Finding BonggaMom

Wordless Wednesday: Elk

bonggamom@yahoo.com (Bonggamom) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:46:00 +0000

Welcome to my Wordless Wednesday post! This month I'm featuring photos from our trip to the Grand Canyon. Click here for more of my WW / Grand Canyon photos.

In case you didn't know, that's an elk. I'm not trying to be condescending, just helpful. I had never seen an elk before, either. Until one showed up outside our front door.

These things are HUGE. They're as big as horses, with antlers. Sharp, scary antlers. From the way it stood, peacefully eating grass, you'd think elks were as gentle as deer.

Apparently not. There are warnings all over the park about elk. You're not supposed to go within 45 feet of them, especially during mating season, because they'll run you over and gore you through.

This elk wasn't 45 feet from us. He was more like 5 feet from us. And he had friends nearby.

They are freaking AWESOME.

Visit the Wordless Wednesday site for more entries. And don't forget to leave your links below so I can visit your entries as well!

Priorities, priorities

bonggamom@yahoo.com (Bonggamom) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 21:47:00 +0000

This morning, at breakfast time, I stepped on a little metal car that one of the kids had left on the floor. I tried to impress on them that this little bit of carelessness, while small, was actually a safety hazard...

Me: You know, leaving your toys on the floor like this could be dangerous. I just stepped on one and it really hurts. But what would happen if you stepped on one and it rolled away and made you fall?

3Po: Oh, yeah, that would be bad. The Hotwheels car might break!

Photo Hunt: Veterans/Military

bonggamom@yahoo.com (Bonggamom) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 22:17:00 +0000

Okay, back to Grand Canyon photos. Finding a military themed photo from the Grand Canyon wasn't easy. We did ride on the plane with a couple of military guys, who were upgraded to first class (wasn't that a nice thing of US Airways to do?). But I didn't take their photo because, well, I had no idea I was going to be looking for a military themed photo, and because, well, I'm not a stalker.

Then I found this photo of Jammy taking a photo of me taking a photo of him. He was wearing his army camouflage pants that day, as well as his flight bomber jacket. Mission accomplished!

For more military or veterans photos, visit the Photo Hunt. And don't forget to leave your links below so I can visit your blog!

Wordless Wednesday: Grand Canyon

bonggamom@yahoo.com (Bonggamom) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 22:32:00 +0000

We seem to have an excess of photos from our Grand Canyon vacation two weeks ago, so for each of the next 4 Wordless Wednesdays, I've decided to feature a different photo from the Grand Canyon. After all, when you've got over 400 shots of one of the world's most scenic places, you've got to share them.

The thing with the Grand Canyon is, photos don't do it justice. Especially crappy photos like the ones I take. None of the photos I had seen previously had prepared me for the colors, the vastness, the majesty of it all. You'll just have to take my word for it that it's an awesome sight.

If you don't believe me, then maybe you'll trust the opinion of a couple of pretty picky travelers. They give the place Two Thumbs Up!

Visit the Wordless Wednesday site for more entries. And don't forget to leave your links below so I can visit your entries as well!

Some Thoughts on Videogame Violence

bonggamom@yahoo.com (Bonggamom) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 22:01:00 +0000

Last week we were invited by Ubisoft, a gaming software company, to their San Francisco office to check out their lineup of games for Nintendo DS before they are released this holiday season. They mentioned role-playing games and nurturing animal games that boys and girls can play, so I was intrigued. Besides, I can never resist a sneak peek, so off we went.

We were greeted at the lobby by this:

I have to say, this made me nervous. 3Po and Jammy were grinning from ear to ear at the sight of Commando Ubisoft, with his fatigues and nightvision goggles and mysterious-looking doodads strapped to his waist. My heart sank. I hope they don't end up trying out war games.

Until recently, I've been pretty negative about video games. Now that my kids have tried out video gaming systems with an educationaal slant (like the ones for the Leapster and Didj), I've loosened up a bit. Now I consider video games as a form of screen time, in the same category as tv watching, dvd watching and online gaming. It's entertainment that can help kids unwind and relax, and it's harmless in moderation, especially when the games have an educational component. These days my kids get 20 minutes to 1 hour of screen time per day. The length usually depends on how much screen time they've had in the recent past, how much homework or chores they have to do that day -- and I'll admit, how much time I need to work undisturbed. It's up to my kids to choose what form of screen time they want to engage in that day.

