Blog Posts by GALTime.com

By GALTime.com Manners Queen Constance Hoffman

You're busy stocking up on school supplies, clothes, new shining shoes, and lunch boxes. But are your kids ready for all of the social challenges awaiting them as the school year begins? Together we can get them (and you) prepared.

Be a Positive Example

Manners start at home. The way you act around your kids and the way your kids see you act around others is the foundation of their manners and thus their future. Think about your typical morning routine. Are you organized and focused? Do you stay calm when time starts getting away from you? Do you give your children the attention, time, and physical contact they need and desire? By making time for your children, whether joining them at the table for breakfast, chatting during the drive to school verses being on the telephone, or sitting down this them after school to debrief and share their day, shows them they are valuable as well as teaches them how to value others.

By Marianne Mancusi Beach, GALTime.com Staff

Growing up, I've always found it easier to make friends with guys. Maybe they were less complicated, less gossipy, more fun. I don't know. Even today, one of my best friends in the world is a guy. Thankfully, my husband is totally cool with it.

But that hasn't always been the case. In the past, I've had significant others who believed, like in "When Harry Met Sally", that men and women just can't be friends. Is it that you 'can't' be friends with a guy or is it that there's the risk the friendship will put a strain on your romantic relationship?

It got us to thinking. Can guy/girl friendships exist in harmony once you're hooked on someone else?Relationship expert Rochelle Peachey of the transatlantic dating site "I Love Your Accent" (Iloveyouraccent.com) says it depends.

"To make this work, all parties need to know where they stand," she says. "The guy friend must never overstep his boundaries and the girl must never put her guy

By GALTime's Camilla Saulsbury of Camilla Cooks



1. Samosa Cigars with Chutney-Lime Dipping Sauce
1 and 1/2 teaspoons canola oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon peeled, minced fresh ginger
2 tablespoons mild curry powder
1 teaspoon salt, divided use
2 cups Yukon gold potatoes (about 1 pound) - cooked, peeled, and diced
1/2 cup frozen green peas, thawed
16 sheets phyllo dough, thawed
3-4 teaspoons cumin seeds
3/4 cup mango chutney
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Preheat oven to 350° F. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, then add the onion; cook and stir 3-4 minutes until tender. Stir in the ginger, curry powder, and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt; cook and stir 45 seconds. Add the potatoes and mash lightly with a fork. Stir in the peas and the remaining salt and cook until the mixture is warmed through, 3-4 minutes. Remove from stove and cool.
Place phyllo sheets on a clean, flat surface. Cover with a dry, thin dish towel, then a damp tea towel

By GALTime Parenting Expert Michele Borba, Ed.D.

Years ago I learned a parenting secret from my girlfriend that I'll never forget. Cindy and I were busy chatting away when she glanced at the clock and suddenly announced: "Chore time!" to her kids. Just as quickly, her two kids jumped up from what they were doing, scurried to the kitchen and proceeded to unload the dishwasher and put the clean dishes in the cupboard. And they did so without an ounce of help from their Mom nor did they utter one complaint or say those glorious words, "How much do we get?" When they finished their task, they turned for their mom's sanction (she nodded approvingly), grinned and ran their separate ways back to play. Oh, and by the way: her kids were three and five years old. Cross my heart!

So what was the mom's secret? How could she possibly get her two kids not only to willingly participate in a family task, but also to do so at such young ages? Believe me, those were the questions I asked. My

Do My Toenails Make Me Look Fat?
By Marianne Mancusi Beach GALTime.com Staff

We've all heard stories of airlines charging more for obese patrons, asking them to purchase a second seat to accommodate their girth. But this one may shock you -- a woman in Georgia says her nail salon charged extra for her pedicure because they said her weight could damage their massage chairs.

That's right. Forty year old Michelle Fonville says she went to a salon in an Atlanta suburb and found an additional five dollars added onto her bill. When she asked, the salon employee said the charge was due to her weight putting pressure on their chairs, which, they claim, can only hold 200 pounds and cost $2,500 to replace.

When she cried discrimination, the salon eventually refunded her money, but asked Fonville not to return.

Check out an interview with Ms. Fonville and the salon here.

I'm no legal expert, but I have to say (and this is strictly MY opinion), it sounds like the

by JL Watkins, The GALTime Guy


I've just recently become a first-time homeowner, and as we get accustomed to our new surroundings, I've also begun picking up on the activity patterns of my neighbors. There's one guy, in particular, who always seems to be watering his lawn or tackling some mysterious project in his garage. Initially, I thought he was always insanely busy, but when I saw him emerge from the garage on a humid Sunday morning, clutching a model airplane, it all became clear to me. He was having "Guy Time".

Whether it's relaxing on the sofa, playing paintball with the dudes, or constructing ridiculously intricate model airplanes in a suffocating, hot garage, one thing holds true: Men need their "Guy Time".

It's no secret that men and women process emotions and release stress differently from each other. When my wife is stressed out, she makes a lot of phone calls to friends or spontaneously finds something to organize. That's her way of making sense of what's going

By: Michele Borba, Ed.D., GALTime.com Parenting Expert

Before I had kids, I was a teacher. I know that there are certain students teachers will never forget. There are also some mothers we will never - as in ever - forget. (And I'm betting I have every teacher who reads this nodding and smiling. Right?)

Over the years I've watched how some moms just seem to have the knack of getting their kids to open up. The women often confided how fortunate they felt that their children sought them out as confidantes, but I knew it wasn't luck at all. Those parents really knew a few tips to the art of getting their kids to talk.

Here are a few of their best kept secrets, as well as others I've picked up over the years that help when I'm chatting with teens. You can use them to help your kids open up, talk more, and even share what's really going on in their lives. If you start incorporating these strategies now, your kids will not only be more likely to open up about what's going

By Mary Schwager, GALTime.com Staff


Does your man need a money make-over? Did the date you went on over the weekend create a financial faux pas?

We asked our readers to send us their questions and situations where they encountered a guy who didn't quite meet the definition of 'classy' when the bill arrived and asked etiquette expert, Jodi Smith from Mannersmith for some advice.

The author of this article also has a disclaimer: This article was not prompted by anyone she dated.

First question from our readers:

1. Does the man always have to pay? What's the modern, 2010 etiquette for this? On a first date? On a second date? Okay, how about the third date?

Jodi Smith, Mannersmith:

According to modern manners, 'the person who does the asking does the paying.' In 2010, gender is not the deciding factor. Generally, the person who initiated the dating situation will continue to do so for the first few get-togethers. Then, if all is going well, it is expected that