It’s official: the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is back! After a hiatus, one of the world’s most iconic celebrations is returning to the streets of NYC.
The 95th edition of the parade will take place from 9 a.m. to noon on Thursday, Nov. 25. It will also air on NBC in all time zones for optimal viewing pleasure for those of us not brave enough to weather the, well weather.
photo: Mimi O’Conners for Red Tricycle
More details are expected to come, but it can be assumed guests may be limited as the world still navigates the pandemic. As of now, Macy’s has also stated its volunteers and staff will be vaccinated,
To stay tuned on the event that’s only 77 days away, be sure to check the Macy’s Parade website.
It’s a graveyard smash! A monstrous party is coming to your breakfast bowl, courtesy of General Mills. Monster Mash cereal is limited-edition and features pieces from the five Monster Cereals: Count Chocula, Boo Berry, Franken Berry, Frute Brute and Yummy Mummy,
It’s the first time you can find all of these cereals combined and it’s in honor of the 50th anniversary of Count Chocula and Franken Berry, the first two monster products. At the time, the two cereals were the only chocolate and strawberry flavored cereals on the market. The pieces transformed to ghosts in 1985 and the marshmallows have evolved over the years, but the delicious taste has never changed.
To celebrate the cereal release, the five monsters also remade the classic “Monster Mash” song for your listening pleasure. You can also watch Mocumentary, the Monster Mash Documentary, which includes a surprise appearance from Travis Barker. Both are available online now!
Keep an eye out at major retailers to scoop a box (or six) of this special new product. The artwork alone makes it a must-have for cereal collectors!
Green bean casserole is a staple for most American Thanksgiving tables, but you don’t have to wait until November to get your fix.
French’s Green Bean Casserole Snack Mix is here for your snacking pleasure! The limited edition 16 oz. package has all the goodness packed into one bag: crispy fried onions, green beans and mushrooms, all covered in savory seasonings.
While you can normally find all the ingredients to make the traditional dish at the grocery store, this snack mix is only available in one place. You can snag it on McCormick.com for $8.95, but don’t wait because it won’t be around for long.
The force is strong with this brand-new master brick build. LEGO recently announced the debut of a Star Wars R2-D2 construction set in celebration of the 50th anniversary of Lucasfilm!
Get ready to spend the weekend constructing your very own droid. The LEGO Star Wars R2-D2 set includes 2,314 pieces and fab features galore.
Along with a rotating head and retractable mid-leg, this daring droid build also has a periscope and hidden tools tucked into a secret compartment. The set also includes a minifigure version of R2-D2 and a very special 50th anniversary Lucasfilm LEGO brick.
Jens Kronvold Frederiksen, Creative Lead of LEGO Star Wars at the LEGO Group , said in a press release, “We have had the pleasure of creating hundreds of Star Wars-inspired models over the past two decades since we first launched LEGO Star Wars sets.”
Kronvold Frederiksen continued, “As Lucasfilm celebrates their 50th anniversary, it seemed fitting to challenge ourselves and push the limits of what is possible with LEGO bricks by recreating a fan-favourite Star Wars character in great detail like we have never achieved before. We are delighted with the result and hope our fans get as much joy out of building the sets as we did designing it.”
Star Wars, and LEGO, lovers can nab this set ($199) starting May 1, 2021 exclusively on LEGO.com.
If Snapchat filters, Instagram followers, boomerang pics, the perfect photo, tweets, and Facebook ‘likes’ seem to consume your teen’s life, it is no surprise. Social media use is currently the most common activity enjoyed by children and teenagers. Over 75 percent of children own a cellular phone, and the majority use it to access social media platforms several times each day. With such a broad reach and widespread popularity among our youth, it’s important that parents understand that while mostly fun and games there can be negative consequences of excessive social media use.
Does the following sound familiar?
Lately you’ve noticed that your child appears aloof, irritable, and withdrawn. He prefers to be left alone in his room spending time on Instagram and Snapchat. Though he is restricted from screen time after bedtime, he has had several nights of breaking this rule and staying up late to check his social media feeds. As his parent, you’ve established rules regarding social media use including having access to his social media platforms usernames and passwords. You’ve come to learn, that he has a fake Instagram (i.e. a “Finstagram”) account and has experienced bullying due to some recent posts.
