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.

By Jennifer Jhon, Teenlink editor

Reading Joy’s post about her daughter’s Princess Phase, I have to admit I am jealous.

When I found out I was having a girl, I immediately started planning all the mom-daughter things we could do: crafts, baking, spa day, shopping….

But I’m not sure my girly-girl dreams are going to come true.

Despite having piles of adorable pink clothing and a closet full of frilly dresses, my daughter has shown no interest in clothes, except to get out of them. She hates her dresses, which hamper her crawling ability. And she protests every pair of shoes, no matter how cute they are.

Her preferred toys are cars. She actually sat up the other day, held up a car, and made a “zoom” sound while racing it through the air in front of her.

I blame my son.

She adores her older brother, and despite his occasional attempts at cross-dressing and mommy-shoe-wearing, he’s as far from “girl” as a boy can get. And I’m grateful for that.

But I’m hoping her love of all-things-brother will fade enough to let a Princess obsession – or at least an appreciation for tutus and tiaras – creep in.

By Lisa Huriash

I cannot wait to add to my 4-month-old daughter’s book collection with tales about gefilte fish, Yetta the Yiddish chicken and Hanukkah lore.

I signed my infant up today for PJ Library Jewish Bedtime Stories and Songs for Families, a Jewish library program that sends free books to children’s homes each month.

Once she hits the 6-month mark and the mailings begin, we’ll be reading about Ari the engineer and Tamar’s sukkah during our routine of bath-book-bed.

Registration begins today at www.jewishbroward.org.
It’s for kiddies ages 6 months to 5 years.

This is actually a national book program started by a philanthropist who was inspired by Dolly Parton. Her Imagination Library free book program sends books to pre-school children.

In Broward, there are 1,380 spaces open and subscriptions are given first-come, first-served.

PJ Library is already in place in Miami-Dade County and northern Palm Beach County.

I forgot sometimes how dependent I am on things for my happiness. Take, for example, the lowly pacifier.

This is one of the simple joys of infanthood. But take away that joy at your own risk.
My weekend pacifier trials began early Friday morning, at 3 a.m., when my daughter awoke and started crying for her paci, which had somehow gotten lost in her crib sheet. Usually, she wakes, whimpers adorably, I pop her pacifier back in her mouth, and we both get to sleep another 2-3 hours.

I usually keep an extra paci on my nightstand for just this reason.

But this night, I forgot my backup, and I couldn’t find the paci in my desperate in-the-dark search of the crib. By now she was starting to wake up, and her cries were gaining volume quickly. So I picked her up in a tight, mama-bear grip and sprinted around the house, searching, searching for a fix.

Continue reading "The power of the pacifier" »

When my daughter turned 4 months old, Graco sent me this email to celebrate:

"Welcome to your 4th month of parenthood. Baby is here. You're spending all of your time caring for him and are radiant with the happiness that he's brought into your life. It seems you've got your priorities straight! But are you remembering to nurture yourself, too? By implementing a baby-friendly diet and exercise regimen, adjusting a few other routines and reducing stress in your daily life, you'll come to love your new mom-i-fied self even more."

How did my daughter celebrate her milestone? She fell asleep about 10:30 p.m. while my husband and I stayed up watched “24” re-runs until 1:30 a.m.

Baby was up again at 3:30 a.m., demanding to be fed. So I took her out to the living room, got us both situated in the glider, and started feeding her.

Continue reading "'Let's Panic About Babies'" »

A great way to keep your child interested in reading over the summer is to start a book club. It can be as simple or as elaborate as you choose. Parents should read the book selections first and outline some thoughtful questions that the kids can discuss. For younger readers questions should be simpler Who? What? Where? Problem/Solution.

Older readers can discuss what motivates a character, and their personal feelings and thoughts as a response to the book. Here are a few tips to get you started.

1. Plan who will host each meeting. Serve themed refreshments that “go with”the book.

2. Plan a field trip at the end of the book. If the characters love science go the local science museum. If you’re reading a dinosaur adventure plan a “fossil dig” at a local park.

3. If you’re reading Treasure Island plan a treasure hunt.

Get creative and your book club members will develop a love of reading and increase their reading levels over the summer!

Maggie Cary, a national board certified teacher has been an educator for more than 17 years. She is certified in secondary education and holds a master’s degree in early childhood education.

Over the years she has mentored countless teachers and advised hundreds of parents. Cary has taught children from preschool through high school. She also offers classroom advice on website Classroom Talk.

It’s that time of year when many of us are starting to plan our summer vacations. Families with children need to make special preparations to be sure everyone has a stress free fun filled time. Here are a few tips for a successful journey.

1. If your child has a favorite comfort toy (stuffed animal, blanket etc.) pack it. Even if it takes up precious room when packing the entire family will get a better night’s sleep if your little one feels more secure in a new environment.

2. Let your kids take their own mini suitcase or backpack with essentials (toys, games, books) that will occupy them when you have down time.

3. If you’re flying or traveling by train be considerate of other passengers. Most people aren’t able to bock out the sound of video games being played the way you are so bring headphones so your child can play quietly.

4. Expect your child to behave appropriately when using public transportation. When possible try to schedule flights during a baby or toddlers nap time. Your fellow passengers will silently thank you.

5. Check out public parks and playgrounds in the area you are traveling to before you go. Allow for plenty of down time for the kids where they can play and explore.

Maggie Cary, a national board certified teacher has been an educator for more than 17 years. She is certified in secondary education and holds a master’s degree in early childhood education.

Over the years she has mentored countless teachers and advised hundreds of parents. Cary has taught children from preschool through high school. She also offers classroom advice on website Classroom Talk.

A coworker came back from a trip to the coffee shop steaming mad. Here's Sarah's story:

I'm meeting my husband at Starbucks today for a quick coffee and while in line I smile and coo at a 5-month-old boy in line ahead of me who was with his father and brother, a toddler.

When I get to the concession stand I hear the baby start to make those familiar hunger sounds, that “eh eh eh” sound I know all too well because I have a 4-month-old and 2-year-old.

By the time I am mixing my fifth sugar packet into the coffee the baby is crying. I turn to see that the father is done mixing his own drink well and he is in business discussion with an associate. He’s holding his happy toddler but not even acknowledging the crying baby in the stroller.

I sit down with my husband and the cry escalates to a blood-curdling scream. As a mom I can’t stand to hear the cry. All I can think about is walking over and swooping the baby into my arms. My husband is even wincing, not because the scream is painful but because we know it could have been prevented if the dad was just paying attention.

A man sitting beside us hears what we're talking about it so he joins in. He tells us he is thinking of calling the police because he’s not sure what else will break the father’s attention from his conversation. He says this loudly, hoping the father will hear. He doesn’t.

My husband suggests I do something, so I walk over to offer help. I ask if the baby needs food. The dad takes me up on the offer by handing me his toddler and he starts to make a bottle for the baby. As he does this he continues his conversation with his associate and is distracted so much that even when he’s done making the bottle he doesn’t give it to the baby.

His associate steps in, picks up the bottle and says “are we going to do this?”

Continue reading "Who lets an infant cry?" »

In a recent conversation with fellow runners of the Disney Princess Half Marathon, (and after hearing the amazing Jeff Galloway talk about tips for running and avoiding injury), I foolishly admitted that I had escaped any truly serious injury over the course of the last few years, thousands of miles and 20+ marathons. In response from the running gods, of course I developed terrible pain in my foot that wouldn’t relent, regardless of days and even weeks of rest (i.e. no running!). Off to the doctor I went with what I was sure amounted to plantar fasciitis (I have had that) but turned out to be a broken bone in my foot! Luckily, the recuperation didn’t require a cast or boot, just flat shoes (easy to wear flip flops in Florida) and no running (not so easy).

Of course, as the doctor and I started talking about our careers, family and exercise, I thought of the many moms who want to start an exercise routine but don’t know where to start. Because my doctor was so friendly and approachable, I asked her if she’d answer a few questions to share with my readers. So here is the Q & A from Dr. Sarah Gibson, of Meli Orthopedics in Fort Lauderdale.

Continue reading "Getting ready for exercise" »

As I walk through the cafeteria each day at school I am often amazed by the home made lunches I see. A lot of parents obviously feel that a lunch made at home is better than one purchased at school, but sadly this is often not the case. Busy schedules and an unawareness of proper nutrition can result in children eating highly processed lunches, filled with tons of additives, salt and sugar.

If you send your child to school with candy, dessert and a healthy sandwich, guess which gets eaten first? It’s usually the candy, then the dessert and by the time they’ve added a bag of chips, they are no longer hungry for the sandwich. Sugar filled fruit drinks that come in pouches top off the meal. Many of the children are on such a sugar high that they have a hard time concentrating after lunch. Quite often the children that ate the school lunch (although they’re not perfect either) have an easier time focusing on afternoon academics.

So tomorrow, when you pack that lunchbox, please think carefully about what you put in it. Skip the processed and sugary foods. Instead add fruits, vegetables and other healthy foods. Buy or fill a thermos with a nutritious drink or send money that is to be used only to purchase milk. By making only healthy choices available, you’re supplying your child with the healthy building blocks to get through him or her through the school day.

Maggie Cary, a national board certified teacher has been an educator for more than 17 years. She is certified in secondary education and holds a master’s degree in early childhood education.

Over the years she has mentored countless teachers and advised hundreds of parents. Cary has taught children from preschool through high school. She also offers classroom advice on website Classroom Talk.

Recently, Florida State Representative Kelli Stargel proposed a bill which calls for teachers to assess and grade Pre-K through 3rd grade parents. Trust me, most parents know without my telling them what their grades are. The parents that I do speak to are never pleased, and instead of improving, usually blame me or the school for their child’s shortcomings. Schools already are asked to be social service providers. Teachers are asked to be nurses, secretaries, counselors, mentors and role models. While performing these and countless other quasi-parental duties, we are also required to supply a top notch education for each and every child … well, an education which at least teaches students how to do well on standardized tests.

Continue reading "I’m the proud child of an honor role parent" »

Guest Writer
Micah Robbins

Danny Flaherty and Britne Oldford on MTV's "Skins"

Continue reading "Parents should support MTV's Skins" »

Try to read books with your child every day, even if it is only for a short time. Books can become a source of comfort and are a great way to wind down, share cuddle time and make the transition to bedtime or a nap. But don’t just rely on books; employ reading moments throughout the day. Here are five ways to increase and enhance your toddler’s reading experiences:

1. Point to the Picture. To help develop vocabulary, ask your child to point to a picture in a book or wherever you might find pictures, which he can identify with a word. “Can you point at the cow?” “Show me the dog.”

2. Discuss what’s happening in pictures. What or who are the items or characters? Where does the story take place? What do you think is happening?

3. If your child wants to hear the same story or book over and over (and over and over), make the best of it. Discuss details, ask lots of questions, delve deeper into the details, motives and meaning.

4. By the age of three, many children can begin learning letters and sounds. Begin with the letters in your child’s name and look for them in books, on signs, in advertisements, on products, etc.

5. Start reading environmental print together when you’re out walking or even driving. You’d be surprised how quickly children can read favorite restaurant, grocery store and department store signs.

Maggie Cary, a national board certified teacher has been an educator for more than 17 years. She is certified in secondary education and holds a master’s degree in early childhood education.

Over the years she has mentored countless teachers and advised hundreds of parents. Cary has taught children from preschool through high school. She also offers classroom advice on website Classroom Talk.

