Couple open their home to 80 kids and counting

By Edward M. Eveld, The Kansas City Star

At a church women’s group program six years ago, an urgent plea for foster families zipped around the room and landed on Julie Lane, or so it seemed to her. Julie’s own children were 10, 13 and 16 at the time, and the idea of even one child without a loving family — well, the thought of it crushed her.

“I had to lay my head down on the table, I was crying so hard,” she says.

The next day, she was on the phone, ready to sign up, ready to sign up her family. Not that she hadn’t already known there were children separated from their biological families; that there was this huge need. New was her conviction to take action.

“We had an extra bedroom,” Julie says. “I knew right then that...

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Kids throw trash on the ground

By Marla Jo Fisher, The Orange County Register

Parents everywhere, you might want to read this.

I recently conducted an Extremely Scientific Survey of 1,848 teenage kids, all of whom were crammed into my son’s bedroom at the time.

I asked them to identify the best thing to do with a wrapper once its initial contents have been removed.

Examples cited were empty Doritos bags, plastic water bottles, In-N-Out hamburger wrappers, McDonalds shake cups and the like.

Here is a summary of their responses:

• 1,791 kids said you should “drop it on the floor.”
• 48 kids said you should “drop it onto the nearest available surface.”
• Six kids said you should “put it in the trash but only when your mom is...

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Save your sanity; join my group

By Marla Jo Fisher, The Orange County Register

Hello, parents. How are you today? Pull up a chair and have a seat. There are some cookies and punch on the table, so help yourselves. We all appreciate the time you are taking out of your busy day to come. Hopefully the traffic wasn’t too bad.

If this is your first time here, please raise your hand. Welcome to our meeting of Parents Are Not Too Stupid (PANTS), founded by me, Frumpy Middle-age Mom.

We always start our meetings by taking a deep, cleansing breath.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

Feel the stress leaving your body.

All those fights over homework. Gone. Arguments over the cellphone. Gone. Aggravation over who took the missing scissors. Gone.

That’s right. Just bless...

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Parenting tips from other parents

By Jennifer Berger, Newsday

Like all new parents, when my daughter Maggie was born, I looked to friends, family, the pediatrician, baby books (you name it!) to find helpful tips or advice on how to handle different parts of her infancy. From sleep schedules to feeding routines, diaper rash and more, I was nervous and wanted to make the best possible decisions for her. And as a new mom, sometimes I doubted certain decisions. For example, bringing her into bed with us when we were just too tired to get up for the day. But now, almost a year later, I know the decisions we made were the right ones for her.

When I look back on the first few months after we brought Maggie home, I don’t think I could have gotten through it without my mother’s help. She was my...

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My kid is a worry wart! — Helping your anxious child

By Julia Cook, McClatchy-Tribune News Service

Has your child seemed to develop a sudden unrealistic worry about everyday events? Does he/she constantly seek out reassurance from authority figures? Is your child having trouble sleeping? Does your child worry about things before they happen? Are you noticing overly repetitive behaviors? Does your child experience constant worries about family, school, or activities?

If your answer is “yes” to one or more of the questions above, your child may be suffering from the effects of anxiety. Anxiety is considered to be America’s number one health problem. It is defined as a feeling of apprehension and fear characterized by physical symptoms such as palpitations, sweating, irritability and feelings of stress....

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Before springtime comes, make the most of indoor play with your child

By Priscilla J. Dunstan, McClatchy-Tribune News Service

Spring is coming but it’s not quite here yet, and the frustration of having been indoors for so long can get exhausting for a parent trying to entertain a preschooler. Use your understanding of your child’s dominate sense to pick activities that entertain your child indoors. This understanding can add a new slant or flavor to the day and help occupy and liven up your indoor time with your children.

Parents of tactile children will constantly be in search of activities which they can pour their energy and touchy-feely enthusiasm. Craft projects that involve molding clay and finger painting will be loved; model making and activity kits that involve making something that can be used will also be a...

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My family’s morals are better than yours

By Marla Jo Fisher, The Orange County Register

At some point, every parent draws a line in the sand: My kid will be allowed to do this. My kid will not be allowed to do that.

Life would be unbearably dull if we all were raised exactly the same. Still, sometimes you are forced to conclude that other people’s ideas of morality are nutty. Not mine, of course.

My ideas are eminently sane and proper. Yours are completely wrong.

So here’s a pop quiz for you: Which of these activities is so immoral you would never let your kid do it?

1. Drinking coffee
2. Hunting animals for fun
3. Dressing up in a devil costume
4. Going to the circus
5. Eating meat
6. Visiting Sea World
7. Shopping at...

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The do’s and don’ts of becoming a redhead

By Erika Katz, Hybrid Her

As my daughter’s teacher, Dale, asked me what she could do to give her hair a little more vavoom, I happened to catch a glimpse of a picture of Emma Stone at the Golden Globes. I was immediately inspired. How about becoming a vibrant redhead? (It’s hard to say no to me when I get beauty inspiration, so she, timidly, agreed.) Rather than making a mess of my bathroom and Dale’s hair, I consulted Paul Labrecque, wwner and chief creative officer of Paul Labrecque Salon and Spa in New York City to help me navigate the world of red. I knew Dale would be the perfect redhead and she was game to change her look.

If you want to do the same, Paul Labreque’ told me what you need to know.

Question: What skin tone should...

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Four steps to having the best life ever

By Paula Sirois, www.RetailMeNot.com

You know those nights where you get home late from work and you’re already in a bad mood because there was traffic and before that someone in the office did something that was annoying and even earlier still you woke up late and accidently had that decaf you keep for guests and pretty much everything went downhill from there? Now you’re home and the kids are hungry and dinner is so far away from even being figured out let alone cooked. Homework needs to be checked and laundry needs to be cleaned and you haven’t even taken off your shoes yet when you notice the late bill on the counter. Oh, and it’s Monday.

We’ve all had those days, or weeks or years or gasp – decades. Check yourself for a moment,...

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Waiting in line? No problem with a little pre-planning

By Robert Nickell, McClatchy-Tribune

Long lines and toddlers seem to go together like eggs and ice cream. But that doesn’t always have to be the case. Here are a few tricks I’ve developed throughout the years that can help make waiting in a long line fun for both you and your kids.

A Bag of Tricks: I’ve learned to keep a few fun items (read: things to distract my kids) in my backpack at all times. For babies – the usual suspects like pacifiers, stuffed animals and their favorite blanket can help take the edge off. For toddlers, we bring out the big guns – things like a small pack of crayons and a notepad, plain paper and sheets of stickers, and age-appropriate puzzles and mazes. Getting toddlers’ creative juices flowing can sometimes...

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