7 Things To Consider Before Setting Up Your New House

Moving into a new home, especially one you bought, is both exciting and difficult. There are some things you should do when moving in. Here's a to do list from a reader; most of this list is relevant to buying a home but some are also relevant to renters.

Buying a new house can be exhilarating and overwhelming at the same time. A lifetime of planning and preparation can still make you feel like you are behind. From furniture to kitchenware, the list goes on and on. Therefore, before moving to a new place, you must take care of certain things that require immediate attention before setting everything up. Now let us get your checklist in place:

Tips to Keep Your Food Items Fresher for Longer

I have to admit, I have a hard time making sure to use up all my food in the fridge before it spoils, and it is a sore spot with me. If this is something you struggle with as well, here are some tips from a reader on how to keep your food fresh longer so it doesn't spoil on you.

It's discouraging to dig through your fridge and discover that the "fresh" produce you bought earlier in the week has gone rotten. Fortunately, there are hacks you may employ to get fresher, longer-lasting goods. Here are some of the greatest methods for preserving the freshness of your food.

Recent Frugal Shopping Deals

Yesterday my kids pointed out that we were missing a lot of necessary foods in my house, so I went to the store and did a big shopping trip. I had thought at first to share all my grocery shop and what I bought and why (like I used to do in the past) but my shop was so big that it was pretty much impossible to get it all in one picture and it would take me ages to write it up, so I decided to stick to sharing just the stuff I got for frugal reasons, that were a good deal.

3 Things You Shouldn’t Do While Driving

Driving can be useful but it can be risky as well. There are things you can do to mitigate the risk and there are things you can do to endanger yourself as well. Here are some important things to keep in mind so that you can drive safely and get home in one piece.

When it comes to how safe your car is, several variables come to mind. The number of airbags in your vehicle, what the body is made out of, and many others. These are all vehicle-related factors that can be crucial to saving lives. The vehicles of today have benefited from robotics and techniques such as plastic molding. They are built with durability and safety in mind. Many government laws forbid vehicles without safety features to be driven. That means all that is left now to worry about is the human factor.

Vitamin D for Brain & Nervous System Health

I, as well as many other people, are vitamin D deficient. Vitamin D is imperative in so many ways, and lacking it can contribute to so many different health issues. Here's more from a reader on the importance of vitamin D, especially when it comes to young children.

Very young children do not always get all the nutrients they need to grow and develop. You may need to supplement with pediatrician recommended vitamins. Vitamin D is an important nutrient to receive at any age, but especially so for children.

I Broke My Frugal Shopping Rule

I've written quite a few times on how to save money on groceries, its almost like the main part of my blog, other than recipes, and one of the money-saving grocery shopping tips that is pretty much the most basic one is stay out of the grocery store. Grocery stores legitimately learn the best tricks to get you to spend as much money as possible, using psychology, etc... (watch this awesomely fun and hilarious Food Theory video that talks about these tricks) and therefore, the more times you enter the grocery store the more money you'll spend. Almost no one ever manages to leave the store with just that one thing because the stores are designed to make you spend money. Better get your shopping done all at once and then just leave! And if you want to go to more than one store because each store has better prices for specific things, then rotate- going one week to one store, one week to another, and buy things at each store for more than one week, because the more times you enter a grocery store, the more money you'll spend, even with a list.

But I broke that rule of mine recently. But only because I trusted myself, and knew I could trust myself in this manner...

Basically, the story is like this.

Tips For Weaning Your Baby On A Vegan Diet

Some people choose to be on a vegan diet, whether for moral, health, environmental reasons, or a combination of the above. Some also choose to do it for financial reasons. But while veganism is a choice that many people make, there are some factors to consider when weaning your child if you are intending to raise them on a vegan diet. Here are some tips regarding that.

Introducing your baby to solids for the first time is exciting yet confusing; it can be a challenge, especially if you are a first-time mom. If you are a vegan and want to start your baby on a vegan diet, it is possible despite what you may have heard.

The key is to choose the right vegan food to provide your growing baby with the necessary nutrients they need. You may be excluding some foods by taking a vegan diet, so you must take care to ensure you also don’t exclude the nutrients those foods provide from your baby’s diet. Vegan diets can lack Calcium, Vitamin B12, and Vitamin D because the primary source of these nutrients is animal food.

However, you can supplement these nutrients by feeding the baby supplements, especially Vitamin B12, only found in animal foods.

With that said, it's the same as with any other diet plan to start weaning your baby. It takes a lot of patience and consistency to get it right. Here are some tips if you want to start your baby on a vegan diet.

