The Idaho Kinship Project and Idaho Law Foundation’s Volunteer Lawyers Program are pleased to announce a Grandparents As Parents Legal Forum. A volunteer attorney will be giving attendees basic information concerning custody, wills, powers of attorney, guardianship and adoption. Following each presentation, time will be allotted for questions and discussion. Taking place in Pocatello, Blackfoot, and Idaho Falls. Here is your chance to get your questions asked!! Protect your family and make sure the law is on your side! Pocatello - April 6 @ 6 pm - Held at Marshall Public Library, Blackfoot - April 15 @ 6 pm - Held at Blackfoot Elks Lodge, Idaho Falls - April 21 @ 6 pm - Held at Idaho Falls Public Library, The event is FREE and open to the public. For more information contact Jenn Call @ 528-5923 or Yvonne Perez @ 235-2904.

AUSTIN - To Connie Austin, Pocatello, Feb. 23, a daughter.

CLINE - To Leatha Cline, Pocatello, Feb. 23, a daughter.

CHAMBERLAIN - To Emily Chamberlain and Korey Pelton, Pocatello, Feb. 23, a daughter.

RODRIGUEZ-CASTRO - To Roselia Rodriguez-Castro and Manuel Uribe-Maldonado, Aberdeen, Feb. 23, a son.

CHAPMAN - To Monica and Tylor Chapman, Pocatello, Feb. 24, a son.

GATICA-FLORES - To Rosa Gatica-Flores, American Falls, Feb. 24, a daughter.

GUNTER - To Destiny and Ryan Gunter, Lava Hot Springs, Feb. 25, a daughter.

ORR - To Christine and Nicholas Orr, Pocatello, Feb. 25, a daughter.

ROUBIDOUX - To Shilo and Casey Roubidoux, Inkom, Feb. 25, a daughter.

BATINI - To Tara and Abete Batini, Pocatello, Feb. 26, a daughter.

COLT - To Julyann and Christopher Colt, Pocatello, Feb. 26, a daughter.

STUCKI - To Misty and Brandon Stucki, Pocatello, Feb. 26, a son.

KIMES - To Amber Kimes and Erik Kimes-Jolly, Pocatello, Feb. 26, a son.

VEGA - To Laura Vega and Jared McBride, Pocatello, Feb. 27, a son.

BROWER -...

The Pocatello/Chubbuck School District invites the public to tour a sampling of school facilities. The tour is scheduled for Monday, March 8, 2010 and will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the Education Service Center at 3115 Pole Line Road.

School Superintendent Mary Vagner said people have expressed an interest in touring school facilities and seeing the upgrades, maintenance and safety and security supported by the School Plant Facilities Levy. Included in the tour will be an elementary, middle and high school.

The tour will start at the Education Service Center at 5:30 p.m. People will be loaded on yellow school buses, purchased in part with levy funds, and transported to Irving Middle School. They will see renovations that combined two schools into one, the addition of a gymnasium, upgraded classrooms, new lighting and windows and the Irving field renovation.

From Irving, the group will go to Pocatello High School where they will tour the school’s new gymnasium and see a comparison of the old gym and its limitations....

JOELYN HANSEN,The Post Register

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (AP) — Ami and Jamie Faust of Idaho Falls thought their days of parenting were nearly over. With only teenage children left at home, they were on the verge of becoming empty nesters.

But, in the fall, the Fausts became the temporary guardians of their 5-year-old grandson, Alex, and it will likely become a permanent situation.

“It’s kind of different. You think you’ve got your own kids grown, and then you find yourself with a little one again,” Ami Faust said.

The Fausts are not unique. In fact, they are among a growing number of families in eastern Idaho caring for the child of a relative, said Emily Hoyt, information director for Grandparents Raising Grandchildren in Idaho Falls. Currently, 120 Idaho Falls families are caring for a grandchild or another child of a relative.

Idaho is the third-fastest growing state nationwide in terms of the numbers of grandparents raising their grandchildren. Hoyt said the numbers continue to increase, particularly the...

