If you’re a fan of home improvements, budget-friendly decorating, and fun-loving, down-to-earth families, you’ve probably heard of Young House Love, the wildly popular blog in which John and Sherry Petersik track the creation of a stylish, comfortable Richmond home out of thrift-shop finds, craft supplies, and repurposed merchandise from the…

You search my face for an answer, a reason, some meaning to what has happened, but I have no words to make things better, no way to make it right. I can only try to hide my sadness from both of you as I wonder just who and how and…

My hand will barely scrawl out that four in 2014 – wow, where did 2013 go? After the nice long Christmas break, this bright new year awaits us, brimming with possibilities. Do I dare take another shot at those elusive resolutions? Will this be the year I get back into…

“But I only eat yellow cheese,” the little friend at the kitchen table told my 6-year-old daughter. Moments earlier, I had placed a slice of marbled cheddarella (that yummy combo of cheddar and mozzarella) along with four round crackers on a napkin in front of each of the girls. I…

He was hospitalized two hours away from home and placed on the waiting list for a new heart. It didn’t seem like anything that anyone said to me was going to make things better,” Towanda Bagley says, as she reflects on her medical journey with her 9-year-old son Keymonte. “Then…

In any pediatric practice, second only to, Does my child have an ear infection? Is this question from parents: Does my child have strep throat? Strep throat is caused by a bacterium called group A betahemolytic streptococcus or GAS. It is spread by direct contact with the mucous of an…

As a mother, I can understand and sympathize with the frantic phone call from a client that begins, My dog nipped at my granddaughter! Or this concern: My dog got kicked out of daycare! Or this one: My dog can’t get along with my best friend’s dog. I understand how…

Grand-parenting should be easy to figure out and carry out. After all, there are sixty-four million boomer grandparents in America, many of whom are quick to share their daily happenings across the world of social media. There’s no shortage of so-called experts online and on TV to tell them what…

About a decade ago, I bought my first home. It was a “sweat equity” fixer-upper, and I was a poor law student. The price was right, and I wasn’t deterred by the fact that the place came with no water heater and blank wall space where the kitchen cabinet had…

Few actions we undertake on a daily basis are as dangerous as just plain driving a car. If the driver is distracted – by eating, grooming, talking on the phone, or texting – the risk of harm or death skyrockets. A study out of Virginia Tech shows that around eighty…

A traditional snow globe is a unique and colorful decorative accent for any room. You might also look into commemorating a special vacation or sports season by crafting a snow globe tribute. What you need: • Glass jar with a tight-sealing lid (try mason jars) • Small plastic figure or…

Q. When my dad was in hospice, my husband insisted that our kids (six and nine) not be part of that experience. I thought then, and still think, this was a mistake and that the kids should have been able to say good-bye to their grandfather. What do you think?…

Resolution season is in full bloom, but unfortunately very few end up being successful. So instead of making half-hearted resolutions for your family’s finances, why not start with a simple tip and see if it works? If successful, you’ll have the momentum to tackle another – and another. Changing your…

I love my ex, and not in a pining, unrequited love kind of way. I really do. My friends think I’m nuts. In a way, I love him more now than I did when we were married, because now we don’t have to live together. In fact, we still celebrate major holidays…