Creative Bird Productions Launches Video Series on Controversial Birthing Options

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August 29, 2014

The launch of the video documentary series, “Catchin’ Babies,” will shed light on alternative birthing options for mothers in an attempt to remove the stigma attached to home births. Creative Bird Productions follows two midwives as they educate and guide women in the midst of “misconceptions, fearful relatives and an under-educated society.”

Interested viewers can subscribe to the documentary series on the “Catchin’ Babies” YouTube Channel and also participate via social media conversations using the hashtags #CatchinBabies and #HomeBirth.

The Art of Video Games

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Erin Schoen Marsh

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August 29, 2014

On display now until September 28, the Toledo Museum of Art has an exhibit that will enthrall kids and adults alike with striking visual effects, player interactivity and creative use of new gaming technologies. The Art of Video Games allows adults to reminisce about their childhoods by viewing some of the first popular video games, including Pac-Man and Super Mario Brothers, while younger generations will recognize more recent games, including Flower and Super Mario Galaxy 2. The exhibition focuses on four game types–action, target, combat/strategy, and adventure–and “reveals the emergence of video games as a means of storytelling and audience engagement.” The Art of Video Games is organized by the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and the Toledo showing is made possible through the support of Toledo Museum of Art members.Runs through Sunday, September 28.

419-255-8000. toledomuseum.org. Free

Toledo Ballet Moving to Market Square

By

Nadine Hariri

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August 29, 2014

It’s time to make more room for the growing talent at the Toledo Ballet, and that’s why they are moving their home from Franklin Park Mall to the Market Square next to Hobby Lobby on Monroe Street and Nantucket. The new location has double the square footage to accommodate four dance studios and a workout space for pilates, yoga and other fitness activities.

“Toledo Ballet has loved being at the mall for over thirty years. In 2006, we moved to our current location at the mall, and the space has served us beautifully. But our curriculum has exploded, and with that comes a need for both larger studios and additional studios,” explained Toledo Ballet executive director Mari Davies. “We tried hard to find adequate space within the greater mall property, but it just didn’t work out.”

The new location is still close to the shopping area, but provides a safer drop-off location where parents won’t have to navigate through mall traffic. The space is scheduled to be complete by early spring.

Local and Organic Bakery

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Laura Blair

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August 29, 2014

The locally-grown food market just got sweeter with the opening of Earth To Oven Bakery in Sylvania, where baked goods are made using as many local and organic ingredients as possible.

Veronica Vincent-Camarago and her mother, Lori Vincent, started Earth To Oven Bakery in 2011. They ran the business out of their homes and sold their goods at farmers markets. Now, they stock their storefront cases Tuesday through Saturday and continue to sell their goods at Perrysburg and Toledo Farmers Markets. They also supply scones to Black Kite Pie and Coffee and Flying Rhino Coffee. While their recipes have been in the family for generations, they use social media to showcase their pretty treats and fresh flavors.

Most of their ingredients are organic, and sourced locally from small farms and businesses in Ohio and Michigan. They use organic flour, oats, eggs and fruit when available, and carry vegan and gluten-free items.

Almost every day, the Earth To Oven Facebook page has new photos of the cookies, cupcakes, cakes and pies. They also post which treats are being packed to take to the farmers markets, as well as a photo or two of custom orders.

Vincent-Camarago has worked in restaurants since she was 14 years old. She went to culinary school in Ann Arbor, and quit her job at Zingerman’s to open Earth To Oven. While Vincent worked in the auto industry, she cooked from scratch for her daughters, and baked pies at Bud and Luke’s in downtown Toledo before it closed its doors.

“My mom has lots of family experience,” said Vincent-Camarago. “And I have the professional experience. We bring them together in our bakery.”

