WNC Parent - September by Stacey

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c o n t e n t s The baby years This month’s features 6

Working at home

Make your own

WNC moms build businesses and raise kids.

Baby food doesn’t need to come from a jar.

Night school

Green diapering

A few evening classes are available for parents who work.

Local companies make and sell cloth diapers and more.

Money as incentive Do you pay your kids for good grades or athletic performance?

Football fun The whole family gets into the festivities for college football.

Milk sharing

Diner fare

Moms who can’t nurse turn to others for milk.

Make the burgers, fries and milkshakes at home.

Scary movies “ParaNorman” kicks off a string of scarier movies for kids.

In every issue

On the cover

Growing Together............39

By Kaelee Denise Photography, www.kaeleedenise.com.

Kids’ Voices .....................35

As I write this note for the baby issue, I’ve just sent my babies off to school, my babies who are now 10 and 13 years old. It’s true, what they say about time flying. My son is in his last year of elementary school. As we waited together for him to board the bus on the first day, we reminisced about how, when he was about 3, he insisted on coming out every morning, sometimes in pajamas, to wait for the bus with his older sister. I can hardly believe that was so long ago. And now he is just as content waiting outside by himself, with a reassuring, “I’m fine, Mom.” When you have a baby (or two), it is hard to imagine your kids as old enough to see themselves off to school. Instead, you’re worried about diapers and baby food. To ease those concerns, we’ve got a story on each this month. Learn about how to go green and go local with your diapers in our story on Page 14. And get some ideas on how to make your own baby food on Page 9. Another worry: to work or stay home? Some Asheville moms decided they didn’t want to choose, so they turned their ideas into a home business. Meet them in our story on Page 6. For parents of older children, one debate is whether to use money as an incentive for grades, sports or chores. We talked to area families to find out how they handle this. Get their takes on Page 16. Lastly, it’s fall (almost), which means festivals and football. Find a roundup of area family-friendly autumn events on Page 36. And meet a few WNC families with a great enthusiasm for college football on Page 19. Here’s to a great fall!

P.O. Box 2090, Asheville, NC 28802 828-232-5845 | www.wncparent.com PRESIDENT AND PUBLISHER Randy Hammer

Dad’s View ......................42 Librarian’s Picks...............45 Story Times .....................45 Divorced Families ............46 Nature Center Notes ........46 Artist’s Muse ...................48 FEAST .............................49 Kids Page ........................66 Calendar .........................71

.com Are you a member? Join the conversation, post photos and connect with other parents at WNCParent.com. Look for WNC Parent on Facebook and Twitter.

WNC PARENT EDITOR Katie Wadington — 232-5829 kwadington@citizen-times.com

FEATURES EDITOR Bruce Steele bsteele@citizen-times.com

ADVERTISING/CIRCULATION Brittany Martin — 232-5898, bymartin@gannett.com CALENDAR CONTENT Due by Sept. 10. E-mail calendar@wncparent.com ADVERTISING DEADLINE Advertising deadline for the October issue is Sept. 1

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Marsha Almodovar, left, with her son, Wyatt, and Sandra Brown with her daughter, Lilianna Sofia, started Lango Asheville so they could work and remain at home with their children. JOHN FLETCHER/JFLETCHER@CITIZEN-TIMES.COM

TRANSFORMING AN INTO

IDEAINCOME

Savvy moms start home-based businesses By Pam J. Hecht WNC Parent contributor

or parents who want to stay at home with their little ones, earning an income at the same time can be challenging. But, as many moms (and dads) have found, with hard work and perseverance, it can be done. Nearly two years ago, Asheville moms Marsha Almodovar and Sandra Brown met at a Mommy and Me yoga class and instantly bonded. Now, they own a business together, Lango Asheville, an immersion-based language program with classes in Spanish, French and Mandarin for children ages 18 months to 11 years. “One of the main reasons we started Lango Asheville was so we could spent as much time possible at home with our babies,” says Almodovar, who like Brown, has a background in education. “Another reason was our amazement at the ability of our own kids to

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learn several languages this young.” Almodovar’s son, Wyatt, is 2, and Brown’s daughter, Lilianna Sofia, is 20 months old. Before her son turned 1, Almodovar, a stay-at-home mom, became a single parent. She wanted to continue being at home with her son but needed to find a career she was passionate about that could support herself and her son, she says. Brown also wanted a job that was home-based so that she could spend more time with her daughter. Knowing the benefits of learning a foreign language at an early age, they saw the need in Asheville for a foreign language program. “The challenges have been juggling it all,” says Almadovar. “The most important thing is time management and keeping to a schedule.” Both teach classes but do most of the work from both of their homes. Sandra’s mother helps take care of Sophia; Marsha’s live-in, 21-year-old niece helps with Wyatt; and at times, Brown and Almodovar take turns watching the kids. For Brown, not overworking herself is the biggest challenge, she says. “Sometimes I find myself working way too many hours during the night when my daughter is sleeping,” Brown says. “I neglect my own sleep so I can get things done and be able to enjoy with my daughter fully during the day.” “Having a home business has allowed me to create my own work schedule which is always attuned to my daughter’s own schedule,” Brown adds. “Being your own boss and having plenty of schedule flexibility is definitely one of the biggest perks.”

TV producer changes the channel

Stephanie Carroll Carson, of West Asheville, never intended to have her own business. But with the birth of her first child, working as an Emmy-award winning network producer for CBS did not allow her the flexibility she had always wanted as a parent. After relocating to Asheville from Philadelphia before her second daughter was born, she turned the freelance work she was doing on the side into a home business, working part-time and later, a flexible, nearly full-time schedule once her youngest started preschool. Now, she’s able to have more quality time with her daughters, Elise, 4 and Aubrie, 2, while staying in the field she loves. “It’s different than the freelance work I was doing before — there’s not as much of

Stephanie Caroll Carson, owner of Out of the Box Productions, in her home office with her children Elsie 4, and Aubrie, 2. JOHN COUTLAKIS/JCOUTLAKIS@CITIZEN-TIMES.COM a commercial market in Asheville,” she says. “So I had to reinvent myself.” Carson’s company, Out of the Box Productions, produces video content for commercial and corporate clients, events, and documentaries, as well as wedding video. It also provides media relations consulting. As a freelance journalist, Carson also runs the North Carolina and Florida bureaus of the Public News Service, an online news content provider. “I wouldn’t have it any other way,” says Carson, who appreciates her ability to throw in a load of laundry while working down the hall in her home office. Being able to set her own schedule also allows her to be more available to her daughters, who attend a preschool across the street from home. But like Brown, setting boundaries and

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deciding when to shift gears and stop working can be challenging, she says. “I always want to check off everything on my to-do list and make clients happy — it’s a never-ending process,” Carson explains.

Crafter markets handmade accessories

When Amanthus Lunn’s son, Orlen, 2, was born, she was intent on keeping her focus on him. But with the family’s need for some extra income, she began thinking about how to translate another passion — crafting — into a side income, while still remaining at home to maintain the household and care for her son. Lunn decided to market her handcraftContinues on Page 8

IDEAS TO INCOME Continued from Page 7

ed dog apparel and accessories for children and adults made of sustainable fabrics such as up-cycled clothing or materials made of organic, bamboo or recycled plastic bottles. Working from home “made sense” to Lunn, who needed “the flexibility to balance family life,” she says. “Having my own business is something I can do creatively that goes beyond being a mom and partner,” says Lunn, of West Asheville. “I love being at home with my son, but at times I need something for myself and any money that I can contribute financially is helpful.” After selling by word of mouth, Lunn is expanding her business, Miss Ladyfingers, and her products will soon be available at local stores as well as online, she says. For Lunn, the challenge is finding dedicated time for her business without getting distracted. Her fiancée helps take care of Orlen and a baby sitter comes twice a week for several hours. “I also try to utilize naptime and evenings,” says Lunn, who is setting up a home studio with space for Orlen to play alongside her.

Tips for home business success

Lunn, Carson, Almodovar and Brown each turned to Mountain BizWorks, for help getting their businesses off the ground. The Asheville-based nonprofit provides loans, consulting and training to

Amanthus Lunn’s son, Orlen, models a bib made by his mom. Lunn is working to turn her passion for crafting into a side income. SPECIAL TO WNC PARENT

emerging and established small businesses. A variety of additional resources are also available in the area, and many offer services that are low cost or free. Find out what each has to offer to find the best fit for your needs, says Jill Sparks, executive

director of Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College’s Small Business Center in Candler. Start with A-B Tech’s SBC or elswhere, Sparks adds, for free classes on a variety of business topics, confidential counseling, and referrals to other resources. “Go through the process of creating a business plan, including financial and time implications, and define your product and market,” says Annie Price, small business developer at Mountain BizWorks. “Without enough planning and systems put into place, the business can run you — creating emergencies and fears — instead of vice versa.” Be realistic about what will work, create a doable timeline and start with something you’re passionate about, says Sparks. Price suggests networking, getting professional support and finding others who have home businesses to help build your business and so that you don’t feel isolated. If carving out time to work in the beginning is a challenge, take baby steps — it helps to use a timer and to start out working in 15-minute, “laser-focused” increments, Sparks says. And create a dedicated work space and a time that the family respects, Price says. Remain authentic, but professional, she adds. “You don’t have to hide the fact that you work from home,” Price says. “But nobody needs to know that you haven’t showered or you have spit up on your shoulder.” Pam J. Hecht is a freelance writer, editor and tutor based in Asheville, North Carolina. E-mail her at pamjh8@gmail. com.

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taking care of baby

MADE BY

MOM By Susanna Barbee, WNC Parent contributor

aking baby food at home is not nearly as challenging as you would think. In fact, for ripe bananas and avocados, the process only has With a little effort, garden carrots become pureed two steps: peel and mash. cubes of baby food. With many parents trying to avoid certain additives and preservatives, preparing baby food from scratch is becoming more common. “We have a whole-foods philosophy in our home,” said Megan Schneider, Brevard mom of Noah, 4, and Maggie, 2. “We try to do as much garden-to-table meals as we can. We’re a very food-centered family and aim to make most of our meals from scratch.” Jennifer Henry, North Asheville mom to Vivian, 16 months, prepares baby food from her own kitchen to keep a better eye on what her daughter eats. Continues on Page 10

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Jennifer Henry, of North Asheville, prepares food for her daughter, Vivian, to make sure she isn’t getting additives in her food. SUSANNA BARBEE/SPECIAL TO WNC PARENT

MADE BY MOM Continued from Page 9

“I started making baby food because I wanted to know that what was going into her body was fresh and organic, that there were no added sugars or preservatives,” she said. According to Karin Knight and Tina Ruggiero, authors of “The Best Homemade Baby Food on the Planet,” the ingredients used to make store-bought baby foods are heated to very high temperatures to sterilize them and increase their

shelf life. In the process, the foods lose flavor and some key nutrients. “Benefits of making your baby’s food include improving freshness, limiting preservatives, enabling parents to provide a wider variety of textures and foods, and lower costs,” said Dr. Colby Grant, a pediatrician at Asheville Children’s Medical Center. Not only can homemade baby food be more nutritious and flavorful, but there are many more options as to the types of fruits and vegetables parents can offer their babies. While many stores carry the typical apples, bananas, pears, peas, sweet potatoes, carrots, and squash, it’s rare that

foods such as avocado, mango, apricots, blueberries, collards, and spinach ever make it to the baby food aisle. When making baby food at home, the options are limitless.

Make and freeze

The how-to process may vary by parent, but basically, all you needs to get started is a way to cook the fruit or vegetable and an appliance to puree it. There are many baby food makers on the market but for most, a commercial maker it not necessary. “Most things I steam first to maintain as many of the vitamins and nutrients as

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possible,” said Henry. “I then use a hand mixer or food processor to mash to the desired consistency, adding a little water along the way.” Breast milk or formula can be used in place of water. To store homemade baby food, you’ll need BPA-free ice cube trays with lids (find these at stores like Bed, Bath and Beyond), freezer zip-top bags and a permanent marker. Keep fresh no more than a a two-day supply. The rest of the batch can be frozen and used within four weeks. “Once food is ready, I put it in ice cube trays, freeze them, then pop them out and put in freezer bags. Each cube is approximately 1 ounce, so if your baby is eating 2 ounces, use two cubes,” Henry said. Label each bag with type of food and date prepared. To thaw, either place freezer bags in the fridge overnight or transfer cubes to a glass bowl and heat in the microwave, stirring every five seconds. Only thaw what you will use within one to three days, and do not refreeze any leftovers.

Beyond fruits

When thinking of homemade baby food, many parents consider only fruits and vegetables, but baby cereals can also be made from scratch. “I got a lot of diversity from grains by making them at home,” Schneider said. “I used quinoa, millet and brown rice. Then I would put flax seed in for omega-3s.” As with fruits and vegetables, grocery store offerings of cereals can be limited, typically only rice, oats and barley. Some stores, like Earth Fare and Greenlife, carry many grains in bulk. Parents can purchase a variety of grains, grind them to powder in a coffee grinder, store in air tight containers and then measure out to cook. However, Grant issued a caution about making your own cereal. “In contrast to homemade baby cereals, commercially made cereals are fortified with iron,” the pediatrician said. “Breastfed infants may not get enough iron from breast milk alone once they are 6 months of age.” For parents who make baby cereals, Grant recommended giving babies a vitamin with iron or offering other foods high in iron such as beans and meats, once they’re 6 months old. Further, the iron will be better absorbed if paired with foods high in vitamin C, such as apples and avocados.

Downsides

While there are a number of benefits to

Jennifer Henry prepares carrots to make baby food for her daughter. SUSANNA BARBEE/SPECIAL TO WNC PARENT

LEARN MORE There are numerous resources available to help parents make their own baby food. » Jennifer Henry learned how to make baby food from other moms; she now blogs about it on the DIY page of her blog, www.redheelsandbananapeels.com. » Megan Schneider used the book “Super Baby Food” by Ruth Yaron for inspiration. Many recipes can be found online using a simple Google search.

making homemade baby food, there are some disadvantages. Store-bought varieties are more convenient. It’s much easier to throw a jar of baby food in the diaper bag than to take the homemade version. “It does take a little more time to plan outings,” Henry said. “When going out, you have to put the homemade baby food in with an ice pack.” There are also some safety and health concerns when it comes to homemade baby food. “Some drawbacks of making your

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baby’s food are the risk of choking if the food is not strained or well puréed or possible bacterial contamination,” Grant said. “In order to reduce the risk of contamination, it is important to clean the materials used to prepare the food thoroughly, fully cook meats, avoid contact with surfaces used to prepare raw meat or eggs, and wash hands well. “Honey and home canned foods should not be used in baby food due to a risk of botulism,” he added. “Homemade spinach, green beans, carrots and squash should not be given to babies under 6 months of age because they are high in nitrates.” Many moms and dads just don’t have the time to make baby food; it’s quicker to purchase food from the store and have it readily available. If you are a working parent and would like to make some or all of your baby’s food, many baby food recipe books suggest spending one Sunday a month in the kitchen preparing batches to freeze for the next four weeks. Ultimately, it comes down to personal preference and parents’ opinions regarding whether or not the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. “For me, making baby food at home was a given. It’s the best possible food for the least amount of money,” Schneider said.

Fitting in classes

Parents who work 9-to-5 have tough time finding evening activities By Paul Clark, WNC Parent contributor

You’re a working parent who doesn’t leave the office until 5 p.m. — too late to attend many classes that parents can take with their young children. Unlike you, stay-at-home parents and those who work later in the day have lots of dayside events and classes they can take with their toddlers and older children, from music lessons to foreign language classes. But that’s not true for moms and dads who get off work about the same time that many child-oriented businesses and institutions are closing for the day. “There are lots of parents that work 9-to-5, and they want to do things with their little ones,” said Kari Richmond, director of (and a teacher at) Asheville Area Music Together. So many parents asked her if she offered classes in the evening that she created some — two in Asheville and one in Marshall. Asheville Area Music Together offers 6 p.m. classes on Thursdays, starting Sept. 6, and 10 a.m. classes on Saturdays,

starting Sept. 8, both at the Reuter Family YMCA in South Asheville. There’s also a parent-child music class at The Tree House, a café on Merrimon Avenue in North Asheville, at 5 p.m. Tuesdays beginning Sept. 4. As of press time, Music Together hadn’t worked out the time and day for its new class in Marshall, but Richmond said it would be after-hours as well. Music Together classes are a mix of

music and large and small movements, depending on a child’s development and inclination. Through singing, dancing, finger play and overall play, children and parents incorporate music into everyday activities such as brushing teeth and getting ready for bed. The idea, Richmond said, is to integrate music into children’s lives through the examples of their role models — their parents. “The more that parents make music

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with them, the more the children will do it in their own lives,” Richmond said. For a listing of dates and fees, go to www.ashevilleareamt.com. The Little Gym of Asheville (www.thelittlegym.com) has classes on Wednesday nights. The class at 5:40 p.m. is for children 19-30 months, and the class at 6:30 p.m. is for children 30 months to almost 3 years. Both classes use songs and play to teach things like motor development. The latter class phases out parent participation to get their children ready for preschool, said Anna Bartlett, The Little Gym’s program director. Free introductory classes help parents determine if The Little Gym is right for them and their children. Asheville Music School (www.ashevillemusicschool.com) in downtown Asheville has put together a new schedule of piano, voice, guitar and music exploration classes that parents and children can take together. They can also take joint music lessons on instruments as varied as didgeridoo and classical bassoon (as well as nearly all conventional instruments). “A student’s success depends on what they do between lessons,” said Amy Rae Stupka, Asheville Music School director. “If you have parents and kids having fun and learning together at their lesson in classes, chances are they will have fun and learn together between classes.” Helping fill the after-hours void are a few institutions and businesses that offer parent-child classes on Saturdays. Here are some of them: » The Asheville YMCA (www.ymcawnc.org) in downtown Asheville and the Reuter Family YMCA in South Asheville offer several swim classes on Saturdays that parents can take with their children up to age 3. » The Tree House has a one-hour arts class on Saturdays that begins at 10 a.m. Children 12 to 48 months recently made papier-mache bowls out of yarn (the younger ones glued yarn to cardboard). Classes are different every week, the business said. » Parents also may want to check martial arts studios in the area. Sun Soo Tae Kwon Do (www.martialartasheville.com) in West Asheville has an adult/family mixed-rank class from 11:45 a.m.-1:15 p.m. Saturdays. Dojoku Martial Arts (www.dojoku.com) in South Asheville offers a 45minutes family class at 6:15 p.m. Monday through Thursday. “It’s one of our biggest classes,” owner Raymond Cagle said.

