Karen Alley, The Daily Post. As web editor, Karen blogs every day about news and events that are going on either in our area or on a national realm. Bringing together hot topics with local ties is what keeps her perspective on the news interesting.
Renee, Teen-dom Tales, provides a look into the life of a mom of a teen, a stage of life that brings with it a whole new realm of parenting challenges.
Stephanie, Mamma Said, writes witty and insightful posts chronicling the development of her two young boys, ages 3 and 1. As a Greensboro resident, they're out and about at locales around the Triad quite often, and she also brings in the working mom perspective at times, with her part time job.
Lisa, The Single Mom's Soliloquy, adds a different spin on parenting as she writes about the issues, challenges and joys of raising a daughter as a single mom. Her look at life in the new world order of blended families and split families is refreshing and sometimes controversial.
Heather Maggs, of The Time Out Corner, presents a humorous blog on the roller coaster life of a stay-at-home mom of a toddler.
Myra Wright, familiar to you as our editor, also blogs inPiedmont Ponderings. It's a great outlet for her creative sense of humor, and she brings some great perspective to life in King as the mother of three kids.
It promises to be a loud weekend for the Triad, especially for parents of young boys. The Shriner's Drag Racing and Hot Rod Expo is coming to the Greensboro Coliseum, and PBR's Bull Riding Invitational will be at the LJVM. Both events promise to be fun for the family, a sort of exciting break from the doldrums of winter. While neither of these are exactly my cup of tea, I've done my duty as a mom in the past and sat through a Monster Truck show, and I can attest to the fact that whether you're a bull riding/racing fan or not, it's worth it just to go and see your kids light up and get so excited about something. Of course, it's an adrenaline rush for us too, which might be one of the reasons PBR has been called the new NASCAR.
If you go to either of these, be sure to purchase some ear plugs for the entire family. Our hearing is an important thing to protect, especially in little ones. Studies show that 1 in 8 kids suffer from noise-induced hearing loss. It's not just loud special events like these that are causing it. A rock concert once in a while isn't as damaging as the constant noise of music from ear buds or the blaring of a TV on constantly.
So go out, enjoy some loud fun this weekend, and then come back and have some quiet family time on Sunday without TV, radio or music blaring. At least until the Super Bowl comes on!
A national parenting expert has come out saying that the salmonella outbreak from peanut buttter is one of the scariest ever. Her reasoning is not because of the number of people, especially children, getting sick, but because of the enormous amount of products and institutions affected: crackers, ice cream, cookies; schools, hospitals and supermarkets. It is scary. But what's even scarier is the news today that the plant new the peanut butter was tainted and shipped it anyway. What good are inspections and controls in our food safety web if people aren't going to do the right thing?
For a full list of recalled products visit the FDA's web site.
Congratulations Circus Winners! Our lucky winners are listed below. Your ticket packages are being mailed out this week.
Nothing makes me madder than hearing about a kid getting hurt getting on or off a bus. They're big, they're yellow, and there's plenty of flashing lights. How can you not see it? And are you really ever in that big of a hurry that you can't slow down for a kid's safety? The tragedy in Stoneville yesterday, where a 16-year-old was killed getting on the school bus, hits too close to home for many parents. And luckily, thanks to the work of Rep. Dale Falwell, who had to suffer through the loss of his own child in a school bus accident 10 years ago, the School Bus Safety Act was passed to make sure people who violate the stop arm law will now be tried as a felony.
It seems unbelievable that people would pass a stopped school bus. But it happens, and even with stricter laws, the number of violations haven't gone down. As common sense as it seems, an important element in lowering the number of violations is educating motorists on the laws regardeing school buses. New York is credited with having the best large-scale program to crack down on stop arm violations, but things are being done in our state as well. Onslow, Pender and New Hanover counties have created an Operation Stop Arm program.
As parents, one thing that helps us maintain our sanity is making sure we've given our kids the tools they need to stay safe. Check out North Carolina's Bus Safety page for some great tips and fun games for kids, as well as tips for parents.
Kids in Guilford and Forsyth counties are out of school today to celebrate another holiday--Chinese New Year! Actually, they're both on teacher work days because report cards are coming soon. But today is the start of the Chinese New Year, or Lunar New Year, so you might as well take the opportunity to celebrate. One of the biggest traditional holidays for China, the Chinese are exuberantly welcoming in the year of the ox with hope for a great year to come.
You can celebrate too! Check out PBS Kids' page where Sagwa has a countdown to the New Year, or head over to Kaboose.com for some activities and crafts. Make your own traditional foods with these recipes, or go out to dinner. Phoenix Asian Cuisine will be celebrating with a lion dance at 7 p.m. and specials all night long.
Of course, it is Monday, so lots of us still have to work. Don't worry, you can celebrate in style this Saturday when Wake Forest students hold their 10th Annual Chinese New Year celebration.
Maybe it was the popularity of High School Musical. Or maybe the thrill of the stage has always been there in our youth. I remember it being a huge deal even when I was in high school if you were part of the annual musical production. A couple of years ago, the Community Theatre of Greensboro (CTG) tapped into that passion when they founded Centerstage for 6-12 graders. This weekend, the group is presenting "Into the Woods, Jr." a wonderful twist of familiar fairy tales into a brand new story.
The production couldn't come at a better time. It brings the spotlight on the CTG right when they're getting ready to ask the public for support for one of their biggest projects yet--buying the Masonic Temple to give themselves a permanent home. As someone who has been to community theater productions in other areas, I fully appreciate everything CTG does. Going to one of their productions is like being at a professional performance. We've grown to love the annual production of The Wizard of Oz, and count on the group to constantly bring high-caliber drama to Greensboro. But have you noticed that you're always traveling to different venues to see them? The beautiful Masonic Temple might just be the answer CTG has been looking for. Check it out at the open house this Tuesday.
Of course, CTG isn't the only outlet for exposing our kids to theater. The Childrens Theatre of Winston-Salem always has a great line-up every year, and their next play will be Fish Face in February.
It's always great to encourage your little ones (and bigger kids) to pursue those creative dreams. As this drama teacher writes, being involved in theater enriches a child's experiences while reinforcing traditional academics.
Even if they're not one of the chosen in CTG's youth theater, there are plenty of other ways to find an acting outlet. Check out our online camp fair for some good ideas for drama camp this summer.
