Scranton Holiday Events for Kids and Families
Looking for great things to do with your little ones for the 2009 Holiday Season? Look no further than KidDilly’s Event Calendar. Here’s a snapshot of this week’s listings. We invite you to visit to plan your weekend, or to upload your business’ or civic organization’s events for free.
Downtown Scranton Holiday Open House
Where Does Food Come From? Timmy’s Town
Marywood University Chorus/Orchestra Christmas Concert
Festival of Trees 2009 Electric City Trolley Museum
Philharmonic Holiday Show
Christmas Story Hour
Home for the Holidays NEPA Phillharmonic’s Annual Holiday Concert
Christmas in Our Hometown, Tunkhannock
Holiday Gift and Decorating Class
The Commonwealth Medical College’s Tobin Hall
If You Give a Pig a Pancake & Other Story Books
Santa Buddies
The Commonwealth Medical College EAGeR Study to Host Free Wellness Seminar
Date: December 3
Time: 6:30pm – 8:30pm
Free wellness program for women who have experienced pregnancy loss who are either planning a pregnancy or are newly pregnant hosted by the Commonwealth Medical College. The guest speaker is Martin McGurrin, LCSW, in which stress management in regards to pregnancy will be the topic …of discussion. The program is held at the Commonwealth Medical College’s Tobin Hall on the second floor at 501 Madison Avenue, Scranton PA 18510. Parking is available behind Tobin Hall in the parking deck. There will be refreshments and door prizes. Call 570-504-9684 to RSVP to the program. The program will focus on you, your health, and well being, so we look forward to seeing you there.
For more details, please visit their events page on KidDilly:
http://kiddilly.ning.com/events/the-commonwealth-medical
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Are You Missing Tax Breaks You’re Eligible For?
Earlier is better when it comes to working on your taxes. With the income tax filing season fast approaching, we’ve asked Donald Royce, CPA, of Royce Accounting & Consulting to share some end-of-year tax tips and updates to help you get a start on preparations for 2009 filing. We’ll be sharing this helpful information in our blog throughout this week.
Today we’ll be highlighting some often overlooked tax benefits. Mr. Royce suggests taking some time to determine if you might qualify for any of these. He offered a few possibilities:
- Charitable Volunteering – If you volunteer for a charitable organization, you may have deductible expenses such as uniforms (purchasing and cleaning costs), supplies you’ve purchased, and mileage.
- Moving Expenses – Job related moving expenses may even extend to those expenses related to moving for a first job if the place of employment passes a 50 mile distance test from the place the newly employed person has been living.
- Job Hunting Costs – Often job hunting costs may be deducted if the expenses are associated with looking for a new job in your present occupation. Some qualifying costs include resume preparation, printing, postage, phone calls, and outplacement/employment agency fees. Restrictions do apply.
- Child & Dependent Care Credit – Families are aware of this deduction, but did you know it can apply to summer day camp expenses? If the camp is a day-camp and the camp officials supervise the child while parents are working, you can claim the credit for camp costs.
- Mortgage Refinancing Points – If you refinance your house or buy a second residence, any ‘points’ you pay for the loan can be deducted proportionately each year over the life of the loan.
- Military Reservists’ Travel expenses – Travel expenses for attending drills or meetings may be an allowed deduction if you must travel more than 100 miles and stay overnight for the training exercise.
Spending time examining your activities over the past year to identify items that may reduce your tax obligation may be beneficial. Please check back with us throughout the week for more tax tips courtesy of Donald Royce.
Royce Accounting & Consulting P.C.
Certified Public Accountants
1735 Church Ave.
Scranton, Pennsylvania 18508
Phone: 570-347-0101
Toll Free: 1-877-831-7480
Fax: 570-346-0357
Email: royceconsulting@verizon.net
The Commonwealth Medical College is “EAGeR” to Help Moms and Those Who Dream of Becoming One
With an effortless pregnancy and delivery behind her, KidDilly member Heidi Gowden, MS, OTL-R never imagined that she’d encounter any obstacles when trying to welcome a second child into the world.
After all, she had one beautiful daughter and absolutely no problems whatsoever becoming pregnant.
Eight and a-half weeks into her second pregnancy, however, she miscarried.
