Share dinner memories, win coupons!

Share your favorite dinner memories and stories;
Win Stouffer’s Coupons!

Remember sitting around the dinner table, sharing stories, meals and laughs? Communities That Care of Lorain County, a countywide coalition working to prevent and reduce underage substance abuse, wants to hear your best family memories: the fun, the laughter, even the bittersweet memories. We’ll be awarding coupons for Stouffer’s Easy Express Skillets Meals and Stouffer’s Family Size Meals to the best of the best.

First off, celebrate. The coalition is reminding you to sit down to dinner on Monday, Sept. 27, and celebrate Family Day: A Day to Eat Dinner with Your Children. Remember: the more often you have dinner with your kids, the less likely they are to smoke, drink or use...

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Swimming toward a safer summer

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With water still dripping from his little frame, my 4-year-old son ran from one end of the pool at our local recreation center to the other Saturday afternoon and flung his wet body into my arms.

“Mommy,” he said half excited and half exhausted after his first swim lesson. “This was amazing. I’m like a million times happy and I’m going to swim everyday.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at my youngest child. Where in the world would he find the time to swim everyday in mid-February in...

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Elyria Schools’ cuts: No winners here

I read the proposal put forth by the Elyria Schools last week with much dismay.

Among other things, it calls for wiping out the art, music and gym teachers for those in kindergarten through third grade. The programs themselves won’t be eliminated, but rather they’ll become the responsibility of the homeroom teacher and not taught by a specialist.

Now trust me, I get the financial perils of school districts. I know that despite the many promises, the lottery didn’t save the schools. (Well, it might have had the Ohio Legislature not pulled money out of the school pot when it dropped the lottery money in, but …)  And I know that the Ohio Legislature isn’t rushing out to fix school funding despite the declarations of unconstitutionality more than...

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President Obama’s speech: Much ado about nothing

I don’t know whether my first-grader watched President Obama’s speech to students today.

That’s because the brouhaha that swept the nation about a president addressing students directly seemed to blow right past Elyria. I didn’t get any notice from the school, but in truth, I hope it was shown in her classroom after reviewing the positive (albeit long) message he delivered.

Given the state of our schools and the struggles of so many youth today, I’d gather they need all the encouragement they can get. What he was saying is what I always say to my daughter (although not nearly so eloquently), but I figure having a president deliver the message might carry more weight.

But apparently, that wasn’t the opinion of a lot of folks across...

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The news is a scary place for parents

In the news business, we get a first hand view of some pretty terrible stuff.

Back before I was a mom, many of the stories were just that to me — my job for the day. They didn’t carry the emotional weight of being a parent and seeing something terrible happen to another family that easily could have been your own.

But after my daughter was born and I returned to work — at the Akron Beacon Journal at that time — I truly thought I was going to have be medicated because I was convinced every horrific story I read might very well happen to my cherished little one, regardless of how many times it was pointed out to me that more children grow up to be fine than not.

It took a while, but I finally managed to calm down, although Lew and I both remain...

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Two new bloggers join us; others are welcome

Did anyone happen to notice that we’ve had some new and interesting voices on Lorain County Moms?

Welcome to Melissa Linebrink and domesticextraordinaire, two moms who’ll provide some welcome change to our regular lineup.

So keep reading, and if you are game for some interaction with other moms, start writing, too. We’d love to have more moms join us. (There’s a welcome to blogging link on the site, but it has proven a bit difficult. E-mail me at jwallace@chroniclet.com  if you want to blog and run into troubles.)

–Julie Wallace...

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Today show wants to hear from Elyrians

Hey readers, we need your help. Or rather, the Today show needs your help.

The show is putting together a package about communities across the country that are cutting fireworks to balance budgets.

The story organizer, Barbara Lowe (who I’ve talked to and can vouch that she’s legit) is interested in talking in families who generally attended the Elyria fireworks and now have to go elsewhere or skip them altogether.

Interested in sharing your opinion with Ms. Lowe? Email her at barbaralowe@ameritech.net.

Here’s the catch: You need to write ASAP. She’s putting this story together in the next couple days, and she really wants to hear some Elyria voices. So write her, and her write her quickly!

–Julie Wallace...

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A great way to celebrate a great Dad

There’s no better way to spend Father’s Day weekend than an afternoon in the park with dear old Dad…so join in the fun at the Celebration of Fatherhood on Saturday, June 20, 2009, from noon to 5 p.m. at Lakeview Park in Lorain (part of the Lorain County Metro Parks on West Erie Avenue near Route 58).  Sponsored by the Healthy Fathering Collaborative of Lorain County (HFCoLC), it is a free event opened to all Lorain County dads and their children.  There is no registration required.

The Celebration of Fatherhood event provides a safe, supportive environment to help fathers engage with their children and connect with other dads, especially those who may be divorced, separated or never married.

The afternoon will feature a host of activities including face painting,...

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Rally For Kids to be held at Midway Mall

ELYRIA – The 8^th annual “Rally For Kids” will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 4 at Midway Mall.

The entire day will focus on children and feature activities and crafts, great giveaways, and many child and family related programs.

There will be more than 30 participating organizations, many who provide services for children and will be offering free handouts.

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