Fort Zumwalt Hosts Parent Coffee on Monday Night

The event is held from 7-8 p.m. at North High School.

Fort Zumwalt School District's first Parent Coffee of the school year is scheduled at Fort Zumwalt North High School from 7-8 p.m. on Monday night.  The district offers four parent coffees throughout the school year as an opportunity for parents to hear district updates and talk with administrators.  "It's an opportunity to start a dialogue with the public," Superintendent Bernard DuBray said, adding the coffee events started 10 years ago as a way to allow board members and parents to meet face-to-face and discuss issues.  During Monday night's coffee, Presiding Judge of St. Charles County Rick Zerr will speak about the challenges of parenting in the digital age. The Fort Zumwalt North Middle School orchestra and Forest Park Elementary …

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City Council Discusses Clarifying Ordinances

At Thursday’s workshop, the council discussed issues with ordinances regarding parking commercial vehicles, nuisances and ordinance style.

O’Fallon residents may soon find some of their city laws easier to understand. During Thursday night’s workshop, for the second time, council members discussed bills that would amend existing ordinances regarding parking commercial vehicles, nuisances and ordinance style. Bill 6087 would amend sections of the city code regarding the parking of commercial vehicles in residential and public parking lots. Ward 4 Councilman Bob Howell said during the workshop, that in the past year, he has received several complaints of tractor-trailers and semi-trucks parking and idling for hours, especially at gas stations near Bryan Road and I-70. “That being such a busy intersection and even in other areas of the city it becomes nuisance and somewhat of a …

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Jim Frain

8:41 pm on Friday, April 29, 2011

Once again Jordan, this was great coverage of our O'Fallon City Council at work. You allow all of the interested residents to get the details of issues being discussed and decided by our city council. It sure would be good if more residents of O'Fallon took some of their thursday night time and attended these meetings....As Supreme Court Justice Brandeis said many years ago, "The most important …   more ›

Moms Talk

Moms Talk: The Birds and the Bees

Join the discussion on parenting in O'Fallon in the weekly Q&A.

Moms Talk is feature on O'Fallon Patch that is part of an initiative on our Patch sites to reach out to local moms and families. Each week in Moms Talk, local parents ask questions, give advice and share solutions. This week we are talking about the birds and the bees. Inevitably at some point your child will ask the question that many parents dread: "Where do babies come from?" We want to hear how you've dealt with this controversial topic. How do you handle this conversation and at what age do you feel it appropriate to approach the topic?  Share your thoughts and weigh in on the conversation in the comments section below. If you have another topic you would like to see discussed, send it to jordan.lanham@patch.com 

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Trish Feldt

5:40 pm on Wednesday, April 27, 2011

At this point, I've been able to suffice my children with the answer that you have to be "in love and be married" to have a baby. I know my days are numbered for when they will want more a more concrete answer, but luckily for me, this has worked so far!   more ›

Moms Talk

Moms Talk: Planning Family Vacations

Local moms address parenting issues in this weekly Q&A.

The temperature rises, out come the flip-flops and shorts --and before you know it the kids are on summer break. It's about that time and this week we want to hear from local parents about planning family vacations.  What factors do you consider most important when planning a family vacation? Do you go for Disney World and the beach or something more educational, like a trip to Washington, D.C.? Do you put the whole family on an airplane or do you enjoy some quality road trip time?  Each week in Moms Talk, our Moms Council of smart moms take your questions, ask their own, give advice and share solutions. Share your thoughts and weigh in on the conversation in the comments section below. If you have another topic you would like to see …

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Jordan Lanham

2:26 pm on Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Thanks for the comments Trish and Anita!   more ›

Moms Talk Round-Up: Keeping Up with the Kids

Summer camps, balancing schedules and should children listen to music with bad lyrics?

Each week, our Patch sites ask area moms, dads and grandparents to chip in on questions posed by mom councils in Moms Talk. This week, parents discussed the end of school and the beginning of summer, as well as handling that racket of music. Camping Out: What criteria did you use to select a summer camp? At what age should children begin to attend camp? Martha Baur wrote: “My 10-year-old is going to sleep-away camp in North Carolina for two weeks. My 7-year-old wants to be like her big sister and go to sleep-away camp, so she's going to Cub Creek -- a darling animal camp in Rolla for a week. Close to home, but she is getting a sense of independence. Here in St. Louis, my youngest is going to Ackermann's Swim Camp in Kirkwood. It's two …

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Moms Talk: How Much is Too Much?

Local moms address parenting issues in this weekly Q&A.

