Whether your a student, single adult, having a baby, or parent, being a bone marrow donor can save a life.  The National Marrow Donor Program^® (NMDP) and  Be The Match Foundation^® are nonprofit organizations dedicated to creating an opportunity for all patients to receive the bone marrow or umbilical cord blood transplant they need, when they need it. 

Seventy percent of people do not have a donor in their family and depend on our Be The Match Registry^® to find a match to save their life.  As a leader in the field of marrow and cord blood transplantation, Be the Match, works every day to connect patients, doctors, donors and researchers to the resources they need.

One Stage of Life editor, Cece, told of her donation story in her editors piece. Click here to read her heart warming story.

No matter what your stage of life, take the time to give others a chance at life and donate with Be The Match.

Teach your kids about money

WalnutRow.com:  For parents looking for solutions and ideas on how to help teach their children money management or tackle issues like giving an allowance, StageofLife.com whole-heartedly recommends WalnutRow.com.  This publisher/resource site believes that children can do many things that adults think are too complicated for them. They also believe that parents are extremely busy people and welcome books and materials that help them raise their children to be responsible adults.

Their first published book, The No-Cash Allowance, received the  Mom’s Choice Award in the parenting category. This book provides a real-life, hands-on financial education that a child cannot get in school or anywhere else. Parents are the best people to provide a financial education for a child as part of the growing up experience.

“Every parent can be successful when it comes to teaching their kids how to manage money,” according to Lynne L. Finch, award-winning author and allowance expert.

The No-Cash Allowance helps parents provide financial education at home in the most effective way to give kids real-life money management experience. Follow Lynne’s common sense approach to understanding kids and money.

Health Education and Wellness for K-12

LearntobeHealthy.org:  This amazing wellness and health education website is a must-visit for any parent or teacher interested in keeping children K-12 healthy.  Its award winning activities and content are mapped to state and national education standards.

There are free activities on the site as well as a yearly premium membership option that gives you access to over 150 lesson plans, games, web quests, and other activities dealing with health education topics ranging from mental health to nutrition to wellness to drugs to fitness and more. 

All proceeds from the premium membership go to support LearntobeHealthy.org's parent organization - the Susan P. Byrnes Health Education Center, a 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to keeping people active, healthy and WELL.  LearntobeHealthy.org Provides Health Educators, Families, and Kids Great Health Educational Tools!

Help Underprivileged Newborns

LovedTwice.org:  One of our Stage of Life members told us about Loved Twice via our Contact Us form.  We looked into their organization and couldn't be happier sharing their mission with you.

Loved Twice is a 501(c)(3) charity organization located in Northern California dedicated to delivering gently used and new baby clothes directly to underprivileged newborns upon their departure from hospitals.
 
Thanks to the generosity of the community and its many volunteers, they have donated over 25,000 pounds of recycled baby clothing...enough to outfit more than 3,000 newborns in need for their entire first year of life.  Without these donations, some of these babies would otherwise go straight from the hospital to a shelter, with little to keep them warm besides the hospital supplied blanket.

LovedTwice.org should be commended for their "green" approach too...circulating items which can be reused/recycled, and keeping them out of landfills.

Favorite Photo Printing Website?

KodakGallery.com:  No matter what stage of life you're in, nearly everyone takes pictures to perserve those special  life moments.  Graduation.  Road trips.  Nights out on the town with friends.  Vacations.  Your boyfriend or girlfriend...your fiancee.  Your spouse. Your house.  Your baby.  Your kids.  Your grandkids.  Your favorite golf course...well...you get the picture.

And speaking of pictures...if you aren't already using Kodak Gallery to create photo books of your friends and family or print photos for your albums, journals or special projects, then we highly recommend that you give them a try.

Take 10 minutes to upload a few of your digital photos to create dozens of photo items and gifts for you or your loved ones.  You won't be dissapointed.   Check out the Coupons and Special Offers at Kodak Gallery!