Why Foster Care Could Be Rewarding For You

I have some friends who are foster parents, and a few other friends interested in becoming foster parents. While this is not something I could do myself, at least not at this stage in my life, it is something you might be interested in. Here are some reasons from a reader on why and how foster care can be rewarding for you.

Foster care is a rewarding experience for many individuals.

It can be tough and emotional at times, but it also provides you with the opportunity to help children who have had difficult lives. If this sounds like something that would interest you, then keep reading to learn more about what foster care entails and if it's right for you.

Homemade Toum Sauce Recipe- Lebanese Garlic "Mayonnaise" Spread

Mmmmm.... nom nom nom.

I recently was at my friend Tammy's house, and together with dinner she put out this lovely spread called toum, a dip, sauce, or spread made of garlic. Though I am quite familiar with and often enjoy Middle Eastern cuisine, I had never heard of nor had toum before that. But toum, pronounced toom, is spectacular. When Tammy served it, purchased from a local vendor, it was nearly identical to the texture of traditional mayonnaise, but it doesn't always come out quite that thick. However, if I'd have to describe it as something, it would be very garlicky vegan mayonnaise.

As someone who has made very many mayonnaise type dishes, from the standard egg based mayonnaise to vegan rice flour and mustard based mayo to my widely acclaimed flax based vegan mayonnaise (dubbed by TheKitchn as the most successful flax based mayo) and a whacko mayo type sauce made from foraged mallow seeds and even a vegan hollandaise sauce, I am no stranger to making these emulsified sauces, but even I was a bit skeptical about using garlic as an emulsifier. I mean who knew that garlic was even capable of being an emulsidier?

But since I ate it, I knew it could be done, and wanted to replicate it at home.

6 Tips for Improving Your Grades

My son is in high school and has a long travel day and a lot of extracurricular activities. Some of my friends are in college, many while simultaneously raising a family. These things make it hard to get good grades. Here are some tips from a reader on how you or your kid can raise your grades.

School isn’t easy, whether college or high school. Whether you're in college or your kid is in high school, there are so many stresses. On top of all the peer pressure and social politics, there is taking tests, writing essays, executing group projects and carve out time to study. Then there’s that part-time jobs you or your kid took to support yourself or to save up money for your post-graduation plans. Oh, and what about all the extra-curricular stuff, like sports and music?

It’s a small miracle anyone completes high school or college, let alone with good grades! Yet, if you want to continue on to the higher education of your choice, you need to make sure to keep up those grades.

If you or your kid want to ace your courses, you need a few aces up your sleeve. Below, you’ll find a few easy-to-follow tips for improving one's grades. No one can guarantee that these tips will improve one's marks (every learner is different), but they’ve worked for countless students in the past.

Without further ado, let’s hit the books!

How to Teach Your Kids to Spend and Save Responsibly

From day one, pretty much, I've tried to teach my kids to be money wise and responsible spenders, and I'd say it's pretty much been successful, though obviously the older ones have it more down pat than the younger ones. Here are some ideas from a reader on how you can help your children with this.

Raising a family is as rewarding as it is challenging, especially when it comes to dealing with money. As a parent, you want your children to feel safe and supported, including teaching them life lessons that they will be able to take with them as they grow and become more independent.

When it comes to money, it’s never too early to teach your kids about the benefits of making wise financial decisions, saving solutions, and to learn about other options. When you have a complete understanding of money, you have the tools you need to live a stable life. Teaching your kids these ideals will undoubtedly help them later in life.

Every day is an opportunity to teach valuable life lessons to your kids, and money habits are a great place to start.

Follow our tips and tricks for teaching your kids how to spend and save responsibly.

The Start of the New School Year

My girlies on their first day of school

As I wrote in my previous post, I had a really hard time in August regarding school for my daughter Rose this year, when I was told that the placement I wanted for her wasn't possible because there was no room left in the special ed class in the school I requested, and they insisted on putting her in a class in a school that wasn't right for her or our family, and then two days before the start of the school year I finally was told that they had room for her and she was accepted. I thought it was my local municipality who lied to me, but it turns out it was the municipality of the city where the school I wanted to send her to was located because they were reserving that last spot, waiting first to see if there was anyone from their city that needed a spot, but two days before the school year they let her join. 

Once that was taken care of, especially because everything was last second, I was told by my local municipality that they would take some time to arrange transportation for her to school (as is their legal requirement, as she is a child in a special education framework), so that meant needing to bring her to school every day by bus and picking her up every day.

