Moms & Dads | Sun Sentinel Blogs

Paper or plastic? Paper, if you can find it

2012-02-08T14:40:00Z

Have you noticed a deficit of paper bags at your Publix store? My requests for paper bags in the checkout line over the past few months have resulted in employee sprints around the store to find the few that seem to remain. The clerks tell me that customers were taking stacks of them to use as garbage bags, so the management began keeping fewer on hand in the checkout lines. I wondered if my store was the only one affected, so I visited a few others in Boca Raton and there seemed to be the same problem. I asked Publix spokeswoman Kimberly Reynolds if there was a new Publix policy on paper bags. She said no. They do cost a little more than plastic, but the amount is negligible, she said. "We see offering paper bags (and plastic for that matter) as a service to our customers and are glad to provide a choice that many customers still prefer," she said. I try to bring a few green bags to the grocery store, but sometimes I forget and request paper, which do come in handy as garbage bags. I just hope my store makes them more easily available instead of making my request hold up the line. Photo: Angel Valentin/SunSentinel

The Prom: A tradition that needs to evolve

2012-02-01T12:00:00Z

So much has changed since we were growing up. So why hasn't the prom? The boy still has to ask the girl. She has to stress out until she gets asked and be depressed if she doesn't get asked. The girl still has to buy an expensive, long, tacky dress. She has to get her hair and make-up done. The couples have to pose in pictures (that they will regret 20 years from now) and attend before- and after-parties that require hours of planning, debate and negotiation. It's sort of comforting that these traditions have been maintained through all the dramatic changes we adults have lived through. But it's also sad. Why should a girl have to wait for a boy to ask her in this day and age? I know some kids go in groups, and I applaud them. There are some traditions that we should keep and some that need to evolve. Photo: PRNewsFoto/Your Prom

SeaWorld makes me sign away my teen's life

2012-01-24T15:45:00Z

Last night I had to sign a form saying I accept that my daughter may die during her upcoming youth group trip to SeaWorld. Here's what the form said: "There is a chance your child may be seriously injured or killed by participating in this activity because there are certain dangers inherent in the activity which cannot be avoided or eliminated. By signing this form you are giving up your child's right and your right to recover from the released parties in a lawsuit for any personal injury, including death, to your child or any property damage that results from the risks that are a natural part of the activity." The activity is a sleepover near the beluga whale tank. Are they expecting the whales to escape and attack? I have had to sign similar field-trip forms before, but this one seemed especially blunt. A 2008 Florida Supreme Court decision says parents can't waive liability on these trips, but still we must sign these forms if we want our kids to go. Fortunately judges seem to understand that a parent does not send her child to SeaWorld in the expectation that she may never see her again. Photo: Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel

Organic milk shortage: What milk should I buy now?

2012-01-17T19:05:00Z

Have you noticed the little signs in the organic milk section of Publix that apologize for the empty shelves? A national organic milk shortage has hit us here in Florida. According to the New York Times, organic milk farmers' costs are going up and they are decreasing the amount of milk they produce, thus creating not only empty shelves but higher prices. I had been alternating buying organic milk with Publix's brand milk since Publix stopped buying from suppliers who injected their cows with hormones in 2007. I figure Publix's milk is almost organic now. Now I guess I won't have that choice anymore, unless I want to pay exorbitant prices. Photo: AP/Pat Wellenbach

Yoga injuries: An unwelcome trend

2012-01-10T14:30:00Z

What a cliche: I hurt myself in yoga class. I visited a new class and the teacher had us doing up-dogs into down-dogs into up-dogs for several minutes, encouraging us to roll over our toes. I was able to do this for the first time, but I paid the price, with excruciating back pain that lasted about a week. Now I see that getting injured is more common than I realized. A new book by a New York Times reporter, William J. Broad, is summarized in this article with a great title: "How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body." So many people invite injury by doing the poses wrong, and teachers don't correct them. And since most of us are sitting at a desk all day, our bodies are not primed for the extreme angles of many of the poses, such as headstand and shoulderstand. In a class I took a few days ago, the teacher said she was becoming more aware of yoga injuries and urged us not to push ourselves. The problem, though, is that you often don't know you're hurt until the class is over. Photo: Karen Tapia-Anderson, LA Times

Jay-Z makes mad love song for baby Blue Ivy Carter

2012-01-09T20:20:20Z

Word on the web is that new papa Jay-Z wrote this little ditty for his daughter Blue Ivy Carter. He references a miscarriage Beyonce had and that their daughter was conceived in the City of Lights. It's a sweet rap but doesn't top Stevie Wonder's "Isn't She Lovely."

