Happy New Year!

If you're on the road late tonight beware of drunken drivers. Stay clear of cars that swerve in lanes.

Tissue Tip

During cold season have boxes of tissues in reachable places in many places of your home. Children do not like to go to the kitchen to get a tissue if they're busy playing elsewhere. They will be more likely to use a tissue if one is near by. Otherwise they might use their shirt, or the back of their hand which can spread germs. If your child has a lingering cold put a little pack of tissues in their backpack for school use. And have a tissue pack in your car. You can always refill the tiny packages with more tissues from bigger boxes at home. Thus saving you money.

Holiday Memory

I hope you had a Merry Christmas. For those of you in Canada have a nice Boxing Day. This week take time to share one happy holiday memory from your childhood with your child (if you can't remember one use a memory from your adulthood). You can share a memory which involves a relative (Mom, Dad, Grandma or aunt- how you baked Christmas cookies with them. Or a funny memory like the dog running away with the wrapping paper). Your child will remmeber this and share these memories with their children.

Wrapping Paper Tip

Already out of wrapping paper? Then use brown paper grocery bags. Use inside of bag for outside of present. Use thicker tape to keep presents wrapped. Tie with ribbon. If you use wrapping present ribbon this is how you can curl ends- slide middle of scissor up side of ribbon fast. Don't cut yourself. Don't let kids do this. Note: Some cheaper wrapping ribbons won't curl. Can't make curls? Then make a ribbon bow. Using ribbon make a small flower petal pattern with it, tie closed. Tape to present.

Book Review: The Nutcracker

Picture book with story. Some third graders can read it by themselves. "The Nutcracker," from the story by E.T.A. Hoffman. Retold by Jean Richardson. Pictures by Francesca Crespi. A classic Christmas book. The story line is unique. Young Clara's parents are having a Christmas party. Her father's mysterious friend brings Cara a gift. It's a nutcracker in the shape of a soldier. Clara's brother takes it from her, breaking its arm. Her father's friend fixes it with his handkerchief. That night Clara has a strange dream about the nutcracker. In this book the story isn't as good as other books. The pictures are good enough, but not fabulous. My advice, look at several different versions of this story and pick out the one you like best.

Movie Review: Fred Claus

Movie Title: Fred Claus. Rated PG. Christmas comedy. Over all just middle of the road. Not as good as Elf or The Santa Clause. Good story line but it just doesn't hit the mark.
Fredrick Claus makes a promise he will always take care of new his baby brother Nicklaus. But as Nick grows up he seems to always outshine Fred making him jealous. Nick is so generous and kind he becomes a saint. The story goes if you become a saint you and your family become eternally ageless. Flash forward to present time. Fred is a mean, embittered man. He works for a repo company. He lies and steals. He ends up in jail. Fred calls his brother for bail money. Nick gives him the bail money but says he has to visit him and work to pay the money off. Fred visits his brother. An efficiency expert comes to the North Pole and tells Santa the board might have to shut him down. He's going to monitor Santa's operation. Three mistakes/strikes and he's out. Fred has to help save Christmas.

Awesome Tasting Peppermint Cookie Recipe

Santa's Secret Peppermint Cookies. My all time favorite holiday cookie!

Preheat oven to 350 F degrees
In one bowl- Sift… 1 1/2 cups of flour
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon of ginger

In another bowl- Cream together… 2/3 cup of butter with
½ cup of firmly packed brown sugar
In this second bowl- Blend in... 1 unbeaten egg and
2 tablespoons of molasses. Beat well

Add... 1/2 cup of crushed peppermint stick candy (put candy in zip lock bags and roll over and over with rolling pin) with dry ingredients. Mix all ingredients together well.

Using teaspoon put cookie dough onto slightly greased cookie sheets.
Bake for 12 to 14 minutes
Should make around 3 1/2 dozen cookies

Frost cookies after they have cooled somewhat or the frosting will melt too much. If desired, your child can sprinkle holiday sprinkles onto frosting before it hardens.

PEPPERMINT FROSTING:
Combine 2 cups of powdered sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of a top quality vanilla, 2 teaspoons of crushed peppermint candy,
2 tablespoons of soft butter and three drops of
red food coloring. Blend in 1 to 3 tablespoons
of whole milk until you have consistency you like.

How to make a Delicious Smelling Coffee Scrub.

AHH, did you forget someone on your Christmas list? Don't sweat it if they like bath products. This is a fun holiday science experiment.
Learn how food products can be used for more than just eating. Make fast inexpensive salt scrubs at home with products you have in your own cupboard. Salt, coffee, vanilla extract, almond oil can be used in food preparation or to make salt scrubs.

Almond Salt Scrub-
Pour 26 ounces of salt in bowl. Then immediately add 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract for scent. Mix with spoon. Now add 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Mix. Add almond oil (NOT more almond extract) to your liking. More oil will make scrub oily. If you like a drier feel add less oil. Feel to see what you like. When done scoop mixture into zip lock baggy. Roll up closed baggy in colored cellophane leaving room at ends. Tie ends with ribbon to look like a wrapped candy.

***For an amazing scent use coffee beans. Ground beans finely. Substitute coffee grounds for the almond extract. Do everything else the same. I'm not into coffee myself, but I made this scrub with a friend and hands down coffee was the best scent we made. What didn't work was cinnamon for a scent. When scrub was used the cinnamon left a residue on face which looked like a weird sunburn.

Where to buy inexpensive stocking stuffers

Look for inexpensive stocking stuffers in the dollar/two doallar bins at Target stores (bins should be in front area of store) or go to your local dollar store.

Parenting Article: Air Travel Tips when Flying with Kids

Parents are you going on an airplane with your kids this holiday season? If so, here are ten tips to help you.

1) Think of everything the children might wear, including shoe wear, in the weather you might encounter at your destination. Make a check list of all things you should bring. Things you might need to bring: Goggles, sunscreen (remember even at snowy places you can get a face burn.) Last time I flew you could only have tiny travel size bottles. Put these bottles in plastic zip up baggies in case the contents explode due to air pressure. Also, all beverages and packages with liquidy foods, yogurt, melted cheese, had to be thrown away at the security point. Other things to bring: hair brush, toothbrush carrying cases, tooth brushes, toothpaste, folding stroller, folding crib, your child's special snuggly, special medicated skin creams, etc. You should call your local airport to find out rules for carrying liquids and creams. If you're traveling to another country find out the rules for bringing in prescription drugs to their country. Medicine might need to be in its original container. Or you might have to show officials the prescription box. Find out. You don't want your child's medicine taken away.

2) Pack early. Don't be a last minute packer. When shopping at the grocery store you might suddenly remember something you forgot to pack and need. Buy now rather at the airport where it could be much more expensive.

To keep your children occupied at the terminal and on the plane:

3) Have a variety of activities for them. Each child should have their own backpack with their own activities. This is to prevent squabbling. Think ahead. Just how many hours will it take to get to your destination? Lay-overs are hard on most children so try to avoid them. Ask each child what they would like to put in their backpack. If they like to draw, put paper, coloring books and crayons in their bag. Items you might want to pack: Exciting new book(s) and magazine(s), new book(s) on tape with tape recorder for terminal use if other passengers don't mind (if old enough, headsets), Ipod, Mad Libs, dot-dot books, cross word puzzles, mini-games, mini-puzzles, hand held electronic games, little toys, and small stuffed animals.

For late departures and lay-overs:

4) For kids who have trouble sitting still, walk with them around the terminal. Bring books to read to them, or have audio cassettes with a small tape recorder and earphones. If you plan on bringing your lap top, bring a couple of movies your children have never seen. Once at a terminal I saw four children quietly seated in front of a laptop watching a movie. I'm not sure how well they could hear the movie. But I think with animation such as cartoons the action might make up for words so these type of shows might be worth a try.

On the plane:

5) Buy special treats before getting on the plane or buy treats a week before trip starts. You can let your child pick them out or surprise them. Explain to them the trip will take X amount of hours and that every half hour they will get a jelly bean/healthy treat. This will break up the trip in half hour installments. The time might seem to go faster because they will have something to look forward to.

6) With young children you should get aisle seats for easy access. You don't want to bother other passengers by frequently having to climb over them to walk the aisle with your child. Walk the aisle, if you're allowed, so your child will get energy out.

7) Remember to rotate activities while on the plane so your child doesn't get bored.

8) With babies and toddlers some parents like to take night flights hoping their child will sleep. You can try this. If you do, you can put them in their PJ's before you board the plane. Then when you get to your hotel you won't have to wake them up to put them in their PJ's.

9) For hydration purposes if your child is awake during the flight they should drink water.

10) If your child's ears hurt when the plane is ascending and descending get them to swallow several times. Older kids can chew gum. I've heard sipping on water helps, or for babies, sucking on a bottle works. Talk to your doctor about ways to help. Lastly, you really shouldn't fly if your child has a cold because of ear problems which could occur. If you plan to fly anyway, see your doctor before hand. He/she can prescribe medicine if they think it's necessary.

Book Review: Chapter book

"The Hopscotch Tree," by Leda Siskind. Excellent book. Edith Gold is new in town. A bully picks on her because Edith is the only Jewish girl in her fifth grade class. Edith likes to lay in her bed at night visualizing a special tree at school. She believes this Hopscotch Tree (kids play hopscotch near the tree using its pods as markers) is magical and can bring you luck. The rumor about the special tree gets around school. Soon students from different grades want to know about its special powers. The tree might be special but can it help Edith find out why the bully, Zandra, treats her unkindly?

I have a Jewish friend who said when she was little she lived in a predominantly Christian town. Her family was one of only two Jewish families on her long block. In school her class always said a morning prayer, and every winter there was a Christmas pageant with baby Jesus. My friend said she knew she was different. During one Chanukah week someone threw a rock though the other Jewish family's window. It was aimed at, and hit, their Menorah. This family and my friend's family were unnerved by this violent act. Some Christian neighbors felt bad and purposely put Menorahs in their windows in defiance to this display of intolerance. She said she'll never forget this act of friendship.

Movie Review: Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium.

Movie title: Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium. Rated G. Mr. Magorium is an eccentric old man who is over 200 years old, yet he looks only sixty. He is the owner of an unusual toy store where toys come to life. The manager of the toy store is Molly Mahoney, who was a child protégé. She could play the piano extremely well. But now she is insecure about this ability. Mr. Magorium tells Molly he is leaving his store and she, now, must take it over. Mr. Magorium brings an accountant in to make sure the accounts are in order. When the toy store learns Mr. Magorium is leaving, it has a tantrum. The walls turn gray in sadness, and the toys won't work properly. With the aid of a little boy, and the accountant, Molly gets the toy store to stop misbehaving. Along the way she starts believing in herself.

