After losing power for one day after Hurricane Irene (we were one of the lucky ones) it made me realize how much our lives depend on electricity; keeping our food cold or frozen, running the water, flushing the toilets and giving us light to see. Although the kids thought it was fun to not have electricity during the storm and light every single candle we owned along with eating all the melting ice cream. But for times when the power is on, which luckily is the majority of time, here are some helpful tips to lower your electric bill. Shut the lights off when you leave the room, and are not …

What do you do when your 9-year-old wants you to bring home a big ball of dirt he’s made in a dirt pile? Do you try to convince him that it’s only dirt and it will fall apart transporting it home? Or do you carefully cup it in your hands like a crown jewel and put it in a plastic bag to carry it home? I always choose the latter, whatever the kids’ treasures may be. The 7-year-old loves to pick bouquets of dandelions – weeds to everyone else, but beautiful golden flowers from my daughter to me. One of the girls would always bring home pine cones, another would gather milkweed pods. These were …

Ten years later the shock and horror of the terrorist attacks has not dimmed, especially for the people of Massachusetts. Our family, friends and neighbors were on those planes leaving Logan Airport that fateful day. We will forever be intertwined with the Twin Towers, New York City, The Pentagon and the field in Pennsylvania.  I was so moved by the day that I wrote several pages in a journal. Here are a few excepts from that day 10 years ago: 9/11/01 11:23 PM What was normal yesterday has been turned upside down today… Where do I begin? My neighbor called and said a plane just went into the …

Last week I told you that it can be worth your time to let companies know how you feel about their products. I outlined several questions to ask yourself before contacting the company. This week I will tell you how to properly go about doing so. Please remember that when you call or email the company to be pleasant and professional. The person on the other end didn’t make the product, they’re just customer service. Remember these tips when you call or e-mail: Briefly state what the problem is. Give the customer service representative the requested dates and numbers from the outer packaging or…

Most people don’t bother to call and complain when they get a defective food product or toiletry item, but if they’ve bought a defective big ticket time like a television, they’d call and complain in a heartbeat, and immediately return it to the store. I’m here to tell you that it is worth taking five minutes of your time to let a company know how you feel about their everyday low cost product – be it good or bad! Usually, I only call the company’s toll-free number to let them know if their product didn’t live up to their claims or my expectations. Over the years I’ve called to report bones …

There is a wonderful group of widowed ladies from my church ranging in age from 77 to 86. But don’t let their ages fool you – they have more energy and joie de vivre than I do at half their age. All of the ladies have lovely heads of silver hair and have been lovingly dubbed “The Q-Tips” by one of their grandsons. The name has stuck and wherever they go, people ask for “The Q-Tips." I sat them down one day to ask them what their secret to life was. Although these ladies suffer from arthritis, bad knees, a bad arm, eyes, ears, diabetes and high blood pressure, they don’t let these aliments get…

The clock is ticking and in just a few weeks the kids will head back to school. (I love my children, but I can’t wait!) Deals can be had at every kind of store: office supply, discount, drug store, clothing and even the grocery store. Don’t forget catalog and the internet, especially if you are looking for something specific. My girlfriend swears by LL Bean backpacks and Land End clothing. She says it is so worth paying a little extra for a better quality item that will last for several seasons. LL Bean is offering free shipping on everything – no minimum. Make sure you sign up for e-mails …

What is it that draws us in to entering contests or playing the lottery? Is it the lure of something for nothing or millions for a few dollars? That must be the incentive because I see plenty of offers for contests on my food packages and in my magazine pages, while scratch tickets litter the sides of the road on my morning walks. Although I don’t play the lottery, (I feel as though I’m throwing my money away), I do enter the free contests that I find on my food packaging and in the coupon inserts. The majority of contests are now online entries, but years ago you had to fill out a form and …

Where has the summer gone? No one ever asks 'where has the winter gone,' or 'where has the fall gone?' – No, it’s always 'where has the summer gone?' Why is that? Is it because summer is the time of vacations, no school and outdoor living? When you can swim in the lake or pool for hours on end? Is it because you can sit outside under the stars and watch as the fireflies put on their flashy show? The hazy warm days of summer with the unstructured laziness of nothing to do. Sigh. It’s all coming to a crashing halt in four weeks and parents everywhere are quietly bidding their time counting down…

All day today my children were screaming “Get away from me!”  “It’s so gross!”  “You’re grossing me out!” “Yew!” No, I didn’t turn into a zombie, although from my children’s comments you’d think I was one. I have a case of poison ivy that has blistered and is weeping. I find it very ironic that when the children have a rash, it’s mom taking care of them, putting ointment on them. But, when mom has a rash they are yelling “That’s disgusting!” Now, I was pulling up the poison ivy on purpose (wearing disposable gloves) to rid ourselves of this plant. The Latin name is Toxicodendron radicans with…

