If there's one quality I hope to instill in my children above all, it would probably have to be resilience. That ability to pick yourself up no matter what life throws at you and not only survive, but use those experiences to thrive is more valuable than most I can think of, though it's also challenging to define and teach. Haven Shepherd, a 9-year-old from Missouri, provides a perfect example of it, however.

According to KOAM-TV, she was born in Vietnam to a couple who was having an affair while both were married to other people. Out of shame, they tried to blow themselves and Haven up -- they were killed; she survived, but lost both of her legs.

She was adopted by an American family when she was 19 months old, and while she still has a burn mark, she hasn't let the tragedy of her early life affect her, except perhaps to fuel her spirit to carry on and thrive. And now, a new set of high-tech running legs is allowing her to soar to even great heights.

Want to get your kid off the couch and into a sport? Here's an idea you probably haven't tried: buy them a video game. Well, not just any video game. A sports video game.

Oh come on, stop rolling your eyes! Even science agrees that playing sports video games can totally improve your kid's skill on the field.

Picture this: your kid's school calls and says your fifth grader has been a naughty boy. He set up his own NCAA basketball pool on the playground, and the principal is perturbed. Do you scream or laugh? Giggling mamas, join Max Kohll's mom in a round of raucous laughter.

She thought the notion that her 11-year-old was the mastermind to some gambling ring at Columbian Elementary in Omaha, Nebraska was ridiculous. And I'm with her. It's called letting kids be kids. School administrators country-wide might want to brush up!

Peyton Manning is gearing up to make a huge decision about where he will continue his legendary football career, and most people are speculating that he will either wind up going to either the Denver Broncos or the Tennessee Titans. And I think it's safe to safe to say that the right choice between the two is crystal clear.

OMG. If he doesn't wind up back in his old college football stomping grounds of Tennessee, he will absolutely break the hearts of UT students, alumni, and fans everywhere. Because the Volunteer State is where he belongs -- period.

What comes to mind when you think of a stripper? Ready, set, go: G-strings. Lap dances. Big hair. Sky-high platform stilettos. Patent leather. Names like Honey and Candi. Amazing pole tricks. Philanthropy. Wait ... what? Strippers and all of their stereotypical attributes are the heartbeat of the multimillion-dollar adult entertainment trade. But like many businesses that have done well in any industry, Jet Strip—which bills itself as “LA’s Friendliest Gentlemen’s Club”—wanted to give back. You know, beyond creating fantasies for the oogling patrons. So they sponsored a struggling kiddie baseball team.

Jerry Sandusky just doesn't get it, does he? The former Penn State assistant football coach currently awaiting trial on 52 (52!) child sexual assault charges seems to think he's entitled to visit with his grandchildren. And that conditions of his house arrest should be eased to accommodate said visits. Outrageous, right? That's what Pennsylvania's attorney general thought of Sandusky's request, pointing out that the former coach is "fortunate" to be under house arrest in the first place given the accusations leveled against him.

Unfortunately, not everyone agrees with the attorney general (and me). Judge John Cleland has ruled that Sandusky will in fact be allowed to visit with most of his grandchildren (excluding three who are involved in a custody battle).

If you find your pulse racing during Super Bowl XLVI on Sunday night, don't count on it resting during the commercial breaks. Looks like the movie trailers airing between touchdowns are all action-packed, metal-scraping, explosive, testosterone-fueled blockbusters. 

Meanwhile, those of us who like movies cast in a soft glow, with sensitive men declaring their undying love to actresses in fab dresses are Out. Of. Luck. This is SO not our moment. Nope, Super Bowl Sunday is night of a thousand acts of aggression, and it doesn't end in the stadium. Check out the upcoming flicks that'll be blasting on big-screen TVs all over America this weekend.

When I was a kid, my father used to get so upset yelling at bad calls and missed balls during the college bowl games that he finally had to stop watching them for fear of giving himself a heart attack. So it is safe to say that I grew up with an unreasonable fear of televised football, because WHO KNOWS? IT MIGHT KILL YOU.

Still, I am a wee bit envious of people who look forward to Super Bowl Sunday. Especially women who know what a touchback is and who not only own but proudly wear their favorite team's jersey. Who are they, and how did they get that way? Why aren't they spending the entire game on their laptops having emotional affairs on Facebook, flinching every time someone scores a touchdown?

I know, you could always just leave the house if you don't like the Super Bowl -- the streets are empty! It's the perfect time to go to Target! Fortunately, there are a lot of good reasons to stick around for the game.