Cheryl Marks Young
Get Ready for Orange, Black, & Teal
The aisles in your local supermarket and big box store have transformed from Back to School to BOO! Rows of candy in cartoonish goblin- and ghost-themed packaging, smiling plastic pumpkin buckets in all colors, howling decorations designed to thrill and entertain, and rows of costumes in all sizes signal that Halloween is on the way. Among the assorted decorations and sugary treats, you’ll find a collection of teal hued décor, trick-or-treating buckets, and small toys and gadgets. It’s not just a fun twist on the standard color scheme. It’s a hue with a message – this house (or this trick-or-treater)...
Cheryl Marks Young
Understanding Food Allergies and Related Conditions
Does this sound familiar? You just popped a bit of buttery sweet lobster tail into your mouth. You’ve been looking forward to this and yet, something doesn’t feel quite right. Your mouth feels weird. Maybe itchy? Your stomach is rolling. Is that a hive? Is this an allergic reaction? How about this – you’ve been feeling off for weeks. It seems to be worse after you’ve had your morning coffee – light and sweet – or a dish of ice cream or that amazing platter of loaded nachos and potato skins dripping with melted cheese and sour cream. Is it...
Cheryl Marks Young
Back to School Dinners on the Go
Autumn looms on the horizon. The sun is setting a little earlier. The evenings are a little cooler. Pens and papers fill the ‘seasonal’ aisles in your favorite store as classroom lists are published. Backpacks are being prepped. It’s time to start shifting from our summer routines to the school year rhythm. If your daily grind from September to June looks like a wild combination of work (for you), school (for you and/or your kids!), sports practices, scouts, other extra-curriculars, homework, and more, finding time to make and enjoy dinner may sometimes feel a bit overwhelming. Juggling allergies with that...
Cheryl Marks Young
Navigating the Allergic Teen Years
It’s no secret that parenting teenagers is not a job for the faint of heart. Teens are pressing the edges of their independence, managing a tumult of shifting hormones, and defining their place in the world at large. They’re doing it with a brain that’s still making connections and developing. In fact, research has shown that the last connections made in the brain occur in our early 20s. These connections occur in the areas of the brain that control judgment and problem-solving, as well as the centers that control emotional learning and self-regulation. This means, among other things, that teens...