thankfully, she was arrested!

The Hub is a fun destination that brings kids and their families together to enjoy clever stories and engaging characters in new and classic comedies, animated adventures, movies, and live-action shows. The Hub is brought to you by two of the best names in entertainment: Discovery Communications and Hasbro, Inc

TRENTON, Mich. – Her family says 7-year-old Kathleen Edward is in the final stages of a degenerative brain disorder diagnosed as Huntington’s Disease – the same disease which killed her mother, Laura, when she was only 24.

A neighbor who is feuding with the family admitted to posting grim depictions of Laura and Kathleen on Facebook, and also has a coffin hitched to a pick-up truck in front of the house – which the neighbor says is for a halloween decoration.

One photo depicts Laura in the arms of the grim reaper, while the other features Kathleen’s face above a set of crossbones.

original here

Here are a few tips from PoppaBlog.com on keeping your collection clean and prolonging the “Daddy, what’s a ho?” question until he gets to grade school.

1. Buy another iPod: chances are, you probably even have an old one laying around that you’re not using.  Take one for Daddy’s collection and bob your head all day long to N.W.A.’s greatest hits when junior isn’t around and use the other one when you’re off to Gymboree and rock out to The Wiggles.
2. Start buying the “clean” versions: I can’t believe that I even wrote that.  As a non-parent, I would stand on the closest soapbox and scream “freedom of speech!”  Now that there are little ears listening, I can (kind-of) understand why evil places like Walmart sell edited versions.  Of course, not giving their consumers the right to choose which version is a big ole can of worms that I’m not going to open here.  There are two major issues with buying edited music.  One, your buddies will surely make fun of you.  Two, the censors aren’t so picky about sexual context and there are still a pile of words that get through that aren’t so good for the little one.
3. Start listening to non-explicit music: GASP!  Are you implying that I get out of my box and listen to different music?  Not completely.  If you’re into rap and hip-hop, there are plenty of non-explicit options.  You can generally find instrumental versions of popular tracks and guys like DJ Shadow and RJD2 have been making some amazing music with samples and turntables for years now.  Granted, some tracks might have a sample or two that is not kid friendly, or a track with a guest MC spouting out some nasties, but just move those to your dirty iPod.  And remember kids, Will Smith didn’t have to curse to sell all of his records.
4. Turn off MTV: oh wait, never mind…they haven’t played music videos since I was a kid.
5. Keep tabs on them: Nobody wants to be the bad cop.  However, if your child is old enough to have their own iPod and has access to a computer and has a friend, they WILL get their hands on music that they shouldn’t have.  It’s human nature to be intrigued by the dirty things in life.  There’s a line on Run-DMC’s – Raising Hell album that went “I leave all suckers, in the dust, those dumb mother f@%&ers can’t mess with us.”  I got that TAPE in second grade, and I think that I rewound and replayed that line about seven thousand times after I heard it.  I think I turned out OK, but I was also very shy and didn’t run around repeating everything that I heard.
6. Find some kid’s music that you’ll both enjoy: Yes, I mean that.  There are a handful of albums out there by artists that you might even know that have done kids albums.  Alternatively, there are kid’s versions of music that you might be into.  Need proof, check it out:
   
   …Biz Markie, The Roots, lullaby versions of Radiohead and Metallica, and that’s what a quick search of Amazon.com produced. Surely a quick look in iTunes would yield more results.

I’d love to hear some tips and advice from other parents out there. Leave a comment, tell us how you manage to keep an AK-47 off of little Jimmy’s Christmas list, even though you rocked a Jheri curl and wore an Oakland Raiders hat to your 8th grade dance.

Seems like every site has a “must have apps” list for kids, teens, students…blah blah blah. Here’s a list straight from Apple’s App Store.

Go HERE [iTunes Link]

need an iPod?

From Yahoo Sports

Story Something generates personalized stories for a child that makes them the hero by putting them at the center of the narrative. A parent selects a theme (dragons, pets, superheroes) to see a list of stories that fit their child’s interests. Stories can be browsed by topic or age. The hero takes on the child’s name, and a story is generated which can be viewed on the Web or emailed to the parent. That turns your iPhone into a bedtime reader.

It’s currently in private beta, but take a minute and sign up. Your kids will love the new twist on bed time stories. For more information, check out the article on TechCrunch.