www.OwensboroParent.com
May 2012 . OWENSBORO PARENT
1
www.OwensboroParent.com
May 2012 . OWENSBORO PARENT
2
3 OWENSBORO PARENT
. May 2012
www.OwensboroParent.com
may 2012
from the editor To the mothers of tiny babies, short on sleep and covered in spit up. To the mothers-to-be, pregnant, waddling, swollen and missing the sight of their own feet.
Publisher/Creative Director Jason Tanner jason@owensboroparent.com Editor Ashley Sorce ashley@owensboroparent.com Distribution Manager Jonathan Tanner jonathan@owensboroparent.com Account Executives Jeff Sorce jeff@owensboroparent.com Jodi Tanner jodi@owensboroparent.com Robert Williams robert@owensboroparent.com Graphic Designer Taylor West taylor@owensboroparent.com
To the mothers-to-be, waiting on their adoption to be finalized. To the mothers whose toddlers have them on the go from morning ‘til night. To the single mothers, doing it alone. To the mothers whose lives are consumed with laundry, picking up toys and putting a good meal on the table each night. To the mothers who juggle kids and careers and for the mothers that have more than a full-time job at home with their little ones. To the mothers who make it to every game, to every show or recital and to every open house. To the mothers of teenagers, enforcing curfews and cell phone limits. To the mothers who worry endlessly about SAT scores and college admissions. To the “empty nest” mothers of college students and for the really “empty nest” mothers whose grown children have moved out and on with their lives. To the mothers who now have that very special gift of grandchildren. To all of our readers who hold the most precious title of all, “mother.” Happy Mother’s Day!
Always,
Contributors Christy Taylor Chaney Christina Dalton Dean Ehrenheim Dr. Brian Gannon Casey Hamilton Danny May Cathy Mullins Christy Ramey Katherine Taylor Lora Wimsatt Contact Information Owensboro Parent Magazine PO Box 23237 Owensboro, KY 42304 (270) 314-5240 www.owensboroparent.com facebook.com/owensboroparent twitter.com/owensboroparent issuu.com/owensboroparent Cover Photography Dream Copy Photography www.dreamcopyphoto.com Cover Model Oliver Owen, son of Andy and Jean Owen. Advertise Owensboro Parent is a FREE magazine because of community support. Thank you to the great group of businesses & organizations who advertise with us. If you want to contribute to the success of our magazine, we would love to hear from you and will work to develop an advertising partnership that will not only benefit you, but also the parents of Owensboro.
4 OWENSBORO PARENT
. May 2012
www.OwensboroParent.com
may features parent talk [7] teaching character [8] it must be easter [11] the new idea of normal [14] the power of words [18] fresh take [20]
[26] facebook photos [29] earth day challenge [30] a moment in their arms [32] fly the friendly skies [35] a better you [36] power of one sentence
gardening tips for kids [21]
[37] kids eat free
the food fight [22]
[38] lbl getaway
healthy choices for everyone [24]
[20]
[36]
[40] april calendar
[28] [10]
[30] [11]
www.OwensboroParent.com
[8]
[14]
May 2012 . OWENSBORO PARENT
5
6 OWENSBORO PARENT
. May 2012
www.OwensboroParent.com
parent talk Moms just seem to have a knack for giving sound advice (even when we’re not ready to hear it!) and sharing memorable words of wisdom. We asked you to share the best advice you ever received from your own mom and these are few of our favorite responses from Facebook. My mother gave me this advice a few years ago: After I came home from
From the time I can remember the advice my mom always gave to me was
work and began cleaning the house, my kids wanted me to go outside
there are always consequences for your actions wether good or bad.
with them. I told them I could not because I only had a certain amount of
- Kelly Barnes Butler
time to get my “chores” done. My mom said, “I did that when you all (my brother, myself and my sister) were young. I would come home from work, clean and get things done and not enjoy the fact that you all were home and were young. I miss the days when my kids were home and I regret not spending more time, because I thought I had to get things done and the
The only person who can control your character is you. Handle that power with great care. - Amber Spurrier Hall
house had to be spotless. I don’t want you to regret giving up your time with the kids, your house can wait.”
When I graduated from high school and still lived at home, my parents
- Michelle Moore Mayfield
charged me rent. It was the best thing they ever did for me. Knowing I could do it gave me the confidence to get out on my own, and when I was
Every child is different! There is no book, movie, radio show or prime time
divorced and had to start out on my own with no support, I knew I could
TV show that will give you the direct answer for your child. All you can do
do it. It taught me responsibility and gave me confidence. I have done the
is pray, ask other mommies and laugh. There will be ups and downs, but
same with my kids. They don’t resent it. They’ve always known to expect it,
remember to enjoy it!
and they are glad to help pull their weight.