Budgeting And Planning For A Future House Move: Here's What You Should Know

I abhor moving. In fact, it is one of the things in the world I hate most. But moving sometimes is necessary (and some people don't hate it as much as I do). If you do plan on a move, here are some things to keep in mind to make it easier.

The average American moves 11.7 times in his or her life. Moreover, in 2019, almost 10% of the population in the United States moved; that’s over 30 million people. On one hand, it is a joyride that includes scouting for a house, choosing furniture, and deciding colors. On the other hand, when not planned correctly, it might mean facing unplanned financial difficulties that add a bitter taste to the mix.

Whether you are looking for new horizons to start fresh in a new place or moving because of your job, here are the answers you’ve been looking for. Read on, organize well, and keep it a beautiful moment. A dream without a plan is a dream, but if you budget correctly, you can turn it into a reality.

What Parents Should Know About CBD for Kids

I first heard about CBD from a friend of mine whose son started having terrible, nearly non stop, seizures. He was in the hospital and none of the medications they gave him were helping. With CBD oil, though, her son's seizures finally stopped and he was able to live a normal life. CBD for adults is pretty well known by now, but what about for kids? Here's more on the topic.

Cannabidiol, otherwise known as CBD, is a chemical compound of the cannabis plant. CBD has been found to have benefits of medical and therapeutic use and has gained popularity in states where marijuana has been legalized or decriminalized for recreational use.

CBD derived from hemp plants is legal throughout all fifty states when sold as a dietary supplement without any Tetrahydrocannabinol or THC, the psychoactive component of cannabis. As CBD gains popularity throughout the adult population, some are also sharing the benefits of these magical plants with their kids.

Vegan Chickpea Based Laotian Larb Salad Recipe

When I had a bunch of lemongrass that I wanted to use up after thinning it out from my garden, my mind went immediately to Thai and Laotian food. Larb is a chopped meat salad from that region, generally made with pork, however there are many other ways to make larb. I made non vegan larb and it was wonderful, but I had my friend Jacob, who is vegan, coming to me for the same meal where I planned on serving the meat based larb, and I wanted to have a vegan alternative for it. 

I knew that larb was flexible, being able to be made from a variety of different protein sources, from chicken to beef to pork to turkey, but also could be made vegan. I searched and found recipes for larb made with tofu, mushrooms, seitan, and tempe, but I didn't want to make it with that. My vegan guest loves chickpeas, so I decided to experiment to see how it would come out with chickpeas.

Suffice it so say the experiment was a roaring success. I was so excited when I tasted it and saw how wonderful it was, because I knew it would be a great addition to the meal. My guest not only loved the dish but requested the recipe so that he could make it himself at home. This dish is not just for vegans to enjoy- it is a great low cost dish, gluten free, allergy friendly, and good for a variety of different diets. 

This recipe is based on a bunch of different larb recipes I've seen from around. They all have different ingredients but with the same general idea. Salty, spicy, sweet, sour, umami, and aromatic. Some recipes have mint, some lemongrass. They generally have shallots and fish sauce and lime juice, but to keep down the cost, make it vegan, and use what I had on hand, I used onion and garlic in place of the shallots, gluten free soy sauce in place of the fish sauce, and lemon juice in place of the lime juice. The end result is a dish whose flavor is very full-bodied and almost meaty, in a good way, my guest said. Feel free to add some mint to your dish, I just ran out by the time I made this dish.

This dish is generally served on a bed of lettuce or on rice. I made mine on rice since my lettuce turned out really bitter.

Vegan Chickpea Based Laotian Larb Recipes

Purchasing A New Car In Atlanta – An Essential Guide For Buyers

Purchasing a new-for-you car can be stressful, but if you don't do it wisely you can have a lot more stress afterwards. Here's a guide from a reader on buying cars if you are based in Atlanta, but relevant to people all over as well.

When living in a big city like Atlanta, you can only benefit from owning your own car, whether it’s for driving to work and the store, or getting you and the family out for day trips or visiting friends and relatives. Buying a new car is not a simple decision though, as there are lots of things to consider. Are you going to sell your old car? Perhaps you want to trade it in? And what do you need from your new purchase? Here are some of the top things to do and keep in mind when buying your new ride.

