Issue link: http://hvparent.uberflip.com/i/283958
4 Hudson Valley Parent n April 2014 In this issue 12 I am a Hudson Valley parent Michelle-Marie Hienemann: Beautifying the Hudson Valley BY KATHLEEN WILLCOX 14 Go jump in a mud puddle! Host your own "mess fest" party for charity BY GLORIA DARMANIN 18 Big thrills, life skills Summer camp is beneficial at every age BY GAYLA GRACE 20 Share and share alike Is community-supported agriculture right for your family BY DAWN GREEN 24 No siblings? No problem! Raising a happy, healthy only child BY MALIA JACOBSON 28 Babies and beer! Local beer gardens are the new family-friendly destinations BY KATHLEEN WILLCOX 32 Seeing into the autistic brain An evening with Temple Grandin BY LAURA LICATA SULLIVAN 40 Put down that phone April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month BY KERRIE MCLOUGHLIN COLUMNS FEATURES 5 Family Life: Making sense of nutrition labels 6 Editor's Journal: Letting our kids be kids. BY KATY WEBER 8 Child Behavior: Are we overscheduling our kids? BY DR. PAUL SCHWARTZ 9 New Moms: Baby's sleep rhythms 10 Common Core @ Home: Why is there an emphasis on reading non-fiction? 34 Calendar: Great places to go and things to do 41 Marketplace: Hudson Valley products and services 42 Dining Out: Mill House in Poughkeepsie ON OUR COVER HV PARENTS ON FACEBOOK "When my son became obsessed with ice pops, I started making some with fruit & veggie purée to avoid the sugar. He loves them!" — Amanda Snell, Monroe "Every time we pass Chuck E. Cheese, I say, 'Oh, it's closed on Mondays' or whatever day it may have been." — Theresa Podhurst, Putnam Valley "My daughter's favorite toy broke, so we bought her a new one. I hid the old one while she was out with my parents and gave her the new one when she got home. It's a good thing she's not 2 yet, because she didn't question it. It does look like her bun- ny had a bath though!" — Jessica Pardee, Wappinger's Falls "My youngest loves nursery rhymes on CD. The same songs over and over and over again. I sometimes tell him the CD is broken so I don't have to listen to it." — Tiffany Seyfert, Kingston "I've told my kids that the ice cream truck only plays music when they are all out of ice cream." — Beruriah Danaher, Wingdale This month's cover kid is Crystal Lee, 13, a 7th grader from Monroe. Her favorite hobbies are dancing, modeling and just hanging with her friends. Photo by Kit DeFever; kitdefever.com What fibs have you told your kids in the name of preserving your sanity?