BOISE, Idaho (AP) - Idaho lawmakers are considering a bill intended to help grandparents and other relatives get custody of children whose parents have been caught up with substance abuse or incarceration.

Sen. Denton Darrington, R-Declo, said the bill would give grandparents stronger rights in custody battles. It would allow courts to oversee and evaluate custody arrangements and determine when parents are ready to take their children back.

Idaho Voices for Children, a nonprofit advocacy organization for children, said Idaho had almost 10,000 households with people raising their grandchildren in 2006, a 21 percent increase over 2000.

"The vast majority of those are by agreement and would have no need to go into court," Darrington, chairman of the Senate Judiciary and Rules Committee, said during a hearing on the bill Wednesday. "There are a few that are contentious."

Contested cases can mean long court battles for guardianship.

"We believe this bill is a real step in the right direction," said Hollis Brookover,...

Free for ISU students and their families, $10 per family or $3 per person.

What happens when you get a Master’s degree in Oceanography? You become a national children’s entertainer, of course! After working and teaching (and playing lots of music) on a marine research vessel, Shana Smith decided to take a leap of faith and formalize her creative talents in singing and songwriting. Shana discovered and developed her incredible joy of writing songs for children first as a touring folk musician when children were in the audience, and then on the grounds of her mother’s preschool. Over the years, she became nationally known as “Shana Banana” and earned a reputation as one of today’s top children’s entertainers, with a voice that still delves into blues, jazz, and folk as well.

Performing at major festivals and performing arts centers across the United States, Shana Banana has earned many prestigious awards along the way, including: two first-round Grammy nominations, Parents’ Choice, iParenting, NAPPA, Kids’...

Submitted by Idaho State University

POCATELLO — “Only connect,” wrote author E.M. Forster in 1910. Now, 100 years later, that is still vital advice for these times.

 This year’s Idaho State University College of Education Bellon Visiting Author Yangsook Choi will be coming to Pocatello and Chubbuck March 15-17 to make connections with school children, educators and community members.

In addition to visiting several area elementary schools, Choi will be give three public presentations: • On Monday, March 15, at Pocatello’s Marshall Public Library at 4 p.m. This exciting presentation is for people of all ages. Choi will tell stores and share experiences. •  On Tuesday, March 16, Choi will make another public presentation at 7 p.m. in the ISU College of Education Auditorium, with a book signing at 6:30 p.m.

• On Wednesday, March 17, she will present at the Portneuf District Library in Chubbuck at 4 p.m.

Choi was born in Seoul, South Korea, where she lived until she moved to the United States in 1991...

NEW YORK (AP) — Average airfares for spring break are up from last year but hotel rates are down, according to data from Bing Travel and Travelocity

Travelocity found average airfares are up 9 percent compared to last year, with the average domestic roundtrip flight at about $351, while hotel prices are down to an average nightly rate of about $156, a 3 percent decrease from last year.

Travelocity also crunched data for spring break for this season and came up with this list of top 10 destinations based on actual bookings: Orlando was No. 1, followed by other South Florida destinations, then Las Vegas, Phoenix, Cancun, New York, Fort Myers (Fla.); Los Angeles; Tampa-St. Petersburg; and Washington.

Bing Travel found that the week of March 22 is the most expensive time to travel between the end of winter and early April, but Tuesday-to-Tuesday and Wednesday-to-Wednesday trips are cheaper than traveling on Fridays or weekends.

Bing Travel also looked at airfare and hotel data for individual spring break destinations...

By Jenny Hopkins

One of the greatest challenges to welcoming a new baby to the family is making that transition as easy as possible for the older child(ren). That transition can be especially hard for the child if there is a significant age gap between the baby and the sibling and the older child is used to getting all your attention.

My husband and I recently had this experience, as we explained to our six year old daughter that she would soon have a baby brother.

How would she react? Will she be jealous? Will she like the baby? Will she think she has been replaced?

These are just some of the questions I had about the transisition while I was pregnant. Here are some suggestions I was given by friends and family to make this transition as easy as possible:

1. Let the older child be involved in the pregnancy. Take him or her to appointments to hear the baby’s heartbeat, and the ultrasounds to see the little hands and feet. Your child will see that there really is a little person inside your growing belly!...

