Benefits of Vitamin D for Babies

One of the things that always shows up badly on my blood work is my vitamin D levels. It feels like whatever I do I can't get it high enough. Fortunately, my last blood test showed that I went from severely deficient to low average. Here is why vitamin D is important, especially for developing babies.

The knowledge of vitamin D has been known to the medical world since the beginning of the last century, when German scientist Adolf Windaus described its structure in 1922, receiving a Nobel Prize for this work. However, its prescription for non-skeletal manifestations was very limited for a long time.

For a long time, vitamin D deficiency was associated by pediatricians only with classic childhood rickets and by internists with osteoporosis. Now, on the contrary, it is part of the therapy for many pathologies.

Moving on a Budget: Things You Need to Consider

Moving is one of those things where unexpected costs seem to just add up. Here are some things to consider when trying to move on a budget.

There may be a number of reasons why you want a new home for yourself and your family. Having children may mean that more room is required. Alternatively, you may want space to be able to live off the land, cutting down costs in the long run. No matter your reason, you may not want to spend too much money on the move itself. Therefore, you might need to seriously think before moving forward, so that you are able to reduce the amount you pay as much as possible.

How My Frugality and Cooking Changed Because of Picky Kids with Sensory Issues

My, how times change. You never know what curveballs life will throw at you. My life now and how I live frugally is drastically different from how I did in the past.

I remember when I lived an extremely frugal life by necessity, and I tried to find out what the absolute cheapest foods were, and tried to eat them, because we were barely scraping by (if even) despite living frugally and even more extremely frugal. I did all sorts of calculations to find out the true cost of food, once you include final amounts vs what you start off with, and therefore what foods (and in what form) are cheapest to make, like which starches are cheapest to make, which types of beans are cheapest, and what type of meat is cheapest. I still use the meat calculator, or rather what I found out from it, that chicken breast and wings are generally the cheapest types of meat, that whole chickens aren't as good of a deal, and that thighs and drumsticks aren't worth my time at all because you lose half to bone but they are much more expensive than wings. But it was my looking for what is the cheapest things I can feed my family, and then working from there.

I was talking to my friend Daniel the other day, after he posted how much he loves ful medames, an Egyptian broad bean dip, and he was essentially calling it a wonder food and recommended it to other people, because of how wonderful broad beans are. It brought back memories of when I tried to find ways that I could find broad beans palatable. Because I knew beans and rice were some of the cheapest dishes, I tried to serve them, but just beans and rice wasn't cheap enough- I wanted to make the cheapest types of beans to make the absolutely lowest cost meal. And so I tried to force myself to eat broad beans, even though I hated the flavor. I did find 2 recipes where I could eat them- Sicilian broad bean soup which I actually enjoyed, and ful medames that I could tolerate with enough garlic and lemon juice to drown out what I thought was the gross taste of the broad beans. 

What To Expect When Filing For Divorce

Other than getting married and having kids, getting divorced is basically one of the biggest and most drastic changes in people's lives, and it can be completely overwhelming. One of the ways to reduce the stress and worry is to be more prepared. Hopefully, this post will help reassure you so you know what you can expect when filing for divorce.

Separation is not a decision made on a whim, with many factors to consider. Divorce is a lengthy process that can take up to a year to be finalized.

A trial separation is usually recommended for couples considering divorce. This is a great way to sort through negative emotions before deciding divorce is the only option. You and your partner can look at your relationship differently; once your anger is removed, you can think clearly.

Assuming you have decided to file for divorce, here's what you can expect in the near future.

10 Tips To Help You Practice Safe Driving With Hyperactive Kids

I love driving. It is so convenient and useful... but when kids are in the picture it can turn from fun to scary, especially if the kids are fighting or refuse to sit still in the car. Here are some tips to help keep your drive safer when transporting hyperactive kids.

As a parent, you know that hyperactive kids can be a handful. But did you know that they can also be a danger on the road? 

That's right - if your child is prone to ADHD or other hyperactivity disorders, it's important to take extra precautions when driving.

Here Are Some Tips To Help You Practice Safe Driving With Hyperactive Kids:

Keep your eyes on the road at all times.

It can be tempting to try and keep an eye on your child in the backseat, but it's important to focus on the road ahead. If you need to check on your child, pull over in a safe location first.

Avoid distractions.

The consequences of distracted driving can be great. Therefore it is vital to avoid distractions at all times. This means no cell phones, no eating, and no fiddling with the radio. If your child is being particularly rowdy in the backseat, pull over and deal with the situation before continuing to drive.

Don't be afraid to discipline your child while driving.

