Sometimes the Major League Baseball season seems too long–especially if you’ve been a lifelong Pittsburgh Pirates fan.

And sometimes the imbalance of team payrolls can make it seem like an unfair game.

But every spring there’s hope, and baseball is still one of the best ways to spend a summer, even if your team isn’t playing in the fall.

From the time I watched my first game on TV with Pap, I was sure stadiums were cathedrals.

Pap wasn’t an armchair coach. During most of the game, he was content to watch and eat his Cheez-Its. But occasionally, after a strike, he’d say, “See, he took his eye off the ball.”

He was my hero, and anything he said or liked was fine by me–which is probably how I also became well versed in boxing and “Sanford and Son” before I was 10.

I still remember the diner booth I was sitting in when I told him, during a gourmet meal of chicken nuggets and fries, that we were going to see every baseball stadium in America.

He died a year later, consumed by stomach cancer, but not before instilling in me a love for the columns of Mike Royko about his beloved Chicago Cubs or making me promise I’d see every ballpark.

I’ve not yet been to every ballpark, but I’ve been to many: Cinergy Field, Comerica Park, Fenway Park, Nationals Park, PNC Park (and before that, Three Rivers Stadium), Rogers Centre, Shea Stadium, Veterans Stadium and Wrigley Field.

And this year I’ll finally make it to Camden Yards.

I’m also making rounds at several amateur fields in York County this year.

My 6-year-old son, Ty, and 4-year-old son, Dimitri, played t-ball this spring, and my daughter is in the middle of her 10U softball season.

Cienna, who will be 10 this fall, was about 4 years old the last time she picked up a bat and ball, so I wasn’t sure how she’d fare this year.

Cienna is ready to play and chasing her first hit.

We quickly learned she’s better on defense.

Though she’s hit plenty of balls during practice, she has struggled during games. She’s quite good at seeing the bad pitches, but she fails to connect with the strikes. In fact, during the first few games, she wouldn’t swing at all.

“I’m afraid of missing them,” she said.

I explained she was getting called out either way and shared the words of baseball legend Babe Ruth: “Never let the fear of striking out get in your way.”

Sure, Ruth had 2, 873 hits, and Cienna’s just trying to get one, but the principle applies just the same.

As with anything in life, you can go to the plate and not swing, avoiding the disappointment of trying and failing. But you fail nonetheless.

Or you can go to the plate and take your best shot. You might fail, but at least you tried.

There’s still a lot of season left, and I’m sure before it’s over Cienna will get a hit.

Either way, it’s been a great learning experience for a kid who is used to doing well in everything. Struggling with something has helped her mature and learn how to press on in difficult situations.

It’s easy to have confidence when you’re good at something, but it takes a lot more courage to try when you doubt yourself.

When this season ends, I know Cienna’s tenacity will have won. Spend one minute in my home and you’ll know nothing motivates her more than a challenge.

Watching her swing and be off by a millisecond, I hear Pap’s words and wonder if she took her eye off the ball.

But I know she’ll get that hit.

I just wish he was here to see it.

There’s a casserole in the oven, and the smell of baking sweet potatoes, pecans and bananas are setting the scene for a happy Thanksgiving.

 As my family and I watch the 86th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, I’m simultaneously counting the many reasons I am thankful: a family to cuddle with during the parade; getting paid to do what I love; having the kind of mom who puts her grandchildren first; living in a beautiful home in a beautiful community, surrounded by lakes, rolling hills and a tree farm; lifelong friends who know me and still love me; that I was blessed with more brains than beauty; having the kind of life journey that’s made me stronger, not bitter; and that my friend Jaclyn was right–a girl’s 30s are better than her 20s.

But, most of all, I am thankful the three best people I know call me “mom.”

As though she was conducting her own little symphony, Cienna’s fleece-covered arms flailed about in the backseat of our Jeep Grand Cherokee.

She listed myriad giggle-inducing thrills she had to find during a Saturday trip to Hersheypark’s Christmas Candylane: The Claw, Tilt-O-Whirl, games, Smores and the man in red.

