My almost three-year-old daughter loves nothing more than visiting our local chain-toy store. She is happy just touching and playing with all the different toys and rarely puts up a fuss if we leave empty handed (I know..we’re very lucky). Recently we were in Port Jefferson and visited Lainie’s Way. This is not your normal toy store. My daughter was fascinated with all the large colorful kites and I loved all the lawn ornaments. This trip made me stop and think about all the other hidden toy stores on Long Island. Let me know if you visit any of these gems.

Artists in grades K-12 are urged to enter Google’s Doodle 4 Google contest. Students may design a logo inspired by the theme “What I Wish for the World.” The winning design will be displayed on the Google homepage on May 21, 2009. The winning doodler will also receive a college scholarship and grant for his or her school. The top 40 doodlers will have their artwork displayed in an exhibit in New York City. Submissions postmarked by March 31 will be judged on artistic merit, creativity, and representation of the theme. To register log on at http://www.google.com/doodle4google

Posted by Christine Maniscalco

FDA Product Recall List

In addition to this widget, the United States Food and Drug Administration has a page dedicated to issues of particular interest to parents on their Pediatric Page and their Parents Page.

There is also an interactive Kids’ Page for children to explore health issues on their own.

Posted by Ray Arroyo