Happy New Year’s Eve!

Fun suggestion- My brothers and I would get pots and pans and bang them with wooden spoons at midnight outside the house. This was lots of fun but make sure you have neighbors who won't mind.

New Year's Expectation for your Child

If you don't expect much from your child, that's what you get. That said don't set expectations so high they’ll burst. Do expect good manners, kindness, honesty, and responsibility for actions.

Movie Review: Rudolph’s Shiny New Year

Movie title: Rudolph’s Shiny New Year. Animation with Music. It’s only six more days until New Year’s and Happy, the New Year baby, has run away. Happy ran away because the other kids were making fun of his big ears. Rudolph the reindeer can relate because he was made fun of his red nose when he was little. Rudolph goes to find Happy before a vulture kidnaps him. The vulture wants to stop time so he won’t turn to ice. If there isn’t a New Year then time will be stopped. The baby goes to a fairy time land, where he stays with the three bears. The little bear and baby become friends, until the bears laugh at his ears. This upsets Happy and he runs away. Rudolph finds Happy and saves the New Year. He tells Happy his big ears might make people laugh, but this makes them happy, which is a good thing. Show watchable for adults because it’s a short film.

Book Review: The Runaway Latkes

The Runaway Latkes by Leslie Kimmelman. Pictures by Paul Yalowitz. Rebecca is making latkes when they jump out of the pan. The naughty latkes roll out of her house and whirl through the town with people chasing them. The latkes jump in the Applesauce River. Low and behold a miracle happens. The Applesauce River turns into real applesauce. Rebecca takes the latkes out the river and shares them with everyone. Cute story with a catchy phrase throughout.

Merry Christmas!

After eating your holiday dinner take a walk. I was told this helps digestion.

Holiday Centerpiece and Dog Tip

1) Child’s Christmas Arts and Craft Dinner Centerpiece.
What you need: Styrofoam three inches tall in any shape you desire, circle, square, oval or rectangle. You the parent can cut the Styrofoam with a shape knife to the shape desired. Red, green, gold, or silver paint. Paint brush. Pretty leaves. The day you plan to use centerpiece cut flowers, twigs with leaves or berries and/or ivy vines. Place stems in water.

What to do: Paint Styrofoam. Let dry. Then just before dinner, or a half an hour before, stick fresh flowers, and twigs in Styrofoam in a pretty fashion. If you see Styrofoam base peeking through you can cover it with leaves or ivy vines. Put centerpiece on dinner table.

2) Tip for dog owners- do not give turkey bones or chicken bones to your dog. They can get caught in their throat and they can choke on them. I don't recommend lamb bones either. A nice old man kept giving them to my dog and she would get sick. I had to politely tell him what was happening. Ask your butcher or veterinarian what bones they recommend for dogs.

Make Ball Ornaments and Spread Goodwill

1) Child’s Christmas Ball Ornaments.
What you need: Styrofoam balls. Ribbon. Glitter. Glue. Interesting buttons, or rhinestones.

What you do: Glue interesting buttons, or rhinestones on ball. Let dry. Glue ball again and then shake glitter on it. Let dry. Cut four or five inches of ribbon. Fold ribbon in half. Glue ribbon to top of ball so it can hang from Christmas tree. If this ribbon breaks you can pin it in, but make sure there are no children under four in house.

2) Spread Goodwill. Have your family volunteer at a soup kitchen, a local food pantry (Some churches and temples do it for the holidays. You can sort food.), or each contribute whatever they can afford to a needy cause (Save the Dolphins, Red Cross, Cancer Society) or put money in a Salvation Army red pot. Or make the above ornaments and give to hospices to put on Christmas trees or hang in windows.

Gifts that cost nothing and Homemade Gift Tags

1) Idea for a child who is low on money this holiday season or just is too young to have much or any money to buy gifts. These gifts from the heart should be appreciated by all. For each member of the family have a pile of four index cards. On each card write what the child will do for that family member. They can draw a corresponding picture next to it. Example: For Mom. The index cards can say, "Good for one dog washing." "Two for one shoe polishing." "One cleaning of my room without complaining." "Hand in for a helping hand for laundry folding. Offer expires (put a date)." For Dad- "Complimentary Saturday lawn mowing." For a brother- "Coupon for one hour of playing one of my video games." "Redeem for moving my dirty clothes away from your playing area." From one sister to another, "Admit one sister to go through my clothes and pick a shirt (dress) to wear for one day." And so on. Tie each pile of index cards with ribbon to look pretty.

2) Homemade Gift Tags. Cut plain colored wrapping paper in shapes of stars, trees, wreaths, presents or use a stencil and trace shapes on paper and cut. Write name of person on shape and tape to present. One way not to see the tape is to put it on back of shape so it sticks to shape and present.

I will be gone Wed and Thurs so I double up on tips Fri. and Sat.

Budget Bath Salt Gift and Christmas Book Review

1) On a budget but need to give many holiday gifts? Here's an idea, give bath salts in small clear or colored mason jars. Use 1/4 cup of Epson salt, 1/4 cup of sugar, 1/8 cup of almond oil. Mix together. Make sure the person you are giving it to doesn't have extra sensitive skin. Do tell people the simple ingredients in it. For a nice extra touch: Tie a red ribbon around a popsicle stick and place it on top. (Popsicle stick is to scoop up bath salt.)

2) Guess Who’s Coming to Santa’s for Dinner? By Tomie dePaola. Santa’s family is coming to dinner. Watch out they’re as crazy as other families with complaining, bickering and unhappy Cousin Ulla. But they also have fun making dinner and putting on their Christmas Pageant. Santa’s friend Lars brings his pet polar bear to dinner. Hmm I wonder how that will turn out. The pictures are in cartoon form so older kids might find that appealing. Nice idea about meeting Santa’s family. I always did wonder what they were like.

How to make a Desert Christmas Tree and a Floating Iceberg

1)Make a Desert Christmas tree. If you live close to a beach, or plan to take a trip to one, look for driftwood. Find a nice piece with your child. Dry it. When dry, nail the bottom of branch to a base. This is how to do it: Turn base upside down. Hammer a thick nail down middle of base INTO bottom of branch. Branch will now look like mini tree. Cover mini-tree with ornaments.

2)Here's a cute holiday display if you own a pool. Make a floating iceberg for your pool. Use a boogie board as the iceberg. Buy nylon pillow stuffing for snow on top of the board. Place plastic or stuff penguins on the iceberg. Kids love this display. You can place a light weight Santa or a stuff polar bear on the iceberg as well.

Two Holiday Arts and Craft Projects

Due to an unforeseen problem I couldn't write since early this week so I will double up on tips and such on other days. Today is Holiday Arts and Craft Project Day.

1) Pinecone ornaments-
What you need: Small thin pinecones, glue gun or strong tacky glue, hangers for ornaments, silver or gold can of spray paint.
What to do: Outside on a newspaper spray pinecones gold or silver. Wait until dry and paint part that couldn't get to. When dry, glue ornament hangers on top of pinecone. Hang on tree like a pinecone would hang. This looks nice with a red ribbon wrapped around branches of Christmas tree.

2)Graham Cracker Snow House- (Back by popular demand)

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. Or walkway pavers to house.
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) Pretzels. Line up for a fence.
11) Cotton candy. For pink smoke coming out of chimney.
12) Coconut shreds. For snow on the ground.
13) Frosted Mini Wheats. As roof tiles.
14) Cake sprinkles.
15) Other candy you think you can use for something on the house. Have your child use their imagination.
16) Stiff paper plate.
17) Cake topping decorating bag/pump. Squeeze frosting on roof edges to make icicles.

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 crackers using 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, tiny marshmallows or Frosted Mini Wheats. 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. Place stretched cotton candy on top of chimney for smoke.

Once house is decorated to your child's satisfaction they can do the yard. On the plate spread frosting around house. Sprinkle coconut around house for snow. 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, M&M's or Skittles. Place gum drops or pretzels around house as a fence. For a stone wall stack hard candy, using frosting as cement to keep them in place. The last thing you should do is the icicles. With your bag of frosting place tip on edge of Graham cracker roof. Squeeze enough frosting to make a hanging icicle.

How to Make Homemade Bell Ornaments

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.

What to do: Cut off top of egg carton.
Flip over so carton looks like rows 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.

Share a Holiday Memory

This week take time to share one happy holiday memory from your childhood with your child (sadly if you can't remember one use a memory from your adulthood). You can share a memory which involves a relative or a friend. Share funny memories, like the dog running away with the wrapping paper or stealing the turkey. Hopefully, your child will remember this memory and share it with their children.

Box inside Box Present

Variation of the box inside a box present giving. (If you don't know what this is it goes like this, you buy a small present. You put this gift inside a small box. Then you put this box in a larger box. That box goes in a larger box. This box goes in a larger box. And so on. For a nice touch gold boxes inside gold boxes looks pretty.) What your child can do: He/She can make a present. Let's say they make a bracelet for Mom. They can put this in a clip box (So Mom thinks she's getting a box of clips). Then the clip box can go inside a drill box (So Mom thinks she's getting a drill). Then the drill box can go inside a dog toy bag (I've seen kids and Mom laugh at this). The dog toy bag can inside a work boot box or a Chia Pet box. Now wrap this present with holiday paper. Make sure your spouse has a good sense of humor before you do this variation on a box inside a box. And oddly sometimes Mom really might have wanted the drill from the drill box or the Chia pet

Santa's Secret Peppermint Cookie Recipe

Santa's Secret Peppermint Cookies:
Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.
In first bowl- Sift in 1 1/2 cups of flour. Add 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 second bowl- Cream together 2/3 cup of butter with 1/2 cup of firmly packed brown sugar.

In this second bowl- Blend in 1 egg and 2 tablespoons of molasses. Beat well.
Then add 1/2 cup of crushed peppermint candy (put candy canes in two 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. Makes around 3 1/2 dozen cookies.

Frost cookies after they have cooled or frosting will melt down cookie. If desired, 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.

Book Review: The Christmas Cobwebs

The Christmas Cobwebs, by Odds Bodkin. Pictures by Terry Widener. A fire breaks out at a cobbler’s shop. The family flees as their house burns. The cobbler saves his special glass Christmas ornaments. But he has to sell them to buy new cobbler tools and to provide for his family. The family moves to another location. The cobbler tells his wife not to take down the spiders’ cobwebs in the house since he knows how it feels to lose your home. In thanks the spiders spin cobweb ornaments for their Christmas tree. Unique story with pictures that match.

