Never Underestimate The Appeal of Cute Little Critters

My youngest daughter is 10, and sadly moving away from all things 'little girl-ish.' The Polly Pockets have been pushed aside to make room for her manga collection, the Pokémon posters have been replaced by ones of the Beatles, and her collection of candy dispensers she used to carry in her purse? Replaced by tubes of lip gloss. Shudder.

So when I received a copy of Littlest Pet Shop for the Wii, I wasn't sure how interested she would be. Would she put down her iPod long enough to play with a bunch of cute, virtual wide-eyed animals? Come to find out, the toy form of the small, plastic animals are still very coveted among her and her tween posse. In fact, she opened her backpack to reveal, somewhat sheepishly, a small collection of them stored in there that her and her friends break out on the playground after school. I didn't want to tell her how relieved I was that she didn't pull out a pack of cigarettes and a Danielle Steel novel.

The game, which features pets from the Littlest Pet Shop line of toys, allows the player to interact with their own pet and earn 'Kibble' as they play various games. They can then use their Kibble to purchase items such as collars and hats and also to earn new pets. This was a stroke of genius on the part of the game designers: Combine cute little creatures and shopping - what girl could resist? The only thing that could have made it any more appealing would have been to wrap the entire game in chocolate and bubble gum and make it redeemable for a day off of school.

Another feature my daughter loved was the way the 'new' pets arrived: riding into town on a spiffy little train. This is in sharp contrast to how our real cat arrived- hissing and being jostled around in a tattered cat carrier in the back of our van while I cursed and drove like a crazy person home from the animal shelter. You can see why I may never have a video game for kids based on my life.

But one of the things my daughter and her friends liked the most about this Littlest Pet Shop (and other similar games, such as Nintendogs) is that the play is all of a non-competitive nature. It's not really about winning so much as it is about taking care of your pet and helping them explore their environments. (The game features four unique 'worlds': Pet Plaza, Winter, Jungle and Garden.) I wish that could be a lesson for other game designers: not all games that appeal to kids has to feature the annihilation of other human beings. Granted, the average teenage boy isn't going to want to help his animated polar bear buy a new hat, but maybe something in-between? How about a kinder, gentler version of Grand Theft Auto, where the guy just nicely asks to borrow the car?

I can see my daughter and her friends getting a lot of mileage out of this game, especially in their quest to acquire more pets for their menagerie. And this works out great for me, too, since she's been asking for a dog, and another cat, and a hamster for some time now. I'm happy to let her have all the imaginary pets she'd like - as long as there's no pixelated litter box I'll have to clean.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

tags: littlest pet shop for wii | nintendo wii games reviews | ea games | hasbro

Tweet Pin It

If You Happen to be Craving a Play About Two Neon Debutantes in a Post-Apocalyptic Society

In the mood for some experimental theater? Looking to escape one more newsmagazine analysis of who was booted off "Dancing With The Stars"? Then Post Fact Productions' "NEW" starring Rachel Kolar and Lauren Brown may be right up your alley.

Here is a description (from their website) of the production, currently playing at the Son of Semele Ensemble in Silverlake;

"In a post-apocalyptic setting, two young and flamboyant socialites, Rachel Kolar & Lauren Brown, are depressed by the bleak state of the aftermath of war. No longer is there room for extravagance, no longer are there parties and delusions of grandeur. In attempts to glorify the need for excessive materialism they devise a movement of neon colors, empty consumerism, absurd rules of engagement and foppish costumes. When their movement takes a turn too dark for the pretty pair of dipsomaniacal flamingos, chaos ensues. What is left for our sad debutantes? The only thing left after destruction, to build a bomb to blow up the world. Lost amongst the ruins they stumble upon a final opportunity for redemption and must each decide to live for love or money."

And further proving you're not in Kansas anymore, here is a bio of Post Fact Productions:

"Post Fact Productions is a community for the avant hard. The pulsing opus of art by the hands of the experimental, the socially aware and the unafraid virtuosos. Founded by Rachel Kolar & Lauren Brown in 2008, Post Fact Productions creates original theater, film, documentaries, dance, music, etc."

