It's fun, educational and yummy! Baking Cakes is a great way to spend time with the kids.
Recently Shonna Martin, owner of "The Baker's Daughter," was on the show. She and her two little ones gave a great demo of what she can do for you and your young group. From a very small group to field trips and birthday parties, Shonna has all you need to have your own "baking party."

Check out her demonstration by going to fox40live.com
It will be under the "Your Family" section.

Shonna's website is, thebakersdaughter.org
Shonna says classes start at $10
Mention FOX40 and she'll discount $15 off of $150.00

Are you trying to lose weight, but find it a struggle to drop just a few pounds. Perhaps it's time to explore a diabetic diet?
I know a woman that dropped several dress sizes within a year's time, her mom dropped 75 pounds. It was all because her mom was borderline diabetic. She and her mom both changed their diets and changed their lives. Most of the weight loss came from knowing just how many carbs their bodies needed a day. The woman I know has it broken down to the number of carbs per meal. You can see the segment of fox40live under my Your Family area.

I strive to stay a healthy weight. I've followed a low fat diet for years and after hearing the stories of these two women, I plan to track my carbs like no other.

Knowledge is power.
The following are a few websites to get you started and a book that will break down the calories/fats/carbs by food item and brand... it's fabulous.

I used diabetesnet.com
Click on Diet/Nutrition
Click on Carb Counting

My guest (on the show) uses sparkpeople.com

The calorie guide/book, which I found extremely helpful because it breaks down a food item by calories/fat/carbohydrates, is called The Calorie King (Calorie, FAT & Carb counter). You can probably find it around town. I know for sure that the Kaiser Pharmacy sells it.

I hopes these help,
Good luck!

WHEN THE HOT SUMMER DAYS, HAVE YOU CHILLEN IN DOORS HOW ABOUT SOME SCIENTIFIC FUN TO KEEP KIDS LEARNING DURING THE SUMMER BREAK.
THESE FUN EDUCATIONAL IDEAS CAME TO US FROM MAD SCIENCE.
www.madscience.org/sacramento
YOU CAN WATCH THE FULL SEGMENT ON fox40.com

Mad Science Ooblech

1 box corn starch
1 bowl
1 wooden spoon
water

Fill the bowl 1/3 with water
Add the same volume of corn starch
Stir until mixed
If watery, add corn starch
If too stiff and dry, add water
Repeat until fully mixed with smooth surface.
Play with Ooblech (punch it, drop piano on it, poke it slowly with your finger)
Be amazed at this non-Newtonian fluid that can act like both a liquid and solid!

Mad Science Silly Putty

1 4oz plastic, disposable cup
1 bottle white glue - can be Elmer's or another brand.
1 small bottle of your favorite paint color
1 tsp Borax powder (grocery store, laundry detergent aisle)
2 oz water
1 popsicle stick or other expendable stirring device

Put on your apron, goggles and gas mask (just kidding!)
Mix water and Borax, stop adding Borax when it no longer dissolves in solution
Pour about 2 oz of glue in the plastic cup
Add a few drops of paint (not too much!)
Stir the paint and the glue
Dribble a small amount (start with about 1/4 tsp) into the glue/paint mixture.
Stir until well mixed
Repeatedly dribble additional Borax/water and stir until all material has reacted and you have a putty ball.
Wipe putty from stick
Let putty dry a bit until not too sticky
Play with putty (stretch, bounce, etc)
Seal putty in cup or ziploc when not in use.
Do not eat.

Mad Science presents: Sink or Swim
1 ketchup (or relish) pouch
1 Large soda bottle
1 teaspoon of salt
Water

Step 1: Fill the soda bottle with water
Step 2: Fit the unopened ketchup pouch into the bottle.
Sep 3: If the pouch doesn’t float, add 1 tablespoon of salt to the bottle. Cap and shake the bottle to dissolve the salt. Repeat until the pouch flats at the top o the bottle.
Step 4: Cap the bottle tightly; Squeeze the sides of the bottle.

I'm into week 4 of "Latisse." I think I'm beginning to notice longer lashes. My eyelashes seem a bit fuller too. I'm going to take new photos. If there's a noticeable difference, we'll show it next week on FOX40 LIVE. At the end of week 6 or so, we'll have our dermatologist back on for the final results. Stay tuned!

