http://www.tulsaworld.comThe latest news and information from the Tulsa World.5Copyright 2013, World Publishing Co. All rights reserved.The baseball cards — thousands of them — were scattered everywhere. And not just across his yard. They were in every yard, up and down the block and on streets all around. And there, ......http://www.tulsaworld.com/blogs/post.aspx/Remembering_Joplin/20510?subj=56Fri, 24 May 2013 16:24:19 CDTCertain moments stand out in the coverage of the deadly Moore tornado. The video of the woman finding her dog amid the tornado rubble as she is being interviewed has gone viral. I've seen it ......http://www.tulsaworld.com/blogs/post.aspx/Teachers_come_through_for_students_even_in_disasters/20465?subj=56Wed, 22 May 2013 15:02:00 CDTThis past week, following a bit of diarrhea/fever illness (it's unpleasant, especially the smell, and I hope your children have avoided it), my little climber was safely graduated to the next class. No ......http://www.tulsaworld.com/blogs/post.aspx/Babys_report_card_Reminder_to_not_compare_and_compete/20398?subj=56Mon, 20 May 2013 07:00:00 CDTI call it Daigle Dance Party. Our 21-month-old son would rather dance than eat (his mother would likely agree). So when he’s got music going and gives you a tug at your pants leg with the word ......http://www.tulsaworld.com/blogs/post.aspx/My_toddler_loves_to_dance/20405?subj=56Sat, 18 May 2013 18:13:00 CDTIt started with Anne Frank. My younger daughter, Melody, was assigned to study the young Jewish girl for a school project. She read a book about her, we watched the movie. Her report ......http://www.tulsaworld.com/blogs/post.aspx/The_things_we_carry_for_them/20397?subj=56Fri, 17 May 2013 10:39:34 CDT Another marriage counselor weighed in on the blog I ran a couple weeks ago quoting Mort Fertel, adding a valuable insight that I will pass along, because, as they say, the best thing parents can ......http://www.tulsaworld.com/blogs/post.aspx/Recipe_for_disaster_If_it_feels_good_do_it/20385?subj=56Thu, 16 May 2013 14:26:45 CDTHappy Mother's Day, your child has a fever, so you're spending the Monday after at home with her. The last time I really did the whole 'stay-at-home mom' thing was during maternity leave, but ......http://www.tulsaworld.com/blogs/post.aspx/What_does_a_stay_at_home_mom_do/20331?subj=56Tue, 14 May 2013 09:15:00 CDTI was taken aback last week when A Mighty Girl posted the new image of the 'Brave' princess on Facebook. Merida, the princess ......http://www.tulsaworld.com/blogs/post.aspx/Merida_makeover_creates_controversy_for_Disney/20322?subj=56Mon, 13 May 2013 14:36:00 CDTWith Mother’s Day on everyone’s minds, I thought it would be a good idea to look back at some of the most memorable moms I’ve written about over the last year for Our Lives. It’s an opportune ......http://www.tulsaworld.com/blogs/post.aspx/The_year_in_mothers/20290?subj=56Fri, 10 May 2013 11:22:00 CDTResearch proves it: Mom and dad both are wired for baby alerts. The Daily Mail recently reported that French scientists discovered that mothers and fathers are equally good at identifying the ......http://www.tulsaworld.com/blogs/post.aspx/Baby_crying_Driving_mom_and_dad_crazy/20287?subj=56Fri, 10 May 2013 10:52:14 CDTI should have made my first visit to Las Vegas when I was in my 20s. My two days spent in Sin City over the weekend would have been wilder. But now that those days are in my rear-view mirror ......http://www.tulsaworld.com/blogs/post.aspx/Leaving_Las_Vegas_with_cash_in_my_pocket/20268?subj=56Thu, 09 May 2013 11:35:00 CDTA Tulsa marriage counselor took issue with my latest blog quoting Mort Fertel, who said, among other things, that marriage counseling rarely helps couples and sometimes hurts them. I liked most ......http://www.tulsaworld.com/blogs/post.aspx/Tulsa_marriage_counselor_defends_his_profession/20216?subj=56Thu, 09 May 2013 00:00:00 CDTAmanda Berry went missing 10 years ago after leaving work