Doing a home exchange allows families to travel more comfortably and inexpensively–you get separate bedrooms, outdoor space, a kitchen, and sometimes a car, all without the huge price tag of a hotel or rental. And you don’t have to have three weeks — some families do home exchanges for long weekends in the US; for international travel it would be better to have a week to ten days. One home exchange veteran of 24 exchanges reports, “We have made MANY trips that most people would consider a ‘trip of a lifetime’ by choosing to travel this way.”

If this sounds intriguing, start by checking out one of the many popular websites. In my recent research, the ones I found most often mentioned were:

www.homeExchange.com
www.intervac.net
www.homelink.org
www.homebase-hols.com

All of these charge a fee– most home exchange veterans recommend staying away from free sites. At HomeExchange you pay $9.95 per month to join for a year — that seem to be about the going rate. At homelink there is a discussion forum — you can read, ask questions, post queries and make special requests. There is also a website that lets you compare all the websites: www.home-exchange.findthebest. This site lists membership fees, numbers of listings, and exchange types available.

If you are interested, you might want to go on HomeExchange just to browse. Take a look at the photos of the houses being offered and check out the locations. You can look for availability at your dream destination, or search by dates that you’d like to travel. You can also do a reverse search to check out the list of people who are specifically looking to do a home exchange in your area. (Go to “Advanced search” on the upper right of the home page, click on “Members interested in going to,” then put in US and your city and state in the pull down menus.) When I did a quick search on the Charleston area, there were many appealing options: an apartment on Manhattan’s upper east side, a historic house in Key West, a ski cabin in Utah, a house with a pool in California’s wine country, as well as several places in France. Each entry indicates whether children are welcome, how many people the house sleeps, and whether smoking and pets are allowed. With Charleston being a hugely popular destination, there are sure to be many opportunities year round.

How to Get Started

Start well before the time that you want to travel. You will need to provide photos of your house to post on the site, and write a brief description of your what your home has to offer, as well as your location. Then you can write to people you are interested in exchanging with, and can expect some inquiries on your place. Respond promptly and be flexible—you may not end up with your first choice. One family was looking for a trip to the south of France, but got no acceptances. Instead they enjoyed a great trip to Amsterdam.

When you have said no thanks to ones you aren’t interested in, and found a good match, start corresponding. One experienced exchanger recommends emailing back and forth for a month or two with details and questions, as well as a Skyping or phone calls. You should feel comfortable talking and planning — if it doesn’t feel like a good fit, move on.

The websites streamline the process. There are forms to fill out so both parties will have in writing what is expected in terms of taking care of each other’s homes. Many families agree to exchange cars, and most insurance policies will allow for this, though you should check the details on your own policy. Some travelers report exchanging pet care duties as well, while others opt out of this.

Tips from Expert Exchangers

Get your house exchange ready. Fix things that need to be fixed, and really do a deep clean. Try to have a couple of empty drawers and some create some closet space. You can use this as your motivation to do some decluttering and fix ups you’ve been meaning to do.

Start putting together the manual for living where you live. Include directions on how to operate things that might be a little mysterious, where the fuse box is, when trash pick up is, what can be recycled. Make a list of good places to shop, your favorite restaurants, insider scoop on having a good time — happy hours, when the traffic out to Folly is the worst– things you’d like to know if you were visiting. Start a collection of takeout menus.

Although everyone I read about had good experiences, it makes sense to lock up or put away anything that is particularly valuable, delicate or irreplaceable.
Complete a written home exchange agreement. It will help you think of things you might overlook, and it is always good to have things in writing.

The Details

If you decide to do an exchange, make a list of what is important to you in taking care of your home. Be clear, definite and pleasant when you go over the list on the phone or in emails. You should know each other’s views on smoking, pets, lawn care, and the availability of washer and dryer, long distance, and cleaning services. Will you exchange cars? How will keys be exchanged? Some people hide a key, others mail them ahead of time.

If you are nervous about an exchange, veterans recommend talking to others who have done it. Doing your first exchange with someone who is experienced may make the process easier. Also consider doing a short, close by exchange before trying one overseas. If one of your dreams is to travel more, a home exchange may be exactly what you need to get on the road.

Caroline Baxter Lambert likes to read, think, and write about parenting issues.  She is the mother of two ever-evolving children. 