Decorate with Christmas Tree Branches

Use the extra pine branches under your Christmas tree. After you cut your tree to size use the left over branches. Drape them over a large mirror. Then add fake or real red berry branches. Weave a thick gold ribbon in and out of branches. Add hanging cherubs on branches if you desire. You can also do this on your banister as well.

Movie title: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and...

Movie title: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and the Island of Misfit Toys. Animation with Music. A dentist elf needs to fix the King of the Misfit Toy’s tooth. Rudolph the Reindeer goes with him. On the way back they get shipwrecked. They end up at an island run by a hippo, Queen Camilla. She fixes old and broken toys. But she has no-one to give these toys to. Rudolph suggests the toys can go to Santa. As a reward for this Camilla says she will grant the elf and reindeer a wish each. Rudolph wants a normal nose and the elf wants a date with the tooth fairy. Back at the North Pole, Santa’s toy warehouse has been robbed. Camilla’s toys are taken too. A toy taker in a blimp has stolen them. Rudolph, his girlfriend, the elf with Abominable Snowman and gold miner in tow pretend they are toys so the toy taker will take them. Once in the blimp they go after the toy taker. He escapes, but later is captured. This is where the big surprise comes in, just who is the toy taker? Nice ending. As an adult I actually enjoyed this show. It’s nice that in the end Rudolph doesn’t want a normal nose. He’s okay with being different. The highlight of the movie for me was when the hippo sings her song. It’s catchy and cute.

Where to Find Cheap Stocking Stuffers

For inexpensive stocking stuffers check out your city's China Town. As little kids, my nieces would buy their holiday gifts there. They got them at cheap prices, which is all they could afford.

Simple Candle Gift

Save funny or cute metal mint tins. Make a candle container out of it. Melt wax, pour in tin and put in wick. Make sure wick is not lead based.

Holiday Punch

Need a little extra punch for your holiday party? Here's a tasty one: In a punch bowl pour half a gallon of 7Up. Add a fourth of a gallon of orange sherbet to it. Taste punch. Add more sherbet if you like. If you have a larger punch bowl you can mix more punch and 7Up together.

Cheap Wrapping Paper

Tired of paying too much for wrapping paper? Then get a roll of butcher's paper. First wrap present with butcher's paper. Then have your child color pictures on it. Or they can press fun holiday stamps on it from an ink pad. You most likely can find holiday ink pads at your local craft store. Or have your child cut out and glue pictures on it from old Christmas cards or holiday magazines. If the present is fragile have your child color or stamp paper before you wrap it.

Book Review: Carl’s Christmas

Carl’s Christmas, by Alexandra Day. This is a true picture book. With the exception of the first page, all the other pages show through pictures how Carl the Rottweiler babysits his owner’s baby on Christmas Eve. In reality I don’t think it’s okay for a dog to babysit a baby, but this book is pure fantasy. Carl takes really good care of his charge. Santa rewards him. I love the illustrations.

Science Day: Cooking and Science

Science Day: Scientists keep learning. They fine tune what they are working on to discover what works best. You can do the same in the kitchen. As a kitchen scientist pick a chocolate cake recipe (or a box mix will do) and substitute the water needed for buttermilk. See how changing one simple ingredient can make all the difference. In this case the cake will be yummier. Seriously it will! The sourness of the buttermilk emphasizes the chocolate taste. You can also try this, substituent buttermilk with regular milk when it is asked for in a chocolate dessert you bake on a normal basis. Do you like this dessert better using buttermilk or not? If you are really up to the challenge you can bake two small cakes, using buttermilk in one and one with water or milk. Have your family decide which they like best.

How to Live with a Messy Child

1)To get your child to clean their room make a game of it. Time them to see how fast they can put away their books in their bookcase and/or how long it takes to put their dirty clothes in the hamper. If you have more than one child have a timed competition. But make it a win-win situation for both kids, like both get 15 minutes extra on the computer or they can make cookies with you.

2)If you have two kids who share a room and one is driving the other batty with their mess you can divide things in half in the room. Each child can have their own shelf on the bookcase. Their own area in the closet and their own drawers. With the top of a dresser do not divide it in half by using masking tape. My cousin did this with me and it ruined the antique dresser. Use a string or ribbon on top.

3)It is hard to get teenagers to clean their room. If they are basically well behaved and that is their only problem you might not want to make a big issue of it. But this is what you can do: Close the door so you do not have to look at the mess. Then set ground rules like, no food can be left on the floor for the ants to get; glasses or liquids also can not be on the floor in case they to tip over; there needs to have a clear path to the closet, window, dresser, and door; dirty clothes piled on the ground will not cleaned; they need to open the window for fresh air sometimes or they need a plugged in air freshener, especially if they have an animal in the room (Caged animals need to have their cages cleaned once a week. The smell of a stinky cage can drive you out of a room. Also, the smell can drift out in the hallway if there is a crack under the door.)

4)Remember just because your child is messy as a kid or teenager does not mean they will be messy as an adult. I was messy as a kid and I am not anymore. I also had a teenage brother who lived in room that looked like he lived in disaster area, plus, his room smelled to high heaven. In his twenties when he got married his wife would have none of that.

To Have or Have Not Juice

I have been told having tall glasses of juice, whether it be orange, apple, grape juice, etc. everyday, more than once a day, is the way of the past for young kids. It's just too much sugar to have. The short orange juice glasses you see served in restaurants are the "in" juice glass again. If your child absolutely loves juice try giving them half water half juice. If they’re having too much of this per day you might try mixing in two ounces of juice with six ounces of water. Some kids just don’t like the taste of plain water.

Movie Review: Ice Age

Movie Title: Ice Age. Animation. Rated PG. PG rating was probably given due to the fighting and slapstick scenes. I saw this movie with a nine-year-old boy. He thought it was funny. As grown up, I thought it was middle of the road. The movie takes place during the Ice Age when woolly mammoths, saber-tooth tigers and Neanderthals roamed the earth. It has a simple plot: A sloth, mammoth, saber-tooth tiger, and saber-tooth squirrel join forces to return a pee-wee Neanderthal to his people.

Overeating Tip

A friend of mine says she eats a small amount of foods like cheese and nuts, or has a glass of milk to make her feel full. She said the fats in these foods make her satisfied so she won’t snack on cookies or potatoes chips. After talking to her I read an article from a doctor who said that if you want to lose weight you have to eat foods that give you fuel and satisfy your appetite rather than just eating surgery fruits (peaches, plums, yes even apples) or eating lettuce and carrots all day. He said people need to have more natural fats. It will make you full and give you energy. Yes, these types of foods do have more calories but he pointed out if don’t have enough calories you won’t feel like exercising because your body is lacking fuel. Which can backfire. When you eat well you give your body fuel and energy to exercise for a fit, toned body. He said what my brother told me years ago, “Stop eating when you are full.” Which is hard when you have cookies around. (You might want someone to hide them from you.) Also, think about this? Are you eating the cookies because you are famished or because you crave something sweet? When you are full, but just want to eat anyway, chew tasty gum, or leave the room that has food in it and start a project to keep your mind off eating more. Another hint: Eat before you are famished so you don’t over eat and regret it. Plus eat, and then wait a bit. You might find you are satisfied with only a sandwich if you give yourself time to feel satisfied. If you hurry and eat a sandwich, then eat a banana, a plum, and four cookies you haven’t given your body to be satisfied with just the sandwich or the sandwich and banana. Also, drink water before you eat. It fills you up. If you forget before a meal at least drink water with the meal.

Scrumptious Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies might sound strange, but they taste great!
Make them with with your kids this Thankgiving. Give a batch to grandma and grandpa.

What you need:
1) 1 cup of pumpkin
2) 2 cups of flour
3) 1 cup of brown sugar
4) 1/2 cup of real butter
5) 1 egg
6) 2 teaspoons of cinnamon
7) 1 1/2 tablespoons of vanilla extract
8) 2 teaspoons of baking powder
9) 1 teaspoon of baking soda
10) 1/2 teaspoon of salt
11) 1 1/2 teaspoons of milk
12) 2 1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips

What you need to do: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In mixing bowl put in pumpkin, sugar, egg and butter. Blend in electric mixer for best results. In a different bowl put flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Mix baking soda with milk in a tiny bowl and stir in. Pour one bowl into another and mix in mixer. Add vanilla, making sure it gets mixed in well! Add chocolate chips, making sure they get mixed in dough well, too. Using a spoon put cookie dough on greased cookie sheets. Bake for 11 minutes. Enjoy!

Parenting Tip- Take the Oatmeal Challenge.

A friend of mine had a daughter that felt sluggish in the mornings at school. Yes, she was having breakfast, but it was sugared cereal. For two weeks my friend had her daughter eat a hearty bowl of oatmeal (she could sprinkle a tablespoon of sugar on top) for breakfast. She said it made a difference. Her daughter was more alert at school. You might want to test this out for yourself.

Book Review: The Thanksgiving Story

"The Thanksgiving Story" by Alice Dalgliesh. Illustrated by Helen Sewell. A book for third to fourth graders. It's true there isn't a lot of Thanksgiving books in the library compared to other books you can check out, but I would pass on this book anyway if you found it. You do learn information about the pilgrims but it was given in a boring manner. I found it so dull I took a look at the copyright date and wasn't surprised it said 1954. Overall this book could have been more exciting. Nowadays there are writers and illustrators who make learning about history fun. I have to state it was noted in the author's notes that the text and pictures in this book were purposely made simple. I got the point- it was a simpler time when the Pilgrims lived in America. But unfortunately I still thought the pictures were blah and text was just plain humdrum. This is one book that can go to the book sale to buy new library books.

A Thanksgiving Arts and Craft Project: Candle Centerpiece

What you need: Styrofoam the size of a rectangular brick. Orange or green paint. Paint brush. Three tapered candles. Foliage from yard like autumn leaves, a twig with berries …

What to do: Paint Styrofoam. Let dry. Stick candles in row in the middle of it. Place foliage around base.
If you light candles make sure when they melt they don’t get too close to Styrofoam or foliage. To be safe this project should be for decoration only.

Parenting Article: Qualities to being a Good Parent

Qualities to being a Good Parent Part 1

Someone asked me what I thought were the most important qualities/attributes to being a good parent. I thought about it and came up with a list of ten.

1)Above all Love Your Child.
Love is an action not just mere words. Love should not be confused with spoiling a child. You also should not have to pick which you love more, your spouse or your child. Each relationship is separate. Besides it is like comparing apples to oranges. And remember your child is a separate entity from you. Just because you like baseball does not mean they have to.

