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Articles by Monica Hamilton
Heimes and McDonald make an impact at Cigarroa Middle School
The coaching duo of Marsha McDonald and Chari Heimes have established this as their song for the Lady Bulldogs. McDonald and Heimes are about to embark on their 40th and final year as Cigarroa Middle School’s PE, volleyball, basketball and track and field coaches. They did not always know they would be a standard in south Laredo. Rather, it happened by chance. They met and graduated from Olivet College in Olivet, Michigan, but they could not find coaching jobs locally.
Ripe Bites: January Food News and Products
Start your new year with a new version of a classic snack. The Little Kernel is billed as “mini-popcorn” and provides a better-for-you treat by using gluten-free, non-GMO, dairy-free, and certified whole grain ingredients, as well as 100% pure olive oil to pop the kernels. The Little Kernel comes in six flavors: Truffle Sea Salt, Sweet & Salty, Pink Himalayan Salt, White Cheddar, Butter, and Naked (No Salt Added).
Reel Life with Jane Reviews A Dog’s Purpose, Hidden Figures, and Monster Trucks
Based on the beloved bestselling novel by W. Bruce Cameron, A Dog’s Purpose, from director Lasse Hallström (The Cider House Rules, Dear John, The 100-Foot Journey), shares the soulful and surprising story of one devoted dog (voiced by Josh Gad) who finds the meaning of his own existence through the lives of the humans he teaches to laugh and love. This family film, told from the dog’s perspective, also stars Dennis Quaid, Britt Robertson, and Peggy Lipton.
Greater Boston PFLAG Partners To Host Youth, Family Program for Transgender Community
New England’s premier event supporting transgender, gender-nonconforming, and gender-fluid people has a new partner this year: Greater Boston PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays). Nearly 800 people are expected to attend First Event 2017’s workshops and discussions at the Royal Plaza in Marlborough Jan. 25-29.
New Year’s Resolution: Be a Better Co-Parent in 2017
This is the time of year people are making resolutions for the New Year. If you’re divorced or separated, one of the best resolutions you can make for yourself and your children is to commit to being a better co-parent. Think about it: Your children deserve to have a loving, respectful relationship with both of their parents. It’s important for you to support that relationship, regardless of how you feel about your former spouse. So why not start this year off by resolving to be a better co-parent?
How Too Much Parental ‘Help’ Can Hurt Your Children’s Success In School
The biggest parenting challenge is knowing when to step in to help and guide and when to step back and permit the child to independently solve life’s challenges — from scraped knees and kindergarten fights, through the terrible middle school adjustments and, finally, the trials, tribulations, triumphs, and defeats of high school and university. Finding oneself is serious business, and it is not a good thing to outsource the task — especially not to mom and dad.
Win at Losing Author on How Losing is Good for Kids
University of New Hampshire graduate and award-winning sports journalist Sam Weinman has seen a lot of winning and losing covering the PGA Tour and the National Hockey League, yet it was his experience as father (and coach) to his 11- and 9-year-old boys that inspired him to write Win at Losing: How Our Biggest Setbacks Can Lead to Our Greatest Gains, out this month. Weinman talks about how losing (in any life arena) is actually beneficial for children — and adults.
Standardized Science Tests Show Mixed Results for Mass Students
Are Massachusetts’s public school students all-stars or also-rans in science compared to their fellow students around the country and the world? The answer depends on who’s talking and which standardized test is under the microscope. One measure of how well Bay State kids are performing recently came from the 8th grade science test designed by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), which tested students and their peers across the United States.
How Therapy Outside the Box Aids Children
When he was only a few weeks old, Cameron was rushed to the emergency room with grand mal seizures and medical complications. By age 5, the hospital had become all too familiar to Cameron and his family, but their rush through the cold Emergency Room doors was no less frightening. Familiar rituals of needle sticks and questions abound, and when he was stabilized Cameron was offered a plethora of coloring books and videos. But what made this visit different was the third option given: therapy.
Why Your ‘Forgetful’ Child May Not Be Forgetful After All
Many parents find themselves taking a detour to their child’s school on a weekly basis to drop off forgotten items such as lunches, homework, and band instruments — yet again — even after reminders were given and sticky notes posted. Some parents are likely frustrated and ready to throw up their hands — but don’t do that just yet. There is hope. Know that your child is not forgetful, lazy, or an absent-minded professor in the making.
The One Skill Parents Aren’t Teaching That is Critical to Kids’ Success
Parents aim to cultivate a laundry list of qualities in their children, hoping they will grow to be competent, successful adults. But there’s one critical attribute that is quickly fading in today’s youth. In fact, it may not even be on parents’ radar: empathy. “I don’t think we recognize the value of it,” says Michele Borba, best-selling author and nationally known parenting expert.
