Tag: family

Surviving the Holidays with Your Family (Without Losing Your Mind!)

The holidays: a time for joy, togetherness, and… utter chaos? Let’s be honest, navigating the festive season with a multi-generational family can feel like herding cats wearing reindeer antlers. But fear not! This guide is your survival kit, packed with tips and tricks to keep everyone connected, coordinated, and (relatively) sane.

Organize Like a Holiday Pro

First things first: organizing schedules is key. According to the American Psychiatric Association, 28% of Americans find the holidays stressful. A shared family calendar is your secret weapon. Use cloud software like Familycrossings.com to schedule calendar for holiday activities. Categorize each family member’s events and send reminders, from Grandma’s bridge game to little Timmy’s school play. This way, everyone knows who’s doing what, when, and where.

Sharing is Caring (Privately!)

Want to share photos of your disastrous attempt at baking gingerbread cookies without the whole world seeing? Private family sharing platforms are your answer. Familycrossings.com lets you create a family journal, sharing those precious (and hilarious) moments with only the people who matter. Remember to establish privacy norms. Avoid sharing sensitive information in photos and understand the platform’s privacy settings.

Family News Flash!

Keep everyone in the loop with a family newsletter! Whether it’s a digital email update or by logging in to a family portal like Familycrossings.com, sharing news and updates helps bridge the distance.

Recipe for Success

Don’t let Aunt Betty’s famous lasagna recipe disappear into the culinary abyss! Use Familycrossings. com to collect and share family recipes. Create a digital family cookbook, complete with stories and memories attached to each dish. This way, you’re not just sharing food; you’re preserving edible family history.

Reunions & Vacations

Planning a family reunion or vacation? Start early! Survey family members about availability and preferences. Create a planning committee and delegate tasks. Use Familycrossings.com to track RSVPs and keep everyone informed.

The Gift That Keeps on Giving

Never miss a birthday or anniversary again! A shared family calendar can include these important dates, ensuring no one feels forgotten. Familycrossings even includes a gift list registry.

Family Chat for the Win

Create a family chat group using Familycrossings.com. Studies show that families who participate in instant messaging groups report significantly higher family functioning and well-being scores.

Family should be forever, and with a little planning and the right tools, you can make this holiday season one to remember. Now go forth and conquer those reindeer antlers anf those turkey carcasses!

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Nurturing Family Bonds: How FamilyCrossings.com Enhances Social Dynamics Within Families

Nurturing Family Bonds: How FamilyCrossings.com Enhances Social Dynamics Within Families

Family dynamics are the invisible threads that weave through our daily interactions, shaping the relationships and roles within our families. At FamilyCrossings.com, we understand that nurturing these bonds is crucial for the emotional and social development of each member. In this blog post, we’ll explore how our platform supports and enhances these vital family social dynamics.

Communication Made Easy One of the cornerstones of healthy family dynamics is open and frequent communication. FamilyCrossings.com offers a variety of tools designed to keep family members connected, no matter where they are. Our shared calendar feature allows families to easily plan, schedule, and remind each other of upcoming events, from little Johnny’s soccer matches to Grandma’s birthday party, ensuring that everyone stays on the same page.

Shared Experiences, Shared Memories Memories are the glue that holds a family together, and sharing these memories is easier than ever with FamilyCrossings.com. Our photo and video sharing capabilities allow families to upload, organize, and reminisce over cherished moments from holidays, gatherings, and everyday life. By revisiting these shared experiences, family members can relive joyous moments together, strengthening their emotional ties.

Family Blogs: Stories That Bind Every family has a story to tell, and our family blog feature provides the perfect platform for doing so. Whether it’s a funny incident at a family dinner or a major milestone like a graduation, family members can share stories and experiences, fostering a sense of unity and identity. These blogs serve as a digital diary, capturing the essence of family life and the unique dynamics that define it.

