BIL BOWDEN for Smart

Diane Sargeant, director of Education Services for Wellspan, tries to keep the radio and cell phone off while carpooling her teenage son around town, taking advantage of the time together to reconnect.

By NANCY POSTER for Smart

Life can be a balancing act for working parents as they juggle on-the-job duties with caring for their home and family.
Add to the mix a hefty dose of guilt that afflicts many parents who wish they could carve out more one-on-one time with their kids.
What’s a mom and dad to do?

Posted in Babies Cooking Forum From this issue Parenting Playtime Smart Ideas Smart Woman

Bookmark Permalink using

Comments (0)

By Gwin Grogran Grimes
McClatchy Newspapers

Help your kids build some culinary muscle this spring by learning to make a few family-friendly favorites at home.

Cooking with fresh ingredients is often more healthful than dining out, especially if the latter means value meals and drive-through windows. When you cook at home, you know exactly what is going into the food. You can adapt recipes to personal tastes, decrease fat and sugar and/or increase the fiber, vegetables or fruits. And, when you’re not rushed to get dinner on the table, cooking with kids can be fun.

Posted in Cooking Parenting Smart Ideas Smart Woman

Bookmark Permalink using

Comments (0)

The 42nd annual Smithsonian Kite Festival will be held March 29 on the grounds of the Washington Monument from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Rain date: March 30.) This free event, titled “Brush Strokes in the Sky,” features kite displays, demonstrations and handmade-kite competitions.

There will be competition awards for children, adults and master kitemakers. Kites must have been made by those participating, and will be judged on design, appearance, construction and performance. Kites must be able to fly a minimum of 100 feet in the air for at least one minute.

Posted in Parenting Playtime Smart Ideas Smart Woman

Bookmark Permalink using

Comments (0)

By Pat Burson
Newsday

MELVILLE, N.Y. -- If you’re a parent who’s tired of buying your kids new toys, only to see them forgotten or collecting dust in a matter of hours or days, now you can stop buying and start renting.

That’s the premise behind a new online toy rental company, BabyPlays.com. That’s right, you borrow the toys and then, when your kids have had enough of them, simply return them and receive new ones.

Posted in Babies Parenting Playtime Smart Ideas Smart Woman

Bookmark Permalink using

Comments (0)

By GWEN FARISS NEWMAN for Smart

Along with spring comes fresh green grass and flower buds, the chirps of birds and the birth of babes.

For many of us going about the business of cleaning out sheds and tidying up lawns and gardens, it means we’ll come across tiny little critters -- animals toppled out of nests or perhaps left injured or abandoned.

What to do? Well, first of all, don’t rush to do anything.

Posted in Parenting Playtime Smart Ideas Smart Woman

Bookmark Permalink using

Comments (0)

By BETH BENCE REINKE for Smart

Lori Broberg of New Freedom loves cooking with chicken because it’s quick, versatile and low in fat.

As chef for Shannon’s Serendipity Catering, Broberg prepares chicken dishes year-round. Winter recipes are usually heavier and use some kind of sauce on the chicken, she said. But with warmer weather around the corner, now is the time to go lighter.

“A lot of spring chicken recipes are marinated and put on the grill or sautéed,” she said. Light fruit sauces can dress up chicken entrees, too.

Posted in Cooking Smart Ideas Smart Woman

Bookmark Permalink using

Comments (0)

I feel the worst advice any new mother should receive is how someone else tells you to raise and take care of your newborn child.

I had five children, and the best advice I was told and will also give is, your children watch how you conduct yourself and listen to what you say - and will do the same. Teach them very early in life and bring them up in God’s way about trust, love, hope and to believe in themselves. Be around good people and belive in God, and good values, and they will do well in life. My children did, and I’m very proud of them.
- Edith Lo Bianco, Dallastown

Posted in Babies Parenting Smart Ideas Smart Woman

Bookmark Permalink using

Comments (0)

PAUL KUEHNEL for Smart

Noah Boin, 3, left, works by himself while Angie Boin works with her oldest son, Aaron, 7, while home-schooling at their Fawn Township home.

By BETH BENCE REINKE for Smart

Marylee Hall’s New Freedom home is no stranger to noise -- after all, she has a toddler and a newborn. But, thanks to careful preparation and planning, the Hall household does quiet down for a few hours each day.

“The baby sleeps a lot, so we are able to coordinate naps at the same time,” Hall said. Using a routine before nap time has helped Hall’s 1-year-old daughter make a smooth transition from playing to resting.

Posted in Babies Parenting Smart Ideas Smart Woman

Bookmark Permalink using

Comments (0)

By GWEN FARISS NEWMAN for Smart

Cradle cap. Cat scratch fever. Slapped cheek.

Scary names for childhood diseases that often aren’t nearly as serious as they sound. Thank goodness.

Though just the names are enough to make most parents shiver, most of these illnesses are really relatively harmless and short term.

Posted in Babies Parenting Smart Ideas Smart Woman

Bookmark Permalink using

Comments (0)

By J.M. HIRSCH
Associated Press

Still looking for culinary inspiration for your Super Bowl party?

Consider Stephanie Anderson’s “Killer Chili,” for dozens of varieties of the namesake dish drawn from restaurants throughout the United States and Canada.

Such as the slow-cooked Beef Chili with Chipotles and Cilantro from Clark’s Outpost Barbecue Restaurant in Tioga, Texas. Or the complex Sedona Chili with bacon, potatoes and carrots from Global Chili Company in Boulder, Colo.

Posted in Cooking Smart Ideas Smart Woman

Bookmark Permalink using

Comments (0)

By TRACEY CULLEN
For Smart

New laws require a passport for travel by air anywhere outside the United States, causing up to a 10-week wait.

If you need a passport in a hurry, expedited services are available for an additional $60 plus overnight delivery cost. But it will still take about four weeks, so it’s important to plan ahead for your trip.

Posted in Smart Woman Travel

Bookmark Permalink using

Comments (0)

Christopher Glass for Smart

Jen Bamberger is surrounded by some of her day-care “family”: Clockwise from top left, Alison Coder, Nicholas Chrismer, Evan Wise, Mark Minnich, Ella Markley, Carley Foehrkolb and Tesia Thomas.

By SUSAN HALLER
For Smart

Kid's First Day Care owner shares why she started her own business, and how she makes work all about family.

Posted in From this issue Smart Woman

Bookmark Permalink using

Comments (0)

Michelle Stoltzfus left a hectic job at Hershey Medical Center for the quiet simplicity of Shiloh Nursery in Emgisville. Here, the 37-year-old stepmom of two shares her philosophy on gardening and life.

Posted in From this issue Smart Woman

Bookmark Permalink using

Comments (0)