I liked the plot of the movie. In fact I liked the movie. However, Dustin Hoffman as Mr. Magorium didn't sit well with me. I saw him in Rain Man and the way he talked as Mr. Magorium reminded me of his character in Rain Man, who was autistic. (Two other people I talked to thought this too.) He did a great job in Rain Man, but his Mr. Magorium character was only eccentric and his behavior should have been played that way with an ordinary voice. It would have played out better.

Arts and Crafts Project: Little bell ornaments.

What you need: Egg carton. Paint. Pipe cleaners (buy at arts and craft store.) Little beads or little bells. Glue gun or strong tacky glue.
Cut off top of egg carton.
Now flip over bottom so it looks like a row of bells.
Cut out each egg space to make a bell. Have your child paint these cardboard bells. Once bells are dry, punch a hole through top of each. The hole should be big enough for a pipe cleaner to go through. Once pipe cleaner is through the hole curve the top so it looks like a hook. Your child will use this hook to place bell on tree. Under the bell glue a bead, or a little silver bell, to end of pipe cleaner. This insures pipe cleaner does not slip through top. You can also tie red or green ribbons around bell hook for a festive look.

Book Review- Charlie Brown Holiday Book

Picture book with story. Depending on their reading level third graders can read it. "A Charlie Brown Christmas," by Charles M. Schulz. Who doesn't like Snoopy the All American beagle? In this story Snoopy's owner Charlie Brown is miserable. Its Christmas time and he feels let down by the season. He doesn't like the commercialism and the selfishness. His friend Lucy tries to help him overcome his depression by telling him to get involved. She tells him he should direct the kids Christmas play. While directing the play Charlie Brown learns the true meaning of the festive season. Which is caring. This is a good lesson for kids to learn.

3 More Ideas for your Holiday Town Display

1)If you want to hide the light strand going from building to building:
Make sure you plug in lights to make sure they all work.
Line up light strand where buildings will go on some white felt. Make sure each building gets a light.
Cut felt under each building where light will end up.
Put light strand under felt.
Push up lights through felt holes, going building to building, making sure you stand up every light.

2) For your skiers and sled figures you can make a deep snow slope with books underneath white felt.

3) If there is a blank space on a building your child can make a tiny sign to go on it. They can write on a tiny piece of paper something like this, "MOM'S HOLIDAY COOKIES. 2 for 1 sale." "DON'S LUMBER STORE." (If their dad's name is Don.) "Paula's Doll Shop." "Bobby's Sporting Goods." "Homer's Dog Shoppe."

Ideas for setting up Ceramic Christmas Towns

If you are setting up a ceramic town display here are a few ideas.
1) Stack books up to make hills.
2) Drape white felt over books. Crepe felt for a nice look. (The white felt is snow.) Now put on buildings.
3) For your ice skating figures make a pond using an old compact mirror. Or wrap Reynolds Wrap around a small Tupperware top. Fold felt around it to make a snow bank.
4) Sprinkle tiny cut up colored cellophane on felt, mirror, and buildings. This gives your display a pretty shimmery look.

Movie Title: Cool Runnings.

Cool Runnings. Comedy. Rated PG. A young Jamaica man is saddened when he doesn't qualify for his county's track team for the Olympics. He finally pulls it together and with the aid of some athletic friends they form Jamaica's first bobsled team. He also persuades a U.S. gold metal winner (John Candy), who's living in Jamaica, to coach them. Movie has some very funny moments when the team learns to bobsled. Nice winter movie. Make some hot coco, build a fire, and have a few laughs.

Don't have Ginger Bread Handy? Then Create a Graham Cracker House

Holiday Arts and Craft Project. This Christmas make a Graham Cracker House.

Needed items:
1) A box of Graham crackers.
2) White canned frosting or make your own. The frosting will be used in this project as glue and as snow.
3) Gum drops. This makes a colorful fence.
4) Red licorice. For door and window frames.
5) Hard candy. Makes a stone wall.
6) Tiny marshmallows. For Snowman. Roof tiles.
7) M&M's or Skittles. To decorate sides and for roof tiles.
8) Starburst Candy. This can be used to make a chimney stack. Or use on sides as fence. Can be roof tiles. Or create a walkway to house with them.
9) Snack size candy bar. For a chimney.
10) Cake sprinkles.
11) Other candy you think you can use for something on the house. Have your child use their imagination.
12) Stiff paper plate.

You will build the house on the paper plate. Start with walls of the house as if you were building a house of cards. The Graham crackers will be the walls. You might need to hold the crackers steady as your child glues them together with frosting. Frost three edges of each cracker. Place bottom of frosted cracker upright on plate. Let dry a bit. Then build an A frame roof (at an angle place two sides of Graham crackers together). Frost wall tops and ends of roof together to keep frame up. Hold and let dry. Now at this point make a decision. Will you be frosting the whole house or just the roof? If you want to do the whole house I suggest you do it all at the beginning.

If you are going to do the whole house start with the sides. Gently frost it with a rubber spatula. When done, do roof. When done, outline a doorway using the string licorice. Do the same for windows. Place M&M's and/or Skittles all over wall siding or make a design on wall. Decorate the roof using M&M's, Skittles, and tiny marshmallows. Sprinkle cake sprinkles on roof for festive look. Your child can stack up five Starbursts for a chimney. Or they can use the snack size candy bar for this. Once house is decorated to your child's satisfaction they can do the yard. Spread frosting around house on the plate. Stack up three marshmallows to make a snowman. Use a dab of frosting in-between marshmallows to keep snowman up. Using finger put a teeny dab of frosting on the side of the top marshmallow. Using sprinkles make a face. Place in two eyes, nose and mouth on marshmallow. You can make a walkway to front door using Starbursts. Place gum drop all around house or just in front as a fence. For a stone wall stack hard candy, using frosting as cement to keep them in place.

Winter Dog Tip

If you live in Alaska, Canada, or Russia (yes, I do have an Russian audience) or anywhere else where it's seriously cold: When you take your dog out in icy snow watch for signs of them quickly hopping from paw to paw. The freezing snow might be giving them a paw burn from the snow. A woman from Alaska told me the bottom of her dog's paw got a burn this way.

Teach your Child to do their own Book Review

This week either read a book to your young child, or have your older child read a book by themselves. At dinner have them give their own review of the book. Help them think about what they read.
Did they like the characters? Why?
Did they like the overall story?
What part in the book did they like best? The least?
What stuck out most to them? (You might be surprised by this answer.)
Did they like the ending? Would they have changed it? If so to what?
Questions like these help kids with reading comprehension. It also helps get their creative minds going.

Movie Review: Hoodwinked.

Movie Title: Hoodwinked. Rated PG. Animation with songs. As an adult animation films aren't something I run out and see. But this is a movie both adults and kids can enjoy together without their parents looking at their watches to see how much longer it's going to be. Main plot: There's a thief in the forest stealing recipes for goodies, but who is it? Little Red Riding Hood goes to visit her Grandma where she meets a Wolf dressed up as her grandma. In comes a buff wood cutter man. The police come to the house to sort things out. You hear versions of what happened by each of the four characters in the room. Red. Grandma. Wolf. Wood cutter guy.
There's action. There's adventure. There's a daredevil Grandma who's a hoot. The ending chase scene with her snowboarding on a cupcake tin on a wire was terrific. Kids should definitely like this part!

Science Day

Find out if just the weight of an object effects how fast it will fall to the ground. What you need: A shoe and a wood clothes pin. Or a penny and a half dollar. Have your child drop an item from each hand to the floor (carpet is best)from the same height. Do they land at the same time? They should.
Alternative: Drop a penny and a bag of pennies (with air pressed out of baggy) at the same time/same height.

Thanksgiving Art Project: Cornucopia

Make a Cornucopia to put on your dinner table. It looks great as a centerpiece.
Use orange colored paper: Roll sheet into an ice cream cone shape (V shape). Glue in place with glue stick (make sure you glue the underside). Have your child collect acorns, colorful leaves and small twigs, etc. and put in Cornucopia. Lay it on dinner table, making sure some items peek out. Here's a nice look- have a tiny mini-pumpkin and a dry colored corn partway out.

My Mom's Secret Pumpkin Pie Recipe

The Secret is out, at least for my readers. This is a great tasting pumpkin pie recipe which my mom told me she got from her mom.

Mom's Amazing Pumpkin Pie Recipe

1 1/2 cups of cooked pumpkin (strain it) or buy canned pumpkin
1 cup of brown sugar
3 eggs
1 cup of evaporated milk
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
1/4 or 1/2 (depending on your taste) teaspoon of ginger
1/2 teaspoon of salt
2 tablespoons of molasses
1/4 teaspoon of cloves
1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
1 unbaked pie shell, 9 inches round

Break eggs into large bowl and beat.
Add all ingredients BUT milk and molasses. Blend well.
Now add milk and molasses. Blend again.
Put into pie shell.
Bake in oven at 400 F (degrees) for 40 to 45 minutes.

Movie Review- Comedy

Movie Title: Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. Comedy. Rated PG. Clumsy inventor Wayne (Rick Moranis) labors day after day on an invention to miniaturize things. One day it actually works. But unfortunately he shrinks his kids in the process. What's worse is he doesn't even know it. If that's not bad enough he can't hear them screaming at him to tell him what's happened due to their small voices. He ends up accidentally throwing them in the backyard trash. The tiny children must navigate through their grass (which is like a jungle to them now) and get back to their house. Will the kids ever become normal size again? Watch and see. Despite this movie being over a decade old your kids should enjoy it.

Yes, There are Nice Teens Out There

Yesterday evening I went to the grocery store to pick up some dog food. I got two fifty pound bags and heaved them into my cart. When I got to my car the heavy bags were stuck in my cart. I was trying to figure out how I was going to get them out and into my trunk when a teenager came up from behind me. He saw I was having trouble and lifted one bag and the other and put them in my car. After thanking him I told his mother she should be proud she had such a thoughtful son. She replied, "I am. I taught him well. I'm proud of him." Here are two points to made- 1) We teach kids values and niceties. We do it through our example. (2) A teen is not too old to be praised. When you give honest praise it is valued. Even if a teen shrugs it off, he or she still likes it.

