Archive for March, 2009
Mar
30
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besttech
The prom invitation from hell has the students at John Burroughs School in St. Louis a bit overheated.
The junior class, which hosts the prom, voted for the Seven Deadly Sins as its theme. The invitations calling all “sinners” and beckoning them to “hell” went out about three weeks ago. The invitations feature illustrations of the various deadly sins (the one for lust has a buxom woman in a long red dress) and a fiery pentagram. It states: “Let the Sin Begin.”
It looks to me like a flier for a cheap nightclub.
Andy Abbott, who will take over as head of school this summer, admits there was a lapse in judgment by the adults in the party-planning process who approved...
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Mar
30
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besttech
Oh, the joys of living someplace so totally pedestrian unfriendly… Yes, my city, state and region (Tampa Bay, Fla., area) have the dubious distinction, several times over, of being one of the most dangerous places in the nation for pedestrians and cyclists.
Wanna move here? Heh. I kid. Don’t — unless you love living in your car because that’s how we roll around here. Literally.
For years I’ve dreamed of living someplace where we could get around on foot, bike or by train but the recession dashed all hopes of us relocating anytime soon. It seems we will be stuck here until we actually have some decent equity in our house since falling home prices swallowed up nearly every bit of what we thought we had.
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Mar
29
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besttech
WHAT THEY ARE: Four new products from Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day line, already known for its Baby Blossom-scented cleaning and laundry collection. This time the soft and sweet scent (which is described as “spring wildflowers, butterfly violets and honeysuckle, with a tiny bit of apple, lemon and mint”) comes in the form of baby oil, diaper balm, baby lotion, and hair and body shampoo. Each product has a suggested retail price of $9.99. For a list of stores near you that sells the Mrs. Meyer’s brand, go to www.mrsmeyers.com.
WHY WE LIKE THEM: We like the idea of organic products for babies. In addition, Mrs. Meyer’s products are not tested on animals, and the ingredients are biodegradable. The Baby Blossom scent is addictive. We don’t care...
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Mar
28
Posted by
besttech
Next week, my husband and I are going on our second “couples only” trip to Hawaii. Unlike our last visit there, I have vowed to disconnect my Plan and Arrange function. Before our other trip to Maui, I avidly read “Maui Revealed,” perused web sites, and pre-arranged a zip line tour. Once there, I booked us a helicopter trip and a “Booze Cruise” — a sunset cruise with unlimited drinks and snacks.
Frankly, we could have done without all of them (well, the booze cruise did have its perks). These outings interfered with my favorite parts of the trip: Lying in the sun by the ocean reading or listening to my Ipod and hanging out on the lanai with a fresh fruit drink and freshly grilled sea food, all prepared with love by my hubbie.
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Mar
27
Posted by
besttech
ELYRIA – The 8th annual “Rally For Kids” will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 4 at Midway Mall.
The entire day will focus on children and feature activities and crafts, great giveaways, and many child and family related programs.
There will be more than 30 participating organizations, many who provide services for children and will be offering free handouts.
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Mar
27
Posted by
besttech
Ooh-la-la. Tra-la-la. What sounds could be more lilting, more rhythmic, more energetic than these? This is surely one reason why parents — both celebrities and civilians — are flocking to names with double L-starting syllables, such as:
LILY. This is the most classic of the bunch, a lovely flower name that has re-blossomed in the last several years, and has been given some modern celeb cred by singer Lily Allen. We’ve counted at least eight recent starbaby Lilys — and that doesn’t even count Lou Diamond Phillips’ LILI, Chris O’Donnell’s LILLY and Johnny Depp’s LILY-ROSE. The more formal versions, LILLIAN and LILIANA, are also showing signs of rebirth.
LILAC is another floral option,...
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Mar
27
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besttech
Broadway Summer Camps for teens ages 14-19 at PlayhouseSquare feature one-of-a-kind opportunities to work with cast and crew members from touring Broadway productions. This year, the PlayhouseSquare Arts Education Department is offering two camps with cast and crew members from Disney’s Mary Poppins.
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Mar
27
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besttech
As a part of today’s hectic lifestyle, women are often caught in a perpetual balancing act – juggling the hectic demands of a career while raising a family. To provide women with an informative and entertaining look at how to successfully manage it all, the next program of the Living Well Series will feature “Your Life – It’s a Real Juggling Act” on Saturday (March 28) from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
During the program, Obstetrician/Gynecologist Marcietta Wilson-Coleman, will give tips for women to win at the balancing game and avoid becoming frazzled. Dr. Wilson-Coleman will be followed by comedienne and actress Mary Faktor of the Talent Network, who will provide an...
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Mar
27
Posted by
besttech
Would you send your 17-year-old to a weeklong drunken orgy? In another country?
Apparently, there are plenty of parents who cannot imagine denying their children this rite of passage. Despite a crashing economy, sales have been strong for spring break packages for students, with Cancun, Jamaica and Acapulco some of the hottest spots. Prices start around $1,500 for the week.
But are unsupervised trips for high schoolers a good idea? From the footage on MTV, it looks like a great opportunity for date rape, “Girls Gone Wild” and extreme binge drinking. Spring break debauchery became acceptable because teenagers are not the only ones who succumb to peer pressure. Some parents don’t want to be the only one in a group to...
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Mar
26
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besttech
I read a post from a mother who stated that anyone who denies having a favorite child is lying to herself. She said it was inevitable and even natural. She said that it changes for her depending on what her children are doing. I did some research and it turns out that 1 in 6 mothers has a favorite. This really stuck with me and I have thought about it a lot. I kept thinking, do I, deep down, love one more? Do I hug one more or react to one more favorably? And I have drawn this conclusion: No. Thank goodness, no. In fact, I would go so far as to say that it is irresponsible to write something off as “natural” when it is probably damaging or at least hurting the less favored child/children forever.
I find parenting endlessly complicated and I...
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