Arizona allows children to attend school without vaccines as long as parents sign an exemption form. When diseases appear that could lead to a large outbreak – such as the case of the mumps in Higley Unified School District that I reported on this week – those children are removed from school.
Just today, a story came out about additional states looking to pass exemption laws.
Arizona doesn’t rank very high when it comes to children who are vaccinated. Parents choose to not vaccinate for a number of reasons – religious and …

I recently wrote a column for the Tribune about how many different public – and private – schools are available within a very short distance from my home.
I choose to send my kids to my neighborhood school. The principal has an open-door policy. The educators have years of experience. My children’s teachers and I work together and they communicate often when anything arises.
But I also know that there are options around me. As I wrote in the column, I seriously considered a dual language program for my middle child. But …

What does your Sunday week-starting prep look like?
Mine started Sunday after church as the kids and I went through their backpacks, looking at any papers I missed last week, doing homework, and having my husband assist our son with a particularly troublesome area of reading.
After putting away about two-thirds of the laundry (the rest is still on the couch. Oh, well), we had family time.
After the kiddos were in bed, I spent an hour last night on the computer and with my calendar – figuring out what meetings I have …

On the drive to school/daycare/work this morning, my big kids asked me a question: Mom, do you get to pick what job you do?
The conversation was sparked by my 7-year-old daughter’s question about the traffic lights. I didn’t know the answer, but I said that’s the job of a traffic engineer and if she wanted, she could study that when she gets older.
With that, I started in on a 3-minute conversation about going to college, picking your course of study (and what jobs are more available) and then getting a …

I took a moment this morning to check on our East Valley Mom Bloggers Connect page. Wow. I found this wonderful blog about Strawberry Cupcakes with Almond Buttercreme. Oh, if only I had a reason to make these. (I may have to make one up!) There are other recipes, too.
With there being a big football game this weekend, I spent some time in the kitchen, but not a lot. I made fruit salad (YUMMY!), guacamole and a cheese platter. Nothing fancy, but all yummy and homemade (oh, except the cheese). …

Oh, I love good craft ideas.
So I was so happy when I looked over at Finley and Oliver on our EV Mom Bloggers Connect page.
There are not one, but two adorable Valentine’s Day crafts. You have to check them out. Plus, they look super easy.

Moms, if you need a break — and a massage — here’s your chance.
The next Mom’s Nite Out event is coming Wednesday. The event is hosted and organized by Choosing Love blogger (and EV Mom Bloggers Connect contributor) Wendy Wright.
Every mom who attends the event will receive a free chair massage at Mom’s Nite Out courtesy of BackFit Chiropractic & Rehab. Moms will also get a goodie bag of giveaways, learn more about local vendors and get a chance to chat with other moms. Food and drink available for purchase, …

Last week, our big kids (7 and 9) crawled in bed with us about 7 p.m. (We were all TIRED!). They asked, “What are we going to do tomorrow?”
My husband’s response prompted a 45 minute discussion: “Well, if I had my perfect day …”
We had a lot of fun with it. From starting the day with coffee delivered (mommy) to Dunkin Donuts (family), a trip to Toys R Us (daddy, brother and sister), lunch at Wendy’s (sister), a trip to Harkins (daddy, brother and sister) to a hour reading (mommy …

More than five years ago, my husband and I faced that school milestone known as kindergarten.
Our son – our oldest – was a summer baby. During my years as an education reporter, I clearly remember hearing: if you have a summer baby boy, you might want to consider holding him back a year.
But at the time, our son was already in a special needs preschool five days a week. We thought he would be ready to move on, but to what?
Our neighborhood school offered an option that combines typical kids …

The kids and I had big plans Monday when they were out of school. We had our annual MLK Day lunch and playdate with friends, an afternoon at Bounce U and gymnastics in the evening.
My big kids – 7 and 9 – always have to have SOMETHING to do in the car, be it a book to read, a movie to watch or an electronic device to play with. It was a 20 minute drive or so to our friend’s house so I knew they would grab a few things.
Little …