Tis the season for curriculum fairs. There are several coming up in the next few weeks and for those of you who have not gone before, we have a few words of advice for helping you navigate curriculum fairs.

We have 2 4-packs of tickets to the Franklin Rodeo to give away! These tickets are only good for the Thursday, May 16th event. Drawing will be on May 12, 2013. Enter below for your chance to win.

A winner will be chosen at random using Rafflecopter and Random.org. Winners must be able to pick up tickets in the Brentwood area before May 15.

We are told many things about our children once we are told they are not like other boys and girls. We are told, because of their disAbilities, they cannot do some things. Sometimes a lot of things. We, as mothers of children with special needs, are told they cannot go certain places. Even schools, sometimes. Worse, kinda, even churches. And, it sorta has the feel of branding when our offspring are called by labels that have the ingredients of alphabet soup that is about to boil over from cauldrons that cannot contain them.

The Steeplechase. Do you go? Have you considered it? I haven't been in ages. And honestly, didn't pay any attention to the horses when I was there. Ahem. They used to call it the "people waste" for a reason.

BUT, I know with the sponsorships of Bank of America and the Vanderbilt Children's Hospital, they have made a concerted effort to clean it up a lot. This year, they are even introducing a new Family Fun Zone.

May is national melanoma/skin cancer awareness month. It’s a good time to have an annual full body skin check if you are due or if you’ve never had one. This is recommended for all adults as prevention and screening for skin cancer. Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer diagnosed: each year, there are more skin cancers than breast, colorectal, prostate and lung cancers combined!

I was recently talking with a friend who asked me about our trip the Renaissance Festival last year. She said she had heard it wasn’t really child friendly and wanted to know our experience. I was a bit surprised to hear that because we had a blast.

With summer upon us, it’s time once again to think about sun protection as you and your family head to the pool or the picnic. But think twice before you pick up any old bottle of sunscreen. All sunscreens are not created equal! Most people think that sunscreen only protects them from a sunburn. While this is the minimum requirement of a sunscreen, choosing one with the right ingredients can protect skin from burning, premature aging, and skin cancer.

The AAP has recently changed its recommendations for treating ear infections in children. Read on for more information.

You may have experienced this situation before:  you awake in the night to your child crying and pulling on their ears.  They may or may not have a fever and you’re not quite sure what to do.