The Lions Club will be offers free eye screenings for children on Friday, January 13^th at the Chesterfield Township Library.  The library is located at 50560 Patricia Avenue.  The screening will take place between 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.

Children must be accompanied by an adult.

For more information please call 586-598-4900.  Check out www.chelibrary.org for more information.

Imagine your child comes to you and says “Mommy, I don’t feel so good.” You touch her forehead and notice she probably has a fever. Soon, she’s lying on the couch, listless and groggy. Wanting to help her feel better, you make a quick phone call, schedule an appointment with your pediatrician and take her in. The doctor might tell you it’s viral and needs to just work itself out or your child might need antibiotics. Either way, she’s on her way to recovery and you have a plan of action.

Now, imagine the same scenario but you can’t call a pediatrician because you don’t have health insurance and you can’t afford to pay for one. What do you do now?

Unfortunately, this is the reality for 1 out of every 5 children in the United States today. Millions of children don’t have access to regular check-us and health care due to finances, lack of available doctors in their area or lack of transportation to see one.

The good news is that there is something being done about this. The great news is that you can be a part of helping these children get access to the healthcare they need.

Clorox is working together with the Children’s Health Fund to bring mobile medical units into underserved communities and provide ongoing care to children at schools, community centers and other places right in their own communities.

Did you catch that? “Ongoing” This isn’t a one-time deal. Through this program, children will be able to have regular check-ups and receive treatment for common ailments and preventative care.

Detroit Mommies is proud to be working together with Clorox and the Children’s Health Fund to raise awareness here in the Detroit area and you can help too (and it won’t cost you a single cent).

To help, all you have to do is adopt a healthy habit and tell people about it. Your habit can be a baby step or a giant leap; eat more veggies, go for a quick walk, skip the artificial sweetener, anything that fits your lifestyle.

Every time you complete your healthy habit challenge, just go to checkinforcheckups.com and fill out the super-simple form. Each time you do, Clorox will donate 10 cents to the Children’s Health Fund, up to $100,000.00!

Checking in is soooooo easy to do!

You can spread the word on Twitter by using the hashtag #checkinforcheckups and share the link with your friends on Facebook too. The more people that know about this, the closer we get to bringing the mobile health units to kids!

We love this campaign because in the end, we’ll be healthier and we can work together to help children get healthier too!

I’ll be adopting my own healthy habit too. I’ll be drinking more water. This might not sound like a big deal, but I consume way more coffee & diet cola than the average person. (I’m still waiting for someone to make an IV coffee system, it would make my life so much simpler.) Skipping a caffeinated beverage and substituting water is one, small, step I can take towards a healthier me.

I’ve made this promise to myself before, but now I’m a bit more motivated to stick to it, since not only will I be helping other children when I do, but I’m also accountable to everyone, since I just told you about it.

Visit the Children’s Health Fund website to learn more about the great work they are doing and then go to CheckInForCheckUps to check in!

I hope you’ll join me in developing a new healthy habit and help bring healthcare to children who need it. What new healthy habit are you going to adopt?

Disclosure: I am currently working with The Clorox Company for the Check-in for Checkups program that benefits Children’s Health Fund (CHF).

I love fingernail polish and every time I am at Target, I grab a new color.  I also love to paint my daughters nails…they are 4 and 6.  One day we’ll do purple, another day we’ll do orange and sometimes we go for a softer color like pink.

They also love to get their nails painted and stay very still and are careful not to get a smudge.  It’s fun for them, fun for me and a sort of bonding thing we do.

Some celebrities have been criticized for putting nail polish on their toddlers.  Kingston Rossdale was spotted with yellow polish recently and Suri Cruise has been spotted in red lacquer.  I too don’t have a problem with kid’s piggies and paws sporting a fresh coat of paint, but ask me about make-up on kids and the hair on the back of my neck starts to crawl!

It make me sick to my stomach when I see a child with make-up on.  About a week ago my daughter had her dance recital and some of the little girls in her group had a hint of gloss and a touch of powder and/or blush and that didn’t bother me, but I looked over at a younger group of girls and just about fell off my rocker!  A few of the girls had on red lipstick, mascara and heavy, heavy eyeliner…it looked pathetic!  It also looked weird!  How cute they would have been in their natural state.  Oy!  What are these parents thinking?!

What do you think about polish on children or makeup?

Detroit mommy Ally Cohen is a talented photographer who has launched a very successful photography business.  Her portraits of families, children, celebrations, and more are absolutely stunning!  Clients truly receive one of a kind service.  Visit Frameable Faces website for more information and to see the gorgeous work featured in the galleries.  www.frameablefaces.com

About Frameable Faces:

Ally Cohen has always had an eye for detail and an optimistic outlook – which is a perfect fit for photography. Until the birth of her daughter Lacey in 1999, Ally had wanted to be in front of the camera, working in broadcast and related media. But when she took one look at her beautiful baby girl, she knew that behind the camera she would be snapping pristine, perfect shots to record all the fleeting moments of her growing family’s life.  “Photography is the ultimate keepsake,” says Ally, “You take one shot, capture that moment, and a few minutes later another opportunity arises. How could we possibly remember all of those wonderful, doting but ultimately blurring moments if not for pictures?