Or this?
Your teen has been unusually irritable. She’s having trouble sleeping and is spending more time alone. She’d rather sit in her room and swipe and post on her social media feeds than spend time with her family or even go out with friends. She appears overly concerned with her physical appearance and getting the “perfect look” for pictures. Once cheerful and self-assured, she has lately become self-doubting and withdrawn.
At first glance, we might think that behaviors and mood symptoms such as these can be chalked up to a teenage funk or a child hitting a rough patch. Another possible cause? Social media depression. Social media depression refers to a clinical depression that results from the intensity, pressure, and eventual isolation stemming from social media use. And unfortunately, it is becoming increasingly common among kids and teens.
Social media depression is not recognized as a formal diagnosis among health care professionals. Yet, there is a growing body of research that shows an association between social media use and clinical depression, especially among youth and young adults—thus the term “social media depression.”
How do you know if your youth is struggling with a clinical depression and this is more than a moody teenager? If you notice that your child has several of the following symptoms over a two week period or more, then you should be concerned about clinical depression: depressed mood (most of the day and nearly every day), changes in sleep pattern (sleeping too much or too little), loss of energy nearly every day, poor concentration, an inability to experience pleasure in activities that your child previously enjoyed, increased time alone and reduced time with friends, or even talk of death or suicide.
Social media may be an underlying cause if your youth has an excessive amount of interest and time spent on YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter and Facebook. Take heed if you notice the following behaviors and telling signs: spending considerable amounts of time on social media at the expense of real friendships and family time, a hyper-focus on physical appearance because of a posting the “perfect” picture, and excessive comparisons of themselves to friends.
If you suspect that your child is suffering from clinical depression, that’s your cue to take the next step. Get professional help—the sooner, the better. We’ve seen that early intervention can make a great difference.
Written by Dr. Carlin Barnes and Dr. Marketa Wills.
Through her vibrant picture books, illustrated by her brother Zeka Cintra,Isabel strives to introduce kids to a world where diversity is valuable and beautiful. Fantasy, representativeness and diversity are common themes in her editorial production. She currently resides in Stockholm, Sweden with her husband and daughters.
Getting a holiday picture with Santa is a Christmas tradition, and while many families walk away with a picture-perfect shot, there are just as many who end up with a major Santa fail. Until they get older, tons of littles find the big man in red terrifying––and these photos prove it. From crying babies to getting Mrs. Claus in on the action, keep scrolling to see some hilarious Santa photo fails that’ll keep you laughing the entire holiday season.
I do so love to watch cats grooming themselves. I find it hypnotic and soothing – the smooth play of muscles as they twist and stretch, the sensual splayed toes, the darting little pink tongue, the occasional glimpse of the cat’s nethers.
My husband does not find it nearly so soothing. That’s because Dushenka takes a pause from grooming herself, she starts grooming him. This could keep her busy all day, since he has a lot to groom.
She usually starts with a brief lick to the nose, which I assume is to let him know what’s coming. Then she starts in on his beard. When she’s had her fill of that, she moves on to his eyebrows, though she occasionally misses and grooms his forehead.
Whenever Dan’s shirtless, which is usual in summer and not unknown even in winter, she goes for his prodigious chest hair. I have never seen her miss and accidentally lick his nipple, though I’m pretty sure if she did, he wouldn’t tell me. And I won’t even speculate about her grooming his nethers. They may engage in these pursuits when I’m not around, for which I’m mostly thankful, but about which I’m perversely curious.
I remember a Robin Williams routine in which he said, “If you think cats are so clean, you go eat a can of tuna fish and lick yourself all over.” By that theory, my husband is coated with a thin layer of Super Supper and cat spit, which I must block from my mind when I hug him.
Dushenka occasionally gives my nose a lick, but that’s as far as she goes. Cats in general find no pleasure in grooming me, although I once had a cat, Julia, who was irresistibly drawn to roll on my head whenever I had my hair done at a salon. I think she was enamored of the coconut-scented mousse my stylist used, though I know of no of no other cat attracted to coconut.