By Maggie Cary

1. Ask about how your child is doing at pick-up in front of other parents, instead of scheduling a conference.

2. Send your child to school without a jacket when it’s below 60 degrees.

3. Assume that just because you can skip breakfast once in a while, it’s ok for your child to do the same.

4. Think that a donut or any other sugary breakfast is a good way to start the school day.

5. Encourage your child to keep a cell phone on in their backpack in case you need to reach them.

6. Be late for pickup.

7. Forget to check your child’s homework, backpack or folder.

8. Force the teacher to send you several reminders before you remember to send back in permission slips or other important papers.

9. Make excuses for your child’s inappropriate behavior.

10. Let your child stay up as late as he wants.

Maggie Cary, a national board certified teacher has been an educator for more than 17 years. She is certified in secondary education and holds a master’s degree in early childhood education.

Over the years she has mentored countless teachers and advised hundreds of parents. Cary has taught children from preschool through high school. She also offers classroom advice on website Classroom Talk.

Many of us have memories of childhood bullies that made our lives, or the lives of someone we knew, miserable. As many of you have learned from the news, bullying is more prevalent now than ever. Bullying is not a single or occasional incident, but is defined as a series of incidents in which one child picks on another child. Some signs that your child may be a victim of bullying include;

1. Perpetual upset stomach
2. A sudden desire to stay home from school
3. Asking for a ride to school if he or she usually walks or takes a bus
4. Noticeable loss of self-confidence
5. Onset of moodiness or depression
6. Skipping class
7. Missing lunch money or other personal items
8. Bruises, aches and pains that he or she doesn’t want to discuss

Continue reading "Is your child being bullied?" »

1. Bring a written list of questions that you may have about classroom procedures, homework, grading, etc.

2. Stay on topic. The conference is set up so you can discuss your child’s progress with the teacher. You shouldn’t get into a discussion about your child’s siblings academics, or your personal life unless it affects your child’s ability to perform at school.

3. Find out what you can do to help your child at home to be successful at school.

4. Be open-minded. We all want our children to succeed and sometimes it’s hard to hear that they are behind or disruptive in class.

5. It’s OK to ask how your child is performing in relation to the rest of the class. “Which reading group is my son in?” “How is my daughter doing in math compared to the other students in the class?” “Is she average, below or above in social skills?” These are all appropriate questions to ask.

6. Find out what excites your child about learning. Is she a math wiz or perhaps a future author, artist or scientist? Ask the teacher in order to get a better insight into your child’s strengths and interests.

7. If your child has behavior issues, offer to follow up at home. Ask for behavior notes and let your child know that misbehavior at school will have consequences at home.

8. Remember that a teacher’s time is as valuable as your own. He or she probably has more than twenty conferences. An efficient conference should last 15-20 minutes tops.

9. If a teacher gives you advice or tips on how to work with your child in a subject area, follow that advice. She has the professional insight to know what kind of a learner your child is and how to best teach to his individual needs.

10. If you’re able to, offer your time to help out in class or do some prep work at home.

Maggie Cary, a national board certified teacher has been an educator for more than 17 years. She is certified in secondary education and holds a master’s degree in early childhood education.

Over the years she has mentored countless teachers and advised hundreds of parents. Cary has taught children from preschool through high school. She also offers classroom advice on website Classroom Talk.

Parents of high school students can save thousands of dollars in college costs if their child takes AP (advanced placement) courses in high school. If your child has the ability to take an AP class and pass the national subject area AP exam, they should go for it. Besides the fact that colleges like to admit students that have taken challenging high school course work, many colleges offer earned credits and even advanced standing to students entering with several AP classes. For many families this can add up to huge savings.

Say that your child attends a private college that accepts AP credits. Room, board and tuition at such a school can cost over $50,000 a year. If that college accepts AP credits, they may offer your student advanced standing as they treat those credits as if they were earned in college. Consequently, your child could enter his first year of college as a sophomore. Even if your child doesn’t have quite enough AP credits for an entire year’s advancement, he can take an extra course or two (for free as usually no extra charge is imposed for extra classes in a semester) over his attendance to make up the missing credits. The result is that he’ll only need three years of college to graduate. Even if he doesn’t have enough AP credits for an entire year, he might graduate in three and a half years and cut out the cost of one semester ($25,000).

If your student still wants the four year college experience after his third year, he could take Master’s Degree level courses. If he wants to continue in the undergraduate world, he’ll have the time to double his major or minor, making himself more marketable to future employers. In almost any scenario, not only will your child be better educated, but you or he will reap financial rewards from his hard work and the minimal costs of AP exams.

Maggie Cary, a national board certified teacher has been an educator for more than 17 years. She is certified in secondary education and holds a master’s degree in early childhood education.

Over the years she has mentored countless teachers and advised hundreds of parents. Cary has taught children from preschool through high school. She also offers classroom advice on website Classroom Talk.

I recently was talking to a group of young adults about what they might advise students beginning high school. Here are some of their tips for making high school a positive experience.

1. Be nice. Really, be friendly with everybody. You’d be amazed how the people from your past have a way of turning up after graduation. One recent college grad I spoke with mentioned that when she couldn’t get a job in her field, she applied for a job waitressing at a popular restaurant. Wasn’t she surprised when the interviewing manager turned out to be a guy she had teased (not in a good way) through high school. Needless to say she didn’t get the job.

2. Freshman year counts. When colleges look at your GPA, they look at all four years of high school. So even if you improve your grades by senior year, if you get off to a rocky start, that first year will lower your overall GPA. Most colleges have a range of scores they accept and you could end up missing the mark to get into your favorite school.

3. If you’re having problems in a class talk to the teacher early on. Most teachers will give you extra help if you need it. They can also arrange a peer study partner or give you extra time to make up missed work. Even though colleges want to see that you have expanded yourself by taking more difficult classes, sometimes it’s better to do well in a lower level course than to get a C in a class you’re struggling through.

4. Make the effort to join clubs, play sports, and be involved in extracurricular activities. Not only will you have more fun, broaden your horizons and meet new people, colleges are going to look at how you spent your free time in high school.

Maggie Cary, a national board certified teacher has been an educator for more than 17 years. She is certified in secondary education and holds a master’s degree in early childhood education.

Over the years she has mentored countless teachers and advised hundreds of parents. Cary has taught children from preschool through high school. She also offers classroom advice on website Classroom Talk.

Letter reversals are surprisingly common through age 7. After that age, this could be an indication of a learning disability such as dyslexia. Letters that are similar such as b, d, p, and q are some of the most common errors. However in more extreme cases, mirror writing (writing backward from right to left) is also a problem for young writers. Here are a few hints to help your child conquer those difficult letters at home.

1. Alternate different implements to write with including pencils, pens, markers, sandpaper letters, and tracing with a wet paint brush over a chalkboard.

2. Use shaving cream, pudding and sand to finger-paint the letters for practice.

3. Use pre-printed work sheets with directional arrows when tracing over a letter or an alphabet strip as a visual reference.

4. Make up phrases to remember direction such as, “letter b is a bat (the stick) and ball (the circle),” or “b begins bed, d ends the word bed.” You can find or make up little stories about the problem letters as a memory technique.

Practice makes perfect. There are many handwriting booklets and worksheets (such as those mentioned in paragraph 3 above) for sale in your local bookstore, or even for free online.

Maggie Cary, a national board certified teacher has been an educator for more than 17 years. She is certified in secondary education and holds a master’s degree in early childhood education.

Over the years she has mentored countless teachers and advised hundreds of parents. Cary has taught children from preschool through high school. She also offers classroom advice on website Classroom Talk.

Victoria is a lovely young lady, who may appear shy at first but once she warms up to you, she is quite talkative. This active fifteen year old loves sports and enjoys playing football. This self described tomboy would like a family who also enjoys sports and will encourage and support her athletic pursuits. Victoria will greatly benefit from a family that can provide love, structure, patience and guidance. With the right balance of therapeutic support and a caring and committed parent, Victoria will overcome any challenges she may face.

For more information about Victoria or to view other children available for adoption, visit www.BrowardAdopt.com.

For more information about adopting contact ChildNet at (954) 414-6001.

The Heart Gallery of Broward County’s exhibit is at the Westfield Broward Mall for September and October. Visit www.heartgalleryofbroward.org for more information about the Heart Gallery.

ChildNet is the private, not for profit organization created to manage the child welfare system in Broward County. Our mission is to protect Broward County’s abused, abandoned and neglected children. ChildNet directly provides case management, independent living and adoption services. We also ensure the delivery of a comprehensive local system of care by subcontracting with more than 30 social service agencies to provide a full array of child welfare services. For more information about fostering, adopting or helping abused children contact ChildNet at (954) 414-6000 or visit www.childnet.us.

When my first grade class first comes into my room in the morning, a mob of quivering little people surround me in breathless anticipation, jostling for position in order to be the first to relay a nonstop staccato rendition of all the details of their lives, and all the news about everyone else that they know, all of which occurred since they left school the day before. However, when I ask the same students to write a story more often than not they respond, “I dunno what to write about.” My fellow teachers and I will work on this over the school year, but we can always use help from home. How can you help?

The simple answer is to have them write and practice at home. Children as young as kindergarten are expected to write in school, so its never too early to start. In another post on my website I’ve written about how to facilitate writing at home for the very young, and gave tips on techniques, materials and tools to utilize. You should reference that article if you haven’t read it, and these more “advanced” tips.

1. Just as the “oral reports” they barrage me with are a retelling of what they know, most primary children can best write about true life experiences. So have them write about what they know.

2. Talk about subjects on the way to school or during dinner to bring out possible story ideas that they can share through writing.

3. Remind them that books have a beginning, middle and end, and so do good stories.

4. To make a story flow, help them learn and/or utilize some basic transition words (first, next, last, then, etc.) as they write.

5. Encourage them to use simple describing words to make their story richer.

6. They should be encouraged to write their feelings and emotions about the subject.

7. Get a children’s dictionary and help them use it so that stories can be read more easily by others.

8. They should reread what they have written to see if it makes sense.

9. Keep a writer’s notebook to carry back and forth to school with story ideas in it.

10. Be patient and give praise and encouragement, not criticism. Raise them to believe that they are a writer with stories worth telling, and that is what they will become.

Maggie Cary, a national board certified teacher has been an educator for more than 17 years. She is certified in secondary education and holds a master’s degree in early childhood education.

Over the years she has mentored countless teachers and advised hundreds of parents. Cary has taught children from preschool through high school. She also offers classroom advice on website Classroom Talk.

All too often teachers hear excuses from children for all the reasons that their homework isn’t done. Ideally homework is assigned to practice new skills that have been learned during the school day. Homework should be given for an age appropriate amount of time and shouldn’t be considered as “busy work.”

Here are a few tips that parents might want to adopt in order to improve their child’s homework experience:

1. Have a designated time each school day when homework is done. Some children need a break right after school and some do better getting it over with and having the rest of the evening free.

2. Give your child a quiet study area with supplies they might need. Include a ruler, calculator, markers, pencils, scissors, glue, etc.

3. Make sure your child has a planner at school to copy assignments in. Encourage neatness in handwriting so that you are able to read and understand what is being assigned.

4. Use a calendar to record and track assignments that are long term. Practice budgeting time to get large assignments done on time.

5. Teach your child from an early age that they are accountable for homework not you. Support your child’s teacher in expecting homework to be done.

Maggie Cary, a national board certified teacher has been an educator for more than 17 years. She is certified in secondary education and holds a master’s degree in early childhood education.

Over the years she has mentored countless teachers and advised hundreds of parents. Cary has taught children from preschool through high school. She also offers classroom advice on website Classroom Talk.

As one of the baby boomer generation, Russia is not a place I thought I'd ever actually visit. In fact, my first attempt to visit the then-USSR was unsuccessful in 1982 because of visa requirements. However, when my teenagers suggested St. Petersburg, Russia as our vacation destination, I decided to give it another try. This time I was more successful and as I sit on the plane back to the United States, my family can now say we've been to Russia. Although political times have changed since 1982, traveling to Russia remains somewhat of a challenge both in entering and touring the country. In order to help other families who perhaps will be convinced by their children to visit the home of the Kremlin, I've put together some tips to help you navigate the country.

