Old School/New School Mom

Teaching Preschool Day 1

2013-06-19T14:55:00.001-07:00

Today was my trial day teaching two-year olds. I was nervous about getting to the school on time, so I pretended that I had to be there 30 minutes earlier than I was really supposed to get there.

Wow. Today was intense. Two year-olds are snuggly but they are also high energy and extremely physical. They also cry a lot.

It's interesting, because I also have a two and 1/2 year-old daughter at home. I realized a lot about Samara after spending a day with 12 two year-olds. I appreciated her more.

At two and 1/2 Samara is learning language at a rapid pace.

The kids I spent today with were still pre-verbal for the most part, but the words they did know they were excited to share!

What I love the most about two year-olds is how emotionally raw they are. If they're sad, they cry. If they're angry, they scream, if they're happy they laugh. And they display all those emotions intensely.

I can't wait to learn more from this group.

And They Opened a Hardware Store in Cleveland - Dad!

2013-06-16T10:19:00.001-07:00

My dad is awesome. He's a Libra like me and he has an infectious laugh. Whenever he laughs, I laugh.

He's an actor, and when I was in fifth grade he started an acting class for me and my friends.

He's never been an animal person, but the first dog he ever bonded with was my childhood dog, a German Shepherd/Border Collie mix. Her name was Villa.

My dad and I are so similar that when we argue it's hilarious to watch. We say things like "No, you listen to me!" And the other person isn't listening at all. We're both Libras so we're sensitive.

I remember the time that my brother and I were flying to California from New York, and our plane was delayed for nine hours. What American Airlines didn't know back in 1989 was that Jeff Fader is from the Bronx. Once he found out that the engine was being changed on our plane, his Bronx roots came out. 30 minutes later my entire family had free plane tickets to Orlando.

When my dad told me bedtime stories they would always end the same way, "and then they opened a hardware store in Cleveland."

He also had a blue stuffed rabbit that he used to make silly sarcastic remarks that always made me laugh.

Dad, I love you. You have been there for me through every stage of my crazy life and continue to do so. Thank you for being an amazing person and a force to reckon with.

Love,

Smedley

Citi Bike - I Climbed a Mountain

2013-06-15T12:07:00.002-07:00

Yesterday I was riding the 1 train home from Soho. At Canal Street the train came to an abrupt halt. I sat in the train car for several minutes waiting for the inaudible announcer's voice to come on attempting to explain why we were staying put. No such announcement came. I made an executive decision to exit the the train and find an alternate route home.

Upon exiting the train, I found myself on the corner of Canal Street and 6th Avenue. I literally turned myself around in a complete circle, confused as to what to do next. Then I spotted a row of bikes that looked like this:

Citi bikes! I felt a surge of excitement ignite within me. All at once I pulled out my debit card, swiped it and I had a numeric code that promised to give me access to a bike. The only problem was I couldn't get the code to work! Luckily, a man walked by who was returning his bike. He assisted me in getting a replacement code and I was able to unlock my prize: a bike!

I had a bike in my hands. It cost me $9.95 and I was ready to rock and roll and ride over the Brooklyn Bridge.

I got onto the bike, and I immediately felt a sense of freedom surge like electricity through my veins. I didn't need the subway, I could get myself home. It brought me back to being 15 years old when I rode a bike 150 miles from Connecticut to Rhode Island on a camp biking trip. We stayed in the basements of churches along the way.

I pedaled my way down 7th Avenue and onto Worth street. I cut off many city buses, like a boss. I felt free, invigorated, the wind blowing my hair back as I rode. I pedaled my way onto the Brooklyn Bridge, sweat dripping down my face, breathing heavily.

I stopped half way across the bridge to rest and admire the view of the East River. Then I continued over the bridge, my eyes focused straight ahead. I felt like a nomad, displaced from home, but knowing that I would find my way back there.

As I rode down hill, adrenaline rushed through my body and I let my feet sit on the pedals, coasting down to Boerum Place into the land of Brooklyn.

I soared down Atlantic Avenue, scaring some tourists, causing one woman to exclaim "Whoa, miss!"

I arrived at Dean Street and 4th Avenue where there was a Citi Bike docking station. I docked my bike into it's parking place. I was dripping with sweat, but I felt amazing. I soared, I was free, I conquered the Brooklyn Bride.

I climbed a mountain.

