A New Year, Once Again- What Wont You Do?_

Congratulations to all who have had the opportunity to come across my blog. That means two things:
1. You have lived through the end of the world, according to the Mayans.
2. You have sense of humor and a desire to read my post.
Both of these are good. Now that we have another chance at a new year, I hope that many of you have had an opportunity to make some New Years resolutions. I failed to make any resolutions this year- except for one.
Writing is my passion,  however, by the way my blog has been seriously neglected, you may think otherwise. I vow to make at least two new weekly additions to the Frugal Blogging Mom. I promise to post content that is in my opinion, beneficial to those that want to make a change. I will seek ways to make life simpler, and in the challenging economic times, more fun and affordable. I hope that you frequent my post and take what you find into heart.

Use Creativity to get Little People to clean up

Saving Time and Energy While Teaching Responsibility. I can honestly say that I am not the most organized person in our home. I admit that I am just as guilty of leaving things strewn about the home as my children are. As a parent though, you want to teach your kids to have some sense of organization. This skill carries a lot of weight in the simple everyday world. Not only do organized individuals seem to have better relationships, it also plays a part in being FRUGAL. Hey times are tight and by saving as much money as possible, you can still run a frugal household while remaining on a budget. Part of being frugal with kids means that a parent needs to teach their children how to take care of the things they own. Kids learn this by picking up their belongings and storing them in appropriate places. While many parents, myself included, like to spend as little as possible on storage containers, an attractive toy box that is well made is a smart investment. Most of these boxes also double as a sitting area. In order to save your time and energy, the child MUST clean their own mess, clearly this allows us parents more time for more important events, you know, like cleaning other areas of the home, cooking, washing laundry or *gasp* actually finding a little piece of heaven and enjoying a moment of silence while we sip a relaxing beverage and read the latest worldly happenings. It can be a difficult task to get a child to start picking up after them self. Here are a few tricks that you might find useful when you make the decision to teach your kids the art of responsibility:

Toss The Trash
I know, you think I'm crazy, you may be thinking "I paid money for those toys, now I'm going to throw them and "save money??" Here me out. When I say toss the trash, you know I don't mean literally. I simply mean that we need to give our children a set amount of time to pick up. Depending on the amount of destruction, one might need to set a realistic time limit. I for example would need to allow several days for the toys to be picked up. (just kidding.)Remember to place any abandoned toys (toys that haven't been picked up) into the garbage bag. These toys are now "gone" and no longer available to play with for a determined amount of time.

  Make a List
Try making a list of toy categories. Have the child put up the toys that fall into that category at the moment. This transforms the normal "clean up your toys" routine into a treasure hunt. After the child picks up a group of toys, have a snack or read a book before the next batch of toys are picked up.

Play Dress Up
Not with yourself or the kids, but the play area. Kids that are allowed to decorate their own personal space are more likely to take care of it. Decorate the toy box, and help them think of neat ways to make their own custom private area. A play tent or small playhouse is a good start. This allows children to believe that they have their own home inside the home, by watching the organizing skills of a parent, it could encourage organizing.

A clean and organized home is much simpler to keep frugal than one that is full of disarray. Besides, kids that clean up after them self make a good impression. What tricks do you use to get your kids to clean up?

The Meaning of Tranquility.

Everyonce in a while I feel a need to escape the confines of the house, to pull myself away from my writing And take a break from the mommy job, and this is where I go- the Skunk River in Mt. Pleasant Iowa. Luckily I was  able to reunite with my best friend, soon to be husband and we can enjoy fishing together. There's nothing like putting in a full day on writing assignments, waiting for him to get home so that we can relax while enjoying mother nature at its finest.
We came out last night around 7 o'clock, caught 6 nice size channel cats while watching the sunset over the water. AMAZING.
I have to admit that coming back home to Iowa has been the best decision that I have made in quite awhile. Thanks to my other half, I've made more progress in my writing venture then I ever have before. Thanks to this I am able to stay at home and  write, making it possible to spend quiet evenings like this with my love. I just hope we catch another catfish as big as we did last night.

