Dating Online – the basics

The following is a sponsored post:

From personal experience, I can tell you about some of the best online dating websites, at least the ones that worked better for me.

I tried too many to count and certainly they included ones you have heard about on commercials every other day of the week.  I could confidently recommend eHarmony, Match.com as well as Plenty Of Fish (which is free).  This is not a Match dating site review, but you get the idea.

No matter which online service you use to meet people, however, you have to use caution and you have to practice some tips to keep safe. 

• Never meet someone new in a private or isolated area.  Meet in a public place. 
• Have multiple conversations by phone before taking the next step of meeting someone in person . 
• Don’t tell anyone your home address until you are comfortable they are not a potential stalker, or worse.

These are just a few of the basics.  But eHarmony spells out other safety measures and they are worth reading.

Take it from me, it is not easy being back in the dating game after years of marriage.  It sounds like it would be “fun” to get that chance to meet new guys and start a fresh new relationship.  But after many failed first dates, and second dates, I am glad to be in a serious relationship again. 

Do your research and get information about a dating website before you “take the plunge.”  Once you feel comfortable and understand how to maintain your personal safety in meeting new people, give it a chance.

One more tip I can offer to those out there “dating” online.  Give it time.  Don’t expect your prince (or princess) to be one of the first few guys (or girls) you talk to. Time is your friend.

Find yourself… keeping it real.

A Day at the Lake

Part of our weekend celebration for Independence Day included a day at Smith Mountain Lake.  We tried a different community park this time: it wasn’t crowded and was very relaxing.  As the kiddos played in the lake, this butterfly got Jas’ attention so I grabbed the camera and caught it in mid-flight. 

He enjoyed trying to catch it literally.

I enjoyed catching him and one of God’s beautiful creations on film.  (Correction they are both God’s beautiful creations, just don’t tell him I got all sappy, ok?)

Earlier that day we were getting everything together and ready to head out.  The list included beach towels for each of us, sunscreen, a mat, plus my big beach blanket.  And I was able to get all of that into my new personalized beach tote I received for a review post from www.simply-bags.com.  I absolutely love it.

When they contacted me about doing a review on my blog, I had to stop and think about it for all of twenty seconds before I hit reply with a resounding “Absolutely!”  Totes are my weakness, I will admit and this one is my new fave.  It is not only roomy but it also zips across the top to keep all my goodies from falling out while carrying it across the sand.  We had quite a bit in there for our trip as you can see.

Our day was as full as the beach tote.  The kids had a blast.  Here’s Kass and our neighbor, E, enjoying the water…

I didn’t get any good pics of the guys…but

 

…I captured this other beauty that landed on my knee and beside me on the blanket several times. 

And of course, Mr. M, himself…(quite the catch isn’t he?)

Find yourself… keeping it real.

Photo credits: Katherine Shinault

Technorati Tags: beach totes,personalized bags,www.simply-bags.com,family time,holidays,lakes,vacation,photography,butterflies,dragonflies

He’s getting older…and wants to drive

Jas has been bringing up the driving thing lately.  Not that I wasn’t expecting it. He turned 15 several months ago and is just weeks away from being old enough for his learner’s.

But this is the part of his growing up I have been dreading.  You know, since he was two and started riding a big-wheel I have hated the thought of him driving.

It’s not even so much about the expenses involved like buying a car, a car insurance policy, or paying for gas.  Although, I have included these items in our conversations so he understands the reality of that next step. Perhaps he should get quotes for insurance on teenage drivers to fully realize the magnitude of driving.

But my bigger concern is simply the hugeness of this step into independence.  He will be officially growing up when he has a driver’s license and a car.  Plus I know what is inevitable.  Once he is driving, it won’t be, “I wonder if he is going to have an accident,” but “when.”

Not that I want to sound morbid or negative, (I know I am sounding morbid and negative) but I am just preparing for the reality of my baby driving out there on those busy streets where all the crazies are.

Maybe instead of wanting to drive he could come to me and say he wants to start a business in California.  Then we could just all move to California with him, discuss getting insurance for business in California and put my mind at ease about this whole driving thing.  Seriously, I would much rather be getting rates for business insurance.

