Fun City: Something for everyone in Burlington

Let’s say your family has varied interests. The younger kids love waterparks, the older kids are into laser tag and the adults really enjoy a cool bowling alley.

For an Iowa getaway that could satisfy all those interests — and a few more — Pzazz! at the Catfish Bend Casino could be just the ticket.

The resort, near the intersection of Highways 34 and 61 in the Mississippi River community of Burlington in southeast Iowa, is actually fairly unassuming from the outside. As I understand it, the original hotel has been on the site for some time, and the resort and casino features were added in more recent years.

We visited with another family during our spring break, and immediately knew our kids — ranging in age from 5 to 10 — would be right at home.

Our first stop was the Huck’s Harbor waterpark, which includes both an indoor and outdoor section. Since we visited in late March, the outdoor portion (actually the larger section) wasn’t yet open, but our kids spent hours in the indoor portion, which includes a smaller area suited for toddlers and two larger waterslides for older kids (and adults, of course!).

There’s plenty more to keep you occupied, too, including an electric go-kart track with both full-size and kiddie-size karts (my favorite part of the trip, to be honest — the adult carts can reach speeds up to 30 mph!); a laser tag arena; a large game arcade (one of the biggest I’ve seen anywhere) and a brightly-themed bowling alley (which we didn’t even have time to check out). There’s even a golf course associated with the resort, though it’s a few miles south.

The waterpark passes come free with your hotel stay. Most of the attractions can be paid for using a reloadable, debit-style Fun Club card that can be swiped through electronic readers around the complex. It can be a dangerously easy way to spend lots of money, though, so be careful with your cards!

There are also four restaurants on site, including a buffet, a Japanese teppenyaki grill and sushi bar, and a family-style diner with burgers, fries and the like.

Our favorite dining spot was the Boogaloo Cafe, a more traditional sit-down restaurant with dozens of TVs showing various sporting events and a menu that includes plenty of kid-friendly choices.

Frankly, we didn’t check out the casino on site, so I can’t speak to that. We’re not much of a gambling family. But if you enjoy the gambling scene, it looked much like the other casinos I’ve visited in the past.

We spent two days at Pzazz! and never had a need to leave the property. I’d recommend it highly as a family getaway.

Check out more about Fun City at THEIR SITE.

‘Parenting for school success’ conference this weekend

Research has consistently shown that a parent or guardian’s involvement is key to the educational success of a child. It leads to a higher level of academic achievement and better behavior, among other positives. A lack of involvement, researchers say, can lead to misbehavior, poor grades and higher dropout rates.

That’s why the Iowa Parent Information Resource Center and the Iowa Parent-Teacher Association will host “Parenting for School Success,” a day-long summit on Saturday, April 24 to provide parents and others influential in a child’s life information about how to help children in areas such as homework and to learn ways to increase their involvement.

“Recent research findings clearly indicate that if parents – a child’s primary caregiver – are actively engaged in their child’s learning, the children achieve at higher levels, graduate from high school, are motivated to further their education beyond high school

and become contributing citizens,” said Ed Redalen, director of the Iowa Parent Information Resource Center. “The Iowa PIRC supports all organizations that strive to improve the learning and developmental outcomes for all children and youth.”

The summit will take place April 24 at Kirkwood Center for Continuing Education, 7725 Kirkwood Blvd. S.W., in Cedar Rapids.

“As schools adjust to budget cuts and new education standards, the one constant is parents,” said Tammy Koolbeck, Iowa PTA Convention chairwoman. “Schools who have active, engaged parents are stronger academically and safer.”

Koolbeck said this year’s convention, which is the first time the state PTA has worked with the state parent resource center, will take on a new component with the addition of sessions about parental involvement and engagement.

The summit is open to all parents, grandparents and other guardians, as well as educators and community members. Membership in the PTA is not required to attend.

Sessions will begin at 11:15 a.m. and run until 3:40 p.m., followed by a parent panel discussion about successful school involvement. Registration begins at 8 a.m.

Session topics vary and include:

Information about attributes children need in order to be successful in school and how parents can help their children acquire the skills to be successful.

An overview of the Iowa Core Curriculum: what it is, why it’s important and how it will affect Iowa students.

Ways parents can enhance their children’s literacy skills at home beginning at ayoung age through reading and writing.

Tips for how to have a successful parent-teacher conference and questions to ask.

Suggestions for how parents of special needs children can advocate for their child and work with school leaders to ensure the child’s academic success.

Other sessions will feature a panel discussion about substance abuse, along with a presentation about financial literacy and how to teach children to stay out of debt, use credit cards and protect their credit.

