The Wild Things are not here

I never would have guessed that this would make a good live-action movie, but it certainly looks good...coming October 16.

I tried to buy Where the Wild Things Are for Anna last weekend, but she said it was "scary." I guess we'll try again in a couple years.

Free Downloads for Busy Mommies

Today, I'm doing short posts instead a long one. Hope that works for you. ;)

Mommies need lots of help (physically and psychologically), but you already knew that. Mommy Track'd has provided some adorable (and FREE!) downloads that might help you on your way to organizational bliss. Or, in my case, it might just be more to add to the pile of lists and post its that only help me think that I'm more organized, but it will be a cute pile, dammit!

Social media overload

I found this iPod application at Uncrate that I will not be purchasing for the low low price of $2. Ego apparently keeps track of your stats for websites and socmed outlets. ("socmed"--If that isn't a word yet, remember that you heard it here first. If it is already...oh well.) When they make a free version, I'll be down with that. While I have a lot of socmed sites that I need to keep track of, I don't need the stats so much as I need regular updates.



While I use a Mac, we run a program called Boot Camp that allows me to use Windows. I use the Mac side for photography stuff and the Windows side for everything else. Anyway, I found this awesome IM client, Digsby, that keeps track of all of my email accounts, buddy lists and social media sites like Twitter and Facebook. I get little pop ups whenever I have a new update or message. Fabulous! They currently don't have a version for Mac, but are working on it.

I heart sharks

Earth Day 2009

Earth Day is April 22 so I thought I'd put together a "little" mention about that. (It seems impossible for me to write a short anything.) I remember talking about Earth Day in elementary school and getting excited about participating in something that people all over the world were involved with at the same time. It somehow made me feel globally connected. (I didn't travel far outside my hometown of 400 and these were the days before the internet.) I remember that we had a little parade up to Main Street and I "reported" on it for our short-lived faux news channel. In a class of 17 children, we didn't have the resources that kids in the metro area have now. (And we had to walk to school uphill in 2 feet of snow, barefoot.)

Back in 1988-ish, Earth Day was a nice thing to talk about, but it didn't have the urgency that it does today. I remember our main concerns being oil spills and cleaning up litter around waterways. Boy, if those were the only things we had to worry about today. Now, every day during the summer, I have to check the Air Quality Index to see if my child will be allowed to go outside at recess. Oh, and by the way, the arctic ice that helps cool the Earth is melting faster than expected and a new study shows that it could be completely gone in 30 years, so get ready for a heat wave! Ugh.

Last year, we bought her this book, It's Earth Day! by Mercer Mayer at Wal-Mart. We've always loved that author and this seemed like a good way to introduce environmental responsibility. In the book, Little Critter finds out that the polar ice is melting, so he embarks on a mission to help save the polar bears by recycling, etc. We decided that this was an easy, albeit not entirely accurate, way to engage a then two-year-old in discussions about conserving energy. So, whenever she runs the water too long, stands with the fridge open for several minutes, or forgets to turn a light off, we chime, "Anna, we need to save the polar bears!" This is a cause she can get behind. Who doesn't love polar bears?! I saw this link this morning that the Arctic nations are taking steps to help save the polar bears. The KC Zoo is supposed to be getting a polar bear exhibit in the next couple of years, so that is exciting!

We observed Earth Hour on March 28 and it was surprisingly fun, as we played some board games by the fire with champagne (for me), while I Twittered on my new iPhone. We had explained to Anna that this was another way to help the polar bears and she even insisted on going to the bathroom in the dark. She actually got upset when we used electricity instead of flashlights the next morning. My heart swelled with pride last night as she picked up one of Roy's empty pop cans (that he leaves all over the downstairs) and brought it upstairs to put in the recycle bin.

Last year, we bought adorable organic cotton t-shirts from Wal-Mart and they have new designs this year for the whole family, including a maternity version. These range in price from $4 to $6. We had to get ours fairly early last year because they were selling out, so get there soon. This year's designs were all "inspired by" celebrities, including Keith Urban, Jewel, Demi Lavato, Beyonce and Gavin Rossdale.

Wal-Mart has a whole section of their website devoted to Earth Month. Here are a few other products that caught my eye. Sesame Street video, Ziploc Evolve bags, shelving and Planet Earth DVDs (which we have, but haven't watched yet).

Some other ideas I use: recyclable toothbrush, canvas shopping bags for $1 and recycling other plastic bags at grocery stores, Starbucks cup that gets you 10 cents off every time you use it, save leftover fast food napkins to use at home, take old catalogs to Anna's school to use for art projects, Ideal Bite, "An Inconvenient Truth", "The 11th Hour".

There is the related issue of THE HORRIBLE THINGS WE ARE DOING TO OUR OCEANS, but I could write a whole other post on that and this one is getting too long!

I'd love to hear ideas that you use to help save the polar bears!

It's 12 pm...do you know where your toddler is?

I had a terrible dream last night that someone was trying to take my child away from me. When I got up this morning, I crawled into bed with Anna (after removing 12 of her 34 stuffed animals) and snuggled her for a long time.

The picture above appeared in the April issue of Wired on their "Predict What's Next" page. They asked readers to envision Child Safety Gear From the Future, this example being from 2019.

This monthly feature is intended to be a social barometer and make us feel guilty about where the world is headed and it usually does. Personally, though, I like the idea of a child locator. I think most parents are actually concerned about their child's safety and not the cost of ransom, but that doesn't get as many laughs. Why not implant a little locator into your child's foot? We do it for pets, right?

What are your thoughts?

Must Read...and Laugh

Is anyone planning on reading Pride and Prejudice and Zombies? ET Weekly gave it an A- and Wired put it on their Playlist. I'd like someone else to read it first and let me know if it is worth the effort. My sister, The Purist, and Jane Austen's biggest fan, made the worst face after reading the review, so I know she won't go anywhere near it.



The publisher of this book is Quirk Classics and their website is full of plenty of time-wasting fun for EVERYONE.


For the bookworms: Here is an article where they postulate potential follow-ups to PPZ. My favorite suggestion is A Farewell To Arms and Legs.


For the Boy Scouts: I bought the Worst-Case Survival Scenario Handbook when it first came out in 1999 and LOVED it. It is full of helpful and hilarious how-tos. I didn't realize this was from the same publishing company as PPZ. Here is a how-to from the Worst-Case Survival Scenario: Extreme Edition.


For the Twilight Lovers:
"How to avoid a vampire attack"...

Obviously, these survival techniques don't apply to Stephenie Meyer's vampires. Meet one of those and you are pretty much screwed. As Bella showed us, pepper spray has no effect. And, as Edward so famously demonstrated, you can't outrun them or fend them off. I would say, just embrace sweet death and be thankful that your demon angel is a hottie.


For the ladies who are knocked up: Another fun article is "The Worst Television To Watch While You're Pregnant" from The Pregnancy Countdown Book and they are right on. I avoided every single one of those shows when I was PG.


For the guys: Quite possibly the funniest thing I saw, albeit the most offensive. I know Roy will get a kick out this...from How To Live With A Huge Penis, "A Prayer for Owen's Weenie."


...And everything in between. Seriously, take a look or two or twenty. In case you hadn't heard...we're in a recession. It's not like you have work to do.