Each month we’ll bring you your parenting horoscope from renowned astrologer and devoted mama, Erin McInerney, aka The Astrology Mama. Read on for your July forecast.
Each month we’ll bring you your parenting horoscope from renowned astrologer and devoted mama, Erin McInerney, aka The Astrology Mama. Read on for your June forecast.
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Each month we’ll bring you your parenting horoscope from renowned astrologer and devoted mama, Erin McInerney, aka The Astrology Mama. Read on for your May forecast.
photo: Asklepios Wien via Pixabay
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John Krasinski is back to brighten your day with a few feel good stories. On Sunday, he released the second episode of his YouTube show Some Good News. This week he not only had a weather forecast from Robert deNiro, but he joined forces with Lin Manuel Miranda and the original cast of Hamilton to suprise a nine-year-old superfan of the show.
After hearing about a young Hamilton fan, Aubrey, who was set to see a production in Jacksonville before it got cancelled, Krasinski decided to get on a video call with her so she could meet Mary Poppins herself (Krasinski’s wife, Emily Blunt.) After gifting Aubrey tickets to the Broadway performance, he arranged for a virtual performance by Miranda, Anthony Ramos, Daveed Diggs, and Leslie Odom, Jr. to name a few.
Some Good News debuted on March 29 with special guest Steve Carell. We can’t wait to see what the next episode brings us. We can all use a bit of good news right now!
—Jennifer Swartvagher
Featured photo: Some Good News via YouTube
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Introducing Parenting Horoscopes by The Astrology Mama. Each month we’ll bring you your parenting horoscope from renowned astrologer and devoted mama, Erin McInerney. Read on for your April forecast.
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You’ve seen the kiddos create epic cities with elaborate scenarios enough times to know that LEGO bricks are more than your average toy. Now there’s one more reason to love those little bricks: LEGO Education is celebrating its 40th birthday with the worldwide launch of its newest educational tool, LEGO Education SPIKE Prime. We got the scoop on this newest product and its impact in classrooms today.
Using this new STEAM tool, students learn by building a robot, testing out if it works and if it doesn’t, they take it apart and build it again. Through collaboration with their team, students learn by their mistakes and when everything goes as planned, their confidence levels rise.
This hands-on STEAM learning solution combines 528 LEGO bricks, easy-to-use hardware and a drag-and-drop coding language with 32 lesson plans.
Combining the physical and digital worlds through bricks, sensors, motors and an intelligent Hub, students build fun and engaging creations, and then using the SPIKE App, they bring those creations to life through scratch-based coding. Students can program SPIKE Prime to break dance every 20 minutes as a reminder to get up and move, check the weather forecast to see if they need an umbrella, or customize a fitness plan and do sit ups together. The activities fit into a variety of lesson plans from physics to language arts.
—Jennifer Swartvagher
Photos courtesy of LEGO
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There’s nothing quite like the breathtaking sight of blazing red and orange leaves to get you in the fall spirit. Thanks to this amazing interactive fall foliage map you can figure out the best times and places to see those beautiful colors from now through November.
The fall foliage season varies across the country and the peak changes from year to year based on the annual temperatures and rainfall, which means knowing when and where to visit is the key to enjoying an incredible view. Each year SmokyMountains.com creates a predictive map of the fall foliage season by using a complex algorithm that carefully analyzes several million data points, like historical temperatures and precipitation, which is used to forecast county-by-county the precise moment when peak fall will occur.
“The predictive fall leaf map helps potential travelers, photographers and leaf peepers determine the precise future date that the leaves will peak in each area of the continental United States,” explains the creator of the map data scientist and CTO Wes Melton. “By utilizing the date selector at the bottom of the map, the user can visually understand how fall will progress over a region. We believe this interactive tool will enable travelers to take more meaningful fall vacations, capture beautiful fall photos and enjoy the natural beauty of autumn. Our nationwide fall foliage prediction map is unique––it is one of the only fall leaf tools that provides accurate predictions for the entire continental United States.”
While no prediction is 100 percent accurate, the map is an excellent guideline if you’re making travel plans around the peak foliage times. According to this year’s map, the first peak will begin at the end of September with most of the country passing the peak by the beginning of November.
—Shahrzad Warkentin
Featured photo: Boudewijn Huysmans via Unsplash
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The cooler weather goes well with built-in fur coats, allowing many breeds and mixes to walk, run and play for long periods of time without heating up and tiring out.
As temperatures plummet, though, pet parents need to keep in mind how frigid weather—particularly for long periods of time—can be too much for even the hardiest of breeds.