But we have much experience with video gaming systems for older kids like the PSP or Nintendo DS. And I still dislike videogames with violence in them. It doesn't matter that kids say they know the difference between the virtual world and the real world, that they would never consider spraying a whole field of people with bullets, or trashing someone else's car. I just think that repeated exposure to that kind of violence desensitizes them to the real thing, and when aggression is glamorized the way it is in violent videogames, kids might become more likely to react with aggression in real life situations because they have absorbed the message that it's what cool people or badasses do.

Fortunately, I'm happy to say that Commando Ubisoft did not make an appearance that day, and that Ubisoft actually has an excellent selection of nonviolent games for kids that emphasize exploration, strategy, creativity and critical thinking rather than mindless violence. And no, the games were not lame-o offerings that would put a 4 year old to sleep after a couple of days. The two games that 3Po and Jammy played definitely look like they would satisfy my young boys' obsession with battles and combat for quite a while -- because what could be more violent and destructive than dragons and dinosaurs?

I'm not naive, and my glasses are not rose-colored. I get that boys like to act out aggression and role-play good versus evil. I know combat can be rough, but at least in the two combat games that 3Po and Jammy played -- Battle of Giants: Dragons and Battle of Giants: Dinosaurs -- the violence stays firmly within a formal combat arena, and it stays firmly in the fantasy/nature realm. Dragons and dinosaurs tear each because it's in their nature to fight, and there's no question of extending this aggressive behavior towards humans. Also, both games encourage critical and strategic thinking when they allow the boys to customize their dragons or dinosaurs to emphasize certain traits that will help them win battles. Based on the 3Po and Jammy's limited experience with these games (they played for just over an hour, and most of that time was spent finding their way around since they have next to no experience playing with the Nintendo DS), I think it's a level of violence I'm comfortable with at this age.

One last point: I'm glad that Ubisoft understands that I'm not the only parent with these concerns. They're trying to get parents informed and engaged on their new Parent's Corner, a website where parents can find all kinds of information related to Ubisoft's games and video gaming in general. For example, parents can ask questions , learn about gaming safety, share experiences, and get age-appropriate recommendations for videogames for their kids. All in all, we had a lot of fun trying out Ubisoft's latest games, and I left feeling more comfortable about easing my kids (and myself) into the world of video gaming knowing that there are games out there that I feel comfortable letting my kids play.

We received sample videogames to try out, but no monetary compensation. The views and opinions expressed here are my own. Stay tuned for more Bonggamom Finds reviews of Ubisoft's lineup of Nintendo DS games for the holidays, featuring games from their Imagine, Petz and StyleLab lines.

Happy HArrrrr-lloween from the Pirate Family

bonggamom@yahoo.com (Bonggamom) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 14:12:00 +0000

Here's a treat for all you landlubbers: some Halloween pirate jokes!

What's a pirate's favorite Halloween candy? MaArrrrrs BaArrrrrrrrs and StaArrrrrrburst.

A little boy is trick or treating on Halloween by himself. He is dressed as a pirate. At one house, a friendly man asks him, "Where are your buccaneers?" The little boy responds, "On either side o' me 'buccan' head!"

What do a pirate and a gangster have in common? They both say, "Yo Ho" (okay, that wasn't Halloween-themed, but I couldn't resist).

Happy HArrrrr-lloween!

Anyone want $100?

bonggamom@yahoo.com (Bonggamom) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 21:42:00 +0000

And you don't even have to be a buff, tanned poolboy to win it....... In case you haven't entered yet, my Wonder Bread giveaway ends November 4 -- you've only got a few days left to enter to win a $100 Visa gift card and a year's supply of Wonder bread!

Click here to get to the Wonder Bread review and giveaway post, and to enter......

Wordless Wednesday: Arrrrr!

bonggamom@yahoo.com (Bonggamom) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 02:57:00 +0000

3Po and Jammy have been set on their Power Rangers Halloween costumes for months, so I was taken by surprise when they decided they wanted to dress up as pirates for last weekend's Halloween party. But I quickly rallied.

I simply opened up my "old clothes" bin and took out a couple of shirts and trousers that the boys had outgrown. I cut up the ends of the pantlegs and shirtsleeves into zigzags, and pieced together the cut-up sleeves to make headrags. Then I threaded some beads onto elastic bands and looped that over their ears to make dangling earrings. I got creative with Jammy's shirt by slitting the front, poking some holes on either side of the slit, and threading through some black string to make a lace-up front. Slip on an eyepatch, wrap a black scarf around their waists, and Avast! A wondaArrrrrrrful homemade pirate costume!

Visit the Wordless Wednesday site for more entries. And don't forget to leave your links below so I can visit your entries as well!

