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Last year, we were having an outdoor birthday party for our oldest son at the local city pool. His parties are always a hit, not because we go overboard, but since his birthday always falls on Labor Day weekend, it's inevitably the first party of the school year. And since he's in a smaller private school where all the kids know each other, we make sure to invite all of the children in his class...26 kids and everybody showed up, with siblings and both parents in tow. Seventy-five people were coming...yikes! We needed food...lots and lots of food. Fruit and veggie platters were a must...plus plenty of candy (our son loves M&Ms) to keep the kids on an energetic sugar high. There was only one problem...how would we keep everything fresh in the scorching Florida heat?

This week has marked the beginning of summer vacation for The Daily Kool family. Unfortunately, everyone's been sick for the past few days, so we've been stuck at home. Poor kids! They really just want to go outside and ride their bikes or swim in the pool. Instead, we've been raiding our closets all week, trying to come up with different ways to keep them entertained indoors. It hasn't been easy, especially since television is not our favorite pastime. It was time to introduce a classic from our own childhood to the kids.

Summer vacation is finally here, and if you haven't done it already, it's definitely time to break out the barbecue grill. Many childhood memories feature Dad commanding our little charcoal grill, while the rest of us frolicked in the pool. Unfortunately, his skills were pretty much limited to puck...achem, hamburgers and hot dogs. The side dishes more than made up for it, though...particularly Mom's amazing pasta salad. Besides, it's more about the joy of being in the company of family than about the food, especially for the kids...yeah, right!

The summer has been a unique challenge to finding ways to entertain the kids, especially since they are not participating in camp this year. Yes folks, The Daily Kool is doing their own family camp this time around...you'd be amazed at how many things you can do with your kids this summer without breaking the bank. From free/$1 movies (check out Regal and AMC) to bowling (www.kidsbowlfree.com), parks to pools, there really are plenty of things to do on a budget. Summertime will be over before we know it though, and our children are already experiencing the "summer slide" syndrome...when school starts up again, many kids will be backpedaling to recapture the 3 months of learning that they have lost from the previous year. How do we encourage our children to keep their minds active during the summer?

Though many professionals are recently adopting a more informal attire in the workplace, the males in The Daily Kool family are die-hard suit wearers. Sorry, President Obama...no business casual in the office for our men, especially Dad. He is meticulous about his appearance, even on the weekends...he wears a polo and dress pants to clean the pool, for goodness sake! Okay, we are the first to admit that his standards may be unreasonably high (and quite possibly, unnecessary)...but, the majority of men (and women) we know do like to look good. Unwrinkled, pressed pants are often high on their list of wardrobe priorities. After all, who wants to come to work looking like they've just rolled out of bed (even if they have)?

Ugghhh!! Summers are not just here but dreadfully taking a toll on all of us. We humans can at least choose to decide on our recreations to drive away our summer blues. But, what about your darling pet dogs? They too might be longing for some entertaining activities but can't express. I am sure you all must be deeply in love with your fur pals and already be doing anything and everything to keep them happy and healthy. But, just imagine those glaring eyes in your locality when you take your dog for a stroll. I am sure you must have come across such people because of whom you don't feel comfortable taking your dogs to public places. Also, if you do take your dog out, the poor thing must wear a leash. Can you imagine putting your pet in the community pool? Your pet might be clean and disciplined. But other people are not so considerate.

Information on Shigella which are bacteria that can infect the digestive tract and cause a wide range of symptoms.