1. File for your Russian Visa early. The paperwork will take you a full day to fill out, particularly if you are going with your family. The Russian Embassy requires you to use one of a few Visa services that require you to file all papers online. I used Travisa and they were very efficient and helpful. It isn't cheap to obtain visas so you should plan for this expense as well. All visas require Letters of Invitation that you can get from the major hotels in Russia or approved travel agencies.

2. Plan to go through passport control one at a time. This was a shocker to me as a mother and something that made me extremely uncomfortable. Passport agents in Russia require one person at a time enter the line for entry into the country. This means children as well. If you are traveling with another adult, my suggestion is for one adult to go through first, then send the children through. The second adult should be the last in the line, so no child is alone on either side as was the case with us. My 11-year-old daughter entered first and it made me nervous to have one of my children alone on the other side of Passport entry.

3. Take a copy of your passport with you, including a copy of the page with your visa. Keep it on your person at all times. There are passport police who will stop you just to check and sometimes demand extra money from you. Never go out in Russia without your passport and visa or a copy of it.

4. Don't expect to find people who speak English or people who want to attempt to communicate in anything other than Russian. It may come off rude, even mean, but Russians expect you to speak Russian.

5. If your children are picky eaters, you may be eating a lot of McDonald's or Italian. Typical meals include fish or game meats like bear, deer and elk. However, if you are a sushi lover, you are in luck. Russians LOVE sushi. It's everywhere. Although most hotels will allow you to include breakfast in the price of the room, I recommend opting out of this expense. Chances are you won't wake up the first few days in time to eat breakfast because of the time change. I often opt for visiting a grocery store and buying a few loaves of bread, lunchmeats and cheeses and keeping it cool in the hotel mini bar. For your sweet tooth, ice cream is available everywhere.

6. I always advise international travelers to exchange money before the trip…not so for Russia. You can only get Rubles once you land in Russia and ATM machines are few and far between. Take US Dollars to convert rather than depending on ATMS. Most tourist sites will take Visa and MasterCard, but only a few take cash.

7. If you plan on visiting the Kremlin, it is closed on Thursdays so you might want to plan your trip accordingly. You can go see Lenin in his tomb right in the middle of the Red Square, but you can't carry your cell phone or back pack inside. There is a bag check at the corner of the National Museum, which is right at the start of the line into the tomb but it is long. Most families have one member hold bags and tag team going through the tomb with the kids. No photos are allowed and guards make sure you don't break that law.

8. Russians overdress and shorts aren't allowed in most Orthodox churches. So pack a skirt or dress, however make sure the latter has sleeves.

9. Take your bathing suit even if it's winter. Kids love to swim and most Russian hotels have some sort of pool indoors for the enjoyment of guests. A dip in the pool was a great way for my kids to relax and cool down in the afternoon.

10. For a great adventure, take the historical red train from Moscow overnight to St. Petersburg but make sure you reserve a first class cabin for your family. It's fun for kids to experience sleeping on a train.

Maria Bailey, CEO of BSM Media, speaks to over 8 million moms a month in print,online and on radio. She is the author of “Marketing to Moms: Getting Your Share of the Trillion Dollar Market”, “Trillion Dollar Moms: Marketing to a New Generation of Mothers” and “Mom 3.0: Marketing with Today’s Mothers By Leveraging New Media and Technology”. Bailey also writes for several parenting publications such as OC Parent and Pregnancy Magazine. She has been featured in Business Week, Parenting, Child and O magazines as well on CNN, CNBC and World News Tonight. You can hear more from Maria at BlueSuitMom.com and MomTalkRadio.com.

These handsome young men are waiting to be adopted by a loving family that has room for three. On first impression, Pasqual, age 17, may appear to be shy but he loves to socialize with his peers. He enjoys playing video games, watching TV and spending time with his siblings. Ten-year-old Trevis is the youngest of the boys. He is very attentive and loves to share. Like other boys his age, playing video games is one of his favorite past time. He also enjoys watching movies. Shawn, age 15, is the active boy of the bunch. He’s played on the flag football and basketball team for his city. He has boundless energy and loves hanging out with his friends. A loving, outgoing and understanding family who would nurture their special brotherly bond would be ideal for Pasqual, Trevis and Shawn.

For more information about Pasqual, Trevis and Shawn or to view other children available for adoption visit www.browardadopt.com. For more information about adopting contact ChildNet at (954) 414-6001.

Check out more photos and bios of local children available for adoption by visiting The Heart Gallery of Broward County's exhibit at The Northwest Regional Library in Coral Springs. www.heartgalleryofbroward.org

ChildNet is the private, not for profit organization created to manage the child welfare system in Broward County. Our mission is to protect Broward County’s abused, abandoned and neglected children. ChildNet directly provides case management, independent living and adoption services. We also ensure the delivery of a comprehensive local system of care by subcontracting with more than 30 social service agencies to provide a full array of child welfare services. For more information about fostering, adopting or helping abused children contact ChildNet at (954) 414-6000 or visit www.childnet.us.

From guest blogger Maria Bailey:

As a working mom with four busy children and a hectic business travel schedule during most of the year, I make a point to carve out an extended summer vacation with the family. As the children have grown older, they have had more of a say in the destination, to the point that this year’s vacation choice was made entirely by the children - with our final ok, of course! Because they made the choice, I let them organize the trip. Planning a trip incorporates skills not just geography, but life skills like finance, organization, time management and more.

I’ve always been a big believer that knowing how to navigate TSA and exchanging currency are as important as knowing Einstein’s theory of relativity. Over the years, I’ve learned a few secrets that make a trip, across the state or overseas, a teaching tool for children.

1. Tour guide for a day: I appoint each child the role of tour guide for the day. In this role, the selected child has the option to select whatever site, landmark or attraction they want to visit. However, they must research their options and educate the rest of the family. Our child tour guide is also required to point out to the rest of the family at least five fun facts about our destination. These can be names of special sites, historical events or even famous residents. As the kids have grown, they choose to surprise the rest of the clan once we arrive at our destination.

2. Transportation Navigator: Once again, this is a daily assignment for one of my children. Our selected Transportation Navigator is responsible for directing the family through train stations, subways or airports. This enhances their skills in reading maps, finding departure gates, using fare machines and time management so we don’t miss the bus, train or plane!

3. Family Banker: This child is responsible for all things money such as converting Euros to dollars or determining the appropriate tip for cabbies or lunch. It’s a good way to get children familiar with currency issues and it also reinforces math skills.

Of course, not all learning is independent learning while we travel. As a group, we review hotel etiquette and safety, carry-on packing strategies and emergency food assembly. There’s nothing like being prepared and sometimes this can be the best lesson of all when traveling for business or pleasure.

Be sure to check back for the follow up to this blog when I report back on our trip to a country far, far away!

Maria Bailey, CEO of BSM Media, speaks to over 8 million moms a month in print,online and on radio. She is the author of “Marketing to Moms: Getting Your Share of the Trillion Dollar Market”, “Trillion Dollar Moms: Marketing to a New Generation of Mothers” and “Mom 3.0: Marketing with Today’s Mothers By Leveraging New Media and Technology”. Bailey also writes for several parenting publications such as OC Parent and Pregnancy Magazine. She has been featured in Business Week, Parenting, Child and O magazines as well on CNN, CNBC and World News Tonight. You can hear more from Maria at BlueSuitMom.com and MomTalkRadio.com.

You can take advantage of the extra time you’ll have with your child this summer by incorporating reading games into your everyday activities. These times when you can help your child practice reading and writing are Golden Opportunities. Here are 10 ways to make sure you don’t miss out.

1. When waiting for a meal in a restaurant, ask your child to read items on the menu.

2. When waiting at the ice cream shop, have your child try to read all the ice cream flavors. To mix things up you could ask them to read to themselves and then tell you all the flavors that include chocolate or a type of fruit.

3. On a car trip, a great way to pass the time is to read bumper stickers and the sides of panel trucks. See who can be the first one to spot a specific word or letter.

4. If you go to a theme park or zoo this summer, let your child be your “tour guide.” Depending on age and reading level, your child can read signs or the full descriptions from books and brochures.

5. Let your child write a list of things to take on vacation. They can then check off the items on their list as they pack.

6. Similarly, your child can make a summer activity to-do list. Let them post it on the refrigerator and make tally marks of the number of times they did particular things at the end of the day.

7. Summer is the perfect time to make cool collections of things you find outdoors—bugs, rocks, flowers, etc.—and make custom labels. Older kids can look up the objects in their collection in library books, while younger kids can fill out their labels with simple descriptions.

8. As a family, send post cards to friends and relatives even if you don’t leave town.

9. A new notebook can serve a number of purposes for your child: a diary or travel journal, a field notebook or collection of short stories.

10. Start a scrapbook with pictures and captions of summer fun.

Maggie Cary, a national board certified teacher has been an educator for more than 17 years. She is certified in secondary education and holds a master’s degree in early childhood education.

Over the years she has mentored countless teachers and advised hundreds of parents. Cary has taught children from preschool through high school. She also offers classroom advice on website Classroom Talk.

Keerin is a delightful ten year old girl who enjoys being outdoors. She is an active youth who enjoys most outdoor games and also drawing and coloring. With her bubbly personality, Keerin can make friends almost instantly. Her favorite food is McDonald’s French fries. This loving child is in need of a home that will provide structure and gentle guidance. Currently, Keerin is receiving special education services. She would benefit greatly from a family that will provide her with the encouragement and support she need to excel academically.

For more information about Keerin or other children available for adoption, contact ChildNet at (954) 414-6001 or visit www.childnet.us.

Check out more photos and bios of local children available for adoption by visiting The Heart Gallery of Broward County's exhibit at The Northwest Regional Library in Coral Springs. www.heartgalleryofbroward.org

ChildNet is the private, not for profit organization created to manage the child welfare system in Broward County. Our mission is to protect Broward County’s abused, abandoned and neglected children. ChildNet directly provides case management, independent living and adoption services. We also ensure the delivery of a comprehensive local system of care by subcontracting with more than 30 social service agencies to provide a full array of child welfare services. For more information about fostering, adopting or helping abused children contact ChildNet at (954) 414-6000 or visit www.childnet.us.

It’s hard to believe that this school year is over, and summer is finally here! For millions of kids across the country, and for the four in my house, summer means camps of all kinds: day camps for sports and arts, a session of summer school and a sleep away camp for my youngest daughter. I’m almost as excited as my daughter for all of the experiences in store for her, from souvenirs and photos to new friends and great memories. As a mom, I also want to make sure she stays safe and healthy. So I’m packing a few things that she can use to bring back only good things from camp!

- The first items in her bag will be from Zippity Doo’s, a children’s hair care line that prevents head lice. With all of the close quarters in cabins, tents and even at activities, Zippity Doo’s is the perfect preventative solution for head lice. Made from natural ingredients, Zippity Doo’s shampoo, conditioner, detangler and shield spray are going in the suitcase. Find Zippity Doo’s at ZippityDoos.com, CVS.com and soon at Target.com.

- Proper clothing and shoes – depending on the type of camp, pack the appropriate clothing, swimwear and footwear. Don’t forget the hoodie-type sweatshirt for cooler nights and foul weather gear (a lightweight poncho works well as it’s lightweight and easy to pack).

- A medicine/first aid kit with items like band-aids and Benadryl, as well as a supply of BioGaia probiotic chewable tablets. These tablets will help in case my daughter’s dinner consists of popcorn and s’mores!