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taking care of baby

Baby products go

GREEN Asheville companies market cloth diapers and more to parents

By Paul Clark, WNC Parent contributor

Wonderfully soft, the world of white cloth diapers is benefiting from green technology in a way that allows mothers to be as good to the environment as they are to their babies. There are several “green” companies in the Asheville area that offer services for babies and parents. They make organic material diapers, salves and balms primarily because they believe the products are better for babies and less harmful than chemical-filled disposable diapers and ointments that have been popular for years. But they also make them in ways that are environmentally sound and less harmful to the Earth. White means green

Babee Greens, an Asheville seller of organic, fitted cloth diapers and other baby products, estimates disposable diapers cost a family $2,000-$3,000 in a child’s first two or three years, compared with a few hundred dollars for cloth diapers. Disposable diapers use twice as much water, three times as much energy and 20 times the raw materials as cotton ones to make, said Tia Gilbert, owner of Babee Greens. They generate 60 times as much waste and are estimated to take 250-500 years to decompose, she said. Ruth Gavin, an Asheville seamstress who sells cloth diapers through her company Roly Roly Poly diapers, from small to large, snap together at the hip and are sold at Greenlife Grocery, French Broad Food Co-op and elsewhere around Asheville. Online, they’re available at Ruth Gavin’s etsy website, www.rolypolycrafts.etsy.com

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Poly, said you can keep a ton of waste out of landfills by diapering a baby for two years with cloth diapers. And studies indicate babies in cloth diapers potty train faster than those in disposable ones, Babee Greens states on its website. Plus, cloth diapers end their lives as the softest imaginable rags coveted by people who wash cars and polish furniture, said Erika Richie, owner of Smarty Pants Diaper Service in Asheville. Babee Greens (www.babeegreens.com) sells certified organic diapers, covers, wipes and other products. Ten years old, owned and operated by mothers, Babee Greens offers diapers (with snaps, not pins) and related products made in Asheville from materials made in the United States. The products, free of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and insecticides, are made of organic cotton or cotton/hemp blends and made with cotton thread and elastic and non PVC poly resin snaps. Gavin started making diapers years ago to save money and broaden her sewing skills. Now, her company Roly Poly (www.rolypolycrafts.com) sells reusable cloth pocket diapers, covers, wipes, diaper pail liners, snack bags, gowns, onesies, quilts, T-shirts and other products. Her pocket diapers have three layers — a bright, outer one made of waterproof fabric, a soft suedecloth or microfleece wicking inner one and an absorptive, anti-bacterial middle one made of organic hemp and cotton. Roly Poly diapers, from small to large, snap together at the hip and are sold at Greenlife Grocery, French Broad Food Co-op and elsewhere around Asheville. Online, they’re available at Gavin’s etsy website, www.rolypolycrafts.etsy.com. “They last through a zillion washes,” Gavin said. Smarty Pants Diaper Service (www.ashevillediaperservice.com) offers a service any parent would love and delivers within a 30-mile radius of downtown Asheville. On a family’s designated day of service, they leave the dirty diaper bag out. Smarty Pants picks it up and in its place, in a sparkling clean pail liner that it supplies, is an allotment of unbleached, fresh, downy diapers. What’s not to like? A few weeks before the baby is born, Smarty Pants owner Erika Richie meets with parents to get them oriented and to deliver the first week’s allotment (she’ll even show parents how to use a cloth diaper). Smarty Pants recommends 80 dia-

Asheville’s Babee Greens sells organic, fitted cloth diapers and other baby products. Disposable diapers use twice as much water, three times as much energy and 20 times the raw materials as cotton ones to make, said Tia Gilbert, owner of Babee Greens. SPECIAL TO WNC PARENT

pers a week for newborns, 60 for infants and 40 for toddlers. But it is happy to adjust, depending on a family’s needs. “There’s this perception out there that cloth diapering is difficult, but it’s really not,” Richie said. “I’m dealing with customers who have never seen a cloth diaper before, and they’re so easy to put on.” Cloth diapers don’t have to use safety pins anymore. Richie’s use pinless closure systems.

Beyond diapers

Founded 30 years ago, i play (www.iplaybabywear.com) is an Asheville company that offers blankets and sheets,

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towels and washcloths, clothing, outwear, rainwear, swimwear and UV protective playwear, as well as accessories for newborns to toddlers. It also sells dishes, bottles, cups, bibs and other feeding items for young children, as well as toys. All are made from eco-friendly petroleum, PVC- and BPA-free materials. It offers biodegradable and compostable “ecoplastic” products that are safe for babies and good for the Earth, i play claims. Feeding accessories are made from cornstarch and potato starch. i play designs its products in Asheville and manufacturers them in China, Thailand, Korea and Taiwan, adhering to fair labor and environmentally responsible standards, it states on its website. Theresa Victa, a licensed massage and bodywork therapist in Murphy, has an online business — Mountain Spirit Essentials (www.mountainspiritessentials.net) — that offers the baby product Calendula Baby for diaper rash. It’s made from calendula flower extracts, olive oil, beeswax (and nothing else). Ginger Rose Herbal (www.artandherbals.com), an Asheville company, makes several baby (and mother) herbal products. Its Healing Bottom Butt Salve contains candellila wax and olive oil-infused St. Johns Wort, calendula and comfrey. Its Healing Bottom Baby Powder is made from arrowroot powder, kaolin clay, slippery elm and comfrey root. Its Soothing Baby Massage Oil infuses chamomile and rose petals in almond oil.

A comeback

Cloth diapering has seen a resurgence locally at least since 2006, when Gavin had her first baby, she said. She started making cloth diapers in part because she couldn’t find them. “When you have your first baby, it’s kind of shocking to see how many paper diapers and wipes you begin to accumulate,” she said. “Moms want to be greener and to reduce waste. Cloth diapers are getting bigger and bigger every year.” Babee Greens, which buys the cashmere and merino wool in its diaper covers from local Goodwill stores, estimates its retail sales figures jumped more than 150 percent from last year, Gilbert said. “It’s amazing how people are starting to pay attention to this, for the benefit of their babies and for the environment,” Gilbert said. “It’s something to feel really good about.”

TO PAY OR NOT

TO PAY?

Brandon Crisp, 12, started his own small business during his summer vacation by mowing and weed eating for extended family members. SPECIAL TO WNC PARENT

OPINIONS VARY ON WHETHER KIDS SHOULD RECEIVE MONEY FOR EVERYTHING FROM CHORES TO GRADES TO ATHLETIC ACHIEVEMENTS By Betty Lynne Leary WNC Parent contributor

The pre-game warm up is complete and the pep talk in the dugout is well under way for Fairview’s Pink Lightning, an 8U girls’ softball team coached by Wendy Sayles.

“Don’t forget,” Sayles tells the girls, who are full of giggles in anticipation of the game, “there’s a dollar for every home run and every pop fly caught.” With a hearty cheer, the girls race to their positions on the field. Sayles’ team was undefeated in the regular 2012 softball season winning 20 games. She started

using money as an incentive to motivate her players and as a reward for those who performed well. “The girls get excited about that dollar,” Sayles, of Fairview, says. “It gets them motivated to play hard and do their best, and it gets them excited about the game.” When it comes to her own kids, how-

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ever, Sayles, the mother of Ethan, 13, and Braylin, 8, lets the grandparents dole out the cash. “Our parents pay both kids for home runs and pop flies,” she explains. “And the grandparents also pay for grades.” For example, Ethan was rewarded by his grandmother for staying on the honor roll all year long. At home, Sayles and her husband, Shane, do not financially reward their kids for helping out around the house. “They have to do chores,” Sayles says. “That’s a part of being in this family.” She adds, however, that if Ethan goes “above and beyond” with outside chores on their sizable family farm, his father or grandfather will slide Ethan a few dollars for his efforts. The Perkin family, of Swannanoa, uses money to a certain degree with their three boys, ages 10, 13, and 14. Louisa Perkin believes in giving the boys an allowance and says, “We use it as a tool. There are no requirements to receive the allowance; however, it does come with responsibilities.” The boys receive their allowance and are expected to calculate the 10 percent that is to be tithed. From there, each boy determines what goes into savings, an amount that, according to Perkin, fluctuates from week to week. “Because they receive this allowance, they are expected to cover some of their own expenses such as a movie when out with a friend,” Perkin says. When summer rolls around with all of its extra treats, the allowances stop as Perkin feels mom and dad should cover those expenses. She understands, however, her boys’ desire to earn money so they give the kids summer challenges. “Both Tim and John had a challenge this year which could earn them up to $80,” she says. “So there is serious money on the table.” This summer’s challenge was to read “The Story,” an abridged, chronological version of the Bible that reads like a story. “This challenge was self-driven, and I didn’t harp on them to get it done,” Perkin explains. “And the questions at the end of each chapter had to be completed to keep up their writing skills.” She signed a contract with the boys to pay them $2 per chapter, and if they completed the last chapter before school started, it was worth $20. Like the Sayles family, the Perkinses don’t pay for chores. “We believe that families have to work Continues on Page 18

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TO PAY OR NOT? Continued from Page 17

together and do a wide variety of chores to better the family,” she says. “It is expected and not rewarded with money.” Paul Fugelsang, a licensed professional counselor who works with adults, kids, and families in Asheville, agrees that using money as an incentive for chores is a bad idea. “I don’t recommend using money to motivate kids,” Fugelsang says. “If a child is raised to believe that he will get a reward every time he does something he’s supposed to do, then he will assume that his value in the family is primarily connected to the pay he receives and not the effort he puts forth.” This method will backfire, according to Fugelsang, when the child becomes an adult and those monetary rewards aren’t always forthcoming. “When she becomes an adult, your child will be disappointed by the lack of monetary incentives in the real world,” Fugelsang says. “When she isn’t paid extra for getting to her job on time or doing her

work, disillusionment and decreased effort is likely to occur.” Fugelsang encourages those in his practice to give their kids a set, weekly allowance that is unconnected to chores. This gives kids the opportunity to learn to handle money and learn about fiscal responsibility at an early age when, as he notes, “the consequences of spending poorly are much less expensive.” The Crisp family, of Fairview, includes Brian and Charon plus their three Paul kids Brittainy, 14; Brandon, Fugelsang 12; and Brooke, 10. All three attend Asheville Christian Academy, which precludes the kids receiving money for grades. “We already sacrifice a lot to pay for their education,” Charon Crisp explains, “so we feel they should be giving their best efforts for themselves, not because they’re being paid.” At home, when the kids were younger, Crisp would offer them a quarter or 50 cents to do some chores, but the money wasn’t enough to inspire anyone. “I was so cheap, no one was interested,”

Crisp says, laughing. “Now they do everything anyway with no pay benefits.” However, if the family is running late, she admits to offering Brooke a couple of dollars to feed everyone’s animals — no small chore with ducks, rabbits, dogs, cats, fish and chickens in two locations. And this summer, Brandon started earning money by mowing and weed eating for members of his extended family. The kids also lend a hand, free of charge, with their grandparents’ cabbage patch in Henderson County. The family plants more than 35,000 cabbages each year, and the Crisp kids are right there planting, fertilizing, hoeing and harvesting. “I feel you do some things, like working the cabbage field, just to help other people,” Crisp says. “Not everything in life should be based on money.” Even if she had more disposable income to share with her kids, Crisp says the kids should be willing to help their parents, not just see dollar signs in exchange for their efforts. “If I help my kids as they grow up,” Crisp says, “I hope they will be there to help us when we get older without expecting money for their love and support.”

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FOOTBALL

FUN

College football draws families together

By Susanna Barbee, WNC Parent contributor

As fall brings cooler weather, weekly festivals and changing leaves, this cherished time of year also brings football season. And for many families, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the latter thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the most anticipated. After months of being outside at the beach or the pool, many folks are ready for Saturday college football on TV and tasty snacks on the coffee table. Continues on Page 20

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Lindsay and Zane Whitner, with daughter Bryn, cheer for Appalachian State. The couple attended UNC Wilmington, which doesn’t have a football team, so they put their loyalties with Lindsay’s brother’s alma mater. JOHN FLETCHER/JFLETCHER@CITIZEN-TIMES.COM

FOOTBALL FUN Continued from Page 19

For three WNC families, football is an exciting part of their lives. Including their children in the fun makes the tailgating and spectating even more special.

The Solomons, Tennessee Fletcher mom Raegan Solomon and her husband, Hunter, are both graduates of the University of Tennessee. To make it a family affair, they include 3-year-old Leyton, 1-year-old Griffin and the dogs when cheering on their Volunteers. “When we watch games at home, everyone gets their UT gear on. Even the boxers have UT shirts,” Raegan Solomon said. “We sing and dance to ‘Rocky Top’ to get revved up and ready. During the game, we

cheer, clap, dance and give high-fives. The kids love the excitement.” Hunter Solomon grew up going to UT games with his grandfather, and now both parents look forward to taking their own kids to Knoxville. “We have not made the trip with the whole family yet. We’re hoping to get to a game this year though,” Raegan Solomon said. In the Solomon family room, visitors will find UT basketballs signed by coaches Pat Summit and Bruce Pearl, along with various UT photographs hanging on the walls. True fans, the Solomons even named their two boxers Rocky Top and Peyton (after famed UT quarterback Peyton Manning). Daughter Leyton always makes sure to include the dogs in their “Rocky Top” dancing. With a couple of changes to the UT coaching staff over the past several years, the Solomons are looking forward to a successful year of UT football. “The kids love watching for the guys in

orange and finding mascot Smokey during the game. We wear our UT colors proudly,” Solomon said.

The Whitners, Appalachian State Lindsay Whitner and her husband, Zane, of Weaverville both attended University of North Carolina at Wilmington, a school with no football team. When Lindsay’s brother began attending Appalachian State University, the entire family, including 1-year-old Bryn, began pulling for the Mountaineers. “It has been fun keeping up with the team through my brother, hearing of stories and continuing to rib our Michigan family over the University of Michigan loss to App State,” Whitner said. “We made it to a game last year with our newest addition, Bryn, when she was about 6 weeks old. A tradition we hope to continue with her for many years to come.”

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The entire Whitner crew travels to Boone in their App State colors to tailgate before games. “Tailgating is such a blast,” Whitner said. “We pack a picnic of sandwiches and snacks, fill up a cooler and just hang out. We buy face tattoos, wear gold and black, and even dress Brynie in her colors.” When visiting Boone, Whitner and her family always visit the bookstore to look at and buy ASU T-shirts, hats and face stickers. Now that daughter Bryn is older, it will truly be a family affair. “We are hoping to pull Bryn in more this year; she was too little last year. She loves to clap when other people are and her uncle loves to spoil her, so I am sure it will be a good time!” said Whitner.

The Dunnings, Ole Miss Jody Dunning, of Swannanoa, attended Ole Miss as did both her parents. So when football season rolls around, she and her kids Asher, 8, and Frederick, 6, look forward to cheering on the Rebels. “We travel to at least one out of town game a year and to Oxford every other year,” Dunning said. “When we watch games from home, it’s very casual. We have the TV on all day on Saturday. We have two TVs and watch back and forth. The kids run in and out: playing football outside, eating snacks and watching the games.” The Dunnings love tailgating at The Grove at Ole Miss. The Grove is one of the most famous tailgating stations in the country. With white linens on the tables and candelabras hanging from the tents, The Grove is the epitome of Southern charm and hospitality. “Oxford is the best game because of The Grove. Tailgating is a very formal affair there,” Dunning said. “There is also a walk of champions where the marching band and the entire football team goes through. My boys love that part.” Although the adults in the Dunning family are faithful Ole Miss fans, Asher and Frederick lean a little toward UT. With their aunt being a former Volunteer and the school being closer in proximity, the boys have UT football uniforms and love pulling for the guys in orange and white. With ties to UT, Ole Miss and Florida, the Dunnings see numerous touchdowns each fall and have a lot of fun from August to January. “Our family definitely loves football,” Dunning said.