2)Patience.
Especially when you’ve had a hard day and your child is being extra trying.

3)Kindness.
Be kind and you will get kindness in return. (But maybe not the same day.)

4)Empathy. For your child and others.
When you are empathetic you are displaying compassion and understanding. A big thanks to all parents who do this.

5)Caring. For family and society.
One way to teach your child to care is by doing good works for others. And I do not
mean just forking money over to a charity for a tax break. I mean giving your time. A child is more likely to help with worthy causes now and later in life if
they witness their parents doing so.

6)Consistency.
Children like to be safe. Consistency in rules, behavior, how you act, etc. gives them security.

7)The ability to give consequences and stick to them.
Some parents have problems being the heavy. Society needs your cooperation here. One day your child will be living on their own and among us. Every society appreciates good citizens.

8)Control your temper.
Calm parenting is much more effective. Yelling and throwing a tantrum ruins your creditability.

9)Teach your child how to fit in society properly.
By this I mean teaching your child good hygiene, good manners, how to get along with others and how to make friends. Some children are shy so it is especially important to show them how to make friends.

10)Take an interest in what your child likes and dislikes.
Even if you are not very good at sports but your child is, you can still enjoy sports together. You can watch a baseball game together or GO TO THEIR HOME GAMES if they play a sport. And you can always find time for a tea party. As far as taking an interest in what a child does not like, an example of this: if they do not like teddy bears why would you keep giving them one?

Movie Review: Madagascar

Movie Title: Madagascar. Animation film. Rated PG. It's an okay film. Not great, not bad. It has its moments. I expected Madagascar to be better from its trailers.
Story line: A zebra at New York's Central Park zoo makes a break for it. His three friends, a hippo, giraffe, and lion, go after him. The animals are all caught and returned to the zoo. An animal rights group, thinking the animals escaped because they don't like being in captivity, get the animals sent back to their homeland via boat. On route home an accident occurs and the crates carrying the four friends falls in the ocean. The animals end up in Madagascar. There they have to learn to get along to survive. The lion (voice of Ben Stiller) and the zebra (voice of Chris Rock) are the best characters in the movie.

Book Review: 'Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving

For Thanksgiving- 'Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving by Dav Pilkey. A truly amusing Thanksgiving picture book, written like 'Twas the Night Before Christmas as if it were an ode to it. Mr. Pilkey even writes about eight turkeys with comical names like the reindeers in 'Twas the Night Before Christmas. I highly recommend 'Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving. It's jolly good fun.

Children and Verbal and Non-verbal Communication

People communicate in different ways. They express how they feel verbally and non-verbally. Verbal expression is telling someone how you feel. "Please don't say that. That hurts my feelings." Non-verbal expression is showing with your face and/or body movements how you feel. Teaching kids to watch facial expressions and body language in others is important. Let's say your child takes the ball away from a classmate because they’re mad at how the handball game is going. The classmate might hunch their shoulders and look sad because of this. Or give your child an angry look. This is non-verbal expression of how they feel about the matter. They're not happy. When this happens have your child: Stop. Look. Focus. They are to stop what they're doing. Look to see how their actions are making someone feel. Then focus on their behavior. They can make things better by giving the ball back and saying, "Sorry, I took the ball. Go ahead, it's your turn." Paying attention to others feelings is how you keep friends.

Birthday Fun

For a special birthday your child will remember for years to come. Wrap five small presents. Hide them where your child will find them as they go about their day. Example: Put a present in their toothbrush drawer, their shirt drawer, inside their shoe, inside their backpack, on their seat in the car, tie it to the dog leash if they walk the dog… If they don’t find a present where you put it, take the present and put it in a spot they will find it, such as, under their bedcovers.

Parenting Tip on Reducing Sugary Desserts

You can reduce the white sugar intake in your home by substituting the required white sugar in your recipe with something else. I've seen a cook book on this. Also, some fruits are sweet enough alone so offer these types of fruits as a dessert. You can make Mondays and Wednesdays tasty fruit night. Serve mangos slices. Nectarine slices. Cut up watermelon. (Some children are more inclined to eat fruit if it's sliced or cut up.) Fresh strawberries. Blueberries. Dried apricots. Dried peaches. Do not serve fruit your child isn't keen about. This defeats the purpose of getting your child to see that fruit can be a tasty dessert. In other countries other than the U.S. fruit is actually considered a dessert.

Movie Review: Aladdin

Movie Title: Aladdin. Disney animation film. Musical. Robin Williams does an amazing job as the voice of the genie. In fact, his funny antics steal the show. Aladdin's worth renting just because of him. Plot: It's time for Arabian Princess, Jasmine, to marry. However, she has to marry a royal. Along comes a peasant who wants to marry her. Lucky for him he comes across a magic lamp. The Genie in the lamp turns this commoner into a prince. But before Aladdin can marry his princess he must thwart the plan of an evil sorcerer. The movie is appealing to both boys and girls. Side note: A couple of moms have told me they don’t like the mid-drift top Jasmine wears in the movie.

Book Review: Harriet, You’ll Drive Me Wild

“Harriet, You’ll Drive Me Wild,” by Mem Fox. Illustrated by Marla Frazee. I thought the pictures in the book were cute.
This picture book is about a mom who tries to keep her cool when her small child keeps spilling and knocking things over. The mom finally loses it and yells at her daughter. But she’s sorry and apologies to her child. This is something that does happen to parents. It’s important to let your child know even grown-ups can reach a limit and act out.

Marshmallow Crispy Rice Ghost

How to make a Simple Marshmallow Crispy Rice Ghost Treat. This is a great snack for a child’s Halloween party.
What you need: ¼ cup of real butter, 4 cups of marshmallows, 4 ½ cups of crispy rice cereal
What to do: Grease a 9 by 11 or 13 rectangle pan. Or put wax paper inside pan, covering bottom and sides. You the parent melt butter in a pot on low heat. Slowly add marshmallows until they melt. Stir. Turn off stove and put pot on another burner which is cool to the touch. Add crispy rice cereal. Stir mixture well. With a big wooden spoon put marshmallow mixture in rectangle pan. Before mixture hardens cut into figure of a ghost. Take out extra marshmallow treat around ghost and place on a plate. Place two chocolate discs for the ghost’s eyes (chocolate discs can be bought by the bag). Arrange shoe string red licorice in the shape of an O for the mouth.

ALTERNATIVE: The morning of Halloween cut pancakes into ghost shapes. Use chocolate chips for eyes.

Movie Review: Chitty, Chitty Bang-Bang

Movie Title: Chitty, Chitty Bang-Bang. Kid movie with music. Rated G. Though the Child Catcher may be scary for young kids! I know it was for me when I was little.

Eccentric inventor and widowed father Mr. Potts creates some pretty nifty stuff. But nothing as cool as his flying and floating car. Potts, at the wheel of his flying car, travels to Vulgaria with his children and girlfriend, Truly Scrumptious. Ms. Scrumptious is the daughter of a candy magnate. Once in Vulgaria they think it's strange there are no children around. A horrible man, the Child Catcher, catches children and puts them in his jail like vehicle. Scene not to be missed: Potts (the talented song and dance man Dick Van Dyke) and Scrumptious do a dance routine dressed up as puppets. The Potts children are saved in the end, but for some little kids the Child Catcher is so creepy it could give them nightmares. By age ten or eleven, kids shouldn't be so disturbed by this.

Make a Ghost for Halloween

Easy Halloween Decoration: A big floating ghost. Take an old white bed sheet and wrap it over a rubber ball. (The rubber ball is the head.) Cut about a foot of string. Tie string under the ball, on the outside of the sheet, to keep ball inside sheet. Make a face on the ghost with a marker (you can make a big O for the mouth). For a funny ghost put a wig on it, or glue yarn on it for head hair, or a make a yarn mustache or beard. Tie sheet, from underneath ball, to high branch or to the porch beam.

Arts and Craft: Home made piñata

Home made piñata which is easy for little kids to break open. This Halloween if your kids aren't going trick-or-treating give them candy from a piñata. This piñata is also great for birthday parties, other holiday parties, a school party, or a family gathering.

What you will need: Bags of wrapped candy. Brown paper grocery bag with handles. Brown lunch bag. Newspaper. Black felt. Black yarn. Cardboard. Construction paper. Scissors. Child friendly paint. Glue. Stapler. Brown packing tape. Ribbon.
To make a witch. Lunch bag will be the head. Since the grocery bag will be the body make sure the face is symmetrical with the body. Paint witch face on upside down lunch bag. Your child can cut out a long nose from cardboard and staple it on bag. Now stuff newspaper in the lunch bag. You should put enough newspaper to fill out the lunch bag to make the head as stiff as possible. Tie ribbon, tight, around bottom of lunch bag so newspaper will not come out. Glue black yarn on for hair. Make a witch hat and staple it on head.

Using the felt cut out two arms and hands, and two legs and shoes. Staple arms to sides and legs to bottom of upright grocery bag. Your child can make a broom out of cardboard. Staple it underneath legs so witch is flying. When you are ready to use piñata put candy in grocery bag. Tape top of grocery bag shut so candy can't fall out. Staple on head to the bag body.

The rope to pull the piñata up and down should be put through the back bag handle. Use a tall tree branch, patio rafter, or basketball hoop to help ease the piñata up and down. Since you will blindfold the child and turn them around before they hit they piñata with the end of a broom don't worry if the piñata isn't strong enough. I've seen piñatas so well made an adult has to step in and break them. It's more fun if a child has a chance to break it. Using the same simple idea above, you can make other types of piñatas- a cat, monster, fairy (make wings for the back)…

Movie Review: Tooth Fairy

Movie Title: Tooth Fairy. Comedy. Rated PG. I sat through this movie but I wouldn't want to sit through it again. That said my fellow movie viewers, two kids under the age of eleven, liked it. Kids are easier to please I figure. I did like the performance from Julie Andrews though.
Plot: When a hockey player squashes a child's hopes he is sentenced to be a tooth fairy for a week. He has to wear the outfit and all. The movie has its funny moments, but it's a predictable movie overall.

Stimulate your child’s imagination.

Tonight at bedtime start a made up tale with “Once upon a time” for your child. The story can be about them or the adventures of their pet or a fairy princess/prince. If you aren’t sure you can do this tonight spend tomorrow thinking about a story you can make up for them. By you making up a story for your child you are teaching them about using their imagination. You are opening up their creative mind.

