Cozi Blog

Cozi Builds a Bridge for Divorced Parents

Cozi is all about families, all sorts of families. Whether your family is living under one roof or living across multiple households, Cozi can help families communicate and simplify their challenging schedules and busy lives.

For divorced families, Cozi can be especially valuable, offering a bridge of communication for parents who can’t always communicate easily with each other, but still want and need to communicate about their children. Most divorced parents still want to be equally involved in their children’s daily lives, and having a tool to communicate effectively and efficiently between households is essential.

Cozi gives divorced parents a non-confrontational way to make sure everyone’s on the same page. By using Cozi as their family calendar, divorced parents can communicate easily about sports practices, school conferences, big events, school picture day and more, all without acrimony. Instead of using the kids to transmit messages from one house or one parent to the other, the parents can use their shared family planner to work through the details of their shared responsibility for their kids. The kids are no longer in the middle, and the parents have a common ground.

Many divorced parents have shared with us some of the novel ways they are using Cozi between households. For example, they are using Cozi lists as a way to float ideas for holiday shopping for the kids and plan birthday parties. They’re using the messaging feature to communicate changes to the schedule, and they’re using the calendar to schedule custody sharing. They’ve even created lists in Cozi with all the relevant phone numbers of coaches, friends and teachers so that both parents have equal access to contact information, and the kids can connect easily with their friends from either of their houses.

One divorced family even told us that the family journal is their favorite feature in Cozi, since keeping a shared family journal in Cozi ensures that both parents are included in the special moments in their kids’ lives, no matter where the kids happen to be when the special moments happen. With Cozi’s family journal feature, no one has to miss a milestone. If a child takes a first step or loses a first tooth when only one parent is there, it’s easy to take a quick photo and jot down a couple of words in a family journal entry to share the news across town, or across the country.

If your family straddles multiple households, Cozi might be just the family organizer you’ve been looking for to facilitate communication and simplify life. Get started with Cozi today.

Cozi Family Outlook 2010: The Year of the Family

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Will 2010 bring better times for families? According to a Cozi family survey, the answer depends on what you mean by better. While families aren’t planning for a financial recovery in 2010, there is a silver lining for families learning to live on less.

Cozi conducted their yearly family survey¹ to find out how families plan to adjust spending and activities as they enter 2010. Over 1300 families across the country were surveyed, asking questions about how the economy has affected everything from grocery shopping to family entertainment.

One thing is certain, families are banking on spending less. Fifty-four percent of survey respondents plan to cut back even more in 2010 than they did in 2009. Only 15 percent see more spending in the coming year.

The New Family Schedule

So where is that silver lining? With fewer “distractions” that require money and time away from home, families can spend more time together enjoying simpler – wallet-friendly – activities. Family schedules filled with dinners out, spendy family events and big vacations look to be replaced with eating at home, family movie nights cuddled up on the couch, and free activities in the community.

The Year of Eating In

A whopping 92 percent of respondents are planning to prepare more home-cooked meals in 2010. It makes good sense. Eating in has a triple advantage for families. Cooking at home and eating in were mentioned as a means to save money, eat healthier, and spend more time together as a family. (Find out if your grocery bill is too high.)

Food takes a big bite out of the family budget, especially as the number (and size!) of kids grow. Shrinking the family grocery bill is a big part of the family saving plan for 2010. Families will use coupons, shop sales, make shopping lists and plan ahead for the week, and stick to a budget.

Family Fun for Free

Spending more nights in is the plan for most families in 2010. But that doesn’t have to translate into sitting around watching the tube. The great thing about families is that the best fun often comes on the cheap, without elaborate planning, and when you least expect it. We hear that families are choosing game nights instead of season game tickets, fondue parties instead of dinner reservations, nerf battles at the park instead of ski lessons, and evenings reminiscing over the big box of memories in the closet instead of planning the next big vacation.

Family Optimism for 2010

Despite the financial struggles, the consensus is that families will spend more time together. And the majority of families refuse to see the glass as half empty. When asked to rank their level of optimism for the economy in 2010, more families came out on the up side:

Get your family organized and on the same page with Cozi, the free online family organizer.

