Attention PAW Patrol fans! Walmart has a win-win proposal: right now, you can pre-order select toys from the new movie and when you do, you’ll get special access to a virtual showcase, including a sneak peek at the upcoming film!
Multiple toys are eligible in this offer, including an action figure set, transforming movie vehicles and eight-piece role-play sets for your little fans. Prices start at $12.97 and all of the toys come with free shipping. Totally paw-some!
Once you’ve purchased, you’ll receive ticket instructions in your inbox within 24 hours. The virtual showcase features a preview of PAW Patrol: The Movie with an intro by a special guest from the film. It also promises other fun activities for the family! You can tune in on August 8 starting at 1 p.m. ET.
In case you missed it, the new PAW Patrol movie comes out in theaters on August 20. Check out our preview for a look at the trailer and character images!
Star light. Star bright. First star I see tonight. I wish you may. I wish you might. Be my date on Homecoming Night.
As if teenage guys don’t have enough on their plate, they must now come up with a cheesy proposal presentation to ask a girl to Homecoming (HOCO). He’d better not think of asking her to the dance without at least a decorated poster board in hand.
Why are our sons expected to put on a proposal production to ask someone to Homecoming today?
I have triplet boys. I have a husband. I have a father. I know a little something about men. I know males don’t come up with ideas like this on their own.
This means that mom most likely is assisting son with the plan. Or maybe the high schooler is scrolling through Pinterest for HOCO proposal ideas instead of doing his school work, which is strange. Or perhaps he’s recycling an idea from a friend who’s gone before him so that he can get the nonsense over with.
I have seen prom proposal productions in the past, but the shenanigans have now made their way into the Homecoming arena.
Do boys need to conjure up a rhyme and creatively display it on a poster to invite your daughter to a dance?
Others take it to another level buying huge teddy bears, shoes, candy and the list goes on. I’m sure the bigger, the better.
That wouldn’t exactly be something my sons would authentically do. And me pushing them to participate, isn’t something I would authentically do, so sorry ladies.
What happened to just a good guy asking a sweet girl to the high school homecoming?
How come that’s no longer enough?
Why do we insist on turning what should be a simple invitation into a production?
Perhaps it’s working for some guys because hiding behind a poster board slogan that your Mom helped you write, is probably easier than actually having to invite a girl face to face using your own words.
And there wouldn’t be anything post-worthy for social media if there wasn’t a production. And we all know how much everyone loves a good photo for the feed.
The HOCO Proposal Production seems like another way to try and one up each other. I’m having a tough time wrapping my head around the concept and why we’re allowing this nonsense to be commonplace now.
My boys aren’t attention seekers, so I guess that they may never go to Homecoming with a date if they have to come up with a cutesy scheme to get a girl to say yes.
Do girls need this type of proposal from boys now?
Our 8th-grade daughter said she thinks the idea is “cute.” I explained to her that it’s adorable when she and her girlfriends make posters for one another’s birthdays and bring them to middle school to celebrate. There is nothing cute about making a young man design a presentation to ask you to go to homecoming with him.
Let’s not put pressure on kids to have to put on a post-worthy show for what should be a simple invitation to a timeless high school event.
Let’s put our efforts into raising confident and kind young men and women who don’t need a show for social media to feel good about themselves and their lives.
Amy is the author of the book Parent on Purpose: A Courageous Approach to Raising Children in a Complicated World. Her work can be found at www.amycarney.com. She and her retired NHL playing husband, Keith, are raising 18-year-old triplet sons, a 16-year-old daughter, and a recently adopted 13-year-old son.
There’s nothing like a classic fairytale romance to inspire a real life love and one man used Disney’s Sleeping Beauty to propose to his girlfriend in the most epic way.
Filmmaker Lee Loechler decided he would use his girlfriend’s love of Sleeping Beauty to pull off an incredible and unexpected proposal. Loechler worked with an animator for six months to edit himself and his girlfriend, Dr. Sthuthi David, into the classic Disney film.
When the new cut was completed he rented out a movie theater and even invited some of their family and friends to join in the audience and witness the big moment. They were all in on the surprise and David didn’t suspect a thing, believing that they were all simply going to the movies to watch a special screening of her favorite film.
The proposal moment doesn’t come until close to the end of the film, so it was a suspenseful wait for Loechler, according to an interview with Insider. As the prince comes to wake Aurora from her magical slumber, the new scenes begin to play out and David catches on to what’s happening. “Big public proposals can be sweet, but I could never imagine putting someone on the spot like that if you’re not 100% sure they will say yes,” he told Insider.
Luckily the story has a happy ending and David gladly accepted his proposal. Although he hilariously prepared for the alternative answer, so watch the video all the way to the end, it’s totally worth it.
Actress Hilary Duff recently wed Matthew Koma in an intimate ceremony at the couple’s Los Angeles home. Even though the nuptials were private, Duff shared the details on her dress with Vogue.