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PREPARING FOR SCHOOL

Help your preschooler love to learn By Candy Grande, Gannett Holly Hageman loves watching her daughter, 3-year-old Brooklynn, learn new concepts. Alphabet flashcards, books and shapes and numbers puzzles are a just few of their favorite activities at home in Atco, N.J. “She likes to learn, and I try to make it as fun as possible for her,” says Hageman, a human relations specialist. “Making learning fun keeps her attention longer.” Many parents take on the role of being their children’s preschool teacher and the responsibility of readying them for

Brooklynn Pigott shows her mom a flashcard. Holly Hageman makes sure her home is stocked with educational games and puzzles for her daughter to explore. GANNETT

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kindergarten. To achieve this goal, it is important for parents to introduce a variety of subjects in a positive and playful manner. “Learning should not be forced,” says Marion Godwin, who has taught first grade in Moorestown, N.J., for more than 30 years. “It should be taught according to what they know and do best — and that is play. When teaching them, play games and have fun with the subject.” Godwin says parents should try to create a nurturing learning environment in their homes by filling it with books, puzzles, blocks and other stimulating toys. And parents should always be looking for “teachable moments.” “You want a child to be a lifelong learner, so you want to show them learning is everywhere,” says Godwin. “If parents take the time to lay a strong educational foundation, their children will keep building on it.” Introduce children to science with handson activities that interest them, such as growing plants from seeds, discussing animals and how to care for pets, and observing the chemical changes that occur during cooking, says Godwin. Continues on Page 24

Holly Hageman studies the alphabet with her daughter Brooklynn Pigott at their home in Atco, N.J. JOSE F. MORENO/GANNETT

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Love to learn Continued from Page 23

Sorting activities, simple patterns and counting games are a great way to teach children the basics of math, and taking them on field trips, singing songs and reciting rhymes also are ways to prepare them for the first day of school, she says. “I think children are naturals when it comes to computers,” says Godwin. “Let them play educational games on the computer and teach them how to type their first names using the keyboard. When they are more familiar with using the computer, let them find pictures of animals and places on the Web.” Beth Ann Garofola of Marlton, N.J., is a mother of four children, Grace, 6; Ellie, 5; Katie, 2; and 1-year-old Luke. As a parttime independent contractor for the Children’s Literacy Initiative, she knows the importance of reading to her children. “If you read with your children for at least 15 minutes every day it is going to be a huge help for them,” says Garofola. “It will make them become better readers. The kids and I don’t just read the words in

“You want a child to be a lifelong learner, so you want to show them learning is everywhere.” MARION GODWIN

a first-grade teacher for more than 30 years

a book either. We discuss the title, author and illustrator, where a sentence begins and ends, and make inferences with the pictures while we read.” Garofola says she tries to help her children understand that every letter makes a sound with fun activities and phonics games. “When we go to the grocery store every child brings their own list,” she says. “Even Luke has a list with A, B and C on it. I help him find something that begins with each letter and make the sound of the letters.” As a former elementary school teacher, Garofola knows the importance of preparing her children for school. And another important learning aspect to consider, she says, is socialization. “I think socialization is one of the most

important parts of school,” she says. “Do activities with your child like sitting down and reading, following instructions and other social cues a teacher may give. There also are a lot of free programs like story times at libraries and book stores that can introduce a child to socializing with others.” Hageman visits the park every weekend so her daughter, Brooklynn, can make friends and play with other children. “At first she didn’t want to play with other kids,” she says. “But now she likes going to the park and interacting with her friends. She also enjoys playing with my family and friends’ children.” If you notice a particular subject a child is struggling with, it is important to stay positive, says Godwin. “Don’t criticize the child,” she says. “You can’t force them to learn something. If they don’t get something right, so what? Smile and be happy and make the experience joyful. ”Parents need to understand that if a child gets something wrong, they may think something is wrong with them. Keep working with them and when they get the right answer make sure you tell them how hard they worked to get the correct answer.“

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4 million infant seats recalled after babies are hurt in falls Jayne O’Donnell USA TODAY

About 4 million Bumbo Baby Seats were recalled Aug. 15 after at least 84 incidents in which babies fell, including more than 20 skull-fracture reports. The recall comes five years after 1 million seats were recalled to add a warning label about using the seats on raised surfaces, which was how most of the new incidents occurred. Bumbo International, the South African maker of the seats, said it would provide owners with a repair kit to add a strap to secure babies in the seats — something consumer groups had been urging for months. The seats are used to prop up babies before they can sit up on their own. Because it’s neither an infant carrier nor a walker, the Bumbo seat isn’t covered by any federal or even industry standards. But the Consumer Product Safety Commission does have the authority to recall a product if it isn’t covered by a safety standard and “presents a substantial product hazard,” agency spokesman Scott Wolfson said in March. Nancy Cowles, executive director of advocacy group Kids in Danger, questions the need for the seats at all, as they are only recommended for babies from the time they can hold their heads up until they can sit unassisted. Says Cowles: “It might be better even with the fix to pass on this product.” Cowles and the Consumer Federation of

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The Bumbo Baby Seat with restraint-belt repair. U.S. CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION

America’s Rachel Weintraub recommends parents instead opt for infant carriers or bouncy seats, as both are covered by voluntary safety standards that require them to restrain children. Weintraub says adding restraints to the Bumbo seats is “significant” but says, “Too many children were injured while using this product.” Erika Bowles, who is moving to Richmond, Va., just had a yard sale and sold the Bumbo seat she used briefly for her daughter, who is now 3. Bowles says she never felt comfortable with the seat after learning of safety issues and seeing how her daughter could tip backwards in it. “It wasn’t worth the space of saving for potential baby number two,” says Bowles. The Bumbo seats, priced between $30 and $50 each, were sold online and at stores including at Walmart and Toys R Us from August 2003 through August 2012. As of the recall date, all new Bumbo seats will include the restraint belt. Some seats still in stores may include the restraint repair kit, but most will have it already attached, Bumbo says.

taking care of baby

Some moms who can’t nurse bank on breast milk sharing By Kim Mulford Gannett

Tegan Beyer doesn’t want her baby to drink formula. No way. No how. The 34-year-old married mother of two has a track record on this issue. When she had her son, Talon, four years ago, she wasn’t able to get him to nurse at the breast. So she pumped her milk every three hours around the clock, producing enough to keep him well fed from a bottle. She pumped for 20 months. When daughter Joslyn arrived in January and successfully latched on the first try, it was a joyous event. “I produced a lot of milk,” said Beyer, a tattoo artist who lives in Mount Laurel, N.J. “I was made for making milk.” But Beyer can’t nurse her baby anymore. On June 6, a suspicious lump she discovered in her breast shortly after Joslyn’s birth was at last diagnosed as invasive ductal carcinoma. She was ordered to stop nursing her baby immediately and prepare for more tests, surgery and chemotherapy. Beyer called her friend, Cristin Mahoney of Cherry Hill, N.J., a breast-feeding mom whose youngest daughter is just three months older than Joslyn. “She asked me if I had any breast milk,” said Mahoney. “I did have 32 ounces in my freezer, so I got that over to her. Since then, I’ve been pumping every night,” enough to provide one bottle for Joslyn each day. It was the beginning of a monumental effort by a local community of breastContinues on Page 28

Tegan Beyer, 34, feeds her infant, 6-month-old Joslyn, a bottle of donated breast milk. Beyer was recently diagnosed with breast cancer and is recovering from a bilateral mastectomy. GANNETT

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Sharing breast milk Continued from Page 26

feeding mothers and their supporters. Since then, Beyer’s baby has been fed with donated breast milk collected through a closed group on Facebook. “People have come out of the woodwork,” said Beyer, during a phone interview from her hospital bed where she was battling an infection following a bilateral mastectomy. “She drinks 30 ounces a day right now.” It’s called informal milk sharing — informal because the donated milk is not screened, tested or processed to ensure it does not contain viruses, harmful bacteria, medications or illegal drugs. Instead, the arrangement relies on honesty, openness and trust between its donors and recipients. While the American Academy of Pediatrics and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommend babies drink breast milk for at least one year, both organizations recommend against informal milk sharing. Instead, says the FDA, after first con-

‘’

“I’m finding there’s a lot of people looking for milk and people willing to travel for milk.” NICOLE BURATTI

coordinator for Eats on Feets New Jersey,

sulting with your health care provider and if you have decided you still want to use human milk, “you should only use milk from a source that has screened its milk donors and taken other precautions to ensure the safety of its milk.” That’s hard to do when the nearest milk bank is in Ohio, and only dispenses milk to hospitals or with a doctor’s prescription, according to Diane Spatz, the leading breast-feeding expert at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and a professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing.

Human milk costs about $4.25 per ounce, Spatz said. That means it could cost $100 or more each day to feed a growing baby — and that’s if the milk is available. “We don’t really have a sufficient number of milk banks in the United States,” said Spatz. “Currently, they’re really just meeting the needs of hospitalized babies. That puts women like (Beyer) in a really challenging position. They understand the value of human milk, they don’t have access to milk banks and they don’t have an alternative to informal milk share.” “As a health care provider who practices in the United States, it’s hard for me to recommend (milk sharing) as a practice because there could be risks associated with it,” said Spatz. “It’s very understandable that women do it.”

Long-standing practice

Milk sharing has been practiced since the beginning of time, its advocates say. Indeed, the World Health Organization recommends wet nursing (breast-feeding another woman’s child) and milk sharing before using formula when emergencies force nursing mothers to stop breastfeeding. It recommends first testing donor mothers for HIV.

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Eats on Feets, an online community of milk-sharing advocates, also offers a list of recommendations for arrangements between milk donors and recipients, including specific blood tests and questions to screen donors. Nicole Buratti, coordinator for Eats on Feets New Jersey, said demand is high for donor milk, especially in New York and Pennsylvania, though she has more donors than recipients at the moment. “I’m finding there’s a lot of people looking for milk and people willing to travel for milk,” said Buratti.

Myriad reasons parents seek donor milk

Usually, parents search out the donor milk for medical reasons that prevent breast-feeding, anything from low milk supply to breast cancer. Adoptive parents and gay couples who have used a surrogate to have a baby also sometimes seek out human milk for their babies. In other countries like Brazil and France, milk banks are much more accessible, making it easy to get donor milk, Spatz said. She wants to see more grassroots efforts to increase the number of milk banks

‘’

“We don’t really have a sufficient number of milk banks in the United States. Currently, they’re really just meeting the needs of hospitalized babies.” DIANE SPATZ

a breast-feeding expert at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and a professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing

in the United States so donor milk that has been screened and treated is accessible to all women who need it. She also wants insurance companies to pay for breast milk if it is needed. But the United States is a long way from that ideal. “Our culture isn’t really at the point

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that we value human milk above all else,” said Spatz, whose hospital views breast milk as a medical intervention for its infant patients. “A lot of people see formula as an OK alternative.” Despite the risks, Beyer’s network of supporters are passionate about the value of their breast milk and their work to feed her baby. Breast milk contains antibodies and nutritive qualities that cannot be replicated by formula, they said. Thalla-Marie Choxi is one of the administrators for Beyer’s milk sharing Facebook page, and a donor herself. In Beyer’s arrangement, Choxi said, mothers are asked to only donate milk if they would feed it to their own kids. They are also asked to alert the administrators if they have taken any medications, and they are asked not to donate if they drink alcohol or smoke. Beyer said their work has enabled her to focus on getting better. Her baby girl is healthy and growing fast. “You do really have to trust people, but at the same time, it’s milk they’re feeding their own babies,” Beyer said. “If they’re going to feed their babies, you have to have faith. You have to have trust.”

parent news in brief Kids Voting needs volunteers

Stroller Strides of Asheville offers a fitness program using strollers and more to new moms. SPECIAL

ASHEVILLE — Kids Voting Buncombe

County needs help to provide a real-life voting experience for Buncombe County students on Election Day. The Nov. 6 election will have more than 80 precincts. Kids Voting is looking to have a booth for youth votes at each site. The nonpartisan, nonprofit organization is looking for volunteers to serve as “precinct captains” at these sites. Adults, high school students and families can volunteer to be captains. Those wishing to serve as captains must: attend a brief traning in October; recruit friends, family and colleagues to staff the Kids Voting booth from 7:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m. on Election Day; set up the booth; collect ballots and materials and return them to Election Central (at 85 Mountain St.) after the polls close. For more information contact Kids Voting at 775-5673 or info@kidsvotingbc.org.

Mother Earth Produce launches school fundraiser

ASHEVILLE — Mother Earth Produce,

co-owned by former teacher Andrea DuVall, is offering a partnership to local WNC schools to support ongoing fundraising. Support Our Schools enables schools to raise funds, while supporting local farms and businesses, as well as health in WNC’s communities. Schools can sign up with Mother Earth Produce, a farm-to-front door delivery service of organic produce

TO WNC PARENT

and local edibles, to raise funds for their schools by selling bins of produce and edibles. For the first 100 veggie bins sold, the school receives $4 per bin, or $400. Schools receive $2 per bin for any number of bins sold after the initial 100 bins through May 31, 2013. Schools must be within a 50-mile radius of Asheville to participate. Orders from both new and repeat customers count toward fundraising. To learn more and register, visit www.MotherEarthProduce.com and click on “School Fundraising.”

Stroller Strides fitness program starts

ASHEVILLE — Registration is under way for Stroller Strides of Asheville, classes that offer both fitness and support for new moms. “Stroller Strides offers a great combination of getting fit after the baby while enjoying the support of other moms experiencing the newness, joys and challenges of motherhood,” said Susanne Willis, owner

of Stroller Strides of Asheville. Stroller Strides is a unique fitness program for new moms incorporating both the baby and stroller. In 60 minutes, participants can get a total body workout that helps improve cardiovascular endurance, strength and flexibility. Along with walking, Stroller Strides uses the environment as a gym by doing intervals of body toning using exercise tubing and the stroller. The class registration ranges from a single-class or 10-class pass to a monthly membership. Classes are ongoing; register anytime by contacting Willis at susannewillis@strollerstrides.net or visiting www.strollerstrides.net/asheville. Stroller Strides of Asheville also hosts a free Mom’s Club that schedules playgroups, mom’s night out, and quarterly community service projects. “Having a group of parents who are going through the same amazing and exhausting experience of living with a baby is so important,” said Willis. “If you have a great support system, everything else, including fitness, is so much easier.”

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PREPARING FOR SCHOOL

Middle school transition brings tweens, parents new challenges By Jessica Bliss The Tennessean

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Bhalika Rajan is artsy and instrumental. Her twin brother, Beema, is more into video games and the outdoors. But as different as these two siblings are, they are about face the same challenge — navigating middle school. Like many new sixth-graders, the Rajans are excited to begin a stage in life that feels “more adult,” but with cliques, crushes, acne and pop quizzes, transitioning to the locker-lined hallways can be as testing as it is educational. Over the last few weeks, as thousands of tweens begin a new grade at a new school, parents and students alike will

learn what it means to be a middle schooler. They will adapt and adjust — with some strife and, hopefully, much more enjoyment. “I do think it will be fun,” said Bhalika Rajan,. “There are going to be more challenges, and you get to face those challenges. I find that fascinating.”

Big changes afoot

Sometimes, mom Vicki Thompson said, the middle school transition is harder on the parents than the kids. “You really have to step back,” she said. “And, for a lot of parents, it’s the first time they haven’t sat and helped with homework at night or walked their kids to class every day.” Thompson, of Bellevue, Tenn., has al-

ready made the transition once with her now 15-year-old daughter, Piper, but she still feels some anxiety as 9-year-old Paige begins middle school this week. While elementary school is so insular, middle school is really the first major step where students learn to deal with responsibility, different people and different things, Thompson said. The kids will address worries like mastering locker combinations, mapping out unfamiliar hallways between classes, dealing with new teachers and a bigger workload. But perhaps the biggest transition comes in adjusting to new classmates, groups and activities. “There’s just so many social challenges,” Thompson said. “Middle schoolers are crazy. They are

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MIDDLE SCHOOL SURVIVAL GUIDE What: “Lucy and CeCee’s How to Survive (and Thrive) in Middle School,” by Kimberly Dana Where: BarnesandNoble.com and Amazon.com Cost: $17.95 (iUniverse)

Tips on the transition

Sudha Rajan, second from right, helps her son Beema, 11, try on new clothes as they prepare for the first day of school as father Naga and sister Bhalika look on at their home in Franklin, Tenn. THE TENNESSEAN just a great big ball of raging hormones, and they don’t know what to do with it. You have to help teach them that some of the things they think are the biggest drama in their entire life are not that big. That’s hard to teach.”

Book offers guidance In her new novel, “Lucy and CeCee’s How to Survive (and Thrive) in Middle

Be informed: Becoming familiar with new surroundings is important, said Franklin, Tenn., dad Naga Rajan, who has a rising high school sophomore in addition to 11-year-old twins Bhalika and Beema. “Get to know the school,” Rajan said. “Go to the website and attend parent orientation sessions. Take the kids to the student orientation session and talk to counselors to find out what you can expect.” Get organized: Talk about responsibility, said Lori Eggleston, a high school guidance counselor. Encourage them to write assignments in a day planner immediately. Have fun: And get involved, she said. “Colleges do want GPA and test scores, but they also want to know you get along with people and contribute to community. And school is more than just reading and writing, there’s a lot of fun stuff, too.”

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Tween transition Continued from Page 33

School,” teacher Kimberly Dana attempts to impart a few of those lessons with a book for pre-teens that she said is “funny and also authentic and useful.” Dana, a middle school English teacher in Nashville, Tenn., reveals what happens in the hallowed halls of junior high through the eyes of two radically different characters: CeCee, the shy and studious girl, and Lucy, her impulsive and boycrazy BFF. The girls chatter through notes they pass in school, personal diary entries and lists they make — lots and lots of lists about everything from how to handle gossip to homework excuses. Sprinkled throughout is tween-esque lingo like “unhinged” and “mega-ancient.” Dana — who said eighth-grade algebra was the “bane of my existence” and, for better or worse, her social life was No. 1 — supplements the book with her own observations, as well as real stories from her 18-year teaching career. The result is a lighthearted novel that also tackles serious issues like cyber bullying, boyfriends, eating disorders and self-esteem. “These kids are evolving,” Dana said. “They are neither child nor adult — they are in the middle. They are growing up socially, academically and mentally, and it’s a very confusing time. “This book is a ‘big hug.’ It says, ‘It’s going to be tough, but you can do it.’”

Sweet freedom

Eleven-year-old Logan Eggleston does have a few worries about middle school — “more classwork, more homework and more tests,” for example. She also is not looking forward to going from being the oldest in the school as a fifth-grader to the bottom of the ranks again in middle school. “Now we’re right back to being the younger ones,” she said. But, she is eager to see her friends and start a new school. “I feel older because I get a locker now,” she said. Her mom, Lori, also is excited. Logan has made lots of connections with future classmates through the sports she is involved in, Lori Eggleston said, and Lori feels good about her daughter’s organizational skills and ability to prioritize. The biggest learning curve for Logan may be the autonomy she is given. “They just grow so much,” said Lori, a high-school guidance counselor. “Logan may be really surprised at the level of freedoms that they have in middle school.”

