Regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, religious or socioeconomic status, music is the language that everyone speaks and understands. As life's one great universal, music stirs feelings common to the human experience, triggers memories, and stirs up deep emotional responses. Kids are among music's most passionate and impressionable receivers. With the power to teach and transform, music is a gateway to creativity and the ideal outlet for a child's natural exuberance, energy, and expression. Here, the high notes.

Pleading, nagging, tantrum on aisle 5? Rid your kids of bratty behavior with these tips.

As much as we love our home among the vines here in San Joaqiun County, there's nothing wrong with traveling out of town to explore new frontiers of family fun. Luckily for us, we are only a short drive away from one of the greatest, most beautiful cities in the world. San Francisco is packed with things to do for every kind of family, and we have a few great ideas to get you on your way. One over-riding caveat: before heading in, check a trusted weather source and choose a clear forecast.

"I've been sewing since I was 8," recalls Judy Ridpath, founder of Camp Sew &Sew, a program designed to help kids and adults learn how to sew by hand or with a machine. Ridpath, who has been teaching and working with children since she was a teenager, says that combining her hobby of sewing with her love of kids made her decision to start Camp Sew &Sew an easy one. She also considers it a way to give back to students who have experienced cutbacks in their schools, losing their art classes and other creative electives.

Generally a child is considered preschool aged at 3, but one's readiness to attend actual preschool depends on much more-a fair amount of independence and few exhibitions of separation anxiety being two solid indicators. To help whittle down the 'when', Dawn Whitley, co-director and teacher at Lodi Montessori, suggests that parents ask the following questions: Has your child had experience in a social setting without you? Does your child know how to cooperate and share in a group setting? And finally, is your child potty trained?