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IN THIS ISSUE

NOVEMBER 2014

LUN

G C

ANCER

AWARENESS

Happy Thanksgiving!Mascara, Old Friends &Other Superheroes:The Big RevealManaging Holiday StressHealthy Holiday FoodsAaron's Presents:Teaching Kids to GiveAsk Dr. Kate: Q&AChildren's Book Review:Sophie's SquashTextile Recycling:Raise Funds forYour School!Education Feature:Waring SchoolCommunity Calendar

Family & Friends

by Suzanne Provencher, Publisher/Editor

Hello again, dear readers! Since last May, I have been sharing a little bit of oneof my best friend’s cancer battle and journey with you. She has successfullycompleted 6 rounds of chemo and 10 days of radiation. Nausea and exhaustionhave been pretty bad lately, along with short term memory problems. They saythe exhaustion is the last thing to go, though it may last for a long time.

This is my friend of 45+ years, Tyla (see photos this and next page). Tyla was acompetitive figure skater for many years – and she had one heck of a Russiansplit jump! Always athletic, she excelled in most sports – often giving the boys arun for their money! She was strong and powerful. In high school, Tyla was atrack star and Northeast Conference record holder for the high jump. She alsodid well in the shot put and squash ball…and in all sports. In her youth, shewas the picture of health and strength.

In her twenties, she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. By this time, shewas a registered nurse and about to be married. While her MS has been achallenge, it did not prevent her from working full time as an administrativenurse until a year and a half ago. On most days, she can still walk – sometimeswith the help of her cane or walker. On more difficult days, she uses her

Mascara, Old Friends & Other Superheroes – The Big RevealNovember is Lung Cancer Awareness Month

2 North Shore Children & Families

wheelchair. In April, she was diagnosedwith stage 4 lung cancer – and she is nowin the fight of her life. She has respondedvery well to her treatments thus far, andwe hope to have many good monthsahead. But we also know that futuretreatments are likely to be on herhorizon, as her cancer is not curable. Butit is treatable – and we are grateful forthat.

In recognition of National Lung CancerAwareness Month in November, wewanted to show you what lung cancerlooks like. It looks like a happy mother,daughter, sister and friend. It looks likemy best friend. Isn’t she beautiful?

I am thankful for the treatments availableto her. I am thankful that she made it through the treatments with minimal side

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35 Standley Street, Beverly, MA(978) 927-8793

www.waringschool.org

Open School Dates

- Friday, October 31- Friday, November 14

Open School Dates

- Friday, October 31- Friday, November 14

North Shore Children & Families 3

North Shore Children & Families

A publication of North Shore Ink, LLC© 2014. All rights reserved.

Reproduction in full or in part without written permission of the publisher is prohibited.

Suzanne M. ProvencherPublisher/Editor

suzanne@northshorefamilies.com

Designed by Group One Graphics

Printed by Seacoast Media Group

Please see our Calendar in this issue for our upcoming deadlines.

Published and distributed monthly throughout the North Shore, 10x per year, and always online.

Information contained in NSC&F is provided for educational and entertainment purposes only.

Individual readers are responsible for their use of any information provided. NSC&F is not liable or responsible for the effects of use of information contained in NSC&F.

Established 2007.

www.northshorefamilies.comP.O. Box 150

Nahant, MA 01908-0150781.584.4569

effects. I am thankful that hertumors have shrunk and are notvisible on her scans. I am hopefulthe “c” word doesn’t start to getactive again anytime soon.

I am still urging her to eat better –but kale is definitely out of thequestion. I am encouraging her tostay as active as possible, because ifyou don’t use it – you lose it. It’stime to recover and work ongetting her strength back – so shecan be strong enough to continueher fight. She is adamant that she

wants to “beat” this, and Iam trying to be assupportive as I can be inthis mission.

As I sit down forThanksgiving dinner, I willsay an extra prayer ofgratitude this year. I amgrateful that my bestfriend is doing so well.And I am hopeful thatshe’ll continue to do so.

I love you, Ty Ty! Keep upthe GREAT work! xo

Preschool and Kindergarten

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to consign or donate,please visit

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In closing, I’d like to thank you all for reading North Shore Children & Familieseach month – and I am thankful for you and your continued interest. From ourNorth Shore family to yours – I wish you the Happiest Thanksgiving and hopeyour holiday season is filled with an abundance of love, joy and blessings.

Until next time…Suzanne

Attention Readers & Advertisers:

Our next issue is our 2-month Winter issue, which covers December ANDJanuary. We do not have a separate January issue. So if you need toadvertise in December and/or January – please plan ahead so youcan join us in the Winter issue. The ad deadlines for the Winter issueare noon, Wed., Nov., 12 (if you require any production assistance) or bynoon, Fri., Nov. 14 (if you will be submitting a completed ad which does notrequire any production assistance).

