The incredibly different-looking, 3D version of “Alice in Wonderland” will be hitting theaters on March 5, 2010.  Disney looks like they have gone all out with this movie.  In addition to the movie trailers that are all over the Internet, you will begin to see never-before-seen footage on television beginning January 31, 2010.  Disney has partnered up with ABC, ESPN and ABC Family to give you some 60-second first looks at the movie and what to expect.

The First Look Schedule:

ABC
“Desperate Housewives,” Jan. 31, 9/8c
“The Bachelor,” Feb. 1, 8/7c

ESPN
2010 NFL Pro Bowl, Jan. 31, 7:20ET
NBA NUGGETS/LAKERS game, Feb. 5, 10:30ET

ABC FAMILY
“Greek,” Feb. 1, 10/9c
“The Parent Trap,” Feb. 6, 8/7c

The movie looks really neat and I could only imagine how it will look in 3D.  I do have some concerns and am not sure it is something I want my children to see.  The previews I have seen seem to be fairly mature for my six-year-old to watch.  I am hoping the never-before-seen footage will convince my little one that she really doesn’t want to see it, because it isn’t anything like the cartoon she watches.  Despite the name, “Alice in Wonderland” is full of adult content, including the caterpillar smoking from a hookah.

Watch the footage when it comes out starting January 31 and decide if it’s the type of movie you want to watch.  I’m sure you will be impressed with the detail that Tim Burton has brought to this classic!

Aren’t sure who Adrienne Bailon is?  You will probably recognize Adrienne Bailon from the Cheetah Girls and as the former girlfriend of Robert Kardashian. Adrienne was also the Cheetah Girl that had racy photos leaked all over the Internet in November 2008.  What is it with these Disney girls?  Being that the MTV block is geared towards teens, was this a reason they might have picked her?  Will it help their ratings?  Will these teen boys that have seen the photos be more prone to watch the segment?

Either way, this obviously isn’t going to be your old “after school special” that used to sweep programming, these shows and segments are fun and energetic.  There will be shows that are just funny to watch, like “Room Raiders” and shows with some important information that may help some kids, like “Sex…With Mom and Dad.”  The mixture of the two are sure to keep kids interested and Adrienne will keep the boys interested, I’m sure.  Keep your eyes open for these new shows, with the block beginning February 16, 2010. (Thought MTV has run promos saying they start sooner and some of the shows are already on, so who knows.)

How cute it that? That’s Kingsford the Piglet and he comes in at number 10 on this adorable list.

Throughout 2009, viral videos remained extremely popular.  There have been videos of dancing babies, the Muppets singing and so many more.  Viral videos can make almost anyone or anything popular and well-known worldwide. All you need is to do something funny and catch it on video. Instant success. Animals can be cute and funny all at the same time and for that reason animal videos are always a hit on the web. Here are the rest of the top 10 videos with animals according to Entertainment Weekly:

9. Surprised Kitty – Who doesn’t love to watch a little playful kitten?

8. Puppies dressed as cats – Conan O’Brien debuted these adorable little puppies dressed in cat costumes.

7. “Birds on the Wires” – This video is not funny in any way, but is a pretty video of birds…on wires.

Birds on the Wires from Jarbas Agnelli on Vimeo.

6. Dog on a roller slide – Personally I hate the roller slides at the park. I refuse to go down them, but this dog seems enjoy it. Watch him go down the slide, over and over.

5. “So Your Cat Wants a Massage?” – I don’t really know what to say about this video, it’s like a car wreck I couldn’t look away from. Wow.

4. NY Sweet Lotto – This video has some of the cutest little animals in pajamas. I love the little piggie bellies that hang out.

3. “Slow Loris Loves Getting Tickled” – Very cute.

2. Keyboard Cat – Who doesn’t love a cat that can play the keyboard? Anyone that gets cut off during a FAIL moment to show Fatso the cat playing the piano.

1. Bulldog that can’t roll over – It is so adorable and so funny at the same time. Poor little puppy can’t get off his back. I felt like someone should help the poor little guy, but at the same time wanted to keep watching him try to flip over.

Students at Edsel Ford High School in Dearborn, Michigan are in trouble due to some shirts they had made. The shirts have a big “11″, representing the class of 2011 along with their mascot, the “Thunderbird” flying towards it. Sounds innocent, except they took it a step further, making the “11″ look like the twin towers and adding a slogan at the bottom, “You Can’t Bring Us Down”. The boys that created the shirt are Arab-American, along with nearly half of the student body.  You see how this can cause some concern.