¹Respondents were 93 percent female, 67 percent between the ages 25-44, and 79 percent married.

I Know Why They Call Them Shopping Trips

My hairdryer blew up yesterday. It popped and shot sparks. Exciting! While the younger version of me might have said, “Oh, I’ll give it another shot—what’s a little spontaneous combustion in the name of beauty,” the middle-aged me thought back to her days at orchestra camp.

One of my fellow campers, an impossibly cool older girl named Helen, had the misfortune of having her hair dryer explode in her hand. It left a huge burn on her palm, am unforgettable sight that really put me off my morning oatmeal. 

Rather than cook my palm, I decided to take the girls shopping for a replacement.

Ordinarily, I avoid shopping with the kids. It’s exhausting. Take, for example, the time we were at REI getting wool socks. The girls figured out if they moved at high speeds through the clothing racks, their hair would get charged with static electricity and stick out of their heads like dandelion fluff. They made like groundhogs and burrowed through every rack in the women’s department. I bleated their names feebly, but it was no use. I don’t compare to static electricity.

Since then, shopping trips with the girls have been few and far between. But I needed a hair dryer, so Target it was. I don’t know about your kids, but mine think everything at Target is awesome, starting with the doors. They like to pretend they have magic fingers, and they run at the doors at top speed with their hands extended. Like magic, the doors open.

Unless you’re Alice and you run with your magic fingers toward the EXIT door. Then, it’s a good thing you can come to a quick stop in your golden sneakers.

The girls also like the security camera, which projects images of shoppers on a TV suspended from the ceiling. Lucy likes to perform for the benefit of the camera and whatever security guards happen to be watching.

But it’s when we get to the actual store part that the excitement truly begins.

Lucy is convinced she needs a new bathing suit. “Mine shows my bottom.”

Alice thinks a tiny trench coat like mine is an urgent and necessary purchase.

Lucy wonders, loudly, when she will be able to wear a bra.

Then Alice wants to get a giant Hallmark card with a puppy on it to give to Lucy, who is standing right there and won’t be surprised and who already has a live, grown-up and housebroken version of the same kind of dog at home.

But it is when we get to the toilet plunger aisle that things really get wild.

I do not understand why they put toilet plungers on the bottom row of the store. Do they think it’s possible for the lowest-slung shoppers—kids under the age of 10—to walk by a toilet plunger and not play with it?

If we were in the market for toilet plungers, I definitely would have picked up one of these, though. They had excellent suction. Lucy and Alice learn this when they stick the plunger to the linoleum.

“IT’S STUCK!” Alice says.

“PULL!” Lucy says.

“I’M TRYING!” Alice says. “HELP!” 

Pulling together with all their might, the girls finally unstick the plunger from the floor. The sound it makes strikes them as hilarious. But it’s not as funny, apparently, as the way I try to gently discipline them.

“Girls,” I say. “Plungers are for the toilet, not the floor.” 

“TOILET!” Alice says. “MAMA SAID TOILET!”

“Plungers are for your butt, not the floor,” Lucy says.

“LUCY SAID BUTT!” Alice reports. “LUCY SAID BUTT!”

“Yes,” I say. “I heard her. Everyone heard her. Gaaaa!”

By this time our cart is full of cleaning supplies, thank you cards and Valentines, but I have the nagging feeling that something is missing. I just can’t remember what.

As I steer the cart toward the check-out aisle, Lucy says, “I need a paddle brush for my hair. It’s tangly and the lady who cut it said a paddle brush was the best so I really need to get one.”

Hair! Hair-dryer! The thing I’d come for in the first place! We turn around and head for the hair-care aisle.

Alice wants me to buy a pink one. Lucy thinks I should get the one with leopard spots. I compromise, and using the parent’s definition of the word, buy the one I liked best. And Lucy gets her paddle brush.

On the way out, Lucy asks for a Snickers bar. I say no. Alice asks for a Reese’s Peanut Butter cup. “There are two,” she says. “We could share.”