5 Things I didn't Know about the Grand Canyon

bonggamom@yahoo.com (Bonggamom) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 19:38:00 +0000

When I go on vacation, I don't like to wing it. I like to plan and be prepared. I'm all for experiencing little surprises along the way, but for the most part, I like knowing where we're going before we go, and what we're doing before we do it. So before every vacation we take, I try to spend some time reading about our destination, what it's like, what to see, and what to do.

I've returned from our trip to the Grand Canyon with a sense of awe, happiness, satisfaction -- and humility. Despite all my research, I was unprepared for many of the things we saw and did. Here are five things that surprised me:

It's BIG.
I knew the Grand Canyon would be grand, but I was unprepared for the vastness of it all. We couldn't see the canyon at all when we were driving to it. We kept looking around and everything around us for miles and miles was just flat. And then all of a sudden, the ground ended in front of us, and we realized we were actually up on the edge. The earth opened up, and it was like a huge hole had been dug out of the planet.

Can you see itty-bitty Alfie on the edge of that cliff? See the bottom edge of the photo? That's not even halfway down.

For some reason I thought the canyon would be narrower. Instead, it's a huge chasm that's miles across. When you stand on the edge and look out, you truly feel insignificant. My words and photos just don't do it justice. I'm not sure anyone else's can.

It's cold (and wet)
In my mind, Arizona = desert. Boy, was I wrong. I didn't expect to see pine forests, but both the northern and southern rim are covered with pine trees. When you look out at the Grand Canyon, the whole top part is covered by a thin, deep green carpet of trees (and it really does look like a carpet, not like individual trees, because they are so far away). I didn't expect it to rain, either, but it did. Yup, it rains. And hails. And snows.

It's wild
When you look out over the canyon, it's not uncommon to see birds soaring, drifting on the curents like the magnificent, free creatures they are. We also saw tons of elk and deer on the roadside, crossing the roads at night, even grazing on the lawn in front of our hotel room! Frankly, I'm amazed that these animals venture so close, what with all the headlights and the camera flashes. That must be one sweet lawn.

It's wired
It seems like there's no such thing as wilderness these days. Some people might find that sad, but I'm all for it. We had cellphone coverage the whole time, and our hotel had excellent wireless internet access in the lobby. Don't worry, it's not totally developed: I did have to change my route to the lobby because there were a bunch of elk blocking my path.

It's Grand
We were at the Grand Canyon from about noon on Monday till about 4PM on Wednesday. Alfie wondered whether we'd sit around with nothing to after we got to the Grand Canyon and took a few photos. But afterwards, we both agreed that our vacation could have lasted a week without running out of things to do. Granted, you could hit all the most famous landmarks of the South Rim in a day (a very looong day), and indeed, many people do. But it's a tight squeeze, because each place you stop at has a different view of the Canyon, and each time you stop you want to take a whole new set of photos.

Besides, the Grand Canyon is more than a series of photo opps connected by bus or car drives. I'd have liked to hike the Rim Trail and Grand View Trail for more than 10 minutes. I'd have loved to bike on trails that wind through miles of forest. If we had even more time, I'd have loved to get all the way to the bottom (although I don't know whether I'd trust the mules to take me down, or trust myself to hike all the way back up). I'd have loved to get on a raft and ride the rapids (just the small ones). I'd have loved to make side trips to Sedona, Havasu Falls, and the Sunset Crater Volcano. I'd have loved to hang out in Flagstaff and get my kicks on Route 66.

But we can't really complain. We saw the Grand Canyon.

Photo Hunt: Tied

bonggamom@yahoo.com (Bonggamom) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 21:14:00 +0000

Okay, it's a stretch. Hey, her sweater is tied around her waist. Alright, I'll admit -- I just wanted to show off the photo. But if you had over 400 photos of one of the 7 Natural Wonders of the World, you'd want to show them off, too. Can you guess which Wonder of the World this is? No, not the girl, I mean the place behind her!

Stay tuned for more photos from this vacation for my next few Photo Hunt entries!

For more tied things, visit the Photo Hunt. And don't forget to leave your links below so I can visit your blog!

Living in a mixed-race world

bonggamom@yahoo.com (Bonggamom) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 04:31:00 +0000

Last week Alfie sent me an article that made my blood boil. Just think -- if Alfie and I had applied for a marriage license in Lousiana instead of Nevada, we might have gotten stuck with that asswipe, he'd have refused to marry us and we'd still be living together in sin. Thank goodness Elvis is a much more tolerant justice of the peace. And thank goodness the Bay Area isn't like that. It's sad to think that he would deny us marriage because he's taking pity on our three beautiful, intelligent, confident children. And he dares to think he isn't racist.

