Cookin' It Real: Cowboy Style!

Howdy, partners! This week we're gonna two-step to my diner and get some grub on the griddle! That's cowboy-speak for "Let's cook some food!"

You know, anyone can cook and mix up some Texas-sized tasty treats, but always have a grown-up help you. They are much more at "Home on the Range" when it comes to cooking safety.

Here are some "Thumbs Up" cooking tips:
1. Always wash your hands before cooking food - try singing the "Clean Hand Jive" song! (check it out at www.thumbsupjohnnie.com)
2. Always have a grown-up nearby or helping you
3. Make healthy meals and snacks that are good for you and your body that will help get you going
4. Always help clean up after you're finished cooking
5. Share what you have cooked with your friends and family

Here's one of my favorite recipes. It's easy and fun to make. Just get out the ingredients and follow the cooking instructions.

Groovy Blueberry Smoothie
Ingredients:
1 cup blueberries (frozen)
6 ounces low-fat blueberry yogurt
1 cup light ice cream

Instructions:
Place all of the ingredients into a blender (get a grown-up to help)
Mix until well blended
Pour equal amounts into two glasses and serve
For a berry-licious decoration, put a couple of blueberries on top!

This healthy recipe and a bunch more for kids, by kids, can be found in my book, Super Centeam 5 Cookbook.

What do you like to cook? What's your favorite healthy snack? Let me know!

WEEKEND ACTIVITY:
Paper bag puppets are easy and fun to make! Simply take a paper lunch bag, decorate it with a face and a body, then put your hand inside and move the flap for the mouth. Make a paper bag puppet of me, Thumbs Up Johnnie! Look at the picture below for an idea. Then you can get really creative and make different animals like a bird, an elephant or tiger. When you're all finished, make up a play and perform your puppet show for your family and friends!

You've got fun in the bag!

Anatomy of a "Buddy": Horses from Head to Hoof!

Howdy, partners! Most of you know that Buddy is one of my very best friends. As a horse, he likes to run through the pasture, eat hay, alfalfa, apples and carrots, be brushed and of course have his ears scratched! You know, just like you, Buddy has a lot of different parts that make up what he is. Do you know what the parts of a horse are called?

Muzzle: The front end of a horse containing his mouth and nostrils

Forehead: The area between the horse's eyes

Forelock: The hair between the ears that falls onto the horse's forehead

Mane: The hair on the back of the horse's neck

Back: Where you put the saddle!

Barrel: The large underneath part, or belly, of a horse

Dock: The very top of the tail

Tail: The part that swishes flies

Hocks: The joint on a horse's back legs that's like an elbow

Fetlock: The ankle

Hoof: A horse's hard foot

WEEKEND ACTIVITY
Write or think up your own story with you and Buddy the horse! Maybe you’re performing in a rodeo or taking a trip. What fun things do you and Buddy see and do in that town? Who goes with you on your adventure and who do you meet when you get there? Draw pictures of you and Buddy to go along with your adventure. When you’re finished with your story, read it to you friends and family and show them the pictures.

Have fun horsin’ around!

A Special Day to Say "Thanks, America. We Love You!"

This weekend is a special weekend for America... it is a time to reflect on why we love our country, thank the people that serve in the military who protect our freedoms and to remember people who may not be with us any longer. Buddy and me are going to show how much we love our country by saying a prayer for the people that were affected on September 11th, many years ago. I think we will sing "America the Beautiful" and say the pledge of allegiance out loud and really think about what the words mean.

You can read more about this at
www.sept11thmemorial.com

WEEKEND ACTIVITY
Did you know that Sunday, September 11th is Grandparents' Day? If you know or have a grandma or grandpa, make them a card with special hand-drawn thoughts and pictures from you. If you're able to see them this weekend, give them the cards and wish them a Happy Grandparents' Day. If you can't see them, ask a family member if you can call your grandma or grandpa and talk to them. Let them know you're thinking about them. Here's a list of questions you can ask them that would be interesting to know:

* When you were a kid, what were you like?
* When you were little did you have
a nickname?
* What did you like to do when you were
my age?
* What were your favorite games and
sports to play as a kid?
* What did you want to be when you
grew up?

Be sure to tell them how special they are to you, and that you hope they have a special day!

Ridin' the Storm Out!

Batten down the hatches! After Hurricane Irene battered the East Coast recently, I got to thinkin' about storms and being prepared to deal with them. Most parts of the country are prone to getting some kinds of bad weather. Along the coasts it's hurricanes and tropical storms. In the Midwest we sometimes get tornadoes and dust storms. Thunderstorms, lightening strikes and severe winds can hit just about anywhere. Here are some safety tips for getting yourself ready and safe for a storm.

