Cheryl Maguire

What has two heads and six legs? An adorable diamondback terrapin baby turtle found in Barnstable, Massachusetts. The hatchling was discovered by the Barnstable Department of Natural Resources after it hatched this past fall. They run a head start program that protects the endangered terrapin turtle — the only North American turtle species that lives in brackish water, which is less salty than sea water.
The diamondback terrapin became vulnerable to extinction due to pet trading and human con...

How parents can incorporate ecotherapy activities into children’s everyday lives—and improve their well-being
Allison Kenien’s five-year-old daughter struggled with paying attention during remote learning. When online classes started provoking tears, Keinen, a mother of two in New York, knew she had to try something different.
So the pair starting exploring hiking trails, paying attention to things like the smell of a flower or the sound of a bird. At the end of their hike, they’d draw pictur...

Is your child anxious about going back to school this fall? It’s common for kids to have back-to-school jitters, but this year may be more difficult due to COVID-19 concerns. For some kids summer is an unstructured time so returning to the scheduled routine of the school year can feel overwhelming. Kids may also experience both academic and social stressors, like deadlines for assignments or who to sit with in the cafeteria.
What is back-to-school anxiety?
Approximately 4.4 million children a...

If summer makes breathing a little more difficult, it could be because of these warm-weather triggers. Help alleviate symptoms with these steps.
Most people love the warmer weather that summer brings. But if you live with asthma, then you know that those hot humid temperatures can cause your asthma symptoms to flare up. That warm, moist, heavy air is difficult for anyone to breathe. But if you have asthma, it can lead to constricted airways resulting in common asthma symptoms like coughing an...

Last summer when we were confined to our home state because of COVID travel restrictions, we decided to visit Martha’s Vineyard. Before booking a few nights in a hotel, I checked the most recent one-star reviews on Tripadvisor. I quickly surmised that people were unhappy with the high prices, room categories, and COVID restrictions. I narrowed down my search to one hotel, and then contacted the hotel manager to learn more about people’s concerns. He helped me understand the room categories, e...

Birth control failure is much more serious than a Tylenol that hasn’t quite cured your headache. If your birth control doesn’t work, then you risk an unwanted pregnancy. So, it’s important to be aware of any medications that may interfere with your contraception’s effectiveness.
Before you take any new medication consult with your healthcare provider or pharmacist to see if the medication could interfere with your birth control pills.
9 medications that interfere with birth control
The follow...

Most of the time, your asthma symptoms don’t bother you…until you get sick. Then, next thing you know, you’re waking up in the middle of the night coughing and wheezing nonstop. It’s called a viral-induced asthma flare, and it occurs when your condition is exacerbated by a respiratory illness. Luckily, there are effective treatments, besides using your inhaler in the wee hours, that will have you breathing easily—and sleeping through the night—again.

Can a virus make asthma worse?

Studies sho...

Editor's Note: This story originally appeared on Surviving and Thriving.
“Did you use the coupon?”
I asked my husband this question when he returned from the store. I had a good idea his answer would be some variation of no. Usually, he says “I forgot.” But that hasn’t stopped me from trying for the past 20 years.
My husband doesn’t understand coupons or sales or reward programs. These things are not too difficult to comprehend; rather, he doesn’t care to figure it out. He thinks that couponi...

When Jen Farr and her eco-conscious family noticed their bathroom trash was piling up, they decided to investigate the problem. With their two 11- and 13-year-old daughters, the Toronto family used gloved hands to sift through used tissues, cotton balls, and dental floss—then they made a plan.
This review process, called a trash audit, is a way for families to fight back against the mounting problem of waste: The average American creates 4.9 pounds of trash a day, almost double the amount Ame...

Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, my kids’ rooms resemble a frat house. But instead of empty beer cans and pizza boxes, my kids have 10 water bottles and half-eaten peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches scattered throughout their space. Two of my three kids, ages 12 and 15 (twins), have always found it challenging to be organized, but spending more time at home has exacerbated their struggles.

I know that parents have complained about their kids’ messy rooms forever. But in this pande...

When my 15-year-old son was given a diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder at age 7, I was told that it was a lifelong chronic condition.
So I felt a little bit hopeful when a study published last winter in the Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics said that “an estimated 30 percent to 60 percent of children diagnosed with A.D.H.D. no longer meet diagnostic criteria for this disorder by late adolescence.”
Does that mean they outgrew it?
There is no simple answer, s...

Jessica McCabe, creator of the YouTube channel “How to A.D.H.D.,” is not a doctor or medical professional. At 38, she’s had a variety of professions including stand-up comedian, actor and restaurant server.
Through all those years, she has been learning about attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, which she was diagnosed with at the age of 12. Explaining that information is something she has done on her YouTube channel since 2016.
“Our brains are a piece of equipment we work with every day...

My 14-year-old daughter constantly abandons her coat on the floor and leaves half-eaten food in the living room and crumpled papers in the hall. I end up cleaning up after her, which I’ve repeatedly told her makes me upset.
She’s a smart, talented kid. So why does she keep pushing my buttons?
At some point most parents feel as if their teenager is acting in ways to intentionally make them angry. But experts say that the interaction is often more about the way the parent responds than a...

I love working out and saving money. I aim to do some form of fitness at least six days a week. Since gym memberships can be expensive, I’m always looking for ways to cut costs. I also get bored only going to the gym, so I like to find other inexpensive ways to break a sweat. Here are some tips of I have learned to save money while being fit.
Get Reimbursed For Your Gym Membership
If you belong to a gym, ask your health insurance company or your employer if they offer gym membership reimburse...