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.