Divorce-proof your marriage before baby arrives

By Kelly Alfieri, TheBump.com

Having a baby can rattle even the strongest relationship. Here’s how not to let it.

The newborn you will bring home may seem angelic, but beware: He has the power to turn you and your husband into resentment-filled, sleep-deprived, sexless zombies. We spoke to Stacie Cockrell, coauthor of “Babyproofing Your Marriage,” to help you understand and avoid the relationship pitfalls that a new baby can bring.

What to expect

“Know that you’re definitely going to have relationship issues in the first three months,” says Cockrell. “There’s no way around it. Couples think they need couples therapy, but no, you have a newborn and you’re trying to redefine your relationship and...

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Want your kid to shine? What to do (and what not to do)

By Mark Goulston, divorce360.com

Every time you bail out your child from facing the consequences of their actions there are 10 million children the same age in the world facing, paying and learning from the consequences of their actions and becoming tougher, stronger and smarter. One day those children will be the bosses of your children and will not bail them out.

So what is a parent to do when their child unrelentingly refuses to do without something they want or refuses to do something they don’t want to do? It’s simple, but not easy. Just say, “No.”

And if and when they have that temper tantrum, give them that time out, explain (but don’t lecture) what the consequence is and why you are giving it (i.e. to help them develop...

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Crafts and projects that focus on your preschool-aged child

By Catherine Newman and Jodi Butler, Disney FamilyFun magazine

Here are a bunch of homemade projects that help decorate your child’s room, create memories, and give them a creative way to keep busy.

Framed name

Add some whimsy to your child’s room with a personalized sign that makes the most of your craft supplies. First, trim a piece of poster board to fit a frame (we used a 10- by-20-inch shadow box). Next, use a pencil to lightly write your tot’s name on the poster board. Glue various craft materials over the letters or have your preschooler help. When the glue dries, frame the sign.

Letter-Perfect Wall Art: Lovely Letter

Here’s a clever way to showcase photos of your little one...

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Parents held responsible for underage drinking

By LEANNE ITALIE, Associated Press

NEW YORK — Parents of teens: If you think a drinking disaster at your kid’s party can’t happen at your house, not with your kid, because he’s a good kid, it’s time to wake up and smell the whiskey bottle tossed on your lawn.

Because of the high risk of underage drinking and driving this time of year, many parents open their homes to partying teens as a way to keep them off the roads. What some may not know is that liability laws can leave Mom and Dad vulnerable to lawsuits, fines and even jail time if underage drinking is found to be going on under their roof.

Parents can get in trouble even if they didn’t know about the drinking.

That’s what a Menlo Park, Calif., father...

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Charter school becomes a success story

By Rosemary Shinohara, McClatchy-Tribune

What does berry picking have to do with math?

Children at a public charter school in Anchorage, Alaska, know the answer _ they’ve sorted berries by color, size and shape, measured and weighed them, and figured out how many there are per square foot of ground.

Turning berry picking into a math lesson is one example of an approach that is helping students at the Alaska Native Cultural Charter School make remarkable gains in achievement scores.

The school is grounded in Native values and activities; it strives to make students proud of their heritage. That’s coupled with a strong academic program. The result: In just two years, scores for students’ performance on statewide tests have risen...

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Zarbee’s Nighttime Cough and Sleep Drink offers drug-free way to help kids sleep

By Jan Jarvis, McClatchy Newspapers

When a child can’t sleep because of a nagging cough, it can quickly turn into a nightmare.

But parents are often stumped about what’s the safest and most effective way to treat this common problem.

A new drug-free, honey-based remedy called Zarbee’s Nighttime Cough and Sleep Drink could make getting a good night’s sleep easier. It’s made with buckwheat honey, a home remedy your grandmother probably used but which has also been shown in clinical studies to relieve coughs.

There’s also some Vitamin C, zinc and elderberry included to help boost the immune system. But the ingredient that really does the trick is a small amount of melatonin, which may naturally help the young and...

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Helping your child change or break bad habits

By Priscilla J. Dunstan, McClatchy-Tribune

The New Year is a time when we start new habits, review old and also aim to help our children do the same. Often in young children it is moving from comfort behaviors and items and into more socially acceptable ones. Moving away from these items and behaviors is something that often causes stress between a child and their family. Using a transitional approach rather than an all-or-nothing approach can help to make the process easier, quicker and less traumatic.

Tactile children tend to have comfort habits focused around touch and can be very firm about what they will and won’t do, so it’s best to approach them in a compromising way, under the guise of growing up. Rather than simply taking away their blanky,...

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Pre-K violinists hone skills that can aid in math, reading

By David Breen, OrlandoSentinel.com/momsatwork

Maybe none of them will grow up to be the next Itzhak Perlman, but a group of Osceola County, Fla., pre-K students are getting a head start on their education through violin lessons.

About 80 at-risk kids have embarked on the music program _ offered at Chambers Park Community Center, Boggy Creek Elementary and the Poinciana Academy of Fine Arts _ to develop skills that will help them in kindergarten and beyond.

Brain research indicates that string instruction can help preschool-age children with language, motor, social and other skills, as well as aiding focus and attention span.

The pint-sized players use scaled-down versions of the stringed instrument that was mastered by Bach, Mozart and Haydn, among...

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Don’t leave home without these travel tips

By Deborah Mead, Disney FamilyFun magazine

When I booked my family’s once in-a-lifetime vacation to Maui, I planned it with a careful eye on the bottom line. Even for just the three of us — me, my husband, Keith, and our 9-year-old daughter, Veronica — this was going to be an expensive trip. I was determined to economize where I could. Get up at 3 a.m. to catch the cheapest flight? No problem. Endure a three-hour layover in Dallas to save several hundred dollars? Absolutely. Fly cramped economy class? Who cares? We’ll be carefree vacationers!

Whoopee!

But months later, as I was packing for our trip, it hit me: was I completely out of my mind? We were about to set off on a 14-hour haul, one that would start in the wee hours of the morning...

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First impressions count

By Lisa McLeod, Hybrid Mom

The first 30 seconds count. Whether it’s a date or a job interview, our brains make snap judgments about people within seconds of meeting them.

It starts before they even open their mouths. Research shows the first 30 seconds of an interview often determines whether the person gets hired or not.

Most of the time we don’t even realize how quickly we judge people. Our subconscious mind evaluates the person in seconds. Our conscious mind then proceeds to identify clues that validate what we already think.

It’s unfair, but it’s also a fact.

Whether it’s a sales call, a blind date, or a first meeting with future in-laws, if you want things to go well, it pays to be intentional about how you...

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