Photos Courtesy of the Science Center of Iowa

If your family is looking to shake off the winter doldrums this time of year, here’s one way to do it: experience a taste of what earthly life was like millions of years ago. The Science Center of Iowa is taking visitors on a journey across millennia with its Ultimate Dinosaurs exhibit—a special feature that will only last until April 12^th. The exhibit showcases twelve fully articulated dinosaur specimens, bringing the amazing discoveries across the scientific world right into our own Iowan backyard.

This exhibit may not be familiar to those of us who live in the northern hemisphere. That’s because these dinosaurs evolved in isolation from their northern cousins after the great landmass Pangaea split in two during the Mesozoic Era (around 250-65 years ago, if you were wondering). Hailing from the areas of modern South America, Africa, and Australia, and bearing names such as Giganotosaurus, Austroraptor, and Malawisaurus, these specimens inspire wonder in the minds of visitors. The examples of these exotic creatures also give us a fascinating look at how continental drift can have long-term effects on entire species.

Ultimate Dinosaurs combines the (really) old with the new in its use of ‘augmented reality’ devices to give visitors a glimpse at what these dinosaurs may have looked like when they roamed the southern hemisphere millions of years ago. Visitors can make their encounter with the dinosaurs breathtakingly vivid by holding up iPads to virtually ‘layer’ the exterior appearances of these creatures over their skeletons. There is also a multi-user game in which players use iPads to try to place modern continents into their proper Pangaea formation. Of course, these modern tools can only help to frame the amazing specimens themselves.

For those wanting to dive deeper into the world of dinosaurs, the Science Center has even more to offer. The film Flying Monsters is playing in the Science Center’s Blank IMAX Dome Theater. This film gives an in-depth look at pterosaurs, which were flying dinosaurs with wingspans of up to 40 feet.  The museum also has live supplemental programming in which museum staff present activities and discuss ideas with kids and their families. Visitors can build model ‘pterosaur gliders,’ solve puzzles representing how scientists put fossils together, and learn more about study of paleontology itself. Such a wealth of activities ensures that little ones stay busy and that kids and parents engage in learning together.

The exhibit is also open during SCI’s monthly special admission nights: Mixology Night for the 21+ crowd and the reduced-admission Family Night. Whether you want to bring all the kids or unwind with a drink and some live music, you’ll be able to bask in the awe of Ultimate Dinosaurs’ prehistoric specimens.

So, what are you waiting for? It’s not often that Iowa becomes home to dinosaur fossils. If you’re looking for wonder (and maybe a little adventure for the kids), check out the amazing creatures at SCI’s Ultimate Dinosaurs.

The book is a member of the popular Eat This, Not That! family of books, in which Zinczenko and Goulding compare menu items at popular restaurants to illuminate which choices will have the least negative impact the health of the consumer (because, let’s face it, eating out is rarely good for one’s health). For the Cook This, Not That! versions, the authors present simple and delicious at-home alternatives to well-known (and often highly caloric) menu items.

In Cook This Not That!: Kitchen Survival Guide, the authors expertly guide the reader through a slew of recipes representing a broad spectrum of tastes. Dishes such as chicken fried rice, Mexican hot dogs, and Dr. Pepper ribs all have a place in this collection. A full-page photo accompanies nearly every recipe, and as you thumb through the images of juicy beer brisket and creamy banana-rum splits, you’ll begin to understand why my copy of this book has something like half of the pages marked. And the best part is that each recipe shows you how to avoid consuming hundreds of extra calories by making your restaurant favorites at home.

I must add, however, that the helpfulness of this book is not limited to recipes alone. Zinczenko and Goulding have many things to say about how to approach eating in a healthy way, and they also include handy references such as nutritional scorecards of different types of foods and a list of food items that make up the ‘perfect pantry.’ In one of the early sections of the book, Zinczenko and Goulding lay out a list of every knife, tool, and pan that you actually need in order to make a complete kitchen—a list that rings up at just $331 total. They also lay out several meal ‘blueprints,’ which consist of food combinations so intuitive that they each need only a few sentences to describe. The overall aim of the book is to empower the reader to develop his or her own healthy cooking skills. And, with enough practice, you can even learn to cook without following a recipe word-for-word (if you’re scared by that idea, don’t worry, you can move at your own pace).