So much of parenting is just plain hard work — nagging children to practice the piano or do homework, hauling them around to soccer games and baseball practice, dragging ourselves to school functions, trying to teach table manners to savages when what we really want is a hot bath and a glass of wine — there is a huge “To Do” list of things that are sometimes difficult and often just not very much fun. Then along comes New Year’s and we expect ourselves to come up with a whole new, additional list of things we should do, need to do — things we will feel guilty if we don’t do.

Instead — what if we made up a list of things that might make us happier?  I’m talking big picture happiness, not “what do I think will make me happy right this minute” happiness. A Hershey’s kiss might make me feel better right this minute, but tomorrow I will be back to being irritated when my children’s rooms are hog pens, AGAIN.  Make a resolution to just try one or two of these things that have been shown to bring long term happiness.

• Do something you are afraid of doing, that you secretly want to do but avoid because you think you might fail, or that you would like to do but think you are to old to do. I am trying to learn to do handstand in my yoga class, even though I have this weird thing about being upside down. I’m scared to do it, but every time I try it and get a little closer, it’s exhilarating.
• Start something that is totally new for you. This is related to the previous one, but a little different. A friend planted a vegetable garden even though she’d always thought she was the enemy of plants.  Now she loves adding her produce to her salads. My daughter’s doctor had always wanted to take piano lessons, and just started at age 45. Both find the new experience to be adding to the happiness in their lives. In Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination and Invigorates the Soul, Stuart Brown, M.D., argues that when we do things just for the joy of it, we become more optimistic, creative and more resilient when stressful times come along.
• Avoid time wasters and do what you enjoy.  It is so easy to fall into Facebook, and before you know it you’ve wasted a half hour. Instead, look at the amount of time you have available and decide how to spend it. Read a book, take a bath or a walk, but choose something that will bring you some pleasure. If that’s Facebook, fine, but picking what you want to do brings more happiness than looking up and realizing the time is gone.
• Lighten your load by getting rid of excess junk.  I know this sounds like an item you probably have on a “to do” list somewhere, but the results of looking at a tidy drawer or a closet that isn’t overcrowded can bring an uplifting feeling of happiness every day.  Anything that makes you feel free and light and calmer is worth trying.
• Celebrate more — in a unstressful, low obligation way. Have little fun things to look forward to, both for yourself and your family. You can establish a Friday treat that is enjoyable for all of you — stopping for ice cream on the way home from school or a movie night. Use St. Patrick’s day or Mardi Gras (or anything else on the calendar) as an excuse for a special dinner and a low key celebration — with no pressure form magazines to have your house perfectly decorated for it.
• Practice gaining a different perspective. In Living Your Yoga, Judith Lasater tells a story of looking at a book of holograms with her daughter. Her daughter could see the hidden designs, but though the author struggled to she was unable to see even one. She became frustrated and angry, and felt sorry for herself.  Later on she picked up the book again, and in a more relaxed, less focussed mood, she was able to see what had been there all the time. This has been referred to as “reframing” and it is a powerful tool for happiness.  I can resent spending the time it takes at my daughter’s soccer practice, or I can use the time to take a walk and talk on the phone to a friend, and it becomes a nice break in my day. You can be bitterly disappointed over not getting a result you wanted, or you can look for the opportunities that result. Nothing changes except the way you look at it, and that changes everything.
• Be outside more.  Sunshine and fresh air may seem old fashioned, but recent research supports the benefits. Dr. Michael Hollick, a Boston University professor of medicine, advises his patients to expose their arms and legs to the sun for 10 to 15 minutes two days a week. The results: “patients with aches normally chalked up to weather, arthritis, or just the blues start feeling better–physically and emotionally.” If you always work out in the gym, try to exercise outside one a day a week.  A study conducted by psychologist Kira Krenichym at the City University of New York found that women who exercised outdoors ran, walked, biked and skated farther and harder in a park than in a gym. Other ways to get more outdoor time could be dining outdoors, enjoying a sunset, or taking a break from your evening routine by going out to look at the stars.
• Be consciously grateful.  Dr  Robert Emmons, professor of psychology at UC Davis and author of the new book Thanks!: How the New Science of Gratitude Can Make You Happier, found that people who kept a gratitude journal for as little as three weeks were able to raise their level of happiness. They slept better, had more energy, and were more optimistic about their future.  What is even better, according to Len Babuata, author of the blog zenhabits, is to be actively grateful: call to say thanks, write thank you notes, tell the people who help you that you appreciate them. He writes, “making someone else happy will make you happy.”
• Read The Happiness Project, by Gretchen Ruben.  Embrace the idea of being in charge of your own happiness, and choose things proactively to make you happy. Ruben came up with a different theme for each month and made resolutions to help her work on that area. For example, in the month of November she worked on lightening her attitude, and she made specific resolutions to move her along (don’t talk about aggravations, be easy to please).  She used a checklist each day to keep her accountable. She also has a blog called The Happiness Project with interviews, tips, and videos.
• Finally, act happy– be happy. This seems dumb, but it really works. When I was teaching international students there were several times when I was upset about something, but had to put it aside to act animated and happy in class. By the end of the class I wasn’t acting; my mood had really changed. Studies show that just the physical act of using the muscles of your face to make a smile actually makes you feel happier. You’ll still have to try to teach table manners to savages, but at least you’ll have a smile on your face.