David Mustonen, spokesman for the Dearborn Public Schools told press on Monday that  “Teachers and kids were obviously upset,” Mustonen said. “It’s not something the kids should be wearing. It’s in poor taste.”  The students were asked to remove their sweatshirts but refused.  After the school contacted their attorney’s, they found that the students were protected under the First Amendment and freedom of speech laws.  They children are not looking at any further disciplinary action at this time.

Where were the kids parents when they left wearing these?  Didn’t someone tell them that it was a bad idea?  Being young teenagers I don’t think they meant any harm by it, but shouldn’t someone have told them it was going to be taken wrong?

The models included are:

Consumers with these infant seats are urged to quit using them immediately.  A repair kit is needed to fix the handle.  To receive a free repair kit, owners of the affected child restraint models should contact Dorel’s customer service department at 1-866-762-3316 or visit http://www.djgusa.com/safety_notice.

Taylor Pugh, a pre-kindergartner in Balch Springs, Texas has been serving an in-school suspension for the past month due to the length of his hair.  The school district has a strict dress code policy and requires all students to abide by it.  The policy states boys hair must be above the ear and neck.

Taylor’s parents are outraged that they have suspended their child for something that isn’t harming any other child.  His father, Delton Pugh, feels the district is “more concerned about his hair than his education. I don’t think it’s right to hold a child down and force him to do something … when it’s not hurting him or affecting his education.”

I must agree with the parents on this one.  The boy is not harming anymore and has good intentions to eventually cut his hair and donate the locks to a cancer program that makes wigs for patients.  It is crazy that they would make him sit in isolation for something like this.  He isn’t harming anyone.  He isn’t wearing distracting clothing or anything gang related.  I don’t understand how this district can make a little boy sit by himself because he won’t cut his hair.

Another boy has been suspended after wearing skinny jeans to school.  The student was in the seventh grade.  After the suspension, his parents decided to do home school instead.  I completely agree with this.  Luckily my kids are in a district that allows them to wear a variety of clothing and won’t suspend a student for something so small.  While my kids can’t wear logos or shirts with any pictures on them, it isn’t too difficult to find clothing that is solid colored, striped or whatever.  As long as their pants are not full of holes and are clean, there isn’t really an issue.  I couldn’t imagine a boy getting kicked out for skinny jeans.  They are becoming more and more popular and more boys will be wearing them.  The district should realize that fashions change, hair styles change and they  must be flexible or they will push all of their students out of the school system.

Parents were sent letters from the Springfield Township Police Department Chief, David Heimpold, stating the accusations.  This was to inform parents of the situation and allow them to insure their children were safe.  He urged parents to contact their pediatrician and/or Poison Control to learn more about the drug.

I cannot even believe this is happening.  It reminds me of a time when I had my son at the doctor because a medication he was taking was not allowing him to sleep.  The doctor was telling me I could use Benadryl to help him get to sleep and asked me if I had done that in the past.  I was shocked because honestly I had never even thought of it.  He said it was very common and most all parents do that.  Seriously?  I had no idea.  What makes it even worse, the day care center is at a church.  Wow!  You would really think your children would be safe and well-taken care of at your church.  How dare these workers drug innocent children just so they don’t have to deal with them during nap time.  When I was teaching preschool, my class of 20 three-year-olds had quite a few that refused to lay down, which did make my days long and frustrating, but drug them?  I never would have thought of it!

It hasn’t been released how many or the ages of the children involved.  Let’s hope that most of the 37 children that attended day care there were safe.

The Cookie Diet sounds too good to be true, right? A diet that includes cookies or is solely based on eating cookies?  Dr. Siegal seems to believe it’s possible. Diet, as in lose weight, by eating cookies. He has a plan that includes cookies and shakes that he states has helped over 500,000 people lose weight. But how does it work? These aren’t the sugar cookies and Oreos you might be thinking of.  You are supposed to eat a specially developed cookie with water whenever you are hungry then eat a 500 calorie dinner of lean meats and vegetables.

