Bombs far away

The Internet takes far-flung incidents and flings them into your inbox, making obscure threats seem immediate and local.

The other day I got an email about Drano bombs, or "works" bombs, left in people's front yards that explode when someone picks them up.

These homemade bombs weren't being used in the Valley or even Arizona but it's worth talking to your kids about being careful of recreating things they see on YouTube or find on websites. These bombs can cause real harm.

"Bombs" made from household chemicals have been around for years but your kids need to be aware of how dangerous they can be. Snopes: Bottle Bomb article.

Puppy deja vu

Debra Rich Gettleman decides that "doing what is right for Maggie" means adding another dog to the family. Unmotherly Insights.

Shakespeare and SB 1070

While attending the Utah Shakespearean Festival with her daughter Lizabeth, Lynn Trimble stayed tuned to national news about Arizona's controversial SB 1070. It got her thinking about the art of immigration. Stage Mom.

Find out what else is happening in RAK Blogs.

Mala's picks for weekend fun!

Calendar & Directories Editor Mala Blomquist shares her picks for the weekend's family events. Watch her today at 1pm!

And in the arts...

When in doubt, count on Valley museums to offer something fun to see and do. Some activites are low-cost or even no-cost, too. Stage Mom.

PHOTO: Peach Mania Festival (Sat-Sun July 31-Aug 1) at Apple Annie's Orchard in Willcox.

Faces of afterschool

What kids do after school can make a big difference. It's a problem when kids are home catatonic in front of the television, perusing questionable websites or worse.

According to Melanie McClintock, executive director of the Arizona Center for Afterschool Excellence, 249,000 kids are in after-school programs — but the parents of more than twice that many want to enroll their kids in such programs.

The center's website includes the AZAfterschool Directory to find before- and after-school programs.

To put a face on after-school programs, children age 5 to 17 years old are asked to create a self-portrait in any two-dimensional medium for possible exhibit at the Children's Museum of Phoenix. The exhibit will open Oct. 1.

The deadline for artwork is Aug. 30. Maddy Harsh, pictured here, has her self-portrait completed. Details at Faces of Afterschool Self-Portrait Project.

Mala's picks for weekend fun!

Each Friday, Calendar & Directories Editor Mala Blomquist joins Destry Jetton, Jan D'Atri and the rest of the on-air team for Arizona Midday to share her picks for the weekend's family events. Watch her today at 1pm!

And in the arts...

When in doubt, count on Valley museums to offer something fun to see and do. Some activites are low-cost or even no-cost, too. Stage Mom.

PHOTO: Peach Mania Festival (Sat-Sun July 31-Aug 1) at Apple Annie's Orchard in Willcox.

Ethiopia — the Soddo orphanage

Though she was not allowed to take pictures of the children, Publisher & Editor Karen Barr does have photos of the inside of the Children's Cross Connection orphanage director Stephne Bowers runs in the village of Soddo, Ethiopia, four hours south of the capital city of Addis Ababa. Behind the 'Zine.

Find out what else is happening in RAK Blogs.

History in Avondale cemetery

Surrounded by neighborhoods and office complexes Goodyear Farms Historic Cemetery, also known as Litchfield Cemetery, represents a bit of Arizona history.

Paul W. Litchfield, an executive with Goodyear Tire, came to Arizona in 1917 to grow long-staple cotton used in manufacturing tires. Thousands of Mexican and Native American workers were hired to clear the desert, dig canals and plant fields.

Labor camps set up to house the workers were hit hard by the flu pandemic of 1918, which killed 30 to 50 million people worldwide. The afflicted workers and their families are buried in the cemetery.

Many of the gravestones are unmarked, though a few still bear the names of adults and children buried there. A mural by artist Victor Caldee depicts life for the workers a nearly a century ago.

The cemetery is on Santa Fe Trail (127th Ave), just south of Indian School Road in Avondale. For more information and pictures, read Eduardo Barraza's article Relentless Pioneer Cemetery EvokesMexican Migrant Workers Roots in Arizona.

Ethiopia — finding some semblance of control amid the chaos

For Soddo orphanage director Stephne Bowers, there is comfort and hope in maintaining a pleasant, predictable home for her family — and for the orphans in her care. Behind the 'Zine.

Making do with limited resources

Arts education is critically underfunded, and yet 87 percent of students have access to some dance, music, theater or visual arts in their schools. Results from the first statewide Arizona Arts Education Census. Schools, etc.

Sneak peeks

Curious to know what's coming up in Valley theater? A number of "season previews" are being performed soon — and some performances are free. Stage Mom.

Find out what else is happening in RAK Blogs.

Giddyup cowboy

Canyon Creek Ranch in Black Canyon City is offering free trail rides to the first 24 people, age 6 and up, who sign up for Friday sunrise or sunset rides in the desert north of Phoenix. The offer continues through Sept. 30.

It'll be a bit toasty, but it's cooler in the Black Canyon City area than it is in the heart of the Valley. Each trail ride includes a breakfast or BBQ dinner.

Canyon Creek Ranch used to be a real working ranch but now includes a western village with a saloon and games like axe throwing, pistol shooting and haybale roping.

Even if you don't score the free ride, there's a 30 percent discount on Friday rides. If you're still in the market for a little staycation, the ranch is just north of Anthem, set amongst rugged hills and mesas.