Did you know there is a product out there to strengthen and actually lengthen your eyelashes?
So even if you weren't born with them, you can now have long luxurious eyelashes. I sound like a commercial!

Anyhow I'm trying this new product, called Lattise. You have to obtain it by prescription. It cost $100-$200 dollars. It may irritate your eyes a bit, although I can't tell since my eyes are usually dry and irritated anyways :-)
The bummer is that once you stop using the product, your eyelashes are said to return to their previous state.

Anyhow I've been using it for two weeks now. Dr. Jaqueline Calkin was in studio earlier this week to show us how it works. You can catch the recorded segment on fox40.com
In the segment we also talk about an over the counter product that Natalie uses. She says it works pretty good.

I'll be blogging about my experience with Lattise over the next few weeks. We'll have the results in early June.

I'll keep you posted!

EXPERTS ESTIMATE THAT ONE OUT OF EVERY FIVE KIDS IS SEXUALLY SOLICITED ONLINE... NINE OUT OF TEN EXPOSED TO PORNOGRAHPY.
A LOCAL MOM OF FIVE HAS CREATED yoursphere.com, A SOCIAL NETWORKING SITE ONLY FOR KIDS.
CHECK IT OUT IN MY "YOUR FAMILY" SEGMENT FOR TUESDAY 03/30.

WHO DOESN'T NEED A DECORATIVE BOW ON OCCASSION?
WE'RE TAKING THE ONE ITEM JUST ABOUT EVERY PERSON CAN USE AND SHOWING YOU HOW TO MAKE ONE FOR ABOUT 10 CENTS.
IT'll SAVE YOU IN A PINCH, SAVE YOU CASH AND SAVE THE ENVIROMENT, BECAUSE THE PAPER IS RECYCLED MAGAZINE PAGES!

SUPPLIES:
1 MAGAZINE PAGE
BRASS PAPER FASTENER/BRAD
SCISSORS

CUT THE PAGE INTO LONG STRIPS, THEN CUT THOSE IN HALF.
POKE A HOLE IN THE MIDDLE AND SLIDE THE THE BRAD THROUGH.
REPEAT UNTIL YOU'VE GOT ALL THE STIPS LOOPED ON THE BRAD.
SPLIT THE PRONGS AND YOU'VE GOT YOUR BOW!

WATCH MY "YOUR FAMILY" SEGMENT FOR 03/24.
SANDI PALMER FROM THE SACRAMENTO PUBLIC LIBRARY, WALKS YOU THROUGH THE PROCESS. PLUS, SEE A FEW EXAMPLES OF WHAT SANDI IS TEACHING AT THE CARMICHAEL LIBRARY THIS SATURDAY 03/28 FROM 3-4PM.

EASTER IS FAST APPROACHING...
THIS YEAR THERE IS NO NEED TO BUY THOSE EASTER EGG DYES OR EVEN FOOD COLORING.
I FOUND A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT IDEAS FOR DYING EGGS NATURALY WITH FOOD. A COUPLE THAT I TRIED DIDN'T TURN OUT SO WELL, SO A TRIAL RUN IS NOT A BAD IDEA.
OUR FRIENDS AT RALEY'S OFFERED UP A LIST THEY SAY THEY'VE TESTED.
HERE ARE A FEW:

BRIGHT YELLOW:
2tsp. Turmeric
2tsp. White Vinegar
1C. Warm water

MAUVE:
2tsp. White Vinegar
1C. Warm Grape Juice

PURPLE/GRAY
2tsp. White Vinegar
1C. Warm Blueberry Juice

TEAL:
2tsp. White Vinegar
1C Chopped Red Cabbage
.
ALSO FOUND SOME ON THE WEBSITE www.plantea.com
THE TEAL RECIPE DIDN'T WORK FOR ME. I ACTUALLY ENDED UP WITH A PRETTY GRAY.
GOOD LUCK!

Are you drowning in papers because you're not sure which you might need for taxes and/or for how long?

Here's a personal guide... again it's only a "guide." I obtained from the help of the New York Times.

Sales Receipts- Receipts not needed for a specific purpose can be tossed. Exceptions could be: tax deduction or write offs and warranty repairs.

