A Parent's Guide to Safe Online Gaming

Online gaming can offer a fun, social and even educational experience for people of all ages. Kids and teenagers can use online gaming to connect with their friends and relax after a tough day at school, but just like every other area of the Internet, there are risks that kids and parents should be aware of before they start playing.

Read here http://www.smilinglikesunshine.com/2013/09/a-parents-guide-to-safe-online-gaming.html

My Top 10 Tips for New Homeschoolers

"Today  I thought I’d share my top 10 tips for new homeschoolers. I never feel like I have time to share all of these in a single conversation, but this is what I wish I could tell each person before they start their first year..."

Read her tips here

Tips on having a great garage sale (Articles)

Here a few articles that I found very helpful and have used to help make my yard sales easy and successful! Good Luck everyone, Patricia

How to Have a Garage Sale 
http://www.wikihow.com/Have-a-Garage-Sale

Having a Successful Yard Sale
http://www.yardsalequeen.com/yardsale.htm

A Yard Sale Checklist: Ten Tips for Garage Sale Prep
http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2007/06/12/a-yard-sale-checklist-ten-tips-for-garage-sale-prep

10 Tips for Having a Successful Garage Sale
http://moneysavingmom.com/2010/04/having-a-successful-garage-sale.html

National Food Pantry Resource Directory (State by State)

Here is a compiled listing of food pantries I found while working on a local directory for a pantry I used to volunteer with. No one should ever be hungry!! Please share this with everyone! Thank you and GOD Bless, Patricia

AMPLE HARVEST - Find A Food Pantry Near You. Simply fill in the search boxes and go.
http://www.ampleharvest.org/find-pantry.php

FEEDING AMERICA - One of the main sites used by various organizations that assist the needy.
http://www.feedingamerica.org/find-your-local-foodbank
http://feedingamerica.org/need-help.aspx

FIND FOOD (WhyHunger.com) - website for National Hunger Hotline (see below). Can search for a pantry by town or organization.
http://www.whyhunger.org/findfood

FIND A PANTRY - Another site to search through by state and find pantries and food help.
http://www.findafoodpantry.org/resources

FOOD PANTRIES - Click on your state on the blue map or use the search field to find a pantry in your state and then go from there.
http://www.foodpantries.org

FOOD RESEARCH and ACTION CENTER - State by state Anti-Hunger Organizations (just click the state link).
http://frac.org/state-news/state-anti-hunger-organizations

NATIONAL HUNGER HOTLINE - Emergency Food Assistance for Your Family
If you are unable to find one in your community, you should call the National Hunger Hotline 1-866-3 HUNGRY or 1-866-348-6479 [asistencia en español está disponible en: 1-877-8-HAMBRE (1-877-842-6273)] refers people in need anywhere in the U.S. to food pantries, soup kitchens, government programs, and model grassroots organizations. It’s a free call, available in both English and Spanish, and is available from Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Saturdays 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

NATIONAL SNAP MAP - search by state to see what Nutritional Supplemental programs are available in your state. Income criteria varies by each state/region (for low income, disabled and seniors on fixed incomes) and some might not qualify. Agencies can also help direct you to other food assistance programs and pantries in your area.
https://www.benefitscheckup.org/cf/snap.cfm

NEED HELP PAYING BILLS - The food banks you will find listed below in your state are just a sampling of the centers offered. In addition to the locations noted, you will find phone numbers and contact information for organizations that can direct you to a food bank or pantry location that may be closer to your home. Also find information on other financial assistance programs.
http://www.needhelppayingbills.com/html/food_banks.html

THE NATIONAL CLEARINGHOUSE - The National Hunger Clearinghouse collects and distributes information about programs that address the immediate and long-term needs of struggling families and individuals.
http://www.whyhunger.org/findfood

Talking to Toddlers: Dealing with the Terrible Two's and Beyond

How to deal with behaviour problems in children by Chris Thompson – Author, Parenting Expert and Certified NLP Practitioner.

View Free Presentation here
http://talkingtotoddlers.com

25 Most Popular Scams You Should Watch Out For

From high profile office buildings to shady street corners scammers are everywhere. Although we may be tempted to think that we’re smart enough to avoid their underhanded scheming, everyday thousands of people are conned out of their money and countless lives are ruined. In order to help keep you from becoming another statistic we’ve compiled this list of the 25 most popular scams you should watch out for.

