If I’m happy to have my hair finally gone, I’m sure it’s nothing compared to the rest of the county – I will finally stop harping at them to get their donations in to St. Baldrick’s.
Well, maybe.
Because the people who came out of the woodwork in the past few days quite literally brought tears to my eyes.
Like the guy in the pick up truck who pulled to a stop in front of ShopRite Sunday morning when I was walking out with a can of cooking spray I’d forgotten on my grocery trip the day before.
“Are you Jeanne Sager?” he asked.
What gave it away? The bald head or the big mouth?
I nodded only to look down. His hand was extended, a $20 bill dangling in mid-air.
“I meant to be there yesterday,” he said. “Here.”
He didn’t know me from Adam (or at least didn’t know much more of me than my voice on the radio), and yet, there it was – his heart on his sleeve.
Then there was the call at the office last week from someone I’ve met maybe once.
He read my column here in the paper about my funding shortfall for St. Baldrick’s this year.
“How far from $1,000 are you?” he asked.
I told him it could be as much as $400.
“Call me Friday. Whatever it is, I’ll make up the difference.”
I was stunned. He was offering to possibly end up giving more than any other single donor on my list.
In the end, I didn’t need to call him – by the skin of my teeth, I got my numbers right where I needed them – right at my goal.
And when the first two boys climbed in chairs on Saturday to have their heads shaved, boys whose battles with cancer I’ve written about here in the paper, boys who I’ve now gotten to watch grow up, I saw firsthand why people make those calls, why people pull up to a stranger and proffer a donation.
We do it for the kids.
So one day, those kids will be us.
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Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
This Mother Went Bald
I've spent the last month and a half knocking down doors trying to convince a lot of broke people to give me money so I could shave my head.
Even in a bad economy, I hit my small goal of $1,000 raised for the St. Baldrick's Foundation - so you can all laugh at my very bald head.
Ready for it?
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Tuesday, March 24, 2009
It Pays to be Number One
The winner of last week's Pilloroo giveaway was the very first entrant - Becky! Send me an e-mail within the next 72 hours to claim your prize.
There was a second Becky who entered - sorry! But you can still enter the Kushies giveaway this week.
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There was a second Becky who entered - sorry! But you can still enter the Kushies giveaway this week.
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Going to jail for you
“Have you ever been here before?”
In another situation, another questioner, it would have been just another question. But this was Undersheriff Eric Chaboty asking on my first visit to the Sullivan County Jail.
I laughed. “Can’t say that I have.”
It wasn’t the first time that I realized my job takes me places the average Sullivan County resident might never go.
Writing a story about Chaboty and his boss, Sheriff Mike Schiff, for the Democrat’s recent section devoted to our county’s “men at work,” I was being led into the hundred-year-old jail for a picture of the duo to accompany the article. And, no, I’d never been there. Fortunately.
I was, in a word, awed.
The ceilings were low – not unlike those in houses built around the same time throughout Sullivan County. The bars separating me from the county’s criminals were of thick steel, the doors creaking with age.
It was plain, but it was clean. The kitchen alone was immaculate, a sign that the people who work there are making the best of what they’re stuck with as the state makes its demands on the county and the county navigates the long road of funding the mandates.
It isn’t if we’ll have a new jail but when. As a taxpayer, I shudder at thought. As a taxpayer who has now walked through the existing structure, I understand it has to happen.
Again, I was struck by how lucky I am to work as a reporter in the county where I live. Because while many residents are uneasy about asking questions of their county officials, I pick up the phone and place a call.
I get the answers not because I’m any more special than anyone else in this county but because I’m not afraid to ask. My job? To pass on the answers to you.
The same goes for my tours of the jail, my front and center photographer’s pass for concerts at Bethel Woods… so you can go where I go.
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In another situation, another questioner, it would have been just another question. But this was Undersheriff Eric Chaboty asking on my first visit to the Sullivan County Jail.
I laughed. “Can’t say that I have.”
It wasn’t the first time that I realized my job takes me places the average Sullivan County resident might never go.
Writing a story about Chaboty and his boss, Sheriff Mike Schiff, for the Democrat’s recent section devoted to our county’s “men at work,” I was being led into the hundred-year-old jail for a picture of the duo to accompany the article. And, no, I’d never been there. Fortunately.
I was, in a word, awed.
The ceilings were low – not unlike those in houses built around the same time throughout Sullivan County. The bars separating me from the county’s criminals were of thick steel, the doors creaking with age.