Heidi’s OB/GYN, Brian Wilcox, MD, PhD met with her right away.
“Dr. Wilcox is a wonderful physician,” Heidi explained. “It was a very difficult time. He reassured me that I wasn’t alone and that miscarriage is surprisingly more common than I thought.”
Statistics indicate that miscarriage is indeed quite common. Among all women who become pregnant it is estimated that between 15% to 31% of those pregnancies will end in a miscarriage. The cause of miscarriage is often unknown.
Dr. Wilcox recommended that Heidi enroll in the EAGeR Study at The Commonwealth Medical College.
EAGeR stands for the “Effects of Aspirin in Gestation and Reproduction.” Researchers involved in this study are investigating whether low dose aspirin can help increase a woman’s chance at becoming pregnant and maintaining a healthy pregnancy.
Janet Townsend, MD, Principal Investigator, explained, “Joining the EAGeR study allows a woman a chance to help us learn if low-dose aspirin really does help moms to conceive and carry a baby to term while possibly increasing her own chances of having a healthy baby.”
The study hits especially close to home for Dr. Townsend, who herself experienced the heartache of infertility and pregnancy loss. “I wish the EAGeR study had been available to me when I was trying to have kids,” Townsend stated. “I had difficulty conceiving and one miscarriage. I would have jumped at the chance to learn if low-dose aspirin could help women like me. Maybe my son, who is about to turn 21, would have had a brother or sister.”
Heidi took Dr. Wilcox’s advice and enrolled.
She took her study medications and became pregnant for the third time. Although her latest pregnancy miscarried in her second trimester, disqualifying her from the study, she would enroll all over again if she could.
“Everyone there is so nice,” Heidi said. “It’s like having an extended family. They called and checked up on me and cared about my well being and the well being of my unborn child.”
Megan Yetter, BS, Graduate Assistant on the study agrees.“The EAGeR Team at The Commonwealth Medical College is a close knit group. We have a great rapport with our participants. We cry when our participants are upset and we smile when they are excited. We value our participants’ involvement and are confirmed everyday how strong these women are.”
Cathie McGeehan, MSN, RN, EAGeR Study Coordinator, thinks Heidi, and all the women in the EAGeR study among the strongest around. “These women are heroes! Our participants are taking an active role in their own health care. They are personally contributing to research. This is how strides and improvements are made in medicine. I believe by volunteering, they are making a difference for women in the future.”
Heidi is grateful, even amidst her deeply personal and painful losses, to have the opportunity to be involved, first as an active participant in the EAGeR Study, and now, by sharing her story with us.
“If it can help somebody, then it was worth it.”
If you are between the ages of 18 and 40, have had at least one pregnancy loss in the past and are thinking about becoming pregnant again, you may be eligible for the EAGeR Study.
For more information, or to see if you qualify, please call (570) 207-1058, or post questions below for a researcher’s answers
Timmy’s Town Opens in Scranton
There’s a new market in town. It’s a “no-work-and-all-play” Farmer’s Market, one of several carefully designed educational areas at Timmy’s Town Center, a brand new children’s museum opening this weekend in Scranton.
Timmy Kelly, for whom the center is named, enjoyed visiting Philadelphia’s “Please Touch Museum” between medical treatments for a brain tumor that would eventually claim his young life.
As a tribute to Timmy, his mom, Lexie, founded Timmy’s Town and hopes it will be a place where all children are seen as powerful.
“When Timmy died, we spent many months thinking about how we, as a family, could remember him,” Lexie stated in a message on the Timmy’s Town web site. “What better way than to work toward the establishment of a children’s museum in NEPA, similar to the one that Timmy loved so much, for all the children whatever their backgrounds.”
Someday, Timmy’s Town Center will be a free-standing structure featuring an exhibit for budding engineers like “Pennsylvania Builds;” an “Artist Studio” for creative self expression; and an “Adventure Tree,” to promote physical activity and exploration.
Starting Friday, however, you can visit Timmy’s Town at their temporary location at the Mall at Steamtown (between the Bon-Ton and Gertrude Hawks Chocolates on the second floor).
Celebrate the center’s grand opening on November 13 with free admission from 5 PM – 9 PM.
