Recent Articles

Remember when the Beatles appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show?  Music was so much simpler then. You either listened to the radio, vinyl 45s and albums or maybe reel-to-reel tapes. Music was all-analog, non-digital and nowhere near as splintered, pervasive or influential as it is today. Back then, music knew (read more)

You’ve just turned 60, you’ve been married for half those years and you’ve suddenly found yourself single. Or maybe you’ve been divorced or widowed for years now — or never married at all — and you feel that the time to move on has finally arrived.  Whatever the reason, you’d (read more)

We live in the age of the selfie. It is socially acceptable to believe that we are the center of our own worlds. Societal messages tell us that our worth is tied not only to material possessions but also to the superficial approval and envy that we obtain from social (read more)

As social-media mamas, we want to be remembered. Often emotional, zesty personal anecdotes are the best way to connect with our friends online and drive a post’s popularity. But when it comes to sharing about our significant other and children, the line of decency can often be blurry.    My (read more)

Back in the day, kids’ birthday parties were simple. The “theme”: birthday cake. The guest list: grandma, grandpa and a couple of neighborhood friends. Entertainment: pin the tail on the donkey. The menu: pizza. Voila! – instant party.  Now, fast forward to today, the era of the epic party. It (read more)

It won’t be long — if it hasn’t happened already — till the holiday-shopping blitz begins bombarding us with commercials, ads and all manner of incentives to spend, spend, spend. You won’t be alone if you find yourself wishing you had a little extra cash to put toward your family’s (read more)

It’s no accident that retailers begin displaying Halloween items as early as August. Halloween generates approximately $9 billion dollars in annual revenue, making it second only to Christmas as the most profitable holiday.  However, the traditions that we associate with Halloween weren’t initially commercial in nature. They were meant to (read more)

Glass slippers, fairy godmothers, magic beans and happily ever after. Evil giants, wicked stepmothers, ugly witches and the big bad wolf.  Yesterday’s fairy tales and today’s scary stories are filled with conflicting, vivid imagery of both good and evil. Many parents are surprised to discover that the nuances, scary visuals (read more)

Costumes, Halloween parties with sugary treats, trick-or-treating and spooky decorations are fun and exciting for most kids, but for a child with Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD), Halloween celebrations can be downright overwhelming.  Sensory-sensitive kids have trouble processing input from any of the five senses in a normal way. What is (read more)

AVENTURA Halloween Movie Night Saturday, October 27 Calling all ghosts and goblins to a movie night featuring a DJ, interactive games, inflatables, activity stations, arts and crafts, a trick-or-treat trail and a screening of Hotel Transylvania 3. Movie begins at 7pm. 5-9pm, Founders Park, 3105 NE 190 St. www.cityofaventura.com COCONUT (read more)