Is it too good to be true?  Who knows.  The cookies are supposed to be full of vitamins and minerals, although many physicians feel that prolonged use of the Cookie Diet could cause more problems because their diet will not be balanced with everything they need.  Nutritionists do agree that if you burn more calories than you intake, you will lose weight.  Is it safe though?  In the long term, probably not.  Your body needs a variety of foods to stay healthy.

There are a variety of Cookie Diet brands available, each a little different in their ingredients.  They range from 90 calories per cookie to 150 calories per cookie.  The prices vary a little as well, with Dr. Siegal’s cookies costing $59 a week and the Hollywood Cookie Diet costing $20 for three days.  Would I try a cookie diet?  No way.  Cookies are wonderful, but I would never believe it is safe or healthy to live on nothing but cookies and a small dinner each evening.

Zhu Zhu Pets are the must-have toy of the season.  I’m already seeing them on Craigslist selling for $40 a piece.  Seriously, an $8 toy is selling for $40 and it’s not even that close to Christmas yet.  This reminds me of the crazy Tickle Me Elmo and Furby crazes of the past.  Even if these are the “must-have” of the year, are they as safe as you would hope them to be?

GoodGuide, a consumer guide based in San Francisco states that Zhu Zhu Pets could be hazardous to your child’s health for a number of reasons.  On a one-to-ten rating scale, GoodGuide rated the Zhu Zhu pets a 5.2. The toy contains phthalates, a chemical that is subject to tough standards by the Consumer Protection Safety Improvement Act that was approved earlier this year.  They also state there are unsafe levels of antimony, testing at 93 to 106 parts per million, although the standard is 60 parts per million.

The toy manufacturer  denies the fact that their toys are unsafe, stating “All our products are subjected to several levels of rigorous safety testing conducted by our own internal teams, as well as the world’s leading independent quality assurance testing organization, and also by independent labs engaged by our retail partners,” Russ Hornsby, CEO of Cepia, said in a written statement. “The results of every test prove that our products are in compliance with all government and industry safety standards.”

She had to of convinced her parents to give their blessing on her tattoo, which is the words “Just Breathe” under her left breast. Her brother has stated that the family is in the works of getting matching tattoos.  Isn’t that a strange way build family unity?  What about a family game night, wouldn’t that be better?

What does this tattoo mean? We aren’t sure yet, but what is the Disney starlet showing our children?  My 6-year-old spends hours a day pretending to be Hannah Montana and singing Miley’s songs.   If she sees Miley’s tattoo, is she going to want to get one?  Of course at six she couldn’t make that decision, but what type of influence is she on our children?  Definitely not the wholesome girl she used to be.  I know she’s growing up, but seriously, a tattoo at 17?  I wonder what Disney thinks about this.

One of the lyrics that the Hannah Montana dolls sings says, “..later we’ll have some pumpkin pie and we’ll do some caroling…”  That’s what the doll is supposed to say, at least.  What is sounds like she is saying is we’ll have some f—g pie and we’ll do some caroling.  “There’s no question, none at all, it’s plainly clear,” Brandy said. “How could they put this on the shelf?”  She promptly removed the batteries, just to be safe.

While this doll may sound like it is saying a bad word, overall the feedback on it is very high.  Parents seem to love the doll, regardless of the potty mouth that this mother states it has.  This reminds a lot of people who would say music was bad because it would say thing if you listened to it backwards and things like that.  Seriously, it’s Hannah Montana, a product of Disney, does she SERIOUSLY believe Disney would program cuss words into a doll?  Ridiculous.

With the holiday season upon us, houses, trees and stores are adorned with the beautiful little flickers of Christmas lights.  A recent study showed that the majority of these lights are extremely dangerous.  At least 30 percent of the lights tested failed miserably and could easily cause electric shock or a fire.  That is a very high percentage of lights that are put out each and every year.

So why did they fail?  Aren’t all lights the same?  Absolutely not, come to find out.  Many failed on mandates for wiring, insulation and plugs.  Most of the lights that failed were made in China.  Big surprise, right?  If you haven’t noticed, a large majority of items that are poorly made and harmful to our lives are made in China. No surprise to me.  A large majority of the failing lights also contained weak wiring, which poses the risk of over-heating and fire.

