Infant

It’s hard to believe another summer break has come to a close for most of our kids, yet here it is. Though my own children are now in college, I will never forget the days of school supply lists and figuring out what they would be wearing on their first days …

Kids are a hilarious, exceptional, a miracle. I give my 8-month old a leaf and she’s happy for about two hours to just wave it around in front of her face. She is growing every minute, every second, and watching her change and develop is so unbelievably exciting. All of …

I didn’t learn to swim until I was 11 years old. I remember being frustrated when I went to the pool with my friends and I couldn’t hang out with them in the deep end as easily. There was one time, I remember trying to play “lifeguard” with my cousin and …

It’s that time of year again, when we all start hitting the pools, and the lifeguard in me starts fuming when I see kids bobbing around in the pool in water wings, life vests and suits with flotation inserts. Why? As a former swim coach, instructor, pool manager, and lifeguard, …

I like to imagine “balance” as this peaceful state of mind. It’s this feeling that everything is occurring in symbiotic coexistence. My life, my work, my personal happiness, it’s all at this serene, cue ocean wave white sound noises. That’s what balance is, right? It’s the perfect (by definition) system, …

Co–sleeping?! (*Gasp!*) This is pretty much a bad word in the medical community: No one wants to talk about it, as it is so frowned upon and stigmatized — and not without reason, which I’ll get to. And I know parents often don’t tell me if they are doing this, because they don’t …

My husband and I spent a recent Saturday morning attending a free positive parenting course, put on by Robin Brocklesby, founder of Embrace the PATH. Robin put together three free courses to expose parents in our community to this parenting model and see what the interest would be in doing more …

My 7th grade Nevada history instructor from Clayton Middle School, Mr. Gandolfo, would likely do somersaults in his grave if he could hear the following admission: I’ve never ridden the V&T Railroad. So very sorry, Mr. G. But I made it up to him today (and seriously thought about so many of the things …

Halloween. It’s about dressing up in nutty costumes and making haunted houses and scaring the daylights out of your neighborhood kids. It’s picture-perfect moments with your cute little Storm Troopers and Wonder Women. But if you’re a kid, Halloween is all about the C-A-N-D-Y. It’s the one night a year …

This past weekend, we surprised our 2-year-old with a “Day out With Thomas,” put on by the Virginia & Truckee Railroad in Virginia City. It’s a 25-minute train ride, and many of the activities can fill a whole day. Here’s what I learned: Ideally, you want to show up about 45 …