Here’s an easy way to explain the extra day to your kid
“What is leap year?” If you’ve heard that recently, and you’re wondering how to explain to your kiddos why there’s one extra day every four years, we’ve got easy answers. It’s simple (especially if they know how to count): Leap Year is all about keeping the calendar in sync with how long it takes Planet Earth to completely orbit the sun. And fun fact: It takes more than 365 days.
The earth takes almost six more hours to make its way around the sun. Add up those extra hours, and every four years, there’s an extra day on the calendar, which is where February 29th comes from.
The story of Leap Year goes way back to Julius Caesar, who added an extra day to February (this was the last month of the year in Roman times) over 2,000 years ago. However, his math wasn’t precise, and it wasn’t corrected until the Georgian calendar, which has a mathematical formula that keeps leap years in check. Yep, that means not every four years is necessarily a leap year! In layman’s terms, if the year is divisible by 100 but not 400, it’s not a leap year (e.g. 1900).
What does this mean if we didn’t have Leap Year? Well, dates would slowly shift, and eventually, the seasons would be way off. That could mean celebrating the 4th of July in the dead of winter!
And remember, while people born in February might be Leap Year babies, they can still celebrate on February 28th or March 1st!
We’ve got great ideas to help you make your hometown even better. Mr. Rogers would approve
There’s no time like the present to shower your neighborhood with a little extra love. You’ll teach your kids what it means to be a part of a real community and maybe even get to know a few new friends. From neighborhood scavenger hunts to Little Free Libraries, scroll down for community improvement ideas that can make your hometown just a little bit (or a lot!) more awesome.
1. Create an Instagram page for your community. Start documenting what makes your 'hood special, ala Bill Cunningham, whether it's the trees, the architecture, the people, or maybe, all of the above. This is something you can do while on small walks around your hometown and is a great way to share the messages of hope and inspiration out there.
2. Make seed bombs. This is a simple project, and it doesn't require a green thumb. Use this easy tutorial from Practically Functional, and then toss your supply in the dirt along roads and freeways. We suggest you use native wildflower seeds to curb any invasive species.
3. Redesign a crosswalk. Cities all over the nation are setting up community crosswalk programs, which allow artists to add an extra flair to the pedestrian's right of way. Keep in mind, things might be slower to happen because of staff considerations, but you can get the inspiration and apply now.
4. Plan to create a pocket park. Bringing more green space to urban landscapes takes time and planning, so now is a good time to start. The National Recreation and Park Association has a great guide on how to get one started.
Amber Guetebier
5. Dedicate a bench. Arrange for extra seats to be added to an outdoor space in honor of a loved one or just a spot to stop and sit for a spell.
6. Shop local. When you buy from a local business, you keep dollars where they belong—in the community. In this time of small-business closures, this is more important than ever. Many cities have started Facebook groups that promote local businesses and restaurants, and innovative businesses and restaurants are offering delivery and curbside pickup. Businesses that are closed, like your favorite hair salon, can be supported by buying a gift certificate now to use later.
7. Perk up your local park. See a broken swing or slide? Want to get new equipment added? Call your Parks & Rec department and share your thoughts. When things open back up, everything will be ready for kids to play, play, play.
8. Have a sidewalk chalk challenge. Sidewalk chalk is making a comeback, and it's always fun to spend time in the front yard, getting to know your community.
9. Volunteer or donate to a local food bank. Even if you aren't able to physically donate your time to a food bank, consider making a donation, as food insecurity is currently at an all-time high.
11. Support local schools. While there might not be spirit nights right now, your local schools might be running online fundraisers for students or teachers. Check your local school district website to find out more information.
12. Help out an older neighbor. Reach out to see if you can pick up their groceries, prescriptions or dinner one night. Check out a few other ways to be a good neighbor here.
13. Bike around town.Using your bike more often helps create the demand for more trails and lanes—and that means less car traffic.
iStock
14. Perk up your front porch. A statement door, a fun welcome mat, and flower pots are all easy ways to brighten up your home and your neighborhood.