This is a wake-up call for everyone.  Please do a good check of your lights and their wires prior to putting them up.  Although it’s tempting to purchase the most inexpensive lights you see on the shelf at Wal-Mart, try to do some research and get the lights that are made well.  Do not allow your children to pull on the wires, they could easily pull the wires loose and cause a shock or fire.  Routinely check your lights while they are on to ensure they are not over-heating.  Never fall asleep or leave home with the lights on.

Even though it’s prominently featured in her hit song, Miley Cyrus stated that she has never even heard a Jay-Z song during an interview posted on MileyWorld.  She says she doesn’t like that type of music and has never heard it.  This is quite confusing being that her hit “Party in the USA” has a prominent line that states, “…and a Jay-Z song was one, so I put my hands up, their playing my song, the butterflies fly away…”  How does this make any sense?  She is singing about a song that she’s never even heard.  It doesn’t make sense to me.

Does she listen to Britney Spears songs which are also mentioned?  Probably not, Miley went on to say she doesn’t listen to pop music.  So, this means, she is a pop artist but doesn’t like and/or listen to the type of music she sings.  Wow.  When asked about why she picked “Party in the USA” to sing, she said, “I don’t know, I didn’t write the song, so I have no idea. Honestly, I picked that song because I needed something to go with my clothing line. I didn’t write it and I didn’t expect it to be popular, originally. It was just something that I wanted to do and I needed some songs and it turned out for the best.”

It blows my mind that someone so popular in pop culture doesn’t even support it.  She doesn’t write her own songs, she doesn’t listen to that type of music.  I seriously believed she at least had a part in writing her own lyrics, but obviously not.  Wow.  How can she even relate?  It is interesting that she’s able to adapt and have so many girls follow her, but she really isn’t anything they think she is. Maybe this is why she has been able to make a come back of cowboy boots and flannel shirts.  I always thought that was a little strange, but if my 6-year-old is happy then I just go with it.  Since she is so anti-pop culture, maybe this explains why she also has not seen, nor will ever watch “Twilight“.

Here’s the song in question, the ultra catchy “Party in the USA.”



Charities across the country are now asking for people that want to be on their lists for toy drives, etc. to provide proof of citizenship.  This can be either through birth certificates, social security numbers, or other documents of their immigration status.  While the Salvation Army states this is to cut down on fraud, most charities state that someone will not be turned away if they are unable to provide the proof.

How does that make any sense at all?  If they are going to require proof of citizenship, then require it.  Don’t say it is required then still allow everyone to receive the benefits.  If they will allow anyone to sign up, then just let everyone sign up.  That’s how I see it anyway.  It seems that maybe the higher ups want the proof and the front line doesn’t want to turn anyone away, but there has to be a balance, otherwise isn’t it just a waste of time?

Should charities only help children that are here legally?  I have no idea.  I mean, in theory, yes, it is help for the children of our country, but at the same  time, it is Christmas and the time for giving.  It is not a child’s fault as to the situation they are put into.  Every child should have a good Christmas and it hardly seems fair to discriminate against them if their parents have them here illegally.  Santa shouldn’t discriminate against the children that are just as entitled to a happy holiday season as anyone else.

According to the CPSC, the cribs included are:

“This recall includes Stork Craft cribs with manufacturing and distribution dates between January 1993 and October 2009. This recall also includes Stork Craft cribs with the Fisher-Price logo that have manufacturing dates between October 1997 and December 2004. The Stork Craft cribs with the Fisher-Price logo were first sold in the U.S. in July 1998 and in Canada in September 1998.
The cribs were sold in various styles and finishes. The manufacture date, model number, crib name, country of origin, and the firm’s name, address, and contact information are located on the assembly instruction sheet attached to the mattress support board. The firm’s insignia “storkcraft baby” or “storkling” is inscribed on the drop-side teething rail of some cribs. In Stork Craft cribs
that contain the “Fisher-Price” logo, this logo can be found on the crib’s teething rail, in the manufacturer’s instructions, on the assembly instruction sheet attached to the mattress support board, and on the end panels of the Twinkle-Twinkle and Crystal crib models.”

The cribs were sold at major retailers including BJ’s Wholesale Club, J.C. Penney, Kmart, Meijer, Sears, USA Baby, and Wal-Mart stores and online at Amazon.com, Babiesrus.com, Costco.com, Target.com, and Walmart.com.

