Tag Archives: childcare

Gospel Questions: Are Mormons Christians?

Of all the questions that are posed to members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, this one is the most frequently asked. Somewhere along the way a rumor was started that we worship Joseph Smith as our God, and that we do not worship Jesus Christ. I would like to start off the Gospel Questions series by answering this concern. We worship, love and adore the Lord Jesus Christ with all our hearts. We know He is our Redeemer, our Savior, the Son of God. He is central to every meeting, every ordinance, and every activity that … Continue reading →

Planning a Sales Party or Workshop? Consider Offering Childcare

I recently received a flyer for a large international conference. Although I was impressed with the slick program and information, what really jumped out at me was that the conference planners were offering child care. The flyer stated that if a registrant or participant needed child care they would need to call in advance and there would be a fee, but child care would be available. I couldn’t help but think what a great idea! And it got me to thinking about those of us who might be operating our own consulting or direct sales businesses from our homes and … Continue reading →

Flexible Spending Accounts

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If you have access to a flexible spending account for medical or dependent care, you should be taking advantage of the tax savings. But, these accounts can be tricky… so let’s discuss them for a bit. A flexible spending account is set up through your employer. It is almost like a savings account, except it doesn’t earn interest. What is does is allow you to set aside money tax-free. This reduces your overall income reported on your tax statements. Depending on the amount of expenses you have, this can move you into a lower tax bracket or at the very … Continue reading →

Author Interview – Pamela S. Thibodeaux

Our guest author today is Pamela S. Thibodeaux, award-winning national inspirational romance writer. She is the Co-Founder/President and Treasurer of the Bayou Writers Group in Lake Charles, Louisiana. She writes romantic fiction and creative non-fiction, and reviewers have called her books “Inspirational with an Edge!” Pamela is conducting a month-long virtual book tour and has consented to join us for the last stop on her journey. Pamela, it’s wonderful to meet you. How long have you been writing? I began writing 25 yrs ago in 5-subject notebooks. This I did for eleven years. In 1993 I bought my first ‘used’ … Continue reading →

Teaching Your Homeschooler about Evolution

I realize my title may seem like a huge contradiction to many Christian Homeschoolers, but if you read my last post, you will see that I believe in teaching my children about all subjects in which the human population is familiar. Here are some sources you can use should you want to teach your child about evolution: Life on Earth is a simple no-nonsense book that teaches the “story of evolution”. It is a children’s book, written for ages 4-8, but it contains the “facts” that will give the children the information they need, regardless of age. The Kingfisher History … Continue reading →

Save Money by Hiring a Baby-Entertainer Vs. a Baby-Sitter

The other day I was talking with a girlfriend of mine about my various home-based businesses and how hard it was finding time to catch up. Last year, I hired a high-school student to watch my children two days per week while I went to a coffee shop to catch up on e-mails and write. She was wonderful, but frankly when I factored in the cost of the drive, my coffee and her services I am not sure if I was able to make enough money to make up the difference. “Why don’t you hire my daughter to watch your … Continue reading →

For Freelance Writers–Do You Keep a Journal Too?

One of the most basic morsels of advice for writers is to keep a journal and many of us just seem to naturally carry a notebook or journal with us wherever we go. However, as we write more and more for pay as freelancers, we may find it harder to take the time to keep up with our journal writing too… Continuing to keep a journal while working on other writing projects and building a freelance writing business is a great way to generate ideas, work out new projects and just keep the “juices flowing” in terms of creative and … Continue reading →

Christian Book Distributor’s Bargain Bonanza

*sigh* All the money I’m saving by reading MaryAnn’s frugal blogs is being spent on deals! I’m almost ready to quit saving money on them. Not! I have this fantasy where one year I’ll spend nothing that isn’t absolutely necessary. Fortunately, I always wake up! I ordered today from Christian Book Distributors. They’re having a Bargain Bonanza. Here’s what was in my basket: Lucy’s Christmas Box – I loved the Chronicles of Narnia. Yeah, it was Disney-fied and Aslan was wimped down, but for the most part, it kept the magic of the original C.S. Lewis classic. We’ve collected and … Continue reading →

What Almost Every Mother Knows

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If there was room for it, the complete title for this blog would be “What Almost Every Mother Knows, But Keeps to Herself”. Yesterday, Nancy took our three oldest adopted children to visit our daughter and her husband for the night. They had planned activities for this morning. She left me at home with our four year old and 30 month old boys. Ok, I will admit it. Nancy is much better at taking care of children than I am. It does take both of us at home to raise them given the number and their special needs. When we … Continue reading →

Speaking Ill of the Dead

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When I wrote my two recent blogs on suicide expressing my sadness that there are people who still believe that those who commit suicide are selfish, I waited for more of the same. I did not have to wait long. It was initially heartwarming to see that there were two very intelligent and compassionate comments on the dilemma of suicide. You can read them here. Unfortunately, the next comment on this blog reiterates the ignorance surrounding the issue of suicide. This is what this person wrote, and I quote: I do think it’s selfish. People don’t commit suicide because the … Continue reading →