the family magazine november 2012

Moms Just Know • Free

November 2012Serving: Granger • Mishawaka • Elkhart • South Bend • Goshen • Niles • Edwardsburg • Middlebury • Plymouth • St. Joseph • New Buffalo & Surrounding Communities

The of Adoption

Special Nutcracker Section!

The Low-Down on College Savings

Cultivating Thankfulness

FAMILY GOES GREEN!

Printed on Recycled Content Paper

100% RECYCLABLE!

Lakeland

Accredited Chest Pain Centers in St. Joseph and Niles

Chest pain can come on suddenly, at any time. Learn the warning signs, but remember this: even if you’re not sure your pain is a heart attack, have it checked out by a doctor. Fast action can save your life.

Lakeland HealthCare has two of only 13 chest pain centers in Michigan, at our Emergency Departments in St. Joseph and Niles. Time lost is heart muscle lost, and we’re VERY close to home.

Visit www.lakelandhealth.org/ACT to learn more about chest pain warning signs

Call 9-1-1 for an ambulance – don’t drive yourself. Local ambulance services work with Lakeland so that treatment can start while you are still en route.

MichianaFamily_Cardiac.indd 1 9/27/2012 9:53:42 AM

ND Federal Credit Union

Contributors

www.MichianaFamilyMagazine.com

If you would like your business and/or service to be included in the next issue, call The FAMILY Magazines at 574.387.5420 to reserve your space. Space is limited.

Great Gifts • The Local Art SceneIN THE NEXT ISSUE:

To the talented September Coloring Winners.

Please use the information compiled by Michiana Family Magazines for your research. Michiana Family Magazines recommends that parents and families interview each business or organization to make sure that it is safe and a good fit for your family. The information presented here and provided by Michiana Family Magazines is for informational purposes only and although every effort has been made to present accurate information, Michiana Family Magazines does not, in any way, accept responsibility for the accuracy of or consequences from the use of this information and/or for the businesses and organizations presented herein. We urge all parents and families to confirm any information given herein through additional research. The views and opinions expressed by the writers, event organizers and advertisers do not necessarily represent those of Michiana Family Magazines LLC, its officers, editors, staff or contributors.

PUBlISHEr & EdITor-IN-CHIEF: Betsy Tavernier

[email protected]

EXECUTIVE EdITor: Stephanie J. Salisbury

[email protected]

AdVErTISING ACCoUNT MANAGEr: Jessica Marietta

[email protected]

AdVErTISING ACCoUNT MANAGEr: Nicky Graham

[email protected]

CrEATIVE ProMoTIoNS MANAGEr: Jena Bontrager

[email protected]

GrAPHIC dESIGN MANAGEr: Zuzanna Zmud

[email protected]

FASHIoN EdITor: Kathy Friend

[email protected]

MEdICAl EdITor: S. Jesse Hsieh, M.D.

dISTrIBUTIoN MANAGEr: John Ferguson

Family Magazine s of Michiana would love to

hear from you! Please submit press releases, event information and inquiries to:

[email protected]

The FAMILY Magazines

1233 E. University Drive Granger, IN 46530

PH: 574.387.5420 • FX: 574.217.4700 www.michianafamilymagazine.com

The FAMILY Magazines November 2012

Established in 2006. All rights reserved.

Permission from the publisher is required for any reproduction or reprint of this publication.

Read The FAMILY Magazines online each month! Go to www.MichianaFamilyMagazine.com and flip

the pages, cover-to-cover the organic and green way!

Volume 6: Number 11

The FAMILY Magazine is a proud member of PMA

Peyten – Age 5

on The Cover:Special thanks to the Davis Family. Read their interesting family spotlight on page 20-21.

PhotograPhy:Classic Image Photography, Granger

Sign up for our Email Newsletter on our website and get your own organic copy delivered to your email inbox each month!

Want the "organic"/green version of The FAMILY Magazine each month with bonus articles?

Find the Hidden Acorn!

For your enjoyment and fun!

Caleb – Age 9 Kellei – Age 12

Congratulations!

Introducing the Next Era of The Family Magazine by Connecting the Savvy Mom in MichianaAs we are about to roll into our seventh year of printing The Family Magazine, I am so thankful to have such an awesome and fulfilling job and a great team around me. I filed for our business license exactly six years ago this month and I can't believe some days that the magazine and my life as a mom have come full circle in this short time. I started this magazine back then as a mom in need of many things...

Before I started this magazine, I had a very sick little four-year old boy that no medical specialists in the area could diagnose or help. I had a big "fancy" career with a large, local media company and yet I left work each and every day with a terrible pit in my stomach because of working-mom-guilt and a lack of answers to what my role in life was supposed to be, and how to be a better mom. My son's diminishing health, the extreme mom-guilt and the pitiful lack of work-fulfillment finally got the best of me and I left my career to truly figure out what was going on with my son.

My son had my full-time and undivided attention and I documented his every move: the food he ate, his symptoms, his poop, his behavior, his pain, his numbness, his paleness, his everything. We saw doctor upon doctor and they all "guessed" it was the same thing: "a rare form of epilepsy." They prescribed drugs that changed my baby's personality and learning ability on a monthly basis and I knew in my heart that they were all wrong – very wrong.

As an ex-media and marketing gal, I was quite savvy with digging into research and resources. As a result, I drove the doctors nuts with millions of questions, copies of my journal pages, links to websites and personal visits to their offices for extra face-time and answers. One local doctor even said, "Mom, when you can come to grips with the fact that your son is an epileptic, we can finally move on."

Really?! That was it. I thank her now for that comment because it fueled my fire to fix my son's condition and I went with my gut and just had to get psycho. I called neurological specialists all over the United States and, with the help of our medical editor and family doctor, Dr. Hsieh of Granger Family Medicine, I got a much needed referral to a prominent neurologist in Chicago who finally listened to me, as the mom. He read my journals, he talked with me (and with my son) and he spent a great amount of time with our family. After many tests and an extended hospital stay, he called me and said, "Mom, are you sitting down? Do not let Cooper play in his soccer game tomorrow. You have a ticking time bomb on your hands and it is critical that he doesn't over-exert himself until we can get him into brain surgery on Monday in Boston. Your instincts were right, your son does not have epilepsy. It is an extremely serious situation."

Moms just know. I just knew. This magazine was born out of that very scary time for my family as I realized, during my son's lengthy recovery, that I needed to provide other moms with resources I couldn't find as well as the confidence and voice to advocate and push for their children because moms just know.

Fast-forward six years and Cooper is now ten and thriving as one incredibly awesome kid and The Family Magazine is now being reborn with many new features and platforms written specifically for moms with kiddos that are ages ten and under. I am excited about our growth and the opportunities we can provide for you, Mom, with many more ways to access valuable information and resources that you need and when you want it:

• New Family Magazine Cover - Our Reader and Web Site User is a Seriously Savvy Mom!

• New Family Magazine Format - Articles & Resources EXCLUSIVELY written just for Moms, More Quips & Snips for Moms on the Go!

• New Family Magazine Paper Made from Recycled Content - We are Now Organic!

• 100% Recyclable - We are now Green!

• Digital Enhancements on www.MichianaFamilyMagazine.com - Web Site Only Coupons, Contests, Special Features/Resources & Weekly Guest Columnists Covering MOM Stuff!

• Social Media Madness - We've Done the Work for You and Have Created Some Fabulous Mom-Focused Pin Boards for You on our Pinterest site @ The Family Magazines of Michiana

Over the next few months, you will see many more additions and mom-delights in the magazine and also on our digital platforms. Please check our site often via your smartphone, tablet and computer for the very latest and up-to-date info that will make your role as a mom even more fulfilling and wonderful, each and every day.

I am so lucky to be a mom!

Betsy & Family

Right Now!

Things We

Love(at FAMILY)

Don’t forget to pick up your copy of the NEW SASSY Magazine!

Check it Out!OCTOBER 2012 § NOVEMBER 2012

NO7

IM JUST A DRESS the life of a designin the fashionworld

dos and donts at the MUSEUM

sprains & strains COMMON SPORTS INJURIES

a walk in the woodsAUTUMN DECOR AND MORE

TEMPER GRILLEUNDER THE CHEF HAT!

ELIMINATING COLLEGE DEBT ON THE ROAD TO FINANCIAL FREEDOM

THE HEART OF EDUCATION TEACHING IN THE MIDST OF TURMOIL

FALL MAKEUP TRENDSwhat to try and what to skip

1. Autumn Skies

2. A Great Flight

3. Movies!!!

4. House Tours

5. Pumpkin Roll

6. Shopping Local

7. The Gift of Adoption

8. Great Art

9. A Sincere Thank You

10. Dairy Queen Pumpkin Pie Blizzard

11. Holistic Remedies

12. New Moms

13. Handprint Projects for Kids

FroM The PUBl ISHEr

6 The FAMILY MAGAZIne | NOVEMBER 2012

South Bend Clinic

Dear Readers,Fall is upon us, and I can smell the turkey already! This issue is chock full of fun and thoughtful things for you to do on your own or with your kids this Thanksgiving season, from recipes to crafts to an overall sense of gratitude. Kathy Sena’s article “An Attitude of Gratitude” paves the way for us to help our kids be grateful for what they have, and Andie Kingsbury’s “Cultivating Thankfulness” shows us how to model that behavior for our kids all year round.

Did you know that November is National Adoption Month? What a wonderful time to learn more about local families that have chosen to bless and be blessed this way. Meagan Church gets right to the heart of adoption with her article on “Adoption Tips from Experienced Parents” in case you’re

trying to decide whether to take this path in your journey as well.

Also, do you always struggle with what to do with all of those Thanksgiving leftovers so they don’t become super-boring by day three? Check out Diane Fisher’s recipes to help out with family gatherings and get the kids involved, too.

The big kids are coming back from college for the holiday, the little ones have a few days off of school, too and Christmas is right around the corner. You’ll start to hear the jingles while you’re out shopping, but don’t let Thanksgiving pass you by before you jump into December. Whatever you do this month, be sure to stop and count your blessings. All too often, we focus on the things that are going wrong in our world when there are so many wonderful things that are going right.

I’m thankful for my Family – how about you?

-Stephanie

FAMILYTestimonialsI came across the Family Magazine a month ago by chance because a friend had a copy of the June issue. I read it cover to cover and could hardly wait to read another issue. What I like most is that the topics and articles are relevant and feel personal and relatable. It’s nice to have a local publication like this. I am so glad I discovered your magazine because it is well worth reading! -- Christina Lehman

We are so pleased to be working with Family Magazine. As a company with a long history, but opening our doors this year on 10/1, we knew that your magazine would be one of the avenues that we could count on to provide advertising that would be handled with care. In every way, from the initial phone call, the ad process and the customer service that we have received from Michiana, it has been outstanding! From our family to yours, we are very excited to be part of Family Magazine and will be sure to continue to do so in the future. Thank you for taking such great care of us! -- Legacy Heating and Air, Inc

FroM The Ed ITor

The FAMILY MAGAZIne | NOVEMBER 2012 7

wants to learn about readers like you!

Please participate in this quick online survey so we can keep bringing you the best magazine in town.

You can take the survey online at:

https://www.research.net/s/013310

Or scan the QR Code below with your smart phone:

The FAMILY Magazines

Participate and you could WIN a $50 Visa gift certificate!

Thank you! The FAMILY Magazine is only possible because of readers like you..


special family features22 Adoption Tips from Experienced Parents Real Parents Share Their First-Hand Advice on Adoption By Meagan Church

24 The Low-Down On 529 College Savings Plans Helping Parents Save for College By Amy Cahill

live your best5 Find the Acorn Contest

10 The FAMILY Month Calendar

book review12 Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer Reviewed by Angie Wisniewski

family fashion13 Holiday Decor and More!

14 What to Wear - Now! By Kathy Friend

family matters16 An Attitude of Gratitude By Kathy Sena

family fun18 The Art of Visiting Taking Your Family to an Art Museum By Sarah Martin

cover story20 Keeping Up with the Davises By Stephanie J. Salisbury

the FAMILY magazine

Of contents

tabl

e

16

Hap

py T

hank

sgiv

ing!

special section31 Southold Dance Theater presents Nutcracker!

stuff kids say40 Yadda Yadda

family moment41 Cultivating Thankfulness Setting an Example for our Kids By Andie Kingsbury

expecting42 Baby-Friendly Hospitals Local Hospitals Implement Baby- Friendly Practices to Support Mothers and Newborns By Meagan Church

mommy & daddy44 It's All About the Gravy By Jane Suter

play dates46 Fun things to do with your kids this month!

20

22

31calendar of events40 Go to www.MichianaFamilyMagazine.com for tons of additional family events – updated daily!


GArdENING TIPS For NoVEMBEr• Spread straw over perennials.• Cut back chrysanthemums and roses to bloom better next season.• Keep mowing as long as the grass is growing to avoid destructive small rodents

taking cover in long grass.• Do routine maintenance on mowers to be prepared ahead for spring.• Drain your hose and sprinklers before frost arrives.• Rake and compost leaves from large oak and maple trees.• Clean birdfeeders and refill.• Plant amaryllis bulbs indoors for winter blooming.• Remove all old fruit from trees and ground to curb insect infestations next season.• Save pumpkin and gourd seeds to plant next year.

