Archive for May, 2011
May
25
Posted by
Lorain County Moms
By The Associated Press
ORLANDO, Fla. — Officials say the first significant injuries from Universal Orlando’s Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ride have been reported.
The theme park’s report to state regulators listed two injuries between Jan. 1 and March 31, according to the Orlando Sentinel. A 60-year-old man suffered a brief loss of consciousness and a 57-year-old man had chest pains while riding on the attraction.
The report lists three injuries for Walt Disney World. A 29-year-old woman exhibited symptoms of an anaphylactic reaction while riding Splash Mountain. A 75-year-old woman broke her knee while in the loading area for Peter Pan’s Flight. An 8-year-old boy fell in the Honey I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set...
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May
24
Posted by
Lorain County Moms
CHRISTINA REXRODE, AP Business Writer
NEW YORK — Ronald McDonald is having a midlife crisis.
His floppy shoes, painted-on smile and flaming-red hair may be a harder sell to today’s kids who are trading in their dolls and trucks for manicures and mobile game apps at ever younger ages. He also seems out of step with McDonald’s Corp.’s new efforts to appeal to adults. The 48-year-old spokesclown has fallen flat in new ads this year, according to Ace Metrix, a group that tracks TV advertising.
And the government is getting strict on marketing unhealthy food to children. That has both marginalized Ronald as more of a mascot than a product pitchman and landed him in the middle of the bigger debate about food makers’ responsibilities in...
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May
24
Posted by
Lorain County Moms
By LEANNE ITALIE, Associated Press
NEW YORK — For many, Memorial Day’s unofficial start of summer means grilling, pool parties and kids wildly happy to be at the end of another school year.
For John Drengenberg, a safety expert and dad in suburban Chicago, it’s a dangerous time for the law of unintended consequences, especially in the backyard.
The electrical engineer by training is the consumer safety director for Underwriters Laboratories, the independent, nonprofit product safety testing and certification organization. He’s not looking to kill summer’s early buzz, but he’d like you to know:
— Nearly half of a little more than 12,000 kids up to age 19 who died as a result of unintentional injuries did so in June,...
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May
24
Posted by
Lorain County Moms
By Niesha Lofing, McClatchy Newspapers
The best spot to watch a parade, when to arrive at the park, how to save money on food without skipping meals.
These are just a few of the topics that Bee readers weighed in on when I asked for cost- and sanity-saving tips regarding Disneyland travel.
As many families (mine included) head to the Happiest Place on Earth for spring vacations or to experience the opening of two rides June 3 The Little Mermaid Underground Adventure in California Adventure and the newly redesigned Star Tours in Disneyland it’s time to share.
Megan Smith’s advice is from a trip she and her husband took to Disneyland with their grandchildren more than 20 years ago, but the Fair Oaks couple’s suggestion still rings...
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May
23
Posted by
Lorain County Moms
By LEANNE ITALIE, Associated Press
NEW YORK — Playing dress up or running around the park, kids can be so darn cute. Until it’s 3 a.m. and they won’t go the (bleep) to sleep.
The F-bomb plea on the minds of every parent at one point or another is the title of a buzz magnet of a book parody written in kid-friendly rhyme. Beware, parents, it’s decidedly unworthy of a bedtime readaloud.
Not yet out, the 32-pager from a tiny Brooklyn publisher has hit No. 1 on Amazon.com and has sold more than 100,000 copies in pre-orders since it surfaced less than a month ago. After bootleg copies leaked, Akashic Books moved up publication from October to June 14, for Father’s Day.
Film rights have already been sold, though adaptation should...
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May
23
Posted by
Kendra Green
By LEANNE ITALIE, Associated Press
NEW YORK — That cute duckie wallpaper or nautical furniture set were great for your child’s baby years and just barely tolerable through elementary school, but a bedroom makeover is hard to get around when a child heads for the tumultuous teens.
Consider the four C’s — classic, comfort, cool and color — when providing older kids with long-lasting lairs, er, lovely hangout-study spaces. And keep in mind a transformation doesn’t have to mean tossing everything and buying all new.
Spending selectively now may just carry your child through the college years and beyond, to their first apartment, said design guru Nate Berkus, host of the syndicated “Nate Berkus Show.”
Jennifer Adams Meyers, an...
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May
23
Posted by
Rona Proudfoot
By Aisha Sultan, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Patti Flynn fell in the shower the week before she was going to be married. She was 20 years old and suddenly couldn’t talk or move her right side.
The stroke changed her life.
She still had a 4-year-old son from a previous relationship to care for and a long road of rehabilitation ahead. Her fiance left, but her parents stepped in to help. Eventually, she relearned to walk and regained a limited ability to talk. She figured out how to change diapers with one hand.
After a few years, she fell in love again and had another baby. That relationship fell apart.
And now, with their child in kindergarten, she’s trapped in a yearlong custody battle with her ex-boyfriend, the baby’s father....
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May
23
Posted by
Lorain County Moms
By Marla Jo Fisher, The Orange County Register
I feel very sorry for my children.
Now that they’re in middle school, nothing ever happens to them anymore. Apparently, the tedium of their school days stretches out like a lifer in San Quentin, unrelieved by a single moment of joy, sadness or even a concert by Johnny Cash.
Consider this exchange that I had yesterday with my 14-year-old son, Cheetah Boy:
Me: What did you do in school today?
Cheetah Boy: Nothing.
Me: I find that hard to believe, that nothing happened all day.
Cheetah Boy: Well, it’s true
Me: So you just sat there like a stone for seven hours?
Cheetah Boy: Pretty much
Me: Did you see Travis? Is he over his flu?
Cheetah Boy: I...
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May
22
Posted by
Lorain County Moms
By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH, Associated Press
PARKVILLE, Mo. — Could the Internet mean the end of snow days? Some schools think so, and they are experimenting with ways for students to do lessons online during bad weather, potentially allowing classes to go on during even the worst blizzard.
“Virtual snow days” would help ease pressure on school calendars. Because districts are required to be in session for a certain number of hours or days, losing teaching time to winter weather can mean extending the school day or cutting short spring break or summer vacation.
And canceling school in the winter, when some of the most difficult material of the year is covered, risks leaving students with a learning deficit heading into the spring, when many states...
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May
21
Posted by
Lorain County Moms
By AMY LORENTZEN, For The Associated Press
You can make a morning cup of java even more enjoyable for yourself or the coffee lover in your life by adding simple, personal touches to favorite cups, containers and bags of beans.
Instead of a pricey trip to the paint-your-own pottery studio, use porcelain or glass paints and markers to decorate mugs, then pop them in your kitchen oven to make your creation last. Stencils from your local crafts store can help make attractive patterns and pictures.
Or add embellishment by attaching wine charms to the handle of a special mug, says Becky Hermann, a craft specialist with Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores. You can make your own charms in any color or style by using wire and beads, ribbons, or even a tag with...
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