I also once knew a cat who, when I was sitting on a sofa, was drawn to my curly-permed ponytail. But she did not slurp. She pounced, apparently believing that my ‘do was some sort of rodent or other cat toy.
The only time I experienced a lengthy cat-grooming attempt was when Dan rubbed catnip on my leg. (Thankfully, I was wearing jeans.) Lick, lick, slurp, slurp ensued, until I had a round, damp spot on my thigh.
But ultimately, this post is not about cat spit, or tongue-prints, or even pants-licking. The take-away from this is: Cats groom their kittens. My husband’s mother, therefore, is the cat Dushenka, and he is her child. Please don’t tell the woman who birthed and raised him. Her claim has been challenged. And we all know what happens when you engage in a war of wills with a cat.
Hi! I'm a freelance writer and editor who writes about education, books, cats and other pets, bipolar disorder, and anything else that interests me. I live in Ohio with my husband and a varying number of cats.
When I was a child, there was no way my parents could censor my reading. I simply read too fast and too much for them to keep up.
Once, though, I got hold of a science fiction novel by Robert Silverberg that had a sex-infused plot that was way beyond my then-current level of sophistication. When I reported to Mom that I was disturbed by it, she wrote in it “Not for young minds” before we recycled it at the used bookstore (as we did most books in those days).
But she still didn’t try to censor my reading.
I understand that there is a need to make decisions about what books will be in a school library, for reasons of space if nothing else. Within those limitations, school librarians must choose the best and most engaging books they can. And not all schoolteachers can choose their own reading lists, as they may be determined by the school, the school board, or parental influence.
As to what a child should read, I advocate giving the individual child’s taste free rein. Reading is reading and practice reinforces it. If the reading is forced upon the child or–worse–is boring, the child will come to view reading as punishment, not pleasure. (The same holds true of writing, by the way.)
If your children have questions or are disturbed by a book they read, talk with them about the book. With them, not at them. Most kids know what is too sexual or too violent or too whatever for them. I have even seen a child leave a movie that was becoming bloodier than he thought he was ready for.
And so what if your child reads trashy comic books or graphic novels? Or escapist fantasy? Or biographies of pop stars or sports heroes? As the child grows, you can suggest other books that may fill the same needs but be a bit more challenging. There are plenty of good adventure novels by classic writers, including Alexandre Dumas, Robert Louis Stevenson, Victor Hugo, and even Zane Grey. (William Goldman has a charming story about this process in his introduction to The Princess Bride.)
Or you may be able to interest a child in reading the book that a favorite movie was based on. Then ask her or him how the two differed. (The Hobbit is a prime example.)
The object here is widening a child’s horizons, not narrowing them. You may not like all their choices, but they surely won’t like all of yours either. It’s like educating their palates. You’ll get through that awful peanut butter and pickle phase and into realms as distant as sushi.
I’m not saying that you should leave your child alone with FiftyShades of Grey (though if you have it in the house, your child is sure to find it). There are other books that can introduce your teen or even your preteen or tween to topics concerning the human body and sex – and the emotional aspects of it that aren’t covered in schools. Judy Blume’s books, for example, once thought so shocking, have stood the test of time.
The message you give a child when you say “no” to a book may be different from what you think. You may think you are saying, “That book is too advanced for you” or “That book is trash,” but the child may hear, “Books are not for you” or “Reading is worthless.”
“Let children read whatever they want & then talk about it with them. If parents and kids can talk together, we won’t have as much censorship because we won’t have as much fear.”—Judy Blume
Judy Blume is right. Reading and talking about it is better than censorship and fear.
Hi! I'm a freelance writer and editor who writes about education, books, cats and other pets, bipolar disorder, and anything else that interests me. I live in Ohio with my husband and a varying number of cats.
Over two thousand years ago the Buddha observed that “cravings” were the source of most of our suffering. (And he was pretty wise… like a Buddha, in fact!)
Basically, cravings cause us to chase after pleasure in material things, but this habit always ends in frustration and suffering, as the happiness they offer is fleeting and ungraspable.
I was recently reminded of this as we loaded a mini-van full of toys to donate to the Salvation Army in a struggle to declutter.
