Mom.me

It can be said that I've taken this blog from the cradle to the grave.

I had the idea to launch Mom.me in the spring as a spot for parenting advice, family events, product reviews and musings.

It grew to include a column in our Living Here section on Tuesdays, when the focus is on family.

But to be honest, as my workload grew (I also write stories for our Family and Food & Wine sections, as well as blog on Appetizers and 21Q), so too did the amount of time I was missing with my own family.

The irony was painful.

I decided to take some of the very same advice I had passed along here and in my column.

Cathy Greenberg, a sociobiologist and co-author of "What Happy Working Mothers Know: How New Findings in Positive Psychology Can Lead to a Healthy and Happy Work/Life Balance," (John Wiley & Sons Inc., $19.95, 256 pages), had told me in an interview for this blog that we moms (and many dads too) lack the courage to say no because we're afraid to compromise friendships and relationships.

It took about a month for Greenberg's message to penetrate my stubborn skull.

I confessed to managers about being overwhelmed, to the late nights and ridiculously early mornings in front of my computer, to the fact that something had to give.

That something is this blog.

The great news, however, is that I will continue to write my column for the Family section. I also will continue to post items on our entertainment blog, 21Q, and food news and recipes on our Appetizers blog. You can also find my writing in the Family and Food & Wine section.

So thank you, dear blog readers, for your following and support. Without this experience, of which you were a central part, I wouldn't be traveling down this new path.

Please be sure to e-mail me if there is a story or idea that you think I should explore for my column. Your input is appreciated, and central to ensuring that my work is reflective of issues and topics that you are interested in learning more about.

Best to you all.

In the flurry or excitement to take children trick-or-treating on Halloween, basic safety precautions can sometimes be overlooked.

Here are some tips for parents, children and homeowners from Sacramento Police Officer Laura Peck.

Click the link below to see her advice.

SacPDHalloween.doc

 

It's a dreaded question in many households: what's for dinner?

The routine query seems even more trying now, as many of us struggle to do more with less.

A few weeks ago, I solicited readers' tips on stretching food budgets while still cooking meals that the family would enjoy. What I got in return was some great advice.

Judy Lane, of Gold River, wrote me in an e-mail that years ago, before her now-grown children were born, she started planning her family's menus, checking recipes for truly needed ingredients and verifying pantry items before heading to the grocery store.

She shopped just once a month, making weekly trips as needed for produce, milk or things that couldn't be frozen or stored. She also remained flexible, cooking dinner a night in advance if the family's schedule warranted.

"I always incorporated several 'go to' family favorite recipes each week and most always tried something new," she said. "The effort cut 25 percent off the grocery bill and reduced the number of hours in the grocery store by a couple of hours each week!

"Menu planning is a task that even small children can help with and they are more likely to eat what's prepared when they've had a voice in that decision-making process."

Lane admitted she has strayed from the exercise over the years, but when she returns to planning her grocery bills go down.

Follow the link below to read more advice from fellow readers.

Joanne Graham wants children to have fun on Halloween. She also wants to help ensure they don't wind up with stomach aches, cavities and too much sugar in their system to sleep (now that's a nightmare).

The dietetic internship program director at California State University, Sacramento just wants to help parents steer their kids toward some healthier choices.

That's why Graham, the dietetic internship program director at California State University, Sacramento teamed with the California Milk Processor Board to arm parents with some advice this trick-or-treat season.

Did you know a typical candy pail on Halloween contains about 9,000 calories worth of candy? Click the link below to learn more.

Having trouble getting your toddler or preschooler (or teen for that matter) to eat something other than waffles and chicken nuggets?

Check out my story in today's Food & Wine section, where we explore daycares and preschools that are striving to expand childrens' culinary horizons through fresh produce and innovative meals.

The section is packed with recipes, but here is one we couldn't fit. For more extra recipes, check out our Appetizers blog.

Stevie's Speedy Enchilada Sauce
Cook time: 22 minutes
Serves: 8
Notes: This recipe is courtesy Chef Steve Magana of Sacramento Montessori School.

Ingredients
1/3 cup corn oil
2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons chili powder
One 8-ounce can tomato sauce
1 1/4 cups water
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
Sea salt to taste

Instructions
Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in flour and chili powder and cook until lightly brown, stirring constantly to prevent burning. Stir in tomato sauce, water, cumin, garlic powder, and onion powder into the flour until smooth, and continue cooking over medium heat approximately 12 minutes, until thick. Season to taste with salt.

Eating Suggestion:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Place a good amount of sauce in a casserole pan and roll some mozzarella cheese in a few corn tortillas and place in a casserole pan. Add more sauce over and top with cheese. Cover with foil and bake 15 minutes.

Per serving, sauce only: 102 cal.; 1 g pro.; 5 g carb.; 9 g fat (1 sat., 2 monounsat., 6 polyunsat.); 0 mg chol.; 94 mg sod.; 1 g fiber; 0 g sugar; 79 percent calories from fat.

Some families are willing to go to great lengths for a crack at fame and fortune.

Take the Heene family.

Parents Richard and Mayumi Heene, of Fort Collins, Colo., are accused of staging allegedly staged<NO>a runaway balloon caper starring their 6-year-old son, Falcon.

Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden is now saying the whole thing was a hoax, staged as a publicity stunt to land a reality TV show. One entertainment media outlet has paid the couple in connection with the balloon launch, the Los Angeles Times reported Monday.

The Heenes have a history with reality shows. They've already been featured twice on ABC's "Wife Swap."

The couple face possible state and federal criminal charges in connection with the hoax, as well as other sanctions.

Kevin Wehr, an associate professor of sociology at California State University, Sacramento, said he's not surprised that an alleged attempt at reality stardom was behind the Heene fiasco.

Society has become addicted to television, and reality TV has simply extended the fascination.

The problem is that reality TV isn't really what it claims to be: While we think we're watching real people, those people "are largely reading off scripts that are very similar to the shows done by actors," Wehr said.

"Because we see these people as 'real people,' there is a certain amount of voyeurism involved," he said. "I think this really leads to an increase in people behaving badly."

What's truly disheartening is how much time we all dedicate to these types of shows and the impact they have on our lives.

We talked about "Octomom" for months following the birth of her eight babies. (To summarize, the birth of her octuplets in January brought her total number of kids to 14.)

The same holds true for Jon and Kate Gosselin, the stars of TLC's "Jon & Kate Plus 8," who announced earlier this year that they were divorcing.

We ate it up.

The show's ratings skyrocketed, ranking No. 1 among the top 10 cable programs in the Nielsen ratings for the week of June 1-7 with 5.94 million viewers tuning in, according to online Nielsen information.

The couple and their set of twins and sextuplets have graced the covers of tabloids and dominated pop culture conversations ever since. And it likely will continue now that the show will shift to focus on single mother Kate and her brood on Nov. 2.

Wehr said our collective fascination with reality television has become a stand-in for actual relationships, making it an even more powerful medium.

"This really diminishes us as people," he said. "We're talking about the latest antics of (celebrities) instead of talking about real issues. These are fake issues."

There may be hope on the horizon, however.

The number of reality shows currently on television and their pervasiveness indicates that the bubble might burst soon, Wehr said.

"The way these things go in terms of the spectacle they represent is they become massively popular and then after a while, saturate the market and people tune out," he said. "My hunch is that we're about at that point with reality TV."

Let's hope so.

Jeanne Chasko, 58, holds reading in high esteem. Chasko is a mother, grandmother and substitute teacher who is looking for a job teaching elementary school.

Chasko recently read and reviewed "Reading Together: Everything You Need to Know to Raise a Child Who Loves to Read" (Perigee, $15, 279 pages), a book that author Diane Frankenstein wrote to help guide people toward appropriate books for kids and help connect children with reading.

Chasko enjoyed the book and found it to be a useful tool.

Follow the link below to read her review.

Buy a book, support a local charity.

That's the crux of a fundraiser that begins today in Barnes & Noble stores nationwide.

The bookseller will be donating a percentage of all sales made today through Sunday to a Sacramento Children's Home "Reading to dogs" literacy program.

The program pairs children with calm, volunteer dogs who patiently listen as children read aloud to them, said Michael Kressner, the organization's spokesman.

Sacramento Children's Home programs serve 3,600 children and 2,200 families in the Greater Sacramento Area through emergency, educational and supplemental services.

Author Michael Milone will be reading his book "Nasha, The First Dog" at a special reading event at noon Saturday at the Barnes & Noble store located at Arden Fair mall.

To make a purchase that will help support the Children's Home, mention code 10041499 at checkout.

OK parents, here's the skinny on H1H1 vaccinations for your children: some pediatric offices in the region have them, others don't.

Kaiser Permanente has received 17,000 doses of the nasal spray version of the H1N1 vaccine for use in Northern California and began distributing a limited number of them to pediatric clinics earlier this week, Dr. Stephen M. Parodi, Kaiser's chief of infectious disease, wrote in an e-mail to The Bee.

The vaccinations are being given only to certain high-risk groups as directed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state Department of Public Health guidelines.

Patients are asked to call Kaiser's flu information hotline at (800) 573-5811 to determine if they are eligible.

Kaiser anticipates that it will receive more vaccinations, including the injectable form, in coming weeks.

Belong to Mercy, UC Davis Health System and Sutter medical groups? Follow the link below to learn more about vaccination availability with those providers. 

Want some cute Halloween costume ideas for kids?

Check out these instructional webisodes featuring Michaels creativity guru Jo Pearson.

Pearson shows viewers how to make an adorable owl costume out of just a T-shirt, felt, yarn and hot glue.

Seriously.

Here's the link to the online videos. Speaking of Michaels, the company's stores also are holding free adult mask making demonstrations and a Halloween T-shirt event from 1 to 3 p.m. Oct. 25. On Halloween, the stores are holding a free family event from 10 a.m. to noon. Children will receive a free trick-or-treat pail, candy and get to participate in a coloring activity, make a Crayola pencil topper using Model Magic Fusion and decorate a Halloween frame.

For more costume and fall decor inspiration, go to Michaels Web site or check out my story from earlier this week.

Turns out the insurance company that denied medical coverage for a chubby Colorado baby has changed its mind.

The Associated Press has reported the following:

Rocky Mountain Health Plans said Monday it will no longer consider obesity a "pre-existing condition" barring coverage for hefty infants.

The change comes after the insurer turned down a Grand Junction 4-month-old who weighs about 17 pounds. The insurer deemed Alex Lange - called by his parents a "happy little chunky monkey" - obese and said the infant didn't qualify for coverage.

To read more, click here to go to my previous blog post.

Prescription drug abuse among teenagers is a growing problem, but one local youth organization is holding an event this week to help curb the trend.

The Vision Coalition of El Dorado Hills and its partners will be collecting old and unused medication at "Operation Medicine Cabinet" from 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday.

The event also will include education for parents and teens by law enforcement and emergency personnel, states a Vision Coalition news release.

Jon Daily, director of Recovery Happens Counseling Services, also will help parents understand prescription drug abuse and how to identify abuse and intervene.

"As adults, we think of drugs as illegal substances," he stated in the release. "However, kids think of drugs as anything that creates intoxication which includes many household medicines."

Two El Dorado Hills residents, both in their early 20s, died in the past 11 weeks from accidental overdoses of prescription medication, said DJ Peterson, the organization's executive director.

Prescription drug abuse has become increasingly prevalent among teenagers and young adults nationwide, according to the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.

"Abuse of prescription pain killers now ranks second, only behind marijuana, as the nation's most prevalent illegal drug problem," the office's Web site states.

Peterson said getting old or unused prescription drugs out of homes is critical.

"If we don't do something, more lives will be lost," he said.

Medication collection will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. and the educational talks will be held from 5:15 to 6 p.m. at the El Dorado Hills Community Services District Pavilion, 1021 Harvard Way, El Dorado Hills.

For more information about the organization or the event, to the Vision Coalition's Web site.

Most parents just can't resist taking a bath-time photo of their baby or small child.

It's innocence personified - those sweet little faces beaming at the camera from amongst a tub full of bubbles.

We parents eagerly snap photos and file them away in our computer hard drives or photo albums, saving them for the day when we can show them to the child's spouse or our own grandchildren.

But an investigation and subsequent lawsuit in Arizona has spurred a national debate about whether it's OK to take such photos and what parents can do with them.

An Arizona couple was accused of sexual abuse last fall after they took photos of their kids that included bath-time shots to Wal-mart for processing.

Lisa and Anthony "A.J." Demaree's three young daughters were taken into custody for a month during the investigation. Neither parent was charged, but the couple is now suing Wal-mart and the state.

The photos were among 144 pictures taken during a family vacation. Seven to eight of the bath- and playtime photos showed a "portion or outline of genitalia," the Associated Press reported.

"This is a parent's worst nightmare," Richard Treon, the couple's lawyer, told the AP.

One of my favorite photos of my son is a bathtime shot. He was a little under a year old at the time and standing at the tub in nothing but his little fur-lined Robeez booties, his cute baby tushy facing the camera.

That photo has never been printed. It's never been e-mailed. I'm a little paranoid after years of crime reporting and obtaining a master's degree in criminal justice will do that to a person. But I can't put aside the fear that the photo might be misconstrued or fall into the wrong hands.

Now I'm beginning to think my paranoia may be a blessing in disguise.

Jim Harris, an FBI supervisory special agent who heads the Sacramento office's cyber crime program, said the average kid-in-the-bathtub photo isn't considered sexually explicit in the federal system and there aren't laws that prohibit digitally sending or printing such photos.

Parents should, however, exercise caution when e-mailing or posting their kids' bathtub photos on the Internet.

"I am always in favor of posting as little to the Internet as possible, particularly naked pictures of kids," he said. "There are folks who, even though the picture isn't designed to arouse sexual desire, find them to be arousing."

If you use photo sites, know the terms of service.

"If the company isn't promising anything, they shouldn't expect anything in terms of privacy," Harris said.

Fair Oaks grandmother Klorys Happe said she took bathtub photos of her three children all the time when they were little, their faces adorned with bubble mustaches and beards.

"It was innocent fun," she said.

Happe also cherishes a recent photo of her two grandsons - 2 years old and 6 months at the time - in a bubble bath.

The loss of frivolity in something as simple as a bathtub photo of a child is disappointing, but even more disheartening is the need to protect such photos.

"There are just ugly people out there sometimes that take advantage of innocents," she said. "I'd like to think it's pretty few and far between, but how do we know?"

What do you think? Have you refrained from e-mailing or printing bathtub photos of your kids or grandkids? Post your thoughts and comments here.

Having a chubby baby used to just mean more arm exercise for doting parents and bypassing cute newborn-size clothing given at a baby shower. Not anymore, apparently.

A Grand Junction, Colo. couple recently was denied medical insurance for their 4-month-old son, Alex, because he falls into the 99th percentile for height and weight for babies his age, Nancy Lofholm of The Denver Post reported today.

Alex's "obesity" - he's 17 pounds and about 25 inches long - is considered a pre-existing medical condition that makes him a financial risk. The denial speaks to an issue, called underwriting, that health insurance reform measures are seeking to eliminate, Lofholm reports.

Meanwhile, the Langes are frustrated and planning to appeal the denial, which came from a provider they were attempting to switch to after their current insurer raised rates by 40 percent.

Here's a portion of Lofholm's report:

Insurers don't take babies above the 95th percentile, no matter how healthy they are otherwise.

"I could understand if we could control what he's eating. But he's 4 months old. He's breastfeeding. We can't put him on the Atkins diet or on a treadmill," joked his frustrated father, Bernie Lange, a part-time news anchor at KKCO-TV in Grand Junction. "There is just something absurd about denying an infant."

Click here to read the rest of Lofholm's story.

What do you think? Should insurance companies be able to deny infants insurance because of their weight? Is this a problem in the health care system that you think needs changing or are insurance companies justified in such actions? Post your thoughts and comments here.

Want to have a say in determining the best family spots in the Sacramento region?

Hundreds of readers voted on the best things for families to see, do and eat in the area in The Bee's preliminary Top 20 survey and hundreds more have cast their ballots in the final survey.

Which businesses, spots and restaurants should get the bragging rights?

Will it be Freeport Bakery, Ettores or Costco for the best bakery? Slocum House, Ella or Moxie for the best date night restaurant? As of Friday, Freeport was in lead for best bakery and Slocum House for best dining spot (without the kids, that is).

Other front-runners include the Discovery Museum as the best place to entertain children on a rainy day and Apple Hill as the best pumpkin patch.

Don't agree? Then log on to the survey and make your vote count.

The results will be published in a Living Here Family section in October.

Click here to go to the survey.

A law prohibiting sale of baby formula, baby food or over-the-counter medicines after the "use by" date was among dozens of bills signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger Sunday.

Assemblymember Ted Lieu, D-Torrance proposed the legislation after an investigation by state Attorney General Jerry Brown's office last year found that several southern California pharmacies were selling consumer goods with expired labels, some as much as four to six months past the expiration date, according to Lieu's Web site.

The Consumer Federation of California and other health and consumer advocacy groups sponsored the legislation.

For more information, check out my previous blog post.

To read more about which bills Schwarzenegger signed or vetoed, see my colleague Jim Sanders' report.

We didn't quite believe our ears when we heard it, but indeed it's true - the 99 Cent Only Stores have children's Halloween costumes for a penny shy of $1.

The array of kids costumes at the store on Fair Oaks Boulevard in Carmichael ranged from pint-size pirate getup to fairy finery.

The prepackaged costumes for 99 cents were somewhat basic - policeman, pirate, witch, mouse - but slightly more elaborate costumes, the components of which are sold separately, are just a few dollars more.

For instance, a cheerleader costume (skirt, shirt, pom poms, megaphone) would be about $4.

The bargain costumes may not last forever, but the money saved and one-stop shopping is sure to take pressure off parents.

Now that's valuable.

For more inexpensive Halloween costume ideas, check out my story on Tuesday in the Living Here Family section.

A southern California legislator is proposing a law that would forbid stores from selling expired baby products and over-the-counter medicines, but one company implicated as having sold expired goods is not taking the accusation lightly.

Assemblyman Ted Lieu, D-Torrance, and others held a press conference in Los Angeles Wednesday calling for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's support of the bill, AB 1512.

The law, sponsored by the Consumer Federation of California, prohibits retailers from selling baby formula, baby food or over-the-counter pharmaceuticals after the "use by" date, a news release from the organization states.

The legislation follows investigations by California and New York attorney generals, which found that "many retailers were selling consumer products with expired labels," the release states.

The governor has until Sunday to sign the legislation.

Follow the link below to see which company was investigated by the consumer organization.

Good news local Chipotle fans - the Sacramento region is one of several test markets for the burrito chain's new children's menu.

Chipotle Mexican Grill will roll out the new kid's menu on Monday at its 21 Sacramento area restaurants and will be offering one free kids meal with the purchase of an adult entree every Sunday from Oct. 18 to Nov. 8.

The kid's menu was first introduced in Denver last spring. Sacramento was chosen as a test market because it's a "family-friendly city," Chris Arnold, the chain's director of public relations, wrote in an e-mail.

Chipotle hasn't had a kid's menu in the past because the style of its menu - which allows diners to pick ingredients to include in the burrito, taco or salad - helped parents adapt meals to suit their child.

"But some of our customers, particularly newer customers, don't understand the variety or the best way to feed their children at Chipotle," he said. "We began testing a kid's menu to help people better understand that. The response we've seen so far has been really encouraging."

Items on the kid's menu are priced at under $4 and include juice, organic milk or a small fountain drink. The menu features Chipotle's naturally raised meats, which comes from animals humanely raised without antibiotics or added hormones, a news release states.

Here are the choices:

• Taco kit ($3.95) - Children can choose any three ingredients and two crispy or soft taco shells, all served on a tray, allowing the child to construct their own meal. Served with rice and a small order of chips.

• Single taco ($3.50) - Chipotle staff will construct the child's soft or crispy taco, using any three ingredients the child chooses. Served with a small order of chips.

• Small cheese quesadilla ($2.95) or small meat and cheese quesadilla ($3.50) - Served with a side of rice or beans and small order of chips.

I almost did a end zone happy dance. Twice.

I may be able to make a mean lemon cake and a most irresistible brownie, but when it comes to bread making, I'm solidly in the novice category. After several failed attempts, I am trying my hand at yeast breads. I think much of the problem lies in my patience (as in I have very little).

I decided to give making homemade pizza a go this past weekend. It's inexpensive and the DIY version means we could top them any way we pleased.

Fortunately for me, the pizza dough turned out beautifully, though the cool, Autumnal weather darn near destroyed my dough-making effort. After a two hour rise outside, the dough was barely bigger than before. It took a good hour longer on our kitchen table, under the warmth of our incandescent chandelier, to double in size. Whatever gets the job done.

The best news, however, is that my preschooler loved it. When asked if he liked it better than the restaurant pizza, he said "Mama's is better." I couldn't stop smiling.

This recipe for dough yields enough for two pizzas, perfect for parents and kids to top as desired. I did a spinach, garlic, bacon, onion and mushroom mixture atop the adult version, while the kids voted for cheese.

Follow the link below to get the recipe.

Ask a working mother how she's doing and you probably will be lied to.

We'll say "fine," but the response in our head - the honest one that we wouldn't disclose to a coworker or boss - likely leaves much unsaid.

For me, the truth would sound something like this: "I'm busier than I've ever been in my life. I wake up thinking about work, power chug scalding hot coffee while I make a marginally healthy breakfast for my kids, take them to day care, work frantically all day, fret over what's for dinner, bath the kids if there's time, eat after they're asleep and collapse into bed thinking about work and feeling guilty that I'm not spending enough with my kids."

Apparently, I'm not alone.

Women comprise nearly half of the workforce in this country, some 47 percent, yet many of us feel conflicted about working outside the home, according to a recent report by the Pew Research Center's Social and Demographic Trends Project.

Sixty-two percent of working moms say they'd prefer to work part time. Only 13 percent of moms with full-time jobs say that it's an ideal situation for young children, the report states.

Working moms also are more likely to feel stressed and as if there aren't enough hours in the day. Four-in-ten working moms with kids under 18 years old say they always feel rushed.

Follow the link below to read what Dr. Laura Schlessinger, Maria Shriver and others have to say about working mothers.

With wage reductions and furloughs taking a toll of family budgets, the discretionary income for Halloween costumes may be at an all-time low.

It doesn't have to mean a dull disguise, however.

Dollar stores, discount bins at Target and Wal-mart and your own closet are veritable treasure troves of trick-or-treat attire.

I'll be offering some inexpensive costume ideas in the Oct. 13 section of Living Here Family and here on my blog.

But before I do, I want to hear some of your cheap costume ideas.

Post a comment below or e-mail me your favorite budget costume concept, either for kids or adults (or both) and I might use it for the story and give you credit for your inspired idea.

Let's help each other not have to resort to going as "static cling" this year.

Calling all convivial kids - you're wanted for an upcoming fashion show.

Cottage Affair, a boutique specializing in unique housewares and childrens clothing and decor, is looking for children ages infant to 6 years old to star in a fashion show on Oct. 24 at the Lyon Village Shopping Center.

Boys and girls of various ages are needed to model the latest in children's fashion from designers including Hopscotch Designs, Bunnies by the Bay and Mud Pie, said Kathy Wright, the store's owner.

Interested parents should e-mail Wright to make an appointment for a fitting.

The event will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. Oct 24 and will include art and a local jazz band.

Your children may not like this.

President Barack Obama is calling for the nation's schools to lengthen the school day and year, stay open late and remain open on weekends for children needing a safe place to go, according to a report by The Associated Press.

The AP's Libby Quaid reported that Obama and U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan want to lengthen school time for kids in an effort to get them on par with students in other countries. Click here to go to the full story.

"Young people in other countries are going to school 25, 30 percent longer than our students here," Duncan told the AP. "I want to just level the playing field."

The rub is two-fold - it's going to cost more money and it may not sit well with school children and their parents.

At first glance, I thought Obama's idea sounded like a winning one. Increased learning and comprehension for children? Making our students more competitive for jobs against their global peers? Increasing resources for disadvantaged students and ensuring lessons learned during the year aren't lost over summer months? Sure, I'll support that.

But there also could be drawbacks. Does this mean further pressure to perform on standardized tests? Less time for sports and other hobbies? Less time with us parents?

As a working mother, the time I have to spend with my children is sacred. I'm stingy with our time on weekends and probably too often decline invitations that require time away from them. For me, time spent hunting unusual leaves in the backyard or a good game of hide-and-seek beats a wine tasting party any day.

