May 2017

The sixth annual Dunk Hunger food drive for FeedMore’s Central Virginia Food Bank launches this month at pools all over Richmond. This program not only provides thousands of meals to our community, but also offers an opportunity for motivated teenagers to step up and be leaders. In 2012, I was…

From interacting with life-size T. rex replicas and digging like archeologists at an actual excavation site, to biking on the beach or pretending to be BMX riders on a mountain bike obstacle course, our family has had many adventures in Virginia through the years. Now that the weather is cooperating…

When I had my first baby, my husband and I had recently moved far away from our families. As you might imagine, I desperately needed some mom friends. Joining a new moms’ support group at the local hospital proved vital to my survival that first year. During those meetings, I…

Shortly after giving birth to our first daughter, my husband looked deep into my bloodshot eyes (the whites of which were now red from the hemorrhaging that had occurred while pushing like a crazy woman to eject a tiny human), and proclaimed, “You are my hero!” In the moments-you-will-never-forget category,…

What a difference a year makes! Last May, I was still recovering from the delivery that brought my twin boys into the world. I was also working full-time, pumping around the clock, and scrambling daily to get to the NICU at the hospital to visit my boys at least once…

When my wife Kat and I were beginning our lives together, we didn’t know much, but we did know we wanted to live in a city. Suburbs are fine, but they weren’t for us. Growing up in the Northern Virginia suburbs around DC, we’d both had our fill of hour-plus…

As in, almost the end of the school year. As in, almost the end of elementary school for my firstborn son. What?!! Because I know volunteer opportunities dramatically decrease in middle school, back when school started, I decided I couldn’t possibly say no when my fifth grader asked me to…

Many plants in local landscapes are rebounding from this past winter. The erratic temperatures killed back the above-ground portions of plants we love, such as hydrangeas, gardenias, and boxwood. The good news is these plants will rebound as new growth originates from roots. For boxwood, however, there is more bad…

Do you have a bag full of plastic bags at home? Here’s a great way to upcycle this common item that, sadly, finds its way to our oceans all too often. Just decide on the length of your jump rope, and get busy! What you need: • Eighteen plastic bags…

Just like most careers, the field of law is changing in this fast-moving and increasingly complex world. For women, the change in the practice of law has been even more dramatic. Never again will the experience of my first trial as a newly minted attorney be repeated. The judge, having…

How do I get my 5-year-old to go to bed and stay there? That is a great question, and one almost every parent asks at some point during their children’s lives. General consensus dictates that 5-year-olds require nine to eleven hours of sleep per day. A healthy sleep routine may…

Last year, the YMCA of Greater Richmond served nearly 177,000 individuals across the region. With a service history that spans more than 160 years, the Y is a nonprofit dedicated to making the community a better place to live, work, and play. According to Tim Joyce, president and CEO, the…

So this time you’re having a boy! Your hand gently caresses your baby bump when you touch the small ridge of scar tissue from your cesarean section. Your mind and heart are flooded with so many hopes, concerns, and questions. What is the best way for this new little life…

Plant-based recipes contain a variety of healthy ingredients that can help lower your risk of heart disease and cancer. For example, beans are rich in potassium, magnesium, folate, iron, and zinc, and they are an important protein source in plant-based diets. They also contain plenty of fiber, both insoluble and…

Listen, there is an “F” word you really need to know. In fact, you might have heard this “F” word in the news before, and thought, That sounds like something only old people care about. I mean, seniors. (Sorry, Mema!) That’s right, the word of the day is “fiduciary.” Not…

Negative behaviors in children are often a plea for attention. We’ve all seen it: tantrums, bully-level jokes, and overly dramatic reactions. But what about the child who constantly seeks attention through what is perceived as positive behavior? It’s the over-achiever who asks for the teacher’s attention even though she clearly…

When the country’s first bicycling craze swept the South in the 1890s, a Richmond businessman and philanthropist opened a 9-acre cycling club in Henrico County, just outside the city. He died a few years later, in 1897, but with its cycling paths and club house, the Lakeside Wheel Club continued to be…