Laotian Beef Larb Recipe - Delicious Chopped Meat Salad

I was working in my garden, preparing it for the winter, and part of that was pruning plants that had gotten too big. My lemongrass plant is gigantic, as no one really uses it, since I didn't really know how to access the part usually used for Asian cooking, and have even purchased some for cooking use, since I was that clueless. I also and am not a big tea drinker, the only thing I knew to do with the rest of the plant. (My dog, though, regularly chews off parts of the lemongrass stalk.) But the lemongrass plant was absolutely gigantic and definitely needed to be thinned out or it would take over my entire garden. Lemongrass, it seems, grows by making more and more shoots next to the original ones, and I pulled out a bunch of that new growth. Googling helped me realize what I needed to do to reveal the part of the plant used in Asian cooking- peel off the outside layers like an onion to reveal the softer inner stalks.

So I had a bunch of these now and had no idea what to do with them.

Asian cooking, obviously. Thai and Laotian recipes. I used some of them to make my delicious spicy curry laksa noodle soup. Other recipes I saw were Thai hot and sour soup, but there are only so many soup dishes you could eat at once. I also made green curry paste for use in various recipes.

But I wanted main course recipes with lemongrass. And then I remembered larb. Larb is a meat salad from laos and northern Thailand, and it often is made with lemongrass. I was pretty sure I even had a larb recipe already on my blog, and I looked and found that, in fact, I did. But I didn't want to go with the recipe I already had. I wanted to make a new and improved one. I looked at my old recipe and about 4 or 5 other recipes, each with their own twists and ingredient combinations, and decided how to make my own. To keep down costs and use what I had at home, I replaced the shallots, fish sauce, and lime juice with onion and garlic, gluten free soy sauce, and lemon juice. I also used mint that I had growing in my garden.

How to Start an Eco-friendly Furniture Business

Have you thought about starting a business but are concerned about the toll it will have on the environment? Here are some ways that you can start an environmentally sound furniture business.

The world needs to move towards environment-friendly and sustainable practices right now. Glaciers are melting, causing flash floods all over the world. This is more proof than we need that global warming is a very real phenomenon.

Any business being run today should be run responsibly, keeping in mind the environmental impact it will have. If you wish to start a furniture business, you must make sure it is eco-friendly. You must keep in mind factors like deforestation and carbon emissions that you may be contributing to. To help guide you on tips to build a business that is conscious of the current environmental crisis we have compiled some tips.

A Guide to Start your Food Blog

I love blogging. If I didn't like it, I wouldn't have been doing this for over 11 years already! If you were interested in starting a blog, or especially a food blog, here are some tips from a reader on things you might want to think about when starting it.

I read somewhere in a hilarious meme featuring Kevin, the minion. It read, “Friday is my second favourite word starting with an F. My first favourite is Food." And it stuck me with the lightning speed, that it is true for most of the population in the world.

What if you are passionate about making food as much as you enjoy tingling your tastebuds with a sweet Taste of Purple wine after decanting it for aeration into a glass. Starting a blog all about food may be a good way to converge your love into something that can make your identity. So, if you enjoy being in the kitchen, you can start a blog of your own with a little guidance.

Cooking food may be good for you and you might be interested in sharing your secrets and twirl to the recipes. It may make you feel all worked up in the beginning, but you will do just fine if you take it step by step. Therefore, we have collated all that you need to know in these simple steps.

Getting My Yard Ready For Winter

I'd planned on getting synthetic grass to put in my front yard, but never got around to it because I didn't see any on sale and didn't want to pay full price if I could find some on sale... And then promptly forgot all about it. However on my last grocery shopping trip, while waiting for my turn at the register, I saw someone with what looked like rolls of synthetic grass in her cart. I took a closer look, and in fact, it was, and she said that the grocery store was selling it, and pointed me to a section of the store that I'd missed. The price was terrific, 16 dollars for each 50 square foot (10 feet by 5 feet) roll. I bought 4, knowing that it would most likely be enough to cover the areas of my front yard that I wanted to be covered. Since my current tenants have use of my front yard as part of their contract, they chipped in for half the cost of this, as they also wanted it placed.

I have a procrastination problem, never remembering to get around to things that aren't urgent, but in the past that had caused me a lot of trouble, especially when I didn't get around to getting my yard ready for the winter and broke my trampoline and pool because of it.

5 Practical Giveaway Ideas For Your Next Baby Shower

When people are making a party, often they like to have party favors to bring home. When making a baby shower, here are some good ideas to give out, many of them frugal and/or can be made at home. 

Being pregnant is a marvelous thing. It would make the event even worth a thousand pennies if you and your partner have been trying to conceive for years. With that, having a baby shower is a wonderful event wherein you celebrate your pregnancy with people who are close to you.