Photo courtesy of Erinleigh Photography (and BTW Erin's own beautiful daughter is half-Korean!)

Click here to read my Silicon Valley Moms Blog post about Keith Bardell-- and feel free to leave a comment to add your two cents to the discussion!

Win $100 and a year's supply of Wonder Bread

bonggamom@yahoo.com (Bonggamom) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 01:42:00 +0000

This is a compensated review from BlogHer and Wonder®.
Keep reading to find out how to win a $100 Visa gift card and a year's supply of Wonder® bread!

Don't forget to check out my Wonder Bread review and giveaway post on Bonggamom Finds -- I'm giving away a $100 Visa gift card and a year's supply of Wonder bread! Click here to continue reading and to enter......

Photo Hunt: Free

bonggamom@yahoo.com (Bonggamom) — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 05:52:00 +0000

This week for the Photo Hunt we get to showcase any photo we want. Miss TN Chick says it's a free week, but I'm going to take it literally and post a photo of something FREE. As a blogger I've been so lucky to receive free stuff to review. Quite a lot of it is for the kids, and obviously they really enjoy it. One of the things I've received that the kids have really really loved -- and still do -- is the Shred Sled. The technical name for it is caster board, but my kids call it a wiggle board. It's like a self-propelling skateboard; you twist your torso and wiggle your legs around to make it go.

Here's the latest video of 3Po and Jammy on their Shred Sleds:

It's so much fun, even Alfie and I like using it!

I still can't believe they sent these to us to try and review. Gotta love blogging!

If you want to find out more about the Shred Sled, click here to read my review. And For more Photo Hunt entries, click here. And don't forget to leave your link below!

American Girl Place, NYC

bonggamom@yahoo.com (Bonggamom) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 07:01:00 +0000

Two weeks ago I got visited New York City for the first time in almost a decade. In the past, when I've traveled to NYC on business, I've always tried to spend some of my free time soaking in the best of what the city has to offer. This time around, I had about a day and a half of free time. And what did I do? I went to the American Girl Place on 5th Avenue. This is what being a parent does to you. I could have seen a play on Broadway, or gone for a run in Central Park, or walked among the beautiful works of art at the Met, but no, I had to go and look at overpriced dolls and fantasize about buying the whole lot for The Pea.

But enough about my ambivalent feelings about American Girl; this is supposed to be Wordless Wednesday. Here are some photos of the store.

Other than a few souvenir items, this AG Place has the same stuff as the AG Place in Chicago (I actually posted photos of my visit to the American Girl Place in Chicago several Wordless Wednesdays ago) . Only the layout and the storefront displays were different (although I'd guess the displays change periodically and it's likely that the displays in Chicago are identical to the ones on NYC at the same point in time). I personally like the storefront of the Chicago branch, with it's tall glass windows.

It's nice to see the Golden Gate bridge. Not so nice to see Julie's 70's pantsuit. I have vivid memories of wearing clothes that looked even more hideous than that.

I love this little witch's outfit. It almost looks as though I could sew it myself.

This is something you don't see in your everyday public toilet stall: a place to hang your doll. I was enchanted enough to take a photo (I did make sure I was alone in the restroom because I didn't want people to think I was some kind of perv). I suppose a doll holder takes up less space and breeds less germs than a doll toilet alongside the real one.

I love Kit's treehouse, and I'd love to put this under our holiday tree this year. But we'd need to buy a bigger house in order to store it. And we'd need to be rich enough to buy a bigger house in order to be able to afford to buy the treehouse.

For more photos of the American Girl Place in NYC, check out my Flickr photoset. And click here for more Wordless Wednesday entries. Finally, please leave the link to your WW post below, I promise I'll drop by!

Not Having a Baby Changes Everything

bonggamom@yahoo.com (Bonggamom) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 18:41:00 +0000

Today is the Silicon Valley Moms book club discussion day for October, and all I can think about are babies.   Every day I see dozens of babies in strollers when I drop the kids off at school; they're looking particularly adorable these days, all swaddled up in thick coats and hats to protect them from the wind and the rain. I paid special attention to babies today because my brother and his wife are going into the hospital today to deliver their first baby via C-section. She's got placenta previa, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that everything is going to be alright. They live all the way in far-off Bahrain, which I know next to nothing about, so I have to keep warding off all kinds of stereotypes about the state of development in that part of the world. I'm pretty sure Bahrain is as modern as Dubai, and if celebrities like George Clooney and Matt Damon can vacation in Dubai, they must have great hospitals that give world-class care. Still, I think I'll breathe a lot easier once that baby is out of her mama's tummy and all her fingers and toes have been counted.