Call 623-374-5245 Monday through Thursday for reservations for the Friday ride. westerndestinations.com/canyon.html

Day 56 after the office flood — so much stuff!

As the pile of boxes kept growing, we found ourselves wondering how we'd managed to work for 56 days without all this stuff. Behind the 'Zine.

The sun, moon and stars

Two recently announced awards prove what Lynn Trimble always has known: that Tempe's Childsplay theater is a national treasure. Stage Mom.

Find out what else is happening in RAK Blogs.

Folk dancing in Avondale

A small room fills with flowing dresses at Ballet Folklorico Esperanza in in Avondale. Director Kathi Soria's granddaughter wanted to learn the folk dances of Mexico, so she started the troup in 2007.

Each state in Mexico has its own dances and costumes reflecting the European, African, Mayan and Aztec influences on Mexican culture.

Picturerd here, giving her bright red dress a twirl, is Maddy Gonzalez. Dancers come once a week and must maintain good grades in school to participate in local and statewide performances.

There's a boxing gym across the street; Soria says once she gets settled in the new space she'll go over and recruit some of the boys to dance. Ballet Folklorico Esperanza.

Today is Twitter Tuesday:
Learn how to keep kids fit!

Cardon Children's Medical Center launched a Fit Kid Challenge earlier this summer. Find out how participants are doing and learn about tips you can implement at home to keep your kids eating and exercising healthfully, even during this exhausting summer heat.

Our guests: Kate Kennedy is an early intervention specialist with six years of experience in pediatric physical therapy. Her specialties include aquatics, orthopedics, chronic pain and the medically fragile. Mandi L. Turner, R.D., CDE, is a registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator who provides comprehensive nutrition assessments and develops appropriate nutrition care plans for children and families.

TWITTER TUESDAY starts at noon today. To join in, follow @RAKMagazine and @CardonChildrens, or type #azhealth into Twitter search.

"The Lion King" — and leukemia

Before she was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia, 11-year-old Shannon Tavarez was performing the role of “Nala” in “The Lion King” on Broadway. Now she needs a bone marrow transplant. Stage Mom.

Day 55 after the office flood — moving back in

After nearly two months of disruption and dislocation, we're finally moving back into our offices. It's been a trying time. Thankfully, our business — and the staff's sense of humor — are still intact. Behind the 'Zine.

Find out what else is happening in RAK Blogs.

Contests for kids

Okay contest fans, mark these deadlines on your calendar. First, Tempe-based Gryphen Specialty Products and Services (Gryphen SPS), a pre-vocational center for individuals with disabilities, is holding a dog photo contest.

Photograph your dog being more dynamic than Bubba, pictured here. Email the photo of your dog to gryphensps@gmail.com by August 20. Winners get Gryphen dog treats and grooming certificates. Visit Gryphen Dog Treats for details.

Not to be outdone, American Pet Products Association (APPA) is holding the 3rd Annual APPA National Children’s Pet Poetry Contest. Children in third through fifth grades can post poems about their dog online starting Aug. 1 at petsaddlife.org. Deadline is Jan. 31, 2011. Winners get $250 gift certificates and $1,000 scholarships for the classroom to spend on pet-related education.

Lastly, Lands’ End wants kids ages 4 to 11 to design T-shirts for its “Every Tee Tells A Story” contest. The theme is "Arctic Adventure." Winning designs will be featured on a Lands’ End Graphic Tee. The boy and girl who submit the winning drawings will each receive a $500 Lands’ End Gift Card. Lands' End will donate $1 for every entry for art-related classroom projects at public schools. The contest starts July 28; the deadline is Sept. 7. landsend.com/thehub.

Chandler mom Leanne Contessa's business, TaylorMade Slings, offers safe and fashionable products that promote bonding while allowing parents the convenience of hands-free baby carrying.

Read more about Leanne.

Head lice can go to school

The American Academy of Pediatrics now says that no healthy child should be excluded from or miss school because of head lice — and that schools should abandon "no-nit policies." What do you think? Health Matters.

"Les Mis" light?

Not taking your children to see a live production of “Les Miserables” is the theater equivalent of never taking them to a baseball game. Stage Mom.

Find out what else is happening in RAK Blogs.

Get close, be surpised

Here's a quick art project you and your kids can do. Set your point-and-shoot digital camera to the macro mode (the flower icon) and ignore all the vistas, landscapes and groups of people. Look closely for color, texture and surprises.

Sometimes the place where two, three or more colors meet creates a pleasing image. Old peeling paint is perfect because it combines texture with colors. As one layer of paint shrinks and peels, it reveals the previous layers.

American photographer Aaron Siskind is famous for his close-ups of peeling paint and old signs, and his were taken in black-and-white. He relied solely on light value and texture.

Look in downtown areas for old buildings where painted signs are still visible on brick and wood, then move in. The image here was taken in downtown Flagstaff.

Supreme Pasta Salad

Perfect for a hot summer day: an easy-to-make pasta salad recipe. Calendar & Directories Editor Mala Blomquist made this one with pear tomatoes from her home garden.

Visit RAK Recipes.

Ethiopia — An endless well of heartbreaking stories

An estimated six million children in Ethiopia have been orphaned or abandoned. Here are stories about just four of them. Behind the 'Zine.

