just4moms.netExciting News Every Mom Should Know…

most parents aren’t doing back flips when they turn a year older. the same can’t be said for our kids. when you plan your child’s next birthday party, give the planet a gift at the same time. Here are my Top 7 ways to do Your part and throw a greener birthday bash.

1) Personalized & Paperless Invitations

It’s common and acceptable to use an online service to invite kids to your child’s big day. You can customize the emailed invitations with photos and custom wording. it is cheaper and faster than printing or writing out invitations and makes it easy for parents to RSVP.

2) Party With the Planet in Mind

Lots of parents struggle with a birthday theme and location ideas. consider hosting a low waste experience for your child’s friends. it could be a trip to pick strawberries, a cooking class, or an afternoon at a petting zoo. that way you can avoid buying the streamers, balloons, and other hard to recycle decorations.

3) Decorate Responsibly

If you do need to decorate, you can be festive without creating trash. for instance, line a wall of your party room with paper and have the partygoers write birthday messages on it. then recycle it. or, you can have the kids create party hats with newspaper and recycle those too. If you do have to buy specific decor, keep it generic so you can reuse it.

4) Eco-Friendly Dishware

We’ve all seen the piles of plastic plates and cups filling up trash bags at parties. There are eco-friendly alternatives. Tough plastic dishware can be easily reused at home. or, give guests a marker to write their names on cups to keep track of their drink. also, big jugs with spigots or pitchers make it easy to avoid using those hard-to-recycle juice boxes.

5) Don’t Give away Junk

We know – and kids know – there are usually take-home favors at birthday parties. consider alternatives to those cheap, easy to break plastic toys. Packets of seeds for kids to grow or a small sapling to plant are eco-friendly and fun activities for children to do later.

6) Have Recycling in Reach

It’s critical to have a recycling bin clearly labeled at the party. let guests know which items can be collected. when cleaning up, don’t dump everything out with the garbage. Take the time to sort it.

7) Give Old Toys new Life

after a birthday bash, your home will be inundated with new toys and games. consider creating a new birthday tradition with your child and take their older and gently used toys to Goodwill or other donations spots. I have more donation details at DoYourPart.com/Columns.

Celebrating life’s biggest milestones shouldn’t take a toll on our planet. from the party planning stages to executing the event, do Your part to take the time to tread a little lighter on the planet. That’s the perfect gift for your little one and the environment.

(Terri Bennett is a veteran TV meteorologist, eco-expert and author of “Do Your part: A practical guide for everyday green living” available at DoYourPart.com. Send questions to terri@doyourpart.com)

Baseball stadiums, minigolf venues, and amusement parks have long been popular locations for children’s birthday parties. Shooting ranges? not so much. however, one venue in Texas is hoping to change all that.

According to Reuters reporter Marice Richter, the Eagle Gun Range in Lewisville, Texas, scheduled to open later this summer, will allow parents to hold birthday parties for children over the age of eight.

Each youngster attending the party will receive a half-hour gun safety course before being allowed to shoot either a BB gun or a .22 long rifle, and trained staff will be on hand to help parents throughout the event, Richter added.

“A lot of people don’t know how to shoot a gun so we’re providing education and training for shooters of all ages,” David Prince, the owner of Eagle Gun Range, told ABCNews.com‘s Christina Ng on Friday. “they have birthday parties with go-karts and trampolines — with proper education before going into a gun range, why not a birthday party?”

“They’ll be in the classroom, walk into the range, shoot, go back to the classroom, and have cake and ice cream. There’s no piñata. It’s not festive like that. There are safety glasses, ear protection, and that’s the only time they test the gun,” he added. “A parent or guardian or NRA instructor will all be in arm’s range… There’s no child that will be walking around with a gun at a birthday party.”

Prince told Teresa Woodard of KXAN.com that the indoor gun range will have 24 shooting lanes, a pair of rooms available for birthday parties, and will be air conditioned. He also said that all kids need to be tall enough to look over the shooting table, and reiterated that safety officers would be on hand to assist parents.

The concept has drawn mixed reaction from parents in the region.

“it makes me very nervous,” Dawn McMullan, described by Woodard as “a mother of two and a gun control advocate,” told KXAN.com. “I think 8-year-olds, developmentally, can’t tell the difference between play and reality sometimes, and also put it in a party or game atmosphere just seems to not respect a gun as much as we should respect guns.”

