A reader recently sent the following e-mail:"I was hoping that some of your contributors (on the Parents' Council) could help me out. We have upgraded our carseats and now don't know what to do with the old ones. Is there some place that takes donations…
While working on a story about local mompreneurs, I spoke with Debra Cashman, a Nine Mile Falls mother of two and the owner of a Web site called SpokaneMama.com.One of her goals, she said, is to help other mompreneurs with the “Support Your Local Mama”…
The Spokane County Child Passenger Safety Team will be available to check car seats and children to ensure people are safely transporting their loved ones. Location: K-Mart, 6606 N. Division, SpokaneTime: Saturday, July 19th, from 10:00am-2:00pm.
While putting together a story about “Free Range Kids” and finding that balance between safety and independence, I was reminded of an interview I had last year with a local pastor. We talked about the growing awareness surrounding child abuse and how churches and other…
While working on a story about doulas, I looked up some statistics on Cesarean delivery rates. (According to doulas and their advocates, having a trained doula at birth can decrease the chances of having a C-section.)Nationwide, the Cesarean delivery rate rose to more than 30…
In a special feature this week titled “Global Literacy 2008: The Stories We Tell Ourselves,” the editors at Newsweek pose the following question: True or False: Having Kids Make You HappyThe answer might come as a surprise.Does this reflect your reality?
To piggyback on Cindy’s last post about the recent study on how husbands make more work for their wives, here’s a New York Times article that discusses how some parents try to divide the responsibilities 50-50.In “When Mom and Dad Share It All,” reporter Lisa…
In this story first published earlier this year in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, families talk about the effects of skyrocketing food and gas prices on their budgets.“Living in troubled times is giving teens a hard-knocks lesson in economics. Some kids in middle-income and working-class families…
I’ve been wondering today…why is it that people seem to wait for an occasion to fix up their home? They are selling their house, so they fix the stuff that is broken. Or they are having company, so the yard is spruced up. Is their…
I’ve been letting my 4-year-old play with my laptop. Sometimes he just types his name and other random letters. Other times, we might do an activity on pbskids.org. I was a little hesitant at first to let him play on the computer. But I soon…
Is this really possible? Teri Crane, a consultant known as the “Potty Pro” and the author of “Potty Train Your Child in Just One Day” believes it can be done.Has anyone ever tried this? My daughter, who will turn 2 this July, has been asking…
When my oldest child was nine months old, we got on a plane and traveled to Mexico. Despite the fact that my husband and I both served in the Peace Corps and consider ourselves fairly seasoned travelers, that vacation with our baby was the roughest…
I'm interested in finding out what kinds of games kids and families play in cars today... If any?Are they just plugged into their Ipods - or do some families still count cows?Collect license plates from outta state?Look for funny road names? Do people actually stop…
While doing some research on peer mediation for a story I wrote in Monday’s newspaper, I sought help from "Teaching Tolerance," a website and project of the civil rights champion, the Southern Poverty Law Center.In the parents’ section, writer Dana Williams wrote a column that…
“There just aren’t enough hours in a day…”It’s a phrase I often hear from parents as they struggle to find balance in their busy lives.Regardless if you work full-time, part-time or work at home by taking care of the kids and household, it has become…
Incredibly sad story here about a kindergarten teacher in Florida who let her class vote on whether a student (who is being diagnosed with Asperger's) can stay in class. This is so cruel, I cannot imagine a professional educator making such a decision. And even…
While sitting in the doctor’s office this morning, an article in Parenting magazine caught my eye.In “Boys vs. Girls,” writer Paula Spencer quotes Spokane author and social philosopher Michael Gurian: “I think parents use ‘which is harder?’ as an expression of whatever our frustration is…
There’s not a lot of sunshine out there, but summer is still on my mind. I’m trying to come up with some family day trips/activities without having to drive too far or spending too much money.Here are some ideas so far: Hiking in Riverside State…
This has very little to do with parenting, but it is about relationships – sort of – and the things you lose and how they sometimes come back.Before kids, my husband and I used to spend our weekends in Bayview, Idaho, sailing our ’73 Coronado…
So it's the day after Mother's Day. I can't button my jeans because I ate ALL the chocolate my boys gave me. The theory being just get it over with and don't eat the rest of the week.I'm still wiping down cupboards. My 18-year-old baked…
My parents will be moving soon into their new home. My mother will need a housekeeper to help clean the house. They live five miles north of Loon Lake, on Hwy 395. Do you know of anyone in the area who could do the job?
In her blog called, “strollerderby,” writer Rachael Brownell provides folks with a list of Mother's Day do's and don’ts.Among her don’ts: kitschy “Precious Moments” statues; jewelry that says “#1 Mom;” vacuums and other tools for cleaning.Instead, Brownell suggests original art from a local artist or…
Until recently, I never gave much thought to the “other” mom. I know several people who were adopted as children and also numerous parents who have adopted infants and even elementary-age kids from Ethiopia, Guatemala, China and also the United States. I started thinking more…
I wrote a story this week about the importance of the family meal based on some of your comments about making time to eat together. I found the responses in that particular thread to be really heartwarming – they reminded me of the need to…
One of the nicest editors I know recently passed along this link to a bizarre story about the murder of a college student at a university in the Midwest. The Chronicle of Higher Education also published its own account that explained how the suspect, Tina…
This blog is intended to provide a forum for parents to share knowledge and resources. It's a place for parents young and old to combine their experiences raising families into a collective whole to help others.
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