I highly recommend Cook This, Not That!: Kitchen Survival Guide because of its straightforward tone and engaging layout. If you’re interested in breaking free from a recipe rut and learning to make healthy alternatives to restaurant fare in the process, you’ll soon be proudly displaying this cookbook on your kitchen shelf, as I do. Oh, and they have an app for that too.

Today’s world is complicated. Work, school, family, sports, religion and extracurricular activities pull parents and children in several different directions. As a parent, you want your son to grow up to be a self-reliant, dependable, and caring individual.

Newly organized Cub Scout Pack 182 achieves these outcomes by combining fun with educational activities and lifelong values. It also helps parents strengthen character, develop good citizenship, and enhance both mental and physical fitness in young boys.

Cub Scout Pack 182 is growing and represents boys attending Maple Grove Elementary, but anyone who is home schooled or attends other schools are welcome to join the pack too.

Pack 182 participates in a variety of community events as well as organizing fun activities within its membership.  These include the annual Pinewood Derby, bowling nights, popcorn sales, family camping, summer camps, day camps, and so much more!

Each den of Pack 182 meets during the month in addition to the monthly pack meeting – which is where the boys have the chance to demonstrate the skills they’ve worked on throughout the month. It’s also a time where the boys are recognized for scouting accomplishments and awarded badges.

If your son is new to scouting don’t worry about what he may have missed.  Come watch Pack 182 at the next pack meeting Thursday, January 29 where they will be racing pinewood derby cars!

So, if you are looking for a Cub Scout Pack where your son can grow and learn through new adventures, community involvement and values that stay with them for a lifetime, stop by and visit Pack 182.

For more information, contact Patty Gilreath:
gilreapa@mchsi.com or 515-224-0693.

Scientific studies (and, perhaps, common sense) have demonstrated the importance of the family meal, and yet lots of Americans still find it difficult to summon the time, energy, and skills necessary to get a home-cooked dinner on the table. According to the USDA, the total percentage of calories consumed by Americans at home dropped from 82.3 percent in 1977-78 to 68.5% in the years 2005-08. Sure, dining out is the easier option, but nothing compares to the warmth and comfort of gathering your family to eat in your own home. If you want to practice the art of a home-cooked family dinner but find yourself strapped for time (or ideas!), check out the following tips for less-harried home cooking.

1. Have a back-up plan. Keep some simple recipe ideas in your back pocket, whether that means making omelets because the pantry is bare or grilled cheese because the chicken burned.  By learning how to make a few things really well, you’ll take the pressure off of yourself if you run out of time for a more elaborate meal.
2. Dust off the slow-cooker. If you dread the thought of having to cook after a busy day at work, you have a friend in this appliance. There are a myriad of easy, delicious recipes all over the internet, some involving as few as only three ingredients. Simply cut up a few things the night before, dump the ingredients in the slow cooker before work, and then come home to a stress-free dinner.
3. Make a meal plan for a whole week. Sit down on a lazy Saturday morning or Sunday afternoon and write out what you plan to make for dinner during the next week. You’ll save money at the grocery store by avoiding purchases that you won’t end up using, and you’ll have more time to look up new recipes to incorporate into your repertoire.
4. Combine homemade and convenience foods. Who says that you have to eat a meal that is 100 percent home cooked? In order to keep your sanity, you might have to shred up a store-bought rotisserie chicken for your Tuesday-night tacos or throw some frozen pot stickers in to bulk up your stir-fry. Spend some time reading the nutrition labels of convenience foods at your grocery store, and then stock upon the items that will aid your dinner efforts without negatively impacting your health.
5. Cook when you have the time. Every year, my mother-in-law makes homemade ravioli for Thanksgiving and Christmas. How does she do it? She makes it all (with some helpers) a few weeks ahead of time and then freezes it. You can incorporate this practice into your own home, making several freezable meals at the beginning of the month (or whenever you have time) and enjoying results of your hard work later, on busy nights.