Theater for youth: tips and trends

Though the quality and quantity of live theater programming for young audiences is on the upswing, continuing economic fears mean more conservative choices, like adaptations of literary works that appeal to broader audiences. Stage Mom.

Find out what else is happening in RAK Blogs.

Candidate forum on arts in education

A poll conducted in the spring of 2009 by Cronkite/Eight showed that 90 percent of respondents felt it was "very important" or "important" for Arizona K-12 schools to include the arts (music, art, theater and dance, for example) as part of the curriculum.

That of course doesn't mean poll respondents want to pay to include arts in the curriculum, but that's another discussion.

Arizona Citizens for the Arts and the Arizona Alliance for Arts Education are holding a forum for the candidates for State Superintendent of Public Instruction at the Musical Insturment Museum on Thursday from 5:30-7:30pm. Candidates will respond to questions related to arts education in Arizona schools.

The forum is free and open to the public. Register here to ask a question in person or online. The forum will also be broadcast online.

The painting pictured here is "Tutor and his Pupil" by 17th century artist Claude Lefebvre. Arizona Citizens for the Arts.

Preventing drug abuse, mom by mom

The 3moms program, working through the Partnership for a Drug-Free America's Arizona affiliate, is teaching Valley parents how to talk to their kids about drugs. RAK Community.

Mala's picks for weekend fun!

Calendar & Directories Editor Mala Blomquist share her picks for the weekend's family events. (PHOTO: Sunday's Diamondbacks baseball game includes a free post-game concert with The Wiggles!)

And in the arts...

Lynn Trimble describes an especially interesting weekend for those of you who like your arts and entertainment a bit on the funky side. Stage Mom.

Supply and demand

Yesterday I was reading about breastfeeding and what affects milk supply. I know I can't breastfeed, but when you work at a parenting magazine it's a perfectly normal topic to research.

Anyway, after consulting La Leche League, Dr. Sears and this and that website, I found that breastfeeding moms produce as much milk as baby needs, assuming proper breastfeeding habits like a balanced diet, plenty of skin-to-skin contact and avoiding baby-formula.

Galactagogues are foods and herbs thought to increase breastmilk supply. Galactagogue is also a cool word I learned yesterday and intend to use as often as possible.

Milkmakers claims their oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are galactagogic because they have oats, brewer's yeast and flaxseed. A balanced diet also includes these ingredients.

Perhaps Publisher & Editor Karen Barr's recipe for healthier chocolate chip cookies, pictured here, should be renamed Galactagogue Cookies.

Ethiopia — homecoming is just the beginning

A seven-day international adoption adventure comes to an end but the stories will continue. Behind the 'Zine.

A relaxing spa getaway

Calendar & Directories Editor Mala Blomquist grabs Art Director Michelle-Renee Adams for a blissful "girls only" weekend escape to the Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North. Blomquist Family Adventures.

Lessons from the daily funnies

Maybe the message is to stop focusing on the minutia. Unmotherly Insights.

Find out what else is happening in RAK Blogs.

A drain on natural resources

The teachable moment at Tempe Town Lake: What is a billion gallons of water in the desert worth?

The water that filled the lake for the first time 10 years ago came via the Central Arizona Project canal from the Colorado River. Thanks to evaporation, the lake needs a million gallons a day just to stay filled. Over the next weeks, as the mud in the lake dries, it will bring home how dry our summers are and how easily water disappears.

Lots of people were out yesterday to seee the emptied lake and the gap in the dam. With so much talk of going green, the lake is a lesson in the value of water in the desert — whether the water goes down the drain or down the Rio Salado. Using Town Lake Water Efficiently.

The pool you might not fence

With budget-conscious families seeking low-cost ways to keep cool, it's more important than ever to consider the safety ramifications of all water-play options. Health Matters.

Consumers Reports weighs in on AD/HD

What families coping with AD/HD learn over time is that there is no magic fix, no one right way for everybody. Attention Debbie Dearest (ADD).

Gypsy musings

When she discovered that a musical group called "Parno Graszt" will be performing this weekend at the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix, it got Lynn Trimble thinking about all things gypsy. Stage Mom.

Zap mites, germs and viruses

The microscopic and ubiquitous house dust mite Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, pictured here, infests bedding, furniture and carpets, feeding on flakes of human skin and provoking allergic reactions and asthma symptoms.

The Valley's low humidity may curb their presence but generally house dust mites are in all of our homes. In most cases, we coexist.

For allergy sufferers, though, indoor allergens from dust mites are a major trigger. Washing kills them as does a dose of ultraviolet light.

Several products use UV light to sanitize a variety of surfaces. The Clean Wave Sanitizing Wand kills dust mites and eggs on a king-size mattress in a little over an hour so it takes some work. The wand will kill less hardy germs and viruses in a few seconds.

Ultraviolet light zaps germs from nearly any surface, but care must be taken to avoid contact with skin and eyes. How UV light kills germs.

Ethiopia — meet the babies

The two new deGuzman babies have distinct, and delightful, personalities. Behind the 'Zine.

Shakespeare — here and there

Lynn Trimble's daughter Lizabeth is enjoying a theater experience at the Utah Shakespearean Festival in Cedar City, in southwestern Utah. Which has Lynn thinking about Shakespeare opportunities here in the Valley. Stage Mom.