Lessons learned in a classroom are crucial, but there also is important knowledge and understanding imparted in the home.

What do you think of Obama's idea? Would you support a longer school day or year for your kids? What would your children think? Is there a better alternative?

Post your comments and thoughts here.

Talk about striking a nerve.

Last Wednesday, also known as California Family Day in some circles, I posted a blog item about the lasting benefits of eating dinner together as a family.

The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University had released a report that day with stats that should make any parent think twice about skipping a meal with their teenagers.

For instance, if you eat fewer than three meals a week with your teenager, research shows your child will be twice as likely to use tobacco or marijuana than teens who eat five meals or more a week with their family.

Since California first lady Maria Shriver served as the honorary chair of Family Day, I sought her advice.

I didn't anticipate the vilification that followed.

A few commenters supported Shriver's suggestions, but many others roundly criticized her and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for state pay reductions that they said created a situation that made it tougher for families to spend time together or to find something to eat.

As "Dagnabbit" opined: "And what should they eat dear lady? If they work for your husband, perhaps you would suggest 'cake'?? We have no money left - we choose between eating and paying bills we are obligated to pay regardless of the 15 percent reduction in pay, and there is no bailout for us."

I went to Shriver to address the criticism, but her communications director, Francisco Castillo, said he could address the issue. Shriver, he said, is using her WE Connect campaign to link working families with government services and tax-saving programs.

Her program has become a model for others in the country, he said.

Yet many of us don't qualify for such programs, or we want to leave the benefits to those who are even less fortunate.

I took my own pay cut earlier this year and so understand the realities facing working families during this recession.

Since my family's discretionary income is smaller, our grocery shopping is based on need instead of want.

Whether you work for the public sector or private industry, it has become increasingly hard to feed a family. Since I know my way around the kitchen, I can produce an economical meal that goes beyond peanut butter sandwiches.

Major supermarkets, including Safeway, Raley's and Whole Foods, have rolled out discounts targeting items that families buy most.

Jennifer Jolly, a San Francisco-based consumer lifestyle advocate who's partnered with Safeway, offered some advice on ways stretch family food budgets.

Stretch your meals to stretch your budget. A whole chicken for dinner on Sunday night can mean chicken sandwiches for lunch on Monday, chicken strips for Tuesday's dinner and chicken wraps on Wednesday. Family-pack portions are big money savers.

Pack a lunch. Jolly experimented and packed a lunch every day for two weeks and wound up saving $100. For kids' lunches, try heating oatmeal or all-natural macaroni and cheese (both inexpensive per serving) and placing it in a Thermos.

"I use whatever we've had for dinner the night before," Jolly said. "My daughter thinks it's really cool."

Buy store brands and generic organic products.

Download online coupons and get free recipes from supermarket Web sites (which tend to be economical and family-friendly).

Need more ideas for cheap meals? Check out Sacramento blogger Kimberly Morales' penny-pinching recipes at Poor Girl Eats Well or The Bee's Shop Cheap blog.

What are your money-saving tricks? Where have you found serious deals? C'mon, Sacramento, let's help each other out. Post your ideas here, and I'll share them on this blog and in my column at a later date.

It's hard to stretch a family food budget.

Trying to balance what's on sale with what's appealing to parents and what children are willing to eat can sometimes feel akin to puzzling out the meaning of life.

There's good news, however.

Major supermarkets have realized this and are offering families deep discounts, advice on ways to make every dollar count and healthy meal ideas.

Safeway launched a campaign offering everyday low prices on thousands of items, many of which are targeted at families.

"It's really a sign of the times," said Jennifer Jolly, a consumer lifestyle expert who has teamed with Safeway. "Everyone has challenges with their budget and this is what Safeway is doing to make people's lives a little bit easier."

Items with yellow tags indicate the new price, which is often in addition to Safeway Club Card savings.

I asked Jolly for some tips for families on ways to save money at the supermarket. Here is her advice:

• Stretch your meals to stretch your budget - A whole chicken for Sunday dinner can transform into healthy chicken sandwiches on Monday, chicken strips on Tuesday and chicken wraps on Wednesday. Family pack portions of chicken and red meat also are better values.

• Pack a lunch - Jolly said she didn't realize how much money she was spending on eating out until she started brown-bagging it. "I saved $100 in two weeks," she said. Parents can keep it interesting by packing items like hummus and veggies for dipping.

• Don't shy from generics - In-store brands, especially generic organic products, can save major money.

• Think green, save green - Buying one large container of juice and filling a Thermos or reusable container is often cheaper - and more environmentally-friendly - than buying individual juice boxes. Forego pre-cut fruits and vegetables. The DIY method is much more cost-effective.

• Get creative with old standbys - Use cookie cutters to make that PB&J a little more special. Try cutting tortillas and pitas into shapes to accompany dipping sauce. Use a rolling pin to roll out a piece of wheat bread, top with tuna or chicken mixed with finely diced veggies, roll up and slice. Call it sushi and let your little one's imagination run wild.
  

• Think outside the (lunch)box - Use a Thermos or insulated container to keep natural macaroni and cheese or oatmeal warm until lunchtime. "I pack whatever we've had for dinner the night before," Jolly said. "(My daughter) thinks it's really cool."

Speaking of lunchboxes, here are some suggestions from Patty Mastracco, recipe developer for Raley's, on how to pack your child a lunch they won't trade.

• Get kids to help - Get your kids to help plan the weekly lunch menu. They are more likely to try new foods if they help prepare them.

• Healthy choices - Dedicate a drawer or bin to healthy things for kids to choose from. Try fruit leather, whole wheat energy bars, dried fruits and nuts.

• Surprise them - Fill a cored apple with peanut butter or almond butter or pack yogurt as a "dip" for fruits.

Whole Foods also has taken note of the trying economic times and posted a plethora of economical lunch box ideas on its Web site. For recipes and more tips, go to the Whole Foods "Build a Better Lunchbox" page.

Need more money-saving meal miracles? Check out The Bee's Shop Cheap blog. Bee blogger Pam Dinsmore scouts for deals daily and each week, recipe researcher Sheila Kern finds delicious recipes using weekly specials.

A local community group is hosting a family preparedness event in south Sacramento Saturday.

Participants will learn how to make an emergency supply kit, a family emergency plan and the types of emergencies that happen in the region, a South Sacramento County Visions news release states.

Vendors include the American Red Cross, Sacramento County public health and sheriff's departments, Office of Emergency Services and Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District.

The event, which includes a bounce house and other entertainment, will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Jose Rizal Community Center, 7320 Florin Mall Dr., Sacramento.

Today is the last day to cast your ballots in The Bee's Top 20 survey.

We need your suggestions on the top things for families to see, do and eat in the region.

We'll open up a final, multiple choice-style survey next week.

The winning results will be published in the Living Here Family section in October.

To take the survey, follow this link.

Joaquin Sanchez is a spunky 19-month-old with an infectious grin.

He loves wrestling with his two older brothers and throwing things forgotten on the bathroom floor into the tub.

He can give kisses when asked.

Joaquin is also one of 400,000 Americans with Down Syndrome.

On Saturday, Joaquin's cherubic little face will grace Times Square as part of a video production intended to launch National Down Syndrome Awareness Month.

Joaquin's photo from last Halloween - he was just 8 months old in the picture below - will be among 226 photos shown on the MTV plasma screen. The video is by the National Down Syndrome Society.

"I am thrilled about Joaquin being featured in the Times Square video," Jennifer Varanini Sanchez, his mother, wrote me in an e-mail. "I want to share my beautiful boy with the whole world. He is our pride and joy."

Sanchez, of East Sacramento, is a vocal advocate for increasing awareness about people with Down Syndrome, a chromosomal condition that impacts cognitive development in varying degrees.

Sanchez started a blog, Three's A Charm, about her family's experience with Down Syndrome shortly after Joaquin was born last year. Since then, she's documented her family's challenges and milestones in a moving compilation of prose and pictures. She's also developed a line of infant and children's shirts that proclaim "I did it," in celebration of accomplishments by Down Syndrome.

For every T-shirt purchased, Sanchez buys a copy of the book "Gifts 2: How People With Down Syndrome Enrich the World" (Woodbine House, $19.95, 221 pages) and donates it to a local hospital, genetic counselor or pediatrician's office. Sanchez was a contributing author.

I asked Sanchez for some words of advice for other parents of children with Down Syndrome, or expecting parents whose baby may have been diagnosed with Down Syndrome in utero.

Follow the link below to read what Sanchez wrote.

Here's some proof that having dinner with your children is worthwhile: Teens who have dinner with their families fewer than three times a week are twice as likely to use tobacco or marijuana than teens who have frequent family dinners.

A report released today by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University also found that teens who have infrequent family dinners are more than one and a half times likelier to use alcohol and twice as likely to expect to try drugs in the future.

The report is released in anticipation of Monday being national Family Day, a movement launched by the national center to remind parents of the importance of family dinners and reducing children's risk of smoking, drinking and illegal drug use, according to a news release from the Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse.

First Lady of California Maria Shriver is honorary chair of the center's Family Day, which is being celebrated today in our state. (Shriver is shown at right with A.G. Kawamura, state Food and Agriculture secretary. Bee photo by Lezlie Sterling).

Shriver grew up in a household that placed an emphasis on the family eating dinner together.

"Both my parents worked, so they often traveled, but my mother was very adamant about that," said Shriver, in a phone interview from her Brentwood home. "My parents really used the dining room table as a continuation of the classroom.""

Shriver has continued the tradition with her own family. She and her two sons - her two daughters are now in college - eat dinner together at least five nights a week, more if they don't have their own plans on Friday or Saturday nights.

"I'm lucky to get a weekend night from one of them," she said.

Like other parents, Shriver hears her fair share of complaints about the length of time it takes to have dinner (The center's study found that the average family dinner takes about 35 minutes.) and has had to referee some table-side teenage fights, but the reward is worth the time and effort for parent and child.

"The table isn't just for eating, it's for connecting, conversing and sharing," Shriver said. "I think families desire (the time together) and when they read the statistics of what a difference it makes, the facts and figures don't lie."

The center's report, which has been comprised for the past several years from an annual back-to-school survey, also found that compared with teens who have frequent family dinners, those who have infrequent family dinners are one and a half times likelier to report getting grades C or lower in school.

Researchers also found that 12- and 13-year-olds who infrequently eat dinner with their family are six times likelier to use marijuana, four times likelier to use tobacco and three times likelier to use alcohol than their peers who have frequent family dinners.

I asked Shriver to give some tips for families on improve and increase the frequency of family meal time. Here are her tips:

• Start simple. If you don't have time for dinner together five nights a week, start with one night a week. Add in nights as it becomes more doable or make a New Year's resolution to have two or three dinners together each week. "Anything helps," she said.
• Talk to your kids. Use what's on the table to prompt conversation. Talk about the fruits and vegetables and where they come from, the importance of eating healthy food, agriculture in California. "Sometimes the subjects you're looking for are staring you in the face," Shriver said.
• Don't fret over the food. Children care more about who is at the table than what is on it. The time spent with family - be it a single-parent, a grandparent, a same-sex couple or even a teacher - is really what matters most. "Kids want whoever is in your family at the table," she said. "The food is secondary."

More than 600 restaurants throughout California are offering families free meals for children today in celebration of Family Day. For more information, check out my previous blog post.

How often do you eat dinner with your family? Is it enjoyable? What are your techniques for starting conversation? Post your thoughts and comments here.

There are dozens of days, weeks and months and events aimed at increasing our awareness of a cause.

Wednesday is no different. But the cause is much closer to home - it's our own family.

It's Family Day in California, part of a national movement launched by the National Center on Addiction Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University. It's a day intended to encourage families to spend time with one another and strengthen their bond.

Years of research by CASA has found that the more often children eat dinner with their families, the less likely they are to smoke, drink or use drugs.

This year, California First Lady Maria Shriver, honorary chair of the state's Family Day, and the California Restaurant Association have teamed to promote Family Day and got more than 600 member restaurants to offer free kids meals with the purchase of an adult entree from 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesday.

Follow this link for a list of participating restaurants in Northern California.

For Shriver's tips on celebrating family day, click here.

Be sure to visit my blog tomorrow, when I'll feature an interview with Shriver, as well as a recipe for those of us looking to celebrate Family Day at home.

How do you make time for your family? What do you like to do together? Do you have any tips for other parents on connecting with children, especially teenagers? Post your thoughts and comments here.

We parents devote an awful lot of time to choosing and getting our children into the right preschool. Consider Monica McMahon.

She and her husband toured an East Sacramento preschool last October and were told a spot likely wouldn't open up for their son for another year.

McMahon, who works for the state Department of Education, knew the value of following up - it signals a continued interest, not to mention dedication.

"I proceeded to call every single Monday for eight months," she said. "It took me eight months, but I got him in. For me, it was worth the wait and I was going to play the game."

The preschool conversation has been swirling for years, but was resurrected after a humorous documentary about the mad-cap competition for private nursery school spots in New York City hit DVD this summer. "Nursery University" follows parents desperately trying to nab spots at top preschools, convinced that failure means a lifetime of "what ifs?" and minimum wage.

I scoffed at the parents who hired consultants and cried when their children weren't accepted. But I can't escape the fact that a similar situation, albeit on a different scale, exists in many regions of the country, including Sacramento.

I confess to being just a little worried. I found myself wondering about my own children Saturday after a five-minute conversation with my preschooler.

He has two elbows, he told me, and so does his little sister, and whaddya know, so does Mommy. This tiny flash of insight, obviously provoked by something he had learned at nursery, got me to thinking about where my son would fall on the bell curve.

He continued to prattle away. I worried.

What avenue is best? Should it be Montessori or Waldorf? Free play versus structured activity?

Children are more socially and emotionally ready to enter school if they attend high-caliber preschools where they learn pre-literacy skills and early mathematics, said Kimberly Biddle, an associate professor of child development at California State University, Sacramento.

"It helps them get ready for school even just in terms of routine," she said.

So, what's it like trying to get a child into popular preschools?

At Great Beginnings Child Development Center in Curtis Park, the wait list is often at least a year for the preschool program, said Stephanie Levenhagen, the school's owner and director.

In Roseville, public preschools also often have wait lists, but the length of time often depends on neighborhood demographics. There, about 90 percent of children find spots in the programs.

"We're usually more desirable because we're much more affordable," said Rob Nakamura, the city's parks and recreation manager.

The wait list for Sacramento Country Day School's pre-kindergarten program varies, but Headmaster Steve Repsher doesn't anticipate much of one this year due to the economy. Tuition for the school's pre-kindergarten program currently is $16,400, the school's Web site states.

The economic downturn likely is forcing parents to wait longer to enroll children in private preschool as a cost-saving measure, he said. The situation there This mirrors a larger trend - the National Association of Independent Schools reports enrollment down about 4.5 percent nationwide from last year, Repsher said.

Since admission to Country Day's pre-K program also means a guaranteed spot in a kindergarten class and beyond (the school is pre-K through 12th grade), attending can vault students to high academic achievement, Repsher said.

"It seems odd to speak of college prep at pre-K, but it is the beginning of that road," he said.

McMahon was willing to devote time and money into her son's preschool education because, like many parents, she simply wants what's best for her child.

"You want to give them everything you can," she said. "You want them to be as prepared as they possibly can be," she said.

Do you worry about where to send your child to preschool? Have you found the perfect spot? What were your secrets to getting your child past the wait list? If you have more than one child, did you shell out big bucks for the first and go economical on the second? How did it work out?

Post your thoughts and comments here.

Linda Moffatt tried to learn how not to act old. It was too much work.

The 62-year-old Citrus Heights state employee requested the book "How Not To Act Old: 185 Ways to Pass for Phat, Sick, Hot, Dope, Awesome, or at Least Not Totally Lame" (Harper, $14.99, 192 pages) when I put it up for grabs last month. She wanted to better understand her teenage grandsons and younger coworkers who "seem to think dinosaurs still roamed the earth when I was born."

The best-selling book, from Pamela Redmond Satran, the creator of the blog by the same name, offers a list of topics such as "Why not to have sex or a dinner part on a Saturday night, and what to do instead" and "Where to wax, and exactly what a Brazilian means."

Moffatt, quite the humorous writer herself, wrote a review of the book for this blog. Follow the link below to read it.

You have secret information we want to know.

Parents, grandparents and caregivers have the inside track on the best parks, the best pumpkin patch, the best thing to do for free in the Sacramento region.

It's time for you, dear reader, to 'fess up.

You can share so many things that will help every other parent or guardian in the region -- the No. 1 family-friendly restaurant or the top spot to send mom to relax, for instance.

Our preliminary online survey is available through Sept. 22, with a final survey to follow. To cast your vote, follow this link.

The results will be compiled into a Top 20 list of things for families to do, see and eat in the region.

Armed with this kind of knowledge, you can conquer the world. OK, maybe not. But you will know which bakery has the best birthday cakes and which restaurant won't sit you by the kitchen if you walk in with a toddler.

The Bee's Top 20 list will be published in the Living Here Family section in October.

Sacramento firefighters have teamed with a local veteran's service organization to collect care package items to mail to troops.

Collection bins have been set up at a dozen Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District stations. See the list below for specific locations.

Sacramento Blue Star Moms, a group supporting military personnel and their families, mails care packages to hundreds of military personnel four times a year.

Items being collected include jerky, baby wipes, wipes, shampoo, tooth brushes and toothpaste, lip balm, candy, energy bars, batteries, playing cards, stationary, books, gum and socks.

Donations are being taken through Nov. 6. Packages will be mailed on Nov. 14.

Here is the list of stations collecting the items:

Station 21, 7641 Greenback Lane, Citrus Heights
Station 23, 6421 Greenback Lane, Citrus Heights
Station 31, 7950 California Ave., Fair Oaks
Station 41, 6900 Thomas Dr., North Highlands
Station 50, 8880 Gerber Rd., Florin
Station 58. 7250 Sloughhouse Rd., Rancho Murieta
Station 61, 10595 Folsom Blvd., Rancho Cordova
Station 65, 11201 Coloma Rd., Rancho Cordova
Station 101, 3000 Fulton Ave., Arcade
Station 106, 2200 Park Town Circle, Arden
Station 109, 5634 Robertson Ave., Carmichael
Station 111, 6609 Rio Linda Blvd., Rio Linda

The results are here: California schools, while making gains in statewide assessments of academic achievement, are failing to meet federal assessment standards in increasing numbers.

The state Department of Education released its data today on the public schools' academic progress.

While 42 percent of all schools this year reached the statewide Academic Performance Index (API) goal of 800 or higher -- a 6 percent increase over the last school year - fewer schools and local educational agencies reached federal academic goals, information from State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell's office shows.

For more information about how schools statewide are doing on federal assessments, follow this link to The Bee's coverage today.

Curious as to how your child's school is stacking up? Check out Great Schools' Web site, where the state and federal assessment results have been entered into a searchable database.

But what might these results mean in the long run? Look for my report in the Our Region section of Wednesday's Bee for a thorough analysis.

Ouch, that hurts.

Sacramento was ranked the 13th worst major U.S. city in which to raise a family by Children's Health magazine.

The ranking, released today, is among the magazine's list of the 100 best (and worst) places to raise a family, a feature included in the publication's September issue, which hits newsstands Tuesday.

The magazine's editors compiled statistical analysis of major cities nationwide using more then 30 factors deemed important by parents (think crime, education, economics, housing, cultural attraction etc), with data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, FBI, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and independent experts, according to a news release.

Burlington, Va. tops the list for great places to raise your brood, followed by Madison, Wis., Fargo, N.D., Lincoln, Neb., Fremont, Calif., Lexington, Ky., Honolulu, Hawaii, Cheyenne, Wyo., Omaha, Neb. and Yonkers, N.Y.

Coming in dead last is Detroit, Mich., followed by Miami, Fla., Orlando, Fla., Memphis, Tenn., Fresno, Calif., Cleveland, Ohio, Tampa, Fla., Phoenix, Ariz., Las Vegas, Nev. and Toledo, Ohio.

Sacramento was No. 88 (not good). Beating us is San Francisco (No. 14), San Diego (26), San Jose (39), Anaheim (65), Los Angeles (68), Riverside (75), Bakersfield (84). Egads.

Modesto was the only California city to have fared worse than we did, coming in at No. 90.

For the complete list of 100 cities, go to Children's Health's Web site.

Intricate, awe-inspiring pop-up books are the subject of a new show at Blue Line Gallery in Roseville this week.

Auburn author David A. Carter's "Red Dot" series of pop-up books are the focal point for the exhibit. The gallery is hosting a hands-on kids activity with Carter from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, as well as a book signing from 3 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 7 p.m. The show's opening reception will be held from 6:30 to 9 p.m., according to the gallery's Web site.

My colleague, Carlos Alcala, recently spent some time with Carter, a paper engineer, to learn more about his books and work. Check out Alcala's story by following this link. There also is a wonderful video of Carter showing his books by Bee photographer Manny Crisostomo.

Carter's books are touted as "Pop-up books for children of all ages," but I was curious to find out what children think of the books.

The Bee had received copies of Carter's "Red Dot" series, so I tested two of them out on my children, and took two others along to a recent speaking engagement with middle schoolers.

I was nervous when I sat my preschooler and toddler down to read "One Red Dot" and "600 Black Spots," but was surprised at their reaction. Instead of grabbing, they watched wide-eyed as the pop-up artwork danced and turned with each move of the page. After one read-through, they wanted to read the books again, this time asking to turn the pages or pull tabs to make the designs move.

My 3-year-old also loved finding the red dot in the "One Red Dot" book. While the fragile nature of the pop-ups make reading the books to small children a little daunting, the beauty of the art and the quality time with involved is worth the risk. Just be sure to explain their delicacy and store up high, away from little ones that might be inclined to try to "read" them on their own.

The middle schoolers I spoke with also were intrigued by the books. Follow the link below to read their reviews.

Look out here comes the Spiderman.

The web-slinging, crime fighting superhero will be at the Sacramento Zoo to teach families about the importance of protecting the environment this weekend.

The show, "Spider-Man: Operation Green," will be held at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday on the Reptile House lawn and will teach ways to conserve energy, recycle and live an environmentally-friendly lifestyle, a zoo news release states.

The shows are included in the price of zoo admission.

Spidey fans also can purchase meet-and-greet tickets for $20 per family or $15 for Sacramento Zoo members. The meet-and-greet includes two minutes of time with Spider-Man, a photo taken by zoo photographers and a Spidey autograph. Meet-and-greets will be held at 11:45 a.m., 2:15 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Tickets must be purchased in advance by calling the membership office at (916) 808-5888. Space is limited.

A Roseville shopping center and its retailers are hosting a variety of events this month to benefit a local childhood cancer organization.

The fundraising at Fountains at Roseville is in honor of September being Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and Keaton Raphael Memorial (KRM), a nonprofit committed to raising money for childhood cancer research and support services for families of children stricken by cancer.

The memorial was launched in 1998 by Roseville residents Robyn and Kyle Raphael, whose son Keaton died earlier that year following a nine-month battle with neuroblastoma - cancer of the nervous system - when he was 5 years old.

Fundraising events at Fountains include the following events and specials:

• Whole Foods Market will donate 5 cents to Keaton Raphael Memorial for every bag that shoppers bring in to reuse for their groceries in September. Specify "KRM" as the charity of choice during checkout (Whole Foods also has other charities it donates to).

• Fountains is hosting a free craft workshop for children from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday as part of its Kids Club. The craft will honor local children with cancer.

• Article Salon is holding its first anniversary party at 7 p.m. Sept. 18 and is hosting a Keaton Raphael Memorial information booth. The event includes a fashion show, food and wine. Also, for every $50 salon gift certificate purchased next week, $25 will be donated directly to KRM.

• Big Spoon Yogurt will be donating a percentage of its sales from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sept. 22 from frozen yogurt purchased by people presenting a KRM fundraising flyer.

• Tres Agaves Restaurant is holding margarita classes from 4 to 7 p.m. Sept. 28. Cost is $50 per person and all profits will be donated to Keaton Raphael Memorial. The cost includes the class, margarita, a tequila tasting, a discount for the tequila store and a restaurant coupon. Tickets are available at Tres Agaves, (916) 782-4455 or through KRM.

• Boudin Bakery is donating 40 percent of all dine-in sales from 5 p.m. to closing on Sept. 29.