"NEW" Performances at 8pm, Tuesday-Thursday, October 28th-November 13th
The Son Of Semele Theater
3301 Beverly Blvd.
Silverlake, CA 90004
(213) 351-3507

For more information and to reserve tickets visit http://www.myspace.com/postfactproductions

Tweet Pin It

We Made Ice Cream in Our Living Room.

Earlier this year I purchased an ice cream maker, our first ever. While my two girls were excited, I could tell they were a little disappointed at how little they were involved in the actual making of the ice cream. Sure they mixed up all the ingredients, but then it was poured into the frozen bowl of the ice cream maker and they were left to wander aimlessly through the house, counting down the minutes to when they could dig into their frozen treat.

So when we received the Light-Up Ice Cream Maker Ball recently I thought it was the perfect opportunity for some good old-fashioned ice cream making. Well, as old-fashioned as you could get, seeing as the ball resembled a toy out of a futuristic space movie. The concept is simple: Fill up one end of the ball with ice, rock salt and the special light-up 'ice cubes' included, fill up the other end with your ice cream ingredients, toss and roll the ball around for awhile and voila - homemade ice cream! My kids had fun using it, although my 12-year-old likes our electric ice cream maker better for the simple fact that she can make ice cream and still talk to her friends on the computer while doing it. Kids these days.

Here are some pros and cons we found:

Pros:

• The ball requires no electricity, which means it's perfect for picnics, camping and especially appropriate for young kids.
• According to my 10-year-old, the Light-Up Ice Cream Maker Ball made "the best ice cream ever," even better than our electric machine could churn out.
• Tossing and rolling the ball provides a fun activity to do while you're waiting for the ice cream to freeze. Cuts down the whining that parents are subjected to, which is a big plus.
• It's a great, interactive activity for a large group of people. I can't imagine ten people huddled around an electric ice cream maker, but the Light-Up Ice Cream Maker Ball would be great at a party.

Cons:

• Because the ball is made of hard plastic, any rolling or tossing needs to be done over carpet or grass. I was afraid of scratching my hardwood floors, or the ball cracking if it hit the floor, so our activity involved more shaking the ball and passing it around.
• The ball tended to leak after a few minutes, so make sure and check both covers periodically.
• After twenty minutes, the consistency of the ice cream was still pretty runny, despite following the instructions to re-fill the receptacle with ice and rock salt and stir up the ingredients. But my kids didn't care, digging out the frozen parts by the scoopful and devouring it.

Bottom line is, the Light-Up Ice Cream Maker Ball would make a great, unusual gift for anyone with young children (or those not already jaded by the presence of an electric ice cream maker.) You can buy yours online here, and check out their extensive selection of ice cream products and supplies here.

See the Light-Up Ice Cream Maker Ball in action:



Important to note: Although the people in this video are seen kicking the ball, the box clearly states, "DO NOT KICK OR THROW! This could result in damage to the Play and Freeze Ice Cream Maker Ball and is not covered under warranty." So play at your own risk.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

tags: light up ice cream maker ball | play and freeze ice cream maker | holiday gift ideas | food gifts

Tweet Pin It

Got Flu?

Last year was the first year my entire family got flu shots. But with four of us, the scheduling seemed more complicated than trying to plan the Geneva Convention. We had all planned to go in at once, but with a couple of us getting sick, conflicting work schedules, holidays and school events we ended up going in around three different times, spaced weeks apart. I think by the time we all had our shots five different strains of flu had come and gone and it was time to get vaccinated all over again.

So how's this for convenient? CVS/pharmacy, in connection with MinuteClinic, is offering flu shots everyday inside select CVS/pharmacy stores. Flu shots are only $30, and you don't even need an appointment. I saw staff from the MinuteClinic giving shots at The Women's Conference, and they were quick, clean and efficient. And apparently painless, since none of the mom bloggers cried, from what I saw.

