KidsPeace Can Help Families Process School Shooting

The shooting spree that left dozens dead at a Newtown, Conn., elementary school Friday is the latest in a string of violent crimes in public places over the past year.

How Do You Talk to Kids About 9/11?

Footage and photos from that day will likely be highly visible all week as we mark 10 years since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Moms Talk is a weekly feature on all Lehigh Valley Patches in which local parents, caregivers and other members of the community are invited to share opinions and advice on parenting issues. This week’s Moms Talk topic relates to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001: With the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks a week away, it’s likely that youngsters – many of whom weren’t even born on that ill-fated day – will be exposed to disturbing decade-old images on TV, in the newspaper or maybe even at school. Questions will likely will follow, coming from kids who aren’t yet old enough to understand the indelible mark that Sept. 11, 2001 left on the United States and countries around the world. How do you talk to children about the …

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Jennifer Marangos

9:44 am on Monday, September 12, 2011

@Jennifer Elston, we ended up telling him the truth, as simply as we could. We focused on the heroes of the day. The courage of the first responders who went into NY without thought to do what they could to make the horror less horrible. We wound up adding to the conversation throughout the day, as our son is also an avid radio listener and B104 was airing audio from 9/11 throughout the day on …   more ›

After the Storm: Helping Your Trees Heal

Local arborist Robert Andreucci offers these tips to help your landscape recover from Hurricane Irene.

We just said goodbye to Irene, making this a great time to talk about inspecting your trees. Property owners should have their trees inspected by a certified arborist for storm-related defects or other conditions requiring attention. During this visit arborists can not only perform a basic evaluation of your trees, but also do a more thorough inspection of the stem and branch structure. Here are some primary considerations I have when doing a property inspection. Inspections: Even if damage is not apparent in your trees, they should be carefully inspected by an ISA Certified Arborist/NJ Certified Tree Expert for subtle defects such as cracked branches, splits in stems and shifting of the root plate. These defects can lead to branch or even…

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What Are Your Best Back-to-School Tips?

Parents: Give us your advice for helping kids off to a great start in the new school year.

Moms Talk is a weekly feature on all Lehigh Valley Patches in which local parents are invited to share opinions and advice on parenting issues. This week’s Moms Talk topic relates to heading back to school: With the kickoff of the 2011-2012 school year about three weeks away, what advice do you have for helping kids to transition from summer fun back into the classroom? Join the conversation. Each week our Moms Council members discuss these and other issues.  Our Moms Council members include:  If you would like to become a part of the Moms Council and/or have ideas for future Moms Talk questions, please email jennifer.marangos@patch.com.

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Rosemary B

3:12 pm on Tuesday, August 16, 2011

I would hope that they would be considerate enough to put kids from the same family on the same "track" so they would all be in school and out the same times. Would seem like common sense to me. But anything government runs seems to be lacking in common sense!   more ›

The Car Guy

The Car Guy: To Wash or Not to Wash

Washing your car is important, but it's not always easy to know whether you should wash it yourself or bring it to a car wash.

To wash, or not to wash--that is the question. Well actually, I think the question should be: should I wash my car myself or should I pay someone else to do it for me? In order to answer that question, you need to ask yourself a couple of other questions first. Do you care about your car getting damaged? And do you care about the environment? Before we get to answering those questions, however, let’s first talk about why it’s important to wash your car. Washing your car is an important part of your vehicle's maintenance. You may only care that your car looks nice and shiny, but in actuality, washing is important for the overall health of your car as well. While washing your car won’t help it run any better, it will indirectly prolong the …

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The Car Guy

The Car Guy: 5 Essential Tips for Buying a Used Car

Here's how to make the most out of searching for a used car while avoiding certain pitfalls.

Walking into a car dealership, test driving a car and deciding to buy before doing a little legwork can be like walking into a live minefield. Bear with me here for a sec. When I was 20 years old I was in the market for a fast car. I was fresh out of Marine Corps basic training and I wanted to show off. Lo and behold, I saw a beautiful late model Pontiac Firebird Formula. After a test drive I decided I would buy it. Thank God, I didn’t. One of my friends urged me to check the car out further before buying. A twisted frame made me steer clear from making one of the nastiest automotive decisions of my life. From that point on, anytime I was in the market for a used car I did some homework first. The following list should help you with your …

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How Are You Beating the Heat?

Share your tips for staying cool with your friends and neighbors!

We're well into the dog days of summer--and right now in the Saucon Valley many folks are feeling hotter than a black cat on a tin roof on the equator. It's so hot, in fact, that when someone enjoying life in a colder climate calls to ask "How hot is it?" you'll probably want to respond, "Don't ask!" Still, there are lots of creative ways to beat the heat, and in the community spirit of Patch we're asking readers to share them with their friends and neighbors online. Using air conditioning is one obvious way to keep cool, but what are some others that are less so? Has anyone ever filled up a baby pool with ice chips and whiled away the afternoon in cold comfort? What about defrosting a bag of frozen veggies--on your forehead? Let your …

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How to Keep Mosquitoes at Bay

With mosquito season under way, here are a few tips to help keep you and your family bite-free.

Yes, it's summertime, and with the fun barbecues, pool parties and fireworks displays have come those pesky mosquitoes. Unfortunately, these bloodsuckers are more than just pests. While their bites are annoying by themselves, mosquitoes can also carry and transmit some nasty diseases. According to a press release from the National Mosquito Control Association, based in Mount Laurel, N.J., more than 300,000 Americans have contracted West Nile Virus since its arrival in the U.S. 11 years ago. And while the NMCA website offers lots of good advice, here are five basic things the association says you can do to keep the bugs at bay: 1. TIP: Eiminate standing water in children’s sandboxes, wagons or plastic toys; underneath and around downspouts…

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Life in the Slow Lane

6 Practical Parenting Tips

Plus, an answer to the nature vs. nurture debate.

The old saw “success has many parents but failure is an orphan” is never truer than when you’re dealing with actual kids. When your child brings home straight As or helps a little old lady carry her bags, it’s tempting to think “he gets that from my side of the family” or “I taught him that.”  When that same kid throws a tantrum or refuses to clean his room, we think, “Where did THAT behavior come from?” We solve the “nature vs. nurture” question of child raising by assuming if it’s a fault, he was born with it; the virtues come from us.  As the parent of teenagers, I know it’s a bit early to be giving parenting advice--lots can still go wrong. But I mentioned to a friend who has a preschooler that I used to tell my kids if any stranger …

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The Car Guy

Fuel Economy Basics: 4 Tips to Save on Gas

Even if you drive a gas-guzzler, you still have some control over how often you fill up at the pump.

Hi, my name is Josh and I’m the new car guy here at Hellertown-Lower Saucon Patch. I will be contributing a weekly column that is dedicated to automotive related topics. I’ve been an automotive enthusiast since I was a kid, and was a mechanic for most of my adult life. The price of a gallon of gas is down from recent highs. However, in my opinion it’s still too high. While I can’t control the price of gas, I can control how often I stop to fill up. I drive a Jeep Grand Cherokee that, as of this writing is seven years old. I have been known to get between 24 and 26 miles per gallon (mpg) using several methods to save on gas. Here are four basic tips to help you control how often you visit the pump.   There are many more methods that I use …

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