Conversely, Austin resident Lori Benoit called it “a great idea,” telling Richter, “I have three boys and they are all fascinated with guns. I would love to have a place like this close to us. it would be such a great experience to introduce shooting sports to kids at a party.”

Fort Worth area realtor Jon Baker concurred, telling Reuters that he would much rather see children like his 10-year-old son “experiment with guns in a controlled environment than off somewhere in the open where someone could get hurt.”

By Kurt Schlosser

If you’re a big fan of Johnny Depp or Natalie Portman or Michael J. Fox, you might know that they all share a birthday today, June 9. I happen to know this because I share it with them. Yay, me!

Getty Images (2), EPA

Johnny Depp (49), Natalie Portman (31) and Michael J. Fox (51) were all born on June 9.

It’s not a big deal to share a birthday with a famous person. There are a lot of us and a few handfuls of them. Someone you know out there is always blowing out candles on the same day as someone you don’t know but wish you did.

I did some digging around on June 9 birthdays for selfish reasons and found out that beyond Depp, Portman and Fox, I’ve got a big list of invites to make for the greatest party ever.

Looking past dozens of composers and soccer players I’ve never heard of, the list includes some impressive dead and living souls.

The Russian ruler Peter the great was born on this date in 1672. He’ll probably want to be in charge of the party seating chart. And the menu. And the coat check. And valet.

The bandleader Fred Waring (b. 1900) provided financial backing for the first electric blendor which holds his name to this day. put that guy behind the bar.

Long before the transit of Venus this past week, German astronomer Johann Galle (b. 1812) was staring into space. He’s credited with knowing what Neptune was before anyone else. if he leaves the table, look for him outside.

Colin Archer / AP file

You like rock ‘n’ roll? You can thank Les Paul for inventing the solid body electric guitar.

The party will need a little music, of course. Let’s see what composer Cole Porter (b. 1891), electric guitar god Les Paul (b. 1915) and Muse frontman Matthew Bellamy (b. 1978) can come up with. And feel free to ask Bellamy about his kid with Kate Hudson.

Looking for a little deep conversation at the party table? Saddle up next to Robert McNamara (b. 1916) and discuss Vietnam War startegy with the former secretary of defense under Presidents Kennedy and Johnson. but go watch “Fog of War” first, a top-notch documentary for sure.

Comedian Jackie Mason (b. 1936) is probably good for a few jokes. but if you’d rather talk sports, particularly basketball, you’ll want to get some Q.T. with Dick Vitale (b. 1939), baby! You’ll be a P.T. player by June 10.

Step away from the party and head to the TV room for a break. You’ll find Donald Duck (b. 1934) cartoon reruns playing. June 9 is officially recognized as the character’s birthday by Disney.

Speaking of cartoons, maybe Abraham Groening (b. 1991) can handle the invites. He’s the son of “Simpsons” creator Matt Groening.

Depp (b. 1963), Portman (b. 1981) and Fox (b. 1961) will certainly command much of the attention at the party. but it’s my party too, so you can talk to Depp only about “Edward Scissorhands.” Ask Portman about “Hotel Chevalier.” And Michael J. Fox can say whatever he wants about “Back to the Future.” as long as he doesn’t hand out these.

What famous person or people do you share a birthday with? let us know over on Facebook.

Related content:

• Johnny Depp slideshow
• Natalie Portman slideshow
• 5 Kanye West scandals for his 35th birthday
• Happy 75th to the versatile Morgan Freeman

Kurt Schlosser is a senior entertainment editor for TODAY.com. He’s younger than Johnny Depp, but not Natalie Portman.