If you want to gather your family and friends around the table but find yourself overwhelmed by food prep, give these ideas a try. After all, it’s best to sit down to dinner with the calm demeanor necessary to truly enjoy the company—and the food.

Now that the holiday season is over and the kiddos are back in school, you may be tempted to think that fun won’t return until springtime. However, Waukee Parks and Recreation has an answer to the winter blues: Waukee FamilyFest, an event where kids can play while their parents mingle with other young families. Local businesses from the Waukee community will also be there to spread the word about their wares and services. The event will be held on Saturday January 17 from 9:00am-12:00pm at Point of Grace Church in Waukee.

At the third annual Waukee FamilyFest, inflatable playgrounds, games, and prizes sponsored by local businesses will be the order of the day for kids, while parents will be able to enjoy getting to know others in the Waukee area. Danae Edwards, of Waukee’s Parks and Recreation, says that the idea for the event was prompted by a desire for the growing Waukee community to come together in the midst of cold weather: “The Park Board and Parks & Rec Staff wanted to create an event for kids and families to get out of the house during the winter. Let everyone burn off a little energy and congregate with their friends.” According to Edwards, the Parks and Recreation department created this event in order to help create a stronger community in Waukee: “We are trying to help promote our Waukee businesses to all of the new families that move to town while giving our residents a chance to get to know other families.”

Edwards also acknowledges that the event serves as a gathering opportunity for Waukee’s many new residents, saying, “Waukee is full of new, young families that would like the chance to get to know one another so this is a great opportunity to meet other families and to get to know some of the smaller mom-pop businesses in town.”

Edwards points out another perk of the event: “It’s great for businesses and families alike because it is free! Businesses can participate at the event free of charge while promoting their business and hopefully drawing in clients/customers.”

So, there you have it: a fun, free, kid-friendly event where everyone may gather indoors during Iowa’s bitterly cold January. Whether you’re new to the area and want to meet other families while checking out the Waukee business scene or you’re a longtime resident hoping to free your cooped-up kids from your house on a Saturday morning, look no further than the Waukee FamilyFest to meet your needs.

View the event’s webpage to find additional information, including the event’s contact person and the address for Point of Grace Church.

Perhaps you’re celebrating the lack of snow, or maybe you’re dreading the thought of a grassy holiday landscape.

If you’re dreaming of a white Christmas and wondering if it will come in 2016, you can always make a cheery holiday by baking up some aptly named Snowball Clippers (and maybe popping in White Christmas wouldn’t hurt, either).

These little coconut cookies have flavors reminiscent of a Mounds bar—and they’re chock-full of mini chocolate chips. They’re easy to put together and genuinely fun to make, especially when dipping the bottoms of the baked cookies into melted chocolate and then pressing them onto a wax-paper-lined cookie sheet. And whether you’re making larger, golf-ball sized cookies like the ones I baked, or you’re following the original recipe (which calls for cookies to be just ¾ inch in diameter—a truly mini holiday treat!), you’ll find that these snowball clippers are tasty and pretty. They don’t spread very much in the oven, meaning that if you’re cramped for space (and time) this holiday season, you’ll probably have just enough room to squeeze a few extra cookies onto the sheet before sliding them into the oven. They’re also easily stacked on top of one another (they really do look like a pile of mini snowballs), making for an elegant addition to the dessert table at your family’s holiday celebration.

I first heard about these cookies while preparing for my family’s Christmas festivities up in Minnesota. My parents’ next-door neighbor had won the Minneapolis Star Tribune’s annual holiday cookie contest, and this cookie recipe—Snowball Clippers—was one of the other finalists. My family marveled over the front page of the Tribune’s Taste section, which featured a story about our neighbor and a photo of her cookies in the center of the page. We never did get around to making her recipe, but we did discover these coconut beauties, and they quickly became a favorite on our holiday table. Often, when we make them, they’re the first type of cookie to disappear from the cookie plate.

So, from the land of ice and snow (you know, that state to the north of Iowa) comes a cookie recipe worthy of appearing on your holiday dinner table. Or perhaps you’ll place some Snowball Clippers on Santa’s cookie plate, to remind him of the wintery North Pole if Iowa’s Christmas Eve proves to be on the un-snowy side.