Caroline Baxter Lambert likes to read, think, and write about parenting issues.  She is the mother of two ever-evolving children. 

You have tens of thousands of thoughts each day. These thoughts become actions which in turn become future events (aka results.) The quality of the thoughts determine the action taken just as sad thoughts can lead to eating comfort foods.

Today, most people make bad choices and miss goals due to stress. Some stress comes from thinking about a stressful event; past or future. Use these three steps to snap out of the mental stress loops and into the present moment, where you have the power to make a choice and a difference in your health.

Maintain Good Posture

Try keeping a neutral, natural and elongated spine with the “crown” of the head pulled up and the tail-bone pulling down when seated and standing. Teeth are slightly apart and the lips together. Breathing is in through the nose with a relaxed body, especially the face and shoulders. Make a very subtle smile. Look confident.

Imagine the gravity of the Earth is “rooting” you to make logical decisions with confidence and the spin of the Earth is elevating you towards lofty ideas of health and wellness. The physical body is like a radio antennae; picking up the signals it is tuned to catch. It is hard to be negative with this posture, right?

Breathe for the Occasion

Breathe deeply and rhythmically through the day and remember that taking a few deep breaths into the belly is great before making any important decisions. Use the breath to relax an agitated mind by counting the number of breaths taken without having the attention drift and increasing with practice.

Check Objectives

When in the present moment ask, “Is this thought or action bringing me closer to balance? If not, what might be a better one?” Feel the situational awareness. Choose with purpose!

Each technique is redirecting your awareness from any sabotaging loops of the past and pointing towards the present information coming to the senses such as heartbeat, breathing and muscular tension. This call to the present moment allows you to make the best logical decision for this moment in time; untainted by emotion from outdated or false information in your memory. You have a right to be in full control.

Rory Thomas is the owner of My Wellness mentor and a certified personal trainer. www.mywellnessmentor.com

Starting when they are small, it is our job to teach our children about money– how to count it, save it, budget it, invest it.  According to one financial expert, your child is, by nature, either a spender or a saver. Even so, you can educate whichever kind of child you happen to have, so I decided to do a little research.

Give Them an Allowance

Give them an allowance. The standard advice for teaching children how to handle money is to give them a weekly amount that is all their own.  Once you think your child has the basic concept of what money is– she can tell the “big” pennies from the wooden nickels–give her a weekly allowance. Janet Bodner, senior editor of Kiplinger’s personal finance magazine and author of the book Dollars and Sense for Kids, says to wait until your child is at least six years old. The amount should be appropriate to the age of the child. Bodner says to give them enough to squander, but not so much that you’ll be upset when they do. She advises at least a dollar so that there is enough money to save and some to spend. As the child gets older, increase the amount.  A helpful guide to how much allowance to give is to consider exactly what expenses you expect your child to cover. It will be lower if you are just asking them to pay for extra frills, like candy or toys, more if you expect them to pay for movies they see with friends, or special items of clothing. According to a recent Nickelodeon /Yankelovich Youth Monitor survey, the average allowance for six- to eight-year olds is about $4.80 a week, rising to $7 per week for kids from nine to eleven, $16.60 for kids between twelve and seventeen.

Should allowance be linked to doing chores around the house?

