Meet our editors
Kristen De Deyn Kirk is a longtime contributing writer for Tidewater Parent and a Foundation for Child Development Fellow in the University of Maryland's Child and Family Policy Fellowship program. She was managing editor of Port Folio Weekly from 1997-2007. She lives in Hampton Roads with her husband and two children.
Spinning and yoga
Michelle Galvez is a Navy spouse and lives in Virginia Beach with her husband and three children. She is an ombudsman and the 2009 Heroes at Home Military Spouse of the Year. She is a member of Blue Star Families, an organization dedicated to military family quality of life at http://www.bluestarfam.org/
Playing with my kids, boating, hiking, reading, photography, going to the beach, blogging, yoga, cleaning
Alison Johnson is a freelance writer living in Yorktown, Va. She has written for newspapers and magazines for about 20 years, specializing in parenting and health features for many of them. She and her husband David, a sportswriter, are raising two hyper boys -- Tommy, 8, and Sam, 6 -- and one very friendly beagle-like mutt.
Walking, reading, singing, drinking lots of coffee and spending time with my family.
Susan Smigielski Acker is a Newport News freelance writer and has more than 15 years experience in writing, editing and publishing. She has written about everything except sports. Currently, Susan is the calendar editor for Tidewater Parent Magazine and seeks answers from local experts and parents for the Let's Talk column. Susan also a stay-at-home mom. She grew up in Norfolk, where her mother instilled strong Polish Catholic roots. She graduated from Old Dominion University. Susan left the area following college and went to work on the U.S. Army Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands, South Pacific. As an adult, she also lived in Georgia, Michigan and Texas. She returned to the area with much joy because there is nothing like a sweet Virginia breeze.
I really enjoy being with my daughters, Charlotte, 7, and Julia, 5, and my husband, Scott. We enjoy going to local parks, libraries, beaches, museums and festivals. My daughters are on the Wendwood Wahoos summer league swim team, which is a family affair for us because I am a former competative swimmer and swim coach. I also enjoy spending time with my extended family in Virginia Beach. My philosphy on parenting is simple - This is the toughest job I will ever love.
Jim Van Slyke is the proud father of two boys, ages 6 and 2. He’s a stranger in a strange land on a web site designed for moms, but promises to provide a helpful - if perhaps silly - parenting perspective from the male point of view. This basically means he’s an expert in video games, sports, burping, making a mess while eating and peeing while standing up.
I enjoy playing, refereeing and coaching soccer. I also like to cook, play video games, traveling, reading and writing. But most importantly, I love spending time with my family. Yes, even when they are tired and cranky. No, I'm not kidding.