Curl up with a great book in the “Read-Cycle” corner. Or, put on a show in the colorful Puppet Theater. Then be sure to visit “Arter Space,” to take your seat at the imagination-fueled spaceship table and zoom off to explore the exciting worlds of science and art.
Child’s play like this is only natural.
“We believe children are naturally explorers, naturally naturalists, builders, artists and thinkers,” explained Lexie.
Clearly, Timmy’s Town Center is a very special place designed and built to bring out the best in all kids.
But, please don’t take our word for it.
Go see for yourself this weekend and if you agree with us, please be sure to let them know you think Timmy’s Town is a Dilly!
(And while you’re there, don’t forget to “shop” in the play-powered Farmer’s Market, where children are encouraged to handle the merchandise.)
Prematurity Awareness Month
November is Prematurity Awareness Month and we’d like to dedicate this article to all the moms of babies who entered the world too soon.
Premature births haves been steadily increasing over the past twenty years. Preterm delivery can happen to any woman, regardless of how hard she tries to do everything right for her baby. In 2006, nearly 543,000 infants were born prematurely. And in 40% of the cases, the cause of pre-term delivery isn’t known.
Complications of premature birth may include:
- Difficulty breathing
- Episodes of stopped breathing (apnea)
- Bleeding in the brain (intracranial hemorrhage)
- Fluid accumulation in the brain (hydrocephalus)
- Cerebral palsy and other neurological problems
- Vision problems
- Intestinal problems
- Developmental delays
- Learning disabilities
Less serious complications may include:
- Yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes (jaundice)
- Lack of red blood cells (anemia)
- Low blood pressure
The March of Dimes would like to reduce the rates of preterm deliveries and help families have healthier babies. The March of Dimes Prematurity Campaign is a research, awareness and education effort that seeks to:
- Fund research to find the causes of premature birth
- Encourage investment of public and private research dollars to identify causes and to identify and test promising interventions
- Educate women about risk-reduction strategies and the signs and symptoms of premature labor
- Provides information and emotional support to families affected by prematurity
- Advocate to expand access to health care coverage to improve maternity care and infant health outcomes
- Help health care providers to improve risk detection and address risk factors
- Generate concern and action around the problem
Maura Maros, a KidDilly member, is deeply involved in this cause, and tells us, “There are events you can get involved in locally. The March of Dimes does their annual walk every April and their Signature Chef’s Auction in September. This year’s auction brought in $25,000!”
To learn how you can help, please visit: https://www.marchofdimes.com/howtohelp/654.asp
Sources:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/premature-birth/DS00137/DSECTION=complications
Timmy’s Town Center – A Special Destination in Scranton for All Children
There’s a new store in town.
It’s a “no-work-and-all-play” Farmer’s Market – just one of several carefully designed educational areas at Timmy’s Town Center, a brand new children’s museum opening this weekend in Scranton.
Visit 
KidDilly for the scoop on all the grand opening festivities.
Need a Night Out and Want your Husband to Help Cook?
KidDilly Two Birds with One Click!
KidDilly.com has a new event listed just for NEPA couples.
Register today to attend KidDilly Couples Night at the Dinner A’fare and you can have your December Holiday feast prepared for entertaining with ease! December’s menu features Savory Herb Prime Rib Roast or Toasted Coconut Tilapia perfect to grace your Holiday table.
Or, choose 12 family sized entrees and simply have dinner ready-to-make for 3 nights a week for the next month!
Sign up and make your menu selections by December 9th, line up a babysitter, and bring your husband to enjoy a glass of wine while he helps make dinner.
To give The Dinner A’fare a try while minimizing the expense, consider splitting a package with another couple.
Date: Friday, December 11, 2009
Time: 6:30 pm
Place: The Dinner A’ Fare
1021 Shoppes Blvd.
Moosic, PA 18510
570-344-5400
www.dinnerafare.com
To RSVP:
- Log on to: http://www.dinnerafare.com/calendar.cfm?fuseaction=ViewGoToMonth&locid=353989&GoToMonth=12&GoToYear=2009
- Click on the private party at 6:30 pm on December 11th
- Create a User Name and Register
- The password for the KidDilly’s private party is NOEL
- Use Promo Code NOEL for your free entrée with purchase of a package!
