By Laura Casey
Contra Costa Times
WALNUT CREEK, Calif. – It’s a scary topic to even think about, but one Janet Amador of Moraga, Calif., knew she had to face head on this year. Amador had to name someone as guardian for her two young sons should something terrible happen to her.

Earlier this year, Amador’s husband died unexpectedly. Widowed, and with a settlement from life insurance, Amador set up a trust and guardianship for her sons, ages 9 and 11.

If something happens to her, she says, she wants to know that her sons will live with someone who will love the boys as she and her husband did.

“I do a bit of travel for my position at work, and that kind of put it into another thought pattern,” she says. “If you are on an airplane or somewhere else, you have no control. Not that you have control anyway.”

It’s a difficult decision to make. Call it morbid or gloomy, but guardianship is something everyone with children should think about and act upon, says John D. Hodson, a Vacaville, Calif.-based attorney and vice chair of the family law section of the California State Bar Association. A legal guardian is someone who will take care of the children should both the biological mother and father die or become unable to take on the responsibility due to substance abuse or disability.

“It’s your last gasp,” Hodson says. “If you don’t name a guardian, the court is going to have to, and the court may or may not do what you’d like. A judge would certainly try to act in your best interest, but he or she is acting at a real deficit. You, as a parent, are in a much better position to decide who the guardian of your children will be.”

A named godparent is not a legal guardian, lawyers say.

“And, sadly, it’s not rare. Parents die all the time, leaving children behind,” Hodson says. “It’s not the natural order of things, but it happens.”

Many parental deaths lead to family squabbles if a guardian is not named, Hodson says. On the other hand, if no one is named a guardian in a will or trust, and nobody steps up to claim the children, they will go to foster care. When pop star Michael Jackson died, he had a will that named his mother as guardian of his children – but many families do not have such a will.

A TOUGH TOPIC

Amador’s attorney, David J. Elefant of Walnut Creek, Calif., started the conversation about naming guardians for her children when she came into his office to set up a living trust. Dedicating someone to take care of her boys was the first thing she needed to take care of, the attorney told her.

“This is often one of the most difficult questions my clients have to regard,” Elefant says. “There are so many issues that come into it. But it’s easy to convince young parents why it is so important – so they can make a decision instead of a judge making a decision.”

Some of the major issues parents have to kick around when choosing a guardian, Elefant says, include family values, religion, race and culture, possible relocation, the ability of the guardian to handle more children if they already have their own, the age of the guardian and the child’s wants and needs. Also, Elefant says, the named guardian has to agree to take on the responsibility.

Ultimately, the court still has the final say, but judges generally presume that the parents have chosen a guardian by considering what is in the best interest of their children.

CONSIDERING THE OPTIONS

As she mulled the decision, Amador ruled out some possible guardians straight off. Her sister, 13 years Amador’s senior, had already raised her own children, and Amador didn’t want to put another burden of two young boys on her, she says. Amador’s brother, an attorney who lives in Idaho, doesn’t know her children well, and the relocation would have been an extra hardship on the boys after losing both parents.

So Amador decided that a couple she used to live with in a townhouse complex who became great friends of the family should be her sons’ guardians.

“They know my sons. They know their idiosyncrasies, and they know my values,” she says. “They know which one likes to play video games and which one likes to play basketball. I jokingly call them the fairy godparents because they have been so supportive and so involved in the boys’ lives.”

As for her children’s wishes, Amador says she did not discuss guardianship with her boys, though she says they likely would not have it any other way, either.

For Gloria Zaionz of Pleasanton, the most important consideration for choosing a guardian for her two boys was finding a guardian that would raise them with similar values she and her husband have. The couple also want the boys to go to a home where the guardians value education and would raise them with the same ideas about discipline.

“We really want to keep our kids in this area and still have the same group of friends and the same routine,” she says.

There were plenty of people for the Zaionzes to choose from: his parents, her parents, brothers and sisters and godparents.

But the family named friends as guardians of their children, a couple who don’t have children of their own, but who love the boys as family.

“They absolutely adore our children,” Gloria Zaionz says.

After choosing a guardian, experts recommend you inform your choice about the decision.

After deciding on her friends as guardians for her children, Amador asked for their permission. She called the couple and, on speakerphone, asked them both about their thoughts on the matter.

“There was no waiting period,” she says. “They both said, ‘Absolutely. Of course.’”

By HOLLY RAMER
Associated Press Writer

CONCORD, N.H. – Before they stuff themselves silly with Halloween candy, let your kids stuff some spare pantyhose to create plump pumpkins and other seasonal, soft-sculpture decorations.

This project is perfect for those hose you’ve pushed to the back of the drawer because of a small run or snag – face it, you’re never going to wear them again. Or you could buy new, inexpensive pantyhose and knee-highs. You’ll need two pairs to make a large pumpkin, though you can get by with less if you want a smaller, simplified version.

