A Mama's Rant

Feeding your f---ing family

Love the line about the Crockpot being a time machine...and having to wake up at 4 a.m. to get dinner going in it.

Don Draper rocks my world

I love Mad Men. So how many days until season 3 starts?

Win a Kit Kittredge: An American Girl Blu-Ray DVD (updated)

Kit Kittredge - An American Girl comes out today on DVD and Blu-Ray. Academy Award™ Nominee Abigail Breslin stars as Kit, leading a splendid cast in the first-ever American Girl theatrical movie.

The Great Depression hits home for nine-year-old Kit Kittredge when her dad loses his business and leaves to find work. In order to keep their home, Kit and her mother must take in boarders who turn out to be full of fascinating stories. When mother’s lockbox containing all their money is stolen, Kits new hobo friend Will is the prime suspect. Kit refuses to believe that Will would steal, and her efforts to sniff out the real news get her and her friends into big trouble. The police say the robbery was an inside job, committed by someone they knew. So if it wasn’t Will, then who did it?

Thanks to the folks at Warner Bros. I have THREE BLU-RAY COPIES TO GIVE AWAY to my readers. See below to learn how to enter.

UPDATED: Blu-Ray DVDs can only be played on Blu-Ray compatible machines. If you don't have one - or aren't planning to get one - please don't enter my contest. I cannot exchange the DVDs for you.

The Happening: It’s not nice to fool Mother Nature

I love apocalyptic movies like Omega Man, I am Legend, Mad Max, et al, but The Happening from writer and director M. Night Shyamalan (the “I see dead people” guy) is disappointing.

The Happening was recently released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc by Fox Home Entertainment. The movie follows a group of people on the run from an inexplicable and unstoppable event that threatens only humankind.You’ve probably seen the scary commercials showing people committing suicide by jumping off buildings or laying down in front of lawn mowers. Unfortunately, the commercials are scarier than the movie!

The actors are good, like Mark Wahlberg, Zooey Deschanel (who looks a lot like a young, raven haired Meg Ryan these days) and John Leguizamo. Still, they can’t save us from the lack of suspense. The problem is that Shyamalan gives away the reason why everyone is killing themselves way too early – and easily – in The Happening. One minor character guesses what's going on fairly early in the movie, and low and behold it’s true!

Hey Shyamalan, show not tell, you know?

The movie does have a nice eco-friendly message, but I kept wondering when the Chiffon Margarine lady was going to show up to say, “It’s not nice to fool Mother Nature.” So skip The Happening, and use your money to buy some CFL energy saving light bulbs instead.

(Thanks to Click-comm.com for the review copy.)

Shyamalan

keep your kids safe online and your computer working with Glubble.com

Are you involved with your child’s online life? Highlights Magazine and Glubble want to know. That’s why they’re inviting parents to participate in a short poll at Highlights.com.

Parents play a key role in introducing young children to the Internet, but it’s scary letting kids play online. You don’t know who’s in that chat room and you don’t want them on scary or X-rated sites. With Glubble, you have a great tool that lets children go online only where you want them to be. Basically, Glubble lets you grant permission to online usage without having to constantly be looking over their shoulder.

Glubble is a free, online activity center for families with children 12 and under that allows parents to choose safe websites for their kids, supervise where children go online, and use social networking, photo sharing and other tools to enhance family relationships.

How computers have impacted my family's life

Nathan’s turning in his first research project today on the Iroquois Indians. I remember writing my first big report in third grade, too, but it was different then. I had to go to the library and find books on my subject.

With computers, it’s so much easier. Nathan and I went online to decide what tribe he wanted to research. Then I logged on to my local library’s website to reserve the books we needed.  When the books were ready to be picked up after being delivered via interlibrary loan, I was notified by email.

I also researched Native American recipes online and when I couldn’t find a good one, I went on Amazon to look at cookbooks. Then I went back to my library’s online reservation system to place a hold on them.

If we had relied on what there was in the classroom, at home, and available on our library’s bookshelves, Nathan would have had a much tougher time doing his paper and coming up with a recipe to make for his presentation. Bottom line, computers make family life easier.

