By Diane WetzelThe North Platte Telegraphdwetzel@nptelegraph.com

It’s quality, not quantity that guides LincMom of the Quarter Kim Schroll. Many in the com-munity know Schroll from her role as general operations officer at NebraskaLand NationalBank, or perhaps from her work with North Platte Rotary or the Downtown Association.Schroll and her husband Bart are parents to James, 13 and Justin, 9.

“I think there can be balance with family and career for women, but you have to set priorities,” she said.

A native of O’Neill, Schroll met her husband when they attended Northeast CommunityCollege in Norfolk. The couple moved to North Platte in 1991. Today Bart is a lineman withMunicipal Light and Water.

“This is where he found a job,” Schroll said. “You go where the job is and this is where weended up.”

Schroll went to work as a teller at North Platte National Bank. When Mike Jacobson leftNorth Platte National to established NebraskaLand National Bank as a locally owned andlocally controlled bank, Schroll went with him.

“I have had a demanding career and during the first years of my marriage, I spent a lot oftime working,” she said. “When Mike invited me to come along we raised $3 million in capital and had three employees.”

The Schrolls were seeking to adopt a child when a personal connection led them to James’sbirth mother and a private adoption. James arrived one year after NebraskaLand NationalBank was established.

Four years later Justin was born.

“I get up every day and ask for God’s guidance to help me be a better mom and better wife,a better co-worker, friend and banker,” she said. “It’s a delicate balance. There are timeswhen the job is more demanding, and times, especially when the children were very youngwhere it was tough. I could not do it without the support system I have.”

That support system includes her husband, her family and her co-workers.

“We have a great team here at the bank,” she said. “I am thankful for team of support I have.We all have a lot of respect for each other and know family is important to all of us. This ismore than a job. This is out community and our lives and we are building for the next generation.”

Part of finding the balance isknowing when to ask forhelp when you need it.

“I’m not shy about saying Idon’t clean my own house,”she said. “During the weekmy oldest son and my hus-band do most of the cooking.I ask for help when I need it,whether it’s at work or frommy family.”

The Schrolls are members ofHoly Spirit Catholic Churchand their children attend St.Patrick’s Catholic Schools.

“My faith is important to meand we are fortunate to have the Catholic school as a choice here in North Platte,” she said.

Schroll is active in community organizations that she feels strongly about.

“Community involvement isn’t just a time commitment, it’s what you can learn from othersand contribute,” she said. “I’ve found from my community involvement that I’ve learned somuch more to help me be a better person, better mom, better co-worker, better banker. I’vealways felt I gained so much more than I give.”

She is on the Catholic Schools Endowment Foundation, the North Platte CommunityCollege Foundation, is an active Rotarian and on the Downtown Association Board.

“There are times when I get overwhelmed, but it usually doesn’t last long,” she said. “Ithappens when you have too many things that are a priority.”

To relax, the Schrolls are learning to play golf as a family, take family trips to Florida andspend fall weekends watching football.

Schroll was surprised to learn about her selection as LincMom of the Quarter.

“I know how blessed I am to have a healthy family,” she said. “I thank God every day formy health and my family’s health. There are so many other worthy moms out there with somany challenges.”

Above and Cover Picture: The Schroll family, Kim, Justin, Jamesand Bart, celebrate Justin’s First Communion at Holy Spirit Church.

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3PUZZLES & COLORING

CCCCOOOOLLLLOOOORRRR MMMMEEEE !!!!

4 PARENTING

by Sam Erickson

It's been said that men and women have trouble communicating,but if there is any gap in family communication, in most familiesit's most pronounced between parent and child. Young childrenare just learning to use language (maybe even words) to communicate, while older children, teenagers in particular, arelooking to separate from the family in order to establish theirown identity. These are times when conversations are most critical, as children are beginning to make decisions on theirown. Developing good communication with your children whenthey are young can pay dividends throughout their life.

