I feel a purge coming on.

It’s January, and the post-holiday, slate gray days combined with the flipping of the calendar to a brand new year inspire me to clean out drawers and closets, reorganize shelves and throw out all the junk that has exponentially multiplied through the year.

After the glut of Christmas, it’s a good time to inventory possessions, toys and clothes and donate what isn’t needed anymore to a local charity (... or sell it on eBay ... or box it up for that spring yard sale you keep promising yourself you’re going to have).

For the “organizationally impaired,” or if you’re lacking motivation, Carolyn Campbell has pooled practical tips from expert neat freaks nationwide to inspire you on page 10.

This month, we focus on health and fitness, featuring local information on how to shun hibernation and get moving this winter in my article, “Cold Sweat,” on page 6; and a paretns’ guide to getting your ADHD child the help he or she needs at school, provided by the folks at ADDitude.

Our double-feature (January and February) magazine includes Allison Nanney’s Read Me a Story, with a “get fit” theme, and Heidi Maness Hartwiger’s Natural Parent, Natural Child series with tips to treat a cold or clean the house using natural pantry products.

It might seem early, but if you (or your teen) are planning to attend college in the fall, now is the time to fill out the financial aid forms. Crystal Lorimor from Ohio University Eastern in St. Clairsville outlines the process on page 11.

In addition to the increased number of helpful features in our new and improved OV Parent magazine, you’ll find a few new additions. We welcome Jon Buzby’s “Not an Expert, Just a Dad” column. Jon is a nationally syndicated columnist, freelance writer and father of two boys. I like Jon’s down-to-earth writing style and big-hearted nature. Let me know what you think!

We’ve revamped the Just for Kids section to make it an eight-page pull-out section — so the kids can have their puzzles and you can have your articles. Now you don’t have to fight over it, and everyone’s happy!

Finally, check out the Editor’s Picks page of photos pulled right off the magazine’s CU Web site (access it at www.ovparent.com). If you uploaded your child’s picture last month, you might see it in the magazine this month!

I am very excited about our new glossy cover and our additional features, plus our new design created by my colleague Phyllis Sigal (she of the “My, How They’ve Grown” column.) We hope you like YOUR new OV Parent magazine. Please send your feedback to me at bethel@news-register.net or write to me at OV Parent, Your Feedback, 1500 Main St., Wheeling, WV 26003.