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And while many parents might assume that kids only want to play with screens, sales data suggests that outdoor toys and traditional toys have both remained steady performers. In fact, outdoor & sports toys were the fastest-growing toy category of 2017, seeing a whopping 46 percent increase in sales last year. Similarly, traditional toys, like dolls and action figures, continue to be enjoyed by kids everywhere — dolls, for instance, saw a 23 percent growth in sales....

In the first month of COVID-19 vaccination in the US, women received about 61 percent of the doses but accounted for 79 percent of symptoms, according to a CDC report. Over approximately the same time period, 66 people had a severe allergic reaction called anaphylaxis after getting inoculated with the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. Only three of them were men. This disparity between men and women isn’t surprising to medical experts....

In the episode “Grannies Gone Wild”, Rainbow Dash, one of the “Mane Six”, is trying to get on a totally awesome roller coaster but there’s a massive line that she’ll have to wait in to get to ride. The episode shows a few of the other ponies queued in line, including two ponies who look oddly familiar. Reddit user Roxopenguim decided to take a closer look and, upon further examination, confirmed that it was none other than Rick, the alcoholic mad scientist, and Morty, his worry-wart nephew....

Think you saw him buying paper towels in Costco? You didn’t. It would be kind of a can’t-have-it-all relief if Rob Lowe was a jerk about all this. But he isn’t. Not at all. He’s confident (wouldn’t you be?) and funnier than you’d expect, but he doesn’t brag about The West Wing or Parks and Recreation. He won’t bring that stuff up if he doesn’t have to. He’d rather talk about his sons, Matthew Edward Lowe and John Owen Lowe, graduates of Duke and Stanford respectively (without a single bribe taking place, as Lowe cheekily pointed out in a Twitter post that Sheryl asked him to take down)....

Self-interrogation is essential before considering a divorce. There are things we must investigate and acknowledge before making big leaps. Here then, are a dozen questions anyone considering a divorce should ask themselves to really understand whether or not they’re jumping to conclusions. Because once you utter the words “I want a divorce” it’s nearly impossible to go back. What is my vantage point? Stress puts us all into a heightened state....

READ MORE: The Fatherly Guide to Step-Parenting The first thing you have to look at is the age of the child. “All choices are made based upon their age when the stepfather enters the scene, the younger the child the more accepting of discipline they will be,” says Carl Pickhardt, author of Keys to Successful Stepfathering. If the kid is young (0-9) it can be pretty easy to discipline them....

I found the Nora online. Apparently, it was one of Oprah’s favorite things of 2017. Consisting of a smart sensor and an inflatable pillow insert, it acts a snoring sentry of sorts. If the puck-shaped base senses that the burly lumberjack inside my throat is revving up his chainsaw, it signals the insert stuffed beneath my pillow to inflate. This raises my head and prevents the “floppy tissue” (that’s the technical term my doctor used, I swear) inside my throat and nasal passages from vibrating so that I breathe without so much as a snore....

On the plus side, if there is one, with the resumption of loan payments also comes a new way to pay. Instead of dealing directly with loan services, recipients of federally backed student loans will soon have the option of paying through the newly established StudentAid.gov loan servicing portal. The goal is to provide a more streamlined process for repayment of all federal loans, though it may take some time to move every loan servicer to the portal....

“Parents tend to latch onto the incorrect notion that their discomfort says something about the inappropriateness of a topic or the fact that they shouldn’t talk about race or racism,” he says. “But they must enter into that uncomfortable space with the knowledge that their kids are not uncomfortable about these discussions at all — that they’re just reading their parents signals around that discomfort.” Memory is a father and author of A Kids Book About Racism as well as the creative mind behind the larger A Kids Book About… series, which seeks to make it easier for families to start conversations about thorny topics around identity, race and inclusion....

The Cloud Island 4-Piece Plush Toy sets are being pulled from Target shelves, the company notes in a release, and parents are being asked to check their kids’ toy bins to ensure kids can no longer access them. Here’s what parents need to know. Why were the plush toys recalled? The voluntary recall comes after several reports of the small plush tires on the toy detaching from the Cloud Island 4-Piece Plush toy vehicles....

Prep Time: 1 minute Entertainment Time: 10-20 minutesEnergy Expended by Child: Minimal What You Need: A big mixing bowl.A bag (or two) of uncooked rice.A blindfold.A collection of small objects from around the house: coins, pieces of crayon, marbles, goldfish crackers, a pen lid, the cap to the toothpaste, whatever you got. Just remember to keep an eye on all of these things when you’re done, as some may still be a safety hazard for kids....

In the course of three thick books and as many feature films, J.R.R. Tolkien’s dwarves, elves, and hobbits speak to almost the full range of human experience. Within Lord of the Rings, you’ll find sage wisdom from wizards, simple truths from humble hobbits, cryptic insights from spacey elves, and kickass battle cries from all of the above. A language professor raised on adventure tales and seasoned by trench warfare in World War I, Tolkien had a wealth of real-life material to pour into an epic of small-town folk called to battle in foreign lands....

Even more impressively, the viral video for “Baby Shark” is the most viewed video in the history of Youtube, having wracked up eight BILLION hits. That’s right: eight BILLION hits. That’s a lot. Pinkfong, the South Korean company that produced the definitive version of “Baby Shark” realized what a gold mine they had in the smash-hit video and song, its title character, and supporting characters Mommy Shark, Daddy Shark, Grandpa Shark, and Grandma Shark....

Now adults, the Abbott Brothers have turned their childhood hobby into a lucrative career — and are collectively known as the Baseball Card Vandals. Their premise is a ridiculously simple one “Decent jokes on worthless cards” but the sheer silliness and nostalgia inherent in their work has struck a chord with thousands who spent time staring at and doodling on not-so-coveted cards. They post their silly works of art on Tumblr, Twitter, and Instagram and sell the artwork to an in-demand clientele....

If you’re having pre-made baby food delivered, make sure to check the ingredients and the nutritional value of each brand. The ones on our list, whether plant-based or not, are transparent about what’s inside. Decide on the frequency that works for you; most of the delivery services can be tailored to your specific daily, weekly, or monthly needs. It goes without saying that none of these options are cheap, but prices vary so make sure you read the fine print....

Per the American Academy of Pediatrics, babies should sleep flat on their backs. But playtime should happen on their tummies. In fact, the day you bring your infant home, he or should should spend short period of time on the stomach two to their times per day because “tummy time prepares babies for the time when they will be able to slide on their bellies and crawl. As babies grow older and stronger they will need more time on their tummies to build their own strength....

Parents often mistake heft and size for protection, which is based on a faulty premise. A heavy seat isn’t necessarily safer, and there are plenty of lighter seats that keep kids safe. Our favorite booster seats are nice and portable — lightweight and easy to disassemble, deflate, and/or fold down — making them attractive choices for parents with kids on the go. Some of them convert from high-backed seats suitable for smaller kids to backless seats as your kid gets bigger....

The Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897 was established to combat the lack of quality control in American whiskey, which at the time was being diluted and blended with unsavory and sometimes dangerous additives. For a whiskey to be “bottled-in-bond” means that it’s 100 proof, poured from barrels filled in the same season by a single distiller, and aged at least four years in a supervised warehouse. While contemporary whiskey producers no longer water down their hooch beyond the proof declared on the label or add things you wouldn’t want to drink, the BIB declaration does let consumers know where the whiskey was made, which is a nice touch of informational currency since we see so many brands that merely source and blend brown spirits without declaring the bottle’s provenance....