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 11 12 13 14

Th F Sa Su M Tu W Th F Sa Su M Tu W

How To MAKE HoMEMAdE YoGUrTBy Jeannine EubanksYes, you can make yogurt! It's much easier than you might expect, too, and so much healthier because it's free of all the additives that so many packaged foods have these days. There are many make-your-own-yogurt instructions out there, but this is mine: a combination of ideas, tweaked over the years.

Here’s what you’ll need:A slow cooker or crock pot (any size)A small kitchen thermometerAn oven

Ingredients:Milk (whole milk will make a thicker, creamier yogurt, but you can use any milk)Plain organic yogurt to use as a starter

What to do:1. Pour milk into slow cooker and add about 1 T of yogurt

for each quart of milk.2. Put the lid on slow cooker but prop open with thermometer

(to keep the thermometer where it's supposed to be).3. Turn cooker on either low or high and heat to 110

degrees. 4. Lift ceramic crock out of the cooker, take the thermometer

out but leave the lid on, and place into oven.5. DO NOT TURN THE OVEN ON! Turn the oven LIGHT on

only and leave overnight or at least 8-12 hours.

The light keeps just enough warmth in the oven to maintain the perfect temperature for yogurt making. That’s it! Now you have yogurt. It’s delicious with some honey, fresh fruit and granola!

wHATEVEr YoU SAY doN'T SAY "wHATEVEr"By Laurie Puhn

Does this argument sound familiar? Your mate asks, "What do you want to do for your birthday?" You answer, "Honey, whatever you want." Then you end up eating at the Italian Restaurant you absolutely hate, with your extended family/friends, who are at the bottom of your ‘like’ list. Using the word "whatever" because it’s convenient and lets you off the hook for a decision is setting yourself and your relationship up for a downfall.

In a healthy relationship, two people often have different opinions and preferences, and they should express them. When you don’t take the time to reveal your true thoughts, it’s only a matter of time before you begin to resent your mate for not knowing what you really think. In turn, your mate begins to resent your "whatever" attitude because it places the burden of decision-making entirely on his or her shoulders. If you find yourself about to utter the "whatever" word, stop yourself and say, "I better think about this." Then say what you really want. On the other hand, if your mate says "whatever" to you one too many times, let your honey know that you value his/her input and want a specific suggestion.

Hard pressed for time with one another, it’s all too easy for couples to unknowingly fall into a poor communication routine with bad verbal habits that incite relationship distress. Fortunately, a touch of awareness and some new verbal skills are all that we need to positively transform ourselves and our relationships, one conversation at a time.

1 10National AdoptionMonth Begins

Sorg Jewelers’ Open House

The FAMILY Month CalendarLIVE your best



The FAMILY Month Calendar

Th F Sa Su M Tu W Th F Sa Su M Tu W Th F

16 17 18 19 20 21 23 24 26 27 28 30

One Month of Shopping ‘til Christmas

25

MAId or CHEF?We asked our readers online: “Which would you rather have: a personal chef or a personal maid?”

We loved their responses:“Maid. I like cooking ....would be nice to have someone clean up after me!” ~Linda

“Maid! No question about it! Cooking is soulful and so much more appreciated, for some reason. Cleaning, laundry, all that goes pretty much unnoticed. If I could just have my things done around the house before I got off work, I’d be a whole lot happier!” ~ Judy

“Maid! She could only do laundry and I’d be happy.” ~Jess

“Could I have a maid who cooks?” ~ Jennifer

“Maid. No doubt. I’m lucky enough to have a husband who knows his way around a kitchen (and so do I), so cooking is never an issue here. But with a one-year-old, it seems cleaning NEVER is done!” ~ Kaylee

“A personal chef who can make me all kinds of healthy food that I just don’t have time to do… I have a three-year-old who likes to be stuck to my hips which makes it even harder for me to cook!” ~ Kathy

“Personal chef! I don’t enjoy or know how to cook!” ~ Heather

“Do I have to choose?” ~ Brenda

“Can’t he do both? I do!” ~Pam

LIKE us on Facebook to get in on the conversation!

THANKSGIVING FACTSThe first Thanksgiving celebration lasted three days.

This year marks the 86th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade as we know it!

In 1939, FDR changed the timing of Thanksgiving in order to stimulate the economy by lengthening the Christmas shopping season.

The first Thanksgiving was celebrated in the fall of 1621 at Plymouth, Massachusetts.

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has its roots in the 1920s, beginning with immigrants who worked for Macy’s Department Store who wanted to incorporate the excitement from European festivals into their new surroundings.

According to the National Turkey Federation, 95 percent of Americans surveyed eat turkey during Thanksgiving.

Benjamin Franklin wanted to make the wild turkey, not the Bald Eagle, the national bird of the United States.

Each year, the President of the United States “pardons” a turkey.

Happy Thanksgiving!22Glitz & Sass Fashion Show

15Mannheim Steamroller

at the Morris

29

THANKSGIVING QUoTESThanksgiving Day is a jewel, to set in the hearts of honest men; but be careful that you do not take the day, and leave out the gratitude. ~E.P. Powell

Thanksgiving was never meant to be shut up in a single day. ~Robert Caspar Lintner

Let us remember that, as much has been given us, much will be expected from us, and that true homage comes from the heart as well

as from the lips, and shows itself in deeds. ~Theodore Roosevelt

To speak gratitude is courteous and pleasant, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live gratitude is to touch Heaven. ~Johannes A. Gaertner

A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all the other virtues. ~Cicero

THINGS To do wITH A lEFToVEr PUMPKINSave the pumpkin seeds to roast and eat. Sprinkle some with cinnamon and sugar, and some with Parmesan cheese and salt.

Save the pumpkin seeds to plant next year.

Animals love to eat pumpkin! Cut up pieces for squirrels, birds or even farm animals for a treat.

Compost, compost, compost!

Find an online recipe for pumpkin body butter or facials.

Take a series of pictures of a Jack-O-Lantern from its beginnings as a pumpkin to its end as a mushy pile, and create a time-lapse video.

100% Recyclable

Eyesite Optical

Theodore Boone: Kid LawyerBy John Grisham

Reviewed by: Angie WisniewskiLibrary AssociateMishawaka-Penn-Harris Public Library

John Grisham is already known among adult readers for his legal thrillers, but he is looking to expand his audience with his Theodore Boone series. Geared toward a younger group, the series focuses on Theodore Boone, a thirteen year old boy with an unusual fascination with the legal system. The son of two busy lawyers, he has a vast knowledge of the law and hopes to become a big criminal lawyer himself. While most thirteen year olds dream of going to the big game or special concert, Theo lives for big trials. This first book of the series centers around a murder trial in which a man stands accused of murdering his wife. Although everyone believes he is guilty, there is little evidence and no known witnesses to force a conviction. Just when it seems the man will go free, a classmate approaches Theo with information that could change the outcome of the trial. Theo faces the tough decision of betraying a classmate or watching a guilty man go free.

Grisham does a wonderful job of explaining the complexities of the legal system to a younger audience. Throughout the story, Theo gives classmates advice on everything from home foreclosure to pet laws incorporating the law into everyday life for this age group. Given the audience, a murder may seem like a poor choice of content, but little time is spent on the details of the crime. The focus is kept on the trial and the role Theo plays in delivering justice. Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer is the first book in this thrilling series, followed by The Abduction and The Accused. Students in grades four through eight are sure to find this look at the legal system through a peer’s eyes interesting.

The eye SiTe

5323 N MaiN St MiShawak a , iN 465 45

( t ) 574-273-2727 (w ) eyeSiteiNc .coM

BOOK reviews


The FAMILY MAGAZIne | NOVEMBER 2012 13100% Recyclable

Delicious Fruit Design® with Dipped Apples in a Snowman KeepsakeThis holiday fruit bouquet is overflowing with pineapple daisies, fresh strawberries, cantaloupe, honeydew and grapes, and crisp Granny Smith apple wedges hand-dipped in gourmet semisweet chocolate! It’s all artfully arranged in a custom keepsake ceramic snowman container. Edible Arrangements, Granger - Starting at $75

Julia Knight 14” Aster Cake StandShimmering beauty! Wow guests while serving your hors d’oeuvres and pastries on this artfully sculpted masterpiece! Hand made in sand-cast aluminum with enamel, infused with crushed mother of pearl!Flirt Boutique, Rochester $178

Stephen Joseph GiftsSeriously Adorable Child’s Cook Set by Stephen Joseph Gifts! Comes in vibrant colors, exceptional quality and caring attention to every detail in themes like Cupcake, Ice Cream and more! The set includes machine-washable quilted cotton oven mitt, dishwasher-safe melamine bowl, wooden spoon and rolling pin. shop.stephenjosephgifts.com $21.95

Holiday Head PiecesMia’s Hats & Things offers many special holiday pieces. Here is a soft, feathery OSFM headband with that oh-so-feminine touch, available in a rainbow of colors. Also, this delicate flowered tam comes in different sizes to frame even the tiniest angel’s face!Mia’s Hats & Things, New Buffalo $8-$20

WHIMSYRings, necklaces, earrings and more from WHIMSY™ are a striking way to showcase collectable Murano glass beads to create beautiful one-of-a-kind pieces of jewelry. The beads interchangeability allows the wearer to express their individuality and easily change beads to match an outfit. www.whimsyworldwide.com $125

HolidayMore&decor


What To Wear – NOW!By Kathy Friend

I think every mom wants to be on-trend or at least look vibrant, relevant and youthful but still age-appropriate. At the same time we all desire to not look like a poster for the latest fads or be seen as ‘trying too

hard’. To that end, here are some ways to get the latest trends into your wardrobe now and how to wear them and not try too hard (wink!).

BRIGHTS iI am in love with the notion of wearing trendy bright pink with orange. The feeling of wearing brights in the winter is a refreshing change from the good ol’ standby black. My challenge has always been what shoes to wear with these great colors. Here is my tip for you: whenever you put on an outfit and think to yourself ‘what shoe?’ the answer is always something that matches your hair color. In other words, a neutral.

Brown hair – brown shoeBlonde hair – nude shoe Black hair – black shoe Red hair – copper shoe

PENCIL SKIRT 8 For a silhouette that was introduced to fashion in the 1940s, the pencil skirt continues to be a big trend for Fall. When choosing the right pencil skirt to flatter your figure, keep in mind the goal is to flatter your curves

1. The skirt should fit and not be tight or pull across your hips. The best fit may be a little lower on your waist.

2. Avoid pockets. In a skirt whose intention is to create a crisp, clean line, the pockets and extra fabric will probably distort the silhouette you are working toward.

3. Check the hem and make sure it is hitting your leg at a flattering spot. Throwing off this proportion is a mistake you don’t want to make! The most flattering length will be in your knee-pit (mid knee, right where your leg bends).

ANIMAL PRINT ; Animal print is everywhere from pants to shoes to handbags. The one way you can safely and confidently wear animal print is a cardigan. Consider nipping in the waist of the cardi with a contrasting-colored skinny belt. This will add some visual interest to your ensemble and bring attention to the small of your waist. Never button your cardi top to bottom; the top button and bottom (at least) two buttons should be undone. Also, try to work your animal cardi with a tweed. This mixed print/texture will add that little bit of “Now-and-Wow” that will get you noticed.

Kathy Friend is an Image Consultant, speaker and expert stylist. Her StyleU workshops have become a ‘must-attend’ for ladies across the country. She is a contributor to the Fox59 Morning Show out of Indianapolis and the fashion guru for Goodwill of Michiana. She is a busy Mom-on-the go trying to keep up with her daughter Anya.

FAMILY fashion



Swiss Valley

SKI SWEATERS XWhat is old is new again! Dress up those old sweaters you have in your closet. Pair your ski sweater with a flirty ruffled skirt. Pull on a pair of leather pants with a chunky fisherman’s knit sweater. Fashion junkies love the juxtaposition of the casual nature of the sweater against the formal feel of the skirt or leather.

FUR BThe must-have piece this season is a fur vest. Try one that is a bit longer and can be worn as a tunic. A hip, on-trend look is to pair the vest with leggings and riding boots. This look transcends the ages, and looks great on just about every shape. Remember to try a chambray (denim) shirt with that fur vest. The denim shirt is an important piece of the Fall Fashion Story. Incorporating it into your fur pieces would be fashion perfection!

COLOR BLOCK 7The color block idea has been around for several seasons. They key is to be sure you are bringing the bright portion of the color block to the part of your silhouette you want to bring attention to. In other words, if you don’t want people to stare at your midsection, be sure that you aren’t wearing a bright pink and black color block sweater with the pink at your torso.