Parents should always stay calm. Show your kids that storms are natural and nothing to get spooked about. Let them see that you've got the situation under control.

Get a special "Safe Room" ready to retreat in your home should a thunderstorm or tornado be announced. An area of the basement is best, if you have one. Make sure it's big enough for your best horse friend, if you have one. Stock your Safe Room with batteries and a battery-operated radio, flashlights, and maybe a lantern and a small table with some books. You can ride out the bad weather by doing homework or reading or even playing cards.

Let your kiddos know they're safe, as you monitor the weather situation. A cell phone can connect you to other family members so you can make sure they're safe too.

Remember: storms can be very serious and dangerous. Listen to parents or other adults in times of bad weather and take shelter away from windows.

A THUMBS UP WEEKEND ACTIVITY
Talk to your parents about setting up a Safe Room to have ready in case of storms. Clean up an area, gather some batteries, flashlights, a small table and some books or games and set up your own Safe Room for your family. You'll be able to keep busy as you ride the storm out!

Check out this cool website to learn more about storms and emergency preparedness! www.ready.gov

Eat Healthy. Feel Healthy. Be Healthy!

You know, down here at the Long Horn Diner in Happy, Texas, we have a lot to choose from on our breakfast menu. Some of the food is super healthy and good for you. Some of it tastes mighty delicious but isn't exactly the best thing for your body. I like to tell my customers, "Too little of this and too much of that, can make you feel funky and flunky and flat!" Just remember, breakfast shouldn't always be fattening and unhealthy things like donuts and sugary cereal and pastries. Try some fruit! Any fruit goes well with breakfast! Whole wheat toast, milk, juice, eggs and cheese are healthy, tasty choices. And don't forget that a good breakfast gives you the energy you need to get your giddyup going so you can make it through school or work or a day on the ball field!

"Too little of this and too much of that, can make you feel funky and flunky and flat!"
Hmmm. I should put that to music and write a song! Where's my guitar?

A THUMBS UP WEEKEND ACTIVITY
Have a picnic in your own backyard this weekend. While the weather's still nice and warm, pack up a basket of your favorite healthy lunch foods and spread out a blanket on the grass. Invite your friends or your brothers and sisters. Try a healthy new food you've never tried before and ask your friends what their favorites are. Eat up and enjoy the great outdoors!

Howdy! I'm Back!

Wow! It's been a while since I posted! I've been one busy cowpoke! Lotsa new adventures on the way! This new blog is guaranteed to be both rootin' and tootin'! Imagine this humble flapjack flipper writing you his thoughts and ideas on all sorts of interesting stuff! That's what I intend to do right here. I hope you find it fun and helpful. Just so you know, I'm also gonna be launching a new Facebook page and a Twitter account and even a monthly newsletter to keep you in the know about all the spur-janglin' activities I'm involved in, like new books and videos and public appearances with my writer friend Michelle Bain. So don't miss out on the fun! Sign up and keep up with me and the whole gang and let me know what you think!

It's my blog. That there's a funny word. Blog.Sounds like a bullfrog with a glob of molasses stuck in its croaker! BLOGGG!

Howdy my friends!

Well I have been a traveling fool! It seems as though - since my last johnnie blog- that I have been around the world. My CAST OF CHARACTERS and I have been to LONDON, NICE and CANNES. I got to see Big Ben, the Queen's Place, Westminster Abbey, the Tower of London, the London Bridge and ride on the London Eye! Yippee...wow then we got to go to the ocean in the south of France for my favorite...the ANIMATION FESTIVAL, where I got to see all of the other "CHARACTERS" that are trying to make it on TV all across the world like me. I tell you what...we saw a lot of stuff but only a few things I would give "two thumbs up" to! We met a lot of really nice French people, some people from Canada (Hi Patrick and Suzy) and some awesome people from Kidsco in London (our new best friends) and some people who make animation in INDIA and AUSTRALIA! How about that! It is a world wide project to get me my own TV series but we are working on it everyday! Stay tuned to my website www.thumbsupjohnnie.com where we will post a photo album of my worldwide travels and soon an opportunity for you to send in your pictures so we can see where you travel with my little "mini-me" Johnnie from Build A Bear Workshops! Stay tuned and thanks for keeping up with my adventures...Au revoir! Ciao!