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Rexanne's Web Review 
Web Sites & Insights

Issue #88 - April 1, 2005

Brought to You By: Rexanne.com

Please forward this complete issue of Rexanne's Web Review to a friend and recommend they subscribe. Thank you!

Find subscribe, removal and advertising information at the bottom of this newsletter.

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Welcome all newcomers and faithful readers! 

Here's a statistic none of us want to hear but all of us should be aware of: In a simulation staged by the North Shore Fire Department in 
Milwaukee County, WI, six of eight kids slept through piercing fire alarms. - Parents, be prepared to carry younger children out of a burning house and be alert to the fact that even your teenagers are likely to sleep through a shrieking fire alarm. Bless them for sleeping so soundly but this could be a serious emergency without forewarning. Have a fire escape plan and practice it twice a year. 

Mother's Day is Sunday, May 8. That's only 5 short weeks away. Mom and Grandma deserve at least that much time to plan for her special yearly 
celebration. Be sure to visit our sponsor for the month, Personalized Mother's Day Mall, where you will find perfect presents for Mom that she will love. And for inspiration to do the day right for that special lady who made it all possible, here's a link to my Mother's Day site where you'll find everything related to Mother's Day on the WWW: Rexanne's Mother's Day

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Reader's Comments:

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Soraya wrote about last month's parenting topic:

"Thank you for a wonderful and informative newsletter and more especially for the article on eating disorders in children. I have a 10 year-old daughter who has always been a puny little thing and she suddenly (virtually overnight) just filled out. She hasn't grown taller or wider and still fits into all her clothes but her limbs have so obviously become more rounded. I must admit I did think of her as getting fat and was baffled because neither her diet nor eating habits have changed. Even her siblings have started teasing her about it and other family members have started saying that I should put her on a "diet" before it's too late. Your article has given me new insight and a different understanding of the changes that might be happening."

So many children have their self-image damaged at this age because of a misunderstanding of how they change and grow. I'm happy you were able to understand why your child's body is changing, Soraya. Thanks for writing!

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Kathy wrote:

"I've been feeding my child diet soda and diet everything for almost a year. I realize, after reading your article on eating disorders, why 
she all suddenly started to get round. I will make it a point to educate her about proper nutrition and everything else she needs to know about her changing body. Thanks!"

I'm very glad my article helped you, Kathy. In turn, it will help your child which is, ultimately, my goal. 
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Rexanna and Clara both sent this link:

How to help support our soldiers: AnySoldier.com
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And Martha sent this:

Jessica's Law Petition 
"In honor of Jessica Marie Lunsford we ask that a better sex offender tracking system be implemented. We recognize that it is not enough to simply “ask” offenders to register where they live. People in areas where these offenders visit, especially when visiting for extended periods of time, also need to be made aware of their presence. We ask that some kind of electronic tracking system, either an implanted chip or bracelet, be used for real time tracking and monitoring."

View and sign this petition: Jessica's Law
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OK, here's the scoop:

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Quote of the Month: What does not destroy me makes me stronger. - Friedrich Nietzsche

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Supporting the sponsors and advertisers in Rexanne's Web Review keeps this newsletter alive and a portion of revenue is donated to various children's charities. Each advertiser has Rexanne's Seal of Approval. Please visit them today.

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--- This Month's Web Review Sponsored By: Personalized Mother's Day Gifts

What better way to let Mom know how much you love her than with a gift personalized just for her? Have her name or "Mom" or the names of her 
precious children engraved or written on a great gift item she's sure to love. Lots of Grandma gifts too. From coffee mugs to beautiful and comfy afghan blankets to keep her warm, personalize just about anything at this super Mother's Day gift store. 

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Parenting & Family Topic of the Month: Physical Activity

Last month, we explored eating disorders in children and nutrition. Another important aspect in maintaining children’s healthy bodies is 
regular physical activity. If your child isn’t getting regular physical education instruction at school, see to it that Junior rides his bike daily or plays outside with his friends. Drag your girls to dance or gymnastic classes. This not only gives her excellent exercise for overall health but both dance and gymnastics are great ways to build poise in girls and also in boys. A lot of boys would enjoy gymnastic or even dance classes. If not ballet, there are jazz, hip-hop and modern dance classes that appeal to a lot of kids and boys are taking up dance almost as readily as girls these days. Encourage your children to find a sport or physical activity they enjoy and make sure they have a means of getting to and from their games or classes. 

This is excellent advice by children’s physical activity specialist, Rae Pica:

10 Tips for Making Daily Physical Activity Part of Your Child's Life

Here’s some of the bad news about sedentary lifestyles: 

• Forty percent of children ages 5 to 8 show at least one heart disease risk factor, including hypertension and obesity, which among children 
has doubled over the past two decades. 