- Felecia Piper
- Resa Hendrix
www.OwensboroParent.com
May 2012 . OWENSBORO PARENT
7
family life
summer! survive the
{ by: christina dalton, mssw, csw }
Ahhhhhh….SUMMER VACATION! For the first time in a while, kids all around Daviess County will begin their summer breaks in May instead of June. They are already counting down the days, hours and minutes until it begins. Some of you parents out there might be doing the same but for different reasons. Depending on your situation, summer break can present different challenges. For working parents, it might mean figuring out a day camp program, babysitters or coordinating sports schedules. For stay at home parents, it might mean figuring out a schedule or fun things to do, vacations or simply maintaining your sanity! Regardless of your situation, I’d like to give you a few ideas and tips on how to have a successful summer break for you and your children.
1 Schedules
2 Boredom
3 Reading
Depending on how your children
Kids get bored and they get bored
Summer is a great time to read! I
operate, a schedule can really come in
quickly. After the first couple of weeks
know that school is not in session, but
handy and bring some needed structure
you might find yourself wanting to
teaching your child to read for fun is one
to your days. Kids like to know what
pull your hair out because they keep
of the greatest gifts you can teach them.
is coming up. If you are going to the
saying they’re bored! A great way to kick
It is so easy to shut your brain off, play
pool on Tuesdays and Thursdays have
boredom is to keep kids active. Walk
video games and do nothing all summer.
it written down so that they can see it.
the dog, ride bikes, go to the park, play
Check with your elementary schools for
If bedtime is at 9 p.m., let them know
basketball, swim. Summer is the season
library programs that offer incentives
ahead of time to avoid any arguments.
of endless outdoor activities. Kids who
for summer reading. Or you can offer
Then you know what time you get to
are active sleep better! I’m just saying.
your own incentives. “We’ll go to the
kick back and watch your shows!
movies on Friday if you read for thirty minutes a day.” Make it fun!
8 OWENSBORO PARENT
. May 2012
www.OwensboroParent.com
4 Money
5 Buddies
6 Me Time
Do not let money or lack of it to cause you to
When in doubt, call a friend. It’s always
Take some time for yourself. Have a girl’s
have a bummer summer. We are so fortunate
a good idea to have some play dates on
night or a guy’s night, go shopping, plan
to live in a resource-rich community. There
speed dial. Sometimes kids need a change
a date night, play 18 holes of golf or get a
are lots of activities that won’t cost you a
of scenery too. It gives you someone else
mani/pedi. It is so important to take time
dime to have fun. We have awesome parks
to chat with and the kids get to see their
for you as a parent. It’s your summer too
and several of them have water parks.
friends. So plan a day trip with your
and it only comes around once a year. I
Culture is free. Soak it up! Go to the science
buddies and make a day of it.
highly encourage each and every one of
museum, the botanical gardens or the
you to have a ME PARTY! Your kids will
art museum. See page 36 for a full list of
thank you.
summer fun that won’t break the bank.
It seems as if life goes by so fast these days. The moments and
said, “Mom, Mom, watch me!” And you know what…I always
the memories that you and your family make this summer will
do because I know it is a “moment” I will want to remember
last a lifetime. Keep that in mind when you are tired, had a hard
later in my life. Make your summer one to remember!
OP
day at work or didn’t get much sleep. It makes me think of all the times that my own child has
www.OwensboroParent.com
Christina Dalton, MSSW, CSW is the Family Resource Center Coordinator for Daviess County Public Schools.
May 2012 . OWENSBORO PARENT
9
family life
the second weekend in may { by: lora wimsatt }
I
t all starts with a wilted dandelion clutched tight in a chubby, dirty fist, a gap-toothed smile on an angelic
face, and a sweet voice saying, “Happy Movver Day, Mommy!” In the years to come, there are artistic drawings of stick-figure mothers (who might wish their figures really were that slender) … “fine jewelry” consisting of strings of brightly colored beads carefully threaded onto strands of knotted yarn … and gourmet breakfasts in bed with burnt toast and runny eggs and a kitchen filled with dirty dishes just waiting for you.
Eventually, of course, those childish expressions of
love give way to “real gifts.”
A spray of flowers delivered by the florist, a beautiful
bouquet with not a dandelion in sight.
A nice robe, perhaps, or a book by a favorite author.
Maybe some real jewelry, not plastic … and dinner at a nice restaurant, where everything is cooked “just right” – and someone else will clear the table and wash the dishes. The years go by, and those children of long-ago grow up and marry and have children of their own, and now you find yourself calling your daughter or daughter-in-law on that second Sunday in May to wish her a “Happy Mother’s Day.”