Parenting Article- Money Management for Kids

To keep track of your child's money, first get some containers. Two to four. Plastic food containers or cleaned out cottage cheese containers work well. Your child will be putting their money in these containers.

• One container will be for Things I Want Now. Such as a video game rental. Snacks from vending machines. Candy from a candy store. A comic book.
• The second is for Things To Save For. Such as a computer game. Bike. Toy.
• The third can be for Gifts. This will enable your child to save for holiday presents and gifts for Mother's Day, Father's Day, and their sister's birthday.
• The fourth container can be for Charity. You can match this money with your own if you desire. Have your child pick an organization they feel is worthwhile, like the Red Cross or the Humane Society. Or they can give money to their local veterinarian for any pet owners who do not have enough money to help their sick pet.

Now label the containers. You can write on masking tape. Tape labels on lid or side of container. The side is better if you plan to stack containers.

You might be asking yourself how should the money be split up? This is how you can do it: Let us say your child gets two dollars a week for doing chores. (Note: I do not believe in giving free allowance to kids. They will never truly know the value of a dollar until they have to earn it.) Talk to your child about how they want to divvy up their allowance. Maybe seventy-five cents can go to Spend Now. Fifty-cents to Save For. Fifty -cents for Gifts. And twenty-five cents for Charity. Down the line some kids might take from one container and put it into another container. If this happens do not freak out. #1, they are kids. #2, it is their money which they have earned. But if you see this happening you should point out they will not have money for gifts and charity later if they keep on taking from Spend Now. Some kids might not care. Some kids might say they will give back to their charity and gifts containers next month. Wait to see if they do. If they do not, this blasé attitude about where money goes could blow over when they are older, or it might mean they will end up as individuals who take from Paul to pay Peter. If so, you can console yourself by knowing you tried to teach them money management when they were younger. But do help an older child by showing them how to organize their money. Give them a little handheld notebook. Have them write down how much money is in each container. Every time they take money out they are to deduct it. They should have a sum total of how much is in each container. If your child goes along with this money management system, they will have pocket money for gifts, have saved for a bike/computer, and have still enjoyed the little things in life like candy and a comic book.

Reasons to open a savings account for your child:

1. For kids who want to save money but find it too temping to have containers around with money they can not spend right away. Since banks do not separate your money into sections for Gifts, Charity, and Save For, do it yourself. Once again give your child a small notebook and have them write down deposits and withdrawals.
2. Having a savings account teaches your child about saving. You don't your want your child to spend, spend, spend and never save for a rainy day.

Here's another idea. You can talk to your child's teacher about having Money Awareness Month. The idea behind this is to teach kids how to budget properly. Some schools do this in the fifth grade. Each student is given a fake credit card, plus pretend money (from their pretend job). They are given money every week for four weeks. Once a week students go around classrooms pretending to buy groceries, shoes, household gadgets and other such items from other students. Kids are shown pictures of clothes, food, gifts… and asked, "Would you like this?" If they say yes, fake cash is taken or a credit card slip is written up. Students also must use their pretend money to pay for rent, utilities, car insurance, and car loans. After a month it comes down to could they balance their budget? Could they pay off their credit card bill? Or did they get themselves in debt? This is a fun way to learn about money management.

Thanksgiving Picture Book Review

"Franklin's Thanksgiving" is based on characters created by Paulette Bourgeois and Brenda Clark. Pictures by Brenda Clark. Ever hear of the sweet little turtle, Franklin? If not, pull up a couple of chairs and share this colorful picture book with your child. Via postcard Franklin learns his grandparents won't be able to make it for Thanksgiving. Bummed, Franklin invites some critters over for Thanksgiving dinner to fill the void. His mother and father do the same. Will there be enough food for everyone? Read and find out. Cute picture book.

Remember at least in the USA, save money by going to your public library and checking out books.

Make a Cake Stand

Weekend Craft Project for older children to do with an adult: Cake stand. Makes for a pretty gift.

Go to a garage sale with your child and have them pick out a cheap, but pretty porcelain dinner plate and a glass or porcelain candlestick. Wide, thick candlestick is best. You want it to be sturdy enough to hold a plate with cake on it without breaking. Make sure you don't buy any plate containing lead. For a two tier cake stand buy a second smaller plate (salad or dessert plate) to go on top of the dinner plate. Also buy a second candlestick. The plates don't need to match. Other needed items: Epoxy glue (slow drying if you are going to make a two tier cake stand), ruler, popsicle stick, pen, container for glue, and Q-tip.

Using the ruler have your child find the mid-way point of the plate's back. Using the pen place a dot there. You the parent in a well ventilated area (like outside the house) put epoxy glue in a container and mix it using the popsicle stick doing as the instruction says. Next, place Q-tip (or something like it) in epoxy glue and put thin amount, but not too thin, around rim of candlestick. Press candlestick to back of plate where dot is. Viola you're done! Unless you want to add another tier. If so, glue the BOTTOM rim of second candlestick. Press in place on top of larger plate. Now glue underside of smaller plate to TOP of second candlestick. Press in place and let dry.

Help with Pronouncing Letters

Parenting Tip for Children who have Trouble Pronouncing Certain Letters.

Whatever language or languages your child speaks here's a simple tip to help them with the letters they are having trouble with. Make a game of the following and practice for shorts periods of time, like five minutes or less. Practice at a time they aren't being rushed. You can practice in the car on the way to ballet or soccer practice. Try to do this four to five times a week. After a month review if doing this has made a difference.

Have your child make up two to three funny sentences with the first letter of the letter they are having trouble with. Example the letter S: Six Silly Sailors Sailed a Snail shaped Sailboat.
Example for the letter R: Robert Roberts Rode his Red Riverboat through the Rocky Riverbed.
If your child has trouble remembering the sentence while concentrating on their pronunciation then shorten it.
Example: Robert Roberts Rode his Red Riverboat.
Note not every word has to start with R.
Have your child say the sentence slowly a couple of times, concentrating on the first letter.
Next they can say the sentence faster. For more fun they can try saying it real fast.
Sentences don't have to make sense.
If you need help finding words starting with a certain letter, grab a dictionary or use the one on your computer (Word document).
Help make the sentences amusing so your child will enjoy doing this!

Book Review- Useful Picture Book for Family Coping with Cancer

Book for parents to read with their kids. "The Hope Tree, Kids Talk about Breast Cancer," by Laura Numeroff and Wendy S. Harpham. Illustrated by David McPhail. Quality illustration. Pictures don't have to pop out at you to be appealing, but they have to be inviting to the reader. They should invoke a reaction. Elicit an emotion: Joy. Sadness. A chuckle. Or just an admiration that the pictures are so exceptionally well drawn. If the pictures are lifeless the reader (or young listener) might not want to keep turning the page. This picture book left a lasting impression on me. It has pages of real kids (with name and age) sharing their feelings about, and reactions to, their mom's breast cancer. A few kids also disclose what they have done to make things easier for their mom. Knowing other kids feel the same way as them can help a scared or worried child. If you know a family with a mom with breast cancer I recommend this book. The pictures are priceless.

What Works to get Gum out of Hair

Has your child ever gotten chewing gum in their hair? I did as a kid. Twice. The first time peanut butter was put on the gum. The gum didn't come out and our family dog kept licking my hair. I just had my mom cut the gum out. The second time ice was placed on the gum. This worked. The gum froze and broke off. But I'm sure my dog was disappointed since he liked peanut butter.

Later this week I will have a tip for children who have trouble pronouncing certain alphabet letters.

Book Review: Chapter book- A Classic

Chapter book for ten to twelve-year-olds. "Tom Sawyer," by Mark Twain. A classic. However, some kids find this book a little outdated and prefer more modern ones. Basically the book is about the adventures of two friends, Tom and Huck. Huckleberry is an irresistible wild child. Tom is rather lively himself. Story takes place in the 1800's, in the slave territory. Tom lives with his Aunt Polly and his half-brother Sid. Tom's adventures begin when he and his pipe smoking friend Huck sneak out at night to visit a graveyard. There they witness Injun Joe kill a doctor. Scared, they run. Some kids might find it a tad slow compared to books nowadays. But it's still a good book.

Happy Halloween!

Make sure if you are giving the neighborhood kids treats you have adequate lighting to your porch. Make sure sidewalk and pathway to porch is free of toys, doggy doo, fallen sticks, and wet leaves. Kids can slip on wet leaves. Remember they could be wearing costumes that might be too long or wearing heeled Cinderella shoes. If they are concentrating on their dress from dragging or keeping on a shoe they might not be looking where they are going.

For Halloween: A Spooky Breakfast

Tomorrow or Halloween morning cook up some pancakes. When ready cut pancakes into ghost shapes. You can use a knife or a pizza cutter to cut the shapes. If you have ghost and/or witch cookie cutters use them on pancakes. For the ghost use chocolate chips or raisins for eyes and a Cheerio for the mouth.

Halloween Drink

I realize my audience is expanding to other countries, but since I'm from the States this week I'm focusing on Halloween.
Dracula punch. Great for a Halloween party. Make a large bowl of red punch. Put in gummy eyeballs and gummy worms. Boys especially like this drink. Serve punch with a large ladle to make sure kids get eyeballs and worms in their plastic cup.

Don't miss My Mom's Homemade Pumpkin Pie recipe which will be posted the week before Thanksgiving. It's a recipe people really like.

Book Review- Picture Book

"The Biggest Halo," by Antonio Jocson and J.E. Christian. Illustrated by Robert Enright. One of the Muddy Tom's Wacky Adventures which is about a boy who gets himself into trouble. This time Tom and his dog Max have a weird Halloween adventure. The book starts out with Tom getting his Halloween costume with Max in tow. Then his mom tells him she has to go inside a store. However, no dog's are allowed in so she tells Tom to stay outside with Max. She makes sure she tells Tom he's not to talk to any strangers. Tom does not heed this sage advice and gets in a cool car driven by a pumpkin head man. True to Muddy Tom's Wacky Adventures Tom has a wacky adventure. In this case it's a bold step for a writer to write about an adventure which involves a child getting in car with a stranger. Our society frowns on any fun or exciting escapades which involves a child getting in a car with an unknown person. So while I think it's great these two authors wrote such a wacky book, I'm not big on Tom having any sort of interesting adventure during or after he gets in a car with a stranger. I should point out I really liked the pictures. They alone make the book. I should add, I read the book to my nephew to hear what he thought about it. He liked the book. I asked him if the book made getting in a car with a stranger more attractive. He said no, saying he knew it was dangerous. Besides, he never would get in a car with a pumpkin head driver. It would be too scary.

