A True Friendship-Video



Anyone who doubts whether or not animals can truly make a difference should watch this video. This Iraq war veteran and his dog literally saved each other's lives.


That's love for you.

Word puzzle for kids-sports and games


Unscramble these words pertaining to sports and games.

Lbofotal
Blebsala
Kestbalbal
Sechs
Kchecres
Mackbgamno
Ylmonpoo
Lbvaloelyl
Qurocet
Lgof
Kblajckac
Lemhet
Nish dsrgua
Cosecr
Ymngsatcis
Cyohke
ksinatg
Ropke
Ginsktabeaord

cbyclei


Answers: football, baseball, basketball, chess, checkers, backgammon, Monopoly, volleyball, croquet, golf, blackjack, helmet, shin guards, soccer, gymnastics, hockey, skating, poker, skateboarding, bicycle

Word Puzzle For Kids-Winter


Fill in the vowels to complete these words related to winter.

Sw_ _ t _ r
Sc_ rf
H_ k_ng b_ _ts
Gl_v_s
M_tt_ns
J_ck_t
C_ _t
W_ _l  s_cks
C_rd_g_n
Sn_wsh_ _s
Sk_  m_sk
_ _ rm_ ffs
L_ ng  _nd_rw_ _r
_n_r_k 
M_ffl_r
Sn_ws_ _t
Sn_w _ng_ls
Sw_ _tsh_rt
Sl_ _t
F_r_pl_c_
Sl_dd_ng
Sw_ _tp_nts
R_ _st_d M_rshm_ll_ws
Sn_wfl_k_es
Sn_wb_ll f_ghts




Answers: sweater, scarf, hiking boots, gloves, mittens, jacket, coat, wool socks, cardigan, snowshoes, ski mask, earmuffs, long underwear, anorak, muffler, snowsuit, snow angels, sweatshirt, sleet, fireplace, sledding, sweatpants, roasted marshmallows, snowflakes, snowball fights

"Too-Baggy Pants" Penalized?


My sister sent me this article in response to a conversation she was having with her teenaged son.  If your teenagers dress like this, you'll probably like it too. It's an old one, but I thought it was interesting. 


Pull up your pants, or you'll pay

...and not a moment too soon! :)

Seriously, the 'style' of baggy pants has been restricted in schools for years. Now Dublin, GA has decided to fine people who go around town wearing pants that look more like potato sacks.  While I can't stand the look (thus my joking above), I wouldn't want to tell random people what to wear. I'm not exactly Miss Fashion Forward myself, after all. Even so, I can see why the people and lawmakers in this town would get sick of looking at it.

The article quotes a suggestion that this might cause racial profiling, saying that "they're the ones wearing the saggy, baggy pants". I can see the concern, but I've seen quite a few whites, Hispanics, Asians, etc doing this. In fact, about half an hour after hearing about this on NPR, I went into a McDonalds only to see a couple of skinny white teenage guys with pants so baggy that they could have hidden a Thanksgiving turkey in there, and no one would be the wiser. Okay, I'm exaggerating, but one of them could at least fit a couple of Cornish game hens.

I'm told that the 'trend' is in imitation of prison inmates, whose pants are so low because they can't wear belts. I just have to ask, why would anyone want to emulate people in prison? I would think that, by definition, those would be the last people to be taking cues from, about fashion or anything else. Oh well, I'm just an old lady.

This whole thing reminds me of a song, filmed less than an hour from me:
Pants On The Ground

Now this will be in your head all day. You're welcome. 

Word Scramble For Kids-Music



Like I've said in previous posts, I used to love word games as a kid. I remember this really big and varied word puzzle book my mom gave me to do on long car trips; trust me, it wasn't really long before that book was falling apart! It was fun to brush up on spelling, as well as learn a bit about the puzzle's subject. Here's another “unscramble the words” puzzle you can print out and give to your child. Good luck!