A sunny, 54-degree November day, and the harmony of instrumental Christmas music echoing from the carousel,  provided the perfect backdrop to help those wishes come true.

With three kids and two paternal grandparents in tow, we found charm and holiday spirit in the midstate. Lights in various shapes and colors hung from trees, food pavilions and other structures, with nary a corner or gate left undecorated. Live Christmas trees were potted throughout the park, and artificial ones were topped with Hershey Kisses, appealing to the part of my soul that firmly believes it’s never too early for a tree.

Several Christmas trees throughout Hersheypark were topped with Hershey’s Kisses during the opening weekend of Christmas Candylane.

As we crossed a bridge to get from one side of the park to the other, the kids stopped to feed ducks that were floating through a creek as fish swam below. In between tosses, we appreciated the glow of white and colored lights–some twinkling at different intervals, while others held a steady glow.

Some things were to be expected: the laughter of children on every ride, a cup of coffee in my father-in-law’s hand, costumed candy and my kids wanting chocolate.

The Woodall children and their grandfather met Milk Duds at Hersheypark on Saturday during the amusement park’s Christmas Candylane.

 But some things were unexpected: the opportunity to easily photograph my children with Santa, long lines that formed outside of doors to see one of the park’s Christmas shows and realizing how much my skee ball game has suffered.

Santa reminds the Woodall children to be good until Christmas, as he continues to make his list and check it twice.

It wasn’t a great game day for the Woodall family. During skee ball, a low amount of points were scored to redeem tickets for a small ball for each child. During a ball toss, there were no winners at all, calling my superior athleticism into question.

It’s quite possible my mother-in-law and I will return before season’s end to buy as many buckets of balls as we have to in order to go home with a plush Abominable Snowman. We need that flurry, messy-haired Yeti in our lives.

Games and rides aside, the park’s real magic came to life after sunset. The glow of Christmas lights reflected in my children’s eyes, visitors smiled at light displays as they carried hot chocolate and, somewhere between the park’s turnpike and the real turnpike, I realized why days like Saturday are so special.

As Black Friday grows into Black November and Cyber Monday turns into Mobile Monday, there’s no shortage of distractions this month. Shoppers aren’t waiting until Friday to get their deals this year; many stores are opening at 8 p.m. Thanksgiving Day. And we don’t need to be at a computer to shop online; we can buy things from our phones, iPads and other tablet devices.

On Thursday, when some of us may trade dessert for waiting in line at chain retailers, we’ll be thankful for days like Saturday. Days when you can let go of stress and schedules, leaving the busyness and rushing around by the wayside. Days when you don’t hurry through family dinners or worry about tomorrow. Days when your only responsibility is having fun at an amusement park.

Days when you can be young at heart, with Christmas morning in your eyes, reveling in a little holiday magic.

I first learned my husband wasn’t a fan of heights while we were stopped at the top of a 150-foot Ferris wheel at Navy Pier in Chicago.

He was jittery and trying not to reveal his lack of confidence in the moment, but he wore his nervousness all over his face.

I quickly picked up on his fear and encouraged him to look at architecture along the city skyline. It wasn’t because I knew him to have a particular interest in building design; I just wanted to keep him from looking down.

Later that evening, he decided we should go to the John Hancock Observatory, 1,000 feet above the city streets. He stepped onto an enclosed observation deck, and I could see he was again nervous. To quell his fear that time, I jokingly recited various lines from one of my favorite movies, “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.”

When I asked why he goes to heights he’s afraid of, he answered simply: “It’s fun.”

Last weekend I learned my daughter is the same way, as our family took a trip to Dutch Wonderland in Lancaster County for the opening weekend of the amusement park’s Happy Hauntings event.

The fall sun fell on our shoulders, adding some warmth on an otherwise chilly  Saturday, as we boarded our first ride, the Sky Ride. Moving at a slow pace, from one end of the park to the other, the ski lift-like ride chugged slowly along a pulley system.

Though it was Cienna’s idea to try the ride, her bravery wasn’t bigger than her eyes. With white knuckles, she clenched the bar in front of us while realizing we were above trees.

