U Promise College Savings

Have you ever heard of U-Promise?  It is a website that offers a few different approaches to getting money back on your purchases to use for your child's future education (or really, anything for that matter, since you can get the money back in cash!).  I use it when I shop online to earn cash back on purchases.  I set up an account on U Promise, and when I know I'm going to buy something online, I sign in there first and check to see if the retailer I am using offers a percentage back through U Promise.  Most retailers do, one major exception being Amazon.com.  So, I search for the retailer on U Promise, click to be linked to the retailer's website from there, and a percentage of my purchase is then credited back to my U Promise account!  Free money for a few extra clicks!  You can withdraw the money or have it linked to a 529 account.  They also offer a credit card that earns extra money back on all purchases too.  It's a pretty good deal for us online shoppers out there who don't mind our purchases being tracked.  Every little bit adds up for that big expensive education in the future!

Crazy 8- Great Kids' Site!

Yesterday I found another great kids' site for clothing!  I can't believe I had never heard of it before... Crazy 8.  I stumbled across a 20% off coupon in a Parenting magazine and checked it out.  It is a sister site to Gymboree, but has slightly better prices.  Right now they are having a great spring sale- I got some cute surfboard t shirts for the boys.

Shark-wear! Cute Shark Apparel for Little Boys

Sharks are all around this spring!  My little guys love them.  Here are some of the cute shark styles I have found:

Gap.com- Shark Swim Trucks












Gap.com- Colorful Shark T 













LL Bean- Shark Swim Trunks 













LL Bean- Shark Backpack 












Mini Boden- Shark Sweatshirt 














Mini Boden- Shark T















Gymboree- Shark Fin Baseball Hat 









Gymboree- Shark Plaid Patchwork Shorts 












Gymboree- Shark Friends T 










Gymboree- Hammerhead Shark Swim Trunks











Gymboree- Shark Boxer Briefs

Mini Ray Bans!

Did you know that Ray Ban sells adorable "little kid" sizes of their sunwear?  Check out the photo of my boys wearing their aviators on Easter!  Use the Ray Ban Store locator to find a location near you!!

Do You Have to Feel Guilty? Parenting With Love and Logic

Do You Have to Feel Guilty? Weekly Tip from the Love and Logic® Experts   Dear Parent,   Do you think the following parents ought to feel guilty for their actions?   Parent A:   I said to my teenage daughter, "I wash clothes that are placed in the hamper." They've been lying in a heap in her room…so she doesn't have anything else to wear except her least favorite outfits.   Parent B:   My son was getting more irritable and defiant every day. It seemed related to how much time he was spending playing his video games. I took the video games and told him that I loved him too much to see him getting so addicted to them.   Parent C:   My ten-year-old asked for a cell phone. I let her know that she could have one when she could afford the entire cost…including the data plan.   Parent D:   Our 23-year-old son was sitting around all day watching television. We told him that we were fine with him living with us for a while if he was doing his best to finish school or get a job. He continued to be so disrespectful and lazy that we asked him to leave.   What do you think? Should these parents feel guilty for what they've done? Do you have to feel guilty when you set and enforce reasonable limits with your kids?   Of course not!   The goal is to set these limits in ways that allow us to go to bed each night knowing the following:   I did it out of love. I did it with as much empathy as I could muster. I did it because I care more about my child’s long-term wellbeing than my own short-term emotions.   Regardless of how they might react, you never have to feel guilty about giving your kids the gift of loving limits. For more tips on setting these limits, listen to our audio: Love Me Enough to Set Some Limits.   Thanks for reading! Our goal is to help as many families as possible. If this is a benefit, forward it to a friend.   Dr. Charles Fay