A simple rule of thumb about whether your dog is cold is whether you feel cold. If you do, your dog likely does, too. Once thermometers drop and ice and snow become part of the daily forecast, be careful and consider these tips:
Paws in the snow and ice and can get cold very fast. Even though there are some thick-coated alpine dogs out there who love the snow, as household pets, they’re probably not conditioned for the cold weather.
Small dogs should wear coats or sweaters outside to keep them warm. Not only are the clothes adorable, but they’re also beneficial, especially for small, short coated dogs.
Booties are a good idea if you are going to be walking your pets on the sidewalks or where there’s ice or snow.
Use only pet-safe ice melters for defrosting your sidewalks and patios. Many common de-icers contain many different kinds of salts that are harmful to your pet if licked off their feet or coats. If you are walking your pet on public streets, you should consider putting protective booties on them.
If your pet does not wear booties when walked, be sure to clean off their feet and dry them well after walks to prevent ingestion of toxins.
Be sure to clean ice, snow, salt and sand from your dog’s feet and legs. Also, dry your dog’s belly if it gets covered in snow.
Even if your dog seems to enjoy the cold weather and snow play, there’s such a thing as too much of a good thing. How much is too much? That depends. Different pets have different thresholds. Ultimately, it’s a judgment call—yours.
The best way to know how long in the cold is enough for your dog is for you also to be outside. When it gets too cold for you to tolerate, the same will likely be for them. When the temperature drops below freezing, limit your dog’s time outside to less than 15 minutes at a time.
It’s important to remember, too, that much like vehicles can heat up to extreme temperatures in the summer, they can also get extremely cold in the winter. Be careful when taking your dog on errands. You don’t want to leave them in the car for extended periods of time. Once the vehicle is turned off, the icy temperatures outside can quickly cool off the car’s interior, making it uncomfortable and even unsafe for your dog.
Just like humans, dogs can slip and fall on ice and snow. As a result, veterinarians see many torn ligaments in the winter. The knees are commonly affected and often the treatment requires surgery. It’s best to keep your pet on a leash outside and avoid buildups of ice where they — and you! — can slip.
If your dog is arthritic, keep in mind that it may be more difficult for him to move around in the winter. Be sure to make it easy for him to walk outside. Having to jump through the snow or walk on slippery, icy surfaces can lead to unnecessary pain and possible injury. If your dog is having a hard time, speak to your veterinarian about pain medications.
It can be a winter wonderland for your dog—if you’re careful.
Whether you live in or travel to a cold-weather spot this winter, there’s no doubt outdoor playtime can be a joyful time for you and your dog. Just keep in mind the risks involved when you expose your four-legged family member to ice, snow and cold. Even though they come with fur coats as standard equipment, that doesn’t mean they’re fully protected from all that Old Man Winter can deliver. Have fun—and stay warm!
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Diane Levitan, VMD, is a world renouned veterinarian and founder of the Center for Specialized Veterinary Care and The Compassionate Care Center. Her expertise spans all aspects of veterinary internal medicine and she has been featured nationally and internationally on FOX, NBC Nightly News, The TODAY Show and more.
Red Tricycle is looking for a few good folks with accounting or bookkeeping skills who
would like the flexibility to work from home. Our company is virtual, so this position can
be done from anywhere in the United States.
Accounts Receivable Coordinator (10 hours a week):
Post billing and cash receipts from Fresh Books into QuickBooks and reconcile all activity
Lead transition from fresh books to quick books accounts receivable
Respond to customer and sales inquiries
Create weakly aging report and work with the sales force and CEO to ensure collections are
timely
Work with accounting department to ensure that revenues are deferred, when necessary
Reconcile cash receipts into the bank account
Reconcile accounts receivable bank account
Accounts Payable/ Payroll Coordinator (8 hours a week):
Enter vendor invoices, route for approvals and pay bills
Prepare weekly bill payment forecast for CEO approval
Reconcile QuickBooks activity to third party bill payment system
Reconcile accounts payable to the general ledger
Follows segregation of duties protocols for payroll
Process payroll according to monthly schedule
Process commission runs according to monthly schedule
Manage and pay benefit vendors, funds retirement plans as necessary
Account for accrued time offEnsure that all payroll tax filings are completed by third party payroll processor
REQUIREMENTS: QuickBooks experience preferred, 1 year of accounting or bookkeeping
experience, experience with third party payroll provider (i.e. PayCom, Paychex, ADP, etc.).