Movie Review for Halloween

Movie Title: GhostBusters. Rated PG. Comedy with Ghosts. (For older kids. Adult situations/possessed body/scary monster dogs) Three parapsychologists (Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis and Bill Murray) get fired from their jobs at an university. They open up their own ghost buster business in an old firehouse in the Big Apple. A good looking woman (Sigourney Weaver) who has paranormal activity in her frig has the ghost busters check it out. Rick Moranis plays Ms. Weaver's nerdy neighbor. The huge marshmallow man near the end is a big hit. And of course there's the catchy ghost buster song.

Parenting Article

Risky Behavior in Movies, TV and Cartoons. How Does it Affect Kids?

When I was a preteen I had a relative, under the age of eighteen, who told me a story about a child who seemed to have trouble distinguishing between real and pretend. The child she said watched a TV show about a superhero that could fly. One day he got on a roof and tried to fly with only a cape and fell to the ground. In her version the child really did think after watching the TV show he would be able to fly. I thought the child knew the danger but was PLAYING, just acting out a scene. Her story seemed like an urban legend to me because certain questions never got answered. Was it a low hanging roof or a second story house this child leaped from? Was the age of the child three, six or nine? Did he often have poor judgment or lack common sense? And why would you have to jump off a building to fly? Why not just hop off the ground to see if you could do it? Would this child have done the same thing if someone just read him a story about a flying superhero? And why was this child on the roof in the first place? How did he get up there? If my mom saw me moving a ladder to the roof she would have said, "Just what in tar nation are you doing!?"

This same relative was also positive her brother believed in Santa Clause until he was at least ten. I kept telling her by that late in age he probably just said he believed in Santa for the gifts. I stopped believing in Santa for sure by eight. By seven I was doubtful. At six I might have believed in him, but not the part about him flying off the roof with his reindeer and sled. Call it self preservation but even if Santa said jump or no presents I would not have done it. Even if he said, "Believe" I would not have gotten in that sled with him. Unless it had a jet pack. Today as an adult I have a nephew who at age three to five liked to dress up like Peter Pan. As far as I know he never had a desire to leap off a balcony or a roof in order to fly. And as a child of eleven I could see myself at six and seven. And I could not see myself leaping off a building. Why would I think I could fly? No one I knew could fly. Then again no one I knew liked to leap off buildings. And I knew superheroes were not real. Cartoon or not. I understood the concept of pretend.

I do believe people's brains work differently. I had no desire of play acting a part and jumping off anything higher than a stool as a kid. Where my brain would give me major warning signals if I got near a cliff's edge, another kid might have not have such bold warnings signs going off in their mind. Or they choose to ignore them. They perceive situations different than me. It is no different for adults. I have no desire to ever bungee jump or leap out of an airplane with a parachute. Other people love doing this. I asked one woman why. She said she loved the thrill of it. With some people they see a situation which looks enticing. This gives them an idea. Then they do something that is not the smartness move to make. Such as jumping from a third floor balcony into a swimming pool. They ignore the danger. They fail to really consider what could happen if they miss the swimming pool. I would never make such a jump. But in college I knew a student who said he did such a thing. He stated he thought it would be a fun thing to do. The fun factor outweighed the risk factor in his mind. Some children make faulty discussions based on this too. They can not gauge dangerous situations correctly. As a parent you need to help them understand dangers and risks.

The following is a sad story so skip it if you want. When I was a nanny I went to someone's house which was architecturally beautiful. I told the owner this. She thanked me but then informed me she had her house blessed. I asked why. She said unfortunately there was a little autistic boy who lived with his alcoholic mother in the house at some point. The little boy was very agile and could climb like monkey (no offense). He could easily climb up the roof and would jump from the roof to tree limbs to the dividing fence. He also liked to sneak in the neighbor's swimming pool. One day the boy was found drown in the neighbor's pool which was close to the fence. It was thought he fell from the fence. Whether he slipped from the fence or hit his head trying to jump into the pool from the fence I do not know. The point is some children need constant supervision. Some children have a difficult time comprehending dangerous situations, whether they watch movies and cartoons or not. This is why as a parent you should keep hazardous and poisonous materials up and away from young children. They do not realize the threat they are exposing themselves to if they get into it.

I have seen two-year-olds at the park. Some do not like to go on the high play equipment. Others do. A child might leap off something if they do not understand the risk or danger, but also because they do not understand the reason for pain. If put your hand too close to the fire and got burned the physical pain that follows is a way of telling you, "Hey that hurt. Do not do that again." I had a parent tell me once her son jumped off a swing twice and both times broke his arm. She thought after the first time he would not do it again. But he did. She was not sure if her son forgot how bad the pain was the first time or did not think it would happen again. If you have a child who is unusually wild, does not think before they leap, or does not understand consequences for actions, like if I do this I could end up hurt, then keep an eye on them as best as you can. And monitor what they watch, not only on TV, but with video and computer games as well. Do not let programs give them ideas. And do not have loaded guns in the house. A two-year-old does not understand the danger. And if a six-year-old never saw a gun before he/she might not understand the risk. Plus, kids are curious. A nine-year-old might know the danger of a really interesting ancient military knife or a gun but they might want to look at it anyway. Even if they have to sneak through drawers and find the key to the gun cabinet so they can show a friend their dad's cool gun. And that is where the danger lies.

Arts and Craft: Mask.

What you need: Popsicle stick, white paper plate or stiff construction paper, yarn, glue, scissors, crayons or markers. Make face on front of plate and glue popsicle stick to back.
Using the construction paper make a circle as big as your child's head. Cut circle out. Or use a round paper plate. This is the mask. Cut holes for eyes. You can cut out a nose and mouth hole. For the mouth hole you can show emotion by cutting the hole into a smile, a frown, an angry look, etc. Or you can just draw the mouth. For a scary Halloween look, draw big pointy teeth on the mouth with a scar nearby. Draw mean bushy eyebrows or make eyebrows out of yarn. For the nose you can make a long beak out of construction paper. Glue green and orange yarn on top of mask for hair.
If your child wants to look like a cat, draw whiskers around the nose and make pointy ears out of construction paper and glue them on top of the mask. Draw pretty long eyelashes around the eyeholes. Use your imagination. When you're done glue the popsicle stick to the bottom of the mask, in the back, making it a handle to hold up the mask in front of the face.

Alternative: For children over five-years-old. Instead of your child holding mask up with a popsicle stick you can also keep mask in place with an elastic band. But YOU MUST MAKE A BIG NOSE HOLE AND MOUTH HOLE IN MASK so your child can breathe. If you decide to use elastic you might want to use a paper plate that's not incredibly stiff. You can staple the elastic on the sides. Have your child try on the mask to make sure the elastic isn't too tight around their head. You can put masking tape over the staples. This could lessen the chance of faces scratches from the staples and from them getting caught in your child's hair. If you are concerned about using staples you can make tiny holes on the sides of mask to tie the elastic band in place. Note: It can get hot under a mask. Don't wear mask in extreme heat or near fire/sparks.

Book Review- Picture Book

A Flip-The-Flap Book. "Corduroy's Halloween." Based on the Corduroy bear character by Don Freeman. Story by B.G. Hennessy. Pictures by Lisa McCue. For those of you parents who have two to five year olds this is a fun book. As a kid I always liked books where you could flip up a flap and there would be something underneath. Unlike some other books this book isn't stingy about the amount of flaps they use. The story is cute and bold colors are used throughout the pictures. The story features a little toy bear named Corduroy who wears corduroy overalls. In this book Corduroy and his stuffed animal friends celebrate Halloween. They pick pumpkins from a pumpkin patch, partake in a window-painting contest, go Trick-or-Treating, and have a Halloween party.

Movie Review

Movie Title: The Kid From Brooklyn. Family-Comedy. Danny Kaye plays Burleigh Sullivan, a mild mannered milkman. One day he drives his milk cart straight into trouble. He ends up punching out a drunken championship boxer who was flirt'n with somebody he shouldn't. The sweet Burleigh is unwillingly transformed into a boxer with funny results. The same movie plot with different actors is The Milky Way, with Harold Lloyd. This movie was made much earlier. Lloyd like Kaye was a famous comedian. Both movies are funny, but if I had to pick one over the other I'd pick the one with Danny Kaye. But it was interesting to see both actors comedic routines.

Fall Dog Tip

I decided to put this in since I've had problems with walnut shells, pine cones pieces and those small pointy balls that fall off branches. Squirrels not only like to chew on cones for seeds, but they break open walnuts. They litter sidewalks with walnut shells and pine cone pieces. My dog more than once has gotten cone pieces and walnut shells in her paws. If you walk your dog avoid them. It can really hurt if your dog gets one imbedded in his paw pad. And they can be sharp. If you see your dog suddenly walking slowly or different check ALL his or her paw pads. This brings me to those small pointy balls that fall off trees. A Vet told me to avoid these trees when they are losing their balls. They can really hurt a dog's pad. If your dog steps on one the points can get stuck in their paw pad. If so a tweezer might have to be used to get the tiny points out.

Fun Sidewalk Activity

Shadow chalk art. What you'll need: Chalk and your child's shadow. Time to do it: During the day when you can see your child's shadow on your driveway or sidewalk. Have your child pose. Now trace their shadow with chalk. Change places and have them trace your shadow.

Book Review- Chapter Book, Award winner

Chapter book for fourth to fifth graders. "Bridge to Terabithia," by Katherine Paterson. Winner of Newbery Medal. This book is about the friendship between a boy and a girl. They initially bond because they both can run fast. They build an imaginary kingdom, Terabithia, where they reign as king and queen. This book is very well written, however it has a sad ending. When I read this book as a child I didn't like that there was a death. To me this death was different than reading some fantasy book where someone dies. This death seemed more real.

Movie Review

Movie Title: The Sand Lot. Comedy. Rated PG. A new boy in the neighborhood joins the rest of the boys at the local sand lot to play baseball. A ball sails over a fence into the yard of vicious dog. What happens next is quite entertaining. This is an excellent movie for boys who like baseball.

Home Tip- For Candlestick Wax

My sister-in-law told me about this one. For wax that has melted on candlesticks. Put candlestick in the freezer for an hour or two. (Make sure you can put your candlestick in the freezer without ruining it.) When wax has frozen on the candlestick it is easy to pick off. Or you can try putting an ice cube against the candlestick wax. Let wax harden. Then flick it off carefully from candlestick. I take no responsibility if your candlestick gets ruined or breaks! Mine haven't ever gotten ruined by doing this, but you're on your own.