• Fountains at Roseville also is donating all coins from the main show fountain in September to Keaton Raphael Memorial. The shopping center's Guest Services desk is accepting donations on behalf of the organization fro 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Friday and Saturday nights this month. Donors will receive a Fountains VIP coupon book for every $25 donation made and will be entered to win a Fountains shopping spree.

A group of local elementary and middle school actors are hoping to transport audiences to a whole new world during performances of Disney's Aladdin Jr. at the California Stage Theatre this weekend.

The play is presented by Flying Monkey Productions, a nonprofit organization that gives young students an opportunity to perform on stage and run the artistic elements of theatre production, according to a news release.

Fourth- through eighth-grade students are starring in the play, which is a stage adaptation of the animated Disney hit. The production includes songs from the movie's Academy Award-winning score, such as "A Whole New World" and "Friend Like Me."

Four performances will be held, beginning with a show at 7 p.m. Friday. Additional shows will be at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. The California Stage Theatre is located at 1723 25th St., Sacramento.

For tickets, call (916) 215-9077 or purchase them at the door.

The start of the school year also can mean the return of sleep problems for children.

Establish a sleep routine, however, and those problems just might fade as quickly as a dream.

Dr. Alan Shatzel, division head of neurology for Mercy Medical Group in Sacramento, said understanding how much sleep children require, upholding a sleep routine and keeping a calm family atmosphere are essential.

"Consistency is kind of the key," he said. "If there's any change in a child's behavior - excessive sleepiness, poor school performance, mood problems -parents should understand that it can be related to poor sleep quality, disturbance or insufficient amounts of sleep."

In general, children ages 1 to 3 years old need 12 to 14 hours of sleep, 3- to 5-year-olds require 11 to 13 hours, 5- to 12-year-olds need about 10 to 11 hours and preteens and teenagers should get about 9 1/2 hours of sleep.

While bedtimes and alarm clocks are usually dictated by the school schedule, helping children relax before bedtime is critical to their sleep quality and quantity, he said.

"Realistically, for a relaxing bedtime routine, no computers or TVs in the bedrooms," said Shatzel, who also is a board-certified sleep disorder specialist. "Try to avoid all those stimulating activities."

If a child is going to be exposed to television or games at some point during the day, make sure the content is age-appropriate. Failing to do so can result in sleep disturbance or continuity for a child, he said.

A relaxation routine should start about 30 to 60 minutes before bedtime. Ideally, children should also stop using electronic media within two hours of bedtime.

Make sure the temperature in the bedroom is comfortable and dim the lights to foster a comfortable, relaxing atmosphere, Shatzel said.

Parents also should pay attention to a child's diet, which can play a role in abetting sleep problems. Caffeine should be avoided in the evening, and parents should look out for foods, such as chocolate, that contain caffeine.

Decongestants and cough medicines also can be stimulating and should try to be avoided in the evening, he said.

If children continue to experience sleep problems, have them seen by their pediatrician or consider taking them to a sleep specialist.

Mood problems with children can be directly tied to sleep difficulty, Shatzel said.

"If we can identify that it's related to a sleep disturbance, we can treat it," he said.

While Shatzel doesn't recommend a specific type of pillow to help improve children's sleep, The Bee was sent a pillow claiming to do just that. Follow the link below to learn if it worked.

I had about four or five people advise me not to go to San Francisco this Labor Day weekend. Not to mention newspaper articles, TV reports and Caltrans officials echoing the same warning to stay away.

Their reason was logical - the Bay Bridge was closed for repairs and traffic likely would be backed up on alternate routes.

"I do not think that's a good idea," one polite colleague said, looking at me with a horrified expression that belied her real opinion of my crazy idea.

The trek wasn't without a good reason. My husband and I had bought a membership to the California Academy of Sciences and had been waiting for an opportunity to take our children. The quickest route seemed to be over the Golden Gate Bridge anyway, so we decided to yield to our (read: my) stubbornness and make a break for it.

Miraculously, we got there without so much as a traffic jam. We coasted through about three counties and over the bridge to Golden Gate Park with ease. Our luck prevailed and we even found street parking about a block away.

We spent about an hour in the Steinhart Aquarium, discovering tank after tank of awe-inspiring sea life. Our 19-month-old had the most fun, darting to and from exhibits and exclaiming "Whoa!" as she watched creatures like tiny jellyfish and sea horses swim about. The aquarium also has a hands-on exhibit allowing visitors to touch starfish and other creatures.

After a picnic lunch on the beautiful grounds between the Academy and the de Young it was on to the Kimball Natural History Museum, where our 3-year-old became enamored with the Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton. We were also impressed with the 87-foot Blue Whale skeleton suspended from the ceiling and the wealth of interesting factoids presented by a museum employee who spotted our interest in the giant marine mammal.

One of the museum's main attractions, a colony of African penguins, were entertaining to watch, but the crowd congregated in front of the display made it extremely hard for children to get a closer peek.

All told, we traveled four hours round trip to spend two hours at a venue. Was it worth it? Definitely. The only disappointment was our own inability to stay longer (the call of nap time for our little ones was just too strong). We're already plotting a subsequent visit and plan to explore the other intriguing offerings the Academy holds, such as the Morrison Planetarium and the four-story rainforest.

If you're looking for a fun, educational and exciting place to take your family, this is a San Francisco gem that is well worth the drive and inevitable round of "Are we there yet?"

Even on a holiday weekend with a closed bridge.

The bookshelf above my desk is once again crowded with parenting and childrens books.

If you are local and interested in reviewing one of the books and writing up a few paragraphs, e-mail me your name, age, city of residence, childrens' ages and the title of the book you'd like. First come, first served.

Your review may be included in a future post on this blog and in my column in Tuesday's Living Here Family section.

Here are the titles available:

"Growing Up Global: Raising Children to Be At Home in the World" (Ballantine Books, $16, 281 pages). The book includes activities, games and media suggestions for expanding the family's view of the world, explanations of diversity and ways to increase geographic knowledge.

"Great Expectations: The Essential Guide to Breastfeeding" (Sterling, $14.95, 312). Dr. Marianne Neifert gives moms advice on how to prepare for breastfeeding before the baby arrives, strategies for breastfeeding and working, guidelines for weaning and more.

"Invisible Girls: The Truth About Sexual Abuse" (Seal Press, $16.95, 334 pages). Dr. Patti Feuereisen offers advice for young women and first-person narratives from survivors.

"Too Close for Comfort: Questioning the Intimacy of Today's New Mother-Daughter Relationship" (Berkley Books, $15, 292 pages). Should mothers and daughters be best friends too, or does it skew the relationship? Authors Linda Perlman Gordon and Susan Morris Shaffer explore the debate.

"Raising Children Who Soar: A Guide to Healthy Risk-Taking in an Uncertain World" (Teachers College Press, $21.95, 191 pages). A how-to guide on helping raise successful, confident children.

"We Dare You: Hundreds of Fun Science Bets, Challenges, and Experiments You Can Do at Home" (Skyhorse Publishing, $14.95, 321 pages). Is your child a little science whiz at heart? This guidebook offers experiments such as making an egg with corners, writing with a potato and generating fireworks from grapes.

"Simplicity Parenting: Using the Extraordinary Power of Less to Raise Calmer, Happier, and More Secure Kids" (Ballantine Books, $25, 235). Author Kim John Payne offers advice for parents on how to hover and worry less and enjoy children more.

"Reading Together: Everything You Need to Know to Raise a Child Who Loves to Read" (Perigee, $15, 279 pages). How to find appropriate books for your children and help them connect with reading.

"The Possibility of Everything" (Ballantine Books, $25, 329 pages). Hope Edelman, author of the New York Times' bestseller "Motherless Daughters" tells her own story in this memoir.

"Seductive Delusions: How Everyday People Catch STDs" (John Hopkins University Press, $16.95, 263 pages). Dr. Jill Grimes narrates real-life stories of young people infected with DTS and exam room conversations with doctors.

"The Girl's Body Book: Everything You Need To Know For Growing up YOU" (Applesauce Press, $9.95, 115 pages). A guidebook for girls ages 8 and older.

"The Boy's Body Book: Everything You Need To Know For Growing up YOU" (Applesauce Press, $9.95, 111 pages). A guidebook for boys ages 10 and older.

"Family Fun Night!" (Cider Mill Press, $14.95, 272 pages). More than 300 ideas for entertaining nights with your children.

Here's some statistics that are hard to stomach: About one out of 25 females and one out of 80 males ages 15 to 19 years old in Sacramento County had a reported case of chlamydia or gonorrhea last year, data from the state Department of Public Health reveals.

I came across these grimace-inducing facts while reporting a story for Tuesday's Living Here section about how to talk to your teenager about sex.

When I embarked on reporting the story, I expected to unearth some data that would indicate teenagers are having sex more than parents suspect (I did). I expected an increasing teen pregnancy rate (I did). I didn't expect to find that so many were contracting sexually transmitted diseases.

Bear in mind - those are only the reported cases. How many more cases are going untreated and unreported?

And now for the really uncomfortable reality - the epidemic of STDs among teens may be due in part to public health departments not being able to control it, said Dr. Glennah Trochet, Sacramento County's public health officer.

Ordinarily, the way an STD is controlled is the case is reported to the health department and officials there contact the person and gets the infected person's partners in for testing. Then those people's partners are contacted and so on, she said.

"We just don't have the resources to do that with every single case," Trochet said. "So the comprehensive investigation just doesn't happen ... It might be that now we just have so much of a disease, you may get infected on your very first sexual experience."

Egads. So what's a parent to do?

Local and national experts agree that we need to be talking to our children, at a fairly young age, about our family values surrounding sex, our expectations of our children and safe sex.

If you're a parent of a tween or teenager, please read the story in Tuesday's paper. There are tips on how to start the conversation and what the talk might sound like.

It may just save your child from suffering some very adult consequences.

Seasonal flu shots are making an early appearance in pediatric offices this year thanks to the H1N1 virus and vaccine.

The seasonal flu vaccines are available now - which is slightly earlier than usual - because the H1N1 vaccine likely will be available as early as mid-October, said Dr. Ken Ashley, a pediatrician and medical director of Sutter Medical Group,

"We would like to separate these slightly to allow the (H1N1) vaccine to provide better protection from the virus," Ashley said in an e-mail.

Seasonal flu vaccines are recommended for children ages 6 months to 18 years old.

Doctors also recommend that children ages 6 months and older be given the H1N1 vaccine, which is a two-part vaccination given one month apart, he said.

Pregnant women, parents of children less than 6 months old and children will be among those first in line to receive the H1N1 vaccine. Other target groups include healthcare and emergency medical workers, people between 6 months and 24 years old and people between 25 and 64 who are at higher risk due to chronic health disorders or compromised immune systems, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Ashley said the H1N1 vaccine, like the seasonal flu vaccine, isn't a panacea.

"This vaccine, as with most vaccines, decreases the likelihood, although does not guarantee you will not get the virus," he said. "If you do the virus after the vaccine, it is often less severe."

For more information about the H1N1 virus and vaccine, click on the CDC's flu widget below.

An El Dorado Hills youth development organization is offering a 10-week workshop for parents interested in better managing out-of-control teenagers.

Parent Project is a nationwide training program for parents of children ages 11 to 18 years old. The Parent Advisory Council, a subcommittee of the Vision Coalition of El Dorado Hills, has adopted the training and is holding the next series of classes starting Sept. 10. The classes will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. every Thursday through Nov. 12.

The workshop is funded by a grant through the Sierra Health Foundation.

Parents will learn how to manage back-talk, school performance, truancy, alcohol and drug abuse, violence and talk of suicide, states a Vision Coalition news release.

The program was created for parents with problematic teenagers, but it's also recommended for parents who want to take a proactive approach.

Parents are given workbooks and weekly homework and asked to practice learned skills and concepts at home between sessions, the release states. Organizers recommend that both parents attend the classes, but single parents are welcome.

Cost of the workshop is $150 for 10 weeks and includes refreshments. Discounts and financial assistance may be available upon request.

The classes will be held at the White Rock Village Community Room, 2200 Valley View Parkway, El Dorado Hills.

For more information, e-mail Raeann Jones at or call her at (916) 224-1650.

The federal government has found a monstrous ally in its quest to help prevent the spread of the H1N1 virus - Elmo.

The little red Muppet monster so beloved by the preschoolers is starring in a series of four public service announcements that will begin airing today. The campaign's launch was intended to coincide with September being the start of National Preparedness Month.

The Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Education and Sesame Workshop collaborated on the campaign, according to a White House news release.

"Younger children and their parents are some of the people most at risk from the new H1N1 flu virus and with schools starting back up again and the weather starting to get colder, we need to do everything we can to get these important messages about how to prevent the spread of the flu out there," Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius stated in the news release.

The PSAs feature Elmo and Gordon, a human Sesame Street character, talking about hygiene issues such as hand washing and sneezing into the bend of the arm.

Click on the You Tube video below to play on of the PSAs.

The series can also be found on the government's new flu Web site.

 

It took seven hours, some heavy lifting and a fair amount of stress, but I am $130 and one closet richer.

I wrote a story this spring about the different ways to consign and sell used childrens items. After talking to several moms who swore by consigning at Just Between Friends, a bi-annual childrens sale held at the Sacramento Convention Center (there's also a sale at the Placer County Fairgrounds in Roseville coming up in September), I decided to try it for myself.

Prepping my children's outgrown clothes was nostalgia-inducing fun. Scrubbing down toys wasn't too painful, since my husband bore the brunt of that chore. Entering the tags in the online system was easy to navigate.

The night before the sale, however, was a bit harder. While I tagged and cleaned items, my husband crammed the goods, which included large toddler toys and baby gear, into the back of my SUV.

Stuffed animals filled my kids' car seats. Parenting books and tiny shoes littered the floor. A mountain of toys covered every inch of the trunk.

My car looked like a Fisher-Price graveyard. Every once in a while, a toy would bleat a perky little tune or phrase, as if trying to convince me that it still held fun for my children.

The next day, my mother-in-law - who should be nominated for sainthood - and I drove the carload over to the convention center.

Here's a breakdown of the roughly one hour of work involved: park car at docks, check in, haul stuff out of car and onto giant cart, bring loaded cart into convention center, move car, set up items in designated screening area, wait for someone to inspect merchandise, race around giant sale area setting up items in specified spots while trying not to knock over other merchandise/pregnant women/small children trying to play with toys you intend to sell.

By the time we left, I didn't really care how much money I made that day. All I wanted was a stiff drink and a dark room.

Of the 70 items we consigned, 41 of them sold, yielding a grand total of about $130 (the franchise takes 35 percent plus a $10 fee). That makes my time prepping and delivering the sale items worth about $18 an hour. Pretty good.

Was it worth the effort? I think so, but I confess that the process was more work than I anticipated. I also like that the items that didn't sell will be donated to Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services' Mother-Baby Program.

If you're the planning type and have some time to invest in consigning, Just Between Friends is a good route.

If you're looking to immediately purge your kids' closets but don't have a lot of spare time, take the items to a childrens resale shop like Babies & Beyond on Freeport Boulevard. You'll get 30 percent of the sale price cash or 50 percent in store credit.

Now if only I can keep the empty closet from filling up again.

Hundreds of people braved triple-digit temperatures to attend a retro anniversary party and fundraiser for one of Sacramento's most unique parks Saturday night.

Fairytale Town's golden anniversary party - the outdoor museum and park opened in 1959 - was an evening of 50s-era merriment complete with all-you-could-eat Crystal ice cream, costume parade, live bands and even an Elvis impersonator.

Children dressed in homemade poodle skirts zoomed between the ice cream stations offering different flavors throughout the park as the Tune-Ups (shown above) entertained the crowd with classic hits like "Route 66" and "Rock Around the Clock."

Amber Lyons has been coming to Fairytale Town for more than 30 years. Now, the Sacramento mom brings her three children to the nonprofit park nestled within William Land Park.

The anniversary party is a fun event the family looks forward to each year.

"It's a wonderful way to support Fairytale Town and keep it going for another 50 years," she said.

Her daughter, Sophia Lyons, 7 (friend Lulu Morris, 7 and Sophia are shown at right) with friend Lulu Morris, 7) enjoys one part of the event best of all.

"The ice cream," she said, dipping her spoon into two scoops of cookies and cream.

Kellie and Galen Hartman and daughters Grace, 4, and Aislynne, 18 months, came from Shingle Springs to attend the party Saturday.

The fundraiser was a first for the Hartmans, who wanted to be part of the celebration and use it as a special way to present Kellie Hartman's sister with her 50th birthday present - a tribute brick that is now part of the Yellow Brick Road leading to Humpty Dumpty gate.

"She's thrilled," Hartman said. "She wants me to take a picture of her and her brick. She's trying to convince her friends to come to Fairytale Town now."

There's still one more chance to celebrate Fairytale Town's 50th anniversary. Entry to the park will be just 50 cents for the first 50 people through the gate today. The promotion was in place every Monday in August.

Do you have a favorite memory of Fairytale Town? Post a comment below and share your story.

It's a bittersweet ending to a gut-wrenching story - Jaycee Lee Dugard, 29, is found alive after being kidnapped near her Meyers home in 1991 when she was just 11 years old.

It's also a story that rocks parents' sense of safety and can make us fearful and guarded against anyone who may look our child's way.

While it's always a good idea to keep careful watch of our children, it's also important to bear in mind the rarity of stranger abductions.

Kidnappings by strangers are among the most highly publicized crimes and tend to deeply shake the national consciousness, but they are among the rarest of crimes against children.

Kidnapping makes up less than 2 percent of all violent crimes against juveniles reported to police, with stranger kidnapping being the most uncommon form of reported kidnappings, according to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

The department conducted a study in 2002 of non-family abducted children based on national data primarily from 1999.

Researchers found that of the 58,200 children abducted in the legal sense - meaning held against their will for a modest amount of time or moved even a short distance, often in commission of other crimes - an estimated 115 were stereotypical kidnappings. Stereotypical kidnappings were defined as abductions by strangers or slight acquaintances and involving a child transported 50 miles or more, detained overnight, held for ransom or with intent to keep the child permanently, or killed.

Of those children who were stereotypically kidnapped, 57 percent returned alive, 32 percent returned injured, 40 percent were killed and 4 percent never returned, the study reports.

Jaycee Lee Dugard, once thought to have fallen in that tiny percentage of children who never came home, thankfully will be counted among those who return alive.

Her heart-wrenching story, which includes bearing two children with her alleged captor, likely will captivate our attention for days and weeks to come, but hopefully it will also serve as a reminder to put our arms around our children and appreciate their safety.

For information on how to keep your kids safe and talk to them about their safety, check out this tip sheet from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. 25_ways_to_make_kids_safer.pdf

Back to school season is in full swing, and accompanying it is dozens of new products billed as the new must-have school supply.

The Bee's mailboxes have been flooded with gear and goods, but after some serious sifting, there was a pile of cool new items worthy of further scrutiny.

Two items that caught my attention, and speak to a trend perhaps, were memory sticks so cool parents may want to snag one for themselves.

Omnitech's Color Changing USB Flash Drive is lauded by Staples as one of the Top 10 back to school products this year. The drive changes color through heat transfer, so as its plugged into a USB port, the color changes from blue to purple or red to orange. The drive has a 2GB storage capacity and retails for $9.99.

Jazwares also has launched a memory stick that plays on your sweet tooth. Hershey's Miniatures Memory Sticks and Sweet Assortments look like a miniature Hershey Milk Chocolate, Mr. Goodbar or Krackel candy bars.

The design is so realistic that I actually thought the company had sent a little candy bar. It wasn't until I went to open the packaging and turned the "candy bar" over that I realized it was a memory stick and had raid an editor's candy drawer for my chocolate fix.

The memory sticks, which also are available in Twizzlers and Bubble Yum designs and a variety of gigabyte capacities, retail from $14.99 to $29.99.

I enlisted the help of a class of middle schoolers at a summer journalism workshop at California State University, Sacramento to help me review an assortment of other new products.

Click on the link below to read what they had to say about Mead's and Crayola's new offerings for the 2009 back to school season.

A chef on a mission to transform school lunches nationwide will be part of a live online chat via Facebook Friday.

Ann Cooper, also known as "The Renegade Lunch Lady," is spearheading the effort to make childrens' lunches healthier and has launched a free Web site aimed at helping schools replace frozen processed food with fresh, homemade, cost-effective alternatives, according to a news release from Whole Foods, which has teamed with Cooper.

The live video chat will be held through Facebook at 1 p.m. Friday. Click here to get the link to the chat. Anyone can view the chat, but questions can only be submitted by people with Facebook profiles or through Twitter. To submit questions via Twitter, send a direct message to @spinnio or @wholefoods with the hashtag #chefann.

For more information about the school lunch revolution or for healthy lunch recipes, go to Whole Foods' Web site or Cooper's Lunch Box Web site.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. It also may be worth $50 and local fame.

La Petite Maison, a home and garden store in Jamestown, is holding a baby photo contest through late September to help launch its Trumpette "store within a store."

The store has been working with Sacramento-based company Trumpette, maker of the original Maryjane baby socks and other cute children's apparel and items, to design a room in the Victorian to resemble Trumpette's retail location at the Pavilions.

"They have baby photos within their displays, so we are following that same line of decor," said Karen Luckhardt, La Petite Maison's owner.

The baby photo contest was born out of Luckhardt's desire to use local babies to decorate the walls.

Twelve winners will be picked from the entries received. Winning photos will be enlarged to 19-by-19 inches and hung in the Trumpette room quarterly and used in a calendar the store is publishing. Winners also will receive a $25 gift certificate to the store. The grand prize winner will get a $50 gift certificate and that baby's photo will grace the calendar's cover, Luckhardt said.

"I think everyone that has entered so far is darling," she said.

The contest is open to children 3 years old and younger. To enter, send a photo - black and white is preferred - to La Petite Maison, 18190 Main St., Jamestown, CA 95327.

Be sure to include the child's name, parent's name and a phone number where the family can be reached. Deadline for submissions is Sept. 21.

For more information about the store, check out La Petite Maison's Web site.

A sculpture created by a French artist to benefit Shriners Hospitals for Children Northern California will be unveiled at a reception tonight in Sacramento.

Jean-Pierre Rives, an acclaimed sculptor and former rugby player, created and named the double-loop sculpture "Jasper's Gift" in honor of his 5-year-old son Jasper Rives, who suffered a serious scald burn as an infant, said Catherine Curran, the hospital's director of community relations.

Jasper was not treated at Shriners, but Rives was touched by the hospital's work in helping children who have suffered burns, she said.

The Stockton Boulevard hospital, which treats hundreds of children each year for acute burns at no cost to families, is the state's busiest pediatric burn center.

The sculpture will later be permanently installed in the community. The person or business that donates the highest amount over $10,000 to the hospital for Jasper's Gift will get to choose the sculpture's final location, she said.

"It's the idea that we are building a caring community," Curran said.

Individuals and businesses contributing $1,000 or more will be permanently honored at the base of the sculpture.

Rives also is a retired rugby union player and is regarded as France's most famous rugby captain.

Rives and his son are planning to attend tonight's reception from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the hospital.

Tickets are still available by calling Alan Anderson at (916) 453-2008 or click here to e-mail him. The suggested donation is $100.

For more information about Shriners, visit the hospital's Web site.

Many parents know the desire to give their children the best birthday possible.

We are willing to go to great lengths to make sure our little ones get the toy they've been longing for, the special paper plates festooned with a beloved cartoon character, a cake that will excite their tastebuds and imagination.

While gathering the ingredients for the perfect, low-key birthday party for my son, who turned 3 years old Saturday, I stumbled upon a clever birthday accoutrement at The Mixed Bag in midtown that instantly became the hit of the party. Meet Wishosaurus.

Wishosaurus is a plastic purple dinosaur that holds up to 10 candles. He's made of food-safe, play-safe plastic and comes complete with candles and a little pedestal to place on the birthday cake, according to Fred, the Rhode Island-based company that makes the Wishosaurus and other novel gadgets and tchotchkes.

I'm used to my cakes, which are made from scratch and usually the product of weeks of planning (yes, I'm a bit nutty when it comes to baking - ask my colleagues), eliciting "oohs" and "wows." Wishosaurus stole the limelight with his prehistoric party animal prowess. It was awesome. The best part is we can use Wishosaurus each birthday, adding more memories as the years pass.

Wishosaurus is for sale at The Mixed Bag at 2405 K Street or online through Amazon. For more information about Fred products, go the company's Web site.

