Guest post from my wife Judy wrote this 17 years ago; the advice is still on point. Enjoy. In my experience, international travel has always brought out the very best in my kids.  Sure, at home I have days where I can't imagine even taking them around the corner to the local park, but put them in another country and watch them rise to the occasion.  Since we have traveled to some pretty far-flung destinations with our three children, starting as early as two years old, I wanted to add a few thoughts: 1. If you can, involve the kids in pre-trip planning. Get them to help you look through websites, picture books, and field guides to learn what you…

It's been a long year.  We all got behind on something -- lots of things! So today is the day we're going to catch up.  We're going to  update our To Do List so it actually reflects what we need to do when clear the stack of old projects off our desk start investing for the future empty our our 5 email inboxes call our college friends to catch up hang up-to-date photos of our family finally start to (re)learn Spanish And on and on.  The List Can Be Overwhelming Whole books have been written on how to get things done, how to prioritize.  Some of them are great -- the website Develop Good Habits list 27! such books.  Some of…

The American Rescue Plan ("ARP"), recently signed into law by President Biden, contains a number of provisions designed to keep the economy bouncing back and support people hard hit by the pandemic. One of the key provisions for individuals and families is stimulus checks. Check Amounts $1,400 for single taxpayers $2,800 for married taxpayers filing jointly $1,400 for each dependent for 2021 Phaseouts These payments are subject to phase-outs. If you earned too much, your payment may be reduced or eliminated. See details below. The government is going to make these payments based on your most recent tax return on file with the IRS. They might look at your 2019 or 2020 return. If you get a check there are no…