It was plain, but it was clean. The kitchen alone was immaculate, a sign that the people who work there are making the best of what they’re stuck with as the state makes its demands on the county and the county navigates the long road of funding the mandates.
It isn’t if we’ll have a new jail but when. As a taxpayer, I shudder at thought. As a taxpayer who has now walked through the existing structure, I understand it has to happen.
Again, I was struck by how lucky I am to work as a reporter in the county where I live. Because while many residents are uneasy about asking questions of their county officials, I pick up the phone and place a call.
I get the answers not because I’m any more special than anyone else in this county but because I’m not afraid to ask. My job? To pass on the answers to you.
The same goes for my tours of the jail, my front and center photographer’s pass for concerts at Bethel Woods… so you can go where I go.
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Monday, March 23, 2009
Win Kushies Sunglasses For Your Kids' Eyes
For kids growing up anywhere it's cold, this is the time they're itching to get outside. And when Mom comes at them with a bottle of sunblock, they look at her like the two-headed monster.
But for every parent who is smearing their kids down with lotion, there are plenty who forget the eyes. Kids need sunglasses - they're at a heightened risk of damage from the sun's UV rays because their eyes do not have the same ability as adults to protect from UV radiation.
Enter Kushies and its anti UV lens block sunglasses. Made to block both UVA and UVB rays, they've earned a thumbs up from the American Optometric Association and parents alike.
The polycarbonate lenses are scratch resistant, the arms made of durable rubber so your kids can drop them, kick them, sit on them and yank on them . . . and they survive. Not bad for a pair of sunglasses that are still bargains at $5.49 a set (and available for infants and toddlers).
Want a set for your toddler? Check out the Kushies site and leave a comment detailing why they're the cat's pajamas (or at least, what other product you wouldn't mind buying for your tot).
Get extra entries by grabbing my badge and/or blogging about this contest and all (remember to leave the link in comments as well).
Open to U.S. and Canadian residents, the contest will close on March 30, so remember to check back or subscribe at left to be notified right away. NEW SUBSCRIBERS for the month of March will all be entered to win a tee from Tees for Change.
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But for every parent who is smearing their kids down with lotion, there are plenty who forget the eyes. Kids need sunglasses - they're at a heightened risk of damage from the sun's UV rays because their eyes do not have the same ability as adults to protect from UV radiation.
Enter Kushies and its anti UV lens block sunglasses. Made to block both UVA and UVB rays, they've earned a thumbs up from the American Optometric Association and parents alike.
The polycarbonate lenses are scratch resistant, the arms made of durable rubber so your kids can drop them, kick them, sit on them and yank on them . . . and they survive. Not bad for a pair of sunglasses that are still bargains at $5.49 a set (and available for infants and toddlers).
Want a set for your toddler? Check out the Kushies site and leave a comment detailing why they're the cat's pajamas (or at least, what other product you wouldn't mind buying for your tot).
Get extra entries by grabbing my badge and/or blogging about this contest and all (remember to leave the link in comments as well).
Open to U.S. and Canadian residents, the contest will close on March 30, so remember to check back or subscribe at left to be notified right away. NEW SUBSCRIBERS for the month of March will all be entered to win a tee from Tees for Change.
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Friday, March 20, 2009
How Sweet It Is
Think you can brag that you made it through high school with nary an embarrassing shot caught on a cell phone camera? Sorry, our generation is still in trouble - check out my look at Facebook Photo Fame and Total and Utter Embarrassment over At Lemondrop!
And while you're at it, find out if you're going to turn into your father . . . or end up marrying him.
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And while you're at it, find out if you're going to turn into your father . . . or end up marrying him.
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Thursday, March 19, 2009
Going Green for Their Generation
Kids will go crazy for the exotic and adorable animals on the Eco-Generation Kids line of t-shirts. But you'll be buying them for the message.
Designed by a mom who learned firsthand what destroying our earth can do when her father died in 2002 after years of tending his beloved English gardens - and developing cancer from the hazardous affects of all the chemicals he used - Eco-Generation Kids puts green on the front of your mind. And the front of their shirts.
With sea turtles reminding us the beach front homes destroy their habitats and Seussian fish tales about protecting our oceans, Eco-Generation Kids has an eye on the future. And so do we - the kids wearing them.
