Archive 2006 Blog

Sleep late, watch some television, maybe nap at poolside, and then stay up all night playing video games with friends. That is most kids’ idea of a perfect summer vacation. However, in light of articles about children’s obesity and lack of fitness, parents are searching for ways to get their offspring off the sofa and exercising. Check out these sport and fitness camp choices in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, and get your kids moving based on their abilities and interests.

Basketball:
Dallas Mavericks Hoop Camp for ages 8 to 18 is held in various locations around the DFW area.
(214-747-6287). One-week sessions costs $225 and includes game vouchers, jerseys, and other pro basketball paraphernalia. The camp basketball and includes guest speakers.

Pepsi Nancy Lieberman Basketball Camp is held at two locations – Collin County Community College or the University of Texas at Dallas – and teaches fundamentals of basketball along with game tactics. (www.nancylieberman.com or 972-307-0101)

Arlington Parks and Recreation Sports Academy ages 6 to 15 about various sports including basketball. The one- week sessions costs $75 to $125 and offers a variety of activity. (www.aceacom.com or 817-462-3700

Fencing:
Fencing Day Camp offers a very special sport for ages 8 to 17. The price of $150 to $350 includes equipment. It students how to fence or how to improve their skills and prepare for competitions. (www.fenceintexas.org or 972-444-8498) En garde!

Football:
It would not be Texas if football camps did not exist. Load up your child with a sport drink and watch him sweat off the pounds at the following camps:

Garland Owls Youth Football Camp. Grades 3rd thru 8th. (www.garlandowls.com or 972-494-8589)
Phil Bennett Mustang Football Camps Grades 2nd thru 12th (www.smumustangs.com or 214-768-3667
Premier Football Camp Ages 7-14 (www.allstarcamps.com or 972-481-9400)

Horse:
Whether it is English or Western equestrian that interests your youngster, check into these stables for riding, horse care, and safety:

Benbrook Stables Horse Camp offers one- day sessions for ages 6 to 16 at a cost of $50. (www.benbrookstables.com or 817-249-1001)
Capricorn Equestrian Center Summer Horseback Riding Camp has one week sessions for ages 7 to 14 at $200. (www.capricornhorse.com or 972-530-1124)
English Riding Camp specializes in English riding in one-week sessions for age 6 and up. (972-734-2087)
Merriwood Ranch Riding Camp has one-week sessions for girls only, ages 7 to 14 at a cost of $375. (972-495-4646)
Wagon Wheel Ranch has one-week sessions for ages 6 and up at a cost of $250. (www.awagonwheelranch.com or 817-481-8284)

Ice Skating:
Not to denigrate football, but frankly in Texas in the summer, the smart thing to do to beat the heat is to learn how to ice skate. Whether it is figure skating or hockey, enjoy the cool ice rink at the following camps.

Americas Ice Garden has daily or weekly sessions for all age groups. (www.americasicegarden.com or 214-720-8080)
Ice Skating Classes at the StarCenter will keep your child cool. (www.drpepperstarcenter.com or 214-467-5283

Rock Climbing:
Rock Climbing Camp for ages 6 to 14 rock climbing as well as offering team building activities. (www.summitrockgym.com or 817-421-3888)

Soccer:
Work on indoor and outdoor soccer skills at the following soccer camps. Dribbling, heading, and controlling the ball are just a few of the exercises worked on for this international sport.

Dallas Sidekicks Summer Soccer Camps has one-week sessions for ages 5 to 12. (www.dallassidekicks.com or 972-306-9200)
FC Dallas School of Excellence Soccer Training for ages 7 to 12 in one-week sessions. (www.fcdallas.net or 214-777-0215)
Rockwall Parks Skyhawks Soccer runs one week in July for ages 7 to 14. (www.rockwall.com or 972-771-7740)
Smudger’s Soccer Camps are held all over Dallas and its suburbs for ages 6 to 12. (www.smudgersoccercamps.com or 972-233-3146)

Swimming:
Kids want to be at the pool anyway. Put their energy to good use learning swim strokes, water safety, and competitive swimming.

