apparently

Our Web Goddess, Liesl, has invited us to introduce ourselves...My name is Emory Luce Baldwin, and I have a couple of kids. My son is 19 and a freshman at the University of Maryland. So I now have one chick out of the nest. My daughter is 14, and a freshman at Blair High School. I have raised my children in Takoma Park--we moved here when my son was only a few months old. We have been through babysitting co-ops, nursery school co-ops, Takoma Park and Piney Branch Elementary Schools and Takoma Park Middle School.

You may also recognize me as the Parenting Advice columnist for the Voice, in . I often go to my own experiences as a Mom for inspiration, as well as the experiences of my students in the PEP classes I teach, and my clients in my Family Therapy practice.

Posted by Emory at 08:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Welcome to "Apparently," a new blog for parents.

One of the funny things about living in Montgomery County, where there is so ever-lovin' much to do and parents are often busy, busy, busy, busy, is that we start planning our kids' summer break right about now (or a month ago, if you are really on the ball). So as the temperature dips to the teens and the roads are treachorous with ice and packed snow, many parents are booking swimming lessons and summer camps for their school-aged children. It's just a litte weird.

One reason we were eager to get this blog off the ground is that the "camp-scramble," if you will, is one of many experiences that get parents scratching their heads and looking to other parents for advice. We hope this will be a place where parents can virtually meet and exchange tips on anything from a great camp to how to get your toddler sleeping better to what to do to get your child ready for kindergarten.

As blog administrator, I am assembling a cool cadre of parents to author this blog who have different points-of-view by way of their kids' ages, whether or not they work outside the home and their own philosophy of parenting. Let's face it: no two of us are alike, and none of us raise kids the exact same way.

I'll let the authors introduce themselves. In the next week, I'll ask each of them to post an entry that tells you a little bit about themselves through this assignment:

Tell us what you (and your kid[s]) will be doing this summer.

For those of you coming to check out this blog, feel free to visit, comment and ask questions often. That really makes things interesting.

Posted by blogpop at 08:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Voice has unleashed a new resource for parents who are in search of great summer activities for their kids. Check out the summer camp guide.

We'd love to hear from parents who have tried out camps on the list who can give additional reviews in this space. You can use this community to find out where other folks in your neighborhood are going and even figure out summer car pools.

Also, if you let us know we're missing camps that are key to Takoma Park and Silver Spring families, we'll get them on the list!

Posted by blogpop at 06:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)