My ‘rich’ mom stayed at home with me, participated in my life and gave me the best care she was able. My rich mom couldn’t always buy me things. Other kids had DVDs and Wiis and iPods. We had board games and the radio. My rich mom was just as smart and educated as any working mother, but she made her children a priority, knowing that nothing else would matter more than them in the end. She did this thinking that was the best way to provide for her family.

Robert Kiyosaki, in his famous (infamous?) book Rich Dad, Poor Dad, laid out the idea of having had “two fathers” who taught him different lessons about life. One (his biological father) taught him that hard work, a good job and lots of education were the keys to success. The other (his best friend’s father) taught him that hard work, investing your money in assets and frugal living were critical. The former, the “poor dad”, was wrong, and the latter, the “rich dad”, was right – according to Kiyosaki. Interestingly enough, Kiyosaki focuses solely on the money lessons of his fathers. So let’s be sexist for a minute and say that the father represents the “outside” world – money, work, achievement. Let’s imagine that we could frame the same rich vs. poor argument for moms – but in terms of the family and its emotional life.

Quick disclaimer: in this article I use the term ‘mom,’ but it’s not meant to be sexist. The ‘mom’ below could just as easily be the man in the family, and I always want to point this out. I plan to be a stay-at-home dad sometime in the next ten years, once we are financially independent. So substitute “parent” for mom and you’ll get the idea. Rich parent, poor parent just didn’t have the same ring to it.

Rich Mom, Poor Mom

The rich dad taught Kiyosaki that frugal living was key. The rich mom agrees with this thinking. Making sacrifices so she can stay home is at the core of the rich mom’s philosophy. Her “investment” of time in her children now will pay off later. The poor dad thought that you made money to spend money on liabilities, like cars and expensive gadgets and money-sucking homes. The poor mom thinks that her children need more money – more than they need her.

The poor dad believes that education is a requirement. The poor mom thinks that the school system is the most important part of a child’s development. She chooses to overlook the fact that schools are only responsible for teaching subjects. American schools long ago learned that values, character, financial intelligence, morals and even physical fitness were toxic areas that caused lawsuits. Teachers are too overwhelmed by bureaucracy and huge class sizes to spend time with individual students. The rich mom knows that the schools are an important part of a child’s development, but having a good character starts with lessons at home… and a good character will take the child farther than 8th-grade botany.

The rich dad believed in investing money in assets and letting those assets earn money for you. The poor dad believed you should work to enrich your employers and hope they would provide for you when you could no longer work for them. The poor mom hopes that others will raise her family (the husband and children!) while she works. She hopes that after she’s worked through her children’s formative years that they’ll come out OK. The rich mom knows that there is only one sure way to do a job right – to do it yourself. The rich mom knows that when she is 90 years old, struggling with health and money issues, that her children will come to her aid, but that company she gave 75% of her waking hours to will have long forgotten she existed.

I think in Kiyosaki’s book, one of the best lessons is his concept of the true definition of an asset. An asset makes money for its owner. A liability loses money for its owner. A house is, by that definition, not an asset if you live there. Everyone needs a place to live, for sure, but it IS costing you money. An asset is a house you rent to someone else at a profit.

In the same way, the rich mom understands that children are an asset, not a liability. If you think of what having children will mean in terms of loss (losing free time, losing independence, losing a career, losing your own youth) then they will be liabilities to you and you’ll be a poor mom. If you think having children will be a GAIN (the joy of watching them grow and learn, adventures that give you a chance at a second childhood, the knowledge of leaving the world a better place with these new people in it) then you will be a rich mom. With the rich dad and the poor dad, there is no physical or mental or any other sort of difference between the two men. They make choices. In the same way, every parent – male or female – has the ability to be a rich mom or a poor mom.

In order to lower actual rates and maximize your teen’s auto insurance coverage, you can give your teen a simpler or older car; let your teen keep a good driving record; let him keep a clean insurance record; enroll him to a driver safety education; get your teen a safer car; let him maintain good academic grades; keep the mileage low; keep the car safe; and apply for multiple policies with your insurance company. To help you save on auto insurance costs for your teenager, here are proven tips you can consider:

Give your teen a simpler or older car

A brand new sports car would make a very nice birthday gift for your beloved teen, but if you want to save to insurance costs, this would not be a smart move. Remember that one of the factors that make up an expensive car insurance would be a brand new car because of its high book value. A sports car would also be expensive to insure with its higher horsepower compared to a four-door sedan. With a stronger car, your teen would tend to drive faster, making it more prone to accidents and damages. If you are giving your teen an older car model, you can also save by dropping collision coverage.

Let your teen keep a good driving record

If this is not your first year in getting your teen a car insurance and he or she had a good driving record, you can ask for a discount from your insurance provider. Most auto insurance companies give discounts to drivers who have not been issued a ticket or those who have not been involved in any accident since they have been driving. Remind your teen that it always pays to be a good driver.

