A recipe for gratitude
What’s your family thankful for this holiday season? If the answer doesn’t come easily, keep pondering. Research shows cultivating gratitude can positively affect health, relationships and happiness, for kids and adults alike. Sometimes life’s most basic pleasures – like a meal prepared and served with care – can inspire the most thankfulness. For instance, family…
Crunching numbers for Illinois kids
If the song is correct and “the children are our future,” it stands to reason that the quality of life experienced by children will have an impact on that future. Each year, the advocacy group Voices for Illinois Children releases its Illinois Kids Count report, compiling statistics from throughout the state indicating the well-being of…
Educate and vaccinate
The human papillomavirus – or HPV – is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the world. There are more than 170 types of HPV, and about a dozen of them are linked to cancer. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than half of all sexually active people will contract…
No zombie children!
Experts advise caution: sleep is not a luxury; it’s a necessity for good health. It’s no secret that the sleep debt is growing like the national debt in American adults. Studies show that our children are walking in our sleepy footsteps, and it’s affecting their health. Anwar Shafi, M.D., assistant professor of pediatrics at SIU…
Winter FUNderland
The Polar ExpressNov 17-19, 24-26, Dec 1-3, 8-9. Read along with the story as the Polar Express train makes its round-trip journey to the North Pole. mrym.org. Monticello Railroad Museum, 992 Iron Horse Place, Monticello, 762-9011. Holiday Market Cookie WalkNov 18, 8am-2pm. Annual event features gift items and holiday cookies. Hosted by the Springfield Ceramics…
Getting creative with child care
A dear friend of mine has three children under 5½. And she’s one of the best, most grounded, least edgy moms I know. She’s not the mom with blown out hair and a full Lululemon wardrobe or spotless babies with giant bows stuck to their heads. She’s the one pumping breastmilk in the car as…
