©iStockphoto.com - lisegagne

Having a baby changes a lot of things in one’s life. For me, it sparked a massive change in lifestyle, made me look inside myself more deeply, caused me to reevaluate my friendships, and even changed my marriage.

Before you have kids, being married is a lot like dating. You get to spend all your time doing whatever you want, whenever you want. You see movies, go dancing, eat out, travel together, go to sports games, and enjoy plenty of romance. You don’t have to plan ahead. You just do whatever feels right in the moment. Until we had our first baby, I still felt a lot like a kid myself. Life was basically carefree.

Pregnancy gives couples a little taste of what is to come because we are suddenly aware that we have created a life together, and so we experience this amazing sense of awe for our capacity to create and the responsibility that comes with our creation.

However, it isn’t until the baby is actually born that the real change begins. Suddenly there are diapers to change, food to cook, laundry to fold, dishes to wash, bathrooms to clean, thank-you notes to write, phone calls to return, and of course, a baby to hold and feed. Instead of being able to do whatever you want, you are on the baby’s schedule 24/7 and everyone is tired. (continue reading…)

ⓒ iStockPhoto - Colonel

Children are not dragons. But a good number of parenting models treat them as if they were. Okay. So there are some similarities. Like being loud and unpredictable, tendencies toward mass destruction and general chaos, supernatural abilities like shape-shifting and breathing fire, and acting as the genesis and origin of many wondrous legends.

Regardless, the popular new movie sensation, “How to Train Your Dragon,” makes a valid point that applies to both children and dragons: They are nothing more than another one of Earth’s living and breathing creations: complex and mythical, often misunderstood, but deep inside looking for the same thing all creatures seek—love.

So how do we train them?

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Photo Credit: Dave Gentry/ US Fish and Wildlife Service

Zoos have lots to offer parents and young nature lovers: animals for every taste, stroller-friendly pavement, plentiful (if overpriced) refreshments and convenient access to bathrooms. In July, Wildlife Wednesday looks at other venues to nurture a respectful appreciation of wildlife in kids, starting with parks.

Children’s internal definition of a park often requires some form of playground equipment. National and state parks may be light on the jungle gyms, but they still have plenty to interest young minds. By their very nature, national and state parks are situated around something unusual or significant, either natural or historical, which allows an ready-made point to get kids interested before the trip to the park.

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ⓒ iStockPhoto - aleksandarnakic

Halfway between lunch and the end of the work day, do you crash? Do you get tired, find it hard to focus, and have to resist the temptation to hit up the coffee pot or the vending machine for a sugar and caffeine fix to power through? Many people experience the dreaded “3 p.m. crash,” but here are some tips to get you back on track naturally, no energy drinks required.

Think Back to Lunch

What did you eat for lunch today? If you had a sandwich, pasta, pizza, or another meal heavy on carbohydrates, you may be setting yourself up for a crash. Carbohydrates are good sources of quick energy, but once your body burns through them, you get tired, hungry, and potentially irritable. Make sure you’re eating whole grains whose additional fiber slow down digestion and regulate your blood sugar. Try to incorporate some protein and fat which help you stay full longer, too. (continue reading…)

ⓒ iStockPhoto - michael1959

I’ve got a problem: my kids read too much. Even my seven-year old will finish a 500-page book in a day or two, and we’ve traded in our library bag for two baskets so that we can cart home tens of books at a time from the library. That doesn’t seem like a problem, but here’s the rub - we’re going to India soon, and I really didn’t feel like bringing fifty pounds of books for them to read. I’ve got a Kindle, and I love it. There must be an e-reader out there I can get my kids, I thought. Why not?

But if you’re a parent looking to save a few trees by buying digital books, or to save your own sanity by not having a car full of books, you don’t have many choices. The field of e-readers is still fairly small, and it’s clear that children are not a big target market yet. There are still a number of choices though, and you can break down your options by considering a few basic considerations: (continue reading…)