Most child development experts say no. David Riley, Bascom professor of Human Ecology at the University of Wisconsin (Madison), says, “It sounds like a good idea at first because we want children to have the experience of actually working for money. The problem is that it undercuts the idea of the family as a moral unit.”  If you are paying five dollars to mow the grass, and the guy next door offers ten, why not dump you? If you are a business, an economic unit, that is the thing to do.  Parents have to teach children that we don’t do chores to be rewarded with money, but because we are a family, and everybody in the family has to contribute.  Require everybody to have a basic job, experts say, but give allowance as a lesson in money management. According to Lewis Mandell, professor emeritus of finance at State University of New York, “If you give an allowance, give it with some expectations.  It should not be an entitlement.”

Use allowance as an opportunity to teach

Teaching kids about money involves a lot more than just handing them a few dollars. The results of a study conducted by Mandell show that what really makes a difference is the amount of time parents spend with children on money decisions—for example, teaching them to spend money wisely, and how to decide what purchases are worthy.  Some experts recommend having children keep track of HOW they spent their money, requiring them to look back at their notes to evaluate their spending decisions.  Recording purchases encourages them to ask themselves questions: “Do I even ever play with that stuffed Shamu from Sea World? How long did that toy gun last before it broke? Did I really need to spend $10 on candy– I could have bought a game with that.”

Give them opportunities to make money

Financial gurus do say that you should give children opportunities to make money above and beyond the allowance. If your child is saving up for an iPod, offer chances to earn more money by doing chores.  Some parents match funds when a child is saving for a big purchase.

Teach Your Children to Give

Most experts recommend setting aside 10% of allowance to give to a charity chosen by your child. Try using envelopes to store money: one for charity, one for everyday spending money, and one for saving.

Be Creative – Here Are Some Ideas:

Stock Market

When my son started asking questions about the stock market, I realized just how little I knew about it. We got him a book for kids on how the stock market works, and then, together with his grandmother, opened an investment account for him. There was a certain amount required to open the account, in our case $500. He got to meet with a broker and choose the stock he wanted to invest in. Parents are on the account, but he receives statements and can follow his stock online.  Checks from his grandmother for birthdays now go into this account.

Help with the budget

One idea recommended by several experts is to give your child real control of a small part of your budget.  Decide how much you want to spend per month on something–say eating out, or recreation–and give your child the responsibility of making decisions in that area.  One father reported giving his son control of $20 a month to spend on McDonald’s and video games, because these were his boy’s favorite treats.  In the first week they ate at McDonalds three time.  The boy quickly learned just how fast that was going to burn through his money, and decided that purchases of video games gave him more bang for his buck.

Budget Clothing Money

Another parent gave her young teen daughter an amount to spend on back to school clothes.  As they shopped they talked about how best to spend the money– what was really needed versus what was appealing at that moment.  This shifts the whole dynamic– it isn’t just the parent saying no to a whim; rather than just begging for what she wants, the teenager is learning how to budget money.

Give them their own bank accounts

My friend who worried that her son needed more of a concept of money took charge of the situation by beginning a system of allowance linked with bank accounts.  Her older child gets $15 a week, her younger $10.  Rather than handing the money to them, she and her husband transfer the money into accounts they have set up where they bank.  The older child is eligible for an account with a debit card, but her parents can put a cap on how much she can spend. The younger child has an account with an ATM card so he can withdraw the money when he wants to make a purchase (again the amount can be set by the parents. The idea is that watching the amount in the account grow will help encourage saving, while still allowing considered purchases.

Precious Money

One year when I was in college, my parents went out of town and I came home to take care of my younger sister for the weekend. My parents left us with a small amount cash to spend, and neither of us had anything to supplement it.  We kept the money in a little coin purse and called it our “precious money” (because there was precious little of it!).  We budgeted it carefully:  Yes, we do want to go to a movie, but we also want to get supplies to bake cookies — we had to make decisions; we couldn’t do everything. This, I think, is the point of money education. We need to find ways to teach children their financial limits and how to operate within them. A big part of financial savvy is deciding what is really important and what you can do without.

Communities In Schools (CIS) is a national dropout prevention program that brings resources to “at-risk” students to help them be successful in school and then graduate. CIS founder Bill Miliken and his team created a proven formula that a child needs to stay in school. Titled “The Five Basics,” this formula is not only designed for students having a difficult time in school but it’s for EVERY child.