Swiss Valley Ski Area13421 Mann Street

Jones, MI 49061269-244-5635

VALLEY KIDS PROGRAMSkiing for Ages 4-12 & Snowboarding for Ages 7-12Full Day - 10 am - 3 pmAM Session - 9:30 am - NoonPM Session - 12:30 pm - 3 pmFULL DAY Session Includes: Full Day Lift Ticket, Ski or Snowboard Rental, Helmet Rental, Lunch, Hot Chocolate & Snack Breaks as needed as well as on Hill Instruction & Caring Supervision.RESERVATIONS ARE ADVISED BUT NOT REQUIRED

BIG TEN PASS... A deal to good to pass up! 10 Punch card good for 10 visits ANYTIME, including Holidays and Weekends. Plus, Its TRANSFERABLE! Share with your friends and family! Available until 12/15 (Not Refundable or Replaceable)

SO CLOSE TO YOU!:Elkhart 25 min-20 milesSouth Bend 40 min-35 milesFort Wayne, IN 90 min-85 milesChicago, IL 2.5 hrs-103 milesIndianapolis, IN 3.5 hrs-150 milesNew Buffalo, MI 60 min-55 milesSt. Joe Area 60 min-50 miles

Have a Skier or Snowboarder that you just don’t know what to get for the Holidays...

How about a Swiss Valley Gift Card! Plus, we are running a special...SAVE $5* on the purchase of any Swiss Valley Gift Card $50.00 or more, use promo code FMMI44 when calling (269)244-5635 to place your order.

www.SkiSwissValley.com

100% Recyclable


AttitudeBy Kathy Sena

Teaching our kids about being thankful and sharing with those less fortunate can start when they’re young and can begin very simply. But the lessons and impressions that result can grow over the years, making family life that much sweeter, creating a springboard for a college student’s desire to give back and even starting a tradition for the next generation.

A Tree Full Of Thanks“Ever since my girls were two and three years old, we have created a ‘Thankful Tree,’ at Thanksgiving”, says Diane Safarik. “We make a 4- or 5-foot tree out of construction paper and tape it to the wall. Starting on November 1, each day we add fall-colored cutouts of leaves on the tree. On the leaves, we write things we are thankful for.” “By the end of the month, there are many leaves,” says Safarik. “It has been one of our favorite traditions. My girls are now in college and we still do it. Both girls say they will continue to do it with their families. It started out with leaves stating ‘I am thankful for my pillow’ and ‘I am thankful for my teddy bears,’ and now there are very heartfelt, adult statements.”

“On Thanksgiving, we each pick our favorite leaves and put them on the table. Before dinner we say a Thanksgiving prayer and read our favorite leaves aloud,” says Safarik. She saves the leaves from each year. “I am always surprised by some of the things my girls are grateful for!” she adds.

Appreciating The Little Things Cindy Ward is the busy mother of three boys ages eight, six and four. She and her husband, Joe, teach the boys to appreciate even the small things people do for them. “Recently my six year old said to my mom, ‘Gigi, thank you for getting Nutella to keep at your house so we could have our favorite sandwiches,’ says Ward. “My mom’s face lit up!”

Creating an attitude of thankfulness at home seems to rub off on the boys, says Ward. “One day Joe surprised the two older boys with lunch at school. As soon as he walked in the door at home that night, they both greeted him with ‘thank you for bringing me lunch today! I really liked that!’ and I said, ‘Thanks for the day off, babe.’ He looked at me funny. I explained: ‘When you took them

lunch, I didn’t have to pack it for them. It was a nice treat for me, too. Thanks!’ It really is the little things.” Sharing what they have with others makes her boys better appreciate what they have, says Ward. “The boys’ school has several families who need help with food during the long breaks when the kids don’t get free/reduced meals for breakfast and lunch. It always makes me happy when my boys come home and start taking out cans and boxes of food for the food drives.” A Thanksgiving To Remember“My kids and I almost always help serve lunch at the St. Vincent de Paul soup kitchen near our home while my husband prepares Thanksgiving dinner for us,” says Miriam Stern, a mom of three. “How can that not make anyone feel grateful for whatever they have as well as for the opportunity to serve others?”

Stern, whose children are now 19, 16 and 15, says her family has upheld the tradition for a number of years. “I honestly don’t believe you can teach gratitude by anything but example,” she says. But don’t feel as if you’ve failed if the kids are less than enchanted with your service ideas at first, Stern adds. She notes that her soup-kitchen visit didn’t go over great with the kids right away.

The first time Stern told the kids that they were doing this, there was balking,” she says. “But it wasn’t a choice, and my husband backed me up.” She remembers that first year clearly. “As we were standing in line to pick up the food to serve it at the tables, a man next to me in line said that he had eaten there during tough times and had pledged that he would be back to serve when he was back on his feet one day. And there he was. That moved me so much and I made sure to tell my kids that you never know when you’ll be down on your luck and you should never judge people who are.”

Gratitudean

of

FAMILY matters



Another Reason To

GIVE THANKS

™

To order, please call or visit:

Heritage Square Shopping Center

Granger, IN574-247-5757

EdibleArrangements.com

SAVE $5*

on any orderCode: FMAG1348

HARVEST CELEBRATION™

With leaf-shaped pineapple dipped in gourmet chocolate and CINNAMON CHOCOLATE APPLE WEDGES® in a pumpkin keepsake

®

*Offer valid at participating locations. Valid on arrangements and dipped fruit boxes. Offer expires 12/31/2012. Cannot be combined with any other offers. Offer code must be used when placing order. Containers may vary. Arrangements available in a variety of sizes. Delivery not available in all areas. EDIBLE ARRANGEMENTS & Design and all other marks noted are trademarks of Edible Arrangements, LLC. ©2012 Edible Arrangements, LLC. All rights reserved.

Visit us and

Make life a little sweeter.

Attitude

“In all honesty, the kids never really want to do this when the time comes,” Stern admits. “It’s not easy to see people in need. The last time we did it, there was a woman there with a three-day-old baby. I made sure to tell the kids how heartbreaking it would have been for me to bring a three-day-old baby to a shelter for a holiday meal. I think this gets through and makes all of us grateful for everything we have, even if my kids are rolling their eyes the minute they turn their back to me.”

Experiences like this can go a long way toward putting everyday life into perspective, Stern says. “My kids go to a school where a majority of their classmates are from wealthy families and I think they feel awfully sorry for themselves sometimes, like when it seems everyone there has an iPhone or everyone but them is going skiing in Vail. But serving at St. Vincent de Paul is a reality check. Their school is not the real world, I tell them. The people coming to eat at the shelter are having much more of a ‘real-world’ experience.”

Making A DifferenceSeeing that thankfulness, and the desire to serve others, in your child as he or she gets older is a wonderful feeling, says Stern. “When my daughter went away to college, she got involved with a group called ‘Challah for Hunger’ that bakes Challah every Friday and sells to it benefit charities that feed the poor. I had never heard of this group and was not involved in her decision in any way,” she adds. “But I was so proud of her when she told me about it. I think acts of charity are ultimately acts of gratitude. You can’t give to others unless you are coming from a place where you know you have more than enough for yourself. My daughter is now on their board of directors. I could not be more grateful.” “We give and share our good fortune when we can,” says Ward. “We thank God for what we have, and that we’re able to make a difference in little ways. I guess that’s key for me. We’re securely in the ‘middle class’ and won’t likely ever be known for huge contributions to charities. But, it’s not about being known. It’s not about one-time gifts. It’s about the little things that touch people’s lives.”

Gratitude

Kathy Sena is a freelance writer specializing in parenting topics. Visit Kathy’s website at www.kathysena.com.

100% Recyclable


Taking Your Family to an Art MuseumBy Sarah Martin

art museums are great places to take your family. They offer opportunities to

explore distant countries, experience different cultures and travel back in time. Works of art stimulate imaginations of all ages and open us up to see the world in new ways.

If all that doesn’t convince you that you need to get your family to an art museum ASAP, then maybe this will – art museums want families to visit and to visit regularly!

To make sure your next art museum visit is a masterpiece of an experience, here are some artful tips.

Before Your VisitDo some reconnaissance Peruse the art museum’s website to find important information such as: hours, admission fees, parking options, stroller access or rental, photography policies, what art materials are allowed in the galleries, locations of restrooms, café menus, etc.

Get your young artists excited about the visit.Spend some time on the art museum’s website looking together at works of art that you might see during your visit. Some art museums have videos and games specifically designed to engage young visitors and these make great pre-visit activities to do together. Also, be sure to take a look at the calendar for any upcoming family programs that might be scheduled. Many museums offer family tours, films, festivals and classes at low or no cost.

Read books together about visiting art museums, art and artists. Some art museums have even published their own children’s books. Your local children’s librarian is a great resource for art- and art museum-themed books.

Make a sketchbook together. An easy-to-carry sketchbook your child can use in the art museum during your visit can be made by folding a few pages of white paper in half and stapling them together down the fold. Your child can then personalize the cover.

During Your VisitDon’t try to see the whole art museum during your visit. Your feet and your sanity will thank you if you just focus on one or two

galleries or a specific exhibition. Art museums can be overwhelming places both physically and visually. For many young visitors, just being in a big new place can be a lot to handle. Throw in some exciting art and you can have overload in a very short amount of time. Take it slow and look to your child for clues on how much is manageable during your visit. You can always come back!

Play games together. Everyone loves a good round of “I Spy”, and works of art have a multitude of colors, shapes, objects and people just waiting to be spied! You can test your observation skills with the memory game. Find a detailed work of art to focus on. Spend a few minutes just looking at it, taking in all the details, then turn around and see how many things you can remember from the work of art. Striking a pose like the people in a painting or sculpture is also a fun thing to do in the gallery, especially if you can sense your child needs some physical activity. Many museums have resources such as interactive exploration packs and gallery guides which families can check out for use in the galleries. Be sure to ask museum staff when you arrive what might be available.

Talk with your child about the art. Young people have unique and insightful perspectives on works of art and we, as adults, could learn a lot from them! Get the conversation started with some questions: What do they think is going on in the artwork and why? What colors and shapes do they see? If they could step into the work of art, what would it sound/smell/feel like? How does this artwork make them feel and why?

Take breaks—snack breaks, bathroom breaks, brain breaks—all help to make a potentially over-stimulating experience manageable.

Take pictures of your child with works of art. Not only will these be great souvenirs of your visit, but they will be the start of a photo album you can continue to add to as your child grows and you visit more art museums. (Be sure to check the art museum’s policies first, though.)

I’m going to let you in on a little secret:

FAMILY fun



Creekstone

Follow the interests of your child. Let them be the tour guide and you’ll see a whole new art museum.

After your visitTalk about your visit together. Find out which work of art your child would want hanging in their room and why. Plan what you want to see and do on your next visit.

Buy a postcard (or twelve!) during your visit. Your child can write about their visit to Grandma and Grandpa. You can also use several postcards to create a mini-museum at home. This is the only way you’ll get that van Gogh out the museum doors!

Create a photo album using the photos you took of your child in the museum. Add captions to each image and add to the album after every art museum visit.

Do you want a home that is close to good neighborhoods and includes some land?

574-202-2000 | [email protected]

Wait till you see this 100% remodeled country home. This home has 3.95 acres a pole barn and accessory structures. 4 bedrooms 4 baths a main level office and a finished basement. This home is located between two popular subdivisions in Jimtown and close to the school. Property renovation was extensive and the whole house is like new construction. Granite counters throughout, hardwood and tiled floors, new everything! New Stainless Appliances included. Call Josh Hendricks for a list of improvements Broker owned $234,500.

29232 CR 118 Jimtown

Josh HendricksCreekstone Investments, Inc.60590 CR 1 Elkhart IN 46517

Sarah Martin is the Curator of Education, Public Programs at the Snite Museum of Art at the University of Notre Dame where her understanding of art is continually expanded by young visitors under 4 feet tall.

Wishing for a

White Christmas?

574-968-37196502 Grape Road, Suite 882 • Mishawakawww.universitymeadowsfamilydental.com

Monday - Thursday 8-5Friday 8-1

$39 Exam, x-ray &

ClEaningNew patients only. Cleaning valid only if oral health qualifies. Offer good for each family member. Must present coupon. Cannot be combined with any other offer or discount. No cash

value. Expires 2/28/13. PROMO CODE: FM3911

Have a healthy, bright smile in time for the holidays, call and schedule

your appointment today!

We accept most insurance, including Medicaid, Cigna, Delta Dental and many more.

FREETEETh whiTEningWith the purchase of required x-rays, consultation and cleaning

at regular price. Includes Home Whitening Kits and FREE Bleaching Trays. Offer good for each family member. Cannot be

combined with any other offer or discount. Must present coupon. No cash value. Expires 2/28/13. PROMO CODE: FM0W11

100% Recyclable


FAMILY cover story

Keeping Up with the Davises

By Stephanie J. Salisbury

Glen and Tammy Davis are just your basic, ordinary family in today’s society, aren’t they? They are a blended family (two families coming together) and an interracial couple with biracial children, all of which is much more typical now than ever. They have also struck a great balance between work and family life.The two of them met on a blind date (through some very persistent friends, I’m told) and, though neither of them was interested in dating at the time, the rest is history. “My wife is simply amazing,” says Glen. “I am still not sure why she agreed to marry me!” Tammy is touched by his words and responds with, “Aww! That's why I married him! Glen is a great person. He is a wonderful husband and a great father. I value that he makes our family his top priority.”

