Have you had the urge to do volunteer work but just haven't gotten around to it? Or do you have a great idea for a service project but don't know how to get it started? President Obama's United We Serve initiative was designed for people like you. At the Serve.gov website you can get help finding a volunteer opportunity, creating your own project, or registering your project and finding volunteers.

Out of curiosity, I checked my area for volunteer opportunities and found a wide array of choices. Volunteers are needed to sit with infants who are in a hospital due to being abused or neglected; to assist families of ill or injured children at Ronald McDonald Houses; to bathe and groom dogs who are being adopted into new families; to man a touch tank of aquatic animals; and to sort clothing at a resale shop. In addition, Foster Grandparents are always needed to mentor disadvantaged and disabled children.

The United We Serve initiative officially began on June 22 and will culminate in a National Day of Service and Remembrance on September 11. Will that day find you feeling good about how you spent your summer, or still saying that you are going to serve someday?

Nothing is as dear to the hearts of parents and grandparents as family photos, but professional photographers can be pricey. For special occasions, it is pure folly in my book not to hire a professional. In between those special occasions, why not try your hand at creating your own family portraits? With a digital camera, you can take ten times the number of photos without paying more, and professional photographers who post their photos online have turned the Internet into one big photo tutorial. Here's how to get started:

• Unless you are planning to photograph only adults, you'll need to read these hints for photographing children.
• Browse some professional photography sites on the Internet, making notes of settings, poses and accessories that you like.
• Shoot some photos, but don't have your expectations too high. You'll have more misses than hits at this point.
• Learn to use a photo-editing program. There are a number of free photo editors. Pick out your best shots, and figure out how to make them better.
• Print your best efforts. You can either print them yourself, or send to a print service like Snapfish, Shutterfly or Kodak.
• Frame and enjoy!

See more Thrifty Thursday hints from Parenting and Family Guides:

There's no shortage of grandchildren being raised by grandparents in this country, and it appears that the children of Michael Jackson are going to join that group. A will written by Jackson in 2002 reportedly names his mother, Katherine Jackson, as his choice to bring up his three children. The judge who will be deciding on custody is not bound by the wishes of the deceased, but given the somewhat unusual circumstances of their parentage, I'm betting that the judge goes with the grandmother, who has already been given temporary guardianship.

Since Jackson reported being physically and psychologically abused by his father as a child, the selection of his mother seems like an odd choice. After all, his father is still living and still cohabitating with Katherine Jackson. I suppose when you look at Jackson's life, despite his worldwide fame, he didn't have a lot of good nurturers to choose from in his circle of family and friends. In the absence of more information, I believe that the choice of Katherine Jackson will provide the children with much-needed continuity in their lives. Surely the extended Jackson family and the intense media scrutiny will prevent a repeat of the strict and controlling behavior which Michael Jackson described from his childhood. What is your opinion? Should Michael Jackson's parents be given custody of his children?