Read my latest book review on LA Parent Magazine, Going Home: The Mystery of Animal Migration by Marianne Berkes. Both you and your child will learn a lot of facinating facts about animals.

1. you are happily bored.
2. you can hear cicadas.
3. your ice cream melts really fast.
4. you feel like staying up later and later.
5. you see stacks of watermelon at the market.
6. there are nothing but reruns on television.
7. you are no longer on a schedule.
8. your dog pants a lot.
9. you can’t imagine being cold.
10. the seat of your car burns your butt.

© 2010 by Debbie Glade, Smart Poodle Publishing. All rights reserved.

Click her for last week’s comic.

Airports everywhere are starting to use simple full body security scans, which are said to have a miniscule fraction of radiation as compared to x-rays. Read all about it here.

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Getting ready for summer travel? Before you book a hotel, get answers to the following questions:

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• What do others who have reviewed the hotel online have to say about it?
• Where exactly is the hotel located in relation to your sightseeing targets?
• How safe is the neighborhood, and does the hotel have security?
• What parking is available?
• Is there shuttle service to and from the airport?
• When was the last hotel renovation?
• Does the hotel have a restaurant?
• Is there room service?
• Is there a hair dryer in the room?
• Are pets allowed?
• What other amenities does the hotel offer? (pool, spa. exercise room?)
• Are there babysitting (or pet sitting) services?
• Is the hotel room wireless, and is this service free? What about common areas of the hotel?
• What is the cost including taxes and other fees?
• Is there a special package rate?
• Does AAA Membership give you a discount on the hotel rate?
• Is there a discount on certain days of the week?
• Do children stay for free? Up to what age?
• Does the hotel have a membership club for future discounts?
• What is the hotel’s cancellation policy?
• What’s in the neighborhood? (restaurants, shops, pharmacy, sights. etc.)

1. Run through the sprinkler (like me and my dog in this picture). So much fun!
2. Get out your water guns.
3. Water balloon fight!
4. Jump in the ocean or the pool.
5. Wash your car (and yourself with the hose).
6. Go to an  indoor ice skating rink.
7. Hang out and play a game in your basement (if you have one) where it is the coolest in your house.
8. Drink a tall glass of lemonade, iced tea, or just plain ice water, while sitting under a fan.
9. Eat a Popsicle, or 2.
10. Run after the ice cream truck with your kids, and reward yourself with the biggest coldest ice cream bar available.

I made homemade pound cake using this recipe. Delicious! I just added grated lemon zest and the juice of 1/2 lemon. I baked it in 6 small loaf pans so it would bake faster. Then I whipped heavy cream with a bit of powdered sugar. Alternate cake chunks with sliced strawberries and cream.

Darwin chasing a laser light up the fence. Can you see the red dot?

Never wearing out!

Loves to pose for the camera!

Facebook is a wonderful networking in site in many ways, both for personal and professional contacts, and it can be very entertaining. It’s a great way to stay in touch. But I notice there are some habits people have which are really annoying:

1. Posting a very personal message on another person’s wall for all to see, such as a phone number or details of meeting someone somewhere. There’s email and private messaging for that.
2. Posting messages that hint but do not tell. “Please pray for me.” Why? “I am so happy that I got it!”  Got what? “I am mad at her.” Who and why, and why do I want to know? “So depressed I want to die.” What happened? Should I be worried? Posting hints that make readers curious, with no explanation, upset or confused is rude, especially when there are many comments from friends asking what is wrong and the poster does not respond. If it’s no one’s business what’s wrong or why you are happy or devastated, don’t post about it.
3. Posting inside jokes or plain weird comments no one else can understand. This is a turn off.
4. Requesting a friend you don’t know. I would never send a friend request to someone I do not know.
5. Posting inappropriate or unflattering photos of you or any of your friends.
6. Sending countless gifts or surveys or quizzes to friends. Who has time for all that stuff? I always ignore this.
7. Posting negative comments on someone else’s wall. Rude!
8. Making nasty political or religious statements and expecting others to agree with you. This is ignorant and rude.
9. Bragging about yourself on your wall.
10. Signing up for Facebook, befriending others, but never logging on to check messages or respond to friends. Why sign up?

In addition to these, I have read about and known people who have gotten so addicted to Facebook that it is compromising their jobs or taking time away from family. If you cannot stop yourself from logging in all day and night, you’ve got a problem!