Archive for July, 2009
Jul
31
Posted by
Medina County Moms
By Vanessa McMains, Chicago Tribune
CHICAGO — Jessica Rosenberg has noticed one of this summer’s hottest trends right in her family pool in Santa Clara, Calif.: kids wearing their Crocs while swimming.
“My kids have been wearing their Crocs in the pool for two summers now,” said Rosenberg, 33, the mother of two children, ages 2 and 4.
But because Crocs are worn everywhere — public bathrooms, playgrounds, home, sidewalks — some poolgoers are wondering if the Croc-wearers are tracking extra germs into the water.
“As for the sanitary issue, I doubt putting Crocs in a chlorinated pool is any less healthy than letting a child whose feet are black with grime from walking around in flip-flops get into the same pool,” said Rosenberg. “But, then again,...
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Jul
31
Posted by
Medina County Moms
FamilyFun magazine
Just a few more weeks until school starts again for most students; but the cries of “I’m bored” are only getting louder. Put the kibosh on the complaining with these amazing toys, books and games that will keep the kids busy right up until the first bell rings.
Blast bubbles (almost) into space: There’s no NASA training needed to fly the foam-tipped Gazillion Bubble Rocket. Just pour some of the included bubble solution into the base, set the 12-inch-high spacecraft in place, and stomp on the launcher. You’ll send the rocket soaring — with an iridescent, sudsy vapor trail floating behind it. Ages 6 and up. Funrise, $17. — Faye S. Wolfe
Stash this book in your car’s backseat: Cracking codes inspired by ancient Romans, designing...
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Jul
30
Posted by
Medina County Moms
I’ve been cringing a lot lately.
And, here’s the reason why: Two beautiful children died what I can only imagine was a horrible death after they were thrown from a moving vehicle on the Ohio Turnpike after their 29-year-old mother sideswiped a PT Cruiser shortly after 2:30 a.m. Wednesday, causing the family’s mini-van to spin out of control and flip over.
Before the vehicle — later seen in photos with a flatten top and busted windows — came to rest on the side of the road, a 5-year-old boy and his 10-year-old sister were dead.
They, along with their 5-month-old brother who is in the hospital with serious injuries, were not wearing seat belts – devices troopers believe probably could have saved their lives.
Can you see now why I’m cringing?
It’s the kind of...
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Jul
30
Posted by
Medina County Moms
“Skippyjon Jones: The Great Bean Caper” by Judy Schachner
c.2009, Grosset & Dunlap
$3.99 / $5.00 Canada
32 pages
So, let’s say it’s your turn to make dinner tonight. What would you serve?
Would you make mac-n-cheese with extra cheese, or are you more of a tacos kind of kid? Would everybody get a bowl of ice cream, or would you make a turkey dinner with potatoes and stuffing? Maybe pizza is your favorite dish, and you would make the biggest one you could with all your favorite toppings.
Skippyjon Jones loves frijoles most of all, and as you’ll see in the book “Skippyjon Jones: The Great Bean Caper” by Judy Schachner, just fixing a meal can be an adventure.
Skippyjon Jones is a Siamese kitten … at least that’s what he looks like. But if you ask Skippyjon, he’ll...
... [Read more]
Jul
30
Posted by
Medina County Moms
“Skippyjon Jones: The Great Bean Caper” by Judy Schachner
c.2009, Grosset & Dunlap
$3.99 / $5.00 Canada
32 pages
So, let’s say it’s your turn to make dinner tonight. What would you serve?
Would you make mac-n-cheese with extra cheese, or are you more of a tacos kind of kid? Would everybody get a bowl of ice cream, or would you make a turkey dinner with potatoes and stuffing? Maybe pizza is your favorite dish, and you would make the biggest one you could with all your favorite toppings.
Skippyjon Jones loves frijoles most of all, and as you’ll see in the book “Skippyjon Jones: The Great Bean Caper” by Judy Schachner, just fixing a meal can be an adventure.