Science Day

When we've tasted a particular food and then SEE it again we know what to expect taste wise. But what if we CAN'T see the food before we taste it? Can we still discern what it is? Experiment: See if blindfolded your child can figure out what you give them to eat.
What you'll need: Different foods, a spoon, and a blindfold. The blindfold can be a handkerchief, or make one by cutting up an old cotton shirt.
Blind fold your child. Make sure it does not cover their nose or mouth. Place a piece of food on their tongue using the spoon. Use only foods your child has had before and you know for sure they aren't allergic to. Try blah foods first: Carrot or celery cubes or lettuce… Try a small slice of onion, pickle, or a dab of mild mustard. Then try cheese, yogurt, chocolate, mashed potatoes or mashed grapes or strawberries. Have fun. When your child has had enough, they can try this experiment on you if you're game.

Picture Book Review

"My Food Pyramid," by Alisha Niehaus. Illustrations by Dave Williams.
It's important to teach children to make the right eating choices. This book not only gives the USDA food pyramid, but it tells children how many serving they should have of the six food groups. Grains. Vegetables. Fruits. Milk. Meat and Beans. Oils. It gives little interesting facts like, though beans are a vegetable they have lots of protein, therefore they count as a meat. It's not an exciting book, but do remember since it's a book about grains and vegetables you should cut it some slack. It does its main job well. To inform kids on what to eat and how much.

Movie Review

Movie Title: Stuart Little. Children's movie. Rated PG (But to me it should be a mild PG). Based on the children's book by E.B. White. Two parents Mr. and Mrs. Little adopt a brother for their son so he won't be so lonely. They name the new family member Stuart. But Stuart isn't a regular son. He's a mouse. However he's the sweetest mouse any family could want. Stuart lives like a human, wearing clothes and eating at the dinner table. There's one problem though, the family's cat doesn't like Stuart. He would like to eat poor Stuart. Many fun adventures occur. It's a cute movie. Michael J. Fox does a fine job as the voice of Stuart Little.

Parenting Article- Finding a parenting blog

1) Pick a parenting blog that has information relating to your child's age group. If you find a blog for parents of teens and you have a five-year-old, this parenting blog is not currently going to help you. Unless of course you have both a teen and a five-old-year.

2) Find a parenting blog that meets your needs. On the top of the blog it should say what the blog is about or what kind of information it shares. If you find a blog that says it gives bi-weekly tips and articles on raising girls, and you have a boy, you might want to pass on this blog. Unless it also has something else of value for you. Maybe on Fridays it gives nutrition tips, or posts simple dinner recipes. If this appeals to you, then just read Friday posts.

3) If you have a child with behavioral issues do not read a blog that is basically a parent bragging about how great their kid is. This could be frustrating for you. You should Google many blogs which share pertinent information on helping parents deal with childhood behavioral issues. Pick at least a couple of blogs relating directly to your child's issue. I.e, ADD or ADHD. Read a few to see what the parenting advice is like. Pick ones that fit your style of parenting. Or ones that give advice you actually might follow through with. You can always keep reading more than one blog. Compare advice. If you desire a blog where parents leave comments on what has worked for them, check for this at the bottom of the article or post. Also, look at past parenting articles. This is a gem mine for information!

4) Do not dismiss parenting blogs that might give you little nuggets of great information. Let us say while looking for a blog that posts family movie reviews you stumble upon a blog that has articles about environmental issues which can impact kids. If you suddenly decide, hey I like that, but you do not want to read this blog every week then check out it once a month. Click on only the posts relating to this issue.

5) Find a blog whose writer has values or outlooks similar to yours. If you are an atheist or lesbian hippie you might not want to read a blog written by a conservative Christian mom who believes in having all her P and Q's in place. Unless you find you like her decorating tips or the arts and craft projects she posts. But do not get peeved if you read her parenting advice which might relate in someway to the Bible. It's her blog. If you don't like it, move on. When choosing a blog ask yourself, do you like the blog master's followers? This is an interesting point to consider. I know someone who liked a particular blog but stopped reading it because a follower kept making what she thought were stupid comments. With so many blogs out there it is easy enough to stop reading one and to find another. Do not let blog posts or comments rain on your day.

Arts and Craft Project

Button necklace. An easy art project for kids four years and over. Collect buttons from shirts and sweaters you are going to discard. Put them in jar. When you have enough buttons your child can string them in a pretty pattern for a necklace. Your child can make button necklaces as gifts for Grandma and their favorite aunt.

Book Review- Chapter book

Chapter book for third to fifth graders, depending on their reading level. "James and the Giant Peach," by Roald Dahl. My brother loved this book as a kid. It's an A 1 book. The author has a very vivid imagination. He's also a great story teller. In this book Dahl's character James lives with his two mean aunts. They are horrible to the little boy. A little old man who knows James is miserable gives him a bag of magic crystals. James is to put the crystals in water and drink it down. An excited James runs to the house. He slips on the way there. The bag of crystals falls on the ground near a peach tree. All the crystals dissolve into its soil. Soon the peach tree starts growing bigger and bigger. It gets so big James is able to climb inside a hole in its side. And this where his adventures begins.

Movie Review

Movie Title: The Court Jester. Comedy. Family movie. A court jester (Danny Kaye) comes to the aid of a king, helping him regain his throne in old England. Danny Kaye's comical antics will keep your family laughing. I highly recommend this movie!

Parent Tip- Toys

Does your child have too many toys in their room? Then rotate the toys. Put extra toys and games away in garage, attic or basement storage area. This will make your child's room neater. Plus, when you bring out toys or games they haven't seen in awhile they are more likely to play with them. Just don't rotate their favorite toy, stuff animal, or game. With babies you can rotate toys, rattles, stuff animals (baby proof ones)… every two weeks. For easy access put items in closet.

Book Review- Picture Book

A book for Parents to read with their kids. "Mommy Works, Daddy Works," by Marika Pedersen and Mikele Hall. Pictures by Deirdre Betteridge. Whether you work at home, you’re a full time caretaker, or you work at an office this book has you covered. It talks about different jobs parents have. Like a mantra on each page it always repeats that there's always time for me (the child). Meaning no matter what they are doing the parent makes times for their child. I like the positive message in the repetition but I'm not so keen on the style of the pictures. They aren't attractive or clever. Or even interesting (at least to me). In fact they are rather flat. Which makes a nice book like this just okay.

Parenting Article

Violence and Pain in Movies, TV and Cartoons.
Is there a Difference? How does it Affect Children?

I am not a fan of cartoons but I did like certain ones as a child. As the youngest child of many siblings I had very little control of the remote. I was subjected to watching a cartoon rabbit get hit over the head with a hammer and such repeatedly and never die. (I could have left, but why? I got to watch TV.) I never thought these situations were funny, but I never thought the rabbit was in danger. I knew it was animation. On that same token as a kid I saw a television comedy where a science experiment went awry and no one was hurt. In a silent movie I saw a bumbling cop fall off a moving police wagon and I never worried for his safety. I did not take it seriously. But I was horrified when I saw a person getting bitten by an alligator in an action/drama. This seemed more real to me. With the popularity of reality shows today and live snippets on the internet if I saw an actual person getting bitten by an alligator I probably would have had nightmares if I was a kid. But if it was a cartoon scene I doubt I would have given it a second thought. So the question is, are cartoons which show violence, like the bombing of a gofer hole or seeing someone get hit over the head with a pan, bad for children to watch? Well, I do not think it is the best thing in the world for them to watch. You do not want your child to get desensitized to violent acts. But even if they did watch them a normal child of ten knows about pretend. He should not be able to get away with whacking another child over the head with a baseball bat and claim, well I saw it in a cartoon and the cartoon character did not get hurt. Note the word: Cartoon. The average child of ten knows the difference between a cartoon and a live human. Likewise, at nine I knew in real life if you shot a gun at someone that person could die, but in a movie an ACTOR would not get hurt. It was make believe.

I liked Abbott and Costello as a kid. I still do. I know they do not really get hurt doing their slapstick routines. They are performers. Characters in a movie. But children should abhor violence and not think actual pain is funny. I do not like any TV show where people turn in home videos where it is an actual situation where an individual falls over something, hits their head and so on. This is not imagery. Reality is not suspended. These are REAL people in REAL situations. Why is this supposed to be funny? It is not. If you watch home video TV shows with your child where people trip down stairs, bump their head, ect. and one day you bang your head and your child laughs whose fault is this? Why was it funny when a real person banged their head but not you? Another point, what would happen if a child who likes attention watched a TV show where a man on a home video slipped off a high trampoline but got up and everyone in the TV audience laughed? If this child did such an act himself for attention I would feel badly if he got hurt. I could see his point if he said, "Well the guy in the video did not get hurt. And people laughed." I would think it was a very unwise thing to do, but I would feel sad he did such a thing for attention.

Now as a child I could not see myself slipping off a trampoline for attention. But I also could not have seen myself jumping off a low hanging roof to show off either. However, growing up I had hyperactive friend who I would not have been surprised if he would have tried either, for attention or for a dare. In both cases he would have known the danger, he just would have dismissed the thought that HE would get badly hurt. He liked to take risks. I believe some children are more prone to engage in risky behavior. Even if you limit what they watch on TV. My friend's parents were careful with what he watched, but he still was curious. He would not think twice about opening up a phone to see how it worked. As far as seeing violent gory scenes on TV, if he could sneak a peek at another friend's house he would. Would this make him more prone to act out aggressively than if he did not see them? I think it depends on the child. If you have a child who tends to be aggressive and expose him to violence, then my belief is yes. But I think he would be more prone to hit if he sees his parents fighting and hitting than if he saw this type of behavior on the screen.

Award winning book- Chapter book for fifth to eighth graders.

"The Giver," by Lois Lowry. This book was awarded a Newbery Medal. It's on the reading list of some schools. "The Giver" is a thought provoking book. Before I read it people had a hard time explaining the premise to me. They just said read it. I'm glad I did.
A boy named Jonas and his family live in a perfect community, metaphorically, a living bubble. There is no sadness, fear, or pain. Everything is safe and under control. Rules are hard to change. When Jonas turns twelve he has a special ceremony where he is given his assignment in the community. He is given special training from The Giver. The Giver can give you memories of pain and pleasure. Jonas fractures his leg, he can't have medication. He feels pain. But he does get a nice memory after his daily work. After some time Jonas learns that the memory of love is nice, but he believes if you felt love all the time it could come with a risk. It could cause you pain. But Jonas learns that erasing things you don't like, like pain, doesn't make you or your life better. Living in a fantasy lie isn't all that is cracked up to be. The part in the book where a baby cries and what is done about it is interesting. It makes you really think about problem solving. And how people avoid unpleasantness at any cost.