Let him keep a clean insurance record

Aside from having a good driving record, insurance costs may also be lowered if your teen keeps a clean insurance record. It is advisable for him to keep from claiming for very minor car damages from insurance companies in order to avail of discounts.

Enroll him to a driver safety education

Some states require teenagers to get driving lessons first before he gets a driver’s license. Aside from this condition, the cost of car insurance for teenagers may also be reduced if your teen had been enrolled to a driving course before driving his own car, most especially if he had good grades. The insurance company would most likely give discounts to responsible student drivers who have had lessons to safe driving than to those who have not.

Get your teen a safer car

Just like in applying auto insurance for adult-driven cars, discounts also apply to teenager-driven cars with safety features. Airbags, anti-lock brake systems, and alarm systems can help lower the insurance cost of your teen’s auto insurance as they reduce risk for injuries as well as theft and damages.

Let him maintain good academic grades

Yes, indeed. If your teen proves to have good grades in school, most especially if he is in the honor roll, you can avail of the good student discount. Most insurance companies offer this incentive to responsible students who are most likely more sensible and responsible too when it comes to driving.

Keep the mileage low

When you ask for auto insurance quotations, companies do ask for estimated mileage your teen has to travel from residence to destination, as well as estimated annual mileage. As much as possible, advice your teen to keep his mileage low and use the car only when needed. Do not encourage weekend road trips and the like. Higher mileage leads to higher risk of meeting accidents, thus resulting to higher insurance cost.

Keep the car safe

Another very important determining factor for insurance premium is the place where your teen brings and parks his car. Insurance companies will be asking where the car will usually be brought and parked. Is the school parking safe? Are the places he goes safe enough, too or are there many reported cases of car thefts and damages? If at home, does he park his car in a covered garage or just outside the apartment? Of course, the more risky the situation, the higher the insurance cost.

Apply for multiple policies with your insurance company

If your teen’s insurance provider with other concerns, such as life or home insurance, also covers car insurance and you get a policy from them, you may be given a discount on your auto insurance for your devotion to their company. Alternately, you can also apply for the whole family’s car insurance policies in one insurance company and be granted of discounts for each of your plan. Do not hesitate to ask your insurer about these discounts to save bucks.

Other discounts you may avail of with your teen’s car insurance include loyalty discount, if you have been with your insurance company for a certain number of years, as well as multiple car discount, when you enroll more than one car for your teen.

Many experts have written opinions on when to stop pacifier use. “The AAP and AAFP recommend weaning children from pacifiers in the second six months of life to prevent otitis media. However, the groups say, pacifier use should not be actively discouraged and may be especially beneficial in the first six months of life. The child should be weaned from the pacifier between the ages of six months and no later than four years.”

Child development specialist Warren Umansky, PhD, recommends weaning from the pacifier at eighteen months. If your child isn’t ready to give up the habit at this age, it may help to start gradually by giving a pacifier to your child only at nighttime or nap time to help him fall asleep.

Parents need to be brave and unwavering when they decide to stop giving their children their pacifiers. It is crucial to make sure that the child understands what is going on. You are trying to help your child not punish them by taking something meaningful away from them. If stopping pacifier use around age six months then you should do this process slowly and limit the use to just bed time at first. Do not give it to the child during the day or at night time so that the child can slowly get used to what is going on. It is very hard to break a habit such as this in younger children.

When dealing with children over the age of eighteen months you want to speak to them on their level and convince them that big boys and girls do not use pacifiers to go to sleep. Children this age do not want to be thought of as babies so this helps them adjust their mentality toward the pacifier. Gather all of the pacifiers that you own and place them in a bag. If you know of a baby who uses a pacifier then maybe have the child give theirs to the baby as a symbolic gesture. Then, the parent of that child can throw them away when they get home without your child seeing them.

As a parent it can be hard to wean your child from a pacifier. You will hear crying, wailing, and screaming but in the long run being steadfast and holding your ground will help your child sleep without depending on something to suck on. Your child will thank you down the road for your efforts.

Sources:

http://www.drwalt.com/blog/?p=605

http://www.swedish.org/16592.cfm

photo by emdot

photo credit: *Micky

You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness.  You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism.  ~Erma Bombeck

photo credit: respres

How clever!  Can the banks produce original mortgage note signed by me? I didn’t think about it this way, but then again I am not facing foreclosure. If I did, who knows what kind of strategy I would think up. This one is definitely going to delay foreclosure if banks cannot produce original documentation.