Printed with water-based inks on organic cotton shirts, the tees are available right at the Eco-Generation Kids site in sizes six months to 4T. My only complaint? My kid's already grown out of them . . .
Have you "liked" Inside Out Motherhood on Facebook yet?
Designed by a mom who learned firsthand what destroying our earth can do when her father died in 2002 after years of tending his beloved English gardens - and developing cancer from the hazardous affects of all the chemicals he used - Eco-Generation Kids puts green on the front of your mind. And the front of their shirts.
With sea turtles reminding us the beach front homes destroy their habitats and Seussian fish tales about protecting our oceans, Eco-Generation Kids has an eye on the future. And so do we - the kids wearing them.
Printed with water-based inks on organic cotton shirts, the tees are available right at the Eco-Generation Kids site in sizes six months to 4T. My only complaint? My kid's already grown out of them . . .
Have you "liked" Inside Out Motherhood on Facebook yet?
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Winners All Around
Round up time on some recent winners:
We had three winners of the Milkshake giveaway - ACC, Oma Janet and Amy.
As for the Nintendo DS game from TOMY - Trisha Too claimed the My Do It All game.
The winners have 72 hours to shoot me an e-mail to claim their prizes!
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We had three winners of the Milkshake giveaway - ACC, Oma Janet and Amy.
As for the Nintendo DS game from TOMY - Trisha Too claimed the My Do It All game.
The winners have 72 hours to shoot me an e-mail to claim their prizes!
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Tuesday, March 17, 2009
A salute for those who give in this kind of economy
I don’t have to tell you the economic picture has hardly been painted with springtime colors.
It’s made it harder this year than any other to fundraise for the St. Baldrick’s head-shaving even to fight children’s cancer that’s fast approaching.
My customary e-mail to friends and family traditionally raises at least $1,000. This year – I’m just halfway there.
People just don’t have the money.
And I just don’t have the heart. As important as the cause is to me – a mother, a journalist who has written too many times about children in this community stricken with cancer – for the first time, I can’t summon the courage to approach people the way I have in the past.
I can’t find it in me this year to knock down doors and rattle cages.
What’s shocking? How many people can – and still do. The people who are still willing to use guilt trips and the hard sell to get money for their charity as homes are repossessed and “restructuring” has taken the place of growth.
Sure, it’s good for the non-profit. But is it worth it?
I’m willing to bet that the money that came willingly in past years would come this year too if people could. I’d even wager that a fair portion of the money guilted out of people with a little pressure in years past would make its way into the coffers of the non-profits again this year . . . if people could.
Sadly, too many people can’t.
It’s why I turned down a request from another big charity this year to get involved in their cause, a cause that attracted a number of big names in Sullivan County.
With my head already pledged to St. Baldrick’s and that day already set aside for work at the Democrat, I couldn’t spread myself that thin.
I also couldn’t take the sales pitch, the insistence that I drop work aside in this economy for a day of charity. Yes, my job is here, but they didn’t know that.
And where once I could shake the trees for money a few times over because I believed hard enough in the cause, I believe as much this year in letting families feed their kids first, maybe throw $5 in a pot later.
Non-profits are hurting. But people are hurting too. And one of the key aspects of any charity is its mission to help people – to make a difference in their lives.
I will walk into the Liberty firehouse on March 28 with a smaller haul this year. I’ll be sad, sure. But I will walk tall – because somehow, this year, smaller numbers seem to be a bigger deal.
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It’s made it harder this year than any other to fundraise for the St. Baldrick’s head-shaving even to fight children’s cancer that’s fast approaching.
My customary e-mail to friends and family traditionally raises at least $1,000. This year – I’m just halfway there.
People just don’t have the money.
And I just don’t have the heart. As important as the cause is to me – a mother, a journalist who has written too many times about children in this community stricken with cancer – for the first time, I can’t summon the courage to approach people the way I have in the past.
I can’t find it in me this year to knock down doors and rattle cages.
What’s shocking? How many people can – and still do. The people who are still willing to use guilt trips and the hard sell to get money for their charity as homes are repossessed and “restructuring” has taken the place of growth.
Sure, it’s good for the non-profit. But is it worth it?
I’m willing to bet that the money that came willingly in past years would come this year too if people could. I’d even wager that a fair portion of the money guilted out of people with a little pressure in years past would make its way into the coffers of the non-profits again this year . . . if people could.
Sadly, too many people can’t.
It’s why I turned down a request from another big charity this year to get involved in their cause, a cause that attracted a number of big names in Sullivan County.