- We always pack something fun that can be traded or given to new friends at camp. This year, the hottest trend is Silly Bandz, the colorful, shaped bands that are also bracelets. We have a few packages already in the pile of items to pack, and we even found an online source for tee shirts with the Silly Bandz shapes! At LikeWear.com, we were able to order two shirts (one for daughter, one for best friend) for under $20!

Summer camp is always a great memory maker for kids, and I’m excited for my daughter’s trip to North Carolina. I know she will have a great time, and with proper planning and packing, I won’t worry so much when she is three states away!

Maria Bailey, CEO of BSM Media, speaks to over 8 million moms a month in print,online and on radio. She is the author of “Marketing to Moms: Getting Your Share of the Trillion Dollar Market”, “Trillion Dollar Moms: Marketing to a New Generation of Mothers” and “Mom 3.0: Marketing with Today’s Mothers By Leveraging New Media and Technology”. Bailey also writes for several parenting publications such as OC Parent and Pregnancy Magazine. She has been featured in Business Week, Parenting, Child and O magazines as well on CNN, CNBC and World News Tonight. You can hear more from Maria at BlueSuitMom.com and MomTalkRadio.com.

School is out and summer vacation can be a time when skills slip a little. If you focus on activities that are fun and fit a more relaxed schedule, you can keep your blossoming readers reading without burn out.

Two of the most important things that you can do to keep reading skills sharp during the summer are read to your child and have your child read aloud to you or other family members. Make sure you choose age appropriate books—picture books for younger children and chapter books for older children—to keep reading fun instead of turning it into a chore.

- If your child has been involved in a reading program such as Book Adventure (www.bookadventure.org) through school, encourage your child to continue with the program during the summer. If not, your child can sign up for such a program, with your help, on the internet.

- Most local libraries have summer reading programs with incentives to keep children focused during vacation. You can build off of these sorts of programs by offering your own incentives. A trip to the ice cream store, a movie, or a pizza night are rewarding to young readers while also being a great way to spend family time together in the summer. Another reward system could involve a trip to the bookstore to pick out a new book when your child has completed their current read.

- If you’re looking for a way to keep kids entertained on a rainy afternoon, there are many a-b-c activities, word games and math activities available online. Check out sites like www.nickjr.com, www.pbskids.com and www.starfall.com with your child to get started.

- Parent /child summer book clubs are becoming very popular, and if you can’t find an existing one in your area, it’s very easy to start your own. Round up a group of your child’s friends and their parents, decide on an age-appropriate book that will still hold adult attention and get started! Each week, the group can meet at a different family’s house (or a family-friendly location like a library reading room or community center), discuss the parts of the book they’ve read so far, and agree on how far to read for next week. Adults bring open ended questions that children might not have considered, while children can provide adults with a fresh view on group’s book of choice.

Maggie Cary, a national board certified teacher has been an educator for more than 17 years. She is certified in secondary education and holds a master’s degree in early childhood education.

Over the years she has mentored countless teachers and advised hundreds of parents. Cary has taught children from preschool through high school. She also offers classroom advice on website Classroom Talk.

Just as school wraps up and summertime schedules kick in, there are several great opportunities, contests and sweepstakes for Moms to take advantage of over the next few weeks. From the Hampton Inn Chain of Friends Sweepstakes to French Toast “U in Uniform” and Solo Cups, there are lots of great ways to win cash and prizes! Watch my video here, and see below for links to contest pages.

French Toast “U in Uniform” contest is awarding $15,000 to a student and school for a winning entry. Go to http://www.uinuniform.com/

Hampton Inn Chain of Friends Sweepstakes gives you a chance to win 100 hotel rooms, plus hotel stays – Hampton.com/friends. Also, follow along during the “Where in the World is Maria Bailey?” contest. Every Thursday from 5 – 7 p.m., I’ll post a video on MomTV, then tweet out clues about my Hampton location. Follow me on Twitter @momtalkradio.

Solo Cups, those famous red cups, is holding their annual photo contest at http://www.solocups4ever.com.

Good luck, spread the word, and I’d love to see one of you win!

Maria Bailey, CEO of BSM Media, speaks to over 8 million moms a month in print,online and on radio. She is the author of “Marketing to Moms: Getting Your Share of the Trillion Dollar Market”, “Trillion Dollar Moms: Marketing to a New Generation of Mothers” and “Mom 3.0: Marketing with Today’s Mothers By Leveraging New Media and Technology”. Bailey also writes for several parenting publications such as OC Parent and Pregnancy Magazine. She has been featured in Business Week, Parenting, Child and O magazines as well on CNN, CNBC and World News Tonight. You can hear more from Maria at BlueSuitMom.com and MomTalkRadio.com.

1. For proper hand placement, put a piece of masking tape around the lower portion of the pencil where the child should grip it. If needed, put dots with a permanent marker on the tape to show where each finger should go. Of course when the pencil is sharpened, you’ll have to move or replace the tape.

2. Teach formation of the lowercase letters first. Most of what we write is lowercase so it's easier to teach the rules of capitalization later, beginning with your child’s name.

3. Demonstrate how to slowly stretch out the sounds in words and help record the sounds on paper. For example, the word "cat" would be stretched out to "ccc-aaa-ttt." Clap the sounds individually for further emphasis.

Maggie Cary, a national board certified teacher has been an educator for more than 17 years. She is certified in secondary education and holds a master’s degree in early childhood education.

Over the years she has mentored countless teachers and advised hundreds of parents. Cary has taught children from preschool through high school. She also offers classroom advice on website Classroom Talk.

Thank you to the millions of moms across the country and many here in South Florida who helped make National Mom’s Nite Out a great success! In its second year, this event on May 6th allowed Moms to celebrate at hundreds of organized events, as well as online through MomTV and at a three-hour long Twitter party. So many worked together to plan a night out for other moms at restaurants, hotels and homes.

Locally, Debbie Palmer and friends organized a terrific event at My America’s Backyard in downtown Fort Lauderdale. Dozens of local moms showed up for a well-deserved break to enjoy food, entertainment and terrific prizes. Simon Malls also hosted events at Coral Square and Dadeland Malls.

Corporate sponsors supported National Mom’s Nite Out with products and services, such as My Little Pony and Dove Chocolate, while others like Lands’ End, Children’s Orchard and Wyndham Worldwide hotels offered the place for moms to meet and relax. Even Pizza Hut filled a special need by offering 100 families a free dinner while mom took the night off and closed the kitchen!

I hope all the moms who participated in local events enjoyed their “free time” and had a chance to meet up with old (and new) friends. We’re looking forward to next year’s event, always the Thursday before the official Mother’s Day holiday. Mark your calendars for May 5, 2011 – it will be here before you know it!

Maria Bailey, CEO of BSM Media, speaks to over 8 million moms a month in print,online and on radio. She is the author of “Marketing to Moms: Getting Your Share of the Trillion Dollar Market”, “Trillion Dollar Moms: Marketing to a New Generation of Mothers” and “Mom 3.0: Marketing with Today’s Mothers By Leveraging New Media and Technology”. Bailey also writes for several parenting publications such as OC Parent and Pregnancy Magazine. She has been featured in Business Week, Parenting, Child and O magazines as well on CNN, CNBC and World News Tonight. You can hear more from Maria at BlueSuitMom.com and MomTalkRadio.com.

Carmel is a three year old African American female of Haitian descent. This beautiful child has faced extreme challenges and obstacles in her young life that requires 24-hour care. She is currently non-verbal and non-ambulatory, and lives in a medical foster home. Despite her medical conditions, Carmel does respond to her caregivers and also capable of responding to bright lights and movement in a room. She is especially fond of toys with lights, music and
vibration. Carmel needs a family that can meet her medical needs or is willing to complete the necessary training to care for her. This special little girl requires a lifetime of medical care and attention but will give 100% in return. For more information about Carmel or other children available for adoption, contact ChildNet at (954) 414-6001 or visit www.childnet.us.

Check out more photos and bios of local children available for adoption by visiting The Heart Gallery of Broward County's exhibit at The Northwest Regional Library in Coral Springs. www.heartgalleryofbroward.org

ChildNet is the private, not for profit organization created to manage the child welfare system in Broward County. Our mission is to protect Broward County’s abused, abandoned and neglected children. ChildNet directly provides case management, independent living and adoption services. We also ensure the delivery of a comprehensive local system of care by subcontracting with more than 30 social service agencies to provide a full array of child welfare services. For more information about fostering, adopting or helping abused children contact ChildNet at (954) 414-6000 or visit www.childnet.us.

It’s that time of year when the weather is warming up, the kids are getting restless waiting for school to let out for the summer, and parents are looking into summer camp options. Is your child really ready for summer camp? Once you make that decision, how do you choose? The first and obvious question to answer is: What are my child’s interests? Does he enjoy science, art, music, dance, one or more sports? There are many types of camps out there, so you can first narrow down the list of camps to those that feature activities that your child enjoys. But what else should you look for? Here are some tips on finding the right fit for your child.

Find out about the camp’s hours and schedule. A four year old may be overwhelmed by a full day camp with too many activities packed in.A morning or afternoon half day program is more suitable for preschool children. If parents need a full day program because they work, check to make sure that there is down time or nap time in the schedule so you’re not picking up an exhausted child.

Shy children are often not big fans of camp because it’s such an effort to make new friends and get to know new teachers. Elementary aged children often benefit by attending camp with a friend or neighbor. It also makes for easier car pooling.

Sleep away camp should be given very careful consideration before investing. Is your child emotionally ready to be away from home for a week or two at a time? I’ve seen many miserable kids and parents when the child isn’t ready to attend and becomes severely homesick. On the other hand, I’ve seen more independent children blossom and come into their own when they are given the opportunity to attend sleep away camp.

Research the history, backgrounds and qualifications of the camp and staff to make sure that you are enrolling your child in a safe, structured camp with competent counselors. Check out the ratio of campers to staff and the camps plan in case of emergencies. And ask around, other parents and current care providers are often a good unbiased source of information. If you haven’t chosen yet, take your time but hurry up. Some of the good camps fill up early. Summer is just around the corner and the time to find the right camp is now.

Maggie Cary, a national board certified teacher has been an educator for more than 17 years. She is certified in secondary education and holds a master’s degree in early childhood education.

Over the years she has mentored countless teachers and advised hundreds of parents. Cary has taught children from preschool through high school. She also offers classroom advice on website Classroom Talk.

Mostly, you could say I was not nervous about the idea of high school... not as nervous as my parents were!

Many of my friends were either already at the high school I was going to go to, or were headed there for the first time along with me.

For me the biggest problem you could say is to stay on point until you get your work done. Then you can play!

A Brief Message to All Eighth Graders…

High school is a blast, and my freshman year has been fantastic, but the transition from junior high to high school can be difficult. Still, if I had been forewarned about certain aspects of school life, it would have been a smoother transition. Here are a few tips that I wish I had known as an incoming freshman.

First, do your homework right when you get home. (That means, listen to your parents!)

This might sound cheesy, but seriously don’t procrastinate; even if you have block scheduling, or your teacher allotted you multiple days to complete an assignment - do it at once. I have found this technique to be the most efficient in completing homework, sometimes I’ll forget or just slack off if I don’t live by this golden rule. I am not saying you cannot have a snack or something, just don’t start playing video games, etcetera.

Let’s see, another useful tip is to take all assignments seriously.

High school is where it really counts!

Depending on how well you do in high school will determine where you get your degree of higher education, if any. Colleges are very strict in terms of applicants accepted, thus you must perform to the best of your ability if you wish to get into your desired college - one’s degree of higher education is what qualifies them for their desired job.

Lastly, you all have probably already heard this, but I will reiterate it.