So what do babies have to do with this book club? Actually, babies figure prominently in October's book, This is Where I Leave You.   The main character's marriage really begins to unravel following a tragic, late-term miscarriage. This happened to a friend of ours; at about 30 weeks, his wife went to a prenatal appointment and discovered that the baby's heart had stopped beating. I remember driving him to the hospital from work and how awful it all was. A year later, the wife became pregnant again; now they have two healthy boys, and although they mourn their little daughter's passing, they've moved forward and life is good.

Of course, things could easily have gone the other way, as it did in this book. The tragedy is compounded because at precisely the time a couple should be able to lean on each other and become closer, the couple in the book, Judd and Jen, drifted apart.   But I can see how that could happen. In a few of my more paranoid-morbid moments, I've wondered about what Alfie and I would do if, God forbid, anything happened to our children and we were left with just each other. In a situation like that, it would be all too easy for each of us to retreat into our own shells. I don't know if I would have the strength to go on living, let alone keep my marriage going.    Would we go the same path as John and Louise? Or Judd and Jen?

You know that saying, Having a Baby Changes Everything? Well, not having a baby can also change everything.

But enough depressing thoughts. I'm going to be an aunt today, and I'm counting my blessings.

My Grand Bargaining Chip: The Grand Canyon

bonggamom@yahoo.com (Bonggamom) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 20:38:00 +0000

Next week I get to cross an item off my "Things to Do Before I Die" list -- we're going to the Grand Canyon, and we're all really excited. The kids, especially 3Po and Jammy, don't really know what to expect, but they've been to Yosemite and loved it, so they're taking our word for it that the Grand Canyon is a trip worth getting excited about. And when you're five years old, any excuse to jump on an airplane is still something to get excited about. So I've been milking the Grand Canyon for all it's worth and getting some major parenting leverage off our upcoming trip:

Jammy, put your helmet and elbow pads and knee pads before you go out skateboarding.
But I don't need them!
Yes, you do. Do you want to break a bone just before we leave for the Grand Canyon?
Oh, ok.

3Po, take your medicine.
But I don't want to!
Do you want to be sick when we leave for the Grand Canyon?
Okay, mama, I'll take my medicine.

Mama, can you buy me some candy?
You know, honey, we're going to the Grand Canyon next week, so we'll buy you a pack of gummi bears to chew on the plane.
Okay.

M & M's family went to Disneyland this summer. I wish we could go to Disneyland too.
Well, you know, we're going to the Grand Canyon...
Oh, yeah!

This Grand Canyon had better be freaking AWESOME, otherwise my parenting credibility is shot.

Take Your Medicine, Or Else......

bonggamom@yahoo.com (Bonggamom) — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 14:44:00 +0000

3Po has had a rotten week. On Monday, he was sent home from school because the school nurse thought he had pinkeye (he didn't). He stayed home from school on Tuesday and Wednesday because he had a bad cold. He made it through school on Thursday, but at basketball class on Thursday afternoon he began rubbing his eyes and five minutes later his eyeballs were swollen. He kept rubbing his eyes, and now they are badly infected.

Poor kid. To top it off, I have to squirt some antibiotic gunk into his eyes twice a day. He hates it, says it makes his vision blurry. The first time I did it, Jammy tried to help his brother out with some words of encouragement:

Jammy: 3Po, better BLURRY than BLIND!

He then proceeded to draw a picture of what 3Po's eyes would end up like if he didn't have the medicine:

If I thought I'd end up looking like Spongebob Squarepants, I'd take my medicine in a hurry.

Photo Hunt: Sports

bonggamom@yahoo.com (Bonggamom) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 22:18:00 +0000

If you're English, you'll recognize these well-known sports figures. Even if you detest football, even if you buried your head in the sand, you'd recognize them (trust me, ask my mother-in-law).

John Terry playing for Chelsea at the Stanford Stadium in 2007. We were so close to the pitch, we could almost feel the sweat as they ran by and whipped their heads around.

The England national team, circa 2008. Here's my best guess, L-R: Ashley Cole, Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand, Shaun Wright-Phillips, John Terry (I think the last 2 on the right are coaches or trainers). Did I get it right, Alfie? Was I actually listening to you scream at the tv?