Find out the Facts Before Disciplining your Child

Have you ever yelled at your child for doing something before finding out the whole story? As a parent you should find out what happened before you discipline your child. I will give you three reasons why. Number one, you do not want to teach your child to jump to conclusions. If you do this, they will see it, and do the same. Children mimic adult behavior. Number two, before you can justify giving a consequence you need to find out what really happened. You do not want to discipline your child for something they did not do wrong. Number three, some children embellish what occurred, habitually. You need to let them tell their version of the story first so afterwards you can say, "No Jack, that did not happen. I saw you break the vase with my own eyes. So do not lie." By saying this you are not letting Jack get away with his lie. Jack might get upset and cry when you tell him he is lying. He even might say you do not understand. But you really do. You understand he is trying to get away with lying by masking it with tears or indignation that you think he would lie. You need to be strong and not let him get away with telling tales. You should also let Jack know there will be X consequence for lying. And stick to giving the consequence!

Sample scenario: You are in your den and just got off the phone. You enter the dining room. You see a soccer ball in the corner and your son holding a broken plate. To your horror, you notice it is your Great Grandma's hand painted plate. Upset, you start yelling, "How did my plate break?! Jack I've told you a thousand times not play ball in the dining room. Why did you do it? Upstairs, young man!" Jack tries to explain what happened but you interrupt him with, "No excuses! I am so angry!" Sure in the past you might have caught Mike playing ball in the dining room, which he knows he should not do, but what happens if it was not him who broke the plate? What if it was his sister, Sue, who while you were entering the dining room went in the kitchen to look for glue to glue the plate? What if it was Sue who was playing in the dining room and broke the plate? What if Jack came in the room when he heard the crash and Sue told him to hold the plate while she got some glue? I know it can be very hard to keep your cool when an object you love is broken, especially when you have told your children many times not to touch it or play near it. But you need to set the tone. Try to remain calm. You need to teach your children to find out all the facts before correcting someone. Teach them to be fair.

Movie Review: The Swan Princess

Movie Title: The Swan Princess. Animation film. Rated G. This is movie for little girls. It's got the beautiful princess. An evil sorcerer. A curse the princess must overcome. And a handsome prince. Despite all this it's watchable for adults. Of course I wouldn't rent it for myself, but if a little girl asked if I'd watch it with her I wouldn't cringe. Trust me with some kid movies I actually do this. I'm not keen on predictable boring movies. Plus, I'm past the Saturday morning cartoon stage in my life. The movie is based on a children's fairy tale of the same name. In this version a princess is turned into a swan by a sorcerer. Only true love can set her free. Everything in-between is just to get to the happy ending.

Arts and Craft Project: Decorate a purse

Arts and Craft Project. Girls will like this one. Go to the Good Will, Salvation Army or a garage sale and buy a purse with a hard surface. Other items needed: Glue that dries clear. Tiny colored beads. One or two pretty postcards (famous picture at a museum/flowers/Paris...). Small can of Polyurethane. Paint brush.

What to do: Glue each postcard to middle section of purse. You the parent in ventilated area brush Polyurethane over postcard(s). Let dry. Now put a line of glue all around edges of postcard. Sprinkle beads in glue. Let dry. You can decorate purse more by using bigger beads or interesting buttons. Or if you’re making a French themed purse cut out French words or phrases, or pictures of French food. Glue them on purse. Polyurethane over. If you use extra pictures or cut out phrases I actually suggest you glue them on with the postcards in the beginning. Then Polyurethane all over side of purse. Then glue on beads. I made such a purse myself and had somebody offered to buy it from me.

Picture Book for Older Kids: Max’s Words

“Max’s Words,” by Kate Banks. Pictures by Boris Kulikov. Picture book for older kids-age five to ten. Top notch picture book! I love the pictures and they match the great story perfectly. I recommend grandparents giving this book to their grandkids. The story is about a boy, Max, who wants to collect things like his brothers. Max starts collecting words. He cuts them out of newspapers and magazines. His brothers might collect stamps and coins, but they can’t do what Max’s words can do, create sentences and stories.
Here is a book you can learn from. Have your own child cut out words from magazines and make funny sentences with them.

Parenting Tip: Fire Alarms

Today, go around your house to make sure all your ceiling fire detectors work. If they need new batteries install them. Fire detectors save lives so make sure to put them in all bedrooms, the den, family room, living room, kitchen, dining room, long hallways, basement laundry room (And make sure to clean out your laundry filter after every load and your hose every so often so a fire won’t start).

Movie Review: The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle

Movie Title: The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle. Rated PG. I was reluctant to watch this movie because I heard it wasn't very good. And true to what I heard it wasn't very good. It wasn't even okay. It was boring. I cringed while watching it. I'd rather clean the cupboards than have to watch this movie again. To be honest I never liked the cartoon Rocky and Bullwinkle. But still this movie was absolutely mind-numbingly dull. It was totally unexciting. I don’t recommend renting it.
Fearless Leader and two of his Russian cohorts, Boris and Natasha, turn from cartoon characters to actual people. They try to kill cartoon characters Rocky and Bullwinkle, a squirrel and a moose. Fearless leader wants to take over the government and he wants the American people to vote for him as their leader. With the help of a female FBI agent, Rocky and Bullwinkle make a pitch to the American people to vote for who they want.

Science Day- Why a Cut Swells

Why does a cut swell? The swelling is a reaction to the cut. When the cut occurs the surface of the skin gets inflamed (swells). What it's doing is telling the body to begin clotting and start the healing process. Some plants can help our skin. American Indians used healing plants in their everyday lives. Even today extracts from plants, like aloe vera, are touted in cosmetic products as beneficial.

If your child is NOT allergic to aloe vera you can do the following experiment. Buy a small aloe vera plant if you don’t have one. At a time when your child gets a tiny scrap try this: Wash the scrap with antibacterial soap and water. Cut off a leave of the aloe vera plant. Cut through, showing the soft middle. Put this exposed aloe on scrap. Aloe has a natural substance called salicylates which is why aloe is known to be anti-inflammatory and used as a pain relief treatment. Does your child think the aloe helped with the pain? Did the aloe aid in healing?

Book Review: Doggone Dogs!

Another great picture book written by Karen Beaumont. “Doggone Dogs!” Pictures by David Catrow. A very funny dog book. The pictures are excellent! The story is about ten naughty dogs who don’t obey. They run to the park and get into trouble. It wasn’t clear to me if they’re going to obedience school in the park or not, but as the dogs are running around the dog trainer quits. Little kids who love dogs should like this book.

Candied Almond Recipe: Dessert to make with Teenager

Candied Almond Recipe for Parents/Grandparents to bake with a teenager. The ingredients get hot so this is a cooking project to do with your teen, NOT your young child. But younger siblings will like the end result.
Ingredients you will need:
2 cups of almonds
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons butter
1 and ½ tablespoons cinnamon

You will also need:
Saucepan
Big spoon
2 cookie sheets
Non-stick cooking spray or butter for cookie sheet
Metal spaghetti spoon (spoon with holes in it)
Metal spatula
Plate

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Spread almonds out on cookie sheet.
Place in oven.
Bake for 15 minutes depending on your oven. Watch almonds so they don’t burn. Flip them over every so often so they roast on both sides.
In saucepan put honey and butter. Melt them on medium heat. When melted, reduce heat to medium-low. Let simmer for 2 ½ minutes. Stir occasionally.
Add roasted almonds to saucepan. Stir occasionally for 2 ½ minutes.
Spray other cookie sheet with cooking spray or rub butter on it.
With metal spaghetti spoon transfer almonds to sprayed or buttered cookie sheet.
Now add cinnamon and sugar to saucepan. Stir then carefully add almonds again to saucepan. Stir more.
After cinnamon and sugar is evenly coated on almonds place them back on oiled cookie sheet. Put in broiler for several seconds so sugar can caramelize.
With metal spatula take almonds off cookie sheet and put on plate. Let cool!
Do not let children under three have nuts. They can choke. Watch your older child (age three to five) eat the almonds to make sure they don’t choke on them.

Movie Review; The Last Unicorn

Movie Title: The Last Unicorn. Animation film. Rated G. This is a film for kids who like unicorns. My niece when she was little really liked this movie. It's not a funny film, but as an adult it's watchable if you have to watch it with a child. The cute unicorn might have something to do with it. But it's not the best animation.
Plot: A unicorn searches for her siblings. A wizard turns her into a maiden. As fantasy life would have it a prince meets her and falls madly in love with her. But she's a unicorn. Not the best animation.

Take Time to Do Something Special with your Child

Put aside one day to make a special dinner with your child. Have them decide on the menu, go grocery shopping with you, and help cook the meal. To make things extra special, have them set the table with the good china or a dinner pattern they like.

Arts and Craft Project with Photos

Present idea for Grandma and Grandpa: Find twelve pictures of your child from different stages in their life with and without Grandma/Grandpa. Make a calendar from these photos. Some computer programs make such calendars. Otherwise take the pictures to a specialty store where they can be made into a calendar. Another idea- You can take one or two of the photos and take it to a place where they can copy the picture(s) on a mug. I've seen small stands at the mall that do this. Next time you're at the mall ask the information station about such stands.

Your child can also make a pretend picture clock with 12 photos. Have your child cut out their face in 12 pictures (starting from baby to age now). Glue them in a circle around a paper plate or a round piece of cardboard. Then in the middle of the plate draw a fake hour and minute hand, each pointing to a photo.

Parenting Tip: Easier Clean Up

Do your kids use lots of dishes, making cleaning a hassle for you? Than with a permanent marker write each child’s name on a cup. (Or put masking tape on a cup and write their name on that.) They are to use this cup all day long. They can rinse it out if need be. Since this cuts down on the amount of dishes you have to wash you’re helping the environment. To cut down on the amount of plates and bowls used, have a matching color for each child. Cindy gets a pink bowl and plate. Billy blue. Kathy yellow. You can do this with cups too. So instead of a child reaching for a new bowl every time they have a snack or a new cup for water, they reuse their bowl or cup.

Book Review: No Sleep For The Sheep!

“No Sleep For The Sheep!” by Karen Beaumont. Pictures by Jackie Urbanovic. A very cute picture book! The story is about a sheep who is trying to get some sleep in a barn. A new barn animal keeps coming in and waking the sheep up. The sheep tells each animal one by one to go to sleep. A very tired sheep sleeps in the next morning. The pictures are well done and match the story perfectly.