The summit also will feature sessions designed to improve PTA groups such as basic information about membership, how to run a meeting and how to appropriately report tax documentation, as well as a special session about how to recruit men to join the PTA.

“We have several workshops designed to give each attendee the tools to make parenting for school success easier,” said Claire Leonard, the Iowa PTA president. “We will provide helpful tools for those who are looking for a way to improve their local PTA.”

Registration information can be accessed through the Iowa PTA’s Web site at www.iowapta.org

Des Moines-born quadruplets to be featured on TLC reality show

Emme, Sophie, Brady and Max Dotzler are already making their national television debut and they aren’t even five months old.

The Dotzler quadruplets, along with their parents James and Casey Dotzler, of Des Moines, will be featured on the Monday episode, April 12 episide of “Make Room for Multiples,” a reality-based television show on The Learning Channel. The episode airs at noon central time on TLC (Cedar Rapids: Mediacom channel 40, ImOn channel 98, DirecTV channel 280, Dish Network channel 183).

After receiving an e-mail from an extended family member of James and Casey, a New York City-based production agency contacted and worked with the Dotzlers months before and after delivery. The Dotzlers were filmed at Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines while Casey was on bed rest and a camera crew was present in the delivery room to capture footage during the birth of the children. A camera crew was also present when Sophie was discharged from the Mercy Variety Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in February. Interviews were conducted with the Dotzler family’s care team consisting of perinatologists, neonatologists, nurses and support staff as well as in-depth interviews with the new parents.

Born on Nov. 18, 2009, at 30-weeks gestation — 10 weeks premature — Emme weighed 2 lbs, 10 oz. at birth and now weighs 10 lbs, 7 oz.; Sophie weighed 2 lbs, 10 oz. at birth and now weighs 9 lbs, 5 oz.; Brady weighed 2 lbs 12 oz. at birth and now weighs 10 lbs 10 oz and Max weighed 3 lbs 7 oz. at birth and now weighs 12 lbs, 10 oz.

James and Casey started welcoming their babies home on Dec. 26. Sophie was the last to come home on Feb. 13. Today, the family is adjusting to sleep patterns, frequent diaper changes and multiples feedings.

More than 20 Mercy physicians, nurses and staff were in the delivery room to welcome each Dotzler baby. The Dotzler quads were the first set of quads born at Mercy since 1999, when the hospital welcomed five sets within one year.

Read more about the Dotzler quads at http://dotzlerquads.blogspot.com

McDowell parenting seminar in Marion Saturday

Well-known author and speaker Josh McDowell will present a parenting/grandparenting seminar, titled “The 411 on Parenting: How to Positively Influence Your Children and Grandchildren,” on Saturday, April 10 at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church Faith and Life Center, 8300 C Ave. NE, Marion.

The seminar, sponsored by the Isaac Newton Christian Academy, runs from 6:15 to 9 p.m. The venue is St. Mark’s Lutheran Church Faith and Life Center, 8300 C Avenue NE, Marion. Doors will open at 5:30.

Tickets are $5 in advance and $7 at the door. Seating is limited. Purchase tickets at the Isaac Newton Christian Academy’s Web site, Lemstone/Parable Christian book stores, the Isaac Newton office, St. Mark’s Lutheran, and some other area churches.

“The 411 on Parenting” will feature three sessions: Relationships that Transform; Bible: Fact or Fiction?; and The Seven Principles of Relationships. There will be book tables featuring materials from Josh’s organization, plus refreshments and information on Isaac Newton Christian Academy.

McDowell has spoken to over 10 million people in over 100 countries. A former agnostic, he was challenged in young adulthood to examine the claims of Christianity on an intellectual basis and discovered compelling and overwhelming evidence for the reliability of the Christian faith. An award-winning author, he has written or co-written over 100 books, including bestsellers “More Than a Carpenter” and “New Evidence That Demands a Verdict” which was selected by World Magazine as one of the century’s most influential books.

A stroller built for four …

Michelle Bahr, owner of Little Angels Childcare Center in Swisher, took a spring stroll through town this week with four children from her infant room.

Bahr said the four-seater was purchased about 10 years ago from an out-of-state couple who had been expecting quadruples, but after losing one child, bought a three-seat stroller instead.

POLL: Mother takes Davenport to court over parental responsibility law

The Iowa Supreme Court is scrutinizing a Davenport city ordinance that holds parents responsible when their children are arrested or cited for crimes.

The Supreme Court heard arguments in early March in the case of Anne Hensler, a Davenport mother who was cited under the law when her son was accused of drug possession and a curfew violation.

