By Sara Parker A half hour before football practice on Tuesday, I stood waiting exactly 30 seconds for my 6-year-old son’s mouth guard to soften in the boiled water. My son hopped from foot to foot, barely able to contain his excitement. I clenched my teeth and tried to let go of the tension that had been building ever since 2 p.m., when I arrived home to find that the problem I’d read more

Courtesy of Cy-Fair Hospital Most parents are familiar with the symptoms of an ear infection in children: tugging at the ears, crying more than usual, fluid draining from the ears, difficulty sleeping or keeping balance, and hearing problems. That’s because ear infections are the most common illnesses in babies and young children. In fact, three out of four children experience an ear read more

By Shara Lawrence-Weiss Years ago, during my nanny days, I worked for a doctor. I arrived early AM, got the kids ready for school and fed them breakfast. I then walked the three boys to school. Following this, I would drop my own son to Preschool and return home to do homework. When the kids needed to be picked up, I’d get them from school, make a snack, help with homework, and then cook read more

By Angela Bickford Originally guest posted on The Work at Home Woman When I came home and told my husband that I wanted to quit my teaching job and become the editor of a local magazine, he didn’t blink an eye. When I added, “And I want to start my own business,” you could see the look of panic begin to cross his face. For my entire working life, I’ve struggled to find a job that read more

Cheating is a tough subject... There are many ways to be intimate with someone, but are all ways equal? What about when you're married? Is one type of cheating worse than the other? And, what exactly constitutes cheating? Craig & Angela Bickford share their thoughts in this week's He Said/She Said blog. She Says: My feelings about cheating are complicated... I almost feel that read more

By Stacey Gliniewicz Are you a step-parent? Are you surviving? I never thought I would be a step-mom, working to blend a family of five kids. Two teenagers, one with Autism, add a 7 year old, 6 year old, and 4 year old for a recipe of complete joy and chaos. If only I could secretly record dinner time at our house! Many ask, “What does it look like to successfully blend a family?” read more

By Diana Saufley In Houston, we have experienced very cold temperatures this winter, and everyone’s been cooped up in their abodes. But now, it’s time to get things in order for Spring. Don’t begrudge it… just put a little SPRING in your step. We all have such busy lives, but sometimes the simplicity of cleaning and getting your surroundings in order is just what the cabin-fever doctor read more

By Kristan Doerfler My grandfather was checked into the hospital Thursday evening after he fell and hit his head pretty badly. I was supposed to spend Friday moving him from the nursing home back into his apartment, but the fall changed things drastically. After I arrived at the ER, I completed the paperwork as best I could and got updates from the doctors and nurses about his read more

Courtesy of Cy-Fair Hospital Achoo! Sniffle. Cough, cough. These classic sounds of a cold could actually mean your little one has respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV. Keep reading to learn more about this common infection. All About RSV “What some parents may not know is that most children will have had an RSV infection by the time they turn 2, and in most cases it causes only read more

By Shara Lawrence-Weiss Talk, talk, talk! Your child can understand words and concepts long before he/she can repeat them. Begin talking to your baby from day one (some would say that even inside the womb, talking is effective). Point out things that are big, small, soft or hard. Talk about animals and where you are going in the car. Talk about music and what’s coming for dinner read more

By Angela Bickford Originally guest posted on Market Mommy When I started my business, always B designs, the hardest aspect of getting things off the ground was choosing a business name. I had NO ideas. The ones I did have weren’t great. I just couldn’t come up with something that spoke to what I did. The pressure to start something made me name the business in a rush, and I ended up read more

It has been said that more than half of the divorces in the United States are caused by fights about money or money problems. So the question is… Who should handle the money in a marriage? Craig & Angela Bickford share their thoughts in this week's He Said/She Said blog. He Says: My feeling is that there is not one perfect answer to this question, more that you should discuss how read more

By Stacey Gliniewicz It’s Friday night, it’s been one of those weeks, and now, you’re trying to figure out what to do for dinner and to kick back and relax? Listed below are some of my favorite Friday night activities that I enjoy doing as a family after a long week of work, appointments, and carting the kids here and there. Picnic pizza and family movie. I pick up ready-made read more

By Stacey Gliniewicz We live in a society where many families have started or are starting to become more self-sufficient in growing their own food - whether it is something small like just a few vegetables and fruits or a large scale farm. Some of us just do not have the ability, space, or desire to live on a farm and tend to the animals and large gardens. So, for those of you who live in read more