Why gross can be good
Leslie Garcia just spent her vacation with a group of pre-adolescent boys who had a predictible sense of humor. Find out how she not only survived, but found inspiration along the way in this week's "Inspire Me."
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Leslie Garcia just spent her vacation with a group of pre-adolescent boys who had a predictible sense of humor. Find out how she not only survived, but found inspiration along the way in this week's "Inspire Me."
Alicia Ross and Beverly Mills of Desperation Dinners have a great idea for dinner in five minutes flat: Buy Caesar-salad kits, pre-grilled chicken strips and flavored wraps and assemble them into sandwiches. Heck, the kids might even be able to do this for you. Full story.
The National Zoo’s tiger cubs need your help. The one male and two females Sumatran tiger cubs were born May 24 at the zoo in Washington. But the adorable critters have no names. Zookeepers have picked their three favorite names for each of the cubs, and now the zoo is asking the public to make the final selection.
The names are from the Indonesian language, except “Bejo” and “Ndari,” which are Javanese. The names are:
Male: Jati (JAH-tee), teak wood; Bejo (ba-JOE), lucky; Guntur (goon-TURR), thunder
First Female: Kamboja (kam-BOE-jah), frangipani (flower); Maharani (mah-hah-RON-ee), queen; Mawar (mah-WAHRR), rose
Second Female: Kemala (ka-MAH-lah), magic stone; Melati (ma-lah-tee), jasmine (flower); Ndari (nDAR-ee), beautiful
To vote for the tigers’ names or to find out more about the contest, go to www.fonz.org. The voting and contest run through Aug. 21.
The Washington Post
In a survey sponsored by Teen magazine and Sears, 58 percent of teen girls who said their lives were stressed said the stress came from being overscheduled. How do you keep your child's schedule balanced? Share your tips.
Richardson-based life coach Keri Riggs has advice for helping your child choose good activities and avoid being overscheduled. Her activities advice is in today's Solutions. Also, she'll talk about overscheduling on Good Morning Texas at 9 a.m. Monday on WFAA (Channel 8).
On the first day of school, our kids take another step toward adulthood. Whether they're headed into kindergarten or off to college, every step can be a big transition. We asked our staff to reflect on that first day of school from multiple perspectives: kindergarten, junior high and off to college. Here's a look at the big day.
It’s getting hot out there and it’s easy for young athletes to become dehydrated. The U.S. Soccer Federation offers a simple acronym (GOAL) to help remind kids how to stay safe and healthy this summer.
Get acclimated — give yourself time to adapt to high temperatures and humidity.
On scheduled drinking — drink before you become thirsty. Drink before, during and after practice and games.
Always bring a sports drink — they help replace needed electrolytes.
Learn the signs — stop and rest if you become dizzy, fatigued, nauseous or have a headache.
The director of the movie Something About Mary has a new book aimed at kids. Peter Farrelly has written Abigale the Happy Whale (Megan Tingley/Little, Brown, $15.99), which is aimed at children ages 3 to 6.
At first, ignorance is bliss for Abigale, the humpback whale. She doesn’t realize that all the pollution in the ocean is on the verge of destroying her home.
When it does dawn on her that something is amiss, she doesn’t take it like a beached whale. Abigale persuades her sea-dwelling pals to help her “return” the trash to all the people on the beach. That sparks a clean-the-beach drive.
Mr. Farrelly, also the writer and director behind films Dumb and Dumber and Fever Pitch, is donating 50 percent of the proceeds from the book to Heal the Bay, an organization dedicated to cleaning up the coastal waters in Southern California.
The Associated Press
There are many fancy products and gadgets to help you baby-proof your home and keep junior safe. Here are some basic child-safety guidelines from the National Safe Kids Coalition:
Keep chairs, cribs and other furniture away from windows.
Don’t leave a baby alone on a changing table, bed, couch or other furniture. Keep one hand on the baby while changing diapers.
Always strap a baby into a high chair, swing, changing table or stroller.
Get rid of hazards in the home such as folded carpets, electrical wires or cords on the floor, and unlit stairways.
Teach children to use playgrounds or playing fields with rubber, wood, mulch or sand surfaces. Grass and dirt are not as good at preventing serious injuries. Avoid asphalt.
Use safety gates or other barriers at the top and bottom of stairs.
The Denver Post
Final showing of the musical Annie Warbucks, presented by the Plano Children’s Theater at the Heard Craig Hall, 306 N. Church St. in McKinney. Sunday, July 30 at 1:15 p.m. Tickets are $6 in advance and $8 at the door. For information, call 972-422-2575.
Are you crazy about ants? Here is your chance to wear pajamas, build bugs from pipe cleaners and watch the new movie The Ant Bully. The Fort Worth Museum of Science and History is hosting "Breakfast with the Bugs." The fun starts at 7:30 a.m. Saturday.