All Star Tennis, Swim, and Sports Camp have well-rounded one-week sessions for multiple sports. (www.brookhavenclub.com or 972-241-5961)
Lancaster Recreation Center Aquatics covers 6 months or older in swim instruction. (www.lancaster-tx.com or 972-227-1112)
Mars Swim Camp for ages 6 to 12. (www.marswim.org or 817-925-0505)
NRH20 Swim Lessons and Lifeguard Training takes its water sports seriously. (www.nrh2o.com or 817-427-6500)
Tennis:
Everyone can whack a tennis ball over the net. However, tennis is a game of finesse and your child can learn the skills – volley, drop shot, lob, and the art of the serve – at these camps.

Bill Bos All Star Junior Tennis Camps is for ages 5 to 15. (972-248-6833)
Fretz Tennis Center Tennis Camp for ages 4 to 18 has one-week sessions. (www.fretztennis.com or 214-670-6622)
Oakridge Country Club Tennis and All-Sports Camp for ages 6 to 15. (www.oakridgecctexas.com or 972-530-8020)

Volleyball:
Be prepared for the family reunion volleyball tournament. Your child will learn how to play the game and perhaps achieve that spike to score a winning point.

Martin High School Volleyball Camp for grades 3rd through 9th. (www.martinvolleyball.com or 817-480-3932)
University of Texas at Arlington Volleyball Camp is held for ages 10 to 18. (www.utamavs.collegesports.com or 817-272-2216)
Volleyball at Sportsplex at Valley View for grades 4th through 12th (www.sportsplexv.com or 972-385-5416 ext. 30)

The Dallas/Fort Worth area offers a lot of sports activity and instruction. Get your child off the and out from behind a remote control to learn new sports skills and make new friends. Whether once a week or daily, exercise is good for your kid and can teach your youngster a healthy lifestyle. Make sure your child stays hydrated and has some fun at a sport summer camp.

No other room of the house works harder, is used more frequently, or is more versatile than the kitchen. It serves multi-purposes and is the heart of the home. Just one reason why a kitchen remodeling project is among the most popular type of home renovation. Another reason why homeowners are willing to invest substantial amounts of money in a kitchen makeover is because it increases the real estate market value of their property. This is especially true when remodeling is to update and modernize the kitchen. Even if updates are purely aesthetic, features such as a natural stone custom kitchen counter top or custom kitchen cabinet design using quality oak, maple, or an exotic wood will prove a good marketing investment.

A More Professional Kitchen Design

Perhaps your kitchen renovation idea is a do it yourself project. Or, you may plan on hiring a home interior designer or kitchen and bath contractor for the job. Regardless, why not consider the following tips and ideas for a more efficient, innovative kitchen design? One with multi-purpose features to save space and make your kitchen even more efficient and versatile.

Kitchen Cabinet Remodeling:

Whatever your budget, always opt for the best quality cabinetry possible; whether factory or custom made. This includes drawer runners made from metal instead of plastic, drawers with closer dampeners (preventing drawers from forcefully slamming shut), quality wood cabinet doors instead of laminated materials or engineered wood, etc. Select a style that compliments your new kitchen design – which should compliment and fit in with the rest of the house décor. When it comes to custom built cabinetry, have the kitchen cabinet contractor incorporate as many space saving and ease-of-use features as possible. Including wall cabinets with doors that lift up instead of opening sideways, swing out base cabinet doors that open to reveal additional shelving on the inside of the doors, corner lazy Susan components, drawers with sectioned components that lift out, cupboards with vertical stacking slots for plates, saucers, and bowls, and butcher block-type cutting boards located by the sink area that pull out from under the counter.

The Work Triangle

If designing your own kitchen, incorporate into the plan the basic work triangle – a design that sets the sink, cooking area, and refrigerator at the tips of an imaginary triangle. Saving steps and time when preparing foods; preventing “traffic jams” when more than one person uses the kitchen at the same time. Many times the kitchen also serves as space for accomplishing other tasks; such as homework, family discussions, entertaining, or paperwork. A work triangle at one end of the room with a corner breakfast nook or kitchen table at the opposite end will work best. Any outside entryway should open at the opposite end of the kitchen. Not in a location where persons entering would have to pass through the work triangle area to access other areas of the kitchen. The same is true for entry ways that lead from other rooms in the house into the kitchen.