There are plenty of things that you should look after as you plan for your baby shower. Apart from the activities and menu planning, you shouldn’t forget to provide your guests with something they could take home. This will serve as your gesture for appreciating their presence and celebrating the wonderful journey with you.

To help you out, listed below are practical giveaway ideas for your next baby shower:

Why You Need a Solicitor When Selling Your Business

When someone builds up a business, it takes a lot of hard work, effort, and money over a long period of time. Sometimes, though, they need to leave that business behind, whether because they decide to stop working for themselves, or they are moving and their business is location based, or for whatever other reason. Selling a business, then, is often the best option. If you are doing that, you want to make sure it works as favorably as possible for you, and using a lawyer would be most beneficial. Here is why. 

Making the decision to sell your business and embark on a new chapter in your professional and personal life is a big step – and, without the right resources and support on hand, one that will be made on rocky ground.

One of the best ways to keep from losing your footing at this vital stage is to work with a knowledgeable corporate solicitor. Not only will they always be many, many steps ahead of you in terms of what’s needed to complete the deal, but their practical experience and legal know-how can leave you feeling safeguarded against many of the pitfalls of selling a business.

Still need some convincing? Read more below.

Turning Blah Melons into Amazing Dishes

Enjoying a cantaloupe slushie while working

After I lugged home two heavy melons from the nearest city on my recent frugal grocery shop, you would think they'd have the decency to actually taste good, but unfortunately both my watermelon and my canteloupe would best be described as "eh". They weren't bad, per se, they didn't taste gross or anything like that, they just didn't taste particularly yummy. They were lacking any oomph. Their flavor was mild and bland. The best descriptive word I could come up with to describe my melons is insipid. They were just sitting in my fridge, without anyone particularly wanting to eat them, since they didn't give the flavor satisfaction that you'd usually expect to have when eating watermelon.

But I don't want to just throw out food that isn't spoiled. So I tried to see what would make my watermelon and my cantaloupe taste good.

5 Top Essential Tools Used In The Garden

I love having a garden, but it also is a lot of work. In addition to all the time entailed, you do need to make sure you have proper tools, both to keep you safe and to minimize any potential injury. Here are some important tools to use when you have a garden.

Have you ever thought of making use of the outside space around your home? Gardening can be a wonderful idea. Gardens connect human beings to nature. Having a garden around your home ensures the air you breathe is clean. Gardens act as air purifiers by taking in carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen which is important to human beings.

Gardens also produce fresh and natural foods that are very healthy and you can ensure that they are organic. Space should not limit your gardening, some people come up with kitchen garden ideas like planting your crops in buckets or sacks. Have a look at some of the tools you can use in your garden and how to maintain them.

What software should a new business invest in?

As someone self employed and never an employee of another company since I was 19, I know how difficult it can be to be your own boss. But once you involve employees it can be another whole kettle of fish. That is where software comes in. Good software can be the difference between your business going swimmingly and floundering along. Here are some ideas from a reader about the best types of software to get if you're running a business.

The months leading up to the launch of your new business are an exciting time, but they can be some of the busiest you’ve ever experienced too. With so many things to think about, different types of software might not have even entered your mind. But investing in the right kinds of software can make all the difference to your day-to-day processes.

While the types of software you need will depend on the type of company you’re planning to run, there are some systems that offer universal benefits to most industries. Here are just a few:

Another Amazing Frugal Haul

“Am I allowed to say that looks heavy?” my physical therapist asks me as I walk into my appointment, pushing my collapsable metal shopping wagon, filled with my recent grocery shop.

“Yes, I know, but I don't have a car, and I can't shop online and get prices anywhere near this good.” Which is why I had that heavy wagon with me. She understood, even though she probably didn't approve, since I was coming to get her help with my chronic back pain, and pushing a heavy wagon isn't exactly helpful to that.

Lately grocery prices, especially produce prices, have been preposterous everywhere I am shopping. Even the usual cheap/discount grocery stores.

However, there has been one place that I have been consistently been able to find decently priced groceries- right near my physical therapists' office. I'll call this the "Yes!" store (since its name in our local language is similar). So I planned on going there before my session, and this time came prepared with my wagon, so I wouldn't injure myself too much carrying everything in my arms and on my back (not to mention risking ripped bags spilling everywhere). 

Yes, this isn't good for my body, but until I have the ability to rent a car to bring with me grocery shopping and other places, I don't really have so much of a choice whether or not to carry heavy things, because I am unable to order everything online unless I'm willing to pay exorbitant prices, which I am not. So heavy shopping it is. But my wagon does make things easier, at least.