Remember the song, “In The Good Old Summertime?" George Evans -- music;Ren Shields -- lyrics There's a time each yearThat we always hold dear,Good old summer time;With the birds and the trees'esAnd sweet scented breezes,Good old summer time,When you day's work is overThen you are in clover,And life is one beautiful rhyme,No trouble annoying,Each one is enjoying,The good old summer time.To swim in the pool,You's play "hooky" from schoolGood old summer time;You play "ring-a rosie"With Jim, Kate and Josie,Good old summer time,Those days full of pleasureWe now fondly treasure,When we never …

My husband always says half-jokingly that summer is over after the 4th of July. This comment makes the kids and I shout “No, it’s not!" There are seven more weeks of summer vacation – still plenty of time to hike, swim and camp – whatever you and your family enjoy doing, there is still time to do it, and close to home, too. The internet is a great tool to find cheap or free activities for the kids. Type in “free summer activities for kids” or “free outdoor activities for kids” and a whole page of websites will appear. Narrow your search by adding “in Massachusetts." Here are a few things we …

Sometimes you get to buy what you need (or even want) and get a bonus thrown in for free! This week at CVS, if you spend $30 on certain specially marked times you get a $10 gas card. They ran this offer two months ago, and I purchased several bags of M&Ms, which made nice year end gifts for teachers, bus drivers, etc.; plus I got a $10 gas card as a bonus. I just opened a bag of peanut M&Ms that I kept for my family – yummy! CVS’s flyer also states which items have a coupon for them from Sunday’s newspaper insert. Here are some other deals to look for when shopping: - Many times a product …

In June 1776, representatives from the 13 colonies weighed a resolution that would declare their freedom from Great Britain. On July 2, the Continental Congress voted in favor of independence, and two days later its delegates adopted the Declaration of Independence. From 1776 until today, July 4th has been celebrated as the birth of American Independence marked by celebrations such as fireworks, parades, concerts, family gatherings and cookouts.  My family, for example, is celebrating with friends at their home in Maine this year. The house is an old colonial from before the Revolutionary War…

I just tripped and fell over my daughter's back brace in the hallway (she wears a brace for scoliosis) and I said a bad word. My son asked if it was a bad word, and I said “Yes, don’t ever repeat it!" I used to swear, but when the first child came along, and at age 2 repeated what I’d just said – I swore (the other kind), that I’d never use bad language around my children. And 99.9 percent of the time I don’t say anything bad, but when I get hurt, sometimes a bad word slips out. It’s important to admit you’re human to your children. Say “Mom said something that she shouldn’t have said, that’s…

It broke my heart. I dragged my feet heading out the door. I didn’t want to go back to work after my maternity leave was over. I’d been able to squeeze my work week into four 10 hour days, but it still wasn’t where I wanted to be. For eight months, my mother came down from New Hampshire to babysit while I worked. Finally, I said this is ridiculous! We can eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches every night and day, but I want to be home with my precious baby! I don’t want to miss all those “firsts”-the first smile, the first word and the first step. The first year of a child’s life is …

Remember the MTV series “Unplugged?"  It was when artists literally unplugged and did acoustic versions of their work. I’ve read many articles about how much time we spend plugged in, whether it be spending time online, on our cell phones or playing video games. It’s been estimated that 40 percent of people who go on vacation check in with their workplace via phone or email. What compels us to feel that something is wrong if we aren’t plugged in? Of course we wonder how technology will change our thinking, our behavior and even our physiology. Opposable thumbs are great for texting!  We can …

When planning a trip, we make lists of all the things we need.  I know that we bring too many things when we go on trips. We have the—I need this "just in case" mode. How many outfits, shoes, will I need where I’m going? The answer to these questions may depend on one’s gender. Though I think as Americans, we have a tendency to always bring too much with us when we go places. We might say well I can always buy deodorant when I go to Canada—but why do that? Why have an experience as mundane as looking for something in another country? Why experience something like that when we have to go to …

Many nights before I go to bed, I will write out my to do list for the next day. There are some days that are chock full from morning until night between work, errands and shuttling the children places. So when a child is sick or an emergency comes up, flexibility is key. Yesterday was the perfect example. I was getting everyone ready to head off to school when my youngest child told me that she didn’t feel well. Oh great! There goes my to do list. But the most important thing is to tend to your child (so hopefully they can go to school the next day)! So moms (or dads), you know the drill. …

There is an amazing thing that happens when you volunteer for an organization or cause that you believe in. You stop focusing on your problems and shortcomings. How can you feel sorry for yourself when you are helping out at the local food pantry and see people with much less than you? If you have been blessed with a talent or caring spirit, there are so many ways to give back to others. There are so many groups that rely on volunteers to run. There must certainly be a perfect fit for your interests and talents. Volunteers can be young, old and in-between! My children have volunteered at the …