When Rita Wynne’s son Colin was diagnosed with autism at sixteen months, she was floored. “We were blown away,” recalled the Hanover County mom of four. “Physically, he was perfect, walking at nine months. He just wasn’t talking, but with two older brothers, we didn’t think there was a problem.”…

Bucky found us,” Eric says. The couple had gone to a Super Bowl party last year, and a friend who was fostering Bucky through a Fetch a Cure program called Pixie’s Pen Pals brought him with her to share in the football fun. That was Sunday. By Tuesday, the couple…

You would think, after so many years in this business of raising a family, that we would have it all down to a science. Or at least a well-greased, satisfactorily seasoned, pretty-well-blended routine. Just swing open our kitchen pantry’s floor-to-ceiling doors, and behold the bottles, jars, boxes, and cartons that…

About seven years ago, we headed to our 20-week ultrasound, eager to find out if we were having a boy or a girl. The pregnancy had been so smooth – easy even – and it felt like nothing could possibly go wrong that day. Until a physician came in to…

My first-grader is not having an easy time learning to read. It seems like everyone in his class is making great strides, and he is struggling to the point of tears when he tries on his own at home. His teacher said to give him time, but I’m not sure.…

What is CultureWorks? In any community, arts and culture have the potential to teach and inspire, to uplift and heal, to empower and transform. CultureWorks’ goal is to ensure a thriving arts and culture community is experienced way beyond a stage or a gallery, and in the process, it is…

Two weeks ago, I developed a horrible rash. What started out as a pale pink blemish on my left cheek quickly erupted into what looked like a full-fledged, flesh-eating disease across the entire bottom third of my face. It wasn’t pretty. I’d show you a picture (I took several), but…

The process of electrolysis uses electricity to separate elements like the ones in water – a molecule made up of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. Sometimes referred to as an alternative fuel, today, a handful of car designs use the process of electrolysis as fuel instead of traditional…

It is getting a little out of hand, isn’t it?! Starbucks really created a beast, but everyone seems to love pumpkin-y anything in the fall, and lucky for you, we have some tasty pumpkin-inspired recipes in What’s Cooking to celebrate October. And if you’re as excited about Halloween events and…

There’s a lot to appreciate in fall, like the return of school days and cooler weather. Families love the traditions of fall, many of us revel in football season, and fall can also be called the season of giving. Fall and winter are full of moments to be thankful and…

A month into the school year, and some parents are worried. With parent-teacher conferences around the corner, these meetings – which are supposed to be helpful – might cause some undue stress. Will this be the time the teacher mentions attention deficit disorder or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADD/ADHD)? Many…

As our parents get older, we often find ourselves encouraging them to live a healthy lifestyle. Part of that healthy lifestyle includes regular hearing checks. The simple fact is, hearing loss affects people of all ages, and studies show that two-thirds of those with hearing loss are younger than age…

Now that the kids are back in school and we’ve all settled into our fall routines, we might think the hard part is over. But for many students, the beginning of school is a time of new, and sometimes overwhelming, challenges. Whether those obstacles to school success are due to…

In  1970, in order to satisfy a federal mandate to desegregate Richmond Public Schools, Judge Robert Merhige, Jr. ordered the implementation of a busing program that would attempt to achieve racial balance in the school system. At the time of the order, enrollment in the Richmond Public School System was…

We all know that styles change. In fashion, the cycle is about thirty to thirty-five years (yes, that means the eighties are back). While in furniture and home design, it’s more like fifty. For the last ten years, mid-century modern designs have been the favorite of today’s younger apartment and…