Parenting Tip

Baby sign language. I was told it’s easier to teach a baby a hand signal for something than how to say the word for it. My sister-in-law taught her baby a sign for “more” even though he couldn’t say it. She started knocking her (knuckled) fists together to show him “more,” as in do you want more food? More play time? More books to be read? I saw him do it himself when he indeed wanted more. In fact, it started looking as if he was arguing with her in sign language. Once he wanted more books and kept doing the “more” sign even though she told him it was time to go to sleep.

Movie Review: Road to Utopia

Movie Title: Road to Utopia. One of the Hope and Crosby Road Trip movies. Comedy. Family movie.
My nephew and I loved this movie! I've seen Road to Utopia over and over and I'm never bored. Vaudeville isn't working out for Chester (Bob Hope) and Duke (Bing Crosby). They head for colder pastures in Alaska. On the way there they get mixed up with two ruffians, Sperry and McGurk. The pair have on them a stolen gold mine map. To dodge authorities, Hope and Crosby pose as Sperry and McGurk. They soon learn there's more to these bad men than they thought. The town is scared stiff of them. They have the worst reputations around. This movie is Hope and Crosby at their best. And finally Hope gets Lamour in the end. However, Crosby still bests him in the very end. I highly recommend this movie for families with kids age ten and older.

Last Dog Days of Summer Dog Tip

Do you hate it when your kids yell at the dog when you're on the phone or eating dinner? Well here's good news, dogs can learn sign language for commands. Get a book on it or make up your own sign language. My dog knows the hand stop sign for stop. Palm down for sit. Palm upwards to get up. Two palms way down for lie down. One finger over the mouth for Shh! And other non-verbal commands. I’ve been told dogs can learn sign language easier than verbal commands.

Arts and Craft Project

Decorate a wooden bookcase or toy box.
Items needed: Wrapping paper with designs (footballs/teacups/cats/dogs/gnomes…) Scissors. Glue stick. Small can of Polyurethane. Paint brush.

Have your child cut out designs from wrapping paper. Next have them glue designs where they want them on the shelf or toy box. Let dry. In ventilated area (meaning do project outside or open all windows in room) you the parent brush Polyurethane over designs or over whole top of shelf/toy box. Let dry in ventilated.

Book Review: Diamond Jim Dandy and the Sheriff

“Diamond Jim Dandy and the Sheriff,” by Sarah Burell. Pictures by Bryan Langdo. I had mixed feeling about this book, so I had a friend read it. She too ended up with the same opinion as me; you shouldn’t have children think playing with a rattlesnake in any way is okay. They are dangerous. I have no idea with such a great premise the writer used a rattlesnake as the hero. Why not use a king snake? I think it came down to the rattle on the rattlesnake. The baby in the story grabs it after falling down a cliff and the snake saves her. But I personally think it is wrong to send a message to kids that if you grab a rattlesnake’s rattle you won’t get bit. Maybe if she saw kids in the hospital who have been bitten by rattlesnakes the author, who otherwise is a fine writer, would have made the snake a different kind. And maybe my friend and I are being extra harsh because we live near rattlesnakes and we know people who've had their beloved dogs die after getting bit by rattlesnakes.

Summer dog tip

I met a vet who told me to pass on the news that on hot summer days do not take your dog on hikes in the middle of the day. He has seen dogs come in for heat stroke this way. He said in summer, at his practice, more dogs die of heat stroke than from rattle snake bites. Take your dog for a walk in the cool morning or in the evening when the sun is down. Someone, not a vet, told me if your dog's tonuge is getting purple than they are getting overheated. I personally don't know if this is true or not.

Movie Review: Sister Act

Movie Title: Sister Act. Comedy. Rated PG. For older children and teens. This movie is worth renting. If it's not on your movie list, put it there. The plot is great. And it's extremely funny in places. The movie starts out with lounge singer Delores (Whoopie Goldberg) witnessing her mobster boyfriend telling his thug to shoot a man. (It sounds bad, but there is no blood and a silencer is used so it's not loud). Delores goes to the Feds who hide her out in a nunnery until they can bring her boyfriend to trial. Delores, who's as close to nun as a Frankfurter, has to learn to fit in at the convent. She even has to disguise herself and wear a habit. With her background as a singer, Mother Superior gives Delores the job of instructing the choir how to sing. The sisters learn to sing some mighty upbeat choir tunes with some words changed from oldie songs.

Make Super Easy Homemade Fruit Ice Cream

Easy Homemade Fruit Ice Cream

This Fruit Ice Cream is so good you’ll ask for it in Heaven.
Serves four to five people.

What ingredients you will need to make this Fruit Ice Cream: 5 cups of frozen fruit (Peaches, Strawberries, Blueberries. All make tasty ice cream.); one teaspoon of vanilla; half a cup of Fructose (I got mine from Whole Foods grocery store) If you don’t have Fructose you can use regular sugar but end result won’t taste as heavenly; one and half cups of heavy whipping cream.

What you need to do:
1-Put all five cups of frozen fruit in your Cuisinart. It should fill half the bowl. If you don’t have a Cuisinart you can use your blender, but be careful not to over blend ice cream. Honestly, this ice cream tastes better if you can make it in a Cuisinart. I can say this because I did a tried and true test on it. Press Pulse on your Cuisinart a few times to crush fruit. (Or blend slowly in blender.)

2-Add Fructose or sugar and vanilla. Always do this before adding heavy whipping cream. Press Pulse again. (Or blend).

3-Add heavy whipping cream. Mix again. Taste. You might want to add more sugar or more cream depending on your taste. Serve fruit ice cream right away or place ice cream in bowls and put in freezer to serve when ready.

Car Game

Car game to keep bored children occupied:
Have parent or child start a story. After a couple of minutes have them stop. Have another child pick up the story, using their imagination. After a couple of minutes have them stop. Have another child or adult continue the story. Keep going around the car. The story will get funnier and funnier.

Dog Tip for Summer

In the summer when your dog sheds more brush them every week to cut down on the dog hairs in your home. Vacuum/sweep house weekly. There are some digestible products I've read about that say when given to your dog it cuts down on shedding. One you put in their water. Ask your vet about such products.

Movie Review: The Nutty Professor

Movie Title: The Nutty Professor. Comedy. 1963 version starring Jerry Lewis. This is my favorite Jerry Lewis movie where he isn't paired with Dean Martin. 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 this 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 this new personality, Buddy Love. But the potion keeps wearing off at the most inopportune times. Will Julius ever find true love?

Parenting Article: Get Your Child to Listen to You

Do you ever feel that your child is not really listening to what you are telling them? Do they focus on only one or two words or only one aspect of what you are saying? Whether you are correcting them, giving them instructions or explaining something to them it can be frustrating when your child or teen will not listen to EVERYTHING you have to say. If your child only listens to part of what you are saying they aren’t getting the full benefit of what you are attempting to communicate.

Seven reasons why children might not fully listen:
1) Your child has focus problems.
2) They are angry/upset for not seeing things their way.
3) They are angry/upset that you are correcting them.
4) They are embarrassed you are correcting them in front of a friend.
5) They think they already understand what you want.
6) They are not interested in what you are saying.
7) They do not think your idea or information has sufficient merit to give you their whole attention.

Your child or teen may not completely understand what you are trying to convey if they do not let you finish talking. Unfortunately, I have seen kids get caught up with a single aspect of a bigger picture. They hone in on it. And because of this they interrupt you with: "But Mom he started it." "You’re taking his side!" "Dad you don't understand." Or "I don't agree." What is worse, some kids will tune you out. When this occurs I suggest you take a deep breathe. And if they are upset have your child do the same. Tell them to please not interrupt you as you speak and to listen to ALL you have to say. If they refuse to do this, have them go to their room until they cool off. Then try again. Once again start off by telling them to listen to everything you have to say and not just some words. It can be hard. Kids will hear what they want to hear. Some kids more than others. You could repeatedly repeat what you are saying, but if they get fixated on only one or two words they are not grasping the entire meaning of what you are telling them. They are not getting the "whole ball of yarn" they are merely getting snippets. You want your child to comprehend all of what you are saying and why.

Advice:
This is what you can do if you have a child who often has a difficult time listening to you: First politely ask your child or teen to uncross their arms if they tend to so. But do not make an issue of it! I only suggest this to loosen them up emotionally. When a defiant person crosses their arms as you are speaking it often is a sign they are "shutting you out." They are showing you they are unreceptive. From the very start you want your child or teen to be as open as possible to what you have to say.

After this, clearly state they are to listen to ALL you have to say BEFORE they can make a response. When you do speak, cut to the chase. Do not ramble on. Also, do not put too much emphasis on your child making eye contact with you. It is more important they GET what you are trying to say. As you talk if you start to see your child getting upset or annoyed by their body language or facial expression calmly tell them to calm down. Count to seven or ten silently. If they can not control themselves or they cop an attitude, calmly tell them to take a moment or few to collect themselves in their room or another room. Later talk to them again. I propose this because you want to break their thought of not wanting to listen to your position. If you revisit the issue afresh you might have a better time of getting them, to at least, listen to MORE of what you have to say. I realize that with children with OCD they might still be focused on one or two words you had said. In fact, they might be stewing on it if they are alone with nothing to do. Try to get them focused on something else. Have them read a book or do some activity to relax them. This is as much for them as for you. Limit the negative impact their OCD can have on them.

Car game for bored kids

Car game for bored kids to make trip seem shorter.
Starting with the letter A, have everyone in the car, one at a time, say an item, animal or food that starts with A. When no-one can think of anymore A words go to B. When no-one can think of anymore B words go to C. And so on.

Book Review: The Loud Book

“The Loud Book,” by Deborah Underwood. Pictures by Renata Liwska. Cute picture book to read to wee ones. The book is about what the title suggests, loud noises. There are usually only few to several words on each page. All sorts of interesting loud sounds are given with a picture of the noise above it.

Movie Review: Flubber

Movie Title: Flubber. Rated PG. Family movie. Comedy. An absentminded professor (Robin Williams) creates flying rubber and names it Flubber. He hopes his creation will save the college where he works. To show how great Flubber is he puts it on the bottom of the shoes of the men's basketball team. This team is not the hottest team around. But things change thanks to Flubber. Kids will enjoy the funny antics of the fast moving bouncy Flubber. Memo, the professor's flying robot, is also a stand out character. My favorite scene: When the professor puts Flubber in his car's engine and his car starts to fly.