CHULA VISTA (CNS) – Two people — including a teenager — pleaded not guilty Tuesday to murder and other charges stemming from the shooting death of a man who was gunned down during a robbery near the site of a child’s birthday party in Otay Mesa last month. Deon Bryant, 17, and Tyrone Cannady, 20, were charged in the May 19 slaying of 28-year-old Reynaldo Bonoan. Bryant — charged directly in adult court and held without bail — faces 35 years to life in prison if convicted, said prosecutor Allen Brown. Cannady — held on $1 million bail — faces 51 years to life behind bars if convicted, according to the prosecutor. a third defendant, 22-year-old Andrew James Oliver, was arrested within hours of the killing, which occurred about 4:20 p.m. in the 3400 block of Alonquin Way. Oliver, who was previously arraigned, faces 26 years to life in prison if convicted. Police said that shortly before being shot, Bonoan left a child’s birthday party to run an errand and was walking back to the celebration when he was robbed and shot in the street. he died at the scene. Later the same night, Oliver was arrested in the 1100 block of Camino Regalado, about a block away from where a getaway vehicle was located, police said. All three defendants will be back in court June 20.

  +1

Exactly. I am a black woman, with black parents and grandparents.. etc, and I am lighter in skin tone that Lou.my family comes in shades of vanilla all the way to chocolate, and many shades of brown in between. We blacks come in many hues.

Lauren Conrad was on tap this past Thursday evening celebrating Frankie Delgado’s birthday with a whole bunch of Frankie’s dear-ole friends, according to LovelyLauren.

Lauren was seen taking pictures of Frankie at his finest as well as posing with Frankie’s many life-long friends not having any problem whatsoever getting comfortable with them.

Also, Lauren and another one of Frankie’s friends posed for a head-to-head photo showing the two wearing matching sunglasses saying ‘I love Frankie’.

Aside from partying, Lauren puts her career ahead of everything else including love which has made Lauren a driving force with her business ventures.

Lauren is so determined with her work that she uses her mornings to write novels before other things start picking up throughout her busy day.

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And at the end of the day, Lauren Conrad makes the best of her free time by spending it with family, friends, and significant others celebrating special occasions.

To the left, check out photos of Frankie’s birthday, courtesy of LovelyLauren.

Estranged couple Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher were recently ‘reunited’ during the 40th birthday party of Kabbalah Rabbi Yehuda Berg, who officiated their wedding in 2005, with reports now saying that a reconciliation between them is likely possible.

Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore before they split Image Credit: Florian Seefried/GC/Getty

According to Sunday Mirror UK this Sunday, May 27, 2012, Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher met each other for the first time since Demi announced last November that she will divorce Ashton over alleged cheating, after being married for six years.

As noted in the report, Demi and Ashton embraced each other for about 60 seconds in the said party, which was held at the InterContinental Hotel in Beverly Hills; and that moment was believed to be a very emotional one for both of them.

“They are still desperately in love and could be on for reconciliation. the divorce isn’t being processed right now.” a source was quoted telling the paper, with Ashton reportedly arriving two hours before Demi arrived.

“She (Demi) went over to wish Yehuda a happy birthday and Ashton was right by him. Yehuda left them to talk. They started to chat and were extremely affectionate. She was staring at him like a love-sick puppy.” a guest at the party reportedly said.

“I’ve made all these horrendous mistakes in the last year.” Kutcher, 34, was quoted in his speech during the party, who was said to have been speaking in tears and sat down after receiving a round of applause while Demi just looked frozen.

Moore, 49, officially changed her Twitter name from ‘Mrs. Kutcher’ to ‘just Demi’ early this month after asking suggestions from her Twitter followers and later thanked them for helping her choose her new Twitter name.

Thousands of people flocked to San Francisco’s waterfront and onto Golden Gate Bridge on Sunday to celebrate the bridge’s 75th birthday.

The daylong party attracted pleasure boats, tugboats and other vessels as people on shore enjoyed a number of events stretching from Fort Point south of the bridge to Pier 39 along The Embarcadero. Many walked and biked across the bridge before nightfall when they watched a fireworks display over the bridge.

The crowd gathered on blankets along Crissy Field and observation points around the Bay Area to watch the 20-minute fireworks display, which capped the three-day celebration.

The show included songs such as “If you’re going to San Francisco” and “Bridge Over Troubled Water” and extended to the waterline of Sausalito and elsewhere in the Bay.

Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District officials urged visitors to avoid driving and take public transit, and both the district and Muni provided additional service for the day.

Musical performances continued on three stages throughout the fireworks, including Mickey Hart on the Crissy Field stage immediately after the fireworks end.

Sunday culminated three days of celebrations that began Friday with the ribbon cutting on a new visitors center at the Bridge’s south end.

