Welcome to the online home of St. Louis Kids Magazine. Our staff of writers are dedicated to bringing you information you won't find anywhere else about raising kids in St. Louis, kids health, St. Louis family events and family life in St. Louis, along with their fresh perspectives (humorous and not) and insights (deep and not-so-deep) into parenting. Our SmartParenting Blog staff includes:

Metro East mom Nicole Plegge is our pop culture and lifestyle blogger. She has no shame in hiding from her kids in the bathroom with a People magazine or flipping between CNN and Entertainment Tonight. She still wishes she had gone to the Eastland School for Girls.

Events blogger Andrea Light Wilson credits her fifth grade teacher to sparking her creativity and introducing her to the world of writing. Andreas has previously written for St. Louis Kids Magazine, and is thrilled to be able to share St. Louis family events with SmartParenting readers. Besides going on adventures with her five-year-old daughter, Wilson enjoys biking and yoga.

Amy De La Hunt writes about health issues for SmrtParenting and is also the contributing editor at St. Louis Kids Magazine. She first started writing about health 20 years ago at a daily newspaper in Ohio. Since then, her writing interests have broadened to include food, cooking, education, cultural competence, travel, and, after her two sons came along, parenting.

Danyelle Little is a 35-year-old mother of 2 (a 7-year-old girl and 17-year-old young man) who knows a lot when it comes to being able to be two places at once. Formerly a human resources manager for a Fortune 500 company, she is now a work-at-home mom why runs a blog, works as a social media manager and freelance writer. Danyelle shares her experiences in co-parenting with SmartParenting readers, and when she isn't writing or blogging, enjoys spending time with her family and traveling.

Sharon Linde writes about education issues, both locally and far reaching, for SmartParenting. Her years of broad experiences in education, ranging from teaching in urban and private education, early childhood to collegiate level, offer her a unique perspective on the topic. The mom of two is currently an education consultant focusing on new teacher induction and efficacy, as well as a volunteer for at-risk families.

Kim Julian writes about saving money for SmartParenting. She is the author of STL Mommy and owner of My City Mommy, LLC. Before she became a coupon, deal and freebie-finding extraordinaire, she worked as a masters-prepared psychiatric social worker. Now she spends time finding the best deals in St. Louis and sharing them with her many readers while raising three children as a single mom. Time doesn't allow for much more, but whenever she can find it, she loves anywhere that's quiet!

Books blogger and poet Erin Quick has been a bookworm all her life, and is committed to building community through literature. After four years managing at Left Bank Books, she now volunteers as librarian at The Soulard School. She enjoys traveling, gardening, and of course, bedtime stories - most especially from The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

Julia Bollman is the founder and publisher of St. Louis Kids Magazine, SmartParenting and www.stlouiskidsmagazine.com. A St. Louis mom, she spent 15 years in publishing and marketing before deciding in 2006 to launch a parenting resource for St. Louis families.

About SmartParenting

The SmartParenting blog was launched in February, 2010 as part of the redesigned St. Louis Kids Magazine web site and is written by local parents. There is no play for play. Any reference to a company, product, event or other resources has been chosen as a topic by one or more of our writers or editors solely because of its merit as something we feel our readers will be interested in. Although we receive hundreds of press releases and inquiries every week (yes, hundreds) to review products, write about events or otherwise "promote" something, all editorial decisions are made independently. We do not write product reviews or accept products in exchange for writing about them. We're using our experience and judgment as St. Louis moms (and professional writers) to decide what to cover in this blog, and we hope our readers enjoy it. You can always tell us what you think by sending us an email or commenting on a post. Thanks for reading!