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1. 

   HEATHER IJAMES: Go outside, for the sake of your children

   By Heather Ijames

   Friday, Jun 07 2013 08:00 PM

   Go outside. Your kids will thank you. The summer season is upon us and according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, it'll help kids in a multitude of ways if you take them outside.

   I mention the wildlife service because it recently came out with an article enumerating five ways children benefit from outdoor adventures. Of course, in Bakersfield, that gets a little tricky with the air quality and heat. Perhaps this is why I'm such a big proponent of weekend camping adventures.

   I've always liked camping, but on a recent trip, when my boys were wielding hatchets and handheld saws against a poor, defenseless -- albeit dead -- tree, it dawned on me that I did this for them. This is why the Fish and Wildlife Service's five benefits...

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2. 

   HEATHER IJAMES: A dozen years of marriage, some a cracked egg

   I always reflect on my marriage at the end of May because it's anniversary time. Twelve years now. A dozen. That's like one egg for each year, and I suppose there are some cracked eggs in the bunch. This year, however, the egg is looking...

3. HEATHER IJAMES: This is what I meant to say about strengthening our kids

   I believe I've made a mistake. At least, a partial one. Not too long ago, I wrote about keeping kids in the bubble and while I still wholeheartedly agree that it is our job as parents to limit what things our kids are exposed to --...
4. 

   HEATHER IJAMES: Top reasons to be glad you have a son

   I was at the grocery store, waiting on some take home pizza. The day was Good Friday, and nothing says holy day like the buzz and pandemonium of an overcrowded WinCo. It was also one of those rare moments in time when despite my...

5. HEATHER IJAMES: Why dogs are easier than kids

   After months of hoarding the boys' birthday and Christmas money they'd received, cash and gifts cards given by family members, we accumulated a nice little stash to finance a trip to Disneyland. We went down the night before, stayed in a...

6. HEATHER IJAMES: Bullying's not OK -- for children or adults

   Our society seems to be hyper-vigilant on calling out bullying and "wrongdoing" these days, and I'm all right with that. For example, when my boys are watching Nickelodeon or some other cartoon show, they now have PSAs where teen actors go...

7. HEATHER IJAMES: How long before the bubbles around our kids pop?

   The potential to mess up my parenting seems to be all I ever think about, now that my oldest is entering one of many prickly times of his life. He's 9 and I stupidly thought I didn't have to worry about contamination from the adult world...

9. HEATHER IJAMES: Dad's hankering for a derby car win

   It's Pinewood Derby time with the Cub Scouts, where Scouts are given a little block of wood, four tires, and then told to build something that goes vroom. I have to say I wasn't happy when the den leader handed us this little derby kit. You...

10. HEATHER IJAMES: Is it time to throw Santa under the bus?

    Santa and I, we have a problem. Much to my own shame, I'm terribly greedy when it comes to recognition. Imagine my angst when I listen to my kids for months on end, saying they want this, and that, some other things, too, while I quietly...

11. HEATHER IJAMES: It's that witching hour for moms and wives

    I found a comment on a blog that validated a bit of my nuttiness. Sarah, the mom at www.memoriesoncloverlane.com, wrote this: "I get annoyed at my husband sometimes. Mostly for absolutely nothing. When he walks in the door after work,...

12. HEATHER IJAMES: Keep your eyes on your children -- always

    Just as my son entered his first year of Boy Scouts, another scandal broke out about sexual abuse within the organization. The Oregon Supreme Court ordered the release of files previously in the sole custody of the Scouting administration,...

13. HEATHER IJAMES: Love lettering left on the dining table

    Sometimes, I feel as if things are slipping away. The good things. The things my mind says to hold on to with greedy little fingers. Yet at the end of the day, I'm too tired to have a firm grip on anything other than what I didn't get done....

14. HEATHER IJAMES: Archery lessons while stuck in the bathroom

    There's a little place downtown called The Archery Shop, where they do archery lessons on the first and third Saturdays of the month. When I called to sign the older one up, one of the instructors asked if I wanted to sign up my 4-year-old...