Accounting Manager/Controller (Average 20 hours a week):
Financial Reporting and Monthly close
Manage general ledger and balance sheet
Reconcile balance sheet accounts every month
Resolve accounting/reconciliation issues
Analyze financial results for both internal and external use
Prepare monthly financial statement
Oversee accounting operation personnel
Accounting Operations
Financial Planning and Analysis
Develop forecasts and budgets, identifying risks and opportunities
Prepare package for Board presentation meetings
Financial reports: monthly, quarterly and annual reports, including but not
Sure, Universal Studios has “The Wizarding World of Harry Potter,” but Ballard is home to the next best thing – Diagon Alley – at least until the end of the year. Dubbed by some as “the coolest dad ever,” Jon Chambers has built a replica of the fictional shopping district found in the Harry Potter books (in his own driveway!) and is inviting everyone to see it for themselves. If you’ve got a crew of Potter fans, bundle up your Muggles and read on for the magical deets.
photo: John Chambers
The Inspiration Behind the Alley
Located on a quiet street in Ballard, Chambers (a former tech exec and dad) said that up until now, his family didn’t get many, if any, treat-or-treaters on their doorstep, so he wanted to create something that would entice them to drop by. Well, guess what? It worked. Thousands of people have visited Chambers’ walk-through replica of Diagon Alley since its debut on Halloween.
photo: Jeffrey Totey
The Wizarding Hub
Located across the street from Whittier Elementary School, it’s amazing how much of the Harry Potter world is crammed into Chambers’ driveway. Facades include a quidditch supply shop, Flourish and Blotts Bookseller and Ollivander’s, “Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C.” And Chambers isn’t finished. Soon, he’ll be adding two play structures: The Leaky Cauldron and Greengots Bank. And both will be auctioned off for Whittier’s PTA auction.
Don’t Forget Your Camera!
The exhibit is full of photos ops starting at the entrance where guests can appear in a “Have you seen this wizard?” wanted poster that reads underneath, “Approach with extreme caution! Do not attempt to use magic against this wizard!” Follow the owl poised on top of the broken brick wall and you’ll find Ollivander’s on the left and more wanted posters on the right. The street is lined with bottles of potions, candles, broomsticks and lots of books.
photo: Jeffrey Totey
Details, Details & More Details!
The attention to detail is incredible. Many of the buildings have crocked corners and bent drainpipes. Every shop has amazing singage. And during the day, the place is bright and cheery, but come back at night for a different, more mysterious scene.
All for a Good Cause
As you can imagine, building such a spectacle took a lot of time, energy and money. The majority of the street came together in just two weeks with the help of 50 volunteers who built, painted and searched high and low for the perfect decor. A local children’s book illustrator filled in the windows and Chambers himself left his job for the project. But there was another important reason that gave Chambers inspiration: his daughters.
photo: Jon Chambers
“My wife worked with a gentleman, the CEO of one of the companies that my wife’s company invested in and he passed away [from pancreatic cancer] on October 18th [2017] and my daughters were really upset by that and were concerned why there wasn’t a cure for this. So really, it was their choice,” says Chambers. “As we’ve started this project, we were looking for something to donate the proceeds to. We knew that there was going to be crowds here. We didn’t’ know that it would be this crazy, but we figured we’d turn this thing into a beacon of hope for a good cause.”
It is estimated that 3,000 people crossed through the broken brick wall to visit the site during Diagon Alley’s first two days. And during those first 24-hours, Chambers raised a whopping $3,000 for pancreatic cancer research. Fortunately, Chamber’s neighbors have been happy with all of the attention and have told the family that for next year, they want “in” on whatever Chambers has in mind – which will most likely be themed around Star Wars.
photo: Jeffrey Totey
What’s Next?
So, what do you do with a mythical shopping district once the year is over? Turns out, the entire set will be donated to Camp Korey to live on and Chambers himself will go back to work. When asked what would happen if someone came up to him and wanted to steal him away to work on similar projects, he said, “Oh, I’d be totally open to that. If it’s in line with my philosophies and what I want to do, then yeah, totally. I would be interested.”
The crowds have died down a bit, so now would be a great time to gather your Muggles and plan a visit Diagon Alley yourself. The festive space will be open through New Years Eve. Plus, you won’t want to miss the special “Dumbledore Santa Claus” event to be held on December 2 and 3. “The forecast is snow for sure,” says Chambers. “Fake or not.” He also also says that actors will be on hand for interaction and photo ops and maybe a food truck of two, too.
photo: Jeffrey Totey
Diagon Alley
7514 13th Ave. N.W.
Seattle, Wa 98117
Online: diagonalleyproject.com
Dates: Now through Dec. 31, 2017
Hours: Mon.-Fri., 2 p.m.-7 p.m.; Sat.-Sun. 10 a.m.-8 p.m.
Have you visited this Diagon Alley replica? Plan to visit soon? What did you think? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!
— Jeffrey Totey
