Read books

If Brother and Sister Bear move from a cozy cave high up in the mountains to a big tree house in the heart of bear country then your kid can too. Books can be a great resource when preparing your young children for a big change in their lives. The written word and illustration have the ability to explain that unfamiliar things have rewards and benefits. Reading takes the pressure of a parent to come up with the ‘right’ words. Your biggest difficulty may be consoling the kid when they find out your new house isn’t in a tree.

Talk about it

Moving to a different home is not like getting a vaccination. This move will inject more change then an itchy red sore. Your conversations with them should reflect their developmental age. A school age child might be comforted in knowing that friendships can continue despite the distance. Get them scrapbooking about their big move and encourage them to email or even snail mail their buddies. My 3 year old thought that when we sold our house it included the contents. I could see her relief when she understood that CareBear would be in the moving truck with us.

Pack with Purpose

Start to pack early and methodically. Why start in the kid’s bedroom when you can start in the hallway closet? Children are comforted by their familiar surroundings. Sort toys ahead but wait until the last possible moment to put them in a box. Give your child a box to decorate and allow them to fill it with their most precious items. This box will travel in your car and be the first box unpacked in your new home.

Continue with Life

Preparing for a move can be time consuming. Just remember to make fun a priority. Take a break from wrapping glassware to dance in your uncluttered living room or get outside and play tag in the sunshine. Your kids will feel more secure if your routine remains consistent. Try to avoid excessive amounts of take out and instead focus on easy one pot or quick prep meals to fill your tummies. There will be plenty of time to sample take out from every restaurant within 5 km of your new postal code.

Whether you are upsizing or downsizing keep these simple tips in mind. So you can spend less time adjusting and more time enjoying your new home.

Stephanie Raposo

1.  Take advantage of Canada’s Benefits. The Canada Child Tax Benefit is based on your family income, and all may apply.  Whether you qualify for this or not, the Universal Child Care Benefit, which totals $100 per month, (per child under six) is available to everyone. It is a taxable benefit, but still more than worth the quick application.  If you are having a baby in BC, the hospital will provide you with forms upon discharge.

Canada Child Tax Benefit
Universal Child Care Benefit

2.  Set up an RESP if you can. Even if you can afford to only deposit their cash birthday and Christmas presents, it will have 18 years to grow, and especially in today’s market climate, by then surely the stock market will be on the upswing…  Go into your bank, set up an appointment with a banker, and choose the best options together.  The RESP is much more flexible than it used to be, so even if little Aidan chooses a community college over Queen’s University, your money isn’t lost.

3. List what is important to your lifestyle. Is missing date night going to kill your spirit and make you a grumpy parent?  Why not cut out the coffee shop and choose a more frugal date option to cover the cost of the sitter?

4.  Figure out your unnecessary spending.  Could you take a lunch to work?  Do your kids really need all of those paid activities?  Could you replace one dinner a week with a simple sandwich night?

5. Credit cards. Yikes.  If you pay a fee, is it worth it?  Do you know what benefits you get from your card and actively use them (or are you one of the people at the car rental counter who still gets the optional insurance because you’re just not sure…)?  Just like the gift cards that stores count on people losing, credit card companies know that most consumers won’t take advantage of the purchase protection on that new TV or the double warranty on your precious espresso machine.

6. Know your health benefits. If massage is covered, maybe that is just as good as treating yourself to a pedicure.  When traveling, many families will buy extra insurance although the company already covers it.

7.  Demand excellence.  If your sippy cup’s valve doesn’t work, or the zipper on your baby’s jacket gets stuck, let the company responsible know.  You are helping future consumers, and you may get a replacement.

8.  Reconsider your relationship to charity. Others always need us.  Instead of cutting your charities out of your life as the budget shrinks, why not donate your time?  You and your kids may just receive the reality check you’ve been waiting for.

9.  Shop smarter. We’re not exactly coupon clippers – who can find them in a full diaper bag? – but shopping at a well-priced store, and buying sales items while there can save you a bundle, plus help to create some variety in your diet.

10.   Pay your bills on time. OK.  Another one we’re not great on, but many companies offer debit directly out of your bank account or payment to your credit card.  Just make sure all of your payments come out or are due around the same day so you can stay organized.

11.  Think community. Finding a dentist, doctor and hairdresser in your neighbourhood could not only save time and stress, but also gas and greenhouse emissions.

12.  Think big. Don’t blow a gasket about the small stuff.  Paying too much for grapes or being a day late on the bills is nothing compared to not doing good research on buying a car, a house, or a new computer.  Investigate your options, and in today’s economy, a little negotiation could go far.  Getting a slightly better mortgage rate can save you thousands.

