Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Avoiding school-bought lunches is better for kids and your wallet.
“The lunches provided at most local schools are loaded with fat, salt and mystery ingredients. Items include funnel cake for breakfast and fried foods for lunch. However, some moms find it hard to make a homemade, brown-bag lunch due to time constraints and lack of inspiration so they choose the ease of this unhealthy option anyway. What advice would you give moms to encourage them to pack a healthy lunch instead?” Kristen Gottlieb, Douglasville mom to two boys, ages 9 and 13 I don’t want to get preachy about the lunch thing; it’s so overdone on TV. (Hello, Jamie Oliver.) The fact is that we all know that it’s better to provide healthy lunch. I trade ideas with my local moms group and we help each other stay on motivated and on track. I …
Friday, July 8, 2011
Moms discuss the importance of kids learning a second language.
“Experts say that the optimum age for kids to learn a foreign language is between three and five years old. Is your child learning a second language and if so, when did you start lessons and why?” Sunny Taylor, Douglasville mom to two girls ages 3 and 10 We haven’t started or pursued any language lessons. Our girls will take language once it’s offered in their schools. I have lots of friends that have hired language tutors but we’re just not there yet. Learning a second language is important but it’s not on our radar now. Sabine Robertson, Douglasville mom to Madison (6) and Brice (8) I’m a first generation American so learned German from my immigrant parents. I speak some German to my children now and even though they aren’t fluent …
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Moms blow off steam in a wide variety of ways.
Busy moms have a great deal of pressure and need a way to blow off steam. Some run marathons or do Zumba, while others prefer no-impact stress-relief like knitting or meditation. What do you do to release your everyday stress? Rita Ronin, Douglasville mom to Ashton (10) The best way for me to relieve stress is to go for a run. I don’t need to run 10 miles or any huge distance but I find that just a couple of miles (or sometimes as little as 20 minutes) helps me reset the day and calms me down. Denise Lee, Douglasville mom to Carolyn (7) and Kiki (5) I think my idea of relieving stress might be different from most moms since it includes my kids! When I start getting tense and need to “blow off steam” I start a fun (usually messy) craft …
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Moms discuss whether summer should be about play time or getting a leg up on the upcoming school year.
Traditional schools are on summer break but some families choose to keep the lessons going. Does your family take a breather from schooling all summer or do you supplement with home lessons or summer school in order to give your kid a head start when school starts up again? Heather Beachy, Douglasville mom to Susannah (4) and Claire (3) I've always worked with my girls outside of school on lessons that are age- and skill-appropriate (and before they started for that matter). My girls (ages 3 & 4) are at Primrose, and even though they can go year-round, I pull them out for the summer so they get used to what it will be like when they start going to public school. Before the end of the academic year at school I spoke with each of my girls' …
33.74265
-84.752853
Douglas County Public Library
6810 Selman Dr, Douglasville, GA
/articles/is-summer-the-time-for-school
1613011
/locations/4610591
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Whether traveling by plane,train or automobile, keeping kids occupied can be a challenge.
“Now that summer is here, families are heading out on vacation in droves. Whether it’s by car or plane, it can be a challenge to keep kids occupied until the final destination is reached. What are your survival tips for traveling with kids?” Lisa Faircloth, Douglasville mom to Joey (7) and Jackie (3) I love car trips actually because it is provides fresh learning opportunities. Our kids love to watch TV in the car, and we love it too, it's almost like "date night" in the front seat when they are zoned out. If applicable, I look for library books and educational videos that pertain to the location we'll be traveling. They read the books first, and then the videos are their "reward." And I don't mind if they watch them over and over again…
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Repeat vacations thrill some, bore others.
"Summer vacations are a great time for families to bond and enjoy some stress-free time off from the normal routine. Does your family have a tradition of visiting the same place every year or do you choose to explore new places to visit?" Kim Golden, Douglasville mom to Parker (6) and Peter (9) I know that some families have traditions of going to the same place year in and year out but that just isn’t us. We like to mix it up a bit and get lost, especially in the many nearby state parks. My boys are good adventurers and we like to foster that spirit. Sunny Taylor, Douglasville mom to Kaylin (3) and Kiley (10) Ever since I can remember my family has vacationed at a beach in South Carolina. Now we continue that tradition with our kids. …
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
World politics can be difficult to explain to children.
“How did your family address the recent death of Osama Bin Laden? Is it a topic that you’ve avoided or did it create a unique learning opportunity?” Susan Lee, Douglasville mom to Sima (13) and Mia (17) My oldest daughter remembers the twin towers coming down and we’ve had some conversations about terrorism and Osama Bin Laden over the years, but not a lot. When we learned of his death we knew she would have questions and wanted to face the topic head-on in case she received misinformation from the kids at school. We felt that it was important to explain why he was killed and how his death affects world politics. It’s a complicated but we tried to turn it into a learning opportunity instead of glossing over it. Lisa Faircloth, …
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Kids need some guidance and support on how to handle bullies.
- THE NEIGHBORHOOD FILES
-
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Bullying is an increasingly large problem in schools, playgrounds and neighborhoods. How does your family deal with this touchy topic? Sabine Robertson, mom to Madison (6) and Brice (8) We have a zero tolerance policy on bullying. Surprisingly, my young daughter will default to taunting when she is threatened or insecure. I think that she’s seen other girls handle stuff this way so she thinks it’s o.k. or an accepted way to deal with peers. We nip that behavior in the bud right away. We have grounded her on several occasions (no TV for a week) and make it clear that this is not the way to handle problems. I know that she understands that it’s not good behavior but since all the other kids are doing it it’s hard to enforce when not at …
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Always-on-the-go moms are challenged with creating healthy meals, often at the last-minute.
- THE NEIGHBORHOOD FILES
-
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
“Sports practice, dance class and other afternoon/evening extracurricular activities afford little time for dinner prep. Moms are always looking for a healthy meal that can be fixed quickly. What’s your favorite go-to dinner for your busy family?” Stacy Newton, Douglasville mom to Jacob (6) and Ellie (4) The inspiration for this dish was that one night I got home from work and had NO idea what we would eat. Typically I've got it all planned out - but not this day. Looked in the pantry and saw the curry that had been sitting there that I didn't know what to do with - so I just rummaged up all of our veggies from the week before along with some chicken. It would be really good with avocado and potato chunks, too! The longest part of …
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
New moms talk about their 'can't live without' things to make parenting easier.
- THE NEIGHBORHOOD FILES
-
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
“Baby products and gear are in abundance and it’s hard to know what a new mom really needs to make her parenting life easier. Besides stuff like clothing and diapers, what are your recommendations for must-have baby items?” Kim Golden, mom to two boys, ages 5 and 8 I decided early on that I would hit every consignment sale possible to save some money. Our favorite items turned out to be bouncy seats, exersaucers and activity mats. All three items enabled me to stay sane... by keeping the boys occupied! I would put an exersaucer just outside the shower and I was able to take a stress-free break while my boys were safe and happy. Sunny Taylor, mom to two girls ages 3 and 10 This might sound trite but the two most important things I …
Donna Guthrie
10:08 am on Thursday, June 16, 2011
A KID'S INTRODUCTION GEOCACHING Geocaching is great outdoor family activity for summer. Take a virtual field trip to Colorado to learn about modern day Geocaching, a fun outdoor treasure hunt. (meetmeatthecorner.org) MEET ME AT THE CORNER, Virtual Field Trips for Kids is a series of free kid-friendly educational video podcasts for children ages 5-13. Each episode comes with a list of recommended … more ›