There are sales and then there are price cuts.

Meijer says it is offering more of each this holiday season.

And in doing so, the Midwest retailer plans to hold its own against the country’s biggest retailers, Walmart and Target, in a holiday price war.

On Wednesday, Grand Rapids-based Meijer Inc. announced it has dropped prices up to 30 percent on more than 400 popular toys from Barbie to Star Wars Legos.

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.

Sledding and ice-skating in Northwest Indiana

As a thin layer of frost makes its way across the glass and the walls creak and groan against the assault of the elements, the temptation grows. Birds do it. Bees do it. So why shouldn’t we all take the forbidding winter weather as a cue to snuggle in and reacquaint ourselves with the warm, cozy joys of the great indoors? It seems clear, after all, that Mother Nature is not terribly interested in playing with us, so perhaps it’s best to simply respect her wishes and check back in March or April when she might be feeling a bit more reasonable.

The pull of hibernation, of course, only seems to grow as we get older. A workweek spent battling the snow and ice in the course of our daily grind only serves to breed a general lack of patience with the season, making the bunker of hearth and home that much more attractive an option by the time Saturday rolls around. But here, as is so often the case, kids tend to provide the necessary sense of perspective that adults seem to lose with the passage of time.

Here’s our weekly showcase of the latest and greatest new selections in media for youth.

From books and games to educational toys and DVDs, there’s never a dull moment for active, eager young minds.

This week, animals, including their anatomy, take centerstage while everyday objects such as teeth and waffles also take on lives of their own in a new book of clever yarns.

BOOKS

AGES 5 TO 8

Dutch Sneakers and Flea Keepers
by Calef Brown (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Press, $6.99)

There are 14 strange and wonderful stories waiting for young readers ready to exercise active imaginations. From Pirates and electric guitars to a beach of white sugar and the ever-vicious “tattlesnake,” this soft-cover 32-page book is a blend of poetry and tall tales, showcased with fun illustrations by author Brown. It’s available in stores now or at hmh.com or 800.225.3362.

THIS WEEK’S FEATURED EVENT

Nov 21: Winter Lights
Sunset Hill Farm County Park, Valparaiso | The Winter Lights celebration at Sunset Hill Farm will include music, crafts, cookie decorating, a visit from Santa, a holiday reading corner and many other children’s activities. The event will conclude with fireworks. Find out more here.

ALSO THIS WEEK

• Ongoing: Holly Days in downtown Valparaiso

• Ongoing: Santa Claus in Crown Point in the Lower Level Courthouse Shops of Old Courthouse in Crown Point

• Through Nov 29: Kids Activities and Stories at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore Visitor Center

• Through Dec 6: Dooby Dooby Moo at Lifeline Theatre in Chicago

• Through Dec 20: The Christmas Schooner at the Center for the Visual and Performing Arts in Munster

• Through Jan 10: A Christmas Story Comes Home at the South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority in Hammond

• Through Mar 14: Free Ice Skating at Millennium Park in Chicago

• Nov 20: Annual Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony on the east steps of the Old Courthouse in downtown Crown Point

• Opens Nov 20: Snow Much Fun at the Chicago Children’s Museum in Chicago

• Nov 20-Dec 6: Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka at the Chicago Street Theatre in Valparaiso

• Nov 20-Jan 3: Christmas around the World and Holidays of Light at the Museum of Science and Industry of Chicago

• Nov 21: 8th Annual Holiday Shopping Spree & Craft Show at the Kahler Middle School in Dyer

• Nov 21: Snow White at The Center for Performing Arts at Governors State University

• Nov 21-22: The Nutcracker at East Chicago Central High School

• Nov 24: Up at the Lake County Public Library in Hobart

• Nov 25-29: Orak Shrine Circus at Hammond Civic Center in Hammond

• Nov 26: State Street Thanksgiving Day Parade on State St from Randolph to Congress in Chicago

Meals. Bedtime. Discipline. The reasons parents clash over the kids are endless, especially now that more unemployed dads are filling in for back-to-work moms as the bad economy grinds through a second year.

Nerves are definitely taut on today’s home front, compounding the challenge for parents looking to navigate and negotiate disparate views on child-rearing.

“I’ve never seen such stress in parents and families,” said Michele Borba, a psychologist and mother of three boys who has written 22 books on parenting. “The recession is causing stress, number one. And number two, it’s a pressure-packed world. Parents are very often at that level when they think being a to-do list is more important than who they are.”

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—Stephanie is a stay-at-home mom to three boys and a baby girl, but don’t let that fool you. She’ll keep you in style and in-the-know with reviews on the latest products and services you’ll use, with a little bit of life thrown in.

I try to limit the kids’ TV-viewing as much as possible, but have to admit I often watch along and get crafty ideas watching Sprout with Gray. (Plus I LOVE Kipper the Dog’s accent.)

Gray’s pretty crazy about the Sunny Side Up Show and Chica. His favorite thing is to play Dress Up Chica at Sprout Online.

He even had his big brother write Chica a letter . . .

Continue reading Stephanie’s latest post here on her “Close to Home” blog.

According to a mother who asked me to write this column, the use of chewing tobacco and other forms of smoke-free tobacco has become the rage in her son’s high school. Many assume that if the tobacco does not make smoke, it must be safe. How wrong they are!!

Nothing about the use of any form of tobacco is safe. Another myth to dispel is that smokeless tobacco helps a person quit cigarette smoking. This simply is not the case.

Because most tobacco users start before they are 18 years old, the FDA has declared tobacco use a pediatric disease.

This product image released by Melissa & Doug shows a Take-Along Tool kit. The 24 wooden pieces including tools, nails, screws, nuts and bolts provide hours of creative, constructive fun. Preschoolers will love using the hammer and screwdriver to build their projects.
(AP Photo/ Melissa & Doug)

Once upon a time, the ideal for a child’s room was a cozy haven filled with sturdy push-pull toys, handmade dolls and a few baskets of dress-up clothes.

That was before batteries, computer programs for toddlers, and the array of stuff that talks, squawks, jangles and jolts in little hands.

Some modern parents want to lower the volume on tech toys and on children’s environment as a whole.