Reading!  That is something you don't catch kids doing enough of.  We live in the world of TV and movies.  And let's not forget video games. 

I will say that I have played a few video games in my life and I even still have an Xbox sitting in my living room.  I'm about to be a dad and I still have my Xbox.  It is kind of funny when I think about my parents generation.  But they didn't grow up with video games like we did.  I remember getting our first Nintendo (the original) when I was about 5 or 6.  I barely even remember the Atari days.  So video games are something that our generation grew up with.  Now, my Xbox stays wrapped up in the entertainment center and only comes out every couple of months on special occations. 

I guess I say all that to say that my generation grew up on video games and TV.  And when I look at kids today who are still in school, I see them with even more distractions than we had.  Not that video games are bad or that all TV is bad.  But TV and games can not replace reading. 

During the pop-up storms or when it is just too hot to go out side, have you ever wondered what you were going to do to help entertain your child?  Or...are you tired of watching your child sit behind the computer playing video games all day?  Well, these simple activities will bring you and your child closer together.  The below activities will help open up communication between you and your child.  You will build special memories together that each of you will remember for life!  So, clear off the table and get ready to interact and build a relationship with your child!

1. Super Summer Stepping Stone

Items needed:

• Cement
• Disposable foil tray
• Disposable plastic knife
• Special small object gathered throughout the summer

Technology and Baby Boomer aging might be the reason demand for nurses, truck drivers and pharmacists is expected to exceed demand. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that certain jobs will experience a shortage of qualified workers. The job categories include: truck drivers and pharmacists as well as registered nurses, librarians, and machinists.

America's Birthday Independence Day July 4th  

Happy Birthday America. July 4^th, 2009 will mark America's 233 birthday.

She is still looking good for a woman of that age. 

WHERE IT BEGAN: By the middle of the 1700's, the 13 colonies that made up part of England's empire in the New World were finding it difficult to be ruled by a king 3,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean.  They were tired of the taxes imposed upon them. But independence was a gradual and painful process. The colonists could not forget that they were British citizens and that they owed allegiance to King George III.

A "tea party" and a "Massacre" were two events that hurried destiny.  Along with general unrest these events united the colonists.

Virginia took the first step towards independence by voting to set up a committee to represent the colonies. The First Continental Congress met in September of 1774. They drew up a list of grievances against the crown which became the first draft of a document that would formally separate the colonies from England.  George Washington took command of the Continental Army and began fighting the British in Massachusetts.  For the next eight years, colonists fought fervently in the Revolutionary War.

In the meantime, a war of words was being waged in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  On July 2, 1776, the Second Continental Congress presented and debated a second draft of the list of grievances, and John Hancock, the president of the Second Continental Congress, was the first to sign. The document, called the Declaration of Independence, was treasonous against the crown and the fifty-six men who signed it were in danger of being executed.

Independence Day is celebrated on July 4 because that is the day when the Continental Congress adopted the final draft of the Declaration of Independence.

July 4th Independence Day Facts

• 122.6 million Americans will have a cookout or picnic on July 4^th
• 81.48 million Americans will watch fireworks or attend a community celebration
• 20.9 million people will go to a parade
• 18.98 million Americans will travel or go on vacation over the long weekend
• Fourth of July was first celebrated on July 8, 1776 after the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.
• For many, the 4th of July is the most anticipated celebration of the summer.
• Fourth of July was declared a legal holiday in 1941.
• 111.8 million consumers own an American flag

Sources include US Census Bureau, US Embassy