Monday, June 29, 2009

Summer Ideas For The Kids

Here are a few summer ideas for children of all ages:

1. Have your kids keep a summer journal. Fill it with words, drawings, or even photos.

2. Get some plants and flowers and have your kids help grow them, from picking out the seeds/plants, soil and flower pots to planting, watering, and keeping track of their growth.

3. Have your school kids keep in touch with the teacher whose class they just graduated from. Maybe they can write a letter or send a postcard, or just email. Same goes for classmates that your kids may not get to see over the summer.

4. Collect seashells, rocks, or pick flowers.

5. Visit the library or book store on rainy days. Aim to have your child read a book a day or a chapter a day. Go back through all the children's books you've collected through the years and let them re-read some of their favorites. Or, start a series that you can read to them each night.

6. Make meals together and teach your kids how to grocery shop and follow a recipe to cook a meal.

7. Take walks and bike rides.

8. Try some arts and crafts (like Point Arts 'n Crafts Night every Wednesday night @ Jenkinsons) models, or projects that you don't have time for during the school year.

9. Visit water often - any and all water - ponds, creeks, lakes, the ocean, and pools. Let your kids experience the difference between salt water and waves and chlorine, let them explore with sticks in a stream and fishing in a river.

10. Bring your kids out early to watch a sunrise, and stay up late one night to stargaze....maybe even camp out in your own backyard.

11. Play board and card games and laugh together.

12. Find some small jobs that allow children the chance to make some of their own money.

13. Help children help someone else: the elderly, smaller children, or anyone who needs it.

14. Have a cookout or picnic.

15. Playdates, playdates, and more playdates!

Friday, June 26, 2009

A Dinner For Elizabeth

A dinner dance will be held to raise money for a seven year old local girl in need of help.

Elizabeth was born a healthy, happy baby. All was fine until her check-up at one year old. The doctors told her parents (Lali and John)the baby had elevated liver numbers and her kidneys seemed abnormal. Elizabeth was then tested and treated in many hospitals from state to state and country to country. But nobody could give them a diagnosis or a cause. Elizabeth became very ill and needed dialysis, which her mother did every night. Lali remains to this day Elizabeth's 24-hour nurse. Her life depends on daily medications (11 of them). Her final diagnosis is Tubulo-Interstitial Nephritis and Hepatic Fibrosis. Her liver function continues to deteroirate and she will need a combined liver and kidney transplant in the immediate future to save her life. She remians on the emergency waiting list for pediatric organ donation.

The dinner dance will be held Friday, July 10th at 7 pm at the East Dover Firehouse, 629 Fischer Blvd. in Toms River. Tickets are $40 each. All proceeds will go directly to Elizabeth and her family. Stafford/Toms River UNICO, an Italian-American service organization, is sponsoring the event

Monday, June 22, 2009

Smile Lines

Some lines to make you smile :

1. He who dies with the most toys is nonetheless dead.

2. I keep hitting 'escape' but I'm still here.

3. A picture is worth a thousand words but it uses up three thousand times the memory.

4. The trouble with life is there's no background music or laugh track.

5. Ever notice how people who tell you to calm down are the ones who got you mad in the first place?

6. The original point and click interface was a Smith & Wesson.

7. Ham and eggs...a day's work for a chicken, a lifetime commitment for a pig.

Friday, June 19, 2009

732-460-9555.

732-460-9555. That's the number to call if you want to feel better about yourself. Because that's Dr. Lombardi's number. Doctor Lombardi runs the Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery Center in Eatontown and you'd be surprised at how many great things, large and small, he can do for both women and men to make you feel better.

For instance, yesterday, in the midst of all the running around I do for everyone else (work, the kids, etc.) I literally stopped by his office and, within an hour, had some laser hair removal and botox done. I left there really feeling like I did something for ME for a change and can look forward to a summer of not having to shave, and a face that looks much more refreshed!!! So make some time for yourself, too, for a change! Call Dr. Lombardi and see what he can do for you!

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Cool Places To Go For Free Across The US

Here are some unheralded and free US attractions, from TripAdvisor, in case you're looking for a vacation idea!

1. Mallory Square, Key West, Florida: Local artists, street performers, and tourists gather here every evening for a celebration of dazzling Key West sunsets. Enjoy free music and performances along with the setting sun's spectacular display.

2. Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs, Colorado: Beautiful and impressive; home to some of the most unique sandstone rock formations in the country, along with incredible views of Pike's Peak behind the stunning red giants of the park. And it's free. Be sure to look for the 'kissing camels' (two rocks that resemble camel heads kissing).

3. Cliff Walk, Newport, Rhode Island: A three-and-a-half mile scenic walk with a striking view of the Atlantic Ocean and of the famous Newport mansions that overlook it. A New England treasure that doesn't cost a dime.

4. Griffith Observatory, Los Angeles, California: Marvel at the night sky through the telescopes, or just enjoy the jaw-dropping view of LA and the Hollywood sign from Griffith's perch more than eleven hundred feet above sea level on Mount Hollywood. The observatory also houses fascinating exhibits and massive, awe-inspiring celestial murals.

Monday, June 15, 2009

World's Germiest Attractions

TripAdvisor has come out with a list of the world's germiest attractions:

5. The Handprints and Footprints outside Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood. Although they're the handprints and footprints of some of the biggest stars in history, millions of fans place their fingers in the molds to see how their hand size matches up. Use sanitizer!

4. St. Mark's Square, Venice, Italy. As beautiful as it is, there are thousands of hungry pigeons circling overhead. Enough said.

3. Oscar Wilde's Tomb, Paris, France. It's covered in lipstick prints, with new kisses planted every year.

2. The Wall of Gum, Seattle, Washington. Visitors have stuck their gum to the wall since the '90's. Some even mold shapes and faces out of their chewed gum. And the number one world's germiest attraction:

1. The Blarney Stone, Blarney, Ireland. Up to 400,000 mouths from all over the world kiss the stone each year as they lean over backwards and upside down. Imagine all those germs!!!!!

Friday, June 12, 2009

Teaching Kids About Money

A former investment strategist is offering families tips on teaching your kids about money:

1. Don't let money be invisible. Today money comes out of ATM's and is spent with debit and credit cards - invisible to kids as to where it comes from and where it goes. When a parent can't afford a toy or game, many kids will answer "Why can't you just buy it with your credit card?" Placing a whiteboard on the wall that shows the monthly expenses may provide a frame of reference for children who may not understand the value of a dollar or how much basic needs cost today.

2. Give kids responsibility for spending. If your kids receive an allowance, or you reward them with money for good grades, then you should require them to map out the money they have coming in and also where it goes. Seeing it on paper or in a computer chart will give them a sense of reality about their money and also build healthy financial habits for later in life.

3. Teach the power of investment. Parents should spell out the value of an investment. For example, $100 in a basic savings account can result in a balance of $12,000 after 20 years. But if they invest that same $100 in a bond or a stock that returns 6% a year, they could have $42,000 after 20 years.

4. For love or money? Ask your kids what they are passionate about and what they are good at. The answers to those questions will lead to a happier life and a better quality of life than one centered on the pursuit of the almighty dollar. If you stress lasting fulfillment over financial rewards, more than likely your children will wind up with both in their life and career.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Best Fast Food

Zagat is out with a survey of the best national fast food chains, and here's how they're ranked: Wendy's gets the top score, ranking number one overall, followed by Subway, McDonald's, KFC, and Burger King. McDonald's gets number one for best fries. Subway is number one for service. Click zagat.com/fastfood the full list.