If you're interested in a good recipe for strawberry buttercream, here's one that I created and used this past weekend. The combination of strawberries and jam lend an amazing flavor and smooth texture to the traditional vanilla buttercream. Enjoy.

Niesha's Strawberry Buttercream

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: None
Serves: Yields enough frosting for a three layer 9-inch birthday cake or 24 cupcakes
Notes: This frosting is best atop a traditional white cake. I used Martha Stewart's recipe, and filled the middle of the cake layers with organic strawberry jam and organic strawberries sliced flat.

Ingredients
8 organic strawberries, leafs removed
2 tablespoons best-quality organic strawberry jam
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
8 cups powdered sugar, sifted

Instructions
In a food processor, blend strawberries just until smooth. Add the jam and give a quick blitz to combine. Set aside.

In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter until light and fluffy. Add four cups of powdered sugar and beat for about 3 to 5 minutes, until it's light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and beat to incorporate. Add the reserved strawberry mixture (should amount to about 1/2 cup) and beat until combined. Gradually add in the remaining powdered sugar one cup at a time, beating well after each addition. You may not need all the powdered sugar. Once you get the frosting to the consistency you like, beat for about 2 to 3 minutes on medium high speed. The buttercream can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for about two days. Refrigerating will make the frosting harden.

Have you ever received an e-mail that gives you goosebumps? I did recently and I thought I'd pass along the good news.

In May, I wrote a story about raising musically gifted children - how to encourage practicing and bolster musical success.

The story also highlighted the musical talent and dedication of several young musicians, including Zach Giberson, a Rio Americano High School student (shown at left in a Bee photo by Randall Benton). Zach spent five weeks this summer at a jazz program at the Berklee College of Music in Boston.

Zach, who plays the guitar and saxophone, also was one of six Rio musicians honored this spring by leading jazz publication Down Beat magazine in its 32nd annual Student Music Awards.

Zach's father, Kirk Giberson, sent me an e-mail Aug. 14 that bore the following news:

"I wanted to let you know that Zach will return today from the five-week program at the Berklee College of Music to which he won a scholarship.  It was an amazing program for someone immersed in music, and he had a wonderful time.  Of note, on Wednesday night of this week, at an end-of-program "Blowout Concert" attended by thousands, Zach was awarded admission and a full tuition scholarship to attend college at Berklee in the Fall of 2010.  About 10 of the 900 participants received this scholarship.  As you might expect, Zach is thrilled, and I am still pretty numb with excitement.  I can't help but think that what he gained from events this Spring - including your story - helped him perform at the program with a confidence and freedom that helped lead to his scholarship."

I should have had Zach autograph the steno pad I used to take notes when I interviewed him - it might have helped fund my childrens' college tuition.

Speaking of encouraging musical talent, if you're interested in exposing your children to music and letting them play with musical instruments, check out the Children's Music Festival Saturday in Folsom.

The Children's Music Festival will be hosted at the Folsom Aquatic Center and will feature live music, crafts, food and an opportunity for children to try out musical instruments.

Singing workshops also will be available for 1st- through 6th-grade children through the Northern California Children's Chorus, an event news release states.

Entertainers include Tim Williams, a Roseville musician known as "The Piano Man" and Gary Bowman, a zookeeper, teacher and musician whose latest album is titled "Song of the Oceans."

Mary Youngblood, a Native American flute player and Grammy Award winner, also may perform at the festival.

The event is scheduled from 10:30 a.m. to noon Saturday at the aquatic center, 1200 Riley St., Folsom.

Cost is $6 per person, which includes a free same-day admission to the swim park beginning at 1 p.m.

The event also is sponsored by American River Montessori, Northridge Music Center and Newtone Design & Printing.

For more information, call the aquatic center at (916) 355-8319.

It's bargain week in Sacramento.

From diamond rings and dental chairs to cribs and clothes, there are two sales to sure to excite savvy shoppers in the region.

In the market for a BlackBerry, Bianchi racing bike or antique piano? Head over Friday or Saturday to 1700 National Drive in Natomas, where the state is holdings its Great California Garage Sale.

Hundreds of deals, including cars, are up for grabs thanks to the closet cleaning. There's also a good amount of odd items for sale that are filling the huge surplus warehouse, said Erin Shaw, assistant secretary for communications for the State and Consumer Services Agency.

Diamond rings, a surfboard, an Xbox, several dental chairs and a fishing boat (shown at left) are among the unconventional property the state has for sale.

"We have a number of odds and ends for sale that you wouldn't think the state would own, but we have reached out to each state department and agency and have uncovered a lot of really interesting items, some of which have been confiscated by the California Highway Patrol," she said.

For information about the state garage sale, which also includes a car auction, go to the Great California Garage Sale's Web site.

Looking for a deal on baby gear, children's toys or maternity clothes?

The Just Between Friends consignment sale begins Friday at the Sacramento Convention Center, with a presale for new parents, consignors, teachers and child care providers Thursday.

The sale offers a vast array of gently used baby and childrens furniture, clothes, toys, books and games at bargain prices.

Consignors get 65 percent of the profit, with volunteers who donate time at the sale earning an extra 5 percent. Items not sold are either donated to the Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services' Mother-Baby Program or given back to the consignor if they volunteer to work the sale.

The sale already has thousands of items logged in the electronic tagging system, but it's not too late to sign up as a consignor, said Shannon Carter, franchise owner for the Just Between Friends Sacramento and Roseville sales.

The first drop-off is Wednesday, but there's another drop-off from 9 to 10 a.m. Saturday morning.

"We have some moms who just wait until the last minute," Carter said.

To learn more about consigning or shopping at the sale, go to the Just Between Friends Sacramento Web site.

For more information about different ways to consign kids' items, check out my story from earlier this spring.

If you're not willing to brave the masses, the heat, or fork over the roughly $45 it costs to take a family of four to the California State Fair opening weekend, here's an idea - wait until Tuesday.

I don't have any guarantees about the weather (the National Weather Service forecasts a high of 94 degrees Tuesday) or how many thousands of people will show up, but what is certain is that kids get in free.

Every Tuesday is Kids Day and children 12 years old and younger get in free all day. What's more, carnival rides are just $1 for everyone.

For more information about the fair, which opens today, check out this story on sacbee.com or look inside today's Our Region section.

Speaking of the fair, there's an exhibit this year that is sure to please the sweet tooth in the family.

Stage Nine Entertainment Group Inc. is debuting an exhibit dedicated to sweet treats. "It's a Candy Nation" is the fifth exhibit by the Old Sacramento store and pays homage to the history of candymaking, nostalgia of candy and candy trends, said Heather Atherton, a Stage Nine spokeswomen.

The exhibit, which includes a 20-foot rock candy mountain, showcases many Northern California based candy companies, including Jelly Belly and See's Candies.

Artifacts on display include a Jelly Belly custom built Arlen Ness motorcycle with bean-shaped side car. Vintage PEZ display and items from the movie "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory."

There's also an "I Love Lucy" candy conveyor belt with a Lucille Ball impersonator acting out the classic TV scene, she said.

Jelly Belly also is giving away a packet of "Fair Flavors" to people who visit the Candy Nation exhibit. Flavors include cotton candy, caramel apple, buttered popcorn and watermelon. Free admission for your kids on Tuesday and free candy? Now that's a sweet deal.

The exhibit is located in Expo Center building four. Click here to get a map of the California State Fair.

Kaiser Permanente South Sacramento Medical Center has been designated a Baby-Friendly birth facility.

The hospital, where about 225 babies are born each month, recently received the designation for its efforts to promote breastfeeding among mothers who deliver there. Sutter Davis Hospital and The Birth Center in Fair Oaks also are Baby-Friendly hospitals.

Kaiser South Sacramento is one of only 83 hospitals in the country to receive the prestigious title, which is part of the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative, a program of the World Health Organization and UNICEF.

Kaiser South Sacramento had the highest exclusive breastfeeding rate, 70.9 percent, of any hospital in the county in 2007, according to state Department of Public Health data compiled by the WIC Association and UC Davis Human Lactation Center. The data is the most recent available.

Hospitals support moms who want to feed their babies formula, but traditionally, there has been little support for moms who are following the American Academy of Pediatrics' recommendations to feed babies breastmilk the first year of life, said Barb Hanson, assistant manager of health educationin charge of the hospital's lactation services.

"At South Sac, we put all the policies and procedures in place so mom can be fully supported in her decision to breastfeed," she said.

That includes immediate skin-to-skin contact between mother and baby. (shown at left: Eileen Lee, of Elk Grove, is shown spending skin-to-skin time with her daughter, Eliana Lee, who she delivered at Kaiser South Sacramento in November 2007.)

"That's what babies are really wired to do - breastfeed within that first hour of life," said Hanson, who also is a registered nurse and board certified lactation consultant. "When you're removing a baby and doing a procedure on them or passing them around the room, it really interrupts mom and baby's ability to begin that process."

Mothers who have a caesarean section can have skin-to-skin contact within 30 minutes of their baby's birth.

"For moms who weren't able to have a vaginal birth, it can already feel like a loss for them not to have birthed the way they anticipated," she said. "Breastfeeding is one of the more normalizing things that can happen."

The hospital also encourages mothers to "room in" with their babies - meaning the babies aren't whisked away to nurseries - thereby increasing the opportunities for breastfeeding.

Kaiser South Sacramento also is careful about supplementing breast milk with formula.

"Believing that just breast milk is enough for most healthy babies is also a policy of ours," Hanson said.

The hospital has lactation consultants on staff and a lactation center for moms, which offers a free walk-in clinic six days a week and a breastfeeding support center where moms can purchase breastfeeding equipment.

"It's so reassuring for our moms to have that support," Hanson said.

The Baby Friendly designation means a lot to the hospital's staff, which worked hard to complete a 10-step process including policy changes and staff training. The training was made possible through First 5 Sacramento Commission grant.

"It really sets us apart in the community and demonstrates our commitment to support moms who are choosing to breastfeed," she said.

Hanson also had advice for mothers either thinking about breastfeeding or trying to breastfeed their babies.

"I would encourage them to take a class and spend time with a friend who was successful with breastfeeding," she said. "Woman to woman support is the No. 1 thing moms say helped them be successful."

If more help is needed, look for an international board certified lactation consultant (IBCLC) or contact a local La Leche League.

Fathers can also help mothers succeed with breastfeeding - all it takes is a little encouragement. Provide positive messages about breastfeeding and let the mother know that she is supported.

Taking care of the mother is key to the family's health.

 "Studies have shown that it's important to mother the mother," Hanson said. "When we take care of our moms, they are better mothers."

For more information about Kaiser South Sacramento's maternity services, go the hospital's Web site.

Did you choose to breastfeed your child? Were there enough lactation resources at the hospital where you delivered? Post a comment here.

Looking for a breastfeeding guidebook? I just received a copy of "Great Expectations: The Essential Guide to Breastfeeding" (Sterling, $14.95, 312 pages) by Dr. Marianne Neifert, a.k.a. Dr. Mom. The new book offers tips on pumping, storing and feeding expressed milk, strategies for working moms, guidelines on weaning and other advice. The book is free to a local mom who wants to read it and write a little review, which may be published on this blog. E-mail me if you are interested. First come, first served.

Thinking of taking your child to the salon for a back-to-school haircut but need help figuring out what's cool this season?

Look no further.

Pam Knight, executive director of education at Frederico Beauty Institute in North Natomas,  dished on children's haircut trends.

Turns out the "Faux Hawk" is the all the rage with the elementary school set this year.

"Basically, it's like a traditional boy's haircut on the sides and back but the top is left a little longer," she said.

A little gel in the top layer lends a Mohawk-type appearance, while pushing the top layer over to the side yields a more traditional appearance.

"It's kind of a versatile cut," she said.

Young girls are heading more toward simple trims and bangs, while middle and high school age girls are leaning to layers and swoop bangs to modernize their looks.

High schoolers also are increasingly going for the disconnect look, which involves shorter and longer pieces included in the hair sculpture, Knight said.

Knight also offered tips on how to stretch the family budget when it comes to hair care.

The institute is offering a money-saving deal this back-to-school season: $5 haircuts this month for children up to 12 years old. What's more, children under 5 years old can get a haircut for the same price as their age. The services are performed by students supervised by certified instructors. Haircuts are by appointment, but walk-in services also are available.

For moms who get their hair colored, stretching the length of time between sessions can save serious cash. Getting your hair colored every six weeks at $150 a session can amount to $1,350 a year. Go every eight weeks and the total drops to $1,050 a year, saving you $300. That can buy 15 packs of diapers!

"The best thing they can do is buy the color shampoos to enhance the color they have on their hair," she said. "It will kind of buy you more time."

Another option is demi-permanent hair color.

"It colors, but it gradually fades out and doesn't give you that definite (grow-out) line," Knight said.

A drawback, however, is that it is a deposit-only color and won't highlight hair, she said.

For more information on the back-to-school special or the institute's sale on beauty products, go to Frederico's Web site.

Are you interested in losing weight gained during pregnancy, raising a child with an adventurous palate or child-rearing the natural way? I may have just the book for you.

The books are starting to pile up again dear readers, and I need your help with reviewing them.

I have a sizable stack of parenting, children's and crafting books up for grabs. Please e-mail me if you're local and interested in reviewing them. Be sure to include your name, city of residence and childrens' ages.

Here are the parenting titles:

"Super Fit Mama: Stay Fit During Pregnancy and Get Your Body Back after Baby" (Lifelong Books, $17.95, 321 pages). Workouts for moms looking to get in shape and back to pre-baby weight, expert advice, meal plans and recipes from fitness expert Tracey Mallett.

"My Two-year-old Eats Octopus: Raising Children Who Love to Eat Everything" (Bull Publishing Company, $16.95, 328 pages). Author Nancy Tringali Piho gives nutrition advice through experience and couples it with research from chefs and food and health professionals.

"Happy Baby: The Organic Guide to Baby's First 24 Months" (Harper, $16.99, 397 pages). Dr. Robert W. Sears and Amy Marlow offer parents a how-to guidebook on child-rearing that's more ecologically friendly for both the baby and the environment. Includes tips for mom on what to eat while nursing, making nurseries more "green," and helping children develop healthier eating habits.

Books from the crafting front:

"Wrapagami" (St. Martin's Griffin, $19.99, 128 pages). You never have to give a dull-looking gift again. Author Jennifer Playford shows how a piece of fabric can turn a gift into a treasure to behold.

"Crafternoon: A Guide to Getting Artsy and Crafty with Your Friends All Year Long" (Simon Spotlight Entertainment, $16,95, 226 pages). A how-to book on creating and hosting casual gatherings that celebrate the art of crafting.

Children's books available for review:

"First Day of School" (HarperFestival, $6.99). Mercer Mayer writes about Little Critter getting ready for the first day. This book would be great to help someone with a child heading to kindergarten in coming days or weeks.

"Build Your Own Paper Robots" (St. Martin's Griffin, $18.95, 96). This craft book comes complete with a CD so kids can download, color, print and build robots. Note: The robot models look pretty complicated, so this is likely not something for a child under 10 years old.

California Highway Patrol car antennas are bedecked in purple ribbons this month in an effort to raise awareness of the dangers of leaving children unattended in hot cars.

August has been designated "Purple Ribbon Month" by 4 R Kids Sake, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing childhood death in and around vehicles.

Sizzling summer days can quickly escalate the temperature inside a vehicle, creating a deadly environment for a child, the CHP reports in a news release.

According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, hyperthermia - also known as heat stroke - was the leading cause of non-crash vehicle deaths in children in 2007. The administration also found that about 27 kids in the U.S. die due to hyperthermia or excessive heat while in a car each year, the release states.

Leaving a child alone in a vehicle is illegal in California and an infraction punishable by a fine of $100.

Anyone who sees a child unattended in a car is asked to call 911 immediately, the CHP reports.

For more information about symptoms of heat stroke in children or the state law about leaving kids unattended in cars, click here to check out a recent story on this blog.

Do your children's tantrums leave you begging for mercy?

Have no fear - Supernanny Jo Frost may soon be here to help.

The casting team of ABC's popular parenting show "Supernanny" will be interviewing families from 12 to 5 p.m. Aug. 23 in Roseville.

The casting call is being held at Pump It Up, an indoor inflatable party destination located at 10556 Industrial Ave., Suite 100, Roseville.

Children can jump, slide and bounce for free during the casting call while parents meet with the casting producers, Ann Giammona, Pump It Up's owner, wrote in an e-mail.

The Supernanny team is looking for at least five families to finish up the show's fifth season.

The show is looking for families of all types who need help from Supernanny Frost, who is a "behavioral expert," said Tiffany Dejillo, a Supernanny casting producer.

"Many times, it's not just the children who need the help - it's the parents," she said in a phone interview from her Los Angeles office. "It's the family dynamic in general. We examine the family and address the issues in order to bring them to a more peaceful place."

The shoot dates have not yet been determined, but could be as early as late September. The show is typically shot over 10 to 14 days at the participating family's home, Dejillo said.

That doesn't mean the camera crew and Frost spend the entire time there, however.

The show's format - which includes initial time with the family, working with parents and following up - lends itself well to allowing for private family time, Dejillo said.

"Are they in the kitchen for 24 hours a day? No," she said.

The Johnson family of Yuba City were Wiggles fans before, but that affection grew even more after the preschool rock band's latest CD helped entertain the family of five as they traveled during their summer vacation.

Ryan Johnson nabbed the free Wiggles CD I had offered on this blog recently and tested it out along with his wife and three children, ages 9, 3 and 5 months.

The CD, "The Wiggles Go Bananas" (Koch Records, $11.98) is the newest released by the Australian group. The songs revolve around an animal theme and include the song "Monkey Man," featuring Australian pop icon Kylie Minogue.

Here's Ryan Johnson's review:

When we received the new Wiggles CD in the mail, it was all my 3-year-old son could talk about. When I popped it in the CD player for him to listen to, he was laughing and singing along with the first song, "Monkey Man." Then he lost interest and went to go play in his room.

I thought at first that he didn't enjoy the new CD as much as (the Wiggles) older releases. Boy was I wrong! The next week, my family and I went on vacation. Something every family looks forward to - four hours in the car with a 9-year-old girl, a 3-year-old boy and a 5-month old boy. My wife, at the last minute, grabbed the new Wiggles CD to take in the car. More than eight hours later round trip, we can all sing along to the new Wiggles CD - well, maybe not our 5-month-old.

Once my son was not distracted by his other toys, the CD quickly became his new favorite. He enjoys singing along with it so much we had to buy the DVD with all the music videos. His favorite songs on the CD are "The Chicken Walk," "Cock-a-doodle-doo," and "I'm a Scary Tiger."

I would recommend this CD and the DVD to any family who has a child that likes the Wiggles. The music is what you expect out of the Wiggles and all the characters are on the CD.

Have you found entertaining ways to amuse your family while on long car rides? Share your tips and tricks here.

Put down the energy drinks and pick up a bottle of water, medical experts are urging teens.

Energy drinks - which essentially are water, sugar, caffeine and amino acids - are increasingly being marketed to teenagers, a dangerous thing in the summer considering the drinks are dehydrating, said Elaine Reynolds, community outreach specialist for Mercy Hospital of Folsom.

"Caffeine has a mild diuretic, so the kids are losing more water than they're taking in," she said.

Caffeine intake in children can cause stomach irritation and upset, jitteriness and an increase in heart rate and blood pressure.

"One of the disheartening things is that they also have a stimulant effect, which over time, the body requires more and more to get the same effect," Reynolds said.

Mercy staff grew increasingly concerned about children using energy drinks after noticing an upswing in the number of teens coming into the emergency room with kidney stones. One of the ways to prevent kidney stones is good amounts of hydrating fluids.

"The theory is that with adequate fluids, we'd see less of this," she said.

The amount of water children need varies depending on their age and size, but typically small children need four to five cups a day, while adolescents require about nine to 12 cups per day.

Power drinks, which typically contain water, sugar and electrolytes, have half the amount of sugar as soda and are OK if a child is exercising for more than an hour. But there's a cheaper, and more nutritious, alternative.

"Water or juicy fruits are really what's recommended to replace water and electrolytes," Reynolds said.

Need some summer reading? Looking for a parenting book? I may be able to help.

I need local parents, guardians or grandparents to take some parenting-type books for a spin and let me know what they think.

Here is a list of books currently piled on my desk:

"How Not to Act Old: 185 Ways to Pass for Phat, Sick, Hot, Dope, Awesome, or at Least Not Totally Lame" (Harper, $14.99, 171 pages) - The book, by Pamela Remond Satran, is a humerous guidebook for how not to act ancient.

"You're Teaching My Child What?: A Physician Exposes the Lies of Sex Education and How They Harm Your Child" (Regnery Publishing Inc., $24.95, 246 pages) - Dr. Miriam Grossman writes about the nation's sex ed programs and facts about sex kids aren't taught in schools.

"The Curse of the Good Girl: Raising Authentic Girls with Courage and Confidence" (The Penguin Press, $25.95, 278 pages) - Author Rachel Simmons offers strategies on topics such as sexting, emotional intelligence and criticism.

"A Parent's Guide to the Middle School Years" (Celestial Arts, $14.95, 170 pages) - Author Joe Bruzzese gives parents advice on everything from cyberbullying to depression.

"How to Raise a Drug-Free Kid: The Straight Dope for Parents" (Fireside, $15, 295 pages) - The book is based on nearly 20 years of research at The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University and is written by Joseph A. Califano, Jr., the center's founder.

If you're interested in reading one of the books and writing a short review, send me an e-mail with your name, city of residence, children's ages and which book you're interested in reading. First come, first served.

Your review may be included in a post on this blog.

The school year is fast approaching and for some young children, fears may be increasing as well.

First 5 Yolo recently released some tips for parents on how to make the first day of school less daunting for young students.

Here's what their experts recommend:

Get ready - Research shows that kids who eat a healthy breakfast do better in school and tend to be more focused and physically active, the release states. A good night's sleep also is important, so stick to consistent bedtimes.

Ensure that immunizations are up-to-date and that your child has had a dental exam. Tell teachers and administrators about any allergies, chronic medical conditions or special needs.

Get set - Explain what their schedule might include, where they'll be going, school activities and how long they'll be at school each day. Talk about what it's like to ride the bus, if applicable. Ask your child questions to help uncover fears and don't be dismissive of fears they may have. Listen and try to anticipate what they're thinking.

Play school at home and have your child take turns playing student and teacher. Play games that require sharing and speaking in front of a group. Read books about starting school and have them participate in activities such as painting and drawing, which require sitting for short periods of time.

Go - Take your child to the school ahead of time and meet their teacher. Have your child help choose school clothes and supplies. Glue a picture of your family inside their lunch box, or include little notes for them to read. Anxiety over going to school often is a result of fear regarding strangers, the release states.

For more information, go to First 5 Yolo's Web site.

It's that wonderful time of year when the warmth of summer beckons and outdoor family time is a must.

I'm taking a week's vacation starting Aug. 8, spending time first in Lake Tahoe, then on to the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco where we'll take our little ones to explore the Steinhart Aquarium and other exhibits.

There will be fewer posts here on the blog this week - just one a day most days - but topics will include things like how to ease a young child's fear of starting school and why teenagers and energy drinks don't mix.

See you August 17.

Looking for a new way to encourage your child to eat fruits and vegetables? Try a story.

Save Mart and Lucky supermarkets are holding story-telling sessions at 10 a.m. every Saturday this month at Northern California and Nevada stores as a way to help kids try fruits and vegetables.

The SuperProduce Story Time sessions, which launched last month, are held in the markets' produce department and include a message about healthy eating and a sample of a healthy snack, such as watermelon, broccoli or baby carrots, a Save Mart news release states.

Save Mart Supermarkets, headquartered in Modesto, operates more than 240 stores in Northern California and Northern Nevada.

For more resources and tips on children's nutrition and healthy eating, go to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Web site.

Break out the milk and celebrate.

Pillsbury has launched a new line of cookies, "simply..." that are aimed at moms who want the convenience of refrigerated cookie dough without preservatives, trans fat and high fructose corn syrup.

The cookies, which are available in stores now and retail for $3.49, come in peanut butter and chocolate chip flavors and contain the same ingredients used to make cookies from scratch.

Pillsbury sent The Bee both flavors to try out.

The chocolate chip cookies had a generous amount of chips and the dough was flavored with just the right amount of vanilla. I'm a bit of a cookie puritan, so I wish unsalted butter would have been used instead of shortening. That said, these cookies, by far, beat other refrigerated cookie doughs in both flavor and texture.