Two-week winter break is too long

2012-01-04T12:00:00Z

My three teenagers are loving this two-week-long winter break, which in Palm Beach County is actually two weeks and two days. They get to sleep late and hang out at home most of the day. I, however, like to see them busier and more productive. So I can't wait until this second week of break is over. Many school systems around the country end right before Christmas and come back right after New Year's Day. But in Palm Beach and Broward counties, the break lasts two full weeks, although Broward schools started again on Monday after the last day of Dec. 16. The long vacation is hard on working parents, who have to find child care, and for stay at home parents, who have to keep the kids busy during a time when friends are out of town and lots of places are closed. Kids also start to forget what they learned the longer the break is. I vote for a shorter vacation the next time our school boards design their calendars.

Police presence at mall makes me remember the Bochicchios

2011-12-13T14:00:00Z

It is really creepy to know that the killer of the Bochicchios is still out there somewhere. I thought for sure the police would apprehend him quickly after the mother and daughter were killed four years ago after Christmas shopping at Town Center Mall in Boca Raton. The killer had such a deranged modus operandi: He tied them up in handcuffs and put blacked-out goggles on at least one of them. A similar crime had occurred at the mall a few months before. I thought he would keep striking. But he has remained out of sight. I think of the Bochicchios whenever I see the heavy police presence at the mall. There are city police cars and mall security cars all over the premises. Emergency telephones were also installed in the parking garages after the deaths. But I wonder if this increased security will make any difference if the killer decides to strike again. Unfortunately he seems to know how to steer clear of the police. Photo: Courtesy Timmy McCurdy

Teacher tells fourth-graders there is no tooth fairy

2011-12-08T16:30:51Z

My fourth-grader daughter's teacher told the class that there is no tooth fairy. Lily told me on our drive to school this morning. I'm kind of glad. And I don't want to get the guy in trouble. He's a pretty no-nonsense teacher who tells them all kinds of interesting things about his life. She said, "Mom, Mr. (Name Withheld to Protect Him from Crazy Parents) said the tooth fairy is our moms and dads!'' I burst out laughing and asked for the context. She said a boy who gets in trouble all the time was messing with a loose tooth, and the teacher said, "What, are you waiting on the tooth fairy? Well it's just your mom and dad, so give up." I laughed some more, and she never did ask, and I never did tell. I'm thinking fourth-graders, ages nine and 10, are probably a bit old to still believe in fairies and yes, expensive notions like Santa Claus that require us to buy two sets of gifts. I don't even remember how old I was when I stopped believing. Do y'all?

Can yoga become a source of stress?

2011-12-07T15:05:00Z

My yoga class has become so crowded that I dread going. That's a good reason to stop going, right? And I have, for now. I'm hoping the multitudes will lose interest sometime soon. The room is large but more than 50 people have been squeezing in. You have to get there as soon as the previous class ends to find a place for your mat. If you don't, people will move their mats over so you can fit in, but only begrudgingly. It's a gentle class with several poses that move your legs and arms off the mat, so you end up bumping into your neighbor. The teacher encourages everyone to laugh about this, but no one wants to be touching or kicking their fellow yogis during our moments of peace. So I am saying goodbye to yin yoga for now and will find another class to keep me calm. I promise to return when it becomes less popular. Flickr/ManvillarPhotography

Radiation: Why I choose the patdown at airports

2011-11-30T15:40:00Z

This story today confirmed my decision to get patted down at airports rather than get irradiated by people who promise it won't harm me. European airports have banned body scanners because studies have linked them to cancer in small numbers of people. The TSA continues to defend the technology. Everyone knows radiation in the atmosphere hits us every day and there is little we can do about it. On top of that, we get dental X-rays, orthodontic scans, cell phone radiation and other potential waves that we can reject if we choose. Radiologists say it accumulates in our bodies over the course of a lifetime. When I flew for Thanksgiving, I asked for a patdown instead of going through the scanner at Fort Lauderdale's airport. The TSA guard assured me I wouldn't be seen naked; I told him I was more concerned about the radiation. He told me I get more in my cellphone, but called for the female attendant to pat me down. It was definitely intrusive but hopefully lessened my exposure to future cancers. Photo courtesy Transportation Security Administration

My visit to Aldi for no-frills food shopping

2011-11-30T12:00:00Z

Publix has spoiled me. Employees in each department say hello and ask if I need help. They lead me to the product I'm looking for. They search the store for paper bags if I don't want plastic. They pack up my bags and offer to take them to the car. So a visit to the new Aldi supermarket in Delray Beach, a no-frills chain opening several stores in South Florida, was quite jarring. But I actually liked it and plan to return. Aldi keeps prices low by having few employees, private-label brands and charging for things like carts and bags. As I entered the store, I couldn't figure out why the carts were chained together. I finally asked a customer, who explained you have to put a quarter into the cart, which releases the lock. You get the quarter back when you return the cart. This was weird, but I did it and went into the store. It was small, about half the size of a typical Publix and very quiet. I didn't recognize any of the brands on the shelves and headed for the grocery section. I found good-looking red and yellow peppers (two for $1.99, an excellent price), apples, carrots, tangerines, avocados, tomatoes and blueberries ($1.99 for a small container; Publix charged me $3 the day before). I got a kick out of the checkout line. The cashier put all my items back into my cart without bagging them for me. Now that's no-frills shopping! Aldi, with five stores in South Florida, only takes cash or debit cards; no coupons or credit cards. Returning my cart was a pain because I had parked far from the store, so I had to walk my groceries to the car and then walk the cart all the way back so I could get back my quarter. In a Publix lot, I would have had the luxury of leaving the cart for an employee to fetch. Photo: Flickr/rvacapinta

Showering at the beach: Do you let the kids do it?