Teachers in high school are not as lenient as they are in junior high. If you have not learned to show some respect to your teachers yet, you better learn before the school year ends.

The teachers in a high school have trust that you will act mature on your own accord, and if you don’t - DETENTION!

Hope you will take my kid-to-kid advice into consideration.
- Thomas Kent

Thomas Kent, a student at South Broward High School, considers his first year as a high school student a success.

Maggie Cary, a national board certified teacher has been an educator for more than 17 years. She is certified in secondary education and holds a master’s degree in early childhood education.

Over the years she has mentored countless teachers and advised hundreds of parents. Cary has taught children from preschool through high school. She also offers classroom advice on website Classroom Talk.

It’s that time of year when some parents will be hearing the words that they just don’t want to hear, “Your child needs to be retained and repeat the school year.” For most it shouldn’t be a surprise. The teacher has mentioned in conferences, phone calls and notes home that the student is working below grade level and not keeping up with his peers.Most parents accept the idea when they are convinced that retention is in the best interests of their child. However, many other parents remain in denial about their child’s abilities, or are afraid that he’ll be teased by other children for being “held back.”

In some grades parents don’t have a choice, retention is based on test scores and/or achieving minimum standard for promotion. In those grades where retention is not mandatory, it’s been my experience that teachers are the best judges of academic ability and the benefits of retaining a child. Most of the time the teachers have at least a year of observing the child’s academic experience and an arsenal of test scores to support the position of retention. While I believe the teacher’s recommendation is probably almost always correct, parents are not expected to blindly follow a teacher’s suggestion without some explanation and discussion.

A conference in which retention is thoroughly explored should be held with the parents, the primary teacher, and perhaps other school support personnel. A parent should feel free to ask, and have answered, any and all questions they have regarding this issue. Here are examples of the types of questions you might include in your discussion:

Continue reading "Retention: A gift of time" »

Guest blogger Jenny Isenman is a freelance writer/humor columnist and wiper of noses, tushies and countertops. She has two perfect children, a boy who is 7 and a girl who is 4.

She has a fabulously funny and relatable Suburban Jungle blog: It May Be Suburbia, But it's a Jungle Out There.

My five year old little flower has a tendency to be a bit… Valley Girl. I don’t know if it’s all the Bratz movies influencing her to make phone calls that start with OMG and end with TTYL, but it’s something. I certainly don’t handle calls to my friends that way, though I did tend to write SWAK on the back of every letter I sent from camp. Whatever the cause, the attitude has made giving her any kind of lesson, or even the smallest smidgen of constructive criticism near impossible. As she was nearing five, I decided it was time to teach her how to swim. I live in Florida, so this is an endeavor that I started at the Y when she was six months old. At that time, she bawled so hysterically that I decided she didn’t need to be a SoFla water-baby like my neighbors’ kids, who could swim across the pool to be breast fed. No, my daughter was destined to be a landlubber. We tried again and again. We took classes.

We even switched instructors and offered rewards for a tear free lesson. Our last instructor promised the screaming wouldn’t bother her. “It happens,” she said. After two lessons she took her check, and on departure whispered, “Maybe this one’s not meant for the water.” decided one day it would click, and vowed to keep the baby fence around the pool until she left for college.

Then I got an email. One of the amazing things about being a famous blogger is that people will email you with their products and ideas I usually say “No thanks,” though there’s a local cupcake store that may get a plug sometime soon if their red velvets are really as good as they claim. This request, however, was from a woman who was the owner of S.W.I.M., an instructional swimming program, and she asked if I’d like to try them out. I candidly told her that if she could teach my daughter to swim, I would scream their name from the mountaintops. If the lessons failed, well, “No pay for you.” Yes, I said it in the soup Nazi voice. It’s a crowd pleaser.

She showed up at my house with more paperwork than any person about to get wet should be carrying. She was ready to rate my little one’s ability, and chart her goals on a timetable. When we were all done with the written exam, she checked to see if the swim instructor was nearby.

“Aren’t you the swim instructor?” I casually asked. “No, Mr. Jeff will be here any minute.”

Well unless Mr. Jeff is a girl, which seems highly unlikely, we might have a problem. The only thing my daughter hates more than being told how to do something, is being told how to do something by a boy. She pretty much just started acknowledging my husband in the last few days.

“Soooo, you may want to pop on a bikini,” I reasoned.

“Don’t worry. Mr. Jeff is great with the kids. That’s him now.”

As I walked to the door I continued to protest, “I’m just a little nervous about Mr. Je…HELLO Mr. Jeff! Yes, sure…of course. We can totally give Mr. Jeff a try. I mean he came all the way out here, I’d hate to turn him away.”

Yes, I know what you’re thinking, and it’s true. So, my daughter took her hour lesson and by the end, I felt $45 was a fair price of admission. Not admission into where your minds are going, the $45 was purely for the swimming lessons. When was the last time I enjoyed watching some twentysomething hottie disrobe? Maybe when I was 20ish, though I don’t remember drooling quite as much. As I observed from my lounge chair, sipping a frozen margarita (ok, it was iced green tea… I need the extra anti-oxidants at my age), it dawned on me that I was officially a desperate housewife.

What does this mean? Will I start buying drinks for guys with a lift of my glass and a wink?

Will I buy a convertible to fight the urge to chat up people half my age, or at the very least, to impress them?

The only thing that would be more cliché about this scenario, is if Jeff was cleaning my
pool instead of swimming in it.

So, I decided maybe this was the bad idea I originally thought it was. Luckily, my daughter chose this moment to start noticing boys. She was totally smitten; she liked the way he joked around, and how Jeff sang swim songs as they traveled around the pool. I think she was even partial to his blue eyes and defined pecs. No wait…that was me.

For weeks every Tuesday and Thursday, I sat myself on the lawn chair, sipped my tea, and convinced myself that Mr. Jeff was clearly gay. Coincidentally, my outfits may have gotten skimpier as I gradually came to this conclusion. I didn’t even want anything to happen. No, like any aging Mom, who often feels like a hot twentysomething, I wanted to be noticed. Maybe get a,“Gee, Miss Jenny, it sure is hot out here. Could I have some of that there tea?”

What?

Did I make him sound a little too Forest Gump?

The swimming lessons were supposed to make me feel more secure, but somehow they had the opposite effect. In the end, Mr. Jeff taught Ryan how to swim, possibly in too short of a time if you ask me. He never gave me any sense that I was desirable, though he did say my friends could get $5 off each lesson. In my mind, I’m sure he meant this as code for, “You are one hot MOMMA!” or “I’m quite gay.” Either way, next week I’m scouting out a new lawn guy.

P.S. If you’re in South Florida and interested in swim lessons for a child: www.safewaterinstructionmethods.com. Tell them you’re a friend of Jenny From the Blog for $5 off each lesson. If you don’t contact them, make sure you’re informed about water safety.

ChildNet is the private, not for profit organization created to manage the child welfare system in Broward County. Our mission is to protect Broward County’s abused, abandoned and neglected children. ChildNet directly provides case management, independent living and adoption services. We also ensure the delivery of a comprehensive local system of care by subcontracting with more than 30 social service agencies to provide a full array of child welfare services. For more information about fostering, adopting or helping abused children contact ChildNet at (954) 414-6000 or visit www.childnet.us.

Mariah is an eight-year-old bilingual Haitian girl who speaks and understands English and Creole. She is an affectionate and loving child who loves to socialize with other children. Mariah’s is a bubbly extrovert who is known to initiate friendly conversation within minutes of meeting a new friend. Her lively personality sometime distracts her from staying on task and working independently but with gentle redirection and guidance she can complete projects. Mariah would flourish in a home where she would be the youngest child. She needs a family that will go the extra mile to help her heal from her past struggles and history of abuse.

For more information about Mariah or other children available for adoption, contact ChildNet at (954) 414-6001 or visit www.childnet.us.

Check out more photos and bios of local children available for adoption by visiting The Heart Gallery of Broward County’s exhibit at the Miramar Town Center (City Hall & Library), www.heartgalleryofbroward.org.

Guest blogger Jenny Isenman is a freelance writer/humor columnist and wiper of noses, tushies and countertops. She has two perfect children, a boy who is 7 and a girl who is 4.

She has a fabulously funny and relatable Suburban Jungle blog: It May Be Suburbia, But it's a Jungle Out There.

Today, I learned how quickly you can turn a friend into an enemy. Sure, the obvious ways are rather simple: run up to them, tap them on the shoulder, and when they turn around give ‘em a pop in the kisser. Insult their cooking, their attire or worse, tell them how they should raise their children.

Those are no-brainers, if you’re in the market to lose a friend. They’re also too malicious for my taste. No, today I did the one thing that can make a mortal enemy while trying to make polite conversation. I asked the non-pregnant receptionist at the salon I go to when she was due.

You hear about people uttering the dreaded, “When are you due?” to those not with child or to those who just had a child, all the time. We all know better than to ask that question unless we’re 110% sure. Frankly, I think you should witness the Clear Blue line on the pregnancy test before ever uttering that phrase. But there I was, saying it as if I were a lovely, caring, wonderful person. But when she replied, “due for what?” and then I watched as she processed my meaning while the color drained from her face, I realized, I was no friend of hers. I was the devil!

I can think of so many awkward moments brought on by social ignorance. My daughter pointing to someone and saying “Mommy, that man is sooo fat!” with said man inches
away. My son running up to a large black woman, grabbing both her breasts, and yelling across a Foot Locker, “Look at this Mommy, her boobs are HUGE.” Yes, I’ve had my share of explaining to do, but short of my husband grabbing that same woman’s bosoms and yelling across the Foot Locker, I can’t think of a more “foot in mouth” situation than I had today.

“When she asked due for what?” it sent my mind a flutter, holy crap, she’s not pregnant -- is
there some other way to respond: “Due for a teeth cleaning. Due for a pap smear. Due for a
subscription renewal of Cosmo. Yes, I just took a job doing magazine sales to earn extra cash
to redo my kitchen, and I just wanted to give you a great rate on a full year of the magazine of your choosing at half the newsstand price!”

No, there was no other answer, though I stood silent for quite some time, thinking out the magazine salesperson script. I went with, “I am soooo sorry. It’s just that those damn empire waist shirts make everyone look pregnant, frankly you’re the 5th person I’ve asked today. And then when I saw that glow to your perfectly clear skin, I just I..., “ (she had walked away mid-sentence, no joke). I think she may have gone to cry or print out a picture of me to throw darts at. Either way, I’m in the market for a new salon -- if you know of any!

Maria Bailey, CEO of BSM Media, speaks to over 8 million moms a month in print,online and on radio. She is the author of “Marketing to Moms: Getting Your Share of the Trillion Dollar Market”, “Trillion Dollar Moms: Marketing to a New Generation of Mothers” and “Mom 3.0: Marketing with Today’s Mothers By Leveraging New Media and Technology”. Bailey also writes for several parenting publications such as OC Parent and Pregnancy Magazine. She has been featured in Business Week, Parenting, Child and O magazines as well on CNN, CNBC and World News Tonight. You can hear more from Maria at BlueSuitMom.com and MomTalkRadio.com.

Recently, as I helped my oldest daughter prepare for a trip to Spain, I faced one of the biggest dilemmas as a parent – raising independent children. It’s a conflict we face as our natural instincts tell us to nurture and protect them, while our higher level reasoning tells us to (gently) nudge them out of the nest!

It takes so much to let them go. The irony of raising self sufficient children lies in the selflessness that is truly counterintuitive for most parents. We want to protect and provide our offspring. Our daily routines and actions revolve around nurturing our children and doing things to make their lives easier. While younger children require more care and maintenance, older children need these lessons in independence. Too much nurturing can make them more dependent on mom or dad to handle everything. If our ultimate goal is to raise children who are confident and self sufficient; children who will thrive, not just survive, we need to make the effort to promote those behaviors as soon as they can handle the responsibility.