4 North Shore Children & Families

by Dr. Kate Roberts

One of the wonderful things aboutsummer ending is that the holidays comefast, especially in New England. One dayyou’re wearing shorts and the next youare buying Christmas presents. For manyof us with children, the holidays start withHalloween and extend past Christmas.Most of us look forward to the holidayswith great anticipation. Children areespecially vulnerable to settingexpectations high.

And yet those of us in the business ofworking with families know that January istermed the divorce month because it’snotorious for being the peak month ofdivorce filings. Many us of have laughed atmovies that depict the stress we allexperience in our families. Rememberwhen Robert Downey Jr.’s character flingsa turkey at his sister in Home for theHolidays? Unfortunately, Hollywoodcomedies only scratch the surface when itcomes to really understanding what theholidays can be like for some families. Andlet’s face it, parents have the most difficult

job during the holidays. They areresponsible for keeping their childrenfront and center and grounded whileaccommodating needs and expectations ofextended family and friends. It’s a lot tojuggle and the stress can mount. Forthose who assume the holidays will be acakewalk, they may be blindsided if theydon’t prepare in advance with stressmanagement strategies.

In today’s world, families come in allshapes and sizes and the complexity oftoday’s family make-up only adds to thestress. There are intact families, singleparent families, divorced families andblended families, to name a few of themost common compositions. With all thisto manage, parents at the helm need tobe realistic and accept that doing the bestthey can does not always mean makingeveryone happy – even on a holiday! Inreality, most holidays will have ups anddowns whether families are intact,divorced or blended. Many of theseturbulences can be controlled with stressmanagement and good communication,

and some cannot. Parents need to controlwhat they can and let go of the rest.

Here are some tips to make things easierfor your family during this holiday season:

All Families

Holidays are ripe formiscommunications. Practice sharingonly what is kind, necessary and true.

Emphasize values of gratitude, family,giving back and the importance ofmoderation. Engage your family in suchactivities as donating toys or food tolocal causes or serving others in need.

Have realistic expectations. Holidays arenot panaceas for disappointments andfailures during the rest of the year.

Holiday Stress

Managing Family Stress During the Holidays

Photo: Montessori students are capable of great effort and long periods of concentration.

This student completes a map of North America using a Montessori puzzle map as a reference.

North Shore Children & Families 5Trust your judgment more than yourfear. Try not to give in to your last-minute panic about not having bought“enough” food, gifts or whatever.

Emphasize etiquette as a holiday virtueto be practiced all year long. Accordingto Emily Post, etiquette means “treatingpeople with consideration, respect andhonesty and being aware of how youractions affect those around you”.

Parents As Individuals

Stick to your self-care routine.

Don’t take too much on. Just becauseit’s the holidays does not mean there aresuddenly two of you!

Your kids still need quality time and thegood news is that engaging them inholiday projects is quality time. Fromages 5 up, there are things kids can do tohelp: two more, even small, hands canhelp you.

Intact Families and Parents

Communicate. Nothing dampens theholidays faster than parents fightingabout the expectations that weren’t met.Make time to communicate regarding thedecisions and expectations about gifts,decorations, vacation time, meals andextended family logistics.

Keep an open mind; your partner maynot have your perspective on theholidays.

Don’t split your children, instead keepfirm boundaries. For example, don’t badmouth your partner in front of thechildren, no matter how much you’retempted to or how angry you are atsome decision you don’t agree with.

Don’t allow the holiday rush tomonopolize romance time. That kissunder the mistletoe should not be lost!

Blended Families

Be aware that blended families have theextra emotional and logistical challengesof sharing holiday time and makingvisitation arrangements.

Focus on what’s important. Keeping thekids happy and away from adult stress isparamount to successful holidays.

Communicate with children andstepchildren. Talk about the holidays andwhat they would like to happen.

Acknowledge and celebrate differences.Families come together from differentbackgrounds and traditions. Withblended families, it’s key to integrateimportant cultural and religious aspectsfrom all family members. Take the bestpart of different families’ traditions andunite them into a combined tradition forthe new, blended family.

Be realistic. Not everyone is going toget exactly what they want in eithertraditional or blended families. When

kids living in blended families aredisappointed, remember that there isplenty of that in all families.Disappointment is fleeting for adjustedkids. Validate it and they will move onnicely to appreciation and joy.

Time will help. The first couple of yearsof doing things differently will take someadjusting. Before you know it you’ll haveset new routines, transitions,expectations and memories for theblended family you have created!

Unblended and Single ParentFamilies

The holidays are difficult for childrenwho have lost their blended or intactfamily. Factors that make children moreresilient in the aftermath of a familybreak-up include the following:

Maintain step-parent-child relationships.Although there are no rules, guidelinesor formal commitments, if step parentscan maintain relationships with stepchildren, this helps significantly.

Keep children out of the middle. Adultsneed to set boundaries for the benefit ofthe children who may be closest to alladults involved and who feel powerlessover break-ups. Children need to bereminded often that none of this is theirfault.

