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Toy Safety Tips
Malcolm Denniss, aka Mr. Toy Safety, has developed a list of tips that parents should adhere to when shopping for little ones this holiday season.
1. The most important aspect of buying gifts for children (whether for holidays or birthdays) is to make sure the toy or game is age-appropriate for the child. Nearly every toy or game will list the appropriate age on the box. The guidelines were developed by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Toy Industry Association, and take into account the typical ability of children to handle certain toys.
2. Children are naturally excited to play with new toys at holiday times, often in a robust and possibly overly enthusiastic manner. It is important that parents periodically check their children's toys for any damage or breakage, which could create sharp edges or a choking hazard. If a toy looks damaged, take it away! If necessary, contact the manufacturer to verify that it is still safe to play with.
3. While toy shopping during the holidays, check recall notices at the toy or department store to verify none of your child's existing toys has been recalled.
4. If your are buying toys for nephews, nieces, or other children that you may not see on a regular basis, it is always a good idea to check with the parents and make sure you know what they think is appropriate for the child, particularly for very young children where maturity can vary significantly.
Learn more about safe play at these websites:
Toy Association - www.toyassociation.org
Safe Kids U.S.A. - usa.safekids.org
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission - www.cpsc.gov
Online Used Book Sales Support At-Risk Youth
In support of the Idaho Youth Ranch mission, revenue generated from the new e-books initiative will provide a long-term, sustainable revenue stream to fund residential group homes and other programs for Idaho's at-risk youth and families.
The Idaho Youth Ranch distribution centers in Boise and Twin Falls receive between 500 and 1000 books per day. Donated books include hardbacks and paperbacks in categories ranging from art to travel, popular fiction and nonfiction, as well as textbooks and collectibles. Nearly 10,000 books have been rated, scanned, tagged, and catalogued for sale. Used book buyers can buy books directly from the Idaho Youth Ranch online site by visiting www.youthranch.org. Click on the picture of the child reading a book on the home page, which will take you to the used book storefront.
New Family Raft Ride
Thunder Falls Family Raft Ride will be the centerpiece of Roaring Springs Waterpark's 10th Anniversary celebration. The new $1 million attraction is a straight, steep slide that sends riders flying down three big bumps. The slide is being built off the same tower as Roaring Springs' existing Mammoth Canyon Family Raft Ride, and will be ready to ride opening day, May 16, 2009.
Roaring Spring's Christmas Season Pass sale is on now, with the lowest prices of the year. For more information about the new ride, and season passes, visit www.roaringsprings.com.
Holiday Greetings
Beyond the stacks of presents to be wrapped and the cookies to be baked, most people are also scrambling to send the perfect personalized greeting during the holiday season. In fact, the United States Postal Service has reported that December is the busiest month of the year, which suggests that snail mail is still the more popular choice for sharing holiday greetings.
Tiny Prints has a new 2008 Holiday Collection featuring a variety of holiday greeting card sizes, types, and formats, all delivered with an exceptional level of quality customer service. Visit tinyprints.com to find a holiday photo card, holiday party invitation, or seasonal greeting to express your unique sentiments.
While you're online, check out one of the magazine's advertisers, Art House Greetings, arthousegreetings.com/mindi for their selection of holiday cards, invitations, and more.
And, visit these local shops for a fun selection of cards and stationery:
Cheers Invitations and Stationery
828 W. Idaho St., Boise
342-1805
Paisley Roberts Papers & Press
237 N. 9th St., Boise
345-5015
Handmade, Too
The Art Studio
60 S. Eagle Rd., Eagle
939-3705
What's for Dinner?
Busy families seem to find it a chore to make decisions about what to eat every night. This often leads to catch-as-catch-can grazing, ordering in, or eating out. Yet studies show over and over the positive impact of eating family dinners together as often as possible. Liz Edmunds offers up a collection of 200 classic family favorites in The Food Nanny Rescues Dinner: Easy Family Meals for Every Day of the Week.
The Food Nanny also shares tips to help cooks get organized, equip the kitchen, supply the pantry, involve every family member in the preparations, and forge family bonds around the dinner table. With planning, and a collection of family-tested recipes, answering the question "What's for dinner?" won't be such a chore.
Crunchy Parmesan Baked Chicken
Ingredients
⅔ cup buttermilk or buttermilk ranch dressing
2 cups panko bread crumbs
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tsp. garlic salt
2 pounds chicken breast tenders
⅔ cup butter
Salt
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 400°. Grease an oblong baking pan.
2. Pour the buttermilk or buttermilk ranch dressing into a wide, shallow dish or pie plate. Mix the panko, Parmesan cheese, and garlic salt in another wide, shallow dish. Roll each piece of chicken in the buttermilk and then dredge in the panko mixture to coat.
