Family and Faith

Great white sharks might migrate to snack on giant squids

LOS ANGELES — In what could be the ultimate marine smack-down, great white sharks off the California coast may be migrating 1,600 miles west to do battle with creatures that rival their star power: giant squids. A series of studies tracking this mysterious migration has scientists rethinking not just about what the big shark does with its time but also about what sort of creature it is.

Library to host Amy Edwards

WENATCHEE — The Wenatchee Public Library, 310 Douglas St., has planned a celebrity storytime with Amy Edwards at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

YMCA to host children’s program sign-up day

WENATCHEE — The Wenatchee Valley YMCA, 217 Orondo Ave., has planned a spring break and summer program sign-up day from 8 a.m. to noon on March 20.

Parenting corner: How do we change birthday traditions?

Q: I’ve been divorced for four years and living with my fiancee for a year. We plan to marry in four months. She has two children, 8 and 12, and I have twin sons, age 15. My sons’ birthday is coming up and I usually go to dinner with my parents, my ex and my kids. I really don’t want to go to dinner with my ex. When is it OK to start celebrating without my ex and start celebrating with my new partner? My ex lives one mile away and we have shared custody 50/50. My sons’ birthday is on my day this year. A: The first rule to good ex-etiquette is “Put the children first” and nowhere in your question do we hear anything about the considerations of your sons. You have already set precedent — for the last four years you’ve celebrated the kids’ birthday with the kids, your parents and your sons’ mother. If your sons believe the change is prompted by your fiancee, or even your fiancee’s presence, that could sabotage their relationship and alienate them from you. We certainly understand how one wants to move on after divorce, but in your case it’s particularly important to be mindful of how a change would be perceived by your children.

Breast-feeding is baby- and budget-friendly

CHICAGO — The recession and a new baby are a scary pairing, but some are hoping it will inspire more mothers to breast-feed. “You can save $1,000 to $3,000 a year just by breast-feeding,” says Gina Cicatelli Ciagne, director of breast-feeding and consumer relations for Lansinoh, which sells breast-feeding accessories.

Many Catholics returning to the church

Some may be prompted by $1 million ad campaign earlier this year

CHICAGO — In order to return to the pews, Cindy Colman first must grapple with the Roman Catholic Church’s failure to forgive, alienating her and her mother from the institution that generations of their family have called home. “I think I’m still in the process,” said Colman, 35, of Naperville, Ill. “I’m at that point where I’m coming back to learn more and understand the whole faith ... It’s true. At my core, I know that.”

They’re übersavers

Coupon-crazy women save a ton of dough

MINNEAPOLIS — Karen Gunter and Jennifer Weber both consider couponing a part-time job and actually make a small profit from their Web sites. Carrie Rocha started couponing as a way to lift her family out of a $50,000 debt. Each of the three Minnesota women offers ways to save on her own couponing blog or Web site, teaches classes on couponing (it’s a lot more than clip-and-save) and gets together regularly with others to share strategies and trade coupons. What starts out as a necessity to save the family budget often turns into a race to greater savings.

Send Easter service info

We’d like to include your church in our service listings for Holy Week and Easter weekend. Please send service information to Anna Lopez at lopez@wenatcheeworld.com no later than March 19. Include the church name, address and phone number with the service information. We plan to run a roundup of Holy Week services in the March 26 Family, Faith section. Easter service listings will be in the April 2 newspaper. Questions? Call Lopez at 661-6372.

Kids concert today at Lincoln School

WENATCHEE — Eric Herman will perform “Cool Tunes for Kids” at 6:30 p.m. today at Abraham Lincoln Elementary School, 1224 Methow St.

How can IQ tests tell how smart you are?

The idea of intelligence quotient tests came about nearly a century ago

How smart are you? This question could be asked in many different situations. For example, it might be the kind of question that is important if you are applying to college or applying for a job. In the same way that your credit score is important to anyone who might be thinking of loaning you money, an intelligence score might be interesting to anyone thinking about assigning you an important task.

Perspective from a chubby little cubby and his friends

This month my daughter Sara has a birthday. She is long since gone from home but never far away. Thinking of her and what to do to celebrate the big day, my eye fell on an old dog-eared and literally dog-chewed copy of A.A. Milne’s “Winnie the Pooh.”

Healing training class set for later this month

WENATCHEE — A Healing Training and Equipping class will take place March 11, 18 and 25 at the Healing Rooms of Wenatchee, 1020 N. Wenatchee Ave. The class will focus on a biblical approach to healing through the provision of Jesus Christ.

The plugged-in generation

Children today are multi-tasking — big time

BALTIMORE — Sixteen-year-old Arnold James has a hard time picturing life without his cell phone. “It would probably be like drug addicts feel when they’re getting off of drugs,” says the high school student, who often uses his phone during school hours. “Sometimes your cell phone is a relief from the busy-ness at school and all the assignments.”

Little girls’ princess phase is OK

My daughter fell in love with royalty. It happened at Disneyland in December, as we strolled past a storefront full of finery for princesses. “Mama, it’s Cinderella!” Elle exclaimed.

Parenting Corner: What’s eating your kid?

Q: Our son is only 10, but he is already extremely overweight. He loves food and we don’t want to deny him his favorite dishes, but we’re starting to get worried about his health. What should we do? A: You’re absolutely right to be concerned. Obesity in this country is a huge problem. And it’s getting bigger by the day. Back in the 1960s, fewer than one in 10 kids ages 6 to 19 were considered overweight. Today it’s more than one in three. Put a little differently, when you were growing up, the average child drank three glasses of milk for every one of soda. Today, kids are drinking twice as much soda as milk.