Focus on the positive. It’s okay to be sadas a parent who has lost a blended orintact family, but try to buffer your kidsfrom your sadness. They need you nowbecause they have less ability and skill tomanage their emotions than parents.Parents should not burden children withtheir emotions and risk them feeling likeparent caretakers.

Finally, the holidays are supposed to be themost wonderful time of the year. And yet,regardless of whether families are intact,blended, broken blended or single parentfamilies, in reality – holidays can bring outa range of intense emotions in people.How families weather their share ofdisappointments and unforeseencircumstances in a large part depends onparents and their reactions to events.Regardless of the family makeup, parentsneed to work together on behalf of thechildren involved in that particular family.

Dr. Kate Roberts is a licensed child and school

psychologist and family therapist with offices

in Salem and Hamilton. She welcomes

newcomers to her private practice.

She specializes in cognitive-behavior therapy,

family therapy, anxiety and learning disabilities.

She can be reached at

kate@drkateroberts.com and

www.drkateroberts.com.

Continued on page 8

6 North Shore Children & Families

Healthy Holiday Foods

10 Foods You Want toEat at the Holidays

by Mary Higgins

Turkey Day is just around the corner – the day when we all give thanks for many of thebounties in our lives. It may be that new home, the new baby, loving parents, continuedgood health, conquering that illness that sidelined you, or maybe you are grateful for thefootball game and parades. This national holiday officially kicks off the Holiday Seasonand for many, a steady gain of weight from Thanksgiving to New Year’s. But the gain inweight is not inevitable if you choose the right foods.

Let’s look at the benefits of that Thanksgiving meal and see what sensible choices youcan make while still enjoying the feast. Here are 10 foods to choose – not just becausethey are good tasting, but they deliver benefits to our health. Consumed frequently,many of these foods may prevent chronic illness such as cancer and heart disease.

1) Crudités:

Well what about all those carrot sticks, pepper strips, broccoli crowns and the grapetomatoes sitting by the onion dip? Is it really rabbit food? These crunchy rawvegetables are a source of potassium and are filled with substances called carotenoidswhich keep inflammation at bay. Carrots are a great source of soluble fiber which keepscholesterol low. High cholesterol, specifically, high LDL levels, is associated with heartdisease and clogged arteries. Peppers are high in vitamin C, with the red and yellowones having higher vitamin C content.

Cherry or grape tomatoes are high in a nutrient, lycopene, that particularly benefits

North Shore Children & Families 7

Middle school is typically a time of greatintellectual, physical, emotional, and socialdevelopment for young adolescents. The

school environment can foster that development inpositive ways that prepare the student for thechallenges of high school, college, and beyond.

At Waring School in Beverly, the middle schoolyears start in “Core” for grades 6 and 7.According to Jeff Levering, a Waring middle-schoolteacher, having multi-age groupings of studentswho interact with each other on a daily basisbreaks down the intimidating situations foryounger students. At Waring School, “seventhgraders, eighth graders, and high school students all strive to be leaders and positive role models for their younger schoolmates,” he continues.

According to Levering, “This leadership by otherstudents – even as young as seventh graders – isvery empowering. Younger students feelencouraged and supported to do their best and totake intellectual risks. As a consequence, youngerstudents develop a sense of ownership for theirown learning and the confidence to grow. It’s all

about progress. It’s OK to fail, because that is partof the process of learning.”

The learning process is also supported by CoreRubrics, instead of grades. The rubrics are a skill-based range of mastery, a continuum of learning.

Middle School Students Benefitfrom Multi-Age Groups at

The information contained in this educationfeature was submitted by Waring School,

and published in partnership with North Shore Children & Families;

www.northshorefamilies.com.

This method of evaluation, along with narrativecomments from teachers, helps the studentunderstand how well s/he is learning and wheres/he is in the continuum of being an independentlearner.

At Waring, an independent school for co-ed middleschool and high school, Core is just one part of themulti-age groupings that help students learn andgrow. All Waring students also belong to a tutorialgroup of mixed ages led by a teacher. The tutorialis one of the first places students turn for support.

Developmentally speaking,Levering sees the middleschool years as being“highly social and learningabout yourself.” Studentsat this age are learningabout themselves; they arebecoming their ownpersons, and finding theirvoices. Says Levering,“What jumps out atWaring is how muchstudents participate and how they learn to makeconnections between ideas, to synthesize thoughts.We challenge students and have high expectations.We ask for a deep level of thinking and reflection,and they meet the challenge!”

Waring School, in Beverly, MA, will host Open School days on Friday, October 31

and Friday, November 14. For more information and a student-led tour,

please call (978)927-8793 or visit www.waringschool.org.

8 North Shore Children & Families

Attorney Mike Bencal221 Essex St., Suite 51, Salem, MA 01970

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Education and Special Ed. Law • Civil Rights LawLandlord/Tenant Law • Family Law • Motor Vehicle Law

Mediator • Notary Public

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men. Studies of those eating tomato products, especially cooked ones, found a reducedrisk of prostate cancer in the men consuming a diet high in tomato, such as pizza sauceand red pasta sauce.