15. Organize a neighborhood scavenger hunt. Whether it's animals, hearts, states or inspiring messages, organizing a community-wide search is a great way to get outside and to get to "know" your neighbors. You can share your list of finds with other families online and encourage everyone to see the beauty of their town...while still respecting social distancing.
16. Slow down. There are plenty of reasons why driving slower in a neighborhood makes sense—there have even been studies that prove it's a safer option for everyone involved.
17. Practice guerrilla gardening. Claim a plot of unused dirt for yourself and start planting. Click here for ideas, or to find other guerrilla gardeners nearby.
18. Join the local open space alliance. This is the group that will fight to create a walking trail/wildlife refuge instead of another subdivision.
19. Jumpstart the Kindness Rocks movement all over again. Little pieces of art scattered around town? It's the perfect way to spread joy without being in a group. Find out how to get started here.
Apple TV is offering free viewings, no subscription required
Last year, Apple TV+ threw the world a hail Mary when it allowed It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown to be broadcast on PBS in October. This year, the streamer is going a different way to show the special, and it will still be free for non-subscribers!
Back in 2020, Apple bought all the rights to the Peanuts specials, which means that the only place you can catch the beloved classics is on Apple TV+. That is still the case today.
Existing subscribers will happily put It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown and the other holiday special on repeat, but what if you don’t want to pay for another subscription just to get your dose of nostalgia? There are several ways you can watch––for free.
First, if you’ve never subscribed before you can head over to Apple TV and sign up for a free 7-day trial. There’s no need to wait until Oct. 31 either––It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown is already available for viewing.
You can also watch A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving and A Charlie Brown Christmas while you’re enjoying your trial! You will need to enter credit card info however, so set a reminder to cancel after seven days if you don’t want to pay $4.99 a month.
New this year, Apple TV is providing special free windows for non-subscribers to stream! From Oct. 28-31, you can watch It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown without having to sign up for a subscription.
Free windows will also exist for A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving from Nov. 23-27 and A Charlie Brown Christmas from Dec 22-25.
Another way to snag Apple TV+ for free is to take advantage of Best Buy’s three-month offer. Head to bestbuy.com, add the offer to your cart, check out and enjoy 90 days for free!
If you don’t mind shelling out a little dough so you can watch the movie whenever you darn well please, both a DVD and 4K disc version is available on Amazon for just $14.
The new Puppy Mixtape incorporates content that teaches the alphabet, counting and colors via fun songs, sounds and phrases. If you ever used a pencil to wrap the tape ribbon back up you'll love that Fisher-Price added an interactive tape ribbon that your little one can wind up and down.
The Busy Boombox is loaded with music and lessons for babies. It even includes the key functions you would use the most in an actual boombox, such as the play button and volume lever.
This handheld pretend “gaming console” takes families back to the ‘90s with a D-pad, A and B buttons, pretend game cartridge and a light-up screen. The toy integrates nostalgic music, sounds and phrases, and teaches directions, colors, numbers and shapes.
A baby gift that’s handmade or personalized with a child’s name is something they — and their parents — will cherish for years to come. And these special gifts don’t have to break the bank! Read on for 14 new and noteworthy presents (in a variety of price ranges) that babies and toddlers can chew on, snuggle with, wear, and have added to their nursery decor.
Puffy Love Nude Rug from Lorena Canals
There are so many reasons to love this plush, well-made rug: It's handmade in 100% cotton, machine-washable and has a built-in cushion that's perfect for little heads to rest on. It's big enough (at 5'3" by 6') for babies to lay on, crawlers to roam around on, and walkers to play on. Dress up a nursery, playroom or even a living room with this practical, comfy stunner. It also comes in a blue cloud shape with white cloud cushion. Dreamy.
Sometimes Halloween just sneaks up on you, and you end up with a slapdash costume that’s just plain awkward. Luckily, you’re not alone! The folks over at the wildly popular site Awkward Family Photos are celebrating costumes gone wrong and uncomfortable Halloween moments with a collection of cringe-worthy photos, and we’re sharing a few of the most hilarious ones. Scroll down to get a taste of the awkward.
