3 Back To School Tips For Single Moms and Single Dads

It's coming... That's right... SCHOOL!

I know, it's MID AUGUST and there are already commercials on TV and you can't go to the grocery store without seeing ads that say "Get Ready To Go Back To School"...

And while my daughter is slightly under the age to get ready for school we have a close friend who is starting second grade... He's staying with us for the three weeks until school starts, so getting him ready for school has been a topic of conversation recently.

Over the last week, I've discovered 3 money and time saving tips for getting your school-age child ready for school... and I wanted to share them with you today.

1. Shop Alone - Yes, my first tip is to shop alone if at all possible... This way you don't have kids screaming about the five dollar "purple" notebook as opposed to the one dollar "white" notebook. I know it might be a challenge to find a place that has daycare but this will help tremendously... Here in Portland we have Fred Meyers, which offers to let your kids play with other kids for about an hour... If you can find something like this where you live, you're golden! If not, maybe help another Single Mom or Single Dad out by having them watch your little one while you go shopping.

2. Go In With Another Family - If you have other kids on your block, go talk to their parents and see if you can "go in" with them on school supplies... Why do I recommend this? I recommend this because often things like notebooks and pencils come in "discount" packs... So, say a four pack of notebooks is $6.00, but a single notebook is $2.00. If you cut the expenses in half (i.e. buying the four pack) and split the actual supplies with your neighbor, you'll end up saving money.

3. Always Check The Dollar Store - Yes, being a Single Parent, I'm sure you know right where your closest Dollar Store is! The Dollar Store is great for things like pencils, paper and notebooks. It never ceases to amaze me at how well-stocked these places are... But, because school is coming in the next few weeks, you'll want to go out and get these supplies now!

Just three quick tips for getting into the "school days" frame of mind...

So, as you're getting your child's supplies together remember that we're in this together, learning lessons along the way!

Talk to you soon,

Murphy, Hillary and Dan… oh my! Single Parenting has come a long way!

Like just about everything else in life, the concept of Single Parenthood is incredibly easy and vastly complex...


That line sounds like I'm trying to sound intellectual and be "Captain Vague" at the same time!


But in all seriousness, I was contemplating the labels we use when it comes to Single Parenting... For example, even the term "Single Parent"... If you're reading this right now and you feel like this aligns for you, you're probably Single and a Parent...


So what DOES a Single Parent look like? Is it even fair to take this notion and run with it?


I mean, come on... I can't exactly hold up a picture of a Single Parent versus someone who is married with children... although the Single Parent might look a little more tired! (ha ha!)


Of course, there are no answer for these... and really, I'm not looking for ANSWERS... I guess this is me getting "deep" on a Monday.


That being said, the idea of Single Parenting is becoming much more acceptable in general society...


It was in 1992 that then Vice-President Dan Quayle lashed out at the ficional character "Murphy Brown" for gamorizing out-of-wedlock preganancy... I mean, come on, that was a FICTIONAL show... but even the fact that a fictional show that caused a bit of controversey 16 years ago mentioned this is only a reflection of society.


In other words, just because a sit-com writer wanted to portray the "real world" they got crap for it!


In 2008 when Hillary Clinton was giving her consession speech she was talking about how the dreams we share are the dreams worth fighting for.... She mentioned "(a) Single Mom with a young daughter who juggled work and school who said I'm doing it all to better myself for her..." (at 04:19 in the link above)


And it's not like we, as Single Parents, are looking for anything... the recognition we receive is through our families, even if we are Single Moms or Single Dads doing it alone...


Granted this is a step in the right direction for Single Parents and the way the world views "us". Sometimes even just having a presense about something is important... Single Parenthood transcends looks, culture, creed or even a particular "demographic"... Single Parenting is about one thing, and one thing only... Our kids... The children we love and the children who mean, quite literally, EVERYTHING to us...


I am inspired by Hillary, I'm inspired by Barack and as a fellow Single Parent, I am inspired by YOU! Keep up the good work!

New Video About a MUST HAVE Communication Skill

Today I finished a new video about Communication for Single Parents... Since this is a pretty new blog, I should mention that I often do videos and release them on YouTube.

The story goes a little like this... The other day a friend and I were talking... He's a Single Dad too, but he'd just received a pretty angry text message from him Ex. He was really shaken up by it and he was adding all kinds of crazy meanings to it and was visibly frustrated.