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kids’ voices

Fall favorites

As the weather cools and autumn arrives, we asked second-graders in Linda Rogers’ class at Hendersonville Elementary what they like best about fall. Here is what they told us: “My sister and I like to throw colorful leaves into the air. It is very, very fun when we run through them.” Mellany, 7

“I like fall because football season comes. I like to watch Cam Newton make touchdowns.” Sam, 7

“Fall is a beautiful season. I like when the leaves change and the cool wind blows in my face.” Garrett, 7 1/2

“I like jumping in leaves. They splatter everywhere. It makes your yard colorful.” Anthony, 8

“I like fall because squirrels scatter in my yard looking for nuts. Thousands of them live in our trees.” Ava, 7 1/2

“In the fall, my friends and I like to play in my yard with our dogs in the cool breeze. One is a Chihuahua, one is a dachsund and one is a Shih Tzu.” Amaya, 7

“The thing I like best about fall is that you can climb trees. It is easier because there are barely any leaves on the trees.” Maci, 7

“I like fall because Thanksgiving comes in November. I like the smell of the yummy dinner my dad and mom cook.” Gabriela, 7

“In the fall you can see the stunning colors of the leaves. We can feel the gentle breeze of the fall.” Ingram, 8

“What I like about fall is Halloween. Halloween is a fun time when you scare people. Last year, I scared my mom!” Allie, 7

“In the fall, my dad trims the leaves every month. He piles them up and I like to jump in the leaves and throw them up in the air.” Lily, 7

“I like fall because Halloween comes. I go house to house and get awesome candy. I eat every bit!” Mason, 7

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FAMILY-FRIENDLY FALL EVENTS Aug. 31-Sept. 3

N.C. APPLE FESTIVAL: Street fair with arts and crafts, food, entertainment, apples, children’s activities and more on Main Street in downtown Hendersonville. Schedule of events online at www.ncapplefestival.org.

Aug. 31-Sept. 1

SMOKY MOUNTAIN FOLK FESTIVAL: Two nights of traditional Southern Appalachian music and dance beginning at 6:30 p.m. in Stuart Auditorium at Lake Junaluska. Children's show with songs and stories. Refreshments available. Visit www.smokymountainfolkfestival.com.

Sept. 1-2

LEXINGTON AVENUE ARTS AND FUN FESTIVAL: Art, food, performers and more on Lexington Avenue in downtown Asheville. Visit www.lexfestasheville.com.

Sept. 2

MILE HIGH KITE FESTIVAL: Annual festival in Beech Mountain. 10 a.m. Free admission; free kites to the first 150 children younger than 13. Kite clubs will demonstrate flying techniques, staff clinics and help visitors build their own kites. Visit www.beechmtn.com or call 800-468-5506.

Stilt-walker Sita Luna makes her way down Lexington Avenue as part of the Lexington Avenue Arts and Fun Festival, or LAAFF, which is Sept. 1-2. JOHN FLETCHER/JFLETCHER@ CITIZEN-TIMES.COM

onstrations, bird walks, nature tours and more. 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Visit www.nps.gov/carl. MILL AROUND THE VILLAGE: Festival celebrating the heritage of bluegrass music and other Appalachian specialties. Includes children’s activities. At Beacon Mill Village, Swannanoa. Visit www.millaroundthevillage.com. OLD TIMEY DAY: Henderson County Curb Market’s event with sausage and ham biscuits cooked on a wood stove, music, antique display, demonstrations and more. 8 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Henderson County Curb Market. Call 692-8012 for more information. YOUTH ARTS FESTIVAL: 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at Jackson County Green Energy Park, Dillsboro. Visit www.jcgep.org.

Sept. 7-16

NC MOUNTAIN STATE FAIR: Family oriented agricultural fair with competitions, displays, midway games, food and more at the WNC Ag Center in Fletcher. Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m.-midnight, Sunday from 9 a.m.-11 p.m., Monday-Thursday 3 p.m.-11 p.m. Tickets are $7 for adults, $3 for ages 6-12 and 65 plus. Group discounts available. Visit www.mountainfair.org.

Starting Sept. 7

ELIADA FIELDS OF FUN CORN MAZE: Corn maze on campus of Eliada Home in West Asheville. Visit www.fieldsoffun.org.

Sept. 8

KIDFEST: Guided hikes, games, storytellers, music and more at Grandfather Mountain. 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Visit www.grandfather.com.

JFLETCHER@CITIZEN-TIMES.COM

Sept. 15

MOUNTAIN LIFE FESTIVAL: Demonstrations including soap making, hearth cooking, cane mill, apple butter, cider and more. At Oconoluftee Visitor Center, Great Smoky Mountains National Park. www.nps.gov/grsm

Sept. 15-16

heritage toy making, natural dyeing, spinning and more. World Gee Haw Whimmy Diddle competition is 2-3 p.m. Sept. 15. Visit www.southernhighlandguild.org.

Sept. 22

HERITAGE WEEKEND: 32nd annual event at Folk Art Center with sheep shearing demonstrations, experts on beekeeping, rifle making, coopering,

George Buckner and Carol Rifkin perform with Paul’s Creek Band at a past Heritage Weekend at the Blue Ridge Parkway’s Folk Art Center. The 32nd annual event is Sept. 15-16 and features traditional music, dancing and heritage craft demonstrations. JOHN FLETCHER/

FALL INTO THE FARM: A free family festival at Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site in Flat Rock. Programs include square dancing, dairy goat dem-

Sept. 28-Oct. 27

GHOST TRAIN: Tweetsie Railroad’s 23rd annual celebration, Fridays and Saturdays through Oct. 27. After dark, see Halloween characters and Ghost Train engineer Casey Bones, visit the haunted house, go trick-or-treating. Visit www.tweetsie.com.

Sept. 29-30

FLOCK TO THE ROCK: Learn about the birds of Chimney Rock. Weekend of birding events including guided walks, workshops ranging from bird photography to hummingbirds, hawk watches, family nature walks and kids activities. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sept. 29 and 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Sept. 30. Free with admission. Visit www.chimneyrockpark.com.

Oct. 2-6

100th ANNUAL INDIAN FAIR: Entertainment, midway games, food, traditional and contemporary

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by local artists out of pumpkins that light up when the sun goes down. At Mountains & Meadows Events Center at Turkey Pen, 324 McGuire Road, Pisgah Forest. Visit www.stingyjackspumpkinpatch.com

Oct. 13

MINERAL CITY HERITAGE FESTIVAL: Food, crafts, children’s activities and more, Spruce Pine. Visit www.sprucepinefestivals.com MOUNTAIN GLORY FESTIVAL: Street festival with arts and crafts, food, quilt show, children’s area, more. In Marion. Visit www.mtngloryfestival.com

Oct. 13-14

OKTOBERFEST: Food, music, crafts, lift rides, children’s activities and more at Sugar Mountain Resort. Visit www.skisugar.com

Oct. 18-21

The North Carolina Apple Festival’s King Apple Parade marks the final day of the Hendersonville festival, which runs Aug. 31-Sept. 2. ERIN BRETHAUER/ EBRETHAU@CITIZEN-TIMES.COM

arts and crafts. At Cherokee Indian Fair Grounds, U.S. 441, Cherokee. Visit www.visitcherokeenc.com.

CRAFT FAIR OF THE SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS: U.S. Cellular Center. www.southernhighlandguild.org. LAKE EDEN ARTS FESTIVAL: Weekend of art, music and outdoor fun at Camp Rockmont in Black Mountain. Visit www.theleaf.com.

Oct. 19-20

PUMPKINFEST: Hayrides, trick-or-treating, a pumpkin roll, more, in Franklin. Call 524-2516 or visit www.pumpkinfestfranklin.com.

CORN MAZES BLUE RIDGE CORN MAZE: Sixacre maze at 1605 Everett Road, Pisgah Forest. Times by appointment, Monday-Friday; 2-8 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. $7 for ages 13 and up, $5 for ages 6-12, free for 5 and under. Group rates. Visit www.blueridgecornmaze.com or call 226-0508. COLD MOUNTAIN CORN MAIZE: 4168 Pisgah Drive, along N.C. 110, south of Canton. Opens Sept. 15, 4-9 p.m. Wednesday-Friday and 1-9 p.m. Saturday-Sunday through Nov. 1. Admission $8 for ages 4 and older. Haunted maze opens Oct. 1. Group rates. Call 648-8575 or visit www.themaize.com. ELIADA FIELDS OF FUN MAZE: Twisting trails, with a small storybook trail with the story of Spookley the Square Pumpkin, at 2 Compton Drive, Asheville. Open Sept. 7-Oct. 28. Visit www.fieldsoffun.org.

Continues on Page 38

Oct. 6

FARM CITY DAY: Antique and modern farm equipment, music, square dancing, clogging, food, petting zoo, more. 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Jackson Park, Hendersonville. Visit www.historichendersonville.org GREAT PUMPKIN PATCH EXPRESS: Weekends through October at Great Smoky Mountain Railroad’s Bryson City depot. Meet the Peanuts characters, select a pumpkin, hay rides, live music, storytelling, more. Wear costumes and trick-or-treat. Ticket prices include admission to model trains museum. Starting Oct. 6, train rides 3 p.m. Fridays (starting Oct. 12), 11:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. $53, $31 age 2-12. Visit www.gsmr.com or call 4887000 or 800-872-4681. HEY DAY: 36th annual fall family festival with games, crafts, music, animals and more. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. at WNC Nature Center, 75 Gashes Creek Road, Asheville. Call 298-5600 or visit www.wncnaturecenter.com.

Oct. 6-7

LAND OF OZ: Tour the old Land of Oz theme park. Hayride or shuttle from Beech Mountain to enchanted forest with live music, tour of Dorothy’s house, an Oz museum and more. Trips at 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m. Tickets are $16.50 in advance, $20 day of (ages 2 and under free). Not accessible to wheelchairs or large strollers. Visit www.autumnatoz.com.

Oct. 12-14, 19-21 & 26-28:

STINGY JACKS PUMPKIN PATCH: Fall festival featuring Stingy’s Illuminated Pumpkin Trail created

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FALL EVENTS Continued from Page 37

Oct. 20

APPLE HARVEST FESTIVAL: 24th annual event with arts, crafts, entertainment, food and apples. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. in downtown Waynesville. Visit www.haywood-nc.com

WNC Nature Center hosts its 36th annual Hey Day event on Oct. 6. COLBY

Oct. 20-21

WOOLLY WORM FESTIVAL: Arts and crafts, music, food, the woolly worm races and more. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Oct. 20 and 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Oct. 21. In downtown Banner Elk. Visit www.woollyworm.com.

RABON/WNC PARENT PHOTO

Oct. 21

HARDLOX: Jewish food and heritage festival, with traditional music and dance, crafts, food, children’s activities. From 11 a.m.-4 p.m. at Pack Square Park, downtown Asheville. Visit www.hardloxjewishfestival.org

Oct. 25-27

FALL HARVEST DAYS: Crafters, demonstrations, farm tools, antique engines, antique tractor pulls, more. At WNC Agricultural Center. $8 per day, children under 12 free with paid adult. Visit www.applecountry.org.

Oct. 27

BEARY SCARY HALLOWEEN: Crafts, nature program, costume contest and more, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at Grandfather Mountain. Visit www.grandfather.com. HALLOWEEN CARNIVAL: Games, face painting, prizes and costume contest. Kate’s Park in Fletcher. Call 687-0751 or visit www.fletcherparks.org. HALLOWEENFEST: Tiny tot pumpkin bowl, cookie decorating, inflatables, costume parade, hay maze, trick-or-treat, pumpkin patch, 5K race and fun walk. In downtown Brevard. Call 884-3278.

HOWL-O-WEEN: Games, presentations, crafts and more at the WNC Nature Center. Come in costume. From 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Visit www.wncnaturecenter.com. PUNKIN FEST: Costume parade and trick-or-treating in Dillsboro. Visit www.visitdillsboro.org.

Oct. 31

TRICK-OR-TREAT STREET: 4:30-7:30 p.m. at gazebo on Main Street, downtown Hendersonville. With Halloween costume contest for children and pets and the Monster Mash entertainment.

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growing together

Getting out of your family’s shell By Chris Worthy

WNC Parent columnist

“We don’t participate in your insurance plan. Your total is $171.” If I’d had a drink in my mouth, I would have spewed it across the counter like one of The Three Stooges. We were on a long weekend vacation — one of those “school is about to start and where did the summer go” getaways — when my daughter came down with an ear infection. We knew from past experience that she needed prescription ear drops and fortunately, we have a good relationship with our pediatrician, who believed us enough to call the pharmacy. So the tiny, thumb-sized bottle of ear drops was $171. Ultimately, we went down the street to a pharmacy that accepted our insurance and we paid $25. Retrieving our presumably gold-infused vial of drops, I

overheard a dad with a similar plight. A prescription for his son was going to cost $245. No thanks, he said. After breathing a prayer of thanks for my husband’s job and our terrific health insurance, I thought about what I would do if I had to shell out hundreds or thousands of dollars every time one of my children got sick. I wouldn’t be able to do long weekends at the beach, that’s for sure. Heck, I might not be able to buy groceries. My kids are teenagers now, so it would have been exponentially worse when they were little, with a propensity to play host to every new virus and bacteria they encountered. It also made me realize that I have become insulated in a way I wasn’t when I practiced law. Daily, I worked with people for whom a steady income was all but impossible. They thought things like health insurance and a primary care provider for their sick kids were laughable concepts that were reserved for rich people. (I don’t feel rich. Perhaps that’s the problem.) Every day, I left work feeling thankful that I

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could help in some small way and thankful, too, that I didn’t walk in their shoes. “There, but for the grace of God, go I.” It was my mantra. It’s one I’ve forgotten out here in suburbia, shopping at Whole Foods and IKEA, having organic produce delivered to my doorstep and grumbling about inconsequential things like how the restaurant forgot my order of tofu curry and how slow my Internet connection is today. For that, I am ashamed of myself. Don’t misinterpret: I am a firm believer in capitalism and the free market, but for me, it’s easy to slip into complacency and comfort, with blinders blocking out anything outside my household. Those hurting out of my sight are all too frequently out of mind. That’s not what I am called to do as a human or as a parent, and that’s certainly not what I want to teach my children. And so we dig out and reach out, a bit at a time.

Chris Worthy is an attorney who took down her shingle to be a stay-at-home mom. Contact her at chris@worthyplace.com.

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dad’s view

Airports are hazardous to small people By Scott Tiernan WNC Parent columnist

Did you take a family vacation this summer? If so, perhaps you traveled by plane. If so, perhaps you noticed how hazardous flying is for small people. Well, not the flying part. If you made it into the air — congratulations! You successfully navigated the real danger zone for children: the airport. Many malpractice law firms have added “airport injuries” to their list of specialties. Huge numbers of people travel through airports each day — some on foot, some on escalators and elevators, some on vehicles — and many of them in a hurry. In this fast-paced environment, accidents happen. Little guys are the most susceptible. First, most airlines charge fees to

check luggage, so more travelers are carrying bags onto planes. Big bags. On a recent trip to Connecticut, I saw one of these monsters fall off the conveyor belt and land on a lady’s foot. Thank goodness it didn’t fall on a child. Second, the security line essentially requires passengers to get naked. People ripping off leather jackets, bulky computer bags swinging off shoulders, footwear flying into buckets, belts unsheathing and snapping like lassos — the scene resembles a pre-rumble of well-dressed people. Best to keep your children close, lest they catch a boot to the head or a belt buckle to the eye. Smart bet: Bring a shield. Make it through security and you enter Digital Distractionville. Having been separated from their cellphones in security purgatory, folks are now frantic to reconnect. It’s amazing how many Groupon emails you can miss in four minutes. Plop a small child down in Digital Distractionville, and they will be gone in 60

seconds, steamrollered by what I call iPeople — a hybrid of human and iPhone. If your child safely navigates the iPeople, surely she will be clipped by a “transportation vehicle.” On any given day, the Charlotte airport looks like a public golf course on Saturday morning. Only the airport carts look more like Hummers, carry 8+ people, and average 15 mph. These vehicles are better suited to Fast Track at EPCOT. Advice for keeping your little ones safe: Leash them. Be ready to pull when you hear loud beeping. What if your flight is delayed? The meal you thought you were going to eat when you got to your destination will now come from the airport. Popular choices: Sbarro, Dunkin Donuts and Panda Express. That’s like choosing among bad, worse and worst. To be fair, most airports do offer at least one healthy eatery, but it may be in a different terminal, which could require a golf cart. (Better to be on one than hit by one.) Advice: Bring enough food to keep the kids happy for

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four or more hours. Finally, the stampede. We’ve all been there. The call is made for boarding Zone 1, and people start popping out of seats and charging like they’ve been called down on “The Price is Right.” Toting their humungous carry-ons, they make for the counter like fleas to a dog, oblivious to anything and any(small)one around them. Advice: Board last and gate-check your bags. From here you’re safe. Find your seats, get the kids buckled in, and send 26 texts before the flight attendant reminds you that all cellular devices must be turned off during take off. Just hope the person sitting next to your allergicto-shellfish daughter hasn’t brought on a three-course meal of prawns, lobsters tails and shrimp. And be wary of the drink cart that fits down the aisle like a size 10 foot in a size 9.5 shoe. Your child is one dangling ankle away from a trip to the ER after you land. At least there will be a golf cart waiting at the airport to give you a ride. Scott Tiernan is an education and communications consultant and a freelance writer. Read more at http://scott-tiernan.blogspot.com.

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Parents can inflict emotional harm, not realize it By Kim Painter Special for USA TODAY

Parents and other caregivers who demean, bully, humiliate or otherwise emotionally abuse children may not know the harm they can cause and often do not get the help that they and their children need, says a new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics. “Psychological maltreatment is just as harmful as other types of maltreatment,” says a report in an August issue of Pediatrics. Yet it is not recognized, understood HALLMARKS or studied as much as OF ABUSE physical or sexual Emotional abuse abuse, says a team of can include ignorauthors that includes ing, verbally asmembers of the American Association saulting, overpressuring, bullyof Child and Adolesing, rejecting, cent Psychiatry. isolating (keeping a Even experts can “struggle to tease out” child away from when words or actions others). Source: Prevent Child cross the line from Abuse America less-than-ideal parenting to emotional abuse, says co-author Roberta Hibbard, director of child protection programs at Indiana University and Riley Hospital for Children, Indianapolis. It is abuse when “an interaction between a parent and child inflicts harm and causes difficulty with the child’s emotional well-being and development,” she says. Anything from repeated insults to threats to ignoring a child may qualify. “But you really can’t pinpoint and say that the one time that you called the child ‘stupid’ is the reason they are having these problems,” she says. The report, which updates one issued in 2000, says emotional abuse: » Is linked with mental illness, delinquency, aggression, school troubles and lifelong relationship problems among those who were abused. » Can be especially harmful in the first three years of life. » May be the most common form of child maltreatment. But there’s little research on preventing emotional abuse or helping mistreated children, the report says.