With my head already pledged to St. Baldrick’s and that day already set aside for work at the Democrat, I couldn’t spread myself that thin.
I also couldn’t take the sales pitch, the insistence that I drop work aside in this economy for a day of charity. Yes, my job is here, but they didn’t know that.
And where once I could shake the trees for money a few times over because I believed hard enough in the cause, I believe as much this year in letting families feed their kids first, maybe throw $5 in a pot later.
Non-profits are hurting. But people are hurting too. And one of the key aspects of any charity is its mission to help people – to make a difference in their lives.
I will walk into the Liberty firehouse on March 28 with a smaller haul this year. I’ll be sad, sure. But I will walk tall – because somehow, this year, smaller numbers seem to be a bigger deal.
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Monday, March 16, 2009
Win a PilloRoo for Your Little Bouncing Bean
If bedtime is like fight night, round two in your household, anything is worth a try.
So why not make bedtime sweeter with a surprise? PilloRoo makes pillows - 14-inch squares generously padded, soft and available in a wide range of kid-friendly designs. The surprise comes inside, where a pouch (hence the kangaroo-inspired name) has been stuffed with a friend to while away the midnight hours cuddled in their arms. And what's better at bedtime than a friend for the ride?
PilloRoo doubles as a pillow for on the road, small enough to fit in a toddler's arms and packed with their friend so he won't get left behind.
Want one of your own? Check out their site and tell me in comments which design would fit in your kid's bed. Get extra entries by grabbing my badge and/or blogging about this contest and all (remember to leave the link in comments as well).
Open to U.S. and Canadian residents, the contest will close on March 23, so remember to check back or subscribe at left to be notified right away. NEW SUBSCRIBERS for the month of March will all be entered to win a tee from Tees for Change.
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So why not make bedtime sweeter with a surprise? PilloRoo makes pillows - 14-inch squares generously padded, soft and available in a wide range of kid-friendly designs. The surprise comes inside, where a pouch (hence the kangaroo-inspired name) has been stuffed with a friend to while away the midnight hours cuddled in their arms. And what's better at bedtime than a friend for the ride?
PilloRoo doubles as a pillow for on the road, small enough to fit in a toddler's arms and packed with their friend so he won't get left behind.
Want one of your own? Check out their site and tell me in comments which design would fit in your kid's bed. Get extra entries by grabbing my badge and/or blogging about this contest and all (remember to leave the link in comments as well).
Open to U.S. and Canadian residents, the contest will close on March 23, so remember to check back or subscribe at left to be notified right away. NEW SUBSCRIBERS for the month of March will all be entered to win a tee from Tees for Change.
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Friday, March 13, 2009
What's New in Video - That You Should Get
Strollerderby's kept me busy with review of late, and Inside Out has been suffering. Want to know what to pick up for your kids' DVD collection?
Check Out:
Kids Get in on the Man on Wire Story
Slip Into Something Comfy With Franny's Feet
And don't forget to sign up for the Milkshake giveaway.
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Check Out:
Kids Get in on the Man on Wire Story
Slip Into Something Comfy With Franny's FeetAnd don't forget to sign up for the Milkshake giveaway.
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Save on Tears When You Spend on Labels
It was only a matter of time.
Kids love to carry their treasures everywhere they go. But while a teddy bear may mean all the world to them, it's nothing during that five seconds they see a bug on the ground, and set the bear down to investigate. It's not until hours later that it all sets in - I left Bear, and I'll never see him agaaaaaain.
Or not.
Oliver's Labels has stepped in where other label makers have failed. Affix a label listing your kid's name to their favorite toy, and the finder is linked straight to the Oliver's Website. There they stick in the code listed on the label, which Oliver's has linked to an e-mail for Mom and Dad in the system.
No more listing a kid's name and address on the label and hoping some creep doesn't pick up Teddy. The company acts as go-between, so parents never have to share personal information, and Teddy still makes it home safe.
Also stocked with mini labels for the not-so-important stuff - like the sippy cups that you'd like to keep separate from those of the perpetually-sick kid next door but you won't be losing sleep over if they're gone - Oliver's has got the whole family covered. And soon, all of your stuff will be sporting a label.
Don't leave home without it.
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Kids love to carry their treasures everywhere they go. But while a teddy bear may mean all the world to them, it's nothing during that five seconds they see a bug on the ground, and set the bear down to investigate. It's not until hours later that it all sets in - I left Bear, and I'll never see him agaaaaaain.
