Blog Posts by GALTime.com

By GALTime Parenting Pro Michele Borba, Ed.D.

Clenched teeth. Rapid breathing. Red face. Teaching kids a new way to cope with their intense feelings is not easy-especially if they have only practiced aggressive ways of dealing with their frustrations. The good news is that although aggression is learned, so too is calmness. Learning any new habit takes time-- especially expressing anger more constructively, so don't give up! If you're consistent, you'll be able to help your kid learn a healthier way to handle his anger. You may also be able to help him discover the source of his anger.

Anger is normal, but how a child displays anger can be appropriate or inappropriate. And that method can become a habit that is difficult to re-frame. My goal is always to help parents teach children healthier habits. Here are five steps to guide you in squelching inappropriate anger in your child and teach him healthier ways to express it.

Step 1. Identify Anger Warning Signs

Explain

By Kerri Winick, GALTime.com


Last week I woke up to an unwelcome visitor: acne. There it was, a small cluster on my forehead, taunting me as I stared in the mirror. An ugly, evil stepsister I needed to kick to the curb. Maybe it was the stress of work. Maybe it was a product in my beauty arsenal. Who knows? All I know is that I couldn't pull myself away from picking and prodding my face.

Admit it. You've bullied a blemish, too! (It can be our little secret.) But here's something good to know: You're not alone!

Dr. Andrew Alexis with the American Academy of Dermatology says adult acne is still the most common condition he treats, and the urge to attack blemishes "hands-on" can be overwhelming.

Also See: New Ingredients That Even Doctors Say Will Keep Your Skin Young

"I think part of the issue is the need for quick results…instant gratification of trying anything you can to resolve a pimple as fast as possible."

Dermatologist and clinical psychologist Dr. Richard Fried

by Kristen Hagopian of Brilliant Frugal Living for GALTime.com

We all want our kids to have the right tools to feel great and perform well in school. Lunch always comes into this conversation. Now, I've spoken to parents who are convinced their kids will flunk out of school and spend their adult lives roaming the streets with a shopping cart filled with recyclables if they don't eat salmon twice a week. Um, yokay. On the other end of the spectrum are parents who generously spring for a handful of Slim Jims and tell their kids to make them last the week. This article is targeted to those parents somewhere in the middle.

Also See: Back-To-School Clothes --for $50 TOTAL!

A nutritious school lunch can cost up to $3 per day, which never seems like much. After all, it's the same cost as your coffee on the way to work, so what's the big deal? Pick up a calculator, and you'll find out. With the average school year nearing 200 days, that's about $600 per year, per

By Kristen Hagopian, Brilliant Frugal Living for GALTime.com

Whenever I think about the start of the school year, I recall that fabulous Staples commercial where the dad is dancing through the aisles buying school supplies for his two bummed kids as Andy Williams' "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" plays in the background. Classic. Yes parents, you've survived another summer! It's Miller Time. It's also time to get the kids prepped for another year of learning. The difference between the 2009 and 2010 school year, however, is that I'm already getting mail from parents, seriously strapped for cash compared to last year, looking for solid strategies on how to save big without their kids paying the price.

Have no fear, the strategies are here. When it comes to school clothes, it's not unusual for parents to shell out at least another $300 to get a wardrobe that provides a week or two of outfits. Ironically, private school students often spend about the same $300 on uniforms.

By: Marianne Mancusi Beach, GALTime.com

I'm all about being original and creative when it comes to getting married. (I, myself, wore fairy wings on my back and sparkly Converse sneakers under my dress, after all.) But now some brides and grooms are taking their creativity a step further--choosing to hold their weddings at retail stores. Yes, retail stores. As in The Home Depot. Taco Bell. TJ Maxx.

Talk about brand loyalty!

According to a recent USA Today article, The Home Depot has now hosted half a dozen weddings. Taco Bell says they typically host one wedding per year. And even a Cold Stone Creamery store allowed for a late opening so two employees could say "I Do."

Rebecca Dolgin, Executive Editor at TheKnot.com says, "Brides really want to make their wedding different from others-and getting married at a retail store definitely takes this desire to be unique to the next level."

Also See: What's Up With Brides Purposely Picking Heavy Bridesmaids?

By: Mary Schwager GALTime Staff

Are your friends making you go broke? Do you dread dining out because when the check comes you're going to get indigestion from the "how to divide the bill discussion"? When it comes to a getaway weekend do you feel sheepish suggesting a trip to the beach or shore rather than Paris? You don't want to get a bad rap as the cheap one, but your checkbook only goes so deep. How do you navigate tricky money situations with friends? Should friends put pressure on friends to subsidize extravagances?

We came up with some sticky friend financial situations and first we asked our readers what they would do. Then we consulted Miss Manners expert, Jodi Smith, a well known "etiquette advocate" who owns Mannersmith. (www.mannersmith.com) She has a master's degree in motivational psychology, has been consulting organizations and businesses on manners since 1986, is a regular on national TV news morning shows and is now working on her third book about

By GALTime.com Family Therapist Jane Greer, Ph.D.

If you're looking to get your partner in bed and have that night of intimacy and lovemaking and sex that you both are aspiring to, you really do need to set the stage. It's not going to happen just because you both want it to, but it will happen if you take the time and make the effort to set the temperament and set the stage and the environment. So, what can you do?

#1 Put the music on in the background. If you're sitting at home on the couch, if you're in the bedroom, if you're out to dinner, tune into the music going on around you and start to connect to each other around that.

Also See: Picking Songs for Sex

#2 The next thing you want to do is set the scene. So, flowers always enhance the background as does a nice bottle of wine. It can't hurt to toast to each other and to the time you're spending with one another, And, some good food---something to literally whet your appetite. Something that

By JL Watkins, the GALTime Guy

Ever have a conversation with your husband, trying to nail down what he and his buddies talked about the night before, and all you can get out of him is "not much" or "stuff?" Well, speaking as a guy, there was most definitely a whole lot more said over beers than that, though men don't always see it all as noteworthy. Of course, there is also stuff we just aren't going to tell you about.

Allow me to pull back the curtain on what married guys really talk about, and let you decide if it's what you already expect...and if it's worth all the worry.

Television

If you're interested in finding what a quick 'hit-n-run' married guy conversation topic might be, look no further than your living room TV. Much like women, guys love talking about their favorite shows. Of course, we're not doing recaps of our favorite moments from The Bachelorette or Project Runway. On Monday, we're talking about last night's Mad Men episode. If you hear juvenile, male