If you have a recalled crib, you are urged to quit using it immediately and find a safe, alternate sleeping place for your child.  To order your free repair kit, contact Stork Craft toll-free at (877) 274-0277 anytime or log on to www.storkcraft.com.

The once couple met in a law office over the weekend to discuss the divorce and what was needed to finalize.  A second appointment was set for today, but they did not end up needing to meet again.  The arbitrator will hopefully rule before Christmas, meaning it could be finalized by the end of 2009.

What a great way to start the new year, with a new start, free of Jon and Kate.  Hopefully when all of this is finalized the couple to calm down and quit fighting over every little thing and concentrate on being PARENTS! The fighting is making them both act immature and unruly.  Jon needs to quit the partying and focus on his children, while Kate needs to let things go and not stalk him if she doesn’t approve of his girlfriends.

Be sure to check out the final episode of ‘Jon & Kate Plus 8‘ tonight on TLC.  The show will review the past seasons and the children growing up.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) will be issuing a huge recall on cribs tomorrow, November 24, 2009.  The news of this recall was announced during CBS News, although recall details have yet to be released.  The only information given thus far is the cribs have drop-down sides.  This is said to be the largest crib recall in CPSC history.

The drop-down sides are being said to be a large safety issue for babies.  There have been several cases where babies have been able to get their head stuck between the side and end board which could easily cause a baby to strangle himself.  Many states have already begun to ban the sales of these types of cribs.

Parents that still have children in cribs are urged to do the following to protect the safety of their children:

• Ensure the crib you are using has not already been recalled by visiting the government recalls website.
• Check the hardware on the side rail to ensure it can not be moved to create a gap.
• Keep the side rail up and in a locked position

We will update the site when exact information is available for this massive recall.

Black Friday is a big day for bargain shoppers, but it takes a lot to be successful.  After getting the newspaper on Thanksgiving day, you are bombarded with advertisements and they can make your head spin.  As a avid Black Friday shopper, I’d like to share some of my tips and tricks that get me the best deals.

First, make a list of who you need to buy for.  It can be very confusing when you look at the advertisements and see 50% or 75% off and you can get caught up buying a lot of things you don’t really need.  If you’re on a budget, stick to who you need to buy for, this will really help as you’re looking through your ads.

Second, while looking through the ads keep a close eye on opening times.  Some places are opening as early as midnight, while others will open at 5am.  Remember, if there are really good deals, people will be there waiting.  If a store opens at 5, you may need to get there at 3am to wait in line.  This is what we do each year at Target, wait outside, in the snow at 3am…..crazy?  Maybe, but fun none-the-less.  Places that open later will give you time to get to earlier sales then rush over.

Third, while waiting in lines, make small talk with the people around you.  You might be looking at getting the same thing or you might find out it isn’t a huge deal because no one else wants the item you are seeking.  We have worked with people in lines to say, okay,  you want this, if I get there first I’ll grab two and hold one for you.  It works our great and we all end up with what we want.

Fourth, think about the stores you want to head to.  If you are looking at Best Buy for a great deal on electronics, you will need to be camped out on Thursday evening.  People get there super early and will stay all night long.  If you don’t know how a store is on Black Friday, ask friends that go shopping or talk to people that work at that store.  Make plans in advance to make sure you don’t wake up so early to find out you are 100th in line and won’t get that toy you were hoping for.

Fifth, start looking for deals now.  Many major stores, including Wal-Mart, Best Buy and Toys R Us, are offering great deals right now.  There are deals of the day, weekend sales and a lot more.  Check out your favorite stores and sign up for their advertisements.  You’ll get emails about sales that you may not have known about otherwise.  What if you could pick up all your presents before Black Friday is here?  You could actually sleep in the day after Thanksgiving!

Here is a checklist of things you will want to have and take with you on that early morning:

• Layers of clothing – it’s freezing outside but the stores are warm.
• Make sure to have gloves, hats and scarves!
• Handwarmers!!  You can buy these in a lot of check out lanes or in the hunting section.  After opening the package, your handwarmer will radiate heat for about six hours.
• Hot Chocolate or Coffee.  It’s early and you’ll want a warm drink along with the caffeine to keep you moving!
• Bring your advertisements!  You’ll get to the store and forget what you wanted at that particular store.  Also, Wal-mart price matches, so if you have ads, you can get the same deals there.