Privacy First: Your Family’s Secure Space Understanding the importance of privacy in family interactions, FamilyCrossings.com ensures that all communications and shared content are protected within your family’s private network. This secure environment allows for open, honest communication and sharing without the worries of external intrusion, making it a safe space for all family members to express themselves freely.

At FamilyCrossings.com, we believe that technology should be a bridge, not a barrier, to enhancing family relationships and supporting healthy social dynamics. By providing tools that facilitate communication, memory sharing, and storytelling within a secure environment, we help families grow closer and strengthen the bonds that matter most. Join us in creating a vibrant, connected family community that celebrates every member’s contributions and cherished moments.

Ready to bring your family closer together? Sign up at FamilyCrossings.com today and start building stronger family bonds through our interactive and supportive platform. Let’s make every family moment count!

Seven Generations: How to Be the MVP of Your Family Website (Without Losing Your Mind)

Let’s talk about family legacy. No, not the *“My grandfather invented peanut butter!”* kind of legacy—though if that’s true, congratulations. I’m talking about the big-picture, seven-generations-forward type. You know, the idea that your decisions today could shape the lives of your great-great-great-grandkids. No pressure, right? It’s like being told you’re the starting quarterback for a team that won’t play its game until the year 2200.

At Family Crossings, we think about this stuff a lot. Probably more than is healthy. But hey, someone has to! So, grab a cup of coffee (or a stress ball), and let’s explore how you can connect the past, present, and future without breaking a sweat—or your family WhatsApp group.

**1. The Wisdom of Seven Generations**
This concept isn’t new. Indigenous cultures have been living by it for centuries, long before we started stressing over which emoji best expresses “family togetherness.” They believe every choice you make—big or small—should consider its impact on the next seven generations. That’s 140 years, give or take.

Think about it: That’s longer than most people keep their Netflix passwords unchanged. And here we are, deciding whether to compost our banana peels because maybe, just maybe, our descendants will thank us.

**2. Why Your Ancestors Deserve a Round of Applause**
Before you roll your eyes, let’s take a moment to appreciate the people who came before us. Your ancestors fought wars, baked bread without Pinterest recipes, and survived family dinners with no Wi-Fi escape. They’re the reason you’re here reading this blog instead of being, well, not here.

Building a family legacy isn’t about being perfect. Your great-great-grandma didn’t invent TikTok trends; she probably just wanted her bread to rise evenly. And yet, she contributed to this glorious chain of events that ends with you scrolling Instagram in sweatpants.

**3. Your Role in the Family Legacy Hall of Fame**
Okay, so you’re part of this seven-generations relay team. What’s your job? Hint: It’s not just showing up at reunions with potato salad.

Here’s the cheat sheet:
– **Preserve the Past:** Start with the family stories. Ask your grandparents about their lives, even if it means hearing the *“I walked five miles to school uphill both ways”* speech for the 20th time.
– **Live the Present:** Take your kids (or nieces/nephews) to the park. Call your mom. Resist the urge to mute the family group chat when they’re discussing Thanksgiving side dishes.
– **Plan for the Future:** No, this doesn’t mean buying stock in flying cars. It means passing down traditions, values, and maybe that killer lasagna recipe.

**4. Tools to Help You Look Less Like a Slacker**
Family Crossings exists for one reason: to make you look like the MVP of your family legacy. With tools for preserving family stories, birth milestones, death memoriums, recording stories, and sharing family photos, we’re here to help you leave behind more than just a dusty Facebook account.

And the best part? It’s easier than you think. Our family website builder platform is so user-friendly, even your cousin who still types with one finger can use it.

**5. What the Next Seven Generations Will Say About You**
Picture it: 2144. Your great-great-great-grandchild is sitting in a hologram room (probably), reading about their ancestors (that’s you). What do you want them to know? That you binge-watched an entire season of *The Great British Bake Off* in one night? Or that you took the time to preserve the family legacy?

No judgment if it’s both. Balance is key.