I tested the peanut butter cookies out on a willing class of middle schoolers at an academic summer program at Sacramento State last week.

The response was pretty positive - and not just because it was the middle of the afternoon and they were looking for a snack.

Praise included that the cookies were "better than store-bought" and "smoother and softer" than other refrigerated doughs.

Michael Wong, 14, said the cookies were "pretty good but I like my mom's better."

Sierra Savage, 14, loved the cookies.

"These are soft, moist and just delicious," she said.

For more information about the new Pillsbury line, go to the company's Web site.

It's Breastfeeding Awareness Month in California and there are several nursing awareness events planned in the Sacramento region.

Thousands of mother and babies are expected to participate in the Third Annual Breastfeeding Walk statewide Aug. 13, including one at the state Capitol and in Yolo County. (Left: About 100 people participated in the walk in 2007. Photo by The Bee's Ann Chadwick Williams).

The walk at the Capitol will be held from noon to 1 p.m on the south lawn. Four companies will honored with statewide Mother Baby Friendly Workplace Awards and six local employers also will receive awards from the Breastfeeding Coalition of Greater Sacramento.

In Yolo County, mothers, babies and healthcare providers will walk at 10 a.m. Aug. 13 near the county's health department, located on North Cottonwood Street in Woodland.

The walks are meant to highlight the need for breastfeeding mothers to have support at home, in the community and at work, a Yolo County news release states.

California law stipulates that mothers can breastfeed children in any location, public or private, and that every employer, including the state, is required to provide a reasonable amount of break time to accommodate employees needing to express breast milk for their infant.

For more on California law and breastfeeding, go to the California Department of Public Health's Web site.

For more about breastfeeding walk events and breastfeeding resources, go to the California Breastfeeding Coalition's Web site.

Looking for a simple dinner solution that your kids will actually eat? Try this spin on grilled ham and cheese.

This recipe is adapted from one I saw on Emeril Lagasse's cooking show years ago and has been a favorite ever since. It's not much more difficult than assembling a grilled cheese, but tastes incredibly more sophisticated, while still appealing to pint-size palates.

The addition of ham adds a boost of protein, but it's just as delicious without it.

Grilled ham and cheese

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Serves: 6
Notes: This variation on a classic gets an infusion of flavor from the tangy marriage of mustard and honey spread on the bread before grilling. If you can't find the specified cheeses, just substitute others your family would enjoy.

Ingredients

1 fresh sourdough loaf, cut into 12 slices
12 slices cheddar cheese
6 slices Muenster cheese
6 slices Jarlsberg cheese
12 to 18 slices deli ham
6 teaspoons Dijon mustard
3 tablesoons honey
4 tablespoons butter
Nonstick cooking spray

Instructions

Separate the bread into pairs with sides to be filled facing up. Spread about 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard on one piece of bread per pair. Drizzle about 1/2 tablespoon of honey over the mustard. Layer one slice each of cheddar, Muenster and Jarlsberg onto the mustard-adorned bread. Follow with two to three slices of ham. Top with one slice of cheddar. Repeat for each bread pair. Once assembled, spread the outward-facing bread with butter.

Spray a grill pan or griddle with nonstick spray and turn heat to medium-high. Place sandwiches in pan and grill for about 4 minutes per side, or until the cheese begins to melt. Because the sandwiches will be a bit tall, you may want to place a heavier skillet  atop the sandwiches as they cook, or just press down with a spatula (you may also have to cook the sandwiches in batches).

Remove from pan, let rest for about a minute and then slice.

For another delicious summer sandwich idea, check out this story by my colleague, Allen Pierleoni, in today's Food & Wine section.

Give denim, get a discount.

Arden Fair is holding a denim drive to benefit WEAVE thrift stores, which help fund the Sacramento nonprofit's programs for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault.

To participate, bring gently worn or new denim to the mall's guest services desk - in front of JC Penney - through Aug. 13. Donators will receive special offers from mall retailers.

Arden Fair also is holding a women's night out event to benefit WEAVE from 6 to 8 p.m. Aug. 13.

Entry to the event requires a gently used or new pair of jeans, which also will be donated to WEAVE. The event includes expert advise on jean fit, free mini-facial, makeovers, massages, champagne and VIP gift bags with gifts and offers from retailers.

The event is open to the first 100 people who RSVP. To sign up, To RSVP, call (916) 920-4809 ask for Sunita Singh.

Losing a favorite shirt or dress to stains is never a pleasant experience, but now, with furloughs and wage reductions eliminating the ability to replace wounded clothing, the casualty hurts even more.

It doesn't have to end this way.

Here's a (somewhat) quick fix that can save you serious cash - RIT dye.

I stumbled across this garment-saving wonder in a desperate attempt to revive a beloved taupe trench coat dress that had been ruined by a chemical at a hair salon.

The dress started off in a washing machine bath of RIT Color Remover, took an elongated dip in navy RIT Liquid dye and was reborn a new blue dress. The process took about four hours - lengthened by about 30 minutes because I had to remove buttons and then sew them back on - but the washer did most of the work.

Total cost: about $12.

Pam Andreotti, manager of Woodard-Ficetti Cleaners Inc. in midtown Sacramento, said dye can be a good way to save favorite garments, but only certain fabrics are will tolerate a color change.

"It has to be natural a fiber - silk, wool or cotton," she said, adding that synthetic fabrics - even nylon threads - will not take a dye.

Dying also isn't feasible if a fabric has been bleached, since bleaching burns the fibers, Andreotti said.

For more dying tips and techniques, check out RIT's Web site.

The Whirlpool Institute of Fabric Science also recently sent an e-mail to The Bee outlining techniques on how to remove stains that plague parents from the family's clothing.

Here are some of their tips:

• Ink stains - Check an invisible corner of the colored fabric to ensure the treatment won't affect the color of the garment. Stretch the fabric with the stained area over the mouth of a glass. Drip rubbing alcohol over the stain so the ink drops into the glass. If needed, wash the garment with color-safe bleach, the release states.
  

• Crayon stains - Scrape the stain with a spoon or back of a knife to remove excess wax from the fabric. Put the stained area face down on a white paper towel and put another paper towel on top of the fabric. Run a warm iron over the paper towel - the heat will melt the wax and the towel will absorb it, the release states. Change the paper towels and repeat until no more stain transfers. Pre-treat the stain and wash in warmest water possible for the garment.

• Juice stains - Rinse the clothing in cold water to dilute the stain and prevent it from setting. Soak the garment in a mixture of detergent and water for up to 30 minutes and then wash in the warmest water safe for the garment.

*The institute recommends letting garments air dry and checking to ensure the stains are completely removed before putting them in a dryer.

For more stain emergency tips, go to the institute's Web site.

Parents are increasingly ditching disposable training pants in an effort to save money.

The Associated Press' Betsy Vereckey reported recently that foregoing training pants is a trend that's saving parents up to $100 a month and sometimes resulting in quicker toilet training.

Sales of disposable training pants throughout the industry fell to $731.2 million, down 3.2 percent, for the 52 weeks ending June 13, Vereckey reported.

To read her report, click here.

Have you decided to forego disposable training pants in an effort to save money? Are you a disposable training pants devotee and not willing to risk your carpet and couch to messy mistakes? Post your toilet training tips, ideas or woes here or e-mail me. Your suggestions or advice could be featured on my blog in a future post.

Humpty Dumpty sat on wall, while admission prices took a big fall.
All the king's horses and all the king's men, couldn't fathom prices being that low again.

Fairytale Town is celebrating its 50th anniversary this month by offering 50-cent admission to the first 50 people through the gate each Monday of the month.

The merry-making will continue on the park's actual anniversary, Aug. 29, when a birthday party will be thrown for Humpty Dumpty - the iconic egg of yore who adorns the park's entrance - from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. An ice cream bash and fundraiser will also mark the occasion from 5 to 9 p.m.

For more information about the special events and tickets, go to Fairytale Town's Web site.

The 2.5-acre park and outdoor children's museum offers more than 20 hands-on play exhibits based on favorite children's literature, Executive Director Kathy Fleming stated in a news release.

Fairytale Town also has three learning gardens, barnyard animals, performing arts stages and holds a variety of special events and programs, attracting more than 230,000 visitors each year, she said.

Tickets for Fairytale Town can be purchased at the gate, 3901 Land Park Dr., Sacramento. Children ages 2 and younger are free all week. Admission is $4 per person on weekdays and $4.50 per person on weekends.

Fathers are typically underserved in a majority of programs for low-income families with young children, but getting fathers more involved in parenting leads to physically and emotionally healthier children, a new study has found.

The Supporting Father Involvement study, funded by the California Department of Social Services' Office of Child Abuse Prevention, was conducted through several family resources organizations throughout the state. The randomized, controlled clinical trial began in 2003, and the final stage will conclude in 2012.

The study examined what happens when agencies encourage dads to get more involved in parenting after a child is born. The study also looked at the results of agencies with programs aimed at helping fathers foster positive relationship and parenting styles, the executive summary states.

Programs serving families with young children, especially low-income families, typically focus primarily on mothers.

One of the key findings researchers discovered was that children of father who went through the program alone or alongside their wives were "less aggressive, hyperactive, depressed or socially withdrawn," the document states.

Researchers also found that parenting stress decreased when fathers and mothers participated in the groups together and behavioral and psychological involvement of dads increased when they were given tools to be more effective parents either alone or with their wives.

Rick Millhollin, 41, of Yuba City, was one of several fathers to participate in the study through the ABC Family Resource Centers, which has locations in Olivehurst and Linda.

The father of five and his wife, Bobette, had taken parenting classes before through the Salvation Army's substance abuse rehabilitation program, but enjoyed and learned from the community approach of the Supporting Father Involvement group.

"It wasn't so much a commanded directive of parenting, with someone telling us what we should do," Millhollin said. "It was awesome."

Millhollin said one of the things he learned was to discipline his children through taking things away, instead of his former "spare the rod, spoil the child" approach.

Roy Martin, executive director of Gracesource Inc., the nonprofit organization which runs the ABC Family Resource Centers, said the holistic curriculum didn't point out that the father wasn't doing a good job. Instead, it asked the dads to think about their daily routines, their roles and their involvement with their children in a group setting that fostered lively discussions.

"What makes this approach so good is that it was inclusive from the beginning," Martin said. "It didn't take a punitive approach and it wasn't just a bag of tricks, it really was a system change."

The results have forever altered the attitude and approach of the organization, he said.

Social workers now actively interact with the fathers and try to engage them in conversation. The decorations of the two resource centers have been altered to be more inviting to dads. Fathers are even calling the centers to ask for services now, he said.

"It's changed the way we do business," he said. "We couldn't go back."

To read the study, click the link below.
Father_Engagement_Study_.pdf

The school year is drawing near and for many mothers that also means the start of keeping an entire family organized.

Sure you can use an iPhone to digitally organize your life (heck, there's probably an app for that), but for the rest of us, a day planner or calendar remains the go-to method.

There's another option, however.

Say hello to momAgenda, a company that offers a collection of organizational tools and stationary to help moms find order in the sometimes frenetic pace of parenthood.

One of the most popular products in the line is the momAgenda Desktop, a planner that offers a 17-month calendar (the calendar for the 2009-2010 version begins in August and runs through December 2010) in week-at-a-glance format.

The company sent The Bee one a momAgenda Desktop planner, along with a separate chore list and babysitter notes tablet.

We passed it to Leigh Anne Burford-Petersen, 41, a work-at-home mother of three boys, ages 2, 6 and 8, who also homeschools her sons.

Burford-Petersen, of Placer County, said the planner has many good features, and for some moms could provide "a stylish, fun way to keep a busy life organized," but she likely will stay with her current planner.

"The one drawback of the momAgenda planner is that it does not permit me to tailor the planner to my needs," Burford-Petersen wrote in her e-mailed review. "For example, I need less party planning and more meal planning."

Here are other highlights from Burford-Petersen's review:

• The look - Burford-Petersen was immediately struck by the planner's aesthetic quality. "Rather than my dour, utilitarian black planner, the momAgenda planner comes in a cheerful shade of light green," she said.
  

• The layout - The planner is well-organized for the most part. The calendar begins with a month-at-a-glance section, followed by a week-at-a-glance section. Burford-Petersen really liked the layout of the latter. The top half of every two pages provides a typical week layout. The bottom half of those pages, however, is a grid of boxes for recording what up to four children are doing each day of the week. A blank is provided to plan dinner for each night of the week. "I need to plan three meals a day for a week and create a grocery list, so that last feature is lacking," she said.
  

• The extra features - The planner devotes one page each to books, movies, music, fashion, restaurants, wines, health and fitness, two pages each to gift records and entertaining resources, six pages to parties and eight pages to vacation planning. "Truthfully, this section of the planner confuses me ... six pages for parties and eight pages for vacation planning could only be useful to me in my wildest fantasies. At the same time, one page each to record my nutrition and exercise plans is rather useless," Burford-Petersen said.
  

• The momEssentials pamphlet - The detachable address book at the back is well-designed for mothers. It can be moved to the next year's edition of the planner, making transfer of the information very easy... "It keeps the information a mother may need in a hurry at her fingertips."

• The chore list - "I think I like the chore list, in part, because I would like to think that my children would be this dutiful and somehow the very organized chart gives me hope," she said. Furford-Petersen also added that as a homeschooling mother, she could also use the chore chart to help the children record their weekly progress through their subjects.

• The babysitter notes - The pre-printed form ensures that a busy parent does not forget to give pertinent information to the sitter.

Nina Restieri, who was using a doctor's scheduling pad to keep track of her family's activities before founding momAgenda, said the company's products are better than other day planners because they are centered around a mothers' organizational needs.

"The biggest difference is that we offer everything in one place, providing moms with the piece of mind that all aspects of their personal puzzle - family, career, home and social life - come together," she wrote in an e-mail.

The collection of momAgenda planners and tools are available online and in retail stores.

My colleague, business reporter Darrell Smith, is looking to speak with stay-at-home parents trying to re-enter the workforce.

If you fall into that category, he'd like to hear from you for an upcoming story.

How are you approaching the jobhunt?

Please contact Darrell at (916) 321-1040 or e-mail him.

Today is National Lasagna Day and to commemorate the cheesy occasion, Buca di Beppo is offering customers a free serving of its popular lasagna.

Any guest who purchases a Buca small or Buca large pasta or entree today will receive a free lunch-sized portion of the family-style restaurant's lasagna, a news release states.

The offer is available at Buca di Beppo's 87 locations nationwide, including its restaurants at 1249 Howe Ave., Sacramento and 1212 Galleria Blvd., Roseville.

The free lasagna offer is not valid with other coupons, offers or to-go orders, but can be boxed and taken home for dine-in guests, the release states.

Mangia!

Looking for an easy, delicious lasagna recipe? Check out my entry on our Appetizers blog.

Looking for a fun, free activity to entertain your family this weekend?

Head to Fremont Park Saturday night for children's games, food and a free showing of "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa."

The free event, hosted by The Capitol Area Development Authority (CADA),begins at 6 p.m. and includes balloon art, face and hair painting and games for kids. Free hot dogs, popcorn and rootbeer floats also will be served, said Karen Koehn, a CADA spokeswoman said.

The movie is rated PG and will begin at dusk, about 8:30 p.m.

People are encouraged bring lawn chairs and blankets and to walk to the event or ride their bikes. The Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates will be providing free bike valet service at the event.

Alcohol and coolers are prohibited. Children under 16 years old must be accompanied by an adult.

Fremont Park is located at the corner of 16th and P Streets in Sacramento.

Child-proofing a home is a necessity for anyone with an infant or toddler in the house, but just how many safety precautions does a parent need to take?

As many as possible.

"There's only one area in which children have a mental deficiency and that's their sense of self-preservation," said Dr. Anatoly Belilovsky, a New York pediatrician and child-safety expert who I interviewed recently for a story about summer safety issues.

Belilovsky's recommendation for parents looking to remove household hazards is simple, yet clever: watch the first four minutes of the 1988 movie "Who Framed Roger Rabbit."

"They did a good job of hitting household hazards," he said of the opening scene, in which Roger is attempting to babysit Baby Herman. "Watch very carefully with an eye to all the hazards the baby sees - it's a really good primer for household safety."

Baby Herman starts off in a playpen but quickly escapes, using drawers to climb atop the kitchen counter, inadvertently turning on stove burners with his foot and falling face down in a sink full of water and dishes in his quest to reach the cookie jar.

To watch for yourself, go to this You Tube clip.

There are also loads of kid safety products on the market.

One of the handiest kid-proofing items came to The Bee from Australian-based Dream Baby, a child safety product company.

It's a simple cable combination lock intended to help keep children out of cabinets and sells for $9.99.

We discovered another great use for the device: It also locks side-by-side refrigerator doors, thus helping keep kids safe from ingesting spicy condiments or pulling glass jars off shelves.

For more information, go to Dream Baby's Web site.

The best piece of child-proofing equipment, however, is an attentive parent and common sense, Belilovsky said.

"There is no substitute for thinking," he said.

The Sacramento River Cats are offering a deal that's sure to be a home run with families.

The new promotion offers a free meal for every child 12 years old and younger at all remaining Tuesday night home games at Raley Field, a River Cats news release states.

The first of the "kids eat free" game nights is Tuesday, when the River Cats are scheduled to play the Salt Lake Bees. The free meal deal also will be in place Aug. 11 and Aug. 25.

Each meal voucher, which will be passed out until the first pitch, is good for a hot dog, snack and a 12-ounce Coke. The vouchers can be used throughout the game.

The promotion is intended to help area families enjoy a fun, affordable outing, said Gabe Ross, vice president of media relations for the River Cats.

"It's a lot cheaper than going to a movie and you get dinner with it," he said.

Game tickets, the cheapest of which are lawn seats for $7 per person, are available at the Raley Field Ticket Office or through the River Cats Web site.

Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services is hosting a free barbecue and information fair for families Saturday.

More than 500 people are expected to attend the third annual Fun in the Sun Fair, which will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Saca Community Learning Center, 2469 Rio Linda Blvd., Sacramento, a food bank news release states.

The event includes a free barbecue lunch, snacks, prizes, face painting, games, exercise class demonstrations, multicultural dancing and a bounce house.

Dozens of community agencies, including the Child Abuse Prevention Council, Meals on Wheels and the Greater Sacramento Urban League, will provide free information for families, the release states.

The event is open to all families.

There's something that just seems unfair about catching a cold or flu in the middle of summer, and apparently a nasty cold is making its way around the Sacramento region.

Dr. Julie Vails, a physician with a family practice in Elk Grove, said she has seen a lot of colds this month, and many ear infections in both children and adults.

"You can get a cold at any time, but a nice solid boost of cold is not that common in July," she said.

While a bad cold in summer isn't necessarily indicative of a worse cold and flu season in the fall and winter, doctors are expecting a tough season due to the H1N1 virus due to its ability to spread rapidly.

"We think it's going to spread like the flu, but it tends to wreak a little more havoc and is a little more dangerous," Vails said.

If you do happen to catch a cold this summer, treat it as you would a cold caught in the winter - rest, chicken soup, sleep.

"We tend to let illness drag us down because we're trying hard to pretend like it's not there," she said.

And remember - just because its sunny and warm outside doesn't mean you can slack on cold prevention.

Wash your hands often, avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth and stay away from people who are sick, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends.

For other prevention tips, go to the CDC's Web site.

It took about a month and more than 5,500 votes, but the Spare the Air mascot now has a name: Scooter.

Kennedy Kell, 10, of Sacramento, came up with the winning moniker for the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District's mascot naming contest, which was open to area children children ages 12 and under.

Sacramento residents could vote online for one of four names. The contest and mascot were intended to teach children about the importance of reducing air pollution.

Kell chose the name Scooter "because riding on a scooter uses less gas then driving a car," a district news release states.

Kennedy will receive a Nintendo Wii system and Wii Fit package, courtesy of Radio Disney AM 1470. The runners up also will receive prizes.

For more information about Spare the Air days, go to the district's Web site.

To read more about the contest, check out my previous blog post.

Apparently matte is the new black.

Zoya Nail Polish, popular for its durability and vegan-friendly properties, has released its Fall 2009 line of polish, which includes the MatteVelvet Collection, a trifecta of uber-hip shimmery matte shades.

The collection was designed to dry to a flat, shimmery shade and while Zoya's glossy polishes typically last two weeks, the matte polishes are intended for one-time "high-fashion look," Zoya Vice President Leo Reyzis wrote in an e-mail to The Bee.

Zoya sent The Bee the three shades - Dovima (black), Loredana (gunmetal gray) and Posh (wine red) - to test out.

Amita Patel, a Sacramento mom of a 2-year-old, tried the Loredana and Posh polishes. Patel usually does weekly manicures and pedicures at home, and swapped her typical shades for the matte ones.

"Both of the colors are great," she said, but didn't like that the color turned dull upon drying.

The gray polish had a pasty texture while applying and the brush was lumpy, she wrote in an e-mail. The brush for the wine polish was fine, however.

The polish lasted about 8 to 10 days on Patel's toes and two days on her nails before chipping, about the same as the durability of other polishes she's used, Patel said.

Patel said she would "maybe" consider buying the polish in the store and rated it a 5 out of 10.

I tried the black polish, Dovima, this week. The rich, dark shade was a little off-putting at first (like I should be back in high school, listening to Kurt Cobain and pondering alternatives to going to prom), but it grew on me after a few hours.

Like Patel, I found the polish pretty goopy and somewhat hard to apply with the brush provided - perhaps a result of it being free of formaldehyde and other smelly chemicals.

The color lasted about a day without chipping, but was also subjected to two loads of laundry, dishwasher duty, diaper changes, kid meal prep and a Wiggles concert.

The hipster factor is definitely there, however. Don one of these polishes and you are sure to be the coolest mom at the neighborhood barbecue.

Just don't use the polish to accessorize your mom jeans.

A New York company has come out with a new birthday party kit for Nintendo Wii and we are looking for a family with (wee) Wii enthusiasts to try it.

Birthday Party Bash includes the game, which is rated "E" for everyone and contains more than 20 party games and 10 party themes, 12 invitations and a box of Duncan Hines cupcake mix. The kit, from 2K Play, retails for $39.99 and also includes coupons from Duncan Hines, Party City and Evite.

We are looking for a local family with a Wii system and a child with an upcoming birthday to try the kit and write a little review of the experience. The test family must be willing to throw a birthday party using the entire kit.

If you are interested in the party kit, e-mail me your name, city of residence, kids' ages and a contact phone number. A parent needs to be able to pick up the kit from The Bee's main office at 2100 Q St., Sacramento.

Sometimes it just gets too hot and too chaotic to cook.

Such was the case this week for my family. We've eaten pizza, takeout Mexican food and uninspired salads.

There is a much better option out there that I should have remembered, however - Dream Dinners.

Dream Dinners is a meal-assembly franchise, which has a location in Natomas, where a flat rate fee and about 30 minutes of prepping easy-to-cook meals yields several nights of dinner (many of which are healthy) that freeze well and are ridiculously convenient during hectic weeks.

For more about Dream Dinners and other meal-assembly businesses in the region, check out my story from earlier this year.

Dream Dinners also is calling on home cooks to come up with recipes to help expand its menu options.

The company is holding its 3rd Annual Recipe Contest through Aug. 28 and is looking for four dishes featuring the following proteins: London Broil, chicken breast, pork chops and cod. One winner from each category will receive $500 towards Dream Dinners meals (that translates to about two months worth of meals).

Judging takes place Oct. 30 and winners will be announced in January. The winning recipes will appear on the March menu, with credit to the recipe's author, a news release states.

For more information, contest rules and entry forms, go to Dream Dinner's Web site.

Do you have a dinner recipe that your family enjoys and want to share it with us? Post your recipe here or e-mail me and your dish may be featured in an upcoming "What's for dinner"  post.

They came, they sang, they conquered (almost everyone).

Little eyes widened and applause filled Arco Arena as each of the four Wiggles made their appearance on the stage, greeting the audience with huge smiles and waves.

While the first song - an upbeat instrumental tune reminiscent of a modernized classical piece - entertained and the Wiggly dancers wowed the crowd with their acrobatics, the second, the Wiggles classic "Big Red Car" instantly sent the crowd into sing-along mode.

The roughly one-and-a-half hour concert was the first of two shows Jeff Fatt, Murray Cook, Sam Moran and Anthony Field, a.k.a. the Wiggles, played at the Sacramento venue Tuesday, part of the northern California leg of their American "Go Bananas" tour.