Keys to Crafting an IEP/Transition Plan for Children With Special Needs
The tween and middle-school years can be an exciting time for children with intellectual disabilities and their parents, as the focus shifts to a vision for the child’s future. When her daughter Sydney was in early elementary school, Jennifer Vacca of Grafton wanted Sydney, who has Down syndrome, to be engaged in the same academics as her neuro-typical peers. This goal worked out well, especially in kindergarten, where all students were learning foundation academics and social skills.
5 Ways to Help Kids Manage Tragedy
The innocence of youth is fleeting, and in the wake of all-too-frequent reports of tragedy from shootings, terrorism, and natural disasters, it feels impossible to preserve. Children today can easily access painstaking details, eyewitness accounts, and vivid images and videos of breaking tragedies through social media and news reports. What doesn’t flow from these channels reaches them in classrooms and schoolyards where childhood chatter is often rife with misinformation and speculation.
Add to Cart: Our shopping picks for parents and kids
Let your kids take their coloring out of the confining pages of a book and spread out — way out — with Pirasta’s Really Big Coloring Pages. These illustrated posters measure 5 feet by 3 feet, so everyone can join in. Hang your posters on the wall with painter’s tape and get to work. Poster choices include What A Colorful World, Let’s Color America, The Big Apple, Food Fight, Funny Farm, and Spaced Out. $32. pirastanyc.com.
New Year’s By the Numbers
Ancient Babylonians celebrated the new year on the first full moon after the spring equinox about 4,000 years ago. At this time, they would make promises to the gods to pay back any debts they owed and return borrowed objects. Julius Caesar made January 1 the first day of the year in 46 B.C., but England and the American Colonies wouldn’t do so until 1752.
Superfood Salads are Winter Wonders
It may be the start of a new year, but we are knee-deep in winter in the northeast. During the colder months, we tend to gravitate toward warm and filling stews, casseroles, baked pasta dishes and roasted meats — meals that seem heavy in the warmer months but are just right when the temperature dips below freezing and it’s dark hours before dinnertime. I like to lighten the winter plate with salad. Yes, that’s right, salad. Not your run-of-the-mill iceberg or romaine, though.
A step back from over parenting benefits your children and your wallet
If you’re parenting in 2017, you are part of a group spending 100% more money on your children since the 1970s, according to a report from the University of Pennsylvania. The richest among us have simply ramped up the dollar amounts. The poorest are maintaining the same levels, but using a bigger portion of income. What’s up?
How To Stop a Biting Toddler
My daughter is a little over 2 and a biter. I’m so embarrassed, and I’m worried about letting her around other kids for fear she’ll bite them. She’s only 2, so I’m unsure how to fix this, other than an immediate “No!” and separating her from another kid. How can we work to curb this with her? First and foremost, please know that you have nothing to be embarrassed about.
Fun, healthy ideas for school lunches
Back to school means back to packing lunch for most families, but a few tips and tricks can make the chore easier and healthier this fall. Parents who want to strive for a healthier lunch should aim for a mix of vegetables, protein, and fruit, and make it at home from real — not processed — food, says Sally Sampson, president and founder of ChopChop Kids, the Belmont-based nonprofit that publishes ChopChop, The Fun Cooking Magazine for Families.
How To Clean Your Garbage Disposal
Does your kitchen have a “funny” smell lately? Do you notice it when you are standing next to your sink? That smell could be a buildup of food particles rotting in your garbage disposal and pipes. No one ever thinks about cleaning the garbage disposal, yet if you don’t, it will start to smell. Bacteria and mold love the dark, moist conditions found in your disposal. Here are a few different ways to clean your kitchen disposal and pipes.
Enter to win Baby Brezza Bottle Washer
Bottle washing is rarely any parent’s favorite chore, which makes the automatic countertop Baby Brezza Bottle Washer a fantastic accessory. The device washes, rinses, sterilizes, and dries baby bottles, feeding utensils, pacifiers, and breast pump parts at the push of a button, holding up to four bottles and other accessories.
Enter to win Talk-to-Me-Mikey
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle fans will fall in love With Talk-to-Me Mikey and enjoy hours of fun conversing with Michelangelo, the most fun-loving and energetic of all the turtles. Talk-to-Me Mikey recognizes a child’s questions and responds in hundreds of unique ways, sings songs, and plays games with kids. To enter to win, email win@baystateparent.com with the subject line Mikey by December 30, and include your address.
