Flying Solo

My baby is gone. She learned how to ride a two-wheeler and took off. It’s a mother’s worst nightmare. Your child is ready to spread her wings, but you just want to smother those growing appendages in a bear hug and hold on for dear life. This summer, my little fledgling was itching to take flight and she used her beloved bike to soar… far away from home. Too far. Way too far. What started out as a request to ride solo to the end of our cul-de-sac morphed into a journey stretching several blocks into an unfamiliar neighborhood filled … Continue reading →

Summer Bites

Backyard barbeques, picnics in the park, swimming, sunning, and swinging with friends until sunset; there’s so much to love about summer—minus the bugs. Despite the use of expensive sprays, fancy candles and other popular pest deterrents, my 8-year-old is covered with bug bites. Living in northern Wisconsin, which is blanketed with forests and other havens for flying blood suckers, doesn’t help; however, this summer’s battle against the bugs seems to be a bit fiercer than in years past. Currently, my mom radar is set on mass insect detection. I am on especially high alert for deer ticks, which can spread … Continue reading →

What to Know about the Glow

Glow sticks are extremely popular this time of year. You can find kids sporting them at summer fireworks shows, evening baseball games, backyard barbeques and during bike rides at dusk. My 8-year-old loves to bend them into bracelets, necklaces and headbands and wear them while we stroll along the beach after sunset. While I’m game for the glow, other parents are not as thrilled to see their kids playing with the popular, yet potentially poisonous neon sticks. Many moms and dads question the contents of glow sticks. After all, if the liquid inside the sticks can make plastic light up like … Continue reading →

20 Ways to Avoid Independence Day Injuries

Nothing extinguishes Fourth of July fun faster than an injury. That goes double if your young child is the victim of an Independence Day accident. To avoid the physical pain and suffering associated with a holiday mishap and the added agony of paying sky-high medical bills, consider the following safety tips: Never allow children to ignite fireworks. Adults should be on hand at all times when children are near fireworks. Always follow the instructions printed on the fireworks’ box. Keep fire extinguishers, water hoses or a bucket of water on hand if you are using any type of pyrotechnic, … Continue reading →

Avoid Swimming Pool Sickness

And I thought chasing after a wet, naked child in public was a problem… Imagine taking your kids to the city pool to cool off on the first day of summer vacation, then being forced to spend the next week nursing them back to health. A growing number of kids are getting sick from swimming in public pools. The problem has become so widespread the Center for Disease Control recently issued a warning to parents about protecting their children from recreational water illnesses. Heath experts say even regularly maintained pools can contain contaminants like cryptosporidium. If a person doesn’t shower … Continue reading →

Waste Not

My mom spent years battling stage II breast cancer, three of my aunts died from the insidious disease, and I am long overdue for a mammogram. I keep ignoring my doctor’s suggestion to make an appointment and potentially save my own life, yet I refuse to eat unopened yogurt that’s been in my refrigerator even one day past its expiration date for fear of getting sick. How’s that for irony? And by irony I mean stupidity. My senseless thinking hurts my budget as much as it does my head. What’s more, I take little solace in the fact that studies … Continue reading →

The Bigger They Are The Harder They Fall

You’ve heard of the Food Network’s hit show “30 Minute Meals,” well, what about “45 Minute Falls”? It’s not the title of a new reality show, but it could be. Unfortunately, for some families reality has hit a bit too close to home. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, a child is rushed to the hospital every 45 minutes due to TVs falling on top of them. The nightmare gets worse when you realize that most of these kids are not simply suffering a broken arm or leg due to TV tipping; rather, safety experts say many children die … Continue reading →

Dirty Habit

Remember when you had your first child and his pacifier fell out of his mouth at the park? You wouldn’t dream of letting your precious peanut place the plastic plug back in his mouth after it touched the ground. Not a chance. Rather, you likely pulled out a fresh binky and let your baby resume sucking on it. Then, you had baby number two. When his pacifier fell to the ground, you picked it up, brushed it off on your sleeve and stuck it back in his mouth without thinking twice. Looking back, I bet it’s hard to tell whether … Continue reading →

Eating Out: More Trick Than Treat

Eating out is a big treat for most families. Parents love the break from cooking and doing the dishes, while kids enjoy eating chicken nuggets in a different setting. Unfortunately, splurging on a restaurant meal may come back to bite you. According to a new study by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), parents are doing their children a disservice by treating them to dinner out. Researchers say menu options offered to children by most U.S. restaurant chains have way too many calories, in addition to dangerously high amounts of salt and fat. In fact, the group … Continue reading →