For great ways to save on spending, check out our Sample Sales.
Nanny Salaries: Salaries for Live-in Caregivers.

In today’s world, everyone is busy.  People always seem to be rushing from one activity to the next and trying to do several things at once in an effort to save time.  Working mothers understand “busy”- they’re basically working two full time jobs, and it’s no wonder why working mothers often find it difficult to balance everything in a neat and organized fashion!
Time management and organization have become popular topics of discussion. Everyone seems to understand that they are the key ingredients to living a life with less stress, and the solution to finding the time to fit everything into jam-packed schedules.
Time management for working mothers is in a category by itself!  Strategies and tips designed for the single working professional aren’t going to be as effective for the working mother, so here are some tips geared for women who are dedicated to raising their families and to moving up the corporate ladder.

• Make Friends With Dawn

Dawn- as in the early morning hours, that is!  Getting up early for most people is a challenge, but getting up before the kids wake up can be the difference between a stressed out, psychotic mother and a sane one!
If the household tends to wake up between 6 and 7am, set your own alarm for one to two hours earlier.  Use this time to have a quiet cup of coffee or tea, check your email, exercise, read the paper or if you have a big day ahead of you, prepare for your workday.
What you don’t want to use this extra quiet time for is housework!  It can be tempting to throw in a load of laundry or empty the dishwasher, but that would defeat the purpose of having some time each morning for yourself.

• Prepare for the Morning Rush the Night Before

Almost every time management and organizational article will recommend that you select your clothing and set them all out the night before you plan to wear them.  Have you ever placed professional clothing on the back of a chair?
No matter how careful you are, you’ll wake up to wrinkled clothing most mornings and have to pick out something else, anyway!
What may work better for you is to look through your clothing and decide what you are going to wear mentally- but leave it all hanging in your closet or folded neatly in your drawers.

• Group Similar Activities Together

When making dinner, also prepare the next day’s lunches for your children, and prepare baby bottles for the sitter’s if need be.  If possible, gather everything for the next morning’s breakfast, as well.  It seems like such small, trivial tasks but if you make it habit to do all of this while you’re already in the kitchen preparing dinner, you’ll save precious minutes in the morning.
Another tip is to cook or prepare several meals at once.  Some people spend a couple hours on Sunday afternoon preparing meals that can be reheated or taken out of the freezer during the week and other people simply cook two meals each time they cook so they can skip a day or two of cooking in between (don’t forget to eat leftovers!)
For example, if you’re having chicken parmesan and pasta on Monday night, bake or fry additional boneless chicken to be used in a Chinese-style stir fry for later in the week.  You can freeze the pre-cooked chicken and simply add it to your vegetables in the frying pan when you’re ready to eat it.

• Don’t Clean so Much

If you do a few things each day, you’ll never have to spend an entire day cleaning the house from top to bottom.  Get your children to help you- children as young as 2 can be taught to do simple chores.  (Yes, it can be a struggle in the beginning for children of any age, but if you are persistent that they do their share, it will just become part of their routine.)
A good tip for a family with children is to do a load of laundry every day, from start to finish.  Don’t take it out of the dryer and let it sit in the laundry basket, either!  Wash, dry, fold and put away- one load each day.  This will avoid the dreaded laundry day- when you spend hours and have to fold 7 baskets of clothes on a Saturday.
Use baby wipes or Clorox wipes to keep your bathrooms clean.  It’s amazing how quick you can wipe out the sink, or little boy toilet “misses” with these wipes!  Keep a sponge in the shower and give it a quick once over every few days while you’re taking your shower and it will stay clean.

• Multi-tasking Super Moms

Working mothers are notorious for their ability to do several things at once.
If you get a lunch break at work, you might want to use it once or twice a week to do some household tasks.  For example, you can eat a sandwich at your desk and pay your bills, fill out school forms or schedule personal appointments.
On the days you don’t need to do household activities, take a walk on your lunch hour to rejuvenate for the afternoon.
You can also effectively fit in exercise while working, in most situations.
If you’re on a phone call, who would know if you’re doing standing leg lifts or tightening your abdominal muscles?  Every little bit of exercise counts.
You can also fit in exercise when playing with the kids after work or on weekends.  Run around the playground with them, or dance around the house like a crazy person!

• Keep Your Sense of Humor

If you take a moment to take pleasure in each of your daily activities, and remind yourself you’re doing exactly what you want to do with your life (raising your beautiful children and working in a career), it’s hard to be overwhelmed or grumpy with the occasional difficult day.  Laugh.  Laugh often, and laugh loud- you’d be amazed at the benefits!

Ley-Ann Clarke is a certified life coach and mother of two. To learn more about life for working mothers, visit her website Fasttrackmoms.com.