Click here to find a location near you, or call 1-888-FLU-SHOT.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

tags: 2008 women's conference | cvs pharmacy flu shot | MinuteClinic | where to get flu shots

Tweet Pin It

Halloween, Without The Cavities

If you haven't already, head on over to Disney's California Adventure for Mickey's Trick-or-Treat Party. It's a great bargain for $29 ($37 on Halloween night), and takes place on several evenings through October 31st. The kids get to trick-or-treat throughout the park for healthy treats between spins on Mulholland Madness and the new Toy Story Mania (which was fun for all of us.) It isn't nearly as crowded as on a regular night (we just walked on to most of of the rides) and there's great light shows and character appearances throughout the park. The parade, though short, is fun to watch (I dare you to get the theme song out of your head when it's over) and with the small crowds it wasn't hard to get a front row seat.

One of the things I like about this event is Disneyland's strict costume policy, which states that "Costumes should be child-friendly and may not be obstructive, offensive or violent." My younger daughter still gets freaked out at the sight of masks with exploding brains and realistic-looking limbs hanging off of bloodied torsos, so it's nice not to have to walk around with her head buried in my arm like I had to do at an event last year.

Besides trick-or-treating, this is one of the few Halloween activities we do with our kids, and the only one that's fun for my husband and I as well - he gets to ride California Screamin' (which I won't go near) and I get to ride the best ride on the planet.

Thanks to Michele Himmelberg in Disney PR and Maria Bailey for making this night possible!

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

tags: mickey's trick-or-treat party | disneyland | california adventure | halloween time disneyland

Tweet Pin It

Let Me Scare You By Mentioning Christmas

I'm not one of those crazies that starts shopping for Christmas gifts in October (my apologies to all you crazies who shop for Christmas gifts in October.)

I am, in fact, one of those crazies that starts shopping for Christmas gifts on December 21st.

But I'm determined to cross at least one thing off of my list early this year: my holiday cards. I'm getting a little tired of waiting until the last minute and then finally getting them in the mail on December 26th. Because then I usually have to make up an elaborate story to explain why my cards are late, about how our local post office got robbed and the only thing they stole were my cards and then the Postal Police discovered them in the trunk of an abandoned Geo.

I've decided to do small booklets like the ones I made of the girls' trip to AnimeExpo, only this time they'll be made up of family photos and some drawings. If you haven't tried out the HP Photo Creations kiosk at Longs Drugs, you should check it out; it's the first in-store photo processing thingie that I've tried and I'm totally hooked. Plus, you can shop for sodas and tampons while you wait for your order to be processed.

If you want to try it out, I've got a downloadable coupon here for a buy-one-get-one free calendar, courtesy of Maria Bailey at BlueSuitMom. It would make a great gift. And it's already October, so all you crazies can start your holiday shopping now.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

tags: hp photo creations | christmas shopping | holiday cards | holiday gifts

Tweet Pin It

Free Admission to Disneyland!

Here's two things you never hear in the same sentence: 'Free' and 'Disneyland.' But guess what? For all of 2009, anyone can get in FREE on their birthday. This applies at either Disneyland in Anaheim, or Disney World in Florida. Just go here to register your birthday, and then show up on your big day with a picture ID that shows your date of birth. (Kids will need their passports or birth certificates.)

Considering that a child's admission (ages 3-9) is $59 and everyone else is $69, this could save you a nice chunk of cash. Or at least enough to buy a large soda and a popcorn from the kisok in Tomorrowland. Even more savings for someone like my brother, who has twins and will save almost $120 if he visits the Magic Kingdom on their next birthday - definitely cheaper than hiring that guy in a Mickey costume to show up at the house and make balloon animals.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

tags: disneyland | disney vacation club | free tickets to disneyland

Tweet Pin It

The HP Photo Center: Free Your Photos, Free Your Mind

I have to admit, I’m not a big fan of those photo kiosks in stores that allow you to make your own prints. I prefer to smugly believe that, as an art director, I’m perfectly capable of printing out my own photos on my expensive laser printer at home and then arranging them artfully and tastefully in an album that would rival anything you could create in an automated machine located in a store next to the antacids and adult diapers.