5758 Main St. Suite 4, Sylvania. Tuesdays 9am-6pm, Wednesdays to Fridays 9am-5pm, Saturdays 9am-2pm. 419-824-0683. facebook.com/pages/Earth-To-Oven-Bakery/128044113926583

Three Generations of Motherly Wisdom

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Christine A. Holliday

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August 29, 2014

Moms have been raising children for centuries, with eachgeneration transforming the child-rearing norms. Moms and grandmas give advice from the past on the most common, yet often the most challenging, parenting topics around – teething, potty training, tantrums and more. Though times have certainly changed the way we raise our kids, in many ways we are not much different from our own moms and grandmas in our age-old motherly wisdom—Mom still knows best!

The Chezek, Posluszny, Pavlick Families

Diapers:

Great grandma: Cloth diapers…didn’t everyone?
Grandma: I started with cloth because I received them as gifts. Disposable after that.
Mom: Disposable diapers.

Breastfeeding:

Great grandma: I didn’t breastfeed.
Grandma: I breastfed all three, a year for the first one, less time for the others.
Mom: I breastfed mine, each for a little more than a year.

Sleep Routine:

Great grandma: I put her in bed. She was a good sleeper and was always sleepy. I sang Irish lullabies to her (Tura lura lura-an Irish lullaby)
Grandma: I was pretty strict. We didn’t fool around about that. We did whatever it took. The first one was a touch sleeper; she screamed and yelled a lot. We read books and sang the Irish songs.
Mom: My boys were not good sleepers. They woke up multiple times each night for the first nine months, so my mom suggested I better figure something out so I would get some sleep. I sang the Irish songs grandma sang.

Stay-at-home mom?

Great grandma: Yes, until my daughter was in school. Then I volunteered as a physical education teacher, Girl Scout leader, etc.
Grandma: I was home until the youngest went to kindergarten. I did part-time work after that.
Mom: I took maternity leave then went back to my dental practice two days a week. The kids stayed at home with a nanny, who was the daughter of my husband’s nanny. (She was a patient of mine!)

Home Remedies:

Great grandma: Vicks VapoRub for colds by the ton, and Listerine to gargle if she had a cold. My husband worked for Vicks then…
Grandma: I was still using the Vicks my mom stockpiled. I did honey and lemon for sore throats.
Mom: I use Vicks, but OTC meds for everything else.

Discipline:

Great grandma: I was easy, but I had limits. I sent her to her room if she misbehaved.
Grandma: My husband and I were fairly firm. We didn’t have any creative ways. It was go to your room or grounding. I don’t remember many tantrums.
Mom: I do “Time Out” or send them to their rooms. I expect challenges with two boys, especially since I am came from a family of all girls. I’ll be learning.

Best advice to give kids:

Great-grandma: Be close to your children, always be warm and fuzzy.
Grandma: Always tell them you love them, even if they drive you crazy. Keep the lines of communication open.
Mom: My mom reminded me that parents are parents, not friends to their children. They might not always like decisions I make,
but they will see they are for their own good.

The Mann/Meyers/Milligan Families

Sleep Routine:

Great grandma: I used long, vigorous rocking sessions to settle the children down to sleep.
Grandma: We used a timer to decide when they had cried enough. Two had colic, so it took both of us to handle that at night.
Mom: My kids aren’t good sleepers. I read them a story (Harry Potter for the older one) after the bath and toothbrush routine.

Diapers:

Great grandma: Cloth diapers.
Grandma: The first child was a preemie, so we had very teeny tiny diapers. A donor gave us Johnson and Johnson preemie disposable diapers (they were new then). After that, I used cloth.
Mom: Disposable diapers.

Chores:

Great grandma: Everyone had chores. The kids reminded us to give them their allowance.
Grandma: I had a chore list each week, and my kids helped, but didn’t get allowances. We rewarded them with special gifts and treats.
Mom: My older son clears his dishes. He helps with other chores and earns money, but there isn’t a structured list of what he is supposed to do.

