10 Tips to Carve a Perfect PumpkinCan get past cutting out simple triangle eyes and a jagged mouth on your pumpkin each year. Try these tips and your friends and neighbors will think you're a pro! |
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October Dear Teacher: Conference Questions and Report CardsCheck out this month's column for tips on how to make the most of a parent-teacher conference and what you should look for in your child's report card. |
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H1N1 Flu - The Answers to Parents' Top 5 QuestionsThe vaccines are ready, but you don't know if you are. We cover all you need to know about the Swine Flu and how to protect against contracting it, whether you decided to get vaccinated or not. |
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What's Landing Local Kids in the ER?You’re a parent. Of course you’ve panicked about the many ways your children could get hurt. Your baby could roll off the changing table and land on her head. Your toddler could yank a pot off the stove and pour boiling water on himself. Your teen could butt heads with a teammate while going for the soccer ball. |
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Your Money: Save it for the Future or Your Child's Education?As a member of the so-called “sandwich generation,” my priorities are literally “sandwiched” between the needs of my octogenarian mother and those of my three young children. Rarely does the focus turn to the needs I share with my husband, especially those involving our financial future. |
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Battling Breast CancerWhen the diagnosis of breast cancer falls in your lap, you find that it adds many new dimensions to your life. |
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Area Students Spare Change for a Good CauseStudents in the midstate recently rounded up their pennies and donated them as Part of Pennies for Pasta, a fundraiser benefitting the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. |
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Dream to become Reality for Leg Up Farm FounderJust last month, an $8.3 million dream became reality for Lou Castriota. September 10 marked the groundbreaking of Leg Up Farm in York -- a therapy center designed to improve the lives of children with special needs and their families through an effective combination of therapeutic programs and services, education and advocacy. |
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Pregnant? Take Extra Care of Your TeethWhen you're pregnant, you hear a lot about eating right, even about exercising, but you should also pay attention to your oral health. Keeping your pearly whites polished is good for you, and your baby. |
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Wild Things May Be Too Wild For KidsMaurice Sendak’s popular children’s book comes to life on the big screen, following the adventures of Max (Max Records), an imaginative little boy who acts out at home and runs away to a mysterious island filled with fantastical Wild Things. But the movie is a little too dark for children under the age of 8. |
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Guide to Safe Trick-or-TreatingAre your kids Trick-or-Treating next weekend? Make sure you share the following safety tips from the Centers for Disease Control. Doing it is sure to spell a SAFE HALLOWEEN for all. |
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Fall Festival to Offer Fun for AllFirst United Methodist Church, Mechanicsburg, will offer an event with something for every member of the family on Nov. 7 from 7 to 11:30 a.m. Adults can bid on items like an autographed Pittsburgh Steelers helmet at the auction and kids can get messy at the "Slime Fest." |
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Dear Readers - NovemberLet’s face it — our teen years are emotional ones. You’re on the cusp of being “out on your own,” are trying to figure out just who you are, and want to conform and be accepted by your peers all at the same time. |
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Make a Thanksgiving Table TurkeyThis fun and easy craft is a great way to celebrate Thanksgiving with your preschooler. |
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Dear Teacher: November 2009This month's Dear Teacher column offers advice on how to raise a bilingual child and how to deal with an unhappy child in preschool and how to access the school's setting. |
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Whooping Cough? Could it be? Cases are on the rise.Your little one is coughing up a storm and those fits are ending with some strange “whoop” sounding noise. Could it be Whooping Cough? Whooping Cough, also known as Pertussis, is a respiratory infection that’s seen a marked increase since 2004. It usually affects infants up to 6 months old (before they are able to be vaccinated), or kids over 11 years old (when their immunity begins to fade). |
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Think Your Teen's Slacking Off?According to www.kidshealth.org, Seasonal Affect Disorder (SAD) is a form of depression that appears at the same time each year. With SAD, a person typically has symptoms of depression and unexplained fatigue as winter approaches and daylight hours become shorter. When spring returns and days become longer again, people with SAD experience relief from their symptoms, returning to their usual mood and energy level. |
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Holiday Budgeting: 5 Tips to Stay on TrackSticking to a budget and saving money is difficult any day, but as the holidays approach, it feels more like mission impossible. Is there hope for the parent wishing to save and spend wisely without turning into a total Scrooge? From finance pros to budget-wise parents, some say there is hope for the holidays even in a tough economy. |
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My Toddler is Glued to the TV!A year or so ago, if I turned off the TV, my son didn’t really care; he would just do something else like stacking blocks, coloring or putting together a puzzle. These days, if I turn off the Sprout channel, a fit will follow. |
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Practice Your Fire Escape!Oct. 4-10 is Fire Prevention Week, but families should always have a plan in place in case of a fire in the home. Don’t have one? Follow these tips from the National Fire Protection Association: |
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Well Read: Halloween TalesAh, October. Time to snuggle up with spooky stories, flashlights and your favorite teddy bear. You can always find seasonal books at your library and bookstore. But don’t stop there. Here are a few that are worth digging for |
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Mod Mama: October 2009Calling all moms! Pamper yourself with one or all three of these fabulous products! |
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Get Your Family FitHave you been through your parenting paces today? A lap around the laundry room, a stroll through the supermarket, padding through the playroom (jogging through the junk)? No matter how you take your steps, they add up. According to a study in the Journal of Physical Activity and Health, if we took only 2,000 additional steps each day, we could prevent the pound or two of weight gain many Americans see each year. |
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Put Me in the ZooLooking for a wild zoo adventure? You can find it here in the midstate! Try these three attractions with your children and experience a quality zoo trip without the hassle of travel. |
