A Mama's Rant

Webkinz Jr. plush toys and website for the little ones

It’s just not good enough for toy makers to make a cool action figure or cute plush animal anymore. Each toy has to have their own gaming website, videos, clothing line, television show and possibly a movie, too. (Hello, Transformers!)

It’s enough to make a parent worry that the TV show is brainwashing their kid to bug their parents for toys. Or the toys are making the kids turn into Wii remote zombies.

Not to worry with Webkinz, which are adorable plush animals with their very own website. My daughter Lucie, who’s six, knows all about them and how each comes with an Internet code so you can play games with and take care of your new plush pet online. Since my daughter thinks stuffed animals are real – what six year old doesn’t – this makes perfect sense to her.

Well, Ganz, the makers of the Webkinz World™ website, recently launched Webkinz Jr.™, huggable oversized ultra-soft plush pets with a friendly world of imaginative interactive play for younger kids ages 3 to 6.

While playing, your child can visit all the places in the Webkinz Jr. neighborhood including your own home, school, the park, the caring center, playhouse and the W Shop. You can set the level at which your child plays and review his/her progress along the way. Also, unlike the Webkinz site, there is no social networking features so your child is totally safe. Take the tour to learn more.

What we did while the Rockies were losing the game

Besides praying for the start of football season, Lucie and I spent some quality time at Coors Field taking pictures:

So now we know what to do when the game gets boring – or just plain bad. Take out the Sony Cybershot DSCW170 and have some fun!

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Lucie Gets on the Bus

My daughter Lucie got her picture in the Carbon Valley Edition of the Daily Times-Call today. (I was featured last week in their business spotlight section - ‘Mommy blogger’ has found outlet for her writing.)

The photograph was taken by Morgan Varon from the newspaper. It's a wonderfully creative shot. Nathan was mad that he didn't get in the newspaper. Actually he did a few months ago when the paper took pictures of kids playing basketball at the rec center.

Lucie and Nathan were part of a group of kids from our school who participated in a community service summer camp. The picture shows Lucie cleaning the bus that the seniors use. You can read more about it at "Serving seniors - Kids learn to give back to community during camp" by Lynn Parker.

Not only are the kids being taught to give back to the community, but the teachers make it fun. Now if I can only get Lucie to clean my car. And her room. And the big puddle of chocolate milk she left behind the couch.

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Costumes aren't only for Halloween

Today was the first day of Lucie's summer preschool camp. The theme was "Pirate Adventures" and boy did the teachers go to town with their costumes. Miss Debbie was a swashbuckling pirate lad and Miss Jodi, a buccaneering pirate captain. There's nothing like having the preschool director walk around in a giant fuzzy red hat, an eye patch, and a drawn on mustache to make your day.

I must say, it was a hilarious start to the summer preschool camp season. The children made their own kids costumes such as:

• hooks out of foil and a plastic cup
• eye patches (premade patches which they decorated)
• hats out of paper
• a pet parrot made out of a toilet paper roll and construction paper

Of course, the kids all got a lesson on how to speak like a pirate - Arrgh! A pirate's life for me. Lucie can't wait for the next class, which will feature a treasure hunt for candy and GOLD!

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A Reluctant Buddy of the Week: Big Bunny

Well, Big Bunny wasn't reluctant, Lucie was. Thus the delay in posting. No matter what I did, that girl didn't want to get her picture taken this week.

This was the best picture I could take. Actually, Lucie was hiding under the covers and Big Bunny was leaning up against my pillow. I had to uncover Lucie just to get a picture of the two of them.

And forget trying to interview that girl. Instead, this week I'll tell you about Big Bunny.

Where did Big Bunny come from?

Actually, I bought Big Bunny for Nathan. It's a larger version of his stuffed animal, Bunny. Bunny is so worn out that you can see his stuffing through his fur. It's so bad that we dress him in Nathan and Lucie's old preemie pajama outfits to keep him from falling apart. At seven, Nathan still sleeps with Bunny and takes him on trips. I don't have a problem with that since I slept with my favorite buddy, Baby Bear, until I moved in with my first live-in boyfriend.

Originally, Nathan received a very small Beanie Baby sized version of him from my sister, Michele. Unfortunately, we lost it in San Diego, and Nathan was very upset.

I found the larger version online. which is now his current buddy. I'll never forget the day that the UPS man dropped off the box. I put it on the floor, opened it, and pulled out Bunny. Nathan took one look at him, ran over, and grabbed him. They've been best buddies ever since.

I bought a back up of that size buddy since he loved it so much. I was scared that he'd lose it and would be devastated. While I was ordering it, I saw that the larger, white version was on sale. If a medium sized Bunny is good, why not a bigger one? Thus Big Bunny came to our house.

What's up with that dress?

Big Bunny is wearing Lucie's Minnie Mouse dress from 2004 when she was 22 months old and still sucking down those baa-baas. (That's a story for another time.)

I dressed her up as Minnie Mouse that Halloween. I loved how Lucie looked in that dress so much that I couldn't part with it when she grew out of it.

So, I was thrilled that it fit Big Bunny. It gave me an excuse to keep the dress.

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Buddy of the week: Booger

Lucie's brother Nathan joins us since this week's buddy was originally his. But like most stuffed animals in our household, Booger has wound up in Lucie's collection.