It’s another “no.”

Behind me, a mom stands in line with her teenage daughter.

“Sound familiar?” she says.

The stranger’s daughter laughs. Then she says, “Hey, mom. Can I have some gum?”

--Martha Brockenbrough

 

Latest Daily Winners in Cozi's Free Groceries Celebration

If you haven't checked out Cozi's FREE groceries celebration yet, now's the time to join in the fun!

To celebrate Cozi's 10,000,000th shopping list item, Cozi will be giving away a year of FREE groceries to one very lucky winner. Cozi is also giving away loads of daily prizes in our Spin to Win game. You can play up to three times a day, every day between January 14th and March 11th.

Click here to play today! You could win handy OXO kitchen gadgets, or limited-edition Cozi reusable shopping totes. You'll also be entered into the grand prize sweepstakes for a year of FREE groceries!

Here's a list of our daily winners so far!

Most Recent Winners:

Melissa N., Lindenhurst, NY
Judy D., North Tonawanda NY
Lynne R., N. Ridgeville OH 
Patsy T. G., Glenwood NC
Johnenia G., Sylvania, OH
Lisa S. A., Fairhope, AL.
Linda H., Titusville, FL
K. S., Cary, NC
Elke M., Kingston Springs TN
Rebecca L., Marinette, WI 
Robin E., Hoschton, GA
Kim H. K., Stoneville, MS 
Lillian T., Harrington, DE
Stacey S., Cypress, TX 
Scott W., Grand Junction CO
Jan K., Des Moines, IA
Melanie & Jeremy F., MN
Lindsay Z., North Baltimore, OH
Joy D., South Bend, IN
Shirley B., Johnstown, NY
Debbie P., Munhall, PA
Beth L., Bloomsburg, PA
Glennis W., Bothell WA
Mike S., Bethlehem, GA
Jerry K., Albuquerque, NM 
David F., Anchorage, AK
Lori D., Ballwin MO
Barbara T., Syracuse, NY
Jane A., Raleigh, NC
Deren L., Orlando, FL
Lisa C., Palisades, NY
Esvin B., Boise, ID
Gail T., Buffalo, NY
Karen M., Fort Ashby, WV
Cheryl M., Inwood, WV
Joby M., Newport, TN
Ashli T., Cedar Park,Tx
Tracy R., San Mateo, CA 
Diana N., Lafayette, CA
Carmen S., Watertown, WI 
Sandy M., Naperville, IL
Nicole G., Philadelphia, PA
Angie D., Centennial, CO
Missy P., Greenwood, NE
Cheryl J., Gainesboro, TN
Angel N., Altoona, PA
Vicki S., Eastpointe, MI
Reneé B., Dawsonville, GA
April T., Pueblo West, CO
Cindy R., Pinellas Park, FL
Michelle K., Warren, MI 

Week 2 Winners:

Beth B., Virginia Beach, VA
Loren P., Winter Haven, FL
Timeca B., Seattle, WA
Stefanie P., Olathe, KS
Kelley M., Plymouth, MI 
Lisa R., Sugar Land, TX
C. A., Phoenix, AZ
Marcella B., San Antonio, Tx
Catherine K., Ponca City,  OK
Jamie T., Corpus Christi, TX
Marilyn Kaye P., Brownwood, Tx
Margaret H W., San Diego, Ca
Laura F., Manchester, NH
Clara D., Black Diamond, WA
Jennifer R., Haddon Twp, NJ 
Jeremy Espana   
Becky G.e, Conway, AR
Jennifer P., Auburn, WA
Karin S., Empire, IL
Donna S., Montpelier, OH 
Janice N., Independence, MO
Bobbie Jo S., Amsterdam, NY
Karen L., Lake Forest, IL
Holly W., Farmington, NY
Tanya R. T,, Hamilton, Mississippi
Laurie P., Coventry RI
Connie D., Boaz, AL
Colin J., Rutland, MA
Donna C., Temple, Tx
Miriam B., Beaverdam, VA
Diane P., Mononghela, PA
Janice S., Vero Beach, FL 
Betty M., White Bear Lake,MN
M. C., Southbridge, MA
Shauna R., Westminster, CO 
Amber G., Connersville, Indiana
Andrea D., Emily MN
Kelly C., Elkhart, IN
Sandra C., Walled Lake, MI
Rebecca C. S., The Woodlands, Texas
   