Seven generations isn’t just a philosophy—it’s a challenge. A funny, heartwarming, occasionally stressful challenge. But here’s the good news: You don’t have to do it all. Just do something. Because one day, a future family member will look back and think, *Wow, they really cared.*

And if that doesn’t make you feel good, at least you’ll always have potato salad.

Ready to join the seven-generation movement? Sign up for Family Crossings today, and let’s build the bridge between past, present, and future—one awkward family photo at a time.


Design Your Life

(Family Crossings) – If you ask most women to write their ideal job description, consistent raises, more family time and more “me time” would be essential.

These three essentials are at the top of working women’s wish lists, according to the 2008 Ask A Working Woman Survey, an annual online survey conducted by Working America.

The 20,000 survey respondents echoed what so many more working women are feeling these days. They want more time with their families, but can’t afford it. They want some time to themselves, but can’t get it. In fact, 72 percent of the working mothers surveyed said they had less than an hour to themselves a day.

These are some of the very reasons that millions of women have turned away from traditional nine-to-five office jobs and have found exactly what they’re looking for in the home-based business of direct sales.

Direct selling is simply person-to-person selling, without the middle man of a retail store. Most often it’s done through fun and casual home parties where people gather to eat, talk and shop together.

At a time when the U.S. economy is in recession, the stock market is down, unemployment is on the rise, consumer confidence is low and legendary retailers are closing their doors, the direct sales industry is strong. With stable, proven and growing companies, direct sales offers an opportunity to earn significant income quickly with minimal investment and risk, and more personal and family time.

More and more women have found the direct sales industry to be an attractive career option. In 2007, U.S. direct sales exceeded $30.8 billion. Of the more than 15 million direct sellers nationwide, 87.9 percent are women. Approximately 90 percent of direct sellers operate their businesses part-time, leaving them more time for family and themselves.

From recent college graduates to stay-at-home moms, working professionals to retirees looking for something more satisfying, women are finding that with a career in direct sales, they can design the life they’ve always wanted.

Success Story

In 1997, Bonnie Kelly and Teresa Walsh were two stay-at-home moms looking for a way to earn extra money without sacrificing personal and family time. They started Silpada Designs, a direct sales company specializing in handcrafted sterling silver jewelry.

Today, Silpada is the largest direct seller, and one of the top retailers, of sterling silver jewelry in the United States. In 2008, the company exceeded $265 million in retail sales. Its more than 27,000 U.S. representatives had more than 275,000 home parties, distributing more than eight million pieces of jewelry.

Kelly and Walsh turned a passion for jewelry into a business that provided financial freedom, flexibility and, most importantly, a way to infuse some fun into every day – a goal for any woman trying to juggle work and home life while maintaining her own sense of self.

“It’s all about empowering women with a wonderful business opportunity and creating lifelong friendships,” Kelly said. “Silpada means ‘the best of everything,’ and that’s what we really try to focus on. It’s more than jewelry, it’s more than a job. It’s a lifestyle.”

Walsh adds, “We believe that success doesn’t come from the degrees you have or the initial investment you make, but from a passion to design the life you want. You can make your goals and dreams as big as you want them to be or as simple as you need them to be. With a company like Silpada, if you want a little time away or dream of redecorating your house or need to take on your family’s expenses, you can.”

Kelly and Walsh want to encourage women of all ages to take charge of their lives and consider a home-based business. “It’s a way to achieve financial freedom, increase self-confidence, and maintain a work-life balance that blends with any lifestyle,” Walsh says.

“We are inspired on a daily basis by our representatives’ emotional stories about how owning their own business and having control of their income has had a positive impact on their families,” Kelly said.

To find out more about Silpada or to learn about becoming a representative, visit www.silpada.com.

Tips for choosing the right direct sales company for you

It’s important to take your time evaluating any direct sales company you consider joining. Bonnie and Teresa offer these tips to help you find the company that is right for you.

