http://http://www.bradenton.com/living/family/index.xml News, sports, and entertainment from en-us Copyright 2009 Bradenton.com Family 60 Thu, 08 Jan 2009 14:11:36 EST http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss McClatchy Interactive's Workbench jluper@bradenton.com http://www.bradenton.com/living/family/story/1132451.html http://www.bradenton.com/living/family/story/1132451.html Tue, 06 Jan 2009 08:14 EST While checking out at a drugstore, I saw candy bars in a basket with a handmade sign that read, "SALE - 2 for $1." Underneath that it said, "Reg. 50 cents." Things like that tend to get me excited, which is a good thing, I now learn. http://www.bradenton.com/living/family/story/1133104.html http://www.bradenton.com/living/family/story/1133104.html Tue, 06 Jan 2009 10:02 EST This past year was the year when our family, like so many others, decided to cut back on Christmas. http://www.bradenton.com/living/family/story/1133552.html http://www.bradenton.com/living/family/story/1133552.html Tue, 06 Jan 2009 11:53 EST Our 16-month-old son refuses to feed himself. He will not even touch his food other than to throw it to the floor. If I try to put a bit of finger-food in his hand, he acts like I’m burning him. As a result, I have to feed him every bite, and he is becoming more and more picky about what he will eat. He even refuses to use a sippy cup or hold his own bottle, so I still hold it for him. Most recently, he’s starting acting afraid of sitting in his high chair. Could this have anything to do with his anxiety and should we try a different type of chair? http://www.bradenton.com/living/family/story/1132452.html http://www.bradenton.com/living/family/story/1132452.html Tue, 06 Jan 2009 08:14 EST Q: While in college I dated my second cousin. We were together for years, but he got involved with the wrong crowd and went to prison. We broke up two years ago and now I'm marrying my soul mate. My divorced parents are splitting the cost of the wedding. My cousin is related to my dad, who wants to invite my ex. I feel uncomfortable about having an ex-boyfriend at my wedding. My father is adamant and it is causing huge problems. Any advice? http://www.bradenton.com/living/family/story/1133229.html http://www.bradenton.com/living/family/story/1133229.html Tue, 06 Jan 2009 10:22 EST Dear Mr. Dad: My 3-year-old son prefers his mom over me! I work full time and my wife is a stay-at-home mom. How can I get him to spend time with me without feeling that I'm competing with Mom? http://www.bradenton.com/living/family/story/1132454.html http://www.bradenton.com/living/family/story/1132454.html Tue, 06 Jan 2009 08:14 EST Q: For the last month our 31-month-old son has started waking up around 3 a.m., wide awake. After finally getting him back to sleep he wakes up for good at 6:30. Before this started he slept through the night until 7-7:30. His afternoon nap is now a good half hour shorter as well. I think he's over-tired, and this is why he is waking up during the night. Consequently, I think he needs to go to bed earlier. My dear husband thinks the opposite and wants to make his bed time later. Please tell us, who's right? http://www.bradenton.com/living/family/story/1133549.html http://www.bradenton.com/living/family/story/1133549.html Tue, 06 Jan 2009 11:53 EST New mom Christine Chansley had read all about baby bottle tooth decay. http://www.bradenton.com/living/family/story/1129179.html http://www.bradenton.com/living/family/story/1129179.html Sun, 04 Jan 2009 23:30 EST BRADENTON — First comes love, then comes marriage, then, for many couples, comes divorce following the baby in the baby carriage. http://www.bradenton.com/living/family/story/1129779.html http://www.bradenton.com/living/family/story/1129779.html Mon, 05 Jan 2009 08:17 EST Cell phones have become unwelcome in most schools, because of fears about cheating, distractions and the reality that some students have used them to take and spread inappropriate pictures. http://www.bradenton.com/living/family/story/1129809.html http://www.bradenton.com/living/family/story/1129809.html Mon, 05 Jan 2009 08:22 EST WALNUT CREEK, Calif. - It was Matthew Shumaker's strange obsession with wheels and drains that spurred the first nagging doubts. While other toddlers tumbled down the padded ramps at Gymboree, or giggled under a billowing parachute during the baby games, Matthew toddled away to examine the wheels on a small rolling