Is My Kid Old Enough To Take The Bus/How The Fuck Are We Going To Get to School?

2013-06-15T05:56:00.001-07:00

Next year Ari starts Kindergarten. He got into an awesome school, but it's in the middle of nowhere. In the suburbs children ride these to get to school:

In New York City, parents get their kids to school in all kinds of different ways. Some walk, some take the train, others take the city bus, some drive, and then there are the kids who actually take a yellow school bus to school, just like the kids in the suburbs.

Since Ari is only five, I'm not sure if he's ready to take the big yellow school bus. It could be daunting for a little kid to sit on a bus with a bunch of older kids. I remember my mom telling me that's how my brother learned his first curse words, riding the school bus.

Since we live in hippy-dippy Park Slope, there are a lot of parents who bike their children to school. So that could be an option for us. However, since I have two kids, I don't know how that will work out with bike seats.

I've seen some formidable bike seats that I would love to purchase. Like this one, for instance:

How dope is that? I want someone to push me around in that!

So there are some options. I could take both kids on the train every day, but that sounds like a circus. Plus, it's actually two trains I would have to take including a transfer station that's full of stairs. Stairs + stroller = NO!

So I get back to my original question. Is Ari old enough to take a big yellow school bus? If he is, that would be a giant relief to me based on the geographic location of his school in relation to my house.

What do you guys think?

I Give a Shit- This May Be The Coolest Tee-Shirt EVER!

2013-06-14T08:01:00.002-07:00

Heather over at Spunky Real Deals is giving away a tee-shirt from The Naked Hippie that I absolutely must have. The shirt reads "I Give a Shit."

Check it out:

I want to win this so badly!

If I don't win it. I'm totally buying it.

You can enter here.

Tiny Robot in My Fridge and Everlasting Laundry Detergent - The Oransi Air Freshener & Robby Wash Ball

2013-06-13T14:20:00.001-07:00

The other day I got an email from Ria Romano over at Romano PR. She asked if I'd like to try the Oransi Fridge Air Purifier. I said, sure! I mean, having two little kids, my fridge consistently smells bad. So Ria sent me this little air freshener.

I like to call it an air freshener robot, because it reminds me of R2D2.

The air freshener robot (also known as the Oransi Fridge Air Purifier) is battery-operated, and it makes my fridge smell good. Hooray!

The kids think it's fun too.

Ria also sent me another awesome item to try. It's a ball of laundry detergent. The Robby Wash Ball is literally a ball that you throw into your washing machine to wash your clothes!

It contains hypoallergenic detergent that's easy on your skin. Hooray! It's great, because I have the most sensitive skin known to man.

The other awesome thing about The Robby Wash Ball is that it's reusable and refillable. Hooray for the environment!

Do you want to win an air freshener robot and everlasting laundry detergent? Enter below!

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The Mystery of Alan Norman McBride - My First Novel - Win it!

2013-06-12T13:57:00.003-07:00

I started writing when I was a child. I remember at an early age, loading my mother's electric typewriter with paper and typing out story after story. These were stories about princesses losing hats, impossible children, adventures of animals, and whatever else happened to float into my brain at the moment.

One day, my mom bought a Macintosh Plus computer. That day, my life changed. I went from spending my afternoons on the typewriter to having quality time with the computer.

Somewhere along the way, I began to write a story. That story evolved into a bigger story and finally it became a novel. I began writing it around seven years-old. I'd work on it here and there between school obligations. I took a break somewhere around the age of ten and then came back to it at age 16. Then I took yet another break and finally, at age 27, I decided to finish it, let my friend Brian edit it, and self-publish it.

That book was The Mystery of Alan Norman McBride.

The Mystery of Alan Norman McBride is about two sisters that live on the Upper West Side of Manhattan who overhear gangsters plotting to murder a millionaire, Alan Norman McBride. They take it upon themselves to warn this millionaire and stop these thugs in their tracks.

I remember having a lot of fun writing this novel as a kid. To me it represents where I came from (writing-wise) and I value the fact that I was able to complete a project over many years.

Do you want to win The Mystery of Alan Norman McBride? Enter below to win a copy!