Utility Bills- Can be thrown away unless you claim home-office deductions on your taxes.

Pay Stubs- Save the latest stub, figuring that it contains cumulative totals for the year. Save the last pay stuf of the year since it will contain the year's totals on tax related items like union dues.

Tax Records- Keep for three years, perferably six years. That includes documentation for deductions. Tax records relating to home improvements should be kept permanently because they can reduce any capital gains tax.

Credit Cards- Discard once you've checked for accuracy.

Warranties- keep for the life of the guarantee along with the original receipt.

Insurance Documents- Save permanently. Save purchase receipts for major items.

There's a really cool "stain fighting" guide coming out in March, called The Complete Idiot's Guide to Green Cleaning, by Mary Findley.
In this week's "Your Family," on FOX 40 Live, I ran through a few tips from her book. I was impressed at how everyday household, non-toxic items can remove some of the toughest stains.
You can check out the actual piece on fox40.com.
Below is the script I used to get through the segment. I think my favorite is the "hydrogen Peroxide/Baking Soda combo. to the remove red and purple stains, like ketchup, blueberries, strawberries, cool aid. I'm going to try in on my dining room table seat cushions!
Again if you want to know more, refer to the Title and Author in my first sentence. Here are the few I tried:

FIRST OFF, SOME OF THE MOST POPULAR STAINS, GRASS, DIRT, MUDD, GREASE EVEN SALAD DRESSING.
THE ANSWER? LIQUID DISHWASHING DETERGENT. IT REMOVES GREASE AND OIL BUT IS GENTLE ENOUGH ON CLOTHES.
SATURATE THE STAIN, LET IT SIT FOR THREE HOURS.
APPLY ANOTHER COAT, RUB GENTLY THEN RINSE.
IT WORKED WELL REMOVING THE STAIN. IT ALSO REMOVED THE COLOR FROM MY FABRIC! I WOULD SAY USE THE LIQUID DISHWASHING DETERGENT ONLY ON YOUR WHITES. IF YOU USE IT YOUR COLOR CLOTHES, TEST IT FIRST.

ONTO THE RED AND PURPLE STAINS LIKE KETCHUP, KOOL AID, BLUEBERRIES.
THESE NEED TO BE BLEACHED OUT.
YOUR ANSWER, HYDROGEN PEROXIDE, WHICH IS GENTLER THAN BLEACH AND BAKING SODA.
SATURATE THE STAIN WITH PEROXIDE, POUR BAKING SODA ON TOP. LET SIT FOR 30 MINUTES. RINSE AND REPEAT.
SIDE NOTES... IF YOU DO WANT TO CHECK FOR FOR COLORFASTNESS, DAB A SMALL SPOT AND LET IT SIT FOR 15 MINUTES THEN CHECK.
TRY TO USE A PEROXIDE NO OLDER THAN SIX MONTHS.

ONTO A FAIRLY COMMON ACCIDENT, PEE OR POOP.
IN THIS CASE FINDLEY RECOMMENDS, "NATURE'S MIRACLE." IT'S A NATURAL PET STAIN REMOVER FORMULATED TO EAT AWAY BACTERIA.
SATURATE THE ITEM, SOAK FOR THREE HOURS, SATURATE AGAIN, THEN RINSE.
THIS IS USUALLY FOUND IN PET STORES.

LASTLY, PARENTS KNOW FORMULA AND SPIT UP CAN PUT AN END TO A CUTE OUTFIT.
ANSWER... SHAMPOO. BABY OR REGULAR WILL DISSOLVE THE STAIN WITHOUT HARSH CHEMICALS.
HERE'S HOW IT WORKS, COVER THE STAIN WITH A LIGHT FILM, THEN TOSS IT IN THE HAMPER.
BEFORE YOU PUT IT INTO YOUR WASHING MACHINE DAB A LITTLE MORE SHAMPOO, THENSE RINSE IT.
YOU MAY NEED TO REPEAT.
CHECK TO MAKE SURE THE STAIN IS GONE BEFORE PUTTING IT INTO CONTACT WITH HOT WATER OR A HOT DRYER. IF NOT, THE HEAT WILL SET THE STAIN.