Saturday 27 April 2019

Printable Pillow Fort Signs


If you have a child in elementary school, it always seems like it’s someone’s birthday. One after another, it can be hard to keep track of. That’s why we all understand that last minute rush to find a cute gift for your child’s next birthday or slumber party.


With these awesome DIY pillow fort printables, you can make an amazing gift that will be the hit of the sleep over — all without breaking the bank. Simply Gather together a few necessary supplies like a sheet and clothespins, and print our the pillow fort gift tag included in the gift. Take it to the next level and print out the included signs and flags to name the fort or write the name of the recipient on their very own signs. Plus, the no-fail instructions guide you through the process of making a simple pillow fort, making this gift fun all around.




Use these printables by Sleep Advisor to put together an awesome and affordable gift, or even keep them for yourself and break them out on a rainy day for the perfect indoor activity.

Thursday 25 April 2019

Ways To Teach Kids About Community & The Environment


Teaching kids about our communities and the environment is a very important step to creating a better and brighter future. Not only will they have the tools they need to grow and become contributing members of society but, they will be able to pass the knowledge onto others and help give back. Here are a few ways to teach kids about giving back to the community and helping the environment:


Take them to clean up local parks and streets so they can see the affects of littering. Explain how it accumulates and begins to create unsightly messes and harms the environment. Plants and animals suffer from littering as well as the community so it is good to touch on these points and explain why it is so harmful. Another great topic to touch base on is 10 painless ways to give your kids a CO2-free planet and save money doing it.


Take them on a tour within local buildings. Our brownie group took a tour of a local frozen yogurt shop to see how it works. They learned about how the product is made, who works there, and how many people are affected by the work they do. 

So what exactly is a community? community is a group of people living or working together in the same area. People in communities might go to the same schools, shop in the same stores and do the same things. They help each other and solve problems together. If it's a bigger community, the people in it might not always go to the same places, but they might like or believe in the same things.

Teaching kids about what a community is and how it all works together is an important part of growing and learning. If they know more about how it works they can begin to question why things are done the way they are and even come up with ideas to make it better. Life is all about growing and creating positive change that affects us all as a planet. You may have a Nobel prize winner amongst you and helping them grow could secure a brighter future for all of us. 

Wednesday 24 April 2019

Mind De-Clutter: 7 Things to Stop Telling Yourself


Being a woman is tough, and not just because of the million different things you have to do each day. Sat in the background is that nagging doubt that you don’t measure up to the flawless beauty you’re exposed to every time you watch TV or check your social media. But what can you do about it?
Well, happiness starts with a mind de-clutter. It’s all about getting rid of negativity so that you can have more time and space for positivity. Here’s how you can make it happen.
You Need to Lose Weight
Weight is something that nearly every woman is made to think about at some point. It used to be that skinny was all that mattered, but now more and more women are building athletic looks with hours in the gym in spin classes and CrossFit. That’s great for them, but what if it’s not for you? What if you just want to be… you?
It’s about accepting the way you look in the here and now, and having the confidence to change it the natural way if you don’t like what you’re seeing. A bit of
healthy eating and some light exercise are all you need if you’re prepared to be patient. Don’t work yourself like an Olympic athlete and then go home and starve yourself. Just enjoy the process and the results will come.

