February 2012 . OWENSBORO PARENT 1www.OwensboroParent.com

February 2012 . OWENSBORO PARENT 2www.OwensboroParent.com

3 OWENSBORO PARENT . February 2012 www.OwensboroParent.com

4 OWENSBORO PARENT . February 2012 www.OwensboroParent.com

Weve never really made a big deal out of Valentines Day. Maybe we went out to dinner once, and I think Jeff bought me chocolate another year, but only because its my favorite food and I require a good dose at least once a week. No, Valentines Day was never really our thing. We love each other, dont get me wrong, but we tend to celebrate that every day of the year, not just the day set aside for Cupid and candy. But this year is an entirely different story. For the first time, we are not each others Valentine. I got booted from the gig, but its okay because I kicked Jeff out of his role too. Our little Avery has stolen our hearts. Her smile is infectious. Just the other night she rolled over for the first time and you would have thought she made a groundbreaking, scientific discovery at the way we reacted. Cuddling with her is the best part of our day, and even changing a stinky diaper isnt too bad, simply because shes there. Who better to be our funny little Valentine? Avery puts everything into perspective, makes even the worst day better and makes each new day an adventure. Thats the reason this whole being a parent thing is worth it. Why taking a break from writing this letter to go take a picture of her with a toy just because shes starting to discover her hands seems like the most important thing in the world. Our kids are everything. We certainly know it at Owensboro Parent. Our Publisher and his wife are having their third. Our Distribution Manager and his wife just had their second. And my husband and I have our hands full with our first. We all love our jobs, especially putting this magazine together for you. We love our spouses, our family, our friends. But the love we have for our little ones is something different all together. Happy Valentines Day from us and our little Valentines to you and yours!

Editor, Owensboro Parent Magazineashley@owensboroparent.com

{ o w e n s b o r o p a r e n t . f e b r u a r y 2 0 1 2 } Publisher/Designer Jason Tanner

jason@owensboroparent.com

Editor

Ashley Sorce

ashley@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

Christina Dalton

Dean Ehrenheim

Dr. Brian Gannon

Matt Weafer

Lora Wimsatt

Contact Information

Owensboro Parent Magazine

PO Box 23237

Owensboro, KY 42304

(270) 314-5240

www.owensboroparent.com

facebook.com/owensboroparent

twitter.com/owensboroparent

issuu.com/owensboroparent

Cover Photography

Dream Copy Photography

www.dreamcopyphoto.com

Cover Model

John Burton Condray, son of

John and Adrianne Condray of

Owensboro

Advertise

Owensboro Parent is a FREE

magazine because of community

support.

Thank you to the great group of

businesses & organizations who

advertise with us.

If you want to contribute to the

success of our magazine, we

would love to hear from you and

will work to develop an

advertising partnership that will

not only benefit you, but also the

parents of Owensboro.

from the editor

February 2012 . OWENSBORO PARENT 5www.OwensboroParent.com

parent talk [7]

what to do for cold and flu [8]

love your childs bad behavior [10]

love the earth, love recycling [13]

enjoying the right here, right now [15]

be men of courage [16]

he shouldnt be alive [18]

show us the love photos [20]

homegrown talent [25]

valentines day recipe [28]

february calendar [32]

february features

[25]

[8]

[20]

[18]

[10]

[28]

6 OWENSBORO PARENT . February 2012 www.OwensboroParent.com

February 2012 . OWENSBORO PARENT 7www.OwensboroParent.com

parent talkOwensboro Parent asked you to share your favorite Valentines tradition with your family on Facebook. Here are a few responses we LOVE and want to share with our readers:

{ 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

Im a single mom, so every year I have a date with my son

at Gatti Town. I have fun with my favorite Valentine and dont

have to get depressed by seeing all the happy couples out

celebrating being in a relationship!

- Holly Jenkins Jackson

Lots of hugs and kisses (and pink and red)! I usually decorate

the house while the kids are sleeping and put out little treats

for them to wake up to, like stuffed animals or candy, and

a note to tell them how much I love them. We also make

homemade Valentines for their class and friends at church.

- April Wantz Long

Homemade heart shaped pizza made with the kids--now as

teenagers they still remind me to buy the ingredients!

- Allison Finley C oomes

We have always given our three kids a very small box of candy

and a new movie to watch. Since we have three new movies,

it gives us an excuse to promote some family time.

- Lise Behr Payne

We love to make Valentines Day cupcakes and cookies! Then

the boys will share them with grandparents, aunts and uncles!

- Brittany Groves

8 OWENSBORO PARENT . February 2012 www.OwensboroParent.com

cold and flu

{ b y : d r . b r i a n g a n n o n }

what to do for

During most recent winters, cold and flu season

has been in full swing by February. This winter

the viruses that lead to lots of breathing problems

and hospital days, especially for young children,

have arrived late. We know these viruses will

show themselves sooner or later, so when your

little ones start showing early warning signs of

nasal congestion and cough, here are some tips

to help with comfort and healing.

1 Remember that antibiotics DO NOT TREAT viruses. So if you hear that wheezing (usually RSV) is going through your childs daycare, there is almost nothing you can do to prevent the spread or the number of days the child is sick. The key is isolating the sick children as soon as they show symptoms or fever, and good hand washing.

2. Antibiotics DO TREAT ear infections, some pneumonias, and Strep throat. Ear infections usually show up 5-7 days after the start of a cold, especially if fever goes away then reappears. Ear pulling is NOT a reliable sign of an infected ear, unless the child is old enough to talk well, because it may be from teething, wax or many other reasons. The only way to diagnose an ear infection is for the child to be seen by a pediatric provider.

3 Strep throat is a specific cause for sore throat, requiring a rapid Strep test in the office for accurate diagnosis. Any practitioner who tells you he or she knows it is Strep without the test is simply wrong. Multiple studies have compared practitioner impressions based on exam and symptoms against the accuracy of the test, and NOBODY is more than 50% accurate without the test. Without a positive Strep test, antibiotics are very unlikely to help a sore throat,

and they may lead to other unpleasant problems, like upset stomach.

4 In the last year or so the US government has warned that many of the older medicines that we used for years to treat cold symptoms, such as cough and nasal congestion, are really not very effective. The labels now say they are not for children under 4 years old, because the side effects are too risky for the small benefit they give. In general, these medicines only help some symptoms in some people for a few hours, but the cold will still last 10 days or so. The effects of overdose can be serious, however, including insomnia, heart rhythm problems and hallucinations.

5 So if antibiotics and over-the-counter medicines do not help, whats a parent to do? There are some natural remedies shown by medical studies to help boost the immune system or reduce symptoms.

a Honey is AS GOOD AS cough syrup, even narcotic syrup. Local honey is even better, but this seems to work because it is so thick that it coats the throat so the child does not feel the tickle as much.

February 2012 . OWENSBORO PARENT 9www.OwensboroParent.com

OP

So there truly is hope this winter season to limit your childs

burden of illness, but nothing takes the place of good fluid

intake, rest and the special touch of loving, nursing care from

dedicated parents.

For more information, check out cdc.gov/flu; kidshealth.org/

parent/; and healthychildren.org.

Dr. Gannon is the father of three preschoolers, so we are expecting lots of snot

sharing this winter. We are stocking up on Purell, honey and tissues, as we

teach the children to appreciate the (slight) bitterness of green tea.

b Brewed green tea seems to help in a few ways: it has antioxidants which boost your bodys response in fighting infection, which means you may be sick for fewer days. And the small amount of caffeine and the steam from brewing help open your airways to calm difficult, raspy