I am shocked more people don’t go to Block Island and that it isn’t at the top of every family travel guide. We stayed at the only resort on the island, Champlin’s. It was terrific. Clean, large rooms. Don’t pay extra for a room with a view because you’re never in the room anyway. They had a terrific playground, pool, beach, watersports, restaurant, snack bar and one of the two movie theaters on the island. If you prefer to rent a home you need to plan ahead. They book up very quickly. Casual is the best way to descirbe the island. They don’t recommend bringing cars since there is only one gas station. If you do bring a car make car ferry reservations early. The vast majority of people bike, walk or use mopeds to get around. Rentals are easy and relatively inexpensive. Think Bermuda in America minus the long shorts and men wearing knee high socks and you’ve got the picture of Block Island. The fast ferry from either New London, CT or Galilee, RI is about a half hour. Fins has the freshest seafood. Skip Aldo’s pizza unless you like it doughy. Do not skip the dessert at Aldo’s! Yum. Candy and home made ice cream shops are plentiful. You can get weekly licenses for shelling. Nothing tastes better than freshly made clam chowder! We have visited Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket several times and think Block Island is the way they used to be 50 years ago. A lovely slice of old fashioned America.

5 kids and the dog in a car for days. That may sound like your worst nightmare but it became one of our best family “vacations”. It was actually intended to be the way we got to the vacation but it turned out being the favorite part. Airfares were so high that we decided to drive from Connecticut to Texas. We rented a minivan. I recommend the Town and Country Flex fuel which got 21 mpg. We hit 11 states and numerous sites including the World’s Largest Guitar, Dollywood, Appomattox, Vicksburg, and more. Sadly, we missed the gravesite of Shorty the Squirrel. (www.roadsideamerica.com has the strangest sites listed) We did not let the kids bring any electronic device which meant…..they had to talk, play cards or play board games. Shockingly, they came through it alive!! In fact, the kids loved it so much they want to do it again. They say the drive to the vacation was the best part!

I’m not a perfect parent and no one else is. But…raising 8 kids in a yours, mine and ours environment certainly teaches a person valuable lessons! This book is the ANTIDOTE to permissive parenting. If you ever feel guilty saying “No”… or question your wisdom when your kids say “But everyone else’s mom lets them” …or perhaps wonder if you can be a best friend and a parent to your child, then you need and will LOVE this book. Anyone who watches my program knows I speak from the heart, I’m brutally honest, and it drives me crazy when I have to report about out of control kids with parents who say “I just couldn’t handle them.” Yes, you can. I can. Everyone can. It’s not easy and it takes time but if you’ve decided to become a parent you’ve taken on a job- not an internship where you watch while others raise your children for you. This book defies the so-called experts who tell us that our focus should be on helping a child feel good about themselves…no matter what they do. Through hilarious and colorful stories about my own kids, viewer emails sharing their child rearing experiences, and advice from experts who don’t have a daughter named “Starchild”, you will learn how to be part of a seemingly disappearing group…parents who raise children everyone can be proud of. The chapter “Driving, Dating, and other Death-Defying Feats” also offers guidelines for determining when your child is ready for dating, how to keep track of them and what they’re doing, and how to set curfews and make sure they are adhered to. Other chapters discuss manners, dress codes, allowances and chores, and drinking and drugs. Much of the book is funny, some of it is scary, but all of it is enlightening. I hope you enjoy it and I am happy to autograph the book if you send it to my office and give me your return address. My office is at 1211 6th Ave. 17th floor NY, NY 10036.

Here is another company that sells American Made Toys.

www.vermontteddybear.com
holgatetoy.com
http://www.heirloomwoodentoys.com/
www.perlerbeads.com
Go to Foxnews.com/americaspulse for more informaton.

Also - email us your suggestions for American Made Toys websites and I will add them on. (They might even be mentioned on air!)

Remember when television was young and wholesome? If you don’t, Ed McMahon certainly does.

Welcome to HillFriends.com, a weblog edited by E.D. Hill, host of Fox News Live on the Fox News Channel.

· Baby
· Books
· Children's Books
· Educational Toys
· Everything Else
· Jewelry
· Movies
· The Family Gift List
· The Show Info
· Toys
· Travel

American Jihad: The Terrorists Living Among Us
Today, I spoke with Steve Emerson discussing the issue of Terrorism in the U.S. His…

Tiki: My Life in the Game and Beyond
Inside the locker room with Tiki Barber……

The Check List: What You and Your Family Need to Know to Prevent Disease and Live a Long and Healthy Life
How to ward-off disease and illness well into your 70’s: The Check List tells all!…

“Prime Time” By: Hank Phillippi Ryan
My friend and great reporter, Hank Phillippi Ryan, has a new book coming out on…

“The First Men In” By: Ed Ruggero
Former infantry officer, Ed Ruggero came on my show today to talk about the remarkable…

Got a question? Comment? Just want to send us feedback? We'd love to hear from you! Click here to email us.