Single Mothers Way Of Preventing Burnout

Single parent burnout

Single parent burnout

It’s common for us single mothers to be busy always because there is home work and jobs that we usually do simultaneously. The problem is, we often forget to have a break and not taking enough rest which is very essential. And when our minds and body can only take enough, we can experience single parent burnout.

Basically, burnout is the result of mental and body fatigue when our minds and bodies get drained out of energies faster that we can cope up. Not only that the strain come from external factors but most of the times it is the repetition of doing things that can also contribute to our burnout. In short, it is boredom that is mainly composed of our mental burnout.

On the other hand, there are always solutions to any problems even with single parents’ burnout. One of the major solutions you can consider is paying for a babysitter so that so much of your time you spend watching over your kid can be focused on your work and small housework. But if you think a babysitter is another bite on your wallet, there are still things you can do just to feel relaxed most of the times. The secret actually lies with time management and conditioning your mind and body so that you can always feel energized, have inner peace and avoiding the draining burnout altogether.

Here are the things you can do just to avoid sing mother burnout.

  • Have some time on weekends with your baby and stroll in the park. Just sitting around on a bench and watch other kids play with your kid can relaxes your senses. You can also bring along your grown-up kids and let them play.
  • If your baby is asleep and want to feel fully relaxed, take a nap as well or if you have other kids around you can watch a movie on TV or on DVD.
  • Read your favorite book while your kid is playing or read your kid’s book to him or her. Both of you will feel relaxed this way.
  • While working at home and watching over your kid, open the radio and listen to music. If you want to feel dynamic listen to lively music or soft music if you want to work just as easy. Just make sure your volume is not too loud.
  • Cook for your kids and try new recipes from time to time. This can challenge your mind and skills in cooking while cooking for your kids can excite you.
  • Sometimes you may want to hire a baby sitter and visit your friends or watch movie alone. Ensure that you leave your babysitter your cell phone number in case of emergencies and list down your reminders.
  • While resting after work, browse the web and open your Facebook or any of your favorite networking site. You can do a little chat with your friend while your baby is around.
  • Subscribe to your favorite magazine. Reading can take off your mind from boredom especially if you really like what you read.
  • Learn how to yoga. Single moms can benefit greatly from yoga. Yoga can be your best calming exercise for your mind and body while it enhances your immune system. You can do basic yoga few times a day a day.
  • If you can’t do anything other than watch TV or reading while your baby is asleep or playing, you can do your housework to de-stress your mind. House cleaning is basically a great stress reliever.
  • Take your baby outside your house and breathe some fresh air. Walk a little or bring a chair outside to feel the outdoor air.
  • If daytime napping is not your style and you like coffee, brew your favorite coffee brand and sit on your sofa and just take pleasure in your sips.
  • Put up your garden and plant your favorite flowering plants. Single moms really love to garden at home because this is the best way to destabilize the tension buildup in them while enjoying nature with their plants.
  • Email a far away friend. Your friend from afar will really appreciate your way of concern while exchanging emails with somebody close to you can help you lighten your head.
  • Call somebody you want to have a light conversation with. If you have some tension build up with you, telling it to somebody close to you through the phone can be comforting.
  • Take a warm shower before you sleep. After your busy day, there is nothing comforting than taking a hot shower and enjoy its warmth. This would give you a lighter feeling and can energize you as well as it can also make you sleep tightly.
  • Talk to your kids. Conversing with your kids in a motherly manner but not getting stern is one way of bonding with your kids while letting them know you are there for them. Just knowing that your kids are getting close to you makes you feel relieved from your burnout.


We’ve got still a lot to tell you but these are the best that you can do just to avoid getting the burnout. However, as a single mother, you know exactly what you want so just do it to make you happy. As long as you do your best role as a mother to your kids and providing them all their needs, you deserve something better so that the next day would always be another exciting day for you.


Best Online Education For Single Mothers

Single Mothers Online Study

Single Mothers Online Study

Single mothers are typically the busiest kinds of people because whether they like it or not they have to work doubly hard to sustain their kids and their needs.  However, many single mothers today can be able to work on menial jobs only and that is because they don’t have the college degrees or skills to make themselves more marketable.

On the one hand, we cannot eliminate the fact that only thru education and training can help single mothers be able to support their families. Without it, single mothers would be unable to find jobs that would provide them enough money needed for their survival. Literally speaking, single moms who have not earned degrees usually find it hard to continue their studies because employment would be their first priority. Since they have to work and care for their kids alone, they would normally give up the idea of schooling again. However, there is still the chance for single moms to educate themselves through their own initiatives and without the hassles of going back to school and that is through online education.

Benefits of Online Education to Single Moms

Why we need to educate single mothers is really necessary. Once they get their college degrees or certificates, they can be able to upgrade their credentials and boost their income potential. They can basically become very competitive and can have better job securities. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2007 alone, an American single parent who has college degree can earn an annual average of $51, 324 while a single parent who only graduated from high school can only earn $20,000 per annum on the average. This is why the National Center for Children in Poverty reported that most poor student adolescents come from low-income families and have single parents that did not obtain their college degrees. So in essence, this is where online education can be very significant for all single parents.

Online education or distance education during these days is generally accomplished with the use of computers and the internet and it comes in two popular formats. These are the online college education and online short training courses. With online college education, a single mother can continue her degree or take a new college degree in college by completing her courses that are within her program’s curriculum.

The single mom will need to attend online classes and conference along with other online students and their professors and sometimes an actual meeting is done in schools when presentations of projects are necessary. A single mother can have her diploma once she completes her online program’s requirements. The online college degrees that are popular among single moms nowadays are nursing, general education, general psychology, counseling psychology, healthcare administration, paralegal or marketing.