Passion for the Product. Join a company that you feel confident sharing their product. How do they ensure high quality and uniqueness? Does the product have a lifetime guarantee? The more passion and confidence you have in your product, the easier it is to sell.

Initial Investment. Evaluate the cost of beginning your own business, how quickly you can expect to recoup your initial investment, and what the company offers to continue to support you as your business grows. Ask what incentives they have in place for new representatives to support them in the beginning of their business.

At Silpada, for example, representatives do not carry inventory. Their initial investment is for their jewelry that they can wear and display at their home parties. On average, representatives make up their initial business investment within the first four to six home parties.

Fair and Competitive Compensation. Ask questions regarding the direct profit, override commissions and pay structure of the company’s compensation plan. It’s important to feel confident that the company you choose has a fair and competitive compensation plan and that you can continue to increase your earnings as your grow your business.

Great Customer Service. Your customers are your current and future business, so it is important that the company you choose is customer focused. Make sure to ask questions such as: What does the company do to support its customers? Do customers have to pay for their returns? The better your customers are taken care of the better your business will be.

Training and Support. Ensure that the company you join is dedicated to helping you achieve the success you are looking for. What type of training do they offer? How will they support your business? Is there a cost involved? What types of training events are company sponsored?

Smart Lessons in Back-to-School Savings

Get back to school savings at www.familycrossings.com!

Back-to-school shopping is an annual ritual that millions of parents participate in each year. In fact, back-to-school time is one of the biggest shopping seasons of the year, second only to the winter holidays. Last year, Americans spent more than $54 billion on supplies, clothes and electronics for school and college-age kids, according to the National Retail Federation, with jeans, backpacks and electronics as some of the most popular back-to-school products.

Getting what students need and keeping the costs reasonable calls for some smart shopping strategies. The easiest place to start is at your computer. These tips will help you study the online possibilities and earn some A+ deals.

Add Up Extra Savings

Before you start hunting down everything on the must-have list, check for printable coupons or online coupon codes on Web sites such as:

Retailmenot.com: Get helpful feedback from users on what coupon codes worked and which ones didn’t.

Smartsource.com: Entering your zip code lets you find deals specific to your area.

Be on the lookout for free shipping offers on these sites, as well. If you’re not careful, shipping costs can negate any savings you may have found.

Do Your Homework

You might find a great deal on a backpack or computer, but is the cost savings really worth a possible trade off in quality? Find out how products stack up to real world use at sites such as Epinions.com, where users share their product experience. At ConsumerSearch.com, there are expert and user reviews shown side by side for each product. A little research can save you time, hassle and money down the road.

Get the Latest Scoop

If you know exactly what you want to buy, sign up for notifications from Craigslist.com and eBay.com. Both sites will notify you of new listings matching your search criteria – so when someone wants to sell that Juicy Couture jacket you’re looking for, you’ll know right away.

If you need help deciding how to get the best product for your money, look at online buying guides. Not sure which laptop to get? Need help figuring out what kind of backpack or desk chair to get? Check out a mix of user and professional reviews at Bing.com/shopping or read Overstock.com buying guides – there are helpful tips on what to look for and how to make a smart choice.

Another way to stay in the loop on savings is to sign up for retail newsletters and emails. You can also check online retailer sites for RSS feeds that automatically send you updates on promotions as they occur. A well-timed update on a new sale lets you get in on the savings early.

Get Cash Back

A growing trend in smart online shopping is participation in programs that give you cash back. Web sites such as Bing.com have partnerships with major retailers to offer items at great prices. Registered users shop for name brand items and when purchases are made through the site, they automatically get a percentage of the purchase price back as a cash rebate. More details on how this works can be found at bing.com/shopping/pages/howtouse.aspx.

The amounts, which change daily, can be sent via check to your address or deposited into a bank account or PayPal account, and after a 60-day waiting period, the money is yours.