Week 1 Winners:

Dawn M., Anthem, AZ
Roger R., Birmingham, AL
Kristen P., Fort Collins, CO
Tara P., Crestview, FL
Robin W., Raleigh, NC
Deb T., Ankeny IA
Sister Bridget S., Los Angeles, CA
Jamela G., Raleigh, NC
Melvin C., Eden NC
Shelley D., Flower Mound, TX
Donna D., Lowell, MA
Robin F., Orlando, FL
Victoria M.,Stroudsburg, PA
Eva D., Cedar Creek, TX
Elijah M., Wappingers Falls, NY
Jane L., Panorama Ciy, CA
Amanda S., Midway GA
Branden W., Chandler, AZ
Glenda A., Parrott, GA
Tammie F., Hampton Cove, AL
Deb G., Westerly, RI
Eric S., Bellevue, WA
Winford S., Laurel, MS
Patty B., Rochester NH
Ruth L, Niles, Ohio
Carol B., Madison, WI
Alice S., Middleburg, FL
Karen C., Elkhart, IN
Susanne C., Buffalo Grove, IL
Susan A., Palm Bay, FL
Tiffany G., Newton, KA
Lindsay G., Fort Worth, TX
Beth B., Virginia Beach, VA

Congratulations to all our winners! Play now for YOUR chance to win!

Humbled by Love

I didn't grow up in a touchy-feely house. My parents are perfectly loving people, but they weren't so much into the hugs and kisses. And no one in our house said, "I love you" except maybe one of the talking dolls we got second-hand from kids whose parents believed in toys as opposed to, say, coffee cans and sticks.

As a result, I had a hard time saying the word when I was a child. I couldn't even read it out loud. Things weren't all that different in my husband's family.

Adam and I managed to survive, but something weird happened to us in the intervening years. I don't know if it was the effects of watching "Free to Be You and Me" or more likely, altogether too much "Love Boat."

But we are both huggy and kissy and pretty free with the "L" word, especially with our kids.

As a result, Lucy and Alice say "I love you" all the time.

They say it when they wake up. They say it during meals. They say it whenever they can't think of anything else to say. Mom? Yes? I, I, I...well, I love you. Well thanks! I love you, too.

They also say it after they've dropped poster paint on the floor, as a sort of preemptive strike.

"Um, mom? I love you. And I just spilled a lot of paint! Also, I love you."

And they say it with their friends. Just last week, I picked up Alice at school. The new boy in class - who happens to be adorable - said, "I love you, Alice!" as they were parting. She replied, "I love you, too!"

Overall, I think it's a pretty healthy thing, even if it's not quite the sincerity-fest I'd imagined. After a snowstorm that kept us pretty much housebound for two weeks. Alice said this:

"I love you, Mom. Even more than I love snow. But I really hate snow."

This weekend, we were playing a game of What Would You Do to Save My Life. I asked Alice, who hates fruit, "Would you eat a blueberry to save my life? One teeny, weeny blueberry?"

"Mom, I tried a blueberry before," she said. "I didn't like it."

"But Alice," I replied. "It's to save my life."

She remained unmoved. "You're a grownup," she said. "You'll land on your feet."

I don't know about landing on my feet. But it's certainly nice to know where I stand.

For more adventures in parenting, check out Martha's Family Journal. Record and share your own family moments - start an easy family website today.

 
Brought to you by 1-800-Flowers.com. Get free shipping and no service charge on your Valentine’s order. Dazzle her! Shop now.

--Martha Brockenbrough

Strategies for Straight Talk About Money

by Susan Beacham, CEO Money Savvy Generation

Time to talk about the 800 pound gorilla in the room.