Meal Preparation and Clean-up
When more than one person handles meal preparation and after meal cleanup at the same time, the following might be considered. More than just one sink; a second located outside the work triangle, to avoid traffic jams. Consider a kitchen island design, for instance. One that includes a small food rinsing sink, butcher block top for cutting foods, and storage cabinets below. Kitchen remodeling tip: an undersized round design works best for a small kitchen makeover. If you opt to omit a sink in the small kitchen island design, consider having the island built on locking casters so it can easily be repositioned, according to need. A separate cook top and oven, with an additional two-burner cook top located outside the work triangle might prove helpful. Consider a stationary kitchen island that includes a rinsing sink and a small cook top.

Cut Down on Kitchen Remodeling Cost
There are ways to cut down on overall kitchen remodeling project cost. One way without compromising on best-possible features such as kitchen counter tops, flooring, and new appliances is to handle some of the work yourself. Read the following article for DIY kitchen remodeling tips and ideas; Kitchen Renovation Design. Also note links at the bottom of the page to other related articles. Another way to cut back on costs without compromising on quality is to hire a professional kitchen design expert or kitchen and bath contractor for other aspects of your project. This will insure the best kitchen design and workmanship possible. Instead of new cabinetry, however, opt for do it yourself kitchen cabinet refinishing; updating the appearance of existing wood cabinets; whether refacing to bring back the natural beauty and luster of the wood, painting, or sanding and re-finishing using a different color stain. Crown molding added to the tops of soffits or the cabinets themselves can drastically change their appearance; giving them stunning design appeal. Especially when the molding is painted a complimentary contrasting color or a shade slightly darker than the cabinetry.

© 2007 HandyAmerican.com

With the dangers of our world becoming more and more obtrusive and pervasive, everyone should have certain items on hand to protect themselves as much as possible from sever injury or even death. I am a firm believer in pro-active precautions being incorporated into everyone’s daily routines. There are some vital products that are invaluable for emergencies.

Owning a gun is no longer a radical concept—especially for women. I place it first on my of tools that might save one’s life because, well, it simply is the best self-protection any can have in the case of assault of any kind. Any model who lives by herself, in my opinion, should have at the very least a stun gun or pepper spray. But the defense is a gun because it can deter an attacker at a long distance, unlike a stun gun or pepper spray. The following site is a good one to investigating the necessity of gun ownership. It also gives advice on training, which it states is essential to a woman’s sense of confidence and security in using a gun properly and defensively. There are many other gun training organizations located in cities and communities all over the country and they can be located on any Google search for your city on “gun training.”
http://www.a-human-right.com/staysafe.html This site is a great place to begin educating oneself on gun ownership and training. Very interesting.

http://www2.pulsetv.com/st/prodinfo.asp?number=2300
My son just recently experienced the death of a co-worker who drowned when her automobile skidded backwards off a lake embankment. She was pinned inside her car and still in her seat belt. It was possibly a tragedy that could have been avoided with the proper tool. The one thing that happens when a vehicle goes into a river or lake is that the pressure against the doors and windows builds up so that it may be extremely hard to get the door open. Sometimes the door’s even pinned shut by a branch or other object; sometimes the automobile flips and the driver is pinned down on her side while the driver’s side is positioned upward. It’s crucial for the driver to have some way to get out of that Immediately. 

That’s when Motor Trend’s Emergency Hammer is a real life-saver! It is specifically made with a razor sharp slicing edge that will slice through strong seat belts and the hammer’s head is fabricated with a steel that will shatter through auto safety glass in car windows. This truly is a no-brainer for anyone, man or woman, and should always be kept in every car’s glove compartment or side sleeve where it’s accessible in a heartbeat when an emergency occurs. You have to call to order the hammer and the phone number is on the site above: motortrend emergency hammer with razor cutter for seat belts, etc. 800-632-1456 – call to order.

http://greatinventions.tv/products/102.php 
This next product may seem a bit bizarre, but I actually know someone who saved a friend’s life with it. The Econo Home Defibrillator is a must for families. it might seem extreme, this product can come in to the rescue if someone is shocked and their heart stops or for people who have had heart troubles and might experience a heart attack. Made by Affordable Medical Devices, this product claims to be essentially the same product as those made in the USA which are almost cost prohibitive. Though I don’t have experience with this particular product from this particular source, I highly advocate people looking into a home defibrillator as resuscitation tool that can really mean the difference between life and death for a loved one.
http://www.eternityflashlights.com/

This next tool is a delight. It is inexpensive and is another must have in several places in your home and absolutely in your car. It’s a shake-up LED flashlight that is battery-less. All you do is shake for 30 seconds and you get power to your flashlight! No kidding. No batteries means it’s always accessible for emergencies. They even have one available with a siren and a radio. You can call to order and bulk orders are offered too. This would make ideal Christmas presents or gifts to the college student who you want to supply with plenty of self-protection when she or he goes off to college! 

