Author name: Jen Walshaw

Moving Tips for Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth, Texas consistently makes its way onto “Best American Cities” lists, and for good reason. The city of 770,000 is home to several major employers, including Lockheed Martin, American Airlines, FUNimation Entertainment and the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base. Fort Worth’s cost of living is 10 percent below the national median, so it is an affordable city in which to build a career and raise a family. As part of the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area, you have access to excellent schools, restaurants, culture and recreation. Whether you want to root for the Dallas Cowboys or attend “Don Giovanni” at the Fort Worth Opera, there is something in Fort Worth for everyone.
When moving to Fort Worth, there are several things to keep in mind. Your list will be different depending on whether you are a rambling family aiming to stay in Fort Worth for just a year or two, or a family hoping to lay down permanent roots in the city. However, regardless of your length of stay, you still need to find homes, schools and methods of employment.
Housing in Fort Worth
There are as many options for family housing in Fort Worth as there are families. Choose a downtown apartment or a suburban rental. Fans of older houses and historic architecture will find multiple options in Fort Worth’s Hi Mount neighborhood.
However, for a rambling family, there are other options you won’t want to overlook. Consider doing a house trade with another family, or providing housesitting and grounds keeping services for people who are away from their homes for several months. With the Naval base on site, Fort Worth has more than its share of families and individuals with short-term military assignments; look for opportunities to provide service to service members by maintaining their homes.
If you’re looking for a space to store your belongings while you ramble, invest in a local storage unit from Uncle Bob’s. They provide units as small as 5 by 5 feet and is a great way to store belongings that you don’t need for a few months.
Education and Schools
The Fort Worth Independent School District includes many Gold Seal Schools of Choice. There are also a number of private and parochial schools in the area. For homeschoolers, Fort Worth includes numerous homeschool groups as well as a yearly homeschool prom. Whatever your education choice, you and your family are certain to find the options you need.
Employment
Between corporate headquarters, such as Lockheed Martin and Radio Shack, and local bookstores, coffee shops and art galleries, there are employment options for everyone. Fort Worth’s unemployment rate is 6%, nearly half that of other urban areas like Los Angeles; Fort Worth is a city committed to finding work for all its citizens.
If you’re a rambling family, look for short-term temporary work or freelance contracts in writing, animation or web design. The Creative Group is a great resource for finding these types of jobs in Fort Worth.
As you prepare to move, don’t forget basic travel tips for families: drive in short spurts, take breaks often and make sure every day includes something fun. Check out Family Rambling’s trip to Fort Worth’s Cultural District for more ideas of what to do when you arrive in town, and enjoy your move!

Banishing family recipes to the bin

How many times have you been eating something delicious and asked for the recipe, only to be told it’s a family secret passed down through generations? Well, it’s not exactly a regular occurrence but it must have happened a few times.

Every single time I can’t help but wonder why it has to be a secret. Can this delicious food not be shared between friends as well? I understand that these treasured recipes might evoke memories of a late family member or a particular special occasion but let us in on the secret too.

Unfortunately, I don’t have any family recipes that were created by my great-great-great-grandmother. I’m lucky if I can remember what my own mother used to cook for me. It’s a shame, but my family just isn’t that talented in the kitchen.

I’m not going to pretend that I am a spectacular cook but I can whip up some simple dishes if I have a recipe to follow. It doesn’t make it any easier when people refuse to share their recipes. Of course, I could turn to a cookbook but I find that most of these dishes end up bland or just not very nice.

So, to show my circle of friends that I can also pull something together that resembles a tasty meal and I don’t need an ancient recipe to help, I threw a dinner party. Now, I’ll let you in on my little secret… Schwartz recipe inspiration kits.

These kits are amazing. They include pre-measured pots of herbs, spices and seasoning and also come with a free recipe card. I decided to throw together a beef stew for my friends and it was so easy to make.

All you needed, aside from the beef stew mix, was a few ingredients that I already had at home, including the meat and vegetables. To make this delicious meal and surprise your friends and family all you have to do is brown the beef,fry off the vegetables, add the herbs and seasoning before transferring to the oven for a couple of hours.

Even the dumplings were simple enough to make; you just put them on the top of the stew and return to the oven.

As me and my friends were tucking into a hearty home-cooked meal, you’ll never guess what…they asked me for the recipe! Who needs old-fashioned hand-me-down recipes from hundreds of years ago when you can whip up delicious meals with no effort at all?