The Special One (Stanford Stadium, 2009). If you don't know this guy's name, you're not a football fan.

For more sports, head on over to the Photo Hunt. And if you do comment, please leave your link in the Mr. Linky below!

Vote for Efren, a CNN Hero!

bonggamom@yahoo.com (Bonggamom) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 23:28:00 +0000

Have your heard of CNN Heroes? Every year, CNN gives $100,000 to the winner (from a field of ten finalists---winnowed from 9,000 nominees from all over the world) of its "Hero of the Year" award. This year, a 28-year-old Filipino, Efren Peñaflorida, made it to the top ten. (A panel of 12 well-known personalities from various fields picked the finalists. Colin Powell was among the judges this year). If Efren wins this year's award (based on how many votes he gets, which will depend on us), he will be able to expand his mobile school program, Dynamic Teen Company, for the children of the slums in the Philippines. What this young man is doing to improve the lives of the kids in the slums is truly inspiring, and I think his efforts are worth my vote.

Voting is open between now and Nov. 19, and it takes less than a minute to click a button to cast your vote. The more votes Efren gets, the greater his chances of winning the "Hero of the Year" award and the $100K. Let's all vote for Efren and help him continue to make a difference in those slum kids' lives! Please don't forget to pass this on to everybody you know---Filipinos and non-Filipinos alike----so more people can vote for this young man with an extra big heart.

Change Happens, whether you notice it or not

bonggamom@yahoo.com (Bonggamom) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 21:37:00 +0000

When you see your children from day to day, it's difficult to realize how quickly they change. Here's a photo from our last family portrait session, done four years ago:

We had some family portraits taken just a couple of weeks ago with photographer Erin Leigh (I'll be doing a review of her amazing work soon on Bonggamom Finds). Here's one of the photos from the session:

photo courtesy of Erin Leigh Photography

Same backdrop, same positions (L-R: 3Po, me, Pea, Alfie, Jammy), same grownups. Aside from our hairstyles, Alfie and I look pretty much the same. I've even got the same necklace on, and Alfie is wearing the same shirt. (Neither was done deliberately, and I swear, we do have other nice clothing and accessories).

But who are those little strangers in the first photo? It's amazing how much the kids have changed in four years -- from babies to children.

I'm scared to think of how much they're going to change between now and our next portrait session.

Photo Hunt: Words

bonggamom@yahoo.com (Bonggamom) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 22:08:00 +0000

Third grade brings with it a whole new set of challenges, not the least of which is a renewed emphasis on writing. The Pea and her classmates write essays and letters and journal entires every single day. Here's a note she wrote to Hautemammas.com when I reviewed their line of stationary products.

For more words, head on over to the Photo Hunt. And if you do comment, please leave your link in the Mr. Linky below!

Paying My Respects, 8 Years After

bonggamom@yahoo.com (Bonggamom) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 03:29:00 +0000

When I was invited to attend Time to Play magazine's 2009 Holiday showcase, I almost peed in my pants in my eagerness to attend, for two reasons; first, because I would get to see all the coolest -- and hottest -- toys for the 2009 holiday season, and second, because the event was in New York.

Once I was sure this trip was going to happen, I knew immediately that there was one place in New York I wanted to visit: Ground Zero. The last time I was in Manhattan, the Twin Towers were still standing.

It was weird looking at the Manhattan skyline from the airport car window and not seeing the twin towers jutting up into the sky. It's difficult to suppress a sigh. They were so magnificent. It's such a shame. I cannot imagine what New Yorkers must feel. They must miss it fiercely, as though the towers were limbs amputated from the body of buildings that is Manhattan.

Today Ground Zero looked like a busy, bustling construction site. As I looked down on the site from my vantage point at the World Financial Center, I remembered my own visits to the WTC. As a little kid, I remember standing on the ground, staring up at the two buildings until I was almost bent over backwards in my effort to see the top. I remember going up to the Top of the World observation deck in Tower 2. Another time, I remember getting off the subway at the station underneath the complex and shopping at Century 21 afterwards. On another visit, I remember having lunch at the Windows on the World restaurant in Tower 1, and looking out the windows and down at the clouds.

I stopped by the Tribute WTC Visitor Center, where they have a gallery of personal images, videos, artifacts and stories of people affected by the tragedy.

The volunteers have thoughtfully left boxes of tissues at strategic places throughout the galleries. I used my fair share of them.

I also signed up for a walking tour around the perimeter of Ground Zero and a couple of memorials built to commemorate the lives that were lost. I normally don't like organized tours, and I didn't want something where the guide points and the tourists gawk. I especially don't like the thought of commercializing and profiting from what happened.