Or not.
Oliver's Labels has stepped in where other label makers have failed. Affix a label listing your kid's name to their favorite toy, and the finder is linked straight to the Oliver's Website. There they stick in the code listed on the label, which Oliver's has linked to an e-mail for Mom and Dad in the system.
No more listing a kid's name and address on the label and hoping some creep doesn't pick up Teddy. The company acts as go-between, so parents never have to share personal information, and Teddy still makes it home safe.
Also stocked with mini labels for the not-so-important stuff - like the sippy cups that you'd like to keep separate from those of the perpetually-sick kid next door but you won't be losing sleep over if they're gone - Oliver's has got the whole family covered. And soon, all of your stuff will be sporting a label.
Don't leave home without it.
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Thursday, March 12, 2009
Daylight Saves Me
All morning, I’ve listened quietly to people whining about the time change.
Their Facebook statuses reflect their utter contempt for the day, and they’ve yawned emphatically to remind everyone how tiiiiired they are.
I’m not a robot, I’ve made sympathetic noises.
But I’ve got a secret.
I love it.
Losing an hour of sleep I’m not so crazy about. Nor am I fond of the extra hour spent trying to convince a 3-year-old that it really is time to get to bed because, it really is bedtime, even if it doesn’t feel like it. Or of that same toddler not wanting to be roused from said bed the next morning because she is also tiiiiiiired, and she doesn’t caaaaare that you have to go to work.
If I could curl up in footie pajamas and sleep, I would too.
But it’s one hour. One measly hour.
In exchange, we don’t have to wake up to the sun bouncing off the snow and glaring through the windows. We can be snarly in the morning without the brightness adding insult to injury.
And by the time we’re really awake (around 5 p.m. or so), there it is – the sun. Bright. Shiny. Willing to stick around for a few more hours.
Yes, I’m the Daylight Savings Time cheerleader. Just don’t call me Pollyanna – I leave the sunshine in the sky.
I did cheer the Congressional switch that elongated our days of extra evening sunlight. I lobbied hard (OK, complained loudly in a local sense) for them to say bye bye to regular time and keep the daylight savings in effect year-round.
Think about it – no more driving home in the dark on a December afternoon when the deer blend closely with the sand-covered shoulders of the road and the dead trees. No more dragging out the garbage to the curb in the dark of a January evening, the process hampered by dark and bitter cold.
Does anyone actually enjoy that?
They all love that extra hour of sleep come November, but what if we never lost another hour again?
What if we just kept the status quo, kept daylight going?
You can whine about being tired all you want – but this is what I call a yawn of contentment.
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Their Facebook statuses reflect their utter contempt for the day, and they’ve yawned emphatically to remind everyone how tiiiiired they are.
I’m not a robot, I’ve made sympathetic noises.
But I’ve got a secret.
I love it.
Losing an hour of sleep I’m not so crazy about. Nor am I fond of the extra hour spent trying to convince a 3-year-old that it really is time to get to bed because, it really is bedtime, even if it doesn’t feel like it. Or of that same toddler not wanting to be roused from said bed the next morning because she is also tiiiiiiired, and she doesn’t caaaaare that you have to go to work.
If I could curl up in footie pajamas and sleep, I would too.
But it’s one hour. One measly hour.
In exchange, we don’t have to wake up to the sun bouncing off the snow and glaring through the windows. We can be snarly in the morning without the brightness adding insult to injury.
And by the time we’re really awake (around 5 p.m. or so), there it is – the sun. Bright. Shiny. Willing to stick around for a few more hours.
Yes, I’m the Daylight Savings Time cheerleader. Just don’t call me Pollyanna – I leave the sunshine in the sky.
I did cheer the Congressional switch that elongated our days of extra evening sunlight. I lobbied hard (OK, complained loudly in a local sense) for them to say bye bye to regular time and keep the daylight savings in effect year-round.
Think about it – no more driving home in the dark on a December afternoon when the deer blend closely with the sand-covered shoulders of the road and the dead trees. No more dragging out the garbage to the curb in the dark of a January evening, the process hampered by dark and bitter cold.
Does anyone actually enjoy that?
They all love that extra hour of sleep come November, but what if we never lost another hour again?
What if we just kept the status quo, kept daylight going?
You can whine about being tired all you want – but this is what I call a yawn of contentment.
