Author Archives: Myra Turner

Should Flu Shots be Mandatory?

I’ve never had a flu shot. Tyler has never had a flu shot. I understand that many doctors recommend flu shots to certain individuals including kids and I think as a parent if you want your child to have a flu shot that’s your choice. I’m not opposed to flu shots I simply hate needles. If I lived in New Jersey and had a preschooler, I wouldn’t have a choice. Monday, New Jersey became the first state to require flu shots for all preschoolers. The Public Health Council now requires all children who attend a licensed day care or preschool … Continue reading →

Having An Exhortive (Encouraging) Mind Toward Our Kids

“Do you pray for your child to change and then entertain all kinds of negative thoughts about him?” This sentence jumped out at me as I was reading a book by Joyce Meyer called Battlefield of the Mind. Meyer is one of those down-to-earth TV and radio ministers. I enjoy listening to her preach and reading her books. She’s one of those preachers who you know are just not in it for the money. Anyway, the book talks about how our mind and thoughts can help or hinder us. In the section where I read the above sentence she was … Continue reading →

How to Have Peace During the Holidays

With just a few days left until Christmas, many of you are probably stressed out. But you don’t have to be. This year I have not gotten too much into the Christmas spirit because of my situation trying to get back into my house. (Yes, I’m still waiting on the gas inspector). I have been doing so much running back and forth and waiting for this one and that one, I feel like Scrooge. As I write this blog, I have two guys at my house installing new windows. It’s very noisy and they are going to be here for … Continue reading →

Rite of Passage: My Son Opened His Own Savings Account

My son has been vigilantly saving most of his weekly allowance. When he announced that he wanted to open a savings account once he reached $100.00 I was pleased. So this morning we got up bright and early and headed to Chase (after a stop for breakfast at IHOP) with a whopping $123.00 as his initial deposit. You have to know Tyler to understand why saving more than five bucks is worthy of the highest accolade. In the past, as soon as he received any amount of money he wanted to spend it. And I let him. But I realized … Continue reading →

Salad Bars in Elementary School

If elementary schools really want to fight the war against childhood obesity they should offer a salad bar. That’s the findings from a new study conducted by UCLA. The study noted that by offering a salad bar the frequency of fruit and vegetable consumption among low-income students increased. Also the students’ daily intake of cholesterol, saturated fat and total fat decreased. Lead author, Dr. Wendy Slusser, noted that one of the major reasons kids are overweight in the US today is that they do not eat the recommended daily servings of fruits and vegetables. “Increasing the availability and accessibility to … Continue reading →

The Truth About Santa

I think this year will be the year Tyler learns the truth about Santa. I suspect that he already has some idea that I’m not being totally truthful anyway. I had hoped that I could keep the charade up for one more year but I don’t think I will be able to. I don’t think I have the energy. Plus he already knows what he’s getting- a TV and computer- and he knows that his father and I are buying it so it does not make sense that Santa would then bring it to him. I have a few other … Continue reading →

Pediatricians Warn of Dangers of Heelys

I’m not a fan of the wheeled shoe. Maybe I’m prejudiced because I was almost run over by a kid on Heelys, in of all places, the library. When he whizzed by me I wasn’t exactly sure what the heck was going on. A few days later I had another encounter at the mall. I was still confused. Initially I thought the kids were on roller skates. A few days later while talking to another parent I found out about the whole Heelys revolution. Shortly after that conversation Tyler somehow found out about them and decided he wanted to get … Continue reading →

What Kids Need to be Happy

In many ways our kids aren’t that much different from us. They enjoy doing some of the same silly stuff we did as kids. I realized this yesterday while I was washing my car. Tyler was standing on the sidewalk looking down the street intently. I wondered what he was doing but only for a split second because with Tyler you never know what he’s up to. My street is only one block long so there’s not a lot of traffic and even less since Katrina. When we’re at the house Tyler likes to run to the end of the … Continue reading →

What’s in Your Purse?

It’s not that I’m jealous of other moms who are better organized than I am (okay maybe just a little bit) but I sometimes wonder how they do it. Especially moms who have more than one kid and manage to keep themselves and their kids together. I have one child and frankly at times I can’t do a simple thing like keep my purse organized. Really. Before I became a mom I swear I was more together. And although I manage fairly well in some aspects of my life I can’t seem to tame that darn purse. I keep changing- … Continue reading →

Toxic Toys

Shopping for gifts for kids just got a little bit harder. In a test of over 1200 toys, 35% contained lead, including a Hannah Montana card game and a Go Diego Go! backpack. The tests were performed by a coalition of environmental groups and is available for perusal here. Of the toys tested a mere 20% had no trace of lead or other harmful chemicals. 23 of the toys listed had been recalled this year. Jewelry products were among the toys most likely to contain high levels of lead. Federal standards dictate that a toy should not contain more than … Continue reading →