* Bring along a gallon-sized Ziploc baggie and a few dry- erase or washable markers. Slip a sheet of blank paper or an entire magazine into baggie. If you use a magazine, don't tear out pages (even though most doctor offices receive free magazine subscriptions, it's just not polite to tear them). Trace magazine cover through plastic. Wipe baggie clean with a tissue and start over with a new picture.

* Try to stump each other with word scrambles. Use a pencil and piece of paper to rearrange letters of a word, and then decipher them.

* Play Find-A-Feeling: Ask your child to look through a magazine and find a happy person. Discuss why they think person is happy, sad, upset, etc., (ask them for examples such as facial expressions and body language). This will help your child recognize and acknowledge feelings of others.

How about eating a bar that tastes good, has enough of good stuff in it, and eating it two times a day is a treat? Okay, so you might get more sugar. Again, you might get a few more carbs. But statistics prove that you will be more likely to consume all that good stuff more often if you like doing it. Most of us don't daily do something that we don't like doing unless there is a compelling reason to do so. The lure of money comes to mind when I think of work.

Choose a bar that has enough protein in it and enough carbs. And sugar isn't all that bad. When you workout, your body needs instant fuel. Sugar is a better source of immediate fuel then protein. Having some sugar before your intense bodybuilding workout is not a bad thing. Forget all science of bar. Taste is most often overlooked in choosing a good protein bar. Give bar to your child and see if they eat it. If they do, chances are, you will too.