Parents food stylist Karen Tack just released a "faaabulous" how-to book called Hello, Cupcake! Irresistibly Playful Creations Anyone Can Make. GoodyBloggers GoodyVloggers Taryn, Amanda K., and I crashed the recent launch party with a camera to check out the book, chat with her about the art of dessert, and learn how to make some of the cutest cupcakes ever–well, everyone's except mine...thanks again, guys.
Anyone who follows this blog knows that my 6-year-old niece has already infected me with a bad case of High School Musical fever. Yes, I am certain that I am the only person over the age of 11 who describes "You Are the Music In Me" to friends as "haunting." (It'd be funny if it weren't true.)
As it turns out, my sweet, little Niecey Botwin was, in true drug pusher form, just starting me out on the soft stuff to get me hooked and comin' back for more: This past Thanksgiving weekend at home has left me with a full blown Hannah Montana habit. (Oh, how did I not see THAT coming?)
"Best of Both Worlds"? Brilliant. My favorite, "Nobody's Perfect"? A timeless masterpiece that I can't get out of my head: "Nobody's perfect. I gotta work it, again and again, til I get it right." I mean, it's spooky. It's like she knows me!
Time to fess up, all you achy breaky parents and former fans of Miley Cyrus's dad, Billy Ray. Mullets unite!! Admit you're a big ol' Momtana … and that you would've killed to have been on Oprah last week when the big O surprised everyone with a Miley/Hannah appearance)!
Photo via.
Continue reading "The Secret Underground Hannah Montana Society" »
Unless you've been trapped under a honeycomb for the past month, you know that Jerry Seinfeld's Bee Movie opens in theaters this weekend. And it's certainly a sweet treat for all you parents out there who never outgrew your love of cartoons. (You know who you are.) But is it a film that your pint-sized swarm of movie critics will be buzzing about as well? We went straight to the source—Jerry Seinfeld himself—to get the answer:
"From the tests that we’ve done, the kids are responding to it even better than the adults. The funny thing is, adults are saying, 'We don’t think our kids are gonna get some of this.' And the kids are saying, “I like it better than you do!” So I never presume the sophistication level of kids, or whatever the age group is. But the kids do respond to it."
Which is good news for Seinfeld, who plays an adventurous and curious bee named Barry Benson, as he realizes there are no second chances with this medium. "It’s like sculpting in granite," Jerry tells us of the animation genre. "Movies like this last a long time, because you don’t see the characters age. You’ll never see Barry Benson old on some game show, you know, like, 'Oh my god, he got all wrinkly and gross!' "
So, Seinfeld was undoubtedly must-see TV. But is Bee Movie on your list of must-see movies? Let us know what you think!
Yes, we're still about 16 months away from our next presidential election, but coverage of the hopeful candidates in the press has been nonstop. You can't flip through the newspaper or watch TV for five seconds without getting barraged with bits about Mitt or Hillary or Rudy or Obama or Marcia, Jan, Cindy, and Tiger. (Sorry. That very Brady moment came right out of nowhere.)
Obviously—as long as we have our optimist hats on—all this political coverage is a good thing: The more we know about these candidates and where they stand on the plethora of important issues facing our country, the better we'll be able to make an informed decision come November 2008.
But I was just curious how in tune to this very adult campaign your kids are. Are they asking you who these "characters" are, these names they might be hearing in conversations and on TV? And then I thought it'd be fun for you all to ask your kids, regardless of their ages, one of the following questions, and then have you post their response(s) up here on GoodyBlog:
• What would be the first thing you'd do if you were elected President of the United States?
• Who do you want to be the next President of the United States? Why?
If we get any 6-year-olds commenting on raising the minimum wage or giving you the number to which you could text the word "peace", then we'll know that perhaps the media's election coverage has gone too far. But I bet some preteen kids could have some really interesting and insightful responses. It'll be interesting to see. Either way, it'll be great to get some fresh perspective, don't you think?
And who knows, maybe you'll see your child's response talked about on the next televised presidential debate. In fact, why don't you and your child post a question that affects American families on the CNN/YouTube site for the next Republican debate? Remember to tell the candidates that Parents is listening. And we, like you, are everywhere!
Photo via.
Do you worry about your kids? A little bit? A lot? Do they wear helmets and knee pads to bed? You’re not alone! (Well, maybe about that last bit...) Really though, everyone does it: We even talked to one mom who took the knobs off the stove so her kid couldn’t turn it on—and then lost them! But how do you know what’s worth being worried about—and when to chill?
Never fear, the Parents podcast is here. Our awesome host, Barrie, talks to Harvard professor and risk analyst Kimberly Thompson for a no-BS discussion on what anxieties are normal and when you should let kids be kids (aka, run around, make a mess, and get a little boo-boo now and then.)
But don’t stop there, dear listener, there’s lots more cool stuff to hear:
* Moms to the rescue! Our very own senior editor Jessica (you may know her as one of our Goodyblog gals) shares her experiences learning CPR—and gives a pretty darn convincing argument about why you should too.
* Barrie and Diane tackle tough parenting dilemmas from listeners across the country. (Want your questions answered? Email us!)
* And last, but never least, Judy reveals our Blogs of the Month. She geeks out over Goodyblog fave babytoolkit, and expresses her love for all the seriously cool stuff on another GB crush, Cool Mom Picks.
Link-o-rama:
Get it while it’s hot! Download the podcast from iTunes or click the button at the left of the page to subscribe.
Check out the hot topics on Dr. Thompson’s website.
And special props to our sponsor, Farmer’s Insurance.
If you're not already a regular reader of Design Mom, I highly reccomend that you go visit her beautiful blog. It's always one of the bright spots of my day. The mom behind the blog is Gabrielle Blair, and all I really knew about her before today was that she was a designer with 5 (count them) kids. That was enough to impress me. But today I read this interview with her at loveshak and I found out what a thoughtful, interesting, and heartfelt person she is. Here's a bit of what she had to say
With my blog, I can showcase what I'm doing in my everyday life and that gives me clarity about these immediate tasks, plus it changes these everyday tasks into a kind of public expression of who I am. Before my blog, it was: "Gabrielle Blair found the perfect swimsuits for girls this Summer." Although relatively meaningless, this kind of task (finding the perfect swimsuits) can be really difficult. So, I might be really excited about completing it, and maybe I would call my sisters, or tell a friend or two and they would get excited -- mostly out of courtesy. Now it can be: "Design Mom found the perfect swimsuits for girls this Summer." and it feels like a grand thing I can share with thousands of women and we all may benefit from the exchange.
Go check out the rest of what she had to say. Personally, I love reading about other moms and what makes them tick.
