Aug
15
Posted by
Lorain County Moms
By Amy Sue Nathan, Chicago Moms Blog
My daughter is away for four weeks of overnight camp, where she is communing with nature, goofing off with girls and canoeing, sailing and swimming in a lake. She is rock climbing and zip-lining, singing songs, making jewelery and s’mores and making friends and memories that will last a lifetime. My 14-year-old has an adventurous spirit, a streak of bravery and a light-hearted demeanor. She’s the kid who wanted to go away to camp, at ten, when she knew no one there.
Many parents send their kids off for a week or two or seven each summer and revel in the lessened loads of laundry, the adult time and the wide smiles they see on the photos that pop up daily on camps’ Web sites. And while I am thrilled about the...
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Aug
10
Posted by
Lorain County Moms
McClatchy-Tribune
August 10 is National S’mores Day and to celebrate this deliciously fun summertime event, get out the marshmallows and plan a backyard camping staycation.
The s’mores recipe first appeared in a 1927 edition of the Girl Scout handbook. Americans buy more than 90 million pounds of marshmallows and The Hershey Company produces enough Hershey’s milk chocolate bars to make 746 million s’mores annually, according to Hershey.
“I have so many great childhood memories of s’mores, and now I’m sharing the classic family treat with my kids,” said Jen Singer, mom and author of multiple parenting books including the recently released Stop Second Guessing Yourself parenting series.
Hershey did a...
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Aug
02
Posted by
Lorain County Moms
By Krista Jahnke, Detroit Free Press
DETROIT — Joy Passatta loaded her two children, a 12-year-old daughter and a 6-year-old son, onto their bikes on a hot summer morning. They rode a mile to swim class, where the kids burned off more energy in the pool. Then they biked home.
Later, she had more active plans: a T-ball game and a mile-long walk with the dog.
And despite all that, Passatta, 37, still worries her kids don’t play outside like she did growing up.
“We rode bikes everywhere, and we knew everyone in the neighborhood,” the Roseville, Mich., resident said. “At night, you’d hear my mom scream down the block, ‘Hey, the street lights are on, come in already!’ You don’t hear moms screaming for kids...
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Jul
31
Posted by
Lorain County Moms
FamilyFun magazine
Just a few more weeks until school starts again for most students; but the cries of “I’m bored” are only getting louder. Put the kibosh on the complaining with these amazing toys, books and games that will keep the kids busy right up until the first bell rings.
Blast bubbles (almost) into space: There’s no NASA training needed to fly the foam-tipped Gazillion Bubble Rocket. Just pour some of the included bubble solution into the base, set the 12-inch-high spacecraft in place, and stomp on the launcher. You’ll send the rocket soaring — with an iridescent, sudsy vapor trail floating behind it. Ages 6 and up. Funrise, $17. — Faye S. Wolfe …
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Jul
22
Posted by
Lorain County Moms
By Aisha Sultan, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
This morning I felt myself wishing there were fewer TV options for kids. When I was growing up there were times and days when I could honestly complain: “There’s nothing good on TV.” Then I went outside to ride my bike or read a book in my room.
But now, there’s always something good on TV.
The average American household receives 118 cable television channels and the new digital over the air television signal now allows people without cable to view more than twice as many television channels as before, according to the Smart Television Alliance.
“Now is a perfect time for families to think about their televisions and be honest about who controls who in that relationship,”...
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Jul
14
Posted by
Lorain County Moms
By Jackie Burrell, Contra Costa Times
For all the beachy joys of summer, it’s also a season of tragic drownings. And this year’s statistics are more horrifying than ever.
A California mother and her 5-year-old daughter died in the riptide off Montara State Beach just south of San Francisco, and a 27-year-old woman and 15-year-old girl drowned in a riptide off the Jersey shore. In Las Vegas, two toddlers died in swimming pools this week, and 50 died in drowning accidents in Texas before summer had even started.
So if your family is headed for the seashore, a lake or anyplace with any body of water, please take a moment to read through these five water safety tips from InfantSwim.com, then click over to the...
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Jul
13
Posted by
Lorain County Moms
By Chris Collins, The Fresno Bee
Because of the sagging economy, many churches are doing more to work with cash-strapped families this summer, such as cutting prices and offering more scholarships for Vacation Bible School programs.
“People are a lot more aware of the huge needs in our community,” says Jessica Pittman, director of missions and young adult ministries at Fresno First Baptist Church in west-central Fresno.
“We’re trying to be more intentional. It’s affecting everyone.”
In the central San Joaquin Valley, VBS programs are one of the biggest outreaches of the year for churches. They are promoted to both church and nonchurch families as safe environments where children can have a fun time learning about...
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Jul
10
Posted by
Rona Proudfoot
Amherst Old-Time Jamboree
A local singing contest, bike-decorating contest, pizza-eating competition, entertainment and a big parade are all part of Amherst’s 36th annual Old-Time Jamboree. Most events during the free, three-day gala take place in and around the downtown city parking lot between Park and Tenney avenues. Hours are 5:15 p.m. to 11 p.m. Friday, noon to 11 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Get more info or check out the jamboree itinerary.
Jul
09
Posted by
Lorain County Moms
From Nameberry.com
Summer is one of the nicest times of year to have a baby, the warm weather and slow pace making it that much easier to relax into new motherhood (and, from your baby’s point of view, into life). Here, some names that summon the season:
SUMMER
As a seasonal name, Summer may not be your top choice. It’s feeling a tad shopworn after coming close to cracking the Top 100 in 1977; it’s been above number 200 for the past fifteen years. Autumn is more popular but Winter is cooler.
Summer also has three excellent months names that include several usable variations. These are:
JUNE
The hip middle name du jour, was out of favor for many years but now is back in a big way....
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Jul
09
Posted by
Lorain County Moms
By Cynthia Billhartz Gregorian, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
BRENTWOOD, Mo. — Early on, the 4- and 5-year-old pupils at Little Fishes Swim School were scared.
Zoe wouldn’t put her face in the water. Neither would Rose. And David? He wouldn’t even dip his toes in the pool.
Months later, all that’s changed. One by one, the three dived into Little Fishes’ warm salt-water pool recently and paddled just beneath the surface like wind-up bath toys.
Ruthie Zarren, instructor and owner of the swim school, has seen this before.
[caption id="attachment_2002" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Timothy Jay Hill II, 16 months old, of Elyria, splashes in the water at the West Park pool in this photo from 2007. (Chronicle-Telegram file...
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