If your child is acting up, don't hesitate to sternly tell them to settle down. It's important that they know that misbehaving in the car is not acceptable.

Be prepared for anything.

Hyperactive kids can be unpredictable, so it's important to be prepared for anything. This means having a first-aid kit on hand, as well as knowing what to do in an emergency situation.

Have patience.

Driving with hyperactive kids can be challenging, but it's important to remain patient. If you find yourself getting frustrated, take a deep breath and remember that this is temporary.

Talk to your child about safe driving.

Before you even get in the car, sit down with your child and talk to them about the importance of safe driving. Explain that they need to be on their best behavior when in the car and make sure they understand the consequences of misbehaving.

Model good behavior.

As the driver, it's important to set a good example for your child. This means obeying all traffic laws, using your turn signal, and refraining from road rage. If you want your child to behave, you need to lead by example.

Be aware of your surroundings.

When driving with hyperactive kids, it's important to be extra aware of your surroundings. This means keeping an eye out for pedestrians, cyclists, and other potential hazards.

Take breaks as needed.

If you're feeling overwhelmed, pull over in a safe location and take a break. This will help you clear your head and refocus on the task at hand. Seek professional help if needed.

If you're struggling to deal with your child's hyperactivity, don't hesitate to seek professional help. There are many resources available to parents of hyperactive kids, so don't be afraid to reach out for assistance.

In Conclusion

Practicing safe driving with hyperactive kids takes patience and perseverance. But it's worth it when you know your child is safer on the road. By following these tips, you can help to keep your hyperactive child safe on the road. Safe driving is a responsibility that everyone shares- so make sure our kids are ready for it!

Gluten Free Vegan Banana Bread Recipe -- Allergy Friendly and Frugal

When I have overripe bananas I usually make smoothies and don't have any left for banana bread, but recently I had a lot of bananas overripe at once and therefore had enough to use for baking without affecting our smoothie making capabilities. My problem with most banana bread recipes is they call for a specific amount of bananas and mine often is just a total mush in the freezer, or they are incomplete bananas because I had to remove yucky parts. So I looked for a recipe for banana bread that I could convert to suit my diet that included cups of bananas in the recipe and not just amounts of bananas, and I found this one. 

In addition to making my version gluten free and dairy free, I doubled my recipe. However, I realized only after it was in the oven that I forgot to put in twice the amount of baking soda and baking powder, and worried that it would fail. It did not. It worked perfectly. So I put the range in the ingredient list, both how much I should have put in, and the amount I actually put in, so you can decide which you want to do.

This was a pretty easy recipe just using things I have in the house and cheap ingredients (flax seeds and gluten free flours are normal ingredients in my house), including oil instead of the butter I saw in many recipes, and it tasted great. I will note that this recipe is sweeter than the standard banana bread recipe, that I'd debated calling it banana cake instead of bread, but I decided to leave it as that, I'm just noting this for you to be aware of.

This recipe is allergy friendly and vegan and it was devoured by my family.

I will accept no criticism for my using a disposable pan- I deal with disabilities and this is what I can manage.

Gluten Free Vegan Banana Bread Recipe -- Allergy Friendly and Frugal

Giving Your Pet the Best Quality of Life When Finances Are Scarce

I've had my dog for about 4 years now, and getting her was one of the best decisions of my life. We got her at a time when finances were more challenging than they are now, and I was concerned that she would cost us a lot of money, but 4 years later we are finding that the biggest expense really is medical care, and because she is still young those fees aren't yet high, but as she grows older they will be greater. If you are tight on money but have a pet, here's how to give them a good life while not going broke.

One of the hardest things that we can all experience as a family is a lack of proper finances. We all want to give our children the best lives and, of course, this means our pets too. But pets can get short shrift, especially when we are struggling with our finances. This is why we've got to focus on the quality of life for our pets. So what are the things we need to ensure are in place?

Selling your house: A guide to open home viewings

Are you a home owner who needs to sell their house, either to be able to move to a house that is better suited to your family, or because you are moving to a new area, or selling for any other reason? You want to be able to make as much money on your home as possible. Here are some tips to help you with staging your home so that you can make it more enticing to buyers.

Open home viewings can either halt or quicken a real estate purchase depending on how prepared you are. But with so much to do and so many things to consider, how are you going to ensure you’ve shown your house off in the best possible way?

Progress Report on Building My Son's Loft Bedroom

Wow. Do I have an update for you! But since I have been so busy that I didn't write updates as they went along, I actually will be dividing this into two (or three) updates to make it more manageable to read, and so you can actually feel like you're following along with the project. (We'll just pretend that I wrote this last week and the week before.)

