By SHARON KENNEDY WYNNE, St. Petersburg Times

You've heard the advice before: Check your kid's candy bucket after going trick-or-treating on Halloween. Throw away any treats from a neighbor handing out homemade goodies. Sometimes hospitals even offer to X-ray the candy just to make sure there isn't a needle in that Snickers bar.

Dealing with a finicky eater can make any mom go crazy. They won't eat meat, fruits or vegetables. They won't eat bread or anything that even resembles bread, like pita pockets or tortillas.

A reader recently asked about her "carbotarian" son, the most finicky of eaters who has survived his five years on only fruit-flavored items and pasta.

My kids cured me of texting while driving.

If you really are serious about breaking that dangerous habit when your cell phone gives off its irresistible buzz, put a bounty on your head.

With people out of work or just trying to manage the rising cost of living in a shaky economy, Christmas spending is expected to take a hit. A recent Gallup poll found a record-high 35 percent of Americans say they will spend less on Christmas gifts this year than what they spent in 2007.

Will the goldendoodle be the next first dog? One of President-elect Barack Obama's first appointments is going to be a White House staffer who may urinate on his Oval Office rug and chew his shoes.

For fans of bento, lunch is an art form that can coax finicky eaters or soothe dieters into becoming the envy of the office.

Tampa Bay Bucs cornerback Ronde Barber, 33, has teamed up with twin brother Tiki for their fifth book, a tweener chapter book called "Go Long!'' Ronde is still picking off passes on the Bucs defense, while brother Tiki is in his second year as a broadcaster after retiring from the New York Giants.

Parenting author and family psychologist John Rosemond isn't one to mince words on parents of today and why he thinks they would rather be friends with their children than do their job.

Hide from your co-workers; it's fund-raiser time!

With the school year under way, the kids have already had a lecture (or two) on how to stay organized. But parents, too, must keep track of blinding amounts of paperwork and school-related duties.Here are some tips: