Wealthy Turtle

7 Tips For Driving In Snow

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Well we’ve gotten pounded hard with snow here in New Jersey.  There’s at least two feet of snow out there I still haven’t dug my car out of the driveway.

Playing in the snow with my kids always makes for some good laughs but driving in the snow is not quite as fun.  But if you follow these 7 tips for driving in the snow you’ll be sure to reach your destination in one piece.

Stay Home

Every time it snows, the weathermen on TV say the same thing…”Avoid the roads unless you absolutely have to be on them.”

Good advice, and I wish more people listened to them.

I’m fortunate that I can work from home when the weather is bad, but not everyone can do so.  Still, it amazes me how many people hit the roads when they don’t really have to.

Do you really need to hit the bar or the mall in a snowstorm?  Maybe staying home would be wiser.

Seriously, the safest way to drive in a snowstorm is to not leave home to begin with.

Check Your Tires

Not everyone has the luxury of staying at home in a snowstorm.  If you have a job or responsibilities that require you to be there no matter what, you might have to brave the elements even if there is a blizzard outside.

If that’s the case, you definitely need to keep a close eye on your tires.  Tires are the most important safety feature you have when driving in snow.  After all, they’re the only part of your car that is actually in contact with those slippery roads.

If your tires are bald are worn, now is the time to replace them.

Don’t Get Cocky

Just because you drive an SUV with 4 wheel drive doesn’t mean you’re invincible.

In my experience driving an SUV often gives drivers a false sense of security in the snow.  They drive around like they own the road and can do no wrong.

One time I was driving home from work in the snow and taking my time in my Camry when a Ford Explorer when blowing past me like I was standing still.  I cursed under my breath as he sent up a stream of snow right on my windshield as he raced past.

A couple miles down the road I saw the same Explorer where it had lost control and popped up on the curb and into a small retaining wall.  The driver was just fine but his beautiful SUV was in rough shape.

Four wheel drive won’t help you brake any quicker if you hit an icy intersection or black ice.  Don’t get cocky.

Slow Down

Many car accidents can be avoided if everyone just slowed down a little bit.  This is especially true in bad weather when you have less time to react and make decisions.

When roads are slippery I always drive in lower gear because it gives me more room for error and it will help me stop quicker.

Remember, slow and steady gets home safe and sound.  Accelerate slowly.  Leave plenty of room between you and the car in front of you.  Start stopping well before you have to.

And if possible, don’t stop at all.  If you’re careful you can sometimes roll up to an intersection when you have a red light and then slowly accelerate when the light turns green.  Stopping completely can get you stuck with spinning tires, but if you can avoid stopping you’ll have inertia on your side and it will be easier to get going again.

Stay Focused

Driving in snow can be tricky business and you don’t need any more distractions making things even more difficult for you.

That means you need to turn down the Lady Gaga, put down the Egg McMuffin and stop sending text messages so you can focus on the road.

Driving while distracted is a bad idea under the best circumstances.  In the snow it is downright dangerous.

Keep Your Tank Full

A few years ago I got caught in a snowstorm and had to drive home from work under horrible conditions.  Winds were gusting and visibility was practically nil.  Snow was accumulating quickly and the roads were a disaster.

My normal drive home took about 25 minutes but under those conditions it took me 3 hours and 15 minutes.

Fortunately I had a full tank of gas when I left the office.  If I had been running low and planning to stop on the way home I would have been screwed.

People have run out of gas while driving in snow before, and you could find yourself stranded on the side of the road for hours without heat.

Be Prepared

Driving in snow adds an element of unpredictability to your trip and it’s best to be prepared for something to go wrong.

Make sure your cell phone is charged.  Keep some jumper cables in your trunk.  Toss in a small shovel and ice scraper.  And don’t forget a bag of sand to help get some traction if your tires are spinning.  Cat litter or even a couple boxes of dried pasta will work too.

A blanket and some glow sticks are also a god idea to keep handy.

And don’t forget some snacks.  A few granola bars will keep you going if you’re stranded in your car and waiting for help.

Do you have any other tips for driving in snow that you can share?

Fun Family Staycation Activities That Won’t Break Your Budget

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The temperatures are starting to rise, flowers are blooming and the grass is green.  You or your neighbors may even begin outdoor barbecuing.  Summer is right around the corner.  Many people take their vacations in the summer, but what happens if you won’t be one of them this year?  Maybe you can’t afford a vacation or you are saving for another goal.  Whatever the reason, you can still have fun, right in your own neighborhood with a staycation.

