Search Results for: blog take me out to the ball game

What to Know about the Glow

Glow sticks are extremely popular this time of year.  You can find kids sporting them at summer fireworks shows, evening baseball games, backyard barbeques and during bike rides at dusk.  My 8-year-old loves to bend them into bracelets, necklaces and headbands and wear them while we stroll along the beach after sunset. While I’m game for the glow, other parents are not as thrilled to see their kids playing with the popular, yet potentially poisonous neon sticks.  Many moms and dads question the contents of glow sticks.  After all, if the liquid inside the sticks can make plastic light up like … Continue reading →

Mercedes-Benz Disses Freemasonry?

Oh, that crazy Super Bowl XLVII!  First, Beyonce flashes a little diamond sign and before the game is over, the Internet is abuzz about how she and hubby Jay-Z must be a part of the Illuminati, that secret group trying to rule the world. And, speaking of secret groups trying to rule the world, there was another Super Bowl controversy you may not have heard about.  There was a Mercedes-Benz ad, which featured Willem Defoe as a character who appeared to be the devil. I watched the ad and honestly, I paid so little attention that I didn’t even know … Continue reading →

What To Do When the Weather Outside is Frightful

Welcome to the first official day of winter. Mother Nature didn’t disappoint folks here in the Upper Midwest.  Those who feared we wouldn’t enjoy a white Christmas are likely hitting themselves right now… with snow shovels. We got dumped on overnight; severely smashed by a massive winter storm that came in like an angry warlock. In fact, the conditions were so poor late yesterday children were told to remain indoors.  For parents, cabin fever is no fun to deal with this close to Christmas.  Fortunately, there are ways to keep kids from killing one another when they are forced to … Continue reading →

The Spending Diet Game Plan

Lose the extra weight from your budget by putting your spending habits on a diet. At the end of the month, you’ll have extra money that you can use to pay off some outstanding debt, and your budget will be slim and trim. Keep it up for six months or more, and your budget will be healthier than it has ever been. When you diet to lose weight, you must burn more calories than you take in if you want to be successful. A spending diet is similar, although in this case, you must take in more money than you … Continue reading →

Finding Fantasyland Website Mini-Game

Now that Fantasyland is about to debut, I received an email in my Inbox: an invitation to take a Hero’s Journey to discover the new Fantasyland.  This was per my sign up from the New Fantasyland website. Taking the Hero’s Journey doesn’t tell us a lot about the new Fantasyland, but it’s a cute story nonetheless.  Visiting the site sucks guests into the story, telling about how the villains came to Fantasyland, stole powerful talismans, and obscured them with their magic (which just so happens to take the shape of a big puffy purple mist, just like in Disney-ABC’s “Once … Continue reading →

Preventing Thanksgiving Meltdowns

It can be the best of times. It can be the worst of times. I’m referring to Thanksgiving. Or more specifically Thanksgiving gatherings with extended family… and a heaping helping of dysfunction. I once saw a greeting card that read: “Thanksgiving, bringing out the best in family dysfunction since 1863.” Hey, if you can’t prevent it, you might as well embrace it. In many clans, no Turkey Day celebration would be complete without some family drama. Still, you don’t have to let the feud between Uncle Larry and Cousin Stewart ruin your holiday. Nor should you allow meltdowns by your … Continue reading →

Mom Wants Homecoming Canceled After Learning of Prank

A mother in Missouri wants to see the homecoming events at her daughter’s high school canceled after she learned about a prank that was intended to happen to her daughter. A rumor surfaced that students planned to go out of their way to humiliate her daughter, who has ADHD and other social issues. The school has not canceled homecoming. Usually, homecoming is all about one of two things. The most important thing is either the outcome of the homecoming football game, or, it is all about the dresses. Unfortunately, this year some students in Pacific High School, which is located … Continue reading →

Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom Expands to Tabletop Game

I haven’t reported on Disney World’s live action role-playing game Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom since its debut in February. The game was out, it seemed well-received, so there didn’t seem to be much else to say about it. While I was focusing on other Disney news, however, the game’s done more than just be a success. It’s a total smash. Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom (SMK) is so popular at Disney World that there just aren’t enough portals available for all of the guests that want to play. Because I haven’t talked about SMK for a while, here’s a … Continue reading →

Zeroing Down the Entertainment Budget

When money is tight in my household, paying for entertainment is one of the first areas of the budget to go. Convincing my family, on the other hand, can be a little tough, so while we do make some allowances (we still haven’t completely gotten rid of cable), it takes a lot of creativity to keep everyone entertained for as close to zero as possible. Finding fun alternatives to eating out Part of the pleasure of eating out is the entertainment factor, so we try to include that even with home cooked meals. For example, I might make a salad, … Continue reading →

Teaching Your Child About Patriotism

As a child I always enjoyed the 4th of July festivities, but I never really understood what they were for until I was much older. I hadn’t yet learned to appreciate all of the freedoms we are so fortunate to experience in this great country. I was unaware of the sacrifices that were being made by people all around me so that we could enjoy these freedoms. As I have gotten older and gained some life experience, I have gained a deep appreciation for the men and women who have fought for our country so that my son and I … Continue reading →