During the slow trip, I asked her why she picked such a tall ride. Like her dad, she answered simply: “It’s fun.”

And fun is what we had all day.

It was fun to be bundled in fleece and vests, walking around with hot chocolate as the smell of cinnamon-roasted almonds wafted through the October air.

It was fun to ride with my children and their grandparents as we tested the 28 rides open in the park.

And it was fun to try the pumpkin-flavored funnel cake.

But, as is always the case with such journeys, the true joy came from seeing the excitement on my children’s faces.

They were able to put aside their school and athletic obligations for a while, getting away from the busyness that seemingly seeps into all of our lives.

For the number of times Cienna, Ty and Dimitri patronized the Fun Slide, gliding along wavy bumps in a burlap sack, I was relieved we didn’t have to pay by the ride.

Admission to Dutch Wonderland–which is about 45 minutes east of York–is $21.99 for guests 3 and older. Children 2 and younger are free.

Included with the admission price is a walk along the trick-or-treat trail, costume contests, a meet-and-greet with Dutch Wonderland characters, story time and Molly’s Wacky Witch’s Brew–a scientific show.

In addition to the pumpkin funnel cake and regular dining options in the park, guests will also find other fall-themed foods, such as pumpkin soft serve ice cream and a make-your-own smores castle.

Happy Hauntings will be held from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. during two more weekends this month on Oct. 20, 21, 27 and 28.

For more information, or to plan a trip with your family, visit www.dutchwonderland.com.

Traditionally, mothers-to-be were showered with gifts before the arrival of their first baby, receiving everything from car seats to cribs.

It was silently expected that those big-ticket items would be passed on to younger siblings, who typically didn’t receive the same barrage of presents.

But modern moms aren’t just getting showered; they’re also getting sprinkled.

Sprinkle showers are all the rave for second-time mamas (and those ladies having a third, fourth or fifth baby). These baby-shower-lite events are designed to help parents with the little necessities of having a little one, such as diapers, wipes, bottles, bibs, baby wash and more.

Though I have three children, I never had a sprinkle. My oldest children are a girl and a boy, so I was blessed with two showers that gave me all the pink and blue a parent would ever need.

Our youngest son, Dimitri, inherited many things from his brother, who is just two years older than him. With several doting grandparents eager to spoil him, he never missed out by not having his own shower.

However, had I known about sprinkles four years ago, I would’ve hoped for one.

I won’t lie: it’s fun to receive gifts. It’s even more fun to build a registry. But it’s even more important to celebrate every child.

Babies are a blessing, and they each deserve their own special welcome.

It’s time to stop worrying about outdated etiquette. With second and third marriages increasing in popularity, and families continuing to grow during a slow economy, one-time showers are a thing of the past.

Modern social graces allow for both sprinkles and showers. It’s all about what your needs are, according to a post about baby shower etiquette on Martha Stewart’s website.

Even if you’re having a second, third or fourth child, you don’t have to have a sprinkle. It can be a shower if you’ve had a lot of space between children, are pregnant with a different sex than your other children or are expecting multiples.

Party themes vary, as some events focus on different items.  For example, if diapers are your greatest need, create an incentive for guests to bring them. Include in an invite, “Bring a pack of diapers, and your name will be entered into a drawing for a great door prize.” Just make sure the door prize is, indeed, great.

It’s silly to worry people will assume you’re soliciting gifts by having yet another shower or sprinkle. If you have to worry about someone thinking differently of you because you’re welcoming a child into the world, then that’s the someone who doesn’t belong at your party.

As Dr. Seuss said, “Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter, don’t mind.”

You are soliciting gifts, but that’s OK.

You’re having a baby. You’re bringing a new life, a person, into the world. That is always worth celebrating–no matter how many times you do it.

And if you can’t solicit gifts from your closest family and friends, who can you solicit gifts from?

To say he was mesmerized would be an understatement. My 5-year-old son Ty had Christmas morning in his eyes as he held the new iPad 3 in his hands, fingers swiftly jumping from app to app.

And he wasn’t alone.

On a recent Saturday, he was among many children trying out Apple’s latest offerings in Park City Center in Lancaster, and I realized I was staring at the future.