3. Arrange the chicken pieces in the prepared pan. Melt the butter in a glass measuring cup in the microwave and drizzle the melted butter over all. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the chicken is tender and no longer pink. Sprinkle with salt to taste.
Family Game Picks From the Magazine
This holiday season, and through the winter months, spend some time playing games with family and friends. Games are a great way to share time together, not to mention having a few laughs and some tasty snacks! Here are a few favorites, provided by the staff of Treasure Valley Family Magazine.
Catch Phrase! - In this lightning-fast game of words and phrases, give as many clues as you can until someone on your team yells the word or phrase you want to hear. Gesture as much as you want, say anything you want. If the buzzer goes off while you're holding the disk, the other team gets the point. For 4 or more players, ages ten and up.
Sequence - Play a card from your hand, place a chip on a corresponding space on the game board, and when you have five in a row, it's a Sequence. Learn to block your opponents, remove their chips, play the wild Jacks, and with a little strategy and a little luck, you're a winner. For 2-12 players, ages 7 and up.
Mille Bornes - Be the first to go 1000 miles, overcoming hazards and undermining your opponents. Fasten your seat belts for some non-stop action on the road in this easy-to-learn card game. For 2 or more players, ages 7 and up.
Jenga - Take turns removing the three-inch blocks one at a time, using caution to keep the structure intact while stacking the removed pieces back on the top of the tower. As the tower rises, its base begins to teeter - one wrong move and it collapses. For 1 or more players, ages 6 and up.
Last Word - Fast paced and easy to learn! The subject is "vegetables," the letter is "c" - as soon as someone yells out "carrots" the time starts and players blurt out all they can muster... cucumbers, corn, cabbage, cauliflower! Get the Last Word in before the buzzer and advance. For 2-8 players, ages 8 and up.
Kings in the Corner - Kings go in the corners, then play your cards solitaire-fashion and extend your turn as long as you can. If you can't make a play, then pay the pot. Be the first to run out of cards and win the pot! For 2-6 players, ages 7 and up.
I Spy Memory Game - Beginners search for matching pairs while advanced players solve the riddles. For 2-6 players, ages 4 and up.
Mystery Garden - One player draws a card showing a picture of an object on the playing board, and the others try to guess the object by asking questions that can be answered "yes" or "no." The player who figures out the object within 15 questions takes the card. For 2-6 players, ages 4 and up.
Apples to Apples - An award-winning card game that provides fun for the whole family. Each round is filled with surprising and outrageous comparisons from a wide range of people, places, things, and events. For 4-10 players, ages 12 and up. Also try Apples to Apples Kids and Apples to Apples Junior.
A few other staff family favorites: Settlers of Catan, Monopoly, Connect Four, Dominoes, Mad Gab, Make ‘N Break, Rumis, and Zilch (look for directions to this dice game online).
Holiday DVD
The Night Before Christmas and More Classic Holiday Tales is the latest DVD in the acclaimed Scholastic series. This themed release celebrates the winter holiday season, with family-favorite stories about Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and Christmas. The title tale, based on Clement C. Moore's beloved and timeless poem, has been adapted from Jan Brett's illustrated book. With festive music and narration by Anthony Edwards, this version is sure to warm your heart.
Featuring over an hour of beautifully adapted stories, the enhanced read-along function is designed to help kids learn to read as the narration is synchronized with the on-screen action. The additional stories include In the Month of Kisley, adapted from a story by Nina Jaffee; Seven Candles for Kwanzaa, adapted from a story by Andrea Davis Pinkney and Brian Pinkney; Too Many Tamales, adapted from a story by Gary Soto; The Little Drummer Boy, with animated illustrations by Ezra Jack Keats; and two Rosemary Wells classics.
Available at www.amazon.com, www.newkideo.com, and other retail locations.
On the Road This Winter
The Idaho Transportation Department encourages travelers to plan ahead by logging on to 511.idaho.gov or dialing 511. Get information 24 hours per day about road closures, highway and weather conditions, mountain passes, and the interstate highway system.
The American Automobile Association, www.aaa.com, offers these safety tips for winter trips:
- Watch weather reports prior to any long-distance drive or before driving in isolated areas. Delay trips when especially bad weather is expected. Try to confine travel to primary roads and highways and let others know your route, destination, and estimated time of arrival.
- Keep at least half a tank of gasoline in your vehicle at all times.
- Pack a cellular telephone with the telephone number of your motor club, plus a rechargeable flashlight, blankets, gloves, hat, food, water, and any needed medication in your vehicle.
- If you become snowbound, stay with your vehicle. It provides excellent temporary shelter and makes it easier for rescuers to locate you. Don't try to walk in a severe storm. It is easy to lose sight of your vehicle in blowing snow and become lost.
- Drive smart - slow down on snow- and ice-covered roads; know what type of braking system you have and how to apply it properly; make gentle stops and starts to prevent skids.
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