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Monday, March 9, 2009
Milkshake Brings All the Kids to the Yard - to Win
Milkshake has been making its way around the blogosphere of late, so I figured it was time to check it out to see what they were all shaking about.
One of those bands you see in the Noggin interstitials, heavy on the guitar riffs and rich with melody, Milkshake offers that rare chance to listen to music with your kids and not clutch your ears. It's indie rock with a touch of bubblegum pop that makes this shake sweet to swallow.
With music that's been likened at times to the White Stripes and the Cowboy Junkies, the lyrics are tight and intelligent, the themes kid-like but not dumbed down. Go out to the ballgame with Cal Ripken on Baseball or catch puddle jumping fever with Rainy Day.
Milkshake's new DVD, Screen Play, takes kids on a VH1 Behind the Music-type ride with a look at the rockers on stage performing songs from their third album, Play, and music videos that make you yearn for the days when music television still played music.
Want your own copy of the DVD? Check out their site and let your kid pick their favorite song. Leave it in comments for a chance at a DVD or a Milkshake comic book (more than one winner!). Get extra entries by grabbing my badge and/or blogging about this contest and all (remember to leave the link in comments as well).
Open to U.S. and Canadian residents, the contest will close on March 16, so remember to check back or subscribe at left to be notified right away. NEW SUBSCRIBERS for the month of March will all be entered to win a tee from Tees for Change.
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One of those bands you see in the Noggin interstitials, heavy on the guitar riffs and rich with melody, Milkshake offers that rare chance to listen to music with your kids and not clutch your ears. It's indie rock with a touch of bubblegum pop that makes this shake sweet to swallow.
With music that's been likened at times to the White Stripes and the Cowboy Junkies, the lyrics are tight and intelligent, the themes kid-like but not dumbed down. Go out to the ballgame with Cal Ripken on Baseball or catch puddle jumping fever with Rainy Day.
Milkshake's new DVD, Screen Play, takes kids on a VH1 Behind the Music-type ride with a look at the rockers on stage performing songs from their third album, Play, and music videos that make you yearn for the days when music television still played music.
Want your own copy of the DVD? Check out their site and let your kid pick their favorite song. Leave it in comments for a chance at a DVD or a Milkshake comic book (more than one winner!). Get extra entries by grabbing my badge and/or blogging about this contest and all (remember to leave the link in comments as well).
Open to U.S. and Canadian residents, the contest will close on March 16, so remember to check back or subscribe at left to be notified right away. NEW SUBSCRIBERS for the month of March will all be entered to win a tee from Tees for Change.
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Saturday, March 7, 2009
The Wonder Pets Join the Circus
If you've got a wonder kid running around your house, take them for a trip to the Big Top on Monday night. The Wonder Pets hit the circus in a prime time special at 8 p.m. Eastern, followed by a week full of new episodes starring the likes of Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara.
Want to know what you're in for? Get the cotton candy ready and check out my sneak peek review over at Strollerderby!
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Thursday, March 5, 2009
Meet Your Kids' New Superhero
There's a new superhero on the block, and Wolverine, Superman and the pack have nothing on her.
Ladybug Girl came tumbling out of the mind of mom Jacky Davis, a fellow upstate New Yorker who I interviewed for an upcoming piece for Hudson Valley Parent. The former producer of the Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss works with illustrator husband David Soman to bring the tales of Ladybug Girl to life.
Check out my review of their new hit, Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee Boy, on Babble. The book hit shelves today, a welcome respite from the princess shtick.
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Winner Round-Up
Masterpieces of Fun Art has taken hold of my Etsy obsessions, and owner Simone will be sending a set of spring clippies to Fl Mom if she shoots an e-mail my way within the next 72 hours. Remember to check out her shop.
As for the Haute Lunch bag from a few weeks back, I'm happy to say a friend of mine won (not that I'm not happy for everyone else - just happy that one of my friends actually listened to my harping and signed up for a giveaway for once). Jennifer, you don't have to shoot me an e-mail - just prove you read my blog by giving me a call!
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As for the Haute Lunch bag from a few weeks back, I'm happy to say a friend of mine won (not that I'm not happy for everyone else - just happy that one of my friends actually listened to my harping and signed up for a giveaway for once). Jennifer, you don't have to shoot me an e-mail - just prove you read my blog by giving me a call!
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Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Keep It Clean Folks
The biggest bane of bathtime are the moldy tub toys.
