East Chicago Central High School history teacher Gale Carter was chosen, along with 19 other teachers, to participate in a 21-day study tour in China, administered by the National Consortium for Teaching about Asia (NCTA) and the Indiana University East Asia Studies Center. The 3-week tour included six cities (Beijing, Xi’an, Kunming, Dali, Lijiang, Shangri-La and Shanghai), three boat cruises, a midnight train ride, a ride in a rickshaw, and an unforgettable ride on a yak in the mountains of Shangri-La.

The group toured traditional sights such as the Great Well, the Terra Cotta Warriors, the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square, as well as newer sights like the 2008 Olympic Bird’s Nest stadium and the Water Bubble. They also observed time-honored crafts like calligraphy and silk-, pottery- and noodle-making. Evenings were spent at cultural events like acrobatic performances, the opera and the symphony.

NWI Parent Blog—Photographer and writer mom of two, Beth always brings a new twist to the suburban mundane.

I am having a difficult time during the day, when the house is quiet, the kids are at school, Brian is at work and it’s just me…all alone.

I know there are many Moms out there that would love this opportunity but it’s just not for me. I MISS my kids and the life of being a stay at home Mom. I have spent a lot of time thinking about getting a temporary job, but I realize that not many people would be interested in hiring a woman who is five months pregnant and also, I know that the best thing I can do during this pregnancy is relax.

Continue reading Beth’s latest post here on her “Laptops to Countertops” blog.

Ten-year-old Zack Rozek has joined his parents’ mission in using today’s technology in order to make a better tomorrow. For the last two years, Rich and Kim Rozek have discussed their experience with Parkinson’s disease by way of their Internet radio show PD Talk Live.

Rich, 49, was diagnosed with young-onset Parkinson’s nearly a decade ago. In 2008 the Winfield couple kicked off what Rich calls a “part talk show, part cyber-support group” on Blog Talk Radio. “We thought it was unique, because there were no cyber-support groups out there for this,” Rich says.

NWI Parent Blog—Rick Kaempfer’s business card says author/writer/blogger, but his real job is “stay-at-home-dad.”

Monday (Nov 16) is our 18th wedding anniversary.

A lot has happened to us during those years. I thought I would tell the story with pictures. (Click on the links to see the pictures)

1991: The blushing bride
(Photo: Bridget on our wedding day.)
She was 24. I was 28. At the time, we both worked in the same office (the radio station The Loop). I co-hosted a show called “Ebony & Ivory” with Stan Lawrence, and Bridget worked in the sales department. Nearly every station employee attended our wedding; and seemed to thoroughly enjoy our German oom-pah-pah band.

Continue reading Rick’s latest post here on his “Father Knows Nothing” blog.

NWI Parent Blog—We’ve all gotta eat-might as well have some fun in the kitchen! Check here for recipes, cooking with kids, food finds, and more.

So Thanksgiving - the ultimate food thursday - is just around the corner. Now I don’t know about you but on turkey day we try to eat light before the feast. There’s certainly no official lunch involved, we just get out some yummy snacks to nibble while we finish up the cooking and turkey day preparations. The following dip is perfect for that sort of thing. It’s light. It’s served warm. And it looks like you put more effort into it than it requires. Next week I’ll probably post something holiday related too - if you’ve got a request for a food category - post it in the comments and I’ll see what I can do.

Without further ado… a new ‘go-to’ dip. Quite yummy with wheat thins or triscuits in my opinion. Or lightly toasted baguette slices if you’re all ambitious.

Continue reading Barb’s latest post here on her “Food with a Dash of Fun” blog.

I’m sitting at my computer and I glance at the clock. It’s been a half-hour since I told my 15-year-old son to unload the dishwasher. I know how to get his attention. I open a chat screen and type “Hellooo—are you going to unload the dishes?” In 10 seconds, I get back “yes” and he puts down the laptop and marches into the kitchen.

Old folk like me are continually amazed at the wonders of technology. A nagging request goes unanswered, but an instant message, chat request or text message can do the trick.

It makes me think back and wonder how families functioned in the days when I was younger. So, allow me to reminisce for a few moments.

Laugh, cry and multitask with Julia as she documents the triumphs and debacles of life as a single working mother.

Yesterday morning, I awoke to breakfast in bed… served to me by my sweet, loving six-year-old daughter.

She had tried to wake me up earlier but I wasn’t havin’ it. I mumbled something about how I would get up in a few minutes and make breakfast. Isabella disappeared, and I returned to dreamland. The next time I woke, Isabella was entering the room carrying a “tray” (my cutting board) topped with a bowl of cereal, two slices of toast, a bowl of kiwi slices and a glass of apple juice.

Continue reading Julia’s latest post here on her “Party of Two” blog.

NWI Parent Blog—Rick Kaempfer’s business card says author/writer/blogger, but his real job is “stay-at-home-dad.”

When I was a radio disc jockey and producer, I spoke to listeners on the telephone every day. Many of the calls were song requests, and many of those requests came from people misquoting a song title or misunderstanding the lyrics. Some of them were pretty hilarious.

I kept track of them because I was going to compile them into a book. Unfortunately, somebody beat me to it. (Gavin Edwards wrote “Excuse me while I kiss this guy.”)

Continue reading Rick’s latest post here on his “Father Knows Nothing” blog.

Freddy Ortega, a Clark High School junior, wears the T-shirt he designed to support breast cancer awareness. (Photograph courtesy of Michelle Kominsky.)

The National Football League’s decision to designate October’s games as American Breast Cancer Awareness games scored big with Freddy Ortega, 16.

Ortega has two aunts who are breast cancer survivors and always wears a pink wristband to show his support for them. He liked how the NFL and its teams promoted breast cancer awareness messages with pre-game and in-stadium initiatives and by having coaches and staff personnel and players wear pink ribbons and pink uniform gear.

So after the game, the George Rogers Clark High School student headed to town. He went into The Junk Yard to see if there was something there in line with the cause. Within a few moments, he decided to customize a shirt. He chose a royal blue T-shirt—Clark’s color—and had the initials of his school, ‘GRS’, printed on the upper right collar. Below the letters he added ‘class of 2011.’ In the center, he had the word ‘Supports’ printed next to a pink ribbon twisted in the shape of a heart.

NWI Parent Blog—Photographer and writer mom of two, Beth always brings a new twist to the suburban mundane.

Yesterday, my five year old got off the bus with a fever, which is the exact thing that happened to my daughter this past Monday.

It was so obvious that he felt sick, red cheeks, runny nose, big brown eyes, okay, maybe the eyes didn’t tell me anything but they are big and beautiful, so I may as well mention them, right?

On Sunday, we all felt great. We were our usual happy and healthy family, taking down the Halloween decorations, visiting family, playing Uno, taking baths and then Monday hit and it’s like we were literally hit by a semi truck with my daughter getting the flu first.

Continue reading Beth’s latest post here on her “Laptops to Countertops” blog.