cart. http://www.bradenton.com/living/family/story/1129726.html http://www.bradenton.com/living/family/story/1129726.html Mon, 05 Jan 2009 08:12 EST A South Carolina woman went to a local Walmart to buy a doll for her daughters this Christmas, but what she ended up with was a Mattel Fisher-Price Toys baby doll that says "Islam is the light." http://www.bradenton.com/living/family/story/1129731.html http://www.bradenton.com/living/family/story/1129731.html Mon, 05 Jan 2009 08:12 EST 10. Chortle at the kids' antics after they've been reprimanded and are out of earshot. That, or use hand to muffle chuckles and throw in a fake cough. Goal? Use this phrase 80 percent less by July: "Just because I laugh doesn't make it OK." http://www.bradenton.com/living/family/story/1129738.html http://www.bradenton.com/living/family/story/1129738.html Mon, 05 Jan 2009 08:12 EST When I received "Sesame Street Playground," a CD featuring 13 songs from international productions of the popular TV show, I'll admit I was a bit skeptical as to whether my 4-year-old would enjoy listening to the unfamiliar languages. But the disk turned out to be the ticket to a global adventure for my family. No matter what song we played - "Rubber Duckie" in Mandarin or the opening theme from the Indian version, "Galli Galli Sim Sim" - Peyton listened intently and even began to sing along with the refrains. A bonus DVD let us see some of the foreign "Sesame Street" muppets in five music videos. Ages 3 to 8. Putumayo, $15 http://www.bradenton.com/living/family/story/1129781.html http://www.bradenton.com/living/family/story/1129781.html Mon, 05 Jan 2009 08:17 EST Every day, Keith Severin and his 8-year-old son, Adrien, go on a treasure hunt. http://www.bradenton.com/living/family/story/1129810.html http://www.bradenton.com/living/family/story/1129810.html Mon, 05 Jan 2009 08:22 EST With my daughter I was the uber-mom - maybe even slightly overbearing. I could anticipate her crying before she even began to whimper - I sat with her for hours and poured over alphabet books reading and quizzing her and stockpiled every Disney princess fairy tale movie available and watched them with her religiously. http://www.bradenton.com/living/family/story/1129720.html http://www.bradenton.com/living/family/story/1129720.html Mon, 05 Jan 2009 08:12 EST Crunch crunch crunch. That's the sound of me eating crow. After 20 weeks of being absolutely convinced that I'm having a girl - so convinced, in fact, we decided to name her Grace Ann and didn't even bother to think of boys' names - the pesky ultrasound machine decided to throw a penis and two random testicles up on the screen. Considering I've said before how badly I was hoping for a girl to add to my house of wild boys, I'm officially stating I was wrong. So in the off chance that 10 years from now baby boy No. 3 decides to Google his mother's name and discovers I was praying to both God and Santa for a baby girl, this is my attempt to save him thousands of dollars in therapy. http://www.bradenton.com/living/family/story/1129728.html http://www.bradenton.com/living/family/story/1129728.html Mon, 05 Jan 2009 08:12 EST Looking for some kiddy music reviews? Two of our favorite guest bloggers, Trine Gallegos and Sofia, her adorable music expert, age 6, weigh in on three brand-new CDs. http://www.bradenton.com/living/family/story/1129732.html http://www.bradenton.com/living/family/story/1129732.html Mon, 05 Jan 2009 08:12 EST Like many parents, Karen and Michael Stanley wanted to give their daughter the best when she was born 17 months ago. http://www.bradenton.com/living/family/story/1129739.html http://www.bradenton.com/living/family/story/1129739.html Mon, 05 Jan 2009 08:12 EST Winter really just began a few weeks ago. But there could be lots more snow before we're talking about spring. http://www.bradenton.com/living/family/story/1129808.html http://www.bradenton.com/living/family/story/1129808.html Mon, 05 Jan 2009 08:22 EST As annoying companions go, it could have been much worse than Elmo. It could have been Barney, whose "need adenoid surgery" voice drove me nuts long before I had kids. http://www.bradenton.com/living/family/story/1129815.html http://www.bradenton.com/living/family/story/1129815.html Mon, 05 Jan 2009 08:22 EST Have a happy period! Those words stared at me from the pamphlet my 11-year-old daughter had just handed me. Mocking me. Filling me with dread and angst. My daughter had just experienced the joy, the