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As extracurricular activities get underway, remember what’s important

As the school year revs into high gear again, our schedules have already begun to fill up with activities: sports practices and games, after-school clubs, tutoring, Boys Scouts, Girl Scouts, youth groups. Sometimes it feels like a full-time job just getting kids to and from all of their extracurricular activities. It’s not too difficult to become a slave to our children’s schedules.

A heart for Sophia

For Sophia’s mom, it’s the little things in life that matter. Taking Sophia to the grocery store and letting her pick out a free cookie, watching her jump into the swimming pool or reading her favorite books to her may seem like small things. But, they are actually miracles.

Leading by example

The other day I had lunch with a friend at one of our favorite mom-and-pop sandwich shops. Well, sort of. We did have lunch, but I only remember this lunch date in flashes of chaos and confusion created by two lively toddlers.

Bringing hope and happiness: Tyler's story

The fight of a lifetime

What you need to know about bicycle helmets for kids

One of my favorite things about the neighborhood in which I live is that every weekday I see elementary and middle school kids riding their bicycles to school. The crossing guards take special care to help kids cross the street, and the children look thrilled to be embarking on a grand adventure. It reminds me that mine is a family neighborhood, and I’m so fortunate to live in a place where kids have the opportunity to ride their bikes to school safely.

How to raise emotionally healthy children

As a parent of a two-year-old and an almost four-year-old and a stepparent to a 9-year-old and an 11-year-old, the difficulties and pressures of raising healthy kids are monumental. From societal pressures to familial expectations, the constant question of “Am I doing this right?” never quite goes away.

Is 36 seconds enough time to talk about sex?

A new study published in JAMA Pediatrics shows that doctors are spending an average of 36 seconds talking to teenagers about sex, that is if they talk about it at all. One-third of teenagers receiving a yearly check-up didn’t have any mention of sexual health or development.

Surviving a preschooler’s separation anxiety

I’ve come to believe that separation anxiety is the straw that breaks the backs of many moms. We can carry our heavy loads through many child-rearing deserts, but we Mom-camels collapse under the pressure of children suffering from separation anxiety. Our children cry as we leave them, and we cry our guilty little hearts out as soon as we are out of our children’s sight. We are left with those lingering questions: Should I leave them? Are they going to be okay? Am I a terrible mother for leaving my child?

Spray sunscreen: is it safe for kids?

Consumer Reports has recently updated their recommendations on sunscreen use in kids, saying that spray sunscreens should not be used in children.

Is CrossFit safe when you’re pregnant?

Over the past several years, ultra-intense exercise programs have become increasingly popular. From P90X to INSANITY to High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), it seems there’s no shortage of fitness gurus promoting the benefits of fast, high-intensity workouts designed to push your body to the limit.  Arguably, one program stands out among the rest as the most popular and most intense of the bunch: CrossFit. Once an underground fitness movement mostly practiced by elite military units and die-hard fitness fanatics, CrossFit is now a mainstream phenomenon that’s attracted hundreds of thousands of followers, from Hollywood A-listers to everyday working professionals. Increasingly, CrossFit has also become a trendy way for expecting women to stay in shape during their pregnancies. Unsurprisingly, it’s led many people to wonder if CrossFit and programs like it are safe for moms-to-be.