Online short training courses are for those who want to earn certificates by taking short courses from vocational schools while at home. The most popular courses in this category are paralegal, legal assistance, media advertising, I.T. skills, languages and professional writing. A certificate is given once a single mom completes her requirements.

Who Can Provide the Educational Assistance?

educational grants to single mothers

educational grants to single mothers

Education even through online can still be quite expensive for single moms and most of them can hardly afford it. But in terms of getting the educational funding, they don’t have to worry because a lot of non-profit organizations are offering educational grants to single mothers. There are also the federal and state government programs and some colleges and universities including trade schools are also offering scholarships for single parents. Generally, what the single mothers can get from these institutions are in the form of grants for single mothers and financial aids. 

Where to find study grants for single mothers and financial aids is actually easy. The internet is teeming with sites that that are created to provide all kinds of assistance to single parents. All the single must do is complete the requirements the funding agencies require and wait. Once single mothers find their sources of funding, it’s now time to find the best schools that can give them the potentials and eligibilities they need. So for single mothers’ advantage, here is the list of schools they may want to try inquiring to.

Best Online College Schools For Single Mothers

  • University of Phoenix
    This is a good choice for single mothers who want to enroll in adult-centered courses. The classes here have flexible schedules and counselors are very supportive with their online students.
  • Kaplan University
    This school also has flexible schedules which is just right for single mothers’ hectic lives. It offers college online programs as well as certificate programs related to technology, finance, business and health care.
  • Penn Foster College
    Penn is unique because single mothers can have the convenience of learning through online portals and with the use of traditional textbooks which are crucial requirements in learning. With the paraphernalia, even without the computers single mothers can study their lessons.
  • Capella University
    Capella specializes in providing degree programs and conduct learning with the use of Blackboard Learning System software. The school also offers actual learning experience through selected schools based on the school’s Prior Learning Assessment Program.


Other than these online schools, single mothers can still find a lot of universities on the web offering distance learning and online study programs and some of them can even help them Other than these online schools, single mothers can still find a lot of universities on the web offering distance learning and online study programs and some of them can even help them find their education support source. Single mothers must only be creative in using the right keywords in finding these schools. For those who want to earn their skills certificates through online studies, there are also lots of trade schools that provide distance learning. Certificate programs are easy to complete and with regular online attendance plus submitting the needed requirements, it would only take single mothers three to six months and they can have certified skills added to their resume.

Here are the top certificate programs that are very suitable for single moms.

Top Certificate Programs for Single Moms 

  • Physical Therapy Aide
    Physical Therapy Aides are basically the assistants of professional physical therapists. The certificate can be earned now through online education and a physical therapy aide certification is the prize. The lessons here though are extensive and more focused. A certified PT Aide according to PayScale.com can earn as much as $17,000 to $30,000 a year.
  • Early Childhood Education
    If you love to hang around with children, this type of online education will satisfy you. You will learn how to deal with children and learn their issues and help them solve it. You will also study how to create safe and healthy environment for kids. Your job then can be a guidance counselor, a teacher assistant or a professional care giver for small kids. You can earn as from $7.60 to $12.22 an hour with your job while you enjoy what you do.
  • Paralegal
    Paralegals are the generally the researchers of the lawyers or law firms and their jobs are to interview clients, monitor their activities, do legal research and provide regular reports to their bosses. A certified paralegal can earn between $25, 942 and $79, 898 a year based from the paralegal’s job position.
  • Medical Office Assistant
    Medical office assistant can suit single mothers because the job would be like being a secretary working for doctors. Students will be able to understand medical terminologies, human anatomy, medical transcription, dictation up to insurance processing. Single mothers may earn $9.14 to $16.78 per hour with this job.


If you are a single mother and is not armed with a diploma or a certificate, you can’t expect to have job security and you may likely jump from one job to another. The problem is as your kids grow, you will need to strive harder until you feel the strain getting tighter. But with a college education or a skills certificate finding white collar jobs will not even be a problem. So don’t think that being a single mom is the end of your career growth because online education for single mothers can be your best salvation.


How Single Mothers Can Go Back To School?

Single Mother Finishing School

Single Mother Finishing School

If you are a single mother and still want to finish your college education, there are a lot of things you should consider before you can go ahead and be a student again. First, you must know how to keep your children safe whenever you go to school. Second, you should know whom you can leave your kids with to make sure they will be secured. Third, can you be able to handle your job and work at the same time without compromising quality time with your kids? And lastly, since you will be a student and a working mother at the same time how can you prevent your kids from losing their interest in you once you go back to school and become very busy?

Why the Need for Further Education

Education is a very crucial option among single moms because having a diploma or even skills certificate can enable them to have one giant step towards having job security. Unlike with single parents who only finished their high schools, degree holder single moms have very good chance of finding the professions they want. However, while carrying the responsibilities of being single moms, getting an education can also be hard for them. One thing that can be the biggest problem among single moms is whom to leave their kids when they want to pursue their studies. Then the other problems come after.

Nevertheless, it’s not the end of the road for single moms not to have their diplomas because they can pursue education without hassle through online education. Known as distance learning or distance education, online education for single mothers are the best choice if mothers really cannot leave their kids alone. Yet, there are certain degree programs that are not offered on online studies and require actual attendance especially the courses that need actual practice. In this case, attending actual classes is a must. But as we have said, there can be some problems in becoming a single mother and a student at the same time. If you are a single mom, how can you find solutions to these? Well, try these tips.