6 Pieces of Medical Equipment You Should Have In Your Home

With the Covid pandemic still rampant all over the globe, more than ever it can be important to have your own medical equipment at home. This means that if you are in quarantine with suspected Covid symptoms, you can still check what is going on with your health and not need a team of people in full hazmat suits to check what is going on with you medically (from personal experience). This equipment can also prevent you from needing to go to urgent care, where you might be exposed to people who are sick, and endanger yourself.

Image by Mufid Majnun from Pixabay

If there’s one thing we’ve all learned during the global pandemic, it’s that we need to take control of our own health. With hospitals and GPs at full capacity, an increasing amount of people are realizing the importance of having essential medical equipment at home to monitor our general health and detect issues early.

There are certain pieces of inexpensive medical equipment that all of us can purchase for our homes that we can use to alert us to common chronic health issues such as diabetes, cardiac arrhythmias, and hypertension. Of course, it’s still crucial that you and your family have regular checkups from a GP and seek professional medical advice in the case of severe illness, but taking more accountability to our health can make your doctor’s lie much easier. By having these devices on hand, we can listen to our bodies, pick up on changes, and provide our medical practitioners with detailed information on our symptoms.

Here are five essential medical devices you should have in your family home.

The 5 Medical Devices Every Family Home Needs

How to Decorate a Party for the Smallest: Preschoolers Birthday Celebration Ideas

I always have fun making birthday parties for my kids. I usually try to do it on a budget and simply, but that doesn't mean those aren't fun. Kids, especially at a young age, are quite easy to please, especially when you use a little imagination and go with what they are interested in. Here are some ideas from a reader on making your kids' birthday parties a blast.

Preschoolers parties are a lot of fun…for kids. But what about their parents? Decoration seems like an important step in every party, and it can transform a wonderful party to absolutely stupendous. How do you throw an amazing preschooler party for your child and their friends without having to rent a venue? Here are some celebration ideas for you!

About "Frivolous" Expenses, Emotional Flashbacks, and Reserving Judgment

I know a lovely woman who is involved in a lot of community work and charities. She recently reached out to me, knowing finances have been tighter for me, and told me that there is an organization that is happy to fund a grocery shop for people who could use the help, on condition that they send in a receipt and that it isn't spent on frivolous stuff.

She told me that in the past, upon receiving the receipt, the organization didn't reimburse a specific family because they felt that they were being wasteful since they bought a six pack of Coca Cola. For that to not happen to me she told me to stick to basics, produce, chicken, fish, milk, cereal, rice, pasta, and things of the sort and not include frivolous things.

I wasn't sure what would count as 'frivolous' stuff by this organization so I kept asking her questions, like if ground beef was ok, cheese, cheap wine, etc… and she gave me an answer for each one.

I definitely appreciated the financial help, but honestly trying to figure out what would be accepted as necessary and what would cause me problems because they viewed it as 'frivolous' stressed me out to no end.

Setting Up Your Child for Success

As parents, we all want our children to be successful, but there is no guarantee. However, we can make it more likely by taking specific steps from when our children are young to help guide them in that direction. Here are some ideas as to how.

Do you want your child to live their best life? As parents, the answer is almost always a resounding yes! While you're busy working hard in your day-to-day life, you know in the back of your head that all that you do is for your child's success in the years to come.

There are many ways you as a parent can help your child reach success. The environment they grow up in besides their own home, like in daycare facilities like Raising Stars, also plays a big role in shaping how they grow up.

Here are some things you can do today to set the foundation for your toddler's happy and successful future.

How to Make Your Kids More Creative With Technology

Many people have this idea that kids using technology is the antithesis of creativity. But I've seen with my kids, especially my oldest, just how much technology can assist your kids in their creative endeavors. Here are some suggestions from a reader as to how it can.

We live in an age where technological advancements are inevitable, and we, as consumers of that technology, are expected to adapt. Technology is both a gift and a curse, especially for children. When used correctly, it can turn them into talented creators rather than blind consumers. Providing your kids with the right tools is extremely important as it helps empower them to explore new areas and take new risks. Children these days are doing all sorts of amazing stuff, from dominating on YouTube to creating digital art. Your child might just be as creative and looking for the right ways to express that passion and interest. As a parent, it is your job to provide them with the appropriate method and method so they can get creative with technology. If you are unsure of where to start, don't worry, as we are here to help.