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A couple of years ago, my best friend and I met up in Los Angeles for a “girlfriend getaway”… a weekend devoted to having fun and reconnecting without our husbands in tow.  One of the things we wanted to do was attend a studio taping, and I managed to land two seats on the front row for TV’s top-rated sitcom, “Two and a Half Men”.    >> Read more

I am not impressed by financial writers who advise readers to “stop going to Starbucks” or “pack your lunch every day” as a way to save money.  For the beginning budgeter, those tips can be useful, but what about the rest of us?  I’ve already cut my cable, stopped eating out, and I purchase my clothes secondhand.  What am I missing?    >> Read more

My children's closets were driving me crazy. The clutter, the winter clothes piled on top of the spring clothes, the lonely socks: it was almost too much to face. Last weekend I gave in and tackled the mess. I touched every item and made a decision about whether to keep it, store it, or donate it. I felt I had reclaimed my sanity when the project was over.    >> Read more

When I began my first "real" full-time job, I wanted only one thing from that first paycheck.    >> Read more

Where you've been is good and gone

All you keep is the getting there

-Townes Van Zandt, “To Live Is To Fly”

 Miyazaki and his animation studio Ghibli make the best children’s movies precisely because they aren’t written like the standard children’s movies in theaters.    >> Read more

I believe that children and animals are meant for each other!  Caring for animals teaches kindness, compassion, and responsibility, and the animal serves as a special friend and playmate for the child.    >> Read more

As our aging population increases, many of us are facing a number of issues: How can we maintain our health during our later years? What programs are in place to help with aging issues? What are some of the challenges and solutions for those serving as caregivers to loved ones? What information is available to our citizens?    >> Read more

Tracing my family tree was of no concern to me until just a few years ago. Only after being asked to supply some family history at a family reunion, did I get excited with the search.   In spite of hearing we were related to Teddy Pendergrass, the late R&B singer, I did not see the connection and thought it probably was not true.  Teddy moved from Kingstree as an infant and most biographies list him as being born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.    >> Read more

It is a hard choice to place your young child into a child care center or family care home, but sometimes a necessary one.  If this topic interests you, you may also wish to attend a free workshop at the library, Choosing Quality Child Care.  It will be held on Sunday, February 21 from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Main library, in the Bostick Auditorium.  This panel discussion will include people from South Carolina DSS, Richland County First Steps and the ABC Child Care Program.     >> Read more

Do you have a service member in the family?  Is your husband or wife deployed abroad?  Have you moved so many times you don't even unpack the china anymore?  You may be interested in Military Spouse, a magazine just for the husbands and wives of people in the military. 

Okay, before I get any further, I can't tell a lie even if the magazine does - it's for wives, okay?  It just doesn't have the guts to call itself Military Wife.  There's a lot of information in it that could be useful for husbands too, but articles that specifically address the needs of men are few and far between and all the ads are for chocolate and wrinkle cream.  So if you're a military husband, you should absolutely take a look at the magazine, but you might have to hold your nose through the perfume samples.

Military Spouse packs a lot into each issue.  Feature articles discuss issues important to the military family, like helping children adjust to a deployment, using military resources to plan a move or using technology to connect with an absent spouse.  Columns include relationship advice, financial tips and book and movie reviews, all tailored specifically to the special situations of military spouses.  

The information is all very specific and helpful, with plenty of referral to good outside resources.  The concrete "this is how to make sure Uncle Sam doesn't lose your furniture" advice is good, but so is the "should I friend the commander's spouse on Facebook?" article.  Families in the military have so many special issues and resources that a guide like this is really invaluable.

I'd recommend Miltary Spouse for any wife or husband (if you can stand the wife-ish angle and like chocolate) of a service member.  It's informative, it's entertaining and it's in the Periodicals Department!    >> Read more

Cobblestone is one of my absolute favorite magazines for kids.  (No, not every magazine is my favorite magazine.  I just don't like to talk about the ones I loathe.)  It's about American history and it's roughly geared towards fourth through ninth graders.  I like it because while it's written for kids, it's definitely not dumbed down or oversimplified.  It doesn't gloss over any of the complexities that make history so fascinating.  The articles are well written and interesting even to adults, and the design is colorful and includes a lot of great pictures that really add to the content. 

The current issue is all about John Adams, our second president.  The articles put Adams' life into a larger historical context, highlighting his early life in pre-Revolutionary Boston, his role in the Continental Congress and as governor of Massachusetts, his wife Abigail, his service as an ambassador abroad, his rocky presidency, and his retirement and death.  It's not just a hagiography - the authors spend plenty of time on Adams' less shining moments, like his signing of the Alien and Sedition Acts.  At the end of the issue there's a nice list of books and websites for further reading and a list of past Cobblestone issues that also deal with the colonial era. 

In addition to the core articles, there's also a lot of fun stuff like a play about the Boston Massacre that you can put on at home, a crossword puzzle, a cartoon, and quiz at the end.  There are tons of fun facts sprinkled throughout the issue that kids will love.  Did you know that of the first five presidents, John Adams was the only one who never owned a slave?  Or that the White House is the only home of a head of state anywhere in the world that is open to the public on a regular basis for free?  (Although it doesn't tell you that you have to call way ahead of time and you should probably contact your senator or representative to get in these days - pro tip.) 

The really cool thing about Cobblestone is that, like all children's magazines, we get two copies.  One of those copies stays up here in Periodicals, and we even bind it to make sure we'll always have it as a good resource.  We have from 1999 to the present up here.  But there's also a copy in the Children's Room on the Garden Level, and all of those issues except the current one can be checked out!  Take a piece of American history home with you at your library!    >> Read more

When a new baby is on its way, parents-to-be are very, very busy planning for the baby's arrival - getting the nursery ready, making plans to care for the child, buying bottles, diapers and bibs. Usually, picking out a name is also a priority on the baby to-do list.

If it’s taken you years to save enough money to afford a family vacation, then you probably want to make sure you get your money's worth when purchasing airfare and finalizing accommodations.     >> Read more

Do you return from your time off and notice insect bites on your arms or a red face and neck in the mirror?  Is it almost time to go back to work or school, and what are you going to do about all those “scars?" That problem is one of the greatest challenges to the end of a vacation. When we are relaxing in the hammock reading for hours or socializing on the dock, we forget about skin hazards.

You’ve likely seen on the news or read in the paper that today’s youths have higher rates of obesity than children just 10-20 years ago. These youths are at a greater risk for a variety of health risks, including diabetes, high blood pressure and asthma, to name just a few.  You can help prevent this dilemma by encouraging physical activity, and you can participate, too, to keep yourself healthy. 

As if raising children wasn’t already vexing enough, parenting in the new millennium presents its unique concerns.

Cake-smeared faces. Colorful, pointed hats. Silly clowns. Everybody has a different idea about what a child’s birthday party should be like. Some people approach planning their child's birthday party with anticipation and gusto. Some break into a cold sweat.

Three cups. Maybe even just two cups.    >> Read more

When I was little, I loved A Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. It was exciting to imagine a private space, designed by children that came to life through their own efforts.

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Years ago, when our three children and numerous nieces and nephews were young, we held an annual Fourth of July camp-o-rama in my sister's back yard. Complete with tents, campfire, and activities, the weekend provided the perfect setting for the cousins to renew their friendships.    >> Read more