In a video posted by Vogue, Duff opens up and talks about Koma’s proposal and her wedding plans. The actress reveals her wedding-day hairstyle and gives fans a glimpse of her gorgeous gown.
The simple, structured flowing white gown, which was designed by Jenny Packham, is sleek and as Duff describes it, a “statement” dress that is, “gorgeous and toned down.”
Along with the design itself, Duff dished on her plans to make the dress extra-meaningful. “There’s a sweet little embroidery with our initials. There’s an M and an H and then the date of our wedding.” The newlywed continues, “And over here there’s initials for our kids.”
After revealing the sweet tribute to her kiddos Luca and Banks, Duff went on to say, “They’re part of our ceremony and obviously the biggest part of our life.” Huff then mused, “Maybe someday Banks will want to wear my dress.”
Duff also showed off Banks’ dress—which was also designed by Packham. The 14-month-old’s dress was white, like her mama’s, but also had a sweet pink ribbon across the front and a massively adorable bow at the back!
As a pediatrician, I know that one of the most powerful tools for ensuring the health of my patients and of all our nation’s children is nutritious food. As such, school lunch, in particular, is vital not only to their health but also their learning capacity.
The Trump administration has recently proposed changes to the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Nearly a million students may lose automatic eligibility for free school lunches under the administration’s proposal. If this proposal goes into effect, these children—many of whom depend on school meals for daily nutrition—will be hungry at home and in school and therefore unlikely to reach their greatest potential.
For millions of Americans, particularly those in lower-income communities, access to healthy foods remains a challenge. Across the nation, many families rely on the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) to nourish their children. Without access to high-quality, healthy foods and nutrition education, children within these communities are not only unable to perform their best in the classroom but are also at high risk for preventable diseases, like diabetes and obesity.
Recent studies confirm what I see in my practice: nutritious school meals lead to improved health and academic outcomes. Access to nutrition that incorporates protein, carbohydrates, and glucose has been shown to improve students’ cognition, concentration and energy levels. And according to a recent paper published by UC Berkeley, students at schools that contract with a healthier school-lunch provider perform better on tests. Additionally, a new impact study by KKS Advisors, commissioned by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, found schools that serve Revolution Foods saw an improvement of 13.1% in English Language Arts (ELA) test results. The bottom line is students who have access to healthier food at school perform better. Luckily, companies like Revolution Foods, which serve freshly prepared, healthy meals to students in schools nationwide including right here in the Bay Area, and other mission-driven organizations across the U.S. are empowering students to make smart food and lifestyle choices.
A colleague of mine recently saw a teenage patient who just immigrated and was severely underweight. She just didn’t have access to enough food. She couldn’t eat breakfast before coming to school because she had to take care of her younger brother and get him to daycare. Without her school breakfast and lunch programs, she would have eaten only one meal each day. With the support of these incredible meal programs, she was able to attain a normal weight. When it was time to apply to high schools, she was accepted into one of the best in the city.
As a pediatrician, I cannot do all of the work required to ensure the health of our children. Most of the building blocks for health and academic success are put in place outside of my office. Sadly though, in this wealthiest of nations, many families are unable to provide the healthy food that our children need to succeed. This combined with recent government rollbacks on school nutrition standards that have already affected the quality of meals served in schools threatens the wellbeing of our youth. If the proposed changes to SNAP are enacted, it could further jeopardize the health and success of our children and our nation.
With healthy meal programs at a crossroads, it’s crucial for lawmakers and parents to recognize the great strides we are making as a culture by providing greater access to healthy foods, such as enlisting the support of healthy school and community meal providers. After all, growing healthy minds begins with fueling healthy bodies. We can build a brighter future for our nation’s youth and families by challenging our government when they take away food supports and water down nutritional guidelines, and by impelling schools to ensure that the school lunches they do provide are as nutritious as possible.
I'm a pediatrician, the President of the San Francisco Marin Medical Society, and Associate Clinical Professor at University of California San Francisco.
Olympic figure skater Sasha Cohen is expecting! Cohen recently posted a belly bump pic on Instagram featuring the word “baby” spelled out in gold balloon letters.
This is the first child for the figure skater and her fiance Geoffrey Lieberthal. This follows the couple’s romantic engagement while on a trip to Paris last month.
In an earlier IG post from the couple’s trip to France, Cohen announced, “We’re engaged!” with a sweet proposal pic. Cohen also posted a sweet close-up of herself, her new fiance and her engagement ring.
Just one month after the engagement excitement, the figure skater added another post—this time about the couple’s latest news. Cohen captioned her recent IG post, “Geoff and I are so excited to welcome a little one into the world! Thank you to everyone in our lives for making today such a memorable one.”
Congrats to the Olympian and her soon-to-be hubby! As of now, neither Cohen or Lieberthal have released any more info other than that she’s expecting.