“This is a great way to save money on school supplies,” said Bridget Tate, Bing Shopping product manager. “When you look at how much back-to-school items such as laptops, clothes, backpacks and tech gadgets can cost, that 5 or 10 percent really helps.” During back-to-school season, adds Tate, Bing Shopping will be offering even higher percentages of cash back (up to 50 percent more).

Getting the kids ready for school again doesn’t have to cost a fortune. Smart shopping will send them off in style and leave you with a smile.

To learn more about how to be a smart online shopper and get cash back this back-to-school season, visit Bing.com/shopping.

Shopping That Pays You Back

Shopping with the following merchants through Bing.com could give you savings like these:

Back to School Gear and Gadgets

HP, 5%
OfficeMax.com, 3 to 5%
BarnesandNoble.com, 10%

Back to School Fashion

Shoemall.com, 19%
Sears.com, 2 to 8%
Old Navy, 4%
Ebags.com, 11%
Foot Locker, 20%
Benefit.com, 2%
Beautychoice.com, 10%
Nordstrom.com, 3%

Learning To Share…Everything

Two boys in a first grade classroom were arguing loudly over an item they both wanted to use at the same time.

Their teacher approached them in a friendly way and said, “Boys, it sounds like you two are having a problem. Let’s talk it out.”

One of the boys told his side of the story, his face still tense but his voice lowered to an “indoor” volume. The second boy listened and then, without any prompting, came up with a solution to which the first boy readily agreed.

“Great job!” the teacher beamed. “See? You can talk it out!”

A TEACHING PERSPECTIVE CAN PRODUCE AMAZING RESULTS WHEN KIDS BEHAVE INAPPROPRIATELY.

If we approach unwanted behavior from the perspective of our child’s judge/jury/jailer, our first impulse may be to punish.

But punishment doesn’t teach kids what they SHOULD be doing. It doesn’t expand kids’ problem-solving skills, teach them how to repair social mistakes, or improve their social perception.

Fortunately, punishment isn’t the only available tool.

WE CAN CHOOSE TO VIEW THE INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR AS A “TEACHABLE MOMENT.”

When the teacher in the story above heard the two boys arguing, she spotted a chance to teach better social problem-solving.

Inviting the boys to “talk it out” reminded them of their capacity to problem-solve without shouting or arguing. They saw that “talking it out” could work, and they were more likely to “talk it out” next time.

A teaching perspective has room for punishment in some cases, but the focus is on helping kids learn the skills they need to behave appropriately.

If we view inappropriate behavior as a learning opportunity for the child, new options open up.

HERE ARE TEN CHOICES FOR MAKING THE MOST OF A TEACHABLE MOMENT:
1. Redirect the child toward a more appropriate activity.

2. Inform the child that what they’re doing “isn’t a good idea” or “isn’t safe.”

3. Give a friendly reminder about the rule the child needs to be following.

4. Guide the child through the steps of apologizing.

5. Ask the child to consider how others feel when she engages in the inappropriate behavior.

6. Help the child make amends to anyone negatively affected by the inappropriate behavior. Ask, “What can we do to help (name of person) feel better now?”

7. In the case of a conflict, prompt the children to “talk it out,” providing assistance as needed.

8. Give a new rule, if the situation wasn’t covered by the rules the child has already been taught.

9. Invite the child to think of a better to way to ask for what they want or need in the situation.

10. Teach the child appropriate words/behaviors to replace the inappropriate ones.

The rules of appropriate social behavior take a long time to learn and an even longer time to internalize as habits. Even adults don’t do it perfectly!