Summer Car Tip

When it's extremely hot out and your car has been sitting in the hot sun be careful about washing it. I know someone who had her car parked in the hot sun and had all the windows closed. During the heat of day she splashed cold water on her windshield and it cracked. She later found out from her auto mechanic she wasn't the first one this happened to. Pressure builds up in a hot car. He suggested that if she parks her car in the driveway when it’s hot out, to roll down two windows, at least an inch, on opposite sides to let the air flow through. If you park on the street be careful of sprinkles!

Summer Gift: Arts and Craft Project

Is your family going to a dinner party/BBQ soon? Would you like to give the host a different and lasting gift? Then make a batch of cookies and put them on a pretty plate that you will decorate in a most unusual way.

Items needed: Clear, flat glass plate. Colored tissue paper, or wrapping paper with designs or pretty patterns on it. Small can of Polyurethane. Paint brush. Clear glue with a brush. Scissors. Pencil. Alternative: Special plate paint (ask for at craft store). Buy two colors.

Place plate on wrapping paper. Trace around it and cut out. Wipe glue on the back of plate. Place wrapping paper cutout on top of glue so picture can be seen from above (where you place cookies). Or have your child cut out different size pieces of colored tissue. Put colored tissue on top of glue. After doing either, you the parent, in ventilated area, brush Polyurethane over wrapping paper or tissue paper. Let dry. The plate must be hand washed. Meaning it isn't dishwasher safe. If you do the alternative project using plate paint. Paint back of plate using a swirl pattern with both colors. I still recommend using Polyurethane on the back to insure that the paint won't chip off.

Movie Review: Yours, Mine & Ours

Movie Title: Yours, Mine & Ours. Old school Comedy-Family Movie.
Henry Fonda plays, Frank Beardsley, a Navy officer who's a widower with ten kids. Lucille Ball plays, Helen North, a navy nurse who's a widow with eight kids.
At a market these two bump into each other with their grocery carts. They start dating. When they finally decide to marry they buy a big Victorian house and move in there with their 18 children. Having that many kids in a house makes for comedy. It's pretty funny to watch the efficient and organized Frank run his household like a well oiled Navy ship.

Dog Days of Summer: Doggy 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 them when they go for a drink. Use a ceramic one. 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 containers which are placed in the heat/sun day after day.

Arts and Craft: Moving picture Book

Make a moving picture book.
This is something I did many times as a child. The easiest way to make a quick picture book is to get a small notepad. Near bottom of each page make a stick figure. Change the position of stick figure on each page slightly. Have the figure run, flip, jump or dance. After making about thirty pictures, quickly flip through bottom of notepad, using your thumb. Figure will look its moving. Now that your child knows how this works they can make more elaborate moving picture books.

How to get white liquid paper or nail polish out of carpet.

To get out white liquid paper or nail polish out of carpet.
If you have a special rug let a professional deal with it. But if the rug is old or not so very special you can try this. (Make sure you have a colorfast rug. Try first in tiny corner so you don't ruin rug.) Blot a small amount of nail polish remover (with acetone) on white liquid paper or nail polish. Blot afterwards with water. Blot dry. This has worked for me.

Book Review: Brownie Groundhog and February Fox

“Brownie Groundhog and February Fox,” by Susan Blackaby. Pictures by Carmen Seqouia. Though the pictures match the simplistic story I didn’t really like this book. Sure the groundhog was cute, but she ties up the fox. Sure a fox shouldn’t want to eat a nice groundhog, but I happen to like foxes. So I was upset when the fox was sad he was left being tied up to a tree. Yes, the groundhog untied the fox, but by that time I wasn’t too keen on the book. On the up side, I liked that the book used words like grousing. This teaches kids words they might not have heard of before.

Movie Review: The Secret Garden

Movie Review: The Secret Garden. Based on the book by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Family film. Rated G. The movie starts off with Mary, a spoiled English girl, living in India with her parents. An earthquake erupts and both her parents are killed. Orphaned now Mary is shipped off to England to live with her emotionally distant uncle and complaining cousin. Though they all live in a big mansion Mary isn't happy with her situation. She meets a new friend and together with her wheelchair bound cousin, they tend a secret garden on the mansion's grounds. This garden awakens feeling in her uncle and he learns to be a better father. Sweet film. Little girls should like it.

Fun Family Activity

Kids getting bored this summer?
This is a creative idea. Get out some old magazines. Have your kids cut out lots of words from them. Then have the kids put the words in a bowl. Have the kids reach in the bowl and take out words using them to make up sentences and stories. Use the words again for new stories. Parents can join in this fun too!

Dog Days of Summer- Dog Tip

Can you lift your dog by yourself and carry them to your car? What if you had to do this in an emergency? If you can't do this all alone, talk to your veterinarian about what to do in case this occurs. Ask if they have a pet ambulance or special van, or use a pet ambulance service. If not ask for a recommendation of a Vet in case of such an emergency. Some taxis will allow dogs in their car, call ahead now to find one. Be prepared. It's nice to have a neighbor that would help you out in such an emergency, but if they aren't home have a backup plan.

Movie Review: Whale Rider

Whale Rider. Drama. Rated PG-13. Twins are born. One dies. The other one lives. The twin who survives is a girl who's born in a patriarchal society. Her tribe believes only males should rule, becoming a whale rider. The movie is about the struggles of a twelve-year-old girl who is a descendant of the ruling whale rider. She shows her grandfather and her community she has what it takes to rule. Good plot. Moving movie.

Book Review: The Boss Baby

“The Boss Baby,” by Marla Frazee. This picture book is amazingly funny! I highly recommend it for parents to be, and parents of babies. Little kids will like it too. The book is about a baby who from the moment he firsts comes to live with his parents he is the Boss. His parents are his staff who cater to his every whim. He even has staff meetings with them. Pacifiers Way Up for this book.

Car Game for Kids- Make Drives Go Faster

Car game to keep bored children occupied, or use for kids who get bored on hikes:
This game will help with children’s memory.
Start with something like this, “I went on a walk.”
Child has to say this line and add something like, “I wore some shoes.”
Next child builds on this saying, “I went on a walk. I wore some shoes. And I took some water.”
Either go to next person or go back to first person.
“I went on a walk. I wore some shoes. And I took some water. I lost my cap.”
Continue adding lines until someone gets mixed up and can't remember story.

Tip for dirty cloth car seats

Are your cloth car seats dirty from juice spills, muddy shoes, peanut butter smudges and smelly yucky stuff? Here’s what I did. I mixed a little ammonia with water. I dabbed the mixture on a cloth and rubbed the dirty areas clean. Pat dry with clean cloth afterwards. Do a test spot first! Leave doors and windows open in car for ventilation while you clean. Ammonia smells! For quick drying use a blow drier on dampish areas.

Movie Review: Overboard

Movie Title: Overboard. Comedy. Rated PG. A perfect summer movie. A spoiled rich woman, Joanna (Goldie Hawn), who treats everyone unkindly, has a carpenter, Dean (Kirk Russell), build a closet for her on her yacht. While sailing one day she falls off the yacht. Because she's not a very nice wife, her husband doesn't bother looking for her. However, the carpenter finds her. Joanna has amnesia and doesn't know who she is. Since she wasn't very nice to him, Dean takes advantage of the situation. He tells her she's his wife. Joanna, who doesn't know the first thing about cooking or cleaning, has to cook, clean and take care of Dean's unruly kids. It's pretty funny. Check it out. Kids eight and older should like it.

Help for Ant Invasion

1) Do you get ants in your dog's food dish? If so, then get a bowl bigger than your dog's food dish. Fill this bowl with a few of inches of water. Put food dish inside bowl of water. The ants don't like going over water to get to dog food.

2) Do you have trouble with ants on your counter? This trick has worked for me. Make a thin circle of salt around where you see the ants coming in. The ants don't like crossing through salt.

Read the back of your over the counter medicine

Here is tip I got from a pharmacist. Make sure you look at any over-the-counter medicine and RX medicine for possible side effects. Then if your child has a side effect you’ll know what it is from. Also, if your child has had one of side effects before you can discuss this with the doctor before giving the medicine. Also, see how old your child needs to be to take the medicine and what dosage they should have. Many over-the-counter medicines are not for children two-years-old and younger.

Movie Review: Crocodile Dundee

Movie Title: Crocodile Dundee. Comedy. Rated PG-13. Note the PG-13, it's not for young kids. Has scary crocodile scene and risqué humor. I saw this movie when it first came out and again maybe six years later, and lately. When it came out I thought the movie was cute. When I watched it again for this review I saw it was somewhat outdated and a tad slow moving (I actually had to restrain myself from cleaning a spot in the rug so I could give the movie my full attention since I was going to review it). Some movies can be outdated and still be a classic; this is not one of them. Also, maybe I've been spoiled by watching Animal Planet. Seeing a movie where the hero saves someone from a fake looking Croc doesn't do much for me now. However, the premise of the movie is solid. A rugged Australian outdoorsman who has never been to a big city goes to New York City.

The story starts off with pretty New York City journalist, Sue, going to the Australian outback to interview a safari business owner, Mick (Paul Hogan). He supposedly had a dangerous encounter with a giant crocodile in the wild, but lived to tell the tale. After following Mick to the river where the tale in happened, Sue convinces him to come to New York. This is where the movie is supposed to rise on the funny meter. A country boy adapting to a big city. The movie has its moments but I wouldn't tell people they should see it. When it first came out I did. But like I already wrote it’s dated. I wouldn't cross it off your movie rental list if it's already there. You might like it. I know I did almost twenty years ago.

How to Keep Spiders out of your House

I've done this to keep spiders from coming in through window cracks. Clean outside of the window, plus all around it, including the ledge, with soap and water. Dry areas with old shirt/rag. Next spray a wax dust cleaner on ledge and all around window. I was told this tip by someone who said spiders don't like slippery services. This does help for whatever reason.

Ice Cream Pie Recipe

This ice cream pie recipe is as easy to make as 1, 2, 3, 4. Kids love this tasty dessert and they can help make it!
What you need: Small package of chocolate cookies with cream centers; ice cream of your choice; chocolate syrup; half a stick of real butter (1/2 a cup); can of whipped cream (or a bag of it with a roseate tip); pie pan; mixing bowl; two spoons; heavy duty freezer bag; rolling pin; toothpicks; cherries (optional); sprinkles (optional); and aluminum foil.

