August 2011 . OWENSBORO PARENT 1www.OwensboroParent.com

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I love to feel her kick. My husband, Jeff, often finds me staring at my belly, waiting for her to make her next move. My baby book calls this navel gazing, but for me, its a feeling I simply cant describe. I feel more and more like a mom with each sweet kick. (with the exception of kicks to the ribs, of course.)

Avery Amelia will be here next month. Sure, we have everything ready. Her nursery is painted the perfect shades of pink and green. Her crib is assembled and adorned with bedding it took us the first trimester to pick out. Her closet is full of clothes and our brains are full of birthing class lessons. We have 1,528 baby wipes and 1,049 diapers. (My husband and I wrote the couponing article on page 22.)

But can anything truly prepare you for your first child?

I know that as first-time parents, Jeff and I rely on the wisdom of other moms and dads that have lived it. This is the purpose of Owensboro Parent Magazine. We realize the need in our community to help parents give and receive advice, find local family events, learn from others unique experiences and simply share the joy of being parents.

This is your magazine. Please e-mail us or find us on Facebook to suggest articles you would like to see, seek advice you may need or share an experience you had with your child. It is our goal to provide you a guide to smart parenting, but we will need your help along the way.

I have been told that when my husband and I meet our baby girl next month we will know what to do. It comes natural, they all say. Yeah, that may be true. But just in case, its nice to know that I have Owensboro Parent to fall back on.

We are all in this parenting thing together.

Always,

Editor, Owensboro Parent MagazineAshley@owensboroparent.com

{ o w e n s b o r o p a r e n t . a u g u s t 2 0 1 1 } Editor

Ashley Sorce

ashley@owensboroparent.com

Publisher/Designer

Jason Tanner

jason@owensboroparent.com

Sales Director

Jonathan Tanner

jonathan@owensboroparent.com

Distribution Manager

Robert Williams

robert@owensboroparent.com

Account Executives

Jodi Tanner

jodi@owensboroparent.com

Jeff Sorce

jeff@owensboroparent.com

Contributors

Lora Wimsatt

Leigh Ann Tipton

Matt Weafer

Patty Tanner

Contact Information

Owensboro Parent Magazine

PO Box 23237

Owensboro, KY 42304

(270) 314-5240

www.owensboroparent.com

facebook.com/owensboroparent

twitter.com/owensboroparent

Printing

Greenwell-Chisholm

420 East Parrish Ave.

Owensboro, KY 42303-3123

(270) 684-3267

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If you want to contribute to the

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from the editor

August 2011 . OWENSBORO PARENT 5www.OwensboroParent.com

features

9

25

16

22

10

18

ParentTalk 7 Your Childs Best Teacher 9

The Blessings of Adoption 10Balancing Act 15

CoverKids 16Q&A with Becca Greenwell 18

Baby Sign Language 20Learn to Coupon 22

August Recipe 25Nothing Stays the Same 27

Family Fun 28Calendar of Events 29

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parenttalkOur readers shared some tips on how to make the first day of school easier for first-time moms & dads.

The following tips from our Facebook page were picked as our favorites. Each writer won a family pack of four tickets to Mesker Park Zoo & Botanical Garden in Evansville, Indiana.

Let your children see their classroom, practice walking in lines at home and send them with a personal item of yours like a watch or wallet. Let them borrow something you dont use and tell them you need them to hang on to it for you. This gives them something to calm them and reassure them that they will see you after school. Plus, being in charge of the item will help them feel big! -Dayna Banks Scott

Our family reads the The Kissing Hand. We also always have a first day of school party each year. I let my child do whatever fun activities she chooses for the day and she can eat whatever she wants. She loves it! She now looks forward to the first day of school every year just so we can have the first day of school party! -Jill Henning Harper

Boo-Hoo Breakfast! On the first day back to school, have a Boo-Hoo Breakfast for parents (especially kindergarten mamas/daddies). Parents

bring your kiddos to school, help them get settled into their classrooms, take some pho-tos, say goodbye and then head to the cafeteria for breakfast with other parents. This gives parents a time to meet each other, learn about programs at the school and meet the teachers & staff. -Kimberly Porter

{ f r o m o u r r e a d e r s }

Owensboro Parent strives to be an essential companion for parents in Owensboro.

Learn more online: www.owensboroparent.com

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Dates carefully marked on the family calendar: Back-to-school picnics, open houses and the first day of school. A box of crayons in a rainbow of colors, the points still sharp and smooth. Round-tipped scissors, a bottle of glue, a ruler and a new backpack Dora the Explorer, perhaps Transformers, or maybe SpongeBob SquarePants. Brand new notebooks, filled with crisp white paper, clean and smooth, just waiting to welcome the sharp point of a new pencil. But even as children excitedly pack and repack their new school supplies into their bags and look forward to the first day of school with sparkling eyes, the most important thing parents can provide is not written on a list of school supplies; its not something to be tucked into a backpack or stored in a locker.

Yes, children will learn that Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 14 hundred and 92. Yes, children will learn about acute and obtuse angles. They will learn about participles and infinitives. They will learn about mass and energy. They will learn the rules of kickball, they will learn that red and yellow make orange, they will learn do re mi fa so la ti do.

But a truly successful student is the child who learns about himself, his talents, skills and what makes him special the child who learns to understand her place in the world, and how she can contribute to making the world better for others. This is the child who is encouraged to explore her imagination and express her thoughts and feelings. The learning that takes place at the kitchen table, in the family van, in the backyard, in the living room, at Grandmas house and as the child is tucked into bed at night this is where a child learns the most important lessons of all. This is where he first learns that he is loved, and appreciated. This is where she learns she has something to say and someone is listening. This is where a child learns that learning is fun, and it truly is a lifelong adventure. He learns that its all right to make mistakes. She learns that other people have feelings, and deserve to be treated with respect. Schools are looking forward to the first day of school too. Buses are clean and ready to travel their routes. Classrooms are decorated with brightly colored posters, and desks are waiting in neat rows. Lunchrooms are waiting to serve nutritious, delicious meals, media centers have new books on display and educators are looking forward to welcoming new students and eagerly anticipating an opportunity to inspire young minds. But the most precious student is your child, and the real teacher, a childs first, best and most influential teacher is YOU.

best teacherThe most successful students are those whose parents realize that a classroom is not always a classroom.{ b y : l o r a w i m s a t t }

your childs

The most valuable school supply of all is a parents encouragement for a child to grow and learn and explore and discover.

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It Was Meant To Be Shortly after Jeff Hausner, 46, and Lois Hausner, 34, married, they learned there was only a 10 percent chance that they would be able to conceive a child on their own. It didnt take long for the couple to decide they would not go through extra medical procedures to have a child, but they were hesitant to look into adoption. At the time, the young couple owned businesses in Owensboro and Chicago, and were frequently on the road. They also knew the long and arduous process of adopting expends emotions and requires a special commitment from hopeful parents. Not ready, the Hausners put off the idea. A chain of events the couple can only describe as divine intervention soon changed their wavering minds. One normal day, Lois noticed a billboard on Frederica Street for a Kentucky adoption agency. She jotted down the agencys phone number in her agenda book and thought, I need to talk to Jeff about this. But when she got home, she didnt. Two weeks later, the couple attended Sunday scho