On June 22, 2013, thousands of families across the nation
will gather in their backyards, neighborhoods, communities and parks to enjoy a
night under the stars while helping fundraise for a leading conservation
organization.
As part of the National Wildlife Federation’s “Be Out There”
movement, the Great American Backyard Campout encourages everyone to get
outside and connect with the natural world. It’s especially important for kids because
for the first time in our nation’s history, we have an entire generation that
is growing up disconnected from nature.
The National Wildlife
Federation provides everything you need to head out into the great
outdoors—and have a great time! The website features packing lists,
recipes, which nocturnal animals
you can add to your I Spy list, exploration activities, nature games and more.
Build-A-Bear Workshop®, the
interactive entertainment retailer of customizable stuffed animals, announced
a new relationship with Nickelodeon to bring the hit animated series, SpongeBob SquarePants, to
Build-A-Bear Workshop. Beginning May 17, the company will offer make-your-own SpongeBob and Patrick ($23 each) at
Build-A-Bear Workshop stores throughout North America and online at buildabear.com®. SpongeBob’s
Bikini Bottom friends Sandy Cheeks and Gary the Snail will also be available as
pre-stuffed minis for $10 each.
Build-A-Bear
Workshop stores nationwide will be celebrating the arrival of SpongeBob with a series of special events
from May 17 through May 19. Guests will be encouraged to dress up in their
favorite SpongeBob-themed apparel. Additionally, Guests who purchase a
SpongeBob or Patrick plush will receive a free paper pineapple hat while making
one of these new furry friends.
Guests
can dress their SpongeBob and Patrick plush in a variety of clothing and
accessories including:
SpongeBob’s Pirate Costume ($13.50)
Patrick’s Pirate Costume ($12.50)
Pineapple House ($12)
SpongeBob SquarePants Song Sound
Chip ($7)
Additionally,
any furry friend can dress up in the following outfits to join the Bikini
Bottom fun:
Face
Forward, a non-profit organization dedicated providing pro-bono reconstructive
surgery to women and children affected by domestic violence, asks you to give
back for Mother's Day:
It's estimated that about 1 in 4 women have experienced severe physical violence
by an intimate partner.
Now through May 12th, please join Face Forward Los Angeles in celebrating women and
their strength by donating $1 dollar for every woman in your life that you
love. Each dollar raised will helps in the fight against domestic and gang
violence of women and children.
Founded
in 2007 by Deborah Alessi and her husband, double board certified
reconstructive facial surgeon Dr. David Alessi, this non-profit foundation is
providing truly life changing results. Since the lasting physical and emotional
effects of physical violence have a documented ripple effect through
generations and can affect many more than just the abused, the scars of abuse
are a constant reminder of the abusive event and cause physical and
psychological pain. An average patient’s surgery costs about $5,000
and many of their patients require multiple surgeries. Face Forward is able to
offset pre-counseling services, housing, surgical costs, after
surgery care and provide patients a chance to start anew and put
their best face forward in life. Safe Passages in Los
Angeles recently honored Dr. David and
Deborah Alessi with the Good Samaritan Award for their
life changing work they are offering to patients.
Face Forward has
helped countless women and children recover from acid burns, lacerations, and
blunt force trauma. Face Forward partners with
communities throughout the United States to recognize and respond to women and
children affected by violence. They provide reconstructive relief to erase the
scars of the past and enable victims to put their best face forward toward recovery.
Their surgeons have provided relief to many patients with truly life-changing
results. For more information, please visit: http://www.faceforwardla.org.
Spread the
word, and help stop the cycle of Domestic Violence by tweeting to @FaceForwardLA with the hashtag #DonateForLove. You can also like them on Facebook at FaceForwardLA.
Between
chauffeuring kids from school and sports, and trying to remember how to do
elementary math, parents are pleading for the weekend to come as early
as possible.
Dr. Christine Carter, author of Raising Happiness, suggests parents create a weekend state of mind M - F with
a few easy tips:
Skip the dreaded
phenomenon, SNA (Sunday Night Anxiety): Each Friday,carve out time to do homework/work for the
following week so your weekend is free and clear.
Plan your Happiness: Put your fun weekend activities on the
calendar to give the entire family something to look forward during the week,
boosting happiness
Pretend it’s Saturday: Weave in weekend-like activities (make a
pancake breakfast for dinner) into your school/work week to give the family a
sense of relaxation and fun.
Yesterday's Boston Marathon bombings were a tragedy to not only the Boston area but to our nation as a whole. But as in the wake of many tragedies, we get to see the goodness of so many people eager to help.
Here are some ways you can help.
The American Red Cross of Eastern Massachusetts has opened a disaster
operation center and is asking locals to notify loved ones of their
whereabouts on the organization’s website.
The Red Cross
says the best way to help right now is to get in touch with loved ones
through its Safe And Well Listings. The organization is not asking for
blood donations at this time.
The Salvation Army is offering food, beverages and crisis counseling to survivors and first responders. Find out how you can get involved here.
Anyone with info about the incident can call 1-800-494-TIPS.
And while there hasn't been a specific request for blood donations, it's always good to donate blood. Find out where you can donate here.
There's a beautiful baby on the way for Halle Berry and Olivier Martinez.
Halle Berry, 46, and her fiancé, Olivier Martinez, 47, are expecting their first child together.
The couple has been engaged since January 2012. Berry has a
5-year-old daughter, Nahla, from her previous relationship with Gabriel
Aubry.
Nahla was praying for a sibling, according to Berry. “She says, ‘God,
please bring me a bunk bed and a baby sister.’ And I say, ‘I can do one
of those things, I know for sure. The other one, we’ve got to keep
praying on,’” Berry had said.
