More Lifestyles category, Page 81
Bayer grant helps shelter residents keep beloved pets
Women’s Center & Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh is among 13 national shelters receiving a $10,000 donation from Bayer U.S. through its new program, Grants Fur Families. The funds are intended to help support shelters providing safe harbor for women and children fleeing physical, mental and emotional abuse with their pets,...
Project Prom offers free dresses, accessories to Allegheny County teens
The Allegheny County Department of Human Services and partner National Council of Jewish Women will kick off the annual Project Prom from 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. March 9 at the council’s Thriftique shop, 125 51st St. in Lawrenceville. The giveaway of prom attire for eligible high school students will continue from...
Sister flakes out of biannual retreats
Adapted from a recent online discussion. Dear Carolyn: Three sisters, all in mid-40s, all live within hours of each other and are generally very close. I, as the oldest, like to plan twice-a-year “sisters retreats” where we all travel somewhere fun. Lately, the middle sister is “not feeling” these outings....
France’s fencing federation officially recognizes lightsaber dueling as sport
BEAUMONT-SUR-OISE, France — Master Yoda, dust off his French, he must. It’s now easier than ever in France to act out “Star Wars” fantasies, because its fencing federation has borrowed from a galaxy far, far away and officially recognized lightsaber dueling as a competitive sport, granting the iconic weapon from...
Don’t wait to start your winter-recovery checklist
Though spring is still more than a month away, there are important tasks you can do around the house this month to prepare your home for the coming season. “It’s vital to start on your winter-recovery checklist as soon as you start to feel the first shy breezes of spring...
Husband refuses to go on any kids-free dates with wife
Adapted from a recent online discussion. Dear Carolyn: My husband does not want to spend alone time with me, leaving me feeling frustrated. We have two very young kids and both work high-pressure, full-time jobs. We both are desperate for more time with our kids and try to maximize any...
Wife discovers husband’s long-term infidelity, inflicts pain on entire family
Dear Carolyn: Cast: Wife of 33 years and mother of three; all of whom are college-educated and in careers. Husband, worked out-of-town during the week for the majority of the years. Scene: Wife, who is not a suspicious woman — too busy rearing children alone — has a “feeling” and...
Living with Children: Public education forecast
I receive a steady stream of missives from teachers, ex-teachers and other folks who have insider knowledge of America’s schools. They all say the same thing — classroom discipline is falling apart and has been for some time — and ask the same question: What can be done? Public-school administrators...
Wary of dating a much older man
Adapted from a recent online discussion. Dear Carolyn: I’ve recently started chatting online with a considerably older man — closer to my parents’ age than mine. I swiped right because I thought he was attractive, but I didn’t really expect to ever meet up with him. A few weeks and...
Pittsburghers vote to send Kennywood token to the moon
A tiny piece of Kennywood Park may soon blast its way into space. A token from the West Mifflin amusement park is the voters’ choice to represent Pittsburgh culture in the first commercial moon landing in 2021. More than 20,000 votes from Western Pennsylvania (and beyond) were cast as part...
Pittsburgh Glass Center’s tableware gets Architectural Digest shout out
Pittsburgh Glass Center’s line of tableware, Penn + Fairmount, is barely 2 years old. And for the (at least) second time, it has been singled out and earned high marks from design industry giants. During the recent NY NOW winter market, it caught the attention of Architectural Digest and was...
Beach house standoff
Adapted from a recent online discussion. Dear Carolyn: My wife and I have a beach house. When we bought it 12 years ago, we established one firm rule — no one could use it when we’re not there. And we’re very cautious about inviting relatives or friends to stay with...
Sunrise view is goal of snowshoe hike up Laurel Mountain
Winter outdoors enthusiasts are invited to take part in a free Rise N’ Shine snowshoe hike Feb. 23 in the Laurel Highlands’ Forbes State Forest. Geared toward families, the moderately-paced, two-hour hike begins at 7 a.m. and will take participants to a scenic high point on Laurel Mountain, to enjoy...
