Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Tips for keeping the fun in the game for your and your child.
Over the course of the last month my kids have attended softball, volleyball and hockey tryouts for the upcoming sports seasons. While this is a very exciting, yet stressful, time for kids, I did notice some parents actually making the situation worse for their kids: In all these situations, I will never forget that embarrassed, dejected look on the kids' faces. The one person who is always supposed to be there for them with words of encouragement had just cut them down at a time when they needed them to be their biggest cheerleader! As I mentioned in a previous article about team sports, organized sports for children provide an opportunity to learn sports and team skills, as well as stress the importance of working together as a team. And…
Monday, May 23, 2011
The recent rash of tornadoes and storms in the south and Missouri have my daughter worried.
About five years ago, we took the kids to an early season White Sox game. During the game, the sky started getting darker and darker and eventually, the giant scoreboard flashed a warning that a severe thunderstorm would be arriving within 15 minutes and to seek shelter inside the concourse. Our kids were afraid and didn't want to stay. We decided to make a run for the car. Unfortunately, the storm hit as we were running to the car. We were fine but the kids were shaken up, especially one of my daughters. Fast forward a month or so. We were enjoying a warm May evening at a friend's house, when again, the sky darkened and within a matter of minutes the tornado siren went off. They didn't have a basement so we threw all the kids in the car …
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Tulips, the smell of rain and flip flops make this my favorite season.
Finally, the snow is gone for good (I hope I just didn't jinx us). Most of the neighborhood has their Christmas lights and decorations down. And I swear I've seen that goose who likes to nest in Target's parking lot every year sniffing around her old stomping grounds. These signs can only point to one thing - spring has sprung! I love spring! It's my favorite time of the year, and whether you want to know why or not, I'm going to tell you anyway!
41.772325
-88.038246
Target
2333 63rd St, Woodridge, IL
/articles/why-spring-is-my-favorite-thing
323594
/locations/3893789
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Letting kids learn from their mistakes is a hard lesson to learn.
It's been a rough few weeks for the Chudzik kids and forgetfulness. My oldest "forgot" her kneepads for her first night of club volleyball practice, which required an extra trip to Downers Grove North to bring them to her. Another daughter "forgot" that student council T-shirt forms were due until 5 minutes before we were leaving for school. And my son "forgot" to pack his jock/cup for hockey practice. Someone offered to let him use his extra one – but that's just gross. A jaunt to the on-site pro-shop and $20 later he was on the ice ready to go. "Forgot" is the new "F" word in our house. I despise that word because it inevitably means I'm faced with the dilemma – do I let them fail and learn from their mistakes, or do I save them and …
41.80547
-88.01094
Downers Grove North High School
4436 Main St, Downers Grove, IL
/articles/to-let-my-children-fail-or-to-not-let-my-children-fail-thats-a-tough-question
1296869
/locations/2655387
Monday, September 20, 2010
Is it so wrong to depend on your kids for chores?
Summer vacation is over, the kids are back in school and I have to say there's something I miss. I know the politically correct answer would be to tell you that I miss having them around and spending all that time with them. However, I'm not going to lie. While I do miss them, there's something I miss even more – help with daily chores. With four kids I had a great system in place. I posted a list on the door that included four different jobs for each day of the week. There wasn't anything crazy hard on the list - Swiffer the floors, clean the glass storm door covered with paw prints and finger prints, sweep off the front porch, wipe down their bathroom with bacterial wipes and -- my personal favorite -- clean all the junk out of the …
Friday, September 3, 2010
There are many options for people of all ages who are considering going back to school.
With the school year back in full swing and my kids hitting the books, it got me thinking about returning to the classroom as well. As a freelance writer and public relations consultant, I've always wanted to learn more about graphic and web design to make myself more marketable. But I always seemed to find an excuse: I'm too old to go back to school. I don't have time. I can't afford it. After some quick research, I realized I could throw the age excuse out the window. According to the U.S. Department of Education, 40 percent of today's college students, or nearly 6 million people, are age 25 or older. It's estimated that 90 million people enroll in some type of adult education each year. Whether you're going back to school to complete an…
