More Lifestyles category, Page 81
Thoughtful shopping habits fight disorganization, clutter
No matter the topic of my articles, readers will invariably comment, “Just tell people to buy less stuff.” And although I couldn’t agree more that consumption contributes to clutter and disorganization, I’m also aware that telling someone to just stop shopping is not a realistic solution. A dietitian advises clients...
Kiddy lit: Early reading programs give learning a boostVideo
A group of toddlers gathered with parents and grandparents on Jan. 14 in Adams Memorial Library in Latrobe for a session of the library’s “Wee Read” early literacy program. It was a little like herding cats for children’s director Karen Herc until she captured their attention with a round-robin activity...
College student defies his mother’s ban on football
Adapted from a recent online discussion. Dear Carolyn: My son is a wonderful young man, but there was one thing we butted heads on all four years of high school: He wanted to play football, and I wouldn’t let him. Well, he just informed me that he plans to play...
Husband tells daughters of his desire to cheat before telling his wife
Adapted from a recent online discussion. Dear Carolyn: My husband recently told me he had fallen for another woman. I was stunned, but even more when he said he had informed my daughters of his desires before he spoke to me. Both daughters stood up to him, he and I...
Wife second-guesses marriage after trouble conceiving children
Dear Carolyn: I got married two years ago to a wonderful woman. We are in our mid-30s and decided to wait one year before trying to have kids. We waited the year and started trying, but despite neither of us having any obvious medical issues, we’ve been unable to conceive....
Disappointed with adult life
Dear Carolyn: Is being an adult just the process of becoming more accepting of disappointment in life? I’m in my 30s and awakening to the fact that nothing in the life I have spent a decade building — relationships, career, skills, hobbies, home — is fulfilling to me at all....
Man can’t connect with wife now that kids are grown and gone
Dear Carolyn: After 30 years of marriage, my wife and I have come to the realization that we have nothing in common. It hasn’t always been this way. Even with our cultural differences — my wife emigrated from Central America at 20; I’m third-generation Japanese American — there was an...
Grandparents’ options are limited when good advice is ignored
Q: We have 10 grandchildren, spread among three of our kids. They all live within an hour’s drive, so we see them often. We want to be involved in their lives and to be good influences. Our problem is with the parents. None of them are receptive to any advice...
Snowshoe event satisfies cabin fever and chili cravings in Laurel Highlands
Deep in the heart of the dark and cold of winter, cabin fever can strike. Appetites for hearty meals also increase this time of year. From 5-7:30 p.m. on Jan. 31, Laurel Highlands Conservation Landscape partners, including the Forbes State Forest, will hold a “Snowshoes and Chili” event. Burn off...
‘Dark and moody’ colors, spa tubs among 2019 home design trends
The home remodeling and design platform Houzz recently released its annual forecast, derived from conversations with industry experts as well as trends spotted among its 40 million monthly users. It offers a snapshot of what we might see in stores, living rooms and Instagram feeds this year. We asked Houzz...
United States Postal Service releases ‘Year of the Boar’ stamp
To celebrate Lunar New Year, the United States Postal Service is releasing a 2019 “Year of the Boar” Forever stamp, the 12th and final stamp in the Celebrating Lunar New Year series. An important holiday for many Asian communities, Lunar New year is celebrated with parades, parties and other special...
Carnegie Science Center installation depicts waste, upcycling, from discarded plasticVideo
Through Feb. 15, Carnegie Science Center’s RiverView Cafè will display an exhibit depicting the fallout from single-use plastic waste and plastic pollution. The Sustainable Pittsburgh Restaurant program’s Straw Forward demonstrates a community-wide, collaborative effort to inspire a conversation about the issue of plastic pollution from a local perspective. More than...
Explaining nurse’s schedule to boyfriend’s family is like talking to a brick wall
Adapted from a recent online discussion. Dear Carolyn: I am a nurse, my boyfriend is a teacher. A lot of his family are teachers, too. My boyfriend and I get along great, he is really patient with my schedule and I am completely understanding that he gets extra time off...
Woodlands group offers tour of Champion wood mill
The Westmoreland Woodlands Improvement Association is sponsoring a field trip Saturday to a wood mill in Champion that turns lumber into handles for landscaping and gardening tools. The tour of the Ames Companies’ mill begins at 9 a.m. at 135 Roaring Run Road. It is expected to last about 90...
Dreading graduation accolades after a rocky year
Adapted from a recent online discussion. Hi, Carolyn: I am finishing a training program and the ritual is a gathering with one of the senior people standing up to say (presumably nice) things about each of the departing trainees. I’ve had a rocky year, and my close supervisors and I...
Bleach isn’t so scary if you know how to use it correctly
There is dissension in laundry rooms and grocery store cleaning aisles everywhere. For some of us, when it comes to whitening and disinfecting laundry and certain areas of our home, common household bleach is a wonder product. To others, bleach is a hazardous chemical. To get to the hard truth...
9 steps to the perfect pan sauce
A core principle of my cooking philosophy is to never pass up an opportunity for flavor. So when I see cooked-on juices in the bottom of my saute pan, I don’t see a dishwashing chore. I see pan sauce. Think of it as the difference between a plain pork chop...
Living with Children: Remember, you can’t control everything
“So, anyway, after they take showers I lay out their school clothes for the next day. And then….” “Hold on right there,” “How old are your girls again?” “Um, they’re 7 and 5,” she answered, being the 30-something mother of the girls in question. “Why?” “I guess I need you...
Coming to terms with mother’s decline
Dear Carolyn: The holidays were great except … my mother looks like she is dying. She had a significant fall the week before. Went to the hospital. Somehow managed not to break anything. Was given antibiotics for a “raging” (doctor’s word) infection. She and my dad managed to get to...
Wife fears husband’s bragging sets family up for failure
Adapted from a recent online discussion. Dear Carolyn: Two years ago, we were invited to skip our son “Johnny” ahead from first grade to second mid-year. My husband was a bit insufferable about it, bragging to a number of our friends about how well Johnny was doing academically. This really...
Give yourself permission to move away from toxic mom
Dear Carolyn: No one in my family, including myself, wants to spend time with my mom. She can be really toxic. She has hurt me all my life, and, really, everyone I love. I stopped asking my husband and kids to go with me a while ago. In fact, I...
Galentine’s Day moonlight yoga set at Heinz History Center
Valentine’s Day may be Cupid’s chance to celebrate romantic love, but first, women will celebrate the importance of their friendships with Galentine’s Day. The Senator John Heinz History Center, 1212 Smallman St., Pittsburgh, in partnership with Pittsburgh Yoga Events, offers women a chance to toast to health and history with...
Acme horse team pulls out heavyweight win at Pa. Farm Show
The Brown Brothers team of Mt. Pleasant Township brought plenty of horse power to the Pennsylvania Farm Show last week, winning the heavyweight horse pulling contest with equine siblings Chip and Charlie in harness. Chip and Charlie, a pair of Belgian draft horses, beat nine other teams Tuesday to take...
Relentlessly positive friend can be exhausting
Adapted from a recent online discussion. Dear Carolyn: A good friend has a habit that makes me crazy and I’d love to deal with it better. Whatever anyone says, she tries to put a positive spin on it. I realize I sound like a monster for being annoyed by this,...
She wasn’t welcomed by in-laws until she had kids
Dear Carolyn: My in-laws, sister-in-law included, made it crystal clear they only invited me to things because they “had to” — their words — once my husband and I were married. I was even told point-blank that I ruined Christmas by being present. Well, now everyone wants to be around...