They are passionate about their family, their faith and their community. Tammy feels strongly about helping those who have been overlooked and under-cared for in our society. Having worked in dental public health, she is in the brainstorming process of how to put those two passions together. “I am exploring the possibility of starting a pay-it-forward type dental program in our area,” she informs me. Glen’s eyes are on the next generation, as well. “I am really focused on the future for our kids. I wonder what they will do with their lives, where will they go, what gifts they will give to the world. I am excited to see what this next generation will become.”

It’s wonderful to see two people who care for one another, and

their family, so deeply. I had the pleasure of interviewing the Davis Family, and would love to share some of their story with you in their own words.

FAMILY Magazine (FM): Tell me about your kids!

Glen: Ellyssa is seventeen years old, Maya is four years old and Maxwell is three years old. The kids are so entirely different. It is fun to watch them interact.

Tammy: Ellyssa is great at writing and loves to read. We used to have to take reading away as a punishment! Maya can best be described as demure. She is very detail-oriented and has great concentration. She also has a love for books. Maxwell has a lot of energy. He is funny, playful and talkative.

FM: What is the most important thing you’ve tried to teach your children?

Glen: The most important that we have done for our children is



Menno Travel

Elkhart Christian Academy

Experience Scotland’s Classic Attractions and Merida’s Favorite Pastimes… Just Like in the Movie

• Archery lesson at Glamis Castle• Horseback riding• Participation in a special version

of the Highland Games• Mountain biking at

Rothiemurchus Estate• Canoe on Loch Ness in search

of the Loch Ness Monster• Scottish dancing and

making scones

Adventures by Disney Travel Services, Inc. CST# 2082519-10. GS2012-7865 As to Disney artwork/logos: ©Disney/Pixar

From the bustle of Edinburgh to the beauty of the Scottish Highlands, ancient castles to mysterious lochs,

Scotland: A Brave Adventure

Discover Scotland in a Way You Will Never Forget

• Edinburgh - Capital city of Scotland and the

seat of the Scottish Parliament• The Scottish Highlands

- Inverness, Isle of Lewis, Loch Ness and Isle of Skye

• Incredible Castles - Dunnottar Castle, Urquhart

Castle and Eilean Donan Castle• Ancient Monuments

- Callanish Stones and Dun Carloway Broch on the Isle of Lewis

Contact us today!574-534-1521 1-800-635-0963www.mennotrav.com

Preparing Students for Life!

574.293.1609www.elkhartchristian.org

Christ Centered Education PreK -12

introduce them to church at an early age. They pray and believe already. It is pretty awesome.

Tammy: Creating a foundation of faith is so important. Everything stems from that: love, integrity, perseverance, hope, honesty…

FM: What is a typical day like for you?

Tammy: A typical day consists of getting kids ready for school and Glen out the door for work. The little kids have preschool a few half-days a week and we do enjoy 'home days' and take it pretty easy when they do not have school. I try to go to the gym a few times a week, work one day a week and we plan play dates and have dance class, but I try not to over-schedule my kids. Then there are the typical things like running errands, making dinner and maintaining the household.”

FM: What challenges do you have to face as an interracial couple?

Glen: The challenges that we face as an interracial couple are probably not much different from the challenges that most couples face. Determining which neighborhood to live in, deciding which schools would be the best fit for our children, seeking a diverse set of experiences for the kids: these are issues that most of our friends locally and nationwide are considering regardless of race. My hope is that we can find academic and social environments for our kids that are somewhat diverse. Obviously, we would not want them attending a school in which they would be made to feel uncomfortable with their racial identity. Given current social and demographic trends in America, I see this as being an achievable goal.

Stephanie J. Salisbury, University of Michigan graduate, has published two books and maintains a well-followed inspirational blog. She and her husband live in Middlebury.

100% Recyclable


Adoption Tips fromReal parents share their first-hand advice on adoption

By Meagan Church

In 2006, Shelley Walatka and her husband decided to grow their family of five to a family of seven as they adopted two boys from Ethiopia. “The best thing about adopting was getting to have two new sons. They are amazing boys and we could not imagine life without them,” she said. The journey to adoption was full of learning experiences and surprises. “What

surprised us the most about adoption was how something could be so wonderful and so hard at the very same time.”

Adoption can be a long process filled with paperwork and waiting, waiting and more waiting. Three local families shared their stories of adoption, along with their thoughts and advice for other families who are considering adopting. Spoiler alert: bringing home their babies was well worth the wait.

Read, Read, Read“I think reading up on potential adoption issues pre-referral is incredibly important,” said Danielle Black who adopted her little girl in 2009. “These days, I think most social workers require such reading during the home study process, but even if they don’t I think you should read, read, read.”

Get ConnectedJolene Shrock and her husband have now adopted three children from Ethiopia. One of the things that most surprised her throughout the process was the support for the community of people adopting. “We have made some of our best friends. When the rest of your friends and family cannot relate to what is going on in your world and then you get connected with others who are going through it with you, strong bonds build quickly.”

Shelley also found that connecting with other families helped her through the process. “What helped us most through the time of waiting was other families in the same situation, or families who had been through it before. It was nice to have people feeling the same feelings, wondering the same things.”

Prepare for the Wait“Waiting was the hardest,” Shelley recalled. “It is hard as your heart breaks and longs to love another child, while knowing for

you to gain a child, something terrible has to happen to them to get to that place. It is a very bittersweet time of waiting.”

When Jolene adopted her first child, there was not a lot of time between receiving their referral and bringing their little girl home. But the rules and requirements changed before she adopted her second and third children. “In Ethiopia the laws have changed. We actually went to meet Stella and Ben for court, but then we had to come home and wait three more months. Those were painful, knowing we had our home and their cribs all ready yet, because of the legal paperwork, they were still in the orphanage. We understood it, but it tore at my heart for three long months.”

Danielle experienced that same heartache for just a night. “I will never forget having to lay Selah back down in her crib at the transition home for the one night before we could take her home forever. It was quite excruciating. I cannot imagine having to leave her knowing it could be months before we returned, as parents have to now.”

Give Bonding a ChanceJolene clearly remembers the moment when she met her first child. “The moment is surreal. My heart was beating out of my chest the whole 20-minute drive to the orphanage. I got out of the car and I knew she was in that building and we were so close to her. We walked up the steps and I walked into the room where she was and the nanny was getting her dressed. I held her hand. Once she was all dressed and I picked her up, I could not keep myself together. She cooed and was easy to smile. It was love at first sight.”

Danielle also remembers making an instant connection. “The first time we held Selah in our arms was incredible. She was so tiny—only 13 pounds at six months—that she seemed younger than she was. She just stared and stared at us. And we did the same to her. It was quiet surreal and yet incredible. I know this is not a lot of people’s experience—that bond happening right away—but it was definitely mine.”

The bonding doesn’t always happen immediately. It takes time to acclimate and get to know one another.

For Shelley who already had a one-year-old and two three-year-olds

Experienced Parents

FAMILY features • College Prep & Adoption



at home, she remembers how difficult the bonding was. “We were so excited to bring two more children into our home, but it took us longer then we thought to attach to them. I am sure it was partially the amount of young children we had running around. One of the most difficult parts for us was that it took us about a year or so to find a new ‘normal.’”

As Jolene said, “Allow your child time to adjust and embrace the new life and personality God put into your care.”

Prepare to be ChangedAs Danielle reflected on her experience of adopting, she recalled the best part. “Becoming a family is the obvious answer, but it was more then that. It was falling in love with my children and their culture, and having my eyes opened to needs all around the world.”

Her eyes were opened in such a way that she and Jolene were inspired to found their own non-profit organization Awake and Alive. “It started out of a desire of mine and Danielle’s to follow our passion to help the poorest of the poor in Ethiopia and to give back to the country that has given us so much: our children,” said Jolene.

“For our family’s story, one amazing thing about adoption was the connection it brought between us and the adoption community, and us and the continent that we love so much—Africa,” said Danielle. “Because of these two things, our organization Awake and Alive was born. If we hadn’t adopted, I doubt Awake and Alive would have been born.”

Shelley recalled the impact it made on her life, as well as her children’s. “Our eyes were opened to poverty around the world and the need for orphan care. It was hard to see and hear, but good to realize how good we have life here and how we want our lives to count for more than just making sure our lives are comfortable. I also have loved how it has opened the eyes of our biological children. It has given them a chance to show love in a way that they would never experience otherwise and open their eyes to poverty around the world. Their worldview is much larger because of adoption.”

Meagan Church is a writer and mother of three kids. Her current projects include DefiningMotherhood, and Unexpectant where she explores the realities of modern motherhood for her book project.

100% Recyclable


The Low-Down on 529 College Savings Plans

Helping Parents Save for CollegeBy Amy Cahill

Despite the lousy economy, today’s parents are saving more than ever for college. A recent report from the College Savings Plans Network shows parents and grandparents are socking away record amounts of money in 529 plans.

During the first six months of 2012, total investment in the savings plans reached $179 billion, according to CSPN. The network’s research indicates as of June 30, 2012, there were nearly 11 million 529 accounts in the United States.

As of June 2012, the average 529 account was valued at $16,298, a 6.2 percent increase from June 2011. That’s good news for tomorrow’s college students. According to estimates from CSPN, parents with a child in kindergarten this year can expect to spend $174,167 on tuition, fees, room and board to send that child to a public university for four years, assuming 7% inflation.

Parents are not just opening 529 plans, they are also being diligent about investing in them, CSPN found. Forty-four percent of all 529 accounts received contributions during the first six months of 2012.

The more parents can save now, the less debt their children will have in the future. According to The Project on Student Debt, in 2010 the average college student graduated with $25,250 in student loan debt.

Both Indiana and Michigan graduates typically carried even more debt than the average student. In Indiana, 62 percent of the Class of 2010 graduated from college with student loans to repay. The average student owed $27,001. In Michigan, 60 percent of graduates were in debt. Those students were closer to the national average with an average debt of $25, 675.

What is a 529 plan?A 529 plan is an education savings plan that offers certain tax benefits. Almost every state has its own 529 plan. The plans were created in 1996 by the Internal Revenue Service, and are named after the specific section of the IRS Code that addresses them.

A 529 savings plan allows parents and grandparents to invest money for qualifying educational expenses, which include tuition, room, board and some fees. Book costs and student loans do not counts as qualifying educational expenses, according to Billy Vail, an independent Financial Advisor with Generations Financial Advisors in Granger, IN. The National Institute of Certified College Planners has designated Vail as a Certified College Planning Specialist.

If the funds in the 529 account are properly used for qualifying educational expenses, any growth beyond the initial investment is not taxed. Most universities and community colleges qualify. Even many trade schools and cosmetology programs are eligible.

“The whole ‘avoiding taxation on appreciation’ is the primary benefit that folks get pretty excited about,” Vail says.

The person who invests in the 529 plan retains control over the plan, and can easily change the beneficiary to a different child or even to themselves. If the money in a 529 account is not used for educational expenses, most plans allow participants to withdraw their initial investment tax-free, but there are taxes and penalties on any earnings.

Participants can invest in any plan they choose, not just their home state’s plan. However, many states offer tax incentives for investing in the state’s 529 plan. In Indiana, investors get a 20 percent tax credit up to $1,000 on any investment they make in an Indiana 529 plan. So, if parents invest $5,000 in Indiana’s CollegeChoice 529 plan, they get to take $1,000 off the total amount they owe in state taxes.

“It’s practically like getting a 20 percent return on your money,” Vail says.

In Michigan, parents can deduct up to $5,000 per individual or $10,000 per couple, married filing jointly, on their state income tax form.

How do I enroll?Parents can either enroll directly in a 529 plan by contacting the plan manager or can use a financial advisor to help them enroll

FAMILY features • College Prep & Adoption



Mutual Bank

The Low-Down on 529 College Savings Plans

in a 529 plan. The advantage of using an advisor is participants get the advice of a financial planning professional. However, advisor-sold plans often include additional fees to pay for those services.

Vail recommends parents who are thinking about enrolling in a 529 program visit www.savingforcollege.com. The website is run by Joe Hurley, who is considered to be the 529 guru, Vail says.

The website offers tools and calculators to help parents determine how much they need to save, and ranks every 529 program in the country. The website looks at the plan’s flexibility, performance, costs, features and reliability before assigning 1 to 5 ‘Graduation Caps’. Programs earning 5 Caps are the highest ranked.

Indiana’s CollegeChoice 529 Direct Savings Plan earns 5 Caps, while its CollegeChoice Advisor 529 Savings Plan earns 4.5 Caps. Indiana also offers a CollegeChoice CD 529 Savings Plan, which also earns 4.5 Caps.

Michigan’s MI 529 Advisor Plan earns only 3.5 Caps, while its Michigan Education Savings Program earns 5 Caps. The Michigan Education Savings Program also made www.savingforcollege.com’s list of Top 10 performing plans in the one-year, three-year and five-year categories.