Hopefully these tips will help you to get the best deals possible.  Keep you eyes open and when those doors open, go for the hot ticket items first so you don’t lose out.

The World Against Toys Causing Harm (W.A.T.C.H.) has released their list of the 2009 “10 Worst Toys”. How many of these are in your kids toy box? You’d be surprised. There is a large mixture of action figures to books. Here is the list and why that toy made it:

Disney/Pixar Wall-E Foam Rocket Launcher

($9.50) – Due to potential for eye and other impact injuries.

Mood Board Pogo Board

($29.99) – Due to potential for head and other impact injuries.

Spy-Gear Viper Blaster

($15.00) – Due to potential of eye injuries.

Pucci Pups Maltese

($15.00) – Due to potential of strangulation and aspirations injuries.

CAT “Rugged Mini”

($4.99) – Due to potential for puncture injury wounds.

Just Kidz Junior Musical Instruments

($15.00) – Due to potential choking hazards.

Lots to Love Babies “Mini Nursery”

($6.99) – Due to potential choking hazards.

X-Men Origins Slashin’ Action Wolverine

($14.99) – Due to potential eye and other impact injuries.

The Dark Knight Batman Figure

($39.98) – Due to potential for blunt impact and penetration injuries.

Curious Baby Curious George Counting

- My First Book of Numbers ($6.74) – Due to potential choking hazards.

Be sure to check toy boxes and take these dangerous toys off the shopping list for the upcoming holiday season.  W.A.T.C.H. has been successful in the past getting some dangerous toys off store shelves, so some of these could be hard to find in the coming months.

In 2008, there were at least 19 toy-related deaths in the United States.  On top of that, there were 235,300 toy-related injuries that caused trips to the emergency room.  With numbers this high, it is important to remind parents to monitor their children while playing.

There was recently a poll completed by BabyCenter that asked mothers if they spank their children.  Surprisingly, 69 percent of mothers said they DO spank their children.  Am I surprised that many mothers spank? Absolutely not.  I am surprised that many admitted to it though. Spanking was common years ago, however is currently a sore subject with many.

Many experts believe spanking should never be done and there are other ways to discipline your children.  While there are other ways to discipline, are they as effective?  Experts say that instead of spanking, parents should use time out or take away privileges.  Is a swat on the bottom that big of a deal?  Some say it is and causes kids to have self-esteem issues.

Spanking was very common when I was growing up.  It didn’t cause self-esteem pills, it taught you to take responsibility for your actions and not act up.  If you were out of line, be ready for the consequences.  Simple as that.  It was unheard of for a parent to simply put their four-year-old in time out for four minutes because they were screaming and throwing a tantrum.  If your child was acting up, you took care of it right then and it was done.

If 69 percent of mothers are spanking their children, why is it so looked down upon?  If more than half of all mothers are spanking, why is it such a hush hush subject?  I understand that some parents don’t know the difference between a swat on the butt and beating their child bu there is a difference.  Is that why spanking is looked down upon?  Because a few people can’t tell the difference and have gone overboard? Regardless if you spank or not, do what works best for your family.  You will know if spanking works best to discipline your child.

Miley Cyrus is the queen of ‘tweens right now.  She has the girls dancing, singing and wearing boots.  The next most popular ‘tween pop culture trend is ‘Twilight’.  I see the girls at school with ‘Twilight’ backpacks, shirts, books, pens, notebooks…most anything you could think of.  One would think the two would be intertwined, but that is far from the case.

During an interview with Ohio Radio Station Q92, Miley stated she does not like ‘Twilight’ and has not, nor will she ever watch the movies.When asked if she was on Team Edward or Team Jacob, Miley replied, “I don’t believe in it. I don’t like vampires, I don’t like any of the stuff, like the wolf that pops out of the screen when I’m watching my TV at night. I don’t like it, I don’t want anything to do with it. I don’t like the shirts, any of it.”

It was a little surprising her say that, since ‘Twilight’ is such a HUGE success in the pop culture, how can she be so against it? Kudos to her for sticking to her guns and not giving into something she doesn’t believe in.  I wonder what she would think about the ‘Twilight’ Barbie Dolls playing with the Hannah Montana dolls?  Would she be against my six-year-old making Hannah Montana marry Edward?

