Many parents ask their kids the same questions every day, "How was school today?" to get the standard reply, "Nothing."  My own niece tells her mom every day that school was "good," but when asked for more information gets nothing. Not in my house, not with my kids. For the kids who can talk, ranging in age from 3 to 9, I get a complete blow-by-blow of each minute that I am not with them. I mean that completely and totally literally. My 4-year-old wins the award for most accurate and detailed. Picking her up from four hours of preschool gets me at least one hour of replay. "First you dropped …

I hate leaving my children. Yes, of course, there is all the mushy stuff. I love them, I miss them, and I wonder what they are doing. All of this is not the top reason, though. I hate leaving them because I don't know what I will come home to. For some reason, my husband thinks that my asking him to watch the kids is just that. Watching them. That doesn't mean dressing them or hanging out with them, getting them involved in an activity or entertaining them. It just means watching. There was a time early in our marriage and early on with kids that I not only hated it, I used it to fuel a fight…

There are some things that you know as a parent you will say, whether you swore you would or not, like, "Cause I said so. That's why"and " Ask your father." I told myself that I would never say, "Because I am your mother," but have said it more than a handful of times. We have a rule in our house with the little ones. If we have not explained that something should not be done, we cannot assume that they know not to do it. This makes for very interesting sentences that we thought we would never have to say. Here are some of my recent favorites, and by "favorites," I actually mean "the most …

Going out for fast food with a small army of children can be a budget-breaker. A drive-thru to order dinner for myself, my husband and four kids can total close to $30. If I decide that we should enjoy a show that only comes through this area once every couple of years, tickets online can be upwards of $100. This makes the show and even a quick bite away from home something that is a treat. Luckily, there are ways to enjoy time with your family without breaking the bank. Our family can spend a whole day at a park. With the weather being glorious, it is even easier to do. The dollar store …

Today I found myself sitting at a stop sign and waiting for it to change. Yes, you read that right, I was waiting for the stop sign to change. Sleep deprivation with four kids, one only a few months old, has finally caught up. I sat at the stop sign for a full three minutes thinking that it was taking a long time for it to change so I could drive. Parenting kids is not easy. It is often a tiring, thankless, not glamorous job. Mothers are cooks, housecleaners, chaffeurs, playmates, teachers, and more. Its no wonder that I could only sit at the stop sign without noticing that I did not have to …

"You do know what causes that, right?" became a daily question when I was pregnant with my fourth child. For whatever reason, a big belly and running toddlers seem to make people think it is okay to comment on my ever-growing family. This wasn't the case with baby number one or two. With baby number three, a few people would make comments, but baby number four opened the door for everyone, even strangers in the grocery store. Just for the record, I do know what causes "it." There is a misconception that having a large family, which four kids certainly is, is a financial nightmare. In reality…

For many seniors, applications have already been submitted at this point, and the next step is to choose from the colleges that offer those acceptance letters. However, if you or your student is a junior in high school,  choosing a future after high school is quickly becoming a reality. The SAT has already been taken or soon will be and the next step is to send in applications for the schools that the student is interested in. There are so many options for higher education, it can be overwhelming for students and parents.  Here are some things to help narrow the decision. -Talk to as many …

On Jan. 22, schools in the Mableton and Austell area will send students to Marietta to compete in the Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl. The Reading Bowl, started in Dekalb County, has been a statewide competition since 2003. Students from each school enter a team to compete. The Reading Bowl contestants compete by answering questions about 20 books from a reading list. Five members in each team stand off against each other to answer questions in hopes of making it to the state competition at University of Georgia in March. The students chosen to compete in these teams are required to have read the …

Recently in Austell a church was robbed of component in the air conditioning units, rendering the units useless. What did the criminals want? The copper, which can be sold, and any other salveagable material from the units. In a poor economy, it seems that people become even more desperate and stealing from a church is not even on the restricted list. Research done by criminologists show that children who are incarcerated often say that they were bored when asked why they committed criminal act.  By making use of a few resources, children can be kept busy and kept out of the life of crime.   …

Although it is still over three months away, once students return from Winter Break CRCT preparation will start. CRCT, or Criterion Referenced Curriculum Test, is a yearly test that is scheduled for  April 12 to 21. With Cobb County scores exceeding national averages on ITBS and Graduation tests last year, the expectations for good scores on this year's CRCT are high. Schools and parents will need to work together to make sure that students are well prepared.  Schools in the Austell and Mableton areas offer different ways to prepare for the CRCT. Austell Intermediate offers online tests in …

As the new year rolls in, many adults will be making New Year's resolutions. Fitness, health, and budget are often what people choose to change. New Year's is also a great time to help your child to make a resolution. It can help you to address an issue that your child may be having or to include your kids in your own resolutions. Starting a healthier lifestyle by being more active is a popular resolution for many parents. Snap Fitness in Mableton makes it easy to work out with 24-hour access to their gym. Curves is another fitness center, this one dedicated to women only. Your child can …