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RAISING ARIZONA KIDS history

In search of two former Girl Scouts

It was a quiet Friday afternoon in mid-October. No deadlines were looming; my "to do" list was uncharacteristically short. So I was determined to...

Images and outtakes from RAK assignments

Some photos that haven’t made it into print or online stories are still worth sharing. Cover shoots can be nerve-wracking affairs when the young cover...

Behind the scenes at our November cover shoot

I was honored when RAK's editorial staff mentioned my son’s name for the cover of November’s edition during one of our routine editorial meetings....

Rising to service

Every two years, grief experts and grieving families come to Arizona from all over the world. For three days, they participate in educational workshops,...

Deja, deja, deja vu – the third (major) office flood

For a brief moment as I was waking up on Saturday morning, I thought, "It was all a bad dream!" No such luck. Our office...

Rising to service, rising to challenge

Our magazine first explored the difficult topic of a child's death in 1991, when a local mom shared a first-person account of her own...

RAK takes a record eight awards at 2012 Arizona Press Club competition

Five RAISING ARIZONA KIDS journalists took a total of eight awards at Saturday night's Arizona Press Club Awards event, which recognizes professionals from across...

All ready now

Last week I took pictures of Scottsdale mom Kirsten Dunlap and her kids for a piece she wrote for our June issue about gardening...

Exciting possibilities

I was appalled one morning to read a question posted on a national mom-to-mom network site. The writer was describing a serious allergic reaction...

One proud mama

It's not unusual for a proud mom to call our office with the following request: "My son appeared in a photo in your magazine...

The restorative power of painting poppies

The months from November through February are always a long slog for our small staff. As if the challenges of publishing monthly magazine and daily...

Parting shots

Many pictures I take for Raising Arizona Kids don't get into the magazine or onto our website. Some images don't really tell the story...

An operose project

I am a longtime subscriber to Dictionary.com's Word of the Day. This was the definition that popped into my in-box yesterday morning: operose OP-uh-rohs, adjective: 1. Done...

Thinking "different" on the day Steve Jobs died

Through no one's fault but my own, I lost a month's worth of work and email. I am typically very compulsive about weekly backups on...

Inspiration from a former co-worker

Nancie Schauder's name first appeared on our staff roster 20 years ago, in October 1991. She was, as I later wrote, "one of those...

A welcome "thank you," just for doing our job

Friday afternoons are typically very quiet at our office. For those of us who crave uninterrupted time to check things off our respective "to...

Party Articles

Out-of-the Box Birthday Party Ideas

Wanting to do something a little extra special for your child’s next birthday party? Maybe it’s a milestone birthday—like turning double digits or entering...

Party Etiquette

Whether you’re hosting a party or attending one, you may be wondering—do people really RSVP anymore? What about goodie bags, are those still a...

How to Throw a Birthday Party that Won’t Break the Bank

I remember the days when birthday parties consisted of colorful balloons, streamers, a simple cake, and the classics like musical chairs and tag with...

How to do a drive-by birthday party

As we get deeper into quarantine, people have gotten creative with birthday celebrations. One result: the drive-by birthday party.

Home pool party? Hire a lifeguard!

Drowning happens silently and quickly. That’s why children are at risk even when — and sometimes especially when — adults are nearby. Even a "designated...