Skippyjon Jones is a Siamese kitten … at least that’s what he looks like. But if you ask Skippyjon, he’ll...
... [Read more]
Jul
30
Posted by
Medina County Moms
By June Naylor, McClatchy Newspapers
Summertime brings the best the best in sweet, fresh corn, and some of the sweetest is the variety coming from Olathe, a little town in western Colorado. It’s available at Kroger, the company that has teamed up with corn producer Olathe Sweet to promote the corn and its significant amounts of thiamin (vitamin B1), pantothenic acid (vitamin B5), folate, Vitamin C, phosphorous, manganese and dietary fiber. Here’s a recipe from the Olathe Sweet Corn Festival, www.olathesweetcornfest.com.
Grilled corn salsa
Makes 3 ½ cups
2 ears fresh corn, husked, silks removed
½ yellow onion peeled and cut crosswise into ½-inch-thick slices
½ red bell pepper, rinsed, stemmed, seeded and halved
6 ounces fresh jalapeno chilies (about 8), rinsed,...
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Jul
29
Posted by
Medina County Moms
In the news business, we get a first hand view of some pretty terrible stuff.
Back before I was a mom, many of the stories were just that to me — my job for the day. They didn’t carry the emotional weight of being a parent and seeing something terrible happen to another family that easily could have been your own.
But after my daughter was born and I returned to work — at the Akron Beacon Journal at that time — I truly thought I was going to have be medicated because I was convinced every horrific story I read might very well happen to my cherished little one, regardless of how many times it was pointed out to me that more children grow up to be fine than not.
It took a while, but I finally managed to calm down, although Lew and I both remain ridiculously...
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Jul
29
Posted by
Medina County Moms
Porcupines
¾ cup diced onion
1 teaspoon oil
1 tablespoon water
1 pound lean ground beef
2 cups cooked brown rice or long-grain white rice
Coarse-grained salt and cracked black pepper
One 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes with juice (or crush canned whole tomatoes yourself)
1 bay leaf
Porcupine meatballs
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place onion and oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat and stir until onion is coated with oil. Add water to pan, cover and cook until onion is completely softened, 15 to 20 minutes.
Place meat and rice in a mixing bowl; add onion, season with salt and pepper, and mix to combine.
Form into 8 sleeping porcupines (round balls) and place in a baking dish just large enough to hold, but don’t squish them.
Pour tomatoes with juice over porcupines; season...
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Jul
29
Posted by
Medina County Moms
By The Associated Press
The following recalls have been announced:
Baby bouncer chairs
About 6,500 BabyBjorn Babysitter Balance and BabyBjorn Babysitter Balance Air bouncer chairs, manufactured in Sweden and imported by BabySwede LLC of Cleveland, because metal can protrude into the padded part of the chairs, posing a risk of cuts. No injuries have been reported. The recalled items were sold at stores nationwide, as well as online and through catalogs between September 2008 and July 2009. Details: by phone at 866-424-0200; by Web at http://www.babyswede.com or http://www.cpsc.gov.
Fuel containers
About 4,000 1- and 2-gallon Enviro-Flo Plus fuel containers, manufactured in the United States by Blitz USA Inc. of Miami, Okla., because the plunger cap can dislodge, allowing gasoline vapors...
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Jul
29
Posted by
Medina County Moms
Make sure your cell phone is all charged up next time you visit Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, so you can enjoy a free audio and video tour that highlights dozens of different animals.
New to the zoo this summer is the Guide by Cell tour, which allows zoo visitors to use their cell phones to learn more about endangered animals, what goes on behind the scenes at the zoo and what can be done to save wildlife.
How far does a polar bear walk in its lifetime? How much water does a camel drink? How do zookeepers help keep gorillas healthy? These questions and dozens more are answered by calling (216) 453-3962, ext. 1-26#.
Callers also can download zoo videos to their cell phones and leave questions and comments on the zoo’s voicemail. There is no additional charge for the calls, but cell...
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