Lifestyle

They're out with those numbers again, about how much it costs to raise a child from age 0 to 17.

Parents will swallow hard...the US Dept. of Agriculture says it takes $234,900 to raise a kid, including food, shelter, and necessities. Depending upon your definition and your child's definition of necessities, it could be $2 million, right? A kid has to have his Wii.

Texas is actually one of the cheapest places in the US to raise a child.

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Are we losin' our drawl ya all?

A new study says Texas may be losing its twang. Do you agree?

If it's true, the obvious answer may be because of the number of transplants that live in Texas. When a Chicago native moves to Texas they bring a northern accent and a lot of those people together can sort of squeeze out and disperse the yee haws.

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Tyler is preparing for the excitement and pageantry of the Texas Rose Festival and getting ready for the many visitors that will be coming to the Rose capital of Texas the weekend of October 18th - 21st.  Visitors to Tyler that weekend will be treated to the Texas Rose Festival Show, Texas Rose Festival Coronation, Texas Rose Festival Queen's Tea and the Texas Rose Festival Parade!  For the 3rd year in a row, the roses will be honored all month long with the Rose Season.

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Coffee is part of life for many of us.

Before making the big decision about whether or not to become pregnant, I asked my doctor if I could still consume my daily 2.5 cups of coffee during pregnancy. It's a must. If I have a sip less than that, I can feel it. And I knew I may not survive pregnancy if I had to ween myself off, or worse yet, quit cold turkey.

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This weekend we've got a chance to experience something we don't get to see every ole Saturday.

It could make a romantic date night, or a fun family night out. The downtown Tyler ArtWalk is from 4pm to 9pm on Saturday, and I'm thinking it will be a good way to keep the kids busy. I'm always looking for that! Wear 'em out, and get them away from the TV.

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The Longview Animal Shelter is at capacity, if not over, and that means the animals could use our help. Do you have room in your home?

I've got two miniature schnauzers now, and at one point we had four of them. The more the merrier!

Operation Save the Animals is a task force in Longview that has been given 90 days to come up with a plan for the City of Longview to build a new animal shelter. As it stands now, animals are being put down because the current shelter is overcrowded.

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On a shopping trip this weekend I saw what may be the first one of the year. A Christmas tree! On September 15th.

At this particular store, the Christmas tree was fully decorated, and the snow globes, stockings, and Christmas cards were already for sale. Right there next to the Halloween decorations.

Kidd Kraddick has asked the question before, and I'll ask it again. How early is too early?

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Have you ever checked out of a hotel, traveled home, and then realized you left something behind in the room?

I have. On a road trip to the north, my family stayed at a hotel in Wichita, Kansas, and when we got home we could only find one Dora The Explorer sock. In the process of jumping on the bed and running around the room, our 3-year old at the time must have shed a sock and a cleaning person whose daughter also may have had just one sock, hit the jackpot.

What is the most common item hotel travelers leave behind? It has something to do with your smart phone.

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The Children's Consignment Sale returns to Harvey Convention Center in Tyler Thursday, Friday and Saturday and it brings a load of savings to East Texas families.  When you have kids you realize how quickly they outgrow their clothes and their toys can be the same way too.  The Children's Consignment Sale can be pictured in your mind as a gigantic resale shop or garage sale of types filled with everything you need for your kids - from infants to teens.

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Watch the latest video at video.foxnews.com

When Howard Cooper sold his Ann Arbor, Michigan car dealership earlier this year he made sure employee retention was part of the deal.

In these tough economic times, that alone would make him a hero to Howard Cooper Import Center's 89 workers. But the 83-year-old took things to a whole other level of generosity last week.

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Tour buses love the Rose Festival.

In fact, the festival has been named one of the best events in North America. So expect the big buses to keep rolling in.

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Do you wash your hands EVERY time you use a public restroom?

Perhaps you wash your hands religiously after using the restroom at a store or restaurant, but not so much at work. Who cares, you know all those people in the office and they’re like family, right? You can let the hand-washing slide there. Ew! Family members and those donut-eating co-workers have germs too.

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