Work & Family Site
	Vannie Ryanes BellaOnline's Work & Family Editor

Family Food Budget - Use Those Coupons
Trimming your grocery bill by using coupons is a good idea, but only if you use them properly.

Practicing Patience
If patience is a virtue, what does that make impatience? Patience may be virtuous but most of us are not so blessed. However, you and your family can find practical ways to deal with impatience.

10 Tips For A Successful Family Meeting

10 Tips To Help You and Your Family Save Money
You know that you need to save money, but it is holiday time, what can you do? "Don't shop" may seem absurd, but to save money you must get into the habit of asking yourself whether the item you are looking at is a want or a need. This time next year you may be in a better place financially.

10 Ways To Make Your Family Happier, Healthier

Are There Happy Marriage’s? You Bet!
Romance novels are flying off the shelves and romance ebooks are being downloaded. Do romance novels hold the secret to happy marriages? After all the most of them end happily ever after. Living happily ever after takes a lot of work, but it can be done.

Are You an Unequal Money Partner?
Stay-at-home moms or dads may feel like an unequal partner when it comes to family money. How do you handle it?

Can A Mediterranean Diet Extend Your Life
While away a few weeks ago, a friend mentioned that she was going to eat healthier--like me. I did not say anything, but truth be told while I am simply picky eater. The question is will a mediterranean diet help me become a truly healthy eater?

Can You Stop Telemarketing Calls?
The Federal Do No Call Registry is alive and well. And it does work for most telemarketing calls, however, some manage to slip through the cracks. Can you stop all telemarketing calls? Probably not completely, but you can slow them down to a crawl.

Can You Train Your Mate?
Can you train your human loved one the way you do your fur babies? I offer my tongue in-cheek observations on this perplexing issue.

Caregiving and Elder Abuse
Are you responsible for the care of an elderly family member? If so, you know that being a caregiver can be mentally and emotionally challenging. So how can you balance your own needs with those of the individual you care for?

Caring For Our Aging Parents
If you have not yet reached the age where you have concerns about caring for your parents as they age, you probably will in the next five to ten years. Author Dan Taylor gives some guidance in The Parent Care Conversation.

Consignment Shopping
There has been a lot of talk on television about dressing for business in garments purchased from consignment shops. Do you pass a consignment shop every day, but quickly walk past it? It does look interesting, but you are not sure if you want walk into the shop, however cute the name.

Finding Time For Family and Yourself
It is not easy. You sometimes feel that the world is passing you by. You miss family affairs, holidays, vacations with friends and precious time with your mate. If you have children it is worse yet. Finding time for family can be hard.

Food Stamp Programs in the U.S.
While reading posts in one of the BellaOnline forums I became interested in the use of food stamps in America. I found these disturbing facts. In year 2001, 60% of the food stamp recipients were women, 51% were children and a full 93% were U. S. born citizens.

Frugal Christmas Giving
It's no secret that money is tight for many. So what do you do about Christmas gifts? Have you purchased all of your gifts? If you are among those who have waited until the last minute to do holiday shopping because you hope prices will go down?

Frugal Holiday Gift-Giving
You don't have to spend an outlandish amount of money to celebrate the holidays. Let this year be one of frugal holiday gift-giving. Think of things that will warm the heart without depleting your wallet.

Get Out of Debt
If your family is swamped in debt and you are trying to find a way out, you should know that just because a debt negotiation company calls itself a nonprofit, that’s no guarantee that it’s a legitimate organization.

Giving Advice to Family Members
If instinct or past experience tells you that your advice probably won't be followed, then it may be best to say nothing.

Grandparents Precious Links to Our Past
Grandparents are more than your parents and grandparents to your children, they are precious links to our past. Take measures to help your children spend time and bond with grandparents. To my way of thinking, Mother's Day and National Grandparents Day go together like peanut butter and jelly.

Handling Marital Conflict
Some marital conflict is inevitable. However, you can help to change or at least soften some of it. Renovating your marriage - Some do's and don'ts.

Holiday Shopping Within the Family Budget
Thanksgiving starts the holiday gift buying rush. You can stay within the family budget and still enjoy shopping. Make a decision to become a smart holiday shopper; don't wait until the last minute hoping for sales.

Is Your Family Facing Mortgage Fallout?
Are you having difficulties keeping up with your mortgage? The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) says, "For most families, a home is not only a significant financial investment but also a source of pride." Today’s rocky and uncertain economic times can make upkeep difficult.