Tamar Braxton, star of the WE tv hit shows Braxton Family Values and Tamar & Vince, will be hosting a live chat with her fans on Google + tonight at 8:30 EST. Tamar, who recently announced her pregnancy, will chat about her career, plans for the future, and of course, baby on the way! Tune in here for the chat and get up close and personal with Tamar!
American women are multi-tasking
more than ever, but still feel time-strapped and forced to compromise on things
like fitness and nutrition. In fact, nearly half of all moms say they feel guilty that
they’re not doing enough to take care of themselves.
To help them maintain their energy
and foster a positive attitude to stay on track, Alison Sweeney, host of NBC’s “The
Biggest Loser” and author of the upcoming novel The Star Attraction has
teamed up with the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council and little blue dynamos to
offer up healthy living inspiration throughout 2013. With two jobs and two
kids, Sweeney is no stranger to the task of balancing work, family, nutrition
and fitness. She talks to women every day who are looking for motivation to
help them and their families stay in shape.
“The key is to find certain foods
and routines that enable you to maintain a healthy lifestyle without the
struggle,” said Sweeney. “Blueberries are ideal for when you want to quickly
throw together a nutritious meal or snack that doesn’t compromise on flavor.
You can pop them in yogurt and smoothies, toss them with salads and healthy
grains – or just grab a handful and go. I’ve found they help me stay focused
and energized all day long.”
And Sweeney’s not the only one
who gets a boost from blueberries – recent Harris polling shows that
- 78% of women who eat blueberries
agree they add a little boost to their day
- 76% agree blueberries fuel fun
activities
- 73% of moms agree their kids think it’s fun
when they serve them blueberries
This year, Sweeney will work with
the Blueberry Council to motivate women through a series of Inspiring
Dynamismvideos, blog posts and social media interactions that relay her
experiences, and encourage others to share their own. Consumers can explore
more of Alison Sweeney’s favorite blueberry recipes and tips at
www.littlebluedynamos.com, or by following little blue dynamos on Facebook,
Twitter, YouTube and Pinterest.
Mega-stars
including Katy Perry, Selena Gomez, Justin Bieber, One Direction, Kristen
Stewart, Dwayne Johnson, LeBron James and Johnny Depp reigned as this year’s
favorites, winning top honors at the live telecast of Nickelodeon’s 26th Annual Kids’ Choice Awards,
Saturday, March 23, 8 - 9:30 p.m. (ET/tape delayed for West Coast). Hosted by the biggest kid in Hollywood, Josh
Duhamel, the awards were broadcast from the Galen Center at USC in Los Angeles
where kids honored their favorites from the worlds of film, music, sports and
television. This year, a record-breaking
387 million votes were cast around the world in 22 categories.
In the spirit of the star-studded slimefest, Duhamel kicked off
the celebration by singing a special Kids’
Choice Awards version of Pitbull’s smash hit “Don't Stop the Party,” as he
made his way from the dressing room to the main stage. Experiencing a series of random celebrity
encounters along the way, Duhamel
thumb wrestled with Mike “The Miz” Mizanin, was tackled by Jerry Trainor dressed
as a Yeti, wore the same dress as Fergie, scatted with Steven Tyler and played an elaborate game of Rock Paper Scissors
with Megan Fox, only to be transformed into Pitbull himself at the end.
For the first time ever,
a special camera gave the fans a 360-degree view of all the action on stage. Also a first for the messfest, Nickelodeon
debuted the “Kids’ Choice Mustache Cam,” a take on the popular “kissing cam,”
which featured kids and celebs including Miranda Cosgrove, Debby Ryan and
Bridgit Mendler wearing fake funny mustaches, with Duhamel singling out Judd
Apatow for having the best real mustache. In
a display of his athletic prowess, Duhamel hit the stage wearing Dwight
Howard’s LA Lakers uniform and challenged Howard to a “Slime Dunk” contest with
the winner, Howard, getting a face full of the green goo. With the wave of a magic wand,
Sandra Bullock and Neil Patrick Harrisattempted
to create a slime-free zone, but their plan backfired and the two were honored
with a dual sliming at the presenters podium.Duhamel teamed up with Nick
Cannon for the Tandem Buttkicking Zipline Sumo Spectacular in a slime-tastic
finale thanks to blimp recipient Dwayne Johnson, but Josh
Hutcherson and Amanda Seyfried took the prize for the most epic sliming on the show.
In
addition to “Don’t Stop the Party,” global superstar Pitbull performed his
explosive hit “Feel This Moment” with Grammy Award-winning vocalist Christina Aguilera
and a crew of mini lookalike dancers, and found himself drenched by a massive slime
fountain triggered by Aguilera at the end of the song. International music sensation Ke$ha rocked
the stage amid confetti and disco balls, with a medley of “We R Who We R” and her new single “C’Mon.” Not to be outdone, Duhamel, decked
out in a milkshake costume, got his groove on with Jaden Smith and kids in the
audience during a special impromptu “Kids’ Choice Shake”
dance party.
And in case you missed it last night, the live broadcast of Nickelodeon’s26th Annual Kids' Choice
Awards encores Sunday, March 24 at 12 p.m. and 9 p.m. (ET/PT). Replays of the awards will also air on
TeenNick at 10 p.m. (ET) on Monday, March 25, and on Nicktoons at 9 p.m. (ET) on
Tuesday, March 26. Nickelodeon’s 26th
Annual Kids’ Choice Awards
will be available on Nickelodeon On Demand beginning Sunday, March 24.