Don't be afraid to start conversations with your child. Many parents assume that by telling their children they are available totalk will allow their children to come forward to them with aproblem. This is not always the case, however, particularly askids grow older. They may be embarrassed or afraid of the waytheir parents will respond. If you begin this kind of initiation

early, kids will get used to it and accept it as the way things are.If you wait until the teen years or when things start getting bad,you might be seen as intrusive and be shut out even further.

Respect your child and validate their feelings. Sometimes children can get worked up over the littlest of things. If parentsare dismissive of their children's feelings when small things areon the line, children are more likely to keep big problems hiddenlater on. If you don't see a problem where your child does,explain to them where you are coming from. This will show thechild you respect them even if you disagree with them. All people like to be respected.

Spending time together is probably the best way to foster communication. If you travel together - to Japan, the GrandCanyon or to the park - you'll start to see each other in differentways. You will have to help one another out, building a level oftrust that can be useful later. If you go out together from time totime and eat dinner together every night, you can start to establish basic communication. Shared movies or books can leadto discussions of important issues that might be facing yourchild. This basic communication will serve as the foundation formore important things later, like college, dating and what itmeans to grow into an adult.

Good communication between children and parents is essentialfor a healthy relationship. You have to understand one another tomove the relationship forward. The main keys to establishinggood communication are to start early, initiate conversations andbuild common ground you can use later on. Kids are looking forthe same things parents are, healthy, happy relationships, andgood communication can make that a lot easier for everyone.

Communication With Your Child

Photo & recipe courtesy of kraftfoods.com

Total Time: 10 minPrep Time: 10 minServings: 3 servings,

2 cookies each

Ingredients:

2 squares BAKER'S White Chocolate orBAKER'S Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate

6 NABISCO Cookies, such as NUTTER

BUTTER Cookies, OREO Cookies,CHIPS AHOY! Cookies and NILLAWafers Decorations, such as decoratinggels, assorted candies and chewy fruitsnack rolls

Directions: 1 MICROWAVE chocolate in small microwavable bowl on HIGH 1-1/2 min., stirring after 45 seconds. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. 2 COAT cookies with melted chocolate. Place on sheet of wax paper, then decorate asdesired (see Tips below). 3 LET stand until chocolate is set. Scary BatsFor bats, coat NUTTER BUTTER Cookies with melted semi-sweet chocolateas directed. Place cookies sideways to resemble a bat shape, then use red decorating gelto draw scary fangs and eyes on each bat. MummyFor mummies, coat NUTTERBUTTER Cookies with melted white chocolate as directed. Let stand until set. Wrap

cut-up fruit rolls around cookies, leaving small area near the top of each cookieunwrapped for the mummy's eyes. Add 2 small red candies for the eyes.

5EASY TO MAKE RECIPE

Photo & recipe courtesy of kraftfoods.com

Total Time: 5 minPrep Time: 5 min

Servings: 1 serving

Ingredients: 1 piece black string licorice (16 inch), cut into 1-inch lengths

2 OREO CAKESTERS Soft Snack Cakes

Red decorating gel

Directions:

INSERT 4 licorice pieces into opposite sides of each snack cake for the spider's legs.

USE red decorating gel to make the eyes.

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Please include event name, date, time, place & contact information.

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The Telegraph reserves the right to edit and/or omit all or portions of events.

Date Time Event Location Contact

Tuesdays 9:30, 10:30, 1:30 Preschool Story Time North Platte Public Library 308-535-8036

1st & 3rd Wed 9:30 a.m. & 10:00 am Wee Read North Platte Public Library 308-535-8036

Sept. 1st 8am Potter’s Pature Trail Potter’s Pasture Trail 308-535-6772

Sept. 4th 5:30 pm - 8:30 pm Puppy Olympics Cody Park communityconnectionslc.org

Sept. 5th 6:30 pm AWANA Registration and Family BBQ Bethel Evangelical Free Church

Sept. 7th - 9th All Day Nebraska State Rodeo Assoc. State Finals Wild West Arena www.nebraskarodeo.com

Sept. 8th 8:15 am - 9:15 am Doggy Dash 5K Walk/Run Cody Park communityconnectionslc.org

