![Do You Love Shamrock Shakes? [EXPERT]](http://images.tangomag.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/node-full/image_blog/shamrock_mccafe_shake.jpg "Do You Love Shamrock Shakes? [EXPERT]")
Devotees of the Shamrock Shake from the Golden Arches will be thrilled since the St. Patty’s Day season is nigh. Word has it that these bright green, mint flavored shakes, which first appeared at McDonald’s in 1970 to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, decades later have amassed a cult-like following of "think green shakers" sharing their adoration for the Shamrock Shake.
![Fun Ways To Encourage Free Play With An Older Child [EXPERT]](http://images.tangomag.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/node-full/images/kids20in20grass.jpg "Fun Ways To Encourage Free Play With An Older Child [EXPERT]")
With all the articles about the importance of free play in the lives of our children you may be wondering how to encourage it in your home. Here are some of the best ways to encourage free play in your life with your pre-schooler and school age child, plus a few ways to be a good example by incorporating play into your day. Pre-schoolers 1) Make a fort. Make two forts! Inhabit them with stuffed animals and whoever else is around. Make up stories about who lives in the forts and what they are doing. 2) Make big paintings. This can be as easy as rolling out craft paper on the floor, putting on an old t-shirt for a smock, some brushes and paints and going to town. Cut up sponges and fingers are also great as substitute brushes. Display the results. Wonder together if there is a story or a song or dance that goes with the drawing. 3) Be a band. Make instruments from old cans, combs, whatever you have.
"I am not my child's playmate, I am his parent" a mother announced in our playgroup. Many in the group echoed her thought with similar comments such as, "It is not my job to entertain him all day!" My first thought was, "I can tell you as the mother of an only child I am my son's main playmate." My second thought was, "Wow. Play is really important to me and my son. Am I doing something wrong?"
I was recently reminded of the power of creativity when I attended a conference where artist, communicator and corporate consultant, Erik Wahl gave a keynote address. After a successful corporate career, Erik decided to return to his first love: art. He now works with corporations worldwide, helping them to discover creative solutions to seemingly unsolvable problems.
In a new Vanity Fair interview, Lady Gaga opens up about her past relationships, why men tend to leave her (and then come back with marriage proposals), and how she's fully capable of buying herself a diamond if she wants one, thank you very much.
Lately I’ve been thinking about all the things I wanted to be when I grew up. This brings to mind one particular not so pleasant memory. I was nine and our third grade class was asked to share what we wanted to be when we grew up. I can still picture my hand waving madly as I waited for Mrs. Shackman to pick me. And when she did I stood up and announced so proudly that I want to be a singer, actress, writer and mother. But Mrs. Shackman shook her head, told me to sit down and adamantly declared, “silly, you are going to get married and have babies”.
Why Am I So Tired? I’ve been reading about fatigue in women and there seems to be an element that is rarely mentioned---that of being underwhelmed in life. Could you be feeling underwhelmed? Ask yourself these questions: • What am I doing today that will give me pleasure or provide me with a sense of accomplishment? • Do I have a good friend or two that I can interact with in an honest and forthright manner?
Are kids really less creative than we were? I don't think so!
This past January, Jeff and Erin Wong dazzled the Internet with their epic wedding invite, which featured the couple in just about every blockbuster movie stereotype. We thought that was pretty cool until we saw "Darino and Niko's Incredible Adventure," an 8-bit video game where invitees can play as either the bride or the groom to receive details about the wedding. Here's a clip from their Mario/Donkey Kong-inspired creation:
A new study by psychologists Jens Förster, Kai Epstude, and Amina Özelsel at the University of Amsterdam says romantic love—or even thinking about romantic love—opens the curtains of the mind and unleashes creative thinking.
In our fun and free series of great, cheap date ideas, we're taking a turn for the creative. Why go to the movie theater when you can make one at home? Instead of spending on art and entertainment, create your own.