View list here
http://list25.com/25-most-popular-scams-you-should-watch-out-for

Coupon Facebook Groups

Coupon Divas
Coupon Divas® helps shoppers find amazing coupons. The company also helps shoppers find product specific deals on popular items.
https://www.facebook.com/CouponDivas

Coupon Geek
Where Spending & Saving Meet! Stop By For Deals, Freebies and Coupons!
https://www.facebook.com/CouponGeek

Couponing to be Debt Free
This website was founded to save as much money as possible using coupons, freebies and deals!
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Couponing-to-be-Debt-Free/247211242282

Coupons and Freebies Mom
HOTTEST freebies, coupons, & deals...
https://www.facebook.com/CouponsAndFreebiesMom

Coupons Are Great
Using sense to save you cents!
https://www.facebook.com/CouponsAreGreat

Extremecouponingmom
Extreme Couponing Mom helps you learn to live a more frugal lifestyle and teaches you to drastically cut your grocery bill down by utilizing available coupons, samples, freebies and more.
https://www.facebook.com/Extremecouponingmom

Mom Saves Money
Money Saving ideas, coupons, giveaways, product reviews, freebies and all things frugal.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mom-Saves-Money/142380743717

Queen Bee Coupons & Savings
Bee more, spend less. Coupons, deals, recipes . . .
https://www.facebook.com/QueenBeeCoupons

Saving My Family Money
Start saving your family hundreds of dollars a month! Enjoy coupon match ups, shopping deals at rock bottom prices, freebies, samples and so much more!
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Saving-My-Family-Money/136824853021647

Thrifty Momma Ramblings
Thrifty Living Tips, Saving Money with Coupons, Freebies, Hot Deals, How to Earn Extra Money, and Giveaways!
https://www.facebook.com/thriftymommaramblings

True Couponing
...a fun and encouraging website dedicated to pointing out great deals, sharpening your purchasing skills, and helping you spend less, so you can save money for your family and bless others out of your abundance!
https://www.facebook.com/TrueCouponing

UCoupon2Save
https://www.facebook.com/UCoupon2save

Coupon Blogs

Awesome Free Stuff
http://awesomefreesstuff.blogspot.com

Beauty For Free
http://beautyforfree.blogspot.com

Free Samples
http://newfreesamples.blogspot.com

No Way It's Free
http://nowayitsfree.blogspot.com

Thrifty Coupons and Deals
http://thriftycouponsanddeals.blogspot.com

5 Tips for Better Understanding Your Teenager

Do you ever feel like your connection with your teen is slipping? Here are five tactics for stopping the slip…steps you can take to get closer to them and to better understand them.

Read tips here
http://www.momscape.com/wordpress/2012/08/21/5-tips-for-better-understanding-your-teenager

Kids and Socializing Online

Social networking sites, chat rooms, virtual worlds, and blogs are how teens and tweens socialize online; it's important to help your child learn how to navigate these spaces safely.

Read here
http://www.onguardonline.gov/articles/0012-kids-and-socializing-online

Homeschool Hows & Whys

Great site filled with articles, tips and resources for the homeschooling family!

"A blog for homeschoolers and others who want to know why education does not work today in most schools or for most homeschoolers, and what can be done about it."

Click link for info -
http://www.connectthethoughts.net/blog

Cyber Alerts for Parents & Kids Tip #1: Be Prudent When Posting Images Online

With the explosive popularity of smartphones and social media platforms, sharing photos has never been easier. Millions of pictures are uploaded to the web every day, and camera-enabled mobile phones are the perennial top-selling consumer electronic devices. So it’s a safe bet that even more photos will be cropping up on image-hosting communities and personal websites.

But what exactly is being shared?

Continue reading this very informative article here -
http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2011/december/cyber_122211/cyber_122211

Color Coded Folders/Notebooks Tip for School

http://www.scholastic.com/parents/resources/tip/daily-tips/purchase-color-coded-folders-and-notebooks?cid=PAR/smd/20130504/facebook/dtipcolorcodesupplies//PAR/content/9am

FTC Releases Top 10 Complaint Categories for 2012

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) released its top 10 complaint categories for 2012. For the first time ever, the agency received more than two million complaints. Of the two million complaints, 18 percent were related to identity theft. Of those 18 percent, almost half were related to tax or wage fraud.

Here is a complete list of the top 10 complaint categories:
Identity Theft - 369,132 complaints
Debt collection - 199,721 complaints
Banks and Lenders - 132,340 complaints
Shop-at-Home and Catalog Sales - 115,184 complaints
Prizes, Sweepstakes and Lotteries - 98,479 complaints
Impostor Scams - 98,479 complaints
Internet Services - 81,438 complaints
Auto-Related Complaints - 78,062 complaints
Telephone and Mobile Services - 76,783 complaints
Credit Cards - 51,550 complaints

The FTC uses the Consumer Sentinel Network to record complaints throughout the year. The secure database is available to more than 2,000 civil and criminal law enforcement agencies across the country and helps agencies research cases and track targets.

Learn more about the 2012 complaints from FTC here
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2013/02/sentineltop.shtm

4 Ways to Form Green Habits

by Jessica Harlan

"I realized that no matter how good my intentions are, sometimes it’s hard to remember to get into eco-friendly habits. Do you have the same problem? Here are some ways that you can give yourself a gentle reminder until certain sustainable actions become habit."

Read her 4 tips here
https://www.recyclebank.com/live-green/4-Ways-to-Form-Green-Habits?cm_mmc=Marketing-_-Facebook-_-Article-_-4WaysGreenHabits48