My children’s generation is as comfortable with computers as I was with a pencil, and their playgrounds often are Apple Stores.

It’s the latter that inspires a discussion among parents, pediatricians, toy manufacturers and investors.

That Ty inherently knew how to navigate the latest iPad is no surprise. Some of his first toys involved computer screens, and those offerings are only growing more sophisticated.

Mattel’s Fisher Price line recently launched the Laugh & Learn Apptivity Case, retailing for $35. Essentially, it’s a colorful monkey with a plastic iPhone case attached to its belly. Once an iPhone is placed inside, a child can play with apps by directly utilizing the iPhone or pressing different parts of the monkey’s limbs.

I know it’s no accident the toy is out before fall, just waiting for Apple’s iPhone 5. Those new iPhones likely won’t be given to baby. But when parents buy their new models, their kids will most likely get their older models.

The iGeneration is a savvy one. Market research shows 6 month olds eagerly swat at touch screens, 9 month olds know how to swipe the screens, 12 month olds can properly select desired objects on the screens and 18 month olds can successfully order and start movies on Netflix better than most adults.

Realizing and accommodating this with various toy computers has helped manufacturers like Mattel grow despite an economic downturn. At last look, Mattel’s stock has risen by almost 4 percent.

And Apple may be catering to its youngest users as well. Tech insiders are reporting, among its other offerings to be announced this fall, Apple will reveal an iPad about two inches smaller than its classic versions.

It’s unclear if the mini iPad would be comfortable for smaller hands, but it would clearly compete with Google’s Nexus 7, Amazon’s Kindle Fire, Barnes & Noble’s Nook Tablet and the fall debut of Microft’s Surface.

There are already naysayers, claiming the mini iPad will be a flop. It’s worth noting that people said the same when the iPod was launched, but I have yet to meet someone who misses their Walkman.

I know better than to doubt Apple. As the market value of all stocks among Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index grew by $282 billion during the last fiscal year, 83 percent of those gains came from shares of Apple.

Apple already knows what so many of us are afraid to admit: TVs aren’t the babysitters. Computers are.

A Kaiser study shows children ages 8 through 18 spend an average 7.5 hours a day using electronic devices. That number climbs on days school isn’t in session.

And if you’ve ever been waiting for a table, walking around a store or sitting a traffic light, you’ll notice the reflection of glowing screens near you. Children watch TV shows and movies while waiting for dinner, shopping or traveling in the car.

Additionally, it’s not uncommon to see a mom pushing a stroller, talking on the phone as a toddler holds a tablet computer.

Technology is a great teaching tool, but let’s not fool ourselves. The majority of kids aren’t using iPads to do math problems and learn how to play the piano. They’re watching cartoons and movies.

And that may be causing problems.

Children 2 years old and younger  should be completely screen-free to ensure proper brain development, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. And all other children should spend no more than two hours a day in front of electronic devices, according to the organization.

Research shows the long-term effects of very early exposure to technology are not yet clear, and some studies have revealed a link to mental illnesses.

A University of Bristol study determined children who spend long hours in front of a computer screen are more likely to suffer psychological difficulties. The British researchers said such activities can lead to depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, social problems and other issues.

While many things can contribute to those maladies, I agree we need to approach the use of technology with caution and limit our kids’ exposure to it.

I love the way technology has changed my life–and it’s made it infinitely easier to do my job–but there are days I long for handwritten letters as opposed to text messages.

I’ve never wanted to be someone who needed dragged into the future, kicking and screaming, so I’ve embraced many new tech advances and carefully avoid sentences that begin with, “In my day…”

Like most things in life, it’s all about balance.

I’m OK with Ty being mesmerized by the iPad 3 because I know he also gets Christmas morning in his eyes during the first snowfall of the year, each time he sees a roller coaster, whenever he takes a bike ride, while he soars on a swing set and even when he finds a new bug.

And I will make sure his level of human connection and being loved  far outweighs logging on.

Because, regardless of what new models or apps are revealed, touching a screen will never compare to the magic of touching a life.