Words relating to music and dance


nabd   __ __ __ __
estrroach   __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
nivlio   __ __ __ __ __ __
phxaosoen    __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
tarlnice   __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
ulfte   __ __ __ __ __
lorbolam    __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
lonxyohpe    __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
utrgia   __ __ __ __ __ __
thmrhy   __ __ __ __ __ __
rsigne    __ __ __ __ __ __
cradne   __ __ __ __ __ __
crimahng nbad    __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
leblat   __ __ __ __ __ __
anipo   __ __ __ __ __
grona   __ __ __ __ __
booe   __ __ __ __
enasr rudm   __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
sabe mrud   __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
coaustci   __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
trejtmareo   __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
lsamcyb   __ __ __ __ __ __ __
urmd jomra   __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __



Answers: band, orchestra, violin, saxophone, clarinet, flute, ballroom, xylophone, guitar, rhythm, singer, dancer, marching band, ballet, piano, organ, oboe, snare drum, base drum, acoustic, majorette, cymbals, drum major

YouTube Channels to Brighten Your Day



Do you want to start the day off with a good laugh? Here are a few YouTube channels that are sure to get you in a great mood.


Have you ever wondered what your food would say if it could talk to you? Watch a few of these cartoons and you'll be glad it can't.


This reminds me of a game my sister and I used to play called Day In The Life of a Food. It was based off of a skit we saw on this Nickelodeon show called Turkey Television. Basically the food would react to anything done to it in the process of preparation and eating...”No! Don't cut me! Don't eat my friend!” :) We would do this under our breath when we were out to dinner with our parents just to annoy them. If it was a meat we were imitating, we'd make the noise of the animal the meat came from. Moos and oinks were my specialty.

Anyone who has ever lived with a cat knows how accurate the Simon's Cat cartoons are. For instance, here's how the cat wakes his human when it wants to be fed:


I've never been awakened by a baseball bat, but I did once have a cat who would eat my hair while I slept. I miss that kitty. :(

The Talking Animals channels is...well, videos of talking animals. Every year, the owners take the videos other people have sent them of their pets and piece them together with “Christmas carol” voice-overs. For instance, here's their version of “12 Days of Christmas”-


If you scroll through the videos on the right, you'll see segments staring the “spokes-cats” of the group, Jupiter and Kona. Kona's fun but Jupiter is...well, you tell me. :)


Enjoy yourself! What are some of your favorite YouTube channels?

Unusual Animals


We all know that kids love animals. For some of us, like me, that affection never goes away. We like to learn about different creatures and how they interact with humans and the rest of the world. There are plenty of great sites out there, but here is one of my favorites.


http://a-z-animals.com

Here, you can find information about pretty much any animal you can think of, and probably some that you can't. I love how this site allows you to block certain animals. That way, you won't find yourself looking at a picture of one when you do a search on animals in Africa or something else like that. Here's the tool:

http://a-z-animals.com/phobias/83/

I'm scared to death of spiders, so I am very thankful for being able to block pictures of tarantulas! 


If you like videos, here are a few unusual animals I've found. The commentary on the videos is amusing and informative, but some of the animals look pretty creepy. Still, one person's “creepy” is another's “cool!”. Most young boys I know would pick the latter. I've included them because a) I've never heard of these animals before and find them interesting, and b) they're just plain weird.

People who are afraid of insects should not watch these two videos.

This one, to quote the video, “walks the delicate tightrope between radically ugly and cute as [heck]”. It's a tiny lemur referred to as the “Aye Aye”



Don't even think of trying to eat this guy for dinner.


I was kind of surprised that this was real because of the way parts of the video look more like a Pixar movie than a documentary but, rest assured, that's how the mantis shrimp looks. At least it has pretty colors. My husband thinks it looks “tasty”, but I'd rather just leave it alone.

Now, for something much cuter;

Olingito

This adorable creature was discovered to be a separate species fairly recently. Before that, it was assumed that they were just baby or small olingos, another type of raccoon that lives in the South American rainforest. They're usually meat-eaters, but they do like to snack on fruits such as figs. For more information and a link to other similar videos, check out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZzay8mmkGw.

Here's the Phillipine Tarsier, the world's smallest monkey. I personally think they're adorable but, cute or not, they're fascinating animals.


Have fun!