Friday, May 18, 2012
Micah and I spent some time recently at the Clayton park's inclusion playground. It proved to be good exercise for both of us. You can be the judge as to how it affected my son's hair.
In an effort to give my wife some time to herself, Micah and I took a guys' outing to Shaw Park on Saturday. I thought he might enjoy visiting the inclusion playground and taking a walk around the area. It proved to be a good-mood sort of day, so he giggled for most of the car ride down Interstate 170. When we arrived, I popped him out of the car seat and into his umbrella stroller. We trekked over to the playground, where lots of youngsters—most older than him—were busy frolicking on the faux trees, slides and swings. I sat Micah on top of a ledge to gauge his feelings about the place. He gazed around in wonderment. Yup. Right decision. During our visit, we played on the swings, climbed through a tunnel (well, Micah did) and traveled up …
38.649653
-90.344599
Shaw Park
12 Topton Way, Clayton, MO
/articles/watch-baby-tunnels-through-shaw-park
1704927
/locations/7041806
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
And how do you choose which camps your children will attend over the summer?
Your son is quite the athlete. He's picked out a half-dozen sports camps he wants to attend this summer throughout the St. Louis area. Here's the catch: Combined, they are going to represent a large expense. So onto this week's question: How do you respond? Will your child get to attend all of these camps, or will you be selective? And will you ask your son to pay for part of these expenses?
Rush Limbaugh was inducted into the Hall of Famous Missourians this week. An honor well deserved? Or a mistake on the part of Missouri lawmakers?
Rush Limbaugh, the controversial conservative commentator, was enshrined into the Hall of Famous Missourians this week, sparking controversy across the state and country on whether Limbaugh should be worth of such an honor. Limbaugh's name now sits amongst such famous Missourians as Mark Twain, Dred Scott, Jack Buck and Stan Musial. According to the St. Louis Beacon, Missouri House Speaker Steve Tilley gave reporters less than a half-hour’s notice of the ceremony. From the Beacon: Tilley’s decision to honor Limbaugh, a Cape Girardeau native, has sparked opposition from Democrats and progressives because of Limbaugh’s often strong words when he talks about people with whom he disagrees. Limbaugh’s bust will be placed in the Capitol’s Hall …
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Local farmers’ market vendors say that the fruits and veggies they grow are superior to grocery store produce for many reasons.
Do you buy the freshest produce possible? According to many area farmers, the fruits and vegetables you buy at the grocery store may not be as fresh as you think. With farmers' markets open now (or about to open) around the St. Louis area, including Wentzville, Lake Saint Louis, Webster Groves, Kirkwood, Clayton, Ellisville, Wildwood, Arnold and elsewhere, we wanted to talk a little about what "fresh" means to you. Tim Hess, owner of Silent Oaks farm and a vendor at several area farmers’ markets, told Patch that most of the produce sold in local grocery stores comes from Calfornia or Florida, areas where many farms are staffed by migrant workers. “It’s a long trail and at the end of the trail you’ll find that migrant Mexican workers do …
Friday, May 11, 2012
A mobile child is also a happy (and mischievous) one.
The breakthrough happened Friday while at the home of our friends Ben and Mandy. There, Micah discovered that he could move forward using his knees. He demonstrated first by himself and later with the assistance of our friends' two pups, Molly and Mason. Micah is very proud of his accomplishment. I know this because he doesn't throw a fit every time he is left on his stomach for more than two seconds. Instead, he forces his lips together, extends his hand as far as it will go and advances toward whatever interests him at the moment. Enticing items include: Ink pens, TV cords, our cat and an iPhone. If you spot a pattern here, please email me. Perhaps it will help Julie and I sort out his career path. Crawling's ease has brought with it a …
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
If your child's teacher suggested holding him back a year, what would you do?
Suppose your St. Louis first-grader is about to finish the school year. He struggles with reading, and learning doesn't come easily. He is one of the younger children in the class. His teacher suggests that he be held back a year. So onto this week's question: What will you do about this?
Sendak has died at age 83. Tell us your memories of reading his books—especially "Where the Wild Things Are."
My two children are well above the age when they'd sit still for their mother and father reading a book to them. It won't be that many years before they have their own children. They'll be doing the reading. And I have no doubt that Maurice Sendak's "Where the Wild Things Are" will be among the books they crack open and recite. On Tuesday, we learned that the author of perhaps one of the most famous children's books of all time had died at the age of 83. The New York Times' report said the author had died from complications after a recent stroke. Writers have lauded Sendak's worth, but in particular his ability to craft children's stories out of what might have been considered "untraditional" — monsters "roaring their terrible roars" and "…
Saturday, May 5, 2012
I'm participating May 17 in a Citizens for Modern Transit race to get people thinking about alternative transportation. And I need your help to make it happen.
Have you ever wanted to win something? Like really, really bad? This is one of those times for me. And I need your help to make it happen. On May 17, I'll be one of several Team Transit members racing to get from downtown St. Louis city to Clayton using a form of alternative transportation—in my case, MetroLink. It's part of a Citizens for Modern Transit event called the Great Race, and it's intended to get people thinking about commuting options that exist in addition to cars. Trailnet and WeCar by Enterprise also are collaborating on the event. So what can you do to help? First, be sure to "like" the Team Transit page on Facebook. (And if you happen to stop by the Clayton-Richmond Heights Patch page on Facebook and "like" that while you'…
38.647649
-90.338618
C.J. Mugg's Restaurant & Bar
200 S Central Ave, Saint Louis, MO
/articles/like-team-transit-on-facebook-then-attend-st-louis-clayton-race
1428145
/locations/6936530
Friday, May 4, 2012
We took our son to the Chesterfield library last week. Needless to say, he loved it.
Last weekend, we took Micah to the Samuel C. Sachs Branch of the St. Louis County Library in Chesterfield. The children's section is closed off from other portions of the library, so it's quiet. Alternatively, the kids can be noisy without fear of interfering. Julie brought Micah here and put him on the floor next to a towering case of board books. Nearby, two boys several years his senior talked and looked at books. Our son found them fascinating. He watched them, and they pointed out to their adult supervisor the fact that they had spotted a baby. Then Micah spent time looking through books and pulling them off the shelves. Entertainment on so many levels.
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Assuming it's appropriate for younger students to present their St. Louis teachers with end-of-year gifts, what works best?
As the end of the school year approaches, Patch wants to hear your ideas about appropriate gifts for those dedicated St. Louis teachers who have worked with your children for the last year. So onto this week's question: Is it appropriate to buy a gift these days, especially for elementary school teachers? If so, what might make a nice gift? If not, why not?
James Baer
10:58 am on Wednesday, May 16, 2012
I agree with both of you. You cannot send your kids to every sports camp on the schedule. Best to pick and chose the ones that seem most appropriate. more ›