What to do:
1- Put cookies in heavy duty freezer bag. (You want to make enough crumbs to fill bottom of pie pan one inch thick.) Seal freezer bag. Roll over it with rolling pin again and again. Add butter. Mix together with spoon. Now fill bottom of pie pan with crumbs. Next place whole cookies straight up all around edge of pan. This is nice for serving purposes because each person can have a slice of pie as big as one or one and half cookie edges.

2- Put ice cream in mixing bowl and let ice cream soften. (Do NOT mix by using a regular mixing bowl because the consistency will not come out right.) Keep hitting middle of ice cream in bowl with a hard wooden spoon to soften it. The edges will melt. Do not use this liquid. Put it in a cup and place in freezer or let your child drink it. When ice cream is soft enough put in pie pan and smooth over nicely. Your child can make funny designs in ice cream with a toothpick. Or they can sprinkle candy sprinkles on pie.

Or
3- Using the whipped cream make small quick dots all around edge of pie. Make one dot in direct middle of pie. If you know how to use a bag of whipped cream create small rosettes all around pie pan. Place one rose in middle.

4- In the dot/rose in the middle of pie place a cherry (ones with stems are nice). Drizzle chocolate syrup in an overlapping O pattern, from mid cherry to edge of whipped cream dots. Go all around pie. When done place cherries in each and every whipped cream dot/rosette. To keep ice cream pie nice looking until you eat it, put toothpicks in pie and cover with aluminum foil. Toothpicks make sure foil does not mess up ice cream pie. Place ice cream pie in freezer until ready to eat. Enjoy!

4th of July Arts and Crafts: Lincoln Penny House

Good Luck Lincoln Penny House.
What you need- 2 brown pieces of construction paper, crayons, scissors, stapler, glue and a penny.
Draw the frame of a house on one construction paper. Cut it out. Trace cut out on other construction paper. Cut this house out as well. Draw a door and windows on one house. Cut door so you can open it when it is laid on top of other brown paper (cut door on three sides). Cut windows the same way. Put plain house under house with door and windows. Staple papers together on edges. Underneath the cut out door glue a penny on it. For underneath window flaps draw a dog or children. Or draw a lantern or a candle under window flap. Child can also draw a US flag on front of house.

At Home: How to take off Sticky Price Tags

Have you ever bought something and had a hard time getting the sticky price tag off? To get a stubborn sticky price tag off of a glass or plastic item soak price tag in warm water, next scrap tag off with your nail. If you’re still having trouble dab a little rubbing alcohol on price tag, then peel. Make sure plastic item won’t be ruined by rubbing alcohol first.

4th of July Movie: Yankee Doodle Dandy.

For the 4th of July. Movie: Yankee Doodle Dandy. Family-Musical. This patriotic musical stars James Cagney. It's based on the life of George Cohen, Broadway playwright, producer and star. In the movie James Cagney is one of the four Cohens, a family of vaudevillians of a by gone era. The talented and successful George Cohen writes song and dance routines for Broadway plays in the Big Apple, AKA New York City. One of Cohen's most popular songs, This Grand Old Flag, was used in WWI and WWII. Your eyes just get misty hearing it. I’ve seen this film more than once I liked it so much, but kids under nine might get bored since the movie is about adults.

Parenting Tip: Bed Weting

Some little kids wet their beds. They shouldn't be shamed for having accidents. Patience is what is needed. Some kids have weak bladder muscles, some could be going through sad times, others sleep so soundly they don't heed the call of nature as well as others. The following are some suggestions for bed wetting:

1) Have your child pee before going to sleep. Some kids read in bed so have them go pee before getting into bed and then again before going to sleep.
2) Don't give your child full glasses of water right before bed (but don't let them go to bed parched).
3) Encourage them to drink, or drink more water/milk, during dinner so they have time to pee before bed. But don't let them fill up on liquids/milk to the point they don't eat their dinner.
4) Grousing or yelling at your child about bed wetting will only stress them out more. And make them feel bad about themselves. So don't do it.
5) For easier clean up, put a zip up plastic cover over the mattress. Some parents have tried putting plastic liners over areas, but if the liner moves, the mattress could get wet. I recommend buying a cover for the whole mattress. Put a washable mattress pad over the plastic for comfort. In the end this is cheaper than buying a new mattress. It also lowers frustration levels because clean up is easier.
6) Make a dry bed chart to encourage your child to have a dry bed. So many nights of a dry bed equals more time on the computer or an outing at an ice cream parlor.
7) I knew of one parent who swore her six-year-old peed in bed when she got mad at the parent. She said her child knew it upset her to have to wash the sheets and wipe the plastic lining down. If you really think this is the case with your older child have them take off their own sheets and put them in the laundry room and have them wipe down their own plastic lining. And teach them to make their own bed. A few times of this and they might not pee in bed to get back at you. It worked for this parent. If the peeing continues out of anger your child might need to speak to a psychologist.

Arts and Craft- Make a vest out of a paper bag.

Your child can easily make a vest out of a paper bag. Vest can be for a carnival person, cowboy, Indian, sailor… Child can use it in 4th of July parade.

Using scissors cut bottom out of bag. Make a slit up middle, wide side, of bag. There should be two flaps in front of vest. Cut out arm holes in sides of bag, near top.
Using markers color stripes or put pockets on vest. For a sailor make funny tattoos. Glue buttons on front of vest. Child can put stickers, glitter, ribbon, pieces of fabric on vest. They can drip colored glue swirls on vest. Or they can outline the outside of vest with colored pipe cleaners. Have them use their imagination.

Sewing Tip from Fashion Designer

Two Easy Sewing Tips from a fashion designer friend of mine: 1) Before you sew by hand or machine make sure you place two to three colors of thread (for bobbin too) on the material you’re sewing. This way you can pick the best color that blends into the material. If your material is multi-colored pick the one that shows the least.
(2) For fly away shirts sew a dime in the inside hem where it tends to fly up. The dime will weigh down the material.

Movie Review: Send Me No Flowers

Movie Title: Send Me No Flowers. Comedy. A classic. Family movie for older kids, nine and up.
The set up is quite good. Take a hypochondriac. Have said hypochondriac overhear a conversation his doctor is having about a patient's terminal illness. Have him now think the doctor was talking about him. Even though the doctor wasn't. Rock Hudson plays George Kimball a mild mannered hypochondriac. Doris Day plays his supportive wife, Judy, who puts up with all his imaginary aliments. With the help of his neighbor (Tony Randall) George sets out to find Judy a new husband when he thinks he's dying. When Judy finds out George really isn't dying she teaches him a lesson. Hudson, Day and Randall are terrific in this comedy. Send Me No Flowers is very funny. I recommend it. For kids nine or ten and up. Younger kids might get bored.

Father's Day Idea

For Father’s Day have your child help make breakfast in bed for dad. Bring along the newspaper or his favorite magazine if he likes that. Also, bring a deck of cards. Have Dad pick a card. (Discuss before hand with child what they’re willing to do for Dad and let them decide what suit will equal what.)
Example: If Dad picks up a diamond your child will do one of his chores that they’re able to do. If their dad picks a spade the child will shine one pair of his shoes or something else. If Dad picks a club then child will not bother Dad for two hours while he’s watching his favorite sports game on TV or something similar. If Dad picks up an ace your child will wash his car. If King of Aces is picked it can be something extra special.

Flowers, Flowers Everywhere

This is fun. Have your child cut flowers and long green leafy branches from your yard. Arrange flowers and leaves in vases around the house. Even the bathroom. Place on back patio and front porch if you have enough. Flowers really spruce up an area. It makes it automatically prettier.

What to do about stains on clothes.

If you get a stain on clothing that needs to be dry cleaned, this includes children's suits, be careful. Take to dry cleaners. Hand washing such fabric could ruin item!!

For clothes that don't need dry cleaning or don't have special cleaning instructions:
Wash out stain as soon as possible. This makes a difference! I recommend doing a load of laundry right away but at least wash stain with soap in cold water and let soak. For blood stains my mom used to soak the stain overnight in milk. Sometimes this worked, sometimes the item just smelled of milk. Be careful with any fabrics you do this with. I take no responsibility. That said I can recommend something my sister, sister-in-law, two of my friends and I use, it’s Carbona. They have different spot removers for different stains. Look for their little bottles in the detergent aisle of your grocery store. This stuff has worked for me.

Movie Review: Seabiscuit

Seabiscuit. Horse movie. Drama. Rated PG-13. Based on a true event.

I loved this movie. But little kids, age six or seven might get bored, plus it's Rated PG-13, so skip watching it with them. The movie wasn't made for little kids. Movie takes place during the Depression. Three men team up and take an underrated horse to the top. The movie is about the men's lives as well as the horse. It's an underdog, or in this case underhorse, wins the day flick. Which back in the Depression was important for morale. People were captivated with the story of Seabiscuit. You’ll root for this horse when he races.

Science Day Food Project: See how rock salt can help make ice cream

Make Homemade Ice Cream
(This is a great Father’s Day Project).

What you need:
1- Plastic freezer strength zip lock bag, storage size.
2- Another plastic freezer strength zip lock bag, gallon size.
3- ¼ cup of sugar.
4- ¼ cup of whole milk.
5- 2/3 cup of heavy whipping cream.
6- 1 teaspoon of vanilla.
7- Rock salt.
8- Ice.
9- Spoon and bowls.

What to do:
1- Have your child pour sugar, milk, whipping cream and vanilla in smaller zip lock bag.
2- Stir ingredients with spoon.
3- Make sure you seal this bag completely. This is important. Triple check if you must. You do not want rock salt to get into this bag!!!
4- Now pour about 3 ½ cups of ice into larger zip lock bag.
5- You the parent carefully sprinkle about ½ cup of rock salt over the ice.
6- Put smaller zip lock into larger zip lock bag.
7- If you have gloves, let your child put them on first.
8- Shake bag. Keep shaking for around twelve minutes. You might need to help shake bag, or two or more children can help shake.
9- After twelve minutes of shaking take smaller bag out of larger bag. Fully wipe the outside of smaller bag with paper towel before opening it. Throw away larger bag.
10- You can eat the ice cream now. Or put ice cream in new zip lock freezer bag, freeze, and eat later.

Arts and Craft: Easy Father's Day Gift

Super simple Father’s Day gift.
Find a rock the size of a fist. Have your child paint it. They can paint designs on it or squiggles. They can paint Dad’s face or a smiley face on one side. On the other side they can write, “#1 Dad” or “Super Dad.” The rock can be a paper weight or door stopper. Whatever your child chooses it to be the painted rock makes a nice gift for Dad for Father's Day.

