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In Memoriam 2012 – Part 5

The list of those we lost in 2012 continues: August 2012 6 – Marvin Hamlisch – Respiratory Arrest (68) Hamlisch was an American composer and conductor who was part of the elite EGOTs – someone who has won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony award.  He also won a Pulitzer Prize and two Golden Globes. He composed the theme song “The Entertainer” for The Sting and “The Way We Were” from the Barbra Streisand film. 14 – Ron Palillo – Heart Attack (63) Juan Epstein wasn’t the only Sweathog (“Welcome Back, Kotter”) that was lost this year.  Ron Palillo played … Continue reading →

Summer Storm Survival

This post does not provide tips on how to protect you and your children from lightning strikes, floods or other physical dangers associated with summer storms. Rather, this blog is designed specifically to help moms and dads preserve their sanity when Mother Nature unleashes torrential downpours that force kids to spend the entire day indoors. Some simple yet entertaining indoor boredom busters include: Sing-Off: Grab some ear plugs for yourself, and then let the kids go wild exercising their vocal cords with their own version of “American Idol,” or “The Voice.” Set-up a karaoke machine and a little stage area … Continue reading →

Ways to Save on a Six Flags Staycation

It’s never a good day when travelers are actually excited to see gas prices hovering near $4. Three dollars and 89 cents for a gallon of unleaded–SCORE!! While the cost of gas has fallen slightly in the last couple weeks, from its highest levels since July 2008, Americans are still paying nearly a dollar more per gallon than a year ago. As a result, families from coast-to-coast continue to restructure their summer vacation plans in order to preserve their household budgets, and still have fun in the sun. That goes double for clans living in and around Chicago. According to … Continue reading →

The Words in the Song

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Before I was a father (and even before I was married) I found myself sitting in a strangely named sandwich place (something like “the inebriated capra aegagrus hircus) reading the nearest offbeat magazine sitting on the table as I took my lunch break from the next door theatre were I was volunteering as the intern to the executive director for college credit towards my management degree. Inside that offbeat magazine I found an unexpected article. Among the typical politically charged and occasionally intentionally offensive artworks there was an article about a children’s musician who’d attended a local high school and … Continue reading →

PETA “Hunts” Kristy Lee Cook

Remember Kristy Lee Cook from season seven of “American Idol?” The country singing Seattle native made to the Top 24, but she was repeatedly berated by the judges and often found herself in the bottom three before she was finally eliminated in seventh place. Like many other “Idols” who were eliminated before the finale, Cook has been able to stretch her reality fame into other opportunities. She is the star of a reality show called “Goin Country” on the Versus channel. The show follows her around the country as she tries to land a record deal. But, because Versus is … Continue reading →

Visiting Family

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We just recently found out that a group of family members are taking the 1000 mile journey to come and visit my wife and I prior to the birth of our son. My mother, sister, brother and brother-in-law are, as a write this, locked together in a van (along with our child’s dresser, rails for his crib, and a bed frame for us), and hopefully having good conversation and a safe trip (though I imagine my brothers are sleeping). What makes the weekend even more special is that my birthday will occur over the coming weekend. The opportunity to spend … Continue reading →

Jennifer Hudson is Having a Baby

Very soon. If you knew for certain that former American Idol turned Oscar-winning actress was pregnant, then you were one of the few. Perhaps, it’s because the media was trying to respect her privacy following the brutal slayings of her mother, brother and 7-year-old nephew last fall, but somehow, some way, Jennifer Hudson has managed to escape a full-blown media onslaught regarding her current pregnancy. Yes, the 27-year-old singing sensation is going to have a baby. At least that’s what guests at her recent baby shower are saying. Several of Hudson’s closest friends spoke to Chicago newspapers over the weekend … Continue reading →

Jambo (Hello) to a New Line of Six Character Dolls Who were Adopted

In Friday’s blog, promised that I would do a positive blog on dolls. Last year, I wrote about dolls for kids of different ethnicities in my blog Toys and Dolls for Multicultural Families. Yesterday I reminded parents that while it is good to have a doll that reflects your child, not every doll needs to “match”. This year I can share with you some doll characters with different family constellations. Jambo Kids are school-age dolls. They are soft-bodied dolls about 12 inches high. A book is available for each doll. The website tells a little bit about each of the … Continue reading →

Look Who’s Turning 50 – Part II

Yesterday, I was blogging about everyone turning 50 this year. I knew about the really big names – Madonna, Prince, and Michael Jackson – but, when I started doing the research, I was really surprised how many famous people were born in 1958: Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds – Singer, songwriter, guitarist, keyboardist, record producer, and film producer. Andie MacDowell – Golden Globe award winning actress Michelle Pfeiffer – Academy Award nominated actress Eve Plumb – Jan from the “Brady Bunch” Belinda Carlisle and Jane Wiedlin – lead singer and guitarist for the GoGos Drew Carey – Comedian, actor, and current host … Continue reading →

Week in Review – Fun

Can you believe tomorrow is the first of July? Here’s a review of the fun summer ideas featured here in the past week. Here are 10 Quick and Fun Ideas for Summer. And here are 3 Quick Ways to Celebrate the 4th of July. Have fun singing on car trips with Car-I-Oke. Kids love codes, here’s a great site for learning and practicing Morse Code. And don’t forget about Pig Latin. Doing things together is always fun. Read about teaching hammering in Building Bookshelves. Break out the water glasses or empty bottles and make your own musical instruments. Antiquing with … Continue reading →