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librarian’s picks

Silly books can teach lessons

By Jennifer Prince

Buncombe County Public Libraries

Silliness is fun. It can be in a song or a joke. It can be in a riddle or a dance. Sometimes silliness is in a facial expression. There are no better discerners of silliness than kids. Kids who enjoy being silly are open to the experience and not embarrassed by it. These books are for them. “What I Do with Vegetable Glue” by author Susan Chandler and illustrator Elena Odriozola tells the extravagantly silly story of a little girl who runs into trouble when she refuses to eat anything but cake. She is not tempted by freshness or greenness: “I wouldn’t eat cabbage,/Or turnips or beans,/I didn’t like carrots,/I didn’t like greens.” As a result of her stubborn, unhealthy eating habits, random pieces of her body start falling off: an arm here, her head there. The problem is that her body is out of vegetable glue, the stuff that keeps all the body parts together. If only she could play, sneeze and cough without having to worry about pieces of herself ending up on the ground!

area story times Buncombe County Libraries

Visit www.buncombecounty.org. Black Mountain, 250-4756: Preschool: 10:30 a.m. Wednesday; Mother Goose: 11:30 a.m. Tuesday; Toddler: 10:30 a.m. Thursday East Asheville, 250-4738: Preschool: 11 a.m. Wednesday and Saturday Enka-Candler, 250-4758: Preschool: 10:30 a.m. Wednesday; Toddler: 10:30 a.m. Thursday Fairview, 250-6484: Preschool: 10:30 a.m. Thursday Leicester, 250-6480: Mother Goose: 11:30 a.m. Tuesday; Preschool: 10:30 a.m. Wednesday North Asheville, 250-4752: School age: 3:15 p.m. Thursday; Preschool: 11 a.m. Wednesday; Toddler: 10 a.m. Wednesday Oakley/South Asheville, 250-4754: Moth-

Preschoolers will enjoy the humor in the girl’s outrageous predicament, and will like guessing what the cure is. “What I Do with Vegetable Glue” makes a good point and will keep readers giggling while it does so. “If All the Animals Came Inside” by author Eric Pinder and illustrator Marc Brown is wish fulfillment from a kid’s point of view. A little boy imagines what it would be like if wild animals came to live at his house. Sure, “The walls would tremble. The windows would shake. Oh, what a terrible mess we would make!” But riding an elephant and playing hide-and-seek with monkeys makes up for it. The story continues with messy snacks with a skunk and panda, taking a bath with an octopus, and watching TV with a rhinoceros family. Toward the end of the day, the inconvenience and mess of having so many animal visitors begins to wear on the boy’s nerves, which is why it is a good thing he was just pretending all along. Kids are likely to feel akin to the boy who has the good idea in the first place. Most likely, kids will feel a kinship with the boy and his imagination. Kids will enjoy watching the progression of animals careen through the house and the comical facial expressions of the boy’s parents and sister.

er Goose: 11 a.m. Thursday; Toddler: 11 a.m. Wednesday; Preschool: 10 a.m. Wednesday Pack Memorial Library, 250-4700: Preschool: 10:30 a.m. Mondays; Mother Goose: 10:30 a.m. Tuesdays; Toddler: 10:30 a.m. Thursdays; School age: 3:30 p.m. Wednesdays Skyland/South Buncombe, 250-6488: Preschool: 10:30 a.m. Thursday; Toddler: 10:30 a.m. Wednesday Swannanoa, 250-6486: Preschool: 11 a.m. Thursday; Toddler: 10 a.m. Thursday Weaverville, 250-6482: Mother Goose: 11 a.m. Wednesday; Toddler: 11 a.m. Thursday; Preschool: 11 a.m. Tuesday West Asheville, 250-4750: Mother Goose: 11 a.m. Monday; Toddler: 11 a.m. Wednesday; Preschool: 11 a.m. Thursday

Haywood County Library Visit www.haywoodlibrary.org.

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From beginning to end, “If All the Animals Came Inside” is a fun, exuberant read. These silly books and others are available in the Buncombe County Public Libraries. To learn more, visit www.buncombecounty.org/library.

Waynesville, 356-2512 or 356-2511: Movers and Shakers: 11 a.m. Thursdays; Ready 4 Learning: 11 a.m. Tuesdays; Family story time: 11 a.m. Wednesdays Canton, 648-2924: Family story time, 11 a.m. Tuesdays; Rompin’ Stompin’ story time, 10 a.m. Thursdays

Henderson County Library

Visit www.henderson. lib.nc.us. Main, 697-4725: Bouncing Babies: 11 a.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays; Toddler Time: 10:30 a.m. Wednesdays; Preschool: 10:30 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Barnes & Noble

Asheville Mall, 296-7335: 11 a.m. Mondays and 2 p.m. Saturdays; Biltmore Park Town Square, Asheville, 687-0681: 11 a.m. Saturdays

divorced families

Popular, newer sports have benefits for kids By Trip Woodard WNC Parent columnist

Sports. For many people the word brings forth pictures of throwing a ball of some sort and lifting heavy things. I believe the latter is even more effective when a lot of grunting is involved. As a child and family therapist, I am keenly interested in the mental as well as physical benefits of sports on our children and adults. It is an acknowledged fact that proper exercise maintains a healthy brain, pays dividends in stress management and can bring families closer together when it is a shared activity. In our time, there are some unique sports that have gained or are gaining popularity among our children, and I would like to review a few of them that seem to generate mixed feelings among the adult population. » Skateboarding. This is a sport which I think significantly promotes coordination and balance. There are several public parks and a few private ones throughout Western North Carolina. I think it is unfortunate that this sport has sometimes been identified with the drug using crowd much like snowboarding in the ’80s. Hope-

fully, this sport will grow to become more mainstream with more adults participating and supervising this activity. I know of one school in McDowell County that even has its own skateboarding team. » Mixed martial arts. The following was written by my son, Weston Woodard, who trains and competes in this activity: “Mixed martial arts is first and foremost a sport of combat, so naturally training translates very well into self-defense. I would not call it entirely about self defense, though, since certain attacks are illegal and it does not deal with weaponry or firearms in any sense. “The initial idea behind mixed martial arts is in the name itself. The sport developed when people decided to hold tournaments where competitors from different styles from all over the world would compete and different fighting styles could be pitted against each other. Certain fighting styles stood out as being much more effective than others and what we think of as mixed martial arts was born from these fighting styles. The primary styles are boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, judo, jiu jitsu and collegiate wrestling, but other styles still make an appearance on occasion like karate and taekwondo. Most mixed martial art studios train the three different stages of fighting which include striking, clinches and groundwork. They

nature center notes

Deer start breeding season in fall By Jill Sharp Special to WNC Parent

White tailed deer fawns are born in the spring, so autumn is the “rut,” or breeding season. Rut for white tailed deer can begin in September and can last until December, and it marks a distinct change in their behavior, especially the males. Mature bucks will have grown a full set of antlers by this time, and they lose much of their natural caution and wariness. They become bold as they challenge each other for breeding rights, wandering away from

Deer rut, or breeding season, usually starts in September. JILL SHARP/SPECIAL TO WNC PARENT

their territories in search of females. Many horned and antlered animals have a rutting season. It’s a fascinating time to witness, since many encounters between males lead to impressive displays and spars. Few of these entanglements, though they

generally focus on one style of martial arts for each stage.” » Soccer. OK, there is no particular controversy about this one, but it is a sport that is immensely popular. It is affordable and accessible to most families. It teaches children team coordination and involves a fair amount of constant exercise. Parents can volunteer to help out or even be trained to be an assistant or full-time coaches (I did). Watch out for the seriousness of the competition. I remember one game where both teams (they were young) stopped playing on their own to pet a dog that wandered onto the soccer field. » Video gaming. Some would argue that this should not be considered a “sport” at all. I would say that the same could be said of chess or a game of darts, which is considered to be a sport by most. Not all video gaming is equal. I use video gaming, for example, in therapy with the children I serve. I specifically use games that challenge the mind, call for cooperation in playing, and engage a rapport in which we can have a dialogue. Some adult males call this watching NFL football together. Woodard is a licensed family and marriage therapist and a clinical member of the N.C. Association of Marriage and Family Therapists. Contact him at 606-8607.

look serious, result in injury. The deer lock antlers, and it becomes a test of strength and endurance as they shove against each other, trying to knock their opponent aside. In the end, it is the strongest bucks that can breed with the does and whose fawns will be born the following spring. Though exciting, encountering deer during rut requires caution. Bucks especially are less predictable, and approaching one could inspire him to charge rather than retreat. Keep an eye out for them on roads, since many travel this time of year. If you get the opportunity to see wild deer in the autumn, enjoy their beauty from a distance. Nature needs plenty of space to take its course. To ensure a white tailed deer sighting this year, visit the WNC Nature Center. The 36th annual Hey Day Fall Family Festival is Oct. 6. It’s a perfect chance to visit before cold weather sets in!

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artist’s muse

Go beyond your average photo By Ginger Huebner WNC Parent columnist

As the summer finds its end and the new school year is upon us, photos continue to mark the various chapters of our lives. We use photos at school to document student work, student process and as a tool for students to use in art projects. Of course, the digital age has ushered in a whole new world of how we take, use and present photographs — including a diverse collection of image manipulation software that both parents and children can use with great fun. Andy Warhol combined screen-printing and great repetition of famous faces and everyday objects to create groundbreaking works of art. My youngest campers this summer explored creating a work of art inspired by his style. There are endless examples of Warhol’s work that you can show the students! We began with taking a photo of each student. You could even have the children take the photos of each other. We printed four photos of each child, altering three of them to look a bit different using the stamp, ocean ripple and watercolor filters in Adobe Photoshop. If software is not available, you can simply print four of the same image and manipulate the extra photos by hand using the techniques mentioned below. Once the images are printed, take one image at a time and alter it using different artistic techniques: » Using oil pastels, color only the background of the face. » Use a glue stick to glue small pieces of tissue paper over just the face image. The translucent quality of the tissue papers allows the face to peek through. » Using colored pencils, create a patterned border around the edge of the photo or color in just the face image. » Do a photo transfer! Using clear contact paper, peel and stick the image side of the face ONTO the sticky side of the contact paper. Be sure it is adhered well by rubbing it with your fingers.

Using a glue stick, adhere small pieces of tissue paper over just the face image on a copied photo to alter it. The paper is translucent enough for the image to come through. GINGER HUEBNER/SPECIAL TO WNC PARENT

Soak it in a bucket of water for about five minutes. Pull it out of the water and lay it with the backside facing up. Carefully rub the back (white) side of the paper. The paper will begin to roll away, revealing the underneath image of the face. It actually creates a transparent image of the face! You can then put this over a colored, collaged or other decorated piece of paper for

yet another “filtered” look. Once you have manipulated each image to your liking, glue each them down in a grid. The combinations are endless! Ginger Huebner is the director of Roots + Wings School of Art, which offers visual art classes for all ages. Email her at info@rootsandwingsarts.com or visit www.rootsandwingsarts.com.

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EXPERIMENT WITH

Flour tortillas

TASTE

&TEXTURE

1 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour 1/2 cup whole wheat flour 3/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon warm water

Mix together flour, salt and baking powder. Work the butter in with your fingers until it looks like lumpy peas. Slowly add water until a ball is formed. Kneed for 2 minutes in the bowl, cover with a clean cloth for 20 minutes. Divide into 6 sections, form balls, set aside and cover. On a clean surface roll out each ball in a circle, set aside covered. Heat ungreased griddle to medium high temp and bake until lightly browned on each side. Extra tortillas may be well wrapped and stored in freezer.

By Kate Justen

WNC Parent columnist

We have been back to school for a few weeks now, and we are growing accustomed to new teachers, schedules and after-school programs. It is easy to start short-cutting meals, snacks or school lunches. My life seems to get easier and busier at the same time when children are back in school. By this point, I am wondering what to send to school for lunch or snack, what healthy snacks to have at home for after school and the always burning question of what to make for dinner. The answer to these questions depends on your family and most importantly your child’s taste. During our cooking classes, FEAST focuses a lot on taste — more specifically what tastes good to you. We often do taste tests of different fruits and vegetables and spend some time describing how the foods taste. It does not matter the age, gender or race of the group; students always disagree about what a food tastes like. A fruit will taste sweet to one student and sour to another. Ask your child about his or her taste preferences. When you sit down to eat a meal, play a game of describing the food. Children can describe the taste, texture, temperature. Break up the ingredients and try to pick them out while you are eating. Often students will say they do not like something but it is really just the texture of one ingredient in the meal that they do not like. By taking a little extra time to find out why your child likes and dislikes certain foods you can save the headache of trying to find vegeta-

Taco salad

Asheville Middle School students create salsa during a FEAST class. Making salsa is a great way to teach children about the texture and taste of different vegetables. SPECIAL TO WNC PARENT

bles they will eat. Salsa is a fun snack to work with because there are so many variations. This time of year tomatoes are plentiful and inexpensive. If you make a basic salsa recipe, add different beans, fruits, vegetables, herbs and seasonings to find what your kids like. Kate Justen is the program director of FEAST — Fresh Easy Affordable Sustainable Tasty, a program of Slow Food Asheville. Contact her at feast.avl@ gmail.com or visit www.slowfoodasheville.org.

Spicy salsa 3 medium sized fresh tomatoes diced, or 1 can diced tomatoes 1 clove crushed garlic (add more if you like garlic) 1/2 to 1 jalapeno, finely chopped (omit for mild salsa)

3 cups chopped lettuce, spinach or mixed greens 1 cup chopped vegetables (bell peppers, tomatoes, green onion) 1 cup cooked pinto, black or kidney beans, rinsed 1 cup thoroughly cooked beef, chicken, turkey or pork 1/4 cup shredded cheese 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro and chives 1/2 cup crushed tortilla ships, taco shells or tostada shells Dressing: 3 tablespoons vinegar 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons nonfat Greek yogurt 1 tablespoon water 1/4 teaspoon salt (optional) 1 clove crushed garlic 1/4 teaspoon sugar or honey

Combine dressing ingredients in a jar, cover and shake well for 2 minutes. Combine salad ingredients in a large bowl. Toss salad with dressing, top with chips.

1/2 yellow or green sweet bell pepper finely chopped 1/4 small onion finely chopped 1/4 cup chopped cilantro 1/4 teaspoon salt

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well, or put all

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ingredients in a blender or food processor and pulse for a few seconds. Variations: Add black beans, fresh corn cut off the cob, avocado, apples or roast all veggies prior to chopping.

CLASSIC DRIVE-IN FARE AT HOME By Susan Selasky

Detroit Free Press

uicy burgers topped with melted cheese, lettuce and tomato. Creamy milkshakes made with premium ice cream, fresh fruit and whole milk. Crispy french fries, with just the right sprinkle of salt. Those flavors take people back to a time when muscle cars ruled the road â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and food was part of the fun. Most of the old drive-ins are long gone, but you can re-create those classic, carefree flavors at home. For a juicy burger, use a blend of 80-20 ground beef round or chuck. The secret to perfect fries? Soak once and fry twice. The key to onion rings (which we added to the mix because they taste so darn good)

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Strawberry-vanilla milkshake Make sure all your ingredients are well-chilled.

1/2 cup whole milk 1 3/4 cups vanilla bean ice cream 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 cup fresh strawberries

In a blender, combine all the ingredients and blend until just smooth, about 30 seconds. Serve in well-chilled glasses. Makes 2 (8-ounce) shakes. Source: From and tested by Susan M. Selasky in the Detroit Free Press Test Kitchen.

is to give them a double coating of seasoned flour. Top it all off with a creamy shake and do as Bobby Flay recommends in his “Burgers, Fries and Shakes” (Clarkson Potter, $25.95): Make sure all ingredients are well chilled. “The colder everything is to start with, the thicker your shake will be,” writes Flay.

More recipes on pages 52 and 53.

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Buttermilk onion rings You can use 4 cups all-purpose flour if you don’t want to use the crispy fry mix.

2 large Vidalia onions or other sweet onions 1 quart canola or peanut oil 2 cups low-fat buttermilk Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 cups crispy fry mix 1/2 teaspoon cayenne powder or to taste

Peel the onions and slice them crosswise into three-fourths- to 1-inch-thick slices. Separate each slice into individual rings, and then remove the papery thin membrane covering the inside of each ring. In a large heavy-bottomed medium stockpot, heat the oil over medium heat or use a deep fryer, to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with paper towels and set aside. In a pie plate place the buttermilk and season liberally with salt and pepper. Mix together the flour and fry mix and divide it between 2 large baking dishes. Season each

PHOTOS BY SUSAN TUSA/DETROIT FREE PRESS

dish liberally with salt and pepper and onefourth teaspoon of the cayenne. Working in batches, dredge some of the onion rings in one of the dishes of flour and tap off the excess. Dip the rings in the buttermilk, allow excess to drain off, and then dredge the rings in the second dish of flour, making sure to coat the rings evenly. Tap off excess and transfer the batch of coated rings

to the hot oil. Fry the rings, turning once or twice, until golden brown and tender, about 4 minutes. Remove with a mesh skimmer and drain on the baking sheet. Season immediately with salt. Repeat until all of the rings have been cooked. Serve hot. Source: Adapted from “Bobby Flay’s Burgers, Fries & Shakes” by Bobby Flay with Stephanie Banyas and Sally Jackson (Clarkson Potter, $25.95).