Staycations don’t have to be boring.  Simply look at a staycation as a way to explore your own city—you become a tourist in your own hometown.  Consider some of these staycation activities:

Set up camp in your own backyard.  There is no need to drive to a campsite and pay to camp.  Instead, set up your tent in your own backyard.  Let the kids pitch in and have a campfire where you can cook a meal and roast marshmallows and make s’mores.  Then, spend the night in the tent (and the house is nearby if the little ones get scared.)

Explore tourist destinations you have not visited.  Your hometown may have many tourist destinations, but chances are you haven’t visited many of them.  You may even drive by them every day, but you have never stopped because you are so busy living your own life.  Look at your town through the eyes of a tourist.  What destinations are the must-visit spots for tourists?  Visit those places.

Take the kids somewhere they have wanted to go.  Maybe your kids have been begging you to take them to the water park, but you could never get time off from work.  During a staycation, take them to the places they have wanted to go.  You’ll enjoy spending time with the kids, and they will enjoy getting to go some place they have always wanted to visit.

Try a new restaurant.  If you were a visitor coming to your city, what restaurant would be on your must-go to list?  Splurge a bit on your staycation and go with your spouse and hire a babysitter for the kids or take the kids if it is a family-friendly restaurant.  Since you are enjoying a staycation rather than travelling, you can afford to spend a little bit of money for a fun night out.

Indulge in foods you wouldn’t normally eat.  Hot dogs may not be on the menu regularly in your everyday life, but for your staycation, consider giving the kids foods they enjoy but don’t normally eat such as hot dogs or ice cream or whatever treat they don’t regularly eat.

If you are planning your own staycation, make sure to treat it like a real vacation.  Take time off from work (and that means not doing any work at home either—this is not the time for home improvement projects), make your arrangements in advance, booking restaurant or other reservations you must make ahead of time, and include the kids in the planning.  While having a staycation may not be as exciting as visiting a new locale, it can still be a lot of fun, and, more importantly, it will give you the time to both relax and spend time together as a family.

Setting Mom Up in Long Term Care

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The last few months have been very difficult for my family.  My mom’s health is in serious decline and we’ve had to deal with a whole slew of unpleasant situations.  We’re going through the Medicaid approval process, we pre-paid funeral expenses for when the inevitable occurs, and we’re working on getting her house up for sale.

The whole situation has been really stressful and time-consuming which means I haven’t had as much time and energy left for blogging.  But that’s ok, family always comes first.

After her latest hospital stay my sisters and I talked with her doctor and realized that she is no longer able to take care of herself.  Even with my one sister still living at home and caring for her, what she really needs is skilled nurses watching over her around the clock.  So when she was discharged from the hospital we had her moved to a rehab center/long term care facility that is only about 4 minutes from my house.  This is great for me because I get to see her all the time and I can swing by with the kids at a moment’s notice.  Previously she had been almost an hour away and it was difficult getting up there to visit.

The hardest part of this ordeal was having the talk with her.  No, I’m not talking about the birds and the bees…we had to sit down and explain to her that she’s not going home.  She’s going to stay in the long term care facility where she can get the care she needs by trained professionals.  Rationally, I think she understands that.  But emotionally she has had a hard time accepting it.  We’ve gotten to see a lot more of her and we even took her out for Mother’s Day and a couple of family barbecues.  Of course, it’s not the same.  It’s hard seeing someone you love and admire slowly break down.

Anyway, my apologies if this post is a bit off-topic.  I just wanted to share a bit of what was going on in my life and urge you to appreciate what you have while it is still here.  Never miss an opportunity to tell someone you love them.

6 Tips for Traveling with Young Children

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In just a few short weeks, the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays will be upon us and with them, for many of us, comes travel to visit friends and family.  According to AAA (American Automobile Association), in 2010, “42.2 million Americans traveled 50 miles or more from home over the Thanksgiving weekend”.

If you’ll be hitting the road or the skies this holiday season with small children in tow, my deepest sympathies.  Just kidding.  Actually, with our own children, ages 9, 5 and 3, we’ve found a variety of strategies to make long travel with small children less painful, and often even enjoyable.

1.  Use the DVD player.

If you have one, use it strategically.  For instance, in the middle of a meltdown or fight between kids, popping in a DVD can do wonders to soothe them and restore calm.  However, if you play DVDs a lot in the car, this might not work as well.  That’s why strategic use is essential.

