Red Dirt Ruckus

Oklahoma City Zoo comes up with best Halloween idea ever October 01, 2012 | Leave a comment A costume swap. Yes! Why haven’t any of us thought of this before? The Oklahoma City Zoo is offering up a chance for families to trade around those ridiculously adorable outfits that our kids only wear a couple days a year. It’s cheap/free and it’s open to anyone. I love it! Now I’ve got to go and see if... Read More

Gorillas, bananas beat me in 5k race September 24, 2012 Running usually makes me feel good. I finish a run and I feel proud and accomplished. Except for Saturday. I headed out of the house before sunrise Saturday to go to the Swazi 5k on the campus of Southern Nazarene University. My husband and I founded a charity to help children in South Africa, so I felt that... Read More

Video Sunday: That dog is massive September 23, 2012 Read More

Photos: Goats at the fair are adorable September 20, 2012 The kid is being led by a kid being led by an adult. I love it! Click here to see photos of goats being adorable/hilarious at the Oklahoma State Fair. Click here to read the goat story. Read More

Free car seat check September 19, 2012 Have a kid? Then you probably ought to go to this: Infant Crisis Services will hold a Safe Kids Oklahoma car seat check event on Thursday, September 20, 2012 as part of National Child Passenger Safety Week, which is September 16-22. The event will be held from 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. as part of the Oklahoma... Read More

Have the Razorbacks gone insane? September 19, 2012 OK, so if you’re an Arkansas Razorback fan like I am, these past few weeks have been rough. Really rough. But for some reason, Hog Nation has gone insane. I know it’s been hard for us to handle two horrific losses in a row, but do we really have to go bonkers in front of the world? First, there was this lady.... Read More

Oklahoma State Fair: the smells of happiness September 18, 2012 Today I had the chance to cover the announcement of the Oklahoma State Teacher of the Year ceremony. (Congrats Elaine Hutchison of Fairview!) Well, lucky me, the ceremony is at the Oklahoma State Fair, which I normally don’t get to visit on a random Tuesday morning. My family and I haven’t been out yet this... Read More

Fun Facts: The Single Life September 16, 2012 Today kicks off Unmarried and Single Americans Week. It’s a good time for fun facts from the U.S. Census AND Beyonce. 102 million: Number of unmarried people in America 18 and older in 2011. This group comprised 44.1 percent of all U.S. residents 18 and older. 53: Percentage of unmarried U.S. residents 18 and... Read More

Video Sunday: Gipsy Kings September 16, 2012 And in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month … one of my favorite Gipsy Kings songs. Read More

Fun Facts: Hispanic Heritage Month September 15, 2012 Hispanic Heritage month kicks off today, so let’s celebrate with some fun facts courtesy of the U.S. Census. 52 million: The Hispanic population of the United States as of July 1, 2011, making people of Hispanic origin the nation’s largest ethnic or race minority. Hispanics constituted 16.7 percent of the... Read More

Video: Gangnam Style September 14, 2012 OK, I’m really behind everybody else, but I think this is awesome/hilarious. Read More

Photos from Russell Simmons visiting John Marshall High School September 13, 2012 Photos by Oklahoman photographer Paul B. Southerland. Read More

Overheard: Russell Simmons visits John Marshall September 12, 2012 Today I heard Russell Simmons speak to about 350 students at John Marshall High School. I’ll be honest: some days at my job are pretty awesome. Not everything fits into every story, but here’s one thing that made me laugh. Some people were wondering if a group of teens would know Russell Simmons and... Read More

Opera for kids September 10, 2012 You need to take your kids to this. Really. My husband and I took our daughter to see the Cimarron Opera when they toured the Metropolitan Library System last year. It. Was. Adorable. She was completely enthralled and watched the performance of “The Three Little Pigs” with undivided attention. OK, she... Read More

Fun Facts: Grandparents Day September 09, 2012 Today is Grandparents Day! Here are some fun facts from the U.S. Census Bureau: 7.0 million: The number of grandparents whose grandchildren younger than 18 were living with them in 2010. 2.7 million: The number of grandparents responsible for the basic needs of one or more grandchildren under 18 living with... Read More