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Classic cheeseburger 1 1/2 pounds ground chuck (80-20 blend) 1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper or favorite all-purpose seasoning 4 slices (1 ounce each) sharp cheddar cheese or favorite cheese 4 sesame hamburger buns

Preheat or prepare the grill. Divide the meat into four even portions, about 6 ounces each. Loosely shape each portion into a 3/4-inchthick burger and make a deep depression in the center. When the grill is ready, lightly brush each side of the burger with a small amount of canola oil. Season each side as desired. Grill the burgers until slightly charred on one side, about 3 minutes. Flip the burgers and grill on the second side until slightly charred and medium rare, about 4 minutes. Or cook until desired degree of doneness. During the last minute or so of cooking, place a slice of cheese on each burger. Cover the grill to melt the cheese. Serve on buns, toasted if desired, with lettuce, tomato and onion or desired toppings. Source: Adapted from “Bobby Flay’s Burgers, Fries & Shakes” by Bobby Flay with Stephanie Banyas and Sally Jackson (Clarkson Potter, $25.95). Tested by Susan M. Selasky for the Detroit Free Press Test Kitchen.

Classic fries 2 pounds russet potatoes (about 3 large), peeled if desired 2 quarts canola oil or peanut oil Kosher salt or coarse sea salt

Cut each potato lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick pieces. Cut each piece into 1/4-inch-thick sticks. Try to keep your cuts uniform so the potatoes cook evenly. Soak the potato sticks in cold water for 2 hours and up to overnight. Drain and rinse the potatoes in 3 changes of fresh cold water, draining after each rinse. Line a baking sheet with paper towel. Place potatoes on paper towel to dry. Meanwhile, in a large pot or deep fryer, heat the oil until it reaches 325 degrees. Blot the potatoes completely dry with more towels. Working in batches, gently drop about one-third of the potatoes into the oil and increase the heat to medium-high because the oil temperature will drop when you first put in the potatoes. The temperature should rise back to 325 degrees.

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Fry, stirring occasionally so they don’t stick together, until the potatoes are just softened, about 3 minutes. Do not allow to brown — they should look just a few shades darker than a raw potato. Using a slotted spoon, lift out fries, allowing excess oil to drain, and transfer to a baking sheet lined with paper towels, placing them in a single layer. Repeat with remaining potatoes. (You can make them up to 2 hours in advance at this point.) For the second fry, heat the oil until it reaches 375 degrees. Add onethird of the semi-cooked potatoes and fry, stirring, until they turn goldenbrown and become crisp, 1 to 2 minutes. Test one to see if it’s crisp enough. Transfer the fries to a baking sheet lined with fresh paper towels and sprinkle generously with salt. Use the paper towel as a guide to lift up over the fries and shake so the salt is evenly distributed. Repeat with remaining fries. Serves 4. Source: Adapted from www.finecooking.com.

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HOMEMADE

SALAD DRESSINGS

CHEAP, EASY AND HEALTHY By Karen Fernau Gannett

What are well-dressed salads wearing? A basic vinaigrette spiked with fresh tarragon? Or maybe something creamy, with avocados folded in for a splash of color? Dressings, like with fashion, are a matter of taste. Some prefer light and tangy, others boisterous and creamy. Whatever the preference, the best-dressed salads are tossed with dressings made from scratch. Bottled dressings, although convenient, typically are filled with corn syrup and chemical stabilizers like xanthan gum, carrageenan gum and sulfites. They also tend to be made from inexpensive and inferior ingredients yet cost more than homemade. Dressings fall into two basic categories: vinaigrette and creamy. The first is made from an acid-like vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. Creamy dressings are made from a combination of dairy products including buttermilk or sour cream, or mayonnaise. Both basics act as blank slates. Whisk in fresh herbs, citrus zest, roasted garlic, Asian chili sauce, green peppercorns and a laundry list of other ingredients to create myriad adaptations. Not all dressings work on all salads. The goal is to create harmony between dressing and salad. A proverbial favorite of baby greens, slivered red onion and roasted walnuts is best dressed with a

Homemade dressings are simple, inexpensive, healthier alternatives to the bottled stuff. MICHAEL MCNAMARA/GANNETT light vinaigrette. On the other hand, a robust, creamy dressing that would smother delicate greens pairs well with a salad of roasted corn, black beans, tomato and romaine. Dressings also should complement a salad, not drown it. Overdressing smothers the salad’s flavors and zaps its crunch. Follow these tips for fast and versatile vinaigrette: » Whisk the vinegar and other acidic ingredient, such as lemon or lime juice, then add the seasonings, such as salt, pepper, minced shallots or mustard. Mixing them in olive oil first mutes their flavors. » Vinaigrette can be made with a whisk, fork or blender. Always add oils slowly. » Vinaigrette is best when eaten fresh. Make just enough for a salad or marinade. Store any surplus in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. Always whisk dressing

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briskly before using. » Dip a lettuce leaf into vinaigrette to taste before tossing. » Use less vinaigrette by storing in a plastic spray bottle. Shake and spray onto salad instead of pouring. » Store oils and vinegar in cool, dark cabinets, not the refrigerator. » Fresh herbs are better than dried. If using dried, rub between your fingers to release the oils and flavors before adding to vinaigrette. » Before buying olive oil, read the label for clues to its flavor. Unlike wine, olive oil loses fruitiness and flavor as it ages. Buy oils as close to harvest as possible. Use within 12 to 18 months of purchase. Be suspicious of labels that do not include a harvest date or a “best before” date. Follow these tips for red-carpet-worthy Continues on Page 56

HOMEMADE SALAD DRESSING INGREDIENTS LIST A well-stocked pantry and refrigerator serve as inspiration for whisking up fresh, homemade dressings. The following is a list of recommended ingredients to keep on hand: » Vinegars Sherry: Considered the haute couture of vinegars, it’s highly acidic and loaded with flavor. A chef favorite. Balsamic: A highly distilled vinegar flavored with caramel syrup. Red wine: The most common acid in vinaigrette. Opt for the most expensive you can afford; inexpensive varieties tend to be forgettable. White wine or champagne: These range from bland to grand. Sample a few brands and stick with the one that tastes best. Cider: A fruity vinegar with a bold kick. Raspberry: Light, bright, fruity and sweet, it’s a restaurant favorite. Rice: A low-acid mild vinegar that blends with just about any flavor. Avoid seasoned rice vinegars. » Oils Extra-virgin olive: The monounsaturated (heart-healthy) oil’s flavors run from light and fruity to bold and peppery. Also available in flavors such as garlic or citrus. Walnut: A nutty-tasting oil with a short shelf life before turning rancid. A rich source of antioxidants. Avocado: The natural fat extracted from the fruit, this oil is similar in texture and taste to olive oil. Like olive and canola oils, it’s high in desirable monounsaturated fat. Canola: This mild-tasting oil has the least saturated fat of any common cooking oil. In fact, this heart-healthy oil has less than half the saturated fat of olive oil.

SALAD DRESSINGS Continued from Page 55

creamy salad dressings: » Lighten up dressings by using low- or no-fat dairy. » Make sure the dairy products are fresh. Even a slight hint of sourness ruins a dressing. » Store dairy-based dressings in the refrigerator for up to a week. » When tossing, pour dressings in small increments to prevent soggy, overdressed salads.

Basic vinaigrette 1 part acid 3 parts oil

Salt and pepper to taste Classic vinaigrette is nothing more than a mix of oil and acid. A debate remains over the ideal ratio between the two, but typically it’s three parts oil to one part acid. For dressings with more bite, adjust the ratio to equal parts oil and acid. Creamier vinaigrette is made with one part acid to three parts oil. Adding mustard, herbs, garlic, citrus zest and Parmesan enhances the flavor and helps to stabilize the mixture. Extra-virgin olive oil remains the top choice for vinaigrette. Extra-virgins are the highest class of oils and must, by regulation, contain less than 1 percent acidity and be mechanically (not chemically) produced. The result is the smoothest and mildest-tasting variety of olive oil. Like wine, olive oil takes its flavors from the soil the fruit is grown in, so experiment with regional varieties to find a favorite. Vinegars are the traditional acid, but citrus juice, wine and sake work as well. Today’s selection of oils and vinegars is staggering and includes walnut and avocado oils and balsamic, rice wine and champagne vinegars. Mix and match for nearly endless flavor combinations. While vinaigrette is known best as a salad dressing, it also doubles as a quick-and-

Basic creamy dressing 1 cup buttermilk 1/2 cup sour cream 1/4 cup mayonnaise Salt and pepper to taste

Creamy is the “comfort” dressing. Varieties like Russian, Green Goddess and ranch remain favorites. They are best suited for crisp greens like romaine and iceberg, and they easily double as dipping sauces for vegetables and fruits. Unlike vinaigrette, there’s no universal formula for all-purpose creamy dressing. The common denominator is dairy, with the dressing made by mixing and matching combinations of mayonnaise, yogurt, sour cream, buttermilk, cream and milk. Also unlike vinaigrette, creamy dressings are best when made at least 30 minutes before tossing, to allow the flavors to blend. Think of a basic creamy dressing as a blank canvas. Customize by adding many of the same ingredients that perk up vinaigrette, such as

easy marinade for grilled beef, seafood, chicken, pork and veggies.

Herb and shallot

1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 large shallot, diced small 1 teaspoon finely chopped tarragon Salt and pepper to taste

Italian 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon shredded Parmesan 1 large clove garlic, minced Salt and pepper to taste

Mustard and garlic 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil one-half teaspoon whole grain mustard Pinch brown sugar 1 clove roasted garlic, smashed

Asian 1 tablespoon rice-wine vinegar 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil one-half teaspoon minced ginger Dash of Sriracha (Asian hot sauce)

Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto 1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil one-half teaspoon sun-dried tomato pesto 1 teaspoon finely chopped basil

avocados, lemon juice, peppercorns, cheese, pesto and fresh herbs.

Russian

1/3 cup ketchup 3 tablespoons sweet pickle relish

Peppercorn 2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan 1 teaspoon fresh green peppercorns

Southwestern 1/2 avocado, smashed 2 tablespoons diced roasted chilies

Greek 1/2 cup crumbled feta 1 tablespoon diced sun-dried tomatoes

Green Goddess 1 cup fresh basil, finely diced 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 1 clove garlic, minced

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Yes, we can,

say efficient tech moms From left, Melissa Miranda, Tiny Post; Adi Tatarko, Houzz; Julia Hartz, Eventbrite; and Leyl Master Black, Sparkpr, participate in a roundtable of tech execs who are moms in San Francisco in early August. They met to discuss the challenges of balancing work and family. MARTIN E.

By Jon Swartz USA TODAY

SAN FRANCISCO — It’s 7:50 a.m. Monday, and Julia and Kevin Hartz are managing the usual morning madness. Their home in the shadow of the Golden Gate Bridge is a whir of activity. While Kevin makes breakfast, Julia feeds their 7-month-old daughter. Within minutes, they’ll be taking their 4-year-old daughter to circus camp, then heading to the company they co-founded, online ticketing service Eventbrite. Julia’s mom or a friend take over baby duties. “Every week is a jigsaw puzzle, and a piece is missing under the couch,” says Julia Hartz, who see parallels between growing a company and growing a family.

KLIMEK/FOR USA TODAY

Julia knows a thing or two about multitasking. She answered work emails from

her hospital bed when she had her first baby. With her second, born in late December, she hired Eventbrite employees and attended company meetings while caring for the infant. It’s mom-up for a growing number of female executives here in Silicon Valley and everywhere. Some 71 percent of women with children under age 18 either work or are looking for work, according to a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report in early 2011. Yahoo’s Marissa Mayer garnered worldwide headlines last month as the first pregnant incoming CEO of a Fortune 500 company. Millions of women, from the executive suite to middle management and among the rank and file, are juggling the vagaries of parenthood with the demanding grind of the business. Tech moms, in particular, say they’re navigating the double play of work and kids through super time efficiency. “It’s the new norm,” Hartz says. It’s made possible, in some cases, by one or a combination of factors, including stay-at-home dads, a network of helpers, working long hours and utilizing technology. Here in the Valley, especially, female technology executives with young children were rankled by a recent controversial story in The Atlantic on the inability of working women to “have it all.” At a USA TODAY roundtable of 14 tech moms held last month, many insisted that “having it

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TECH MOM TIPS Want to know how a busy exec mom makes it work? Here are four tips from Leyl Master Black, senior managing director at Sparkpr: » Outsource errands. Chores, such as shopping for groceries, don’t contribute to quality time with my friends and family. I recently asked our babysitter to do our grocery shopping once a week and started bringing my lunch every day to defray the costs. Having a full fridge also means eating fewer dinners out. » Let co-workers know when you’re leaving early. My team usually works past 5 p.m. If they don’t know I’m leaving early, it can lead to last-minute check-ins when I’m walking out the door or late-evening phone calls. I always let my team know when I have to leave early so they can connect with me before I go. » Find substitutes for after-hours bonding. It can be hard to participate in teambonding activities like happy hours after work. I try to find other informal ways to connect with co-workers, such as taking a walk with them to the corner market or inviting them over to watch a movie. » Build a support network. None of my family lives close by, so I’ve had to create my own support network. I sometimes trade off evening pickups with other parents, and I have one or two people I can call to grab my daughter if I’m running late. They’re happy to have me on call, as well.

all” is possible with the proper network of friends, a supportive partner, outsourcing and ruthless time management. That belief is especially strong among women at early stage start-ups, who are raising families and their companies at the same time. Many increasingly find themselves in a thriving ecosystem, where other women, including Mayer and Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, are funding their companies. Adi Tatarko, co-founder of Houzz, a site for home remodeling and design, says it’s important that women “stop trying to live” to men’s standards. “We must realize that we are superheroes. We can do this all successfully.”

Blazing a new trail

Despite gains by female tech executives under 40, they badly lag behind their peers in the broader economy. Women hold 56 percent of professional jobs in the U.S. but account for 25 percent of Continues on Page 60

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Yes, we can

Managing skills

Continued from Page 59

information technology positions and are founders of less than 8 percent of tech startups, says the National Center for Women & Information Technology. Mayer’s appointment to Yahoo should help end the debate about whether women can handle pregnancy, childbirth or childrearing and the challenges of a CEO job, Hartz and others say. Mayer’s appointment is a “seminal moment for women executives in tech and elsewhere,” says Gayle Tzemach Lemmon, deputy director of the Women and Foreign Policy Program at the Council on Foreign Relations, who is pregnant with twins. “She’s (part of) a new generation of women leaders who are achieving and leading.” Yahoo said Mayer was not available for comment. Startups can be like raising a kid, roundtable participants said. Lisa Stone, CEO of BlogHer, a blogging network for women in social media, sees parallels to producing and managing an evolving product at all hours of the day. “Every single good idea I ever had … has dramatically

From left, Dabney Lawless of Nextdoor.com, Martina Lauchengco of Silicon Valley Product Group and Kristen Slowe of Monogram, participate in a roundtable discussion on the challenges of balancing work and family. USA TODAY improved since I became a parent,” she says. Unconventional work hours factor in — and often help. Facebook’s Jocelyn Goldfein oversees dozens of engineers, many of whom have work hours of a vampire. “The nature of tech jobs is measured by goals and milestones, rather than by hours,” says Goldfein, whose second shift begins after the kids go to bed. “But we have far more flexibility in when and where we work.”

For many who moved to Silicon Valley, there is little local family support. “I can’t ask Grandma to pick up my daughter after school,” says Leyl Master Black, senior managing director of Sparkpr. “You have to cobble something like that together on your own.” Help is increasingly coming from the home, where in the past decade, the number of men who left the workplace to raise children has more than doubled, to 176,000, according to recent U.S. census data. Goldfein, 36, has been able to handle being director of engineering at Facebook in large part because her husband, Bryan Johnson, decided four years ago to stay at home and raise their girls, now 7 and 4. “I get to see them grow up,” says Johnson, 38, a former software engineer who rescheduled an interview so he could take his youngest daughter to a doctor’s appointment. Tiny Post’s Melissa Miranda and her husband, co-founder Dick Brouwer, plan to divide everything down the middle with their newborn daughter and fledgling company. “Our hours are crazy anyway,” at a start-up, he says. “This adds to the excitement.”

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‘ParaNorman’

kicks off scarily fun films for kids

By Susan Wloszczyna USA TODAY

Older teens and above who seek Rrated frights can feast on the beings from beyond that populate the “Underworld” and “Resident Evil” franchises. Now, thanks to a mini-boom in ’toons that go boo, big-screen scare fare is catering to the PG sensibilities of kids, recruiting such divergent talents as that master of mirthful macabre Tim Burton (“Frankenweenie”) and the goofy vocal stylings of Adam Sandler (“Hotel Transylvania”). This round of half-pint hauntings began in mid-August as ghosts, zombies and a New England town full of clueless adults inhabit “ParaNorman,” the sophomore stop-motion effort from Focus Features and Laika — the animation house behind the creepy-crawly goings-on in the 2009 hit

Norman, voiced by Kodi Smit-McPhee, gets spooked by his zombie lamp in a scene from the animated motion picture “Paranorman.”GANNETT “Coraline.” Horror mixes with humor as a bunch of youngsters led by an 11-year-old misfit named Norman (voiced by Kodi SmitMcPhee of the vampire-themed “Let Me

In”). His ability to see and speak to the dead suddenly becomes a welcome asset after he and his pals join forces to halt a witch’s 300-year-old curse. The makers of “ParaNorman” relied on a slew of influences — everything from “The Crucible,” “Night of the Living Dead” and TV’s “Scooby-Doo“ to the work of teen-angst auteur John Hughes — to achieve the right tone. “We didn’t want to do gothic, because gothic has been done,” says Chris Butler, screenwriter of “ParaNorman” who shared directing chores with fellow Brit Sam Fell. “We aren’t going to beat Tim Burton at his own game. We were very much influenced by ’80s movies like ‘The Goonies’ and the lurid Technicolor of Italian horror by filmmakers like Mario Bava.”