Movie Review: Eragon

Movie Title: Eragon. Fantasy-Adventure. Rated PG. Based on the book by Christopher Paloini. Seventeen-year-old farm boy, Eragon, finds a blue stone in the woods. To his surprise it hatches into a dragon. The dragon, Saphira, and Eragon bond. He becomes her dragon rider. Together they save a young woman in distress and a kingdom. Great adventure movie. Fun and exciting dragon scenes. Boys will definitely like it!

Parenting Article: Looking for the Good in Your Child

The Miracle that Happens When You Look for the Good in Your Child

When you find a good characteristic or trait in your child, share it with them. They’ll take it to heart. Tell them about a positive action they did that you liked. You can say, "I liked how you stuck up for your brother when other kids pick on him." Maybe your child only did this once, but since you are proud she did it, she will be more disposed to do it again. She'll take pride in her kind actions. Think well of your child and it will come back to you. Be cruel to your child and it creates hate and resentment. If you need to get your child to stop a behavior, you can share it in a constructive manner. “If you want Janey to play with you, you should play nicely. Share the building blocks with her. If you take them away and stick your tongue out at her it makes her feel bad. And she doesn’t want to play with you. I know you can share. I’ve seen you play nicely before.” Here you have set the tone for how to be nice, twice. By repeating positive behavior you want it reinforces it.

Don't manipulate your child into doing something by saying, "I only want what’s best for you," when you really mean, "You'll be better off and happier if you for fill my desires for you." Love your child now, not the child you desire or fantasized about before they were born. Your child is not an extension of you, like an arm or leg. They are their own unique person. They are not a mirror image of you, even if they look like you when you were younger. They have their own thoughts, temperament, and dreams. Look for the good in them today and you'll see a better child tomorrow. But don't give undo or false praise. This creates a selfish child.

Two family ideas that can build harmony in the home:
Number 1: For one week, every day, make a true effort to find something good in your child. Tell them what it is. After a week see if their behavior has changed in any way. Note how. Do this for another week. Note the results. See if their attitude towards you has changed.

Number 2: Pick a special plate or bowl. Once a week let someone in your family have it at dinner time. Whoever gets the plate gets nice things said to them from everyone around the table. Examples of things to be said: "You’re a fun brother to have." "I like how you did your homework yesterday without having me to tell you to get started on it." "I think you are a creative person."
Get going on positive reinforcement!

Book Review, A True Picture Book: Naughty Nancy

“Naughty Nancy,” by John S. Goodall. A true picture book. Using only illustrations this book tells the amusing tale of a little mouse who is a flower girl. Mr. Goodall does something unusual. He uses a small picture after a larger picture thus enlarging what you see. Don’t get this? Then pick up the book and see for yourself what I mean. It’s worth it. It’s a really cute book.

Movie Review: Jumanji.

Movie Title: Jumanji. Fantasy-Adventure. Rated PG. Based on a children's book written and illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg.

The movie starts off centuries ago with two boys burying a locked box. It contains something that should never see the light of day. Fast forward to1969. A boy named Allen Parish finds the locked box in a construction site. It contains a board game. Allen and a girl he goes to school with start playing the game at his house. Allen rolls the dice and is soon sucked into the game. His friend runs away scared. Fast forward again to 1995. An aunt and her niece, Judy, and nephew, Peter, move into Allan's old home. Peter and Judy (Kristen Dunst) find the magical board game and start playing. When they role the dice a strange thing happens. They meet Allen Parish (Robin Williams) who got trapped in the game 26 years earlier. He's all grown up and a jungle man to boot. Joined by Allen's girl friend, who he played the game with a long time ago, the four of them set off to finish the game. Whenever they roll the dice something from the game magically appears. They have run-ins with rhinoceros, a herd of elephants, huge spiders, annoying monkeys, crocodiles and a hunter who's after Allen's hide. The foursome also brave a monsoon, an earthquake, and quicksand. This is a great adventure movie. I loved it.

Get Rid of Fleas in Your Home and on Your Dog

Tips to Naturally Get Rid of Fleas in Your Home and on Your Dog

I was told this first tip by an owner of an only natural pet store.
Recommended before going on a trip so you won't come back to a flea infested home.

1) Wash your dog with a natural flea soap. Leave soap on dog for ten to fifteen minutes. This will help suffocate fleas. When time is up, water down dog's coat well to drown fleas. (You can also wash your dog with regular liquid soap.)

2) After drying your dog thoroughly wash their collar with soap and water. When worn, the collar gets warm which helps eggs hatch under it.

3) Now take dog outside. Sprinkle baking soda on ALL carpets where dog has access (unless you or a family member has allergies then ask your doctor about doing this). Keep children out of these areas. Do not be stingy with the baking soda. Sweep baking soda into carpet with a broom. Leave on for six hours. If you do this in the summer and your kids are home take them on an outing. While you're out the fleas will suffocate from the baking soda. Vacuum up carpet after the allotted time. In the summer months I do this routine once a month. I find it does keep down on fleas. If you do not want to use baking soda, vacuum frequently all areas where the dog walks and sleeps. To limit fleas in carpet keep dog on wooden or tile floors.

4) Frequently wash dog bedding, soft dog toys, area rugs, and human bedding if dog sleeps on beds.
Wash dog every two weeks unless dog has dry skin problems.

A veterinarian once told me if fleas do not have any live humans or animals to feed on they will die after seven days. Here is a tip from this same veterinarian: For houses with central heat- In the beginning of summer turn your heat way up. Leave home (no adults, kids or animals in hot house.) This will get flea eggs hatching. Come home in evening, turn off heat and vacuum up fleas and their eggs. (NEVER leave home with a space heater on!)

Last note: From the natural pet store I have gotten both Brewers Yeast, and Brewers Yeast plus Garlic to give to my dogs to rid fleas the natural way. Both only worked so so, and one of my dog's tummy did not like the yeast. Though a chlorinated pool is not very natural, my Labrador did have less fleas it seemed by playing in the pool. Also note, if you give your dog the type of flea medicine where you dab it on their back and your dog swims A LOT, my Veterinarian says it will wash off after so much swim time. So keep that in mind.

Science Day: Grow a tree from a pit

Science Day: Show your child how a pit can make a tree. Buy an avocado. After eating it save the pit. Wash pit and put toothpick in the middle of it. Put pit in a glass of water. After about a month when pit grows a root plant it in coffee tin filled with potted soil. Don't bother rising out tin. A little coffee in the soil is fine. Keep soil moist, but not soaking. When plant is too big for tin plant in backyard.

2 Tips for Coffee

2 Tips for Coffee
1- To make the flavor of your vanilla or hazelnut coffee even better add cinnamon. If you use a coffee maker put one teaspoon of cinnamon in ground coffee beans.
2- When you’re done with your coffee grounds add them to your compost, or put them around roses, lemon and orange trees. Sprinkle some around your Hydrangea bush to make pink flowers turn blue.

Living with a Messy Child Tips

Help 4 Living with a Messy Child

1)Here is a tip to get your young child to clean up their room: Make a game of it. Time them to see how fast they can put away their books in their bookcase. And how long it takes to pick up their clothes from the floor to the hamper. If you have more than one child you can have a timed competition. But make sure it is a win-win situation for both kids. Both children afterwards get 15 minutes extra on the computer or they can make cookies with you.

2)If two kids share a bedroom and one is driving the other batty with their mess you can divide things in half in the room. Each child can have their own shelf on the bookcase. Their own area in the closet and their own drawers. With the top of a dresser do not divide it in half by using masking tape. My cousin did this with me and it ruined the antique dresser. Use a string or ribbon on top.

3)It is hard to get teenagers to clean their room. If they are basically well behaved and that is their only problem you might not want to make a big issue of it. But this is what you can do: Close the door so you do not have to look at the mess. And set ground rules like, no food can be left on the floor for the ants to get; glasses or liquids also can not be on the floor in case they to tip over; the child needs to have a clear path to the closet, window, dresser, and door; dirty clothes piled on the ground will not cleaned; they need to open the window for fresh air sometimes or have a plugged in air freshener, especially if they have an animal in the room (Caged animals need to have their cages cleaned once a week. The smell of a stinky cage can drive you out of a room. Also, the smell can drift out in the hallway if there is a crack under the door.)

4)Remember just because your child is messy as a kid or teenager does not mean they will be messy as an adult. I was messy as a kid and I am not anymore. I also had a teenage brother who lived in room that looked like he lived in disaster area, plus, his room smelled to high heaven. In his twenties when he got married his wife would have none of that.

Movie Review: Road to Morocco.

Movie Title: Road to Morocco. Comedy. Rated- Family movie. This is my favorite of the “Road Trip” movies with Bob Hope and Bing Crosby.
Two stowaways Jeff (Bing Crosby) and Orville (Bob Hope) survive a ship freight wreak on the high seas. They end up in North Africa on a wooden raft. Jeff and Orville head for Morocco on a camel that finds them. Once there Jeff sells Hope as a slave for food. Orville is sold to a beautiful princess (Dorothy Lamour). She wants to marry Orville because of a prophecy that foretold her first husband would die. Orville has no idea about the death prophecy. He naively thinks the princess is captivated by his good looks and charming personality. Hope and Crosby try doing their infamous patty-cake routine to get out of trouble. Road to Morocco is lots of fun.

Book Review: Alfred’s Nose

“Alfred’s Nose,” by Vivienne Flesher. If your child likes dogs check out this book. The pictures in this book are photographs of a real dog. Alfred the dog doesn’t like his nose so he tries to disguise it. The photos of Alfred with nose masks should make your child giggle. It’s a cute, easy to read book.

Eatable Arts Project- Pancake Face

Eatable art: Pancake faces. This is great as a child's birthday breakfast.
What you need as food: Pancakes. Chocolate chips. Whip cream. Strawberries cut in half. Blueberries. Eatable cupcake sprinkles, both colored and brown. Long red and black licorice.

Make a batch of pancakes. Now make a face on them. Blueberries or chocolate chips can be used for eyes. A strawberry cut up in half can be the nose. Either cut up strawberries or a piece of red licorice can be used as the mouth. Brown sprinkles can be used as freckles and/or hair. Colored sprinkles, black licorice or whip cream can be used as hair as well. Spray the whip cream in a pile to form a head bun. Or spray whip cream around your pancake’s eyes to make glasses. Make ears out of licorce. It's fun to create a pancake to resemble a person. Children like it when parents join in the fun. So make a pancake face too!