April 2019

Ten years ago, Cathy Motley-Fitch gave birth to premature twins – a son, Grayson, and daughter, Lola. Both babies were tiny, but healthy. But just over a week later, Cathy stood in the neonatal intensive care unit holding her daughter close as the infant took her last breath. Lola didn’t…

In 2015, National Geographic magazine identified Tangier Island, Virginia, as one of its twenty must-see places in the world. The tiny island shared the list with exotic destinations, such as Okavango Delta in Botswana and Eastern Bhutan in the Himalayas. Reading the article, I was surprised I’d overlooked an adventure…

From babysitting to bagging groceries and beyond, Richmond is chock-full of opportunities for teenagers to get their feet wet with a first-time job. Some teens choose to enter the workforce to earn extra spending money, save for a big-ticket purchase, or help with family expenses, while others might want to…

There we sat – crisscross applesauce on a cold kitchen floor – surrounded by a sea of Duplo LEGO blocks. One of us didn’t have pants on. The look on her face was a combination of shock and delight. My little building buddy glanced down to see if a puddle…

I bet you’ve participated in or know someone who has attended a retreat for church or a motivational conference for work. You may have even had the privilege of traveling to The Homestead, The Greenbriar, or if you’re really fortunate, an exotic island. To be honest, sometimes, a few hours…

I like those old Coleman magazine ads where the kids stand by the stream with fishing poles, reeling in trout; Mom kneels near the picnic basket, driving in tent stakes; and Dad tugs at the station wagon, loosening the canoe. The cooler sits front and center, open and packed with…

It’s April, which means if you’re reading this at eight o’clock at night, you are still seeing shimmers of daylight in the sky. The sky will look about the same as it did in mid-December at five in the afternoon – isn’t that crazy?!  Every time the clocks change, I’m…

In the 1920s, a prominent Richmond businessman, C.F. Sauer, Sr., started a Japanese garden on the 4300 block of Monument Avenue.  The two-and-a-half acre parcel was a private garden, meant for use by residents of a new subdivision the prominent businessman had recently built nearby. Though real estate was not Sauer’s main…

It’s a familiar story I hear from parents. My teenager’s room is a wreck. There’s laundry everywhere, dishes under the bed, and she can never seem to find anything. She’s having trouble keeping track of assignments, always procrastinates, and can’t focus in class. High school has been a rough transition.…

Bad credit? No credit? No problem! Your job is your credit! These kinds of claims, often made by a shady used car salesperson, just aren’t true. Bad credit is a problem. It makes your life more expensive in the form of higher interest rates on loans. Bad credit can make…

I have been gardening since I was five. My father encouraged me to grow beets in his vegetable garden, and I remember pulling the purple roots from the row I tended. While I despised beets back then, a seed took root deep down within me that grew into my life’s…

The world needs more flowers! Make a seed sphere and grow them anywhere. Plus, adding plants to a landscape reduces the chances for erosion in low-soil spots, attracts pollinators, and beautifies any area with wildflowers! What you need: • Air-dry clay • Soil • Native wildflower seeds • Water •…

If your home is anything like mine, it might feel like you’re constantly trying to prevent what I call the paper pile-up. Every day, it seems that more paper is coming in, and not enough is going out. Before we go too far with our spring cleaning, it’s important to…

I have a friend who spanks her kids. She has told me about her system. While I don’t use physical discipline on my children, I try not to judge the way she parents her kids. The issue is this: My 5-year-old has seen this in action at a play date at…

“When we come here, we start from zero.” For people coming from different experiences and refugee communities, zero can mean different things.  For a young refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo or Bhutan who has spent his lifetime in a refugee camp, zero may mean learning to navigate life…

Children who are five years old by September 30 can start kindergarten in the fall, and families throughout Central Virginia can register their little ones for kindergarten now. To get started on the necessary forms to register for kindergarten in Chesterfield County, go here. To get started on the necessary…

We all do it. We rush through our day and at dinnertime, we throw food in the oven and slap dinner on the table – only to hurry through the meal and get on with the next thing.  Finding a few minutes to enjoy the process of cooking dinner and…

Contrary to popular belief, you do not need to upgrade your phone every two years. My 5-year-old phone works beautifully, but it takes a little TLC to keep it happy. Here are some maintenance strategies just in time for spring cleaning.  Say Good-bye to Full Storage  We have all been…

For people over sixty-five, Medicare covers a wellness visit once every twelve months if you have Medicare Part B. These are commonly referred to as annual wellness visits. The goal of the visit is to identify what is needed to help you become and stay well. There are three names…