NBC 7/39 reports the event honoring Fred Rogers at the California Center for the Arts in Escondido has been canceled. ...   more »

You hold in your hands the coveted thick envelope with the name of your child's top college choice printed on the front top left corner. Yes! You let out a collective sigh of successful relief and feel you're finally done with the stressful college admissions process. After sending in the signed acceptance letter and financial aid documents, you sit, exhausted and spent, and wonder, now what? The next step is probably the most difficult for many parents: preparing your child, as well as yourself, to move him or her out of the home and into college housing. Fortunately, The Princeton Review's bible-like tomes you relied on for information about college admissions, also offers books to help parents with a child at the college doorstep cope with the gamut of emotions, and learn the new rules of the college game. 

As the parent of a high school junior, I was thrilled when Random House asked me to review an insightful book by Robin Raskin, "Parent's Guide to College Life: 181 Straight Answers on Everything you Can Expect Over the Next Four Years" (Random House, 2006). In her book, Raskin tells us mortified parents what the real deal is with college life these days, and she gives it to us straight; from communicating with our home-free child, to packing, selecting dorms, nutrition, illness, emergencies, theft, depression, roommates, grades, insurance, fires, etc. The author conducted extensive interviews with so many college and admissions staff, that it's likely she mentions something about your child's future (or present) college too. More importantly, she asked college students and parents themselves about the college experience, not only the academic and social aspects of life on campus, but how they handled the separation from home and parents. Not surprising, the parents are the ones to suffer most -- and break more rules than their freshman college student!

"Hi, My Name is Control Freak..."

As soon as I started reading the first chapter about communicating with your college student, I knew the author was speaking directly to me; a parent with knowledge about how to use all the available instant messaging technology, and thinking of using it as a substitution for being there. Robin found out that's a big NO, NO! (Darn it! How's my son going to know when it's time to change his socks?) In the chapter titled Long Distance Parenting, Raskin establishes the pros and cons of not letting go of our college-offspring in one fell swoop. Though disappointed, I quickly digested the reasons for the few-and-far-between texts, IMs and email exchanges parents should sustain with their kids while at college.

From the outset the author admits, "This generation of parents is America's best educated ever". With this in mind, Robin advises tuition-paying parents about what is appropriate parental behavior and lays out the rights parents actually have while their kids are at college, and also helps us "tame the parent monster". Yes, you read correctly, rights. Had you heard of Family Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) before today? I hadn't, and thanks to this information in Robin's book, I am more empowered to take on any university administrative nightmare that might come my way like problems with a roommate, campus security encounters, or even being able to find out my still-dependent student's grades. College-student confidentiality is a complicated matter bordering on CIA level security -- believe it or not, we do not have the right to know everything about our students!

The other nine chapters are equally gut-wrenching for parents. Take illness for example. Does your kid even know how to use a thermometer, let alone recognize symptoms? Would he or she know when it's appropriate to go see the campus nurse? With the swine flu hysteria we lived through recently, how does campus staff deal with these types of situations?

Robin Raskin holds nothing back, and reveals much more beyond the partying, drug use, sex, fraternity life, and other much publicized aspects of the college experience parents usually hear about on national news. The topics the author analyzes go deeper than the usual nutrition, washing, cooking, drinking parents want to know about. Will they be safe during a fire? Should we get personal insurance for those expensive items they'll leave in plain view in their dorm? Should we get involved if there's a problem with the roommate? Answers to these questions plus the practical advise, tips and information Robin got from speaking with university deans, staff, financial advisers, parents and students is shared in this guide with a heartwarming tone and sensitivity for parents embarking on the road to college for the first time.

I received this book at a crucial moment in the planning stages of our son's future college life; we are in the throes of analyzing a lot of information from a variety of colleges trying to select where he would like to apply. Adding this book to our collection of materials shed light on other factors we should look into when considering colleges too!

"Parent's Guide to College Life" gave us a no-nonsence peek at what our son might experience once he's there, where ever that maybe.

I'm very proud to announce that my husband, Alejandro Valle, Player Agent for Coronado Little League for the last four years, has been named Volunteer of the Year for this organization! There will be a special reception and ceremony at Lambs Players Theater on June 14th, to recognize Alex and a few other volunteers who donate their time to service organizations in our community. This is the inaugural year for the Crown Awards, and we feel very honored that Alex is part of this distinguished event.