Hensler took the city to court to challenge the ordinance, arguing that she had the right to parent free from undue intrusion by the state. A Scott County judge ruled in her favor, but the city appealed to the Supreme Court.

Under the ordinance, parents of minors who are arrested or cited for crimes are sent warning letters on the first offense. Parents are required to complete parenting classes on the second offense and could face fines of up to $750 on the third.

Davenport City Attorney Tom Warner said the ordinance brought down juvenile crime in the city, before the court ruling last year put the enforcement of it on hold.

He said the law serves as a strong nudge for parents to get help, and he is optimistic that the state’s highest court will uphold it. Warner was unaware of other similar laws in Iowa.

Part of the arguments Tuesday centered around whether the law should be allowed to stay in place when the state already has a Juvenile Court system to handle delinquency cases.

Warner said the city’s parental responsibility ordinance is complementary to the juvenile system, which moves more slowly.

“They may get arrested multiple times and get into even more trouble while this Juvenile Court matter is pending. This is designed to get to them faster,” Warner said of the ordinance.

Parents who take one of six actions outlined in the ordinance to exercise parental control — such as requiring the child to observe a curfew or ensuring the child regularly attends school — can use that as a defense.

Attorney Randall Wilson of the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa argued that Davenport’s law violates due process rights and intrudes on parental autonomy.

[polldaddy poll=2823502]

RSV rising in Iowa; seasonal flu stays away

No surprise: Cases of the respiratory virus known as RSV are on the rise in Iowa.

More surprising may be that seasonal flu is still virtually non-existent in the state.

According to the latest report from the Iowa Department of Public Health, seasonal influenza had yet to be detected in Iowa or surrounding states in late January.

All cases so far have been H1N1 flu, according to the Iowa Influenza Surveillance Network, with 539 people hospitalized this season from diagnosed H1N1.

Iowa’s flu season typically peaks in early February.

Respiratory syncytial virus, the disease known as RSV that is particularly hard on infants, was at peak levels, according to the latest state report in late January.

Symptoms of RSV mimic the common cold with a runny nose, fever and coughing, but it also can be more severe, with wheezing and difficulty breathing.

Dr. Christine Ziebold and Dr. Charles Jennissen said the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital in Iowa City has seen an increase in RSV in the past month.

Jennissen said the RSV season so far appears to be relatively mild compared to past years.

“It is possible that the RSV virus is not quite as virulent this season, or perhaps we still haven’t reached the peak of the disease in the community,” he said.

Dr. James Matsuda, St. Luke’s Pediatric Hospitalist medical director, agreed.

Matsuda said he does not think the number of cases is any more than what is typical for this time of year.

St. Luke’s Cedar Rapids Pediatrics said cases of RSV are on the rise in the Cedar Rapids area, mostly in children under one year. RSV can be more severe in infants and young children because of their smaller airways.

The same is true at Mercy Medical Center in Cedar Rapids, where an uptick has been seen in RSV, but no dramatic increase.

Some pediatric patients have been admitted to the hospital.

“Not a surge by any means at this point but an indication that RSV is out in the community,” spokeswoman Karen Vander Sanden said.

Like other viruses, RSV is spread by coughing and sneezing or touching something containing the virus and then rubbing the eyes, nose or mouth.

It’s a myth that viruses are killed by cold weather.

Experts note that heat and humidity kill viruses, while influenza and other respiratory viruses thrive in cold, dry environments.

Thoroughly and frequently washing hands can help stem the spread of illness.

Iowa Children’s Museum needs your vote

The Iowa Children’s Museum is looking for a new outreach vehicle — and they could use your help.

The Pepsi Refresh Project has selected the museum, at the Coral Ridge Mall in Coralville, as one of 729 great ideas eligible to receive $1,300,000 to fund projects that will make the world a better place.

The museum’s project, “Street Smart! The Iowa Children’s Museum in Motion,” would enable the ICM to purchase a customized van that wold travel to all 99 Iowa counties, enabling the museum “to reach Iowa children living in diverse communities with active learning experiences that will change their world,” according to the project’s Web site.

To vote for the ICM project, go to refresheverything.com/streetsmart You’ll need to register with Pepsi to vote. Voters can vote up to 10 times each day, but can only vote for a specific project once each day. The ICM project ranked 27th as of Feb. 2.

Pepsi will fund the projects that get the most votes in February. Two projects of the 189 ideas submitted in the Education category are eligible to receive funding at the $250,000 level.

For more on the project, check out the Children’s Museum site at www.theicm.org

New calling cards target moms on the go

Busy moms often want an extra pair of hands to help them juggle their days.

Elizabeth Smith, 26, hasn’t found a way to make that possible, but she has designed something that could make life a little easier — Hip Mama Calling Cards.

