Good as gold
Each year, toy manufacturers present a new wave of products that make us think, laugh and explore.

Got a techno kid?
This year’s top trends in software and video games for kids include online gaming and "tech toys," such as guitars that plug into home computers, to enhance the software experience.

Operation Homefront
Sergio Lopez struggles to raise his children after losing both legs in Iraq. Sgt. Dan Casara is recuperating from his 24th operation after a bomb exploded underneath his tank. Lisa Guerrero has watched her husband and three stepsons head off to combat. Shaala Sherman’s youngest son barely knew daddy before he headed to war.

'Don't let my daddy get shot'
Seven-year-old Denali Casara was never much for praying. Most evenings he’d just plop down on his knees and do what he had to do. But one evening when his Grandma asked him and his sister to pray, Denali folded his hands and prayed in earnest.

Living in the moment

Lisa Guerrero finally felt like she could breathe again. She’d been holding herself together after her husband Jose and two stepsons, Jose Jr., 28, and Andy, 22, took turns serving in Iraq. Now all three were home.

‘I’m not the only veteran in the family’
It’s the little things that get to Sergio Lopez the most. Like not being able to get his daughter Sofia when she wakes up from her nap because he’s not balanced enough on his prosthetic legs to maneuver stairs with a 1-year-old in his arms.

The family left behind
Modern technology not only helps fight wars, it helps the families left behind while their soldier is at war. For Tom and Shaala Sherman of DeKalb and their three kids, technology helped keep the family together while Tom served in Iraq with the Illinois National Guard for 16 months.

A quest for Luke
As a parent, our job is to fix whatever is broken in our kids and comfort them with answers and advice. I couldn’t do that for my son, Luke.

Juggling the holidays
The December holidays can be one of the most stressful times of the year. Sure, everyone is supposed to enjoy themselves, but we all know it isn’t that simple.

Holiday plants from around the world
France: While Christmas trees were never popular in France, most people make chocolate cakes shaped like Yule logs, called the La bûche de Noël (Christmas log). Traditionally, French families burned a large Christmas log on Christmas Eve.

Beyond Santa Claus
Bobby wants a pair of skates and Suzy wants a sled, but not all of Bobby and Suzy’s buddies may be completely familiar with jolly old St. Nick. December is a month of many holidays, and as your kids go about picking presents and planning parties, it’s a good time to celebrate diversity as well.

Meaningful holidays
Yes, the December holidays are busy. Packed with family celebrations, parties with friends and co-workers and an overabundance of shopping, families can quickly be overwhelmed and exhausted.

School’s out
Even if you don’t celebrate Christmas, you’ve likely heard the song "The Twelve Days of Christmas."

The ABCs of RSV
At just 2 months old, Che Coleman found himself in the hospital struggling to breathe.

Off to see grandma and grandpa
It’s a big job for this child life specialist at The University of Chicago Comer Children’s Hospital, whose focus is making sure child safety seats are installed properly.

Can-do kid
With another Chicago winter upon us, most kids are thinking about sledding, building snowmen and making snow angels.

The ultimate gift
Debbie DeVito remembers glancing at the time

Letters
Latin American Diet Pyramid
Single parents of kids with autism
Flu shot dangerous for some

Adventures in white cotton
Family portraits look demure, serene, peaceful and happy hanging above candlelit mantles. Guests examine and admire their picture-perfect presentations of siblings, parents and grinning grandparents.

Princess fever
I need to start out by saying that my 5-year-old son Myles has a thing for the Disney princesses—the movies, their ice show and the way they might interact with the Power Rangers if given the chance.

Out and About

Our favorite wintertime fun
Someone you should know
It happened to me

FAB mama
Frost yourself in family
Give the gift of charity
Talk Back
Raising eyebrows
Bling babies

Worried about MRSA?
If you haven’t heard of MRSA yet you probably will. MRSA, pronounced Mersuh, stands for Methcillin Resistant Staph Aureus.

Surviving December meal madness
It’s the most wonderful time of the year. Or so the song goes. While this season elicits warm memories, it can be incredibly stressful, especially for moms, the holiday magicians.

Beat the holiday blues
The lights are twinkling, the cinnamon is wafting and your children’s cheeks are rosy with anticipation, so why do you feel so darned blue?

How sweet it is!
Every family has holiday traditions. Making graham cracker gingerbread houses is my personal favorite.

The doctor is in
Saturday night was one of those up all night with sick kids times for the Zavisin family of Western Springs.

That elusive holiday toy…
Eleven years have passed since Tickle Me Elmo debuted and turned normally calm toy stores into jungles.

From old fashioned to in fashion
There was a mild uproar when Riverside School District 96, which serves Riverside and parts of Brookfield and North Riverside, dropped traditional Home Economics (cooking and sewing) at its middle school in favor of classes considered more relevant for today’s youth.

Remembering her angel
Dora Edings’ life changed forever in December 1977, when a car accident took the life of her 6-year-old daughter Angie.

What do kids know about AIDS?
Think your teens and tweens understand the ins and outs of AIDS? Think again. A recent survey showed that while teens see AIDS as a big problem, both locally and globally, some also think you can get AIDS from tainted food or casual contact.

Flying solo
During the summer of 2007, Faith Krumin of West Chicago prepared her grandson, Robert, 8, for a flight back home to California.

Crib repair kit finally available
When the Consumer Product Safety Commission announced a recall of 1 million cribs in September after at least three deaths, they said the hazard was so urgent that no child should sleep for another night in the defective cribs.

Bracing for braces
Lots of kids need braces—that’s no secret.

More than just the winter blues?
Lots of people get that ‘blah’ feeling as cold weather, shorter days and gray skies set in, but you might be surprised that for many, it’s more than just the winter blues.

Give the gift of reading
If you are having trouble coming up with a proper gift this holiday season, why not look for a good book? If the gift is for a child, you won’t go wrong with any of these.

From princesses to pooches
FIREHOUSE DOG. When Rex, a famous Hollywood dog, is rescued by the rebellious son of a fire department captain, he becomes an impressive rescue hero, boosts the morale of the firefighters, helps solve a crime and brings a father and son closer together.

Girls against the world
One night, Sophie and her parents are called to the hospital. A 5-year-old boy named Pablo is the only survivor of a group of seven people who tried to cross the border from Mexico into Arizona.

Running wild at Imagination Café
You might not give your kids espresso, but you can let them hang out all night at the Imagination Café.

Dec. 6, 2007
Get out and play. This weekend is full of bright potential and twinkling possibilities with plenty of light festivals and displays around the Chicagoland area. Don’t forget your hats and gloves since it is guaranteed to be chilly this weekend.

Dec. 13, 2007
Get out and play. A trip to the artic tundra—also known as the Northerly Island Visitor Center, 1400 S. Lynn White Drive, Chicago—is a good way to meet strange and wild creatures—also known as Polar Huskies and other live animals at Polar Adventure Days.

Dec. 20, 2007
Get out and play. A caroling you can go this weekend in Millennium Park. This Friday at 6 p.m. you and your family can sing your hearts out with the Chicago Children’s Choir for an evening of festive music at Cloud Gate (also known as the Bean). To add to the festive atmosphere, there will be candles to hold while you sing along.

Dec. 27, 2007
Get out and Play. When it comes to figuring out what to do with your family this weekend, pencil in running, jumping and playing at Mayor Daley’s Sports Festival at McCormick Place, 2301 S. Martin Luther King Drive, Chicago. The fest began as the Holiday Hoops basketball tournament in 2000, but has grown to encompass a plethora of different sports and activities families can participate in for free.