Three Rivers Depression Era Glass Society includes Ohio exhibit in show
The Three Rivers Depression Era Glass Society will feature regional and tri-state area glass/pottery dealers in its 42nd annual show and sale, set for March 2-3 at the Quality Inn in New Kensington, 300 Tarentum Bridge Road. Included will be American glassware from the 1880s to Art Deco to the...
Should kids be forced to call adults by their honorific?
Dear Carolyn: I hate honorifics for myself and want to be called by my first name, period. Some kids in my life have parents who say they HAVE to call me Ms. Lastname or at least Ms. Firstname. They insist it’s important to them that their kids “show respect.” I...
Ligonier Valley Writers plan session on family writing projects
Ligonier Valley Writers will lead a free program on family writing projects from 1-3 p.m. Feb. 23 in the Ligonier Valley Library, 120 E. Main St. The program is aimed at parents or grandparents and children ages 4 and up, but adults who write for children or others interested in...
Daffodil Days return as American Cancer Society spring fundraiser
The American Cancer Society has announced its annual spring fundraiser, Daffodil Days. The colorful first flower of spring represents a campaign to bring hope to cancer patients and those affected by the disease, the nonprofit states. Funds raised through sales help support groundbreaking research, patient services and other cancer society...
Big Brothers Big Sisters plan ’80s-themed guest bartender event
Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Laurel Region will host a guest bartender fundraising event from 5-8 p.m. March 5 at Oliver’s Pourhouse, 8 N. Pennsylvania Ave., Greensburg. “Battle of the Banks ’80s Edition” will feature guest bartenders representing S&T Bank, Standard Bank and Somerset Trust Bank. Tips will benefit...
Fighting the urge to coach nervous rookie parents
Adapted from a recent online discussion. Dear Carolyn: My husband and I got married and had kids relatively young, especially for his family’s standards. Our kids are now in middle- and high school and doing well. His sister is only two years younger than he is but has a 6-month-old...
Overachiever son ditches fast track after college
Adapted from a recent online discussion. Dear Carolyn: My son, “Ron,” 27, works part time at a low-pressure, low-paying job. He has a four-year college degree my ex-wife and I paid for and he graduated with honors but has never worked in that field and shows no interest in doing...
Don’t wait for a disaster to take inventory of your belongings
With floods, fires, tornadoes, superstorms and even cranes toppling onto apartment buildings, no home is completely safe from natural or man-made disasters. Although many of us are prepared to either stick it out with emergency supplies or evacuate to safer locales, only 44 percent of homeowners have inventoried their belongings....
Annual Natrona Heights quilt show bursting with color
Nancy Pauli has been involved with needlework and crafts of all kinds since she was a small child at her grandmother’s side. But she kept putting off starting to quilt until she retired because she thought it would “take over my life.” “And it has,” says the former health care...
Entitled 8th-grade daughter refuses to clean the litter box
Dear Carolyn: I live in a home with two indoor house cats with a litter box. My 8th-grade daughter is supposed to be responsible for sweeping and scooping litter but does a terrible, lackadaisical job. It’s in my laundry room, where I smell and step all over scattered litter. Half...
Living with Children: In education, the old standards worked better than the new
As with nearly every public policy topic these days, myths abound, but few mythologies rival that surrounding public education. Some examples: Myth: Smaller classrooms promote better learning. Fact: The teacher-pupil ratio has little to do with student achievement, as demonstrated in the 1950s when elementary classrooms were bursting at the...
4-H fun: It’s so much more than cows and cooking these daysVideo
In case you were wondering, 4-H is more than just cows and cooking these days. That’s the word from Lyndsey Androstic, the Westmoreland County 4-H extension educator. “I tell people that we are maintaining tradition, but also changing to remain relevant,” she says. What that means is that young people...