2.  Take breaks.

If you’re driving, take breaks.  One of the rest stops on the way to my mom’s house has a large playground, so we always make sure to stop there for about 15 minutes so the kids can run around, stretch and play.  If you’re on a plane, let the kids walk the aisles with you for a few minutes just to get out of the seat and move around.

3.  Bring sticker books.

Kids love stickers.  We invested $8 in a thick sticker books for each of our two younger children.  This kept them occupied for hours on a recent long trip.

4.  Play car games.

In the age of Pinterest, you can find many, many car games.  One car game is a bingo sheet that, instead of letters, has pictures of different things you’ll see when driving such as a stop sign, a traffic light, etc.  As your kids find these items, they can mark off the box.  The typical bingo rules apply.

Of course, you can also go low tech and play I Spy or create a family story.  One family member says the first sentence of a story, the next family member creates the second sentence until everyone in the car has created a sentence.  You’ll likely be amused at how the story turns out.

5.  Listen to audio books.

Now that days are so much shorter, if you’re taking a long drive, kids will have less time to do activities in the car that require light such as many of the suggestions above.  When darkness falls, pull out the audio books.  Kids will listen to the story, and if you’re lucky, perhaps even fall asleep.

6.  Bring food and water.

Young children get hungry every few hours.  If you don’t want to stop constantly, make sure to pack healthy snacks for the kids.  Dried fruit or freeze dried fruit is a healthy, mess free option.  Water is also mess free.  Give each child their own small bag of treats for easy dispensing while driving.

Traveling with young children requires preparation, but if you have a number of different activities to do with the kids, you’ll find that the trip goes faster for everyone.

What are your favorite techniques for enjoyable travel with young children?

6 Ways to Deal with Stress as a Work at Home Parent

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Being a work at home parent can afford you great flexibility.  Your daughter’s class needs a parent chaperone on the field trip?  Sure, you can do it, and you don’t even have to have the boss approve your day off.  You want to take your toddler to library story hour?  No problem.

However, this flexibility can often also create stress.  Sometimes you’re so busy taking care of the kids and the home that you neglect your work.

If your work load is increasing and your children’s nap time is decreasing, there are ways you can manage the stress of being a work at home parent.

1.  Set regular work hours.

Set aside time when you know you can work and guard that time protectively.  If your kids are in preschool 2 hours in the morning, use that as your work time.  Don’t answer the phone; don’t do the laundry; don’t run errands.  Use that time to work.

2.  Get up earlier to find more time to work.

For instance, if your children wake up at 7 a.m., perhaps get up at 5 a.m. and give yourself 1.5 or 2 hours of uninterrupted time to work in the morning before they wake.  You’ll be amazed how much you can get done in a quiet house, and then you’ll be able to relax when the kids get up and spend time with them.

3.  Don’t take on too much work.

When you are self-employed, work seems to come in waves.  Some weeks you’ll be swamped, and other weeks your workload will be light.  When jobs come your way, it can be hard to say no.  However, make sure you set boundaries so you don’t end up overloaded at work.  If you work part-time from home so you can also care for your kids, you don’t want to let your workload creep up to full-time levels unless you prepare for it by hiring a sitter or having the kids spend time with grandma.

4.  Find time to exercise.

This is easier said than done when you have small children at home, but you can find ways to incorporate exercise in your day.  Take your kids for long walks in the stroller or chase after them at the park.

5.  Maintain your social connections.

Keep your social connections intact by meeting friends for coffee or play dates with your kids.  Hire a babysitter so you can take a colleague out to lunch.  Talk with other professionals via online forums, Facebook or Skype.

6.  Find time to relax.

While working from home sounds like a dream to many, the truth is that your time is usually taken up with either work or kids.  However, make sure to set aside some time for yourself.  Maybe you decide to quit working by 9 p.m. and take an hour to relax before going to bed by reading a book, writing, or watching your favorite show.   Whatever it is that you enjoy, make sure you set aside some time to do it.

Working from home is wonderful much of the time, but it can also be stressful.  Follow these tips to reduce your stress and enjoy the time you get to spend with your kids while earning a living at home.

What are your favorite ways to reduce stress if you work at home?