unbridled excitement that was "The Talk" in school. It had gone well, in part because she already knew the information - after all, she's heard it since birth AND she shares a bedroom with a teenage sister, so there's nothing sacred there. The most traumatic part of the entire discussion was the fact that A BOY walked in while the teacher was saying one of the WORDS, Mom! http://www.bradenton.com/living/family/story/1129725.html http://www.bradenton.com/living/family/story/1129725.html Mon, 05 Jan 2009 08:12 EST After the bliss of the holidays is over, a New Year's resolution that couples might be contemplating this new year is divorce. http://www.bradenton.com/living/family/story/1129730.html http://www.bradenton.com/living/family/story/1129730.html Mon, 05 Jan 2009 08:12 EST A weekly glimpse of what moms are saying on the Web. http://www.bradenton.com/living/family/story/1129734.html http://www.bradenton.com/living/family/story/1129734.html Mon, 05 Jan 2009 08:12 EST Before I got married, I regarded myself as a person who was on the "neat" side. If I were to take a one of those personality surveys you find in magazines, I'd easily check off "organized" as one of my attributes. Whether it was running a project at work or planning a party with friends, I have always been one to cross my t's and dot my i's. I have also always enjoyed being somewhat of a homebody. On the weekends, I'd enjoy going out with friends. But, I am also the kind of person who needs an equal amount of down time tidying up and cleaning up around the house. http://www.bradenton.com/living/family/story/1124432.html http://www.bradenton.com/living/family/story/1124432.html Wed, 31 Dec 2008 08:10 EST New mom Christine Chansley had read all about baby bottle tooth decay. http://www.bradenton.com/living/family/story/1122696.html http://www.bradenton.com/living/family/story/1122696.html Tue, 30 Dec 2008 08:13 EST Q: Our 16-month-old son refuses to feed himself. He will not even touch his food other than to throw it to the floor. If I try to put a bit of finger-food in his hand, he acts like I'm burning him. As a result, I have to feed him every bite, and he is becoming more and more picky about what he will eat. He even refuses to use a sippy cup or hold his own bottle, so I still hold it for him. Most recently, he's starting acting afraid of sitting in his high chair. Could this have anything to do with his anxiety and should we try a different type of chair? http://www.bradenton.com/living/family/story/1122693.html http://www.bradenton.com/living/family/story/1122693.html Tue, 30 Dec 2008 08:13 EST Q: My husband and his ex have been separated for 10-plus years. They live close to each other and share custody of their daughter equally. My husband has a wonderful job opportunity on the other side of the country. I feel guilty for encouraging him to take it. I love my bonus daughter, who is 11, and get along well with her. She does not have such a good relationship with her mom's new husband and kids. Am I abandoning her if we move? Should my husband stay in a bad job to be close to her? I feel as if I am caught between my husband and my bonus daughter. What do I do? http://www.bradenton.com/living/family/story/1123106.html http://www.bradenton.com/living/family/story/1123106.html Tue, 30 Dec 2008 12:15 EST Dear Mr. Dad: My wife and I have been talking a lot about the importance of setting limits for our two children, ages 5 and 7. We know we must do this but we aren't sure how to go about it, especially since the kids continually challenge us on every new rule. But it's so exhausting. Any suggestions? http://www.bradenton.com/living/family/story/1122695.html http://www.bradenton.com/living/family/story/1122695.html Tue, 30 Dec 2008 08:13 EST I'm not saying our lives are dull or that middle-age is anything less than scintillating, but it seems the husband and I have entered a season of life where our main topic of conversation is the price of gasoline. http://www.bradenton.com/living/family/story/1121042.html http://www.bradenton.com/living/family/story/1121042.html Mon, 29 Dec 2008 08:13 EST Homework can be a daunting task for students and parents alike. Making school work a priority in your home sends the signal that you care about your child and his or her future. Janeal Roberts, vice president of education for KLC School Partnerships, offers some quick tips to help ensure your child is set up for homework - and academic - success.