The problem is, in the ten years plus that I’ve had a digital camera, I think I’ve actually printed out photos maybe three times. As for creating an album? That’s on my list of Impossible Dreams, right underneath ‘make out with George Clooney’ and ‘get smell out of catbox.’

So when Maria Bailey of BlueSuitMom.com and HP asked me to try out the new HP Photo Center available in Longs Drugs, I immediately agreed. Even though I was a little skeptical, I though it would be a great opportunity to finally print out some of those shots that have been imprisoned inside my iPhoto program for the past decade or so. Besides, my mom had been bugging me for some baby pictures of my girls for quite some time, and I'm getting tired of moving just to avoid her phone calls.

I headed down to my local Longs drugs, and was a little disappointed to find a little old lady already using the machine. How long would this take? Five hours? Three days? She was a tiny thing and I probably could have taken her down, but I politely waited my turn, and was pleasantly surprised when she finished up in about five minutes. It gave me hope – surely I could work that machine as well as an 80-year-old in a pastel tracksuit.

And I was right - the system couldn’t be easier to use. Touch the screen, and it takes you through the process step-by-step. (Even going so far as to show you a diagram of the memory card dock and circling the slot you insert your card in.) Once your photos had been downloaded from your memory card, the system asks what you’d like to make: you can do anything from printing 4x6 prints to photo albums to 24x36 posters. I decided to make a min-book of pictures that I shot of my daughters and their friends at the Anime Expo last month. They’re all wearing furry hats, and I thought it would make a handy thing to embarrass them with when I bring it out and show their boyfriends in a few years.

Once you’ve chosen your project, get creative and choose from a variety of design themes and holidays, pick out which photos you want to include via the touch screen, and the HP Photo Center does the rest. It even gives you a preview of what the finished piece will look like, and allows you to go back and make design changes, add or delete photos or change the layout of your piece. I think the whole thing, from start to finish, took me less than ten minutes – around 960 minutes less than it would have taken me to layout and print the thing on my computer at home. And the price was incredibly reasonable - $7.91 for each booklet, which contained 26 photos. But the best part? No one would have to hear me cursing when I realized my printer was out of ink.

(One note: If you’re lucky you’ll have a Jeremy to help you out. Jeremy is the photo counter technician at my local Longs Drugs. Not only did he take me through a complete tour of the HP Photo Center, he was very knowledgeable about all aspects of the system and was available the entire time for questions, even when he was being asked every five seconds for the location of the restroom or which cat food was on sale that day. Thanks Jeremy!)

My girls were thrilled with their mini photo albums, and I have to admit I’m a little hooked on this whole photo printing idea. I’ve already promised to make our friends some albums of photos that I took when we vacationed together this summer, and it looks like my mom might finally get those pictures of her granddaughter’s first birthday. After all, my daughter turned twelve this past April.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

tags: hp photo center | diy photo albums | grandparents day gift ideas

Tweet Pin It

Cookie Contest Winner And A List Of Things That Can Really Piss A Girl Off.

Thanks for all of your responses to my first blog giveaway ever. There were so many pathetic stories it was hard to pick just one shining jewel in the mountain of crap some of you have received as gifts.

Some of you related to my traumatic t-shirt experience, and apparently received equally horrendous gifts from boyfriends and husbands:

ManagerMom received a cheap pair of earrings from Claires, in a Tiffany box. (Did we date the same guy?)

Undercovercookie received a $2 speedway mug.

E's boyfriend gave her a book that he recommended but hadn't even read.

Karen received boxing gloves and an Everlast sweatshirt.


Then there were the wedding gifts from hell:

Ali Martell received 1.75 in Canadian coins from her grandmother.