When we use our child’s behavior mistakes as opportunities to offer guidance, we’re giving our child their best chance to become more kind, responsible and socially competent. Find more great stuff at FamilyCrossings.com

Family Traditions

My family always had traditions when I was growing up. Every Christmas eve was spent at my great grandparents’ house. The entire family – great grandparents, grandparents, parents, uncles, aunts, cousins – would gather at my great grandpa’s and grandma’s and we’d open gifts and laugh and spend the evening together as a big family. Once my great grandparents passed away that tradition passed on to my grandma and grandpa, and we’d all congregate there.
Christmas morning was spent at our house where we got up and “had to eat breakfast first” before opening presents. Then we’d get ready, trying to somehow incorporate everything we’d received as gifts into our outfit somehow so we could take it to my other grandparents’ house (my mom’s mom and dad), which is where we went next. Again, the entire family, aunts and uncles and cousins too, would gather there and spend the day together, opening gifts and eating and laughing.
Easter was always spent at my house where my mom would fix this huge Easter feast, and both sides of my family (mom’s and dad’s) would come. We’d spend the day eating and playing and finding Easter eggs. After hunting eggs my sister and my cousins and I would always sit on the picnic table and count our eggs and eat some of them. One year I remember we tried cracking them open by slamming them into our foreheads. Pain!
New Year’s night was spent at my grandparents’ house. We’d all bring something to trade. One year I traded something, I forget what exactly but I think it was a pocket knife, for a bottle of hairspray from my aunt, which I discovered wouldn’t spray. I was so disappointed! I’d try to stay up every year until midnight, though I’m not sure if I ever succeeded. I must have because I remember one year being awake to hear my uncles shoot off guns, which is what the grown-ups did to bring in the new year.
Traditions don’t have to be something big to be remembered and enjoyed. I remember sitting outside in the dark on the picnic table with my cousins and Grandpa while he told us scary stories before bed. Usually it involved a witch who ate off kids’ toes. Grandpa even had this spooky witch laugh he did. I still can’t sleep at night with my toes uncovered, and if I wake up in the middle of the night to discover my feet out from under the blanket I promptly pull them back in to safety.
Every year my grandma always called my sister and me when she heard the first whippoorwill call. I think that meant summer was here, and we could go barefoot now. I love to go barefoot, now as much as then, which is why I always had bee stings all over my feet then and dirt all over my feet now.
Birthdays were special times because the day was all about us. Grandparents and aunts and uncles would call on the phone all day long to sing “Happy Birthday”. I still miss my grandma and grandpa calling every year on my birthday now that they’ve both passed away and now that my other grandma can no longer remember that it’s my birthday. Mom always fixed us whatever kind of cake we wanted for our birthdays.

She made these big fancily-decorated cakes for us when we were kids (I have photos), but as we got older my sister always requested cherry cheesecake and I wanted angel food cake with strawberries and whipped cream, year after year.
These are just some of the many traditions we had in my family. Now that I’m an adult and I have a family of my own I’ve tried to continue many of these traditions while adding in a few of my own. We still spend Christmas eve with my dad’s family, and we still have to eat breakfast every year at mom and dad’s house before we can open presents (the torment!).

Christmas day is always spent at my mom’s parents’ house. Many things haven’t changed, and I’m glad.
Birthdays here at my house are always big deals. I decorate the dining room and often the living room with streamers and balloons everywhere. I have a big “Happy Birthday” sign that I put up. The kids fully expect all of these things and would be disappointed if they awoke on their birthdays to find that I hadn’t done them. The first thing they do when they wake up on their birthday is to run into the dining room and living room to see my decorations and all the presents piled up in the exact spot that they’ve been in every year on a birthday.
Everyone, hubby included, gets to pick out a cake they want and I make it for them, which is why I’ve made everything from a Care Bear cake and Pokemon to Batman and Transformers, and nearly everything in between.

Every year hubby requests a pineapple upside-down cake. Everyone always gets to pick out a birthday meal too. Sometimes it’s as simple as some chicken nuggets and French fries, while others it’s a feast of fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, and biscuits. Whatever it is, I lovingly prepare it, because not only is it my way of showing them I love them but it’s my way of making sure they have traditions they can carry on themselves one day.