These toys were an archive of must-have toys from Christmases past, and most didn’t get much love after the New Year.
In fact, our kids had a bad habit of getting a “pleasure-hangover” after the last toy was opened on Christmas morning. Their moods seemed to sink after the cravings and anticipation turned into discontent, often before we could clean up the wrapping paper.
So, after a number of these unsatisfying Christmases, we got wiser. We stopped spending hundreds of dollars on “things,” and don’t even participate in the commercial bacchanal that is “Black Friday.” (ugh!)
So, what do we do instead?
Now we get the kids an experience
Our big gift to the kids usually centers around an event, and includes a night in a hotel. Since we’re a train ride from NYC, there’s no shortage of options for family travel, but certainly anywhere fun and exciting will do.
For the last two Christmases we’ve been on a Hamilton (the Musical) kick, so trips to Williamsburg and Philadelphia were a lot of fun. One year it was a long-weekend trip to Florida after we found cheap, last-minute airfare.
This year? Not sure yet. Maybe (half-price) tickets to Aladdin on Broadway, and a night in the city?
We usually make a photo book of our annual adventure, so that’s fun to bring back the memories years later.
Anyway, what I’m trying to say is that we’re all so much happier not dumping “stuff” on each other on Christmas day. We all feel lighter, and there’s a lot less anxiety.
The True Meaning of Christmas
“Sure, Charlie Brown, I can tell you what Christmas is all about…”
Yes, I think Linus was onto something back in 1965.
We’ve all heard that “money can’t buy happiness,” but we’re also told ad nauseam every day that it can.
How? Well, in the form of advertising and social media, of course.
In fact, a recent study shows that we can be bombarded with ads of some sort up to 5,000 times a day. This exposure to advertising is like steroids for our cravings, and that is really bad.
Ugh! If he weren’t so enlightened, Buddha would be so depressed.
Proof that Toys Don’t Buy Happiness (Ah, hah!)
I’m happy to give you proof that “things” don’t equal happiness. Wrap your brain around this statistic:
American children make up less than 4% of the world’s population, but own 50% of the world’s toys!
You’d think that as the richest country with the most toys, we’d at least be on the list of the 10 happiest countries, but we’re not.
However, we do top the charts in anxiety and obesity, and debt, so maybe we want to stop trying to satisfy our cravings with “things.”
This obsession with consumption seems to be a human sickness, maybe leftover from our ancient hunter-gatherer DNA? Kind of makes you think that the Buddha was right all along.
Here’s a small way to fight back…
Give An Experience this Christmas!
So, I hope that you consider lightening up on the toys this Christmas. Maybe a Broadway show isn’t in your budget this year, but no problem; it’s the quality time together that matters.
If you have any ideas of non-material gift substitutes, leave a comment below!
I'm Missy, a mother of three and a middle school drama teacher at a private school. I'm obsessed with my Vizsla (dog), traveling, and the musical Hamilton. I also enjoy writing and sharing fun parenting stories, which is what brought me here.
More and more tweens and teens are on screens and social media so they are spending less time reading books. Teen entrepreneur and avid reader, Jillian Robinson is hoping to change those numbers by introducing beTWEEN The Bookends box. This book subscription box for tweens was created by Robinson as a result of COVID-19.
Robinson’s goal is to keep girls, ages 9-13, interested in reading even though most community libraries and schools are closed. The monthly box, containing 2-3 books and 6-8 lifestyle items, is curated personally by Robinson. “I read every book and test every lifestyle item before it makes it into my box, because I want to make sure girls my age will like it. I’m not just filling a box and mailing it out.” she said.
While the subscription box caters to tweens, many other boxes suited for different age groups are available in the store’s website.
The box comes in two sizes. The full size box is priced at $29.99(+S&H), and the mini box, with 1 book and 3-5 lifestyle items, is priced at $16.99(+S&H). Boxes ship out the first week of every month.
Robinson said, “We all know how to read, but how many of us do it when we don’t have to? I hope my box will give kids a reason to pick up a new book for pleasure, while also giving them some fun stationery, beauty, and lifestyle items as well!”
Not only has Robinson created the box, but she reads every book and tests every product before they make the cut. All boxes are “Jillian approved”!