 ZEPHYRHILLS, Fla. – Kathy Lovelace lost her job and was about to lose her house, too. But then she made a seemingly simple request of the bank: Show me the original mortgage paperwork.

via New foreclosure defense: Prove I owe you – Mortgage Mess- msnbc.com.

photo credit: Michael_Lehet

If you live in New York City or visiting with your family, now your children can go to Broadway shows for free. Children age 6 – 18 get to see a participating  Broadway show, such as The Lion King, Mamma Mia, Mary Poppins, etc.,  for free when accompanied by a full-paying adult. Kids night on Broadway is now a monthly event that will take place first Tuesday and Wednesday of every month. Next one will be on February 3 – 4 in New York City. 

All KNOB participants are also eligible for family-friendly restaurants and parking. For more information go to Kids night on Broadway

Transitioning to solid foods is a big milestone in a baby’s life. Parents debate the right time to start solid foods: is it four months or six? There’s also a debate what should be baby’s first solid food: is it rice cereal or apple sauce? I started my son on rice cereal when he was five months old because he was a big boy and formula was not enough to fill him up anymore.  At our pediatrician’s suggestion, I started my daughter on rice cereal when she was four months old because she was not gaining weight.  Since you (and your pediatrician) know your baby better than anyone, you will surely know when the time is right.

After  reading a book “What to Expect the First Year” and doing some research online,  I determined to start with whole grain (single grain) brown rice cereal. However,  my dilemma was deciding which brand of baby rice cereal was better? My choice was Organic baby cereal.  I narrowed it down to the following three brands: Earth’s Best, Healthy Times and Happybellies.

I started my son on Earth’s Best Whole Grain Rice Cereal. This was the only organic brand I could find in the store. Later I switched to a less-costly brand Healthy Times Premium Organic Baby Cereal. You can see my price comparison below (prices may change, check by clicking through on the amazon links).

Earth’s Best Whole Grain Rice Cereal, 8-Ounce Units (Pack of 12) – $59.99 ($0.62 per 1 oz)

Healthy Times Premium Organic Baby Cereal, Wholegrain Brown Rice, 8-Ounce Boxes (Pack of 12) – $38.70 ($0.40 per 1 oz)

HAPPYBELLIES Brown Rice Cereal Contains DHA and Probiotics, Organic, 7-Ounce Canisters (Pack of 6) – $25.11 ($0.59 per 1 oz)

With my second baby I felt like I was an expert when it came to feeding babies. I knew exactly what cereal she needed and how much – I thought I was prepared.  But I was not prepared for a constipated baby.  I had to switch to another rice cereal and that’s when I discovered HAPPYBELLIES Brown Rice Cereal that contains DHA and Probiotics ( dietary supplement and live microorganisms containing potentially beneficial bacteria or yeasts similar to yogurt). These probiotics aid digestive system in a number of ways.

My daughter did not mind the switch and there was no tummy ache from constipation any longer. The peace has been restored in our household, and we sure are glad to be able to sleep at night.

photo credit: meemal

photo credit: alexxvaughn

Happy New Year, dear readers!

New Year is the time to bid farewell to the old 2008 year and welcome the coming 2009 year. It is the time to start fresh and move forward. It is the time for new beginnings and new starts in life. New Year has a message for each one of us.

Year 2009 is the year of the Ox, according to the Chinese calendar. The Ox is the sign of prosperity through fortitude and hard work. The Ox signifies strength.

May this New Year bring you:

• Strong Physical and Financial Health
• Strong Relationships and Families
• Strong Partnerships and Opportunities, and
• Strong Will to pursue your Dreams!
• Our family wishes you prosperous and abundant New Year!

photo credit: Gabriel Pevide

New Year’s Celebration is a big holiday in our family accompanied by lots of champagne drinking. I call it the “New Year Russian Style” – bigger than Christmas or any other holiday or all of them combined together. It arose during the secular regime of the former USSR.  New Year lasts all night and spills over to the next day. The preparations for the celebration of the New Year are as busy as for Christmas in the western world.

A lot of women and men begin their crash diets just before New Year; everyone wants to fit into their fabulous evening attire. The abundance of food and drink on the New Year’s table is alluring and no one is thinking of depriving themselves that night. My American husband knows it too well – he’s started his diet. And I started mine a long time ago (or maybe I just never stopped). One of the methods I use is the Magical Leek Soup from the book “French Women Don’t Get Fat” by Mireille Guiliano . It helps me to boost my weight loss when I hit a plateau – works every time.

As we do most years, we are hosting a party in our house. We are planning an elaborate menu. The idea is that your New Year’s table should be full and abundant to invite an abundant year into your lives.

Father Frost (in the form of my husband, wearing a costume) will visit us with a big bag full of presents. Presents don’t have to be anything big.    If you know a person you can tell what they like the most. And I know that my husband loves to drink coffee all day long – you can guess what he is getting for New Year’s. 

The real magic of the holidays is not about gift-giving but about festivities, food, laughter and drunken dancing on the table with your family. Have a healthy and abundant New 2009 Year!