It’s a new year, but we are still living with the fallout of 2009. The holiday spending may have taken its toll on your bottom line and frankly kids are confused after a bountiful holiday season when parents start to cut back in January.

Here’s a plan that will help you help your family acknowledge the 800 pound gorilla in the room in 2010.

Talk about money at dinner.
Since you are eating in more these days, make sure you are all eating together so you can talk and you can listen. You need to know what your kids think they know. Ask you kids if they are talking about money at school. Are teachers bringing it up in class? Are classmates talking about problems at home? Use these questions as a bridge to your discussion about your family money situation.

Kids pick up on the household tension that begins to get thick when money is tight. So, if the holiday got the better of you and/or you or your spouse has or is about to lose a job, lose a home, and family finances are about to change dramatically, talk about it now.

Give them back some control over money and explain that they have four choices for money. They can save it, spend it, donate it and invest it. The Money Savvy Pig® is a great hands-on teaching tool to remind children that they have these choices and to set goals for each choice.

Explain money shortfalls in concrete terms.
Kids don’t grasp the abstract very well – so explain what less money in the household is going to mean to them on a daily basis. Does it mean less spent on groceries? Yes. Does it mean they will go to bed hungry? Probably not. Does it mean no vacation this year? Maybe. How about hobbies, sports and holidays? Less money available for these expenses? Maybe.

Will you need to move? Kids, especially very young kids, want to know what will happen to their room, their cat or dog, their friends. Explain how their lives may change but that you will always be there – that will not change. Now is the time to reassure and give kids a sense of security.

Write a letter.
If you’re not comfortable talking about what is going on with your finances, then start by writing a letter to your kids. Lay it all out and then let it rest a day or two. Go back and edit what feels right and get rid of what does not. This is not a letter you need to send, or that your child will ever read. It is your dress rehearsal for the discussion.

Get control over spending by making a list.
Ask everybody to make a list of what they need and what they want this year. Brainstorm ways that the whole family can help meet those needs and wants. Commit to every need getting covered first, and wants take a family action plan. If it’s a beloved vacation, then brainstorm how everyone can contribute to make that vacation happen.

All children can use their time and talent to start a business. Dog walking, snow shoveling, raking leaves. Letting your child help create and contribute to the family action plan will make the vacation a whole new, maybe even more appreciated, time together.

Start allowance.
Set a realistic allocation for kids that will cover certain expenses, like clothing, sports, lunch at school, gas, car insurance. Allowance is the first step towards budgeting and learning to take personal responsibility for the money in their lives. Allowance allows your child to have some control over their expenses and that control will go a long way towards reassuring a child that is anxious about money.

Barter and trade.
Clean closets, drawers, basements. Chances are your trash is someone else’s treasure. Siblings can trade up clothes. Friends can trade clothes and sporting equipment.

Get a job.
If the family income falls short, a teen can get what they want and need by earning money. Consider asking them to contribute a portion of those earnings.

Get your family organized and on the same page with Cozi, the free online family organizer.

Susan Beacham, is CEO of Money Savvy Generation (www.msgen.com). For more information contact Susan Beacham at susan@msgen.com or call 847-234-9477 x201.

What's In Your Lunchbox? Lunches From Around The World

by Giulia Rozzi

Forget the fish sticks, toss aside those tater tots, put away that pb&j (you get the gist, right?). There is more to kids' lunches than what’s in the brown paper bag of American school children. All over the world, kids have their own lunchtime traditions. Here’s a list of just some of the different ways kids across the globe are consuming their afternoon meal.

France

photo courtesy of Sifu Renka

Wow, is this school lunch or a jacket-required five-star restaurant? In France, lunch is provided by the school offering kids quite a fancy fare. Lunch usually includes a choice of salads, e.g., mâche with smoked salmon and asparagus, paired with guinea fowl with roasted potatoes and steamed vegetables, plus washed-rind cheese with French bread and a dessert of strawberries or clafoutis. And these delicacies are served on heated plates with real silverware. Ooh la la!