How to Avoid Feeling Isolated and Lonely When Working from Home

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Many people dream of a day when they can work for themselves and do that work from home.  If you’re a parent who wants to combine both caring for your child and having a career, working from home may seem to be the best of both worlds, even if you do have to juggle finding time to work while taking care of the kids.

What many people don’t think of until they’re already working at home is the sense of loneliness they may feel.  I have been a work at home mom for two years now, and while I don’t miss my old job or place of employment, I do sometimes miss the camaraderie and friendships I had with my coworkers.

If you are working from home, there are steps you can take to avoid feeling lonely:

Know Yourself

Are you an outgoing person or an introvert?  An introvert will likely have a much easier transition to working from home.  If you’re an extrovert and get your energy from being with other people, setting up social connections is important or you may be miserable working from home.  Take steps to have social connections in place before you take the leap to working from home.

Meet with Former Coworkers

Just because you have left your traditional job doesn’t mean you have to cut all connections.  Once a month, meet a former coworker for lunch or a drink after work.  You’ll get a break from the kids and the home, and you’ll be able to socialize with old friends and catch up on the work environment.

Find Other Ways to Socialize

If you’re also caring for kids, make time to take the kids out in the community.  Taking the kids to story hour at the library or to a kids’ dance or music class can be a great way to meet and mingle with other parents.

Make Online Connections

Whatever field you are in, take the time to make online connections.  If you are a blogger, for instance, find groups where bloggers in your field hang out.  Join the forum and become an active member.  When I first started staying home, I was a member of a frugal mom site, a personal finance bloggers group, and a writer’s group.  Each offered different things and helped me connect.  Now I’m not active on the frugal mom’s site, but I am still active on the other two forums.

Work Outside the Home

If you can hire a sitter for a few hours, why not change up your environment and work somewhere else?  I frequently write at Starbuck’s on the weekend, as does another freelance writer who writes about wine.  I didn’t know him last year, but because we always sit in the same spot, which happens to be next to one another, we slowly got to know one another.  Even that brief interaction can help ease loneliness.  Besides, a change of scenery is good for you.

If you work from home, you likely are glad to be rid of two or three hour meetings and office politics.  Working from home offers many opportunities and savings.  It can be truly enjoyable if you can sidestep the loneliness some people feel.

What is your favorite way to avoid loneliness when working from home?

5 Ways to Work From Home with Young Children

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While more and more parents are making the decision to stay home and care for their children while the kids are young, such a decision is not made lightly.  Living off one income in today’s economy can be tricky at best, impossible at worst.

The stay at home parent can ease the financial strain by doing some work at home.  I quit my full-time job 3 years ago to stay home because the cost of day care for two children under two would have taken most of my salary.  For the last two years, I have worked from home while caring for my kids and have enjoyed it immensely.

While working from home AND caring for your children is often glorified, the truth is that doing both jobs requires a careful balancing act.  Here are some strategies I have used to successfully work from home while caring for toddlers and preschoolers.

1.  Get up before everyone else.  Try to get up 30 to 60 minutes before everyone else.  This gives you time to clean up, get dressed, and check e-mail or do another important task you want to get done first thing in the morning.

2.  Play with the kids first.  Most kids want their parent’s attention.  If you take time first thing in the morning to play with your kids and give them your time, they will likely happily play by themselves later, allowing you a 30 to 60 minute window to do work.

3.  Let them watch their favorite television show and do your work then.  My girls love Caillou, which happens to be on right after lunch between noon and one.  I let them watch the show for an hour.  They are riveted to the television, and I can sit with them and do work with minimal interruptions.  (It’s your choice how much television you want to let them watch, but this hour is all we allow the girls.)

4.  Hire a babysitter if you need to.  As your work load increases, you may find that you sometimes need to hire a babysitter so you can have undisturbed time.  I didn’t have a babysitter the first year, but now that business is picking up, I have a sitter who comes to the house 4 to 8 hours a week, depending on my workload.  The girls enjoy having her here, and after she leaves, I can focus on the kids because I had a chunk of time to finish my work.

5.  Work on the evenings and weekends.  After the kids are in bed, you may have another hour or two every night to work.  Also, if your spouse is agreeable, you could spend some time doing your work on the weekend while your spouse plays with and cares for the kids.

Sometimes juggling work and home responsibilities can be difficult, but I love to work from home.  My flexible schedule allows me to spend time at my son’s school for special events as well as to care for my younger two children and save on the cost of daycare.

What are your favorite strategies for getting work done if you watch your kids and work from home?