www.minnlocal.com – Thursday, Jan. 27, 2011 – Burnsville & Lakeville Sun-Current
In the Community, With the Community, For the Community
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Two families win MOA prize packages for ‘Best Holiday Family Photo’ BY JENNIE OLSON – SUN NEWSPAPERS
Families from all across the Twin Cities metro submitted their best holiday photos this year for a chance to win the Mall of America Holiday Family Photo Contest by MinnKids.com. Contestants uploaded their holiday photos to minnkids.com and encouraged friends and family members to vote online. The contestants were competing to win a Mall of America gift package that included passes to Underwater Adventures, all-day ride wristbands, admission tickets to the Ghostly Gangplank Ropes and Adventure Course, admission tickets to Moose Mountain Adventure Golf, complimentary movie passes to the
Theatres at MOA, and a $200 gift card to the mall. Because the first and second place contestants were only separated by one vote, two families were awarded the coveted MOA gift package: Lisa Weber of Maple Plain and Emily Tompt of Edina.
Lisa Weber
Lisa learned about the photo contest through an advertisement in their local Sun Newspaper.The picture that their family submitted was of their son, 8-year-old Sam, as he played in the snow at a Christmas tree farm. “We liked it because he didn’t even know I was taking it,” Lisa said. “He was just drawing in the snow.” Lisa’s husband, Jayme, added that the photo also highlighted an annual family event because they go to that Christmas tree farm every year. To celebrate, the Webers are inviting their nieces and nephews to enjoy a day at the mall with them. “We’re bringing [Sam’s] cousins to spend the night at a hotel and spend the day at the mall with us,” Lisa said.“We’re involving our whole family because they helped us win.”
Emily Tompt
The Tompt family
Each year, Emily’s family takes a professional photo for their holiday card. When her daughter’s teacher saw the card, she encouraged Emily to submit the photo in the MinnKids photo contest. The holiday card features Emily, her husband Noel, and daughters Jayde and Nora. “We get our picture taken every year and send it to all of our family and friends,” Emily said.“We started doing that when Jayde was really young because she got her picture taken every year, so we did a family one at the same time.” Because the votes were so close up until the last minute, Emily said that winning the contest was very unexpected. “It was awesome,” she said. “When we found out, we were super excited.”
The Weber family
Noel said that he’s interested in trying the ropes course because it’s not an activity that they would normally spend money on. Emily said that going to a movie was going to be a treat because it can be expensive for a whole family to go. Mostly, Noel said they are hoping to make the prize package last all winter long. “I think that would be a lot to fit into one day,” he said. “These will be our winter fun activities that we can do.” The Mall of America Holiday Family Photo Contest was created by MinnKids.com and sponsored by Sun Newspapers,TLC Live and Mall of America. CMYK
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Burnsville & Lakeville Sun-Current – Thursday, Jan. 27, 2011 – www.minnlocal.com
In the Community, With the Community, For the Community
Which way to wellness? Discover strategies to ward off illness and improve moods during cold Minnesota winter months by Mindy Mateuszczyk Winter is a time for sneezes, sniffles and sick days. After the holidays comes, the winter doldrums and cabin fever, right? Well, it doesn’t have to be. Noel Radcliffe, a doctor of family and holistic medicine with Edina Sports Health and Wellness, and mother of two sons who are rarely ill, shares a halfdozen easy ways for families to optimize their health and wellness during the winter months. SUPPLEMENTS Radcliffe says besides eating a healthy diet, supplements are at the top of the list in her arsenal for keeping her kids healthy. However, she wouldn’t mandate it for everyone and believes they are a matter of preference. “We all have busy lives and don’t eat wellenough. Our food is nt as nutrient-packed as in the past,” she said.“A simple multi-vitamin can really help.”
Recent studies have linked Vitamin D to immunity. With the sun being a primary source of this vitamin, Minnesotans struggle to get enough of it, particularly in the cold low-sun winter months. “There are some fortified Noel Radcliffe products but it’s really difficult to get enough Vitamin D,” she said. The current recommendation suggests taking 800 mg of Vitamin D daily. For cold-prone kids she also suggests fish oil supplements and probiotics. Both can be found in the supplement section of the store. Probiotics can also be found in yogurts, juice or other products in the dairy section. ADD FRUITS AND VEGGIES Radcliffe suggests trying to offer fruit at breakfast and lunch while offering a vegetable
at dinner. Pancakes at the Radcliffe house include blueberry syrup and honey. “I try to make sure my kids get Vitamin C,” she said. “Cuties [clementines] are the preferred food for my kids but additional good sources of vitamin C include tomatoes and red peppers.” Radcliffe reminds parents vitamin C can’t be stored in the body so it’s important that kids have some vitamin C every day. One patient parent of Radcliffe’s washes and cuts celery, carrots, grapes and other fruits and vegetables and stores them in single serving containers in the fridge for easy grab and go eating. Another parent leaves a fruit bowl on the kitchen table. STAYING ACTIVE It’s easy to curl up on the couch with the remote control, especially with the winter wind howling. But Radcliffe advises against getting too comfortable.