Broccoli belongs to the family of brassica vegetables that includes cabbage, cauliflowerand Brussels sprouts. Are any of these on your Thanksgiving table? All are low incalories and contain a sulfur compound called sulforaphane, a potent cancer inhibitor.

2) Turkey:

The star at most Thanksgiving celebrations, turkey is loaded with B vitamins plus theamino acid, tryptophan, which becomes converted into the very relaxing substance,serotonin. This is what causes us to become so sleepy after eating that annual feast, andthe enormous amount of food many people eat at the Thanksgiving meal requires agreat portion of blood to be diverted from the brain to the digestive tract in order toprocess and break down all those calories, resulting in drowsiness. Instead of coveringyour portion of turkey with fattening gravy, try topping it with your home-madecranberry sauce.

3) Sweet Potatoes:

These favorites at the holiday table, with their bright orange flesh and thin skin, areloaded with fiber and bursting with beta-carotene, a substance that turns into vitamin Ain our bodies. This is a nutrient that boosts our immune systems while protecting skinand mucous membranes. Eat the skin, which you scrubbed before cooking, as many ofthe nutrients are also found there as well. Sweet potatoes with the skin are anabundant source of potassium, iron and folate.

4) Green Beans:

Green beans are low in calories and high in fiber. While they don’t contain the sulfurcompounds that we find in the broccoli/cabbage family, they are nutritious. It is only 44calories for a whole cup of green beans. Have you ever tried marinating them in the dillvinegar that your pickles soak in? You can purchase them French style and add ascattering of sliced almond slivers for extra pizzazz. The calorie count grows fromcooking green beans in a can of creamed soup, then adding fried onions. You mightwant to re-think serving that dish with 108 of its 166 calories coming from fat in a 2/3cup serving. If you simply cannot disappoint a special family member looking forward toeating the green bean casserole, send the remainder home with them. They’ll love youmore and you won’t have any more of that dish, both high in saturated fat and sodium,in your house.

5) Butternut Squash:

Creamy orange butternut squash or pumpkin, often served during the meal (not to beconfused with the pie), offers the same nutrients. Both are part of the gourd family anda wonderful source of beta-carotene. This antioxidant keeps tissues from beingdamaged by free radicals. Think of antioxidants as your protections against the hazardsof living: air pollution, smoke, water pollution and radiation. Foods rich in beta-carotenealso keep our eyes healthy.

6) Green Leafy Vegetables:

These super nutrient veggies, including Swiss chard, collard greens, kale and spinach, area powerhouse of health. The chlorophyll giving them their luscious green color is a

Healthy Holiday FoodsContinued from page 6

North Shore Children & Families 9pigment with an important job: carrying oxygen throughout the entire body. Theycontain carotenoids such as Lutein and Zeaxanthin, which can go a long way inpreventing or delaying the occurrence of two eye diseases in particular: maculardegeneration and cataracts. High in beta-carotene, a precursor to vitamin A, greens arechock full of folate, similar to folic acid, that protects lung tissue from developing cancer.We nutritionists recommend that people eat a green leafy vegetable every day. Theyare also a source of potassium and magnesium, which keeps the blood pressure athealthy levels, and a source of vitamin E. Green leafy vegetables are important to thehealth of the liver, which has multiple jobs to do in keeping us healthy and energetic.

7) Root Vegetables:

Parsnips, turnips and potatoes are all root vegetables that hide beneath the groundwhile they grow. They are also high in starch, which has gotten a bad rap lately becausepeople think we need to avoid all starchy foods to lose weight. The truth is, we needthem for energy during the cooler seasons. The root vegetables contain many vitaminsand minerals and as a result of growing under the ground, they are generally high in aspecific mineral, selenium, a component of enzymes in our bodies. These veggies arealso high in potassium, which keeps blood pressure at normal levels, and they containsome magnesium. A shortfall of magnesium is common in people who don’t eatvegetables, making them short-tempered, irritable and anxious. I’m sure you have metthese people when waiting in line at 5 a.m. for those must-have items during holidayshopping sales.

I hope you are not avoiding potatoes, thinking they make you gain weight, because theyare not high in calories. When you eat a baked potato with its skin, you gain fiber, whichmaintains blood sugar, and you receive the benefit of the minerals in the skin. Thepotato is only 110 calories, about equal to a large apple. I only buy organic potatoessince I eat the skin and don’t want pesticide residue on my food. The inside of a potatocan be very boring, so we decorate it with bacon bits, sour cream and butter. But thereare ways to have that potato taste good without all the extra saturated fat and addedcalories. Try adding different herbs. Have you ever tried using plain yogurt withchopped chives to top that potato?