You watch with pride and joy – and a bit of wistful
nostalgia – as the cycle continues with yet another generation. But as for you, it all goes back to where it once began.
And you take a handful of flowers, picked carefully
from among the prettiest blooms in your garden, and arrange them carefully in the vase next to the cold granite stone. Before you turn and walk down that grassy hill once again, you whisper one more time, “Happy Mother’s Day.”
“To educate a person in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to society.” Theodore Roosevelt
There is a bittersweet smile on your face, because
tucked among those blossoms there is one yellow dandelion.
OP
Lora Wimsatt is a mother, grandmother and writer. She enjoys the everyday blessings and adventures of life, especially her family.
10 OWENSBORO PARENT
. May 2012
www.OwensboroParent.com
www.OwensboroParent.com
May 2012 . OWENSBORO PARENT
11
family life
jordan’s
heart
Neil and Kristi Hayden knew that
their second daughter, Jordan Grace, would be born with a heart defect. As much as parents can come to terms with this kind of news, the Haydens prepared themselves. But after Jordan was born on March 20, 2012, doctors found further complications. Neil and Kristi were told four separate times that Jordan would not survive. But she did. { by: ashley sorce }
Neil Hayden, 31, and his wife Kristi Hayden, 30, are both
will get exhausted faster than most people.
teachers for Daviess County Public Schools. Neil is currently a
Jordan will need three surgeries in her first three years of life,
social studies teacher and boys’ basketball junior varsity coach
which will change the direction of her blood flow. The first
at Apollo and Kristi is a kindergarten teacher at Tamarack
surgery is supposed to take place within the first week of life,
Elementary School. They have been married eight years, but
the second after her fourth or fifth month of life, and the third
started dating in 1997 while they were both attending McLean
surgery between 2 and 3 years of age. However, Jordan has an
County High School. The couple married in 2004 and in
even more rare situation. At 32 weeks pregnant we were made
October 2009 they had Riley Faith, their first daughter.
aware of HLHS, but what we didn’t know is Jordan had a second
complication. She has an intact atrial septum, meaning the blood
Can you tell us a little about your daughter’s diagnosis?
could not flow through her heart and she was getting a backflow
Neil: Our daughter, Jordan Grace, has HLHS. This is a rare heart
to her lungs, which kept her lungs from fully developing. This
defect called Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. This defect occurs
has significantly delayed Jordan from being able to have her
in one in every 100 births. This means her left ventricle chamber of
first surgery. The doctors need her lungs to become stronger and
her heart did not develop in the womb and it will not ever develop.
have appropriate blood flow. The only way to fix this problem
This will potentially affect her the remainder of her life, but a lot is
is time. At the moment we have been in the hospital four weeks
still unknown since the oldest living person with HLHS is around
and the doctors believe it may be at least two to three more
42 years of age. Modern medicine has helped to advance treatment
weeks until she can have her first surgery. If and when the first
but the heart defect affects each person differently. Best-case
heart surgery is completed, it may be an additional two to six
scenario is that she may be on medication the rest of her life and she
weeks for her to recover from the surgery. The major concern
12 OWENSBORO PARENT
. May 2012
www.OwensboroParent.com
with waiting for her lungs to develop is possible infection from
When we were first told of the diagnosis, Kristi and I faced
the lines that give her the medication she needs.
overwhelming emotions. We have shared many tears together,
The first two weeks were very difficult. Jordan was not strong
but Kristi has approached this one step at a time. She knew it
enough to have consecutive good days. Four times in the first
wasn’t anything she had done, so her only option was to take
two weeks we were told that she may not make it much longer
small steps and prepare for the situations we knew would be
and we should contact our family. We actually arranged some
presented. Most importantly, Kristi treated this like her first
family photos because we thought it would be the only chance
birth. She had baby clothes made, prepared the nursery, and
we would have in order to have everyone together, meaning
has displayed excitement like she did for Riley. I believe this
myself, Kristi, Jordan and our 2-year-old daughter, Riley.
is important to not hold back any excitement or love for our
newest addition.
How did you as parents feel about her diagnosis? How do you cope?
