Awareness
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Reflections: The Need to Understand
The Art of Communicating Well: As always is the case, writing a reflections piece for this site with a theme of love or relationships comes out of my personal experience. I teach, and teaching is how I learn. Similar to this reciprocal exchange, writing has long been the tool that I use to teach myself. Today’s idea has been floating around for a while, and I will address it today as means of pinning it down to explore it a little better. Last month I had an ugly breakdown in communication with someone that I respect a great deal. I can count on one hand the amount of times that something like…
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In the Spotlight with The Kratt Brothers
Christopher F. “Chris” Kratt and his older brother Martin Kratt grew up in Warren Township, New Jersey. Together they host the television programs Kratts’ Creatures, Zoboomafoo, and Be the Creature (which airs on the National Geographic Channel), and Wild Kratts (which airs on PBS Kids and TVOKids). I had a chance to speak to these energetic brothers who have a real passion for educating kids about wild and sea life. My daughter is quite obsessed with their new show Wild Kratts and had a question of her own to ask the brothers. You have such great enthusiasm for animal and plant life. Have you two always been interested in nature since…
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Parenting: Navigating Pre-Teens with Special Needs
Navigating through the Pre-Teens: For me, the moment my son turned 10 years-old I felt a life as we knew it was about to change. No longer were the days of thinking he’d stay little forever, racing through the house in his undies & a cape, curling up together under the comforter on a cold Saturday morning, or popping him in the good old Radio Flyer and walking around the neighborhood. No, at that 10 year-old moment I felt a noticeable shift in the dynamics of our family…a shift into the unknown. We were headed into uncharted waters, my family and I in a raft, knowingly paddling into…
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Travel: Australia – Your Dream Holiday Down Under
If you’ve ever had Australia on your wish list of places to visit, here’s a taste of some of the amazing things you can see and experience when you visit the Great Southern Land. Harbour Bridge Drive on it, climb up it, walk over it or sail under it, the Harbour Bridge links North Sydney to the city and is affectionately known as the “coathanger”. You can even go on a guided tour and climb up the bridge and enjoy stunning vistas of the city, harbour and beyond. Sydney Opera House You probably recognize this building – Australia’s most famous icon. Perched right on the harbour’s edge, with a magnificent…
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Instagram of the Week: Paving Your Own Path
In this time of having the ability to always be “on” and “connected” via iPhone, iPad or computer, it can be tough to decompress and slow down! Part of taking care of others involves the important step of taking care of oneself and knowing when it is time to relax and reboot. Last weekend we enjoyed our time together as a family but I made sure to take a little time out for myself and took a walk along the beach alone. There is something about the ocean that is just so soothing! I took several pictures and one of my favorites is of the little guy you see above walking along the shoreline. He…
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The Lost Art of Classic Jazz
When you think of jazz, most of us conjure up the smooth sounds of Kenny G, possibly Ray Charles and his woeful blues, or maybe the sultry tones of Diana Krall. But there are entire genres of jazz—styles that are important to our Nation’s history—that are unheard of by new generations of music fans. The classic styles of Dixieland, ragtime and stride are virtually lost to young listeners who aren’t being exposed to the “party music” that played during the 1890s to 1930s. From the age of 13, my father has been a classic jazz junkie so I grew up listening to this music. Blaring from our hi fi…