DAVID CRARY,AP National Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — There's been a sharp drop in the percentage of America's children being bullied or beaten up by their peers, according to a new national survey by experts who believe anti-bullying programs are having an impact.

The study, funded by the U.S. Department of Justice, found that the percentage of children who reported being physically bullied over the past year had declined from nearly 22 percent in 2003 to under 15 percent in 2008. The percentage reporting they'd been assaulted by other youths, including their siblings, dropped from 45 percent to 38.4 percent.

The lead author of the study, Professor David Finkelhor, said he was "very encouraged."

"Bullying is the foundation on which a lot of subsequent aggressive behavior gets built," said Finkelhor, director of the University of New Hampshire's Crimes Against Children Research Center. "If it's going down, we will reap benefits in the future in the form of lower rates of violent crime and spousal assault."

Finkelhor...

WALTERS - To Bridget Walters and Joshua Amidon, Pocatello, Feb. 11, a son.

KAPPAS - To Sara and Clayton Kappas, Pocatello, Feb. 11, a daughter.

LYMAN - To Deborah and Richard Lyman, Chubbuck, Feb. 11, a son.

DUDDY - To Delina Duddy and Ward Marsh II, Pocatello, Feb. 11, a son.

PAWELEK - To Nicole and Payton Pawelek, Pocatello, Feb. 11, a daughter.

SMITH - To Francis and Nephi Smith Jr., Pocatello, Feb. 11, a daughter.

DORANTES-CASTRO - To Luana Dorantes-Castro and Moises Castro, Blackfoot, Feb. 12, a daughter.

DYE - To Stacie and Josh Dye, Pocatello, Feb. 12, a son.

SANDS - To Megan Sands and David Mendive, Pocatello, Feb. 12. a daughter.

HEATON - To Joie and Mark Heaton, American Falls, Feb. 13, a son.

CLARK - To Whitney Clark and Ridge Karr, Mackay, Feb. 13, a daughter.

RODRIGUEZ - To Aryana Rodriguez and Jorge Rosales-Becerra, Aberdeen, Feb. 12, a daughter.

GIESBRECHT - To Brooke and Tadd Giesbrecht, American Falls, Feb. 14, a daughter.

EXETER - To Brittney and Joshua Exeter, American Falls, Feb....

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Senators approved a measure they hope will improve Idaho's childhood immunization rates that rank among the nation's lowest by changing a reminder system for parents.

The measure passed 31-3 and now heads to the House.

If this becomes law, parents would have to "opt out" of getting an reminder from their doctor that a shot is due, rather than the current requirement to "opt in."

According to the National Immunization Survey, Idaho's immunization rate for children ages 19 to 35 months is 66 percent; the national average is 77 percent.

Sen. John McGee, a Republican from Caldwell, says "Those immunization rates are embarrassing."

Foes of the bill raised concerns about privacy, pressure and meddling of big business in a personal issue for many the state's residents.

By Heidi Stevens Chicago Tribune (MCT)

If you're still plagued by show-up-for-the-final-and-realize-you've-never-been-to-class nightmares, you know schoolwork anxiety is no small matter. So how do you help your kids cope before stress tanks their confidence and their grades? Here are five steps to help strike the right balance and keep schoolwork from overwhelming your child.

1. Talk to the teachers. "Establish a dialogue on homework policies from the beginning, including how involved you're expected to be," suggests Susan Kane, editor-in-chief of Parenting: School Years magazine.

2. Make sure you understand his or her definition of homework. "Typically the purpose is to practice what is already known, with the theory that time on task helps them learn," says Frances Stott, professor of child development at the Erikson Institute. "Find out if the material is being taught in class. And if it's something the child is having trouble with, ask if the teacher can provide extra support during class."

If you sense your...

By John Rosemond The Orange County Register (MCT)

Q: Shortly after our second child was born a year ago, my 4-year-old son began asking me to stop what I'm doing _ usually something with the baby _ and see something he's done or "watch" him do something. Over the past year, this seems to have become a compulsion. He makes these (usually trivial) requests of me at least once an hour. Is he insecure because of the attention I'm giving his younger sister? Is this his way of being reassured I still love him? In any case, I can't keep this up. Help!