Movie Review

Movie Title: Night at the Museum, Battle of the Smithsonian. Rated PG. Maybe it got the PG rating for the non-bloody battle scenes between the museum wax works. Maybe it wanted a PG rating. I don't know. I saw it with two boys and their eight-year-old cousin. She wasn't scared in the least. Now I was a little worried about seeing this movie. I heard it wasn't nearly as good as the first. When you see a movie without high expectations and it's not as bad as you thought it might be, you consider yourself fortunate. This is how I felt about this film. In this movie there are some amusing dialogs; the tiny Roman Emperor and his tiny cowboy friend were fun to watch; and King Tut's evil brother was absolutely hilarious. He stole the movie. However, the ending was a bit too pat. And not very believable. Maybe Mr. Stiller should have asked kids if they thought the ending was plausible. Two kids I know agreed with each other that they wouldn't give up being super rich just to be a night guard. All in all, don't be afraid like I was, about renting this movie. It's worth renting.

Movie plot: Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) is no longer a night guard at the history museum. His simple minded inventions have made him rich. He visits his old hunting ground, the history museum. He finds out the wax works are being put in deep storage at the Smithsonian for more modern technology. Larry takes it upon himself to do something about this. When he gets to Washington DC he sees the wax works have come alive at the Smithsonian. Larry must keep King Tut's brother, Napoleon, Al Capone and a Russian noble from taking over the Smithsonian and possibly the world. The wax work, Amelia Earhart, helps Larry accomplish this.

Back to school idea

On the first day or week of grammar school put a note in your child's lunch bag saying, "Have a great day at school!" If they are in preschool or kindergarten draw a smiley face then a heart signed Mom or Dad. You can also put a note in your wife or husband's lunch if they take one to work. You can write, "Honey, you're terrific! Have a wonderful day at work." It will brighten their day.

Last Dog Tip

Here is the last Dog's Day of Summer Dog Tip- Make sure your dog has plenty of clean water. Give them new water everyday. Recheck water bowl on hot days to make sure your dog still has water. Do not leave their water in a metal bowl in the hot sun. The metal can get really hot and it could burn your dog when they go for a drink. Use a ceramic bowl. My thoughts: If humans nowadays are not suppose to drink water out of plastic bottles that have been in the sun too long, or in the hot car, then a dog should not drink out of plastic water containers which are placed in the sun.

Picture Book Review

For Parents to read with their kids. "First Day," story and pictures by Joan Rankin. With a main character named Haybillybun you know this book will be fun. It's a quirky story about a pup's first day at school. It has corresponding pictures. Kids will laugh at the odd names given to the puppies. Story Line: Haybillybun is nervous about going to Puppy school. The pup is worried because he has a long name and he thinks he has scary eyes. But when he gets to school other pups have just as long, and even stranger, names. Things work out and he likes school. Great book for kids who are just entering school.

Movie Review

Movie Title: My Dog Skip. Rated PG. Dog movie. It's a drama with some funny moments. I saw it with a nine-year-old girl and we both really liked it. However, and I don't mean to be a movie spoiler, but the little girl I saw it with was sad when the dog died in the end. (A deer also dies in the movie.) Some parents need to know this because some kids just don't like seeing movies where dogs and other cute animals die. The movie takes place in Mississippi during the 1940's. A lonely boy gets a small dog for his birthday over the objections of his stern father. He names the dog Skip. Skip gives the boy someone to play with. The boy learns the joys and sorrows of owing a dog. One great thing about dogs are they love you for you. They don't care if you're young or old, fat or thin, white, brown or black. As long as you're nice to them they will stand by you. The movie takes place in the segregated South. Dogs like Skip can teach humans a thing or two.

Science Day

Science Day: Have your child cut a clipping of a favorite rose bush or plant in your yard. Cut off any flowers. Put desired clipping in a cup filled with water. Leave in shade and make sure it always has water. After a month when the clipping has grown roots, plant in POT with good soil. Keep out of hot sun. When cutting gets bigger you can plant it in the ground. Clippings don't always grow well, depending on the plant. Try it with different greenery you have in your yard and see what works. I've had good luck with roses myself. You can call your local nursery and ask them what plant clippings work best in your area.

Uses for a melon scooper; plus make cookies with a surprise inside.

If your child is like my nephew they'll find it fun (for awhile at least) to scoop melon balls out of melons with a melon scooper. Scoop a variety of balls from cantaloupe, watermelon, honeydew… and put in bowls. Add sliced nectarines and/or strawberries. Top it off with whip cream for a cool, fresh dessert.
The melon scooper is also the perfect size for scooping cookie dough onto cookie sheets.
Wet scooper in bowl of water every other time so cookie dough won't stick to it.
For a cookie surprise put a couple of gummy candies in each cookie before baking. Or bake some cookies with gummies and some without. Then have your child look for the gummies. Children find this fun.

Book Review- Picture Book

For parents to read with their kids. "Franklin Goes to the Hospital," by Paulette Bourgeois and Brenda Clark. Illustrated by Brenda Clark. For children age four to eight. Young Franklin the Turtle has hurt himself playing soccer. He has to go to the hospital for surgery. This book covers his overnight hospital stay. You can read this book to your child to help them cope with any anxiety they might have about having surgery. The book covers such topics as, what it's like getting an x-ray, how does a doctor make you sleepy before surgery, and it's okay to feel scared before surgery. The pictures are cute. They directly relate to what's happening to Franklin.

Movie Review

Movie Title: The Princess and the Frog. Rated G. Disney movie. Animation with Music. Cute movie. Nice twist on the Fairy tale with the same name. One song about almost being there is rather catchy. The almost being there is in reference to the main character Tiana almost getting her dream of owning her own restaurant.

The movie starts out in New Orleans. Two little girls are friends. One rich, one not. Tiana's mother is a seamstress. When Tiana grows up she's a waitress. She's saved all her tips to buy a restaurant. Now for the handsome prince. He comes to the city and the rich girl's daddy invites him to a party at his house. Tiana cooks the food for the party. While at the party she sees a frog who says he's a prince. He really is. The villain in the movie, the shadow man, turned him into a frog. Then he turned the prince's manservant into a prince. The villain wants the manservant to woo the rich girl and marry her for her money. They will split the money between themselves. Back to Tiana. She kisses the frog to unlock the curse, but she ends up a frog herself. The two frogs become friends and fall in love. They marry and she becomes a princess. When they have the wedding kiss-- you'll have to watch the movie to find out.

Parent Tip- For summer

Aloe lotion is a cooling agent for sun burns but make sure your child isn't allergic to it! Test a small area first. If welts or bumps appear don't use.

Remember to reapply sunscreen on your kids if they have been playing in the sun for 2-4 hours, or they have sweat off their sunscreen or have wiped it off. Reapply after swimming in pool. For beaches remember even if its slightly cloudy out during the day, you can get a burn.

Dog Tip

Be careful about letting your dog sniff where people park their cars. Cars can leak oils and fluids, and you don't want your dog licking it. I have been told by a Veterinarian that dogs like the taste of transmission fluid (which is I believe green) which can be deadly to them. Seek Vet help immediately if you think your dog has licked up oil or transmission fluid. Note: At least in my city I was informed that you are NOT to call 911 about a pet. Have your Vet's phone number handy in your personal phone book. Many regular Vets are not open 24 hours. So ask your Vet for a recommendation, before your dog is sick, for an emergency Vet care facility in case their office is not open.

Book Review- Chapter book

Chapter book for third to fifth graders, depending on their reading level. "The Incredible Journey," by Sheila Burnford. A lovely book. Kids who love dogs and cats will like this book. It takes place in Canada. A man with three pets, an old bulldog, a Labrador and a cat goes on a vacation. He leaves his animals in the care of the couple who look after his home. His animals follow his trail over one hundred miles to find him. Through hunger, pain and adventures they continue their quest undaunted. The animals truly do have one amazing trek in the wilderness to be united with their owner.

Movie Review- Dog movie

Movie Title: Beverly Hills Chihuahua. Dog movie. Comedy. Rated PG. Cute movie to watch on a hot summer afternoon.
A pampered pooch from Beverly Hills, Chloe (voice of Drew Barrymore), is left behind when her owner goes to Europe. The owner's niece is supposed to take good care of her while she's gone. But the ill responsible dog nanny goes to Mexico with her friends taking Chloe with her. Chloe is dog-napped and taken to place to be a dog fighter. She escapes with some other dogs. Meanwhile her owner's landscaper and his little dog try to find her. The niece tries to locate Chloe as well. Chloe wanders the streets with a German shepherd who helps get her back to her people.

Arts and Crafts Project: Paper bag puppets.

What you need: Paper lunch bags, crayons, scissors, construction paper, glue, yarn.

Paper bag flap will be the mouth. Your hand goes inside the flap to make puppet talk. Dog puppet: On top of the flap draw in eyes, nose, and whiskers. Cut out some ears with construction paper and glue them on side of head. Cut out a tongue with red construction paper and glue on bottom fold of mouth. This way when you open the flap the tongue will show. Draw paws on lunch bag or make some with construction paper. You can glue yarn on head for hair. Use yarn for tail. Your child can make a cat, mouse, them self...

Informative Tip

Check with your family doctor about this but I heard having vitamin C with red meat helps iron absorption. Drink orange juice when having hamburgers or ribs for dinner. (Orange juice mixed with sparkling water tastes good.) I also heard milk products block iron absorption. So to get the most iron out of your barbecued beef this summer don't drink milk with it. Wait about forty-five minutes to an hour after having beef to have dairy products, like ice cream for dessert.

Hot weather treat

Hot weather treat. Put store bought juice pouches over night in freezer. The next afternoon take them out. Let them thaw for about fifteen minutes until they are slushy. If there is a straw hole in pouch your child can use it. Otherwise cut the top off pouch. Your child can scoop out the slushy like juice with a spoon and eat it.