In addition to the two 529 plans, Michigan also offers the Michigan Education Trust, which is a prepaid college plan. Participants buy semesters of college at current rates. The Michigan Education Trust earns only 2 Caps. (Vail says he does not care for the Michigan Education Trust program because the purchaser cannot transfer the funds to another beneficiary without the approval of the child the fund was initially set up to benefit.)

No matter which option parents choose, anything they can save for college now will benefit their children in the future.

Amy Cahill is an award-winning freelance writer based in Stevensville, Mich. She and her husband have two children, who provide most of the inspiration for her parenting articles.

Falling in love?Move in closer to the home of your

dreams with a loan you can live with.

To participate in the Loyalty Rewards Points, you must have a MutualBank checking account with an active debit card that is registered with UChoose Rewards. Register your debit card at UChooseRewards.com. UChoose Loyalty Rewards are not available with the Plain Checking Account. Earn 10,000 one-time, bonus points when you open a new mortgage or 5,000 one-time bonus points for mortgage refinance and home equity loans. Loyalty points are rewarded within 45 days following month end. Subject to credit approval.

It’s everything you’d hoped for and we’d love to help make it yours! The financing of your home will be a rewarding experience as we provide careful consideration to your needs by way of:

• Pre-qualification and lender consultation• Local underwriting• Attractive closing costs• Long-term rate protection• Local payment servicing• 10,000* UChoose Loyalty Rewards Points

Contact an experienced Mortgage Lender in St. Josephor Elkhart County or apply online at bankwithmutual.com.

100% Recyclable


November 2012 Calendar of Events

November 1 – December 2Frailty and Resilience ExhibitSnite Museum of Art, Notre Dame, South BendStephen De Staebler’s figurative sculptures juxtapose the frailty and transience of individual lives against the remarkable resilience of humankind. Their forms are rooted within the ruins of classical sculpture, memorial stele, and architectural friezes. That is, classical sculpture’s defiance of absolute decay became De Staebler’s metaphor for mankind’s yearning for a connection to eternity—our shared quest for spiritual transcendence. Free.sniteartmuseum.nd.edu.

November 2 – November 17A Merry Como ChristmasBattell Center Theatre, MishawakaThe most professional vocalists in town and tight harmonies that take months to perfect. This year, “A Merry Como Christmas” brings back highlights of men performing their favorite homage to the Rat Pack and the Jersey Boys. The females take the stage with the Andrews Sisters, MacQuire Sisters and their favorite music from the band Abba. This year there are many surprises including a huge pair of singing, glittery lips, the light-up Christmas tree and, back by popular demand, the three-headed Santa! Close to Vaudeville with a touch of the spirit of cabaret. Tickets are $10 to $12. 8 to 10 PM. For more information, call 574.243.7704 or visit www.thecompanyplayers.com.

November 3Career Analysis TestElkhart Career Center, ElkhartThe Career Analysis Test helps students focus on their skills and is a great start to a career or college path. It is sponsored by the national non-profit organization Career Analysis Organization of America. It is open to juniors and seniors who have a minimum G.P.A.of 2.5 in St. Joe and Elkhart Counties. Participating schools include, but are not limited to: Penn, Mishawaka, Granger Christian, St. Joseph, Trinity, Marian, Elkhart Central, Elkhart Memorial, Elkhart Christian, Concord, Middlebury and Goshen High Schools. Maximum seating is 200. Registration fee of $120 includes test, workbook, career consultation and two-year subscription to online goal-tracking program. 9 AM to 12 PM. For more information, call 574.370.1473 For visit www.careeranalysis.org.

November 7Northern Indiana Artists’ 70th Anniversary ExhibitionSouth Bend Museum of Art, South Bend

First Friday Reception! See over 50 works of art accepted into this juried exhibition of members’ work. Active since its founding in 1942 in South Bend, the NIA currently has over 100 members working in a variety of media—oils, watercolor, acrylic, pastel, pen & ink, monoprint, etching, photography, clay, bronze and more—much of which is represented in this exhibition. Refreshments served. Free to members. $5 suggested donation. 5 PM to 7:30 PM (awards at 6 PM). For more information, call 574.235.9102.

Swan LakeIUSB Campus Auditorium, South BendThe IU South Bend Dance Company debuts in a premiere ballet performance with Jameson Cooper directing the IUSB Philharmonic in Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake. 7:30 PM. For tickets and price information, call 574.520.4203.

Insights in History – History Through CostumesCenter for History, South BendGuest costume curator Patricia Potts and Barbara Whiteman, exhibit coordinator, will discuss costumes from the Center for History’s collections. A guided tour of items on view in Gizmos, Corsets and Concoctions will take place. Reservations required by November 5. $3 ($1 members). 1:30 PM to 3 PM. For more information, visit centerforhistory.org.

November 8Calligraphy ClassThe Calligraphy Studio, South BendAnyone interested in learning more about the art of beautiful lettering is invited to attend a weekly gathering facilitated by Anne Binder. All skill levels are welcome. Beginning students learn the basic calligraphic letterforms while those who wish to continue their practice can be guided by the instructor. 6 PM to 8 PM. For more information, call 574.287.2189.

Secrets of the SunPenn-Harris-Madison Digital Video Theater/Planetarium, MishawakaAn intimate look at the role the Sun plays in the life of our solar system. From the nuclear forces churning at the heart of the Sun to the mass ejections of solar material into surrounding space, we experience the power of the Sun and its impact on the planets and ultimately life on Earth. We trace the Sun’s life cycle, going back to its beginnings and moving forward in time to its eventual death. 6:30 PM. For more information, call 574.258.9569.

November 9Fish FryAmerican Legion #357, South BendFish fry with baked potato and coleslaw! 11 AM to 8 PM. For more information, call 574.234.5073.

Sean Curran and the King’s SingersDeBartolo Performing Arts Center, Notre DameThe vocal ensemble accompanies Curran’s dancers in an evening-long program called Travel Songs with a movement (commission/world premiere) inspired by the Catholic pilgrimage to Santiago do Compastella on which the film “The Way” is based. 7 PM. For more information, visit performingarts.nd.edu.

The Secret GardenO’Laughlin Auditorium, St. Mary’s College, South BendAn enchanting musical based on the book by the same name. Tells the story of lonely Mary Lennox. Orphaned in colonial India, Mary is sent to live with her uncle at Misselthwaite Manor, Yorkshire. She discovers a magical and beautiful secret her aunt left behind. $8 to $13. 7:30 PM. For more information or for tickets, call 574.287.4626 or visit www.saintmarys.edu/tickets.

November 10Pottery Made EasySt. Patrick’s County Park, South BendJoin park staff and a local pottery craftsperson to learn the “slump” method of pottery making. Make a bowl, pot or cup using self-hardening clay that does not require firing in a kiln. All materials will be provided. Registration and payment are required by November 7. $10. 9 AM to 12 PM. For more information, call 574.654.3155 or visit www.sjcparks.org.

Race to Save LivesSeitz Park, South BendRace to Save Lives is a fast and fun race along the river that has grown bigger each year. A 5K, 10K and 1 mile walk/run to help raise awareness for suicide prevention in St. Joseph County. The Suicide Prevention Center is a non-profit organization that strives to prevent and raise awareness about suicide through education and outreach. The SPC includes a survivor support group that meets once a month to help those who have lost someone to suicide. $25 to $30, depending on race. 8 AM to 10 AM. For more information, call 574.247.6047 EXT 120 or visit www.sjcsuicideprevention.org.

Genealogy for BeginnersBittersweet Branch of Mishawaka-Penn-Harris Library, MishawakaInterested in learning more about your family

*Please be sure to call ahead to confirm times and information.



Once Upon A Time

tree but don’t know how to begin the research? Librarian Deanna Juday will cover the basic steps used to begin and will discuss local resources and common practices for recording family information. Attend this workshop. Free. 1 PM. For more information, contact Deanna at 574.259.0392.

St. Mary’s Holiday Bazaar and Food DriveSt. Mary’s School Gym, Niles, MICrafts, pastries, snacks, coffee, lunch. Admission is a non-perishable food item. 9 AM to 2 PM. For more information, call 269.684.0637.

November 11Brandon Heath’s Blue Mountain Tour (With Matt Maher)Grand Horizon Center, ElkhartFamily-friendly music. Tickets range from $15 to $30. Concert is at 7 PM. VIPs can enter at 5 PM. For more information, visit www.grandhorizoncenter.com.

November 12Irish Music SessionFiddlers’ Hearth, South BendLed by Kim Hoffmann, host of WSBN’s “The Celtic Hour”. 8:30 PM. For more information, call 574.232.2853.

November 13Family Scrimmage: Tackling Cancer TogetherRiverBend Wellness Center, South BendThis monthly program is intended for families facing cancer and has separate activities for adults and children. A play therapist will create and oversee the children’s activities while the parents participate in a support group environment. A family-style meal will be served. The program is free, but reservations are required. 5:30 PM to 7 PM. For more information, call 574.287.4197 or visit www.riverbendcancerservices.org.

Caring for the CaregiverSamaritan Counseling Center, South BendIt is a privilege to care for others - to be loving and compassionate to persons in need. Often, in caring for others the caregiver neglects his or her own need for care. Why is it important to practice self care? How do we develop caring habits that will sustain us? Join Kim Bloom, the Samaritan Center’s Director for Clergy and Congregation Care, for a practical conversation about recognizing the need for self care and ways to stay physically, emotionally and spiritually nourished. 12 PM to 1 PM.

November 14 – December 31Miracle on 34th StreetRound Barn Theatre, NappaneeBy chance, Kris Kringle, an old man in a

retirement home, gets a job working as Santa for Macy’s. Kris unleashes waves of good will with Macy’s customers and the commercial world of New York City by referring parents to other stores to find exactly the toy their child has asked for. Seen as deluded and dangerous by Macy’s vocational counselor, who plots to have Kris shanghaied to Bellevue Psychiatric Hospital, Kris ends up in a court competency hearing. Especially at stake is one little girl’s belief in Santa. In a dramatic decision, the court confirms Kris as the true Santa, allowing Susan and countless other children to experience the joy of childhood fantasy. 8 PM or 2 PM depending on date. For more information or to purchase tickets, call 800.800.4942.

November 14Fall Choral ConcertO’Laughlin Auditorium, St. Mary’s College, South BendEnjoy the beauty of women’s voices as the Saint Mary’s College Women’s and Collegiate Choirs present this annual event. 7:30 PM. For tickets or more information, call 574.284.4626 or visit www.saintmarys.edu/tickets.

November 15Glitz & Sass – The Fashion Show of the Year!Hilton Garden Inn & Gillespie Conference Center, South BendBring your best gal pals and get your sass on for the holidays! Red carpet arrival, festive cocktails, heavy hors d’oeuvres, light and fabulous entertainment, then a fashion show featuring local boutiques and fashion-forward businesses. Exclusive and limited seating! Each attendee will receive their ultimate Sassy bag filled with extra-special delights. Drawing for fabulous prizes, and more! Brought to you by Sassy Magazine. $50, limited to 400 guests. 6 PM to 10 PM. To reserve seats or for more information, call our offices at 574.387.5420.

Third Thursdays at the SniteSnite Museum of Art, Notre Dame, South BendPrincess Marie Gets a Facelift! South Bend

Conservator Monica Radecki explains the treatment that several of the paintings received in preparation for the exhibition Breaking the Mold: The Legacy of the Noah L. and Muriel S. Butkin Collection of Nineteenth-Century French Art. Refreshments will be served. After 4PM, free parking is available in the B1 lot south of the stadium. Free. 5 PM to 7:30 PM. For more information, call 574.631.4724 or visit sniteartmuseum.nd.edu.

November 16Friday Night Folk DancingSt. Paul’s Memorial United Methodist Church, South BendRecreational folk dancing. No partner needed. Every Friday evening. 7 PM: Scottish country dancing. 8 PM: international folk dancing. For more information, visit www.southbendfolkdancers.org.

Notre Dame Men’s Glee ClubDeBartolo Performing Arts Center, Notre DameThis premiere group of crooners hits the stage again! For almost 100 years, Notre Dame’s Glee Club has been known as one of the best all-male collegiate Glee Clubs. They have performed all over the country, and the world. 8 PM to 9 PM. For more information, call 574.631.2800 or visit performingarts.nd.edu.

November 17Santa’s ArrivalRiverfront Park Amphitheater, Niles, MIFor the 29th Year, Santa Claus will make an early stop in Niles, via the City of Niles Fire Department Truck, at the Riverfront Park Amphitheater. Children will receive complimentary gifts from Santa, including a coloring book and a candy cane. Hot chocolate, coffee, cider and donut holes are also provided free of charge for children and parents. Parents are welcome to bring their cameras for pictures with Santa. Free. 11 AM to 2 PM. For more information, call 269.683.3720.

Prepare for anything without prices that melt your wallet. We pay $$$ on the spot for gently

used clothing, toys, furniture and equipment your kids have outgrown. Plus low prices on

everything they need now. Snuggle into that.