Be sure to visit Awkward Family Photos for more. We (at SFGATE Mommy Files) also added a few reader pics. Feel free to send in an image to contribute to the gallery at editor@tinybeans.com. Include “Awkward Halloween photo” in the subject line.
Check out Awkward Family Photos children’s book Everything Is Awkward capturing the awkwardness of childhood.
Amy Graff is a news producer for SFGATE and writes the site’s Mommy Files blog. She's a mom raising three children in San Francisco. Amy has appeared on dozens of radio and TV shows including Forum (NPR), Good Morning America and BBC. Her writing has also appeared in the Huffington Post, Sunset and San Francisco magazine.
Who’s getting excited for Halloween? In anticipation of the ultimate spooky season, Disney just expanded its Adaptive Roleplay kid’s costumes and wheelchair cover sets to include even more options this year.
Disney’s adaptive costumes came on the market last year and included options like Disney Princesses and Pixar characters. Now, kids can also choose from Marvel Studios’ Black Panther Adaptive Costume, a Star Wars: The Mandalorian Adaptive Costume and Star Wars: The Mandalorian Wheelchair Cover Set and more!
Kids and adults who use wheelchairs and have other accessibility needs will find the adaptive costumes a great fit. The costumes are made with stretch fabric that opens in the front, is open in the rear and has a long inseam.
Each costume has flap openings on the front center with self-stick fabric closure to accommodate tube access and the wheelchair cover sets fit most standard wheelchairs with 24-inch wheels. The sets include plastic piping pieces for added support and long self-stick fabric strips to secure the pieces.
The 2021 Halloween collection is live on shopDisney.com and already has tons of costumes for new releases like Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon as well as classic films. You can find decor, clothing and accessories to last you the whole season!
Admit it: we’ve all become a little more reliant on delivery services in the wake of the pandemic. It’s just so easy!
Now, DoorDash is making the process of getting your goodies even easier with its new innovation, DoubleDash. In a nutshell, you can now tack on must-have items from local stores to your restaurant orders! Your selected Dasher will then deliver both your meal and store order together, with no added delivery fees.
So how does it work? Place your restaurant order on DoorDash like usual, then look for the DoubleDash option on the map to add items from nearby stores after your order is placed. Then add your items from the store page and check out with no minimum order or delivery fee.
Since the program is new, DoubleDash currently only works with 7-Eleven, Walgreens, Wawa, QuickChek, The Ice Cream Shop and DashMart, a DoorDash-exclusive store with thousands of items from your local restaurants. In some markets, DoorDash is also piloting with local restaurants so diners can add add complementary items from nearby local restaurants to your initial meal order.
Ready for some new ideas for snacks for your kids? It can be easy to get into a rut, and unfortunately, most of the snacks marketed to kids aren’t the healthiest. In fact, 80% of kids’ snacks and products have added sugar and most have deceptive claims on the packaging. They may say “whole grain” or “made with fruit” or “rich in calcium,” making parents think they are getting something with added nutritional value, whereas many of these are highly processed and full of hidden sugars or sweeteners and other unwanted ingredients such as refined seed oils or artificial colors. These include many brands of granola bars, crackers, chips, yogurts, and fruit snacks.
The sugar in these products adds up fast, and just one or two seemingly healthy products can put kids over their suggested daily limit for added sugar. For example, one granola bar can easily have 12 grams or three teaspoons of added sugar, which is half of the general daily maximum recommended for children ages 2-18. And most kids do not feel as if they have been given dessert if they have a granola bar, but essentially that is what many brands are!
An overly sweet diet can impact children from head to toe and cause risk for many health issues, including those that develop slowly and silently over time, such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, systemic inflammation, and eventual cognitive decline. In the short term, kids who have more sugar are more likely to struggle to concentrate and to be moodier and more fatigued. Reducing sugar in daily snacks can make a big difference in children’s overall health.
