Author Archive for Editor
Autism: 8 Things Everyone Should Know
I recently found out the active little bundle I’ve been carrying in my womb for nearly six months is a boy. And he appears healthy. He has two legs and two arms. All his organs are developing well and his spine looks fantastic. Most people would be elated by this news. However, because of the number [...]
Roles Models (and the young people they inspire)
Every decade has its icons: Marilyn Monroe in the 1950s, The Beatles in the 1960s, John Travolta and Farrah Fawcett in the 1970s. Today’s top celebrities include Jimmie Johnson, Kate Middleton, Jennifer Lopez, and Robert Pattinson. You may recognize their faces on television, read their headlines at the newsstand, and overhear their names in conversation. [...]
Money-Saving Vacation Tips
When it comes to a family vacation and managing a budget, planning is essential. Family vacations play an important role in keeping families close. Here are some ways not to break your wallet and make sure your time together is stress-free. Make Reservations: Making reservations ahead of time can save on dollars and stress. Be savvy about [...]
Growing Up Online: Don’t Make Snap Judgments about Snapchat
By now, most parents have heard of Snapchat, the phenomenally popular new messaging app that allows users to annotate and send photos and very short videos to their friends. Unlike other messages, Snapchats are supposed to disappear in 10 seconds. Kids who are tired of having their lives searched and analyzed on Facebook love that [...]
Grow With It
How to Thrive at Each Stage of Motherhood When you’re pregnant, nine months feels like an insanely long time. The joy of knowing you have a new life inside you intensifies as the baby grows and kicks and hiccups. Along with the wait comes the worry. Each twinge and tickle makes you wonder if something [...]
Misconceptions: Theirs, Mine, Yours
When I was little, I believed that if you peed behind a tree in the park, the squirrels would follow you and pollute YOUR home for revenge. My mom told me that. I also believed there were three sure ways to die. Listed with information sources, they are: touch a light switch with wet hands [...]
Feeding the Beast
There’s a monster in the house. His name is Gimme—as in “Gimme more.” His attempt to take over the children’s minds is frustrating. Just a few short months after Santa’s generosity, the Gimme Monster still can’t stop clamoring for more. But we understand how this ogre works because the Gimme Monster has been around for [...]
Looking for Safety in All the Wrong Places
We’re all aware of the avalanche of debate that has evolved since the multiple murders in Newtown, which followed the shooting in Aurora, which followed the shooting in Tucson, which followed… In a typical display of brilliance, Congress used the culmination of these events, and particularly the heinous nature of the Connecticut murders, to call [...]
I Used To Be Cute, Too
By Rick Epstein “So, what’s your plan for the evening?” I asked Brandon, the high school senior who stood in our living room, dutifully meeting the parents. I meant the question to sound ambiguous, not that I really expected him to give me a sly wink and outline a scenario of seduction for me. “I [...]
The Fifth Grade Reality Check
By Gwen Rockwood Last week, there was a foul mood afoot. Our oldest, who is typically a laid-back, agreeable 10-year-old, sounded more like a grumpy old man. It was as if his glass half-full had spilled and he’d stepped in the puddle with sock-feet. Noting his sour demeanor after school one day, I said, “Wow, [...]
Elections Have Consequences
Let me start with a story. The day after the election, I visited with a business person who explained to me that a significant donation to support the work of The Village would not be forthcoming as planned. It was explained that the individual was withholding any and all potential charitable contributions until getting a [...]
Writing Your Own Obituary
Pondering your own death can be considered pessimistic, depressing, or morbid. What’s the point anyway? You’ll be gone, so it’s not your problem, right? That might be the wrong attitude. Contemplating what will happen after you die—not in heaven or through reincarnation, but in the days on Earth just after your last breath—can be a [...]
Running for Family Fitness and Fun
Vicki Schneider, Fargo, started running in high school as a way to stay in shape for soccer. By the time she was a senior, her friends—all avid runners themselves—talked her into joining the track team. She was hooked. “I did pretty well at the half-mile and two-mile races and have been running distance ever since,” [...]
Date Night in Fargo-Moorhead
“I think that men know how to romance a woman and most do it well, at least for a time, otherwise women wouldn’t marry them. The problem is that most of them begin to rest on their laurels.” —Nicholas Sparks Nicholas Sparks, author of such renowned books as “The Notebook,” “A Walk to Remember,” and [...]
CHILL OUT: Not Your Mother’s Frozen Leftovers
Once upon a time, you might have gone to your mother’s freezer and found all kinds of crazy things, including three or four versions of Mystery Meat Casserole and Chicken a la King. And you might not have been too excited about dinner time. The freezer meals of yesteryear were filled with canned cream soups [...]
Enriching Activities for Little Ones
I remember my mother doting on my toddler son because he could manipulate the pegs on her cribbage board. She was fascinated he could grasp the teeny tiny pegs in his chubby fingers and move them deftly from hole to hole. She lived in a retirement community then, and whenever my son was there, she’d [...]
Hearty Chicken Noodle Soup
1 3-5 lb. whole chicken 4 medium potatoes, chopped 2 celery ribs, chopped 4 carrots, chopped 5 Tbsp. chicken base 1⁄8 tsp. parsley 1⁄8 tsp. garlic salt 1⁄2 tsp. thyme 1 pinch of oregano 1 ½ tsp. salt ¼ tsp. pepper 10 oz. bag of egg noodles Begin by roasting the chicken with 2-3 cups [...]
Love Bug
Red and black construction paper Scissors Glue White crayon Cut out a large red heart for the body, a medium-sized black heart for the head, and a few small black hearts for spots. Cut six small rectangular strips for legs, and two strips for antennae. Glue pieces together. Use the white crayon to draw a [...]
Decreasing Addiction’s Toll
People are plagued with addictions of all kinds. On some level or another, we are all affected by our own, a family member’s, a co-worker’s, or a friend’s addiction. I am no exception. My dad had a wonderful career in progress and was devoted to his work, his family, and in every respect, the betterment [...]
Want a Ride to the Mall? Catch Me!
Did you ever get an idea that was so smart you wondered where it came from? May I tell you about mine? Like many teenagers, Wendy does not especially enjoy doing things with her parents. Gone are the days when she and I would play Rodeo on the living room rug. I’d be down on [...]