Just-retired 10 News broadcaster and Coronado resident, Carol LeBeau, will be the MC along with special guest Coronado Mayor Casey Tanaka. 

I hope you will join us for this wonderful evening saluting not only Alex, but the extraordinary volunteers who make a difference in our community as well.

For more information, tickets and other helpful details about this special evening CLICK HERE!

32 GIRLS HAVE DIED

11,916 adverse events already reported to the CDC... and counting.

Pain and swelling. Life-threatening muscle weakness. Blood clots in the heart and lungs.

And the deaths of 32 innocent girls and young women.

You might think I'm talking about a deadly new disease or a global epidemic...

I'm not.

Sadly, it's more sinister than that. The health threats listed above have all been linked with Gardasil, the so-called "cervical cancer vaccine." And thanks to Pharma giant Merck, desperate parents and naive young women believe this vaccine saves lives... they couldn't be more wrong.

That's why HSI's Jenny Thompson has released a new video in which she exposes the deception for what it is...and reveals some truly shocking information no one else is talking about.

And you are the very first to see it.

Please, if you have daughters, granddaughters or friends who might be considering this terrible vaccine, you must watch this video. And please forward it to anyone you think would benefit from the vital information it contains.

If you think you know the whole story on Gardasil, I think you'll be shocked by what you're about to see. Just click here to start watching the video. It's just a few minutes long... and those few minutes might just save a young girl's life.

MaryEllen Tribby
CEO & Publisher, Early to Rise

Don't assume the school administration and teachers are on board with your high school varsity player's success; good grades, good citizenship and community service not withstanding. We learned the hard way that even if the athlete is representing the school at a sporting event which conflicts with a test or school work, you still have to look out for your good sport's interests, academically and athletically, because the school won't, at least our public school doesn't.

We found out that communication about these conflicts does not flow from coaches, to teachers, to admin or viceversa. If there's a test or project due smack in the middle of competition day, it won't be resolved automatically by the office or the teachers. The student has to arrange a make-up date, and hope the department's policy is lenient on turning in late assignments or taking tests after the class has already done so.  School administrators were stern when they let us know they also want the students, be they 14 or 18 years old, to speak with teachers directly and arrange these things for themselves, which is a burden given that each teacher has his/her own criteria for allowing an athlete a postponement for a test or school work.

When we tried to help our athlete obtain an extra day to study for a test originally scheduled for the following day after returning from a two day trip to a California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) playoff game representing the school, we hit a wall. Not a single adult at the school: coach, athletic director, assistant principle or principle could intercede and inform us of an established procedure to handle this special circumstance.

"This is a blessing which feels like a curse" was how the assistant principal at the high school summed it up for me, but still did not offer a solution.

While it was very frustrating dealing with the mini-academic bureaucracy, it boiled down to the teacher's assessment of the student-athlete: "He's a good kid", the teacher told my husband after conceding the extra study time.

If you're faced with this situation it might help to:

* Take note of each academic department's policy on turning in late work and make-up testing.

*  Have the student-athlete speak with his/her teacher a soon as they are aware of the conflict (in our case it was one day's notice).

*  Send an e-mail and CC all school administrators, coaches, teachers and the AD to make sure they all know what's happening.

*  It helps if the athlete is a good student with decent grades and citizenship.

Unless he/she is the school's star 'blue chip' athlete, this may come in handy if their best subject is tennis, sailing or golf!

We all know that moms want nothing more than to see their kids grow upstrong and healthy.  Most parents are keenly aware that exercise and diet play a fundamental role in achieving this end, but many still don’t know about the health risks associated with eating genetically modified (GM) food.  Did you know that we’ve been eating GM food for the last 10 years and it’s in just about every grocery store in the country? It doesn’t even have to be labeled!  In fact, the Center for Food Safety has evidence that suggests 70-75% of processed foods on our supermarket shelves have genetically engineered ingredients!

So what’s the big deal with GM food? Can it really be THAT bad?

Well, yes. Numerous controlled experiments on animals have consistently linked consumption of GM food to pre-cancerous cell growth, smaller brains, livers and testicles, damaged immune systems, liver malfunctions and lesions, organ inflammation, higher blood sugar levels, fertility problems, and unexplained increases in death rates. And you know it’s not good when many other countries have already taken action to ban or, at the very least, have all GM foods labeled.