Black and white pantyhose can be used as-is to create ghosts and spiders, while tan or nude hose can be dyed orange to create pumpkins. If you’re willing to get a bit messy, skip the dye and let children paint their squeezable masterpieces with acrylic craft paint.

The finished products can be left unadorned, or faces can be added with markers, beads, embroidery floss or shapes cut of felt.

How to make soft-sculpture pumpkins, ghosts and spiders out of pantyhose:

MATERIALS:

- 2 pairs of nude pantyhose per large pumpkin

- 1 pair white pantyhose for 2 ghosts

- 1 pair black knee-highs per spider

- orange fabric dye

- fiberfill

- rubber bands

- green pipe cleaners

- markers, beads, embroidery floss or felt shapes for eyes, faces

- needle and thread (if using beads)

INSTRUCTIONS:

For pumpkins:

1) Cut the legs off two pairs of nude pantyhose. Cut off the toes and save them to use for the pumpkin stems.

2) Dye the pantyhose legs orange, then wash and dry them, following directions on dye package.

3) Arrange the legs on a flat surface, crossing over each other in the center like the spokes of a wheel. Knot them together at the center or sew a few stitches through the center to hold them together. The result should be eight open-ended tubes radiating from the center. For smaller pumpkins, cut legs in half and use as few as 4 tubes.

4) Stuff fiberfill firmly into each tube, leaving a few inches empty at the ends.

5) Gather up the tubes, hold them together and secure with a rubber band.

6) Trim a narrow band from the open end of a toe you set aside in step 1 to create what will resemble a rubber band made out of pantyhose. Slip the toe over the top of the gathered tube ends to cover them and create a brown stem. Secure with the band you just cut.

7) If your pumpkin looks lumpy, squeeze and squish it to smooth out the sides.

If desired, add a jack-o-lantern face with markers, beads or felt. Or decorate with a pipe cleaner stem or felt leaves.

For ghosts:

1) Cut legs off white pantyhose, leaving toe intact.

2) Shape a large handful of fiberfill into a ball and insert it into the toe of one pantyhose leg.

3) Tie a knot above the ball of stuffing and fold the rest of the pantyhose leg down over the ball, creating folds and wrinkles covering the ghost’s body.

4) Cut a small oval out of black felt and sew or glue it to the ghost to make a mouth.

5) Add eyes with black beads or smaller felt circles.

For spiders:

1) Twist together four green pipe cleaners in center to make eight legs.

2) Shape a small handful of fiberfill into a ball and insert it into one black knee-high. Trim off the excess or fold it around to the bottom of the ball.

3) Cut off the toe of a second black knee-high.

3) Insert the covered ball into the black knee-high, centering it so that there is excess material on either side. Twist this excess material (picture the twisted wrapper on a piece of candy), and pull it around to the bottom of the ball.

4) Flip the ball over so the bottom is facing up. Lay the pipe cleaners across the ball and tie the black material in a knot to secure the center of the pipe cleaners.

5) Trim off excess material, or wrap it back around the ball.

6) Add eyes and other facial features as desired with beads, embroidery thread or bits of felt.

By Jackie Loohauis-Bennett
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

 Your child has symptoms that used to just upset you: runny nose, sore throat, cough.

Now those same symptoms terrify you.

You know they may be signs of the H1N1 “swine flu” influenza strain.

That flu has already swept through many parts of the country and experts fear a resurgence this fall.

Parents now have to sift through a swirling mass of information about this new health threat. Younger children may be even more confused.

“What I’m hearing is that parents are fearful because of the unknown, because it’s something new. People get the feeling that it’s a changing playing field where recommendations are changing, which is true,” says David Ulery, pediatrician at Aurora Wilkinson Medical Clinic in Oconomowoc.

Kids cope with flu fears in their own way.

“Kids are fearful of the shots. But some of our children say, ‘I’m not afraid of the shot, so can I get one for my sister because she’s afraid and then she doesn’t have to get one?’ ” says John R. Meurer, associate professor of pediatrics and chief of general pediatrics at the Medical College of Wisconsin, and medical director of Milwaukee’s Downtown Health Center.

There are ways to make the swine flu less fearsome for both parents and children. Here are some ideas.

FLU-FIGHTING TIPS FOR PARENTS

- Raise your family’s general health level. Make sure everyone gets enough sleep, eats right and exercises to improve immunity.

- Know the contagion timetable. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people with H1N1 virus may infect people from one day before getting sick to five to seven days after. This “infection window” may be longer for children.

- Remember the swine flu’s method of operation to outfox it. The swine flu spreads through the same viral techniques as seasonal flu: through the coughs and sneezes of flu sufferers and by touching something with flu viruses on it and then touching your mouth or nose.