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Radcliffe has an, ‘if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em’ attitude about winter weather. “We live in Minnesota and love the outdoors, so we have all the winter gear,” Radcliffe said of her family. She encourages families to stock up on mittens, hats, even double pairs of snowpants and boots, when possible, and then get out there and have some fun. If braving the cold weather is just too unbearable, Radcliffe suggests seeking out indoor activities such as indoor pools,YMCA’s, even heading to the mall for a brisk walk. The sky is really the limit when it comes to beating cabin fever and staying active. When her children, now 8 and 12, were younger, she had a spare bed on the floor in the basement. ”We spent many hours jumping on that,” she said. Additionally, Radcliffe advises parents set a reasonable limit on screen time including TV, video games, computer games and perhaps cell phones. ”We also need to be way more careful with the types of video games we allow our children to play,” she said. She encourages parents to research the games as well as websites and TV shows children watch to gauge whether the content is truly age-appropriate. TIME TOGETHER Family meals are the ideal way to spend family time together, says Radcliffe. But in reality, that may not be possible. Radcliffe suggest if sharing dinner is impossible, try breakfast, or even just a weekly ritual of Sunday night dinners. WELLNESS:TO PAGE 3
SCHOOL CHESS ASSOCIATION UPCOMING CHESS TOURNAMENTS Chess tournaments including many different types of competition for grades K-3, 4-6, 7-9 and Rated Chess for 10-12th.
2011 TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE January 29* February 5 February 26* March 12 March 12 March 26 April 2
Frozen Open Grade Level Groundhog Open & Double Bug SCA Statewide Grade Level Twin City Middle School-JR High Burnsville Open Doubles Tournament Lawrence Lampert Memorial Tourney
Hopkins Plymouth St. Paul Burnsville Burnsville New Hope Golden Valley
Comm. Ctr. Zachary Lane Capitol Hill Metcalf JR HS Metcalf JR HS Sonnesyn Breck School
*K-8 Grade (9 sections) is available. For more dates see below.
www.schoolchess.org • lorene@schoolchess.org • Call for additional information 763-539-1168 CMYK
www.minnlocal.com – Thursday, Jan. 27, 2011 – Burnsville & Lakeville Sun-Current
In the Community, With the Community, For the Community
Winter events for kids The Minnesota winter stretching out before us can be overwhelming now that the holidays are over. Although summer is far away, there’s no need to be a recluse all winter with these local activities at your fingertips.
Location: Lyric Arts Theater Website: lyricarts.org Description: Lyric Arts will once again present this celebration of eclectic musical styles depicting a timeless Old Testament tale.
JANUARY Babe Dates: Jan. 18 through Feb. 27 Location: The Children’s Theater Company Website: childrenstheatre.org Description: Deep down, Babe just knows he’s a champion. All he has to do is convince the stoic farmer, stay off the farmer’s wife’s dinner menu, and overcome a flock of seemingly insurmountable challenges – with the gentle help of his adopted mom,Fly.
Global Hotdish Variety Show Dates: Jan. 29 Minnesota History Center Location: 345 W. Kellogg Blvd., Saint Paul, MN Website: www.mnhs.org Description: The History Center presents a show featuring a variety of musical, dance, and interactive performances.
If you give a Moose a Muffin Dates: Jan. 14 through Feb. 13 Location: Stages Theatre Co. & Hopkins Center for the Arts Website: stagestheatre.org Description: The young actors at Stages Theatre present a world premiere musical stage production based on the one-thing-leads-to-another books. Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat Dates: Feb. 11 through March 13
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Prepare Your Child’s
Heart & Mind for a Lifetime
Infants, Toddlers, Preschoolers, Kindergartners
Small Hands, Big Hearts Date: Jan. 15-30 Location: Minnesota Children’s Museum, 10 W. 7th St., Saint Paul, MN Website: mcm.org Description: Designed to spark the spirit of giving in children, this second annual event gives families the chance to start (or continue) a family tradition of volunteerism by providing giving-focused activities (such as making no-sew fleece blankets to donate), special performances, and information about local non-profits.
• Challenging Montessori Curriculum - including music and foreign language • 6:30 am to 6:00 pm • 12 Month Programs • Full and Part Time Schedules • Dance & Computer Classes • Hot Nutritious Meals
See what Montessori can offer your child.
— Compiled by Jennie Olson Sun Newspapers
An opportunity to tour our school, meet our staff and join
Wellness FROM PAGE 2
”It’s important to spend time together to connect and reinforce the family bond,” she said. Time together also lends itself to a teamwork attitude towards the family. “Try to run your family as a team whether it’s a joint discussion where kids are involved talking about vacation planning or family goals,” Radcliffe said. “It helps kids feel more important and involved and shows them how to work together.” CHECKING IN Make an effort to check in with each other to find out what was best part about the day. “Looking for the positive stuff,” Radcliffe said. “Try to avoid complaining and whining.” Negative attitudes can contribute to increased stress.
us for refreshments.
“You are much more likely to be sick when stressed,” she said. “Pain, headaches, stomachaches are often physical symptoms in kids that are under a lot of stress.” BEDTIME RITUAL Routine and getting enough rest are important, especially during the winter months. It’s more difficult to cope while running on empty from too little sleep. Radcliffe says bedtime is another good time to connect with kids one-on-one. She and her children have participated in meditation, or guided imagery. She recommends books by Maureen Garth which offers guided imagery stories to encourage sound sleep for children. For Radcliffe, wellness is about more than being cold-free. “It is about living with purpose,” she said. “Wellness is about being healthy enough to do what you want to do, having energy and having joy in life.”
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Burnsville & Lakeville Sun-Current – Thursday, Jan. 27, 2011 – www.minnlocal.com
In the Community, With the Community, For the Community
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