Seasons of Change  Suggestions on how to transition from one season of life into another. By Kristin Caliendo I long for fall to appear, for those days of Halloween costumes, slow cooker meals, and crisp mornings when I can leave the backdoor open and smell the aroma of my husband’s coffee brewing. I love the change in seasons, but when a season of my life changes, it’s not so welcome. My youngest child sta ...

Holiday Traditions North Valley readers share what makes this time of year so special to their families. By Kristin Caliendo I never realized how important holiday traditions were until I had a family of my own. I was inspired looking back over my childhood, while tracing my family traditions for this column. This journey made me appreciate all the effort my grandparents, parents, aunts and uncles put in to ...

DIY Magnet Wall This easy-to-do decorating project makes learning fun. By Kristin Caliendo Photos by Kristin Caliendo   When my son came home from preschool one day, waving a piece of construction paper with his name spelled out LEIF, I was so excited that I wanted to find a way to help him continue learning the alphabet. I searched the Internet for inspiration, but fell short of anything more exciting ...

Slow Down  Photo by Scott E. Whitney Photography If you’re like most North Valley parents, you’re probably already feeling overwhelmed and overburdened with commitments. If your to-do list has no end in sight, then it is time to slow down. At about the time I was in over my head juggling the demands of motherhood, managing my business, and volunteering for every great cause that came my way, I decided I nee ...