A: The idea that these incessant requests are your son's way of obtaining reassurance that you still love him now that he's got some competition is an example of what I call "psychological thinking" _ superimposing a psychological explanation on a behavior problem. The inevitable result is disciplinary paralysis. In this case, you're unable to put effective limits on your son's interruptions because you think they stem from some unresolved psychological need which, if...

Chicago Tribune (MCT)

You don't like your tween's new friend. Should you step in? Parent advice:

My sons are 8 and 10. If they have a friend I don't like, I tell them: "I don't particularly care for that child, and if I see you picking up any of his/her habits like lying, hitting, swearing, then you are going to have to stop hanging around with him/her." Eventually, and pretty quickly, my son will lose interest in this other child without my having to really intervene. _Sharon Brinkman

There are reasons your child has decided to pick this person as a friend (usually for cool points), and if you don't approach the conversation properly, it will only make matters worse. The conversation needs to include a reminder of the values that you have tried to instill, and remind them of the mistakes you've made with your friends and what the results were.

_Eva Rios Challenge the friend to be better! It will either scare them away or make them change _ either is a good result. My daughter had a friend over and I teasingly...

Pocatello, ID – The Idaho State Civic Symphony will be holding its second annual Family Concert on Thursday, March 4th at 7 pm. Pre-concert activities will be starting at 5:30 pm. The Symphony will be performing Tubby the Tuba for the concert. Tubby the Tuba has been translated into more than 30 languages and played by every major orchestra in the world. It has been used as a clue in The New York Times crosswords, made into two films, and narrated by a galaxy of stars. The Symphony is very excited to bring this outstanding musical presentation to the families and children of our community. The winners of the Idaho State Civic Symphony’s Young Artist Competition held on January 16, 2010 will also be performing for the Family Concert. The winner for the Senior Division is Audrey Grover and the Junior Division winner is Logan Anderson. Pre-concert activities for the concert will start at 5:30 pm and are being sponsored by Mindmatters Learning & Counseling LLC and the Pocatello Eye Center. Some of the activities...

J.M. HIRSCH,AP Food Editor

I'm all about food that can multitask. As in, if I'm going to put the effort into something, I want it to be not just a dinner, but a building block for other meals later in the week.

That was the inspiration for this ridiculously easy caramelized onion recipe. I wanted something effortless, versatile and really flavorful that could be used in a number of ways.

Here's the theory: spend about 10 minutes active time making a massive pot of caramelized onions, then use them as the basis for meals throughout the week.

This recipe is easiest if you use a food processor or mandoline to slice the onions. After that, it's just a matter of dumping the ingredients in a pot and stirring it every now and again. The red pepper flakes add a mild bite. Don't like bite? Leave it out.

Also, as long as you have a very large stockpot or Dutch oven, this recipe is easily doubled or even tripled.

The first night I made them, I ate the onions warm spread over toast and topped with shaved Parmesan...

JIM ROMANOFF, for the Associated Press

Studies have found that if you think your meal isn't filling, it won't be. Combined with the effects of Supersized restaurant portions, this can leave people disappointed when they try to limit themselves to healthy portion sizes.

But with a little creativity in presentation, a healthy portion can look and feel like a satisfying feast.

One easy trick is to avoid serving small amounts of food on large plates. Instead, serve meals on smaller plates that make healthy portions appear larger.

Another way to trick your brain is to heap healthy whole grains and vegetables on the plate before adding any of the protein or main course. This gives the feeling of an oversized serving without all the fat and calories.

You also can borrow a trick from restaurants. Stack and arrange foods in a way that gives them height and suggests greater volume.

These garam masala-spiced shrimp and asparagus towers are a good example of this technique. Healthy, low-fat shrimp and asparagus...

TERRY TANG, the Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — There's no hiking, canoeing or singing by a fire. But there might be marshmallows.

At CupcakeCamp, the focus is on sweet eats.