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Unlike most spic-and-span animated depictions of white-picket-fenced suburbia, “ParaNorman”’s Blithe Hollow has a weathered, lived-in look borrowed from actual Colonial-era cities such as Salem and Concord in Massachusetts. The aesthetic is comfortably blue-collar and downscale: “Instead of a home-baked apple pie on a window sill, ours would probably be a pie from a Happy Meal,” Butler suggests. While parents today may have laughed their way through TV showings of 1948 horror-comedy classic “Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein,” they may think twice about taking a grade-schooler to a film where the walking dead loom large. But Butler and Fell assure their emphasis is on fun, not fodder for future nightmares. “We aren’t just setting out to frighten kids and send them home crying,” says Butler, noting that “ParaNorman” contains a rather edifying anti-bullying message, as well. “It’s a fun ride, a roller-coaster ride and not a horror film.” Gore was off-limits, but select ickinducing situations were fair game, such as when the slow-moving zombies drop body parts hither and yon after rising Continues on Page 65

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‘ParaNorman’ Continued from Page 63

from the ground. As anyone who is regularly exposed to children-aimed entertainment knows, “kids love gross-outs,” says Fell. “A 5-year-old could handle it, definitely.” Adds Butler: “For every scary moment, we immediately puncture it with a joke.” You know subversive minds are at play when a battle-ax teacher shrieks to her class, “You stink of illiteracy,” or heightimpaired Norman finds himself caught between the dueling potbellies of his bickering parents.

Tech tames the terror

The low-tech, hands-on technique of stop-motion — animators painstakingly manipulate models frame-by-frame on a physical set — in combination with 3-D effects seems uniquely suited to evoke both giggles and goose bumps. “There’s something you can’t get with computer animation that we get for free with stop-frame,” says Fell, using the British term for stop-motion. “It’s real, handmade and not perfect.” The result also takes the edge off any tense situations. “It’s puppets, so the action is somewhat removed from reality.” Children are definitely welcome at “Hotel Transylvania,” Sony’s computeranimated sendup with an all-star cast of famous monsters that opens Sept. 28. The premise: Terror strikes Count Dracula (Lugosi-laden intonations courtesy of Sandler), the operator of a creatures-only resort, when a forbidden human male (Andy Samberg) accidentally visits the inn and falls for the vampire’s 118-year-old daughter (Selena Gomez). Director Genndy Tartakovsky declares his comedy to be mostly a no-scare zone and likens its laugh-inspiring approach to horror to both the Goosebumps book series and Mad magazine spoofs. Even though there are vampires on the premises, “there is no blood,” he says. “We address the lore with humor and play with the mythology. When Dracula says he hates garlic, he explains it’s because he’s terribly allergic to it and it makes his throat swell.” Earning the prime pre-Halloween date of Oct. 5, however, is Disney’s black-andwhite stop-motion-animated “Frankenweenie,” what recasts Frankenstein’s monster as Sparky, a beloved dog who dies but is brought back to life by child-scientist owner Victor. Comic complications arise

Clockwise from top left: Frank (Kevin James), Dracula (Adam Sandler), Griffin The Invisible Man (David Spade), Wayne (Steve Buccemi), Wanda (Molly Shannon) and Murray the Mummy (Cee-Lo Green), in a scene from the animated motion picture “Hotel Transylvania.” SONY PICTURES ANIMATION when jealous classmates use the technology to bring back their own pets. A sign of changing times: Burton was let go by Disney in 1984 when his sametitled live-action short that is the basis for “Frankenweenie” was judged too scary for young audiences. Producer Allison Abbate assures that the canine reworking of Mary Shelley’s 1818 cautionary tale of innovation gone awry takes a gentler approach. “It tells the story of Frankenstein from the point of view of what if the doctor hadn’t rejected his creation but loved and cared for it. Rejection created the monster, not the creation.” Universal — the monster central of studios since the ’30s — is pairing with Mattel to develop “Monster High,” a liveaction musical based on a popular line of goth fashion dolls who are the offspring of horror celebrities. A straight-to-DVD computer-animated movie will arrive in stores this fall, as well. Craig Zadan, who along with business partner Neil Meron has produced such movie musicals as “Chicago” as well as TV’s “Smash,” describes “Monster High” as “’Beetlejuice’ meets ‘Hairspray.’ It has all the quirkiness and oddness of ‘Beetlejuice’ or ‘Edward Scissorhands’ with the vitality and energy of ‘Hairspray’ and ‘Grease.’” While there will be laughs to be had, the characters — who are hip and cool — are

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allowed to retain a certain creepy factor. “We have to take them seriously and not as a joke,” says Zadan. In other words, don’t expect “The Munsters” with songs. “They have to be real.”

Get ready for ‘Goblins’

Laika looks to continue to explore the darker side of life, with adaptations of such fantasy books as “Wildwood,” written by Colin Meloy, the lead singer of The Decemberists, and “Goblins” by Philip Reeve. There have been horror-related films for the younger set before, including 2006’s motion-capture “Monster House” and Burton’s 2005 stop-motion effort “Corpse Bride.” But there seems to be a greater realization that the current reembrace of classic monsters has mostly left out a sizable portion of the moviegoing public: those 12 and under. Until now. Smit-McPhee, 16, of “ParaNorman” thinks kids will gobble up these movies like bowls of Count Chocula cereal. “They might go into ‘ParaNorman’ not knowing what to expect,” says the horror fan, who counts films such as “Friday the 13th” and “Child’s Play” along with Selick’s “James and the Giant Peach” as favorites. “A zombie movie and a kids’ movie don’t normally go together. But there are cool shocks as well as sweet moments.”

Kids’ page

STAFF DRAWING BY JEFF RUMINSKI

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calendar of events

Things to do

Deadline for the October calendar is Sept. 10. Email event information to calendar@wncparent.com.

Aug. 27

SING, SIGN AND STORY TIME: 11 a.m. Mondays, every other week, The Tree House-A Cafe at Play, 1020 Merrimon Ave., Asheville. $7 per family per session. No commitment. Learn sign language through music, movement and signing. Contact Rebekah Alley at rebekah@mysmarthands.com or 712-4587. Visit www.mysmarthandsasheville.com.

Aug. 28

BABY STEPS TO PARENTHOOD: Join other moms

and discuss the joys of motherhood as well as the confusion, anxiety and complexity of adjusting to new responsibilities and changed routines. For first-time parents or parents transitioning to multiple children. Babies welcome, must been 12 months old or younger. Six-week series will cover transitioning to solids, playful parenting, breastfeeding issues, more. 11 a.m. at Nest Organics, 51 N. Lexington Ave., Asheville. Visit www.meggan hartman.com. FLAG FOOTBALL REGISTRATION: Asheville Parks, Recreation and Cultural Arts offers NFL flag football league for boys and girls ages 6-14. Season runs mid-September to early November. $25 for Asheville residents; $30 for nonresidents. Late registration is 5:30-6:30 p.m. at Recreation Office, 72 Gashes Creek Road, Asheville. For more information, contact Kim Turner at 828-232-4526 or kturner@ashevillenc.gov.

Aug. 30

SING, SIGN AND STORY TIME: 10 a.m. Thursdays, West Asheville Vineyard, 717 Haywood Road, Asheville. $7 per family per session. No weekly commitment. Learn sign language through music, movement and signing. Contact Rebekah Alley at rebekah@mysmarthands.com or 712-4587. Visit www.mysmarthandsasheville.com.

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FALL FESTIVALS AND EVENTS Looking for fall fun? Find a listing of autumn events starting on Page 36.

Aug. 31

FREE HIKE FRIDAY: Take guided hike out to Hickory Nut Falls, tallest waterfall on the East Coast. No registration necessary. 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at Chimney Rock Park. Free with admission. Visit www.chimney rockpark.com.

Sept. 1

ASHEVILLE YMCA PARENTSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; NIGHT OUT: For ages 2-13. Themed nights include swimming, healthy snacks, games and crafts. 6-10 p.m. the first Saturday of each month at the Downtown YMCA, 30 Woodfin St., Asheville. $15 members/$23 nonmembers, with $2 sibling discount. Register online at www.ymcawnc.org. Call 210-9622 or email cemrick@ymcawnc.org for more information.

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calendar of events

Registration starts Sept. 4

Continued from Page 71 BLOCK PARTY: Waynesville’s Main Street is closed to traffic and full of music, dancing, food and more. Kids on Main activities start at 6 p.m. Participating stores will offer free kid-friendly activities and goodies. Block party starts at 7 p.m. REUTER FAMILY YMCA SWIM LESSONS: Classes for ages 6 months-12 years on Saturdays, Sept. 1-22. Registration deadline is Aug. 28. Starts at $25. Call 651-9622 or visit www.ymcawnc.org. SHINDIG ON THE GREEN: Mountain tradition, with bluegrass and old-time string bands, cloggers, storytellers and more. 7-10 p.m. at Roger McGuire Green at Pack Square Park, Asheville. Visit www.folkheritage.org.

CITIZEN-TIMES.COM

Sept. 2

LEXINGTON AVENUE ARTS AND FUN FESTIVAL: Street performers, artwork, music, food and more on Lexington Avenue in downtown Asheville. Visit www.lexfestasheville.com.

Sept. 4

ALEX KRUG MUSIC SHOW: Local singer/songwriter performs an all-ages show. 6:30-7:30 p.m. at The Hop, 640 Merrimon Ave., Asheville. Visit www.thehopicecreamcafe.com. ASHEVILLE CATHOLIC SCHOOL: Open house the first Tuesday of each month, 10-11:30 a.m. Call 2525708 for reservations. For private tour, call Debbie

Shindig on the Green ends its season on Sept. 1. JOHN COUTLAKIS/JCOUTLAKIS@ Mowrey at 252-7896 or email dmowrey@ashevillecatholic.org. Visit www.ashevillecatholic.org. ART LESSONS: Roots + Wings School of Art offers four-week sessions, Sept. 4-25, for ages 3 to fifth grade. $50 per child. $50 per child. Classes at Cathedral of All Souls, Biltmore Village. Register online at www.rootsandwings.com. For information, call 545-4827 or email info@rootsandwingsarts.com. » Ages 3-6: 1:30-2:30 p.m. Tuesdays. Learn printmaking drawn from people and buildings. » Grades K-5: 4-5 p.m. Tuesdays. Explore drawing through faces and cities.

PLAY & LEARN: Free pre-literacy program for children ages 3-5 who live in Buncombe County and their parents/caregivers. For children not enrolled in regulated child care. Weekly 45-minute classes with songs, hands-on educational activities, games, puppets and craft. Attendance required at six of eight sessions. New participants may register Sept. 4; returning participants register starting Sept. 10. Contact 350-2904 or marna.holland@asheville.k12.nc.us. Locations and times include: » Asheville City Schools Preschool in West Asheville, 10:30 a.m. Tuesdays; 9, 10 and 11 a.m. Wednesdays, starting Sept. 18/19. » Hominy Valley Elementary, 9 a.m. Tuesdays, starting Sept. 18. » Emma Elementary, 9 a.m. Thursdays, starting Sept. 13. » Leicester elementary, 9 a.m. Fridays starting Sept. 21.

Sept. 5

HANDS ON MUSIC: A parent/child music education program for children birth through age 4, starts classes Sept. 5. Registration is open. For schedule, tuition and registration, visit www.handsonmusicasheville.com. Contact Emily at 230-9392 or emily@handsonmusicasheville.com for more information on the program. TINY TYKES: Asheville Parks, Recreation and Cultural Arts starts a new season of the Tiny Tykes toddler program. Children will enjoy crafts, manipulatives

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and centers, along with active play in the gym at the Stephens Lee Recreation Center, 30 George Washington Carver St., Theme-week classes are 10 a.m.-noon Wednesday and Friday. $1 per class. Join the Tiny Tykes Club for multiclass rates. For more information, contact Jessica Johnston at 350-2058 or jjohnston@ashevillenc.gov. YWCA SWIM LESSONS: Learn to swim in the YWCA of Asheville’s indoor solar-heated pool. Classes are available year-round for all ages and levels. To sign up, call 254-7206, ext. 110, or stop by the YWCA, 185 S. French Broad Ave. For more information, visit www.ywcaofasheville.org.

will focus on proper hand washing technique for preschool age children with singing and fun. Healthy Kids Club is 11 a.m. the first Thursday if the month at Hands On! A Child’s Gallery, 318 N. Main St., Hendersonville. Call 697-8333 or visit www.handsonwnc.org. MY SMART HANDS: Learn sign language in level one class, 10-10:45 a.m., and level two class, 11-11:45 a.m., Thursdays through Nov. 8, at Mountain Play Lodge, 3389 Sweeten Creek Road, Arden. $140 for eight-week session, $90 for four-week session. Contact Rebekah Alley at rebekah@mysmarthands.com or 712-4587. Visit www.mysmarthandsasheville.com.

Sept. 6

Sept. 7

BREAST-FEEDING CLASS: With Henderson County Department of Public Health breast-feeding peer counselor Tammie Bogin. Free. Call to sign up. Limited class space. 4-5 p.m. at Hands On! A Child’s Gallery, 318 N. Main St., Hendersonville. Call 697-8333 or visit www.handsonwnc.org. CHILDBIRTH CLASSES: A free two-session class, Sept. 6 and 13, for expectant parents covering the labor and delivery process, relaxation, breathing patterns, birth options, positioning and comfort measures. 6:30–9 p.m. Registration required. At Pardee Hospital, 800 N. Justice St., Hendersonville. Call 866-790-WELL or visit www.pardeehospital.org to register. DAY OF CARING: Join more than 1,000 volunteers in the Asheville-Buncombe community by volunteering. Find a project through Hands On Asheville-Buncombe by Aug. 26. Visit www.handsonasheville.org. HEALTHY KIDS CLUB - HAPPY HANDS: Program

ADVENTURE ROCK FAMILY NIGHT: Kids play free from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Adventure Rock, the 4,000square-foot indoor play facility at The Rock Church, 273 Monte Vista Road, Candler. With inflatables, and pizza and ice cream. Visit www.rockofasheville.com or call 670-7625. BEN WILSON ACOUSTIC SHOW: Local singer/ songwriter performs a set of witty and fun tunes, 6:30-7:30 p.m. at The Hop West, 721 Haywood Road, West Asheville. Visit www.thehopicecreamcafe.com.

Sept. 8

FACE PAINTING: Free face painting at Asheville’s Fun Depot, noon-5 p.m. No purchase necessary but tips are appreciated. Call before arriving to verify event, 277-2386. Visit www.ashevillesfundepot.com. USED BOOK SALE: Skyland Friends of the Library

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calendar of events

Cafe at Play, 1020 Merrimon Ave., Asheville. $140 for eight-week session, $90 for four-week session. Contact Rebekah Alley at rebekah@mysmarthands.com or 712-4587. Visit www.mysmarthandsasheville.com.

Continued from Page 73 will be host a fall book sale, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. The first hour of the sale will be the Friends of the Library preview. All proceeds will benefit the library. For more information call 250-6488 or email skyland.library@buncombecounty.org. At 260 Overlook Road, Asheville. YEAR OF THE BAT: On State Park Stewardship Day, join Chimney Rock Park rangers in celebrating the Year of the Bat with educational programs, information booths and more. Free with park admission. 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Visit www.chimneyrockpark.com.

Sept. 9

FRIENDS AND FAMILY DAY: Join in worship and practical teaching that can change your life. Fun, relevant, age-appropriate ministry, for all ages. At 9 and 11 a.m. at The Rock Church, 273 Monte Vista Road, Candler. Call 670-7625 or visit www.rockofasheville.com.

Sept. 10

ASHEVILLE YMCA SWIM LESSONS: Classes for pre-K and youth, Mondays and Wednesdays, Sept. 10-Oct. 3. Registration deadline is Sept. 7. Starts at $45. Call 210-9605 or visit www.ymcawnc.org. MY SMART HANDS: Learn sign language in level one class, 10-10:45 a.m., and level two class, 11-11:45 a.m., Mondays through Nov. 12, at The Tree House-A

Sept. 11

ASHEVILLE YMCA SWIM LESSONS: Classes for pre-K and youth, Tuesdays and Thursdays, Sept. 11-Oct. 4. Registration deadline is Sept. 7. Starts at $45. Call 210-9605 or visit www.ymcawnc.org. AUTHOR TALK: Skyland Library hosts a talk and reading with Byron Ballard, author of “Staubs and Ditchwater: a Friendly and Useful Introduction to Hillfolks’ Hoodoo.” Free and open to the public. Call 250-6488 or email skyland.library@buncombecounty.org. At 260 Overlook Road, South Asheville. HOME SCHOOL ART PROGRAM: Asheville Art Museum offers a home-school program for grades 1-4, from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Each session includes a museum tour and hands-on activities. $4 per student per session. Enrollment is limited; registration required. Call 253-3227, ext. 122, to register. Visit www.ashevilleart.org. VETERANS RESTORATION QUARTERS FUNDRAISER: The Hop and UNC Asheville’s Alpha Xi Delta chapter will raise money and awareness for the WNC Veterans Restoration Quarters. Half of all sales will be donated during the event. 5-8 p.m. at The Hop, 640 Merrimon Ave., Asheville. Visit www.thehopicecreamcafe.com.

Sept. 12

MINISTRY MEALS IN MINUTES: Learn the fundamentals of freezer cooking and take home two meals

for your family and others. Participants bring their own ingredients and supplies, posted one week prior. From 9:30-11:30 a.m. at Biltmore Baptist Church, 35 Clayton Road. Child care provided. $5 registration at door. Ongoing bi-monthly event (second and fourth Wednesday) with a different menu each session. Visit www.momonamission.me for more details and weekly menu.

Sept. 13

CLAY CLASS: Make a clay animal whistle in this two-part class at Fired Up! Creative Lounge, 321 N. Main St., Hendersonville. 3:30-5 p.m. Sept. 13 and 20. $35 per person, ages 9-adult. Call 698-9960 for more info and to make a reservation. ORIGAMI FOLDING FRENZY: The Health Adventure hosts origami club for all levels, 4-5 p.m. second Thursday of the month. Learn new folds, share favorites and meet fellow origami enthusiasts. Paper available at museum store or bring your own. Free with admission. At Biltmore Square Mall, off Brevard Road. Call 665-2217 or visit www.thehealthadventure.org. TAR HEEL JUNIOR HISTORIAN: The Smith-McDowell Chapter of the Tar Heel Junior Historians Association will begin its year at 3:30 p.m. at the SmithMcDowell House Museum, 283 Victoria Road, Asheville. Club is open to school-age students who are interested in history, re-enacting, learning and making history come alive. Regular meetings at 3:30 p.m. the second Thursday of the month. Members participate in re-enactment opportunities, state-level contests and volunteer opportunities at the museum. Dues are $10 per child, $5 each additional sibling. Call 253-9231 or visit www.wnchistory.org.

