--Momsminivan.com has lots of games and some interesting tips on how to relieve car-sickness. (And a good one in case you aren't able to relieve the sickness in time to prevent a mess; stow empty butter tubs and their lids in the car, so you can at least contain the mess until your next stop.)

--This site has more tips, including one we have used: leave in the pre-dawn, before-breakfast hours. If you get kids to sleep in their traveling clothes, you can "swoop" them into the car at the last minute, and with luck they'll sleep for a few more hours. Then you can stop for pancakes.

--This story from the Los Angeles Times suggests giving kids projects or games they can do as a team to cut down on back-seat bickering. For example, they can compose a song for Grandma together, or work together to count green cars, the story says.

--If you can plan ahead, have a grandparent record him or herself telling or reading long stories. Play the tapes or CDs on the long ride.

--And a couple of don'ts: You might be tempted to prop a portable DVD player between your kids' seats if you don't already have a system with two screens in your car, but beware: looking even a little to the side to watch the movie can cause vertigo (and car sickness) in some kids. It happened to us once on a trip to the Outer Banks. Reading can cause car-sickness even faster, so save the books for your destination.

--Our new You & Your Weekend section has a great story on how to take advantage of the last days of summer. Slurp a snow ball, run through the sprinkler with the kids, catch an outdoor movie in Little Italy.

--It's the last weekend to catch Body Worlds, which closes Monday, at the Maryland Science Center.

On Saturday (Aug. 30), you can learn to preserve some of that great summer fruit:

(Photo by Sun photographer Algerina Perna)

This time we tried another recipe from Robin Miller's Robin to the Rescue -- the source of the Veggie Potstickers featured in the print edition today. (If you're just joining us on the blog, here are details on how my kids liked that recipe.)

This one was much more of a hit with the troops...

(Photo by me)

Fortunately, my kids were so excited that they were actually ready early, which gave us plenty of time to indulge in my favorite first-day ritual -- a picture with their new backpacks in our front yard. Though the oldest is only in second grade, it's amazing to see how she's changed since her kindergarten picture.

What are your first-day rituals? By the way, you can share your first-day pictures on our web site here. If you'd rather share them on this blog, email them to me.

(Photo by Sun photographer Jed Kirschbaum)

 “At what age can we REALLY start using the jogging stroller for jogging? The folks who work at the running store are, well, kinda macho about it (‘We started when she was 2 months old!’) and the books/literature online sometimes say as late as 8 months.”

I put the question to frequent expert Dr. Daniel Levy, an Owings Mills pediatrician who is a national spokesman for the American Academy of Pediatrics. Levy wrote back in an e-mail that around 4 months, most children would be able to lift their heads when placed on their stomachs, and therefore would have enough head control to ride in a jogging stroller.

“At that point, the head will not bounce around, and there will be minimal danger of the kinds of acceleration/deceleration that might cause injury,” he wrote.

If you’re wondering whether your child has sufficient head control for the jogging stroller, it couldn’t hurt to check with your own pediatrician to get his or her opinion.

By the way, today is the debut of the Monday Consult in the newspaper -- in our new You & Your Health section. Except here, you can add your own comments on the expert's opinion.

Of course, I made it more difficult for myself (as I always do) by having too many 'goals' (work, home, and personal -- ha!) for my 'time off.' And this part of August is a weird twilight time that carries some conflicting emotions for both parents and kids -- you want to take advantage of the last free week before school, yet you want to get ready for school. Kind of a buzz kill if you're not careful.

Amid all that, I did hit on one winning strategy I'd love to share. It's called the "cooperation flower."

It's a variation on the oft-heard idea of giving points or stickers for good behavior. I've tried those before, but this seemed to work better. Each child started with a blank piece of paper. Every time I noticed a child exhibiting especially grown-up or cooperative behavior -- cleaning up a spill without being asked, giving up a chair for an older relative, not getting upset over a change in plans -- I would draw a flower on the paper. Something about having the flower drawn sparked their imaginations (and, perhaps, competitive spirits). They got to choose what color it would be, and each flower was a little different from the last.

Soon they started helping each other and drawing flowers on each others' charts. By the end of the week, they each had a whole garden.

If you run a venue and would like to advertise an event for this weekend, please post dates, times and prices below.

Sadly, I must also report that the tireless Jennifer Choi, who compiled our family-friendly events list each week, is no longer with The Sun. If you have an event to list for the weeks to come, please send it to me. Photos are great, too.

It was written by a mom whose twins, with both African and European ancestry, have different skin tones.

I love Mark Bittman's "Minimalist" recipes in the New York Times. So I was proud that I was able to make one of his dishes even more "minimal" and get a Dinner Together hit to boot.

I adapted this dish from Bittman's recent book of quick and easy recipes. It was originally called "Deviled Chicken Thighs" because it called for a bit of cayenne pepper to spice up the mustard sauce.

Chicken alone was going to be a tough sell for my would-be-vegetarian daughter. I didn't want too much heat to turn off the young taste buds, so I made this chicken "devilish."

It was a good strategy...

(Photo by me)

Instead, it's open mike day for any father to speak his mind (or for moms to speak their minds) about fatherhood issues. Ask a question of your fellow readers, relate an anecdote, compose a haiku.

Meanwhile, Annie, I'll be in touch by e-mail to arrange for marketing guru Anne Burger to get your prize to you. Here's hoping you don't spend it all on school supplies...

I know MD has a bike helmet law. But how strict is it, and does it apply to my 17 month old riding a push toy on my sidewalk?

With the help of transportation guru Michael Dresser, I found some information on the Maryland State Highway Administration web site.

The basic answer is that anyone under the age of 16 in Maryland has to wear a helmet when riding a bicycle on public property, including roadways, trails and sidewalks. In a few places, the requirement extends further: in Howard County you must wear a helmet until you're 17; until 18 in Montgomery County, and in Sykesville, the web site says, everyone must have a helmet, even adults.

The web site also has good tips for making sure a helmet fits properly: