Author Archives: Carol Paxman

Fancy Paper Snowflakes

The end of summer always gets me thinking about the holidays. I know, I know, it’s early but here is a cute little craft you can make with just paper, tape and a stapler. You can make them small or large, hang them on the tree or from the ceiling. Easy and inexpensive decorations that look fancy. First you will need six pieces of paper for each snowflake. This one is made from one sheet of printer paper cut into six squares, but I’ve also make them with six pieces of printer paper. If you use six piece of printer … Continue reading →

Take Them Camping

Summer is almost officially over. Labor day is just around the corner. Are you doing anything fun? As a single mother money is always tight but I still like to take little trips with Hailey. Everyone needs to get away and one final weekend trip to end the summer is always welcome. When I first got divorced I was scared to go camping alone. I’m not sure what I was afraid of but I had to bite the bullet and do it, it was really the only thing I could afford to do. Taking kids camping is always fun as … Continue reading →

Act Like An Adult Please!

I’m tired of being the only adult parent my daughter has, her father is chronologically an adult but still acts like a teenager. When I got divorced I promised myself that I would never bash Hailey’s father, I would never make her feel like she had to choose sides or feel guilty for her loyalty. I had hoped that her father would do the same. For the last ten years my ex husband has said mean and hurtful things, about me, to our daughter. Many times Hailey would come home from a visit upset and it would take a day … Continue reading →

Are Separate Birthday Parties Necessary?

Is your child’s birthday one more day that you dread because you have to figure out how to share it with your ex? When I was first divorced Hailey’s birthday loomed over me like a dark cloud. I didn’t want it to be one more holiday that she would have to split between mom and dad’s house. That first birthday after the divorce was hard. Hailey was sad, her family was glaringly divided. After that year I decided never again. I wanted Hailey’s birthday to be a celebration for and about her. So I called my ex husband and hashed … Continue reading →

School Shopping On a Budget

It’s back to school time for most of us. I remember how worried I was that first year I was divorced. Where was the money going to come from for school clothes? There seemed to be so many expenses. I was fortunate that first summer, my niece and nephew were old enough to stay home alone and Hailey stayed with them so I didn’t have to pay for daycare, when school started it was a different story. There were so many things to worry about, Hailey was going to be a latch key kid for the first time, she would … Continue reading →

What’s In Your Environment

Have you heard that Johnson & Johnson will be cleaning up their personal care products by 2015? Up until recently no one seemed to give much thought to what was in their products. We bought whatever was on sale to clean with and we all have our favorite lotions and potions. Did you ever think about what was in all that stuff you surround yourself with? There has been a push to “go green” and I try to be green but sometimes I fall down on the job. It’s easier to get the scent I want out of a product … Continue reading →

Teach Your Children Before It’s Too Late

We all have things we wish we would have done differently., especially when it comes to raising our children. If I could do things over again I would have made Hailey do more chores, take more responsibility around the house. When I became a single parent it just seemed easier to do things myself. The time it would take to teach Hailey was time we could spend doing something we enjoyed, so I didn’t teach her. Now she is an adult and is missing some very important life skills. If you think it’s hard to teach a ten year old … Continue reading →

Keep Social Media Out Of It

Divorce is rarely pretty. We all hope that we can be civil with our ex spouses and behave like the adults we are when working things out. This hardly ever happens. Usually one person wants the divorce more than the other which may leave one of you very bitter. When people are hurt they tend to lash out, now they have a much more public forum in which to garner support for their “side”. Thanks to social media, our most private things are out there for the world to see. There is an awful lot of he said/she said. Usually … Continue reading →

Rainbow Wall Art

I cannot take the credit for this idea, I’ve seen it all over the internet. I need a birthday present for a four year old and this looked quick and fun. It was fun but not really all that quick, it takes time to organize and melt all those crayons! This is a perfect time to do this craft because school supplies are on sale. Materials Canvas Crayons Hot glue gun Hair dryer The canvas can be any size you like, from 8×10 to larger. If you go larger put the crayons on the long side so they have a … Continue reading →

No One Is Perfect

Feelings of inadequacy are so common when you are a single parent. When I first got divorced I tried to hard to do everything, be the perfect employee, the perfect mother, keep a beautiful house, and be a combination of Betty Crocker and Martha Stewart. I failed miserably. Some days were just so hard. If I was at work I was thinking about Hailey, how was she adjusting to the divorce? Was she going to be ok? Did I do the right thing? When I was home I worried that I wasn’t giving my job 100%, I needed that job … Continue reading →