Teaching Kids about Maintaining the House

Posted on January 11, 2009 by Mary Ann Romans

This week I have really been concentrating on teaching my oldest child how to do the laundry. We have gone over sorting, setting the washer and turning it on, adding detergent, transferring clothing to the dryer, setting the dryer and turning that on as well. When the laundry is done, he brings it up two flights of stairs to the master bedroom, where I will fold it (we will work on folding another time). You may be surprised to know that my son is only seven. At his tender age, he also knows how to vacuum his room, wipe down … Continue reading →

Why Overweight Kids are at Risk For Type 2 Diabetes

Posted on July 5, 2006 by Kristyn Crow

According to the U.S. Surgeon General, approximately 13 percent of children age six to eleven years old, and 14 percent of adolescents twelve to nineteen years old are overweight. In the year 2000, a panel of experts from the American Diabetes Association estimated that on average, 20 percent of newly diagnosed diabetes in children was type 2, and 85 percent of these kids were obese. Type 2 diabetes was once almost exclusively an adult disease, but in recent years the numbers of children with diabetes type 2 is increasing at alarming rates. With today’s surge in video technology, kids are … Continue reading →

Mom Scare

Posted on June 15, 2012 by Richele McFarlin

Summer has started and I gave the kids several weeks off. Despite this, my daughter is still doing math (her choice) to get ahead for next year. She is 14 years old and will be going to a high school next year. I cannot express how thrilled and scared I am for her at the same time. At any rate, since it is summer she has time to interact with friends that go to school. She has a good friend she has known for years that lives around the block. They are great friends and I am happy they have … Continue reading →

Exercise For Depression

Posted on April 28, 2012 by Carol Paxman

Do you suffer from depression? Most of us, at one time or another, suffer from depression. It can run the gamut from just feeling a little blue to being unable to function. Major life changes can lead to depression so it’s no surprise that many women who go through a divorce suffer from some form of depression. Many of us think we are just fine. We sweep our feelings under the rug because, now with our new single mom status, we just don’t have time or energy to worry about ourselves. We are focused on survival. I know that sounds … Continue reading →

Looking for Photos in All the Wrong Places

Posted on February 17, 2012 by Michele Cheplic

(I took this photo.) Do you ever wonder where your favorite websites find the amazing photos they display online? In some cases, the pictures are snapped by the site’s employees or professionals that are paid for their services. However, many times, individuals pilfer images from random sources without reading the terms and conditions of their use. For the record: Unauthorized use of a copyrighted photo is illegal. If you are in need of a picture to use for a term paper or to showcase on a personal website, public domain pictures are your best bet. However, keep in mind that … Continue reading →

Summer Fun Activities for Families

Posted on June 24, 2011 by Richele McFarlin

With summer here it will be easier to get in physical activity as even the most sedentary child will be drawn by the sun to get out and play. A child who is normally resistant to working out to a video or indoors will gladly play soccer or kickball outside. The best tool to keeping a child active is making is a family affair. Grab all the kids and get outside this summer for some active fun. It is a great way to keep in shape and ward additional pounds from creeping up on you. Bicycling: Bicycling is a great … Continue reading →

Time to Play

Posted on February 16, 2010 by Tricia Edgar

I had a parent-teacher conference at my daughter’s school today. It’s a play-based preschool, and I joked to my husband that our daughter was going to fail playing and be held back to play for another year. I think that would be grand, but our parent-teacher conferences are mostly a check-in time about our child’s temperament and abilities, certainly not about academic progress in the traditional sense. I feel that I am about to become a strong steward of my child’s right to play. As kindergarten approaches, the amount of time my daughter is in school is about to increase … Continue reading →

Is Stress Eating Killing You?

Posted on September 12, 2007 by Lisa P

Figuring out why you’ve gained weight in the first place is half the battle of losing weight. Are you a stress eater? I know that when my toddler has super-tantrum days (and they are super-tantrums), the first thing I reach for is something starchy: potato chips, crackers, bread, bagels, cookies. Starch soothes me. I’m a stress eater. Do you reach for the cupboard when relationships, time commitments and work overwhelm you? If so, you’re a stress eater too. If you’re a stress eater trying to lose weight and haven’t yet found some other way to deal with stress then forget … Continue reading →

Help Your Learning Disabled Child With Letters and Words

Posted on November 13, 2006 by Kristyn Crow

When most children are initially introduced to the alphabet, they see each letter as a picture. The letter “T” might look like one stick balancing on top of the other. An “O” might look like a ring. Yet soon a child’s perception begins to change, and the concept of letters transfers from the right hemisphere of the brain to the left–the auditory-linguistic hemisphere. That’s when a “T” becomes an actual symbol that can be associated with a sound. Children with learning disabilities often have great difficulty with this transition in thinking. They are simply “stuck” in the spatial intelligence frame … Continue reading →