children

Today, The Daily Kool has decided to play hooky. That's right, folks...we are taking the day off from school and work to do absolutely nothing but have fun together as a family. Novel idea, huh? Since we are a group of classic workaholics, we occasionally need the break to reclaim our sanity. Yes, we realize this is why we have weekends, but ours tend to be spent running around to birthday parties and catching up on all of the chores/errands we've neglected throughout our hectic week. This calls for a day at the waterpark, complete with a picnic...without the weekend crowds.

One of the most difficult questions asked of stay-at-home moms is the dreaded "What do you do?" Here is my take on why this question is so unnerving and some tips for how you might respond.

Well, judging by the weather, summer is definitely just around the corner here at The Daily Kool, and boy, are we in big trouble. Bathing suit season is almost here, and we have totally been neglecting our healthier eating habits these past few months...yikes! Time to get back on track and start watching what we eat. Thank goodness we have The Biggest Loser finale coming next Tuesday for inspiration. Those contestants are amazing...an absolute inspiration to everyday people like us who want to improve our health and increase longevity. And, while The Biggest Loser contestants have had many tools at their disposal to help them shed those extra pounds, one of the most important has undoubtedly been an old standard...a kitchen scale.

Last week, there was a breaking news story about one of the larger baggage theft rings ever seen at Oregon's Portland International Airport. Baggage handlers literally stole hundreds of items from travelers' checked luggage...one of them even sold some of the property on eBay. Think about how easy it is to gain access to someone's luggage...you don't even have to be an airline passenger to go to the baggage claim. With crime in general escalating in today's tougher economic times, it's no wonder that baggage theft is on the rise as well...it's certainly one of the easier crimes of opportunity.

Every Saturday, we take our youngest child to a gymnastics class with a group of five friends that he's been with since his four-month old Mommy and Me class. This past weekend, three of them canceled because of influenza concerns, particularly the swine flu. Sure, a children's gymnasium is indeed a breeding ground for germs...after all, we are constantly telling our own children to keep their hands out of their mouths and nose (picky, picky). But unless you are willing to put your child in a bubble, he or she is undoubtedly going to be exposed to germs. As parents, the best thing we can do regarding the swine flu and other influenzas is to make sure that we take reasonable precautions to prevent infection, and call our pediatrician at the first signs of illness.

Last month, we carpooled with a friend and her children to meet a group of four other families for a quick (but crazy) weekend trip to the Florida Keys. Thank goodness for the invention of the minivan...we just put four car seats in the Honda Odyssey, strapped the kids in, and away we went. We all had a wonderful time, but wow...you should have seen those car seats when we got back! Imagine the coagulated mess...apple juice, chocolate milk, mushed M&Ms, cookies, crackers, chips...the list goes on and on. Combine all that with the sand, ocean water and tar from the beach, and we had a serious mess to clean up. Oh, and did we mention the projectile vomiting incident that spanned across the entire second row?

Tomorrow is National Teacher Day, and is part of a week-long celebration honoring our teachers. It is our children's opportunity to thank the special teachers in their lives for their hard work and dedication throughout the school year. Few professionals impact our lives as teachers do...each of us has undoubtedly had at least one teacher who profoundly affected and inspired us as children (and adults). Though we believe that teachers should be recognized every day, National Teacher Day is indeed an ideal time to join together with other communities and acknowledge how much we value and respect their contributions to our children's future.

We at The Daily Kool love candles...they create a welcoming, relaxing environment and are a beautiful edition to any home decor. What could be a more perfect Mother's Day gift? Whoa...wait a minute. Candles? With kids in the house? Are we crazy?

Gift of the month clubs are always a successful, albeit expensive choice for a loved one. For the mother who seems to have everything (like ours), it's a unique and thoughtful gift that keeps giving. The Daily Kool has given several monthly club memberships as gifts over the years. Our favorites so far are Harry and David's Fruit-of-the-Month Club and Wolferman's Muffin Club. The quality and customer service of both companies has always been outstanding. Our only complaint is the lack of variety available. Oh, don't get us wrong...there are different delectable monthly features from each company. It's just that the choice is always going to be fruit from Harry and David and muffins from Wolferman's. What if we want both? Or something else added?

Nice hub page about the history of the England soccer kit. Including info about the first away kit

Our mother definitely has her own sense of style. She always looks meticulous and fashionable, matching her outfit, shoes and handbag to perfection. Somehow, we didn't inherit that gene, but we admire it nonetheless. Mommy (yes, we still call her that...don't make fun) particularly loves purses, and has one to suit almost every occasion. It's just a shame that her purse is always slipping off of a chair onto the dirty floor whenever she goes to a restaurant.

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

Make this Valentine's Day a fun and sweet memorable day, Enjoy this holiday of love by sharing these fun Valentine's Day with your kids. Check out some Valentine's Day gift ideas for your kids, where they're offering 50% Sales OFF on great products. Make this easy Valentine's Day Bookmarks for someone special whom you love.

Obama keeping his promise. Child Development - SCHIP Bill Passes House: First Step in Expanding Health Insurance for Kids.

A great little site which lets you add presents from any online store to your own wishlists. You then share your lists with your friends and family to make sure you get the presents you really want. You can create lists for yourself, your kids, anniversaries, weddings or anything else you can think of. Its free to use and they even have some great gift ideas so why not give it a try..?

Cool Baby Clothes from Raspberry Blowers

It is counted on that over half-a-million Americans are constructing sunrooms each year, with the rooms being employed for a diversity of uses. Sunrooms have numerous windows, configured to capture a maximum measure of sunlight. All sunrooms reserve you to savor the sunshine all year-around without being outdoor. You will be able to revel the sun even during the coldest months of the year. In a sun lounge you can love the passion and brightness of the sun without the spoiled roles of being out of doors like bothering pesters. With decently processed windowpanes you can also protect yourself from the sun's UV rays which can induce ageing and even skin cancer.

Aiming your home improved is an unaffordable issue in life. Yet, household improvement is as well considered as a must because a home is a family's most substantial and satisfying place in the world. Picking out to employ a contractor to perform the home improvement designs can be a judicious and sensible thing since they have the expertise on how to dress a home projects athe right way.

Texas based researchers found that an increasingly common pollutant called perchlorate may interfere with the bioavailability of the iodine in breast milk, thus decreasing an infant's intake.

Several studies over the past year have revealed a consistent message: good parenting in the first year of a baby's life can have a lasting impact on child development well into the teenage years. While the definition of "good parenting" is loosely defined, here are the top 10 science based parenting tips.