by Laura Washington.

One of the best things my mother and best friend, Gail Ferreira (a.k.a. the best mother in the world), taught me was how to be a great parent on shoestring budget. My mother was a magician. We never had a lot of money when I was growing up, but I never knew that. I thought that we were rich. My parents thought outside the box and found a way to do fun things as a family that didn’t cost too much. For example, when I was older I learned that my parents got us amazing free vacations by sitting in on 2 hour presentations to buy time shares; or camping at $5 camp sites. My parents never felt sorry for themselves. They found ways to make life stress free and fun for us. I believe that is why my family is still very close. Families today could learn a lot from my mother. People can still have a great time with each other without spending very much money. Parents can be magicians like my mother by adapting the kind of attitude she did about money. When a parent is enthusiastic about something, the child will follow suit.

Please click "Read more" to find out some fun ways of bringing richness into your children's lives.

If I was able to create a list of things that I dislike, change would be on the top of my list. Nothing makes me more uncomfortable than the thought of unexpected change. I get into habits, and then have difficulty breaking them. My routines are comfortable.

Some changes are good; getting a new job (with a raise!) or getting accepted into a great college. But even good change comes with anxiety. New places have new directions that need to be memorized and new people to meet and new routines to get into. But that comes with the territory and the anxiousness that goes along with it can be overcome.
The type of change that is the most difficult to deal with is the unexpected change that is bad. Being laid off from a job, breakups, or losing an apartment can really burst your bubble and take time to recover from. Change that is the most difficult to deal with is change that we do not have control over. The loss of control can be quite daunting for many of us. It might sound like a cliché but when confronting serious issues in life, try to remain positive. Being let go from a job is never something that someone hopes for; but may provide an opportunity to reevaluate career goals.

Please click "Read more" to find out more ways to deal with major changes.