Leo Riles (via opcso.org)

An 18-year-old surrendered to police Wednesday and was arrested on murder charges in the deaths of a woman and a child in Tuesday’s shootout at a birthday party on Simon Bolivar Avenue, but investigators are looking for two other suspects as family and community members mourn the lives that were lost.

Witnesses gave police a nickname of one of the gunmen that investigators were able to link to Leo Riles, who turned himself in after a series of searches for him overnight, according to a NOPD news release. Two men wounded at the party were believed to be the targets of the shooting, but they have not cooperated with the investigation, police have said.

All three suspects are believed to have been captured on surveillance video.

The full NOPD news release about Riles’ arrest follows:

New Orleans Police have arrested one of the suspected gunmen in yesterday’s shooting at a child’s birthday party that left a 5-year-old girl and a local mother of 3 dead, as well as 3 others wounded.

Shortly before 11 this morning, 18-year-old Leo Riles turned himself in to officers at NOPD’s Sixth District Station. after agreeing to a taped interview with detectives, he was booked with 2-counts of First Degree Murder.

Riles is accused of opening fire along with two other gunmen on a small crowd that had gathered for a 10-year-old boy’s birthday party just before 6pm last night in the 1200-block of Simon Bolivar Avenue. a 5-year-old girl was killed, as well as 33-year-old Shawanda Pierce, who was in her car about a block away from the party. a stray bullet went through Pierce’s windshield, and struck her in the face. she died a short time later at a nearby hospital.

The 10-year-old boy was grazed by a bullet on his face, and was also shot in the leg. he was treated and released from a hospital earlier today. 2 men, who were also wounded in the incident, were released from the hospital last night.

NOPD homicide detectives interviewed multiple witnesses, who were able to give them the nickname of one of the suspects. From this tip, members of the Intelligence Unit were able to identify the suspect as Leo Riles.

After obtaining search warrants, detectives worked with the U.S. Marshall’s Office and NOPD’s Special Operations Division throughout the night, searching 3 different locations for Riles. Riles, in turn, decided to turn himself in late this morning to the NOPD Station on MLK Boulevard.

Detectives today have also questioned 2 men who were at the birthday party and are the believed targets of the shooters. These men are related to some of the victims, yet have been uncooperative with detectives.

“This was a heart breaking scene on Simon Bolivar last night. It’s unconscionable that 2 men who are family of some of these victims are choosing not to help investigators identify the shooters”, said Superintendent Ronal Serpas.

“But I have tremendous faith in the work of our detectives. I’m confident that they will locate the other gunmen who are still out there. They’ve worked tirelessly to arrest this one suspect, and they’re determined to bring in the others as well.”

“And as always, I want to thank the members of the community who continue to reach out to our department and help us solve crimes”, Serpas said.

Our partners at WWL-TV produced a series of reports detailing the aftermath of the shooting. The 33-year-old woman killed, Shawanna “Nonnie” Pierce, was a medical coder and a mother of three children on her way to return a rental car, WWL reports.

The 5-year-old girl killed in the shooting, Brianna Allen, was remembered in a vigil at the shooting site Wednesday evening, reports Tania Dall of WWL-TV.

Project Ceasefire, one of the initiatives touted by Mayor Mitch Landrieu in the effort to reduce murders in New Orleans, is also responding to the shooting, and Maya Rodriguez of WWL-TV explains how the program works:

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No party is quite complete without booze or cake (are we right?), and Wicker Park boutique Le Dress kept that in mind when deciding it was time for a celebration.

The store is hosting “Le Dress Tops it Off!,” on June 1, a wine tasting event in honor of the store’s new additions.

Instead of its traditional carefully-edited selection of dresses, the store has now added tops and jeans to their portfolio.

Check out the new lines from 6-8 p.m. and celebrate the boutique’s 4th birthday with wine, cake and plenty of shopping.

Wine consultant Peggy Farrell will host the evening as she guides guests through 8 varietals from across the globe (France, Germany, Tuscany, California and Hungary, to name a few) while co-owners Eva and Robyn Anderson will offer styling tips for shoppers.

Guests will receive get 30 percent off Le Dress merchandise from lines including Susana Monaco, Waverly Grey, Amanda Uprichard and Yumi Kim at the event.

It’s free to attend, but make sure you RSVP to rsvp@lizkorespr.com to reserve your glass.