Tips on How Single Mothers Can Get Back To School

  • Find universities that provide care giving assistance to single moms. There are certain universities that have their own child care centers right on campus and complete with attendants who maybe students or mothers themselves. Some schools also give home assistance to single parents so if your kids are already grown-ups, you can’t be far away from them. If you can’t find such schools, ask the school’s student affairs office personnel if they can give you references for child care providers.
  • Find someone whom you can trust your kids with. Your parents are the best option if you want to have sense of security while attending your classes. Or you can hire someone mature and can be trusted to do the baby sitting for you. Make a list about the proper care for your kids and give this list to your baby sitter. Give her instructions especially about how to call emergency numbers and most especially your numbers.
  • Create your schedule. While you are a working single mom, you still can shuffle your time between work and studies through time management. Check your schedules both with your time needed at home and work and your studies then make some adjustments. You can talk to your boss and your professors to help you strategize your time. They may consider putting you on flexi time schedules.
  • Avoid having credit units overload while working. Definitely you cannot maximize your time with your studies because as a single working mom, you are required to work 40 hours a week. So try to take only few credit units at a time that can fit your schedule to avoid affecting your working hours and your time with your kids.
  • Talk to your kids and tell them why you need to go to school. Your kids would normally seek your presence when they know you are already out from your work. If you need to attend your class after your office hours or during weekends, explain to your kids why you need to go to school. This can take off the guilt from your mind and make them realize the significance of your absence. You can also do your homework with them to let them see your goals.
  • Try to stay healthy. Studying and working is really a strenuous process but you must always stay healthy. Otherwise you can put everything at risk of losing if you get sick. So while you work and going to school after, try to go to health clubs on weekends with your kids to condition yourself. Also, try to maintain balanced diet and always get enough sleep.
  • If you only want to add skills to your credentials, you can consider taking short courses. There are a lot of short courses that can last only few months to attend and you can have your certificate. There are also online short courses that can earn you certificate while at home. With short courses training, you don’t have to stay in school for many years and yet you get to be a certified skill worker with upgraded working potentials.


If these simple tips could be followed, going back to school would not be an issue anymore for single mothers. It’s just a matter of planning, communication with the concerned individuals and proper strategy that single moms can resolve what is hindering them. Single mothers should always have growth in their careers because they need it. Just like the rest of us, they have to find job security with their work and would need to upgrade their worth in the labor force. But unlike most of us, they are more burdened because they are rearing their kids alone and in their own ways so we must appreciate that single mothers going back to school are really heroes in their own right.

Tips How Single Moms Can Grow Healthy Kids

Healthy Kids

Healthy Kids

Single moms usually have the hardest time to grow healthy kids. And this is sometimes being blamed not because of the absence of a dad in the house but with the single mom’s hectic schedule with work and house chores which somehow eliminate the time to watch over the kids’ diet.

Based from many studies, many working single mothers have kids that are overweight or even obese because most often moms leave money to their grown up kids which in turn order foods from fast foods. The problem is, kids would always want to prefer pizza, hamburgers, fried chicken, fries, soda, ice cream and other foods that are full of calories, lots of salt and sugar instead of the more nutritious food whenever they get hungry. They want these foods because these don’t need heating, ready to eat, very delicious for them and they don’t get tired eating it everytime.

The problem is, when kids develop the liking for junk foods, fatty and salty food from fast foods, their food habit can be hard to break. The result would be overweight kids or sometimes malnourished kids that would not want to eat home cooked foods anymore. So as a single mom who got to make your kids healthy, you really need to encourage them to eat healthy foods again. If you can’t still imagine how you can do that here are things that you can do.

Ways to Encourage Your Kids to Eat Healthy Food

  • Be a good role model when it comes to choosing your food to your kids. Psychologists say that parents who show their kids their bad eating habits generally have kids that are also beyond healthy. This is because their kids’ food concepts develop from what they see in their parents even with the parents’ eating habits and choice of food are bad. So try to show your kids you choose your food wisely even if you order food from fast food or eat together in restaurants.
  • Show to your kids the bad elements that are in the food they usually eat. Junk foods especially snack foods and candies are loaded with, preservatives, salt and sugar. For packaged junk foods, show your kids the ingredients in the packaging that can harm their health. Too much sugar can primarily decay their teeth and contribute to their getting overweight and becoming prone to children’s diabetes. Examples of food loaded with sugar are ice cream, chocolates, juice drinks, soft drinks and more. Too much salt is bad for the kidneys and can raise blood pressure even in children. Examples of food high in salt are salami, pizza, bacon, sausages and other food from food chains.
  • Understand their cravings for such food and try to cook it for them minus the harmful ingredients. We know that almost all kids love the foods at McDonalds, Burger King or KFC because foods in these food chains really taste good and can suit every kid’s taste. However, almost all the foods in there are high in fat, salt and calories. That’s why kids’ are addicted to it because their tastes buds get all the rev up with the unwanted ingredients that’s in their food. So if your kids love fried chicken, fry fresh chicken meat for them using low fat oil and if they like spaghetti, cook for them spaghetti using organic oil and ingredients. Basically, you can always find time to cook for your kids as long as you already have a planned menu for the week.
  • Create a menu and show it to your kids or involve them in choosing the food you can cook. If your kids usually do not eat or only a little of the food you cook, it’s because you only cook for them without thinking if they want it. So ask them what they want to eat but eliminate the undesirable foods from your menu. If they don’t know what food to choose, offer them the options. Have a colorful cook book and show it to them. Describe its taste and its flavor and psyche them out. This way you could change their choice of foods little by little.
  • Teach your teen kids how to cook. Some kids really have knacks in cooking. But they will not discover it unless you teach them how to cook. Cooking can be a good way for teens to express themselves and enjoy what they cook. Show them a cookbook or guide them to websites where cooking can be easy for kids. Then slowly explain to them the process of coking and also the safety procedures. If your grown-up kids can learn how to cook, they could feel the independence in the kitchen early. For your small kids, you can also teach them how to make sandwiches.
  • Stock in your fridge only healthy food. Where kids go whenever they are hungry but in the kitchen and right into the fridge. Whenever they get thirsty, the fridge is also their easy provider. So try to stock food in your fridge that are only healthy and must be low in fats, sugar and salt. First on your list must be fruits like cherries, grapes, strawberries and edible vegetables like sliced carrots or cucumbers while you don’t include cake, soda or soft drinks.
  • Bring your kids to restaurants that cater healthy foods. Single mothers usually want to make up to their kids and want to treat them out to foods on restaurants. So if you want to treat your kids to dinner during the weekends, choose a restaurant that prepare foods your kids will love but nutritious and healthy.
  • Show them the proper preparation for healthy snacks. For sure, your loaves of bread and spread are there for your kids. But if you want them to learn how to prepare healthy snacks show them the process of preparation. For example, show them how include vegetables like tomatoes, lettuce, onions, and other vegetables in their sandwiches.
  • Try to cook foods for your kids before you leave for the day. If you want to make sure you are leaving your kids nutritious food, prepare the food yourself and keep them in the fridge. This way, you choose which healthy food your kid would want to eat while you are away and working.