From soccer games, to play practice to piano lessons and of course the dreaded homework--it can be tough to fit it all in your child's schedule.  How do you find a balance for your and your children's routine? How many activities should kids be involved in? Let us know where you draw the line.  Each week in Moms Talk, our Moms Council of smart moms take your questions, ask their own, give advice and share solutions. Share your thoughts and weigh in on the conversation in the comments section below. If you have another topic you would like to see discussed, send it to jordan.lanham@patch.com 

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Patti Baratta

7:16 am on Thursday, April 14, 2011

As kids get older, club/select sports seem to take over lives. We got to a point where the kids had to choose favorite activities in an attempt to limit our crazy schedule. The one thing that I insisted on was learning to read music. Once they had a feel for the basic piano, I let them drop it. One picked up the guitar and is an amazing self taught guitarist. The other is not interested in music…   more ›

Moms Talk

Moms Talk: Kids and Social Media

Local moms address parenting issues in this weekly Q&A.

Moms Talk is feature on O'Fallon Patch that is part of an initiative on our Patch sites to reach out to local moms and families. Each week in Moms Talk, our Moms Council of smart moms take your questions, ask their own, give advice and share solutions. Last week's question: How do you talk to your kids about bullying? How do you explain the difference between "tattling" and a situation where an adult needs to be made aware of what's going on?  This week's question:  What is the appropriate age to allow your children to interact on social media? If your child has a Facebook, Twitter or Myspace account, how do you monitor their activity and make sure they are making safe choices with the information they share?  Share your thoughts and weigh…

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Trish Feldt

2:31 pm on Wednesday, April 6, 2011

I don't allow my kids to have much access to the computer, but they are only 6 and 8 years old respectively. I have been thinking about this though, and I think I will have to follow the individual policy for the site. For instance, Facebook requires all users to be 13 years of age. To monitor their usage, I will make sure that I am their "friend" or follower on the site. Not only to keep tabs on…   more ›

Moms Talk: Discussing Bullying with Your Kids

Local moms address parenting issues in this weekly Q&A.

Moms Talk is feature on O'Fallon Patch that is part of an initiative on our Patch sites to reach out to local moms and families. Each week in Moms Talk, our Moms Council of smart moms take your questions, ask their own, give advice and share solutions. Last week's question: Many parents struggle with the decision whether to send their children to kindergarten or hold them back if their birthday is between the months of May-July. How do you decide when your child is ready for school?  This week's question:  How do you talk to your kids about bullying? How do you explain the difference between "tattling" and a situation where an adult needs to be made aware of what's going on?  Share your thoughts and weigh in on the conversation in the …

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Trish Feldt

10:39 pm on Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Bullying is a real problem in school these days. I am lucky and haven't experienced it too much yet, but I know the time will come as my boys get older. The only advice I can give at this time is for parents to be involved with their children and to keep open lines of communication. Being able to recognize the problem as soon as it begins is so important. Usually you can tell the difference …   more ›

Moms Talk: Deciding if Your Child is Ready for School

Local moms address parenting issues in this weekly Q&A.

Moms Talk is feature on O'Fallon Patch that is part of an initiative on our Patch sites to reach out to local moms and families. Each week in Moms Talk, our Moms Council of smart moms take your questions, ask their own, give advice and share solutions. Last week's question: How do you start a conversation about the earthquake and tsunami in Japan? Should you discuss it with your children?  This week's question:  Many parents struggle with the decision whether to send their children to kindergarten or hold them back if their birthday is between the months of May-July. How do you decide when your child is ready for school?  Share your thoughts and weigh in on the conversation in the comments section below. If you have another topic you would…

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Trish Feldt

8:33 am on Thursday, March 24, 2011

Anita, I completely agree. Another thing to consider is that each child is different. Both of my boys are August birthdays so they are the "older" kids in their class, not starting kindergarten until they were 6. Looking back, that was so good for my oldest son, because he would not have been ready for kindergarten when he was 5. My younger son on the other hand, would have been ready for …   more ›

Moms Talk

Moms Talk: Discussing the Earthquake,Tsunami in Japan with Your Children

Local moms address parenting issues in this weekly Q&A.

Moms Talk is feature on O'Fallon Patch that is part an initiative on our Patch sites to reach out to local moms and families. Each week in Moms Talk, our Moms Council of smart moms take your questions, ask their own, give advice and share solutions. Last week's question: Life as a single parent is tough at times.  What are some tips to help make my life and my children's lives less stressful? This week's question:  How do you start a conversation about the earthquake and tsunami in Japan? Should you discuss it with your children?  Share your thoughts in the comments section below and don't forget to check out our Real Mom of O'Fallon column this Saturday to hear how one local mom approached the issue. 

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Trish Feldt

5:32 pm on Thursday, March 17, 2011

Great idea Anita! I go deeper into this topic in my mom column this week, I hope that others find it helpful. Check back soon for it!   more ›