According the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the Tamiflu capsules can be opened and mixed with a sweet-tasting liquid.  Here is what you will need:

• A capsule of Tamiflu (again, these are much easier to find than the liquid)
• A small bowl
• 1-2 teaspoons of a sweet, flavored liquid (chocolate syrup works well)

Ok, so here is all you do:

1. Pour a small amount of the liquid into the bowl.  It doesn’t really matter the exact amount of the liquid, you will just want to be sure your child can finish all of it to get a full dose of medication.
2. Holding the capsule over your bowl, carefully open it and pour out all the contents.
3. Stir the mixture well, it is okay if all the medication does not fully dissolve.
4. Give the entire dose to your child with a spoon.

Easier than you thought isn’t it?  The Tamiflu capsules are very small, as I know from personal experience.  It should be easy to get all the medication into a few teaspoons of syrup.  It would actually be a lot easier to get your child to take a spoon full of chocolate syrup than most any medicine.  I wonder if this works with other things?  Might be something to look into, some medications are nearly impossible to get my kids to take.  For now though, this is great information to keep on hand, just in case.

Parents of the students are outraged.  How could the school have children arrested for such a harmless act.  Who hasn’t been involved in a food fight?  What is this going to do to these students?  I would think being arrested in the 6th, 7th or 8th grade would be very traumatic and could cause more emotional problems.  Parents believe that the kids should face some sort of discipline, but was arresting them over the top?  The children were held for four hours before being released to their parents then suspended from school for two days.

I can not believe the district thinks it is okay for the students to be arrested for something that is so common amongst adolescents.  With the chaos of a food fight, were they sure that everyone involved was arrested or that everyone arrested was actually involved?  They could easily pick up an innocent by-stander or overlook someone who was involved.  I think this district may have over-reacted and is actually harming the children.  In school suspension or even out of school suspension would have been a better option.  I couldn’t imagine being arrested for something like this.

A 12-year-old girl and 15-year-old boy (NOT pictured above) from New South Wales (NSW) are the new parents to a bouncing baby boy.  The girl’s father had reported that his daughter and her boyfriend were sleeping together while at her mother’s house, but nothing was done.  This resulted in the girl becoming pregnant at the early age of 11.  And to think, I was surprised with the girls in high school having babies, this girl is still elementary school aged!

The tween mother and baby boy are both reported doing well.  They are living with her mother, who is helping to care for the infant.  A 12-year-old is far too young to care for an infant herself and will have to rely on her mother for most of the care-giving.  At 12, she has no motherly instincts, she is still a child herself.

Why did the mother allow this to happen?  At 12 years, a girl is normally just coming out of the “kid” stages and growing into a teen.  She is in no way ready for sex at such a young age.  Where was her mother when this was happening?  Although I haven’t been through that stage just yet, I just couldn’t imagine not knowing my child was having sex.  What’s worse is the boyfriend was living with them.  Yes, the mother of this girl allowed her 15-year-old boyfriend to live in the same house.  What the heck was she thinking?  A 12-year-old shouldn’t even have a boyfriend yet, or not a serious boyfriend.  My nine year old walks around talking about having a girlfriend, but they don’t even talk or see each other outside of school.  I couldn’t imagine allowing my daughter to have her boyfriend live in our home.  She was just asking for something like this to happen.

Now what about this poor baby?  This baby boy was born to a mother and father that will be unable to care for him.  The baby’s grandmother will now be forced to raise another child, although isn’t it partially her fault?  Shouldn’t she still have been keeping an eye on her daughter and NOT allow her 15-year-old boyfriend to move in.  It just amazes me what some parents allow to happen.  How could you think this was okay?  Seriously.

Wermke believes the babies are crying in the same pattern as their mother’s speech pattern in an attempt to bond.  “Newborns are highly motivated to imitate their mother’s behavior in order to attract her and hence to foster bonding. Because melody contour may be the only aspect of their mother’s speech that newborns are able to imitate, this might explain why we found melody contour imitation at that early age” Wermke states.

Scientists already knew that babies were able to hear during their last trimester, which is why a newborn can easily recognize their mother’s voice.  This research shows that they can not only hear but interpret what is being heard.  Although babies are unable to create letter sounds, they are able to mimic the melody through their cries.

More research is being done to see if the difference in parenting alters the results.  If a German family allows their baby to cry longer before picking them up, it could effect the results.  Each country may parent differently, which needs to be taken into consideration.