What I’m Reading: Food for Thought on American Parents, Overachievers, Happy People, and Other Important Stuff

March 8, 2012

I feel like I’m standing in the middle of the five-way intersection pictured in my recent post at Parentables on how to pick a good doctor. Kids, career, husband, house, garden, community, friends, parents: how do I manage it all? And what is really important? Is happiness more important than success? Are kids more important [...]

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Reader Story: How We Started Our Own Babysitting Exchange

November 10, 2011

This is a guest post by reader, Julie James. I like how Julie tells it straight — she doesn’t sugarcoat babysitting co-ops. But judging from her online point-tracking system, her babysitting exchange is alive and active. And that, coming from someone who has started a few co-ops herself, is a beautiful thing. Last summer, I [...]

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5 Ways to Avoid Paying for a Babysitter on Your Date Night

September 15, 2011

I must admit that I was born with the “know-it-all” gene. And I started out blogging with the idea that I wanted to be one of those experts in glossy magazines. But the truth is, I learn the best stuff from other people. Sure I might have a good deal of experience living on a [...]

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Getting the Work-Life Balance Right, and Frugal Mama Makeover on TLC.com

September 13, 2011

In our discussion over new vs. used cars last week, I mentioned how much I loved reading Dave Ramsey’s Total Money Makeover. I’m glad some of you, like Heather, agree, because I think it’s a powerful book, especially for people who are struggling with debt — whether it’s credit cards or student loans. But I [...]

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How I Learned (Again) Why People Are What Really Matters

August 24, 2011

Last week was tough. We came home to our new (old) house after almost six weeks of being on the road. Everything needed my attention: the broken bathroom sink, the feathery dust collecting on the stairs, the papers piling up in the kitchen next to a busted iron, an open toolbox, and a random bottle [...]

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Babble is Launching a new Home Ec Blog: Come Visit Me There!

August 6, 2011

I am thrilled to announce that I will be writing about saving money, making money, and the pursuit of happiness at Babble’s New Home Ec blog. The New Home Ec is billed as “Babble’s newest home style and family living blog for the family with a time-crunch and an eye for design, DIY, and doing things [...]

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How Much Can Breastfeeding Save You? An Interview with Andi Silverman of “Mama Knows Breast”

August 2, 2011

Sometimes you do things to save money and then you realize they’ve made your life better. Other times you do things to make your life better, and you realize they’re saving you money. Breastfeeding would probably fall into this second category. You do it because you think it’s the best for yourself and your baby, [...]

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Enough About Me — I Want to Hear About You!

July 25, 2011

The imminence of August has me in a back-to-school kind of mood, and this time I want to learn from you. Here I am, I thought, pontificating about all I do to save money, yet I know that each of you is busy with your own strategies and tricks. So this year — beginning in [...]

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How to Find a Good Babysitter

July 5, 2011

Before we had Luke, I had rarely used a sitter. Babysitting co-ops, babysitting swaps, and visiting relatives filled our needs. But when we moved to Syracuse with number four on the way and a burgeoning blog to maintain, Enrico insisted I needed help. It was hard for me to accept, since I was used to [...]

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Wordless Wednesday: Leaving Syracuse

June 28, 2011

I’ll let my daughter, Virginia, and the images tell the story of this weekend. Yesterday the movers came. I was sad and happy. Me and Sofia were playing with the I-phone. Luke was taking a nap. Mark was watching, and Mama and Dada were helping. I realized that I would probably NEVER see my house [...]

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This is One of Those Posts Where I Get Personal

June 21, 2011

If you’re new here, welcome! Frugal Mama is growing, so I want to throw open the doors and say to my new readers and e-mail subscribers, “Come on in!” I love knowing you all are there, listening, nodding, or chiming in. I wish I could offer you a chair and a glass of lemonade, but [...]

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Don’t Read This if You Want Your Life to Stay the Same

June 15, 2011

Most of my adulthood, I did not know what I wanted out of life. I spent my 20s wading through what friends and I called the Sea of Ambiguity. I tried public relations, international aid, and educational nonprofits. I took the foreign service exam, graduate courses in cultural anthropology, and an apprenticeship as an art [...]

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16 Ways to Make Time When You Don’t Have Any

June 8, 2011

Most parents I know can’t call in sick or take a personal day when things get crazy. Taking care of children, and maintaining a job – whether it’s running the household or going to the office – makes for a full life. When we add something else to the mix, like starting a new school [...]

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10 Ways to Get Something Done While Outside in Nature with Your Kids

April 21, 2011

How Workaholics Can Feed Their Addiction and Let Their Children Play, is how I subtitled this piece I wrote for Let Children Play. I’m passionate about my kids becoming creative and resourceful beings by engaging in imaginative play, especially outdoors where they also get fresh air and exercise. But I admit I’m not passionate about [...]

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We’re Moving, Again — but it Better be the Last Time for a Long Time

April 18, 2011

Bittersweet is an apt description of how I feel when we pick up and move. The promise of a new adventure is exciting, but it’s heart-breaking to leave a place where you’ve been happy and made friends. At the end of June, we are moving to Washington, D.C. My husband, Enrico, is done with his [...]

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TLC is Launching a New Site for Parents — Find Me There!

March 29, 2011

Great news. I have been asked to collaborate with TLC on a new site called Parentables. I am so excited that the site is now live — and you can be one of the first people to see it! Parentables is about the modern state of parenthood, where parents from all walks of life can learn [...]

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