Th e royal treatment

BY HELAINE WILLIAMS

I can slay my own dragons. I can dream my own dreams. My knight in shining armor is me. I don’t wanna be like Cinderella sittin’ in a dark cold dusty cellar, waiting for somebody to come and set me free. - Wednesday, October 1, 2008

HEART & SOUL : Hard times: Focus on energizing endeavors

JENNIFER HANSEN

Whatever happens next can’t change how devastating the past weeks have been for our country. We’ve been knocked on our collective rear. All we can do is get up, take a deep breath and turn our attention to the task at hand. We have no choice. This isn’t just a test, this is the exam. - Wednesday, October 1, 2008

FORCES OF NURTURE : I cried, I laughed, I had a mammogram

CINDY MURPHY

Sophie was 2 when my friend Larry Lichty invited me to a private reading that his daughter-in-law, Kelly Corrigan, had planned downtown for her book The Middle Place. - Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Children form unlikely HGTV fan base

BY JENNIFER FORKER THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

ARVADA, Colo. — I knew something was amiss when the knickknacks — the small bowls, colorful vases, even an unused incense burner — mysteriously appeared in my living room. - Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Politics pulling old and young into debate

BY LEA LION LOS ANGELES TIMES

“Cindy McCain has 29 pets,” says Danielle Soibelman. - Wednesday, October 1, 2008

PARENTING : Good parenting, discipline are born outside the box

JOHN ROSEMOND

As regular readers of this column know, my advice tends toward the “psychologically incorrect” end of the spectrum. As a consequence, I frequently receive anecdotes from parents who solved their children’s behavior problems by thinking outside the box. - Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Book shelf

— Karen MacPherson, Scripps Howard News Service

Knucklehead, Jon Scieszka (Viking, $16.99, ages 8-12 ) In 38 short, photo-filled chapters, Jon Scieszka vividly details what it was like to grow up with five brothers (he was the secondoldest ) who were always getting into trouble. - Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Check your knowledge

1. What was President Warren G. Harding’s middle name? 2. On the television show Happy Days, Fonzie would say what as he held thumbs up? 3. Who is considered responsible for moving the motion-picture industry to Hollywood? 4. What two words, both beginning with “P,” describe the ruling class and commoners in ancient Rome? 5. Gamma is the third letter of what alphabet? 6. Whom did Ivanhoe marry in the novel of that name by Sir Walter Scott? 7. What card is high in gin rummy? 8. Does Mozambique border South Africa? 9. In what year was Edward Kennedy first elected to the U.S. Senate? Answers 1. Gamaliel 2. “Aaayy.” 3. Cecil B. DeMille. He was filming The Squaw Man in Arizona in 1913 but he didn’t like the scenery there. DeMille moved production to California to a place called Hollywood. Other producers and directors followed his lead and in a few years Hollywood was the site of the movie industry. 4. Patrician for the ruling class, plebeian for commoners. 5. Greek 6. Lady Rowena 7. King 8. Yes 9. 1962 - Wednesday, October 1, 2008

EX-ETIQUETTE : Kindergarten’s start strains 50-50 shared-custody pact

BY JANN BLACKSTONE-FORD AND SHARYL JUPE

Q: My ex-husband and I have shared 50-50 custody of our 5-year-old daughter since she was 2. Last year we amended the court order to say our daughter will go to kindergarten in my area and live with me during weekdays and with him on weekends — just during the school year. He lives more than an hour from the school. But now he has changed his mind and does not want to honor the court order. - Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Family shopper

— Rhonda Owen

WILD REPUBLIC TALKING BINDI DOLL What it is: A cute-as-can-be 10-inch doll in the image of Bindi Irwin, daughter of the late Steve Irwin of The Crocodile Hunter fame. Bindi has a wildlife show on the Discovery Kids Network. - Wednesday, October 1, 2008