Monsanto, the world’s leading producer of genetically engineered seed, has even tried to suppress the results of its own studies after the dangers were revealed.  In one instance in 2005, Monsanto scientists tested their engineered corn on rats and discovered kidney
abnormalities and extremely high levels of white blood cells. They then tried to declare that these results were “irrelevant” and worked
to keep the results hidden from the public, claiming it constituted “confidential business information.”

We here at YourNetwork.tv have put together an informative film on genetically modified organisms.  We’ve also made available weblinks to important scientific studies, organizations dedicated to spreading awareness of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), resources for additional information, non-GMO shopping guide, and tools of action.  It is our hope that you will learn what steps to take to ensure the health of you and your family.

You can view our GMO episode here at http://yournetwork.tv/episode_gmo.php

Enjoy!
http://www.YourNetwork.tv

Four year old Connor is sick. His family is having a fundraiser on May 17th to help with the costs ...   more »

"There's a reason 'MOM' turned upside down spells WOW" states Haven Nisly at the beginning of the essay entitling mom to be selected as one of Time Warner Cable San Diego's 50 Best Moms. Over 3,000 essays were submitted, but only fifty mothers were honored at this annual community event which has been inspiring elementary, middle and high school kids to reach deep in their hearts to find the words to accurately convey why their mothers are the best in the county.

All 50 Best Moms 2009

On May 9th, at the Hyatt in La Jolla, proud mothers and their families were treated to a solemn yet moving celebration honoring the many sacrifices a mother makes out of love for their children and the community they live in. Sam Bass, of KYXY radio station, and Tiffany Lynch, Time Warner Cable's Community Relations Director were co-MCs for the luncheon. There was no shortage of stories about courageous mothers spotlighted at the gathering; one mom is rasing six kids while holding a job, another hid her illness from her kids until she couldn't any longer, and one mother worked in rice fields while pregnant to feed her children. Mothers will sacrifice it all to give their kids the best life they possibly can.

Master of Ceremonies Sam Bass of KYXY 96.5

Time Warner Cable's Tiffany Lynch and Suzette Valle

A mother is "a rainbow, a dove, a rose," wrote thirteen year old Alanna DePinto about her mother who fought breast cancer twice while taking care of her Alzheimer's-stricken mother. Diane Bell highlighted this passage of the middle-schooler's essay for the 50 Best Moms article she wrote in Saturday's Union Tribune. I was fortunate to be the judge of this winning essay, and also had the privilege of meeting both daughter and mother at the special banquet.

Contest Winners Tricia and Alanna DePinto

Other judges in this years competition included KUSI's Kristen Cusato , Congresswoman Susan Davis, KGTV's Lauren Renynolds, Assemblymember Lori Saldana and Coronado Mayor Casey Tanaka. (Click on the Program to see a complete list of winners and judges)

I really look forward to this yearly contest because it shows how a mother's love and sacrifice knows no limits. And with so many unrealistic role models being hurled at kids today, this essay-writing competition reaffirms that moms, and parents, are still their own children's' best role models (though we moms sometimes think our kids are not paying attention to all that we do!).

For those who would like to watch the ceremony, a summary video will be posted on San Diego on Demand channel 144 under TWC Programming, and on the website, in the next week or so. Keep checking!

Finally, congratulations to all the deserving mothers, and thanks to Time Warner Cable for allowing me to once again humbly assist in selecting these outstanding mothers!

Sea Port Village was a buzz last night with the chatting and clacking of  mommy heals heading to Buster's Beach House for the first Annual National Moms Nite Out. San Diego Momma and Mel A Dramatic Mommy hosted a great evening of food, prizes and oh, yeah, our favorite...swag!

Mel A Dramatic Mommy and Mamarazzi

I met great moms who are also on the www trying to get the message out about parenting, each in their own way, and all its virtues and pitfalls. Jen of Juggling Life is a mom who's at a similar stage in life with her teens: college, sports, education, blogging and working!

Mel and Jen Juggling Life

Sugar Jones, you're a riot! We're cross-border products, and I haven't met many of us in cyberspace. I still can't believe your table won all those prizes. Thanks for having me on your radio show this morning. It's my new found station. Sorry Jeff and Jer, will have to catch you on the Podcast!

Sugar Jones and Mamarazzi Knows Best

Happy Healthy Hip Mom Sondra Santos is another gem in the parenting cyberworld. Hope to see you on the 21st!

Check out these bloggin' mom sites, and spread the link love.