Yeah, I know… dreaming. (Now who’s crazy?)  Instead of looking into business insurance information, I need to start looking into a good deal for a used vehicle, the best deal for teenage drivers insurance, and sending up many prayers for travel mercies.

What are your fears about your baby growing up into adulthood?

Find yourself… keeping it real.

Photo Credit: Katherine Shinault

Disclaimer:  This post was brought to you by your friends at localinsurance.com.

 

A Mom’s Summer Wish

If you read my blog, you know about our whole crew and how we stay busy.  Between school activities, girl scouts, governor’s school, church events, ball games, and family outings, we stay more than busy.  Now that  the summer season is upon us and school is 48 hours from being over, it’s time to pull out the calendar once again and start planning more stuff - the fun stuff.  As a mom (single mom or not) you have to plan what you are going to do with the kiddos.  (We wouldn’t want them to get bored!) 

Working a full-time job, I plan at least a week of vacation to get away over the summer. (I’ll share more about how to plan this on a budget soon.)  I also like to plan other day trips.  A trip to the zoo, a day here and there at the lake, and a tour of the Natural Bridge Museum are only a few of the things we love to do during a ‘stay-cation’ on weekends.  There are so many options around our local area.

But because I do work all day during the week, I usually schedule the weekends to be with the kiddos, Mr. M, and his boys to enjoy fun summertime outings.  So with no time to clean house, my summer wish would be to have a professional cleaning service. 

I know I’m dreaming, but it’s ok to dream isn’t it?  Wouldn’t it be great if you could take the kiddos and do the things you want to do all summer long, whether it was an evening out at the park or a weekend event, and not worry about the house cleaning?  Have you ever tried to vacuum or dust while the kiddos were underfoot?  Plus if they need constant supervision….

I’m just saying…it would be nice.

Do you have a summer wish?

Disclaimer:  The above blog was a sponsored post.

Find yourself… keeping it real.

Photo Credit:  sxc.hu \ pale

Aging and Insurance

Work is hectic right now, and so blogging has been taking a back seat.  I still have the six tips for realizing your inner beauty I want to share and along with that series I have to tell you about a recent email I received from a young man asking for advice about a girl he had just met… and mistakenly insulted.  Yes more about all that soon.  Sign up for the subscription RSS feed if you don’t want to miss the upcoming blogposts.

But today as a sponsored post, I want to talk to you about life insurance.  A difficult part of growing up is realizing your parents also continue to get older.  As parents age sometimes it leads to difficult subject matters, difficult decisions, and complicated legal matters.  

A friend of mine is dealing with aging parents.  Her dad is in the hospital as I write this; he has been suffering from a long battle with Alzheimer's – sound familiar?  I can relate many times to stories she shares with me as I remember a few years ago dealing with many of the same issues when my mom suffered from the disease.  It is a horrible disease and as I listen and share related stories –I so want to help her but then realize there’s nothing I can do to fix it.  I can only be a friend, but in essence that is all she really needs from me.

As she and her family come to terms with what’s next, they have taken steps to ensure certain things were in place.  They met with lawyers and now have a game plan for handling his estate and her mom’s assets.  It can be so complex and overwhelming.  One item that people need to have already in place when considering all this is funeral insurance.  At the very least they need to have this expense anticipated as a part of his insurance package.

It  is hard to talk about aging parents.  Some of you reading this don’t have to worry about such matters for a long time.  But in the mean time, there is no reason you can’t go ahead and get life insurance quotes.  Life insurance is something you want to think about and plan for earlier rather than later.  I remember how grateful we were that my mom had it in place when the time came.

My heart goes out to my friend who is in the middle of this difficult part of her dad’s journey.  I am praying for her and the family and hoping comfort and peace surround them at this time as they make such difficult decisions.

Remember, sometimes we have to deal with things that are not on the pleasantries list of life.  Life insurance is one of those things, but a necessity all the same. 

Find yourself… keeping it real.

Disclaimer: The above has been a sponsored post.(http://www.aussie.com.au/)

Photo Credit:  PhotoXpress.com – Paul Paladin