In my daughter’s case, I worried over short- and long-term questions. It wasn’t just about the right clothes and a current passport. Had I taught her how to be responsible or how to handle herself in an emergency? It struck me as I watched her board an international flight that the feelings so closely resembled the ones I had when I walked her to her first day of preschool. The feelings of letting go, but watching your heart walk away in another body; of giving her roots and a solid pair of wings; and of encouraging her excitement and anticipation when embarking on a new journey or adventure, even when I’m not there.

In the end, my worry was just that – mine. My daughter’s ability to handle herself far outweighed any anxiety, and I truly enjoyed her anticipation and building excitement as the departure date approached. Despite my confidence in her, I couldn’t resist that one bit of last-minute motherly advice as she left: “Have fun, love you, and don’t put anything in the airplane’s seat back pocket! I’m not replacing that ipod again!”

My daughter enjoyed her trip to Spain, and can’t wait to travel again. We encourage her (and her siblings) to have a zest for adventure and a thirst for knowledge about different countries, it’s people, culture and history. After all, we try to visit a different country every summer as a family vacation. Now, since my children are old enough to voice (strong) opinions, we encourage a democratic process in choosing a country. So, when asked to choose a country for this summer’s trip, they chose Russia! Do I have enough frequent flyer miles for that flight?

As you go through summer months, think about how can you can create independence in your children while telling yourself, “It’s OK to let them fall on their own, I don’t have to rush to pick them up.” It’s a lesson for you and your children, and one that the children will benefit from long after they’ve flown the nest.

Maggie Cary, a national board certified teacher has been an educator for more than 17 years. She is certified in secondary education and holds a master’s degree in early childhood education.

Over the years she has mentored countless teachers and advised hundreds of parents. Cary has taught children from preschool through high school. She also offers classroom advice on website Classroom Talk.

It’s not just the usual illicit drugs and abused prescriptions which parents need to be concerned about anymore. I’ve recently learned of several tragic incidents caused by middle school students “huffing.” Although the practice of abusing common chemicals found in products from glue to carpet cleaners to aerosol cans has been around for years, incidents involving young teens have dramatically increased. Here is some basic information for parents on this form of chemical abuse.

Huffing: Inhalant abuse (huffing) is when people inhale chemical vapors to get high. The results can be debilitating and actually cause death. Today many household products are being used as inhalers. According to the National Drug Intelligence Center, a primary user group is 12-17 year olds. Inhalant users tend to include people that do not have access to other drugs or alcohol, such as children and teenagers.

Signs of Abuse

- Drunk or disoriented appearance
- Paint or other stains on face, hands, or clothing
- Hidden empty spray paint or solvent containers and chemical-soaked rags or clothing
- Slurred speech
- Strong chemical odors on breath or clothing
- Nausea or loss of appetite
- Red or runny nose
- Sores or rash around the nose or mouth

Maggie Cary, a national board certified teacher has been an educator for more than 17 years. She is certified in secondary education and holds a master’s degree in early childhood education.

Over the years she has mentored countless teachers and advised hundreds of parents. Cary has taught children from preschool through high school. She also offers classroom advice on website Classroom Talk.

Learning how to classify, sort and form patterns at an early age gives a child a jump start in math before they even enter elementary school. Here are three easy activities that you can do together at home.

1. Sorting. Let your child help out by sorting laundry, for example, matching and pairing socks by size shape and color, and by sorting laundry by family member.

2. Helping to put away silverware by type and size (forks, spoons and serving pieces, not knives). Learn how to set the table properly.

3. Playing with patterns. Make and repeat patterns of two, three and four objects. Use silverware and other household items. Progress to making patterns using colors and numbers. Blocks and bead necklaces are fun to work with. Make your own pasta shaped necklaces using food coloring and alcohol, allow to dry, and make patterns on string. Learn how here: http://bit.ly/8xQqf1

Lisa Cain, Ph.D., is an avid healthy snacker, foodie, published author, and mother of 2.

An evolutionary biologist by training, she has become obsessed with how food contributes to our overall health. Check out her Snack Girl website for other healthy snack ideas.

Spring break is going on around the country and it is time to figure out what you are going to do with your kids. If you are like me, you don't have an expensive vacation planned. Instead, we will be looking at each other and wondering what to do.

What about making some snacks? There are a few really good reasons to take some time for cooking with your kids.

1. Teach them how to cook early, so you can hand over the apron strings when they hit the right age.

2. Cooking is fun and it will keep them quiet for an hour (it is cheap too!)

3. You can make a whole bunch of healthy snacks for the end of the school year. This way, you will be prepared when they come home after school demanding cupcakes.

Here are three suggestions for your freezer. All three of these snacks will keep for at least 3 months and provide your kids with a yummy snack.

Overnight Pancakes - http://www.snack-girl.com/snack/overnight-pancakes/
Homemade Energy Bars - http://www.snack-girl.com/snack/homemade-energy-bar/
Buttermilk Banana Bread - http://www.snack-girl.com/snack/buttermilk-banana-bread/

Homemade cereal s is fun to have around the house for munching, and a blast to make. It will keep for 3 months in your cupboard, but you should keep a lid on the portion size. A small bag of this is enough to satisfy anyone's appetite.

DIY Cereal - http://www.snack-girl.com/snack/diy-cereal/

Finally, you can make no bake cookies! An older child needs absolutely no help making these because there is no hot oven involved. Just mix it up, mash it on a plate, and wait about 3 hours.

No Bake, Oatmeal, Nut Butter Cookies - http://www.snack-girl.com/snack/no-bake-nut-butter-oatmeal-coo/

Maria Bailey, CEO of BSM Media, speaks to over 8 million moms a month in print,online and on radio. She is the author of “Marketing to Moms: Getting Your Share of the Trillion Dollar Market”, “Trillion Dollar Moms: Marketing to a New Generation of Mothers” and “Mom 3.0: Marketing with Today’s Mothers By Leveraging New Media and Technology”. Bailey also writes for several parenting publications such as OC Parent and Pregnancy Magazine. She has been featured in Business Week, Parenting, Child and O magazines as well on CNN, CNBC and World News Tonight. You can hear more from Maria at BlueSuitMom.com and MomTalkRadio.com.

As we enter the month of April (and as two articles in the Sun Sentinel confirmed), it’s time for spring cleaning. Task lists will be written and households decluttered and organized, as moms and dads everywhere vow to conquer the clutter for good. But what about the rest of the year? Wouldn’t the annual ritual of spring cleaning be easier if the smaller jobs were assigned as chores and the entire family pitched in? Ideally, the house and kids’ rooms stay clean, with the more important benefits of teaching life skills, work ethic and money management through allowances.

With so many options and free resources, establishing a system for chores and responsibilities is easier than ever. The standard chore chart on paper is always safe, and now many households have the task lists on a home computer, with many online resources offering printable charts. Recently, I discovered myjobchart.com, which takes the concept one step further. Children can access their account and keep track of their responsibilities, with an email sent to an inbox or phone letting parents know when a task has been completed. If the challenge is to motivate kids to do their work, a computer-based system will do it, along with the weekly payout of allowance!

In our house, each child has a different number of chores with age-appropriate levels of responsibility. My kids are pretty good at keeping track of their stuff since I started a chore/allowance system fairly early in our household. While different rewards motivate them, they know there will be consequences if the chores aren’t finished on time – if I have to do a lot of cleaning, I do a lot of tossing.

As it is, I’m always cleaning things out of closets, cars and the garage. It’s amazing how fast items accumulate with six people in our house. On a recent cleaning spree, I confess to finding an 18-year old wedding present on the top shelf of a hall closet. We shared a laugh about the long-lost wedding gift, and my children promptly turned the tables on me when they suggested I donate it to a local charity to reduce the clutter in the closet. Those funny kids.

ChildNet is the private, not for profit organization created to manage the child welfare system in Broward County. Our mission is to protect Broward County’s abused, abandoned and neglected children. ChildNet directly provides case management, independent living and adoption services. We also ensure the delivery of a comprehensive local system of care by subcontracting with more than 30 social service agencies to provide a full array of child welfare services. For more information about fostering, adopting or helping abused children contact ChildNet at (954) 414-6000 or visit www.childnet.us.

Tyrese is a ten year old boy of African-American and Trinidadian heritage. This handsome young man has an outgoing personality and enjoys playing tag and kickball with his friends. Despite overcoming many changes that require him to adjust to new circumstances, Tyrese has managed to advance to the appropriate grade for his age. He has two older sisters who have already been adopted with whom he wants to continue to have a close relationship. Tyrese deserves a forever family who will love him unconditionally and reassure him that a bright and beautiful future is ahead. A patient parent who can guide him to positively channel his frustrations and hurt would be ideal. With the love and support of a willing family, Tyrese will reach his full potential and indeed have a promising future.

For more information about Tyrese or other children available for adoption, contact ChildNet at (954) 414-6001 or visit www.childnet.us.

Check out more photos and bios of local children available for adoption by visiting The Heart Gallery of Broward County’s exhibit at The Galleria Mall in Fort Lauderdale. www.heartgalleryofbroward.org.

Maggie Cary, a national board certified teacher has been an educator for more than 17 years. She is certified in secondary education and holds a master’s degree in early childhood education.

Over the years she has mentored countless teachers and advised hundreds of parents. Cary has taught children from preschool through high school. She also offers classroom advice on website Classroom Talk.

As a teacher, I’ve given advice to parents for years. Although not “new” in today’s fast paced technical revolution, social networking sites and the discussion regarding the pros and cons of parental involvement hadn’t really struck me as particularly important until recently. I am concerned about those of you who have younger children. Should you be your child’s friend on Facebook, MySpace or other social networking sites, and if so, what kind of friend should you be?

If at all possible a parent definitely should become a tweens or teens internet friend. Be aware that most kids are tech savvy enough to restrict your access and share only what they want you to see, but some access is better than none. At this age, no matter how close you think you are, children are going through a tumultuous period of growth and are reluctant to share their ideas and feelings with parents. But it seems that they think nothing of sharing these feelings in cyberspace. Being their unobtrusive “friend” will allow you to better understand and communicate with your child. It can help tune you into what’s important to them and who their friends are. You don’t need to embarrass them by making comments, just become a good listener. Ideally, social networking sites could even keep you in touch with your child’s friends and their parents.

Although kids aren’t concerned about what future employers think or what would grandma or grandpa might say about a nasty post, they need to be taught that what they say on the internet may be accessible forever. The need to know that unlike something that is said in person, their words can reach countless unintended recipients and it’s easy to hurt someone’s feelings without intending to do so. If they are going to post about someone, it should be something that they would say to a person’s face. There are no take backs in cyberspace.

Parents can also use being friends with their kids as a jumping off point to talk about privacy settings on sites like this so that future employers/colleges don’t end up seeing their spring break pictures down the road. Privacy settings can also control who can find be found. So for example, a search which reveals younger kids could be limited to students that go to their school. Here is a link to Facebook’s privacy/safety policy page that has good information for parents: http://www.facebook.com/safety/.

Maria Bailey, CEO of BSM Media, speaks to over 8 million moms a month in print,online and on radio. She is the author of “Marketing to Moms: Getting Your Share of the Trillion Dollar Market”, “Trillion Dollar Moms: Marketing to a New Generation of Mothers” and “Mom 3.0: Marketing with Today’s Mothers By Leveraging New Media and Technology”. Bailey also writes for several parenting publications such as OC Parent and Pregnancy Magazine. She has been featured in Business Week, Parenting, Child and O magazines as well on CNN, CNBC and World News Tonight. You can hear more from Maria at BlueSuitMom.com and MomTalkRadio.com.

