Everyone loves a classic PB&J sandwich. Now, with a little culinary creativity, your family can liven up lunch and win money for college.

Over the past 10 years, Jif(r) Peanut Butter has inspired thousands of kid chefs to reinvent the peanut butter sandwich for the chance of earning a fund for college. This year, in the 10th Annual Jif Most Creative Peanut Butter Sandwich Contest(tm), families can foster creativity in the kitchen for a chance to win a $25,000 college fund, plus $10,000 to purchase educational products.

-Sandwiches will be judged on creativity, taste, nutritional balance, appearance and ease of preparation.
-10 semi-finalists will be selected to compete in a national online vote in January.
-Five finalists will be selected to compete at a live judging event in New York City in March.
-Four runners up will each receive $2,500 college funds.

Visit www.jif.com and www.jifenespanol.com between July 28 and October 12 for Official Rules and the entry form. Open to legal residents of the 50 United States and D.C., between 6 and 12 years of age by October 12, 2011. Contests void where prohibited. See Official Rules for complete details.

The 2011 winner was 8-year-old Margalit M. of Raleigh, N.C. for her Wushu Chicken Tacos, pairing Jif Creamy Peanut Butter with chicken, asparagus and squash, all wrapped in a tortilla. Check out these other winning recipes for inspiration.

Wushu Chicken Tacos - 2011 Winner
Margalit M., Raleigh, N.C.
Serves: 1
1/2 cup diced rotisserie chicken
1/4 cup asparagus pieces, about 1 inch long
1/4 cup yellow squash pieces
2 fajita-size flour tortillas (6-inch)
2 lime wedges, optional
Sauce:
Fresh ginger slice, 1/8 inch thick, peeled and cut in half
2 cloves garlic, peeled
2 tablespoons Jif Creamy Peanut Butter
1 tablespoon soy sauce
3/8 teaspoon chili paste with garlic
2 1/2 teaspoons sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 1/4 teaspoons sesame oil
3 1/2 teaspoons water

Chop ginger and garlic in food processor as finely as possible. Add next seven ingredients and process until sauce is completely smooth. If sauce is too thick, add more water. If sauce is too thin, add more peanut butter.

Toss about half the sauce with chicken and put aside in a covered bowl.

Boil about 1 inch of water in a large skillet and add asparagus. Cover skillet and turn off heat. In 1 to 3 minutes, lift off cover and remove asparagus using tongs.

Cut off ends of squash and cut into half-moon pieces. Put 1/4 cup squash pieces into microwave-safe bowl and add a little water. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave about 2 to 3 minutes. Let cool slightly and carefully drain off water.

Place tortillas in microwave and cook about 15 seconds, or until warm and bend easily.

Put chicken in tortillas, top with asparagus and squash and drizzle with additional peanut butter sauce. Serve with optional lime wedges.

"The deepest desire in the human spirit is the craving to be acknowledged."
-William James, Father of American Psychology

DID YOU KNOW?
• Children who bully are more likely to come from home situations in which there is little warmth and little positive adult attention.
• Two out of three teens are verbally or physically assaulted every year.
• A victim of bullying is twice as likely to take his or her life compared to someone who is not a victim.
-Source: Mental Health Systems, Inc. - San Diego, California

So often we hear people say, "kids are so mean today." The media is flooded with stories about bullying and cyber bullying. Front page newspapers tell the tragic stories of young people committing suicide because they were constantly bullied. In an effort to put an end to this social issue facing today's youth, Difference Makers International has begun a grassroots campaign that is helping all kids feel safe- socially, emotionally and physically.

"There are no bullies--only people who need to be loved." Helice "Sparky" Bridges

Can we make this change? You bet! In my opinion, there are no bullies-only people who need to be loved. Our work teaches young people how to eradicate bullying, avert adolescent suicide and make dreams come true through the power of acknowledgment. We are collaborating with the Mental Health Systems, Inc. Bully Prevention Training so that every teacher and student will know how to end bullying.

Our school, family and community Power of Acknowledgment Training Programs will soon be delivered to over 30,150 elementary, middle school students and high schools in San Diego with a community outreach to approximately 100,000,-creating conversations that shift the focus from what's WRONG to what is RIGHT.

Our "Who I Am Makes A Difference"® Blue Ribbon message has impacted over 30 million people worldwide and has been translated into 11 languages. The Blue Ribbon Story appears in Chicken Soup for the Soul recounting the story of a 14 year-old boy who did not commit suicide because his father honored him with a Blue Ribbon and finally told him he loved him. This story was made into a photo movie receiving over three million hits on YouTube.

