“Mommy, is that lady a man?” My daughter’s unabashed question rang out like a clap of thunder in the night sky. Her voice was strong, her intonation direct and her face was as sincere as a priest blessing a sick child. There was no time to pray for her to lower her voice, the question was already out there, well within ear shot of a tall, burly guy with dirty blonde hair down to his shoulders walking a few feet in front of us at O’Hare International Airport. All I could do now was close my eyes and hope that … Continue reading →

Have you hugged your kid today? If you need a reason to give your kid a little squeeze, just look at the calendar. Today is National Hug Day. Apparently, January 21st is recognized in the United States as a day to spread the love through warm embraces. We’re big huggers around here, which means email generated alerts reminding me to hug my offspring, are not necessary. I wake to the joyous sound of a 6-year-old calling out: “Give me a hug, slug!” Maybe life’s not so bad after all. I once heard a doctor say a hug can cure just … Continue reading →

The Southeast is still trying to dig out from the snow that paralyzed major cities and left travelers stranded from Georgia to North Carolina, and now the Northeast is preparing for another major winter storm that is set to clobber the region over the next 48 hours. If you are a parent of a school-age child, you are likely bracing for more than just a few hours of shoveling. Instead, you will have to adjust your work schedule to accommodate one, two, or possibly, three snow days. For many moms and dads, the thought of enduring a round of cabin … Continue reading →

For most parents today is the day they have been looking forward to since before Christmas—the end of winter recess. Millions of kids head back to school today following an extended holiday vacation. However, my daughter isn’t one of them. Actually, there are quite a few states that don’t reopen schools until next week. That means seven extra days of dealing with the “Moooooooom, I’m bored!” blues. If your cabin fever is spiking right about now, then consider the following kid-friendly activities to keep boredom at bay: Aluminum Foil Snowflakes: Stack several sheets of aluminum foil together and fold the … Continue reading →

When I was growing up you did not hear too much about enjoying fitness with your children. I do not remember many parent/child classes. We just woke up on a lazy summer day wondering how we would spend it. The parents and kids basically did their own things. We did enjoy family times, such as going to the park and going out to the movies, but not too much regarding fitness specifically. Years passed and fitness became more popular. Classes started springing up all over the place. Now, there is a class for just about everything, even the hula-hoop! Taking … Continue reading →

I now see why some moms refer to glitter as “Devil’s Dust.” Whether you were one of the millions slaughtered by the Blizzard of 2010 or you live in a cold climate 365 days a year, if your kids are on break from school right now, then you’re likely trying to find any and every way possible to preserve your sanity while combating cabin fever. And by “any” I mean… GLITTER. Glitter, glitter everywhere. Can you have it any other way? Really. Is it possible to glitter with kids and not get it EV.ER.Y.WHERE? With the New Year fast approaching … Continue reading →

Once you have made the commitment to achieving financial independence and have selected your advisor, the next step is the discovery interview. It is at this point that your planner will be attempting to ascertain how you feel about money. While that may sound pretty straightforward, money is a highly charged matter for most of us; it has come to represent many of the key structures of our lives—like security, safety, power, prestige, independence, and even love. In American society, money—how much we have, how we earn it, and how we spend it—has become a stand-in for our moral character. … Continue reading →

When it comes to young kids and Christmas presents, bigger is ALWAYS better. Just ask my 6-year-old daughter. The girl begged, whined and wished upon about three dozen stars (from Thanksgiving until Christmas Eve) in an effort to get Santa, mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, ANYONE! to gift her with KOTA My Triceratops Dinosaur last Christmas. The garganteous interactive riding toy was only dwarfed by his colossal price tag. At $400 there was no way KOTA was going to take up space in our home unless he planned to pay rent or help with laundry. Needless to say Christmas 2009 came … Continue reading →

I was sitting back thinking the other day of my mother. Don’t get me wrong. I think of my mother every day, but not in the way I was thinking of her at that moment. There were six of us altogether. We had a big, old black and white television with two or three channels so TV watching was pretty limited. We had our record player. We had a swing set and even a little pool. We had more than most kids had back then, but the days were still long. My mother would keep us as busy as she … Continue reading →