Pizza power builds a school

It's a long way to Uganda, but that distance can be bridged with pizza and wings. Not literally, of course; that would be a lot of wings. But if you eat pizza and wings tomorrow (July 21) at these nine Pizza Hut locations, you will help the Uganda Community School Project in Nawantale (pronounced “nah-wan-to-lay”), Uganda.

Phoenix resident and project director Kay Grosso has been working since 2006 to bring self-sustaining practices to the village. The project aims to build an ecologically sustainable campus.

Visit the Nawantale website to get a coupon before purchasing pizza or wings and check back frequently for future promotions.

Read more about the project in an article I wrote in 2008: "It takes a school to raise a village."

Mala and Solvay Blomquist came up with a clever way to create a flower garden that never needs watering.

Learn how to make a Paper Flower Garden.

Ethiopia — an unexpected meal

What was supposed to be a half-day excursion to visit a rural school turned into a day-long adventure when Paradise Valley couple Brian and Keri deGuzman and Publisher & Editor Karen Barr found themselves inside a traditional Ethiopian tukul, preparing to partake in a midday meal. Behind the 'Zine.

Pop! goes the easel

Lynn Trimble treats us to a taste of Valley venues featuring pop art of the visual variety. Stage Mom.

He's driving me crazy!

Debra Rich Gettleman has a love-hate relationship with her 2005 Land Rover. Unmotherly Insights.

Is your child's car seat safe?

Before you accept a hand-me-down car seat — or buy a new one — check out this report.

Ethiopian food is close by

As you've been reading about our intrepid publisher's journey to Ethiopia, you've probably wondered what the food is like there because everyone must eat sometime.

Fortunately there are two Ethiopian restaurants in the Valley -- both in Tempe and both on University. Cafe Lalibela is at 849 W. University Dr. and Blue Nile Cafe is at 933 E. University Dr.

The first thing you'll notice in Ethiopian restaurants is the absence of silverware. The food is wrapped in injera [in-JEER-uh], a thin, spongy, sourdough bread. To eat, you tear off a piece of injera and use it to grab a bit of savory stew.

Though it seems odd at first, it's easy to get the hang of it and you learn not to lick your fingers before grabbing the next bite if you're eating from a communal plate. Often the plate is the injera, so as you eat, the table setting disappears.

The food is not overly spicy though it can have some zing. Vegetarians can make a meal of the various dishes as can more traditional carnivores. Eat the food, read Behind the 'Zine.

A vision to "jazz up" glasses

Ros Guerrero of Gilbert is the founder and inventor of Ficklets. She creates stylish charms for eyeglasses.

Read more about Ros.

Ethiopia — the village school

"Lack of funding for education" takes on a whole new meaning in the rural villages of Ethiopia. Just 24 hours after they held their babies for the first time, Brian deGuzman, M.D. and his wife Keri traveled to a remote area to tour a primary school and listen to the community's respectful pleas for support. Behind the 'Zine.

Which teens are more likely to smoke?

If you have ever been skeptical about the influence of advertising on teen smoking, you'd better read today's Health Matters blog.

Pop culture prejudice

ASU Gammage Executive Director Colleen Jennings-Roggensack sees theater intertwined with popular culture as "an opportunity to introduce kids to other worlds." Stage Mom.

Find out what else is happening in RAK Blogs.

Crazy about locoweed

The wildflowers are blooming in Flagstaff. This brilliant purple flower, seen amongst the lupines and penstemon on the Fort Valley Trail System, is locoweed, or Oxytropis lambertii.

No, it won't make you crazy if you ingest it. It's poisonous to livestock, which generally know better than to eat it unless they are really hungry and there is nothing else to eat. And even then it takes quite a bit to cause a problem.

If a human ate enough of it they'd get poisoned too, but it isn't known to be palatable, so no matter how hungry your kids say they are on a hike, they won't likely stoop to graze. Pack energy bars just in case?

The poison in locoweed is swainsonine. And of course there are other toxic plants like desert tobacco, Nicotiana obtusifolia, which contains nicotine, and various other plants that absorb high levels of nitrates. So the rule is look but don't eat. Easy enough. Sonoran Desert Field Guide.

Ethiopia — "I Gotcha Day" (times two)

Publisher & Editor Karen Barr is back in Internet contact and catching up on chronicling the remarkable story of a Paradise Valley couple's journey to Ethiopia to welcome two babies to their family. Today she describes the moment when the deGuzmans saw their babies for the first time. Behind the 'Zine.

The "dumbing down" of Broadway?

Do musicals tied to TV shows and other popular media somehow rob our children of richer theater experiences? Stage Mom.

A chance to "Stuff the Bus"

Wednesday is your last chance to participate in a school supplies drive for the homeless and disadvantaged students at Children First Academy of Tempe, formerly the Thomas J. Pappas School. RAK Community.

Pesticide with your veggies?

Eat fruits and vegetables; avoid junk food. Sound advice. Some fruits and vegetables have more pesticides in and on them than others. Onions have the least, and celery the most, according to the Environmental Working Group's 2010 Shopper's Guide to Pesticides.

Should you avoid fruits and veggies altogethether to avoid pesticides completely? No, says EWG. The benefits of eating non-organic fruits and vegetables easily outweighs the danger of minute amounts of pesticide in conventionally grown food.

