Passions run pretty strong when it comes to the nation’s health reform law, the Affordable Care Act (OK, Obamacare). Still, a lot of families don’t know much about the law or what’s set to change […]
If asked about what’s different this school year, the kids in your household will probably talk about new teachers, classrooms and school supplies. But parents should know some other changes are on the way since […]
As you might have noticed, this summer we are running a few new regular features. On Wednesdays, we’re writing about taking on the city as tourists — even though we live here. So, we might […]
As you might have noticed, this summer we are running a few new regular features. On Wednesdays, we’re writing about taking on the city as tourists — even though we live here. So, we might write […]
The results of the recent legislative session for this group or that seem to be everywhere in the news, so how about a look at what happened this session for families? True, the governor called […]
Ever heard of the activist roots for Mother’s Day? Back in 1870, Julia Ward Howe, an advocate for equality, women’s rights, peace, and the abolition of slavery, put out a proclamation on what some say was the first Mother’s Day. […]
About a year ago, fellow LiveMom blogger Nicole introduced me to Alexandria Garza. A single mother to a little girl, Alexandria was uninsured when doctors diagnosed her with some serious health problems, including a heart […]
Think back: What’s your earliest memory of wanting to change the world? Chances are, long before you could cast a ballot, you were a kid who cared deeply about something. You truly believed you could […]
Oh, right . . . fitness. Am I the only one who needs reminding about this? When it comes to my family’s health, lots of things manage to get my attention regularly. Runny noses serve […]
Last fall, my husband informed me my car was leaking something in our driveway. Being responsible, I (eventually) got around to taking the car into our neighborhood garage and asked them to check it out. […]
It’s got play dough. It’s got snacks. It’s got swings and slides. But does it have teachers who know what makes little kids tick and can handle my child when she inevitably freaks out? There’s […]
There are so many reasons to live in Austin. My list would include all the affordable, fun things to do as a family, the 10 months of sunshine, and the many big city offerings we […]
Looking back, 2012 may be the year when a million moms discovered their inner activist. There were elections to motivate us, controversies over women’s health, a major health reform law before the Supreme Court—and, of […]
Oh boy, here we go! The 83rd Texas Legislative Session started last week, and I fully anticipate this one being as exciting, exhausting, rewarding, and at times as infuriating as the six ones I’ve worked […]
With lawmakers back at the Capitol for their every-other-year lawmaking, a lot is about to be decided for kids and families. Last time they met, lawmakers made huge $5 billion cuts to schools and other […]
This week, you likely drove on local roads, maybe dropped your child off at a public school, and passed a hospital, fire station, police department, and library somewhere along the way. Chances are you didn’t […]
*This giveaway is closed. Thanks to all who entered and congrats to Laura on winning! When my baby was born, a nurse at the hospital gave me a list of all the vaccines my child […]
Texas is in the news again, and in less-than-good ways. We’ve got the school districts suing the state. We’ve got health professionals pointing out there is a multi-billion IOU for Medicaid health care. It all […]
If you’re reading this in Texas, you’re bringing up your children in one of the country’s most obese states, so that’s the bad news. The good news is Texas, and Austin specifically, are also home […]
I read on CNN’s website that someone has developed an app that helps people decipher political ads. Very cool idea, but what I really need is someone to come out with an app that helps […]
I love mommy-daughter dates. My daughter and I regularly embark on adventures both big and small, from wandering through Houston’s museums, to exploring Manor’s Ghost Town, to delighting our taste buds at Whole Foods’ never-ending […]
When Dallas-area student Chantal was just 8 years old, she faced a lot of trouble in school. A bright, compassionate kid diagnosed the year before with Asperger’s syndrome, a form of autism, she would sometimes […]
If you’ll forgive my sounding like an old fogey here: Boy, things sure have changed since I was a kid. My soon-to-be kindergartener is entering public school at a time when funding for education has […]
As back-to-school time approaches, life gets pretty busy. Keeping up with the news becomes, shall we say, not the highest priority. We’re here to help. Below are 10 current-event tidbits to know about, all of […]
Recently, my boss and friend Eileen offered to put on an event. The date and place were to be determined, but the purpose had been set: celebrating you, your family, and your say in what […]