Your Hair Doesn’t Work with Your Face Shape
Your hair is one of those areas that you’re under constant pressure to change. Styles change over time, and many women can be left feeling anxious about whether the constant changes really suit them. Becoming conscious of your face shape is something that can be quite damaging to your mental health, so put it to the side. If you find a style that suits you and you feel comfortable with, stick with it for as long as you want to. You’re the only one who should decide that you need to change your hairstyle.
Your Legs Aren’t Long Enough
Heels are a great way to lengthen your legs, but you should only wear them if you want to. If you’re forever forcing yourself into giant 5-inch heels just to add a bit of allure to your appearance, you need to reassess. It’s all about feeling
comfortable and happy, so take the time to figure out what really makes you happy. You’ll be glad you did when you’re still dancing away and enjoying yourself.
There Are Some Things You Just Can’t Change
People will tell you that there are certain things that you can never change, and that life is basically over. This is a really extreme view to take, and not least of all because you’re beautiful just the way you are. That said, some women decide that they want to speak to an expert at a clinic, and make a few subtle alterations that allow them to feel better about themselves. It’s perfectly normal, and if you consult with an expert, they’ll be able to give you the feedback and input that will make your life happier.
You’re Not as Pretty as the Pictures on Instagram
Who cares? The pictures you see on there are basically staged, filtered, and often just airbrushed to within an inch of their lives. It really doesn’t matter if you don’t look like them, because the people in them rarely look like that. Enjoy the aesthetics if that’s what you want to do, but don’t feel any pressure to live up to those
hyper-unrealistic images. Take care of your skin, and don’t expect it to acquire an Instagram filter overnight.
You’re Too Shy in Social Situations
Okay, so this one isn’t purely about the way you look, but for a lot of women it stems from their view of their own appearance. If you feel shy in social situations, be kind to yourself. You’re still making yourself engage and go out, so you should be really proud of that fact. It’s also true that some of your loudest and brashest friends will be some of the most nervous ones while getting ready for a big girls’ night out. It doesn’t matter that you feel shy. What matters is that you’re able to overcome it and live a life that makes

How To Teach Kids To Become Entrepreneurs


New Series of Children’s Books Teaches Kids About Entrepreneurship
In his new children’s book, ‘The Real Estate’s: A Real Estate Investing Family’, Ivan Nemorin teaches children about real estate investing, fostering a love of entrepreneurship at an early age.  The series, Entrepreneurship Books for Kids, depicts various age-appropriate lessons about entrepreneurship.

 In his new children’s book, The Real Estate’s: A Real Estate Investing Family, author Ivan Nemorin teaches children about real estate investing, fostering a love of entrepreneurship at an early age.  In the story, the Real Estate’s son, Maddox, doesn’t understand why his family owns several properties. Why do they own so many homes, even though they already have a house to live in? To teach Maddox about real estate and entrepreneurship, his parents take him through the process of listing and renting out a home.
The Real Estate’s: A Real Estate Investing Family uses a creative story line to introduce young readers to terms like cash flow and includes a list of vocabulary words. The storyline follows plans Maddox has to buy his own treehouse with a little help in the form of a loan from the banks. He even has ambitious plans to renovate the house and rent it out, making his parents proud.
Nemorin says, “I want children to be exposed to entrepreneurship at an early age. My books are a tool parents, teachers, and adults in any walk of life can use to provide an educational resource for their children.”  Most young people never have the opportunity to learn about the world of entrepreneurship. The goal of The Real Estate’s: A Real Estate Investing Family is to prepare young people for entrepreneurship and to plant the seeds of prosperity for their futures.
The book features a black entrepreneurial family, so children and young teens of color can see people who look like them as entrepreneurs. It seeks to open the horizons of inner city youth by providing positive role models. 

Ivan Nemorin
Ivan Nemorin is a proud husband and father to his baby boy, Maddox Creed. He is also an entrepreneur who has invested in real estate and owned several businesses and has an outstanding portfolio in real estate

As a young child, Ivan Nemorin did not have many resources. Everything he knows about realestate he read about or taught himself as an adult. Ivan is very passionate about being able to teach children the ins and outs of real estate, so they are able to grasp the knowledge and information at an early age.

He believes we live in a society where athletes and entertainers are celebrated, and most urban kids grow up idolizing said individuals and believe it’s the only way to obtain success. He notices the lack of educational resources for our urban children, so he has  geared towards entrepreneurship children's books. 

For more information, please visit www.entrepreneurbooksforkids.com

“Like” Entrepreneur Books for Kids on Facebook athttps://www.facebook.com/EntrepreneurBooksforKids/


Follow Entrepreneur Books for Kids on Instagram @EntrepreneurBooks4Kids and Ivan Nemorin @IvanNemorin
Follow Ivan Nemorin on Twitter @IvanNemorin
Here is our exclusive interview for Funky Frugal Mommy about how to teach kids about becoming a successful entrepreneur! 