Recently our school assemblies and student leadership trainings were delivered at Parsons Middle School in Redding, California and Northeast Intermediate School in Midland, Michigan with gymnasiums packed with nearly 1,000 students, teachers, parents and community leaders.

To show students how they could eradicate bullying in a minute or less, I gave them an opportunity to step to the front of the auditorium, speak into the microphone and do one of the following: 1) Publically apologize for bullying or harming anyone, 2) share their dreams and ask for support or 3) or tell someone how they make a difference and honor them with a "Who I Am Makes A Difference"® Blue Ribbon.

In an instant, students leaped out of their seats and ran down from the bleachers. One by one they stepped to the mike, said their name, and without asking were enthusiastically applauded.

"I want to honor my math teacher," one boy announced. "I always mess up in class but you just keep encouraging me." Then the boy placed a Blue Ribbon over his teacher's heart, cheered him on for his dreams and gave him a hug.

"I'd like people to stop putting me down for my weight," a girl timidly requested. The audience exploded with applause as a way of publicly saying that they were sorry.

"I want to be a football player," announced the small 5' proud 7th grader. "Outstanding," I shouted inviting everyone to cheer Mike on for his dream. They did!

"I want to apologize for bullying my little brother," said the 9th grader. "He's a really great guy and I love him." His younger brother raced down to the open arms of his big brother. They hugged and cried openly. The auditorium went silent. Later on the principal told me that the big brother was the biggest bully in the school.

"I am a bully," said the 15 year-old girl. "I want to apologize for being so mean. I don't really want to be mean, I just get so angry all the time. What I really want is to make friends and treat people nicely, but I don't know how." Everyone in the gymnasium leaped to their feet and gave her a thunderous standing ovation.

Following these assemblies, students continued to apologize, share their dreams and acknowledge their teachers and siblings. Many immediately called their parents to say there were sorry. Teachers were shocked with the kindness taking place in their classrooms and hallways. We would like to see this occur across campuses worldwide.

Together we can eradicate bullying. "IGNITE WHAT'S RIGHT"™ has exploded into a nation wide campaign. Students, parents, teachers, neighbors and clergy are inviting us to teach programs. Contact us to find out how your school (K-12), college, organization business and/or neighborhood can help all kids feel safe-socially, emotionally and physically. Contact us at: DifferenceMakersInternational.org, info@blueribbons.org or 760-753-0963.

You don't have to be a professional photographer to take beautiful pictures. With these expert tips from 20-year National Geographic photographer Jim Richardson, you could take the ultimate photo - one that you'll love and that could win you a dream prize:

Work the Reflections - Reflections always add visual drama to pictures and can make an otherwise ordinary scene interesting. But reflections require calm waters, so get out early in the morning before the winds kick up. Also, get lower and closer to the surface of the water to get more reflections. Even a small puddle of water can produce large reflections if you are right down to the surface.

Collect the Details - Detail pictures do wonders for a set of travel pictures. Not only do they offer a welcome variety in the scale of the images (pictures get dull quickly when they are all shot from the same distance and viewpoint.) They can also reveal telling aspects of a place and its story.

Keep it Simple - Clutter kills too many pictures. Simplicity is powerful. Usually that means cleaning up the background, leaving out extraneous, unnecessary detail. So watch your framing carefully, and especially watch the edges of the frame.

Keep an Eye out for Shadows - It doesn't happen every day, but occasionally a great shadow will make a great picture. Often you'll need to get up higher to see the shadows well, and you'll need to tune your eye to see how dark they can be and what sorts of interesting shapes they may form.

Move Around to the Back - Trying different viewpoints is always a good idea, but too often we don't go far enough. Going clear around to the backside of the action can make images that offer a fresh perspective. Too often we follow old habits and shoot everything from the front.

Energizer is teaming up with the National Geographic Society for the fourth annual Energizer Ultimate Photo Contest, giving photographers the dream opportunity to see their photo appear in an ad in National Geographic magazine and winning their choice of three inspiring trips at different locations across the globe. The program is part of the new Energizer campaign called "now that's positivenergy."

Enter your best shots at www.nationalgeographic.com/lithium by June 30, 2011. Contest judge Jim Richardson will review all of the entries and select two finalists in each of 6 categories. From August 15 through September 15, the public will be asked to go online and vote for their favorites. Once the Category Winners are determined, Richardson will help choose a Grand Prize Winner, to be announced on or about November 8, 2011.