8) Cranberry Sauce:

Cranberries, like most of the berry family, boast their anthocyanins – plus cranberries

have a potential to acidify urine. This is useful for preventing bacteria from adhering tothe bladder wall that causes urinary tract infections. The trick here is to avoid openinga can of cranberry sauce filled with high fructose corn syrup. If you make your own,you will be using only sugar as a sweetener. Buy pure cane sugar to avoid GMOs.There are many recipes for cranberry sauce made using other sweeteners such asmaple syrup or honey. Try a cranberry relish. My brother makes a zesty one during theholidays using orange segments and ground, uncooked cranberries.

9) Fresh Whole Fruit:

Fill a cornucopia with bananas, oranges, a variety of apples (yellow, green and red),tangerines, and green, red and purple grapes. Not only will you provide your guestswith antioxidant-rich, fiber-filled goodies, but presenting fresh fruit in a cornucopia oreven in a decorative bowl makes a colorful, attractive centerpiece for your dining roomtable.

10) Nuts:

Almonds, filberts, walnuts and Brazil nuts are high protein food, full of mono-unsaturated fat that benefit the heart and arteries. Almonds are high in calcium.Walnuts benefit healthy breast tissue, and Brazil nut consumption is associated withimproved moods. Nuts are full of trace minerals such as potassium, magnesium,selenium, iron and even zinc. They make a convenient snack food once Thanksgiving hasended. You can buy them in the shell and guests can use a nutcracker to open them atthe table (instead of sneaking off to watch the football game on TV) or unshelled.Combine them with raisins and other dried fruit, and even mini dark chocolate chipmorsels, for a trail mix to bring with you when you hit the stores on Black Friday.

Mary Higgins is a nutrition educator who writes about food for several websites. She graduatedfrom Simmons College with a Bachelor’s degree in both Nutrition and Education. She studiedExercise Science and received her Master’s degree from the University of Massachusetts atAmherst. She has worked as a Sports Nutritionist and personal trainer at YMCA’s in the GreaterBoston area and is certified by both the American Council on Exercise and the American Academyof Sports Dietitians and Nutritionists. She is the author of a children’s picture book, Daddy Trainsfor the Marathon, a family-friendly story about a young father’s journey to lose weight, which wasfirst published in 2011.

by Leah Okimoto

As a parent, I want many things for my6-year-old daughter. But one of mybiggest hopes for her is that she willgrow up to be the type of person whobrings chicken soup to a friend who isdown with a cold. Her ability to trulycare about and actively give to others,and to form real relationships andconnections with people, is key toliving a life of meaning and fulfillment,which is ultimately my dream for her.

Like all parents, I want her to be“happy,” but to know that, ironically,true happiness does not come from

focusing on ways to make one selfhappy, but from focusing on ways toincrease the happiness of other peoplein the world.

Over the past year, I have personallylearned the power of giving to bringhappiness, healing and purpose. InJune 2013, I gave birth to my son,Aaron, prematurely. And although hegave it his best fight, he only lived 8 ½days.

They say that when you lose a baby,you lose your future. There is no past,no shared experiences to reminisceabout with other people. Thisdefinitely rang true for me, because Ihad planned on staying home withhim. There was no Plan B – this wassimply not supposed to happen. Wehadn’t put his room together yet, and

Raising Compassionate Children

Aaron’s Presents:Teaching Kids to Give Brings Happiness, Healing and Purpose

10 North Shore Children & Families

he never came home, so for a longtime it felt like a terrible dream. But Iknew I had to completely re-envisionmy future, and help my husband andthen 5-year-old daughter to re-envision theirs.

My husband was the first to suggeststarting a scholarship fund orsomething else in Aaron’s memory. Afew nights later, an idea literallypopped into my head and I thought:What if we raised some money and gaveout mini-grants to young kids to do cool,positive projects? Then we could havethis collection of small, creative,thoughtful acts that were done byother children because of his short butmeaningful life. I called it Aaron’sPresents, because I liked thinking ofeach of those projects as his little“presents” to the world. I also felt

that if I could sense the other kind of“presence,” his presence all around meeveryday, maybe I wouldn’t feel so lost.

I started creating Aaron’s Presents inSeptember 2013. My daughter was inschool full-day for the first time, and Idove into learning how to build awebsite and start a non-profitorganization. To the outside world, Iseemed to be functioning okay. But inreality, I was a mess. There’s really noother way to put it. I walked aroundin a fog with all of these heavythoughts in my head. I got annoyedwhen I heard people complainingabout the traffic or the weather. I wasangry that I was spending my days andnights working on a computer insteadof playing with my son. I dreadedgoing out, because on the one hand, Icould literally feel people I knew

North Shore Children & Families 11walking the other way to avoidrunning into me, and on the otherhand, I felt like a human magnet forreally awkward, uncomfortableconversations.

