I know it’s still technically summer time, but now is a great time to start saving and starting a budget for holiday shopping. I know holiday shopping can be fun, but it’s not fun going into debt from holiday shopping and carrying over that debt into a new year. So, sit back and listen to show #17 and let’s make a plan to do some smart holiday budgeting, planning and shopping.

Grab Bag Items of the Week

BankRate

Amazon.com

Overstock.com

I hope your summer was wonderful. Ours started off wonderful, but kind of fell into the black hole. We (my oldest daughter and I) were hit by a drunk driver on July 29. It was a horrible accident and I sustained some pretty bad injuries (a broken hand and a 2+ inch laceration on my leg that resulted in 23 stitches), but thankfully my daughter did not walk away with anything similar to what I had. We are recovering and the healing is going well. We’re just thankful to be alive.

Here are a few photos of the damage:

I’m just getting back online and I still have to fix the RSS feed, which is how you all subscribe to the show. So be patient with me, I am trying to get that fixed ASAP.

Until September 7 - enjoy the rest of your summer and have a great first day back to school.

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Mobile post sent by GeekyCyberMom using Utterz.  Replies.  mp3 ]]> http://www.talesofasingleparent.com/2008/07/17/tales-of-a-single-parent/feed/ http://www.talesofasingleparent.com/2008/06/27/tsp-show-16-can-co-parenting-really-work/ http://www.talesofasingleparent.com/2008/06/27/tsp-show-16-can-co-parenting-really-work/#comments Fri, 27 Jun 2008 02:59:59 +0000 geekycybermom http://www.talesofasingleparent.com/?p=154 LISTEN TO SHOW #16

In this show we talk about co-parenting. Ideally, when parents separate/divorce it would be nice if they could put aside their personal feelings towards one another and continue to both parent (co-parent) the child(ren). I believe in every case it’s possible (unless the other parent is a legitimate psycho and sometimes they are - no pun intended), but I’m speaking of sane parents - it’s possible to leave you personal feelings at the door and make the child(ren) the priority and co-parent if you want to.

Grab Bag Items of the Week:

This week I am featuring two articles that talk specifically about co-parenting; how to embrace the idea, how to get over you hurt and anger to effectively work with your ex to co-parent and ways to approach the topic of co-parenting with your ex.

Co-parenting After a Separation or Divorce

Effective Co-Parenting (there’s a part one and two)

WOW!! What a crazy school year this has been. I am more than happy to see it end. This has been the toughest year for me and the kids. It seemed like something was going on every second, but we made it through.

If you’ve been experiencing some rough parenting moments, let us know how you got through them. No one said parenting was easy, but my mama never told me it would be this hard—jeeeeezzzzz.

Grab Bag Item of the Week:

WISEBREAD

Wise Bread is a community of bloggers here to help you live large on a small budget. Despite what you may have heard, you don’t have to sacrifice your financial independence to enjoy life.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.
Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous ‘yes.’

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

‘Now,’ said the professor as the laughter subsided, ‘I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things–your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions–and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car.

The sand is everything else–the small stuff. ‘If you put the sand into the jar first,’ he continued, ‘there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

‘Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first–the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.’

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled. ‘I’m glad you asked.

‘It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.’

I know every parent has been through the dreadful process of one of two things or maybe both. 1) getting a million phone calls from birthday party guests asking you what your kids wants for their birthday or 2) having to write out customized lists for your kids birthday or for Christmas. Well, Yvette Segal has created a service to take that burden off of us - Mykidsregistry.com.

In this show I interview founder of mykidsregistry.com, Yvette Segal and she tells us how she came up with the idea, how it works and how you and your kids can get involved.

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Today I interviewed Yvette Segal, founder of MyKidsRegistry.com. She is an amazing woman and this service she started is absolutely brilliant. Think bridal registry, but for kids. It’s about time - right?

This interview will be a part of show #13, so stay tuned for that. Until then, go over to www.mykidsregistry.com and sign up; I did.

Me and Jessica Moss are organizing the first Northern Virginia Girl Geek Dinner. This event is for ALL girl geeks in the MD/DC/VA tri-state area. We are an offshoot of the London Girl Geek Dinners, started by Sarah Blow. The aim of these get-togethers is to provide a welcoming atmosphere and a platform for learning in an informal environment, to make technology accessible and to be of interest to all age groups and all people, particularly women. It is an opportunity for like-minded ‘girls’ to talk about technology over food and drinks

We hope that every girl geek in the MD/DC/Va area will support this event. We just started planning this event. We are looking for a venue to hold the dinner and are also looking for sponsors.