Photo courtesy of Getty Images
Source: Energizer

About the show:
"WHAT NOT TO WEAR" provides fashion intervention to people nominated by friends/family/co-worker as someone who desperately needs a style overhaul!  Fashion experts, Stacy London and Clinton Kelly then confront the person and reveal their plan to teach them "WHAT NOT TO WEAR" sorting through the person's current wardrobe and providing them with rules for maximizing their best assets and personal style. They are given a credit card worth $5,000, and it's time to hit the shops.  After a consultation with Stacy and Clinton on these new clothing choices, along with a dramatic hair and makeup revamp, viewers will see a complete transformation and a stunning reveal. 
 
Visit the website:
For fashion before and after photos visit the official Web site of "WHAT NOT TO WEAR" at www.discovery.com and click on TLC.  More than 10,000 people per month are nominated by their friends and family members through the Web. 
 
Connect with the TLC Audience:
• TLC is in 85 million homes in the US
• 23.3 million viewers tune into TLC each week
• 83 million viewers tune in to watch TLC each month
• TLC ranks #1 in concentration of upscale adults 25-54 and 18-49 in prime time
• 'What Not to Wear' averages over 1.3 million viewers per week.
 
To nominate someone for the show please send the following info to:
Meghan Griffin / Casting Associate Producer
MGriffin@bbcnyproduction.com
 
Name:
Age:
Size:
Height:
Marital Status:
Occupation:
Home location:
Describer her personality:
Describe her style in full detail:
At least 2 pictures that illustrate her lack of style:
Nominator's contact info:
 
****REMEMBER THIS NOMINATION MUST REMAIN A SECRET****

Figuring out when to keep your child home from school and when he's well enough to go back isn't always easy, says Dr. Loraine Stern, associate clinical professor of pediatrics at UCLA School of Medicine in California.

"The truth is, you can't always tell how sick a child really is," says Stern. For instance, some kids may seem totally fine at breakfast but take a quick turn for the worse and end up very sick two hours later.
Jump to full text of this article here.

Find out more about the Ultimate Pajama Party.

Bravo's Orange County episodes are beginning again in January so
Gretchen's visit to the Twin Cities is perfect timing!

The Sammy scholarship rewards exceptional student athletes by helping to offset some of the costs associated with college tuition. The scholarship helps educate teens on the value of making smart choices - like drinking lowfat milk, eating right and staying active. Twenty-five talented teens will receive a $7,500 college scholarship, attend an awards ceremony with celebrity guests at Disney World, be pictured in a special Milk Mustache ad in USA Today, and have a chance to help their favorite charity in the process. To date, the National Milk Mustache "got milk?" Campaign has awarded 325 talented high school seniors with nearly $2.5 million in scholarships.

"It's an honor for the national got milk? campaign to continue to reward such extraordinary student-athletes who not only excel in their respective sports and communities, but also serve as advocates for drinking milk," said Vivien Godfrey, chief executive officer of the National Milk Mustache "got milk?" campaign. "Lowfat chocolate milk has the right combination of carbohydrates and protein, making it a great choice to help refuel and recover after a tough workout."

High school seniors who excel in the classroom, on the sports field and in their communities are encouraged to submit an application. This year's winners will be selected by a celebrity panel of Milk Mustache athletes, including Apolo Ohno, Chauncey Billups, Dara Torres, Andy Roddick and Lindsey Vonn.

"I am so excited to be championing the 2011 Sammy Awards and to connect with these exceptional student athletes," said speed skating superstar Apolo Ohno "I recently joined the Milk Mustache campaign, and as a judge for Sammy, this is a great opportunity to pass on my tips for staying ahead of the game. My coaches and trainers agree - grabbing lowfat chocolate milk after a strenuous workout helps me get nutrients back into my body quickly to help me refuel for the next race."

High school seniors who are interested in applying for the 2011 Sammy Awards program should visit www.bodybymilk.com. All applicants are required to describe in 250 words or less how they refuel with milk while excelling in academics, athletics, community service and leadership.

Entries must be submitted no later than 11:59 pm ET Friday, March 4, 2011. For complete contest rules, applications, tips and exclusive Milk Mustache celebrity videos, log onto .

Here's how:
Go to the MomTalk Community and join the group Thanksgiving Side Dish Sampler.
Then start a discussion in the group, using the recipe name as the title. Piece o' cake (or pie, given the season).
Let's see if we can't refresh each other's Thanksgiving table!

Note: You'll have to join the community first, but that'll just take a minute.