A Mama's Rant

You've been warned: The Day the Earth Stood Still

It was hardly accidental that The Day the Earth Stood Still DVD was released a couple of weeks before Earth Day with its, “humans are killing the earth” message. Then again, like most good science fiction movies, it’s a reflection of the time it’s made in. However, unlike the original 1951 version of The Day the Earth Stood Still, which was a Cold War parable, it misses its mark by relying too heavily on special effects and not enough on story.

The original movie didn’t have the budget (and the technology didn’t exist) to blow you away with special effects. Instead it had to rely on acting, direction, plot and dialogue to deliver its important message of peace and cooperation – and to make you think long after you left the theater. While the classic movie seems a bit quaint today, it holds it own even after multiple viewings because it’s well done.

2008: The Day the Earth Stood Still

The 2008 version of The Day the Earth Stood Still is all special effects and watered down sentimentality and eco-friendly message. However, the cast is impressive and they do a good job with what they’re given. Keanu Reeves (as Klaatu) is at his Matrix-like, alien best. Jennifer Connelly is somewhat believable as Dr. Benson, but didn’t need to have a step-son (played by Jaden Smith) to show she was loving and concerned.

In the classic movie, it’s the child that introduces Klaatu to the adults and bridges the relationship between human and alien. In the 2008 version, the kid was a distraction, though the interaction between the kid and Klaatu was kind of nice.

Mad Men's Jon Hamm shows up here and there, as does Kathy Bates as the secretary of state. Even less screen time was given to John Cleese as a wise and kind Nobel Prize Winning scientist. I wanted to see their characters much more than Connelly’s or Smith’s, probably because I like them more as actors and their characters were more interesting.

The Ford Flex mom road test

During the kids’ spring break week, Ford Motor Company lent me a Ford Flex to try out and review. I used a own a Ford Tempo years ago(like in the last century before the Internet was around) so I was curious to see what Ford was up to.

Family fun

The Ford Flex I reviewed came with some very cool features that I could appreciate as a mom:

• Safety: The airbag sensors knew when my nine-year-old son was in the front seat and automatically turned off. There was also a rearview mirror for backing-out-challenged me. Plus, I could adjust the shoulder belts' height to fit me – great for shorter people who get strangled by too high seat belts.
• Fueling: The EasyFuel™ Capless Fuel-Filler System eliminates the gas tank screw cap, which means no more gas odor on your hands or gloves. Also, EasyFuel helps reduce evaporative emissions that create smog and contribute to global warming.
• Solid: The Ford Flex feels as solid as it looks. No wonder that it has earned five-star frontal- and side-impact crashworthiness ratings, the highest possible scores, in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) tests.
• Cool: A built-in refrigerator to keep your drinks, baby bottles and/or medication chilled. My kids loved to put their stuffed animals in it to the point that I was annoyed that they kept messing with the fridge.

My Latest at Rocky Mountain Moms Blog: Why Oprah doesn't get mom bloggers

First, Oprah has mom bloggers on her show. Then she’s on Twitter. She’s becoming a real social media maven. Well, sort of. Seems to me there’s a disconnect – especially when it comes to how she understand moms and mom bloggers and relays that information to her audience.

Learn more at my latest post at Rocky Mountain Moms Blog: Why Oprah doesn’t get mom bloggers.

Look great while doing good: Yummie Tummie gives to Donate Life for Organ Donor Awareness Month

April is Organ Donor Awareness Month (or National Donate Life Month) a cause that is very close to the heart of Yummie Tummie creator and co-founder, Heather Thomson. Her son received a liver transplant when he was 5½ months old, which saved his life.

To support this cause, Heather has designed the Life Tank, a special limited edition Yummie Tummie. All proceeds will go to the New York Organ Donor Network, which coordinates organ donations.

About Yummie Tummie

Yummie Tummie is an amazing line of shapewear fashions. Not only is it created by someone who’s a fashion designer and celebrity stylist, but Heather’s a mom who understands that women want to be comfortable, sexy and wear attractive things, including shapewear.

I originally read about Yummie Tummie in The shape of things to come - Goodbye, muffin top. Modern shapewear slims and smooths without squishing in the Denver Post and was impressed that their tops were long enough so they wouldn’t roll up. (That’s a major problem I have with shapewear camisoles I own.) Plus, their products are so attractive that you can wear it as outerwear.

Organ Donation

Seven people die each day waiting for an organ. Organ and tissue donation saves lives! Please help me and Yummie Tummie spread the word and give the gift of Life. Register to be an organ donor today!

Eggo Bake Shop Twists makes your family's breakfast routine a little easier

I don’t know what it is about my nine-year-old son, Nathan, but he cannot figure out that he’s old enough to make his own breakfast these days. (His sister, Lucie, who is 6, has no problem making her own toast, putting it on plate, and buttering the bread – all by herself.) To make it as easy as possible for him, I’m on the lookout for breakfast products that are easy for kids to prepare on their own.