Home Remedies:

Great grandma: Vicks VapoRub for colds, cold cloths on foreheads for fever.
Grandma: I hated the smell of Vicks, my last resort; whiskey on teething gums.
Mom: Vicks for colds, as well as others suggested by mom and grandma: meat tenderizer on bee stings, alcohol and vinegar for swimmer’s ear,
coke syrup for stomach ache, aloe vera plant for burns.

Discipline:

Great grandma: I used the threat of spanking with a wooden paint paddle.
Grandma: We encouraged our kids to respect our authority and our decisions. Spanking was rare, but was effective as an “attention getter.”
Mom: I use “Time Out” or take away the electronics.

21 Questions to Jump-Start Conversation with your Kids

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Digital Media

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August 29, 2014

It's evening. Maybe you're lucky enough to be sitting around the dinner table as a family. Or perhaps you've got a few moments in the car with your child between activities. So you ask, "How was your day?" But all you get are grunts and shrugged shoulders. Instead you try asking, "What did you do in school today?" This time you get the customary one-word answer: "Nothing."

What's happening here? You're simply trying to connect with your child. And while it seems like he's brushing you off, he may just be trying to disengage from school business. And your questions prevent that. Or he's so used to the question rolling off your tongue as a form of greeting, that he doesn't think you expect a real answer.

Rather than push harder for answers to your standard end-of-the-school-day questions, why not try some new conversation primers? Here are 21 ideas to get you rolling:

1. Tell me something that made you laugh.
2. Who did you encourage today? How?
3. Who encouraged you? What did they do?
4. If you had a "do-over" button, which part of your day would you press it on? Why?
5. What are you glad for?
6. Is there anything you missed today? What do you miss about it?
7. Name something you are proud of.
8. If you could be any teacher in your school, which one would you be? Why?
9. If today had a color, what would it be? Why?
10. Who did you sit with at lunch today? What did you talk about?
11. What do you look forward to next week/weekend/month?
12. Name something you're good at now that you weren't last year. What makes it easier?
13. What's one thing you'd like to learn to do someday?
14. What's one thing I could do for you or say to you that would make you feel good?
15. Who do you admire in your class? What do you like about them?
16. When you approach school, who did you look for first? Why?
17. Tell me about one thing you learned today. What makes it interesting?
18. What do you hope to do tomorrow?
19. What part of your day do you wish lasted longer?
20. What's the best thing about your teacher(s)?
21. What don't most people at school know about you?

For fun, write each question on a slip of paper and place in a container near the dinner table or in your car. Each evening pick out a question from the container to ask. Invite your child to add questions of his own to the mix or let him create his own container of questions to ask you. Take turns answering the same or different questions.

If all else fails, try posing this final question and see if your child can begin building the bridge from his side of the conversation: What question do you wish I would ask you after school?

Some tips on creating an atmosphere that encourages dialog:

– Don't machine gun multiple questions at your child at once. It's best to only ask one or two questions to get conversation going. Then stop and listen.
– Be prepared to answer any question that you ask. And be honest in the answers you give. You and your child can both learn more about each other and what goes on in your day when you create an atmosphere of safety and openness.
– Listen carefully to your child. Reflect back what you hear her say. Acknowledge any emotions implicit in the communication.
– Stick with what works. If several of these questions (or new ones of your own) generate more discussion than others, don't be afraid to go back to them again and again. Just don't let them become the rote substitution for "how was your day?"

Other resources for initiating dialogue:

Check out https://www.conversationstarters.com for hundreds of discussion topics, including a random question generator.

TableTopics® sells sets of conversation-starting question cards geared to a variety of situations, including Family, Teen, and Moms & Daughter editions. You can buy a cube with 135 cards or a portable set of 40 cards. Available at select retailers or online at https://www.tabletopics.com or through Amazon.com.

Flip through a book of questions to get fresh ideas. Consider 101 Conversation Starters For Families by Gary D. Chapman and Ramon L. Presson (Chicago: Northfield Publishing, 2012).

Lara Krupicka is a freelance writer and mom to three girls who do "nothing" at school but have plenty to say about it once they get going.