Italy

photo courtesy of stetted

In Italy school meals are not just about feeding hungry students; they are also about teaching children about local traditions and supporting sustainable farming. And no, they don’t just eat spaghetti, although it is part of the rotating pasta selection. A typical lunch served by the school could be zucchini risotto and a mozzarella, tomato and basil salad. As the daughter of two Italian-immigrant parents I’m probably biased, but this school lunch sounds the most delizioso!

Switzerland

photo courtesy of adwriter

School lunchtime in Switzerland is an hour-long (I repeat, an HOUR LONG!) and served at tables set with plates, silverware, and cloth napkins. Each child keeps a toothbrush at school so they can wash-up after their meal. However the term “there’s no such thing as a free lunch” applies here. Following their leisurely, elegant meal kids are required to bus their dishes, wipe down the tables, and sweep the floor - teaching children excellent domestic habits at an early age.

Ukraine

photo courtesy of quinn.anya

In the Ukraine it’s all about the meat! Students first get an appetizer such as borsch, the traditional Ukrainian soup made out of beetroot, vegetables and meat, followed by more meat in the form of sausages or a cutlet (chopped meat mixed with egg and breadcrumbs) with mashed potatoes or boiled buckwheat. Dessert is often pancakes or syrki (you guessed it, chocolate covered meat! I’m kidding, it’s actually chocolate covered cream cheese).

Japan

photo courtesy of Osamu Iwasaki

Rice, fish, vegetable soup (with seaweed), perhaps some pickled cucumbers, and milk make up the typical lunch fare for Japanese school children. Meals are served with the teacher who eats the same food while teaching students to be mindful of wastefulness and discouraging picky eating. Good food plus good ethics? Talk about balancing the yin and yang.

Norway

photo courtesy of VirtualErn

The lunch of Norwegian kids sounds the most similar to that of American students. In Norway they don’t have school-prepared meals so all students lug a lunchbox usually consisting of a sandwich like cheese or salami. Most schools offer drinks and snacks like milk, yogurt or fruit.

Kenya

photo courtesy of mzeecedric

School children in Kenya are eating Githeri, a simple yet nourishing dish combining beans and corn. This recipe originated with the Kikuyu tribe and is now the daily standard for Kenyan kids.

England

photo courtesy of Downing Street

Spearheaded by TV chef Jamie Oliver, the campaign for healthier food in schools helped implement new nutrition policies giving school lunches in England a healthy makeover. Lunches now consist of one portion of vegetables and at least one portion of fruit every day accompanied by a healthy protein (such as salmon, processed meats are heavily restricted). Sweets are also banned except for the cocoa powder in the post-lunch dessert. Schools are still allowed to serve deep-fried foods, but only two items per week.

Australia

photo courtesy of StephenMitchell

Kids down under are all under the influence of Vegemite, a dark brown Australian food paste made from yeast extract. Vegemite is an Australian staple most often spread on kids lunchtime sandwiches where it is paired with cheese like Kraft Cheddar.

Korea

photo courtesy of bebouchard

Like in Japan, kids in Korea take turns serving their classmates - teaching them responsibility and respect. The center of the meal is rice often paired with kimchi (a traditional Korean pickled dish made of vegetables with varied seasonings) and soup with side dishes of veggies and fish.

Simplify your own school lunch packing routine with Cozi shopping lists, accessible from anywhere.

And in honor of saving families 10 million trips to the grocery store, Cozi is giving away free groceries, gadgets, and more. Enter to win!

In Which My Kids Pass Me By

I grew up in the Pacific Northwest, where it is perfectly normal for people to report to work on Monday with tales of their extreme weekends—skiing, rock-climbing, kayaking, squirrel rodeo. Well, maybe not that last one, but only because the environmentalists would object that it’s demeaning to squirrels to make them wear chaps.

Anyway, when I was a kid, most people I knew were skiers. Even my dad knew how, and as the family lore went, that’s how he broke his ankle, which to this day is a bit on the dodgy side because he soaked the cast off rather than wear it for the prescribed length of time.

