Activities For Slumber Parties

Lura Lynn Ryan: State's former first lady was 'June Cleaver without the pearls'

Lura Lynn Ryan was an active political wife.

She was George Ryan's constant supporter throughout his career.

Paul Lis, a friend and political adviser, once described Lura Lynn as "a rock he (George) can go back to no matter what is going on."

In recent years, she was probably best known for being the wife that stood by the fallen politician, former Gov. George Ryan, who went through a federal trial, conviction, his prison sentence and the loss of most of his assets, including his pension.

In her last days, her life and her illness played out before cameras and courtrooms as she and her family fought publicly to get the former governor temporarily released from jail in time to say goodbye to his high school sweetheart.

Still, there was much more to the local woman who served as the state's first lady from 1999 to 2003 than being the woman behind the man -- even though that was a role Lura Lynn Ryan relished.

Indeed, she leaves a legacy as a crusader against drug abuse, an advocate for children and the developmentally disabled as well as a passionate promoter of Illinois and its history.

*The YWCA's day care program, the anti-drug effort of the Pledge for Life Partnership and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum all owe their existence, in large part, to Lura Lynn Ryan.

*In 1979, Lura Lynn chaired a drive that helped raise $650,000 to establish the Kankakee YWCA day care, then the community's largest.

* In 1986, she picked up the idea of using a mobile classroom to visit schools to bring messages against drug and alcohol abuse. That idea lives today in the Pledge for Life van, which visits thousands of children in public and private schools in Kankakee and Iroquois counties.

* And she started the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum with a $250,000 fundraising effort. She passed out Lincoln penny lapel buttons throughout the state to promote the project. She organized children throughout the state to collect pennies and they raised $47,000. "We want the children to realize that this is their library," she said at the time.

Eventually, Illinois spent $50 million on the museum and another $35 million would be raised privately.

Her work for Illinois came naturally: It was her state.

Her relatives settled in Aroma Park in 1834, before Kankakee County was formed.

Car and Driver Ranks Nissan Quest Among Top Three Minivans ...

Minivans might not be the coolest vehicles on the road. However, their ability to comfortably and reliably transport precious cargo from school to soccer games to slumber parties—and everywhere in between—is undeniable. Benton Nissan, a central Alabama Nissan dealership, is proud to announce that Car and Driver recently ranked the 2011 Nissan Quest among its top three minivan picks. Much like the mail delivery service, neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor darkness keeps minivan drivers from shuttling their precious cargo to and from school activities and outings with friends. For this reason, safe handling and performance are paramount. Car and Driver reviewers were impressed with the response time of the Nissan Quest as well as its superior handling and control. For easy navigation of parking lots, the Nissan Quest boasts exceptionally tight turning radius—besting both the Toyota Sienna Limited and the Chrysler Town & Country Limited.

Crafty Girl: Slumber Parties, Things to Make and Do

Suggests fifteen to twenty slumber party themes and ideas, including activities, decor, and menus, from Fright Night to Spa Spectacular to Gypsy Jubilee.

Slumber Parties

Slumber Parties . . . What Do I Do?

Fun and Games Keeping the night packed with plenty of fun activities, ... But Slumber Parties bring to mind sleeping bags and popcorn scattered on the floor ...

Working Mother

Arrival and departure times Slumber parties usually end after breakfast, ... potential disappointment if guests reject specific activities, warns Schultz. ...

Girlhood in America, An Encyclopedia

The research shows that even such cultural practices as slumber parties can be transformative, at least for a night. “Through their fan activities” as well, ...