There are still so many advices that we can get from the experts who are also single mothers themselves and know the food for kids to eat when parents are away. Yet these tips should be enough to make your kids go back to their eating healthy foods. So even if you are a single mother and a busy one, you don’t have to worry you cannot maintain a healthy diet for your kids.

How Busy Single Moms Can Stay Fit?

being fit even a single mom

being fit even a single mom

For single moms, raising kids is really stressful. It’s like having two careers at the same time. You work for a living for the kids while you are alone taking care of everything at home. Even with two parent families, raising small kids until they are teens can always drain out parents’ energy. What’s more with the pressure if you are a single mom and already getting out of shape?  With all the things that need to be done at home and at work, single mothers generally cannot find time to exercise and stay fit.

On the one hand, there can always be solutions with the issue of single parenting and trying to get fit and actually the means to do this can always be a matter of planning, considering the options and mode for adjustments. How is this possible? We will tell you how.

Single Moms Finding Ways To Get Fitter 

  • Do your workout at home. Especially if you are such a busy mother who only has free time during the weekends, working out at home can be your best available option. What can guide you to your exercise routines? You can watch TV exercise programs or buy a CD if you have a DVD player. If you have a computer and an internet connection, there are thousands of workout videos you can watch on YouTube.
  • Encourage your kids to join you. Small kids are easy to persuade to do exercise with their parents and you can have more fun doing it at home. It’s a form of bonding and exercising at the same time with home workout. If your teens are not into physical fitness or maybe are not into home workout, tell them to join youth sports clubs. Knowing that your family is into fitness trend can make you feel more active and motivated.
  • Join mom’s circle fitness programs. While a lot of moms are into fitness trend these days, don’t exclude yourself even if you are a busy single mom. You deserve to get fit for you and your kid’s sake. So even if you don’t have time on weekdays, allot some hours during the weekends and hire a baby sitter if necessary if you need to ensure your kids are safe. If you have teenage children, tell them honestly that you need to get fit and ask your neighbors to check them from time to time. Don’t forget to bring your cell phone when out and leaving your kids at home.
  • Exercise with your kids. If your kids are easy to manage and talk over with, why don’t you encourage them to exercise with you? You can do it outside like jogging, walking in the park, taking a hike, biking or swimming. It’s pretty sure that your kids would enjoy your company especially if they are challenged with what you all do. So always try to push their limits with physical activities. Some single mothers even join fun runs with their kids and it’s a great bonding time when the whole family is charging up with fitness fun.
  • Do some strolls at the mall. Women like you surely love shopping or maybe window shopping if you don’t really have the budget for too much shopping. But if you want to enjoy your walks while enjoying what you see, a stroll at the mall every now and then can enable you to have a little bit of burning out while you don’t exactly notice it. Women are not like men. Men not only get bored while they shop with their partners but easily get tired. But with women, their adrenaline go up once they window shop and they never knew they are also getting warmed up and burning lots of calories.
  • Get a personal trainer. Hiring a personal trainer and do your workout at home is an excellent option to maximize your available time as a single mother. With few hours during the weekends and paying your personal trainer on per hour base, that’s not bad in making up for the whole week’s loss with your exercise needs. Your trainer can also advice you on how to take short exercise at home as well as providing you the proper diet to help you stay on the slim side.
  • Find a health club that has a safe amenity for kids. If you can’t trust a babysitter, you can also find a health club that has an amenity for small kids like play rooms. Usually, large health clubs do have personnel that can take care of member’s small kids. With all the convenience of working out while your baby is just closed by, you can maintain a fitness routine with a clearer mind.
  • Buy your exercise tools for home use. Exercise machines like treadmills are best for home use but they are rather expensive. You can use it anytime as well. If you can’t afford it, there is the stationary bike that can be affordable. You can include these while you window shop and look for bargains. But if you really want the most inexpensive items you can use at home, there are the gym balls, barbells, garters and many other small exercise tools you can use. Find videos as well on the net how to use these efficiently.
  • Bring along your grown-up kids to your fitness center. There are studies that kids of single moms usually fall into overweight or obesity problems because their moms don’t usually find the time to cook for them so they usually rely on fast foods. Though this is alarming news, you can resolve this by taking along your grown-up kids to your fitness center and encourage them to work out. You also need to resolve on how your kids would not totally rely on instant foods so try to find time to cook for them or teach them a bit of cooking for themselves.

