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.