On Center Street
05/02/13Text Free CarpoolingQ: I drive a carpool for my daughter’s eighth grade club soccer team. It can take almost an hour to get everyone home. They’re on their cell phones texting the entire time, except for my daughter because I don’t allow it. I think we should all be conversing and I find it rude that they’re texting and giggling — and leaving my daughter out. Am I expecting too much? My daughter says the other moms allow this. Should I say something to the girls? A: Some of my favorite memories with my kids have included conversations we have had in the car. There is something special about that uninterrupted time for a conversation. It never seemed to matter if the trips were short or long, they had a beginning, middle and end and the time together framed the... |
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05/02/13How Positive Parenting Sets The Tone for Success“Close the refrigerator door!” “Get your shoes off the couch!” “Don’t stand on the swing!” “Stop kicking the table!” “Hang up your wet towels!” “Take out the trash NOW!” Sound familiar? Sometimes it seems as though all we do as parents is issue orders. After awhile we begin to feel like drill sergeants instead of the loving parents we really want to be. “The more negative comments kids get, the more vulnerable they are to low self esteem,” said Johna Smasal, Ph.D., licensed clinical psychologist. “They begin to feel like, ‘I never get anything right, so why try?’” It can be easy to fall into the habit of nagging and negativity with our children. Smasal related... |
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05/02/13Now We're Talking!Nothing may be more exciting for parents than hearing their little one’s first words. It’s a magical moment when your baby’s babbling changes from gibberish into syllables. Those first little words will change your whole world. I will never forget the first time my daughter looked at my husband and said “Dada.” We both laughed and cheered for her like she had won a gold medal. It was no “Mama,” of course, but I was prepared. I had heard a lot of “dah’s” coming from her crib lately and knew she was working on something. And even though I tried hard to throw some extra “Mama’s” her way, she had made up her mind. Regardless, it was the most precious little word I had ever heard. It’s amazing how fast... |
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05/02/13Feeding Time is All the TimeAnd so here I stand, hip deep in spent pizza boxes, McDonald’s wrappers, and Popsicle sticks. My kitchen is piled to the eaves with sauce-splattered pots, greasy pans, dirty dishes, and those plastic wrappers from Kraft “cheese” slices. I’m exhausted. I’m worn out. There’s not a scrap of food in the house. I wipe the sweat off my brow, wipe my hand on my apron, and my phone vibrates. It’s the boy, texting me from his lair. “Food.” It’s been like this for six weeks. He wakes up, eats everything, then asks me what’s for lunch. I’m trying to keep ahead of him but it’s hard. I hurry back into the kitchen. I make him a couple of sandwiches, some mac & “cheese,” a pickle, a glass of milk.... |
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05/02/13Prepping for Summer with Miller Swim SchoolLet me start off by saying that we don't get paid or anything to endorse certain businesses with our blog posts. So, if any of us write about businesses or events it's legit. Now on with my blog... A couple of months ago I decided to brushen up my 3-year-old's swimming skills with the hope that by this summer I'll be able to take both he and my soon to be 1-year-old (tear, sniff, sniff) to the pool by myself. Last summer she was an infant and it wasn't an option because 1) big brother wasn't very comfortable in the water 2) little sister was very needy 3) I had just had a baby and wouldn't be caught dead in a swim suit - nothing much has changed there, but moving on. So, I enrolled him in Miller Swim School and love it. He has gone from hanging... |
05/01/13Come for Food Trucks, Find the Center of the Universe!I know, I know. I know what you're going to say. You're going to say I've already talked about food trucks. And I have. You're going to say I've already talked about Food Truck Festivals, and I have. Confession #1: I may have a mild obsession with food trucks. I'm not completely sure why, except they're just awesome. The people that run them are inevitably wicked cool, the food is always exceptional and the kitchen is mobile. That's stinking cool! Confession #2: I may have a mild obsession with RVs and mobile kitchens and adventure in general. As a kid, my only reasons for wanting to go to the Tulsa State Fair with my mom was to tour the RVs and get fudge. Truth. Confession #2 may have a lot to do with explaining Confession #1. I know, I... |
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04/30/13Oklahoma and Area Family-Friendly Museums Are Exciting DestinationsMother’s Day is May 12, so a fun trip to a museum would be a marvelous way to spend the day. Local museums provide families with hours of entertainment, education and creative time. And consider buying a family pass to your favorite museum. Not only will you save money, you’ll be able to take advantage of members-only events, get special early-bird alerts about activities and exhibitions and, often, discounts in the museum store. Here are a few area attractions to get you started on a summer of museum visits: Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art 600 Museum Way Bentonville, Arkansas 72712 479.418.5700 www.crystalbridges.org The mission of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art is to welcome all to celebrate the American spirit in a setting that... |
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04/29/13Runners Are Nice PeopleOn Saturday, I gathered with the other runners near ONEOK Field to wait for the YWCA’s Race Against Racism to start. As I stood with my husband Wes and a friend, Dave Reynolds, I noticed that a woman kept looking at me as if she knew me. I’ll admit that sometimes I don’t remember people, but I usually have a glimmer of recognition. I couldn’t place her. This woman would just pass by and look at us. Finally, she said, “How fast do you think you’ll run this race?” Now, she didn’t appear to be the competitive type, so I thought maybe she was just striking up a conversation. Wes had already run eight miles that morning, and I had already run two with the dog, so we certainly weren’t trying to break any records. Dave was also... |
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04/24/13Natural Lullabies Events This WeekendAs a doula, I love when I have opportunities to provide families with amazing resources about parenting, pregnancy and childbirth. Natural Lullabies is one of those resources. Natural Lullabies offers a variety of resources to support, empower and educate pregnant mothers and seasoned parents, including prenatal yoga, holistic childbirth education, doula services, and now the Eco Mama Market! This Saturday, April 27th 2013, Natural Lullabies will host its first of many Mama Markets from 10am-3pm. The vision of the Mama Market is to support ecological living by encouraging a barter and trade system among local moms. Similar to a garage sale, moms can donate gently used items and receive a voucher with which they can purchase other donated items from the market. If you... |
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04/23/13Baby BootcampI can really talk myself into a frenzy when it comes to my children. About a month ago, my 3-year-old started stuttering pretty suddenly. It lasted about two weeks and then kind of vanished. In those two weeks, I came up with a couple of scenarios 1) he had a stroke 2) he had a brain tumor or 3) something super traumatic must have happened. I had also already scheduled a visit to a speech pathologist (which I've since canceled), and we did go see his ENT - who told me he was fine. His tonsils are a bit oversized, but there's nothing we can do about that at his age. My husband says I overreact. My husband may be a little right. I'd love to say that I don't compare my children to others, but that wouldn't be completely true. I'll see a Facebook... |
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