• The first signs of arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) are appearing at age 5 – something not ever before seen in anyone under the 
age of 30. 

• Children 6 to 10 are dying of sudden cardiopulmonary arrest. 

• According to a recent Centers for Disease Control study, American children born in 2000 face a one-in-three chance of developing Type 2 
diabetes – what used to be called adult-onset diabetes! 

• This is thought to be the first generation of children that won’t outlive their parents. 

The good news is that it doesn’t take much to turn things around. We just have to make sure our kids are physically active! Following are 
some tips for making that happen: 

1. Turn off the TV! Research shows children are being electronically entertained an average of five to six hours a week. Without electronics, they’ll have to find other ways to keep themselves entertained. 

2. Encourage your children to engage in active play. Research shows that the children who are most active are those whose parents have  encouraged them to be active. 

3. Play with your children! Blow bubbles for them to chase, play tag and hide-and-seek, put on an up-tempo song and boogie in the living 
room, or put on a John Philip Sousa march – or break out the pots and pans – and hold a parade around the house! 

4. Serve as a role model, taking part in physical activity – cheerfully – yourself. 

5. Take the children to parks, playgrounds, beaches, and on hikes during vacations and weekends – instead of to amusement parks, where 
they’ll stand in lines and then sit on rides. 

6. Don’t send the wrong message about physical activity by endlessly circling the parking lot for the spot closest to the door. Instead, 
make a game out of parking as far from the door as possible and finding different ways to get to it (walking backward, tiptoeing, jogging, or 
skipping). 

7. When it’s time for gift giving, select items like hula hoops; balls in a variety of shapes, sizes, and textures; roller skates; or a wading 
pool or swing set. When shopping for games, Twister has more to offer than a board game. And CDs with lively music are a better choice than 
movie videos. 

8. Don’t expect organized sports to take care of your child’s physical activity needs. There’s more waiting than moving in most organized, 
adult-directed games. 

9. Fight to keep physical education and recess in your child’s school – or, if necessary, to get them back! The research shows that, among other things, physical activity contributes to a better attitude toward school and improves academic achievement and test scores! 

10. Make sure your child associates physical activity with FUN! 

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Rae Pica is a children’s physical activity specialist and the author of Your Active Child: How to Boost Physical, Emotional, and Cognitive 
Development through Age-Appropriate Activity (McGraw-Hill, 2003). Visit her and read more articles at: Moving & Learning. 
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Know of a good parenting or family site your fellow readers might enjoy or do you have a topic you'd like to see covered in this section? 
Please send your ideas in for possible publication in an upcoming issue: Parenting_Site

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Food & Cooking Site of the Month: Recipes from a Granmamma

Find breakfast goodies to milkshake recipes and yes, there are some super dinner recipes and menu ideas too, categorized by meal or type. 
GranMamma has some yummy-sounding recipes:

Bon Appetit!

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Kid's Site of the Month: Ina's Paw Prints kid's Corner

All children love dogs and/or cats. Ina's Paw Prints is a terrific site where children can browse animal stories, fun pictures and even submit 
their own pet stories. photos and drawings: 

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--- Freebie of the Month: Scrap Booking Page Layouts

How cool is this? Alenka offers really cute scrapbook photo layout sheets to print and use for all your scrap book projects.

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Special offer for Rexanne's readers: buy one get the second for half price - enter coupon code RX at checkout. 
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--- Tip or Trick of the Month: Keep slugs off of plants & Wasp Repellant

Thanks to Jennifer who sent this gardening tip:

"To prevent slugs getting to plants in containers, smear the outside of the container with petroleum jelly."

The following wasp repellant tip was found on  Earthy Family:

"Besides the comforting, stimulating aspect of cinnamon oil, it’s also a great wasp repellent. Sprinkle a few drops on a pinecone and hang it 
where wasps tend to disturb your peace. They truly can’t stand this scent, and will clear out and stay out as long as you keep the scent alive, so be sure to refresh it as needed." 

Have a tip or trick your fellow readers would enjoy or could use? Please send it in for possible publication in one of the next issues: Tips

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Time Waster of the Month: 20 Questions
(Because life is supposed to be fun!)

20 Questions is played like the classic game. Start by telling the program whether you're thinking of animal, vegetable, mineral, or other. The program will ask you specifics to try to determine the answer. Be forewarned: the computer will beat you most every time. This is fun for adults and the kids will love it, too. Go forth and try to stump the computer but ...

Feed the kids first ...

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Featured Site of the Month: Virtual Volunteering

Many people actively search for volunteer opportunities they can complete via home or work computers, because of time constraints, personal preference, a disability or a home-based situation that prevents them from volunteering on-site. Virtual volunteering allows anyone to contribute time and expertise to not-for-profit organizations, schools, government offices and other agencies that utilize volunteer services, from his or her home or office: 

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