Published September 2014: The Messenger - Faith: A Fresh Take Worries From Home Being away from home is never easy as a single mom. Before I leave for a work trip, I have to coordinate care for my children, including rides to practices and social activities, while also arranging for someone to keep an eye on… Continue reading Worries From Home
Category: Newspaper Writing
Making a Life Instead of a Living
Published September 2014: The Messenger - Faith: A Fresh Take Making a Life Instead of a Living I’m not too proud to admit that I’m a workaholic. When I’m not grading student papers or compiling paperwork for the student newspaper on campus, I’m actively writing for publications. There is not one aspect of any of these… Continue reading Making a Life Instead of a Living
How Baby Games Can Enhance Intellectual Growth
From patty cake to peek-a-boo, the more interactive activities your child engages in with others, the more potential she has to expand her intellectual growth. From developing motor skills to enhancing brain power, games are a fun way to keep her mind sharp. Expose your little one to new information and discover how games not only keep her giggling, but also intellectually stimulated on a day-to-day basis.
Looking into the Future: Faith and Freedom
Each year, on the first day of school, I make my children line up outside so I can take their picture. As they get older, they groan and moan about this tradition, but after some prodding, they line up on the back deck in front of the large cherry apple tree and smile for a few seconds so I can capture the moment.
Re-Launching the Idle Faith
As summer winds to a close, I often jokingly say that I’m counting the days until school starts while mediating arguments and dealing with restless teenagers. As a teacher, I love the fact that I get to stay home with my kids during the summer. We stay busy with day trips, dance and football practices and jaunts to my sister’s pool, but at times, it seems that the kids are restless when a day of “there’s nothing on the calendar” arrives.
Parenting Lessons: The Teachable Moments
As a teacher, I crave those teachable moments in life. From a tidbit online to help with my writing to an eye-opening experience in the classroom, I’ve committed to be a lifelong learner. What I never expected, though, is that parenting offers me the most opportunity for those ‘aha’ moments and I’ve learned more about love, life and faith as a parent than in any other role in life I have.
How Pregnancy Can Affect Your Relationship
Pregnancy is a time of growth and change — for both mom- and dad-to-be. Pregnancy also provides a period of adjustment for your relationship, as you and your partner prepare for the arrival of a new family member. This is "the real training for parenthood," says Alicia Clark, Washington-based clinical psychologist. "And nowhere is this more evident than in your intimate relationship, where — perhaps for the first time — the needs of a child have to be balanced with your own."
Tips for Keeping the House Clean With a New Baby
When you bring home your newborn from the hospital, the responsibilities of caring for him while keeping your house tidy can be overwhelming. From feedings and diaper changes to laundry and scrubbing, your to-do list may be overflowing. Finding a balance with your time to ensure your home is clean and safe for your infant is crucial for the health and well-being of your family. A few creative strategies to clean up when your plate is full can help smooth the transition of raising a baby while keeping your home in tip-top shape.
Pregnancy Beauty: Best Foods For Your Skin
During pregnancy, a woman’s body has one priority and that is supplying nutrients to the baby. Therefore, Mom may suffer, including her skin, if her nutritional supplies are not stocked up or always replenished with excellent nutrition, says Birgitta Lauren, a pre and postnatal fitness and nutrition expert and author of “Expecting Fitness.” Consuming the best foods for your skin may not only help keep you glowing during pregnancy, but also provide you and your unborn child with energy and needed nutrients when you both need it the most.
Tips for Keeping Your Husband Calm During Labor and Delivery
Pregnancy is a stressful time for a woman – and for an expecting father as well. Becoming a father is a time of great change for a man, with added strain pertaining to financial planning and the changing dynamic of the relationship between himself and his partner, says OB/GYN Kecia Gaither, Director of Maternal Fetal Medicine in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Brookdale University Hospital in Brooklyn, New York. The tenseness of labor and delivery can heighten these fears. But with a few creative strategies, you can help keep Dad calm and relaxed during labor and delivery.
Shannon Philpott-Sanders 