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The 30s are the new 20s or Something

2013-06-09T07:14:00.000-07:00

I had Ari when I was 28 years-old. I was the first one of my friends to have a baby. When I started to meet other mothers in the playground, I noticed something; they were 10 years older than me. In a funny way, I felt like a teen mom. I mean, I was in my late 20s, so I was clearly not a teenager. But yet, the parents that had kids my age were much older than I was.

Then I started to take stock of my own friends. Some of my friends started to have babies, but there were plenty of my friends who went into their 30s still unmarried with no kids. I continued to feel weird and like an anomale. Were people in their 20s not having kids anymore?

Then I thought, maybe it's a geographic region thing. Maybe people who grew up in New York City in the 80s are waiting to get married and have kids.

Plenty of my friends are perfectly happy being single and/or in a committed relationship with no kids. They're living life pursuing their passions or trying to figure out what they're passionate about and do that.

Here's another thing, even though I have kids my life is still not figured out. I'm still trying to find my way in my career. I have half a masters degree and haven't decided what to do with myself vocationally. I know I want to write in some capacity. I'd love to be a published author someday, but I still haven't found what I'm looking for. That's also a U2 song.

I think the point is, there is no right path. We're all figuring it out.

I have a friend who's a lawyer, making a lot of money who's still unhappy. He's looking to change careers. To me that says something. Money isn't everything either. You could be "successful" on paper, making a six figure salary and still not have your life figured out.

I don't know, are the 30s the new 20s? What do you think?

The Road to Purple Couches

2013-06-02T21:11:00.003-07:00

Until today, my couches were white and had stains on them. I got them off of craiglist for super cheap. One day, my friend Alex was over and she said, "you know, you could totally dye these couches."

The idea sounded intriguing, so I asked her to tell me more.
"Well, we just buy some dye and do it! A lot of dye." She said with a laugh.

Alex is an artist, so she had a vision.

I told her I wanted purple couches.

One day, my friend Zahir and I were hanging out in the Fader garden. Alex came over to drop off a cat toy for Egreck. Suddenly a plan hatched in my head. "Okay guys, next Sunday, we're dying the couches."

The two of them laughed, but they realized that they were signed up this task.

Alex went to a fabric store and bought a lot of dye.

Today, here's what happened:

Thank you team couch, Alex and Zahir for making these works of art!

I Eat a Brownie and Rocket Writes a Story - Tad Hills is The Man!

2013-06-02T04:48:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I went to the gym, did 3.7 miles on the elliptical machine and swam. It was 90 degrees outside, so I was proud of myself for 1. making it over there and 2. pushing myself that hard. On the way home from the gym, I noticed a bakery I'd never seen before. The thought of chocolate anything was too much to pass up, so I entered the pastry shop and was immediately intoxicated by the smell of baked goods. There was so much to choose from!

As I was pondering over whether I wanted a homemade whoopie pie, a s'more or a brownie, a man entered the shop holding a laptop. He made conversation with the barista (I can call him that because he was also serving coffee) and from their repartee I assumed this guy was the owner of the shop.

"Are you the owner?" I asked.
"No, but I come here often enough." He replied with a smile.
"Oh, what do you do?" I asked him.

It turned out that this man was Tad Hills, a New York Times best selling children's book author and illustrator. Only in New York, I thought to myself, would I walk into a random pastry shop and meet a famous author.

We got to talking, and he was lovely. Since he had his computer, I showed him my blog.

"I do a lot of giveaways." I mentioned.
"Oh, well you could giveaway my book!" He said freely. "Hold on, I go get you one."

With that Tad quickly went home (which was close by) and grabbed me a hard cover of his latest book
Rocket Writes a Story. I was in disbelief but I accepted it. What a cool guy!

"Here, I'll sign it!" He said.

The Rocket series is based on Tad's real life dog, Rocket.

Rocket is a Wheaton Terrier who's sweet, mellow and loves everyone, especially children.

The book before Rocket Writes a Story is called How Rocket Learned to Read In this book, Rocket becomes interested in words and books. A little yellow bird guides him through the process of literacy.

In Rocket Writes a Story, he chooses particular words in order to create a tale of his own, guided by the yellow bird of course. There's also an owl involved.

Rocket Writes a Story is an excellent book for children who are learning to read. It's encouraging and sweet. The illustrations are charming as well.

Tad, thank you for collaborating on this giveaway with me! Without further ado, win an autographed copy of Rocket Writes a Story:

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By the way, in case you were wondering, I ate a brownie :)

Win a Sodastream Fountain Jet! My Mom Was Right.