“I’ve seen moms balancing a child on one hip, trying to dig through their purse for a pen and paper,” said Smith, who grew up in Cedar Rapids, graduated in 2002 from Washington High School and in 2006 from the University of Iowa. “If you just had a card, how much more fun, chic and organized is that?”

The card can include a mother’s name, the names of her children, a phone number and e-mail address — anything she might need to schedule a play date or establish communication with a child’s teacher.

Think calling cards, like the kind Mr. Darcy might have left for Elizabeth Bennett in 19th century England, except these are exchanged on the playground, not in the parlor. The concept is catching on with shout-outs in Parents magazine and online mommy blogs.

“It’s just so much easier than trying to scribble an e-mail address or phone number of a scratch piece of paper that you’ll lose,” Smith said.

Smith launched her Hip Mama Calling Cards at The Traveling Door’s fall sale in Cedar Rapids.

Most of the designs cards feature Mom’s (or Dad’s) name prominently, followed by the phrase, “mom to …” and contact information, such as phone numbers, e-mail and address. An alternative design includes both parents’ names, plus the kids and all relevent contact information.

A set of 20 cards costs $20.

The cards are the newest feature of Smith’s home-based design business, Liz Ink & Paper, which she started in 2008 after she was laid off from her job.

“I needed an income and I started going a little stir crazy,” said Smith, who now lives in Des Moines.

With the holidays near, Smith turned to her love of graphic design, photography and scrapbooking, creating Christmas cards for family and friends.

Word-of-mouth spread and Smith received more orders, this time for save-the-dates and baby announcements.

She added graduation and birthday invitations and moving announcements to her list of products over the year, and is now designing wedding invitations.

“Life events, what’s going on in everybody’s life, are definitely the focus,” Smith said.

Smith hasn’t started her own family yet, but with more of her friends having children, she said it made sense to add parent calling cards.

“I know there are other parent cards out there, but I haven’t seen any,” she said.

Liz Ink & Paper is a part-time job for Smith, who now also works as a marketing and communications specialist for The Scoular Company. She spends her evenings designing invitations, announcements and business cards, putting in 15 to 30 hours a week.

The extra hours have worked out well for Smith and her husband, Page, who has his own home-based business designing Web sites. He created her Website, www.lizinkandpaper.com

In the evenings, he works in his office as she works in hers.

“We shout ideas to each other through the wall,” Smith said with a laugh.

– Meredith Hines-Dochterman

An open letter to the winter of 2009-10

Dear Old Man Winter,

We get the joke.

Oh, we understand all the “weather outside is frightful” stuff. You’ve made your point — and pretty emphatically, too, I might add.

You’ve brought us plenty of snow this season, thanks. We embraced that winter wonderland thing for about a week, just long enough to ensure a white Christmas. We appreciated it. Really, we did.

But you just didn’t know when to stop, do you? Look, for all the snow you’ve brought us this year, we really haven’t enjoyed much of it. No full-out snowball fights, no monumental snowmen, no igloos, no heavenly snow angels. We haven’t even been sledding this year. NOT ONCE, dangit. Your snow has either been too talcum-powder dry (like last week) or just too freakin’ MUCH (like a few weeks ago).

And that’s to say nothing of the sun-less days and biting winds. I mean, really. Can’t envision Currier and Ives scenes when everything has the pallor of soggy wool socks and the sting of rubbing alcohol on a sunburn.

I mean, you’re supposed to be fun for kids of all ages, right? Not hearing many squeals of delight around our house lately.

And now we’re getting the gloomy, sun-less stuff. Even when you thaw just a little, you can’t let us have even a glimmer of shiny hope, can you?

This isn’t the first year we’ve had this discussion, either. Remember the ice storms of two years ago (the one that brought a tree branch through our roof)? Ring a bell? And how about the snow avalanches of 2008-09? It’s deja vu all over again, dude, and we’re not down with it.

Seems this is what global warming’s all about — that winters can actually be harsher. I think that Gore fellow’s on to something. (I prefer the term “climate change,” actually. A little less misleading.)

Here’s the deal, Winter Guy. We’ve had our little fling. It’s over. I’ve found another season to love. The thrill is gone.

Sing it, Terry:

Nothing personal, Winter. You’ve just overstayed your welcome.

I’m sure we’ll get over it, and welcome you back in December. For a week or two, at least. But for now — time to hit the road, Jack Frost. We get the joke. It’s just not funny any more when you keep telling it over, and over, and over.

Sincerely,

The Pratt family, the state of Iowa, and most of the northern United States

cc: Mother Nature