S'mores? No thanks. "Kumbaya"? Heard it. Secret candy stash? Gone stale.

Independence is a great thing. It's something we parents pray our children will have mastered by the time they become adults.

Maternity clothing is making fashion headlines these days, thanks to Kate Middleton and Kim Kardashian, both mothers-to-be.

Name: Apryl Hughes Age: 33 Occupation: Makeup artist/anesthetist

May 13: The Collegedale Green Thumb Garden Club will meet at 7 p.m. in the Collegedale City Hall on Swinyar Drive. Guest speaker Cherry King will talk about propagating from cuttings, layering and root division. Contact: Cherry King, 238-3647.

Anna Belk, who moved to Chattanooga from England in 2008, had mediocre results with online dating.

“We live. We die. The best we can do is leave a worthwhile example for those who come after us.” — Adam Walinsky

Reading, writing, and arithmetic — the basics of an education, right?

I learned something about myself last week.

Name: Sophia Simpkins Age: 41 Occupation: Next Level Performance, vice president of business development

Katherine D'Andrea knew that Baylor School classmate Alex Armstrong was going to ask her to the junior/senior prom.

Michelle Workman is not a helicopter mom.

Name: Zach Bell Age: 23 Profession: UTC senior

It's what nutritionists say is the most important meal of the day — breakfast.

Good food without good service can ruin a dining experience.

Pardon me, boy, is that Thomas the Tank Engine?

James Beard was talking about food before people talked about food.

When my children were young, I introduced them to different sports and activities in an effort to help them find something they enjoyed.

It doesn't take much to get Karla Riddle on a soapbox.

Chattanooga Market opened its 2013 season on Sunday, April 21, a day eagerly awaited by many area residents.

Waste angers Emily Busby.

Name: Brooke Pangburn Age: 21 School: UTC sophomore

Austin and Ally rock, says Ezra Williams, a local fourth-grader.

Dapper has gone mainstream.

Lexie was on the losing end of a dogfight.

My oldest granddaughter is just like me.

Name: Ashley Dantzler Age: 19 School: University of Tennessee at Chattanooga sophomore

• Today. BRA-VO!, Track 29, 1400 Market St., 2 p.m., $40, fashion show modeled by breast cancer survivors to benefit Breast Cancer Support Services. 629-2445.

Until last Tuesday morning, I had never had a freshly made bagel and homemade cream cheese.

Name: Jordan Lamberson Age: 19 School: University of Tennessee at Chattanooga freshman

When Ellen Simak retires from the Hunter Museum of American Art this summer, she'll leave behind her children.

5 Taste and Sound of Italy: Sopranos, Sinatra and Sauce, St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Keys Hall, 305 E. Seventh St., 7 p.m., $50, benefits Chattanooga Girls Choir. Program by operatic soprano Stella Zambalis and Frank Sinatra songs by Michael Smith with three-piece combo. 296-1006.

It's a place you'll want to take grandma.

Lindsey Sheaffer's son, Raymi, was 10 months old when she first began suspecting he was deaf. A pediatrician dismissed her concerns, saying it was "first-time mom jitters."

I lie to my granddaughters. I tell them there is a Santa Claus and an Easter Bunny.

"Fashion, to me, is whatever makes me comfortable and makes me feel good about myself.

After four decades of teaching college kids the fine details of painting and drawing, UTC professor Alan White is retiring. Not from art, mind you, from teaching.

Try to touch Olivia Millsaps' hair and she'll likely smack your hand.

Jean-Marie Lawrence is a woman on the move.

Go ahead, call me "Red." I'm fine with it now.

Congratulations to Chattanooga native Melissa Smith, who recently won the Judge's Award in a paper towel designing contest sponsored by People Towels, a company that makes reusable cotton hand towels.

Do you know where to find a sculptural tribute to Chattanooga?

Having trouble sleeping? Try exercising.

If you were so inclined, you could spend the better part of the next month trying out a different area restaurant each night to see what the chefs have to offer.

Fear is an underlying theme on the Disney Channel's hit show "Austin & Ally." Austin is an outgoing singer and performer while Ally, who suffers from stage fright, is a songwriter who usually works behind the scenes.

7 Taste, Stratton Hall, 3146 Broad St., 5:30-9 p.m., $40, sample specialties of more than 20 local restaurants at benefit for Kidney Foundation of Greater Chattanooga. 265-4396.

If you've seen the current No. 1 box office hit "Identity Thief" and thought you saw a hint of Chattanooga in one scene, congratulations. You have sharp eyes.

The sign outside The Camp House bills it as a coffeehouse, but it's much more than that.

21-22 Sons of the Pioneers concert, Hullander Barn, 10944 London Lane, 6:30 p.m. both nights, $85, $300 table of four, $550 table of eight. Legendary Western singing group performs benefit for Ooltewah High School Band. 553-0561.

I love to talk.