1. CIS learned that every child needs and deserves a personal, one-on-one relationship with a caring adult. Although some children grow up with traditional families, today we know that is not always the case. It’s essential that a child has a relationship with the parent(s) or connect the child with a mentor to help fill in any missing gaps.
2.  Every child needs and deserves a safe place to learn and grow. Our children are facing many different challenges in school that can affect their learning. For example, bullying is a nationwide problem in the schools.  Always check-in with your child to make sure they feel safe and secure at school.
3. Every child needs and deserves a marketable skill to use upon graduation. This can be an exciting basic for your child. Help them find what they are passionate about or what they are good at. Then embrace that skill and research together different career opportunities.
4. Every child needs and deserves a chance to give back to peers and community. Service-learning has become very popular in Lowcountry schools. Children have the opportunity to use their unique gifts and tie themselves to a cause. It creates a whole new learning experience.
5. The last basic is every child needs and deserves a healthy start and a healthy future. Whether its proper eyewear so they can see the board in the classroom or that healthy afternoon snack so they can focus on their homework, children need basic health and human services to succeed in school. So as the school year continues, make sure you set some time to check-off “The Five Basics.” It can be the difference in whether your child has a successful school year.

Communities In Schools of the Charleston Area is the local affiliate that is serving over 10,750 students in Charleston and Berkeley Counties.

To learn more about the nonprofit dropout prevention program, visit www.cischarleston.org or find them on Facebook, search “Communities In Schools Charleston. 

Custom Garage Remodeling

Custom Garage Remodeling is becoming the fastest growing segment in the home remodeling industry.  Why?  People’s lives are becoming cluttered with stuff and it usually ends up being piled – Where? – That is right! In the garage! In recent years we have seen the real estate market take quite a hit. This has resulted in families staying put and upgrading the home they have. In the past, kitchens and bathrooms led the charge in home remodeling. However, today we are seeing a trend develop where people are considering the vast possibilities that their garage space has to offer.

If you simply need space to park your car, store collectibles, or organize the vast array of stuff you have collected over the years here is a list of basic DIY things to consider:

Floor Coverings

There are a lot of options when it comes to garage flooring. The purpose of the floor will determine which product to use. Whether it is epoxy paint, a rubber mat or interlocking tiles, my theory is, if you are proud of your floor then you will keep it clean. Not to mention it makes the room look spectacular!

Cabinets and Shelving

When it comes to organization there is no better tool than shelving to control clutter. Cabinets do a great job of storing things you prefer not to be on display or lock away possible hazardous items while offering a sleek design element to the garage.

Wall Organization Systems

Walls are very valuable storage space and are often overlooked as storage possibilities. Slatwall and accessories such as hooks, racks and bins offer a great way to get items up off the floor and stored neatly. This makes your stuff easy to access when needed.

Overhead Storage

Never underestimate the use of overhead storage for those larger items you seldom need access to such as tarps, fishing poles and beach umbrellas or even perhaps hurricane shutters.  The above referenced materials can be found at your local Lowes or Home Depot.

The Final Frontier

The garage offers so much more than we give them credit for. The Garage is the final frontier in home remodeling and by far the most necessary.

For more information:

Visit our website at: www.customgarageandremodeling.com and get some great ideas for your garage space.

What is screen time?

Experts define “screen time” as the total time spent in front of screens of all kinds–TVs, laptops, phones, ipads, video games — and other digital devices with a screen.   A Kaiser Family Foundation study reported in 2010 that children ages 8-18 spend an average of almost 11 hours a day interacting with electronic media. This is an increase of three hours a day since 2004.  One very basic strategy for coping is to delay each electronic purchase  as long as possible.  Put off the purchase of the x-box; don’t give a young teen a cell phone until you deem it absolutely necessary. One mother of three has a rule: no Facebook or cell phone until after 8th grade. Once you do make the decision to put this new technology in the hands of your precious child, think of it like putting him behind the wheel of a car — he needs a big safety talk and a lot of supervision.  Communicate and make rules. Discuss safety, protecting identity, managing time, and setting boundaries, and model this behavior yourself. Discuss cyber bullying and sexting. There are many parental filters, apps, and programs to help, but start with your own rules.

