In this issue:
Beauty Inside & Out
Casa Family Night & Time to Talk
Two Angry Moms
Oak Lane Carnival
French Farm party

Each person who has a recipe chosen for the book will receive a copy of the finished product and books will be given to the first 25 attendees at "Beauty Inside and Out". To submit a recipe, please sign the release and email your recipe with your anecdote as well as short profile to kboyle@chapinhill.com by October 1st.

*This article has been sponsored by Chapin Hill Advisors, www.chapinhill.com

The Power of Parenting

The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University launched Family Day-- A Day to Eat Dinner with your Children (TM) in 2001 after more than a decade's worth of its research consistently found that the more often kids eat dinner with their families, the less likely they are to smoke, drink or use drugs. Family Day is a national movement that encourages parents to frequently eat dinner with their kids and be involved in their children's lives. This year, Family Day will be celebrated nationwide on the fourth Monday in September, September 24th.

CASA encourages all members to celebrate Family Day by eating dinner together on September 24th and every day. If you can't make it to dinner, even more importantly, they stress that you should talk with your kids. During dinner, turn off the TV and let your answering machine record incoming calls. Involve the entire family in planning and cooking meals. If your schedules make it impossible to eat dinner together, try having breakfast together. Family Day helps remind busy families of the invaluable role that parental involvement plays in steering children and teens away from cigarettes, drugs and alcohol.

Seven Family Dining Do's:

• Start the pattern of family dinners when children are young.
• Use Sunday as the day to pick several nights during the upcoming week when the entire family can eat together. Make your best attempt to stick to the schedule.
• Encourage your children to create menu ideas and participate in meal preparation.
• Turn off the TV and let your answering machine take care of your incoming calls.
• Talk about what happened in everyone's day: school, work, extracurricular activities, or current events.
• Establish a routine to start and end each meal. Light candles or tell a story at the start of the meal; eat dessert or play a board game after dinner to continue the conversation.
• Keep conversation positive and make sure everyone gets a chance to speak.

To learn how you can celebrate Family Day at your home, workplace or in your community, log onto www.CASAFamilyDay.org

If Family Night isn't the right approach for your family, check out the following resource-- "Time To Talk" a web based support for parents around the issue of drug and alcohol abuse and how to prepare yourself and your children for the temptations they may face now or in the future.

Most of you are parents of younger children, but these sites both talk about teachable moments and about talking freely with your children as they grow up so that when the bigger conversations come up, you already have a good, open rapport!

Find out what your kids are really eating for lunch!

Join us for a sneak preview of the nationally acclaimed movie, Two Angry Moms, featuring the Katonah-Lewisboro School District.

Two Angry Moms is the movie about school food that everyone is talking about. Filmmaker Amy Kalafa follows Dr. Susan Rubin of Chappaqua in their quest for better school food and to improve our children's health. Come see the movie and learn about the movement!

Katonah Public Library, 26 Bedford Road, Katonah, Thursday, September 20. Two Screenings: 10:00am & 7:00pm. Seating is limited: Doors open at 9:30 and 6:30. Suggested donation: $10 suggested (tax-deductible). For more info email info@betterschoolfood.org

A sure cure for any back-to-school doldrums is the Oak Lane Carnival, September 23, 2007, from 11am to 3pm on Memorial Drive in Chappaqua. This 2nd annual Benefit Carnival, sponsored by the Oak Lane Child Care Center, will combine an afternoon of family fun while raising funds to support the Center and its mission to provide excellent child care for the Northern Westchester community.

Pony rides, jumping castles, face painting, food and games galore will ensure an afternoon of entertainment. A special appearance will be made by Kurt Gallagher playing children's music and encouraging children to join in the chorus. Individual tickets will be available for purchase for games and attractions; there is no admission charge.

The Carnival will be held on the grounds of Oak Lane, at 49 Memorial Drive, at the intersection of 117 and King Street in Chappaqua. Parking will be available across the Street at D'Agostino's.

Oak Lane Child Care Center was established in 1972 and provides excellence in early childhood education to approximately 50 children. Funds raised by Oak Lane are used to support operations of the Center and also to provide scholarship opportunity for families in need.

French Farm, the first property in Greenwich, CT, to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places, will be the site of a fabulous family garden party on Sunday, September 23, from noon to 4 p.m.

Many farm creatures including chickens, Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs and peacocks will be in evidence; families can drink fresh cider from a cider press. Plus, the fascinating "enchanted forest" contains a stone tower and natural sculptures of rock formations and Madagascar petrified wood.

This event is a Fall Fundraiser for the Native Plant Center at Westchester Community College. Preregistration is required. For more information and to purchase tickets, call the Native Plant Center at (914) 606-7870.