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Family Living
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Tips for inspiring young readers
It's never too early - or too late - to help your child discover the joy of reading. In fact, reading aloud to your child helps build important vocabulary and language skills that last a lifetime. Despite the considerable evidence of a relationship between reading regularly to a child and that child's later reading devel...
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'The Wizard of Oz' - Why this timeless classic continues to capture the hearts of every generation
Dorothy's red slippers, the Wicked Witch of the West, the Cowardly Lion and his quest for "cccccourage"... few films evoke such powerful memories as does the perennial classic, "The Wizard of Oz."
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Hot wheels vs. smart wheels: How to find a safe car for your teen
When the time comes to purchase a car, your teenagers might be dreaming of hot wheels. They may be thinking sporty, while you're looking for reliability and affordability. Use these tips to help you and your teen settle on a car that fits your budget and offers you peace of mind.
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U.S. foster care population continues to decline
There are more than 400,000 children in foster care across the United States, according to the most recent report released by AFCARS (Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System). This is a sobering number. The encouraging news is that this number continues to decline - down more than 8 percent from 2008, and ...
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Sites working to inspire real life change
Whether your goal is personal or a desire to change something in society, you have to begin somewhere - otherwise you may never begin at all. It can feel daunting, even paralyzing, to tackle a major project. But the best place to start is at the beginning, and often that means making small changes.
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The secret to a great, low-cost summer vacation: Get outside
Fresh air, sunshine, activities for the whole family, and new sights to see: outdoor vacations offer many advantages, including the opportunity to do more for less money.
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Ham: The perfect choice for the summer barbecue
Ham: The perfect choice for the summer barbecue (ARA) - Summer is upon us, and so is the aroma of delicious home-cooked meals prepared for family and friends out on the grill. To keep dishes interesting and to serve something to please a crowd, you'll need just the right recipe and ingredients. Ham is a versatile protei...
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Tips to encourage and help boost your child's growing confidence
Tips to encourage and help boost your child's growing confidence (ARA) - Your growing child needs love and attention to help build confidence to continue to try and succeed at new things. From learning how to read, preparing for summer camp to being able to ride their first two-wheel bike, it's the positivity from Mom a...
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Meningococcal meningitis cases peak in winter months; help protect your children by getting them vaccinated today
Meningococcal meningitis cases peak in winter months; help protect your children by getting them vaccinated today (ARA) - School nurses are urging parents to vaccinate their preteens and teens against meningococcal disease, a rare but potentially life-threatening bacterial infection that can cause meningitis and take a ...
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Breakfast can be exciting: The proof is in the pudding
Breakfast can be exciting: The proof is in the pudding (ARA) - Pancake sandwiches, chicken and waffles, egg casseroles -- breakfast seems to be inspiring creativity and breaking barriers morning, noon and night. The only challenge the most important meal of the day has is its designated time slot. With morning madness, some days pulling together a delicious, satisfying breakfast can be nothing short of impossible. Easy and delicious one-dish breakfast pudding, strata and casseroles can b...
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Love and relationships: Setting expectations essential before unmarried couples commit to living together
Love and relationships: Setting expectations essential before unmarried couples commit to living together (ARA) - It has become the new norm: Unmarried couples deciding to live together. In fact, the number of unmarried, opposite-sex couples who shared the same living quarters jumped by 13 percent, to 7.5 million, in 20...
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Girlfriends banding together to conquer a common health issue
Nearly everything we'll ever need to know about being a girl, we'll learn from other girlfriends who've "been there, done that" before us. Even when things are medical, even when we love our OBGYNs, sometimes we're embarrassed or don't want to waste their time with things not involving making babies. That may explain why...
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national news
Immigration bill gets Senate boost; House effort teetering

Candidates hold U.S. flags during a naturalization ceremony to become new U.S. Citizens at Convention Center in Los AngelesBy Richard Cowan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Supporters of U.S. immigration reform are hoping that the smooth and drama-free passage of their legislation through a Senate committee - a departure from almost everything that has happened in Congress over the past four years - will boost the likelihood of the bill winning full Senate approval. Even Senator Charles Grassley of Iowa, the senior Republican on the Judiciary Committee who voted against the immigration bill on Tuesday, told Reuters TV that the "very fair" debate by the panel "does improve its chances. ...


Wed May 22 17:29:42 UTC 2013
Oklahoma tornado victims astounded at how they survived

Charles Taber opens the two-week old storm shelter that saved his life in the May 20 tornado in Oklahoma CityBy Carey Gillam and Ian Simpson MOORE, Oklahoma (Reuters) - Tornado survivors thanked God, sturdy closets and luck in explaining how they lived through the colossal twister that devastated an Oklahoma town and killed 24 people, an astonishingly low toll given the extent of destruction. At least one family took refuge in a bathtub and some people shut themselves in underground shelters built into their houses on Monday when the powerful storm tore through the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore. ...


Wed May 22 19:58:05 UTC 2013
Man linked to Boston bombing suspect killed by FBI in Florida

FBI Agent Kills Man After Questioning Him About the Boston Marathon BombingBy Barbara Liston and Mark Hosenball ORLANDO, Fla./WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Chechen immigrant who was being questioned about his possible links to one of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects was shot and killed by a federal agent in Florida on Wednesday after he suddenly turned violent, the FBI said. A friend of the dead man identified him to Reuters as 27-year-old Ibragim Todashev, who had previously lived in Boston and knew Tamerlan Tsarnaev, the older of the two brothers suspected of planting two bombs at the marathon on April 15, killing three people and injuring 264. ...


Wed May 22 18:58:10 UTC 2013
Woman being praised for calming suspected attackers in London
The horrific attack that left a U.K. soldier dead on the streets of London could have been worse, were it not for the actions of a 48-year-old single mom, the U.K.'s Telegraph reports. Ingrid Loyau-Kennett spoke with the Telegraph about speaking directly with the suspected killers in the attack's immediate aftermath. In a photograph, Loyau-Kennett [...]
Wed May 22 18:53:08 UTC 2013