Blog Posts by Charlene Prince Birkeland, Shine staff

You're not ready to deal with back-to-school shopping, right? Or maybe you are ready...because your kids are driving you nuts at home! My kids are set on their backpack front because we bought them most excellent bags last year. And yes, they still look as good as new even with some serious use. (It really does pay to invest in a good school bag.)

But if you find yourself in the position of having to help your kid select a new school bag for the upcoming year, check out the slide show for some of our favorite backpack picks for preschoolers to high school kids. You may find yourself paying more than thirty dollars for a backpack, but you'll also avoid having to buy a new bag every year. Each bag listed in the slide show is durable and lightweight. But perhaps more important for mom and dad, the bags are easy to clean.

And before you purchase any backpack for your kids, make sure you review our tips to pick out the best school bag. You'll want to know what to look for in a backpack

Michael Jackson's father, Joe, was interviewed by ABC News to discuss how he believes his son's death was "foul play." The segment appeared on "Good Morning America" today.

The elder Jackson said he and his wife, Katherine, should raise Michael's children, Prince Michael, 12, Paris, 11, and Blanket, 7, saying they would grow up to be "strong Jacksons."

Jackson was asked if "his eye" saw hints that his grandchildren could grow up to be performers. He said that Paris "wants to do something" and that Blanket "can really dance."

And I'm sure that most everyone cringed upon hearing those words come from his mouth.

photo credit: charlene prince birkeland/crazedparent.org

You know you're living the camping high life when you start the day with a scrumptious breakfast (we call it a "bird's nest" and I'm sure there about 20 other variations of it).

We recently camped at Butano State Park, which is about an hour's drive from most spots along Silicon Valley. We took a few side trips to Bean Hollow State Beach (gorgeous) and San Gregorio (funky), along with dinner one night at Duarte's Tavern (disappointing...the hostess yelled at me after they lost our reservations).

Butano State Park is ideal for family camping because the campsites are super kid- and parent-friendly. The walk-in sites require that you hike down a small hill to your spot, but once there your kids can play and roam in a very contained area. And the best part? You can easily keep an eye on them while they're exploring in the forest under the towering redwood trees (and searching for banana slugs).

Also? No mosquitoes.

Back to the bird's nest. They were made under the

photo credit: thelongthread.comIt's near impossible for kids to go through preschool and grade school without seeing the beautiful books by author and illustrator Eric Carle. What I love most about his stories is that they inspire children, parents and educators to come up with truly wonderful craft projects.

If you are looking for an inexpensive way to light up your backyard dining table (or even an inside mantle), check out the firefly lanterns made by the children of Ellen from The Long Thread. Ellen used Carle's tutorial for painting tissue paper to help her kids doll, er, bug up glass jars.

Supplies will probably cost you less than ten bucks because you'll likely have everything on hand, save for the decoupage and white tissue paper (although I imagine most folks have oodles of tissue paper left over from the holidays). And the actual project takes a good chunk of time to complete (in two steps).

Another perk? You're kids may end up looking at your Eric Carle collection of stories for more art ideas. In

Photo Credit: Getty ImagesYou'll always hear people say there's never a "perfect" time to have kids. But being financially prepared does help to ensure you'll be able to afford the costs associated with bringing a kid (or eight) into your family. (If you're curious about how much your kid will cost you over a lifetime, go play with this calculator over at BabyCenter.)

So is the economic slowdown factoring into a couple's decision to have a baby?

According to Yahoo! Buzz, it sure seems so. Baby-related searches (e.g., queries on pregnancy research and baby gear) "are at an all-time low since 2005." However, searches for information on baby showers is at an all-time high. Weird, right?

What about you? Are you waiting to get pregnant because of the recession?

photo credit: AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, Pool)I wasn't glued to a television to watch the memorial service for the late Michael Jackson. I almost hate to admit that I didn't even remember it was taking place today.

My first glimpse of the coverage was watching a short video of Paris Jackson's emotional words about her father. I felt the tears after about five seconds. And when I saw her big brother, 12-year-old Michael Joseph Jr., gently rest his head on the shoulder of his aunt, Janet Jackson, my heart just ached with sadness for those kids.

Don't even get me started on the photos of little 7-year-old, "Blanket," Prince Michael II, holding a Michael Jackson doll. He looked lost and scared in most of the photos, and this would make complete sense with thousands of people staring at you on a stage while you mourn your dad's death.

But the video and photos are a reminder that despite what we may have thought of his parenting skills, his three children adored him. Sandy Cohen from the Associated Press has a good read about

Photo Credit: Getty ImagesEvery other day, my son works on a few pages of summer math homework. We also have to keep a reading log, which tracks the seven books he's to read over about 12 weeks. Did I mention he's going into second grade?

Here's the thing: My kid loves math (for now) and he lists reading as one of his favorite things to do (for now). Summer homework isn't a battle for us unlike last year, where he spent the last two days of his summer break working on his math workbook and completing a journal. (I'd like to think he learned his lesson about procrastination.)

As a parent, I like that he has summer homework because it helps fosters a love of learning. The homework isn't intense; it's really a review of the past year, just to keep the academic juices flowing. The other benefit is that his homework routine doesn't get completely thrown, which makes it easier for all of us when school starts in late August.

But I'm sure many of you dread having to ask your kids to do their summer homework--either

photo credit: wildolive.blogspot.comOur kids are busy getting their bicycles ready for our town's annual Fourth of July parade. (It looks like we raided our local crafts store and picked up every single decoration that is red, white and/or blue.) We're also deciding on a few crafty projects to make for tomorrow.

If you're wanted to add to your kid's excitement about the Fourth of July (you know, besides thinking about all the cool fireworks shows), check out some of these cute and easy projects from around the blogosphere:

• Red, white and blue drinks via Chocolate on my Cranium (we still love these from last year)
  

• Fourth of July rockets...to be filled with treats from Skip to my Lou
• Red, white and blueberry skewers from Make and Takes (via Crafty Crow)