Organic food is expensive, so buying organic for celery, peaches, strawberries, apples and domestic blueberries — the five most pesticide-prone foods on the list — is a possible strategy.

What is the difference between organic and conventionally grown food? Here's an overview from the Mayo Clinic.

For an in-depth look at organic food, read Judy Davis' article Going organic.

No photo zones

Undoubtedly motorists Valleywide are smiling now that the photo enforment cameras are turned off. Those infernal cameras were located on the map pictured here.

Smile ironically because a third of all fatalities are speed related. Logically, the faster you drive the less time you have to react and/or stop. The faster a car is moving, the more force upon impact. Remember force equals mass times acceleration? Basic high school physics.

According to an article on WebMD, traffic accidents are the leading cause of death for American teenagers. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has plenty of research on the effects of speeding and motor vehicle fatalities. The Arizona Department of Public Safety also cites studies supporting efforts to control vehicle speed.

Art & air conditioning

The weather is steamy but art is cool and art msueums and galleries are air conditioned. Follow Stage Mom Lynn Trimble as she finds the coolest places to chill with art. Read today's post.

Free childcare for job seekers

Job hunting isn't any easier in the summer with the kids out of school. When you do snag an interview, leaving the kids on their own to bicker and pillage the refrigerator is not an option. And taking them along, as pictured here, isn't preferred either.

Unemployed parents who need free childcare while they go to a job interview can go to one of the 17 Sunrise Preschools or 10 Tots Unlimited locations. Job-seeking parents can get up to four hours of free childcare per visit on a "space available" basis for kids 6 months to 12 years old. Bring your kids' shot records and emergency information to the school site.

As always, public libraries offer free use of their computers and Southwest Job Network provides free job search related resources, tools and support.

Want more free opportunities? For the whole family, art museums like SMOCA and Mesa Arts Center are free on Thursdays and Phoenix Art Museum is free from 3 to 9pm on Wednesdays.

Art and elections

Stage Mom Lynn Trimble considers the role of arts in education. The Superintendents Candidates Forum is comig up. Find out how this is important to our kids. Read today's post.

Many Lincolns, one Goldwater

I was just in Ohio and there is an 11-foot statue of Abraham Lincoln in Lytle Park in downtown Cincinnati, dedicated in 1917 by William Howard Taft, the 27th president, an Ohio native.

This is one of the few Lincoln statues that depict him without a beard. In most of the other many statues of Lincoln, he wears the beard he grew in 1860.
 
Arizona doesn't have any official presidential statues I know of. There's a Barry Goldwater Memorial at Tatum Blvd & Lincoln. Though Goldwater was never president, he was a US Senator for three decades. The statue of Goldwater is the only major work of art depicting him. Goldwater Memorial.

Musings on “Les Mis”

Stage Mom Lynn Trimble, considers the classics in light of contemporary musicals. Read today's post,

Father’s Day at Wild Horse Pass- part 2

More LEGO Mini-build fun at Wild Horse Pass Resort with Brittany Walker and family. Read today's post,

Find out what else is happening in RAK Blogs.

Spud science

Physics, biology, chemistry and earth science, all in a potato chip bag. The Potato Chip Science Book (Workman, 2010) by A. Kurzweil & Son (Max) isn't just about potatoes and potato chips, but it uses empty potato chip bags, plastic lids (like those from canned chips), plastic tubes, some wires, a digital watch face and household materials to teach science to kids. Some of the science projects require actual potatoes.

This is science with simple, everyday materials. The book won't be out until September, so planners and early shoppers, take note.

While you wait, there is a wealth of science material using potatoes on the Web. For example, you can make a battery from a potato. The advantage of the Potato Chip Science Book is that most of the materials are included, or it provides lists of household items that are needed. The 84-page book has  directions and background information to go with all the activities. Potato Chip Science Book.

Mala and Solvay Blomquist explain how you can create an inexpensive beaded crown for the prince or princess in your life.

Learn how to make a beaded crown.

Baby naming in the digital age

Before you get too attached to a name you like, heed this advice from local social media experts.

Watch RAK on 12 News.

Time to ditch the bottle? Here’s who might help

Vicki Balint writes about a new program to wean children off the bottle. According to the American Academy of Pediatricians, children should be off the bottle by 15 months. Health Matters.

Ethiopia – breaking the bubble

Publisher & Editor Karen Barr writes about her experiences in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, a world away from the Valley, the magazine and her usual routines and duties. Behind the 'Zine.

Night at the Aquarium

The Blomquists explore an ocean in the desert: the Sea Life Aquarium at Arizona Mills Mall. Blomquist Family Adventures.

Father’s Day at Wild Horse Pass

Brittany Walker and family attend the LEGO Mini-Build at Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa. Her boys love LEGOs and the event was at a resort. Nice combination. Notes from a Been-There Mom.

Standing ovations

Lynn Trimble addresses standing ovations, the appreciative applause variety, as well as the new "Standing Ovations" movie. Enjoy her interview with two cast members. Stage Mom.

Japanese popular art exhibit

Popular art forms like Japanese anime have cultural connections to manga, Japanese comics and more traditional woodblock prints. The Arizona Museum for Youth in Mesa will host the exhibit "Jump to Japan" starting July 16.

