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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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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Big Brothers Big Sisters day at the ballpark

Take in a Lake Erie Crushers baseball game with the family and help the more than 450 Lorain County children in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program.

Big Brothers Big Sisters’ day at the ballpark is Sunday, July 12, at All Pro Freight Stadium. The Crushers take on the River City Rascals (from O’Fallon, Mo.) at 5 p.m.

A percentage of the cost of tickets purchased through Big Brothers Big Sisters is donated to the organization. Big Brothers Big Sisters set a goal of selling 300 tickets and is halfway there.

Tickets are $9 and can be purchased online or by calling Greg Holcomb at Big Brothers Big Sisters at (440)...

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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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Summer college for kids to begin

Summer College For Kids and Teens courses at Lorain County Community College begin in July and offer a wide variety of programs that exercise the brain and body.
Some of the courses include: Jump Start Reading, Gearing Up for Math, Getting Ready for Kindergarten, Watercolor for Kids, Art Camp, Fitness Workout, Tennis, Golf, Fun with Arts and Crafts, Diggin’ Dinosaurs, Science Concoctions, Digital Photography, Movie Magic, Computer Gaming and Web Design.  Courses are held at the LCCC campus in Elyria and at LCCC’s centers in Wellington and Brunswick.
For a complete list of summer courses, location and fees, visit www.lorainccc.edu/kids or call the College For Kids and Teens office at 440-366-4093....

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Schedule overload: Mommy needs to get a grip

Yesterday, I had to call and pull my daughter out of her first set of swimming lessons.

The problem was simply overload: This week, had she attended them, she’d have been doing cheerleading camp, swimming, soccer, and T-ball.

May I remind you all that she’s 6?

Ask anyone who knows me, and scatterbrain probably will be among the adjectives used to describe me. I can focus on work and do well, but then the schedule for the rest of my life falls apart. Switch focuses, and the other side suffers. (Go back a few posts — I am the person who forgot to pick up my daughter at kindergarten, and the same person who drove away from a gas pump with the hose still attached to my car!)

Given that work pays the bills, my focus rightly so tends to stay...

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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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