So last I shared, we were starting the preparation for building a loft bedroom for my son. I guesstimated a price after looking up pricing for different equipment we'd need and posted about that.

I was off. I already can tell that it is more than I originally thought, if only because I forgot some things. Obviously. They say you should always add more to your budget when doing construction because things always end up costing more. So that isn't surprising.

The first thing we did, after writing up the plans for how we'd build, was removing everything that was on our stairs. It took some time because that was basically our storage area for out of season things, memorabilia, etc. (The types of things that you'd put in an attic basically.) This is why we first needed to get the yard together and put up our pool, so we'd have room outside to put everything that was on the stairs. And this specifically is why I wanted to do this in the summer, because it won't rain on our things. (Of course, I forgot about dripping air conditioners and some of the stuff got wet and ruined, fortunately, nothing really important.)

Next was the sledgehammering!

Before Gambling: The Best And Worst Casino Game Odds

Some people enjoy gambling and going to casinos. The thing is, when you do that, you need to know that the odds are stacked against you. You are more likely to lose money than you are to win. You therefore, when gambling, should just be doing it for the fun, have a set budget and stick to it, and don't expect to win money. However, if you want to increase your chances of winning at least something, here are casino games that have the best and worst odds.

Some individuals go to a casino to have fun and play the games they like. To boost your chances of going away with more profit at 10 dollar deposit casinos in Australia than you started with, you'll need an advantage and know where to get 100 free spins, no deposit. Before you settle down comfortably at a casino table, find out which games offer the best odds so you can spend your money wisely.

Before you start, please remember that almost no casino game provides players with equal odds. "The house ultimately wins" is a well-intentioned remark. Every casino game is set up to increase house-winning odds, albeit some are more distorted than others. So, it would be helpful to know which table games have the most odds?

10 Effective Ways to Manage Your Vacation Rental

When looking to increase income, some people choose to rent out apartments for vacationers. There are many ways that people do this- some people do construction to make a vacation apartment using their own property, some people rent or buy a separate place to rent out to vacationers, and others go away to family or friends while renting out their apartment for visitors. Whatever the method in which it is done, here are some ways to manage your vacation rental more effectively.

Vacation rental properties are a terrific investment. To get the maximum income from a vacation rental, managers must stay ahead of the game. Keep reading for ten effective ways to manage vacation rentals.

Gluten Free Egg Free Beef Egg Rolls Recipe- Allergy Friendly and Frugal

I shared in my recent post that, after missing egg rolls for so many years, since becoming gluten free, when my gluten free friend came over we made gluten free egg rolls. The first step was making gluten free vegan egg roll wrappers. Here is a link to that recipe for egg roll and wonton wrappers made gluten fee and allergy friendly. 

When it came to figuring out how to fill it, I looked online and found many recipes but none of them seemed like what I wanted. I remembered having egg rolls with beef and cabbage and carrots, so I ended up just making this recipe up, and it was terrific.

If you're vegan, I'm pretty sure this recipe would work just as well without the beef, but I'm not making any promises. I can try to make this again without the beef and update you and this post (or make a new one), but I haven't yet.

This recipe is allergy friendly, and can be top 8 free if you use coconut aminos instead of the soy sauce. If you don't want the work of making egg rolls, you can just use this mix as a tasty stir fry over rice. The amount in this recipe is more than needed for one batch of my egg roll wrappers, so consider doubling the egg roll wrapper recipe.

Of course, if you don't need allergy friendly egg rolls, you can use regular egg roll wrappers, either homemade or store bought.

Gluten Free Egg Free Beef Egg Rolls Recipe- Allergy Friendly and Frugal

3 Ways to Grow Your Customer Base

You have a business. You know what you're doing. You are talented. But you don't have enough clients. How can you get more clients? Here are some ways to grow your customer base and bring in more income.

Nothing is more important for your business success than your ability to attract and retain customers, and find ways to be worthy of their loyalty. This is one of the companies’ main tasks – to find ways to grow their customer base, meaning gain new ones and retain old ones.

And establishing a strong, ever-growing online presence is one of the most effective ways to create a lasting relationship with customers and attract prospects to your business.

How to Save Money When Moving

Summer is the most popular time of the year to move, especially once kids are in the picture, so they don't need to change schools in the middle of the year. Since so many people are moving right now (I myself have a few close friends moving within the next week) I thought these money saving moving tips would be helpful.

There are few things that scream “unexpected expenses” louder than making a big move from one place to another. However, as long as you plan ahead, you can both save dramatically and reduce the stress associated with leaving an old life behind. Planning is an invaluable hedge against unplanned problems. Let’s dive right in.