So you see, even if you are a single mom, you can always stay fit while not compromising your children’s sake and still have your time for rest. The only way to stay fit is to work out and have a diet program. Diet alone won’t work because even if you don’t get overweight but you don’t exercise, you can have weak stamina and lack in physical strength. You need to be strong to stay stress-free or else you can’t keep up with your job and doing house chores at the same time. Besides, as a single mom, making yourself fit would always make men see you as an attractive woman.

 

Ways How Single Moms Can Learn To Be Independent And More Self-Sufficient

More Self-Sufficient Single Mom

More Self-Sufficient Single Mom

Most single mothers today live with their parents especially those who have kids and are still very young. Nonetheless, it is now common especially on more developed countries that single mothers prefer to be independent once they got their jobs and can spend for their kids already. On the other hand, single parenting is really a tough job especially on women who have faced divorced so sudden. They may instantly feel that it is really not easy taking all the duties in nurturing the kids alone. And with the thoughts that there would be a lot of burdens in the horizon, sometimes this can alarm single mothers a lot.

Actually, the feeling of being single again but with kids to care for can be overwhelming for all single mothers at the beginning of their independent lives. But with the right decisions, planning and brighter outlook in life, single mothers would be able to learn living normally and can feel more secured rather than feeling abandoned and helpless.

If you are a single mom who thinks you can’t handle your situation, you actually can and here are the tips that can help you get through the worried feelings.

Advice on Single Mothers How to Be Independent and Self-Sufficient

  • Try to enhance your mindset. Don’t let negative feelings or fear overcome your thoughts. Accept life as it is and take examples of women who are single moms or once single moms but now have better lives. Remember that our thinking creates our fate so if you always think positively you have the best chance of overcoming all the challenges and can achieve success as well.
  • Set some goals in life. It is not the end of the road once you get separated from your partner. Have some goals and work hard. Always think what you want to achieve and act to have it. You can plan for everything step by step and have some strategies if you want to ensure you get to your goals. For example, if you want to continue your education, apply online for educational grants or look for organizations that provide financial assistance to single mothers.
  • Train your kids to be independent little by little. As a single mother, it is your task to train your kids to become independent even at their young age. Train them to handle tasks according to their age so that they would not always be dependent on you as they grow up. Help them to be analytical with their undertakings and you will see that as they mature, a lot of burdens can be lifted out from your shoulders.
  • Learn to live with what you have and what you can get. Don’t rely too much on the support your ex provides to your kids. Most of the times, such support money would not be enough for you and your kids. Now that you are single again, try to earn money on your own but try to live within your budget. If you get strapped out of cash for your basic needs and cannot derive help from anybody, look for government assistance programs. Not only you can rely with government programs, there are a lot of institutions that provide aid to single parents and you can check these on the web.
  • Always find a better paying job and attend training to prepare for a career. Now that you are alone working for your kids, find jobs based from your credentials that pay better. Apply online or look for sidelines on the web which you can do homebased. To improve your credentials you can also look for free training program which can give you better opportunities in finding better jobs.
  • Learn to save and avoid useless spending. Since you are now obliged to be frugal, learn the ways on have to save money with your spending. If you want to buy or shop for some things, look for bargains, sales, and freebies or even free promotional products that can equal the things you want to buy. Also, tell your kids that they need to watch their expenditures and use their allowances well. Your kids will understand and this will teach them how to be practical spenders as well.
  • Avoid relying on your credit cards. Sometimes you need to use your credit cards if you are really short on cash and need to buy something. This is not bad especially if you are already financially independent and can have extra money from your budget. But this is not good if you just want to use your card on unnecessary items. Your unwise use of credit card may drain your pocket so don’t forget that you ought to pay for what you owe and must pay it right on schedule or you accumulate debts. With lots of debts, you can easily get stressed out physically and financially.
  • Cutting unnecessary home expenses. It’s different now that you are earning and paying for everything you use in your home. Since you don’t want to see a lot of bills in your mailbox, you can consider cutting out some expenses which you can live without like your landline, cable TV plan or other expenses that are just part of your “wants” not your “needs”. Local TV channels can also provide entertainment to you and your kids and you can also get cheaper mobile phone line for your communication needs.
  • Do extra jobs. Some single mothers whose kids are already grown-ups do other jobs aside from their regular jobs. Some do babysitting, tutoring, work as part-time waitresses on restaurant, cashier to stores, and a lot more jobs that women can do during their spare time. If your kid is still very young, you can hire a baby sitter while you do some extra jobs. As we have said, you can also look for online part-time jobs and can even find full time jobs on the web like becoming a copywriter, a virtual assistant or an encoder.
  • Set aside small amount of money little by little. If you are earning extra cash with your part-time jobs, try to save a little money regularly. Emergency expenses do sometimes come out of nowhere so it would be pleasant if you know you have a set aside money that you can use. If you also want to buy or pay something significant like your kids’ tuitions, your savings can always be reliable.

Becoming a single mother can be a nightmare for some women because they think they cannot be able to cope up. But this is actually an insignificant mode of thinking. Single mothers can easily survive even their kids are their responsibilities. They can literally excel in life as long as long as they set their own goals and can focus on it. They just need to be practical, hard worker, constantly motivated and can always consider following these single parenting tips.

If you are a single moms and you think you can’t handle it, you are wrong. You are not alone in this planet. Can’t you see that a lot of single mothers have better lives than when they were with their irresponsible partners? In fact, once they became single mothers, this made them realize their full potentials and used it to carry on. So try to see that everything in normal perspective and accept difficulties as challenges.

Tips On How Single Mothers Can Secure Their Homes And Families

Single Mothers Securing Their Homes

Single Mothers Securing Their Homes

A lot of single moms today are independent and taking the responsibility of raising their children alone. Living alone with their kids can make single mothers have more freedom and help themselves become more matured. However, the one big issue that independent single moms are facing is how to have home security so that themselves and their kids would always be safe from harm.