Somebody's smiling on us, because Boon (the makers of that bug pod that's flying out of stores and onto shower walls) has added a line of bath toys that parents can open up and plunk in the dishwasher. Bye bye mold, hello bathtime fun.
The Scrubbles, a three-piece set of bulbous squeeze toys, twist apart so kids can scoop up water and switch bodies and heads. With rubbery tops, they double as little scrubbers for kids practicing the art of body washing - just add a dose of their body wash to the watery mix inside and let them squeeze away.
BPA-, PVC- and phthalate-free, the Scrubble is good, clean fun at its cleanest!
See Also:
Or Check Out More Bathtime Favorites!
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Somebody's smiling on us, because Boon (the makers of that bug pod that's flying out of stores and onto shower walls) has added a line of bath toys that parents can open up and plunk in the dishwasher. Bye bye mold, hello bathtime fun.
The Scrubbles, a three-piece set of bulbous squeeze toys, twist apart so kids can scoop up water and switch bodies and heads. With rubbery tops, they double as little scrubbers for kids practicing the art of body washing - just add a dose of their body wash to the watery mix inside and let them squeeze away.
BPA-, PVC- and phthalate-free, the Scrubble is good, clean fun at its cleanest!
See Also:
Bug Your Bathtub
BABY, BATH & BEYONDOr Check Out More Bathtime Favorites!
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Tuesday, March 3, 2009
My kid’s one of those ‘kids these days’
Most parents would be nervous about the influence a group of random teenagers would have on their 3-year-old.
Not me.
I was taking pictures of Monticello High School seniors while my daughter made her way through a giant box of markers opened up for her by members of the business teaching staff, when I realized half the classroom had converged on her.
As the most frequent utterance was “awwww,” I kept on working and let her entertain her audience.
And an audience it was.
A 3-year-old held captive a (mostly female) sector of the class, who helped her color pictures and asked her about her favorite colors, her age, and other things most important to a preschooler.
And she was milking it.
She apparently pronounced her hands – covered in six or seven different colors of marker – dirty, and allowed herself to be scooped off the chair and led hand-in-hand off to a bathroom by one of the teenaged members of the class.
No “bye Mommy.” No “Mom, I’ll be right back.”
I looked up, and she was on her way out, cool as a cucumber.
Coming back, she wasn’t afraid to inform the entire room that there had been no soap – and you have to have soap, after all.
It says as much about today’s teenagers as it does my self-possessed preschooler. As her mother, of course I find her charming.
But for a gaggle of teenage girls to agree is something.
They could easily have remained perched on their desks, waiting for the reporter to finish taking a few photos before they had to get into position for the group shot.
Several of their classmates did – and there’s nothing wrong with that. They were all polite, respectful.
I get a headache listening to those “kids these days” whines. I’m a parent, do you think I’m really the best audience for a lecture degrading today’s children?
And it isn’t just the toddlers who are positive signs of the future.
Teens are teens. They do stupid things sometimes, sure. But they’re hopeful, happy, helpful.
Plenty of them are willing to step in, grab a toddler by the hand, and march her off to the bathroom to wash the marker off her hands.
That’s just the kind of influence I want on my child.
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Not me.
I was taking pictures of Monticello High School seniors while my daughter made her way through a giant box of markers opened up for her by members of the business teaching staff, when I realized half the classroom had converged on her.
As the most frequent utterance was “awwww,” I kept on working and let her entertain her audience.
And an audience it was.
A 3-year-old held captive a (mostly female) sector of the class, who helped her color pictures and asked her about her favorite colors, her age, and other things most important to a preschooler.
And she was milking it.
She apparently pronounced her hands – covered in six or seven different colors of marker – dirty, and allowed herself to be scooped off the chair and led hand-in-hand off to a bathroom by one of the teenaged members of the class.
No “bye Mommy.” No “Mom, I’ll be right back.”
I looked up, and she was on her way out, cool as a cucumber.
Coming back, she wasn’t afraid to inform the entire room that there had been no soap – and you have to have soap, after all.
It says as much about today’s teenagers as it does my self-possessed preschooler. As her mother, of course I find her charming.
But for a gaggle of teenage girls to agree is something.
They could easily have remained perched on their desks, waiting for the reporter to finish taking a few photos before they had to get into position for the group shot.
Several of their classmates did – and there’s nothing wrong with that. They were all polite, respectful.