Easy Snacks to Make at Home
Involving kids in preparing easy snacks is a great way to encourage them to accept new, healthy options. Here are a few ideas:
1. Cucumber slices with Japanese Furikake Seasoning: Washing a cucumber and helping to slice it into rounds is something that even toddlers can assist with. We love to dip cucumber in Japanese Furikake seasoning, which is a mix of seaweed flakes, sesame seeds, and sea salt. Look for a brand that does not have added sugar or MSG in it. Kids love this because it gives the cucumber a great crunch and added flavor.
2. Watermelon Pops: Another very easy idea is to cut a watermelon into rectangular pieces, retaining the rind on to use as a handle, and freeze it on parchment paper into one-ingredient ice pops. While kids may be too young to cut the watermelon safely, they can help arrange it on the parchment for freezing. These are so refreshing and fun to eat on a hot day.
3. No-Bake Chocolate Sesame Squares: For something sweet, that is also plant-based and high fiber, try these treats out. They are full of chocolatey flavor and, in addition to being free from added sugar, they also happen to be gluten-free and dairy-free for anyone with those needs. This is a very easy recipe (here are the full details) where you just put everything in a food processor and then flatten it into a baking dish. Even young kids can help measure the ingredients, add them to the processor, operate it with adult supervision, and help press the mix into the dish.
3. Crispy Chickpea Snacks: These seasoned, roasted chickpeas are flavorful and a great alternative to chips or crackers. They are high in fiber, keep kids satisfied, and are also easy to make and affordable. You can modify the seasonings based on what your family likes. We especially love the garam masala version, and the Italian version with rosemary and oregano is also amazing. Kids can help drain the canned chickpeas, dry them with a dish towel, baste them with olive oil, and sprinkle them with the spices before roasting.
Healthier Options for Snacks You Can Buy
We know that making your own snacks isn’t always possible, and it’s helpful to know which ready-made products you can rely on that use good ingredients and your kids will like.
For non-perishable options, here are some products we like:
Instead of potato chips or popcorn that contains added sugar and/or refined seed oils, try popcorn like Lesser Evil Himalayan Gold or Terra Chips made with plantains and cooked in coconut oil.
Protein snacks such as New Primal Meat Sticks or Babybel cheese are also convenient and do not contain added sugars.
With these ideas, you can keep up with your children’s snack appetites, involve them in the kitchen, and keep them healthier at the same time.
Dr. Michael Goran, Ph.D. and Dr. Emily Ventura, Ph.D. are co-authors of the pioneering new book, SUGARPROOF: The Hidden Dangers of Sugar That Are Putting Your Child’s Health at Risk and What You Can Do (Avery/Penguin Random House). To purchase the book and for more ideas and recipes, check out the website and our Instagram page.
Dr. Michael Goran, Ph.D. and Dr. Emily Ventura, Ph.D. are co-authors of pioneering new book, SUGARPROOF: The Hidden Dangers of Sugar That Are Putting Your Child’s Health at Risk and What You Can Do (Avery/Penguin Random House). To purchase the book or for more information, visit www.sugarproofkids.com
Wonder Woman Gal Gadot has added a third daughter to her crew! The actress announced the news on Instagram today with the first shared photo of the family of five. She and husband Jaron Varsano welcome daughter Daniella, who joins Alma and Maya.
Accompanying the candid snapshot, Gadot wrote, “My sweet family 🖐🏼 I couldn’t be more grateful and happy (and tired 🤪) we are all so excited to welcome Daniella into our family. I’m sending all of you love and health. GG ♥️🖐🏼🖐🏼🖐🏼🖐🏼🖐🏼”
Varsano posted the same photo to his account with the caption “And now we are 🖐🏼 So happy and grateful. My dear wife is a lioness! So thankful and humbled by your powers.”
The 36-year-old Gadot married Varsano, an Israeli real estate developer and businessman, in 2008. Oldest daughter Alma was born in 2011 and Maya joined the family in 2017. In an earlier post this year, Gadot praised her husband as “the greatest dad in the world!”
Congratulations to the happy family! No doubt Gadot’s powerful superhero will be an inspiration to all three daughters for years to come.
—Sarah Shebek
Featured image courtesy of Tinseltown/Shutterstock