Sept. 8th 10:30 am Biscuit Bite Off Contest Cody Park communityconnectionslc.org

Sept. 8th All Day Wellfleet Fall Festival Wellfleet wellfleetfallfestival.com

Oct. 20th 8:30 am Nebraska Spina Bifida NP Recreation Center 308-440-5761

Run/Walk & Roll 5K & Kids 1 mil

Oct. 27th 1 pm - 3 pm Downtown Halloween Walk Downtown northplattedowntown.com

Oct. 31st 6 pm - 8 pm Trunk or Treat First Baptist Church fbcnorthplatte.org

By Tresa Ericksonadbuilder.com

When you're planning a Halloween party for kids, there is one factor youdon't want to overlook the yuck factor. Kids love all things gross andexpect them at Halloween parties, so make sure you work some yuck intoyour party for the senses.

Feast your eyes on this!There is nothing more fun for kids than a room full of scary sights.Usually, the more terrifying, the better, unless you are dealing with agroup of really young kids. Dress up the room for the age group. Thereare a number of products available from talking heads to hairy spiders.You can also make your own. Wet string hanging from the ceiling, forexample, makes great cobwebs, especially when kids run into them,while a little dry ice with water makes great fog.

Lend an ear to this!What Halloween party would be complete without spooky music andsound effects. Grandpa dressed like a vampire rising up out of a coffin isnot nearly as terrifying as it is with the coffin creaking. You can find various Halloween music and sound effect CDs, or you can make yourown.

Stick your hand in this!Kids love the ooey-gooey, especially when it's hidden out of sight. Thereare numerous recipes online for making goop and slime. You can alsorevert to the old standards: peeled grapes for eyeballs, cold spaghetti forworms, egg yolks for snot, gelatin for brains and pumpkin guts for guts.Just make sure you have some wipes on hand for the fussy ones.

Have a bite of this!There are tons of recipes for making tasty, gross-looking Halloween foodfrom boogers on a stick to kitty litter cake. Conduct a search online andselect some of the yuckiest recipes for your party.

Take a whiff of this!While graveyards, rotting flesh and all of the other images associatedwith Halloween might conjure up a foul stench, you probably don't wantto recreate the odor at your party. You can, however, incorporate some ofthe lovelier scents of fall, either through candles or food. Go ahead andbrew up a batch of apple cider before the party starts and greet guests atthe door with a burst of apple and cinnamon.

Incorporating the yuck factor into a Halloween party is not that hard, andwhile you may not be able to invoke all of the senses who wants to stickaround a party that smells awful you can invoke most and keep youryoung guests entertained. Do your homework, and your party is sure tobe a hit!

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Where Family Comes First!• Leland F. Lamberty, M.D. • Janet E. Bernard, M.D. • Wendy J.Gosnell, M.D. • Joseph J Kezeor M.D.

500 W. Leota Ste. 100 • North Platte, NE 69101

308-534-4440

Family Medicine Associates

Yuck!PARTY FUN

There is such a thing as a “tooth-friendly” sugar! XYLITOL!Xylitol is a delicious and safe naturally occurring sugar substitute that helps prevent cavities and plaque formation. It is found in manyfruits and vegetables but the main way it is made is from birch trees and corn husks. Our bodies normally produce normally produce about

15 grams of Xylitol daily.

Xylitol can be used by everyone - infants, children, adults and the elderly and is also diabetic friendly. Xylitol looks and tastesas sweet as sugar but has 40% fewer calories and 75% fewer carbohydrates.

Xylitol has several oral benefits. It does not allow plaques to form on teeth and also helps alter the pH of the mouth toan alkaline or neutral pH. These benefits help reduce decay, gingivitis, help with periodontal problems and re-mineral-ize the enamel structure.

Xylitol is the natural sweetener used in many products including but not limited to gums, hard candies, toothpastes,chocolates, mints, oral rinses, saline nasal sprays.Research has also proven the benefits of Xylitol inhelping with ear and upper respiratory infectionsby inhibiting bacterial communication. Also someresearch has linked Xylitol to help improve bonedensity. Visit our office to let us tell you moreabout this amazing natural product.

Lannae Phelps, D.D.S.