With a surname like Bailey, you get one guess to name the holiday our family looks forward to every year. Yes, we are in the countdown for St. Patrick’s Day, the annual celebration that we love to share with family and friends. It speaks to our heritage and gives most of us, Irish or not, a reason to celebrate. More importantly, it gives us, as parents, a chance to share something even more important with our children: family traditions.

Underlying all of the decorating, cooking and deciding how to mark the occasion, our children are learning about their roots; the history that is their foundation, and even more of a springboard. We hope that the traditions we are teaching our children now through stories, recipes and even flipping through old photos or keepsakes will carry on with their own families someday.

That’s why we will make corned beef and cabbage in the crock pot, along with an Americanized side dish of fresh-out-of-the-Jiffy-box cornbread. We would be ostracized if we didn’t e-mail our family in Ireland to wish them a Happy St. Patrick’s Day and find out how they are celebrating their national holiday. We will gather with friends and family to celebrate, and hopefully catch the St. Patrick’s Day parade and festival in downtown Fort Lauderdale.

Kids love family traditions, especially the celebrations, which need to be passed on from generation to generation. While the St. Patrick’s Day celebration has taken a decidedly secular turn for many people, it still counts as one of the holidays we like to share as a family. I encourage my children to take part in the planning and parade-watching, and to spend time with their grandparents, asking questions and listening to stories about their ancestors. Even though I may get the typical teenage "eyeroll," I know they enjoy their grandparents’ tales; some of the people on the family tree were real characters. All of this is what makes our family unique.

What about your family? Whether you can count one culture or more in your background, what celebrations incorporate family traditions? With Passover and Easter right around the corner, this is the time to remember and appreciate old customs and even make new ones for your family, especially the children.

Maggie Cary, a national board certified teacher has been an educator for more than 17 years. She is certified in secondary education and holds a master’s degree in early childhood education.

Over the years she has mentored countless teachers and advised hundreds of parents. Cary has taught children from preschool through high school. She also offers classroom advice on website Classroom Talk.

Whether it be in the mall, on the beach, or on the sidewalk, I’m thrilled whenever I hear parents interacting and engaging their babies and toddlers in conversation. Even if children can’t talk back, speaking to them from the moment they pop out into the world (some say even before that) will enhance their vocabulary and ability to learn.

I grow concerned when I see parents simply pushing a stroller and not engaging their child. Children can understand vocabulary before they can verbalize it. When you have a baby, your communication with him or her might include simply describing what you are doing. With a toddler, you might seek more interaction, like asking questions, or describing your surroundings, situation or plans together. You might simply point to objects or actions and ask what they are called. You could provide names for new objects and actions, and reinforce those that may have been recently learned. When your child asks question after question, after question, after question ... even if it borders on annoyance, be patient and answer him. If you’re reading a book with an older child, stop and discuss and explain the meaning of unknown words.

The more you talk to your child, the faster his or her vocabulary will grow. The larger a vocabulary a child has when he or she enters school, the more able the child will be to decode and comprehend what is being read and said during class. If the teacher reads a story about someone, making haste to get away, the meaning will be lost on the child that doesn’t know what that means, and doesn’t have the experience to think to ask what it means.

I took a flight a few weeks ago and there was a very young mom sitting behind us with her daughter. This mother spent the entire flight reading, talking, and explaining words to her eighteen month old. I thought it was fantastic. I felt excited for this child who was going to be one up on many of the other children entering school. She would start her formal education with a rich vocabulary, a wealth of words and a history of being a successful learner. I imagined that one day this little girl might be a great author or statesman. It didn’t hurt one bit either, that she didn’t cry once during the flight.

Maggie Cary, a national board certified teacher has been an educator for more than 17 years. She is certified in secondary education and holds a master’s degree in early childhood education.

Over the years she has mentored countless teachers and advised hundreds of parents. Cary has taught children from preschool through high school. She also offers classroom advice on website Classroom Talk.

Learning the proper term for solid shapes at an early age gives your child a head start in geometry. It’s very simple to teach them some proper names.

1. Call a can a cylinder.

2. Call dice or square boxes a cube.

3. A cassette or a cereal box is a rectangular prism.

4. A sphere is a ball, an orange, a globe or any round object.

5. A cone shape is just like the bottom of an ice cream cone.

6. A pyramid is a fascinating shape that most children remember after they have seen pictures of one.

If you use the objects proper name and then its “household” name interchangeably, children can learn about a variety of 3D solid shapes before they enter kindergarten.

To take this lesson to the next level, talk about the number of sides (faces) of a shape, the number of corners (vertices) and what shapes have common attributes.

Does it roll? Can you slide it? What shape appears if you trace around the bottom of it with a pencil?

On Tuesday, a letter came home from Floranada Elementary school informing us that our son Ryan had been selected to attend FCAT camp for a month of Saturdays beginning in February.
At dinner that night, our fifth-grader announced that he wasn’t going. (My husband Dan and I assured him that he would be attending and explained that extra help to prepare for the FCAT test was a good thing.)

Ryan disagreed. Being asked to give up three hours every Saturday was outrageous, he said, considering he spends Monday through Friday “working myself to death.” Not.

Then something amazing happened.

At dinner Wednesday night, Ryan excitedly told us how the new principal, Keith Peters, had come to class that day and invited him and several other kids to eat lunch in his office. Ryan described Mr. Peters' big, ultra smooth desk, and told how he was a Yankee fan (I knew I liked this guy) and that he really loved hockey and the Florida Panthers. Then he said Mr. Peters took a few minutes to talk to the kids as they ate about the Saturday FCAT camp.

We asked Ryan if he wanted to go. “I sure do. Mr. Peters told us it was a good idea so I’m going to do it.” (He was going anyway.)

We’re impressed. Not only did Ryan feel special by getting to eat lunch in Mr. Peters' office, but now he feels like a partner in his own academic success.

Clearly, Mr. Peters understands that a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down. His lunch invitation was inventive and refreshing and saved us from having to use our usual top-down approach to education. But best of all, Ryan now feels really special, he wants to please his new principal and he’s looking forward to going FCAT camp on Saturdays.

Nice hat trick, Mr. Peters.

-- Doreen Christensen

Guest blogger Jenny Isenman talks about losing her cool. She last exposed how a shopping trip with her daughter turned ugly quickly.

She has a fabulously funny and relatable Suburban Jungle blog: It May Be Suburbia, But it's a Jungle Out There.

On Monday morning while half asleep and lying in bed, I reached for the remote, as I do every morning before my daughter wakes up and begs to play with her Barbies. I gently squeezed the on button and received a wake-up call that I could not push snooze on.

The message on the TV said: You no longer have Direct TV service. Please call us, Deadbeat.

In a frenzy, I switched to my Tivo list looking for a prerecorded episode of Jersey Shore to calm my nerves, but the Tivo service was also, no longer available.

The exclamations “why” “Say it isn’t so” and “what does this mean” escaped my lips almost simultaneously. Hello!, The Bachelor narrows his bevy of possible flight attendants down to 12 ladies tonight and what am I supposed to do while that’s happening? Read??

Maybe this isn’t the first sign of my financial woes. Has the proverbial alarm been buzzing and I’ve been sleeping through it?

Is it possible that being down to one credit card, that I randomly opened at Costco, was some kind of indicator that times are tough? Is the credit card Roulette I play at check out not a real game? You know, when you grab a card from your wallet at random and pray you don’t hear the dreaded “You’re Declined” which is followed by mental buzzer, while the contestant -- me -- fishes through for another possible loser to swipe.

Now, in hindsight I feel almost silly. I think there may have been other signals I missed. Like when we cut out our annual vacations, or when we lost our savings in the market.

Darn it, have I just been phoning it in? I’m not sure if those other signs are worth investigating, but the thought of missing the new Grey’s Anatomy/Private Practice crossover (that they haven’t stopped touting) could send anyone into a deep over-advertising induced depression.

In response to my wake-up call, I’ve done what any pop culture/ TV addict would do. I pulled out my Costco American Express and called it in. I know, it’s not tightening the purse strings, but I intend to skip grocery buying this week to make up for the loss. Eating is overrated; especially after the holidays.

The truth is, I have a perfectly tasty cat just walking around the house. Taunting me like a steak on wheels. That’s ridiculous, why would I eat my cat when my dog is 40 lbs heavier? I may be poor, but I’m not stupid.

(Picture credit:

Maggie Cary, a national board certified teacher has been an educator for more than 17 years. She is certified in secondary education and holds a master’s degree in early childhood education.

Over the years she has mentored countless teachers and advised hundreds of parents. Cary has taught children from preschool through high school. She also offers classroom advice on website Classroom Talk. She last wrote about teaching manners.

A mom recently mentioned to me that her kids were going around the house all day singing Boom Boom Pow by the Black Eyed Peas.

She asked me if there was anything wrong with that. I’d heard parts of it on the radio in passing and I thought it was a catchy tune. What could be bad about that, I thought. Right before going to bed my curiosity got the best of me and I Googled the song online.

The chorus repeats the line: I got that Boom Boom Pow ... I got that natural style. I went to bed and kept waking up on the hour at 2, 3 and 4 a.m. with that song playing in my head and disturbing my dreams. “I got that Boom Boom Pow... I got that natural style”.

When I dragged myself out of bed it was still playing between my ears as I brushed my teeth and got ready for work. “I Got That Boom Boom Pow.”

When I looked into the song further, it surprised me that there were two versions of the song.

The "clean" version and the original version. I listened to both and trust me you wouldn’t want your 10-year-old saying or singing the original lyrics that contain a four-letter word frequently!

Since then I’ve found that there are several versions of the song and video. Some of them are appropriate for younger children and some are better suited to teenagers or adults. Who knew that there were so many choices?

Now that the holidays are over and the new iPods are unwrapped, juiced up and ready to play maybe you should take a moment and borrow those ear buds from your child.

Without a doubt your teenagers may find the original version of certain songs cooler then the cleaned up version. Which one do you want them listening to?

Music has a subtle way of influencing who we are and how we see ourselves; especially true for tweens and teens. Elementary-age children want to be that teenager. So please turn on and tune in to your child’s music and find out what that Boom Boom Pow and other songs are all about.

(Pictured: Black Eyed Peas)

Maggie Cary, a national board certified teacher has been an educator for more than 17 years. She is certified in secondary education and holds a master’s degree in early childhood education.

Over the years she has mentored countless teachers and advised hundreds of parents. Cary has taught children from preschool through high school. She also offers classroom advice on website Classroom Talk. She last wrote about three vocabulary games to play with young children.

Is your son a gentlemen? It's a word that we don’t use too often these days. The way we raise our boys today will determine the types of men that we have in our society in a decade or so. With more equality for woman and girls, we are now asking less of our young men and boys. Each day I see boys, and girls, too for that matter, that are not held accountable for their actions. All parents need to teach courtesy, manners and respect for others as a life skill.

Some might argue that, “ladies first,” is a phrase from the past. Maybe so, but as a parent and teacher, nothing pleases me more than seeing a boy with manners. Proper courtesy to others is a reflection of a family's values. Teaching manners instills both a respect for others (including siblings), and respect for oneself. Does your son practice the behaviors listed below? If not, perhaps it's time to teach him these:

1. Open the door for others, especially women, mothers with strollers, and older people

2. Shake hands and look people in the eye when greeting them

3. Assist seniors (grandparents, etc.) with getting in or out of the car and carrying groceries

4. Take off hats during the national anthem (any country's) and Pledge of Allegiance

5. Know not to interrupt adults or peers when they are talking and instead listen and have respect for what others have to say, even if they have a different point of view

6. Accept responsibility for actions, good and bad

7. Use "please," "thank you," and "excuse me" as appropriate

Good manners should be an unconditional parental expectation. The best way to teach manners is to model them daily yourself. Although children often learn best by emulating what they see, it’s also important to make clear what your expectations are. Praise your son when he exhibits good manners. Children want attention and will strive to get it. If they get more attention when they are praised than when they are corrected, the good behavior will become the norm.