Stay connected with us:

• follow us on twitter
• continue to visit our blog.
• visit our wiki to sign up for the dinner or to sign on to sponsor a dinner

Take a look at a video from the London Girl Geek Dinner

Have a wonderful day!

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Maya said as she walked home and got to the corner she started to ask and say to herself; "what if I am going to be somebody", "if I'm going to be somebody I better stop cursing and get myself together". She said at that moment her life was changed; she felt liberated.

Maya says mothers have the ability to liberate their children with love.

I think that is a very powerful story and message. Just wanted to share that with all of you.

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I FINALLY found the perfect design for the site. It will take some more time to design and customize it though.

The new relaunch date of the Tales of a Single Parent site will be Sunday, June 1. I am still open for business while the site is undergoing plastic surgery.

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General:
Black Excel
http://www.blackexcel.org/summerprograms2007-1.htm <http://www.blackexcel.org/summerprograms2007-1.htm>
http://www.blackexcel.org/summer-progs.htm <http://www.blackexcel.org/summer-progs.htm>

College Horizons
http://www.collegehorizons.org <http://www.collegehorizons.org/>
Target: Native American students; rising sophomores & juniors
College sites change each year (2008 programs at Duke Univ. and
Lawrence Univ.)

Dedicated Engineers
http://www.dedicatedengineers.org/Resources/summer_programs.htm <http://www.dedicatedengineers.org/Resources/summer_programs.htm>

Dow Jones Newspaper Fund
http://djnewspaperfund.dowjones.com/fund/hss_summer_workshop.asp <http://djnewspaperfund.dowjones.com/fund/hss_summer_workshop.asp>

INROADS
http://www.inroads.org/interns/internWhatItTakes.jsp <http://www.inroads.org/interns/internWhatItTakes.jsp>

Quality Education for Minorities (QEM) Network
http://www.qem.org/internship.htm <http://www.qem.org/internship.htm>

WECAAARE Education Foundation
http://www.wecaaare.org/pages.asp?pageid=6833 <http://www.wecaaare.org/pages.asp?pageid=6833>

College-Specific:
California Institute of Technology
Young Engineering and Science Scholars
http://www.yess.caltech.edu/ <http://www.yess.caltech.edu/>
Target: Historically under-represented students in science and
engineering; rising sophomores and juniors

Carleton College
Liberal Arts Experience
http://apps.carleton.edu/summer/clae <http://apps.carleton.edu/summer/clae>
Target: African American students; rising juniors

Cornell University
CURIE Academy
http://www.engineering.cornell.edu/diversity/office-diversity-programs/summer-programs/highschool-programs/curie-academy/index.cfm

Target: High school girls interested in engineering; rising juniors and
seniors

CATALYST Academy
http://www.engineering.cornell.edu/diversity/office-diversity-programs/summer-programs/highschool-programs/catalyst/index.cfm

Target: African American/Latino or Native American students
interested in science, technology, engineering and math; rising
sophomores, juniors and seniors

Howard University
Summer Enrichment Program and Recruitment
http://www.cpnahs.howard.edu/ctr_excellence/summer_enrichment.htm <http://www.cpnahs.howard.edu/ctr_excellence/summer_enrichment.htm>

Target: African American/Hispanic students applying for admission to
health professions in the CPNAHS at Howard University

Lehigh University
Students That Are Ready (S.T.A.R.) Academies
http://www.lehigh.edu/star/ <http://www.lehigh.edu/star/>
Target: Economically and academically disadvantaged and/or at-risk
middle/high school aged students

Massachusetts Institute of Technology
MITES
http://web.mit.edu/mites/www/ <http://web.mit.edu/mites/www/>
Target: First-generation, historically under-represented in science &
engineering; rising seniors

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
PREFACE Summer Program
http://doso.rpi.edu/update.do?catcenterkey=87 <http://doso.rpi.edu/update.do?catcenterkey=87>
Target: Historically under-represented students in science/technology;
rising sophomores & juniors interested in engineering and technology

University of Notre Dame
African American Scholars Program
http://www.nd.edu/~aasnd/ <http://www.nd.edu/~aasnd/>
Target: Catholic African American high school students

Latino Community Leadership Seminar
http://www.nd.edu/~lclsem/ <http://www.nd.edu/~lclsem/>
Target: Catholic Latino students; rising seniors

Worcester Polytechnic Institute
STRIVE
http://www.wpi.edu/Admin/Diversity/K12/Strive/program.html <http://www.wpi.edu/Admin/Diversity/K12/Strive/program.html>
Target: African American/Latino/American Indian students interested
in engineering; rising juniors and seniors

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