But while all of this was going on,something else was happening to me.As I developed the program andstarted introducing it to kids, and thenworking with them on their projects, Istarted to feel…happy. There weredays when I would meet with themand skip back to my car with a bigsmile on my face and this sense ofpurpose and inspiration. And in thosemoments, which became more andmore frequent, I felt Aaron’s presencemore than his absence.

As I thought about this shift in myattitude and outlook, I realized thatthese kids had given me a huge gift.They had allowed me to give of myself– and by that, I mean drawing from thedifferent parts of me that make mewho I am, including my personality, myinterests, my love of kids, my love ofprojects, the people I know, mybackground and life experiences – tohelp bring their awesome ideas to life.

That type of giving, I learned, bringshappiness, healing and purpose.

And that is one of the most importantlife tools I hope to impart to mydaughter. I want her to strive, workhard, pursue her passions andinterests, make the most of hereducational opportunities, achieve herdreams and become the person she ismeant to be. But at every step alongthe way, I want her to see her life interms of what she can give, rather

than what she can receive. And whenthings are going well for her, butespecially when she is hurting, I hopeshe will tap into whoever she is at thatmoment and reach out to others withsomething positive to give.

I believe that if our kids are giving tothe world around them in somepositive way, they will never have towonder if their lives matter or have apurpose. They will not need to bullyothers to make themselves feel morepowerful. They will not need to try toescape from their realities by anymeans possible. And the younger theyare when they see themselves in thislight, the better!

If you have, know or work with a childwho might be interested in applyingfor an Aaron’s Presents grant of up to$500 in materials and services, pleasevisit our website atwww.aaronspresents.org to learnmore and download an application.Feel free to contact us with anyquestions at all athello@aaronspresents.org. Our first26 kids completed our first 12projects this past spring, directly givingsomething positive to over 1,000people, and we are so excited to meeteven more kids this year and to helpthem carry out their very owncreative, thoughtful ideas!

Leah Okimoto is a North Shoremother who lives in Andover with herhusband and 6 year old daughter.Her son, Aaron, lives on in her heartand through her work with theamazing Aaron’s Presents grantrecipients who bring her and othersjoy and inspiration every day.

Attention Advertisers!If you have anything to promote in

December and/or January –please plan ahead and secure your ad space

in our 2-MONTH WINTER issue,which covers December AND January!If you require ad production assistance, please secure

your ad size & submit your ad materials by noon, Wed., Nov. 12.

To advertise, contact suzanne@northshorefamilies.com.

12 North Shore Children & Families

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November’s Question: A Parent’s Concerns about Her Child’s WeightDr. Kate: My 10 year old son has always been large for his age, but now I’m con-cerned that he is overweight. His doctor mentioned that his weight is up and I’m at aloss for what to do. My son is starting to call himself fat, all the while he continues toover eat. With all the festivities and goodies during the holidays, followed by sluggishwinter months, I’m really concerned he’s going to gain when he really needs to loseweight. What can I do?

Answer: Thank you so much for your question. You are not alone in your concerns.The holidays are a big concern for many people regarding weight gain. It’s helpful tobe aware that children who are already overweight are at risk to overeat and gain evenmore weight over time, thus causing cumulative weight gain that can result in obesity,especially if you don’t help them curb their eating during the holidays.

Here are some things to do to help your son to have a healthy lifestyle,leading to a healthy weight:

Adopt a healthy lifestyle for the entire family. What this means is that you haveto eat healthy and your children will follow you. When my son was injured and had todo physical therapy, I knew that the fastest way to get him to do his exercises was for

Ask Dr. Kate

Ask Dr. Kate Roberts: Q&A for North Shore Parents

me to do them with him. It worked. Don’t go on a diet; do adopt a family program ofhealthy eating. If you don’t know where to begin, try Cookinglight.com for recipes forhealthy family meals.

Be active every day. If your son is sedentary, find a way to be active together. Ideally to lose weight, he needs to burn more calories than he takes in. If you startslow with 10-15 minutes of activity a day, plan to work up to 45-60 minutes daily. Findthe sport that he most enjoys and plan to do it together. If there is none, then plan towalk daily or use the workout programs on the Wii or Xbox. When everyone in thehouse is active, there are no excuses.

Educate the family on the benefit of being healthy. Discuss the increase inlifespan for healthy people and the decrease in diseases such as heart disease and dia-betes. Focus on the positives and stay away from the negatives and use of criticalterms such as “fat” and “heavy”.

Change sedentary lifestyles. Even when you can’t all be active, find ways to havemore activity by using stairs instead of elevators. Walk whenever you can and park ata distance when you drive. Even consider standing instead of sitting. Recent studiesshow that people who use standing work stations instead of sitting increase their life -span and are at less risk for diseases. Standing keeps the body active, whereas sitting ispassive and promotes inactivity and decreased blood flow.

Skip the snacks. Don’t buy the junk and drink water instead of soda to keep thebody hydrated and flushed.

Find rewards beyond food. Reward your family with the chance to do a new, funactivity or to have more quality family time.

