childhood habits that bother me are quite minor in the big picture of life. And over the years I think I have become more open minded if a friend of one of our children does something off beat, or has an annoying habit. What we have found works best is the open communication…talk to your child about the friends “issue” that is bothering you. Maybe there is another side or aspect you were unaware of. And maybe your child was unaware themselves.

Of course all of this depends greatly on the issue. If it is something dangerous or illegal you must take a harder stance…for the safety of your child. Many times your child may actually take that message and try to discuss the concerns with their friend. Nobody likes to see a friend take the wrong path. On the lighter issues…clothing, hair, piercings (ok, I admit this one is still edgy for me), speech, etc…try to let them go. It’s still ok if you want to discuss it with your child, but don’t make it accusatory.

A good point that Dr David Walsh (Author of ‘No: Why Kids of All Ages Need to Hear It and Ways Parents Can Say It.’) makes is that “forbidding friends can backfire”. Your child may continue to see that friend and delve into the behavior or habit you don’t like themselves. More of his interview can be seen here on WCCO news ‘What To Do If You Don’t Like Your Child’s Friends’

In the end the best thing to do is focus on your own child’s behaviors and habits. Bring them up to be positive role models to their peers and younger children. Hopefully their good habits and behavior will be the one that many of their friends emulate.

Family and Parenting

Frugal WAHMs Talk Radio March 24th Show

We had an awesome show today! We talked a little bit about hot topics in the news, and shared about new site Frugal WAHMs Magazine just opening this week! We also had some sad news from Sue today, we are sad to announce her Daughter lost her baby. So we are asking that you contact Sue and send you condolescenses as this is very tough time for her family. You can email Sue at ddswifesue@yahoo.com

Also on today’s show we were blessed to have with us a wonderfully funny lady Jenna McCarthy who is a wonderful book author. Jenna was such a warm and inviting and FUNNY lady to chat with this morning it was a geat interview. This was probably the funniest interview I have given over my last three years, Jenna was a down to earth lady who talk about the joys of motherhood in the funniest way. Before becoming a renowned book author Jenna started her career writing for large magazine publications like Mademoiselle and Shape just to name a few.Dont Miss this great interview!! And remember tomorrow we are having our FIRST evening show at 8pm central with guest speaker Sharon talking about couponing and being frugal so join us tomorrow night also!

Family and Parenting

Our Interview with Jenna McCarthy Book Author

We we so thrilled to have with us today Book Author Jenna McCarthy. Jenna was such a warm and inviting and FUNNY lady to chat with this morning it was a geat interview. This was probably the funniest interview I have given over my last three years, Jenna was a down to earth lady who talk about the joys of motherhood in the funniest way. Before becoming a renowned book author Jenna started her career writing for large magazine publications like Mademoiselle and Shape just to name a few.

Also during her career she was a Morning Deejay on a popular Early Show where nothing was NO HOLD bar, she talked about her marriage and her kids and it was huge hit. After writing all of her columns for her magazines and realizing that there wasnt any books out there that just told it like it is about being a mother and her pregnancy, she decided to write her book “The Parent Trip”.  Jenna shared with us how there are many baby experts out there telling you to raise your child a certain way, and her philopsy is that every child is diffrent and every Mom has their own parenting techiques. And whatever works for each individual Mom is great!

Jenna ’s book “The Parent Trip-From High Heels and Parties to Highchairs and Potties” is an honest and funny look at the trials and tribulations alot of Mothers go through that you are likely NOT to find in another book. The way Jenna uses humor to talk about such delicate subjects as giving birth is hysterical.  Listed below are just some of these chapters from inside the book:

• Anyone Seen My Maternal Instincts?
• 287 Days is a Really, Really Really Long Time
• This Just In: They Don’t Call It Labor For Nothing
• So That’s What They’re For!

Here is an excerpt from the first book that is so funny it literally sets the tone for this hysterical book.

I was Twelve the first time I had the dream. Maybe the health class I was taking at the time put the idea in my head: perhaps it was the litter of kittens our family cat had recently delivered. It certainly wasnt because I was worried about getting knocked up. That would be at least another four and half years.

Be sure to grab yourself your favorite cup of tea or coffee and sit back and plan on laughing hysterically as we interview the funny and sweet Jenna McCarthy! Also her latest book was just released on Amazon called “Cheers to the New Mom!/Cheers to the New Dad! Tips and Tricks to Help You Ace the First Months of Parenthood” You can purchase both of these books by using our links below and purchasing through Amazon!

Also if you would like to win a FREE Copy of “The Parent Trip” all you need to do is listen to our interview and tell us your favorite part and be sure to include your email address and we will draw a winner in a couple of days! And Don’t forget to stop by Jenna’s site to learn all about this funny lady and to keep updated on her latests books coming out!

Family and Parenting

NEW Site Frugal WAHMs Magazine

We are please to announce our latest site to our family of Frugal WAHMs Sites! Our newest site is Frugal WAHMs Magazine! This is an ONLINE magazine dedicated to Moms and Work At Home Moms! Not only will have a Monthly version you can download but we will update our site daily with the latest in

Pets
Heatlh & Beauty
Going Green
Guilt Free Pleasures
Ask Angie
WAHM Business Articles
Coupons & Freebies
Home & Garden
Leap of Faith

And more columns coming! We are also hiring a couple more editors you can contact us for more information! Please grab our button and add to your site and we will add your link to ur NEW site! Link it to http://frugalwahmsmagazine.com/

Family and Parenting

A Lesson Learned From A Child

For a lot of us our greatest gifts we’ve been given are our children. Whether it’s one, three, eight or a forever growing number we are not sure where it will end. I, myself, have had six children, only five are living due to an accident at daycare , but that story is for another day. My five children and my husband are the world to me. As long as I have them I can do anything. Even those things I don’t want to do. Do you remember when you were younger and childless you could have nice things around and never worry about those prized possessions being disturbed because you kept them safe? Now as a mother have you found yourself absent of the finer things? After my last fiasco with yet another treasure having been broken I just decided to give up. I packed all my breakables away and put them in storage. I had cried a couple of times when something special to me had been lost forever but I finally figured out what all these things had in common by just one apologetic plea from my then seven year old daughter’s tiny little mouth.
“Oh MOM! I’m sorry I broke your stuff! I will make you some more stuff at school and you can put it there and dust around it too.” I laughed and instantly felt relieved, and revived. My silly little girl had summed it up in one sentence, it was JUST a thing and I hated dusting anyway!

My home is now filled with rubber tubs of toys, plastic cups and bowls, glasses made of polystyrene, and old used up couches that have seen better days but I just can’t see myself getting anything newer until my spill days are over, which with a 19 month old that could be years and years. But it’s okay. I don’t mind anymore. I don’t know the Joneses and don’t care if they have better things or stuff than I do because I am and will always be more rich than wealthy. My treasures are no longer worth a certain price tag but are priceless and a much better investment for the future, they are my children, my family, my life. So the next time your little one breaks something you thought had value, reprimand him on the act that caused it and not the value behind it and in the end you will be glad that you have som much more in your life to be thankful for than just “stuff”!

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