This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of Earth Day. For five decades, engaged neighbors have come together to show their support for protecting our planet for future generations. Earth Day themes have focused on such wide-ranging topics as inefficient cars,…
My aha moment for reducing plastic came at my kids’ elementary school playground when I noticed all the juice box straw wrappers. I picked up fistfuls of wrappers and threw them away and realized that when we give kids juice…
Visit GoochlandCares.org for guidance on conducting a safe food drive in your neighborhood. _________________________________________________________________________________ As a single mom, Sheila Jamerson doesn’t worry about herself. She worries about taking care of her two children. That anxiety recently turned to fear when…
This is the eleventh time I’ve written an April publisher’s note, and if I were to look back (which I never do; reading my own writing makes me cringe), I’m sure they have all started with talk of the joys…
My son will turn five in September, and I can’t decide if he’s ready for kindergarten. Are there any solid indicators in your opinion? The most important skill for your child is not a skill, but a healthy state of…
Television and movies often show the flashy sides of divorce by portraying heated courtroom showdowns, spouses hiding money in Swiss bank accounts, and confrontations about steamy extramarital affairs. While some of these scenes can be derived from real life, most…
Nothing says, “Welcome spring!” like daffodils, pollen, baby bunnies, and (perhaps) cutting a big check to the IRS. Conversely, many people purposefully overpay their taxes, so they receive a refund after filing. This is problematic as well. Even if you…
When Bonnie Soto was told she was having twins in 2014, she suddenly found herself confronting a revised family budget that didn’t fit with her original plans. She had figured that after her baby was born, she would find childcare and…
“There’s a sign-up sheet on the table!” is the last thing any working parent wants to hear during back-to-school night at a preschool. If I’m completely honest, I remember being skeptical of it being called back-to-school night in the first…
And so, it’s time to pull away from the curb. Again. You and I drove all these hours back to campus, and then I tried to fill an hour by asking if there was anything else you needed, or if…