The next product or products that might save your life have had plenty of press after 911, but people sometimes forget to purchase one for an all-around tool to have accessible for any emergency, weather-related or for any catastrophe. It’s an emergency radio. Grundig offers a lot of models from its website, so you can to search for the right one for you and your family: http://www.ccrane.com/radios/wind-up-emergency-radios/index.aspx\

I have a Grundig 200 model which give short-wave capability. I also have a weather radio in my kitchen drawer. You can set this to alert you when and if emergency weather announcements are made to through the public announcement system. It’s not only handy just to have to preview the forecast but an absolute necessity when you have a hurricane or tornado or any other weather-related emergency pending or imminent. This site offers crank radios as well as power supplies, another must. One is a crank device you activate with your feet like a pedal and it can start a stalled battery in your automobile or other electronic power driven tool. http://nextpowerusa.stores.yahoo.net/freeplay-freecharge-weza-portable-energy-source.html

The last advice is a tool that most people already have, but I was alerted to a new use for this which actually makes a lot of sense and can truly save your life in the event of a home intrusion in the night. Put your keys on a bedside table when you get ready to go to sleep. In the event of a burglary or intrusion what you must do is point your “wand” toward your car outside to sound the alarm in the car. The sound will definitely upset any intruder because of one thing. They know that it will wake up irritated neighbors instantly and lights will most likely go on immediately around your house. It just might be a lot faster than a 911 call in the case of a perilous break in. The last thing an intruder or rapist wants is the attention of a lot of aroused neighbors who can tell immediately whose car is sounding an alarm. This one tip is so simple and available for anyone to use that it just might be number one on my of practical things to do and use to save your life, even if I saved it for last!

To be honest, I think that most presenters should avoid telling

jokes. But on the other hand, telling jokes around the

water cooler or on the porch while sippin’ lemonade is

a time-honored tradition. If it was good enough for

Gramps, why ain’t it good enough for us? But if you

are going to tell jokes, you should do it right.

1. Make sure you actually know the joke. Practice

it! Tell it to your kids, your spouse, and your dog.

Trust me, you want to tell the joke a few times

before you do it for real. Nothing will make you

look like a bigger idiot than telling a joke wrong.

2. Scan the internet for jokes to AVOID. Don’t

tell jokes that everybody has heard… if your

joke is all over the internet, then this is a great

joke to AVOID.

3. Shorter jokes are better. I know, I know. You think

you’re a great story teller. But trust me, your audience

will appreciate you for NOT adding all of the colorful

details and fluff. Just tell the joke. Shorten it if you can.

4. The punch line comes last. And I mean last!

Nothing should come after the punch-line. Consider

this joke done well.

Why Did the chicken cross the road? To get to the

other side.

Now, the same joke when the punch-line is not last.

This is much worse. (I know, that joke is pretty bad on

it’s own, but… you get the idea.)

Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the other

side of the road which was on a long block because he

wanted to get to his chicken coop.

See? Punch-lines should be last. Period. NOTHING

comes after the punch. (Except for your silence and their laughter.)

5. Keep it clean. And I mean crystal clean. If you wouldn’t

tell it to the Queen of England (who probably doesn’t like

jokes much anyway) then leave it out. Seriously. If you

have any doubt whether you are “crossing the line,” then

don’t tell it. Think of it this way: if you tell a joke to 10 people

and 9 of them laugh, then you’ve still alienated a friend. Don’t do it.

6. If you are telling a joke as part of a presentation,

don’t take credit for the joke. You can do that before

the joke with something like, “Here’s one I read on

the internet.” Or after the joke with something like,

“That old joke was on the internet, but it reminds us

to…. (follow with a point.)” If you don’t let people know

that his joke is from the internet, you risk looking like a

fool. I guarantee that at least a couple of people in every

audience already know your joke, and if you want to earn

and keep THEIR respect you need to make sure you don’t (tacitly) claim that joke to be yours.

7. Don’t steal jokes from stand up comics. Unless they are

dead. Jokes are material, and it is how they earn a living.

If you tell it, copy it, email it…. whatever… you devalue the

joke for them. Besides, it’s bad karma.