5640 Sunrise Highway • Sayville, NY 11782631-244-9400 • www.onceuponachildsayville.com

5936 Grape Road • Mishawaka • 574.247.1099HOURS: Mon-Sat 10am-8pm • Sun 12pm-6pm

4024 Elkhart Rd. • Goshen • 574.830.5332HOURS: Mon-Sat 10am-8pm • Sun 12pm-6pm

(Near Dunlap area, by Walmart)

Watch for huge BLACK FRIDAY SALES the day after Thanksgiving.

Start thinking about winter clothes for the kids ... Winter Coats, Boots...Get ready for the COLD weather!

Smokin’ hot deals is what we‘re about.We pay $$$ on the spot for gently used kids’

clothing, toys, furniture and equipment.No appointment needed.

Walk in with goods, walk out with cash.

100% Recyclable


Gourdacious Creations 5th Annual Holiday Open HouseGourdacious Creations Workshop/Showroom, New CarlisleCome and find that one of a kind gift. Uniquely crafted hard-shelled gourds made into ornaments, nativity scenes, snowmen and so much more. Lots of variety to choose from. Fun & Functional Baskets (handmade) will also be there. 9 AM to 5 PM. For more information, call 574.229.0107.

16th Annual Arts and Craft Show in DowagiacDowagiac Union High School, Dowagiac, MIHeld in conjunction with Dowagiac’s Old-Fashioned Christmas Celebration Weekend. Lots of unique arts and crafts and homemade baked goods from many area craftsmen. Free. Doughnuts and lunch menu available for purchase. 9 AM to 2 PM. For more information, call 269.580.2331.

November 18Loretta Lynn at the LernerLerner Theatre, ElkhartCountry music legend & American icon Loretta Lynn is set for a performance at the historic Lerner Theatre in Elkhart, Indiana. Born in poverty in Butcher Hollow, Kentucky, Loretta Lynn had four children by the age of 20 and then became the most popular female singer in country music history. Loretta was a pioneer in country music, with many songs written from the female point of view, as well as with a sense of humor. Tickets range from $50 to $105. 7 PM. For more information or to purchase tickets, call 574.293.4469 or visit www.thelerner.com.

November 19Meditation YogaElkhart Environmental Center, ElkhartDo you enjoy yoga or have you been interested in yoga and have not tried it? Certified yoga instructor Kristin Smith-Myers from Tree of Life Yoga and the Elkhart Environmental Center present this class. All levels are welcome. Space is very limited and registration is required. Free. 5:30 PM to 6:30 PM. For more information and to register for the event, call 574.293.5070.

November 20Afterschool Thanksgiving FunDowntown Mishawaka-Penn-Harris Library, MishawakaFall is in the air and turkeys are everywhere. Children in grades 3 to 6 are invited to join us downtown for stories, traditions and a special craft to make in honor of Thanksgiving. Registration is required. For more information,

stop by the Children’s Services desk or call 574.259.5277 EXT 242.

November 21Lose Weight, Find HealthLakeland Comprehensive Weight Loss Center, Niles, MIFree seminar to learn about solutions to permanent weight loss. Dr. Michael Schuhknecht and staff members will discuss programs available for losing weight and maintaining a healthy weight for years to come. The Lakeland Comprehensive Weight Loss Center specializes in working with each person to create a customized lifestyle plan including medical weight loss management through diet or bariatric surgery, nutrition counseling, individualized exercise programs and monthly support groups. Free. 6 PM to 8:30 PM. For more information, call 269.687.4673 or visit www.lakelandhealth.org/weightloss.

November 23Let’s Talk… Cooking!Harris Branch of Mishawaka-Penn-Harris Library, MishawakaFind out what’s cooking from Martha Eck, owner of the Book Nook Café. This is a special cooking demonstration on yummy holiday treats. Registration required no later than Friday, November 23. Non-refundable $5 fee for supplies. 10 AM. For more information, contact Lynell Wolff at 574.271.3179.

November 24Disney Live Presents “Mickey’s Music Festival”Morris Performing Arts Center, South BendDisney hits are remixed to the hottest sounds of today featuring hip hop, pop, swing, reggae, rock, country and much more! Performers include Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, Ariel, Sebastian, Ursula, Jasmine, Aladdin, Genie, Woody, Buzz and Jessie among the more than 25 Disney stars featured in this jam session fit for the entire family! You can’t resist dancing, singing, playing your air-guitar and laughing with this band of characters! Ticket prices from $17 to $63. 3 PM to 4:30 PM. For more information or tickets, visit www.morriscenter.org.

Creating Themed Christmas TreesLinton’s Enchanted Gardens, ElkhartBefore you put up your tree this year, get tips and ideas for creating a beautiful themed Christmas tree! Free, but seating is limited. 10 AM to 11 AM. For more information or reservations, call 574.293.9699 and visit www.lintons.com.

November 25Vienna Boys’ ChoirDeBartolo Performing Arts Center, Notre DameThe traveling concert choirs whose history dates back more than 500 years once again graces the Leighton Concert Hall stage. Featuring sopranos and altos in a special program for the start of the holiday season, the Vienna Boys’ Choir has truly become an institution for all ages for all time! 4 PM. For more information or for tickets, visit performingarts.nd.edu.

November 26 – November 30Children’s Book SaleBittersweet Branch of Mishawaka-Penn-Harris Library, MishawakaBrowse the selection of fiction and non-fiction, hardbacks, paperbacks and more. Great stocking stuffers! For more information, contact Children’s Services at the Bittersweet Branch or call 574.259.0392.

November 27Build a Gingerbread HouseHarris Branch of Mishawaka-Penn-Harris Library, MishawakaChildren in grades 1 through 6 can smell the fragrance of gingerbread as they help library staff created a gingerbread house. The library will provide the gingerbread panels and frosting. Children are asked to bring holiday candy to decorate the house. Registration is required. For more information, contact Children’s Services at the library or call 574.271.3179.

November 28The Metropolitan Opera: The Tempest EncoreCinemark Movies 14, MishawakaThomas Ades conducts the Metropolitan Opera premiere of his 2004 work, starring baritone Simon Keenlyside as Prospero. For more information, call 574.254.9685.

November 29Mannheim SteamrollerMorris Performing Arts Center, South BendFavorite Christmas music along with state-of-the-art multimedia effects in an intimate setting. The tour, now in its 27th year, is still met by sold-out audiences and was one of the top twenty concert tours in the nation last year. Mannheim Steamroller went on to become the biggest selling Christmas music artist in history. The group’s Christmas tour has become an annual holiday tradition right along with decorating the tree, exchanging presents and creating unforgettable moments with friends and family. Tickets range between $36 and $70. 8 PM to 10 PM. For tickets or more information, visit www.morriscenter.org.



Premier Arts

Wagon Wheel Theatre

32 Pearls

November 29 – December 2It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio PlayIUSB Upstage/Recital Hall, South BendEnter a 1960s soundstage through this presentation of the classic “It’s a Wonderful Life”. Attendees participate as part of the live studio audience in this show. 8 PM or 2 PM, depending on date. For tickets or information, call 574.520.4203.

November 30Handel’s MessiahDeBartolo Performing Arts Center, Notre DameNotre Dame’s choral group, The Chorale, hit the stage again with their annual winter performance of Handel’s “Messiah”. Accompanied by the Notre Dame Symphony Orchestra, this holiday tradition takes place to sold-out audiences. 8 PM to 9 PM. For more information, call 574.631.2800 or visit performingarts.nd.edu.

Tap DogsMorris Performing Arts Center, South BendTAP DOGS are currently taking the world by storm with their unprecedented tap show that combines the strength and power of workmen with the precision and talent of tap dancing. 7:30 PM. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.morriscenter.org.

November 30 – December 16She Loves MeSouth Bend Civic Theatre, South BendA Christmas setting with old world charm, this holiday offering is an elegant treat. Perfume shop co-workers Georg and Amalia dislike each other at first sight. Arguing and feuding, each only takes comfort in growing affections with their respective anonymous pen pals – unaware they are corresponding with each other! Lovely music by the team who created Fiddler on the Roof makes this a delightful gem of true romance and holiday cheer. Tickets range between $18 and $21. Times vary depending on date. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.sbct.org.

November 30 and December 1Deck the Halls!Downtown Mishawaka-Penn-Harris Library, MishawakaIt’s time to trim the tree! Children of all ages are invited to help Children’s Services decorate their tree. Children may make an ornament to hang on the library’s tree and one to take home. Adult caregivers must attend with children aged seven years and under. Registration is not required. Free. 10:30 AM to 4 PM. For more information, stop by the Children’s Services desk or call 574.259.5277 EXT 242.

574.267.8041toll-free 866.823.26182515 E. Center StreetWarsaw, In 46580

Nov. 30, Dec. 1 and 2, 2012December 7, 8 and 9, 2012

December 14, 15 and 16, 2012

At 8:00 pm (Sundays at 2:00 pm)

$13 for children; $17 for students$23 for seniors (matinees only)

$31 for adults

32 PearlsTConservative Family Dentistry... Treating Patients Of All Ages

TFlexible Hours

TVisit Our Website For Information On Procedures Provided...

“She has a smile that can light up a room.” - John Link Equipment Specialist

Avis L. Barker, D.M.D.

32pearlsfamilydentistry.com574.855.3829

15045 State Road 23 • Granger, IN 46530

Like Us on Facebook!

100% Recyclable


15 million babies are born too soon around the world — a half a million of them right here in the United States.

Join the global community. Share stories, spread hope and save lives.

facebook.com/worldprematurityday

world prematurity day november 17

thank you to our sponsors

© 2012 March of Dimes Foundation


Southold Dance Theaterpresents...


Special Section

This timeless holiday classic returns to thrill and enchant audiences of all ages. Delightful sets and costuming will enhance your travels with Clara as you watch her Nutcracker come to life, see her Christmas tree grow and travel with her to

faraway places. The magical production is sure to awaken the child in you as you join Clara in her Christmas journey. Southold’s Nutcracker is the largest and the only full, unabridged Nutcracker production in the Michiana area. Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker is one of the most recognizable pieces of classical music ever penned, with the stunning range of emotions and power. So warm up to the holidays with an evening of one of the most charming performances choreographed to one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever composed.

• Southold Dance Theater

V O S P M C V Z Q A S R A H V E K A W L Q S A B O E Q N P Y K B R A E C A R N Y Y Q G J T K V R L I E X B E V T N E Y T G A R S M H T M S M R J L C H B S U M K Q L S U T M C H Z G E M A Z L E D O L L C U J G I I U J J S V X S P Y H O R Q N M O U S E Q U E E N R E V D D N N O I C N M Q S Y I I W A I M R U I A H T N U D S D A K M D I V T K V O H L V T T C F P P P C K C W Y O N Q M F J Z K Z N V E F R S Y P G A E N T J O O X L E R A S A E S A A I F H L A N R H S C E C N A D R M Y K N H A U Q I K F N T A F C E H Q A F R P H J E P U Z N N B A L L E T M U L P R A G U S Y X A V B U Y J N I A N K Y I

AngelBalletChristmasClaraDanceDollDrosselmeyer

DrummersFairyFritzMiceMidnightMousequeenMusic

NutcrackerSnowflakeSoldierSugarplumSweetsToys

Find the words below in this special Nutcracker word search puzzle. Words can be forwards, backwards, diagonal, vertical or horizontal. Have Fun!


Special Section


For your chance to WIN, color your best picture and mail entries to: Southold dance theater • 914 lincolnway weSt South Bend, in 46602. Coloring contest is open to children 12 years and under, and entries must be mailed by November 2nd. Winners will be notified via phone or email service by Southold Dance Theater by December 2nd, and their artwork will be featured in an upcoming issue along with their first name and age. For additional coloring contest entries, this coloring page may be photocopied and printed off.

Color this page and win! The coloring contest winners will each receive a pair of tickets to The Nutcracker from Southold Dance Theater. One winner will be selected from each of the three following age categories: 3-5, 6-9 and 10-12 years of age.

Hey Kids! NAME: _________________________________________ AGE: ______ADDRESS: __________________________________________________CITY: ___________________________ STATE: ______ ZIP: _________DAY TIME PHONE: __________________________________________PARENT’S NAME: ___________________________________________E-MAIL: ____________________________________________________

Southold Dance Theater (SDT) is a regional training company dedicated to dance excellence. SDT is the only dance organization in the region to offer a pre-professional track of study for the serious dance

student. Under the direction of the professional staff, dancers strive to achieve mastery of technique and performance. Many dancers successfully audition for some of the nation's most prestigious dance institutions. Several have gone on to professional dance careers. As the resident dance company at the Morris Performing Arts Center, Southold enriches its audience with high standards of performance. Southold provides a rigorous training and rehearsal schedule, as well as a dedication to the art of stagecraft, that bring the art form to life. The training program is enhanced additionally by working side by side with professional dancers both in the studio and on the stage. From the classics of the ballet

repertoire to provocative works in modern dance, Southold Dance Theater is committed to presenting high quality performances that inspire and awe its audiences. Public performances attract audiences of more than 7,000 annually while more than 13,000 area school children enjoy the Youth Concert programs. The enchanting classic, The Nutcracker Ballet, is a favorite mainstay of the holiday season. Southold's production has featured live orchestration by the South Bend Symphony Orchestra, guest artists, custom designed scenery and costumes, and a cast of hundreds. The spring program ranges from the classic story ballets like Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, Coppelia and Cinderella to new works by resident and guest choreographers.

