According to the Jakarta Globe, Indonesia's smoking toddler has kicked the habit. Little Ardi Rizal became famous when video footage of him huffing and puffing on cigarettes hit the web. Now the two-year-old is older, wiser, and a non-smoker.   A little government intervention seemed to do the trick.

Seto Mulyadi, advisory chairman of the National Commission for Child Protection (Komnas Anak), said the two-year-old had fully recovered from his addiction after a month-long rehabilitation program, involving both the commission, pyschologists and doctors.

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Jana elementary school's incoming kindergarten class has a set of triplets and a set of quadruplets.  Oddly enough, the Hazelwood school district is actually known for having  lots of multiples.  Another one of their schools currently has 11 sets of twins.

If you find yourself thirsty in this part of Missouri  I would caution you to think twice before ordering that big tall glass of tap water.

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Many Obstetricians, mine, included, suggest you stop drinking diet sodas while you are pregnant.  Now  a Danish study of nearly 60,000 pregnant women is giving more weight to that suggestion. The study published in The American Journal Of Clinical Nutrition, finds that drinking artificially sweetened soft drinks may actually increase a woman's risk of preterm labor.  Preterm labor is defined as before 37 weeks of pregnancy.

In this large prospective cohort of pregnant women, we observed a positive association between the intake of artificially sweetened soft drinks and the risk of preterm delivery. No association was observed for sugar-sweetened soft drinks.

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Californians may soon have to be 5-years-old by Sept. 1 in order to attend public kindergarten.  The current cut-off date is Dec. 2.  This move isn't about education it's about economics.

The move could save the state approximately $700 a year.

The move could save the state approximately $700 million a year.

Update: I copy and pasted the original quote. Looks like the news agency corrected that typo. The $700 million a year figure makes a little more sense.

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According to a survey commissioned by Disneyland Paris, lots of parents in the UK find playing with their children boring.

As many as 21% of parents have forgotten how to play with their children, according to a poll today.

And 30% of mothers and fathers think playing with their offspring is boring, the survey commissioned by Disneyland Paris found.

Do you think this phenomenon is only in the UK? Are we,  across the pond, equally as bored by our children? I'm not sure how many Americans would admit to boredom. I do, however, think both would agree that chores and work do significantly cut into quality family time.

Now, I wonder what Disneyland Paris has in store to remedy the situation?

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Blame it on the economy. The U.S. birth rate fell for the second year in a row.

The birth rate, which takes into account changes in the population, fell to 13.5 births for every 1,000 people last year, from 13.9 births in 2008, and 14.3 births in 2007, according to a new report from the National Center for Health Statistics.

Those of us who had babies in 2009 and 2010 are probably just closet optimists. Or, we just like to throw caution to the wind. I will let you take your pick.

CNN has more: Link

Anyone who has a toddler knows how much they love clocks. Silly Precious Piggies did a wonderful tutorial on how to make your very own clock pillow.  The craft project does require some sewing, but the result seems to be well worth the effort.

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Skye Parnell is one amazing 7-year-old.  Not only did she bicycle over 600 miles, but she did it to raise money for charity.  Her and her family traveled from the UK to ride from Washington DC to Pittsburgh and back.

Her father Ben Parnell said: "She never complained and she cycled so hard. Even on the last day, which exhausted me, after we travelled 46 miles. She chose the charity because it was for children."

Next up for Skye and her family?  A bicycle trip through Holland.  They are hoping to get sponsorships to raise even more money for charity.

Laura Roberts has more: Link

Photo: Skye Parnell, from Wiveliscombe in Somerset

A group of boys were attempting to shoot a YouTube video when their fun and games became deadly.

"As part of the skit they were performing they were using fake blood and one of the children tied a rope around his neck and attached himself to a swing, and when he slipped the rope tightened up on his neck," says Whatcom County Sheriff Bill Elfo.

The boy lost consciousness. The kids ran to a parent, who freed the boy from the rope and called 911. The boy started breathing once his airway was cleared. Police say CPR was not needed.

The boy is expected to make a full recovery.

The Sheriff's department in Washington is using this incident as a warning to parents.  They want parents to pay close attention to what their kids are up to.  This is especially important when kids  head out of the house with a video camera.   They fear that more children will be attempting dangerous stunts in order to achieve internet fame.

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A Utah Teen was playing with his dog when he accidentally inhaled the squeaker of a dog toy.  Every time William Robertson took a breath he would squeak.  He had to have surgery to have the squeaker removed.

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Mercades "Sadie" Shrum ran away from kindergarten because she had a substitute teacher. Apparently the little girl loves her teacher and doesn't feel just anyone can replace her.  Sadie told staff and the substitute teacher that she had no intention of staying at school.  Shortly after the start of class Sadie made a mad dash for home.

"They didn't even catch her.  How does 4 faculty members let a 5 year old get away from them," asked Sadie's mother Trish Shrum.

Ms. Shrum said her daughter was home for about 15 minutes before anyone from the school showed up at her house.

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Los Angeles boasts a lot of site seeing attractions.  Now they can add another to their long list.  Next time you are in Los Angeles be sure to check out the most expensive public school in the nation.  The Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools is a K-12 facility that cost a massive $578 million.   What do you get for $578 million?

• Fine art murals


• A marble memorial depicting Robert F. Kennedy


• Manicured public park


• State-of-the-art swimming pool


• Preservation of a wall of the Cocoanut Grove nightclub


• Preservation of the Paul Williams designed coffee shop (this became a faculty lounge)


• and a whole bunch more

Oh, and did we forget to mention that L.A. is currently experiencing some major budget woes.

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Last week a five-year-old Arizona boy wandered away and drowned in a golf course pond.  The Santa Rita Country Club and Golf Course is a private facility. Fences are not currently required on private golf courses.   Public golf courses in that area, however,  do have their water hazards fenced.

The drowning has promoted many locals to call for fencing of all golf  course water hazards.  Should all golf courses, private or public, be required to fence their water hazards?

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Alesaundra Tafoya is being called a hero.  When her father collapsed from taking the wrong dose of medicine she left her house and sought out a safe place to seek help. The three-year-old girl made a 2 block trek to the local fire station.  The determined little girl next guided the fireman back to her house.

Firefighters said Alesaundra's story is an example of why children should be taught to ask emergency personnel for help in an emergency.

The parents, while proud, also seemed a little scared that the little girl left the house alone.  I imagine next they will be teaching her to dial 911.

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Silas Hager is a 4-year old little boy who has a rare disease. He is has Eosinophilic Esophagitis or EE. The disease causes his esophagus swell when he eats food.  In short Sy is allergic to food.  Link

How do you celebrate a birthday with no cake? Sy's Mom blogs about how they created a fake cake just for him. It's a series of wrapped boxes with little presents inside.  Now that's one ingenious Mom and Dad.

You can check out Sy's blog here: Link

Photo: Silas Hager