Movie Review

Movie Title: Flipper. 1960's film. Sea animal movie. Children go swimming in the ocean. One boy lances a dolphin in the side. Fearing the dolphin will die in misery, another boy runs home. He gets a shotgun. And bullets from his bedroom dresser. He plans to kill the dolphin quickly so the animal won't suffer in lingering pain. He runs back to the dolphin. He just can't kill the dolphin. The boy trails it home behind a small boat. The boy and another child find food for the dolphin. A bond builds between the dolphin, Flipper, and the children.
Beautiful underwater shots of the ocean. And the dolphin is cute. But I can't recommend this film because I don't approve of a child having access to a shotgun. And I can't believe he had bullets in his drawer! Yes, the 1960's were another time, but kids should not have access to guns that easily.

Book Review- Useful Picture Book for Parents

This book a parent can read to thier small chid.
"Dog Heaven," written and illustrated by Cynthia Rylant. A very cute, moving book. I actually got misty eyed at certain parts. Of course I had a dog that passed on so I identified with the message in the book. The book is about what dogs do in heaven. They run in fields, have lots of angel kids to play with, they get fed fun shaped dog biscuits, and have fluffy clouds to lie on. The pictures are simple yet they fit the written words well. It's a nice book for a child who's just lost their best canine friend. Hope keeps the heart happy. It's nice thinking your dog is in a wonderful place.

Parenting Article - College Apartment Hunting Tips

Apartment Hunting Advice and Safety Tips for Teens who are going off to College

If your child is leaving the nest this month or in September here are some tips for finding adequate housing for them.
I also included safety tips for young women at the end of the list.

As far as finding housing there are numerous ways to find it. Check out campus dorms. If your child is a quiet individual, or needs quiet to concentrate, make sure they get a roommate that is quiet. Also have them be on a floor where there are few rowdy kids. If they desire off campus housing they can look for a roommate and/or an apartment/guest apartment or guesthouse in the campus newspaper, the local newspaper, on the campus news board, or on Craig's list. Or they can just drive around and look for vacancy signs in desired areas. Once they have a list of places they wish to look at they should check them out thoroughly.

Here is a Check List:
1. How safe is the neighborhood? Drive around the area during the day and evening. Typically second floor apartments have less break-ins. So consider that.

2. How is the parking situation? Will they have a parking spot near their apartment, or underneath in the garage, or off the street? Is there adequate lighting around to get to their door safety. That is important.

3. Once in the apartment make sure the installation is sound. Have someone stand outside a window and talk. Can the person inside hear the other person like they were next to them? If noisy people keep walking past a window this can be irritating. Are there noisy businesses nearby (bars, construction companies, businesses that have loud generators…)?

4. Is the front door secure? Make sure there are no cracks around door frame. Are the windows secure? Do they have latches? Screens? Make sure screens and glass are not broken or cracked. If they are make sure they are fixed BEFORE move in time. This applies to anything that needs to be fixed. Have rental contact specify repairs that are to be done before moving in. Unfortunately there are managers, even guest house owners, who are lazy about repairs. They give excuses like, "The other tenants did not care." However, in reality maybe they did mind, but they got tried of asking the management/owner to repair it.

5. Check out the carpet. Does it have spots? Will it be cleaned? (And think, why was it not already?) Does the floor tiling have chips or missing tiles? (I actually saw a place where all the tiles around the bedroom wall were chipped. The property manager did not care. He shrugged and said I could just put rugs over it. That is what the other tenant did.) Do not assume just because the person showing you around says the bathroom or bedroom is okay that it is. Check it out yourself. Also, check behind any wall pictures and under movable rugs. Is a picture hiding a big hole or is there gashes in the wood under the carpet?

6. Make sure there is air conditioning and heating. Test out if they work. (I had a friend whose manager told her that the wall heater worked and yet in winter when she turned it on it did not.)

7. Are there mini-blinds/curtains on the windows/patio door? If not will the management provide them? Are there smoke alarms? Make sure they work (check batteries). If not, will the management pay for smoke alarms? Will they install them?

8. Check all faucets and the shower stall to make sure water comes out correctly (does not spurt out at you or is orange from rust). Make sure there are no cracks in the shower floor or in the shower door. Look under all sinks (bathroom and kitchen) to make sure there are no leaky pipes. Look on the ceilings for yellow patches (water leaks). Ask if the roof has ever leaked and when was it last repaired or when guest apartment/apartment had roof replaced.

9. Look in closet(s) to make sure your child will have adequate storage space.

10. Look for water spots and peeling paint on walls. If a water spot is near a water line is the pipe leaking inside the wall?

11. Ask the management: Do they mind how many nails are put in the walls (some do, some do not). Will the management repaint? Can the parent/and child paint the bedroom/living room themselves if they so desire? Is it a month to month rental? A year lease? Sometimes with a guest house an owner might give you a break on the monthly rent if you pay six months in advance. (Do not knock it. A hundred dollars off the rent a month could be worth it.)

12. Because unfortunately I have seen this myself, look for termite residue, mold (look under sinks on the base board), and rat/mouse poop. If there is an opening in the wall underneath sink cabinets this is where they could be coming from.

13. Are pets allowed? Yappy dogs can be annoying. It can be hard studying while listening to a barker from next door. Ask if the neighbors have dogs.

14. Bring a nightlight with you when you check out the apartment. Plug it in all light sockets to make sure they work. Turn on all light switches to make sure they work. Is there a porch light? Does it need a new bulb? (I knew someone who tested an outside light and it did not work. The manager shrugged it off as if it was no big deal and said it just needed a new bulb. He asked the manager to get a bulb from another porch light and test it. It did not work. It was an electrical problem.) Be smart. Be assertive. Make sure you get what you pay for.

15. You might want to bring a measuring tape to measure room space to see if the desk or bed will fit in X area.

16. Where is the laundry area? Is it in the apartment? Downstairs? Is it in a secure area? How many machines are there (if there is only one or two this is could pose a problem if there are many tenants)? Do you have to put quarters in the machines? How many?

17. Does the rent include utilities? Cable? Internet? Factor that in to how much you want to pay for rent each month.

18. Does the apartment come furnished or unfurnished? Some come furnished, some let you bring your own furniture in addition to having their own.

19. Talk about renters insurance. Do they offer it?

20. Lastly, if the property owner or manager hurries you around the apartment, or won't let you turn on the water or the air conditioning, beware. Don't fall for this, "Either you want it or not. I got five other people who want to look at the place." Stop and think how they are treating you. Because if they treat you like this now before you are a renter just how will they treat you after you are a renter? You want leaky faucets fixed in a timely manner, not some run around about fixing it next month.

Safety tips for women:
If you have a daughter, buy her pepper spray or have her take a self defense class (especially if she is an early morning or night time runner.) If she goes to a party tell her not to put down a drink and leave. Some not so nice person could have spiked it. Tell her to have a good friend hold her drink if she needs to use the rest room. As far as school, if she needs to take a night class have her take one with a friend. This way they can carpool or walk together to class. She might need to wait until second semester if none of her current friends are going to her college. Find out where the campus police headquarters is located. Ask them what dangers to look out for and do they have any safety advice to give. Ask how often they patrol the parking lots and campus at night. See if they offer night rides to cars or dorms.

Doggy Tip- Dog Days of Summer

Do not take your dog on hikes on hot summer days in the middle of the day, especially old dogs and dogs with long coats. I had a Veterinarian tell me that every summer he sees dogs come in for heat stroke. Their owners take their dogs up hills, on trails with no shade, when it's over ninety degrees out. This is usually mid day when it's hottest out. Would you like to walk in a fur coat in the blazing heat? If you hike with your dog make sure you have water for him. Look for a collapsible dog bowl at your local pet store. Seriously folks take what I wrote today to heart. My little niece in July told me her friend's parents took their two dogs out for a hike in hot weather during the day. Both got heat stroke. One died, the other survived. Don't let this happen to your dog!

Book Review- Chapter book, Award Winner

Chapter book for nine to twelve-year-olds, depending on their reading level. "A Wrinkle in Time," by Madeleine L'engle. A Newbery Medal winner.

Girls, as well as boys, should like this book. The book is literally about a wrinkle in time. Two children look for their father, a scientist, who has mysterious disappeared while working on tesseract, a wrinkle in time, for the government. My brothers bought me this book as a child and I enjoyed it. However, I had a friend at school who didn't understand what all the hullabaloo was about this book. She didn't care it won an award. Though I recommend this book for children, not every book, as distinguished as it may be, is for every child. A child who likes bug books and adventure stories might be bored out of their mind with a book about how cars were invented. Each to their own. There is a book for everyone.

Movie Review

Movie Title: Marley and me. Rated PG. Based on a book of the same name. I saw the movie trailers. I thought the movie would be about the antics of a yellow lab. And it was. Somewhat. In reality it was about the life of a journalist and his family, and about their dog. I enjoyed the movie, but I expected more funny scenes with the dog. I have a yellow Labrador myself so I was really looking forward to this movie. I came out of the theater thinking it was cute, but it wasn't what I expected. Also, do note Marley dies in the end. My sister-in-law had two friends who saw the movie trailers. They thought, "This looks like a cute movie." So they took their young kids to see the movie. The kids loved Marley, but didn't like when he died. Two kids burst into tears days later thinking about his death. I can't honestly recommend this movie for very young kids. It's a family movie, but it's not made for kids. Older kids will think the bad behavior of Marley is funny, but the movie is not all about the life a naughty dog.

Science Day

Science Day: This is really a really cool simple experiment! Learn how density affects submerged objects.

What you will need: A bucket of water filled half way. Two cans of carbonated soda, same size and brand, but one regular, one diet.

Have your child drop the regular soda in the water first. Does it sink? Yes. Have your child now drop the diet soda in the pail of water. Does it sink? No! It pops back up and floats because the density of the diet soda is less than the regular one.

Deviled Eggs: Simple kitchen activity to do with your child.

Recipe for Deviled Eggs- Simple kitchen activity to do with your child.

Boil six eggs. Once eggs are hard boiled I find shells are easier to peel if I put them under cold water first. Cut eggs in half. Scoop out yokes. Put yokes in a mixing bowl. Add three drops of Worcestershire sauce to yokes. Stir. Taste. Add more Worcestershire sauce to your liking. Don't over do it. Mix in mustard and mayonnaise to your liking. Stir. Put yoke mixture in egg whites.

Check out the experiment for Science Day Thursday evening.

