GoodyBlog

Friday Night Movies

This Week's Trailer Goody:

OK, so technically this is not a theatrical trailer. But, hey, it's a slow movie-news week--and this Evian ad is just so darn cute! My first thought before viewing? Roller-skating babies!?! That's just disturbing! Cut to me watching it three times in row and giggling through each replay. What do you think? Cool? Or creepy?

P.S. Baby special effects have come a long way since Look Who's Talking!

This Week's DVD Goodies:

Peanuts: 1960's Collection (A Charlie Brown Christmas; Charlie Brown's All-Stars; It's the Great Pumpkin; You're in Love; He's Your Dog; It Was a Short Summer)

Power Rangers RPM, Vol. 1: Start Your Engines

Sesame Street: Bedtime With Elmo

 

The Put-Your-Kids-to-Bed-First Pick of the Week:

Coco Chanel

Good Deed Friday: Sole Destination

Got any old trainers taking up space in the back of your closet? What about loafers? No eBay bids on your high school running shoes? Clear 'em out and head over to a Finish Line store before September 7. Finish Line will take your old kicks off your hands and donate them to someone in need through the nonprofit Soles4Souls. To reward you for being so awesome, they'll also give you $5 off a brand new pair. It's high time for some new running shoes anyway.

Before I sign off this week, a few moms I've been in touch with for this column asked me to reach out to you Good Deed Friday readers for guidance on becoming a certified 501c3. The process can be quite daunting, even for the most dedicated do-gooder. Does anyone have tips I can bring back? A website or number to call? It would be a good deed in itself.

Photo via.

Pretty and Very Patriotic

Doing another stay-cation this year? Yeah, me too. But I've always wanted to take a road trip through the U.S., and this limited-edition collection of hand washes and shower gels from Bath & Body Works called American Grown kind of makes me feel like I am. Each set of cleansers is inspired by a great American destination (Washington Apple, Napa Grape, Montana Sky, Siesta Key Lemon, Savannah Mint), and are formulated with ingredients grown right here in the good 'ol U.S. of A. The hand soap is $6.50, the shower gels are $12.50. Snag a bottle while you can—these American beauties are only available through September.

Gimme a boost, baby!

For those of you reading along, you know that I've been on a quest to find a booster seat for my 2 1/2 year old daughter, Madelyn. Her younger brother, Grant, was old enough to need his own high chair but since we live in a small apartment I don't have room for one. He needed to move into Madelyn's Fisher-Price booster that she'd been using since she was six months old. (Btw: I love this booster. It's just as good as a high chair but takes up zero space b/c you just attach it to a chair at your table. The best thing of all is the whole thing can go in the dishwasher -- genius!) But Madelyn was left to sit on her knees to reach the table. She didn't mind this as much as the fact that "Baby Grant is in MY CHAIR!" Convincing her that she was now in a "big girl" chair was blinded by her jealousy that her brother had taken over something that was hers. My tolerance for whining 2 year olds at breakfast is very low. I needed to get her own booster and fast! After my last post about my failed attempt to use a Kaboost, one of my high school friends messaged me on Facebook that I should try the BabySmart Cooshee. That's Madelyn, at left, trying it out for breakfast a couple weeks ago. (And her brother in the Fisher-Price booster I love so much.) Madelyn loves it. She likes to be able to reach the table and sit level with the rest of us; I like how it cleans down easily and somehow grips the chair so it doesn't slide off when she scrambles on. Plus, it comes with a nice little carrying case so you can schlep it to Grandma's (which we did last week). But best of all, she has gotten over the fact that Grant is in her old booster. When I told her at breakfast this morning that I was going to write about the booster and asked her if she liked it, she said, "MY chair? This one? This one is MY chair!" In 2-year-old speak that means Yes. 

Cute Kid Thursday!

My Name Is: Mackenzie
I’m: 13 months old
I hail from: Richmond, VA
I can usually be found: as close to the dog's food as I can get (or any other place I'm not supposed to be) 
Beloved Toy: My push along fire truck and blocks
Favorite Book: I'm just getting over "Wynken, Blynken, and Nod" and have moved on to anything with lions
Pastime: Playing outside
Pet Peeve: Brushing my teeth
Catch Phrase: "Uh-oh`"

Hey, got a cute kid? Please email us a pic and bio and your little Mr. or Ms. Adorable could be featured on Cute Kid Thursday!