2013-05-28T10:29:00.000-07:00

I love seltzer! Seltzer loves me! Seltzer is the unofficial drink of New York City. I can recall spending countless afternoons at my best friend Mint's house in the early 1990's drinking Vintage seltzer. It was the best.

Fast forward from 1992 to 2010. One glorious day, my mom announced to me that she'd made a purchase. "I bought a seltzer maker!" She said. The machine in question was the Sodastream. I was instantly in love. There was one problem.

"Only I am allowed to use the Sodastream." She warned me. "I will gladly make you seltzer, but I'm the only one allowed to touch it."

Well, that certainly put a damper on things. You see, my mom was so in love with her Sodastream, that she was concerned about it getting damaged by myself or the kids. Fair enough, I thought.

A little history; it turns out that a version of the Sodastream has been around since as early as 1903! There were seltzer lovers even back then.

But back to my mom. I decided that if she loved the Sodastream that much, it must be awesome. So I wrote to Sodastream and asked if they'd like to collaborate on a review and giveaway. Guess what? Lauren, in Sodastream PR, said yes!

They sent me the Genesis. It sounds fancy, right? Wanna see what it looks like?

Look at all the fun stuff they sent me that goes along with it!

You can make your own seltzer and your own soda! How fun is that? There's Root Beer and Lemon Lime flavors to name a few. You can also flavor your seltzer with a hint of raspberry with one of their flavor syrups. I tried them and they rock.

I can honestly say that I'm in love. I love you Sodastream! I never have to buy seltzer in the store again! Now I know why my mom loves hers so much.

So...want to win a Soda Stream Fountain Jet? I'm giving one away! It looks like this:

Enter to win a Fountain Jet Soda Lover's Start-Up Kit below!

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Cards Against Humanity - A Party Game For Horrible People - Win it!

2013-05-26T09:41:00.002-07:00

I first played Cards Against Humanity at my friend Kodjo's house. Every week, we get together and play Magic The Gathering, but this time my friend Kevin brought over a new game. The game in question was: Cards Against Humanity.

By the title alone, I knew I was going to love this game.

Here's how the game works: A player chooses a black card that has a sentence with a blank to fill in.
The players then choose the funniest word (or group of words) from the white cards they are holding to complete the sentence.

Here's an example:

The white cards are downright hilarious. Here are some other options you might have to complete the sentence:

Believe it or not, I even convinced my parents to play Cards Against Humanity and guess what? They love it too!

By the end of the evening that I first played Cards Against Humanity, I was hooked. I wrote to Jen (one of the creators) and asked if I could giveaway a copy of Cards on my blog. She said hell yeah! Well, actually, she said "sure, why not?" So here we go!

Here's your chance to win a copy of the most politically incorrect and hilarious game out there!
Giveaway ends 6/9/13

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Win a Children's Hoodie From Brooklyn Industries!

2013-05-23T11:39:00.003-07:00

I'm a huge Brooklyn Industries fan. I own at least four of their hoodies, and whenever I step foot into the Brooklyn Industries store on Union Street in Park Slope, I want to buy everything.

I not only love their women's clothing, but I adore their children's clothes too!

So I wrote to Brooklyn Industries and shared my love for them (as well as my Brooklyn pride) and asked if they would be willing to do a hoodie giveaway.

Teddy (one of the designers) wrote back immediately and said that they would love to collaborate on a giveaway!

Without further ado: I am giving away the children's hoodie that Ari is modeling below!
It can also be found here on their website

All you have to do to enter to win this hoodie is subscribe to the Brooklyn Industries Newsletter by clicking here and entering your email address! Leave a blog post comment to confirm your subscribed to the newsletter!

And for extra entries see below! Contest ends 6/6/13

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5

2013-05-23T03:48:00.002-07:00

Dear Ari,

You are five years-old. I can remember the moment I found I was pregnant with you. I was in disbelief, yet wildly happy and excited. When I was pregnant with you, I was working as a vocational rehabilitation counselor with recovering addicts in the Far Rockaway. I remember you moving in my belly at night every time I ate Hostess cupcakes.

I remember when my water broke and the hospital told me I peed on myself. I remember when my flamboyantly gay doctor marched in carrying a red bull and said "Let's have a baby!"

