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's just one more reason why the Triad is a great place to raise a family -- Greensboro just made KaBOOM's list of the 118 most playful cities in the U.S. The non-profit organization is dedicated to saving play areas for kids, which in turn will help curb childhood obesity and build stronger neighborhoods, among other things, and the list is made up of cities that continued to support parks and activities even during budget cuts. It's easy to see why Greensboro made the list. Almost 90 neighborhood parks make easy for kids to get out and play. Many of you are probably like I was once, living in a neighborhood where you can walk with your kids (and dog!) to the park, or even let your older kids ride their bikes and meet up with friends. For even bigger family outings there are 8 regional parks in Guilford County, which are 75-400 acres, and offer everything from wildlife classes to swimming pools.
While it might be Greensboro that made the list, I believe that no matter where you live in the Triad you're in a playful area. Forsyth County has 9 great parks available for residents, and even things like the Dash and the Grasshoppers provide families with great opportunities to get outside and have some fun.
Of course, the clouds out today might make a trip to the park pretty low on your list of things to do. But there are plenty of fun things to do inside as well. Just one more thing that makes us a playful area! Check out our calendar for ideas of what you can do with your kids today.
Today is the birthday of Theodor Geisel, better known by kids of all ages as Dr. Seuss. The many great works by this prolific writer have helped make learning to read fun and serve as inspiration for the NEA's Read Across America week, which also kicks off today. Michelle Obama will be reading to kids at the Library of Congress, which has launched a new site, www.read.gov, full of resources to help kids learn to love reading. There's also plenty to do right here at home! Head out to the Greensboro Children's Museum for a celebration today. If you can't make that one, the Children's Museum of Winston-Salem will be holding a Sensational Seuss event on Saturday. Check out the storytime at your local library, they're probably celebrating in some way at the readings this week (just call ahead to verify details).
You can also celebrate at home! Go with your kids to Seussville.com for some fun games and information about Dr. Seuss. Check out SeussArt.com to see how the man inspired an entire art movement. And make a special lunch or dinner in honor of Dr. Seuss. Whip up some green eggs and ham, it's pretty simple if you have some green food coloring on hand. Don't have ham? Last year, the kids and I ate green eggs and grits! Nothing like turning a famous breakfast Southern. You could also try out some Cat in the Hat pizzas. Just cut English muffins into the shape of a top hat, then cover with pizza sauce, and put mozerella cheese on in stripes.
And don't forget that the goal of all this celebrating is to make reading fun. You can continue the excitement this week and beyond with some of the tips in our online exclusive, "Improving your Child's Reading Skills," including getting them involved in some every-day reading events like going through the mail or surfing the web.
Haven't we had enough rain? They're calling for more this weekend, but it doesn't mean you can't still have a great time! Find some great bargains as the consignment sales continue this week, three big ones are Christ United Methodist Church and Mt. Pisgah Church in Greensboro, and Main St. Methodist in Kernersville.
Of course, all that shopping is sure to make you hungry. Thank goodness there's both outdoor and indoor dining at the Greek Festival in Greensboro. You can't beat this deal, with an admission price of $1 and kids under 12 free.
Believe it or not, this is just a sampling of what's going on around the area this weekend. Looking for a fall festival? In the mood to pick your own pumpkin? We've got the perfect resource in our newly updated Fall Festivals page, from the Maize Adventure to pick-your-own pumpkin patches. For more details on what's going on this weekend, check out our calendar.
Looking for something fun to do with the kids today? Celebrate National Ice Cream Month! Sure, July is almost over, but there's still some time left to enjoy the month's designation, and what better way to celebrate summer than with a cold scoop of your favorite flavor? You might even find some good deals.
Double Bugs, a mommy blog, is giving away free pints of Ben & Jerry's ice cream, visit her site for complete details. And Baskin Robbins is giving away ice cream cakes, just follow them on Twitter and answer their trivia question.
Don't forget Krispy Kreme! The doughnut shop has added ice cream to the menu, and will be celebrating this weekend with a Kool Kreme Social to benefit the Winston-Salem Children's Musuem.
It's time for fun, fireworks and family time! And we've got everything you need for a great weekend right here on our site. There are fireworks displays going on every night this weekend, find the one nearest you or pick one for every night on our Fourth of July page. Take the family to one of the area's outdoor festivals during the day and top it off with ribs on the grill at night. And don't forget to snap those pictures to share in our photo gallery when the weekend's over!