Whenever we hit summer, I always find myself antsy-pantsy to throw a party. My line of work doesn’t slow much in summer, and child care gets more complicated not less. Still, there is that little […]
Belated Happy Mothers’ Day! Unless, of course, you ever let your child sleep in a crib, wean, or ride in a stroller, in which case . . . you call yourself a mother?! I’m referring […]
A Texas mom I’ve gotten to know sent a heartbreaking email to my work not long ago. Her name’s Cyndi, and she lives in a suburb with her middle-class family. She has four kids and […]
My 5-year-old and I are on her bedroom floor, scrutinizing a couple of dozen faces on a screen. Finally, I say, “Is the person someone who might say that they’re Asian, or Asian-American, do you […]
Ah, tax-filing time! Last year, I used this space to talk about tax day, including appreciating what good we do together with our tax dollars. I provided a pie chart—of how much goes to our […]
Some years back, I started a day care search with a list from the now-defunct nonprofit Family Connections. The list showed all the licensed child care options within 5 miles of my house. I know, […]
My preschooler plays with a kid who has cystic fibrosis. I think of him and his parents daily. There are many families like them, of course, dealt some hand that I, by dumb luck, missed. […]
In the midst of some pretty dramatic play dueling, I heard my 4 year old yell, “Stop dying!” at his older brother who lay sprawled on the ground with his tongue dramatically jutting out of […]
photo credit: Amanda M Hatfield It seems like every few months there’s a news story that looks at the way we as a nation medicate our kids—the increasing rates, the negative side effects that can […]
photo credit: @cdharrison Texas’ new sonogram law is, as of yesterday, the law of the land for Texas women. After some wrangling in court over whether the law is constitutional, an appeals court yesterday decided […]
I was six the first time I heard about a child being horribly abused. My older brother was the one spilling the beans. I can remember locking myself in the bathroom at the time, crying […]
photo credit: Kakakrokodil There are few tougher days in a mama’s life than when she sends her child off to school for the first time. It’s scarier than all heck to let our babies (because, […]
photo credit: Daquella manera It’s not hard to imagine things being just a little better—a little easier, a little more reasonable and fair—for women and kids. Yes, yes, we’ve come a long way, baby. I […]
In her movie out this weekend, Sarah Jessica Parker ditches sex and the city for kids and high finance, and I feel for her. I picked up the novel I Don’t Know How She Does […]
Ah, the whirlwind of activities surrounding a child’s birthday. My daughter just turned eight. Parties, presents, cake–check, check, check. Spoiled by the grandparents–double check. She finally has the rollerblades she’s been begging for, which were […]
That can’t be right was my reaction, and I imagine a lot of folks’, to the report out last month that 60% of Texas students get suspended or expelled in middle or high school. When […]
This is the final installment in our series on the 2011 Texas Legislature and what it meant for kids and families. Although what we dubbed the “Mommy Mob Chronicles” ends today, we hope a new […]
This is the fourth post in our series about what happened in the 2011 Texas Legislature that affects kids and families. The special session ended Wednesday, making it likely that any new laws or budget […]
This is the third in a series of posts about the decisions of the 2011 Texas Legislature and what it means for children and families. This week we look at a few highlights of new […]
This is the second in our series of posts about what happened during the Texas legislative session for kids and families. Mommy Mob contributor and Texans Care for Children CEO Eileen Garcia has had as […]
This is the first in a series of posts about what happened—the good, the bad, and the ugly—for families during the Texas legislative session. The series kicks off with a mixed report about a program […]
By now, every Austinite has their celebrity-sighting story, whether it Matthew McConaughey or Sandra Bullock. Mine is spotting Molly Ivins in the Magnolia Café booth next to mine, about a year before she died. To […]
I confess I like shortcuts. I prefer ponytails to blow-drying, Roomba to Swiffer, throwing important papers in messy-desk piles to neatly filing them away. If I were a women’s magazine, I’d say these were “time-saving […]
When your child’s fever spikes or her arm breaks, figuring out where to go for help is pretty obvious. That’s not true, though, when the concern involves mental health. Is a half-hour visit with the […]
By about an hour and a half into our family’s tax preparation Saturday, my fidgety preschooler, her stressed-out dad, and I were all going a little bonkers. This is no one’s favorite annual ritual, is […]
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