The preschool rock band is scheduled to play San Jose today, then on to San Diego Thursday and Universal City this weekend.

Rupert and Terri Johnson, of Sacramento, brought their 20-month-old son Dylan, an avid Wiggles watcher, to the concert along with his grandparents, Jim and Donna Sochor.

The family was a little disappointed their son's favorite song, "Wobby Camel," wasn't among the songs performed Tuesday, but he still "loved the concert," Rupert Johnson said.

"The concert was amazing," he said. "It reminded me a lot of Paul McCartney in the way they take the Hollywood wall down. It's spontaneous and very human."

About midway through the show, the Wiggles took a break from singing and Murray Cook (the Red Wiggle) read handmade signs held up by children and parents in the audience.

Nicole McArthur and her daughter Chloe, 2, came to the concert with friends.

While Chloe "spent zero attention to the Wiggles" during the concert - instead choosing to climb the stairs - McArthur said she enjoyed the music.

"I was dreading it, but it actually was very nice," McArthur said.

My two children, both Wiggles fans, were captivated during the first 45 minutes of the concert, and were particularly entertained by the Wiggly dancers' gymnastic feats. It became hard to keep them engaged, however, the final 30 minutes of the show, making me second-guess their readiness for a live concert.

But for Jordan LaBranch, 5, who ventured to the concert with four other friends - and parents - from Carson City, Nev., the concert's length and content was just right (Jordan, left, is shown taking a break after the show with friends Alva and Devin Zervoulakos, Hunter Machal and Dylan Clinger).

Jordan's favorite part?

"When they said 'cold spaghetti, cold spaghetti," Jordan said, referring to the song "Hot Potato," the final one performed Tuesday. "It was like TV."

To read more about the Wiggles phenomenon and how to navigate a live Wiggles concert, check out my story, which appeared in The Bee's Family section last month.

Esquire Imax Theatre is holding a Flickr photo contest for the best Harry Potter costumed pose in front of the K Street theatre in downtown Sacramento.

Check out my entry on The Bee's entertainment blog, 21Q for details.

Winning entry gets 10 tickets to see "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" at the theatre on Aug. 11.

Tough economic times doesn't have to translate to summer months devoid of fun activities.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell recently released some tips for parents on inexpensive ways to keep kids active and learning during the summer months.

"When children are inactive mentally and physically during the summer, they often have to take time to get back up to speed in the fall," O'Connell stated in a news release from the state Department of Education. "This wastes students' valuable learning time and schools' scarce resources."

Here are some of O'Connell's recommendations:

• Step away from the TV and computer and get outside - Get a game of volleyball going with neighbors or dust off water toys like Slip 'N Slides. Benefits include physical activity, which help stave off childhood obesity, and lessons in teamwork.

• Read, read, read - Read the newspaper with your kids or go to the library. "Reading keeps children's minds active and engaged and ready to learn when they go back to school," the release states. For ideas on age-appropriate literature, go to the state Department of Education's online database.

• Encourage self-employed kids - Are your children clamoring for extra cash? Make them earn it by mowing lawns or pet sitting for neighbors on vacation. Local chapters of the American Red Cross even offer lessons on babysitting for 11- to 15-year-olds. The lesson involved here is responsibility and financial literacy, the release states.

• Cook with your kids - Let your kids help make a meal. Teach them how to measure and how ingredients interact, which will bolster math and chemistry skills.

For more of O'Connell's tips, go to the state Department of Education's Web site.

What are some cheap, fun things that you do in the summer with your kids? Post your ideas here.

Want more ideas on how to avoid summer brain drain? Check out an earlier story I did for The Bee's Family section. 

The company behind a popular line of infant products has initiated a nationwide recall of its gel-filled teethers.

Luv n' care of Monroe, La. launched the recall of its "Nuby," "Cottontails" and "Playschool" teething devices Friday because the liquid inside was found to contain Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus circulans bacteria, according to a U.S. Food and Drug Administration news release.

The bacteria doesn't generally cause illness in adults, but can cause stomach pain, vomiting and diarrhea in infants and children with weakened immune systems, the releases states. The FDA found the bacteria in samples of gel from two lots collected by government researchers.

No illnesses have yet been reported.

The company has stopped producing and distributing the products, which were available in stores and online, and is notifying distributors to return the products. Consumers are asked to return products to the place of purchase for a full refund, the release states.

The recall includes the following products bearing these UPC codes:

Nuby: 48526-00451, 48526-00452, 48526-00453, 48526-00454, 48526-00455, 48526-00459, 48526-00467, 48526-00472, 48526-00473, 48526-00482, 48526-00483, 48526-00487, 48526-00490, 48526-00519, 48526-00521.

Cottontails: 41520-87115, 41520-91660.

Playschool: 50428-91511.

Consumers with questions are asked to call the company from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. at (800) 256-2399 extension 3106.

To report adverse reactions with these products, go to the FDA's online MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting Program.

In a quaint Victorian nestled in midtown Sacramento, creativity and social change have found a welcoming home - and they're looking for families to come visit.

Art Beast Children's Studio, which opened July 2, is a drop-in art studio and play center geared toward children ages 7 and under.

The studio was born out of the desire to provide a safe, reasonably-priced place for children to experience fun, imaginative play and help raise money for a local charity.

Proceeds from the studio help fund Tubman House, a transitional living program for young, homeless families.

"With the economy the way it is, we could see ourselves becoming the next sad story," said Bridget Alexander, co-founding director of Art Beast. Alexander and Blithe Raines also run Waking the Village, the nonprofit organization that oversees Tubman House and Art Beast.

So the two women got to work transforming the four-story Victorian at 2226 K Street into a children's imagination wonderland, complete with an open art studio, six play spaces and a classroom. The hope is to secure at least a 20 percent profit to donate to Tubman House.

The open studio offers kids an opportunity to create works of art using a variety of mediums and tools. It affords parents a chance to relax, given that the painting is occurring in a setting where smearing purple paint on a table is fine, if not expected.

I took my kids to Art Beast one day last week to test it out and wound up spending nearly three hours there without realizing how much time had passed. Here's a testament to how much fun we had: there was not one request for snacks or juice the entire time (which honestly, I hadn't packed since I didn't think we'd be there that long). Next time, I'll come prepared and we'll have an even longer adventure.

My 2-year-old son and 1-year-old daughter (Elle is pictured at right) loved smearing paint on the plexiglass wall and using foam brushes to splotch orange and green paint on construction paper.

The highlight of the painting, however, came at the expense of my face and shirt, which got sprayed with yellow paint while I was trying to pump the paint into a little palate. Note to parents: You will want to dress everyone heading to Art Beast in play clothes, but the paint does wash out with a little stain remover, trust me.

The courtyard of Art Beast also is a treasure trove of exploration. Sand begs to be poured and pushed through little fingers. Mountains of tiny pebbles can be sifted and washed.

A hit with many of the kids, including mine, that day were mounted pots, muffin tins and other metal objects, which children could bang or tap with sticks for their music-making merriment (my son Lex, pictured at left, said he was "playing Mama a song").

Nicola Miller, of Sacramento, learned about Art Beast through Facebook and brought her son Lane, 3, and daughter Tillie, 9 months, to the studio Monday to explore.

"I think it's fabulous," Miller said. "I'd definitely come back."

While families can pay the drop-in admission of $8 per person (children under 1 years old are free), open studio memberships are available for $60 per month for one child and adult. Family passes are $90 per month.

Monthly membership packages that include weekly art classes start at $90.

For more information, visit Art Beast's Web site.

Looking for a physical activity to do with your kids, but don't want to wind up sweaty and sunburned?

Just bounce.

At Sky Zone in Rocklin, you can get a workout, keep your kids entertained and beat the heat.

Sky Zone has several wall-to-wall, three-dimensional trampoline "courts" for jumpers to enjoy.

While the majority of the business is made up of kids, parents also are starting to get into jumping because it's a fun family activity and good exercise, said Jeff Platt, Sky Zone's president.

"Jumping on a trampoline has always been regarded as one of the best forms of exercise," he said. "It's great for your heart and for every muscle group in your body. It takes balance, so you're incorporating all of your muscle groups to stay upright."

Playing around on the Sky Zone trampolines burns about 300 calories an hour, Platt estimated.

"The beauty of it is you're laughing, you're falling all over the place, your enjoying yourself, but all the while you're getting a good workout," he said.

Cost is $11 an hour per person to jump, including trampoline rental shoes. Look for coupons in parents magazines and the 2009 Entertainment Book.

Reservations are encouraged, but not required.

For more information, go to Sky Zone's Web site or call (916) 644-9966.

My colleague and Bee health and fitness writer Sam McManis' took a SkyRobics workout class at Sky Zone and lived to write about it last summer. To learn how he fared, check out his story.

Breaking news on the toy front: one little trip to an unlikely store can yield a bounty of wooden train tracks at a bargain price.

Ikea, college dorm room outfitter and inexpensive furniture retailer extraordinaire, offers a range of cute, cheap kids furniture, accessories and toys, including wooden train tracks that sync with beloved Thomas & Friends wood tracks and trains.

The best part is the Ikea tracks are a fraction of the cost of the Thomas variety. The "Lillabo" 12-piece train set with bridge pieces and a tunnel cost $9.99. A package of additional tracks is just $6.99 and a pack of three trains is $3.99, according to Ikea's Web site.

While the Thomas sets are undoubtedly cool, the steep costs can cause heart palpitations in many parents (including this one). Here's an example: a Thomas & Friends "Thomas and Percy" Starter Set is listed at $29.99 on Toys R Us' Web site.

It includes Thomas, Percy, the Sodor Line Caboose and 10 pieces of track.

I bought two sets of the Ikea tracks for my son, who loves playing "train tracks" with the Thomas sets at Grandma's house. He hasn't stopped playing with the Ikea set since.

They fit perfectly with the few wood Thomas tracks and trains we have and he gets a kick out of building elevated railways and hills with the special block lifts that accompanied the Ikea set (writer's note: the set I purchased at the West Sacramento Ikea came with wood blocks to serve as lifts and a handful of trains for $14.99, but the store's Web site doesn't currently show that set for sale).

Have you ever stumbled upon a similar deal on toys and want to share your findings? Post your tips and tricks in the comments section below.

A local charity is collecting backpacks for low-income children in the Sacramento region.

Volunteers of America's Greater Sacramento & Northern Nevada affiliate is holding the "Operation Backpack" community drive through July 24 and asking residents to donate new backpacks filled with school supplies, the organization's Web site states.

Last year, the organization gathered 1,300 filled backpacks for area children and officials say the need is even greater this year.

According to the Sacramento County Office of Education, homelessness among Sacramento school children jumped 19 percent this past school year, from 5,120 in 2007-2008 to 6,111 during the 2008-2009 year, Bee staff writer Julie Johnson reported last week.

Volunteers of America has set up more than 100 drop-off locations, including five Macy's stores and dozens of Starbucks locations in the area.

The Web site has three grade-specific school supply lists ready for people to download, along with information on holding a backpack drive at your work, church or service club.

For more information, go to the organization's Web site.

Tickets go on sale today for Maria Shriver's annual Women's Conference, which this year will feature speakers ranging from former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright to reality TV megamom Kate Gosselin.

Gosselin, of TLC's "Jon & Kate Plus 8" fame, signed on for the conference months before her split from husband Jon Gosselin, the Associated Press reports.

The mother of twin girls and sextuplets will hold a 15-minute chat at a fair where she will be selling her latest book, according to AP.

In what likely will be an interesting, and heartbreaking, discussion, Shriver will host a panel on grief featuring three famous mothers who have lost teenage sons: actress Kelly Preston; Elizabeth Edwards, the wife of former presidential candidate John Edwards; and actress Susan Saint James.

Here's what AP's Samantha Young reports:

Preston has agreed to be interviewed for the first time about the death of her 16-year-old son with husband John Travolta. Both actors have kept low profiles since Jett Travolta died following a seizure in January.

Shriver said she will interview Preston as part of a panel on grief, along with Elizabeth Edwards and actress Susan Saint James, whose teenage sons were killed in accidents. The panel will be the only session not broadcast on the Internet.

"All three of them lost sons. All are at different stages of the grief," Shriver said.

To read the entire story, click here.

Shriver's conference will be Oct. 26-27 in Long Beach. Tickets cost $125 to $200 and are being sold on the conference's Web site. Much of the conference also will be streamed online.

For an earlier blog post about Gosselin's split from her husband, click here.

Staycationing with your children?

Don't let the state offices, courthouses and business offices that dominate the downtown landscape fool you - there are plenty of things to do with kids in the central city.

To prove it, the Downtown Sacramento Partnership is hosting its first annual Downtown Kid's Week, a week-long event that starts Saturday.

"We have a lot of stuff downtown that is family friendly and you can truly make a day of it," said Jennifer Snyder, the partnership's marketing manager.

The event is intended to spur families to spend time at state and local museums, some of which have been hard hit by the economy.

Participating venues include the Crocker Art Museum, California Museum, Governor's Mansion State Historic Park and Sacramento History Museum.

Esquire Imax Theatre is offering eight free screenings of "Wild California" Saturday. For details, see my earlier blog post.

Also available for exploration are farmers' markets and downtown walking tours.

Several downtown eateries also are offering specials for families during Kid's Week.

California Pizza Kitchen and 4th Street Grille are offering free kids meals with an adult purchase, while at The Melting Pot, children 12 years old and under can have an entr&eacute;e and a child's portion of cheese and chocolate fondue (the cheese and chocolate are separate - unless your kid likes that odd flavor combination) for $15.

Morgan's Central Valley Bistro at The Sheraton Grand is offering kids a 3-course menu and a free toy and is hosting entertainment from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Don't worry kids - Bee restaurant critic Blair Anthony Robertson likely won't be anywhere near the Morgan's dining room during Kid's Week, so you're free to have thumb fights and giggle all you want (check out Robertson's review if you don't get my snarky reference).

Organizers hope to repeat the event next year.

For more details about Kid's Week, go to the partnership's Web site.

Fifty low-income pregnant women will receive much-needed baby gifts and supplies at a community baby shower Saturday hosted by two local organizations.

The mothers were selected for the shower by area non-profit agencies. Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services and Switch Community Outreach Association are hosting the event, which will include food, games, gifts and raffles, a food bank news release states.

The baby shower also will provide information about health and dental care, breastfeeding, immunizations and child development.

The event is intended to provide the mothers with much-needed baby items and help "minimize the risk of child abuse and neglect through education," the release states.

The baby shower will be held from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday at the food bank's Saca Community Learning Center, 2469 Rio Linda Blvd., Sacramento.

While the slots for the baby shower have been filled, expectant moms or new parents who need free services can contact the food bank's Mother-Baby program at (916) 456-1980.

For more information about donating gently-used children's items, go to the food bank's Web site.

Here's a crafty activity to do with your children that's fun, will save you money and make other moms think "How does she find the time?"

Making your own play clay is ridiculously easy and yields fantastic, non-toxic clay that lasts for weeks or longer.

I've switched between recipes over the past few years, but the one I seem to use the most is from Paula Deen's "Paula Deen's My First Cookbook," (Simon & Schuster, 21.99, 176 pages). The cookbook is adorable and has food and craft recipes intended to inspire children in the kitchen.

Deen has found success with my son, who loves making the play clay with me and has been caught on numerous occasions lying tummy-down on the floor, flipping through Deen's cookbook and talking about "my recipes."

This is an extremely fun activity, but be prepared - the results are so great, you just might become the go-to play clay gal among your friends and kids' teachers.

Paula Deen's play clay
Prep time: 2 minutes
Cook time: 3 to 5 minutes
Serves: Makes about 2 cups
Notes: Using more than a few drops of food coloring is fine and usually imparts a stronger color. For brighter colors, try neon food coloring.

Ingredients
1 cup flour
1/4 cup salt
2 tablespoons cream of tartar
1 cup water
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 to 3 drops food coloring

Instructions
Stir flour, salt and cream of tartar in a pot. In a separate bowl, stir water, oil and food coloring. Add wet mixture to the dry mixture in the pot and turn the heat on medium, stirring together the ingredients until incorporated. Cook for about 3 to 5 minutes, stirring it. Once it starts to glob together, you're almost done. Stir until the goo clumps together and becomes a play clay consistency. Pour onto the counter and let cool for about 10 minutes. Knead the dough until it's workable and store in a plastic bag or container.

Want to kick off the school year with $5,000?

Office Depot and Sharpie are holding a contest to find the nation's best backpack art design and are offering $5,000 to the grand prize winner.

The winning backpack design will be reproduced and sold in Office Depot stores during the 2010 back-to-school season. There's also cash for runners up. The first place prize is $3,000, and second place is $2,000, an Office Depot news release states.

Participants can purchase one of four canvas backpacks for $14.99 - which come in blue, pink, olive or khaki and include two free Sharpie markers - decorate it, take a photo of it and upload the photo to the contest's Web site.

Participants also may enter by downloading the Sharpie backpack template, decorating it and uploading the design, the contest Web site states.

Entries must be received by 11:59 p.m. central time Sept. 19. The top finalists' entries will be posted online on the Web site and the country will vote on the winner.

For more information, go the contest Web site.

Office Depot sent The Bee a pink canvas backpack, along with two Sharpie markers, to try out.

If you're local and interested in designing the backpack, e-mail me. The first person to send me their information can have it, provided they send The Bee a digital picture of the final product that we can post on this blog.

Please include your name, age, kids' ages (if any), city of residence and phone number in your e-mail.

Pressed for time and looking for a delicious summer meal shortcut?

Head to Ikedas California Country Market in Auburn or Davis, where you can pick up fantastic pre-seasoned tri-tip, locally grown produce and fabulous pie.

I'm usually not one to spring for pre-marinated meats, since I enjoy cooking and find that to be part of the fun, but Ikedas' tri-tips are so tender, so wonderfully seasoned, why mess with perfection?

The store sells a tri-tip made with Ikedas seasoning, as well as one with Ikedas marinade. The seasoned tri-tip is slightly spicy, while the marinated tri-tip has a touch of sweetness to it that makes the flavor dance in your mouth.

Over the Fourth of July holiday weekend, I cooked my 2 1/2 pound Ikedas seasoned tri-tip over medium heat on the grill for about 45 minutes, which, after resting for about 15 minutes, resulted in the meat being cooked to medium.

Served alongside grilled white corn and a tangy and sweet summer salad, it made for a beautiful, simple summer meal.

Ikedas has two locations: 3500 Lincoln Way, Auburn and 26295 Mace Blvd., Davis.

Here's my recipe for the salad, which is delicious on its own as a light meal or as a side dish.

Tangy and sweet summer salad

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 9 minutes
Serves: 4
Notes: You can purchase glazed pecans at many markets if you're too busy to make them at home. Add slices of Granny Smith apples for an extra kick of crunchiness that kids will love.

Ingredients
1 cup pecans
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
4 cups spring mix lettuce
About 4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup dried cranberries
Consorzio Raspberry and Balsamic Fat-free dressing

Instructions
Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and scatter pecans on the tray, making a single layer. Bake in the oven for about 4 minutes. Remove pecans to a medium-size bowl and let cool for about 2 minutes. Drizzle honey over the pecans and stir with a spoon, coating them. Sprinkle the sugar over the pecans and stir again. Pour the pecans back onto the cookie sheet and bake for another 5 minutes. Remove from oven, breaking apart nuts that may be stuck together, and add to a big salad serving bowl.
Add lettuce, blue cheese, cranberries and just enough salad dressing to lightly dampen the leaves (start with about 1/4 cup and add to taste).

What did you grill for the Fourth of July? Have you discovered a great dinner shortcut? Share your ideas and recipes here.

Heading to Disneyland and fearing long wait lines? There's an app for that.

Meet "Wait Watchers," a new sanity-saving App available in the Apple iPhone App Store that allows iPhone users to view and update wait times of attractions at Disney and Universal Studios theme parks in California and Florida.

Brent Pope, the app's creator and a father of four, came up with the idea after getting laid off from his advertising job.

"They say necessity is the mother of recession," he said during a phone interview from a reconnessance mission at the Magic Kingdom in Orlando, Fla. "In my case, I think recession is the mother of invention."

Here's how it works: iPhone users purchase the app for $1 per Disney or Universal park. Once it loads, an alphabetical list of attractions at that park appear, along with user-uploaded wait times, a timestamp of when the wait time was updated and the area location of the attraction.

I convinced a coworker to purchase it Monday and tried it out here in the office.

At 11:45 a.m., the wait time for Pirates of the Caribbean was just 5 minutes, while the wait time for the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage was 35 minutes. Had I been at the park, I would have dumped plans to explore the coral reef in Davy Jones' locker and made a break for New Orleans Square.

Uploading a wait time takes "about 8 seconds" Pope said, and the app has a built-in GPS feature intended to prevent people from erroneously entering wait times when not at the theme park.

Pope, who just launched the Disneyland app in late June, said he is working on adding other features to the app, such as an additional screen that would count down the time to a certain parade or show. He also is toying with the idea of expanding the app to other smartphones.

"If you hate waiting in line, this is a great app for you," he said. "If helps you decide what to do next and helps you make a more informed decision."

If it helps thwart kiddie meltdowns on Main Street and preserve parental peace-of-mind, Pope just might earn himself a new job title: Prince Charming.

What's the longest wait time you've experienced for a ride at a theme park? Was the ride worth it? Post your memories (fond or not) here.

The best birthdays are the ones you get to celebrate several times. Esquire Imax Theatre is doing just that this week with celebrations today and Saturday.

The theatre's 10th anniversary is Wednesday, but officials will commemorate the occasion at 11 a.m. today with Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson and other community leaders, who will welcome 400 children from the city's Fourth R youth programs to a free film, theatre officials announced in news release.

The theatre's anniversary bash continues Saturday with eight free screenings of "Wild California!"

The first show begins at 10 a.m., with subsequent screenings every hour on the hour until 5 p.m., theatre officials announced in a news release.

The theatre holds 400 seats and tickets will be available on a first-come basis.

The event also is part of Downtown Sacramento Partnership's Kid's Week, a host of family-friendly activities and events that runs July 11 through 18 (check back here Friday morning for details).

To learn more about Esquire Imax Theatre or the film "Wild California!" go to the theater's Web site.

Remember what that first pregnancy was like? The excitement, the anticipation, the fear?

Though her oldest daughter is 9, the memories are still vivid for cartoonist Terri Libenson, who has funneled some of her experiences - coupled with creative license of course - into a five-week series flashback for her comic strip "The Pajama Diaries."

The series, which launches today in the comic strip (you can find the strip in The Bee's Fun & Games section), chronicles protagonist Jill Kaplan's first pregnancy, from the sonogram to the delivery room.

I recently interviewed Libenson, who has two daughters, about the series from her home in Cleveland, Ohio. Here is some of our conversation.

Q: Why did you decide to do a flashback now?

A: It wasn't something that I consciously decided. It was sparked by a strip that I did for Mother's Day, (which) involved a flashback in the delivery room. Because the strip is in a diary format, it allows going forward and back ... Why not just spice things up a little?

Q: What kind of trials will Jill be remembering?

A: It's really an overview of when she first realizes she gets pregnant with her first child to the first delivery - nothing too specific or traumatic, but there is the idea of her kind of having reservations about her job situation and how that's going to change and just about being a good mom. It something that a lot of women face nowadays.

Q: Is some of this inspired by your life?

A: To an extent, but some of it is creative license. When I was pregnant, it was a little different situation. But I was playing with the idea of working part-time. I worked full-time for American Greetings back then. Right now, I work for them one day a week.

Q: How do you balance children and work?

A: It's gotten easier. It was pretty difficult when I first started the comic strip because I was balancing that job, which was so new to me at the time, with the American Greetings job. The kids were much smaller. My youngest was 2 or 3 years old. I didn't get much sleep ... I'm working long hours but it's not as bad as when the strip first launched.

Q: Any advice for working moms?

A: Personally, I think just taking things one step at a time is a good idea. It's hard for me to say that because I tend to want to do 20 things at once.

Q: Can you give us a peek at what we might see Jill go through during the series?

A: Jill finds out that two of her best friends get pregnant at the exact same time. One strip that kind of stands out in my mind that I think is kinda funny is when Jill and her friends are out shopping for breast pumps.

What was your first pregnancy like? Post a comment here.

Do you remember how you told friends and family you were pregnant? Read my blog post on sharing the big news with loved ones.

Wondering where all the hours in your day go?