Movie Review

Movie Title: The Nutty Professor. Comedy. 1963 version starring Jerry Lewis. This is my favorite Jerry Lewis movie without Dean Martin. In this movie Jerry Lewis shows he can be a one man show. Eddie Murphy stars in another version of this movie in which he plays many of the characters. But Mr. Murphy's main character goes a bit over the top when he turns into a ladies man. The 1963 version is milder.
In the 1963 version, a mild mannered chemistry teacher, Julius (Jerry Lewis), has the social skills of a bumbling buffoon. He goes ape over a woman, but lacks the charisma to win her heart. Or so he thinks. Julius puts his chemistry knowledge to use and creates a potion to make him suave and debonair. He calls his new personality, Buddy Love. But the potion keeps wearing off at the most inopportune times. Will Julius ever find true love? Of course, it's a movie.
Young kids who like cartoon movies might find this movie boring. But older kids should fine it amusing.

Picture book to read with your kids

"What to Expect When the New Baby Comes Home." Part of the What to Expect kids book series. Heidi Murkoff is the author. Pictures by Laura Rader. This is an excellent series. Ms. Murrkoff does a great job explaining situations to kids. Bold typed questions are asked every couple of pages. The answers are given below it. The Word to Parents in the beginning of the book gives helpful suggestions for making older siblings feel less isolated when new baby comes home. Angus the dog is also in this book, giving familiarity to children who have read Ms. Murkoff's other books. If you have a family member or friend who is having a baby I suggest putting this book on the list of presents to buy for them if they are having a second baby shower.

Arts and Crafts Project

Arts and Craft: Clothes pin animals. Basic needs: clothes pin, paint, and little paint brushes.

Clothes pin side down, have your child paint the pin as a dog (Dalmatians looks cool with little black dots), cat, or bunny. Face in front, tail in back. They can paint little paws on the clothes pin. Paint a collar around the neck. Optional: Once pin has dried glue on a yarn tail. Or for the bunny use half a cotton ball for a tail. Your child can cut out little pointy cat ears or floppy dog ears from construction paper or felt and glue them on the head.

Doggy Tip- Dog Days of Summer

Dog Tip- If you travel in the car with your dog make sure on hot days the metal from the seat belt does NOT touch them. Hot metal burns. When it's really hot out try to park your car in the shade. And carry a thick white towel (white reflects) in your car. Place it over the metal part of the seat belt so it will not get as hot.

If you put your dog in the back of a pick-up truck make sure he is safely and securely tied in the back so he can't jump or fall out of the truck. He could be tossed out when you make a sudden stop or take fast turns. So be careful! And don't drive on the Freeway! Make sure metal flooring is not hot on his paws. You can carpet floor with cheap carpet. Or lay a blanket on it.
Personally, I don't recommend putting your dog in the back of an open truck because if the rope is too long it can strangle them if they jump out or fall out with the rope tied around their neck. And there is a chance that going over a bump your dog could have problems with the rope and hurt himself. If you are worried about dog hairs or your dog being muddy and that's why you put them in the back, try putting old towels down in the front and let them lie on it.

Movie Review

Movie Title: Beethoven's Big Break. Rated PG. Comedy-dog movie. An assistant animal trainer is working on the set of a movie when the star of the movie, Frizzy, gets dog-napped. A ransom of 1 million dollars is wanted. The assistant is blamed for letting the dog get stolen and is fired. At the same time this is happening, the assistant's son has a St. Bernard follow him home. He names him Beethoven because the dog likes classical music. The boy's dad doesn't want to keep the dog. On the way to taking him to a shelter the assistant stops by his old work to pick up some stuff. An audition is going on for a new star of the movie he was working on. Beethoven gets out of the car and manages to get the starring role. The assistant animal trainer now gets the job of main trainer, his ex-boss's job. His ex-boss is fired. Which is okay, since unbeknownst to the producer he's the one who had Frizzy stolen. Out of nowhere Beethoven goes and looks for his three puppies. The dad takes Beethoven and his pups home, where they wreak havoc. Beethoven does the same on the movie set. The director thinks Beethoven stealing bacon and jumping on a dinner table is funny so he's a hit. However, Frizzy's dog-nappers steal Beethoven. They send a ransom note to the producer for 1 million dollars.

That's all I'll tell. But the movie has a happy ending. The movie is for kids and adults. The dad in the movie is a single dad and he meets a female script writer. I think that was put in for the adults. Kids should like the shenanigans of Beethoven. His pups are adorable. Which is why I'm sure they were put in the movie. Kids who like big dogs should like this movie. It's not HA HA really funny. But it has it's moments of zaniness.

Book Review- Award Winner

Chapter book for nine to thirteen-year-olds, depending on their reading level. "A Year Down Yonder," by Richard Peck. An amusing fast read, and a New Newbery Medal winner. The book is about a teen named Mary Alice who spends a year living with her Grandma. But her Grandma is definitely no shrinking violet. Some of things she says are down right funny. The book is quite entertaining. I recommend it for summer reading.

Tips for Taking Long Car Rides with Kids

I'm reposting a popular article I wrote which has tips for taking long cars rides with kids. I have another article about taking plane rides with kids at Foundit-4u.com. On the main page, look below in the article section and click on More Parenting Articles to find it.

Traveling with children can be difficult. Here are a few tips to make it easier.

1) Have your children go to the bathroom before they get in the car. If they say they don't have to go, get them to try anyway. It's surprising how many do go when they get to the bathroom. Do not encourage your children to drink two glasses of any liquid before they get in the car. Unless you don't mind stopping often for them to go to the bathroom.

2) Okay, don't boo me, but this really helps for long car rides. Especially, if you normally limit T.V. viewing time with your children. If you have a van with a built-in DVD player get a few movies to watch. Pick ones your children are really excited about so they will be more inclined to watch them. If you get a movie one child has seen twenty times before, they might get bored and start bothering their brother.

3) Buy or go to the library and get some books on tape to fill in the time. If your children like to sing get some sing-along tapes. Some children like funny sing-along tapes other prefer folk songs. Maybe get a variety. Also, if your children can read in the car without getting sick (I know few children who can for long periods), then buy or check out some new books. If a child wants to try reading in the car but tends to get sick have a sick bag close by. If you checked out items from the library make sure you keep them in a safe place so they don't get lost. I.e., their own bag, or daily make sure you know where they are.

4) Put items your children are going to occupy themselves with in a backpack. Each child should have their own backpack. Ask them what they would like to put in it. If they like to draw, put paper, coloring books and crayons in their bag. No pens or pencils. While driving if you stop quickly they could poke themselves in the eye with the pen or pencil. Don't pack scissors or other sharp objects either. Items you might want to pack: Mad Libs, dot-dot books, mini-games, hand held electronic games, little toys, and small stuffed animals. The little toys should not have sharp points. Another thing I want to point out for safety reasons: There's always a chance with any object that your child holds that if you stop quickly the object could hit their throat. Now maybe a soft stuffed animal wouldn't do any harm, but a sharp corner of a hardback book could. So you can pack softback books and other soft items if you are concerned.

5) Have a time schedule. Let's say you are driving to San Francisco and it will take you four hours to get there. You have the option to A) Drive later in the evening when your children might sleep through the car trip or B) drive while your children are awake, which means you need to plan activities.

Plan A) Night trip. Make sure your children have gone to the bathroom and are in their P.J's before you put them in the car. That way you don't have to wake them up for extra pee breaks, and you won't have to deal with putting on their PJ's when you get to your destination. Make sure your children are feed, have their snuggle toy with them, and anything else they might need. Have a few toys handy in case they wake up. And a small blanket to cover them with if the inside of the car gets cold.

Plan B) Day travel. Try to avoid leaving when you could get caught in heavy traffic. Map a route where there are rest areas, or a least a park or gas station to stop at. If you let your children have sweets you can dole out one tiny flavored jelly bean every hour. If they aren't allowed sweets, pick a healthy little treat they like. Your children will have something to look forward to during the long car ride. It can make the trip seem to go faster, by breaking the time up in hour installments. This is for school age children. (You can try round tiny chocolates that you buy in a snack bag. But they tend to melt and get your child's hand sticky). For safety reasons I must point out you should stop the car at least at a gas station to give your children the treats. If they're given them while you're driving on the highway what happens if one of them chokes? You don't want to get in an accident trying maneuver your car off the road so you can apply CPR to your child. This said, I know someone who gives jelly beans every half hour to her school age kids while her car is in motion. She says her kids do better getting a jelly bean every half hour and she doesn't like making extra pit stops. If you do this, and I'm not saying you should! you should have two adults in the car in order that one can keep an eye out while your children eat. You also should know CPR. For safety reasons children really shouldn’t eat in the car while it's in motion. Think of this. You're in the front seat and they're in the back. You can't see them unless you are turned around looking. If you're not, they could be choking and you wouldn't know. A sudden jerk of the car could have caused food to get lodged in their throat. Beware. Also, do not let your children suck on hard candy (jaw breakers, etc) or lollipops in the car. Once again, if you stop quickly, the hard candy can get lodged in their throat. As far as the lollipop, it could hit the back of their throat and cause true harm. That is why children should not ever run around with lollipops in their mouths.

Time to leave for the car trip: Everyone has gone to the bathroom and has their own bag of toys and books where they can reach them. Buckle up and let's go.
First half of trip:
11-11:30a.m. = Play a book on tape. (This is good for you so you can get focused on where you are going and what route you are taking.)
11:30-12p.m. = Whole family plays the word game Twenty Questions. And/or I Spy. If extra time, look for out-of-state license plates or for a certain type of car or yellow cars.
At noon, bathroom break and stretch at gas station. Dole out tiny flavored jelly bean. (The child gets what they get, no arguing.)
12:15-12:45 = Child occupies him/herself with what is in their bag/backpack.
12:45-1:15 = A few rounds of Mad Libs, the whole family joining in.
At 1:15 = Jelly bean and lunch at rest area. Let your children run around and get energy out. Chase them to get them going. Play Freeze Tag or You're It.
Second half of trip:
2-2:30 = Second half of the book on tape. This will get them settled down.
2:30-3 = Child occupies him/herself with what is in their bag/backpack.
3 p.m., Gas station jelly bean break.
3:10-3:40 = Each member of the family tells others about their favorite trip. If extra time pick something else to talk about. What you plan to do on the vacation, etc.
3:40-4:10 = Sing-along tapes. Or if your child is too old, play music they like. Everyone can sing along. Or not.
It's 4:10 you should be at your destination. Last jelly bean.

You don't have to be rigid about the schedule. See how things are going and make changes accordingly. If your trip is for five and a half hours or six, and you have a van with a DVD player, play a movie for the extra time.