How to Set Limits

Preschoolers - Preschoolers need dolls and blocks and dress up and drawing to develop their fine and gross motor skills.  An article in Psychology Today calls this kind of imaginative play the fruits and vegetables of a preschooler’s diet. If you have small children, dole out time for  play on an ipad or your iphone in the same careful way you would allow sweets. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends limiting screen time to 1 to 2 hours per day at this age. The time that is allowed — whether it is games or TV — should be good quality and geared specifically for a preschooler. Experts say not to use digital media as a babysitter — but we all know there are those times when we do. Try to make those times few and far between.

School aged children -  Children between the ages of around 6 and 11 are more willing to have rules imposed on them than teen agers — so make rules early and enforce them. Let them know what is off limits — for example, certain games you think are too violent, movies rated PG 13.  Setting firm rules and establishing good media habits means the ground work is already in place when the world enlarges and texting and Facebook come into play.

Set time limits

Set time limits. Different families do this in different ways. Some use a timer to enforce the limits.  Others require balancing online or video time with exercise or reading time.  One mom requires that a reading and math module on “Learning Today” be completed before any game time.  Create incentives; make sure each child has chores that must be completed before allowing screen time.  Another mom lets children earn online time by tallying up minutes; making beds is worth five minutes, cleaning out the litter box earns ten minutes, and putting laundry away is worth fifteen.

At this age it is important for internet time to take place on a computer out in a public room in your house, so that you can oversee what sites your child is on. Let your child know that you will monitor the sites she visits on the internet. If you allow your child to have an email account, be sure to check it occasionally, as well as the history of sites visited on your family computer.

If you have a gaming system, screen games for violence and content.  You can check specific games for ratings given by the Entertainment Software Rating Board.  Encourage games that can be played with others and use the body, like Wii and xbox Konnect .

If your child is interested in posting videos on YouTube, make sure she doesn’t use her real name, or show things like names of locations or schools.  Explain that you need to watch videos before they can be posted.  Mark videos private so only friends can watch, and read safety tips posted by YouTube.

Teens – According to the Nielson Company, the average teenager sends six texts per waking hour. Set expectations for what is acceptable to you. One mom says, “I absolutely do not tolerate texting or computer use when you should be in conversation with anyone. This includes but is not limited to: at the table, in a restaurant, in the car even as a passenger, unless the text is very brief and pertains to our errand, or we are on a very long road trip.”   Make sure that you also follow any rules you set.  Another mom has a rule that all cell phones go in the glove compartment when they get in the car.  She likes that the children aren’t distracted and are more open to conversations with her, and she also says it helps her be a good example– otherwise she is often tempted to check an email or send a quick text.  Explain that you know friends are important, but during these specific times, the people you are with take priority.

On Facebook, it is important to be “friends” so you have access to your teen’s page, and make sure to check privacy setting regularly. A mom with teen girls says, “I have tried monitoring Facebook pages, but the content is inane for the most part, completely benign when I have looked, and I don’t have the time or energy to stick with that kind of vigilance . . . I just default to trusting them, which so far has worked for me.”  In order to have this kind of trust, it is important to the lay the groundwork, explaining why some pictures should not be shared, and that people should be treated with the same kind of consideration on a social network as they are in a real social situation.

Establish hours and zones that will be technology free

As our children grow, we lose the control we had had over their worlds. When they were babies we could decide what kind of food, toys, experiences to offer them. Now you need to come up with rules that work for you and your family. For example, you may have decided not to allow a TV in your child’s room; you may have banned TV during meals.  Now you have to specify hours and zones where technology will not be allowed, and respect these limits yourself as well. The dinner table is as obvious no technology zone, and you may also want to extend that to bedrooms after a certain hour, having everyone in the family leave phones in a designated place when going to bed.

Spend time with your child while you are unplugged. Amanda, the author of the blog “High Impact Moms,” recommends instituting a regular time when the whole family “unplugs.” Her family unplugs once a week every week, a whole weekend once a month, and for week once a year.

In most other areas of parenting we have at least some experience from our own childhoods.  When my son struggles with math, I remember my own struggles and the way my parents dealt with it.  I can follow a similar course in my parenting or choose a different one.  We don’t have any background for dealing with all the new technology that is so present in the way we interact with the world, but we have to come up with our own personal game plan for how we allow it to be a part of our children’s lives.

Caroline Baxter Lambert likes to read, think, and write about parenting issues.  She is the mother of two ever-evolving children.