Apparently work, household chores, leisure activities and child-rearing account for most of them, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' American Time Use Survey.

The results from the 2008 survey indicate that working takes up a good chunk of an employed person's day, with people working an average of 7.6 hours per day.

Men work slightly longer days than do women who work - 52 minutes longer to be exact, the survey reports.

When it comes to time at home, 83 percent of women and 64 percent of men spent time doing household activities, such as housework, cooking or lawn care, on an average day.

Women outpaced men in the number of hours they spent doing such household activities on those days, spending 2.6 hours on cleaning and the like, versus men spending two hours on household activities.

The survey also found that on an average day, nearly everyone 15 and older engaged in some kind of leisure activity, such as watching television, socializing or exercising, the survey reports. Men spent 5.7 hours in these activities, while women spent 5.1 hours on leisure activities.

Caring for children also accounts for a good chunk of our day.

Adults living in homes with children under 6 years old spend an average of two hours each day providing primary childcare, which is defined as physical care of children or reading or talking with children.

Adults in households with children between 6 and 17 years old spend about 47 minutes per day providing primary childcare, the survey found.

But wait, there's more when it comes to kids.

If you live in a household with kids under 13 years old and at least one child is under 6 years old, you spend an average of 5.6 hours per day providing secondary childcare. In other words, there was at least one child in their care while doing activities other than primary childcare. This means secondary childcare was provided while doing leisure activities or household activities.

What do you wish there was more time in your day for? Post a comment below.

Adolescents who suffer from migraine headaches are more likely to get lower grades and have trouble attending school, according to a new study of sibling pairs.

Suffering from migraines was associated with a 5 percent drop in high school GPA, a 5 percent drop in the likelihood of graduating high school and a 15 percent reduction in the likelihood that a teen-ager would attend college, the researchers reported.

It should be noted, however, that 30 to 40 percent of the reductions could be explained by excused absences from school, difficulty paying attention in class and trouble completing homework.

Joseph Sabia, a public policy professor at American University in Washington, D.C., and Daniel Rees, an economics professor at University of Colorado Denver, conducted the study by examining data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, according to a news release from American University.

Sabia and Rees said that teens who had nonmigraine headaches didn't suffer the same drops in academic performance.

By focusing on differences between siblings, Rees stated in the news release, "we can rule out the possibility that family-level factors such as socioeconomic status are driving the relationship between migraine headache and academic performance."

The findings were presented earlier this week at the Western Economic Association International's annual conference in Vancouver, British Columbia. It was the first study of its kind to examine the effect of migraine headaches on adolescents in regard to future academic achievement.

Sabia and Rees conducted the study by analyzing migraine experiences and high school grades of 214 siblings from 105 families. They obtained information on high school completion and college attendance from 280 siblings belonging to 137 families, according to the news release.

The No. 1 myth pediatricians want parents to know: There is no such thing as a fever that is too high, and it won't damage your child's brain.

The myth is so rampant that Dr. Lara Zibners dedicated an entire chapter to fevers in her new book, "if your kid eats this book, everything will still be okay" (Grand Central Publishing, $14.99, 320 pages).

Zibners, a pediatrician and Carmichael native, wrote the book to serve as a kind of crash-course handbook for parents on how to discern whether a child's ailment is truly an emergency.

Is your child suffering from abdominal pain? Try the potty before the pediatrician - it's likely due to constipation.

Pulling on the ears? This could mean a number of things, not just ear infection.

And the only thing that teething produces is teeth, not fever, diarrhea or a runny nose.

It was Zibners' husband who came up with the idea for the book, after hearing his frustrated wife have the same conversations over and over with patients.

"People were coming into the emergency room with things that shouldn't be in the ER," Zibners said, during a phone interview from her home in London, England.

Zibners, who did a three-year fellowship in pediatric emergency medicine in Columbus, Ohio before working in New York City, said parents would come in wanting to know the difference between Tylenol or Motrin.

One of the more memorable cases from her time in New York was a family who came into the packed ER on Thanksgiving Day. Their 15-year-old daughter had a callous on her foot.

"Most people, when they come in with inappropriate things, it's well intentioned," she said.

Another one of her favorite cases was when a frantic mother brought in her young daughter into the ER with a huge red streak down the child's arm.

"The little girl had eaten a Popsicle and fallen asleep," Zibners said. "I got a wash cloth and wiped it off."

Zibners' book, which has a great index section so parents can quickly reference their child's ailment or situation, covers everything from poop colors to procedures, all in an informative, yet approachable, tone.

"It's meant to be humorous and meant to make you stop and laugh at your own neurotic thinking," she said.

Zibners said her best advice to parents is to "close your ears to all the nonsense that is buzzing out there."

The Internet and even family and friends are chockfull of misinformation and myths, she said.

"You have to rely on your pediatrician and your common sense," she said. "Be very wary of the stuff you hear on the playground and in moms groups."

Writer's note: Before you get feverish over the fever myth and e-mail me in a fit of outrage, here's what Zibners - and other pediatricians I consulted - said about fevers: Fevers should be handled differently depending on the child's age.

Your 1-month-old or younger newborn should see a doctor if the infant is running a fever of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. Many babies 1 to 3 months old also should be seen by a doctor if the temperature hits 100.4 degrees.

Fever in a child older than 3 months? Look at how the child is acting to discern whether there's a bigger problem. If the child has a temperature of 104 degrees Fahrenheit and is happy and bursting with energy, not a problem. If they are miserable with the fever and continue to be pathetic after the fever has dropped, call the doctor.

Two concerned parents recently wrote me after reading my article "An ounce of prevention: Apply often," which appeared in Tuesday's Family section.

They were troubled that the photo showed a 4-month-old boy being slathered with sunscreen, since using large amounts of sunscreen on infants is contrary to the American Academy of Pediatrics' (AAP) recommendations.

For the record, here's what the AAP states on its Web site about sunscreen and babies under 6 months old:

• The two main recommendations from the AAP to prevent sunburn are to avoid sun exposure, and dress infants in lightweight long pants, long-sleeved shirts, and brimmed hats that shade the neck to prevent sunburn. However when adequate clothing and shade are not available, parents can apply a minimal amount of suncreen with at least 15 SPF (sun protection factor) to small areas, such as the infant's face and the back of the hands. If an infant gets sunburn, apply cold compresses to the affected area.
  

Thank you to the watchful Bee readers who pointed out the AAP's recommendations.

Today, a close friend sent me an e-mail that left me grinning from ear to ear.

The subject line read "Check this out!" and had three photos attached. I opened the first one, which showed her sweet little girl smiling big. "How cute," I thought. "I can't wait to see them next weekend."

I clicked open the second photo and noticed her shirt read: "Big Sister." I thought it an odd shirt for her to wear since she's an only child.

"How funny!  I wonder if she's wearing one of her cousins' hand-me-down shirts," I mused to myself. (Am I the only mommy who talks out loud to herself? I think it's a coping mechanism developed while at home, sleep-deprived and yearning for a shower, during those tough first months after our babies are born.)

By the third photo, the light bulb went off in my head. Duh Niesha.

Goosebumps covered my arms as I giddily dialed my friend's phone number, left a congratulatory message and then issued a pleading directive to call me. Ah, the excitement of welcoming a new life into this world.

I wish I had been as clever when my husband and I announced our children's impending births. I blurted out the news of my first pregnancy to anyone who would pick up the phone. (At right is my son's first picture - the ultrasound). When I found out I was pregnant with my daughter (Shock and awe doesn't begin to cover it), I gave my husband an early Father's Day card from his newest child. That's as imaginative as I got.

How did you share your pregnancy news with your friends and family? Post a comment here and share your stories.

Truth be told, I landed this recipe by sheer accident. I haven't been able to stop thinking about a delicious halibut ceviche I had while having dinner with a local cooking club Sunday.

I assembled all the ingredients, eager to re-create the dish but underestimated the cook time for the fish. The pieces of fish I had cut were too large, and the lime juice hadn't had time to "cook" fully. It was nothing that a little creative thinking and a 5-minute roll in a hot skillet couldn't fix.

 

These fish fajitas are an adaptation of that ceviche, and turned out to be an easy, flavorful and healthy midweek dinner.

 

Be sure to check out my story on cooking clubs on July 15 in The Bee's Food & Wine section. In the meantime, enjoy this fantastic fish feast.

 

Fish fajitas

 

Prep time: 5 minutes active, 30 minutes inactive

Cook time: 10 minutes or less

Serves: 4

Notes: A little Tabasco sauce adds a nice heat to these moist fish fajitas, which were inspired by halibut ceviche. The lime juice marinade starts to cook the fish, thus reducing the amount of cook time in the pan, and lends a nice acidity without being too strong of a flavor for children.

 

Ingredients

1 green bell pepper

1 red bell pepper

1 yellow bell pepper

1 small red onion

10 sweet grape tomatoes

1 ½ pounds fresh halibut, trimmed of skin and cut into ½-inch pieces

Juice of 3 limes (about ½ cup juice)

Handful cilantro

Salt and fresh ground black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

Corn or flour tortillas

Tabasco sauce or salsa, to taste

 

Instructions

Chop the three bell peppers and onion into 1-inch strips and place in a medium-size bowl. Halve each grape tomato and add to peppers. Add the cut halibut to the bowl, along with the lime juice. Coarsely chop the cilantro and add to the bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the marinated fish and vegetables, discarding the leftover lime juice, and sauté for about 10 minutes, cooking until fish is just starting to get a little firm. Be careful not to overcook the fish. Take off the heat and let rest while getting the tortillas ready.

Warm the tortillas over a burner on the stove, taking care not to burn them.

Spoon the fish fajita mixture into the tortillas and splash with a little Tabasco or salsa if desired.

 

Have you ever created a great recipe when intending to make something else? I'd love to hear your stories. Post a comment here or e-mail me, and your recipe could be featured in the "What's for dinner" feature on my blog.

Skyrocketing summer temperatures are prompting emergency officials to issue warnings about the dangers of leaving children unattended in cars.

The American College of Emergency Physicians on Monday urged the public not to leave anyone in a hot vehicle, especially children, during the summer.

"Putting it bluntly, leaving your child in a hot car is like leaving your child in a lit oven," Dr. Nick Jouriles, the medical society's president, stated in a news release.

Jouriles issued an extra caution for sleep-deprived parents or parents who may have experienced changes in schedule or routine.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the inside temperature of a car can rise nearly 20 degrees Fahrenheit during the first 10 minutes, putting anyone left inside at risk for heat-related illnesses or death.

Children left in parked cars, even with the windows cracked open, have the greatest risk of heat stroke and death, the CDC states on its Web site.

Symptoms of heat stroke include an extremely high temperature (above 103 degrees Fahrenheit, taken orally), strong rapid pulse, throbbing headache, dizziness, nausea, confusion and unconsciousness, the CDC reports.

If people see a child left unattended in a vehicle, call 911 immediately, said Officer Laura Peck, a spokeswoman for the Sacramento Police Department.

"That is a life-threatening emergency," she said.

The parent may be held criminally responsible in some cases.

California law prohibits a parent, legal guardian or someone responsible for a child 6 years old or younger from leaving the child in a vehicle without being supervised by someone 12 years old or older when conditions may pose a risk to the child's health or safety or if the vehicle's engine is running or the key is in the ignition.

The law is named for Kaitlyn Russell, a 6-month-old girl who died after being alone in a parked car for more than two hours.

Here are some prevention tips from the American College of Emergency Physicians:

• Never leave children alone in a vehicle.

• Check the vehicle before you get out of it.

• If you child travels in a rear-facing car seat, keep a reminder of the child in the front seat, such as a stuffed animal.

For more information about heat-related illness, go to the CDC's online prevention guide.

For more summer safety issues, read my story in today's Living Here Family section.

I have a couple of items for willing parent testers.

Zoya, a nail cosmetic company that makes what they claim is the "world's longest wearing natural nail polish," sent us some of their latest colors to sample. I am hoping to find a hip, local mom to try out the nail polish and write up a little review on how long it lasted, what trials the polish endured (full disclosure: one of the colors is a raspberry red, the other is a sparkly slate gray).

I also have a book titled "A Parent's Guide to the Middle School Years," by Joe Bruzzese, a professor at University of California, Santa Barbara. The parent would read the book and write up a little review, which may be published here on the blog.

The first person to e-mail me their interest in either the polish or the book can have the product to sample.

The tester must be willing to pick up the product at the Bee's office, 2100 Q St., Sacramento.

Air quality officials are asking local residents to cast their ballots on a name for the new Spare the Air mascot.

The Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District held a contest last month asking children 12 years old and younger to submit their mascot name ideas. Of the more than 150 entries, four name suggestions were chosen, a district news release states.

The contest, and the mascot, are meant to help teach children about the importance of reducing air pollution in the Sacramento region, the release states.

Now, it's up to area residents to decide whether the mascot will be a Bob, Dexter, Scooter or Stanley.

Residents have until 11:59 p.m. Friday to cast their vote on the district's Web site.

As of 9 a.m. today, "Dexter" was leading the polls with 43 percent.

The winning finalist, which will be announced in early July, will receive a Nintendo Wii console and Wii Fit package. Runners-up will receive prizes such as a Nintendo DS system, iPod Nano or gift card for music downloads, the release states.

To vote, go to the Spare the Air Web site.

Voters who sign up for free daily Air Alert e-mail notices also can enter to win a four-pack of movie tickets to any Cinemark Theatre by entering the word "mascot" in the promotion code box.

The Capitol Corridor train is offering free weekend rides for kids through October.

The Capitol Corridor train runs from Auburn to San Jose and includes stops near major family attractions, such as the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento, Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39 in San Francisco and the Children's Discovery Museum in San Jose.

The deal applies for up to two children ages 2 to 15 years old for every one full-fare adult ticket purchased, the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority's Web site states. (Kids under age 2 ride seated on a parent's lap at no cost.)

As if not having to drive wasn't enough of an incentive, each Capitol Corridor train also has a Cafe Car featuring snacks and beverages.

For details, check out the Capitol Corridor Web site.

Want to come play?

The Bee is inviting parents to a play date from 9 to 10 a.m. Saturday at the playground at William Land Park in Sacramento.

Come join Features Editor Cathie Anderson and me for a morning of playground fun and camaraderie. We'll have some free goodies to give away and products for readers to take home and sample.

We want to swap parenting ideas and find out what you want to read about in our Living Here Family section.

Feel free to bring along your Frisbees, kickballs and other toys.

The playground is located on the western side of the park, near the intersection of 13th Avenue and Cavanaugh Way (west of the baseball fields). See you there!

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell announced today that free meals are available for children at nearly 2,900 locations this summer through federally funded food programs run through the State Department of Education.

Children 18 years old and younger in low-income areas are eligible for the free meals, which are required to serve milk, fruits, vegetables or juice, grain products and meat or a meat alternative, a department news release states.

The Summer Food Service and Seamless Summer Feeding Option programs, which operate when schools are not in session for 15 days or more, allow sites to serve two meals or one meal and a snack per day.

"The summer nutrition program provides vital aid to students who would otherwise go hungry, and helps them to return to school in the fall ready to learn," O'Connell states in the release.

During the 2007-2008 school year, 3.1 million of the state's K-12 students, nearly 51 percent, were enrolled in the state's free and reduced-price meal programs, and education officials expect the numbers to rise given the state of the economy.

A Bee analysis of state education department data by my colleagues Phillip Reese and Melody Gutierrez revealed that an additional 5,000 children in Sacramento County public schools received a free or reduced-price lunch during the 2008-2009 school year, a quicker growth rate than any seen in the previous 15 years.

Click here to read their report.

In addition to making sure children don't go hungry, officials also are hoping families take advantage of the free summer meals because it could mean an increase in federal funding for the state.

If the state's summer meal programs feed 100 percent of the low-income kids who ate free or reduced-price school lunches in 2008, the state will get an additional $181 million in federal reimbursement to the programs, O'Connell said.

The state has set up an interactive Web site to help parents find summer meal program services. Click here to go the Web site, which will be updated throughout the summer.

For more information about the summer meal programs, go to the state Department of Education's Web site.

I received an e-mail recently about time-saving tools I could download and print for free.

I had every intention of printing the cute organization sheets, which have clever names like "The Balance Sheet" and promise to make my life less chaotic.

I put the kids to bed and sat down to print them out, eager to test-drive this wonder organization tool, only to find that our printer is out of ink.

Maybe I should have started using the "to do" sheet the Web site offers a bit earlier.

The sheets, which you can download for free, are by Mommy Track'd, a parenting Web site that also sells pre-printed versions and other organizational stationary and tools. I'm told celebrity moms like Tori Spelling and Brooke Shields are fans of the site.

I'm going to give the organization tools a try, namely the "Eat Sheet," which allows you to plan out a week's menu along with a corresponding grocery list. I'm hoping it helps out my current, pathetic version of meal planning - which consists of me frantically thinking about what to cook for dinner on the drive home while my two hungry, grouchy kids search their car seats for cookie remnants.

In the meantime, check out the free Mommy Track'd planning sheets and post your thoughts. Helpful or too plan-tastic?

Want to come play?

The Bee is inviting parents to a play date from 9 to 10 a.m. Saturday at the playground at William Land Park.

Come join Features Editor Cathie Anderson and me for a morning of playground fun and camaraderie. We'll have some free goodies to give away and products for readers to take home and sample.

We want to swap parenting ideas and find out what you want to read about in our Living Here Family section.

Feel free to bring along your Frisbees, kickballs and other toys. It's more important than ever to get the region's kids moving. Let's get active together!

A Sacramento mother opened up today to my colleague, Bill Lindelof, about how swine flu killed her daughter in hopes that her story will help prevent others from succumbing to the virus.

Beth Kizere, 24, died Tuesday at UC Davis Medical Center, the first person to die from the H1N1 virus in Sacramento County, raising the state-wide death toll to nine.

Click here to read Lindelof's story.

As a parent, Kizere's death served as an heart-wrenching reminder that I need to make sure our family is taking the proper precautions against the illness.

A quick search of the American Academy of Pediatrics' (AAP) site yielded some familiar tips, such as hand washing, but also advice on what to do if swine flu is reported in their area, what to do if a child has flu-like symptoms and how to avoid overreacting.

Click here to read the AAP's tips for parents.

An emergency children's shelter will reopen in south Sacramento thanks to a major grant from the First 5 Sacramento Commission.

The Sacramento Children's Home received an $853,000 grant from the commission to reopen its South Crisis Nursery, which closed two years ago due to lack of funding, said Michael Kressner, a spokesman for the children's home.

The organization also has a nursery program in North Sacramento, which has remained open since 1996.

The Sacramento Children's Home and First 5 Sacramento Commission are holding a ceremony at 11 a.m. today to celebrate the reopening of the crisis nursery in South Land Park.

The nursery, which serves children ages birth to 5 years old, is scheduled to open July 1 and will have space for eight children overnight and 10 children in its emergency child care program.

The goal of the crisis nursery program is to keep children safe by providing free, voluntary and confidential emergency care for children "when parents are overwhelmed and exhausted," Kressner said.

"We see parents who seek help as heroes, because all parents need help at some point," he said.

The program also provides counseling for parents. According to exit surveys, 95 percent of families felt the crisis nursery program reduced the risk of their child being harmed.

Over the past 13 years, the program has served more than 6,000 children and 4,300 families in Sacramento County.

The commission's grant - funded through Proposition 10, a 50 cent-per-pack tax on cigarettes - will provide enough funding to run the South Crisis Nursery for one year. Officials have already begun looking for funding sources to keep the nursery open, Kressner said.

For more information about the Sacramento Children's Home, go to their Web site.

The First 5 Sacramento Commission also has more information about the programs it supports on its Web site.

The North Crisis Nursery can be reached at (916) 452-3981. The South Crisis Nursery can be reached at (916)  394-2000.

This recipe comes with a disclaimer -  this is the kind of dinner best enjoyed after the kids go to bed. Add a glass of wine or ice-cold Pilsner and you have a perfect date night at home.

There's nothing quite like flavorful scallops kissed with garlic and drizzled with a nutty reduction sauce of Banyuls vinegar. I adapted this recipe from one I saw in Bon Appetit years ago, and it has been a favorite in our house ever since.

Accompanying the scallops are sinfully creamy garlic mashed potatoes, which get their smooth texture from a double-whammy of sour cream and cream cheese (low fat dairy products can be subsituted for the full fat versions).

Seared sea scallops with garlic mashed potatoes

 

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: About 6 minutes for scallops, 30 minutes for potatoes

Serves: 2 (will likely yield leftover potatoes)

Notes: Banyuls vinegar is a wine vinegar made from grapes grown in south of France. The vinegar is aged for more than five years and has a rich, nutty flavor. It can be found at several local specialty grocers, including Taylor's Market and Corti Brothers. The vinegar is a little pricey, about $25 a bottle, but keeps well and can be used to flavor salad dressings and sauces for other meat dishes.

 

Ingredients

10 large sea scallops

Salt and fresh ground black pepper

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

4 large cloves of garlic, minced and separated into two equal piles

2 tablespoons Banyuls vinegar (see notes)

2 tablespoons water

6 red potatoes, washed

1/3 cup sour cream

2 ounces cream cheese

3 tablespoons milk

 

Instructions

*Since scallops cook so quickly, it's best to make the potatoes first.

 

To make the potatoes: Fill a large pot with warm water and add potatoes. Put pot over high heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, let cook for about 10 to 15 minutes. Check the potatoes texture by piercing with a fork. Once they are fork-tender, drain the potatoes and place in a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.

Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a medium nonstick skillet on medium heat. Add garlic and sauté until just fragrant, about 1 minute. Pour garlic into the mixer with the potatoes.

 

Turn mixer on low speed, then add in sour cream and cream cheese, increasing speed to medium. Mix until the potatoes start to look mashed, about one minute. Add milk one tablespoon at a time until you reach the consistency you like, adding more milk for a creamier texture. Cover with foil until ready to serve.

 

To make the scallops: Season the scallops liberally with salt and fresh ground black pepper. Heat two tablespoons of olive oil over medium high flames in the same nonstick skillet used to sauté the garlic for the potatoes. Add the scallops and cook until they are golden on each side and opaque in the center, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. About a minute before the scallops are cooked, add the other two tablespoons of minced garlic. Remove the scallop and garlic to a plate.

 

To make the Banyuls sauce, add the Banyuls vinegar and water to the skillet and turn the heat to medium. Bring the sauce to a boil, about 1 minute, scraping up any little bits in the pan. Drizzle the sauce over the scallops.

For more meal ideas and recipes, check out today's Food & Wine section.

Do you have children who would might like to test drive the latest Wiggles CD?

The Wiggles are releasing their newest collection of songs, "The Wiggles Go Bananas!" to correspond with their concert tour. We got a hold of an advance copy and want to give it to a local family to see what they think of The Wiggles newest musical adventure.

The CD includes the song "Monkey Man" featuring Australian pop star Kylie Minogue and other tunes centered around animals and jungle themes.

The first person to e-mail me or post a comment saying they'd like the CD is welcome to it, in exchange for a paragraph or two review that I'll post here on the Mom.me blog.

Jon and Kate Gosselin announced Monday night on their reality television show "Jon & Kate Plus 8" that their 10 year marriage has ended.

 

As cameras chronicled scenes of the eight Gosselin children getting cute crooked houses and at a rainy Mother's Day brunch, the couple voiced disappointed remarks about their decision to separate.

 

"It's just not good for us, for our kids, to be arguing in front of our kids," Jon Gosselin said during the show's episode Monday.

 

Kate Gosselin said the couple has been "dealing a long time with this," and said her goal with the separation is to provide peace for her twins and sextuplets.

 

"I just need relief now," she said. "I need to turn the page."

 

But will that new chapter not include a reality TV show?

 

America has watched the Gosselins marriage publicly dissolve in recent weeks, after rumors that Jon Gosselin had an affair leaked through the media.

 

The TLC show's ratings skyrocketed as tabloids shouted news of their rocky marriage. The show ranked No. 1 among the top 10 cable programs in the Nielsen ratings for the week of June 1 through 7, having snagged 5.94 million viewers, according to online Neilsen information.

 

On Monday night's episode, the couple essentially confirmed that they will keep doing the show, although they will be sharing time with the kids separately.

 

"How does the show go on? The show must go on," Kate Gosselin said.

 

Must it? Have the Gosselins extended their reality show welcome?

 

Isn't it hard enough for these eight children to go through their parents separation without the entire country watching?

 

What do you think? Should Jon and Kate Gosselin continue with their reality show?