How did you get Booger?

He was in my room after Nathan got him from a fireman. He gave Nathan Booger after Daddy drove his truck into a mountain and crashed it.

Why is his name "Booger"?

Nathan named him Booger after "Revenge of the Nerds." Before that he was Hunting Dog.

What do you like about Booger?

His tongue, his eyes and his nose.

What else should people know about Booger?

That he likes to sing. He's a very good boy, too.

Who does Booger like better, you or Nathan?

Me and Nathan.

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Our new feature: Buddy of the Week

We have a new feature at A Mama's Rant - Buddy of the Week. It's a mother-daughter blogging project between me and the Boo Girl (Lucie). It's also way for me to chronicle this time of her life since being four is a wonderful age, and she's such a special girl.

Sometimes I'll take a picture with Lucie and her stuffed animals and baby doll friends. Sometimes Lucie will take her own pictures. (She's pretty handy with a digital camera.) You can see them all at Lucie's Buddy Gallery.

Buddies

Buddies are what we call Lucie's stuffed animals. She has dozens of them in baskets all over the house. Just about each week she has a new one (or two or three) that's a favorite. Many are presents. Some have been purchased at thrift stores. And several are bribes for being good at Barnes & Noble or Borders. (Sigh.)

Her brother Nathan, is more of a one buddy kind of person - he has Bunny. I was the same way with Baby Bear, my beat up ol' bear who has been accompanying me around the world since my first Christmas. Baby Bear currently resides in Lucie's room. Lately, she's been sitting on Lucie's computer monitor, just to stay out of the way of all the choas. Smart bear.

Since Lucie brings several buddies with her everywhere she goes - school, shopping with mom, karate class, and in the car - we call the collection her buddy entourage. Only four, and she has her own posse. What a girl!

This Week's Buddies

Mousie (from If You Give a Mouse a Cookie) and Scorpie (the cat)

Where did you get your buddies?

One from the Fall Festival at school (Scorpie) and one from the bookstore (Mousie) when I went to mommy's writer's group meeting.

What makes your buddies so special?

Because they like to play on the computer. They like to read books, too. They like to get dressed with me and play dress up. They like to color and watch movies with me.

They usually like to play outside, too. And they like messing around with mommy's stuff. (I think that describes Lucie more than her stuffed friends.)

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Happy 4th Birthday, Boo Girl

The cutest girl in the world - at least to us - was born on a warm day just like the one we're having today. (It's in the 70s, unusual for Colorado). Four weeks early, she was impatient to meet her big brother and mom and dad.

She's the joy of our life, even when's she being a drama princess. We're grateful that you're here, Miss Boo. (And yes, those eye lashes are for real. Her brother has 'em, too.)

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Maricar helps you Keep Your Castle

Boo Girl thought that her feet and legs were a bit dry yesterday. So she lathered herself up with Eucerin Moisturizing Creme, the kind that comes in a big 16 oz. tub. Being a little girl, it was kind of hard to rub in all that cream by herself. But mommy was busy, so she didn't want to bother her to help. Then Boo Girl went downstairs to hang out on the couch, watch Wonder Pets, and get a snack from the kitchen.

At least that's what I figured had happened. I thought Boo Girl was playing dress up in her room. Instead she was having a day at the spa getting moisterized and plastering Dora the Explorer Band-Aids on every finger. Such fun! Such a mess!

So when I came down later and found big gooey white splotches of thick cream all over our vintage '50s green couch and our carpet I freaked out. First I scrubbed the spots with a wet sponge. Then I tried a wet scrub brush to get it out of the couch fabric. No luck. The creme was too greasy.

Finally I got the Oxi Clean Active Stain Remover. The peroxide "ate up" all the creme, but left water stains on the couch. So I will have to spray the cushions down with water and let them air dry. Just another messy day in the life of a parent of a nearly four-year-old.

But next time something like this happens, I'm going to check with Maricar at Keeping the Castle to see if she has any good stain removal tips. She has some terrific cleaning ideas, kitchen, food and cookbook reviews, and help with organizing that will make your life easier.

As she says,

"The blog is about housekeeping and homemaking. I enjoy finding articles and resources that will make the homemaker's life easier, more relaxed and even more fun. I write about tips on cooking, cleaning, organizing, home decor and everything else in between. I also throw in product and book reviews once in a while. I'm no expert homemaker; I've learned a lot while writing this blog. I hope you'll join me 'where everyone's at home'."

Keeping the Castle will give you more time to spend on the important things in life, like spending time watching your kids so they don't trash the house while you're blogging. Sigh...

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PUNK ROCK GIRL MIA

Here's the cool Clash shirt Boo Girl received from her Aunt Mimi for Christmas. The weird thing is that the shirt is missing in action. She wore it, then I never saw it again.

While my mother-in-law was here, she folded the laundry. However, I put away almost all of it. I doubt she'd throw it out or anything sinister like that. I don't think she thought it was scandalous that I dressed Miss Boo in a punk rock t-shirt.

However, we were gone the night she wore it, and I wonder if it got thrown in the trash instead of the hamper (though I still have the red pants). It probably got stuck to something else in the drier, and I'll find it eventually.

But in the meantime, if you see a size 3-T Clash shirt lying around, let me know.