Of course all of the above goes for girls, too. Although when they get older they’ll appreciate, "ladies first." You can count on it!

For the last five months, The Pantry of Broward has teamed up with three Broward County schools in an effort to teach children the benefits of philanthropy.

Penny Loughan, the CEO of the Fort Lauderdale outfit that provides food and assistance to low-income seniors, offers this update on the students' progress at all three Broward County schools participating:

All of us at The Pantry of Broward are truly awed by the efforts of the students at St. Mark's Episcopal School, the Pine Crest School and Coral Glades High School. These youngsters selflessly went about the task of raising funds, conducting food drives, visiting the Pantry to assemble newsletters and boxing grocery items for delivery to our senior clients, which, all in a short span of time, generated awareness for the seniors who are assisted by The Pantry of Broward.

Their efforts can be tallied big time: St. Mark's students presented several hundred pounds of donated food items as well as a check for $708 that was collected from their "Dress Down Day," "Pennies for Pasta" and "Nickels for Noodles" campaigns.

We are also happy to report that the Coral Glades High School DECA Club collected 681 pounds of food for The Pantry of Broward.

Thank you, Sun Sentinel for this opportunity to tell our story over these months and to make new friends among your readers.

(Pictured: St. Mark's student Lauren M., president of the Senior Student Council presents a check for $708 to Bruce Harris of The Pantry of Broward.)

Maggie Cary, a national board certified teacher has been an educator for more than 17 years. She is certified in secondary education and holds a master’s degree in early childhood education.

Over the years she has mentored countless teachers and advised hundreds of parents. Cary has taught children from preschool through high school. She also offers classroom advice on website Classroom Talk.

When my daughter was a year old and only had a few words in her vocabulary, I did a really great thing without realizing that I was doing it. I'd sing her a song that she had heard me sing before, this time leaving out a word or two of the chorus.

I'd also recite nursery rhymes repeatedly letting her fill in the words that rhymed. I didn't know until years later that I'd stumbled upon phonemic awareness. Phonemic awareness is a reading strategy. It is the ability to hear and manipulate sounds (or phonemes) in spoken language as they relate to written language.

It is not to be confused with phonics which is a code to sound out written words. I like to describe phonemic awareness in young children as their ability to hear, use, and understand the rhyme and rhythm in our speech.

Phonemic awareness improves children's ability to read, spell and comprehend what is read.

Here are three quick games to play with your child. Most don't require a paper or pencil so they are great activities for the car.

SEGMENTING SYLLABLES

Say aloud and clap the syllables in words. Example: How many syllables are in the words: cat; cupcake; elephant; television; etc.?

BEGINNING SOUND SUBSTITUTION

Change the first sound of the word to make a new word.

Examples:
"Can you change the word cat to mat?"
"Can you change the word cook to shook?"
"Can you think of a word that rhymes with sock, but starts with an 'l/'?"

TEACHING SOUNDS IN ISOLATION

Identify individual sounds in words.

Examples:
"What sound do you hear at the beginning of the word hen?"
"What sound do you hear in the middle if the word pig?"
"What is the ending sound of lion?"
"What sound do all of these words begin with: duck; dog; damp?"
"What do these words end with: sock; quack; kick?"

Identify words from individual sounds.

Examples:
Slowly stretch out the sounds in the word: c / a / t. Then ask, "What word am I saying?"
Slowly stretch out the sounds in the word: j / u / m / p. Then ask, "What word am I saying?"

Guest blogger Jenny Isenman talks about losing her cool. She last exposed how she lost her cool and used the "S" word: shut up.

She has a fabulously funny and relatable Suburban Jungle blog: It May Be Suburbia, But it's a Jungle Out There.

I’ve discovered the quickest way to make people both despise and hiss at you. It’s a brilliant plan for anyone with too many friends, or any kind of social interaction anxiety.

Just bring a cranky, overtired 4-year-old to the grocery store and watch the magic unfold.

My daughter began our trip like a drunk: a little unstable, but mostly cheerful and giddy. I may have even gotten a "I love you man, I mean Mom," accompanied by a hearty chest bump. Well, her chest, my knee. But like most drunks, the second you shove them into the seat of the shopping cart, they get belligerent. Cindy, our favorite check-out girl, saw this up close and personal.

"Hello, my sweet Ryan," Cindy greeted. "Sweet Ryan" responded with bared teeth and an ominous growl.

I should have done a 180 then and there, but I decided that it was more important that my family have their precious food, than maintain goodwill toward our local grocery clerks.

By the meat counter, Ryan lost it when I pulled the ticket out of the number machine. When I felt her eyes bore a hole through my forehead, I succumbed, and allowed her to yank out 10 more numbers, much to the dismay of the deli staff and waiting customers.

By the time we hit produce, she had spiraled out of control. Ryan wanted grapes, but after careful consideration, I mentioned that they looked a bit pruny. This left her no choice but to unleash a bloodcurdling scream of disapproval. Clearly, I should have kept that horrifying tidbit to myself. How dare I attempt to pick ripe fruit?

I also affronted her by pushing the cart too slowly. When I sped up, she whacked her back on the cart, which was added injury to insult. It was unforgivable and ohhh did I feel her justifiable fury.

As I waited for her head to stop spinning, I decided to spare the customers the migraines they were acquiring and spare myself the gossip that was budding. I grabbed a few essentials, and made a beeline for the checkout line. Cindy’s lane was the shortest.

As I approached the end of the belt, Cindy looked at me with the sad pouty face adults make when imitating crying children; the last face any mother wants to see at such harried moments.

"Hello, Jenny," she said in a it's-not-your-day, kind of way. "Hello, Cindy,” I said in an Indian accent so she would be confused.

Next time I choose feeding my family over my daughter’s surly mood, I will remind myself that there is a reason fast food is making the youth of America fat. Then I will head to the nearest drive-thru.

The Pantry of Broward has teamed up with three Broward County schools in an effort to teach children the benefits of philanthropy.

Penny Loughan, the CEO of the Fort Lauderdale outfit that provides food and assistance to low-income seniors, offers this update on the students' progress at all three Broward County schools participating:

The St. Mark's Episocal Student Council voted to have a Halloween-themed Dress Day and charged students $1 to wear costumes last Friday with proceeds to go to The Pantry.

The students also report that the Pennies for Pasta campaign is well under way while the Fort Lauderdale school's food drive continues.

Overheard:
When people understand a need, they respond," said student Kevin G.

Several students have contacted The Pantry on their own wanting to volunteer.

Recent lessons at St. Mark's covering farming and the food cycle have prompted the eighth-graders to explore markets where they can go and pick fresh produce as a donation to The Pantry.

At Pine Crest School, Patricia Damoorgian, Service Coordinator for the Upper School, reports that students have expressed their enthusiasm in conducting a food drive.

At Coral Glades High School , The DECA Society students will begin their Thanksgiving Food Drive for The Pantry this week.

Inspired? Here is one way students can get involved: with The Pantry:

Help prepare the agency's monthly newsletter: Six to eight volunteers are needed for two days a month to fold the newsletters, place them in envelopes and affix mailing labels. This is a major communication piece for the organization and, therefore, a very important volunteer project.

The Pantry of Broward has teamed up with three Broward County schools in an effort to teach children the benefits of philanthropy.

Penny Loughan, the CEO of the Fort Lauderdale outfit that provides food and assistance to low-income seniors, offers this update on the students' progress at two of the three schools participating:

St. Mark's Episcopal School has a good friend in Daniel D. who, with his mom and his wagon, went door-to-door explaining the mission of The Pantry of Broward and collecting food.

He collected more than 170 cans of food, and the students of the Fort Lauderdale school delivered a bus load of donated food this week to The Pantry.

Nearly a month into the campaign, here's what some St. Mark’s students have to say:

Giving reminds me of how lucky I am, said Paige V.

Giving not only helps others; it makes me a better person, said Rachel K.

Everyone has right to eat; I am glad I learned to help, said Alessandra L.

Helping those in need is putting out love in action, said Alex M.

Giving can be a way of life, said Jordan D.

While across town, Pine Crest School put assembled cardboard boxes of groceries at The Pantry. On hand were: Sara, Danielle, Jen, Naimonu, Daniel, David, Matt, Alex, Ryan, Jake, Alexander and Kyle.

Pine Crest School seniors are also planning a Peanut-butter-and-jelly drive after hearing from Bruce Harris, The Pantry's development director about the serious issues facing seniors on low, fixed incomes and grandparents raising their grandchildren.

Maggie Cary, a national board certified teacher has been an educator for more than 17 years. She is certified in secondary education and holds a master’s degree in early childhood education.

She is the mother of two young adults and lives and teaches in Florida.

A good education is essential for your child’s academic success. There are millions of ways in which you can help your child’s literacy development, but here are 12 things to do with your kindergarten or first-grade child.

1. Go to the library often and let your child pick the books that interest him and read together for at least 30 minutes a day.

2. Do a “picture walk” before you read a book. Go through the pictures page by page and talk about what is probably happening in the story. Use the illustrations in a book to help decode the text. Discuss your child’s predictions as you follow up by reading together.

3. Talk about the beginning, middle and ends of books you read as well as the characters and setting.

4. Ask questions about books that you read aloud to see if your child comprehends. Discuss and explain.

5. Read lots of nursery rhymes (to help develop phonemic awareness) and predictable stories.

6. Encourage your child to retell favorite stories to you using puppets or dolls.

7. Help your child learn to identify letters and their sounds.

8. Make flash cards of easy basic “sight words” (the, go, like, can, we, went, etc.) and look for them in books.

9. Make a game of reading environmental print (fast food restaurant names, grocery stores, food labels, gas station names, street signs, etc.).

10. Help your child label pictures with words that you sound out together.

11. Write grocery lists together.

12. Help your child make mini-story booklets. Start by using three pieces of paper, one page each for the beginning, the middle and the end.

The Pantry of Broward has teamed up with three Broward County schools in an effort to teach children the benefits of philanthropy.

Penny Loughan, the CEO of the Fort Lauderdale outfit that provides food and assistance to low-income seniors, offers this update on the students' progress and welcomes the third school, Pine Crest School:

After learning of the philanthropy project that teams students from St. Mark’s Episcopal School and Coral Glades High School with The Pantry, a group of 20 seniors from Pine Crest School in Fort Lauderdale will visit the food center to pack groceries and prepare deliveries to the Broward County seniors that The Pantry serves.

The project is being spearheaded by students Wendi O. and Lauren H. and moderated by Ms. Birdie, senior class advisor, and Ms. Doolittle, student council advisor.

St. Mark’s students find many living on the edge

On Oct. 6, seventh- and eighth-grade members of St. Mark’s Senior Student Council and a group of fourth-graders spent time at The Pantry. They filled pasta bags, packed soap and vegetables into boxes. They met with clients and helped carry boxes of food to the seniors' cars.

It was clear to The Pantry staff that this hands-on experience was an eye opener for the students and that the connection between lessons taught by St. Mark’s faculty and the reality of The Pantry: That many people are hungry and living on the edge.

St. Mark’s parent’s association is getting behind the food drive as well!

(Pictured: St. Mark's students Jake G., and Warren W.)

Jon VanZile likes experimenting with different soils, fertilizers, plants and growing methods to create the best tomatoes possible in a small, urban backyard.