If you have a question for Dr. Kate, please email her at

kate@drkateroberts.com. We may publish your question, anonymously,

in a future issue – along with Dr. Kate’s response.

This feature is brought to you, courtesy of Dr. Kate and

North Shore Children & Families.

North Shore Children & Families 13

Written by Pat Zietlow Miller andIllustrated by Anne Wilsdorf

Schwartz & Wade Books, $16.99, Ages 3-7

by Cathy Ballou Mealey

Big, bright orange pumpkins are definitelythe vegetable celebrities on Halloween.I’d like to nominate the humble butternutto take center stage during Thanksgiving, atime for celebrating the harvest withfamily and friends. And there’s no betterbook to promote butternut devotion thanthe sweet, seasonal friendship story ofSophie’s Squash.

“Bernice was just the right size to love,”reads the blurb on the back cover.Chosen at the farmer’s market anddestined for the dinner table, Sophiedecides that her squash is perfect to hold,cuddle and rock to sleep. She adds asimple smiling face and wraps it in ablanket. “I call her Bernice,” Sophieannounces proudly as her mother leafsthrough a recipe book, preparing for

dinner. “I’ll call for a pizza,” her motherwisely replies.

Girl and gourd become inseparable,somersaulting and playing as best friendsdo. “Well, we did hope she’d lovevegetables,” Sophie’s parents say. But timeis not on Bernice’s side. She becomes

Continued on page 14

Children’s Book Review

Sophie’s Squash

14 North Shore Children & Families

Sophie’s SquashContinued from page 13

splotchy, spotty and even soft as winterapproaches. Loyal Sophie will not give upon her friend, no matter how shechanges. How will Sophie reconcile herdeep butternut bond with Bernice’sinevitable decline? Even though there is asmall sad moment, all ends well inspringtime.

The author’s young daughter, clutching asquash at the grocery store and claimingit for her own, inspired the original story.It is expanded nicely in the book to touchon nurturing, companionship and thescience of seed, soil and sun. But readerswill undoubtedly understand and identifywith Sophie’s steadfast devotion to herspecial friend, whom she loves, protectsand defends no matter the cost.

The hilarious, quirky illustrations pair wellwith Miller’s smooth, comic text. Wilsdorf

adds wry humor through the antics of aninquisitive calico cat, wild patternedoutfits and Sophie’s beribboned spikypigtails. There are just enough carefullyplaced details in each image to convey theunique comforts of home and the slowchanges of season.

Parents will recognize and appreciate thehumorous challenges that occur when achild latches onto an unusual favoriteobject like a certain sock or specialspoon. And the enduring message here,that everything – even something assimple as a squash – is worthy of love, iscertainly one to savor during this seasonof sharing.

Cathy Ballou Mealey is a picture book writerand mom to two great kids. She lives inLynnfield, MA and shares book reviews throughTwitter via @CatBallouMealey. Cathyborrowed Sophie’s Squash from her locallibrary, where she discovers wonderful newstories every week.

Raise Funds for Your SchoolTextile Recycling: A Win-Win Solution

Did you know that the average North American discardsover 65 pounds of clothing and textiles each year and thatthe vast majority of discarded textiles still have 75% wearleft? It is a little known fact that by extending the averagelife of clothes by just three months of active use, therewould be a 5-10% reduction in each of the carbon, waterand waste footprints.

In 2010, Americans discarded 13.1 million tons of textiles(according to the American Environmental ProtectionAgency). It is estimated that only 15 percent of these

items were reclaimed, with the rest dumped in landfills across the country. The longterm environmental costs of clothing, footwear, linens and other textiles going intolandfills are difficult to calculate, but it is already known that decomposing clothingreleases methane, a harmful greenhouse gas, and a significant contributor to globalwarming. In addition, there are dyes and chemicals in fabric and other components ofclothing and shoes that can leach into the soil, contaminating both surface and groundwater.

The textile recycling industry is a very efficient solution, with approximately 93% of alltextile waste successfully reclaimed with items re-sold as used clothing, reprocessed asfibers (stuffing for vehicle seats, upholstery, insulation, etc.), and converted to clothwipes. Further, the environmental benefits associated with recycling clothing areexcellent; it reduces the amount of pesticides used in growing cotton or to makefabrics from petroleum sources and the water needed to dye fabrics, and cuts downon the pollutants, greenhouse gases and volatile organic compounds released into thewater and air from the manufacturing process.

So what can be done? Everyone can help to reduce the amount of waste dumped inlandfills by ensuring that gently used clothing that you no longer need is either handeddown to friends or family or sent to a textile recycling company for reuse. De-clutteryour closets while helping the planet: a win-win solution for all.

Bag2School works with over 20,000 schools in organizing textile collections to raise money forschools, clubs, churches, and associations. All of the items collected are sold to organizations aroundthe world who aim to reuse or recycle 100% of the items. To learn more, please see the ad on page12 and visit www.bag2school.ca/usa.