How can you teach kids about entrepreneurship?

Teaching kids as early as possible is best. When you introduce the at early age ids tend to lean on those concepts as they grow older. we can introduce the concept of profits. We can lead by example by showing a profit on anything purchase. My mom was a major contributor to my entrepreneurial spirit. She would take me to wholesale markets and buy costume jewelry and bed sheets. She would then turn and sell them at a profit. I got to witness the process of a purchase then a resale at a profit.

What are some age-appropriate lessons you can teach kids about entrepreneurship at different ages?

At ages 5-8 we can teach kids the concept of earring money. Provide a service such as mowing the lawn and for service can get paid. Normal chores around the house can earn them money. By doing this we are showing them how to earn money. At age 8 and up we can begin to teach them how to make a profit by buying and selling. A good example is to have them buy something they would like to sell and turn a profit. cards, cookies, candy, the list goes on.

How can you foster a love of entrepreneurship early in kids?

Introducing the concept of profit is a great way. soon you can get them to sell something and make a profit the better. It will also help build self esteem and skills that children usually hold on to.

How can you teach kids about real estate in investing?

One great way to teach real estate investing is through my favorite board game Monopoly. Monopoly has all the basic foundational knowledge of real estate investing. buying property, paying rent when you land on someone else’s property. You have the cash flow concept and property ownership all wrap up in one game.

Your books depict a black entrepreneurial family.  Why is it important for children of color to see examples of urban entrepreneurship?

My book is on a true story my family. We notice the need to share our story with urban America because most images of black families in the media tend to be negative. We also wanted to share a resource that urban America tend to miss out on at early age. This early exposure to real estate entrepreneurship can supply another avenue to create wealth

Friday 19 April 2019

Find Your Signature Scent With This Fun Perfume Quiz

When you’re a busy mom it can be hard to throw together the perfect outfit. No matter if you’re on
your way to a playdate, out with friends or going to the grocery store in your sweatpants, you have time
to spritz on your signature scent.


There are several different ways people wear a signature scent. Some people have their tried and true
favorite perfume. Some prefer to change their scent with the seasons and some will dress it up or down
depending on the occasion.


However, if you don’t know what your favorite fragrance is, it can be tough to decide. Nobody has time
to go through the process of doing research to figure out which scent works best for them. Your
personality will say a lot about what scent you use.


That’s why FragranceX designed this fun fragrance quiz to help you narrow down your options.
You can either take the interactive quiz they built out or you can use the fun flowchart below to help
you figure out which scent family works best for your personal style.

Enjoy!


How to turn errands with your child into a budgeting lesson (and still keep your sanity)

There’s not a parent alive who doesn’t dread bringing their children with them when running to the store. In fact, I’m surprised that grocery stores don’t offer a childcare service for parents – I’d be willing to forego half of my grocery budget to pay for that. I have a six-year-old girl and 3-year-old boy; rarely is there a shopping trip with them where one of us doesn’t leave in tears.

A way to make shopping trips with the kids less painful while also teaching them important money management skills. I’m not saying that our shopping trips aren’t still fairly painful (I’m only human), but at least now I feel like there is some good that is coming out of these torture trips. Below are my tips for teaching your kids about money before, during and after the store.

1 -  Allowance: In order for your child to learn how to budget, they need to have one important thing…money! Yes, I’m talking about allowance. I’m a pro-allowancer (trying to make this a real term), and believe in starting allowance as early as 4 years old. I know, I know…allowance has become the latest and greatest parent debate. The “right” way to give your kids an allowance is a topic of conversation and source of stress for many parents. Which makes sense, because we’re parents and stress is what we do best. However, as a financial professional, I can officially tell you that there’s very little proven “right” or “wrong” when giving your child an allowance. As long as you follow some basic ground rules and stay consistent, you (probably) won’t completely ruin your child’s money management skills for life. And keep in mind the purpose of allowance. It’s simply a tool they can use to practice and learn about money management.  Click here for more on best practices when structuring your child’s allowance.