Hopefully you ate enchiladas 'till your heart's content and only had a couple of margaritas today. Cinco de Mayo, though very remotely connected to US history, has become a commercialized made-up holiday for many in the Unites States. As a Mexican-born and raised bi-cultural US citizen (Whew! That's a mouth full!) I'm still asking myself why this is so.

Unlike the parties, food and music which have typified Cinco de Mayo in the US, Mexico does not celebrate the glorious victory at the Battle of Puebla where only 4,000 or 5,000 badly-armed,  poorly-uniformed Mexican Indians crushed the already couture-savvy French battalion of 8,000 men in 1862. 

So why, then, is this day so revered in the neighboring country sharing a 2,000 mile long semi-militarized border with Mexico?

First, let's be clear, Cinco de Mayo is not Independence Day. Independence day is September 16th, and this is celebrated in Mexico  much like the 4th of July here, with fireworks and displays of military power. (Read a very simpatico summary of both events at Viva Cinco de Mayo). I have noted that with time, and probably due to the increase in the number of Mexican people living in the US, this quasi-holiday's miss-information is finally getting corrected across this country. Today, probably like every year, a couple of on-line publications (The Huffington Post and MTV), offered explanations for the revelry on this side of the border.

In short, Cinco de Mayo celebrates the "Batalla de Puebla", which is significant to Mexico because it demonstrated that it's people were capable of uniting and repudiating an unwanted foreign government. The inhabitants of the southern country came together to unquestionably squash Napoleon III who intended to rule their territory and sent a message to those across the Atlantic -- namely Spain --that they should not interfere with the young nation's sovereignty.

Beyond this, I can't seem to find an explanation for the rousing fiestas that go on in many places here. Some say it's just another excuse to party, or a marketing ploy to get us to go out to eat and drink -- these ideas are not too far fetched since we've also dominated the December holidays with over-commercialization.

Perhaps, one of the reasons for celebrating this otherwise low-key Mexican holiday is simply to add it to the long list of other countries who also celebrate holidays in the United States: St. Patrick's Day, Mardi Gras, Chinese New Year, etc.

Which brings me to the implied connection of the May Mexican celebration to the United States: the French. 

I do find the French-American-Mexican connection to this pseudo-holiday ironic given the current state of the US-Mexico border, and that the celebration over the defeat of the French by our neighbors to the south should be so rooted on this side of the fence.

I guess it's a good thing to have something in common -- friends usually do.

Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

And as my countrymen would say: Cheers!

“I don’t know what could be more iconoclastic in puncturing the myth of how self- image of a body for a woman would look than to make her butt square with a telephone book in it.”  ~ Burger King President of Global Marketing Russell Klein in a televised debate with CCFC’s Steering Committee Member Joe Kelly

Television is the main event in our home on some week nights. After a harrowing day of school work and sports, we'll plop down on the sofa together and let the tube do it's magic. Having two teenagers around has broaden the selection of both movies and TV shows we can take in as a family, but once in a while we let our guard down with our viewing choices and we get stung.

American Idol is one of the few shows we don't have to be ready to mute or fast-forward due to language or content, BUT, last week we actually rewound the Burger King ad featuring Nickelodeon's character SpongeBob SquarePants dancing to the tune of Baby Got Back by Sir Mix-A-Lot. My 14-year-old daughter immediately remarked, "That's nice. Kids at school will be doin' the BK for sure." She was referring to elementary kids where she was once a second-grade TA. Needless to say, my 17-year-old son thought the song was awesome (probably not just the song, though), since he has it on his Ipod and knows it word for word - he probably also liked the dancers prancing around the king and shaking their behinds at him a little too vigorously.

I thought the ad was pretty low, and I can easily just chuckle and let the 30 second dumbed-down commercial run its course and leave it at that. (Click here to view the ad). However, I found out there's been some backlash surrounding this burger advertisement, and thought you'd like to know what the fuss is about.

"Burger King insists that the commercial for Kids Meals, featuring one of the most popular kids cartoon characters, is aimed at adults", claims the site Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood. I don't know about you, but I'm sure not watching the yellow sponge show, and am not about to run out to by the kids meal - it's too small for my adult appetite anyway.

If you'd like to read more about what others are doing to knock some tasteful sense into ad executives' heads, go to the CCFC site and follow what they've done so far on the burger front.

If you've seen the commercial, let me know what you think about it!