Sept. 14

PARENTS’ NIGHT OUT: Kids paint pottery, have pizza and play games, 6-9 p.m. the second Friday of the month at Fired Up! Creative Lounge, 26 Wall St., Asheville, and 321 N. Main St., Hendersonville. Ages 5-12. $25. Registration required. Call Asheville shop at 253-8181 and Hendersonville shop at 698-9960.

Sept. 15

AFTERNOON TEA WITH LLAMAS: Learn about llamas the take a walk down a two-mile trail with them. Take turns leading them while they carry your lunch or snacks. Iced tea provided. At 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. at the Cradle of Forestry, U.S. 276 in Pisgah National Forest. $5 for adults, 16 and younger are free. Visit www.cradleofforestry.org. AUTHOR EVENT: Meet Johnnie Sue Meyers, author of “The Gathering Place: Traditional Cherokee Dishes and Southern Appalachian Cooking,” at 3 p.m. at Blue Ridge Books, 152 S. Main St., Waynesville. Her specialties are the preparation of wild game meats and the gathering and preparation of wild vegetables in the Cherokee and Southern Appalachian traditions. Call 456-6000 or visit www.blueridgebooksnc.com. BRING BACK THE MONARCHS: Enjoy a lively multimedia program on monarch butterflies — their biology, migration and conservation — and learn how you can help. 2 p.m. at the Cradle of Forestry. Visit the Cradle of Forestry’s Monarch Waystation. $5 for adults, 16 and younger free. Visit www.cradle offorestry.org. COMMUNITY YARD SALE: 8 a.m.-2 p.m. at Charles

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Owen Park in Swannanoa. Buy a space for an 8-foot table for only $15; please provide your own table. Contact Kathy Tolar at 686-3082 or email SwannanoaBabeRuth@gmail.com. MAGNET MANIA: Can you imagine it? Make it a magnet! Kids and teens, join us as we craft decorative magnets. Free. Suggested for ages 8 and older. 3:30-4:30 p.m. at East Asheville Library, 902 Tunnel Road. Call 250-4738. NFL PUNT, PASS AND KICK: Buncombe County Parks, Greenways and Recreation hosts skills competition for boys and girls up to age 15. Bring birth certificate or baptismal record as proof of age as of Dec. 31. Competition by age division. Top finishers advance to sectional competition. No football shoes, turf shoes, cleats or bare feet allowed, only rubbersoled athletic shoes. All other equipment will be supplied. Free. From 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at Enka Middle School. Register online at www.nflppk.com. For more information, contact Jay Nelson at 250-4260 or email jay.nelson@buncombecounty.org.

Sept. 17

CHOIR REGISTRATION: Hendersonville Children’s Choir has registration at 4:15 p.m. and its first rehearsal from 4:30-5:30 p.m. at Covenant Presbyterian Church. Rehearsals Mondays through Dec. 10. $35 per child, $70 per family cap if registered by Sept. 10; $40/$80 after Sept. 10. Visit www.hendersonvillechildrenschoir.org to download a registration form and for more information. If fees are a hardship, contact Judy at 696-4968 for financial assistance. DRUGLESS THERAPY TALK: For ADD, ADHD, dyslexia and other learning disabilities. Free talk about how the brain processes information and how the problems can be permanently corrected in adults and children. Improve the ability to learn, remember and focus. 6:30 p.m. at Earth Fare Westgate, 66 Westgate Parkway, Asheville. RSVP to 216-4444 or Wes@WesBeach.com. Visit www.learningimprovementcenter.com/free-lecture/. ROSH HASHANAH FAMILY SERVICE AND TASHLICH: Join the Chabad House for a special family service featuring songs, prayers, stories, shofar blowing and tashlich. Followed by a family friendly holiday buffet meal. 5-6 p.m. at Asheville JCC, 236 Charlotte St., Asheville. Reservations required. Call 5050746 or visit www.chabadasheville.org.

The Tiny Tykes toddler program at the Stephens Lee Center in Asheville starts Sept. 5. JOHN FLETCHER/JFLETCHER@CITIZEN-TIMES.COM

BLUE RIDGE HERITAGE FUNDRAISER: Enjoy live Appalachian-based music and raise money for Blue Ridge Heritage, which oversees the Blue Ridge Parkway Visitors Center, 5-8 p.m. at The Hop, 640 Merrimon Ave., Asheville. Visit www.thehopicecreamcafe.com.

walking the plank! Free. For ages 6-12. This is the fall kickoff for Reading Corner @ Pack, our book-inspired exploration of just about everything fabulous for school-age kids. Call 250-4720 or email pack.children@buncombecounty.org. STORYBOOK DRAMA: A “Caregiver and Me” class for ages 3-6. This interactive drama class allows children to bring a book to life through acting, art and creative movement. A 45 minute to 1 hour class. September’s book is “The Three Little Pigs,” by Patricia Seibert. Call to register. $5 members/$10 nonmembers. At 11 a.m. at Hands On! A Child’s Gallery, 318 N. Main St., Hendersonville. Call 697-8333 or visit www.handsonwnc.org.

Sept. 19

Sept. 20

Sept. 18

PIRATE SCHOOL PARTY: Ahoy, maties! Set sail for Pack Library’s big wallapolooza special program for September, Pirate School Party! Go to pirate school on Talk Like a Pirate Day, at 3:30 pm at Pack Library, 67 Haywood St., downtown Asheville. Dabble in the science of sailing, brush up on our scurvy pirate lingo, design our own pirate flags, check out some of history’s more notable rascals of the sea, grab a tattoo and grog at the cantina, check out the fundamentals of treasure maps, learn how to find true north without a compass, and all the while avoid

ART OF BREAST-FEEDING: Pardee Hospital offers free class for new moms, 6:30-8 p.m. at hospital, 800 N. Justice St., Hendersonville. Registration is required. Call 866-790-WELL or visit www.pardeehospital.org to register.

Sept. 21

LEARNING SPANISH CREATIVELY: Students will learn basic Spanish vocabulary and colors through games, dramatic play, movement, and songs for a four-week series. Thirty-minute class is 11 a.m. Fridays

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through Oct. 12. Each series will focus on new objectives. Repetition is very important for children to learn a language. It is recommended students attend all four classes. $35 members/$40 nonmembers for the four classes. Call 697-8333 to register. At Hands On! A Child’s Gallery, 318 N. Main St., Hendersonville.Visit www.handsonwnc.org. MAGIC SHOW: Join Professor WhizzPop for a show, 6:30-7:30 p.m. at The Hop West, 721 Haywood Road, West Asheville. Free. Visit www.thehopicecream cafe.com.

Sept. 22

ASHEVILLE YMCA SWIM LESSONS: Classes for ages 6 months and older, Saturday mornings, Sept. 22-Oct. 13. Registration deadline is Sept. 19. Starts at $25. Call 210-9605 or visit www.ymcawnc.org. FACE PAINTING: Free face painting at Asheville’s Fun Depot, noon-5 p.m. No purchase necessary but tips are appreciated. Call before arriving to verify event, 277-2386. Visit www.ashevillesfundepot.com. HIKE-A-THON: Hike about four miles of trails (shorter hike available) to benefit New Direction Farm ministries at the farm in Mars Hill. For information, registration form and sponsorship card, visit

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calendar of events Continued from Page 75 www.newdirectionfarm.com. Forms are under “Events” on the website. Register by Sept. 14. Call 689-4850. RUMMAGE SALE: Asheville Mothers of Multiples host fall rummage sale at U.S. Army Reserve Center, 224 Louisiana Ave., Asheville. With gently used baby and children’s clothing, toys, books, maternity clothing, adult clothes and yard sale items. Cash and credit cards only. Early bird shopping, 7-7:30 a.m., for $1. Regular sale, 7:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Half-price sale, 2:303:30 p.m. Free admission starts at 7:30 a.m.

Hendersonville Children’s Choir starts its fall season on Sept. 17. SPECIAL TO WNC PARENT

Sept. 23

FACE PAINTING: Free face painting at Asheville’s Fun Depot, 1-5 p.m. No purchase necessary but tips are appreciated. Call before arriving to verify event, 277-2386. Visit www.ashevillesfundepot.com.

Sept. 25

IMPROV TROUPE PERFORMANCE: Chris Martin’s Youth Improv Troupe makes its debut performance, 6:30-7:30 p.m. at The Hop, 640 Merrimon Ave., Asheville. Visit www.thehopicecreamcafe.com. TALL TALES AND FAIRY TALES: Create your own puppet. Learn to tell stories that have been passed on through many generations using your own puppet as well as the many Hands On! puppets. For ages 7-10. 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. $15 nonmembers/$9 members. Limited spaces. Call to sign up. At Hands On! A Child’s Gallery, 318 N. Main St., Hendersonville. Call 697-8333 or visit www.handsonwnc.org.

Sept. 26

BEST OF CRAZY CHEMISTRY: Make the best Crazy Chemistry concoctions, for ages 5-8. $15 non-members/$9 members. Limited spaces. Call to sign up. At 10:30 a.m. at Hands On! A Child’s Gallery, 318 N. Main St., Hendersonville. Call 697-8333 or visit www.handsonwnc.org. DRUGLESS THERAPY TALK: For ADD, ADHD, dyslexia and other learning disabilities. Free talk about how the brain processes information and how the problems can be permanently corrected in adults and children. Improve the ability to learn, remember and focus. 6:30 p.m. at Earth Fare South, 1856 Hendersonville Road, Asheville. RSVP to 216-4444 or Wes@WesBeach.com. Visit www.learningimprovementcenter.com/free-lecture/. MINISTRY MEALS IN MINUTES: Learn the fundamentals of freezer cooking and take home two meals for your family and others. Participants bring their own ingredients and supplies, posted one week prior. From 9:30-11:30 a.m. at Biltmore Baptist Church, 35 Clayton Road. Child care provided. $5 registration at door. Ongoing bi-monthly event (second and fourth Wednesday) with a different menu each session. Visit www.momonamission.me for more details and weekly menu. YOM KIPPUR CHILDREN’S PROGRAM: Join the Chabad House for a special fun children’s program during Yom Kippur services. For ages 3-13. 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at the Asheville JCC, 236 Charlotte St., Asheville. Reservations required. Call 505-0746 or visit www.chabadasheville.org.

Sept. 27

DRUGLESS THERAPY TALK: For ADD, ADHD, dyslexia and other learning disabilities. Free talk about how the brain processes information and how the problems can be permanently corrected in adults and children. Improve the ability to learn, remember and focus. 6:30 p.m. at Crystal Visions, 5426 Asheville Highway (U.S. 25), Hendersonville. RSVP to 216-4444 or Wes@WesBeach.com. Visit www.learningimprovementcenter.com/free-lecture/. HANGER HALL OPEN HOUSE: Learn more about the school for girls in sixth to eighth grades, 9:3011:30 a.m., at 30 Ben Lippen School Road, Asheville. RSVP to info@hangerhall.org. Call 258-3600 or visit www.hangerhall.org. INFANT CARE CLASS: Basics including newborn characteristics, feeding, bathing, cord care, diapering and swaddling. Free. 6:30-8 p.m. at Pardee Hospital, 800 N. Justice St., Hendersonville. Registration is required. Call 866-790-WELL or visit www.pardeehospital.org to register. INVENTORS: Explore the invention process and be an inventor! $15 non-members/$9 members. Limited spaces. Call to sign up. At 10:30 a.m. at Hands On! A Child’s Gallery, 318 N. Main St., Hendersonville. Call 697-8333 or visit www.handsonwnc.org.

Sept. 28

LEARNING SPANISH CREATIVELY: Students will learn basic Spanish vocabulary and colors through games, dramatic play, movement, and songs for a four-week series. Thirty-minute class is 11 a.m. Fridays through Oct. 12. Each series will focus on new objectives. Repetition is very important for children to learn a language. Starts Sept. 21; it is recommended students attend all four classes. $35 members/$40 nonmembers for the four classes. Call 697-8333 to register. At Hands On! A Child’s Gallery, 318 N. Main St., Hendersonville.Visit www.handsonwnc.org. QUILT SHOW: 30th Annual Asheville Quilt Show: Color your Life…with Quilts! See more than 200 quilts from all over the U.S. vying for more than $7,000 in prize money. Demonstrations by nationally known quilters. More than 20 vendors, a silent auction, quilts for sale and Guild gift shop. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Sept. 28-29 and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sept. 30 at the WNC Ag Center. Admission $6. Parking is free. www.ashevillequiltguild.org/show.html WIGGLE WITH WORMS: Learn about worms and make a miniature worm farm to take home. Ages

7-12. $15 nonmembers/$9 members. From 3:30-5 p.m. at Hands On! A Child’s Gallery, 318 N. Main St., Hendersonville.Visit www.handsonwnc.org. WOODFIN YMCA PARENTS’ NIGHT OUT: Neighborhood Y at Woodfin offers Parents’ Night Out the fourth Friday of each month, 6-9 p.m. Themed nights include healthy snacks, games and crafts. $12 member/$18 nonmember, with $2 sibling discount. Ages 2-13. Register online at www.ymcawnc.org or in person at 40 N. Merrimon Ave., Suite 101, Asheville. Call 505-3990.

Sept. 29

BLUE RIDGE ROLLERGIRLS: Double header, doors open at 4 p.m. with first bout at 5, second at 7. Tickets $10 in advance, $12 for ages 13 and older, free for 12 and younger. At WNC Agricultural Center, 1301 Fanning Bridge Road, Fletcher. Visit www.blueridgerollergirls.com. CHILDREN’S CLOTHING EXCHANGE: Gently used children’s clothing (newborn to size 16), shoes, books, games and baby equipment. 8 a.m.-4 p.m., with 40 percent off from 2-4 p.m. At U.S. Army Reserve Center, 224 Louisiana Ave., Asheville, behind KFC on Patton Avenue. If interested in consigning email thechildrensclothingexchange@gmail.com or call Kristie at 667-0703. DESIGN SCIENCE DAY: Part of a three-day conference at UNC Asheville, the free, all-ages event will feature an experiential program of activities inspired by Buckminster Fuller’s “Big Ideas,” connecting an extended network of artists, design scientists, educators and performers to community members young and old. For details, visit www.blackmountain college.org or www.unca.edu or call 350-8484. LAND OF THE SKY MARCHING BAND FESTIVAL: 38th annual festival at Enka High. Based on past participation, at least 20 bands are expected to compete. With exhibition performances by Enka High Marching Jets Band and Western Carolina University’s Pride of the Mountains Marching Band. Visit www.enkaband.net for directions, hours, admission and a list of bands registered for competition or call 670-5000. NATIONAL PUBLIC LANDS DAY: Guided walks, gardening for wildlife habitat, and service projects celebrate national forests, conservation and the outdoors. Enjoy the Cradle of Forestry’s trails, exhibits, activities on this special day. Free. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. at the Cradle of Forestry, U.S. 276 in Pisgah National Forest. Visit www.cradleofforestry.org.

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USED BOOK SALE: West Asheville Library will sell a variety of books at bargain prices to benefit the library. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. at 942 Haywood Road. Call 250-4750.

Sept. 30

ASHEVILLE FLYER FOR KIDS LAUNCH: T-Bone Productions and Cheesy Graphics launch their new joint project, a free monthly paper for kids, called Asheville Flyer for Kids, with a free launch party at The Hop, 640 Merrimon Ave., Asheville. From 4-7 p.m., with ice cream, music, games, and free copies of AFK. Asheville Flyer for Kids is a free monthly newsprint paper, chock full of games, jokes and activities, strictly for kids, all with a sense of humor. The AFK motto is “Puzzles & pictures & stuff to read, while your parents do something completely boring.” The first issue is a Halloween special, featuring zombie fashion tips, a recipe for fake blood, a creepy crossword, witches, monsters, and more! A preview and print-ready files are available at www.cheesygraphics.com/afk.

Ongoing

CELEBRATION SINGERS OF ASHEVILLE: Singers ages 7-14 are invited to join Asheville’s community chorus. Rehearsals 6-7:45 p.m. Thursdays at First Congregational Church, Downtown Asheville. Call Ginger Haselden at 230-5778. Visit www.singasheville.org. ASHEVILLE AREA MUSIC TOGETHER: Each class is a rich, playful, relaxed family experience full of new and traditional songs and chants. Activities include singing, finger play, large movement, instrument play, and parent education. Fall session begins in September in West, downtown, and South Asheville and Marshall. Free visits also available last week of August. Visit www.AshevilleAreaMT.com or www.MusicTogether.com or email Kari Richmond, karirichmond@charter.net. CHABAD HEBREW SCHOOL OF THE ARTS: Enrollment now open for Chabad Hebrew School of the Arts, a combination Sunday School and Hebrew School Program. Sibling discounts available. For ages 3-13. Sundays 10 a.m.-noon. September-May. At the Chabad House, 660 Merrimon Ave., Asheville. Call 505-0746 or visit www.chabadasheville.org. YWCA AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAM: Registration is now open for the 5-star program for grades K-6, which starts Aug. 15. Program runs 2:30-6 p.m. Monday-Friday at the YWCA, 185 S. French Broad Ave. With transportation from area schools. Participants receive homework assistance, and participate in enrichment activities such as swimming lessons, gardening, dance and field trips. Space is limited. $70/week for YWCA members and $104/week for nonmembers. Visit www.ywcaofasheville.org or call CiCi Weston at 254-7206, ext. 111. SHARKS OF SUMMER: Exhibit through Labor Day at the Team ECCO Center for Ocean Awareness. Included in $3 aquarium admission. Call 692-8386 or visit www.teamecco.org. At 511 Main St., Hendersonville. ASHEVILLE CLOGGING AND DANCE COMPANY: Classes for all ages and skill levels. Visit www.ashevillecloggingcompany.com or email Ashley Shimberg at ashley@ashevillecloggingcompany.com.

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