Neil: I think we have been able to deal with the situation we are
Kristi: When we found out her diagnosis, I felt very helpless.
facing for several reasons. First and foremost, we trust God’s
After the initial shock of finding out we began to hear stories
plan and His will. Through prayer and scripture reading we
of children with the same heart condition who were doing
have been able to face this adversity knowing we have an eternal
incredibly well. After a week or so I could talk about it without
blessing in this situation. We realize God can heal her (James
crying, but then it was just the fear of the unknown. We knew
5:15). We don’t know why Jordan is facing this, but it doesn’t
God had a plan in all of it, but He wasn’t let us in on it just yet.
change our faith in God. God has placed people and scripture
in our lives each day to give daily grace. It’s been interesting to
What has been the most challenging part? Are there any
see how God has been with us each day. I honestly mean that, I
rewards or lessons you have gained from this experience?
could share several stories to show how God has suppressed our
Neil: The most challenging part is the waiting and the
anxiety and fears in all of this.
unexpected. The continual delay for the first surgery was
unexpected and it has been a slow process. The most challenging
www.OwensboroParent.com
May 2012 . OWENSBORO PARENT
13
family life moments have been the four situations in which we thought we
steps to take in her care. I was facing a window when the sun
might lose her. Having to prepare yourself for those moments
started rising and with tears in my eyes and my husband’s arms
are very difficult and having to call loved ones and explain the
around me the sun hit my face. I knew then that everything
situation is something I would not wish upon anyone.
was going to be okay. It felt like God showing me His grace and
There have been many rewards, but one stands out for me
telling me I could finally breathe.
personally. The last time we had to call our family to come back to Louisville my wife refused to accept it. She continually
Can you describe her birth and the emotions you felt?
dismissed the notion that Jordan was not going to pull through.
Kristi: It is so hard to describe her birth because I could not
I have to admit after the fourth time of hearing this I had slowly
help being excited for the new life coming into this world, but I
began to think Jordan may not survive. I was encouraged by my
was also scared out of my mind knowing what she was going to
wife and it was amazing to see her strength and resolve.
be facing. I tried to push those scary feelings away and focus on
bringing her into this world safely. I was induced at 39 weeks so
Kristi: As a mother, the hardest part for me, besides the
I could give birth in Louisville. She weighed 8 lbs. 6 oz. and was
possibility of losing her, has been not being able to take care of
20 inches long. This was our first blessing because the bigger she
her, like feed her, hold her and rock her. Now that she has been
was the better. The doctors wanted her to be at least 6 lbs. before
more stable, the nurses have let me change her diapers. I never
surgery, so that was one less hurdle we had to jump. I had really
thought I would be so happy to change a poopy diaper! Neil
good labor and deliveries with both of my girls. Giving birth is
and I also had the wonderful privilege of getting to hold her on
one of the most amazing feelings and I am blessed to have been
Easter.
able to do it twice.
I remember the first time we saw her open her eyes. We were
What kind of support have you received since your daughter
standing at her bedside early one morning when there was a
was born?
room full of doctors making their rounds, discussing the next
Neil: The support has been amazing. Apollo High, Daviess
14 OWENSBORO PARENT
. May 2012
www.OwensboroParent.com
discover County Middle and Tamarack Elementary have been very
second daughter, Jordan Grace. By believing in this foundation we
supportive. Co-workers have donated Kristi sick days, given us,
haven’t spent time questioning God or arguing amongst ourselves.
including Riley, gifts as well as money. Area church pastors as
Together we have been able to stay levelheaded, because we can
well as our own pastor, Greg Faulls of Bellevue, have called us
look at the big picture during difficult moments. The only choice
and stopped by to pray with us. Many friends have called and
someone has in this type of situation is to take one obstacle at a
stopped by to pray with us and do simple things such as watch
time.
a ball game with us. Our parents have been a vital role, from keeping our dogs to watching Riley overnight.
Kristi, as Mother’s Day approaches, what are you thankful for? Kristi: I am so thankful to have a wonderful, supportive husband
I started a blog to help keep family and friends stay up to date
who has been my rock through all of this. He is such a strong
and it has been very encouraging. With social networking today,
spiritual leader for our family and the most amazing dad for
the blog has spread to over 12 countries and people from around
our girls. I am thankful to have two beautiful daughters. I am so
the U.S. have contacted us about similar situations or just to
proud to be the wife and mother of these three people that God
give us support/prayer. (www.jordansheart.wordpress.com)
has blessed me with.
What advice would you give to other parents that may one
As a family we want to say how truly blessed we are to have
day face having a sick child?
such wonderful, supportive family, friends, church family and
Neil: The only advice I can truly recommend is to keep your
colleagues and even complete strangers. We would not have
foundation intact. Our foundation has been our belief in God’s
made it this far without all of the love and prayers that we have
plan. By realizing the eternal blessing we are receiving from
received.
OP
Jordan, it allows us to cope and stay mentally fresh. I don’t know why we are going through this, but I know the same God that is
Ashley is a first-time mommy, a not-so-newlywed, an organizational freak and the
allowing it to happen is also the same God that has given us our
editor of this awesome magazine. (Which is, of course, a totally unbiased opinion.)
www.OwensboroParent.com
May 2012 . OWENSBORO PARENT
15