Obviously, securing our homes does not come easy for all of us especially for single mothers. Even with the availability of today’s high-tech gadgets such as monitoring equipment and alarm systems, burglars can still find their way through our homes. In this case, the security of the single mothers and their children are always at stake as they are the most vulnerable ones. On the other hand, with the right information, awareness and doing the right thing, home security for single mothers can still be at hand.

Because we want single mothers and their families to always be secured, we have gathered the most valuable tips for them to practice and always remember. Note that not all of these need the use of expensive devices or gadgets but only awareness which is always the key to home security. So if you are a single mom and living with your kids in an apartment without a man in your household, here are the things you should remember to always keep your home and kids safe.

Tips on Securing Homes and Families of Single Mothers 

  • Prior to renting an apartment, check the environment and the neighborhood. There are certain locations that are prone to burglaries and frequented by mobsters or gangsters selling drugs and other illegal stuff so try avoid such areas. To know this, ask some people you think you can trust like a grocery store owner or maybe a cop and inquire about the place’ security.
  • If you are a working single mom, try to find a home that is near your work. Let’s say even if you can find a home that you think is situated in a nice and secured environment, there is always the sense of security if your home is just near your work area. But what if your apartment is within an unsecured area? Well, you have to take a lot of necessary precautions like what we discuss below.
  • Always be aware of the people around you and your surroundings. If you can’t find a home or an apartment situated on a friendly environment and have to settle on a not so peaceful location, always be aware of people’s movements. The alarm system within you should always be on especially if your neighbors are not so keen in getting friends with you. Don’t forget that burglars’ common targets are people who are defenseless. So keep your home entrance always secured and stock on tools that you can use to protect yourselves. The important thing is not to let anyone harm you while inside your premise.
  • Always keep your information private. It is normal that you join networking sites such as Facebook. But be aware about the information you input in your profile that indicates you are a single mom. Avoid posting your pictures publicly with your kids and always try to make your online accounts private. Also, change your name a bit and don’t post your real address on the web. Remember that being a single mom makes you always an easy target for criminals who are using the internet to find their victims.
  • Alter your web profile a bit to confuse people. Another thing to avoid burglars know that you live alone with your kids, make sure that your profile in any networking site you join are a bit little off from your real identity. Experts suggest that some ways to do it is avoid using your real name on the web. Or instead of using your first name, you can use your initials. Try not to post your home phone number also especially your mobile number so that if criminals would check a phonebook and choose their target, you are not exposed.
  • If you leave your house and leave your kids to a baby sitter, give her instructions. Give strict instructions to your babysitter to make her aware about possible intrusions. Tell her if somebody calls you or knock on your door, she just takes their name and don’t open the door. If there is a possibility that somebody would like to intrude, she must call you immediately or call the cop. Also, avoid programming your answering machine with the voicemail that answers you are not at home. If your land phone is capable of call transfer, program it to transfer the calls to your mobile phone or ask your friendly neighbor if you can transfer your call to her home.
  • Ask your landlord to allow you to change your full name a bit on your apartment’s list of tenants. Request from your landlord to let you change your real name a little for the sake of securing your kids and your properties on the tenants’ list. As long as the landlord is aware of this, you can still get your mails with no hassles.
  • Keeping your home safe all the time especially in the evening. Burglars usually do their thing during the night or even during the day as long as they find the right opportunities. However, the dark is always their protection so in the evening always keep the drapes of your home down to prevent them from knowing who are inside your home.  If necessary, keep a light right above your front door. The point here is you are trying to keep the burglars guessing or have doubts to intrude your home.
  • Always remember to keep your doors and windows locked all the time. Not only in the evening that your doors and windows must stay locked, even during the day they must remain locked for your family’s safety. So when choosing a home, choose one that has window grills or have home entrance security features. If possible, change the locks of your doors to more solid locks. You don’t want to have a door lock that have been used by previous tenants isn’t it?
  • Install an efficient alarm monitoring security systems. Single mothers especially those who are living alone with their kids should not live in homes that don’t have security features or they must install their own. Alarm and monitoring system are efficient components of security measures so choose a system that is hard for burglars to break into.
  • Always ready your phone and charge it anytime. Some burglars cut off their target’s landline phone cables before they burglarize their home targets. So in an event like this, cell phones are crucial so don’t let your mobile phone’s battery drain on you. Also, save on your phonebook emergency numbers.
  • If you can afford it, install surveillance cameras. Cameras are very important gadgets that can save your properties and your family’s lives. Burglars are also aware about cameras so they will try to avoid your home as much as possible. And if ever they will be able break in, their recorded videos are crucial for the cops.
  • In your time of absence, tell your neighbors to consider checking your home from time to time. Neighbors are very important components in every neighborhood that can prevent burglaries on homes of single mothers. They can be your perfect alarm system and if they suspect burglaries to your home they can call police right away.

Home security guidelines are always necessary for all single mothers to take on seriously. Not taking these sincerely, there could be a consequence which any of us would not like to happen. So for all single mothers out there who live alone with their kids, remember that every home security tip is crucial as it can save the lives of your loved ones as well as your properties.

How To Cope Up With Loneliness As A Single Mom

Loneliness As A Single Mom

Loneliness As A Single Mom

Is it normal for single moms to always feel lonely? Yes. So are they bound to feel that way for the rest of their lives? Definitely not. Single moms should do whatever things can make them happy. This is what all single moms or single dads should think about. Though some of these individuals can’t find it easy to find instant happiness, there would be certain times that they can also find happy times in their lives either with somebody or with other people’s company.