at Burger King. Michelle Knight was apparently thought to be a runaway. And Gina DeJesus vanished on the way home from middle ......http://www.tulsaworld.com/blogs/post.aspx/From_Ohio_hope_for_parents_of_missing_children_everywhere/20222?subj=56Tue, 07 May 2013 09:46:00 CDTYou know what your mom wants for Mother's Day? Baked goods. Or is that just me? I can't be the only one who thinks food and love are incredibly intertwined. Whether you are planning ......http://www.tulsaworld.com/blogs/post.aspx/Make_your_mom_something_special_for_Mothers_Day/20209?subj=56Tue, 07 May 2013 08:06:00 CDTI've expressed my love of author Judy Blume on this blog before , so you know I was excited when ......http://www.tulsaworld.com/blogs/post.aspx/Watch_the_trailer_for_Tiger_Eyes/20177?subj=56Fri, 03 May 2013 14:34:00 CDTCouples whose marriages are in trouble typically seek advice from friends, family and counselors, but much of that advice is wrong, says author Mort Fertel, who has appeared as a relationship expert on ......http://www.tulsaworld.com/blogs/post.aspx/Authors_six_tips_to_save_marriage_arent_what_you_might/20092?subj=56Thu, 02 May 2013 01:00:00 CDTImagine you're stuck in close quarters with more than 100 other people in the dead of winter. Infighting is rife. Your food has run out. What do you do? According to historians and archeologists ......http://www.tulsaworld.com/blogs/post.aspx/Cannibalism_can_start_interesting_discussions_for_students/20137?subj=56Wed, 01 May 2013 14:24:00 CDTIt was cold and wet. Actually more cold than wet, but after an hour or so I think wet won out. But we weren’t the only ones braving the elements this past Saturday. Hundreds turned out for the ......http://www.tulsaworld.com/blogs/post.aspx/Walk_a_mile_in_their_shoes_and_in_the_rain_and_cold/20135?subj=56Wed, 01 May 2013 13:21:00 CDTWhen I started school in the mid-1970s, nearly two out of three mothers still stayed home with their kids. But now it’s the other way around. In nearly two out of three families, both parents ......http://www.tulsaworld.com/blogs/post.aspx/Comp_time_vs_overtime_Employees_should_have_the_right/20133?subj=56Wed, 01 May 2013 11:17:16 CDTIt happened again this weekend. My dear baby (13 months old) daughter injured herself when she got overly adventurous. She climbed our back porch stairs (cement), then lost her balance by sitting ......http://www.tulsaworld.com/blogs/post.aspx/Ouch_Learning_experiences_or_accidents_to_avoid/20085?subj=56Mon, 29 Apr 2013 12:33:52 CDTMy girls know, as the Tulsa World’s Our Lives writer, I write stories about people who have died. I don’t usually talk about stories at home. But occasionally I’ll tell them about some subject ......http://www.tulsaworld.com/blogs/post.aspx/What_we_learned_from_Nate/20049?subj=56Fri, 26 Apr 2013 15:02:57 CDTWhile the battle rages over legalizing same-sex marriage, has anyone taken a look at what’s become of heterosexual marriage? Here are a few numbers that tell a story of a broken institution: Three ......http://www.tulsaworld.com/blogs/post.aspx/Cohabitation_is_becoming_the_new_norm_in_America/20038?subj=56Thu, 25 Apr 2013 17:26:08 CDTE.L. Konigsburg's death last week had me thinking about the many reasons why I love her. The noted children's author died Friday at age 83 after a stroke. Konigsburg was one of my ......http://www.tulsaworld.com/blogs/post.aspx/EL_Konigsburg_leaves_a_legacy_of_adventure_and_curiosity/20003?subj=56Wed, 24 Apr 2013 08:46:00 CDTMuch like the definition of 'art' can be stretched very far, so can the phrase 'my baby created this.' Such is the theme of this blog, where my baby somehow created many pieces of artwork, even ......http://www.tulsaworld.com/blogs/post.aspx/Baby_artwork_Getting_your_artistic_child_started_early/19966?subj=56Mon, 22 Apr 2013 10:58:36 CDTIt was almost midnight on a school night, and so help me, I was not going to budge. Armageddon would just have to pick some other hour to