I remember when you came out of me and I held you and said "My baby! I love you so much!"

I remember making the tough decision to quit my job working with ex-addicts and stay home with you for your first year. It was the best decision I've ever made.

I have loved you since you were growing inside of me and continue to love you as a little person. You have grown so much in your first five years of life. You are inquisitive, bright, stubborn, funny, fun to hang out with, and changing and growing every day.

It's wonderful to watch you grow in front of my eyes, and also scary.

I want to freeze time.

I want you to stay five forever. I love you at this age. You're so much fun!

But I know that you're going to get older, it's inevitable. That just means there's more to learn about you as you become a bigger human.

Happy five to you, my son. I love you.

Mancala Giveaway and Enter to Win a $10,000 Educational Bond From University Games

2013-05-21T09:55:00.000-07:00

I was first introduced Mancala when I was nine years-old and in the 4th grade at P.S.87 on Manhattan's Upper West Side.

In Lucy Mahon's class (my fourth grade teacher) we called it "the rock game." It was a wooden board with several slots and colored rocks of all shapes and sizes.

The other day I was in a local toy store looking for a birthday present for a five year-old. The salesperson said, out of the blue, "what about Mancala?"

All of a sudden memories of playing "the rock game" came flooding back, and I knew I had to purchase this game, not for a birthday gift, but rather to play at home with my kids.

I want you to love Mancala AKA "the rock game" as much as I do. So I wrote to Jordan at University Games, and they agreed to do a Mancala giveaway!

But there's more! University Games (makers of this version of Mancala) is hosting the National Young Game Inventor's Contest!

Children ages 5-12 can design and create their board game and enter for a chance to win awesome prizes including a 10,000 dollar educational bond, a trip to San Francisco, and a
Toys R Us gift card! How cool is that?

You get extra entries to win Mancala by sharing about this contest.

So, what are you waiting for?

Do it!

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Big Daddy's Rules - Steve Schirripa Makes Me Laugh

2013-05-15T08:21:00.001-07:00

When I first read the title of Steve's Schirripa's book, Big Daddy's Rules, I have to admit, I was hesitant to read it. Being a strong maternal figure myself, my immediate reaction was, uh oh, am I going to like this book?

But then I opened it, and began reading and before I knew it, I was laughing aloud as I turned page after page.

Steve Schirripa is best known for his roles on The Sopranos and The Secret Life of the American Teenager.

Steve describes his journey of fatherhood, filled with hilarious bumps in the road.

My fears about this book being anti-feminist were relinquished with reading the first 15 pages. Here's a particularly significant quote:

"So here's the next rule for new dads: Get your hands dirty. And I mean, dirty. As in, change a goddamn diaper once in a while. Guys act like they don't know how to change a diaper. These are the same guys who can pull an engine out of a two-ton '92 Jeep Wrangler while drinking a beer and watching the ball game on a 12-inch TV they've had in the garage since the first bush administration, and they can't change the diaper on a ten-pound baby? Please." -Schirripa P. 15

Schirripa's writing style is conversational, relatable and downright hilarious. Check this quote out:

"When it comes to my girls, all I want is to raise them to be good people, and I want them to be safe. That's it. You ask me my philosophy? That's it. Not complicated. I don't need them to be brain surgeons. I don't need them to make a lot of money. I don't judge people by how much money they make, because in my business you meet a lot of assholes that I can't stand who are really wealthy. You give me a garbage man and a rich asshole, I'm gonna go have a beer with the garbage man." -Schirripa P. 61.

I love this guy! I want to hang out with Steve Schirripa.

That quote sums up the beauty of this book. It's direct, it's honest and it's fun. And you need to read it.

Want to win a copy of Big Daddy's Rules? Enter below! Winner will be announced 6/1/13

**Update: Back by popular demand, now I will pick two winners! Contest ends 6/16!

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Wordless Wednesday - Adventures in Babysitting With Alex

2013-05-15T05:33:00.001-07:00

Mother's Day Should Be Every Day

2013-05-12T04:40:00.000-07:00

I have a tough time with holidays. Mother's Day is a Hallmark holiday. It's a holiday where you are obligated to go out and get your mom some flowers, or a card, or a gift certificate to get a massage or whatever. That's all well and good, but seriously...why do we need one day to celebrate our mothers?

Mother's day should be every day.