Woodblock prints, manga and anime were popular Japanese art forms at one time. Anime recently has experience a resurgence in popularity. Manga dates from just after World War II.

The exhibit will explore Japanese culture through making art. Visitors can make their own animation and manga. Pictured here is a large scale "Cat Bus" from Hayao Miyazaki's film, "My Neighbor Totoro." Jump to Japan exhibit.

Early learning through Busy Bodies

Robin Dieman is a former teacher with a passion for helping children learn through play.

Read more about Robin.

Ethiopia – we have the babies!

Fourteen months and 9,000 miles later Brian and Keri deGuzman welcome two children into their family.KAren Barr, publisher and editor, is traveling with the deGuzmans to chronicle their adventure.Read today's post,

Nickelodeon “Parents’ Picks” 2010

Stage Mom Lynn Trimble notes that several valley theater groups, like Musical Theatre of Anthem, have been selected for a 2010 Nickelodeon’s “Parents Connection” program award. Find out what other parents recommend.Read today's post,

Dads and their kids

Gender roles have changed over the last 30 years. The number of men losing their jobs during the recession may accelerate the changes. John Badalament's book, The Modern Dad's Dilemma (New World Library, 2010) describes how men who wish to have a different relationship with their children than they had with their fathers must understand what they want to do differently.

According to the book, men need to balance their role as provider with their role as a communicating, active parent. In the past, men spent so much time at work their children hardly knew them.

Badalament stresses children knowing their father and their father knowing them. The book also focuses on modern dads coming to terms with the relationship they had with their fathers. The Modern Dad's Dilemma.

Blueberry almond bran muffins

Packed with fiber and Omega-3 fatty acids from flax meal and almond flour, these hearty bran muffins will get your day off to a healthy start.

Remote location in four places

People, especially multi-taskers, often wish they could be in more than one place at one time. Location found.

The Four Corners Monument is in northeast Arizona, northwest New Mexico, southeast Utah and southwest Colorado. The United States won the land after the Mexican-American War in 1848, but a marker showing the location of the Four Corners wasn’t installed until 1912.

The Four Corners Monument is administered by the Navajo Parks and Recreation Department. The land is in the Navajo Nation and the Ute Mountain Ute Indian Reservation, six miles north of Teec Nos Pos, Ariz. A six-hour drive from Phoenix, it’s a remote area with no electricity, no telephones and no running water, so be prepared with your own food and drinks.

Due to construction, the monument will reopen in August so call 928-871-6647 or visit the website before you visit. Four Corners Monument.

Saguaro fruit harvest

The Tohono O’odham and Pima Indians harvested the saguaro fruits using long poles made from saguaro ribs. By the time the fruits are ripe, picking the fruit is hot, difficult work because the fruit is 15 feet or so off the ground.

For the Tohono O'odham, the fruit harvest signified the beginning of the new year, perhaps because during late June or early July, food is scarce in the desert and the fruits are a welcome addition to their diet. The fruits are 10 percent protein. The seeds are 30 percent fat.

Colossal Cave near Tucson is having a Saguaro Harvest Celebration on Saturday from 9am to 1pm featuring Saguaro fruit syrup and saguaro seed-planting activity. John Rhodes from the Tucson Botannical Gardens will lead a presentation on the saguaro. Read more about the saguaro from the Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum.

Mala's picks for weekend fun!

Each Friday, Calendar & Directories Editor Mala Blomquist joins Destry Jetton, Jan D'Atri and the rest of the on-air team for Arizona Midday to share her picks for the weekend's family events. Watch her today at 1pm!

And in the arts...

This weekend features your first and last chance to see several community theater productions. Stage Mom.

Ethiopia — checking in...

...and with no time to write, a photo will have to suffice. Behind the 'Zine.

Find out what else is happening in RAK Blogs.

Digital diagnostic technology

Members of the Glendale Fire Department dropped by the new Banner Thunderbird Heart and Vascular Center to see all the new technology it has available in three digital catheterization labs.

The machine pictured here can create a 3-D view of the inside of arteries. Other equipment uses two x-ray sources simultaneously on two different planes so that the patient doesn't have to be injected with contrast dye twice.

Therre is an MRI that can accomodate patients up to 450 pounds. The bore size is also larger, making it easier for claustrophobic patients.

A 64-slice Computerized Tomography (CT) scanner can techinically scan the entire body in 10 seconds but, as was mentioned at the center opening, that isn't something a radiologist would do because it would be an enormous dose of radiation. The Heart and Vascular Center cost $20 million, part of a $290 million expansion. Banner Thunderbird.

Ethiopia — Preparing for the reality of it

No matter how sincere your compassion, no matter how well-intentioned your actions, it is much easier to harm the orphaned children in Ethiopia than it is to help them. Emotional preparation on the eve of departure "Behind the 'Zine."

Would you leave a child in a hot car?

Leaving children inside a burning hot vehicle is the leading cause of non-crash vehicle deaths for kids under the age of 14. Health Matters.

Teens and the art scene

Lynn Trimble has all sorts of ways to engage your teenager in the local arts scene. Stage Mom.

Find out what else is happening in RAK Blogs.

Learn the words, read the book.

"Sight words" are words that beginning readers learn by sight rather than pronunciation. Words such as "was," "the" and "you" show up in reading so frequently it increases the fluency of young readers just to memorize them.

