Wild Winter Lights transforms the Zoo after dark with hundreds of dazzling displays across holiday-themed areas including Candyland, Enchanted Forest, Conservation Trail and Santa’s Workshop. This year, guests can experience Wild Winter Lights on foot or in their personal vehicle.

In the October issue of Northeast Ohio Parent magazine, we feature a few party planners and entertainment experiences to choose from around the region. Check out these advertiser listings and see our party planning directory for more opportunities.

Since April 2020, Northeast Ohio Parent has been bringing you video and virtual fun each week as part of our KidStream newsletter. Now, we’d like to see what our readers and followers have been up to! Each month, we’ll choose a theme and our followers can submit videos for a chance to be featured in KidStream — plus one lucky winner will win a fantastic prize!

Kristen Kelly, blogger at "Ready, Set, Parenthood!" provided readers with information about hand-foot-and-mouth disease, a common childhood infectious disease. As stated in her 2014 blog post, after doing some research online and speaking with her son's pediatrician, she learned so much about this disease that she wishes she would have known before her son got it. With the new school year and the typical germ season underway, Northeast Ohio Parent editors thought we would re-share to help families.

Jeannie Fleming-Gifford shares her journey as daughter and caregiver of her mother, who was diagnosed with a stroke in 2015, in “The Gift I Never Wanted: The Journey of Caregiving and Lessons Learned.” She provides some insights into her book, but also how she has dealt with decisions as her mother’s caregiver. 

Each time period paints motherhood with a unique color, capturing the grace, courage and unconditional love of this human experience. The "Picturing Motherhood Now" exhibit at the Cleveland Museum of Art, which opened on Saturday, shows artists' works who reimagine what it means to be a mother.

As parents, we watch for every milestone — whether you have an infant or school-aged child — with careful caution and hope. We want to ensure our children have the basics down, like eating, talking, and mobility of their hands and feet. When issues do arise, it can be difficult to understand, and we might be tempted to play the blame game with ourselves. But for children who may have any delay, such as with hearing or language, it’s important not to wait.

On the latest episode of aParently Speaking, host, Miriam Conner is joined by the author of "Eternally Expecting", Amy Liz Harrison. Harrison shares her struggle with alcoholism as a mother of eight and her journey to sobriety.

In honor of World Octopus Day, staff at the Greater Cleveland Aquarium recently created this video to highlight the features of its own giant Pacific octopus. Watch and get to know a little bit about this smart cephalopod!

Participate in the celebration of International Observe the Moon Night on Saturday, Oct. 16. This celebration provides opportunities to learn about lunar science and exploration, observe celestial bodies, and honor personal and cultural connections to the Moon.