Your mother carried you in her uterus for nine months. That's a long time! She endured the joys and the not so fun times of pregnancy all so that you could enter this world.

If you were adopted, your mother nurtured you and continues to do so every day.

My other issue with Mothers Day, is that when you have your own kids, it gets complicated. What do you do? You have to appreciate your mother, and then somehow make time for yourself to be adored. It gets messy and complicated and someone ends up feeling resentful.

Not to mention, what if your mother passed away? Mother's Day might be a tough day for you.

I could go on.

But I'm gonna say this:

Supreme gratitude to all the dynamic, wonderful mothers! You don't need one day to show you that you're amazing. Because let's face it, mother's are super heros. We rock.

I hope that you can enjoy yourself today. This year, I've made some plans to make sure I have a kick ass Mother's Day, because I deserve it!

The Winner of The Listen to Your Mother Giveaway

2013-05-09T06:44:00.002-07:00

The winner for a pair of tickets to see Listen to Your Mother is...

Etophia Lane!

Come on down! You won tickets so see LTYM at Symphony Space on Sunday 5/12/13 at 5pm :-D

Enjoy Listen to Your Mother at Symphony Space, my homegirl!

I'm Not a Blog Rock Star

2013-05-07T04:17:00.002-07:00

I've been writing this blog since 2009.

I started it as a way to document my son's life, and then my daughter's life, and of course my life. Then it evolved into something else.

I started doing product reviews. I began actively soliciting companies to send me things to try out and giveaway, because (after all) I am Liz Fader's daughter. My mom is a super Jewish mother and she's also a former public relations executive.

Since 2009, I've connected with some incredible people over the internet.

One of them being the amazing Holly Rosen Fink of Culture Mom Media. I have to give a shout out to her because she's given me countless opportunities to shine. Mad love coming your way, Holly.

Where am I going with this?

I'm a real person. I don't post dolled up instragram pictures of myself. Yeah, I'm totally guilty of taking the occasional selfie, because I'm a lady. But look, my hair is messy in the morning and I require coffee before anyone speaks to me at 6:00am.

This is the internet. The internet is full of fancy attractive bloggers who do fancy things.

I'm not one of those people.

Sure I love to write. Yes, I would love to make money doing it. But I'm not a fancy person.

I am a person filled with imperfections and I'm proud of them. I'm also good at some things and I'm proud of those things too.

That's why, when my mom suggested I go to BlogHer I got scared.

There are so many "successful bloggers"who attend that conference.

It's scary to meet new people. Although, once I get into the groove of talking to strangers, I kind of get off on that shit. It's fun to deal with new energies and I love reading people.

However, I still wonder

Will they think I'm weird?

Will they think I'm funny? I'm pretty fucking funny. But will they realize it?

I go back and forth like the Clash song says:

"Should I stay or should I go?"

If I do go, let's hope there won't be "trouble."

But if I stay will it be double?

I'm not a blog rock star. But I am a real fucking person. Maybe BlogHer is ready for that?

Listen To Your Mother- Win Tickets to The Show!

2013-05-06T04:48:00.000-07:00

Listen to Your Mother is a show that gives mothers a forum to share their unique stories. But it gets even better that that; LTYM is now giving Mother's Day a microphone! On May 12, 2013 at 5pm, the mamas are ready to tell you all about their lives at Symphony Space.

For the record, I love my mom. She's a bad ass. I try my best to listen to her.

Featuring former Editor in Chief of Redbook Magazine (now the editor of Blogher.com), comedian Jamie Fernandez, author of the soon to be released "momoir" Lost In Suburbia, Tracy Beckermen and many more dynamic maternal figures.

Listen to Your Mother began as a single show in Madison, Wisconsin and has since evolved into a national movement, uniting mothers across the United States.

Guess what y'all? Now's your chance to:
WIN A PAIR OF TICKETS TO SEE LISTEN TO YOUR MOTHER AT SYMPHONY SPACE!

You could even take your mom to see the show!

Enter below to win a pair of tickets to see Listen to To Your Mother at Symphony space on May 12, 2013 at 5pm!

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Good luck!!! Contest ends May 8th!

Winner will be selected by random.org

**Thank you to Holly Rosen Fink of Culture Mom Media for allowing me the opportunity to run this contest! :-D xo S.

Ari Reviews Ghostbusters

2013-05-06T04:22:00.000-07:00

If you haven't already seen this, you should watch it. Ari reviews Ghostbusters.