Tickets are $9 for adults and $8, children and seniors. For more information, call 817-255-9300 or fortworthmuseum.org.
Nancy Churnin
Along with the sun and heat, summer brings its share of bug bites. Here are some tips from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on how to apply insect repellent on children:
Apply on your own hands and then rub your hands on child.
Avoid children’s eyes and mouth and use sparingly around the ears.
Do not apply repellent on child’s hand since children tend to put their fingers in their mouths.
Do not apply repellent under clothing.
If repellent is applied on clothing, wash before wearing again.
Check repellent label for additional instructions.
Our favorite teen wizard is getting ready to celebrate another birthday. Which one? We're not sure. But come anyway to Borders Books at Preston and Royal, 10720 Preston Road, Suite 1018 for cake and festivities which begin at 11 a.m. Saturday. For more information, call 214-363-1977. If you have a theory as to what year Harry was born, we'd like to hear from you. And if you know what his actual birthdate is, reward yourself with a chocolate frog.
Find out by taking this quiz authored by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
We're always looking for something new to do with chicken breasts. Taste offers eight great marinades. Just put them in the bag in the morning -- or even the night before -- and cook them when you get home.
Kidd's Kids hopes to brighten the lives of children with special medical needs by sending them and their families on an all-expense-paid trip to Walt Disney World in Florida.
Founded in 1991 by nationally syndicated radio personality Kidd Kraddick, the nonprofit organization has provided trips to almost 600 children who are physically challenged or chronically or terminally ill.
The program will be accepting applications through Aug. 11 for the Disney trip, which takes place Nov. 9-13. The children and their families must demonstrate financial need and live in the Kiss FM (KHKS-FM, 106.1) listening area or another part of the country where Kidd Kraddick in the Morning is broadcast.
For an application, call 866-541-5437 or visit kiddskids.com.
Nancy Churnin
NRH2O will show Nanny McPhee at dusk Friday as part of the dive-in movie series at the water park, 9001 State Highway 26 in North Richland Hills. The movies are shown on a screen suspended above the NRH2Ocean, a 12,000-square-foot wave pool. The movies are free with paid admission to the park.
Nancy Churnin
You can take the kids to a Caribbean island, not just movies about pirates who visit them. For details on how to do it, check out Eileen Ogintz's column.
Clowns, crafts, inflatable rides and Radio Disney fun will come to Colleyville this afternoon as the city celebrate it's first CultureFest. Enjoy film presentations and a fine arts exhibition at the Colleyville Public Library. Also meet and paint with world-class artists.
Indoor activities start at 4 p.m., and outdoor activities will be from 6 to 9 p.m. Free parking and admission. The library is at 110 Main St. Visit colleyville.com for information.
On Balance, a Washington Post blog, says that top-flight business schools have started recruiting stay-at-home moms for their programs, in some cases even finding corporate sponsors to help defray costs. Apparently, a shortage of talent has businesses looking for ways to woo back talented female workers who left for personal reasons.
It makes sense to me: Whether your business needs help managing budgets, solving transportation issues or just handling unruly, self-interested people, who's going to know more than a stay-at-home mom?
Michael Merschel
Splash Kingdom family water park has opened near Canton along Interstate 20. The park features a wave pool, five slides, a river pool and a children's play area with a castle.
There are also indoor activities such as glow-in-the-dark miniature golf, arcade games, and meeting and party areas. Contact: 903-567-0044.
For more great family trips, see Travel
Bello the clown, graceful animals and amazing daredevils bring out the kid in all of us. Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey kick off the fifth anniversary of American Airlines Center with "The Greatest Show on Earth," beginning 7:30 tonight. 2500 Victory Ave. $12 to $75. Ticketmaster. 214-373-8000.
For more great family activities, see GuideLive.
Nothing like a little extra savings. Let us know what restaurants have fed your kids for free with our survey.
Is hockey in your child's future, or is your kid better suited for tennis?
Sports Potential offers sports skills assessment tests in six Dallas-area suburbs for children ages 8-12 with a confidential evaluation and recommendations covering 38 sports. Fifty-sport evaluations for teens and adults are offered in other areas.
As kids plan their back-to-school activities, now is a great time to prioritize what they'll be doing this year.
Patricia Allbee
Are you packing the van for your vacation but dreading the endless, “Are we there yets?” from your kids? This tip, from Best Life magazine, saved my sanity this summer:
Explain that the whole trip is the length of a child’s body — toes represent home, and their head is the destination. They’ll be able to understand your progress and may even giggle when you note that their kneecaps are covered in trees, or promise to stop at the McDonald’s at their belly button.
Michael Merschel