A Shot of Summer

I know, I know—as parents, we shouldn't be advocating violence—but to me, nothing says July like a poolside BBQ or an impromptu water gun fight. So when it comes to this adorable Condiment Gun, I say yes to packing heat.

Just fill the pistol's two reusable cartridges with your squeezable sauce of choice (ketchup, mustard, perhaps some Cattlemen's), grab a burger or a hot dog, and take aim at a perfect afternoon cookout.

Spotted over at Shelterrific, via CHOW

The Power of Positive Sleeping

On the recommendation of a wildly successful friend, I finally watched The Secret on DVD. I’m going to go ahead and say there’s nothing in it you haven’t heard before, as in, "Change your thoughts and you can change your life." Like any self-help, positive thinking anything, it just serves as a reminder to believe in yourself—and in my opinion that’s what we really need, reminders. 

Right around the same time I was sent a soft pillowcase covered in positive affirmations like, “Whatever I imagine, I can do!” And really, there is "The Secret" right there. I wondered, did the universe conspire to bring me this pillowcase, as "The Secret" would have it? Maybe. I’m not sure it matters. 

But reading a few nice thoughts before bed could be especially helpful if the next day is a Monday, tax day or the day I have to finally, finally clean out the fridge. It probably can’t hurt for kids either. As the mom behind these pillowcases explains it, “Every night, I would say positive affirmations to my two boys, who were 3 and 5. While we were at the playground one afternoon, and my older son was about to climb the monkey bars, I went over to hold his legs. He stopped me by saying, 'No, Mom, I don't need you. I can do anything I put my mind to.' I knew I was on to something.” 

Plus, if you’re ever feeling really cynical and you don’t want to hear/read it (like on fridge cleaning day) you can change the sheets. 

Photo via. 

Friday Night Movies

This Week's Trailer Goody:

I'm not a big fan of animation, but I loved Japanese director/writer Hayao Miyazaki's film Spirited Away a couple years ago. Even though he won the Academy Award for it, the movie never really grew beyond cult status in the States. I'm hoping his new animated feature, Ponyo, will do better when it opens next month. It can't hurt that the voice cast is awesome: Matt Damon, Cate Blanchett, and Tina Fey, to name a few. Disney just launched a new trailer. Check it out....

               

           

Remind you of an anime version of "The Little Mermaid"? Good call! It's inspired by the Hans Christian Andersen tale.

          

This Week's Big-Screen Goody:

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (rated PG)

                

This Week's DVD Goodies:

Baby Einstein: Baby's First Moves 

Baby Einstein's Baby Wordsworth: First Words: Around the House

Hi-5: Season Two

Jonas Brothers: The Concert Experience

Princess Protection Program

Kourtney's Cult Classic:

Parker Lewis Can't Lose: The Complete First Season

                           

The Put-Your-Kids-to-Bed-First Pick of the Week:

Pedro

      

Win a Beach Vacation for the Family!

Do you have a great vacation memory captured on your camera? Head over to Parents.com to submit your photo from now through August 21 for a chance to appear in a future issue of Parents. We'll narrow down the entries to our top 10, and then, you can vote on your favorite! 

The lucky grand-prize winner will snag a fabulous vacation (and airfare) for a family of four to the Luxury Included® Beaches Turks & Caicos Resort Villages & Spa. The 6-day, 5-night stay will be in the resort's new, sprawling Italian Village & Waterpark, and it will include unlimited gourmet dining at the 16 on-site restaurants as well as around-the-clock entertainment. Along with the waterpark and kids' camps, children can spend their vacation with their favorite characters from Sesame Street (while you enjoy some watersports fun or alone time). Hmm...Maybe an editor should go check this out first!?! *hint, hint*

 

Your Best (Ear) Bud

One of my biggest pet peeves is a set of bad earphones. I like my cereal to crackle and pop, not my music. Which is why I'm a huge fan of iPopperz ear buds. They give the same high quality frequency and response found in full size headphones, but their comfortable fit makes them nice to wear. Kids will love that they can customize the ear pods with fun designs (like this very appropriate patriotic look), and my tiny ears appreciate that they come in three different sizes to fit all ear types.