Diapers are an absolute essential when you have a baby, but they don’t come cheap. One state is looking to make this baby must-have a little more affordable for families by eliminating sales tax on diapers.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has just proposed a new plan to help families and women who may be struggling financially as part of his state budget. The proposal would eliminate sales tax on items like diapers and menstrual products for five years.
photo: iStock
The author of the legislation to implement tax-free diapers for infants and toddlers, Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego) praised Newsom’s endorsement of the plan saying, “This is something that will affect every single parent in California. That’s substantive and that’s meaningful.”
Governor Newsom’s wife Jennifer Siebel Newsom joined him at the budget presentation acknowledging that as a mom of four kids this issue was an important one. “We are fighting for a future where our daughters will be valued equally to our sons, a California where every single child, no matter the ZIP Code or the family that they’re born into will have the best possible start in life,” she said “And a California where every parent will have the support they need to build the best possible future for their children.”
For the first time in two decades The Food and Drug Administration has just proposed new mammogram guidelines and all women should be aware of the new recommendations.
Mammograms aren’t exactly something women look forward to, but they are important and necessary to protecting your health. However, the FDA believes that one important factor in breast cancer screenings hasn’t received enough attention until now. Based on research by the the National Cancer Institute, breast density can a be a major factor in developing breast cancer, but only 36 percent of women surveyed by Hologic, Inc. say they have ever discussed the term with their doctors.
For the uninitiated, breast density refers to the amount amount of glandular tissue and connective tissue in relation to the amount of fatty breast tissue. The higher the amount of glandular tissue and connective tissue the denser breasts are.
The FDA’s new guidelines propose a standard density assessment to be included in mammogram summary letters and patient records. It would also establish nationwide density categories, which right now vary from state to state.
No word yet on when these new mammogram guidelines will go into effect, but in the mean time women can and should bring up the subject of breast density with doctors at their annual exams.
For many of us, we grew up with tons of male superhero leads, but for our kids, it’s a whole new world full of diverse, inclusive representation. Today’s kids’ shows are all about she-ros—and we’ve rounded up some of the best kids shows with strong female superhero leads.
Check out our picks below!
Rainbow Rangers
Courtesy of Nick Jr.
The new addition to the Nick Jr. lineup features an all-female cast of characters. Co-created by the team that brought us Disney's The Lion King, Mulan, The Little Mermaid and Frozen, Rainbow Rangers includes a diverse group of young girls, each with unique superpowers. Oh yeah, and they save the world too! Look for this fun, fearless, female-led show to debut on Nov. 5, aimed at kids 6 and younger.
Get ready for a reboot! Oh, but this isn't just an ol' reboot. This is She-Ra. Yep, your childhood female superhero is back and she's all new—and she's on Netflix too. The Princess of Power is joining up with other princesses of power in all-new DreamWorks adventure.
Ms. Marvel, Ghost-Spider, Patriot, Inferno, Quake and Squirrel Girl star in this new animated series. Find Marvel Rising on the Disney Channel, along with the made-for-TV animated flick, Marvel Rising: Secret Warriors.
Don't let the show's name, Steven Universe, fool you: there's a whole lot of incredibly diverse female representation happening here. The popular Cartoon Network just featured a same-sex marriage proposal and wedding between characters Ruby and Sapphire. The show has been praised for its depiction of queer characters and storylines.
While not a superhero in the most traditional sense, older kids will enjoy the first-ever female in the iconic role of Doctor Who. Jodie Whittaker stars in the thirteenth incarnation of the longest-running sci-fi series in TV history. With plenty of team-work, STEM themes and of course, alien superhero awesomeness, this BBC show is can't miss TV.
Diversity among television characters is inching forward, with some real progress happening in the world of kids programming. LGBTQ characters in kids shows are beginning to appear on multiple channels and platforms and the representation is so important.
That said, media still have a long way to go towards diversifying kids’ programming across the board. Steven Universe creator Rebecca Sugar told Entertainment Weekly that despite how extremely difficult it was to get LGBTQ characters on air, she wouldn’t stop fighting for it. “By including LGBTQIA content and characters in G-rated entertainment for kids, you tell kids when they’re young that they belong in this world. You can’t not tell them that,” Sugar said.
Here are 5 kids shows that have made huge strides in LGBTQ representation and inclusivity.
The popular Cartoon Network just featured a same-sex marriage proposal and wedding between characters Ruby and Sapphire. The show has been praised for its depiction of queer characters and storylines.
This Amazon Original series stands out in its representation of the trans community. Series showrunner, Shadi Petosky is trans. Characters in the show are also voiced by trans actors.
Sugar continued, “There can’t be only a certain group of kids who are told someone will love you by all the entertainment that they see. It’s just so unfair.” Thankfully, these shows are paving the way for more networks and programs to be even more inclusive for all kids and their families.