Southold Dance Theater (SDT) is a not-for-profit 501 (c) (3) organization, and is funded in part by a grant from the Community Foundation of St. Joseph County through the Indiana Arts Commission, a state agency, with funds from the Indiana General Assembly and the National Endowment for the Arts.


Special Section


Act IThe Stahlbaum house is aflutter with preparations for their annual holiday party. While Clara and her brother Fritz anxiously await the arrival of the guests, Uncle Drosselmeyer can be seen in his workshop putting the finishing touches on his unique toys. The party finally begins with plenty of food, presents, dancing and fun! The beloved Uncle Drosselmeyer arrives late with a cloak full of magic and amazes the guests with two life size dancing dolls. He then presents Clara with a magnificent nutcracker. The gift sparks sibling rivalry, and the nutcracker is broken. Drosselmeyer wraps the toy with a silk and promises a complete repair later. Clara and Fritz rejoin their friends for the remainder of the party, ending the evening in a festive gavotte with parents and children alike.

After the guests have left, and the family has gone to bed, Clara sneaks downstairs to see if her nutcracker has been repaired. Exhausted from the party, she curls up on the day bed with her nutcracker and begins to dream.With the stroke of midnight, mice rule the Stahlbaum's home. They chase Clara and her nutcracker until Drosselmeyer appears. He scatters the mice briefly, magically repairs the nutcracker and brings her toys to life. The mice return and a battle ensues between the mice and the toy soldiers, who are lead by Clara's nutcracker. The dreaded Diva Mouse Queen joins the battle and all looks lost for the Nutcracker. In desperation, Clara throws her shoe, striking the Mouse Queen, which distracts her long enough for the Nutcracker to strike. The Queen is vanquished, but Clara and her Nutcracker collapse from the stress of the battle. The Snow Fairy appears and calls on her entourage to revive the couple and treat them to a beautiful journey through the Land of the Snow.

Act IIClara and her Nutcracker prince arrive in the Land of the Sweets ruled by the beautiful Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier, where angels and guests from around the world greet them. The Sugar Plum Fairy gives Clara a crown, and she and her Prince are escorted to their throne, where they are given sweets to enjoy. They are entertained with a feisty Spanish dance, a sultry Arabian dance, a spritely Chinese dance, an exciting Russian dance, a Shepardess with her little lambs, Mother Ginger and her Polichinelles, and a sumptuous Waltz of the Flowers. The Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier dance an elegant Pas de Deux as their final gift to the young couple. Clara is overwhelmed with joy and thanks the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Nutcracker Prince, only to see the guests disappearing! She swirls around in confusion, and dazed, realizes that she is in her own living room. She finds her Nutcracker under the tree, and lovingly holds it, wondering if her adventure was real or just a dream…

Ballet is dancing on stage to music, using the classical ballet vocabulary, in front of an audience. The ballet vocabulary includes many different steps, positions and leaps that are combined like words into sentences that make up the ballet that you see on stage. Dancers learn all of these steps in ballet

classes, then a choreographer designs the dances to express a feeling or tell a story. The choreographer is like an author, combining the words (steps, positions and leaps) into sentences and paragraphs (dances) to tell a story. The dance is usually set to music, often classical music, played by an orchestra. While the ballet dancers perform on the stage, the orchestra performs in an area below the stage called the pit. For this reason, those musicians are often called the pit orchestra.

Common questions about ballet... HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO BECOME A BALLET DANCER? It takes about eight to ten years of training to become a professional ballet dancer. Ideally, classical ballet training begins when a student is about seven or eight years old. Beginners go to ballet class once or twice a week, learning the steps and positions that make up ballet dance. By the time a student is fifteen years old, he or she will be taking 10-15 hours of lessons per week! The number of people who become professional dancers is quite small; those who do enter professional ballet companies have worked long and hard to develop their extraordinary skills.

IS BALLET JUST FOR GIRLS? No. Every year more and more boys are taking ballet lessons. Ballet is hard work and requires athletic ability, strength and coordination. Boys have to learn how to jump high, turn very fast without getting dizzy, lift girls and make it all look easy.

WHEN DO GIRLS LEARN TO DANCE ON THEIR TOES? Girls usually begin to wear pointe shoes when they are eleven or twelve years old. They have to wait until their bones are hard enough and their feet and leg muscles are strong enough to support their full weight en pointe.


FIRST POSITION: The balls of the feet are turned out completely. The heels touch each other and the feet face outward, trying to form a straight line.

SECOND POSITION: The balls of both feet are turned out completely, with the heels separated by the length of one foot. Similar to first position, but the feet are spread apart.

THIRD POSITION: One foot is in front of the other with the front foot touching the middle of the back foot.

FOURTH POSITION: The feet are placed the same as third position, but one step apart.

FIFTH POSITION: With both feet touching, the toes of each foot reach the heel of the other.

Special Section


South Bend Clinic Villing

Balog_MichFam.indd 1 9/12/12 8:55 AM


Novabella

Have a Yadda Yadda you'd like to share? Send it to: stephanie@

michianafamilymagazine.com

“We were listening to Mick Jagger sing ‘Beast of Burden’ on the radio and my 10-year-old daughter asked why he was singing about pizza burning.” ~ Jennifer

“The other morning, I had my laptop in bed while my 3-year-old was watching cartoons. She looked at me and said, ‘Really, Momma? Really? That’s what you do, really?’ It was so cute because it was like she was scolding me!” ~ Nicole

“But, Mom, I have no POWER to go to sleep!” ~ Kathy

“I got a check I had been waiting for in the mail. I uttered under my breath, ‘Thank you, Jesus,’. My 2 ½-year-old proclaims from the back seat, ‘That ain’t Jesus, Mom, it’s the mailman!’” ~ Holly

“My 8th grader told me she was working on her ‘dog draft’ of her English paper. I asked, ‘I’ve never heard of a dog draft. What is that?’ She replied, ‘It’s a ROUGH, ROUGH draft of the paper!’ (Okay, being a teacher & dog lover, I thought it was hilarious !)” ~ Tisha

YaddaYaddaWe asked our Facebook readers, “What are some funny things your kids have said?” Here are some of their answers:

Fashion has evolved.. so has your bleach!.SM

www.novabella.comwww.novabella.comEvolving new concepts for cleaningTM

Find it at your local Big Box Supercenter-Supermarket Retailer near you

NO spills, NO splash, NO mess.TM

Never need to use liquid bleach again!TM

family stuff kids say



Midwest orthotics

Many of us are beginning to turn a heavier focus to being grateful and thankful for the blessings in our lives as Thanksgiving draws near. Making a few small changes in how we interact with the children in our lives can make the difference between living with the normal self-centered “gimmies” which come so naturally, to the outwardly-focused thankfulness that can flow through a heart more accustomed to gratitude. Here are five ideas to jump start your own attitudes of gratitude for the upcoming holiday and beyond.

Ask different questions Instead of asking the open-ended “How was your day?”, shift the heart of the question to elicit a thoughtful response. “What was the best part of your day?” “What were you most thankful for today?” “How did you make someone else’s day brighter?” “What was this week’s funniest moment?” These kinds of questions can center the thought process on gratefulness and others, and less on life’s inevitable irritations and annoyances.

Express Thanks at a Snail’s Pace Don’t neglect stamps in favor of free social networking! Help your son or daughter brighten a loved one’s day by creating a hand-crafted thank you message with that personal touch all of us long for. Set up a finger painting station for your toddler and help him make a handprint turkey with a Thanksgiving Day greeting. Help your 3rd grader write a haiku of gratitude to her best friend’s mom for hosting the last sleepover. Model it yourself by jotting a handwritten note of thanks to someone you appreciate. Seal it all up into an eye-catching envelope, apply a stamp and send it through the postal service. Encourage your kids to choose someone different during each month to surprise; they will be bringing a year of smiles to mailboxes everywhere.

Share Your Abundance Whether your family earns a six-figure income or scrapes by to make ends meet, we all have some ability to show another side of Thanksgiving. Does your daughter have more clothes than she can fit in her closet? Does your son have so many bicycles in the shed that there’s barely room for the lawnmower? Can you double your usual batch of cookies? Does your Kindergartener have more energy than you can harness? Share your blessings with others and discuss with your children

how thankful you are for all that you do have, and how wonderful it is to share. Make an abundance basket and share it with a neighbor. Give an extra bike to the neighbor who has outgrown his own. Create coupons redeemable for yard work to help share all that pent-up 6-year-old energy in a constructive, giving way, then give them to an elderly neighbor who struggles to rake, shovel the walk or weed.

30 Days of Thanks Create an advent-like calendar to reuse each year. Here’s an idea I found at jellybeanjunkyard.wordpress.com:

Reduce thirty coin envelopes to squares and decorate them with your child’s choice of scrapbook papers. Affix a number to represent each day of the month to each envelope (1-30) and help hot glue each decorated envelope, open-side up, to a painted board. Cut lightly colored cardstock slightly longer than the envelopes, and have family members write down something new they are thankful for each day, placing the cardstock in the corresponding day of the month. Store it as-is until next year, then review the previous year’s daily entries to see what each person was thankful for on that day the previous year.

Whatever your family chooses to encourage a grateful attitude, find ways to cultivate thankful hearts throughout the rest of the year. Start with yourself, leading by example, and let it pour over your children. Before you know it, you’ll see thankful actions that spill out beyond the leftover turkey sandwiches, past Christmas, and into everyday life.

Andie Kingsbury, author of the blog “Ours+His+Mine=Nine!”, is the mother/stepmother of seven boys and two girls, so she knows how to stretch a budget! She and her husband live in Elkhart.

Cultivating Thankfulness

Setting an Example for our KidsBy Andie Kingsbury

Does your child have low muscle tone or have trouble with stability due to pronation?

SureStepSM

SureStep is the perfect bracing system for children who have trouble with stability. By wearing SureStep, your child will have•Better coordination•Improved balance

•Fewer falls•Enhanced mobility

•Increased endurance•Greater stability

Midwest Orthotic & Technology Center is the exclusive provider of SureStep in the Michiana

area. Call to schedule an appointment for your child’s free evaluation today!

17530 Dugdale Dr. | South Bend, IN 46635 | 866.316.1312 | midwestorthotics.com

Center

OrthoticMidwest

&Technology

family family moment

100% Recyclable


Baby-Friendly Hospitals

Local hospitals implement Baby-Friendly practices to support mothers and newborns

By Meagan Church

When I gave birth to my first child six years ago, he was immediately placed on my chest for skin-to-skin contact. He stayed there for quite a while. During that time, an

amazing thing happened: not even an hour old, he began nursing. I’m sure the little guy was hungry after experiencing fourteen hours of labor and delivery—the most stressful event by far in his short life. That first feeding lasted quite a while. Anxious grandparents waited for him to wrap it up so they could meet and greet him, but he didn’t care. He was finding comfort and bonding.

The same scenario played out after my other two births. I was given ample time to hold my babies, allowing their bodies to find comfort and warmth against my own, while they instinctively initiated their first feedings. I appreciated having those first moments together as we got to know each other. But what I later realized is that not every mother and baby has the opportunity to bond in that same way.

When Naomi Hoover gave birth to her first child in 1973, she had a much different experience. “The baby was taken from body and placed under the warmer. I didn’t get to touch her or see anything,” she recalled. Her baby was born completely healthy. Even still, “I did not get to see or hold her for sixteen hours. It still makes me angry.”

Naomi is a registered nurse and international board-certified lactation consultant at IU Health Goshen Hospital and was instrumental in helping the hospital became a designated Baby-Friendly Hospital in 2010. It took eight years from the first discussions until they received this designation.

According to the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative’s website, “The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) is a global program sponsored by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to encourage and recognize hospitals and birthing centers that offer an optimal level of care for infant feeding. The BFHI assists hospitals in giving mothers the information, confidence and skills needed to successfully initiate and continue breastfeeding their babies or feeding formula safely, and gives special recognition to hospitals that have done so.”

As Naomi explained, “WHO and UNICEF started seeing an alarming increase in infant mortality and morbidity from the use of formula. Poor moms saw rich moms giving formula and thought that’s what they

should do. But when they were in their own homes and villages, they didn’t have clean water or money to buy enough formula, so they diluted it more. Babies were starving and dying. WHO and UNICEF decided if it is appropriate for poor mothers to breastfeed, it is the ideal way to feed every baby, even rich mothers.”