To Vaccinate or Not to Vaccinate - To Dr. Saul Hymes There's No Question

2013-04-29T17:00:00.000-07:00

Let me start out by saying that my children are vaccinated. When they were born, it wasn't a question for me. Vaccines save lives. They prevent humans from contracting dangerous conditions which are sometimes fatal.

There have been recent outbreaks of measles in England and Wales this year. So it's still important to get vaccinated.

My friend and pediatric infectious disease doctor, Saul Hymes, would agree with me on this.

In fact, he feels so strongly about children getting vaccinated, that he wrote an article about his thoughts on the anti-vaccine movement as well as what can happen when parents refuse vaccines for their children in a publication called The Magazine. The article is called: Give it Your Best Shot

The Magazine is an iOS based magazine founded by Marco Arment, creator and developer of Instapaper and lead developer of Tumblr.

The anti-vaccine movement has been an axe to grind for Saul ever since he was in medical school. The fact that it seemed to him to coincide with the Bush administration and a trend of anti-intellectualism didn't help much.

As Saul learned about the anti-vaccine movement, there were celebrity activists who were vocal in their stance against vaccines including centerfold and model Jenny McCarthy, who he calls out in his article for being ill informed with regard to the potential "dangers" of vaccines.

Saul's article is a in depth look into the history of vaccinations and attempts to debunk some common anti-vaccines theories out there.

Want to know more? Click here to read Give it Your Best Shot

Introducing Films of The 80s to Ari - A Video Series

2013-04-26T13:03:00.004-07:00

The time has come.

Ari is of an age where he is able to appreciate and discuss more abstract concepts. He'll be turning five on May 6th. It is time to initiate him into the world of films of my childhood.

I grew up in the 1980's, which is a decade filled with classic films.

Here are some of the films I loved as a child:
Back To The Future
The Princess Bride
The NeverEnding Story
Adventures In Babysitting
Stand By Me

I'm going to introduce these films to him, slowly but surely, with the help of Netflix.

I'll be posting video interviews with him documenting his favorites.

But I need your help! What are your favorite childhood films of the 80s? Post a comment here and let me know!

Mother's Day is Coming Up and Nerd Wallet Knows!

2013-04-24T12:22:00.002-07:00

I got an email today from Matt over at Nerd Wallet

Without even knowing what the email was about I was excited, because I love the company's name. It's fun to say. Say it with me, "Nerd Wallet."

See! I told you!

Matt told me about this contest they're having over there...wait...over where? Why at Nerd Wallet of course.

Nerd Wallet is a financial literacy site that helps people stay out of debt and manage their money. Hey...maybe I should check them out. I'm terrible at managing money.

Anyhow, the contest works like this. Nerd Wallet wants to know what would be the best Mother's Day present for $25 and under. The winner gets $1000! So here's my answer.

Mother's Day is a Hallmark holiday. It should be Mother's Day every day, because moms are awesome, and let's face it, if it wasn't for your mom, you wouldn't be here on this planet.

But you know who makes money on Mother's Day? Greeting card companies and florists. Cards and flowers are overrated.

Here's what I think would be an awesome Mother's day present, take some family photos that you love (from your digital camera, phone or that you've already posted on Facebook) and combine them to make a photo book.

I love the photo books that Shutterfly makes. You can see them here. They're on sale for 40 % off right now and the prices start at 12.99.

Giving a photo book is meaningful way to express gratitude to the maternal one. It's also an excellent example of a gift that is thoughtful, but doesn't break your bank account.

By the way, Shutterfly has no idea that I'm telling you this, and I'm not getting paid to say it. They're just awesome, and I thought you should know. So now you know!

I love this gift idea for mother's day because it's personal. When you see pictures of your family compiled in a book, it feels like your partner put thought into their present. And it's something that you can look at for years to come. The nice thing about photo books as opposed to albums is that you don't have to worry about the physical pictures becoming weathered or damaged. The pictures and the memories are still there; they're just on printed paper.

The other thing that's special about this gift is that it allows the gift giver to express creativity. You can personalize your photo book in so many ways. No two photo books look the same.

What do you think would make an awesome Mother's Day present for $25 and under? If you think you've got a great idea enter Nerd Wallet's Contest! You could win $1000!