Kids

Jamie Oliver Fights Obesity in Los Angeles, Australia
healthy

Jamie Oliver Brings His Message to West Coast, Australia

British chef and healthy-eating-habits advocate, Jamie Oliver, is on the move.
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British chef and healthy-eating-habits advocate, Jamie Oliver, is on the move. He's taking his reality show, Food Revolution, to the West Coast. Oliver and his family will settle into the LA area in January, and filming will start later in 2011. The format of the second season of Food Revolution will differ from the first, although there will be an element that involves schools.

Oliver hoped to film in the cafeterias of the Los Angeles Unified School District, but the superintendent's office has denied his request, "our feeling was that his time would be better spent or invested in other communities," a representative for the schools said. Producers for the show are on the lookout for families with children who need dietary help.

Oliver's other attempts involve Australia; today he launched the "Ministry of Food Australia" campaign in which he'll set up regional centers that teach people how to enjoy nutritious food. The Queensland government will donate $2.5 million over the course of four years to Oliver's agenda. "These cooking classes are fun, produce delicious food from fresh ingredients and really take the fear out of cooking," Oliver said.

At a time when it seems hard for a single individual to make a difference, it's refreshing to see Oliver fight for change. What do you think about his efforts?

San Francisco Bans Happy Meals
Food News

Banning Happy Meal Toys: Good Idea or Bad Idea?

Yesterday in San Francisco, an intriguing law passed that involves McDonald's happy meal toys.
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Yesterday in San Francisco, an intriguing law passed that involves McDonald's happy meal toys. The "Happy Meal Ban" is the latest governmental attempt to fight childhood obesity. In order for McDonald's to offer a happy meal toy, the meal must meet certain nutritional guidelines. The thinking behind the law is that if there's no toy with the meal, then kids won't be hungry to consume it. It's an interesting way to look at things, and I'm wondering if the ban will actually affect the weight and eating habits of the city's children. How do you feel about it?

Tool For Tracking Children's Allowances Online
Money

Monitor Your Children's Allowances Like Citibank Millionaires

Citibank recently launched one of the latest web tools for the fabulously wealthy: an online system called Spend Grow Give that monitors their kids' allowances.
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Citibank recently launched one of the latest web tools for the fabulously wealthy: an online system called Spend Grow Give that monitors their kids' allowances. It's a strategy that aims to capture a chunk of the millionaire heir market. By getting them involved at a young age, the bank is hoping this will ensure the heir's loyalty even after he or she reaches adulthood.

The good news is you don't have to be a millionaire to track your children's money the techie way. I found a pretty nifty downloadable program called KidsSave that costs $19.95. Unfortunately, it's not a website, but you can try it free for 35 days to see if you like it. You can set up accounts for your children, enable saving locks, and even create interest rates for their allowance. Judging by the fun buttons and bright colors, it seems to be pretty kid-friendly!

Parents find negotiation for cars and talking to their children about finances to be equally stressful, according to a new poll by PASS from American Express. Perhaps using a program like this is a great way of introducing the topic!

Meatball Slider Recipe
fast and easy

Fast & Easy Dinner: Meatball Sliders

If the middle of the week has got you down, why not cheer up with cheeseburgers?
by partysugar


If the middle of the week has got you down, why not cheer up with cheeseburgers? This recipe for meatball sliders seasons the beef with breadcrumbs, sage, and lots of parmesan cheese.

They're quick to put together and fun to eat. The smaller size means you can indulge without the guilt. Serve the sliders with salad greens, couscous, or grilled potatoes. Want the recipe? Get it right here.

At What Age Can Child Be Left in Car Alone?
Poll

Kids in the Car: At What Age Is It OK to Leave Child Alone?

It's a pain for a mama to cart her kiddos in and out of the car while running errands, but it's a task that comes with motherhood.
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It's a pain for a mama to cart her kiddos in and out of the car while running errands, but it's a task that comes with motherhood. Some parents allow their tots to sit tight while they pick up items in clear view while others aren't comfortable with that and lug the little ones everywhere. Though there is much debate and even laws in certain states about latchkey kids and when it's all right to leave children home alone, but when is it appropriate to let them sit unattended in the car?

Other People's Kids Can Make You Not Want to Have Them
Sex

Grab Bag! Other People's Kids Make the Best Birth Control?

Kim Kardashian says nephew is best birth control ever— Glamour What not to do when you meet your ex's new gf — The Frisky Staying single will set you back $380,000 — Lemondrop The periodic table of Mad Men — Flavorwire The female equivalent of a common male sex problem — Em & Lo "Why I celebrate my divorce" — YourTango Can this candy make you prettier?
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Kid Activities That Make Great Workouts
jump rope

What Kids Can Teach Us About Staying Fit

My godson taught me a pretty important lesson this weekend: hanging out with the adults at a playground is no fun.
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Kid Activities That Make Great Workouts

My godson taught me a pretty important lesson this weekend: hanging out with the adults at a playground is no fun. He had me running, jumping, and spinning — I was totally winded by the end of the day. This got me thinking that there's a lot we can apply to our own fitness regimen from the everyday activities of kids. For one — jump rope. Kids love jumping rope, and they do it without knowing what a great cardio workout it is. Here are some other kid-centric activities to get your heart rate up, and muscles long and lean.

The World Is a Jungle Gym Swivel and Shake Monkey Around Ring Around the Derby Let's Go Ride a Bike
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Children and Unhappiness
Poll

Do You Want Kids?

There are plenty of reasons to have kids, but personal happiness is not one of them.
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There are plenty of reasons to have kids, but personal happiness is not one of them. In fact, the only study to suggest children make people happier over the last few decades was wrong.

After it was published in the Journal of Happiness Studies, the author found a coding problem in his data and was forced to regret the error in print, saying "the effect of children on the life satisfaction of married individuals is small, often negative, and never statistically significant.”

This week's New York magazine cover story rolls out the latest in children's-adverse-effect-on-personal-happiness statistics. Kids can be a transcendental experience, it seems to say, but they are rarely a joyful one.

I am afraid.

I'm sometimes impatient and like to have time to myself, and I believe this is true for most people — we just mask it with varying degrees of success. I like to think that the transcendental experience of having children would transform me into a more patient person. And maybe it would? But not without growing pains.

So on the never-ending pendulum swing between wanting kids and not, where are you today?

My Friends' Kids Make Me Want Kids Less
community

Sunday Confessional: My Friends' Kids Make Me Want Kids Less

This week's confession comes from our anonymous Confession Booth group in the TrèsSugar Community.
by Tres Community

This week's confession comes from our anonymous Confession Booth group in the TrèsSugar Community. Weigh in with your advice below.

The closer I get to child-rearing age, the more my friends are getting pregnant and having babies. All their kids are great, but hanging out with kids just isn't my thing. It's a lot of hassle, and I'm still enjoying my childless life too much. Hanging out with a bunch of cute kids seems like it should make me want kids, but it's having the opposite effect.



There's lots of great stuff going on in our community — join it, check it out, share your posts or advice in the great groups, and maybe we'll feature it here on TrèsSugar!