September 2016

Growing up in Henrico’s near West End, Carla Navarrete had plenty of family around her: her parents, an older sister, and three younger brothers. But she didn’t have her grandparents, all of whom lived in her parents’ native country of Mexico. “We didn’t get to see our grandparents often,” she…

The secret is revealed in a single, appalling glance. Our vet has pried Rudy’s mouth open and there, in the back, the reason for his recent difficulties eating. A golf ball-sized melanoma, growing on his tongue. It’s December 2, 2015. Rudy is fifteen years old. He has survived snakebites and…

It isn’t like we didn’t get plenty of notice that our firstborn was heading off to college. Progress through school follows such a predictable pattern that it’s easy enough, even at birth, to guess when the first week of college will eventually be, isn’t it? And there are additional clues,…

Disney fanatics like me are having a difficult time keeping up with all the new attractions, restaurants, and changes at Walt Disney World Resort. Mind you, it’s exciting, but there is a lot to take in. And, it’s just the beginning. In a few years, the resort will be a…

Parenting is a series of ever-increasing circles of distance you let your children get away from you before you freak out and pull them back in close. When they are first born, someone is always holding them. When they get a little older, you let them hang out on the…

Another RVA summer has come and gone, and it’s time to get back into the routine of the school year. I’m not gonna lie, I have some mixed emotions about it all, as I gaze at the decorative sign hanging in my house that reads, “I Dream of Summers that…

Divorce is never easy. When parents divorce, a major concern is: How will this affect the children? Each family is unique, and the answer to that question will depend on the age of the children and the family dynamics. Generally, it is best for parents to tell the children together,…

We just spent a weekend with my brother’s family, and it broke my heart! His kids get along perfectly. What can I do about the perpetual fighting that goes on between my kids (ages seven, nine, and thirteen)? Our house is the scene of constant sibling conflict. My husband says we need…

What is it this time? Did she fall in the cafeteria? Did somebody make fun of her on the bus? Maybe she couldn’t do the PE activity? Or perhaps she had a seizure at school? It was hard for Alison Owens to see her sweet daughter, Kim, feeling upset and…

The first known cases of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in the United States were reported in 1981, and in 1983 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) was established as its cause. HIV rapidly spread over the next three decades, reaching epidemic proportions and becoming a major global public health crisis. Worldwide, nearly…

As summer winds down, I have found that most people think the peak harvest time for fruits and vegetables in Virginia comes to an end, too. Many of our wonderful farmers’ markets may see fewer visitors, but there is still so much goodness to enjoy at peak freshness in September,…

When you think of closing costs, you might get a glimpse of the light at the end of the home-buying process tunnel. You’re just one step away from being a homeowner! It’s an exciting time, but closing costs can be more complicated than the typical homebuyer might think. Prospective homebuyers…

Our family recently enjoyed a wonderful vacation on a fairly remote beach. We loved having no phones, sleeping late, and seeing nobody else on our beach. However, as I was exploring and photographing the sunrise one morning, I stepped on something sharp and cut my foot. I had packed a small…

It’s check-up season, and you hear the pediatrician ask, “Is there anything we should give special attention to at today’s visit?” Your mind goes immediately to the big changes you’ve noticed in your son’s sleep habits, or to your daughter’s increasingly weepy, angry outbursts. You wonder if what you’re seeing…

As the first, largest, and wealthiest English colony in the New World, Virginia has a rich political history reaching back to our nation’s founding. Four of the first five presidents – Washington, Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe – were Virginia-born. In total, by birth, Virginia has provided eight American presidents –…

Ahhh, the cooler temperatures of autumn! They are met annually with celebration, like a prize earned for enduring a Central Virginia summer. Fall is a great season for evaluation and renovation in the landscape and in the garden because of lower temperatures and higher rainfall. Fall is surely the best…