Anonymous received a hopeful 50th Anniversary plate.

Amy was promised a houseful of furniture from her in-laws, but got two nights at a mediocre hotel instead.


Bad, for any occasion (Hint: Don't buy lamps):

Suzy received a hideous fringed lamp adorned with angels and wrapped in cellophane

Aldeb received a single bottle of drugstore-brand nail polish (from a guy that turned out okay in the end.)

Asianmommy got a box of sugar-free chocolates from someone who didn't want her "to get fat."

MamaBird got a lamp, shaped like a duck.

Penny also received a lamp, only hers was shaped like a moose.

Rachel received a sock filled with Mexican pesos.

Nava received a FedEx watch, originally intended for her brother.


Thanks, Mom:

Jodifur's mother-in-law gave her a single cereal bowl for her wedding shower.

Kirida got an ab-roller from mom for her birthday.

Juju's unfortunate friend received used makeup and body wash from her mother-in-law.

Feener's husband received a windbreaker (from the drugstore!) from his mom.


But the story that takes the cake (and gets the cookies) is Lynette's story about getting a bathroom scale from her then fiancee, with a suggestion that "whatever I weighed the day we got married, he would have the right to divorce me if I got any 'fatter'. "

Really, don't we all just want to kill this guy?

Fortunately, Lynette eventually divorced the loser, and let him keep the scale.

Congratulations Lynette! I order you to eat each and every one of these cookies yourself.

Tweet Pin It

Cookies By Design: Saving The Planet From Crappy Gifts

(Don't be alarmed, but I'm doing a giveaway. My first ever. Read on for your chance to be part of this historic event.)

As most businesses do, every year around Christmas I send my clients a little gift to say 'Thank You." This always seemed like kind of an odd tradition to me, since in essence what you're saying is, "Thanks for giving me money all year. Now here's a paltry assortment of baked goods."

But they always seem to appreciate it, and so around the first week of December I go online and start ordering gifts. I have to admit I don't get very creative: Year after year it's the same basket of muffins or the same box of chocolates. I imagine my clients receiving their baskets every year and saying about me, "For someone who's supposed to be creative she sure picks crappy gifts."

But then I received this awesome cookie bouquet from Cookies By Design and I knew my gift giving was about to take a turn for the better. Maria Bailey of MomTalkRadio is working with the CEO of Cookies By Design to help get the word out about their product, and asked me to review a cookie bouquet. I gladly accepted, knowing I could possibly save companies everywhere from an onslaught of tubs of stale popcorn and baskets of rotting fruit come December. Plus, I really needed something to dip in my coffee.

My basket arrived on my doorstep, beautifully arranged and wrapped in cellophane. (The whole thing was placed in a sturdy bag to prevent it from falling over.) The first thing you notice after tearing off the wrapper is the incredible aroma of the cookies - they smell freshly baked. And they're huge - each cookie is around 5" - 6" tall and around 1/2" thick. Why, you could even share one if you had that type of insane inclination.

I set the cookies out for my taste testers - my two tween daughters and two of their friends - and we all dug in. The girls chose to eat theirs still mounted on their sticks (which are holding them into the base), sort of like a cookie lollipop, which they thought was the best idea ever. The verdict: They tasted just as good as they looked. They were rich and buttery, and tasted homemade. I knew my clients would appreciate this more than those tins of quarter-sized, rock-hard cookies I sent out last year. It might even inspire them to start returning my calls.

And here's the best part: You can receive your own basket of cookies from Cookies By Design. Leave a comment here by Thursday, July 17th, telling me about the worst gift you've ever received. I'll pick the most pathetic and will have a Cookie Bouquet (this version) shipped off to you, courtesy of Cookies By Design and Maria Bailey.

And may you never send a fruitcake as a gift again.

(You can read about my own pathetic gift experience here.)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

tags: cookies by design | cookie bouquets | client gifts | food gifts

Tweet Pin It