Like most little girls, my daughter loves fairies and everything magical. While she still loves her “scary” books and mystery books like Nancy Drew and The Clue Crew, she has found a new series to fall into. Daisy Meadows has created a cute book series called The Jewel Fairies. They are all under 100 pages making them perfect chapter books for new readers such as my little girl. Kicking the series off are the Jewel Fairies and the first one we were able to read about (the first book in any series is almost NEVER available at the library, but we learn to deal) was Scarlett the Garnet Fairy.

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A tug of war in the summer heat?

It is the summer time, August. What else is there to do? It's is too hot to think, and so the residents of two Mississippi River towns have figured out what to do. Why shouldn't they do it?

It is the time of their annual Tug of War contest. A sweaty, can get dirty and grimy, battle of brawn and grip in the crazy heat -- Leave the brains to the people wearing the straw hats. The people have come to chill, to have fun.

Everyone needs fun. If we don't do the silly-crazy now and then, take a break from the serious, take the time out to just have fun, our lives would be boring.. Those moments of play, when we do or watch things that exist for the sole purpose of making us laugh, are what keep us going. Hell, those moments keep the world going.

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Oh, the things we can do to celebrate the week of the King! My college writing professor had a “love to hate” thing going on with Elvis, as did I. When I was younger, I had quite a crush on the long-dead King, and played his music all of the time. When I read more about him and experienced many of his horrendous films—not to mention that weird relationship with his 14-year-old girlfriend/later bride (and what sounds like an equally unhealthy marriage; according to her, he raped her at least once)—I wasn’t such a gung-ho fan anymore.

Love him or hate him, Elvis will always be around (though perhaps not as physically as some people claim), and his influence on music and pop culture is here to stay.

Here are a few ways you can celebrate Elvis week.

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Who says that God leaves prayers unanswered? S/He certainly fulfilled those of a Christian shop manager in Florida. Nayara Goncalves, 20, is the manager of a mobile phone shop in Broward County, Florida. She is also a Christian—a pretty determined one, at that.

Rather than giving into a thief’s demands, peeing herself, or hiding beneath the counter, she actually talked him out of robbing her by using God as a bargaining chip.

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As a mom, I can tell you that I have mastered the art of holding it. In fact, I used to hold it even before I became a mother. I remember standing in lines at amusement parks, getting that nervous/excited pre-rollercoaster feel while in line that made me feel like I’d have to pee, and I’d tell my then-boyfriend, “I have to pee!” and he’d roll his eyes, knowing that A. I wouldn’t stop to pee and B. I would say the same thing in the next rollercoaster line. Maybe I’m just weird like that.

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Hydration really isn’t a laughing matter. Once my aunt, whom we live with and care for, got so hydrated that she began to get sick. When I told her she needed to drink more water, she didn’t drink much more, and had to see her doctor. Her brother and sister then came to take her to their home to monitor her liquid drinking so they wouldn’t have to hospitalize her, and it was a scary couple of days.

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Many of us hope to raise happy, healthy, kind children. And while there’s plenty we can do to make them happy and healthy, fostering kindness and compassion can be a challenging task. For one thing, young children are naturally pretty egocentric; it’s just how their brains work at this age. It’s hard for them to see from other peoples’ perspectives—as well as that of other sentient beings—and empathizing does not come easily. It’s our job to help demonstrate healthy, compassionate choices and actions to help teach them these traits.

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The odds are that you’ve never heard of Eosinophilic Esophagitis. I know I sure never heard of it until a close friend of mine had a beautiful baby boy born with the illness. The chronic condition, which has no cure, is a rare illness that causes kids to be unable to eat to all kinds of foods—not just a single nut or milk allergy, but one to all kinds of fruits and vegetables.

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Today, August 15, is Best Friends’ Day. If you’re lucky enough to have a best friend whom you love—who loves and supports you back—today is indeed a day to celebrate. Whether it’s someone you’ve shared lunches with since kindergarten, your spouse, or a sister or brother, be sure to celebrate your special friendship today. You could always…

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I’ve had many complaints about the social network giant Facebook lately, I know. I don’t know if I’m just sick of it—or if what it has slowly become has made me sick. (I did get sick from the heat over the weekend, but I’m pretty sure that has nothing to do with Facebook.) There are a lot of hate groups, a lot of whiny people, and a lot of negative comments on the site that I would much rather stay away from, thank you very much.

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