Journaling For The Whole Family
Everyone seems to be journaling these days. Memorializing your thoughts and feelings can be a fun, relaxing and a creative pastime for the whole family.

Kids' Time Out - Make It A Night, Any Night
Want to give your kids some qualily family time? Maybe it is time to revamp reorganize your days and evenings.

Kids´ Time-Out Tip: Cook together, play together

Learn How to Accept a Compliment Graciously
Do you know to accept a compliment graciously. It can take a long time to learn how to simply say "Thank you" without fumbling or feeling foolish. Learning how to accept a compliment can be difficult, but it is not impossible.

Make A Family Plan To Cope With War

Make Getting To Work Easier and Smoother
Some mornings are wonderful, you wake up 15 minutes before the alarm goes off and relish those few precious moments. Then there are the other mornings when you feel nothing goes right; you know those days, no toothpaste, no deodorant and no milk for your cereal.

Money Saving Tips and Ideas
When is an advertised bargain a real bargain? When it proves to be one by really saving your hard earned dollars. Get free audio stories for children.

Mothers and Motherhood
Mothers and Motherhood, we seldom take time to really think about how much truth there is in William Ross Wallace's, "The Hand That Rocks The Cradle Is The Hand That Rules The World."

National Do Not Call Registry and Cell Phones
If you are in the United States and have received an e-mail or e-mails urging you register your cell phone take to moment to check the facts first.

Parenting

Pay It Forward by Volunteering
There is a lot of buzz about paying it forward to make the world a gentler and kinder place. The idea is when you receive a favor from someone, thank them and pay it forward with a much needed or unexpected favor for someone else.

Positive Self-Talk
Have you ever wondered why some people are lucky while nothing ever goes right for others? Of course of a lot depends on circumstances, but some good luck may depend on attitude and how these lucky people look at life in general.

Repairing Family Estrangement
Why do family members become estranged, sometimes for decades or even forever? In some cases, once you are privy to inside information it seems obvious. However, in other cases, the reason for such rifts seem less clear, even after you hear both sides of the story.

Setting and Keeping Goals
It is easy to set goals but often difficult to keep and reach them. We often fail because we do not set our minds to the goal or apply direct action to achieving the goal. As one who has gone through a large debt reduction process, I can assure you that setting goals can work.

Share Your Best Kids´ Time-Out and Mom´s Time-Out Tips

Share Your Best Mom´s Time-Out & Kids´ Time-Out Tips

Sister Love, Sister Estrangement?
When a woman is estranged from her sister can the damage be repaired? A popular ABC newsmagazine show is asking the same question and seeks sisters who haven't communicated in more than a year and who would like to reconnect.

Take Time For Family
There is an old song that talks about a father who was too busy to spend time with his young son, now the father is old and weary; the son has no time for him. More often than we would imagine, this is the case in real life.

Taking Good Things for Granted
Many of us do take the good things in our lives for granted, our mate; our children, our home, the list goes on. Most of us don't stop to think "what would happen if I lost this or that." We only think of what we have or had, when it is gone or simply diminished.

Teach your Child to Solve Problems

Teaching Children to Enjoy the Arts
Museums are wonderful places for children to learn about art and history, some offer educational activities for the whole family.

The Right to Die A Family Issue
The Right to Die is definately a family issue. Terri Schiavo who died March 2005 was the brain-damaged woman who became the focus of the painful right-to-die battle.

Tips to Teach Kids Compassion and Tolerance
First and foremost leave your prejudices’ outside of the door. If you don’t want your kid to say it, you should not say it. Do not allow your own prejudice what ever it may be, race, religion, social status; or the way you view the opposite sex, to color your child’s view of the world.

Wedding details: Don´t Forget The Work/Family Marriage Plan

Welcome To BellaOnline's Work & Family Site
Balancing work and family is a juggling act that each mother works out according to her own life experience. This site helps moms support and learn from each other, whether they have careers, start businesses or, for now, stay home.

What Makes a Happy Marriage?
We all know that there are no tried and true rules to a happy marriage. However basic rules of mutual respect play a large part in a successful union.

Working Moms and Their Children

Your Family Vacation, Safe and Inexpensive Fun
You are excited because you and your family are getting away for some fun and bonding time. Take some extra precautions before you go. You know the usual travel warnings and safety tips, however, there are other tips that you should keep in mind also.