But I signed up because the tour guides are volunteers who were survivors, family members, rescue workers, volunteers, or people who were significantly affected by 9/11. Each tour is different because each tour guide interweaves the facts with their personal accounts of their 9/11 experience. One of our tour guides was a retired firefighter and volunteer rescue worker who spoke of inhaling so much white (toxic) dust during his rescue work that his wife's lips burned when she kissed him. Our other tour guide spoke about the search for her daughter, hearing a little girl talk about how she saw "the birds in the sky were burning", and wondering how many years later that little girl would realize that what she saw burning in the sky were not actually birds. It was touching and moving and very emotional.

I know many New Yorkers feel almost insulted that tourists flock to the site, that it's disrespectful to be posing for photos in front of this place of such tragedy. But what happened at Ground Zero affected so many people to some degree, and it is fitting that people should go there to visit and pay their respects and mourn the loss of the landmarks and community and lives. It's what people do when they care.

A (Paper) Fantasy Come True

bonggamom@yahoo.com (Bonggamom) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 00:16:00 +0000

Holy cow!! I'm a winner! I just got word that my Woodland Fairy Outfit has been chosen as the winning entry in the Klutz Paper Fashions Fantasy Design Challenge!

Here's the story: Klutz invited craft bloggers from near and far to submit their very own original fantasy outfit created using their new book, Klutz Paper Fashions Fantasy. I was given a copy of the book to review and invited to enter as well. The book is so much fun for little girls (and now you know, big ones too) because it contains stencils and patterned papers and embellishments and everything you need to create fantasy fashions out of paper.

I'm still flabbergasted that I won! I certainly don't think of myself as a craft blogger, just someone who loved doodling and creating so much as a little girl that she still occasionally dabbles in it when she thinks no one else is looking. There were so many amazing designs! Alfie, loyal soul that he is, told me he didn't think any of the other designs was any better than mine. I was told that Klutz chose my design because it used the most materials and elements from the book. But I'm so happy they liked it, I'm going to accept and say thanks before the Klutz people change their minds! So thank you, Klutz, Thank You!!

This post originally appeared on Bonggamom Finds. I just wanted to brag about it some more, so I posted it here as well.

Even kids can Do One Nice Thing

bonggamom@yahoo.com (Bonggamom) — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 21:37:00 +0000

Last week I put my on my ~~repressed little kid~~ artist hat and painted some faces for a good cause. A good friend of The Pea and her mother have put together a wonderful program for residents of a nearby homeless shelter. This kid is a smart and compassionate little cookie, and she realizes that not every child gets to have a fancy birthday party with clowns and cupcakes. So she and her mother organized a Birthday Club where they invite friends to host birthday parties each month for kids at the shelter. Hosts provide cupcakes and pizza and tableware and decorations, and they take donations of gently used books so that each birthday child gets a nicely wrapped book as a present.

When I heard about this program, I knew I wanted to participate. When I was little and my birthday rolled around, my parents would always take us to the local orphanage to distribute ice cream cones to the children, and I always thought it was a wonderful way to teach children that blessings can be shared. I saw this as the perfect way to continue the tradition with my own children -- but quite honestly, we don't have the money to be hosting this kind of thing. So I offered to attend the party and paint children's faces, because I know every kid loves to have their face painted, and even though we don't have as much money as the people living around us, I can still contribute my time and talents and set an example of community service to my kids.

I have to say, I was delighted to find that the party -- and the face painting -- was a huge success. My table was mobbed! I stayed way past the party end time because there were still children asking to have their faces painted. I even painted the faces of some of the children of the party hosts. The children were all so excited, from the moment they began leafing through my books of designs, to sitting still (well, not so still) while I painted their face, to looking in the mirror and seeing the designs on their faces for the very first time. It was wonderful to see, and I was happy to be a part of such a special event. And I was happy that my kids were seeing me and the other moms doing something nice for other kids.

But believe it or not, even though this post is almost over and I've been blathering about myself, this post is not about the One Nice Thing that I did. Almost an hour after I was scheduled to finish up, I finally packed my painting kit up and called my kids to come with me and head for the car. When Jammy, who had been playing soccer with the other kids, heard that we were going home, his face crumpled.

Me: What's wrong, honey? It's really late, and we have to go home!

Jammy: But I don't want to go home yet! I want you to paint my face!

Me: I didn't know you wanted me to paint your face. You should have lined up, just like all the other kids.