come calling — one, preferably, that wouldn’t force ......http://www.tulsaworld.com/blogs/post.aspx/Riding_out_the_storm/19948?subj=56Fri, 19 Apr 2013 15:22:45 CDT“Lighten up.” That was the child-raising advice Alison Rutland, the first lady of Oral Roberts University, gave ORU students at a chapel service Wednesday honoring her and her husband, outgoing ......http://www.tulsaworld.com/blogs/post.aspx/Some_parenting_advice_from_ORUs_first_lady/19932?subj=56Thu, 18 Apr 2013 15:47:40 CDTOn a trip to Oklahoma City last weekend, my 4-year-old saw the bombing memorial for the first time, describing the empty chairs as “where the dead people are.” Later, waiting for a table in ......http://www.tulsaworld.com/blogs/post.aspx/OKC_and_Boston_Too_close_and_too_soon/19931?subj=56Thu, 18 Apr 2013 13:37:51 CDTLooking back at my school years, many teachers have remained with me for the lessons they taught both in and out of the classroom. Favorite teachers often help us to overcome difficulties ......http://www.tulsaworld.com/blogs/post.aspx/Favorite_teachers_offer_us_many_different_lessons/19884?subj=56Tue, 16 Apr 2013 14:24:07 CDT After reading Doctor K's Scene section column on breast ......http://www.tulsaworld.com/blogs/post.aspx/Non_medical_expert_answers_Breast_feeding_edition/19856?subj=56Mon, 15 Apr 2013 07:05:00 CDTNothing good comes from charts. So when the pediatrician asked me to take a look at a growth chart at Rosie’s last appointment, I knew I was in trouble. “Here’s how tall Rose Amoy ......http://www.tulsaworld.com/blogs/post.aspx/Doctor_makes_baby_fat_a_cause_for_concern/19862?subj=56Sun, 14 Apr 2013 21:34:00 CDTApril is the cruelest month, especially if you're planning a summer vacation. The days, weeks and months are just starting to drag by while you anticipate that joyful getaway in the sun. AAA's ......http://www.tulsaworld.com/blogs/post.aspx/AAA_rated_Family_Getaways/19837?subj=56Thu, 11 Apr 2013 14:17:00 CDTAll but the coldest hearts go out this week to Rick Warren, mega-church pastor whose son Matthew shot himself to death Saturday. Can anything hurt more than losing a son or daughter to suicide?...http://www.tulsaworld.com/blogs/post.aspx/Mega_church_pastor_with_Tulsa_ties_faces_sons_suicide/19796?subj=56Thu, 11 Apr 2013 05:00:00 CDTMy girls and I headed to Kansas City during spring break to visit family and see some sites. We were only gone a couple of days, but it was enough time to make some memories. We went bowling, ......http://www.tulsaworld.com/blogs/post.aspx/Hit_the_road_and_make_some_memories/19817?subj=56Wed, 10 Apr 2013 14:16:32 CDTWhen Collette decided to play soccer, I struggled with a lot of questions. The main one being: How could I use this opportunity to bond with my daughter Besides the fact that I’m the ......http://www.tulsaworld.com/blogs/post.aspx/Team_sport_adds_new_dimension_to_parenting/19798?subj=56Tue, 09 Apr 2013 14:00:00 CDTA high school teacher once accused me of cheating after I did suspiciously well on a quiz. This was Algebra III, and I have to admit that an “A” was kind of shocking. So to prove my innocence, ......http://www.tulsaworld.com/blogs/post.aspx/Cheating_scandals_raise_doubts_about_standardized_tests/19799?subj=56Tue, 09 Apr 2013 12:56:32 CDTFor just a moment, I stood there, stunned and horrified. A friendly associate at a local nursery helped us load all of the new plants into the back seat next to my daughter, and she promptly ......http://www.tulsaworld.com/blogs/post.aspx/Safe_gardening_with_children_Poison_plant_list_QA_with/19788?subj=56Mon, 08 Apr 2013 15:58:00 CDTA recent trip to Myanmar between China and India confirmed what I already knew: that grandparenting is a universally recognized blessing. Everywhere we went, in major cities, small towns and ......http://www.tulsaworld.com/blogs/post.aspx/Love_for_grandkids_transcends_cultural_barriers/19745?subj=56Thu, 04 Apr 2013 15:57:42 CDTI recorded a movie recently that I wanted to share with my daughters, as my mom had shared it with me. When I pressed play on the DVR, I got the reaction I was expecting: 'Ewww. Is this in black and white?'