After talking for a bit, we decided to get some clarity around it... and rather than completely dissect it, we decided that we were going to get this "handled"... What we came up with was a pretty cool idea, and that was to put the situation into the "third person"... this way, we were able to translate exactly what happened for WHAT IT WAS, not what he (or myself) were MAKING out of it.

I go into greater depth in the video, but check it out for yourself...






Talk to you soon,

Flurping Moonsand

You know, it's funny... some of the coolest stuff is for kids and some of the lamest stuff is for kids...



At a Landmark function about a month ago my daughter met this really cool guy named Alex... Alex is 11 and to a four year old, that means nothing but "good times"...



Alex brought a toy into the party that was called Flurp... It was kinda like "slime" they had when I was a kid. Basically, it's the gelatenous substance that you can shape and mold into different creations... And it gets it's name from the sound it makes when you put it back into it's container.... Fllllurrrrppp! Anyway, she was totally into it! Seems harmless enough, eh?



Well, fast forward a month later, my daughter and I are in WalGreens... a quick stop before going home. As we're walking past the checkout counter she spotted a brand new bottle of Flurp!



As her eyes fixated on it she proceeded to YELL, telling me how cool Flurp was and how it reminded her of Alex (yes, my daughter is pretty smart!).



I ended up buying her the Flurp and we were on our way.



The next morning I heard the chair slide across the Pergo flooring and the pantry door slam from upstairs...



I didn't think anything of it because this is how my daughter gets her cherrios or her granola bars... not only is my daughter smart, she's pretty independent.



When I made it downstairs to refill my empty coffee cup I noticed that she had got out her Moonsand...



Now, if you don't know what Moonsand is and you have a younger child, you're about ready to be turned on to another amazing invention for kids!



Moonsand is this sort of like "beach sand" that's colored, except it is intended to be reusable... and keep in mind I said it's INTENDED to be reused.



It's got a weird texture to it and it's pretty fun to play with, but my gosh, it gets EVERYWHERE (hence making it hard to "reuse")!



My daughter proceeded to mix the flurp and the Moonsand into a glorious sculpture that ended up being a home for a pig! That's right, the Moonsand was carefully enshrouding a pig she'd made from the pink flurp.



I can't say much for the tiny grains of moonsand stuck in the flurp, but I will let my "metrosexual" come out in me and say that the RED moonsand mixes wonderfully with the PINK flurp!



This got me thinking that sometimes things that we don't think will go together actually end up working!



Of course, in this case, Moonsand and Flurp are both intended for kids... and both can be monsterously difficult to clean-up, but the final vote is that they don't go together... And while Moonsand is fun even for me to play with, the only thing I believe that Moonsand should be mixed with is MORE moonsand!



So, I ask you... What goes together and that doesn't?? Not only for your child, but for your LIFE. Is it really all about finding a combination that works for you or is it what we've been told goes together? There's some fun thoughts for your upcoming weekend...



As your "flurping your moonsand" remember that we're in this together, learning lessons along the way!

I Am A Busy Guy...

I woke up this morning and realized that I am a busy guy…

On top of a full-time job and raising my daughter (who isn’t quite in school yet) I am Selling my house, in a four month Landmark Program, I do videos for my website and I play in a band!

Of all these, selling the house is the biggest challenge right now, probably because I'm writing this from a Coffee Shop as a broker is showing my home to a prospective buyer.

With a four year old at home I feel like I’m a street-sweeper for most of the day… Not to mention the calls from Real Estate Agents that are like “hey, we’re two blocks away and we’ll be over to look at your house in about 15 minutes… can you please leave?”…

Just yesterday I remember gazing over to the couch to see graham crackers broken into tiny pieces and an empty wrapper on the floor… One of those "murphy's law" things that happen right as I get the call from the Agent!

Now I will say this, being that my daughter is four I still have the luxery of the “shiny object” distraction…

To get her to stay put during what turned out to be my ten minute cleaning frenzy we played like the floor was lava and she couldn’t jump on to it!

Let’s say that it worked like a charm, and yes, you can turn over cushions and the graham cracker bits disappear right before your eyes!

As you're sweeping up those crumbs (or turning over cushions) remember that we're in this together, learning lessons along the way!