Thursday, May 17, 2012
The decision of whether to open gifts at a kid's birthday party isn't always easy.
Birthday parties mean birthday presents which brings up the question, “Do you open the gifts at the party or not?” When I ask people this question I get some adamant "Yes" and "No" answers, but quite a few Moms I talk to, especially new Moms, aren’t quite sure what to do. My vague answer is, “It depends.” There are quite a few things you need to consider regarding your child’s birthday party and the answer may not be the same every year. First and foremost you need to do what is right for your child. Does he or she want to open gifts or just keep playing with friends? You also need to consider what you can handle as the party hostess. Sometimes it is hard to gauge how much time it will take. But, don’t let anyone tell you how it should …
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
THEATER REVIEW. This show about writing a show could have been more tightly edited, but at times seems so spontaneous it creates an in-the-moment feel. It's playing in Skokie at Northlight Theatre.
THEATER REVIEW When all the members of an ensemble cast pull their own weight and play off their characters' personality differences, they create a pleasure for the audience to watch. The four actors in Northlight Theatre's [title of show] nailed it on that count. Yes, [title of show] is the title of the show. It's a bit confusing until you learn the characters are writing a show to enter into a theater festival, and they don't have a ready answer for the part of the entry form that says [title of show]. So-- in this show about writing a show, Matthew Krowle lets his demons and his creative juices all hang out as he plays Hunter, the main scribe, and that's balanced nicely by the way Stephen Schellhardt plays Jeff, his composer-…
Sunday, May 13, 2012
President Barack Obama said that he supported gay marriage this week, while Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has said he believes marriage should be between a man and a woman.
Gay marriage came to the forefront of the 2012 presidential campaign this week. President Barack Obama said on ABC's Good Morning America that he personally supported gay marriage. "You know, Malia and Sasha, they have friends whose parents are same-sex couples. There have been times where Michelle and I have been sitting around the dinner table and we’re talking about their friends and their parents and Malia and Sasha, it wouldn’t dawn on them that somehow their friends’ parents would be treated differently," Obama said in the interview with ABC. Obama's support for gay marriage came one day after North Carolina passed an amendment defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman, the Huffington Post Reported. Republican …
Thursday, May 10, 2012
A Mother's Day reminder of the joys of motherhood
Mother's Day is this Sunday, just in case you were too busy being a Mother to notice. It got me thinking about how sometimes I'm so busy, tired, and stressed that I don't stop to appreciate why being a Mom is worth it. Some days it's easier to focus on the negatives and I ask myself why did I go through all of the pain, nausea, sleepless nights, insecurity, and the extra 10 pounds that won’t go away? So, I wrote a post on Why Being a Mom is Worth It that I wanted to share. But more importantly, I'd love to hear from you. Why Do You Love Being a Mom? Please comment below and let's create a great list of why Motherhood is amazing. The reminder is a nice gift to ourselves. I want to wish everyone a Happy Mother’s Day. I hope your day is …
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Chicago is considering a tax on soda as a way to raise revenue and combat obesity.
Chicago held hearings this week on whether to tax soda to fight obesity. Alderman George Cardenas proposed a tax of 15 to 35 cents on sugary drinks. Cardenas proposed the tax as a way to fight child obesity rates. The tax also would raise about $129 million in revenue. Childhood obesity in the U.S. has more than tripled in the last 30 years, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The CDC states that in 2008, a third of U.S. children were overweight or obese. The percentage of children 6 to 11 defined as obese rose from 7 percent in 1980 to almost 20 percent in 2008. “We know that taxing at the right level can reduce consumption of sugary drinks and that reducing consumption will help reduce the prevalence of obesity,” Fox Chicago …
Thursday, May 3, 2012
What do Moms really want for Mother's Day?
Mother's Day is coming up and I hope your family goes all out and makes your special day memorable. But, stop for a minute and think about what would make that day special. What could your family do to make you feel like the best Mom in the world? If we don't tell our family what we want, we run the risk of being disappointed, right? And, based on a lot of the comments I've seen on parenting sites and Mom blogs, there's a lot of disappointment out there. So, Moms, what do you really want for Mother's Day? Do you have traditions that you look forward to every year? Last year, Kathy O., a Patch.com reader shared "I usually work on Mother's Day, so we start off with early Mass followed by breakfast with my mom. We also try and visit the …
Thursday, April 26, 2012
In Illinois inmates are upset about the amount of soy content in the food served in prison.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Medical marijuana is legal in 16 states. Should Illinois follow suit?
The federal government has stepped up a crackdown on medical marijuana users and distributors. The Huffington Post recently reported raids on those involved with medical marijuana and President Obama’s apparent decision to back away from a 2007 campaign pledge. Medical marijuana is legal in 16 states. A medical marijuana bill was defeated in the Illinois House earlier this year. The same bill, championed by state Rep. Lou Lang (D-Skokie), also fell short in November 2011. Some prominent local politicians, including Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, have decried the use of law enforcement resources to incarcerate non-violent drug offenders. “Instead of dealing with our addiction problem in this country with a public health …
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Library patrons may borrow “The Hunger Games,” “Ready Player One,” “The Maze Runner,” “Brave New World,” “1984” and many other favorites.
This week’s column was submitted by Lynne Rubio, readers’ services assistant at the Des Plaines Public Library. The Hunger Games, the movie, is finally here! Nearly every early reviewer gave it high praise and anticipation among fans is high. The library owns many copies of The Hunger Games books, and the way they have been flying off the shelves for months is a litmus test for the continuing interest in Suzanne Collins’ trilogy, culminating in this week’s movie premiere. If you want to check out a copy of the book, call us at (847) 376-2834 or go to our online catalog and place a hold. Sometimes, though, in the midst of a feeding frenzy over a particular book, it’s gratifying to take a step back and a look around. If you love The Hunger …
Friday, March 23, 2012
The Des Plaines library and Des Plaines Patch are teaming up for a newsletter sign-up drive.
Here are two useful, free, easy ways to keep up with what’s happening in Des Plaines: Sign up to receive a weekly email from the library and a daily email from Patch. Recognizing the mutual benefit our readers would get from partnering for a newsletter sign-up drive, The Des Plaines Public Library and Des Plaines Patch are sharing that information with all of our readers on each of our newsletters. Move Forward at the Library! Don’t miss out on the best free entertainment and educational programming in town! Each email contains information and registration links for the upcoming week’s children’s events, career counseling classes, computer classes, book discussions, movie screenings, musical performances, opportunities to meet with elected…
J.M.
11:33 am on Thursday, May 17, 2012
For younger kids, we prefer to open gifts after the party. There inevitably is a certain amount of comparing gifts, feeling envious, etc., that we avoid that way. It also helps in keeping track of who gave what for purposes of writing thank-you notes. And when we open them later, we have time to enjoy each gift for a while before moving on to the next one, so it's not such gluttony as tearing … more ›