Imagine a beginning reader trying to sound out "the." It might sound like "ta-hee." The Dolch word list has 220 sight words. Making flash cards of sight words helps early readers learn them. Or read Cat in the Hat. All sight words.

Scholastic has a set of sight word books for kindergarten and first grade called BOB Books: Sight Words. Each set has 10 short books with simple stories and illustrations. The books also come with a set of flash cards.

For more information about sight words and the arguments for and against their use in teaching reading, read Mary L. Holden's "'Who' and 'Why' with Dr. Fry'" in our July issue.

Giving back to Chandler, and the people of Malawi

Volunteers from Live Love, including Shelby Evans (pictured) spent a day cleaning up struggling areas of Chandler. For that privilege, they each donated $10 to a project they have undertaken to provide mosquito nets to families in the Republic of Malawi, Africa.

Learn more about the Valley's incredible kids.

Ethiopia — Stage 1 is done!

Four adults and two small children boarded an early morning flight yesterday for the first leg in a 9,000-mile journey to build a family. Read Karen Barr's "Behind the 'Zine" blog.

Musical theater scholarship alert!

Stage Mom Lynn Trimble has news of a scholarship being offered by The Arts Edge, an educational consulting firm that works primarily with students pursuing study in the performing arts. Read today's post.

Surf City: Part III

Beachcombing, hanging poolside and an incredible meal on the last day of the Blomquist family's trip to the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach. Read today's Blomquist Family Adventures blog.

Behind the scenes

Dedicated Phoenix Mercury fans would love to hang out in the locker room and talk to the coach and players. Pictured here is RAK multimedia journalist Vicki Balint (left) hanging out in the locker room with Mercury General Manager — and recently announced President — Ann Meyers Drysdale and her children Drew and DJ.

Through July 29, you can stop by the H&R Block kiosk before a game or go online to fill out an entry form for the "Ultimate Backstage Pass." One lucky winner will get an autograph session with the team after practice, two signed WNBA basketballs, two Mercury replica jerseys, a photo of the Mercury player of their choice and a one-on-one session with Drysdale, the Hall of Fame athlete whose simple desire to play the game led her to break all sorts of barriers for women, paving the way toward formation of the WNBA.

While you're waiting to win, read Vicki's interview, "Phoenix Mercury GM still wants to compete," listen to the podcast and watch the video interview Vicki and audio/video specialist Rob Turchick put together after our visit.

Mala and Solvay Blomquist explain you how can create an inexpensive pair of flip-flops with Fun Fur Yarn.

Learn how to create your own custom flip-flops.

Ethiopia – the day of departure

Sometimes the picture says it all. Two cribs await the return of the deGuzmans and their newly adopted children. Karen Barr, Editor & Publisher begins her journey to Ethiopia. Read today's post.

Acting classes for all ages

Stage Mom Lynn Trimble provides a list of where to take acting classes for kids and adults. Read today's post.

Summer fun — out of the sun

Beat the heat with some cool interactive exhibits at the newly remodeled Arizona Museum for Youth, where your kids will find lots of opportunities for creative expression. Watch RAK on 12 News.

To buy or not to buy?

Fortunately the Fourth of July is not a gift holiday, unless you count bringing the potato salad. Here at Did You Know Consumer Science, we often come across quirky products with obvious alternatives.

Like a checkered target that fits over a camera so infants will look at it. You can't just wave a colorful toy? Or towels with snaps so kids can't pull them off the rack, though they may pull the towel bar off the wall instead. Need I go on?

Apparently, because there are lots of gifts and only so many consumers.

Parent Tested Parent Approved alone has 305 "winners." Like just the tops of muffins (remember the 155th episode of Seinfeld?). An iPhone app to stream kid's audio stories and songs for $25 per year. Saves you from having to sit down and read with your kids.

Lastly, stick-on, self-esteem-inducing, inspiring stickers to put on your kid's mirror -- unless you prefer those cheap, handwritten, personalized, authentic Post-it Notes. Do more, buy less.

A healthy revamp

Bettijo Hirschi started her career as an analyst for the Department of Defense. Her fascination with herbs and natural ingredients led her to develop a line of organic bath and spa products.

Read more about Bettijo.

Video games and attention problems

On the Health Matters blog Vicki Balint writes about the results of research on attention problems and video games in kids, and adults. Read today's post.

Ethiopia — the talismans of travel

On the eve of her trip to Ethiopa, Publisher/Editor Karen Barr is packing, repacking and making sure there is room for three items with special meaning to her. Read "Behind the 'Zine."

Baker’s dozen for 16th season

On the Stage Mom blog Lynn Trimble chronicles the prolific Desert Stages Theatre which will produce 13 shows in the 2010-2011 season. Read today's post.

The sky's the limit

It's a holiday weekend but you're in a rut. Rather than non-stop festivities, why not try something new?

History buffs will be jonesing for Know99's History of the US Constitution, which runs tomorrow from 8am to 4pm.

For more whole-family excitement, the Scottsdale Convention and Visitors Bureau has a free, downloadable 19-page guide with 40 family-friendly staycation ideas. Activities and destinations are spread all over the Valley, not just Scottsdale, and include plenty of outside activites, so set your alarm to start early. And of course it lists places to go that are inside, like museums. Once it's printed, the guide is an antidote to stymied parents who want to do something with the kids but, after a harried work week, don't want to head back to the computer to do research.