I get a headache listening to those “kids these days” whines. I’m a parent, do you think I’m really the best audience for a lecture degrading today’s children?
And it isn’t just the toddlers who are positive signs of the future.
Teens are teens. They do stupid things sometimes, sure. But they’re hopeful, happy, helpful.
Plenty of them are willing to step in, grab a toddler by the hand, and march her off to the bathroom to wash the marker off her hands.
That’s just the kind of influence I want on my child.
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Monday, March 2, 2009
Can Your Kids Have it all AND Do it All?
Think your kids need a leg up on organization?
The new TOMY game My DoItAll turns their Nintendo DS into a PDA.
It's still clearly a toy - allowing them to chat and even change voices will playing multi-player games wirelessly. But it's also packed with a calendar, scheduler, journal and built-in reference tools for homework help.
If you've been thinking about the PDA purchase, here's a chance to give them a test run. Does it help? Do they even need that extra boost of accountability? TOMY makes it worth your while with My DoItAll price at just $27.99.
And you can get one of your own - one Inside Out reader will walk away with a TOMY My DoItAll. Want in? Check out the TOMY site and leave a comment relating what other games would work for your kids. Get extra entries by grabbing my badge and/or blogging about this contest and all (remember to leave the link in comments as well).
Open to U.S. and Canadian residents, the contest will close on March 9, so remember to check back or subscribe at left to be notified right away. NEW SUBSCRIBERS for the month of March will all be entered to win a tee from Tees for Change.
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The new TOMY game My DoItAll turns their Nintendo DS into a PDA.
It's still clearly a toy - allowing them to chat and even change voices will playing multi-player games wirelessly. But it's also packed with a calendar, scheduler, journal and built-in reference tools for homework help.
If you've been thinking about the PDA purchase, here's a chance to give them a test run. Does it help? Do they even need that extra boost of accountability? TOMY makes it worth your while with My DoItAll price at just $27.99.
And you can get one of your own - one Inside Out reader will walk away with a TOMY My DoItAll. Want in? Check out the TOMY site and leave a comment relating what other games would work for your kids. Get extra entries by grabbing my badge and/or blogging about this contest and all (remember to leave the link in comments as well).
Open to U.S. and Canadian residents, the contest will close on March 9, so remember to check back or subscribe at left to be notified right away. NEW SUBSCRIBERS for the month of March will all be entered to win a tee from Tees for Change.
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Sunday, March 1, 2009
Check Your E-mail
Eleven different winners were picked today for the February subscriber giveaway from Become Beauty.
I sent e-mails in their direction - so make sure you check your inbox and get back to me if you got one.
For the rest of you - check out Become Beauty (help me thank them) and talk your friends into signing up for the March subscriber giveaway.
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I sent e-mails in their direction - so make sure you check your inbox and get back to me if you got one.
For the rest of you - check out Become Beauty (help me thank them) and talk your friends into signing up for the March subscriber giveaway.
Add to Technorati Favorites
Change It Up With the March Subscriber Giveaway
Is March coming in like a lion where you are? I'm counting on it going out like a lamb - and to help get Inside Out readers ready for spring, I offer up Tees for Change, a sign that change is coming to upstate New York at least.
A site I discovered doing research for a recent PeekabooPicks column, they bill themselves as sustainable tees on a mission.
That's right - sustainable tees, meaning your clothes are made green and every purchase adds a tree to the environment. You buy a tee, they plant a tree.
Made of organic materials, the shirts sport messages of strength (Laugh Often, Live Passionately, etc.), and they're soft as baby skin. They even make a line for babies, as well as another for toddlers and their leading lines for women. Every single shirt reminds you that life is for the living - so go off and be the change you want to be in the world, just do it in comfort.
Tees for Change is putting up a tee of your choice to one new Inside Out subscriber in the month of March.
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A site I discovered doing research for a recent PeekabooPicks column, they bill themselves as sustainable tees on a mission.
That's right - sustainable tees, meaning your clothes are made green and every purchase adds a tree to the environment. You buy a tee, they plant a tree.
Made of organic materials, the shirts sport messages of strength (Laugh Often, Live Passionately, etc.), and they're soft as baby skin. They even make a line for babies, as well as another for toddlers and their leading lines for women. Every single shirt reminds you that life is for the living - so go off and be the change you want to be in the world, just do it in comfort.
Tees for Change is putting up a tee of your choice to one new Inside Out subscriber in the month of March.
Add to Technorati Favorites
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