Join the party with Groovy Girls RSVP

To celebrate the 10th Birthday of the Groovy Girls brand, Manhattan Toy is introducing the GroovyGirlsRSVP.com collection! Each doll comes with her own special code to the special Groovy Girl RSVP website.

There’s even a special place for moms, at moms.groovygirls.com! Mom blogger and editor of SavvyMommy.com, Victoria Pericon, has partnered with Groovy Girls RSVP to help communicate the importance of raising the “whole girl” and provide some tips she’s collected to help guide the development of her daughter.

So what’s so special about Groovy Girls?

The Groovy Girls RSVP line was developed to provide a safe way for young girls to experience fun, fashion-filled doll play while promoting age-appropriate values and attitudes.

If you have a little girl who’s asking for Bratz Dolls or Barbie – and you just can’t go there – Groovy Girls are a great alternative. The dolls are multi-culture – there’s white, Latino and black dolls. (The regular Groovy Girls line also has Asian and boy dolls.) They’re dressed in hip clothes, which your daughter can change. They even have their own adorable pets – either a kitty or a puppy.

Each Groovy Girl RSVP doll comes with a special web access code that includes an exclusive downloadable song and exclusive access to an online, fun virtual party world. The Groovy Girl website offers safe, innovative ideas and imaginative play possibilities at no cost, too. RSVP doll owners get exclusive access. Click here to learn more.

Get your holiday shopping early and earn cash for your school with Box Tops For Education

With budgets being as tight as they are, families are trying to spread holiday purchases over several months. Online shopping makes finding bargains easy as you can compare several sites and don't have to drive all over town. But did you know that you can earn cash for your school by shopping online at the Box Tops Marketplace, and ordering books online through the Box Tops Reading Room?

Box Tops Marketplace
You and other school supporters (grandparents, aunts, neighbors, etc.) can go to www.btfe.com and register to support your school of choice.  Afterwards, all you have to do is go to the www.btfe.com home page and click on the "marketplace" tab to shop at more than 70 online stores. 

Participating retailers include JCPenney, Kohl's, Wal-Mart, Target, Lands' End and Home Depot. Up to 8% of every qualifying purchase is donated back to your school of choice at no additional cost to you. Your school can earn up to $20,000 each year. Talk about a big gift from Santa!

Start your holiday shopping early: My Little Pony A Very Minty Christmas comes to DVD on October 21

Hold your horses – er, ponies – everyone! On October 21st Paramount Home Entertainment is releasing My Little Pony - A Very Minty Christmas on DVD!

Minty accidentally breaks the “Here Comes Christmas Candy Cane” which could mean a very dreary Christmas for Ponyville.  Minty is determined to do anything to save Christmas for her Pony friends while they, in turn, band together to try to cheer up their despondent four-legged friend. Together, they all discover that Christmas can come anyway, wrapped in the love of good friends and the oversized heart of one little clumsy, minty-green Pony.

This is what I hate about having a daughter, a fascination for all things My Little Pony. I know she’ll love this DVD so I’ve hidden it away as a Christmas present. Judging by the reviews on Amazon it’s a hit with the four-year-olds, so I know Lucie, who’s five, will adore it, too.

If your daughter is a MLP fan, rush out and get the DVD while it’s on sale. Then stash it away for Christmas. Santa and I promise not to tell.

(Hugs from Lucie to the folks at Click-comm.com for sending her mom a review copy.)

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We had a great time at the Greatest Show on Earth

We went to see Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey last weekend in Denver. Wish I could show you some pictures of the circus, but they don’t allow you to take pictures and use them on your blog – personal use only. (Wonder if they let you Twitter at the circus?)

Daddy was able to come too because his fishing trip was canceled due to a hurricane in Mexico. He’s rescheduled for Halloween week, and as you can see he has already tried on his costume.

The show was very enjoyable and well attended. I appreciated that there was free parking and that my husband limited his purchases to one $12 bag of cotton candy. (Heck, it wasn’t that bad. It came with a hat.)

The last time we went to see Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey, he bought Nathan the clown mask, which wasn’t inexpensive. And cotton candy. And popcorn. Well, at least we got some mileage out of the mask.

Afterwards the big clown and I took our little clowns out for Vietnamese Pho noodle soup. Then, we went shopping at our favorite Asian market.

It was a day of family fun. Thanks Mom Central!