Before you turn off the computer, check out Great Escapes (our 2010 directory of family-friendly resorts), Stupendous Staycations and, of course, our daily calendar of events. You're welcome. Now go have fun.

Patriotic pops

Strawberries and blueberries provide natural hues for these creamy homemade popsicles.

Ann Meyers Drysdale, general manager of the Phoenix Mercury, talks about breaking barriers, raising kids and building the WNBA. Her daughter Drew and her son D.J. also weigh in on the Meyers Drysdale legacy.

Join Vicki for "A Conversation with..." Ann Meyers Drysdale.

Read more about Drysdale: "Phoenix Mercury GM still wants to compete."

Ethiopia — I gotcha!

Her parents will soon travel to Ethiopia to bring home her baby sister and brother, but last night was about 3½-year-old Jesmina deGuzman. Read today's "Behind the 'Zine" blog.

History and happenstance

Stage Mom Lynn Trimble spent the eve before Independence Day learning more about one of the countries in which we’ve invested our time and our treasure with tragic consequences for military families who’ve lost loved ones in the fight. Read today's post.

Find out what else is happening in RAK Blogs.

Fish tales come true

If you need a reason to get out this weekend, Arizona Game and Fish offers a whopper: big fish. Specifcally, large rainbow trout in the 5- to 10-pound, 15-inch range.

The giant fish pictured here has nothing to do with Arizona Game and Fish stocking plans because, duh, it's not a trout.

Four lakes are being stocked with the mega-trout: Woods Canyon Lake on the Mogollon Rim, City Reservoir near Williams, Rose Canyon Lake on Mt. Lemmon and Fain Lake near Prescott.

You'll need a fishing license to land these lunkers. Game and Fish offers some fishing advice: Big fish go deep for colder water, so fish deep. Fourth of July Trout Stocking.

Peace of mind comes with free pool fence

A Phoenix family is one of 12 that will receive free pool fences under the Fulton Homes Fence Patrol.

Visit the RAK Community blog to learn more.

Ethiopia — what not to wear?

For a trip to a third-world country, in the height of the rainy season, a fashion consult is critical. Read "Behind the 'Zine."

Mala's picks for weekend fun!

Calendar & Directories Editor Mala Blomquist shares her picks for the weekend's family events.

And in the arts...

Let's not forget the many ways families can artistically celebrate the Independence Day weekend. Stage Mom Lynn Trimble with "the forks of July."

Host families needed

Fifty Chinese kids ages 13 to 17, from Chongqing, Sichuan Province, are headed to Arizona as part of a U.S. trip to practice their English, sample American culture, see the Grand Canyon and visit Disneyland.

Their original plans to stay in Texas fell through, so The World Youth Visit Exchange Association (WYVEA) of Arizona is looking for host families from July 20 to 26 and July 28. The Chinese students are going to the Grand Canyon July 26 to 28.

Families will host two students, show them different aspects of American culture and, in return, learn something about Chinese culture. The Chinese kids may think the Southwest is all cowboys and cactus. What would you show them?

The WYVEA has been supporting and sponsoring international exchanges since 1975. If you would like to host a couple of kids, contact Susan McCall at 602-618-4939 or susanchinatour@gmail.com

Love letter

"Unmotherly Insights" blogger Debra Rich Gettleman describes her fear and apprehension as she prepares to send her son off to sleep-away camp for the first time. Read today's post.

The forks of July?

Stage Mom Lynn Trimble offers up a heaping helping of art-related activities for the weekend and beyond. Dig in! Read today's post.

Find out what else is happening in RAK Blogs.

A sport for the entire family

July is Family Golf Month. Find out how you can celebrate it with free golf for kids and more.

Tons of fun

Under the water tower in downtown Gilbert is the Water Tower Plaza. It features an array of fountains, trickling water and a five-ton, solid granite sphere suspended on a cushion of water (pictured here). With a light touch, Kylee Peterson, 11, and Emily Pospisil, 3, could rotate it on its watery base.

Kylee's and Emily's siblings and cousins came for a splash in the fountains yesterday around noon. The only time they noticed the heat was when they were walking barefoot on dry pavement. There are even bathrooms nearby at the park-and-ride lot as well as a selection of restaurants a short walk away.

The Gilbert water tower was built in 1927. The Water Tower Plaza is just west of N. Gilbert Road on W. Page Avenue. To see more pictures visit the RAK Magazine Facebook page.

"Eclipse": A conversion story

Stage Mom blogger Lynn Trimble writes that "Eclipse" is the most believeable of the "Twilight" movies so far. Other RAK staffers tagged along and give their views on the latest "fangs, fur and friendship" films. Read today's post.

Small world stories

Ann Meyers Drysdale is on our cover this month but we weren't expecting a member of the RAK family to cross paths with her at a local basketball camp for kids. Find out about this and other funny coincidences going on "Behind the 'Zine."

Interview with a champion — and two of her amazing kids

Vicki Louk Balint interviews Phoenix Mercury General Manager Ann Meyers Drysdale and two of her kids — D.J. and Drew — in this video taken from inside the Mercury locker room. This is just part of an extended interview you can hear on RAK Radio.

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