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Is Whip It Good?In Bodeen, Texas, an indie-rock loving misfit named Bliss Cavender (Ellen Page) finds a way of dealing with her small-town misery after she discovers a roller derby league in nearby Austin. Unfortunately, her mother (Marcia Gay Harden) would rather she spend her time on the beauty pageant circuit. |
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Modify Behavior to Help with ADHDIf your child's been diagnosed with ADHD, making behavioral modifications is just as important as taking medication may be. Try these 8 at-home suggestions from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and see if you notice any improvement. |
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PEANUTS 1970s COLLECTION, VOL. 1No swearing, no off-color humor, a good moral lesson that doesn't clobber you over the head. It's all here on the 1970s Peanuts Collection DVD. Check out what you can look forward to when it's release on Oct. 20. |
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Dos and Don'ts of Bathing Your BabyBabies seem so fragile. Even bathing them can be a scary prospect for new parents. To help get you started, Lancaster General Health offers the following dos and dont's... |
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Wanna Be a Moody Mama?Celeb moms are fans. Now you can be too. Moody Mamas, a popular maternity line loved by the likes of model mom Heidi Klum and more, is now available at a lower price-point at Target.com. |
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Local Nonprofit Taking Stand Against ViolenceLight a candle, afix a purple ribbon. The YWCA of Greater Harrisburg is looking for community members to put on a visual display of their support during Annual YWCA Week Without Violence through Oct. 24. |
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Astro Boy Not For KidsThe Japanese manga cartoon comes to life on the big screen in CG animated form. After being cast out by his father / creator Dr. Tenma (Nicolas Cage), Astro Boy (Freddie Highmore) falls in with a group of misfit orphans who help him find his way and save the world. |
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Need a Helping Hand Around the House? Rent a Kid.Adams County residents looking for some help in or around their homes this fall might want to contact the East Berlin Community Center to Rent a Kid. Youths between the ages of 12 and 17 can help perform such tasks as leaf raking, dog walking and snow shoveling. |
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Drug Slang: Decipher what your teen may be talking aboutTeens have their own terminology for lots of things. Here are some terms parents should know in helping to keep their kids drug free. |
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What's in Your Family's First Aid Kit?If you’re planning a fall getaway or a family Thanksgiving trip, don’t forget to take along a First Aid kit filled with all the essentials. Just like packing for that getaway, you can keep it simple or stuff your kit until it barely closes. |
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Talking Back: How to Stop the SassEmbarrassed and frustrated by some of the things coming out of your youngster’s mouth? According to an article on www.familyeducation.com, observing your little one for a few days is essential in nipping the back-talk in the bud. |
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Look Fab in Fall FashionsLooking for a couple items to keep you in style this fall? We've got them and tips on how to maximize their use. |
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The Rocky Road to PregnancyInfertility affects many couples, and its causes can be anything from an issue of timing (failing to have intercourse during the window when ovulation is occurring) to more serious conditions. |
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An Incredible MergerFor many couples dealing with a situation that prevents them from carrying a pregnancy on their own, surrogacy may be a viable option for starting a family  one that has both challenges and rewards for the intended family and the surrogate herself. |
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Funding Families: Lancaster couple starts helpusadopt.org to support would-be adoptive parentsAdoption brought more than a son to the arms of Becky and Kipp Fawcett, two graduates of Franklin & Marshall College who now live and work in New York City. It gave them a lifelong cause: raising money to help other families struggling with the financial burden of adopting children. |
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What's on Your Family Tree?A recent survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) found that 96 percent of all Americans believe knowing their family health history is important, yet only one-third of those same respondents have acquired the information. HHS says that diseases such as cancer, heart disease and diabetes, along with rare diseases like hemophilia, cystic fibrosis and sickle cell anemia, can run in families. Tracing illnesses from blood relatives can help doctors predict disorders for which a person may be at risk. |
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Building Families Through Foster ParentingThinking of being a foster parent? There's a lot to consider before making the decision. Here we present you with the issues you might want to consider before opening your home to a foster child or children. |
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Kids Adoption Books & StoriesOver 2 percent of all children in the US are adopted. In our own communities, there are thousands of families for which this is an important piece of their family history. Books on the subject can be focused on the child, the siblings and the parents. The topics range from fertility issues, foster parenting, birth parents, blended families, international adoption and child rearing. Just the tip of the iceberg, here are a few... |
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Pennsylvania Readers Tell Us Why Their Pet is BestThey’re cute. They’re cuddly. They’re members of the family. We asked you to tell us why your pet is best and here’s what you had to say: |
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Before Choosing the Adoption OptionChoosing to become a parent is one of life’s most important decisions. And, like a growing number of Americans, you may be considering adding to your family through adoption. If so, you probably have lots of questions. Issues such as where to begin and how to proceed are paramount. |
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Keep School Sports SafeAccording to a study by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), an estimated 1.4 million high school sports injuries lead to 500,000 doctors visits and 30,000 hospitalizations annually. |
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End entitlement and build work ethic in tweens & teensCall it “entitle-mania." The average American kid has more stuff, wants more stuff and gets away with fewer chores around the house than any previous generation. This trend is not limited to the affluent; it cuts across all socioeconomic classes. |
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Central PA Teens Are Building a Positive Body ImageEating disorders are just one damaging byproduct of body image issues among teenagers. Obesity, promiscuity and depression can also darken what should be happy high school years, all because teens don’t believe they measure up to standards of beauty set by the media, their peers and themselves. |
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Safe Social Networking for Kids and TeensSocial networking sites like Facebook were supposed to make the Internet a little safer by creating a community of people who knew each other, but it hasn’t quite worked out that way. |