(Sort of embarrassing moment: During back-to-school-night event at my middle school, Dad reinjured his ankle while going up the stairs. Parents! Try not to break a leg at school! Really, it would be better if you farted audibly because no teachers would want to ask you about that the next day.)

My mom promised we’d learn to ski when we started high school, but that didn’t happen for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is how much it would have cost to outfit five kids in gear. Some of my more enterprising siblings figured out ways to learn, but I am clumsy and don’t particularly enjoy landing on my face at great speeds, or even at slow speeds.

So, anyway, I can’t ski. Adam can, and last year we signed the kids up for lessons. I didn’t have particularly high expectations. After all, they are half my genetic stock. And from experience, it’s usually taken more than one series of lessons for my kids to really pick up a skill.

Swimming? Lucy took months. And Alice still does what we call the Creepy Cheater Legs on the bottom of the pool. They’re still in the beginning stages of dance, though they’ve been in classes for a few years now.

Apparently, though, skiing is a skill you can pick up a little more quickly. After the first few weeks last year, both Lucy and Alice were gliding down the slopes. This year, they’re riding the chairlift with ease (and usually remembering to get off). 

I sit in the lodge and watch them through the foggy window, usually sharing a beer and a cheeseburger with Adam, and it’s a huge thrill to see them zing down the slopes.

Every so often, things go awry. A few weeks ago, Lucy’s class went one way and she went another, resulting in some dramatic arm gestures and duck-walking as she tried to get back on track. And Alice is of the mistaken belief that she will go faster if she flaps her arms. It does not bother her that she is the only person on the slopes doing this.

For the most part, though, the girls ski really well. And I am struck that this is the first thing in their lives that they can do that I can’t. I’ve talked about taking lessons and joining the rest of the family in the snow, but part of me wants to keep it this way.

It’s so easy for parents to always be the experts in everything. One part of letting our kids grow up is allowing them to try things—and encouraging them even when they’re doing something we can’t or don’t know how to do.

It takes a certain amount of letting go, but the feeling of it...well, if I knew how to ski, I’d probably say it’s like the wind in my hair going down a powdery slope. Exhilarating.

--Martha Brockenbrough

Is Your Grocery Bill Too High?

How much do you spend on groceries? Ever wonder how your family food budget compares to everyone else? If your family is like most Cozi families, saving on the weekly food bill is a priority for 2010. How will they do it? Sixty-four percent of families responded that they will use coupons, 58 percent will also shop sales and 52 percent will make shopping lists and stick to a food budget.

Never forget your grocery list again so you buy only what you need with help from Cozi shopping lists - always as close as your mobile phone.

Want to really make a dent in your 2010 grocery bill? Cozi is celebrating 10 million items on Cozi shopping lists, and we’re giving away free groceries, gadgets, and more. Enter to win.

More on Food for the Family

5 Sack Lunches Kids Love

Cozi Dinner Ideas Map

Advice If You Want To Try Meal Planning

Top Go-To Meals From Cozi Fans

Top 10 Reasons You Shouldn't Plan a Weekly Menu

A Family Calendar for 2010 and Beyond

Where did January go? If you came blazing into the New Year with all sorts of resolutions about organizing, exercising, sticking to a budget or spending time with your family, now’s a good time to catch your breath and take stock.

One month down, and eleven to go in the first year of the new decade!

 
If you feel like you’re on track day-to-day, that’s a great start! But, if you’re having trouble wrapping your head around the bigger picture of the full year ahead, a yearly look at your family calendar might be just what you need.

To check out the year at-a-glance, here’s a family planner view of 2010:

2010 Family Planner from Cozi (with PDF download)

Or, if you’re someone who likes to stay two steps ahead, here’s a family calendar look at 2011:

2011 Family Planner from Cozi (with PDF download)

Enjoy each day as it comes, and use the tools in Cozi’s family organizer to help you stick to your goals. Whether it’s the shopping lists, the to do lists, the family calendar or the family journal, Cozi can help you simplify your family’s busy life so that you have time to focus on what’s important to you in the year ahead.