2 - Spend/Share/Save: Every time your child receives money, whether it’s allowance or gift money, make sure they first put some of it away for savings, some for giving and the rest can go towards spending. This “three piggy bank system” gets them into the habit of not spending everything they make.  I like using clear mason jars as piggy banks, so they can see their money grow (literally). It doesn’t really matter how much they put into each jar, as long as they put something into each.

3 – The Spend Jar: Explain the jars to your child. For the purposes of this activity, we are focusing on the spend jar. Tell your child that the money they put into this jar is for whatever they want to buy. Ok, let me backpedal a bit. “Whatever they want, within reason (and mom determines reason)”. When I first started this program with my daughter, I made the mistake of telling her that it was “her money” and she could spend it on “whatever she wants”. I learned my lesson after a few traumatic trips to Target with my daughter screaming, “but you promised I could buy whatever I want! You promised this was my money! You PROMISED!”, all with a death grip on a six-pack of Mountain Dew, a hammer (“But it’s PINK!!”) or something equally as child-unfriendly. So do as I say and not as I do. Give your child some guidelines, like they can’t buy something that’s alive, dangerous or has more than 300 g. of sugar. 

4 – Stop buying “stuff”: This goes hand in hand with number 3…stop buying them stuff. You know what I mean. At the grocery store when your child is begging you to buy them some gum, cinnamon flavored toothpicks, sprinkles, a bottle opener shaped like a frog, etc. We all are guilty of it once in a while. We buy them that god awful bottle opener that they have zero use for, but it will give us 7 minutes of peace, so we get it for them.

This is the most painful step of all of them - stop doing that. Be sure to warn them before you venture to the store. Tell your child that having their own money to spend means that you aren’t going to buy her anything on this trip. She can buy something as long as she has enough ‘Spend’ money.  Their spend money then becomes the “Mom can I have that?” fund.

One of the most important budgeting concepts a child can learn is that every purchase is a decision. Every time they use their money for one thing, it means they can’t use their money for something else.

Then every, and I mean every, time you step out of the house with your child to run an errand, tell your child to bring their spend money. Even if you are going to the hairdresser and dry cleaner; you may think you’re safe, but you never know when a seemingly innocent store will have a bouncy ball machine.

5 – Bite Your Tongue:  Let them buy that horrific toy that you know they will lose, break, forget about or hate within 45 minutes. Every time they say “can I have it” you answer, “of course, as long as you have enough money” (see the exceptions in #3). Let them make mistakes. Bite your tongue and let them buy the overpriced emoji shaped squishy ball. Let them experience the disappointment first-hand of making a bad money decision. This is not to be sadistic (promise); it’s the only way they will learn and then want to avoid the same mistake later. Allowing them to make mistakes now gives them practice, when there are no real consequences. You don’t want them to learn how to make spending mistakes at age 20 when they are buying their first car, renting their first apartment, etc.

6 – Discuss: Finally, talk to them about it. And I don’t mean what we all want to say, which is “SEE!!!! I’m not just an evil mean mommy who doesn’t want you to have any fun!!! This was a crappy piece of junk toy and I KNEW it would break!!!”. Instead, ask them how they feel about it breaking. What else could they have done with that money?  Gently suggest next time maybe waiting a day before they buy a toy, to make sure they really want it.

Which by the way, is another win/win for the parents. You’re welcome.

Liz Frazier is the author of  “Beyond Piggy Banks and Lemonade Stands: How to Teach Young Kids About Finance”, [Fall 2019] a guide to help parents, caregivers and educators teach elementary school kids the financial basics. In addition to her CFP, Frazier holds an MBA from Wake Forest University and is a member of the Financial Planning Association (FPA) and the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA). She is also a regular finance contributor on Forbes.com, focusing on everyday personal finance that anyone can understand and use; her articles provide real world simple, accessible, and entertaining financial advice.