2011-11-29T19:55:35Z

Ugh, this story is one of my worst nightmares. The other nightmare centers around a man in a rubber suit (but that's another story for another time.) A Coral Springs man is accused of videotaping young children, mostly naked 5-year-old girls, at the beach as they showered. When it's time to rinse off there is usually an elaborate dance of me rinsing off my 4-year-old daughter while keeping her clothes on, or her dad holding up a towel, or me stripping off her top and slipping on a dress before rinsing her bottom. How far do you go to shield your kid when rinsing off in public at the pool or beach? Here's the video of John Jefferson Field's appearance in bond court on Nov. 29, 2011:

The gift of communication

2011-11-28T22:39:41Z

By Jennifer Jhon When my son was an infant, he made the cutest baby sounds, most starting with “da.” One day, instead of crying in his crib, he wailed out a string of un-intelligible syllables, and I laughed. “He’s yelling at us,” I told my husband. “I can’t wait until he talks!” My friends and acquaintances would smile when I talked about wanting my son to speak. “He’ll start soon, and then you won’t be able to shut him up” they all said. That “soon” turned out to be further away than we expected. At first, we didn’t think much of it. He used a few words: mommy, daddy, car, plane. He could identify the pictures in his bedtime stories: cat, dog, one, two, etc. So we thought his not talking might be a boy thing. But after he turned 2, people started to comment. When I picked him up from Sunday school one day, my son said “mommy,” and a school worker who had been working with him for weeks said “Oh, he talks!” As my son’s 3rd birthday approached, everyone was getting concerned. His preschool noted his speech and behavior issues and sent us off for testing, a lengthy process that we still have not completed. But we made a vital discovery right away: My son had hearing loss due to a buildup of fluid in his ears. It was good news. It explained why my son ignored most commands, and the fluid buildup was something that could be corrected. Since we got tubes in his ears two months ago, my son’s progress has been dramatic. My husband and I have been thrown back into the “wow, look at my kid” phase that most parents experienced at age 1. My husband asked my son a few weeks ago where his shoes were, and my son said “I don’t know.” My husband and I looked at each other and beamed. “Did you hear that!?” We share those moments 2-3 times a week now, just amazed at what our son is able to communicate. He has even started singing in the house, which he rarely used to do. His teacher shared her own joyful moment about a month after the surgery. “He said my name today for the first time!” she told me. “He is doing so well!” She is right -- he really is a different kid. We’ve gone from tense reports of time-outs and office visits to glowing reports of excellent listening skills and helpful behavior. It is amazing what being able to hear clearly can do. Now that my son can share what he is thinking, we have discovered that he is wildly imaginative, compassionate and creative -- things we only guessed at before. Being able to know him on this level has been such a gift, one I think most parents take for granted. While I feel fortunate to know him so much better now, I’m also a little sad. I have missed communicating with my son for years now. I have a lot to make up for.

Poor, deprived South Florida kids can finally see snow

2011-11-17T18:17:43Z

Last Sunday, I asked a group of children at our church who among them has seen snow. All but two of them raised their hands. One of them was my own daughter, Lily. She's nine, and has yet to see one of the most amazing natural occurrences on the planet. Having grown up in Iowa, it does make me sad to think of a childhood without snowballs, snowmen, snowdrifts, snowtunnels, sleds, on and on and on. My three sisters and I would bundle up in full-body suits with gloves and scarves and boots and hats and spend hours outdoors in the snow. But we're raising our kids here in South Florida. And my 16-year-old son's first view of snow was at none other than the Broward Convention Center, and it was of course fake snow, a mountain of it. I've never forgotten it -- it meant something to him, and to me. I know I'm not alone. Some of you parents haven't taken your kids out of state at the right time to view snow. So if you're feeling lousy about it like I am, take them to Hollywood Friday night to see some "snow'' from a snow machine. My colleague Tonya Alanez reported this morning about the event. Read the details on the jum page. By Tonya Alanez, Sun Sentinel November 17, 2011 It hasn't snowed in South Florida since 1977, but flurries will be falling in Hollywood's Arts Park at Young Circle during the city's tree lighting Friday. Two snow machines will spew out the flakes with special-effect blue lighting adding to the winter wonderland ambience. A 30-foot tree will stand amid the tropical palms, Santa will appear aboard a fire engine and a Hanukkah menorah and Kwanzaa display will round out the festivities. The merriment begins at 7 p.m.