“It’s called Baby-Friendly because, breast milk does save lives,” said Amy Murray who spearheaded the initiative for Memorial Hospital of South Bend to become Baby-Friendly. “In our country, we do have a plentiful supply of formula and clean water to mix it with, so we don’t notice the problems with mortality that other countries notice. Babies do die around the world from formula feedings. We notice incidence of gastrointestinal problems, asthma, SIDS and more are all higher in formula fed babies. For the commitment to the health of our community, becoming a Baby-Friendly Hospital is what we need to do.”

Elkhart General Hospital and Memorial have begun the process to become Baby-Friendly, which requires a series of ten steps, including having a written breastfeeding policy, training health care workers and educating mothers on breastfeeding, helping mother initiate breastfeeding in the first hour, have infants room-in with their mothers and remain together for the first 24 hours, and establish breastfeeding support groups for after discharge, among others.

Memorial began the initiative in November 2011 and hopes to receive the designation in 2014. “We have seen patient satisfaction improve and we are already hitting our goals and receiving positive comments,” Amy said. “We have a high initiation rate of 80 percent of mothers saying they want to breastfeed. Our goal is to help those 80 percent be successful.”

Part of what helps with early breastfeeding is that skin-to-skin contact that I experienced after each of my births. “That has been a policy here for eight years,” Amy said. “We have a longstanding history of respecting women’s choices, if she chose to room-in, have skin-to-skin contact or breastfeed, for example. The change is having a policy that points everyone in the same direction and aligns everyone’s goals.”

“The nice thing about being Baby-Friendly is that it brings everyone on board, including nurses, physicians, obstetricians, pediatricians and the NICU, to make sure breastfeeding is supported in a systematic way,” said Michele Whitt, OB/GYN for South Bend Clinic and a member of

family expecting



GymnasticsATHLETIC DEVELOPMENT FOR ALL SPORTSStudents as young as 1 1/2 years old

Progressive program from recreation to competition

Small class sizes

Birthday parties

Martial Arts

Zumba (kids/adults)

3390 N. HOME STREET MISHAWAKA 574.256.0502 GYMMICHIANA.COM

Momadvice.com

Baby-Friendly Hospitals

WOW!Only $5800For New Hi-Ef f iciency FurnaceAnd Air Conditioning System

Special 18-monthFinancing Available!Hurry! We only have a limitednumber of these systems available.

Toll Free: 855-273-8444

23821 Old US 20 EastElkhar t, IN 46516Elkhar t: (574)293-8444Michigan: (269)445-8445Legacyheat ingandair inc.com

Don't Need New Equipment?Get our 20-Point Professional Furnace Tune-Up

for Only $75 (Save $50)Get Your Air Ducts Cleaned

for only $375 (Save $120)

the Baby-Friendly task force at Memorial. “I think it’s really nice, from the standpoint of hospital policy. We have an official policy and guidelines as to how to support the moms. It is more of a unified, community effort.”

Naomi explained that a lot of what they do is about educating everyone so they can make decisions for themselves. “The mother and baby are a unit. We want to promote things to make them succeed at what they want to accomplish. It’s all about education, education, education. We want to tell the parents the correct thing. Then they have a choice and can choose. It’s an informed consent.” A few changes had to be made to meet the standard, such as taking the baby away to give it a bath. “We do baths in the room with the family and use it as a teaching time,” Amy said. “It surprises new parents sometimes that the babies aren’t happy about doing routine care. We talk to parents and tell them it’s okay if the baby cries a little bit. When they go home, they will know they aren’t doing anything wrong. It’s just what babies do.”

It may seem like a small detail as to whether the baby is taken out of the room for a bath or kept in the room with the parents, but as Naomi said, “What animal in the animal kingdom do you know where it’s appropriate to separate the baby from its mother? Where did we get the idea that it’s appropriate to separate our young from us?”

Since working towards becoming Baby-Friendly, Memorial has noticed a difference. “What’s been amazing is that we are seeing babies’ innate drive to breastfeed, they are bobbing around and finding it on their own. It is a gratifying experience for us.”

Patients have also taken notice. Amy shared that one patient said, “What I hoped for and what was told to me about Baby-Friendly are exactly what happened. Having her skin-to-skin was amazing for both of us and created an instant bond.”

Naomi first became a nurse in 1972. She has seen a lot over those years and has experienced the other side of things as a patient herself for the births of her own children. In her words, this initiative means, “We are finally treating mothers and babies the way they should be treated.”

Meagan Church is a writer and mother of three kids. Her current projects include DefiningMotherhood, and Unexpectant where she explores the realities of modern motherhood for her book project.

100% Recyclable

Underwritten by

Gaska Tape Inc.

Dec. 14 and 15, 20127:30 pm

Sun. Dec. 16 – 3 pm

A Holiday Musical Revue

Call for tickets today!574-293-4469$18 Adults$15 Seniors and Students$12 Children 12 and under

www.premierarts.org

All performances at The Lerner Theatre,downtown Elkhart


By Jane Suter

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. What’s not to love? From the homemade rolls to the warm pumpkin pie, it’s an endless forkful of savory goodness. Unfortunately, some people get it all wrong. They do crazy things to ruin my fat-pants wearing day. Let’s flip

through my personal rolodex of turkey-day don’ts:

I cry “Fowl!” to any deranged hippie who messes with the traditional Tom Turkey. If you invite me to your house, I expect a hand-basted, golden brown bird. Not a Tofurkey, not a ham and not some deep-fried explosive science experiment that has your lawn smoldering. Some things should not be messed with. Furthermore, if you’re a foodie who swears “Asian Duck is the hottest thing this year!” do me a favor and invite me some other day. Not the third Thursday in November -- that’s just cruel.

If you don’t have children and your house is more than a three-hour drive away, do not invite me for the holidays. I won’t come. Not because I don’t love you, but because I want to actually enjoy myself. Do you have any idea what I have to do to prepare for an over-the-river-and-through-the-woods outing such as this? We’re talkin’ laundry, packing clothes, making arrangements for the dog and waking up at the crack of dawn to drive to your child-free abode. Then, I get to spend countless hours locked in a car with my starving children -- the ones who have to go to the bathroom every five minutes. And guess what? Once we arrive at your house, do you know who’s in charge of making sure my angels don’t break your low-lying, antique porcelain doll collection? Yours truly. Um, I think I’ll pass.

It’s all about the gravy. Yes, no other sauce bears such a terrible onus as turkey gravy. So don’t fill that boat with lumpy, bland or out of a can (how DARE you?) sauce. Do this and you will be singularly responsible for ruining every other dish you lovingly prepared. As we all know, gravy is promiscuous. Delicious or not, it will shamelessly hit-on all the morsels you put on your plate. So don’t make me regret the BIG ladle. Do the mashed potatoes a favor and take your time. Date it, fall in love with it and then introduce it to your family. Understand, it will be scrutinized more harshly than your prom date or future husband.

Today is not the day to try a new recipe. The crowd assembled wants the classics. The ones we know by heart. Turkey lovers are a neo-phobic bunch; if you don’t have the usual suspects covering every inch of your dining room table, there will be a riot. We want Grandma’s stuffing all up in here, not some creative recipe you saw on the Today Show last week. Now, if you’re brave enough to break this sacred law, then, for the love of gawd, have the sense to prepare Nana’s filling too. You can call it a backup, but your family will call it gone after round one.

GravyIt’s All About the

family mommy & daddy



Pulse FM

Low fat food is culinary suicide on Thanksgiving. Truthfully, not one person will thank you for caring about their waistline on this day. What they will do is silently resent you for depriving them of this have-at-it food-fest. Seriously, your frail and medicated relatives entirely expect to shoot a barrel full of insulin and double up on their Anti-Staten drugs today. They live for it. Throw them a bone – preferably one coated in gooey marshmallow yams. And use real butter. I promise you, Auntie Mary will mumble angelic words of praise to you, right before she slips (along with everyone else) into a food coma. So dump that mushroom soup on those green beans. Destroy any vitamin left behind with heaping handfuls of fried onions. And, if I even suspect you used chicken broth instead of cream in the spuds, I’m telling!

If you can’t cook, don’t suddenly become delusional and believe you can! Especially on this, of all days. Save yourself the embarrassment and the next 40 years of relentless teasing. I have witnessed, first-hand, the debacle of a novice cook’s attempt at greatness. We still refer to it as “that” Thanksgiving. Let’s just say, after the stove fire, there wasn’t much left. I’ve been in therapy ever since.

Be thankful. I must admit, these insane Thanksgiving dinners I have bellied up to are the ones I remember most. The faultless ones fade, right along with my grandmother’s linen tablecloth. But that’s the point of November 22nd. To hold hands around a big table and give thanks; sopping up the kindness of our quirky families and stuffing ourselves with love until the next time. It is the one thing that endures -- that stays faithful. It’s the big “DO” in a world of don’ts.

But trust me on the gravy!

Jane Suter is an award-winning writer and mom of two very energetic boys, one in kindergarten and the other in second grade. Born in Chicago, she is proud of her Mid-western roots.

100% Recyclable


Looking for some amazing events to keep your little ones occupied this fall? Here are a few coming up this November that we think you just have to know about!

P lay Dates

November 17Santa’s ArrivalRiverfront Park Amphitheater, Niles, MIFor the 29th Year, Santa Claus will make an early stop in Niles, via the City of Niles Fire Department Truck, at the Riverfront Park Amphitheater. Children will receive complimentary gifts from Santa, including a coloring book and a candy cane. Hot chocolate, coffee, cider and donut holes are also provided free of charge for children and parents. Parents are welcome to bring their cameras for pictures with Santa. Free. 11 AM to 2 PM. For more information, call 269.683.3720.

November 24thDisney Live Presents “Mickey’s Music Festival”Morris Performing Arts Center3 PM to 4:30 PM; tickets from $17 - $63Take the kids to hear all of your favorite songs performed by all of your favorite characters! Songs from performers such as Mickey and Minnie, of course, but also Donald, Goofy, Ariel, Sebastian, Jasmine, Aladdin, the Genie, Woody, Buzz and more! Over 25 Disney stars will perform in this jam session that’s fun for all ages. Sing and dance along and make some memories. For tickets or more information, contact the Morris Performing Arts Center at www.morriscenter.org.

Sunday, November 182:00pm - 4:00pm

For tickets call 574-233-9841or visit w w w.southolddance.org

Join Clara and her friends at Southold Dance Theater ’s annual Nutcracker Tea. This tea is ideal for families and

will include a sit-down tea with sweets and savories.

Participants will enjoy a sneak preview of scenes from this year ’s Nutcracker Ballet, crafts, photos with your

favorite Nutcracker characters and a ballet lesson with the Sugar Plum Fair y!

SIP TEA WITH CL ARA AND THE MOUSE KING

family playdates


32 Pearls Family Dentistry 29

Classic Image Photography 23

Creekstone Properties ADV 19

Edible Arrangements 17

Edible Arrangements 13

Elkhart Christian Academy 21

Elkhart General Back Cover

Eye Site Optical 12

Gymnastics Michiana 43

Heart's Desire Special Insert

Lakeland HealthCare 2

Legacy Heating and Air 43

March of Dimes 30

Menno Travel 21

Mia's Hats & Things 13

Magazine Readership Survey! 7

Midwest Orthotics 41

Momadvice.com 29

MutualBank 25

My Flirt Boutique 13

Notre Dame Federal Credit Union 3

Novabella Inc. 40

Once Upon a Child 27

Premier Arts 43

Pulse FM/WHME 45

South Bend Clinic 6

South Bend Clinic 39

Southold Dance Theater Special Section 31-38

Southold Dance Theater 46

Swiss Valley Ski Area 15

University Meadows Family Dental 19

Wagon Wheel Theatre 29

Advertiser Index:

Thank You!

to a few of our Annual Advertising Magazine Partners who support FAMILY and our Magazine every single month! These annual advertising partners make it possible to produce this magazine and offer it for free to Michiana Families. Please support these local partners in Michiana!

Elkhar t General Hospital

South Bend Clinic

Midwest Or thotics

Notre Dame Federal Credit Union

MutualBank

Once Upon a Child

Menno Travel

32 Pearls Family Dentistry

Classic Image Photography

Eye Site Optical

PulseFM/WHME TV

Elkhar t Christian Academy

Goodwill Industries

Edible Arrangements

Heritage Square Mall

Momadvice.com

Lakeland HealthCare

Mathnasium

Novabella Inc.

Premier Ar ts

Gymnastics Michiana

Early Childhood Development Center at

Notre Dame

South Bend Medical Foundation

& Many, Many More that we will highlight in future issues! We appreciate you all very much!

To learn more about the only hospital rated #1 for Cardiac Surgery in all of Indiana, visit egh.org.

Trust your heart to Elkhart General Hospital.

A place that provides collaborative care, and always has. A place

that’s the leader in the region for clinical research of the heart.

A place with diagnostics on par with anything you’ll find at a major

university. These are the things that should be important to you.

This is your heart we’re talking about.

CA

RD

IAC S UR GERY

2012 #1 R AN KED

the family magazine november 2012

Documents

michiana family magazines

event information

information andor

account manager

promotions manager

design manager

distribution manager

nileschest pain