With Your Family in Mind

Kindergarten can be a scary time for a five-year-old.  Even with the brightly colored carpet and smiling teacher it is a brand new experience that includes four hours of no cartoons, no favorite stuffed animal and no mommy.  Project-Based learning is a great way to help children thrive in the kindergarten classroom while having fun. 

For the last two years, the people of Santa Clarita have voted Lowe’s Music as The Best Music Store in Santa Clarita.  With a knowledgeable staff and friendly atmosphere, let the professionals at Lowe’s Music Store help you.  With over 250 students a week, Lowe’s is committed to offering fun and educational lessons on just about every instrument possible, from piano, flute, clarinet, saxophone, oboe, guitar, drums, bass, trumpet, violin, voila, cello and vocals. 

In today’s housing market, many people are upside down with their mortgages.  Not to mention, many homeowners have an adjustable rate mortgage (ARM) with a skyrocketing payment.  As a result, there are people who approach me with this basic of question:

In an era when the latest fad is old in about a month and the staying power of various marketing gimmicks is less than that; to speak of the ministry of the local church must seem to some as a quaint notion bringing to mind a Norman Rockwell and an era long gone.

This fall, students interested in developing original theatrical works, and subsequently having them read and work-shopped by both peers and professionals, are invited to enroll in the College of the Canyons Theatre/English course “Introduction to Playwriting.”

A cool, refreshing drink of water is something many people take for granted. But what if we didn’t have access to safe drinking water? Up until 100 years ago we did not. In fact, it was often dangerous.

We were shakin’ and bakin’ the other day.  As if three digit temperatures were not sufficient, nature chose to further demonstrate her powers by reminding us that we reside on a living planet.  As I watched people duck and cover on live television, I thought about how often natural disasters such as earthquakes create emotional adjustment problems for children.  Children’s reactions vary depending upon the event’s impact on family life, the child’s developmental level, and the child’s temperament. 

Many parents in our community have disabled children.  Often, when planning for their own deaths, these devoted parents realize that they are the only advocates for their disabled child.  Once they are gone, who will advocate for all of the necessary services for their child?  Who will make sure the child maintains their public benefits, is properly educated, has proper living arrangements, necessary medical care, and is fulfilling their potential?  This is where a “third party” special needs trust can be an invaluable resource.

The art displayed at the College of the Canyons Art Gallery will be from professional artists who all have one thing in common: they have continued to practice their discipline while teaching it to others.

Santa Clarita Magazine readers send me questions every day about the voiceover business.  Here are a couple of those letters:

When the issue of estate planning comes up, some people tell me, “Oh, we’ve already taken care of that.”  Then I ask them some specific questions about their plan, and the answer is almost always, “I don’t know.”  What kind of a plan is that?  That’s like saying you just had surgery, but you’re not sure what surgery it was.

In this era of political correctness and gender blindness, it is sometimes easy to lose sight of real world experience.  The trauma of divorce and rate of recovery should be the same for men and women.  But, the hard facts reveal that it is not.  Perhaps because of how women are raised, or something in the genetic coding for females, women seem to be better equipped to deal with both the process of divorce and recovery from it.

Recently, Tisha B’Av, considered the saddest day in the Jewish calendar, passed. This day marks the destruction of both Temples in Jerusalem and other painful events dating back to the ancient Israelites.  I bring this up, not to depress anyone, but to make two points that are poignant to me. 

It has been said that there is power in numbers.  Belief in this theory has been derived from detailed research on elections, major historical conflicts, and major historical advancements.  However, more than numbers, I believe greater accuracy is found within the belief that there is power in unity. 

With nearly 85,000 children in California removed from their parents’ homes due to abuse or neglect and 9,000 foster children in California waiting for adoptive homes, there is a great need for caring adults to provide loving, nurturing homes as either foster or adoptive parents.  A parent information meeting will be held Thursday night, September 18 from 6:30 p.m. to 8 pm at the Bethlehem Lutheran Church located at 27265 Luther Drive, Canyon Country,  for those interested — adults single or married are welcome (English and Bilingual Spanish speaking).

As the days grow shorter and we ready ourselves for a new school year, it is a good time to take inventory on our children’s behavior.  A measure stick or reality check that I often give to parents is this: Imagine that you are a teacher in a classroom with twelve (preschool) to thirty (high school) children.  Now imagine your child’s behavior times 12, 20, 30 or whatever the case may be.  Is your child’s quirkiness still cute and endearing?

Gather Some Basic Information Before Seeing an Advisor

When the pressure of dealing with debt is too much to handle alone, it would be wise to seek competent advice from a trusted advisor.  But the advice you will receive is only as good as the information you provide.  The basic information needed can be categorized as follows:

It’s true. Hypnotherapy has yielded great results for teenagers and children.  It has helped them increase their focus and concentration, improve in school, improve athletically, increase confidence and self-esteem, and overcome fears just to name a few life issues.  I love...