Got a big idea for your community that needs a little funding? Scholastic may just have the solution.

The media company is holding a contest asking children, parents, teachers and others for ideas on how to create positive changes in their communities, according to a Scholastic news release.

Participants of the "Be Big in Your Community Contest" must submit ideas based on Clifford The Big Red Dog's "Big Ideas," which are principles central to the Clifford television cartoons.

The "Big Ideas" include share, play fair, have respect, work together, be responsible, be a good friend, help others, be truthful, be kind and believe in yourself, the release states.

The grand prize is a $25,000 community grant. Ten runner-up contestants also will receive grants of $2,500 each.

The winning idea will be made a reality with help from the HandsOn Network, a nationwide volunteer organization.

The contest ends Friday.

For more information or to enter, go the contest's Web site.

There's nothing like a bad bout of forgetfulness and a theme park to make you appreciate your husband's patience.

This weekend was like an odd reality show. The kind that makes you look around for the cameras and producer, hoping someone will yell "cut."

It started with my not-so-brilliant idea to take our little nuclear family Saturday to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom. My brother works there as a drummer, and I thought it would be a fun way to spend the afternoon and let the kids hang out with their uncle after his shift ended.

What a hip mom, I thought.

I started prepping for the day-trip Friday night, getting all of our clothes ready and the backpack stockpiled with the requisite fruit snacks, apple juice and fishy crackers.

We bought our tickets and parking pass online (the park has a cost-saving deal going right now, just $30 for an adult ticket) and printed them at home. My husband photocopied our son and daughter's birth certificates so we could prove they are 2 and 1, respectively.

We took the kids on a 2-mile walk to a playground Saturday morning to tire them out so we could nap them early before heading to the theme park.

An hour of traffic and one Wiggles DVD later, we arrived at the theme park in Vallejo.

Where is the parking pass?

Where are the tickets?

Spending quality time with family, volunteering and simply putting family expenses into perspective can help decrease stress caused by the sagging economy.

These are just some of the suggestions offered by Dr. Richard Bermudes, an adolescent and adult psychiatrist with  Mindful Health Solutions in El Dorado Hills.

With many families throughout the Sacramento region suffering job losses, wage reductions and other financial dilemmas, I sat down with Bermudes recently and asked him for some advice for families on how to cope during this fierce economic downturn.

Q: What is your advice for families dealing with loss of a job or other financial stress?

A: People who are Type A (personalities) and are losing jobs tend to respond by working harder at job searching and putting in applications. But the compulsion to work hard is difficult in that it narrows their portfolio of value. In the past, their value was linked to their career. We can develop a narrow portfolio and lose sense of the value of relationship when our identity is our job. You have to think beyond your employment. Maybe it means I sit down and play a game of Monopoly three times a week with my kids and while I'm playing, I'm there. Who can argue with the value in that?

If you're unemployed and not getting leads, volunteer. Job search for two to three hours (beyond that might doesn't tend to yield many results, Bermudes later explained), then volunteer somewhere. Giving has been shown to improve well-being. Get involved with the community. It's important to mental health. I really believe that volunteering is kind of amazing and there's something rewarding about giving of yourself ... And that could lead to job opportunities you may not have thought of.

Q: If a family is dealing with a major financial restructure, how should parents respond? Should we tell the kids what is going on?

A: Maintain family routines and traditions. It's also important not to treat (financial upheaval) as a catastrophe. This is not to mean that you should deny the difficulty of living on a reduced budget, but show (children) what you're going to value. Tell them "Here's where it's tough, but here's how we'll cope." For kids, it's important to put it in a framework they can understand. Something like "We're going to spend more time with the toys we have." For a preteen, the conversation may look different.

Q: How do we help teenagers cope with the financial impacts of the recession without worrying them? What do you do when your teen asks you "Are we poor?"

A: Try to get an understanding of how they are getting to that question. Answer the question with a question: What does he think about that? Sometimes, good old-fashioned empathy works best. Put yourself in their shoes. And be honest. Tell them "We may not have as much money, but here is what we do have."

Talk to them about your financial plan and the uncertainty, but also explain that not everything is perfect. Follow it up with "What is certain about today is I love you. What is certain about today is we are going to have dinner time." It's OK to admit that you're a little nervous, but channel that nervous energy and so something together as a family. Go on a walk, exercise, go out and find nature.

Bermudes offered an exercise in appreciation for teenagers that may just help parents too. For two weeks, document all the family's activities, outings and purchases (examples include going on a walk, having dinner at home together, renting a movie etc.). At the end of the experiment, the family will have a tangible list of things they have, rather than a mental list of things they do not.

Calling all families: free stuff in exchange for your feedback.

We get a lot of books and products for review consideration, far more than my family can endure.

So, in an effort to interact with readers (and actually see the surface of my desk), I'm going to offer some of it to the first people who e-mail me saying they are interested in participating. This likely will become a routine feature for this blog, since my work space is beginning to look like children's supply store.

The rules are simple: you have to come pick up the items at the Bee (2100 Q St., Sacramento), try them out and e-mail me your assessment of the given product.

I may reprint all or portions of your feedback, and may follow up with you for further explanation.

Here's are the items I have at the moment. First person to e-mail me gets the specified product. Please include your name, city of residence and the product you wish to try.

1. "Sandcastles Made Simple," by Lucinda "sandy feet" Wierenga (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, $10.95, 128 pages). A how-to guidebook on building easy to elaborate sand castles. Test family would need to try out one or more of the sand projects at a sandy location (beach, lake etc) in the next month or so. *Note: The tester would not have to make as elaborate of a sand castle as the one pictured in the above photo (photo by The Bee's Anne Chadwick Williams). That sand sculpture was made for the California State Fair in 2000.

2. momAgenda, chores list and baby-sitter's notes - A cute planner and accompanying stationary intended to help mom organize her life. Tester would try it out for a few weeks/month and let us know their thoughts. Did it really make life easier?

3. "Positive Parenting for Bipolar Kids." by Mary Ann McDonnell and Janet Wozniak
(Bantam Books, $16, 347 pages). The book, drawing on pediatric specialists' research, claims to teach parents how to identify bipolar disorder, talk to doctors, choose a "treatment team" and help families cope. Testers would preferably be a parent whose child has been diagnosed with the disorder.

Today marks the 100^th anniversary of when Sonora Dodd, of Spokane, Wash. thought up the notion of Father's Day, in honor of her widowed dad, a Civil War veteran who was raised six children on a farm.

It also marks the day we want to hear from fathers about the stories they want to see this blog address.

A lot of attention has been devoted to mom bloggers and moms sites in recent years, but what about dad?

While this blog is primarily aimed at mothers, it doesn't mean to be exclusionary of fathers' concerns.

There are some 64.3 million dads in the U.S., and of those 25.8 have kids younger than 18 years old, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

We know that 53 percent and 71 percent of kids under 6 years old ate breakfast and dinner, respectively, with their dads every day in 2006.

And that 36 percent of kids younger than 6 years old had 15 or more outings with their dad in a month-long period that same year, the census bureau reports.

So that makes YOU, dad, just the expert we want to hear from.

Post a comment below or e-mail me about what you wish you had more time to do with your kids. What makes you mad at the playground? How has the economy impacted your family budget? Is there a problem I can help you solve?

Fathers work hard. You deserve to be heard too.

For Father's Day gift and event ideas, see my previous blog post.

Christmas in ... June?

You read that correctly. Disney is bringing its "Disney's A Christmas Carol" Train Tour to Old Sacramento Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

The area near the California State Railroad Museum on I Street will transform into a winter wonderland complete with carolers and falling snow as part of the free family event.

For more information, check out Bee writer Dixie Reid's post on our 21Q blog.

Tasha Blaine worked as a nanny briefly - just three months each for two different families.

She thought it would be like babysitting and afford her time to write. It didn't take her long, however, to realize that spending about 50 hours a week with a 1-year-old was a hard job, and one that would result in an overwhelming attachment between her and the little girl.

"When you're working as a nanny, you're taking care of their intellectual and emotional development too," said Blaine, who lives in South Land Park.

Though the work was more complex than she envisioned, it opened her up to a world she had never before seen. One that inspired her to write a book about the lives of nannies which, despite having just been released last week, is gaining national attention and acclaim.

"Just Like Family," (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $25, 336 pages) takes readers into the lives of three New York nannies and the families they work for, and on a deeper journey through the nannies' personal lives and the struggles they endure.

The book has made New York Magazine's and Newsday's summer reading lists, and has been written about in the New York Times and other Web sites.

For Blaine, one of the most surprising discoveries she made while working on the book was that many nannies she encountered had left behind children in other countries.

"There are a lot of countries that are really supported by the men and women working in the U.S. who are sending money home," she said.

Such was the case with one of the women in the book, Claudia (whose name was changed in the book), who left her son behind in her native Dominica while he was still nursing. Claudia didn't see her son again until he was almost 16, Blaine said.

"It was very eye-opening," she said.

Writing the book also helped shape her perception of child care, as did having her own children. Blaine and her husband have two daughters, ages 1 and 4

"I think that for a working mother, as soon as you have children and decide you want to work, child care becomes a central issue in your life," she said. "I feel that, and felt that."

More mystifying, she said, is how some parents treat their nannies - the very people they rely on to help raise their children.

"I can't imagine, as a parent, how you could mistreat the person who cares for your children," she said.

Response to the book has been good so far among the families and nannies that served as the main characters in Blaine's nonfiction work.

The nannies "loved it," she said.

"They are real women, they are three-dimensional and they are a little flawed and I think they embrace all of that," Blaine said. "I think they really wanted to be heard by a broader society and that's why they gave themselves over to me in a way."

Blaine will be reading an excerpt from "Just Like Family" at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Avid Reader at the Tower, 1600 Broadway, Sacramento. She also is scheduled to speak at 4 p.m. June 28 at Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera.

For more information about Blaine, visit her Web site.

Calling all mothers and fathers out there: I need your advice, ideas, tips and suggestions.

What do you want to know about? What are you coming here to read? What kind of advice to you want to see?

I want to ensure that this blog is of you, about you and for you, and for that, I need you. Post a comment or e-mail me about the sorts of stories you want to see here. I'll do my best to see that they get written.

Thanks!

It's a question that torments many parents: "What's for dinner?"

I loved asking my mom that question when I was a little girl. Not because I knew it vexed her, (at some point, she banned the question from the ride home from school), but because I was a little food nerd in training. A quirky kid who loved to cook alongside Grandma Bertha and enjoyed looking through the cookbooks that my mom rarely used. I loved hearing what we were having for dinner, primarily because it allowed my imagination to wander in the delectable wonderland of the food world.

Now that I'm a mother, I understand why my mom cringed at the dreaded question. It's hard to come up with quick, healthy dinners that your children will actually eat. But there are some great meal ideas out there, and I plan on sharing them with you every Wednesday. Some are my recipes, some I'll procure from other sources, but all are intended to help you enjoy good food and quality time with your family.

Here is an easy, mid-week dinner idea I came up with recently that we loved. It's simple, low calorie, and won't heat up the house.

Teriyaki Turkey Burgers with Grilled Pineapple

Cook time: About 20 minutes
Prep time: 10 minutes active, 20 minutes inactive
Serves: 4
Notes: These burgers, and the pineapple, turn out best on the grill, but if you don't have one, the broiler works just fine. Serve with baked sweet potato fries (Food Network's Sandra Lee has a good recipe) or some grilled broccolini for a healthy, easy meal. If serving the burgers to children, you may want to omit the onion and substitute yellow mustard for sweet hot mustard.

Ingredients
1 pound ground turkey
1/3 cup diced or shredded red onion
1/3 cup store-bought teriyaki sauce, plus more to top burgers
1 tablespoon garlic powder
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 fresh pineapple, cored and sliced into rings
1 head green leaf lettuce
4 teaspoons sweet hot mustard
4 teaspoons light mayonnaise
4 hamburger buns (onion lend a nice accompaniment to the flavor in the burgers)

Instructions
In a medium bowl, combine the ground turkey, onions and 1/3 cup teriyaki sauce, garlic powder, and salt and pepper and mix with your hands until incorporated. Divide into four balls and flatten into patties. Cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for about 20 minutes, to marry the flavors.

While the turkey burgers are chilling, turn your grill on to medium heat. One the grill is hot, spray the pineapple rings with nonstick cooking spray and place them on the grill. Cook for about 5 minutes per side, or until grill marks appear and the fruit becomes fragrant and caramelized. Remove the pineapple to a plate and cover with foil.

Grill the turkey burgers for about 5 minutes per side. Remember: turkey is poultry, so be on the lookout for cross contamination.

Remove the burgers to a new plate and cover with foil.

Adorn the top end of each hamburger bun with a teaspoon each of mayonnaise, sweet hot mustard and a few lettuce leafs. Place the burger on the bottom end of the bun, top with a grilled pineapple ring and, if you like your burger a little messy, pour a little extra teriyaki sauce atop the burger.

Do you have a favorite weeknight dinner recipe? Post the recipe or a link to it in the comments portion of the blog or e-mail it to me and I might use it in future "What's for dinner" posts. Please be sure to include where the recipe came from (Aunt Mable, a magazine etc).

For more cooking ideas and recipes, go to The Bee's Food & Wine section.

He's the father of your children, the love of your life.

The man who, after witnessing 12 hours of childbirth complete with gore and death threats against him, kissed you gently on the forehead and tucked you in to rest while he rocked your new baby by your hospital bedside.

So when it comes to Father's Day this year, what do you get the hero your kids call Dad?

Sure you could go the tie or coffee mug route, but where is the fun in that?

There are ways to dazzle dear old dad this year, and the good news is there are some terrific deals out there as well.

Whether you've got a fisherman or a philanthropist, here are some ways to show the special dad in your family that you love him:

• Take him out to the ballgame - The Sacramento River Cats are offering one lucky dad a chance to be honored with a special message written on the Raley Field infield during Sunday's game. The message will read "Happy Father's Day" and include the winning father's name. Everyone who purchases a Father's Day family pack through Friday will be entered to win. The winning ticket holder will be selected Friday and notified before the game. The Father's Day family packs are on sale now and tickets start at $14 per person (there is a minimum of four tickets per order). Each ticket includes entry to the game, a hot dog, soda, chips, dessert and ticket to Fairytale Town and the Sacramento Zoo. For information on how to mail in a contest entry, go to the Rivercats' Web site.
  

• Honor the animal in him - He's a parent to your little monkeys, why not add a real monkey to the list? The Sacramento Zoo has animals for "adoption" through its Zoo Parent program. Parent packages, which start at $25, include a personalized zoo parenthood gift certificate and the parent's name on display on the Zoo Parent Showcase for one year. For extra fun, have the kids pick out the newest addition to the family.
  

• A picture's worth a thousand words - This idea comes to us from Sacramento Bee staff writer and fellow mommy Laurel Rosenhall: how about a Bee photo of dad's favorite sport, hobby, animal or season? The photos, which start around $15 for an unframed 5-by-7 print, can be ordered in a variety of sizes and customized with frames. Rex Babin cartoon also are available for purchase. The photos may not arrive in time for Father's Day, but the family could show dad the photo Sunday online (a photo by Bee photographer Manny Crisostomo of a duck on Lake Tahoe is shown above and is one of many photos available). Photo gift certificates are available online, and can be printed or e-mailed to recipients. Click here for more information from The Bee's photo reprint Web site.
  

• Meal and a movie - The Esquire IMAX Theatre is offering dad a free movie, and discounts for the rest of the family, on Sunday with the purchase of a meal from a downtown or midtown restaurant. Guests can present a restaurant receipt from any downtown or midtown restaurant of at least $20 and get IMAX tickets for $5 per person. Tickets must be purchased at the box office within seven days of the restaurant receipt. The offer is good for up to four tickets per receipt. This just in: Star Trek is opening at IMAX on Friday, just in time for Father's Day. The Father's Day free ticket still applies, but customers would get $5 off a full price ticket for that show, IMAX officials say.
  

• Take him shopping (seriously) - The Fountains at Roseville is hosting two events for dad. Orvis is having a fly-fishing demonstration, casting lessons and contest from 10 a.m. to noon and from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday. Winners get a Fountains VIP coupon book and an Orvis gift card. Want to really wow dad? Add a California sport fishing license. A one-year license is $41.20, with provisions available for second rod, ocean and Bay-Delta fishing. Go the state Department of Fish and Game's licensing Web site for more information or to order a license online. Fountains at Roseville also is holding a contest to name its pond Sunday. Entries can be submitted at the event and the winner will get a $100 Fountains gift card. Tres Agaves, a tequila store and Mexican restaurant, is hosting a book signing from 3 to 6 p.m. Sunday featuring Joanne Weir, author of "Tequila: A Guide to Types, Flights, Cocktails, and Bites" (Ten Speed Press, $16.95, 144 pages).
   

Summer seems like the time of year when even student athletes would be inclined to relax, but some see it as an opportunity to practice and play sports without the time constraints of school.

It's also the season when overtraining injuries tend to spike, doctors warn.

Overuse injuries and burnout are growing problems among the estimated 30 to 45 million athletes who are 6 to 18 years old, according to a clinical report published in 2007 in the journal Pediatrics.

Up to 50 percent of injuries seen by pediatric sports medicine doctors are related to overuse, the report states.

At the root of the problem is repetitive motion and children playing the same sport year-round, said Dr. Stephen Howell, an orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist at Mercy Methodist Hospital of Sacramento.

"There's never a down season for a particular joint," said Howell, who is pictured at left. "I think it's more common because you have kids playing on a junior high or high school team, and they're also playing on club teams. That's a lot of games, a lot of practices."

The most frequent prescription for overuse injuries is something an ambitious athlete likely won't want to hear - rest.

"They need to avoid all aspects of training, and sometimes that's a very difficult decision," Howell said.

The physical effects of overtraining are only part of the problem, however.

Young athletes also are at risk of developing burnout, said Dr. Matthew Hay, a Texas City pediatrician with the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.

"Severe burnout in children looks exactly like depression," said Hay, pictured at right.

Symptoms include fatigue, nonspecific pain for more than two weeks and poor academic performance.

Burnout often is a result of parents putting unnecessary pressure on a child because they envision them getting a scholarship or making a professional or Olympic team.

That goal is unrealistic for a majority of child and teen athletes since fewer than 1 percent of high school athletes make the pros, the Pediatrics clinical report states.

Given that statistic, parents of young athletes should instead encourage their kids to enjoy their sport without pushing them to unrealistic limits, Hay said.

"The whole point of sports is to have fun," he said.

Here are some tips for parents based on recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics:

• Make sure your child takes at least one to two days off from competitive games, practice and training each week.

• Encourage them to vary the sports they play. Using different muscle groups will help prevent overtraining injuries and burnout.

• Training goals (e.g. repetitions, distance) should not increase by more than 10 percent per week.

• The child should take at least two to three months off from a specific sport each year.

• Limit the athlete's sports involvement to one team per season.

Getting your child to brush their teeth just got a lot more lucrative.

The California Milk Processor Board - the folks behind GOT MILK? - has teamed with the Dental Health Foundation to educate families on the importance of eating calcium rich foods as a way to help prevent tooth decay.

The campaign includes a photo contest for children ages 6 to 12 years old. The child with the winning smile will get a $500 toy store shopping spree, an electric toothbrush and various GOT MILK? loot.

Can you imagine all the Legos that would buy? My feet tingle in pain just thinking about it.

The campaign, which launched this week in conjunction with June being National Dairy Month and National Smile Month, is an effort to increase dental health through diet.

According to a report by the Dental Health Foundation, more than 50 percent of kids have had tooth decay, and that figure rises to 70 percent by the time children reach third grade, states a news release.

Dr. Richard Sobel, an Oakland area pediatric dentist and member of the foundation's board, said a child's nutritional and oral development can be improved simply by replacing processed foods with dairy products such as yogurt, milk and cheese.

"By avoiding sugary snacks in the beginning, it helps prevent them from snacking on that in the future and that helps prevent tooth decay," he said.

In general, children should be seen by a dentist at age 1 to evaluate their growth, show parents how to examine their children's teeth and provide tips on brushing and flossing, Sobel said.

The "Say Cheese with GOT MILK?" photo contest runs through July 31 and is open only to California residents.

Click here to e-mail your photo to the contest. Photos may not exceed 8 megabytes.

Photos also may be mailed to Say Cheese with Got Milk? Photo Contest, c/o RL Public Relations, 11835 W. Olympic Blvd., Suite 1155E, Los Angeles, CA 90064.

For more contest information, go to the GOT MILK? Web site.

A free art event in Old Sacramento promises families a dynamic, Disney-inspired performance Saturday night.

 

Stage Nine Entertainment Store is celebrating the official launch of local artist David Garibaldi as Disney Fine Art's newest member by hosting the artist's fusion-style show during a Second Saturday event.

 

Garibaldi will produce three art pieces, all with a Disney theme, on 6-foot canvases during the event. The show also includes elements of his "Rhythm and Hue" performance art and motivational speaking, a news release states.

 

During his performance art shows, Garibaldi creates large portraits of pop icons in minutes, all set to music.

 

Garibaldi has opened for the Blue Man Group, performed at a Snoop Dogg concert and done shows for Fortune 500 companies, according to his Web site.

 

The event will be held at 7 p.m. at Stage Nine Entertainment Store, 102 K St., Sacramento.

California schools Superintendent Jack O'Connell is backing legislation that would enable the state to better help children of military families.

The state Department of Education today released the final report of a task force examining educational opportunities for military children, which recommends removing barriers military children often face as a result of frequent moves and deployment of parents on active duty.

"Military families make many sacrifices on behalf of our country's safety and security," O'Connell said in a written statement. "Children of men and women in the service often shoulder an extra burden of trying to complete their education while transferring from one state to another ... We can help these students overcome some of these challenges."

Of the 6.2 million children enrolled in California schools, about 61,552, or roughly 1 percent, are children of military families, said Tina Jung, a department spokeswoman.

The challenges enumerated in the report include differences in immunization rules from state to state, entrance ages for kindergarteners and first-graders, exit exams and graduation requirements, a department news release states.

The task force, which is comprised of lawmakers, military, educators and other government officials, recommends easing restrictions regarding release of student records, placing students in the right courses and programs, helping ensure on-time graduation and encouraging school districts to help students receive credit toward their diploma for coursework completed in out-of-state school districts.

The taskforce also recommends that California adopt the Interstate Compact, essentially a multistate agreement to remove educational barriers for military children.

The compact would cost the state about $62,000, which translates to about $1 per military child per year. Given the state budget deficit, the compact does allow for outside funding sources to be accepted.

The compact has been enacted in 20 states, and 18 others, including California, have introduced bills that would enable them to join.

Assemblywoman Lori Saldana, D-San Diego, introduced the bill (AB 343), which is currently in the state Senate and has been passed by several committees.

To read the task force's findings, go to the state report on military children.

A Lake Tahoe backpacking expert is offering parents an opportunity to learn how to backpack with children, complete with an overnight trip to Dardanelles Lake and a guidebook, for under $100.

Tim Hauserman, a freelance writer who has written several guidebooks about backpacking and cross-country skiing in the Sierra Nevada, has teamed with the Tahoe Rim Trail Association to teach the two-session class, scheduled for June 16 and 23 at the association's office in Incline Village, Nev.

The overnight backpacking trip, which is optional, is scheduled for June 27 and 28.

Total cost per family is $95 and includes a copy of Hauserman's book "Monsters in the Woods: Backpacking with Children" (University of Nevada Press, 2007, $15.95).

Hauserman, pictured in the photo with his teenage daughter Sarah above Fontanelles and Dicks lakes, began taking his two girls backpacking when they were about 6 years old.

That's the earliest parents might want to try taking their kids backpacking unless their children are infants and can be toted in carriers, he advised.

"Six years old is fine if you don't go too far," he said. "Between 2 and 6 years old is tough."

When backpacking with children, it's a good idea to plan to stay in one location at least one full day, which Hauserman calls a "layover day."

Giving kids a chance to hike, swim and walk around without a pack affords them an opportunity to relax and enjoy the outdoors.

"That's when they really get to explore and figure out nature," he said.

Backpacking also teaches children that they don't need as many material possessions as they might think they do to have fun.

"We never really brought toys," Hauserman said. "Nature was their toy. They were never bored."

Hauserman's course will outline advice for parents, including potential trips, how to deal with wildlife, safety issues, hiking ethics and gear.

For more information or to sign up for the class, e-mail Hauserman.