Stay at Home Mom

Editorial Note: We love our kids but at some point it is good for them to move out.  I know a number of families who have adult children living at home. Every situation is different. Kristen Mcmahon has contributed her thoughts on helping your kids move along on their way. No, You Can't Move Back Home: Keep Your Kid Out in the Real World by  Kristen Mcmahon No matter how well your children did in school, there's always a little fear that they may move back home with you after college. Thirty years ago, moving in with your parents was something you only did as a last resort. The world has changed; according to Bill Pratt, one of the authors of " How to Keep Your Kid from Moving Back Home after College ," up to 80 percent of college graduates now move back in with their parents after graduation. How can you turn your children into independent young adults, determined to find their own home away from yours? Prepare them before and during their college years. ...

by Elizabeth Milovidov So while my family and I may not get much action for a July 4th celebration, Bastille day more than makes up for it. Bastille Day is on July 14 th and it marks the storming of the Bastille prison in 1789. It is considered the first major event of the French Revolution of 1789 – just think Les Miserables and the barricades and you’ve got a pretty good image. The French are very serious about democracy and there are numerous Independence Day celebrations to confirm that fact: Fireman’s Annual Ball, fireworks launched from Trocadero, a military parade on the Avenue des Champs Elysees, and more. There are so many things to choose from that we usually end up wandering from the Place de la République down to the Hotel de Ville. From there the kids can watch the military parade and see platoons and squadrons and horse brigades and just about every other military branch in France. The military personnel are in their finest and you can feel Gallic pri...

by Elizabeth Milovidov Having lived in Paris for over 18 years now, it goes without saying that celebrating the Fourth of July in Paris is just not quite the same as it is in the good ol’ US of A. But that being said, July 4th in Paris is still a lovely occasion to invite friends and family over to the house (or should I say apartment?). And in my mind, any occasion to sip on a fantastic wine from the Burgundy region, is a good occasion indeed. True, you may not see barbecue chicken, macaroni and cheese, coleslaw, potato salad, baked beans, and so forth and you may have to content yourself with quiche, baguettes, cheese platters, fruit trays but if you’re lucky, you’ll find yourself the center of attention as all of your French friends listen to you in awe as you recount the days leading up to July 4 th , 1776. And if you can’t recall in perfect detail the Continental Congress, or the minutemen, or the names of all of the original colonies, I assure you, your enthralle...

When your teen starts to drive or even gets ready to start learning you begin to look at your car with a totally different perspective.  Stay at Home Mom Tamara McLellan looks at some of the latest models from the eye of a mom of a future driver. IS YOUR TEEN READY TO DRIVE? by  Tamara McLellan Parents evaluating and buying a car for a first-time driver should compare vehicles based on reliability, safety, and the total cost of ownership, according to Edmunds.com. While you can find safety information from secondary sources, there are two organizations that conduct independent tests and provide the results directly to consumers. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, (NHTSA), uses a 5-star rating scale featured on all window stickers displayed on new vehicles. These results are also available at  SaferCar.gov . Since 2011, its ratings have included additional tests of crash avoidance technologies, which are not part of the star rating system. The Ins...