Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Moms Talk: How much impact do you think cultural influences have on your kids?
Music, video games and movies have always been blamed for social issues ranging from suicide to teen pregnancy. Even the tragic events of Columbine in 1999 were blamed on the music those teens were listening to. It has long been argued that music and images in the media have a negative effect on our youth. In the early 90’s, some of my friends were obsessed with N’Sync and the Backstreet Boys, and others were listening to more questionable lyrics of Tupac and Rage Against the Machine. I was definitely not the one listening to N’Sync and my parents were not happy about it. To avoid the fights I used to hide the Parental Advisory stickers on my CDs with girly stickers. My favorite video game characters were Chun Li from Street Fighter and …
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
What are your family’s Easter traditions?
I love Easter. The beautiful spring flowers, the weather and the fun times shared with family make it a very memorable holiday. Easter always brings back so many fun childhood memories. Every year our family would join a few other families to hike down Wildwood Canyon in Thousand Oaks, Cailf. We would hike the narrow mountain trail past the waterfalls, through the creeks and to the open field at the bottom of the canyon. The adults would grill the food and hide the Easter eggs. We would spend the afternoon having Easter egg hunts, playing baseball, eating, socializing, playing, and of course, we had a lesson on the meaning of Easter. Those memories are not of the expensive Easter dresses, or Easter baskets, the memories are about the good …
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
This week's Mom's Talk discusses this controversial issue for mothers.
Circumcision has been common practice in many cultures for thousands of years. It was introduced to most cultures through religious beliefs and rituals. Throughout history it has been used for religious reasons and to prevent disease. In the United States, it is now done to prevent disease and for aesthetic purposes. For an historical look at circumcision, click here. When I was pregnant with my son I realized that most of what’s available on the Internet about circumcision is contradictory. There is childish bickering on forums, and Web sites are full of claims, but few real facts. I needed answers on the topic. My OB-GYN told me to talk to a pediatrician, and the pediatrician’s receptionist handed me a brochure that appeared to have been…
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Daycares, Money and Wasted Degrees. The complicated decisions facing young mothers.
As a woman in my 20s, I find myself making lot of decisions that will affect not only my life, but my family’s life as well. One decision seems to have had more weight than all the others. It is a decision that many of my friends and peers have struggled with, and one that has led to many late-night conversations and debates with friends. Maybe what we need is the insight of women who have been there and are now living the results of this grand decision. It all comes down to this question: Do you sacrifice family for the sake of a career, or do you sacrifice a career for the sake of a family? Additionally, can you do both and do them well? I have found that among my friends there is a great difference in what each of us wants out of life. …
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Your teenager wants to go to the beach with friends. How scary is that?
With Spring Break 2011 just around the corner everyone has exciting plans for the week — everyone, including our local teens. Panama City Beach, for example, is a popular spring-break destination for people from all over the Southeast and many of our teenagers are desperately trying to convince their parents to let them spend the week there with friends. Let’s be real. While teenagers are trying to convince their parents that they want to go for the sun, the sand and the calm sounds of the ocean, many of them are tweeting about “brownies,” clubs, alcohol and bikini contests. Don’t take my word for it. Just do an image search on Google or a Twitter search for “Spring Break,” or an image search on Google for “Spring Break 2011 Panama City.” …
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
How do you feel about the comment below comparing teachers to overpaid babysitters?
With the economy suffering, teachers have taken a hit in their pay, vacation, and sometimes in their benefits. Many areas of the country are facing furlough days for teachers if they have not already done so, and more furlough days for those areas that have taken some. In Providence, R.I., teachers rallied at the beginning of the month to oppose 2,000 layoffs. Teachers were amazed that some people came out to counter the opposition. According to a New York Times article, teachers received emails and saw signs that called them nothing more than babysitters. One such sign said, "You are glorified babysitters who leave work at 3. You deserve minimum wage." A writer at Forbes magazine decided to see what teachers' wages actually would amount …
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
What do you look for when deciding to dine out with your young ones?
My children LOVE to go out to eat. I don't blame them - I get tired of eating my cooking day after day as well. I try to save going out to eat for special occasions or for times when life has gotten far too hectic and we need a little escape for our kitchen. Like most kids around Lilburn, my kids often request Chick-fil-A , the one on Hwy. 29. They love the food (when they actually sit down long enough to eat it) and of course, they dig the playground. My three year-old daughter has a love/hate relationship with the individual in the larger-than-life cow costume. She enjoys spotting the cow, but screams and cries if it comes within about 20 feet of her. Among other kid-friendly places in Lilburn that we frequent include Waffle House (oh …
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Time alone? Exercise? A good book? What do you do to relieve stress?
The past two weeks have been fairly stressful in my household My husband and I have been contemplating some big "grownup" decisions about work and career and I freely admit, all this stress has turned me into one mean mommy. I've found my threshold for noisy, whiny children is significantly smaller than usual. I'm more apt to raise my voice and it seems I stay on edge. I need a stress reliever! One of the best ways I relieve stress is to enjoy some time alone. Since only one of my children is in school, and he's only gone for about three hours a day, I spend most of my time with at least two young children. Alone time is at a premium, which may be why I love it so much. It could be something as simple as driving to library and browsing…
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Do you have twins, triplets (or more)? We want to hear from you.
The other day we were watching some home movies, laughing and enjoying see our oldest two as babies, when suddenly the scene changed and there I was: The me from nine months ago, massively pregnant with our third (and final!) child. The video was taken the day before our scheduled c-section and my pregnant belly was as large and unsightly as I remembered. Just seeing the video made me so uncomfortable that I told my husband, for the umpteenth time, "I'm so glad I don't ever have to be pregnant again!" As large and as uncomfortable as I remember being, I'm sure it was nothing compared with those who carry and deliver MORE than one baby. I have three girlfriends who are currently pregnant with twins — one will deliver identical boys next …
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Lilburn Patch presents Moms Talk every Wednesday.
Last year around this time, my husband and I signed up our oldest for soccer at the J.M. Tull-Gwinnett YMCA in Lawrenceville. It was 3-year-old soccer even though our little guy was already 4. The season ran for six weeks and the games lasted for 30 minutes. Everett had fun (more so because Dad was the coach), little sister enjoyed playing in the dirt and I thought the whole uniform-and-cleats thing made for some cute pictures. This year, however, we decided to hold off on putting Everett in another organized sport. We don't have a particular reason, other than he's only 5 and not even in elementary school yet. But I know plenty of parents who feel differently. As someone who literally grew up at the ballfield (I'm the second of four …
Abelardo Casillas
3:04 pm on Wednesday, April 20, 2011
As a teenage boy my friends and I would ride on the back of pick up trucks around San Miguel El Alto Jalisco with half dozen 200 gallon tanks on the truck-bed and some buckets, and we would get into water wars. Later with my own children my wife and I would hike down into Wildwood park in Thousand Oaks California with other families from our church ward to have the egg haunt, a BBQ and the Easter… more ›