Jammy (now crying in earnest): But I wanted to let all the kids who've never had their faces painted go first. I kept looking over to where you were and you were always painting someone else's face.

Me: Honey, I'm really sorry, but it's going to be your bedtime soon, and we have to go.

Jammy (wails): But I wanted my face painted!

Me (holding Jammy close and whispering): That was a very nice thing you did, letting everyone else go first, and I'm sorry I don't have enough time to paint your face today. But you know, Jammy, I can paint your face anytime. These children don't get very many chances to have their faces painted, and so today is for them.

Jammy (after a pause, sniffling and holding back a sob): Okay, mama, you can paint my face some other time.

I'm so proud of my son.

This post was inspired by Debbie Tenzer's Do One Nice Thing, September's choice for the Silicon Valley Moms book club. Click here to see other posts inspired by the book.

Creative Play Wins the Day

bonggamom@yahoo.com (Bonggamom) — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 04:04:00 +0000

You hear it all the time: give a baby a toy, and chances are he'll end up playing with the box it came in. I thought that went away by, like, age three. By that time kids have wised up, and they can't wait to tear all the cardboard and plastic off and get to the good stuff.

Actually, it turns out that even big kids like those boxes.

Today the kids invited some friends over for the afternoon for a special sort of playdate. I had been given a boxload of Zhu Zhu pet hamsters and playsets by Mom Select, so the kids and I set out to throw a fun Hamster Pet Party with creative crafts, fun activities and yummy food.

As soon as each guest arrived, they got to choose their very own Zhu Zhu pet to play with and keep. Zhu Zhu pets are furry little hamsters that scoot up ramps, scurry around corners, and make the most adorable sounds you've ever heard. Oh, and they're battery powered, so I figured none of the parents would mind if their child took home a new pet. Along with the Zhu Zhu pet, I gave each child a goody bag with teeny little pet costumes that I had made the week before -- girls got hamster tutus, boys got hamster pirate hats, and everyone got hamster superhero capes. Oh, the cuteness! Our house was filled with squeals of delight -- no, not the hamsters', the kids'.

I prepared a hamsterrific lunch consisting of Ham(ster) Sandwiches, Hamster Kibble (cereal and veggie sticks), cherry tomatoes, and brownies shaped like hamster faces. I think The Pea's little hamster, NumNum, couldn't wait to dig into those treats, but the kids barely touched the food because they were having way too much fun.

I connected all the the Zhu Zhu hamster playsets together to make one giant hamster run, and set it up in the back yard so their hamsters could run through it (By the way, in case you're wondering, my kids' friends don't really have stars for faces -- I stuck them onto this photo, and onto subsequent photos, to protect their privacy).

I set up a craft table with tiny straw hats, and the kids had a great time decorating the hats with ribbons, flowers, beads, and other embellishments.

Here are two models, all decked out in the latest fashions.

Earlier in the week I had made a hamster maze out of some cardboard boxes because I was afraid that the hamster run would get way too crowded with so many excited kids. I thought it would be good to have an alternative (albeit uglier) place for the kids to put their hamsters in, to minimize the pushing, shoving, and "So-and-so's hogging the hamster wheel!". My kids got in on the fun -- 3Po and Jammy constructed a hamster skate park, and The Pea made a fun house with a bouncy house, styrofoam chip pit, and fashion runway.

The extra hamster runs were a great idea, if I do say so myself; the kids loved our homemade structures and played with them just as much as -- okay, maybe a bit less than -- the real Zhu Zhu hamster run.

And a funny thing happened on the way to the hamster wheel. Once everyone tired of the hamster runs, they looked at our homemade cardboard structures and got inspired to create their own. I had to keep going back to the recycling bin to dig out cardboard box after cardboard box. Armed with boxes, scissors, masking tape, markers and stickers, the kids made hamster bedrooms, houses, apartment complexes, subway trains and airplanes.

The cardboard boxes were the hit of the party. It didn't matter that their creations didn't look as perfect as the Zhu Zhu hamster run, that masking tape was sticking up everywhere, that their buildings had shipping labels and pictures of granola bars and yogurt tubes and cereal on them. In an age filled with electronic toys, it was heart-warming to see a bunch of children spend the whole afternoon playing with cardboard boxes!

My only problem now is what to do with the cardboard metropolis, a.k.a. Hamsterville, that's sitting in my back yard.

You can read my review of the Zhu Zhu Pets and their playsets on Bonggamom Finds . Or just feast your eyes on the little darling in purple and say, Awwwwww. Oh, yeah. The hamster's cute, too.