Single moms have the conviction in our society as the lonely kinds of people. They are often seen as living beyond or under the standard way of parenthood and even though they have all the right qualities to care for their kids, they somehow have the tendency to feel alone. This is not actually uncommon. Even single people also feel alone when they are deprived of freedom and sense of belongingness. That is why all single parents must seek ways to enjoy life as they are not different from anyone else. In fact, they must be the ones that must seek more happiness because they devout all their times and energies in caring for their children that they must also have something good in return.

If you are a single mother that oftentimes feels empty inside, don’t let loneliness or emptiness overshadow your status as a single parent. Regardless of your age, you can put some efforts to create your own social life and enjoy the company of others. The love you get from your children is very different from the care you can get from other people and that is definitely true. You get the feeling of great significance if other people understand your situation and they show their care for you. No man is an island so basically the company of other people can also be your source of great fulfillment in life.

To help you realize how you can go about having an enjoyable life, here are the things you can consider to spice up your life.

Ways Single Mother’s Should Do To Spark Up Their Lives

  • Think about the things that can make you happy and achieve it. Would you want to have an active social life or would you want to find your guy that can make you happy? And can your children cope up with the things that can make you happy? These questions will ultimately set you a goal on what to do to satisfy your craving for self fulfillment without compromising your kids’ wellbeing.Most of the times, there are certain things that hinder your enjoyment in life especially your social life. Maybe you lack the time to socialize with other people or you are worried that people can misjudge you. So the solution to these is simple. Try to reserve time to meet friends by simply telling yourself and your kids that you need it. Don’t think about what people may think about you because you know that you deserve to be with somebody’s company. If you are not doing anything wrong that can damage your reputation, why worry?
  • Don’t try too hard to meet new people just because you want to have an enjoyable social life. Sometimes friendship or love can come out of nowhere if you can take it easy in socializing with other people especially with old friends. You can attend mothers’ group, any class for single parents, or attend friends’ parties to meet new people. Your friends can introduce you to their friends and widen your circle of friends. You don’t have to attend every party even you don’t feel the people in there.Most of the times, finding a social life is simply finding a place where you can meet people who share your interest. For example, you can host an informal neighborhood party or a potluck dinner to know your neighbors especially the mothers and can befriend them. This can make you feel you belong to the right community.
  • If you are looking for someone special, wait till you find the right one at the right place and time. Some single moms would want to fall on a romantic relationship quickly because they feel this can fulfill their emptiness in life. However, being in a rush can make you vulnerable to having poor choice and may find someone that you regret falling in love to. To make it safe for you, find a man whom you like not only because of his looks but also for his character. He must clearly understand your status and accept who you are.However, when you find him try to focus on building a friendship with him first. Know him well and set a bit of limitations. If he is really serious in building a relationship with you, he will make ways to stress his points.
  • Join networking sites or single parents’ online group. We know a lot of single parents finding their true love and lifetime buddies on the web. Nowadays, there are a lot of legitimate websites that accept free membership for women including single mothers. Most guys today are more open-minded while there are some that are only driven with their passion and not keen on finding serious relationships. So it’s up to you to make the right choice.There are always the means how single mothers can cope up with loneliness. And if you are one single mom who feels that your life is just going the drain, you must do something about it and maybe these tips would help you find happiness and fulfillment. Single moms are inherently tough people. They can always survive and bring up their kids well no matter the difficulties may be so they really deserve to be happy.

How Single Moms Can Have Their Own Cars

Single Moms Car Loan

Single Moms Car Loan

Everyone needs a car. A car can be the best thing that you can have especially if you have a family. In any industrialized country, cars are considered some of the major basic necessities as it can provide people the convenience of travel and making people’s lives easy. However, cars are literally expensive to buy especially if you are a single mother who doesn’t have the means to buy your own car. In that case your transportation can be a big problem especially if you have kids that need to be brought to and fetched from school. When you go to work or go shopping you also need a car and commuting can be an expensive regular activity.

Nevertheless, we can see lots of single mothers driving their own cars too. There are now plenty of single moms who can afford to buy their own cars and have the financial capability to pay for car loans as they have good paying jobs. But how about the single moms who don’t have the best jobs? Will they be relying on public transportation forever? Well, single mothers who think it’s hopeless to have their own vehicles should not worry because we have some suggestions which they can try. Who knows, with these ideas they will also be driving their own cars in no time and feel the convenience along with their kids when travelling.

So if you are a single mom who really need a car so badly but can’t afford it, try these tips;

Solutions for Single Moms to Have Their Own Cars

Find organizations that offer free cars to single moms. A lot of us don’t know that there are many individuals who donate their used cars to organizations that support single parents. Such cars are put in good condition before they are donated so these can still be reliable for many years

Here are the organizations that award refurbished vehicles to single mothers: 

  • Newgate Education Center. This is a vocational school that provides auto body and auto mechanic training to students belonging to poor families. Lots of people are donating their second cars to this center to be used as the students’ hands-on units. In a year, the NEC gives out around 4 or 5 used cars to single moms who were referred by women’s service and shelter organizations.
  • Wheels for Wishes. If you are familiar with the Make a Wish Foundation, this nonprofit organization is also accepting car donations from individuals who wish to help single mothers. There are already lots of single mothers who have acquired their refurbished vehicles from this pro-poor foundation.
  • Springs Rescue Mission. This is an organization that accept car donations and give these to single mothers who are in dire need for vehicles. Especially mothers who have more than one kid and living farther from the main cities, they are often prioritized as the most probable recipients.
  • Salvation Army and Goodwill. These two humanitarian nonprofit organizations also accept used running cars from anyone who want to donate. Most of the times, they sell cars who still have good market value and use the money to help the needy but they also give out used cars to those who really need it.