- Stay informed on swine flu vaccination techniques. Current data suggests that people ages 10 and older will need one injection; ages 9 and younger might need two. You may also be given the option of getting your child vaccinated with a nasal spray, usually recommended for children older than 2 who do not have chronic health problems. “We feel the spray is better,” Ulery says.

And the old saying about sugar making “the medicine go down” holds with shots, too. “Tell your child he or she will be rewarded after getting the shot, maybe with a sticker or a little book or treat,” Meurer says.

- Focus on prevention. “Avoid people who are sick,” Meurer says. The CDC recommends staying at least 6 feet away from flu sufferers. Keep surfaces such as kitchen counters and toys clean by wiping them down with household disinfectant according to product directions. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands. Wash your hands frequently or use a hand sanitizer that contains alcohol.

- Know the swine flu symptoms. The H1N1 virus symptoms are mainly the same as the seasonal flu: fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, body aches, headaches, chills and fatigue. However, health experts say that H1N1 sufferers also often experience vomiting and diarrhea.

- Recognize signs of an emergency. Call the doctor immediately if your child has fast or troubled breathing, bluish or gray skin color, won’t drink fluids, has severe or persistent vomiting, or will not wake up or interact.

- Make sure young flu victims drink plenty of fluids.

- Talk to your kids about the swine flu. “Let them know the risk is low and prevention works,” Meurer says.

WHAT TO TELL YOUR KIDS

- Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth without washing your hands first. Germs spread this way.

- Stop a germ. Cough into your inner elbow sleeve or into a tissue to prevent spreading the virus on your hands.

- Learn the best – and most fun – way to wash your hands. The trick is to wash them for at least 20 seconds. How long is that? “Sing ‘Happy Birthday to You’ to yourself twice while washing,” Ulery says.

For more fun, you can wash your hands to a new song by Grammy-winner Bill Harley that just happens to be called – what else? – “Wash Your Hands.” Download a free copy at www.billharley.com.

- Flu shots aren’t so bad. “When you get an injection, hold still and look away,” Meurer says.

- Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Journal Sentinel files

By Kathy Antoniotti
Akron Beacon Journal

The scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz, actor, singer and dancer Ray Bolger, almost stole the show 70 years ago as Dorothy’s true blue friend who helped her find the Wizard.

After Dorothy freed him from the pole that held him prisoner, the scarecrow went with her to the Emerald City, where the Wizard granted him an honorary degree of doctor of thinkology.

The origins of the scarecrow are murky, but some historians believe scarecrows have been standing guard in the fields as long as humans have been growing crops.

Scarecrows may have been used along the Nile River to protect wheat fields 3,000 years ago, and Romans took the idea of scarecrows with carved faces to England and Europe.

In medieval Britain, boys acted as live scarecrows, patrolling farms fields and throwing stones at the birds. When it became apparent there weren’t enough children to guard the fields after the Great Plague, farmers invented a clapper to make noise over a large portion of land to scare birds away.
The scarecrow has become a symbol of fall, and even city dwellers use scarecrows to celebrate the season. I made a scarecrow yarn bug using directions and patterns I found at http://makingfriends.com/bug/bug-scarecrow.htm on the Web.

Supplies you will need:
-Orange, gold, brown yarn.
-Sheet of orange craft foam and scraps of yellow craft foam.
-5-inch straw hat.
-2 20-mm wiggle eyes.
-1 2½-inch plastic foam ball.
-1 orange pipe cleaner.
-5-inch square of cardboard.
-1 section of an egg carton.
-Tacky glue.
-Clothespins.
-Scissors.
-Black fine-point marker.

Make a pompom by wrapping yarn around the cardboard at least 100 times. Mix colors or use all one color. Cut a 6-inch piece of yarn and slide it under wrapped yarn. Tie tightly into a double knot. Turn cardboard over and cut completely through yarn on this side. Turn yarn sideways and smooth down strands.

Press the foam ball onto a hard surface to flatten bottom. Glue the bottom of the egg carton section to flattened area. Cover the top and sides of the ball with tacky glue. Separate the strands of the pompom to fit the foam ball. Press pompom into place. Arrange yarn.

Print and cut out the patterns of the feet and hands from the Web site, trace onto orange craft foam and cut out. Glue the egg carton to the foam feet. Glue on wiggle eyes.

Cut the pipe cleaner in half. Glue a hand onto one end of each pipe cleaner. Poke the other ends of the pipe cleaners into the bug for arms. Bend at the elbows. You can use clothespins to hold until the glue dries.

Cut squares of craft foam for patches. Draw dotted lines for stitching. Glue to hat. Glue hat to the head of the yarn bug.