...http://www.tulsaworld.com/blogs/post.aspx/Movies_arent_black_and_white_for_kids/19731?subj=56Wed, 03 Apr 2013 16:06:00 CDTI wonder if this is how older parents feel about school parent-teacher conferences. We know that our baby girl is perfect, but we want an unbiased authority to agree with us. We want the doctor ......http://www.tulsaworld.com/blogs/post.aspx/What_to_expect_at_a_pediatrician_checkup/19661?subj=56Mon, 01 Apr 2013 07:05:00 CDTLike Cookie Day at Christmas (read about my Italian cookies here) , ......http://www.tulsaworld.com/blogs/post.aspx/Portuguese_Easter_Bread_is_a_labor_of_love/19615?subj=56Tue, 26 Mar 2013 15:02:00 CDTAs challenging as babies can make some things look, there's one area where babies have us all beat, and it's eating. Stumble while walking, babble while attempting to talk, or chew on books ......http://www.tulsaworld.com/blogs/post.aspx/Babys_mostly_a_vegetarian_So_is_mom_for_now/19595?subj=56Mon, 25 Mar 2013 12:38:01 CDTYes, they do, according to researcher Brad Bushman in the New York Daily News. 'We know that video-game violence is certainly correlated with violence,' Bushman argues, 'just like smoking is ......http://www.tulsaworld.com/blogs/post.aspx/Do_violent_video_games_trigger_real_violence/19530?subj=56Wed, 20 Mar 2013 10:59:38 CDTFacing a controversy over an 11-year-old girl who wanted to play football for a Catholic school, the archbishop of Philadelphia asked a committee to study the issue. And last week those committee ......http://www.tulsaworld.com/blogs/post.aspx/Girls_can_play_football_after_all_archbishop_says/19500?subj=56Mon, 18 Mar 2013 11:46:32 CDTHappy first birthday, baby. While we're out of state visiting her grandparents for her birthday, I thought I'd give a recap of her first year to help any soon-to-be or current parents of infants....http://www.tulsaworld.com/blogs/post.aspx/Babys_first_year_The_illnesses_sleeping_and_feeding/19400?subj=56Mon, 18 Mar 2013 07:05:00 CDT I sometimes groan when I see young people’s language shortcuts adopted to accommodate the digital age; words and whole sentences abbreviated to the point of absurdity, gross misspellings, missing ......http://www.tulsaworld.com/blogs/post.aspx/Textspeak_our_kids_are_learning_a_second_language/19465?subj=56Thu, 14 Mar 2013 17:16:33 CDTI was in the first grade and not yet Catholic when a Polish cardinal stepped onto the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica. John Paul II was the first and, well into adulthood, the only pope I had ......http://www.tulsaworld.com/blogs/post.aspx/Francis_I_Not_a_pope_to_grow_up_with/19449?subj=56Wed, 13 Mar 2013 14:58:00 CDT A dad who enjoys playing video games with his daughter modified ......http://www.tulsaworld.com/blogs/post.aspx/Donkey_Kong_hack_makes_dad_a_hero_for_many_especially/19443?subj=56Wed, 13 Mar 2013 10:55:00 CDTOn vacation some years ago, my wife and I went through Boulder, Colo., where we noticed a lot of college students wearing a comfortable new kind of shoe called Crocs. My wife bought a pair and ......http://www.tulsaworld.com/blogs/post.aspx/The_Pass_Out_Game_A_trend_that_needs_to_fade/19413?subj=56Mon, 11 Mar 2013 13:07:15 CDTThis mom curses like a sailor and according to several websites that came up after Googling “relieve stress with cursing,” that’s OK. Of course, it was OK with me before the search, but I thought ......http://www.tulsaworld.com/blogs/post.aspx/Potty_mouth_mommy/19408?subj=56Mon, 11 Mar 2013 09:00:00 CDTNo, there is no typo in the title. This is indeed a recipe for a diaper cake. Around this time last year, my husband and I were expecting our first child, so our co-workers, friends, family ......http://www.tulsaworld.com/blogs/post.aspx/Recipe_Diaper_cake/19395?subj=56Mon, 11 Mar 2013 07:05:00 CDT