: North Texas Kids : Your family guide to raising happy, healthy kids

Easter Eggstravaganza and Resource Fair for Special Needs Families

4th Annual Easter Event for Special Needs Families on April 19th

by Mina Frannea

Four years ago, a mom with a special needs child decided she wanted to help other families like hers so she created Especially Needed, an organization based on a vision that a community can exist where individuals with special needs are valued, respected and included. A community made up of caring people who serve as a support system as well as mentors to children and adults.

On Saturday, April 19th from 1-3pm, Especially Needed is hosting their 4th annual Easter Event and Resource Fair for individuals with special needs and their families. All participants will have an opportunity to hunt eggs at their own pace so register for a time slot at www.especiallyneeded.org. There will also be special egg hunts for those that require wheelchair assistance. Other activities include bounce house, pics with the Easter Bunny, games and more.

Go Birding at Texas State Parks this April

Migrate to a Texas State Park This April

and Go Birding

Grab your family and friends this April and go birding as spring migration begins throughout your favorite Texas State Parks.

From the beaches of the Gulf Coast to the mountains of Big Bend, each region of the state offers a unique birding experience with more than 640 bird species statewide. Close to 30 Texas State Parks have been designated as having the “best birding blinds” that offer prime perches for viewing and photographing our feathered friends. Some parks that made the list include Abilene, Blanco, Brazos, Devils Sinkhole, Falcon, Fort Parker, Franklin Mountains, Goliad, Lake Mineral Wells, Palo Duro Canyon, Pedernales Falls and San Angelo.

Disney on Ice: Let’s Celebrate

Disney on Ice: Let’s Celebrate, April 2-6 2014

Join the celebration around the world as Disney’s favorite characters show you how to party from different countries and cultures. Disney on Ice: Let’s Celebrate features a grand Valentine’s Ball where all the princes and princesses are in attendance along with many of Disney’s classic villains. Have fun with Jack Skellington in Halloweentown then go all over the globe to Carnivale in Brazil, a luau in Hawaii, and the Cherry Blossom Festival in Japan.

Disney on Ice: Let’s Celebrate is playing at the American Airlines Center April 2 – 6, 2014.

Show times are:

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Buy a Sub on March 26th and 100% of Sales Goes to Wipe Out Kids’ Cancer

Wipe Out Kids’ Cancer and Jersey Mike’s have teamed up to raise money and awareness for pediatric cancer research

Make a difference for kids with cancer by eating a sub at any of the 24 DFW Jersey Mike’s locations during the month of March. Jersey Mike’s has teamed up with Wipe Out Kids’ Cancer (WOKC) for the 5^th annual March Month of Giving to raise money for children battling cancer. Wipe Out Kids’ Cancer is a Dallas-based nonprofit organization with the mission to work relentlessly for the day when all children are living cancer-free.

From March 1-31, Jersey Mike’s will donate 25 cents of every regular sub sold and 50 cents of every giant sub sold to WOKC.

On Wednesday, March 26, WOKC Day, Jersey Mike’s will donate 100% of sales to Wipe Out Kids’ Cancer.

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10 Tips for March Madness Office Pools

Slam Dunk March Madness : Your office pool matters, do it right

by Dawn Bryan

According to the online reference guide TheQualipedia.com, the company that produces basketballs for the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament tests them with a “Slam Machine” that takes five minutes to simulate the workout a ball will get in four games. If only we all worked as hard as the basketballs this month.

Wagering on the 68-team NCAA tournament, popularly known as ‘March Madness,’ is an annual ritual in the United States. Any individual can do it, with major sports websites like ESPN, Yahoo!, CBSSports, Fox, NBC offering the chance to fill out a bracket online for fun. President Obama has made a habit of filling out his bracket on ESPN each year, and who doesn’t want a chance to outsmart the leader of the free world?

Individual online contests are perfect for the hardcore sports fan, while inter-office pools are for everyone. The office contest is simple: One employee prints out a blank bracket and distributes it for co-workers to fill out. No basketball knowledge is necessary and often the employee who picks a winner because it has the goofiest name (Gonzaga, anyone?) winds up winning the office pool.

Beauty and The Beast at Dallas Children’s Theater

A visually thrilling production featuring breathtaking magic of black theater puppetry

Adventure, romance, mystery and magic come to life on stage in Kathy Burks Theatre of Puppetry Arts’all new and original adaptation of the beloved classic novel Beauty and The Beast, playing March 7 – 30, 2014 at Dallas Children’s Theater. Enjoyed by ages 5 and up.

National Wear Red Day is Feb 7th

This Friday, Feb 7th is National Wear Red Day

Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women in the United States, claiming more lives than all forms of cancer combined. For more than 10 years, the American Heart Association has sponsored National Wear Red Day to raise awareness in the fight against heart disease in women.