So Frameable Faces was created in 1999 to offer a wide array of photographic services for families, professionals, corporations, and schools. The West Bloomfield-based business is driven by Ally’s passion as a multi-faceted photographer who loves showing people how beautiful they really are through exquisite photography.  Frameable Faces specializes in custom photography, designing each setting, focus and theme according to the client’s wishes and goals. From children’s portraiture and family photographs to special event packages (including weddings, bar mitzvahs, communions, and graduations) and on-location corporate pictures, Frameable Faces does what its title suggests: presents every face in an utterly “Frameable” way.

Ally Cohen lives in West Bloomfield, Michigan, with her husband, Doug, their supremely photogenic children, Lacey and Tony, and an infinite number of lurking pets.

Imagine only being able to change your baby’s diaper once a day in order to make them last til your next paycheck…

For an average infant, a healthy change of diapers is up to 12 times per day, and 8 for a toddler. For low income families, a baby can be in a single diaper all day, or longer. This increases the risk of skin infections and worse. A baby crying non-stop from being in a dirty diaper for a long period is more susceptible to abuse, especially in an already stressed household. Currently there is No “safety net” (WIC, Food Stamps,Medicare (except hospice)) that pays for, or provide diapers.

These are all facts that Marybeth Levine realized were present in our community and across the country. That is when she decided to form The Detroit Area Diaper Bank. Their mission is to collect diapers and donations for our community’s most vulnerable populations — babies from low-income households, the elderly, and people with disabilities. In turn, they then distribute them to partnering non-profit agencies in the area that work with families in need.

Currently The Detroit Area Diaper Bank is partners with 30 agencies in the Metro area. From family services centers, food pantries, child development and senior centers, there is a never ending need. Levine gets calls daily from agencies and individuals looking for assistance. (Agencies looking for assistance are encouraged to fill out their application form found on their website. Individuals seeking assistance should visit the how do I get diapers page. )

Just 9 months after it’s first delivery in April 2009, The Detroit Area Diaper Bank delivered it’s 100,000 diaper. Levine is very grateful to the community for all their support and donations in this short amount of time. This is testament that diapers are a never-ending need, especially in the tough times our economy is facing. The Detroit Area Diaper Bank relies on donations, diaper drives and fundraisers to continue to support it’s partnering agencies. For more ways that you can get involved, please visit their site.

This is a great event for the entire family. The Detroit Zoo’s Zoo Boo event is merry-not-scary and is a half mile of decorated path perfect for trick-or-treating!

There will be entertainment, a Ghouly Games Tent and Dracula’s Haunted Castle for an additional $2.

Tickets are $6 for ages 2 and up. If a date and time slot is not sold out, a limited number of tickets will be available at the gate after 5 p.m. that day for $10 per person. Walk up ticket sales will end at 8:15 p.m. each night.

Zoo Boo takes place October 16-18, 23-25 and 29-31, and tickets are available for the following times each evening: 6, 6:30, 7, 7:30 and 8 p.m. The gates close at 8:30 p.m. for entry. This event does sell out, so purchase your tickets early! Zoo Boo is a rain or shine event. No refunds will be issued.

Click here to purchase Zoo Boo tickets

Zoo Boo At The Detroit Zoo from Mike Staff Productions, Inc. on Vimeo.

Courtney is the ultimate multitasking mom!  She runs  three blogs Giftfully Simple, The Digital Mommy and Detroit Mommies , is a Social Media Marketing Consultant and has 3 girls under 6 years old.  Courtney is the founder of Detroit Mommies.  You can follow her on Twitter @theappleofmyeye.  She has worked with companies like Johnsons & Johnsons, Dove, e.l.f., Stride Rite, Sorel, 20th Century Fox, The Palace, Melissa & Doug, Panera and Tiny Prints (to name a few).  Courtney is a Purex^® Insider and a Max Mom for Office Max.

This is a hard one because we are always told one thing or another about when to do this and when to do that, but today I got these guidelines from my daughters pre-school on when to keep a child home from school and I breath a sigh of relief because now I have some type of guideline to go by when deciding whether or not to keep my child home when she is sick.

Fever: A normal tempreture is 98.6 F, orally (99.6 rectally).  A fever means there is an infection.  Infections can be spread to others.  Make sure the fever is gone before returning your child to school.

Rash: Keep your child home unless you are sure the rash is an allergic rash, like poison ivy.  A rash is a sign of many diseases that can spread easily.

Vomiting: Throwing up doesn’t happen to a healthy child.  Be sure your child has not thrown up for a full 24 hours before returning them to school.  Your child should be able to keep down clear liquids and a light meal.  After a few hours, if your child is still able to eat, they should be fine to return to school.

Runny Nose: If the mucus runs clear, this could be due to allergies.  If the mucus is thick and yellow, green or brown, there could be an infection.  The child should be kept home until the infection clears.

Cough: If a cough lingers or is deep, you should consider it to be contagious.  Your child should be kept home.

Sore throat: If your child has a fever, cough, or a runny nose with a thick discharge and a sore throat, they should stay home.

Reddened eyes: If your child has a thick white drainage coming from the eyes, they should see a physician and be kept home until the treatment has begun.

Courtney is the ultimate multitasking mom!  She runs  three blogs Giftfully Simple, The Digital Mommy and Detroit Mommies , is a Social Media Marketing Consultant and has 3 girls under 6 years old.  Courtney is the founder of Detroit Mommies.  You can follow her on Twitter @theappleofmyeye.  She has worked with companies like Johnsons & Johnsons, Dove, e.l.f., Stride Rite, Sorel, 20th Century Fox, The Palace, Melissa & Doug, Panera and Tiny Prints (to name a few).  Courtney is a Purex^® Insider and a Max Mom for Office Max.