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4 Hudson Valley Parent n February 2016 ON OUR COVER In this issue COLUMNS FEATURES 6 Publisher's Journal: Keeping healthy or not BY TERRIE GOLDSTEIN 30 Calendar: Great places to go and things to do 38 Marketplace: Hudson Valley products and services HV PARENT READER FEEDBACK As we celebrate Children's National Dental Health this month, we asked parents for the top three things they look for when choosing a dentist? "The three things that I look for are patience, knowledge, and being a good listener. I'm assuming that they follow appropriate sterilization protocols and are up to date on technology." — Sarah Flanagan "Knowledgeable about lip/tongue ties and associated palate issues. If they are that on top of it, they are likely able to handle the common issues with great expertise." — Kali Viker "Gentle, kid-friendly, and week- end hours since I don't like to take the kids out of school for appoint- ments. I love Doctor Lustbader in Newburgh. He's great with my kids and if they have a cavity he gets them in immediately." — Erin Johnson "I look for ease of scheduling, kid friendly office so it's not intimidating and above all the doctor needs to be patient and understanding to the child's needs and fears." — Melissa Sheehan "I look for a dentist that has evening or weekend appointments. An office that takes our insurance and doesn't have billing problems plus a kind understanding staff." — Maureen Finnerty 8 I am a Hudson Valley Parent Anna Mueller: A girl scouting mom BY BRIAN PJ CRONIN 10 HVP's Annual Camp Guide Choosing a camp just became easier with 100s of camps listed in the Hudson Valley Annual Guide 20 Kids have allergies… or food issues? Choose a camp that accommodates your child BY ELORA TOCCI 22 Life happened while I made other plans Merlyn shares her struggles as she tries to create a healthy lifestyle for her and her son BY MERLYN AKHTAR 24 Dentist of f ice décor And other ways to choose your child's dentist BY DAWN GREEN 28 Smile and everyone feels better Thanks to Windsor Dental and Michael Bloom Photography for sponsoring the photo spread for our Biggest Smile contest. This month's cover kid is Diego, a good looking 10-year-old who loves everything from art and nature to playing music. According to his mom, competing for the Hudson Valley Parent cover was his idea. Photo by Michael Bloom A new HVP editor is coming. Do you recognize her?