On such product is Eggo Bake Shop™ Twists, the first microwaveable pastry that combines soft, pull-apart dough sprinkled with sugar crystals and strawberry or apple filling made with real fruit. In just 2 minutes and 25 seconds, your child can enjoy a warm, bakery-like breakfast that he or she made himself.

Of course, that’s assuming that your child is old enough to safely use the microwave. Nathan and Lucie, once they’re told how to exactly use the microwave, can operate it safely. Even so, I prefer to be nearby. Still, it would be great if the kids started their own breakfasts, while I was in the kitchen doing other things. It would save me time and make me feel less like a short order cook and waitress.

Win Hannah Montana Tween Beauty Products

Procter & Gamble has teamed up with Disney and launched a new Hannah Montana-inspired line of P&G Brand-endorsed personal beauty products created specifically for tweens from Olay, Secret, Cover Girl, Herbal Essences, Crest, and Oral-B. This is one of the first personal care lines just for tween girls.

I had a chance to sample some of the makeup products from Cover Girl - Boundless Color Nail Polish (MSRP $3.38-$3.99) and Wetslicks Lipgloss (MSRP $4.84-$5.99). The colors are very age appropriate for young girls trying out their first makeup products – light, shimmery pinks. And since tweenagers have little sisters, they’re even OK for younger girls when playing dress up. (Not for school, girls!) I know my six-year-old daughter, Lucie would be crazy about these products as would her friends.

Also, since girls are reaching puberty at an even earlier age these days, it’s great that P&G has come up with a special tween line to encourage them to keep up their dental and personal hygiene and take care of their skin.

The Hannah Montana collection also includes Herbal Essences Drama Clean Shampoo and Conditioner, Olay Rockin’ Blossom Body Wash, Olay Pop Tropical Body Wash, Olay Gentle Foaming Face Wash, Olay Daily Facials Express, Oral-B & Crest Manual Toothbrush & Gel Paste Pack, Crest Wild Expression Toothpaste, Secret Rock Star Rose Antiperspirant, and Secret Bella Bloom Antiperspirant.

Interested in getting some Hannah Montana beauty products for your tween? Then enter my giveaway!

** This contest is closed. Congrats to Bing of IceFairy's Treasure Chest who won the box of Hanna Montana Beauty Products**

Celebrate 10 years of Harry Potter and win two copies The Sorcerer’s Stone

Can you believe it’s been 10 years since the first Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, was first published? Now a whole new generation of children await to read about the magic world J.K. Rowling creating.

To celebrate, five winners will receive TWO copies of the paperback book Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone – one to win and one to share!

Enter my Harry Potter Share the Magic Book Giveaway at my children’s book and cooking activities blog, My Readable Feast.

You have until midnight MT on Monday, April 20, 2009 to enter.

Slumdog Millionaire DVD Movie Review

I finally got to see Slumdog Millionaire on DVD, and what struck me immediately is how the movie is a classic rags to riches American story, even if it takes place in Mumbai, India.

It’s the story of how two young boys, Jamal and Salim, against all odds survive and find success. Heck, one even becomes a millionaire. It’s that American Dream of work hard, live by your wits, and with a little luck you’ll become successful and get the girl. It doesn’t hurt to be smart either.

True, Slumdog Millionaire isn’t that cut and dried. There’s a lot of tragedy a gritty realism, too. A religious riot that causes the death of the boys mother. Somehow they manage even though they’re homeless and orphaned. As a mom, this part of the movie was the toughest for me since my children are about the same age as Salim, Jamal and their orphaned friend, Latika. Would my children survive in those circumstances? I dared not think about forced begging, purposeful maiming, prostitution and the exploitation of young children and girls in third world countries.

How to Educate girls about their changing bodies? herchanges.com can help

I’m hearing from mom friends that they know of girls who are already hitting puberty in fourth grade. Those girls are nine and 10 years old. Even though I have a kindergartener, I realize that I better start talking about bras, pimples, periods, and body odor with her soon.

After all, it’s never to early to talk to your daughter about bodily changes so you two can start an open, honest discussion about sex later on. Still, it’s a little scary so a product like Changes can help.

It's my party and I'll...

Have the fall/winter birthday party blues at your house? Are you stuck renting a room at the rec center or heading over to Chuck E Cheese? Or maybe you’re brave enough to have the entire second grade over to your house to decorate cupcakes?

Or maybe you’re one of those lucky moms who gave birth in the summer and just send everyone out to play in the back yard at your kids’ parties? (I'm so envious!)

Either way, maybe you can relate to my latest post, Long Live the Party at Rocky Mountain Moms Blog. Stop by for a visit!