Devotees of the classic — and oh-so-hip — dessert have found a new way to congregate and consume dozens of cupcakes. The gist? Get lots of people and cupcakes together in one spot. Do a bit of swapping and a lot of eating. That's as complicated as it gets.

Ariel Waldman, a San Francisco digital anthropologist, first tossed around the idea as a joke. She and her friends love cupcakes and love enjoying them together. So, why not get organized about it?

That was in 2008, when Waldman and a few friends launched the first CupcakeCamp in rented office space. The only rules — bring cupcakes, share cupcakes, eat cupcakes. All for free. They expected about 40 people.

About 300 showed up.

A camp they held six months later was even more packed.

"Everyone reached in and grabbed them before they touched the table," said Mia Armas, who...

By John O’Connell for Family Living

POCATELLO — The decor of Brittany Nysted’s recent 18th birthday party — pink balloons and ribbons and a piñata shaped like a pink purse — was inspired by her father.

He found out last February that he had colon cancer.

In turn, Nysted could think of no better birthday gift than funds to go toward battling cancer. The pink party theme was in line with the official of cancer awareness.

A friend contributed his Pocatello home for Nysted’s cancer-themed party, hosted Jan. 15. Everyone who attended was asked to pay a $2 cover charge to be given to the American cancer Society. Nysted also asked for donations in lieu of gifts. Her mother, for example, pitched in $250 for cancer research. In all, she raised $500.

Everyone who received an invitation to her party was allowed to bring two people. More than 30 people attended the gathering.

“I lost head count. There were people I didn’t even know,” said Nysted, a freshman at Idaho State University going into the nursing program....

By Mary Keating for Family Living

Scheduling activities for any party is a very important step. Although there are no hard and fast rules for what a party must look like, Vicki Lansky of "Birthday Parties: Best Party Tips & Ideas for Ages 1-8" outlines a loose schedule that may help plan the timing of party activities. Be sure to keep in mind that the time suggested for refreshments includes serving time. The act of eating cake and ice cream usually takes only a few minutes.

Below is an outline for a 2-2 ½ hour party:

Arrival: As guest are arriving, schedule 15 minutes of free play or a game or activity that newcomers can easily join as they arrive. Balloon tossing or freeze dancing work well here.

Special activity: Take about 15 to 45 minutes for a major craft project or to have an entertainer, such as a storyteller, clown or magician, perform for the children. Assembling macaroni necklaces, making ice cream, crafting puppets or sculpting with play dough are other great activities.

Refreshments: No...

Recipe by Lynda Homer for Family Living

Lightly brown 3 to 4 TB butter in a skillet. Add two cored and sliced apples (Fuji, golden delicious or gala varieties are good). Cook and stir for about 5 minutes until soft, then add 1 cup maple syrup. Heat through and serve over the warm pancake. Yummy!

By Rebecca Pyper for Family Living

Paula Ames of Cake Creations knows custom cakes are pricier than making your own boxed variety at home, but besides saving parents time, a special-order cake can save the party.

“There’s always the ‘wow’ factor. When you bring in a birthday cake that’s professionally done, and it’s a sculpture of something that’s meaningful, not only is your child the center of attention, but everybody is really impressed by the cake,” Ames said. “It really adds that extra something to a party.”

Customers tend to order cakes representing the personality and interests of the birthday girl or boy. The current trend for girls’ cakes is a hot pink and lime color scheme, and boys tend to choose a sports theme. Three-dimensional sculptures are popular and can even be done with moving parts and lights — though the cost increases with orders for those. “Almost anything can be achieved in sugar. If you can dream it, it can be done,” Ames said.

Ames, who recently competed on TLC’s series Ultimate...

Here's the ticket invitation mentioned in the March issue of Family Living. Click on the photo, save it to your computer (or drag it to your desktop if you have a Mac), open it and print. You can also place it in a Microsoft Word document to resize and print from there. Let me know if you have questions: rpyper@journalnet.com.

Isabelle Faith Pearson. Born February 3, 2010. Twenty-one and 1/2 inches long. 9 lbs 7 ozs