Starting Weekly Reads at Amazon.com: Macy's Turn

Greetings! I have started a new avenue in my writing career. I have recently self published a story called Macy's Turn on Amazon. From here out I will be working on one short story a week, consisting of different genera. This week is Macy's Turn, a story based on a woman that takes matters into her own hands to escape the physical and emotional abuse of her boyfriend.
I wrote this story based on the emotions that I have experienced from my past toxic relationships. Both women and men have been involved in toxic relationships, and I'm sure that many can relate to this story. While the ending may be a little harsh, I feel the General tone is captured quite well. Go to Amazon.com And search for Macys Turn. It's a free read until May 11th at midnight.
to find this and other stories that will be available weekly. Next weeks addition? A campfire story that will leave you thinking.

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My New Shadow

Against my better judgement, I went out and picked up a new dog, a puppy actually. I have always wanted a rat terrier, they have been known to have a good reputation and they are adorable as pups. This pup seems to be housebroke at eight-weeks old. Is this possible? I wouldn't believe it if I wasn't living it. Jasper is one cool rat terrier.

rat terriers are not for those who want a quiet, slow-do nothing dog. They are full of energy and love to play. Don't let the size, (or lack of) these dogs fool you, even thou they make for a good apartment size dog, they still need exercise. to keep a rat terrier healthy and happy, 30 minutes of vigorous play is recommended. This could prove to be burdensome for my freelancing, but with a dog like this I'm sure.everything will work out just fine.

How To Avoid the Break Down of Trust

Trust is defined as a firm reliance on the integrity or ability of a person or thing. All relationships are built around trust, personal, business or family- all relationships are built on trust. Unfortunately, once the foundation of trust has been broken, it can take an enormous amount of time to get it back. Here are five ways that trust can be shaken, and how to prevent it.

Secrecy

By far the biggest trust killer of all is living in secrecy. Once a person falls into the trap of hiding something, wither it be an action, a conversation or embarrassing moment, trust will begin to crumble. It may not happen immediately, but sooner or later no matter how big or small, secrets will be exposed and the trust will fade. Think of secrecy as an invisible blanket. Once you harbor a tiny little secret within yourself, you establish a barrier between yourself and your partner. Eventually, the invisible blanket becomes physical, and the one you keep the secrets from will notice a change, even the slightest change is enough to throw up a red flag, and once the flag is thrown the distrust comes into play. When you trust someone, you depend on their ability to understand and support your actions. Keep in mind that the person that is involved needs to have the same trust in you as you do them. Keeping conversations open and sharing feelings and emotions is a way to build trust.

Acting

A person can lose trust from the behavior or body language of another. When having a conversation with someone you care for and an opinion is sought, say what you mean. When asked a question, resist the temptation to save face. If you disagree with a comment, although you may say you agree, your body language will clearly state your honest opinion. When someone sees the conflict between mind and body, it become clear that they're not being honest and the red flag appears again.

Unmet needs.

In general, we become involved in a relationship to have our needs met. In a healthy trusting relationship, you should be able to clearly state your needs to your partner. If you feel a resistance in sharing your needs, it may send a signal that you're hiding something from your partner. Maybe your partner will start to feel that some of your needs are being met in other ways, and here we go, the red flag falls once again. Find sometime and search yourself. What exactly are your needs to feel fulfilled in a relationship? Do you feel a need for more conversation? Do you need to be cuddled more on the couch while watching a movie? Do you need a spicier bedroom romp? Repressing your needs can also cause the blanket effect, and may cause you to withhold some emotions to your partner. Set some time for yourself and establish your needs and then discuss them with your other half.

Avoidance

At some point in every relationship, there is a time where there is going to be something you just don't want to discuss. This is under

Sustainable, but a hindrance at the same time. Avoiding a situation brings out the dreaded blanket barrier. Your partner will clearly be able to see that there is something bothering you, and what do you suppose they will think when you avoid the problem? They're going to assume the worst. To build trust, you need to be ready to embrace confrontation. Be willing to communicate delicate situations and be ready to seek a healthy solution to the problems, open communication develops trust.

Individuality

Among all things in building trust, remain yourself. Never go into a relationship trying to please the other person if it makes you bend your character. Be honest with yourself and your partner at the start. A relationship is built on honesty. If you find yourself in a relationship where you have to pretend to be someone else, you're being dishonest to yourself and your partner. You will find yourself becoming uneasy in situations because you're not allowed to cope with the situation on a normal level. The uneasiness will most certainly be noticed by your partner and when the truth comes out, questions to why you deceived them will develop.

Keeping a relationship healthy means having a high level of trust. Using the above tips may help you foster a deeper relationship.