North Shore Children & Families 15Community CalendarTo Submit to our Community Calendar:Please visit us at www.northshorefamilies.com and submit your listings directly through our website. Fromour Home Page – click on Calendar – then click on Submit and our form will open for you to complete andsubmit your listings. ALL calendar listings must be submitted directly via our website.

While we will make every attempt to post all appropriate listings in our online Community Calendar, space islimited in print – and priority will be given to those events that are free and family-friendly – and those submitted byour advertising partners & sponsors.

Calendar listings received online by the 20th of each month will be considered to also appearin our upcoming print calendar. If you need to guarantee that your listing will be posted in print – pleasecontact Suzanne to advertise.

To advertise, please contact Suzanne at suzanne@northshorefamilies.com or 781.584.4569.

For complete listing accuracy, werecommend that you call ahead orcheck the websites listed. Featuredlistings do not constitute anendorsement from this Publisher andwe encourage our readers to alwaysdo their own research.

Our next issue is our 2-monthWinter issue, which coversDecember AND January. If youneed to advertise in Decemberand/or January, please see ourWinter issue deadlines in thiscalendar.

NOVEMBER 1:

Sustainability Fair at BrookwoodSchool, Manchester, 10am-2pm: The Water-Cycle – Key to Life. Free &open to the public. www.brookwood.edu

NOVEMBER 2:

Open House at Pike School,Andover; 1-3pm. See ad on page 11;www.pikeschool.org.

NOVEMBER 4:

Election Day

Open House at Harborlight-Stoneridge Montessori School,Beverly, 9am; see ad on page 4! www.h-sms.org

NOVEMBER 5:

Swan Lake Story Hour with BostonBallet School, 9:30-10:30am, atPeabody Institute Library, Sylvan St.,Danvers. Hear the story, sample a BostonBallet dance class, all ages welcome.

NOVEMBER 6:

Remembering Madison

NOVEMBER 7:

Swan Lake Story Hour with BostonBallet School, 9:30-10:30am, atPeabody Institute Library, Sylvan St.,Danvers. Hear the story, sample a BostonBallet dance class, all ages welcome.

NOVEMBER 11:

Veterans’ Day

NOVEMBER 12 (NOON):

AD DEADLINE: If you need toadvertise in our 2-monthWINTER issue (which coversDecember AND January!), and if you need our ad productionassistance, please confirmyour ad size and submit yourad materials by NOONTODAY! You can see our displayad rates, sizes, available discounts & more atwww.northshorefamilies.com/advertise or contact suzanne@northshorefamilies.com.

NOVEMBER 12:

Middle School Open House at ShoreCountry Day School, Beverly, 6-8pm.See ad on page 8; www.discovershore.org.

NOVEMBER 14 (NOON):

AD DEADLINE: FINALAdvertising SpaceReservation DEADLINE atNOON for ALL COMPLETEDADS (that do NOT requireany ad production assistance)for our 2-month WINTERissue (which covers DecemberAND January)!To advertise, contactsuzanne@northshorefamilies.com!If you need our ad productionassistance, please confirm yourad size and submit your admaterials by noon, Wed., Nov.12!You can see our regular display ad rates, sizes, available discounts & more at www.northshorefamilies.com/advertise.

NOVEMBER 19:

Open House at The Village School,Boxford, 9:30-11:30am.See ad on page 3;www.myvillageschool.com.

Open House at Heronfield Academy,Hampton Falls, NH; 6:20pm.See ad on this page.

NOVEMBER 20:

Open House at Glen UrquhartSchool, Beverly; 9am.See ad on page 10; www.gus.org.

NOVEMBER 23:

Open House at Glen UrquhartSchool, Beverly; 2pm.See ad on page 10. www.gus.org

NOVEMBER 27:

Happy Thanksgiving!

Please visit us online atwww.northshorefamilies.com/eventsfor more calendar listings for NorthShore parents, children & families!

NOVEMBER 14:

Open School at Waring School,Beverly. See ad on page 2.www.waringschool.org

NOVEMBER 15:

Admissions Open House atBrookwood School, Manchester,1pm; see ad on page 9.www.brookwood.edu

NOVEMBER 15 & 16:

Ski, Skate, Board & RideConsignment Event, 9am-2pm/Sat.and 12-3pm/Sun., at Cutler ElementarySchool, Hamilton. See ad on page 3;www.skiskateboardandride.com.

NOVEMBER 16:

Gordon Department of Musicpresents Community of Song, anintergenerational choir concert for thecommunity; 3pm at A.J. Gordon MemorialChapel, Wenham. Free admission, all ageswelcome; see ad on page 6.www.gordon.edu/musicevents

An independent middle schoollocated 20 miles from Newburyport!

OPEN HOUSE – Nov. 19, 2014Check-in 6:20 pm

356 Exeter RoadHampton Fallls, NH 03844

www.heronfieldacademy.org