Free Budget Planning and Financial Management for Families

Mint.com:  Discover the best FREE money management system you can use throughout your entire life.  Mint.com is a secure, online planner to help you budget and organize your family's finances while at the same time planning for life's financial milestones whether it be saving for your children's college education, buying a new house, saving for a vacation, preparing for a new baby or looking ahead to retirement, etc. 

It takes about five to ten minutes to set up, and you can view all of your financial information in one place.  Money Magazine gives it a four-star rating and everyone from the New York Times to Good Morning America are raving about this free, simple, personal finance planner and money mangement tool. 

Stage of Life staff have tested it, use it and warmly recommend it.

What Makes a Hero?

MyHero.com:  StageofLife.com's September writing contest for students asked the question, "Who is your hero and why?"  We started getting responses to the hero question and realized that there might be other resources talking about and addressing the concept of heros in our lives.

That's when we found MyHero.com. 

MyHero.com is a visually rich resource with a mission to use media and technology to celebrate the best of humanity and to empower young people to realize their own potential to effect positive change in the world.  We encourage everyone to think about the heros in your lives and visit MyHero.com to participate in their international project.

Put Your Phone Down - Don't Text and Parent

StageofLife.com:  If you are a parent and have found yourself silently texting in front of your children, you'll want to read this short Stage of Life editorial from Eric Thiegs about his experience at a small town carnival in Dallastown, Pennyslvania. 

As technology becomes more of a "tool" for us all, it's also creating a generation of children who more often than not see their parents detached and disengaged from the moment at hand.

How do I find the best health insurance?

Health Plans of America helps people find affordable health insurance. Health Plans of America is not a health insurance company.  However, they are one of the largest and most trusted sources for competitive health insurance quotes.  Whether you’re a recent graduate, self-employed, working without coverage, retiring, or just trying to save money, they can help you learn more about your options, request free quotes, compare plans from different insurers, and lower your costs.

How Do I Find the Right Student Loan for My Son or Daughter?

SimpleTuition.com:  Parents, we have a site that can help.  Compare and sort student loans for college by what's important to you - interest rates, monthly payments, lender, and total cost of loan. You can compare student loans for up to 20 lenders and then apply for the ones that fit your needs.  Good credit is required.

What Is the Best Day Care or Pre-School in My Area?

KinderCare Learning centers is owned and operated by Portland, Oregon-based Knowledge Learning Corporation, the nation's leading private provider of early childhood education and care. KinderCare Learning centers comprises approximately 1,700 community-based centers in 38 states and the District of Columbia serving more than 300,000 children and employing approximately 41,000 people. 

Each KinderCare creates an environment where children are safe, nurtured, loved, and encouraged to learn. Our education department uses current research to create an exclusive, proven curriculum for our teachers—so you know that your child is getting the advantage of a large network of educational resources and the best care available.  Find local KinderCare Centers for affordable child care near you...

Stage of Life's Family Goal Planning Worksheet

We have developed our own Goal Setting Worksheet.  It's free and you can print it from our site.  The worksheet takes you through a series of questions designed to get you thinking about your life, where it is and where it's going.  We encourage you to complete it with a friend, family member or spouse...you may be surprised at the answers and it'll definitely open up new doors on where your life could lead you.

Resource and Community for Working Moms

Stiletto Woman, Inc. is a sassy, yet sophisticated inspirational new-media communications and empowerment network exclusively for women. They realize the modern woman is not just a mother, wife, or single female. She is a leader. She is visionary—an independent thinker. She is nurturing and adventurous in seeking all that life has to offer. Through Stiletto Woman, contemporary women are engaged and inspired to live fulfilled.

Stage of Life highly recommends this great resource of women in any stage of life. 

Planning a Family Game Night - 10 Ways to Encourage Playing Board Games

From fostering family unity to developing key learning skills, board games are one of the healthiest and most rewarding activites in which families can engage.  We highly recommend that parents take a few moments to read our short list of suggestions to help get your children interested in the lost-art of playing board games.