Reader’s Roundup: Fall and Holiday Releases
Looking for an age-appropriate new read for you children? In our “Reader’s Roundup,” we compile synopses of all the latest releases, with reviews, release dates, and buying information. Read on to find your kids’ next favorite book. To celebrate the 150th anniversary of her birth, 32 of today’s favorite children’s book illustrators reimagine characters from her most-beloved tales. Penguin Random House Penguin Young Readers. Hardcover, $25.
Enter to win Tudia Klip for Apple products
If you’re an Apple lover, you understand the necessity of its Lightning charging cables for your phone, watch, or iPad. This also means you understand, all too well, how easily they fray and break due to bending. Enter the Tudia Klip, a two-piece silicone and polycarbonate clip that snaps onto Apple Lightning and 30-pin charging cables, reducing strain by 80% to extend the life of these important cables.
Newton Company Organizes Families’ Digital Photo Libraries, Peace of Mind
Today’s children are the most photographed in the history of mankind. Yet always having a camera within reach is creating a major headache for well-meaning parents: How do I stay on top of all the photos and videos? Massachusetts parents Eric and Jennifer Niloff have launched a new nationwide service to help families find, organize, and enjoy that massive mountain of data, and turn it into the family memories they were always meant to be.
Enter to win Gobi Gear’s HoboRoll
Welcome to the most efficient, practical piece of travel gear you’ll ever own. Gobi Gear’s HoboRoll is a lightweight stuff sack divided into five compartments, allowing you to effortlessly pack and keep track of your belongings, whether it’s for a day trip or weekend getaway. When not in use, HoboRoll folds into its attached storage sack, shrinking small enough to fit into a purse or glove compartment.
New December Movies for Kids and Families
• Rated PG for some rude humor and mild peril • In theaters Dec. 21 • OK for kids 6+ • Reel Preview: 5 of 5 Reels From the creators of Despicable Me, Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax and Minions, comes Sing an animated musical comedy about finding the shining star that lives inside all of us. Set in a world like ours but entirely inhabited by animals, Sing centers around Buster Moon, a dapper Koala who presides over a once-grand theater that has fallen on hard times.
Get Christmas Crafting: Ornament DIY For All Ages
The holidays are a great time to craft, especially with kids. This DIY ornament activity is inexpensive (less than $5!), easy for crafters of all ages, and produces a fun decoration for your — or a recipient’s — Christmas tree. Even better, it’s screen-free family fun. • Fill one ornament with 2 pieces of charcoal and another with peppermint candies. Snap ornaments closed.
10 Simple Ways to Keep Your Kitchen Clean
The holidays tend to create a busier-than-normal kitchen. Here are 10 quick tips for keeping your kitchen clean: 1. Keep clutter off the counters. Only keep things on your counter that you use every day. A counter filled with appliances and gadgets looks messy and it is difficult to clean quickly. 2. Use microfiber cloths to clean all the surfaces in your kitchen. There are two types of microfiber. One is a large looped cloth that is great for picking up crumbs and dirt.
Holidays By The Numbers
This year, Chanukah (also spelled Hanukkah) begins at sundown on December 24, Christmas Eve. Both holidays are celebrated in the U.S. and have religious as well as secular customs, and can involve food, family, and gift-giving. Celebrated for two millennia, people around the world have been observing Christmas as the anniversary of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. December 25 – Christmas Day – has been a federal holiday in the United States since 1870.
Social Media Icon: Teach Your Kids to Love Themselves As Is
One of the hardest parts of life can be learning to love yourself exactly as you are. For popular internet icon and LGBTQ activist Jeffrey Marsh, teaching others self-acceptance has become a lifelong mission. Marsh was raised as a boy in a fairly conservative, rural setting.
Is My Child Easily Distracted or In Need of a Diagnosis?
My son, 8, seems distracted at home and school. His teacher reports he has difficulty following multi-part directions and completing work (though she was quick to note it was not a behavior/attitude problem). When I thought about it, I realized he has similar challenges at home and has for a while — I always just thought he was slow to get things done. She suggested I consider consulting our pediatrician with our joint concerns. Now I’m wondering if my son may have ADD or ADHD.
Reader's Roundup with some great picks for Father's Day
Looking for an age-appropriate new read for you children? In our “Reader’s Roundup,” we compile synopses of all the latest releases, with reviews, release dates, and buying information. Read on to find your kids’ next favorite book. DK Publishing's three new preschool titles include two books with sounds. Colorful photographs and illustrations. DK Publishing. Hardcover board books, Noisy Playhouse and Noisy Pets, $12.99 each.
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