By checking the websites of these organizations, you will see how you can be considered for a free vehicle. Just remember that the vehicles these organizations provide are not brand new or the high end types but these are still usable and can make your life a little easier. So find these organizations on the web and call their number. Some of these organizations may just be in or near your area. However, if any of these organizations don’t have cars available for donation right now, there are still some things you can do to have your own car and these we will explain to you below.

Other Attainable Means of Having Your Own Car

taking an auto loan

taking an auto loan

Well, the main keyword here is considering taking an auto loan. Most single mothers may not easily see the chance of obtaining their own cars because they generally don’t earn much unlike most single dads. Especially with kids in their custody, they may not always have extra money left to pay for car loans. However, we also have some solution to this problem just for you to have your own car.

The most viable thing you can do to know if you are capable of paying for car loan is inquiring from online lenders. State your income, your regular expenses as against your wages, properties or collaterals if any and they will see how they can help you. There are legitimate lenders that will help you finance a car loan that is within your income’s coverage. If you have a bad credit rating, there are also online lenders that can help you improve your rating and help you get your own car which you may afford to pay in certain years.

However, if your budget cannot basically carry extra expenses such as a car loan, there are things you still can do to earn more income and here they are:

Tips to Enable You to Buy or Finance Your Own Car

  • Take a car loan
    A car loan can be the best way on how you can have your new car. However, lenders will not provide you the car loan for single mothers if it would be impossible for you to pay a regular monthly payment. So what you can do is to try to find a part-time job like an online job for example or work more hours for overtime just to earn extra income and earn money for down payment and for regular payment.
    Always think about the lenders’ point of business. Lenders know that single mothers usually have single jobs and they can’t usually pay for car loans if they won’t have extra income. So do something about earning extra money other than your single job.
  • Check car traders who sell used cars
    There are lots of reliable but cheap cars being sold by dealers of second hand cars that cost only around few thousand dollars. Just check if everything’s alright with the car before you pay for it.
  • Reducing your usual expenses
    Experts advice that the best way to save hard earned money is by reducing expenses on the things that can wait for some time like cutting out a bit of your family’s recreational activities, limiting the times of going on vacation, or lessening your shopping sprees.

So even though you are a single mother and practically trying to survive with your meager income, there are still ways and means on how to have your own car. All it takes is perseverance, positive attitude, willingness to succeed and of course these ideas that we gave you.

 

How And Where Single Mothers Can Find Home Assistance

Finding home assistance for single mothers

Finding home assistance for single mothers

Single mothers have their common problems aside from providing for their families and taking care of all the expenses at home. Everyday there seems to be new challenges that come their way. Especially now that the current economy is on its downturn, finding regular jobs to feed their families is really a big dilemma. But single mothers today are smarter and more strong-willed. They know how to take care of things just to cope up. However, one of the major problems that single moms can’t seem to get over with is having homes of their own.

Even though there are the affordable housing programs for single mothers that the government and private institutions have put up, most of the times single moms don’t know how and where to find these. In this manner, it is a constant challenge for them to pay for the house rents, find home loans or pay home mortgage regularly and these are really eating up their budgets that is reserved for their families. So the only obvious solution to homelessness is finding home assistance and other means to help single mothers pay for their rents or have their own homes. So here are the things they must try and these won’t hurt their time and budget.

Finding Ways for Single Mothers to Have Their Own Homes

  • Finding Federal Housing Assistance
    The government has nationwide housing programs for everybody including single mothers under the Housing and Urban Development (HUD). These are currently being implemented by local cities and municipalities. If you are a single mom wishing to have your own home thru government assistance, you can begin searching for your local housing department or even the social services department to know the application process for HUD funding. Choose your programs – either assistance for rental or the home ownership. Check the Public Housing Authorities Director’s Association to get some leads.
  • Find Faith Based or Local Non-Profit Organizations
    Many of the faith based (religious organizations) or local organizations do have home assistance programs for rents or for temporary homes for those who need homes just as quick. Some of these would even help thru payment of utility bills or with the purchase of food or groceries. There are the Salvation Army, Mercy Living in Hope or Catholic Charities. You can also contact the Family Unification Program and inquire about Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) if you really need a home but cannot afford one. If there is the risk of losing your kids to kids’ home institutions, try calling 202-708-0477.
  • Try Government Subsidized Programs
    If you want to buy your own home, try the Federal Housing Authority (FHA). This agency does provide special loans on long terms to single mothers who want to purchase their homes for the first time. You can also check AmeriDream at www.ameridream.org.  AmeriDream is a non-profit organization that provides financial assistance to single moms that need down payment. You can also try checking Federal National Mortgage Association (FNMA) which popularly known as Fannie Mae. This government organization can assist you in finding cheap foreclosed homes that would suit your income.
  • Talk to a housing counselor
    Sometimes all it takes to find home for single mothers is to find a housing counselor and seek advice. He or she can answer all your queries about getting a mortgage, explain to you the home-buying processes and can even give you a good assumption if you are capable to pay for the home payments.
  • Be a member for Habitat For Humanity
    Habitat for Humanity is basically an international organization program established in helping the poor to have their own homes. It is a non-profit ecumenical Christian housing organization and its mission is to assist families including single mothers have simple but decent homes. With HFH, single mothers can pay their homes at very low cost and without the interest. Your payments will go again into building more homes for those who deserve it. However, single mothers should be willing to provide help along with the HFH when building other people’s homes.

There are still so many home organizations which the government and private institutions and religious groups have put up to help single mothers have their own homes and you can check them out on the web. Finding them is easy if you know how to use the right keywords. However, when it comes to home loans, make sure that you have a good credit rating so that lenders will trust you. If you have a bad credit rating, you can also ask a housing advisor to help you find organizations that do not entirely rely on credit ratings. The housing advisors are ever present on government housing program offices and every city has such offices.