family
Turn Gmail in an Always-On Baby Book
6:30AM Kevin Purdy | Blogger Rafe Needleman uses Gmail to record memories of his young son’s life. With the hefty storage, easy accessibility and robust filter and search tools, it’s a neat way to be able to quickly pull up that time when your little one met Santa Claus—or yanked your laptop off the table. Of course, with stuff this precious, it’s always a good idea to back it up. Geek parent tip: Use Gmail as a baby book [Webware] More »
Map Your Family Tree at ItsOurTree.com
1:30AM Gina Trapani | Webapp ItsOurTree.com builds your family tree in a dynamic, drag and drop, zoom in and out interface. In what feels a little like Google Maps for your family, enter your name and email address, then add your parents, your kids, their parents, etc. Each person node expands to a full profile with fields for the birth date, a photo, maiden name, place of birth, current location, and an area to free-type notes and stories, too. The result is a good-looking visualisation of your ancestry—in fact, filling in the blanks becomes addictive quickly. Looks like a great place to sit down with your grandparents online and save the stories, places, and names that you don’t want to forget. Thanks, Luke! More »
Trace Your Family Roots with GRAMPS
8:30AM Kevin Purdy | Linux only: Dig into your genealogy with GRAMPS, a free software package that offers an array of tools to build and store your family history. GRAMPS gives you a lot of choices as to how you’ll build your tree, from standard database entries to multimedia diagrams, and offers a pretty convenient “calendar” view that lets you see birth (and death) dates for your extended clan. The real benefit of GRAMPS is that you can put as much or as little detail as you want into each entry, making it an amateur genealogist’s dream. GRAMPS is a free download for Linux only, although “experimental” installers are available for Windows and Mac OS X. For a Windows-friendly approach, try a Microsoft Word family tree template GRAMPS [via Sysad Linux Blog] More »
Feel-Good Ways to Make Someone Else’s Day
5:00AM Tamar Weinberg | Today is as good a day as any to put your friends and family first and to make their day. Need inspiration? Socyberty offers ten ideas, from giving movie tickets to someone who has been working quite hard lately to leaving a generous tip to your waiter. Be spontaneous and write a thank you note to someone who has had an impact on you or someone you care about. Lend a shoulder to a co-worker who has had a bad day and add some humour to the events to make them smile. Give a homeless person some food to eat. Read a story to a friend’s child. How do you give of yourself to those who live around you? Let’s hear your feel-good tips in the comments. 10 Ways to Make Someone Else’s Day [Socyberty] More »Tools for DIY Wedding Planning?
2:30AM Kevin Purdy | Reader Mike just got a “yes” from his girlfriend in reply to The Big Question, and now he’s looking ahead to The Big Event. Being a regular reader, a frugal guy, and an “addictive planner,” he writes seeking help: Do you have any suggestions for software (I use Windows, BlackBerry, and Windows Mobile platforms) that I can use to keep track of vendors, quotes, and other sundry details? Having tied the knot less than a year ago, I found some success using Google Docs for multi-user planning, but also spent a lot of time explaining its features to everybody—and ended up losing a few invitations to accidental deletions. So I turn to our wise readers and ask: What software or organizational tools would you/did you use to plan a wedding, covering as many aspects as possible? How would you keep on top of your tasks, decisions, and deadlines? Give Mike an early gift of advice in the comments. More »
Make Your House Rules Stick
3:00AM Tamar Weinberg | Do you find it difficult to get your family members to adhere to your house rules? Blogger and parent Vanessa Van Petten says that you can make your house rules stick by clearly explaining why these rules are in place. “Because I said so” is no longer a sufficient answer. Also, don’t cheat. If you’re going to create a rule that specifies that you cannot have a snack right before bedtime, don’t let your partner or child discover you noshing late at night. You need to abide by the rules too. Additionally, write the rules down on paper to make them be more permanent. Otherwise, they might be “forgotten.” Finally, reward those who follow the rules with positive reinforcement. Good behaviour deserves praise. Don’t always point out the negatives. Instead, focus on the positive. What are your favorite rule-enforcing strategies? Share your best approaches in the comments. 4 Seriously Underutilized Ways to Make Your House Rules Stick [Vanessa Van Petten] More »How Do You Cope with an Aging Parent?
8:45AM Tamar Weinberg | It happens sooner or later: our parents grow older and we’re challenged with the task of choosing the best care for our loved ones. The AGIS Carestation blog suggests a four-step plan to prepare for caregiving. First, understand your parent’s situation and take care of any immediate concerns. Prepare a checklist, especially if it’s difficult to focus during a health crisis. Second, educate yourself about care alternatives. During this time, you’ll likely discover many resources that can help with the care of your loved one. Third, implement a plan for care. The goal is to provide support and independence for your parent. Finally, prepare for the long term. Learn from every experience to plan for the future. To those who have experience in this area, how have you dealt with the issue of an aging parent? Let’s hear your thoughts and advice in the comments. I Think I’m A Caregiver: What Now? [AGIS Carestation] More »
Share and Receive Kid Stuff with Zwaggle
12:30AM Kevin Purdy | Childrens’ goods sharing website Zwaggle isn’t just an eBay clone with a focus on cribs, toys, and other kid-specific gear. No money trades hands between “buyers” and “sellers,” but points are distributed for giving away unnecessary stuff (as well as signing up other members) that can be used later to get items that are needed, for only the cost of shipping. The site has a green-friendly focus, and it makes sense—new parents always tend to over-buy or get far more gifts than their child can possibly use. Zwaggle might be a money-saving way for parents to save a few items from hitting the landfill or, just as importantly, cluttering up storage space they’ll definitely need later. Zwaggle [via CNET News] More »
Protect Your Home and Family from Wildfires
6:30AM Adam Pash | In response to the recent wildfires in Southern California, Wired’s How To Wiki details how to protect your home and family in the event of a wildfire, from what precautions you should take before a fire to what you should do in the event of one. Keep in mind that—according to the post—strong winds and heat like we’ve seen in Southern California can tear through almost any security measure you take, but following a few of these precautions could still give you and your loved ones the time you’d need to get a safe distance from the flames before they hit your home. Protect Your House and Family in Case of a Wildfire [Wired] More »
