Green

“Did she wear her helmet?” It was the first question I asked when my husband and youngest came into the house. “Yes,” he explained grimly. “She was the only kid at the birthday wearing one, but she wore it.” He walked past me shaking his head. My little one danced around me, chattering about the party. “It was so COOL,” she exclaimed. “And I’m really good at skating now! Next time I won’t have to wear a helmet!” I didn’t say anything, but inside I was cringing. I’d fight that battle another day. It’s no secret that I am overprotective and always have been. However, since my own health issues I’ve actually adopted a more laid back attitude. I want my kids to have fun without worrying too much. I want them to...

Our new family member! There were cats in my home before there were children. Two adorable, huge, long-haired boys named Beavis and Kit-ten. They lived long, happy lives before passing away. My cuddly boy was 21. My husband’s cat was 19. He died right before our second daughter was born. We’ve been cat-free now for about eight years. I missed having cats but since we’re both allergic, I didn’t really go looking for a new pet. Besides, a few years ago we welcomed a rescue dog named Savannah who needed a lot of training and love. Anyway, back in October we were at the vet with Savannah and we noticed a cute puff of cream-colored fur hanging out in the area designated for adoptions. We oohed and ahhed. We...

Sleep. It should be the easiest thing in the world to accomplish. Lie down. Close eyes. Wake when refreshed. Except sometimes it’s not. Forget illnesses, nightmares and insomnia. Sometimes, it’s that your mattress is old and messing with your back. At least that’s what happened here. Until last week we had an old memory foam mattress that was expensive and comfortable when we bought it. Ten years later, however, the foam that used to snap back when I got out of bed just stayed dented. Besides, we bought the bed before we realized that mattresses are often a swampy mess of chemicals and off-gassing so I’ve been looking for an excuse to get rid of it. Many mattresses, for instance, are made from...

A few nights ago I sat outside a middle school gym waiting for my older daughter’s volleyball practice to end. I started making small talk with one of the other moms. “Which team was your daughter on last year,” I asked her. She looked at me a little funny before answering. “Your daughter’s! They have been together for a while.” I looked a little more closely and drew a blank. Nope, I just didn’t remember her or her daughter. I find this happens a lot as I move around in my life-after-concussion world. For instance, I didn’t remember that my other daughter’s current basketball coach was her coach two years ago — around the same time I got the first concussion. I had no recollection of going for a follow-up...

Kids learn from watching what their parents do. This isn’t rocket science, but researchers have found that the adage applies to sleeping, too. According to a new study by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, the longer a parent sleeps, the longer their children will, too. Also, children slept longer when parents were more confident about their ability to help children fall asleep. Researchers think that, when parents learn about how their sleep schedule affects their kids, they can get kids to sleep longer. “Our results also may suggest that individual parent behaviors do not reflect a ‘family lifestyle,’ but rather that parental sleep is directly linked to child sleep irrespective of others behaviors,”...