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Responsibility Project
As a teacher, I have always struggled to get kids to see how their actions directly affect others. I also run a service program at our school where this concept is even more important. Now as a parent, I struggle with how to teach my child responsibility, being a good citizen, and working for the greater good. That’s a lot for a little guy to understand!
The folks over at MomCentral hooked me up with some info about the Responsibility Project from Liberty Mutual. Grab your kids and head on over to The Responsibility Project. Once there, you will find short films for all age groups (although my four year old lost interest quickly), resources to help guide conversations with your kids, and a blog that brings up pertinent issues we deal with each day as parents. The films are especially fun, and although this is aimed at school-age children, I personally think that "Hot Seat" film should be a part of corporate training!
Kudos to Liberty Mutual for a creative way to encourage those difficult to navigate conversations with our children. I will be handing out this info to my parents at "Meet the Teacher Night" at my school. For a great community service, I give The Responsibility Project a:
Cabbage Patch Kids
As a child, while I will not say I was spoiled, I will say that I rarely wanted for anything. My parents had an interesting philosophy on spend money and allowances-my sister and I received no allowance. My parents believed that paying a child to do what they were supposed to be doing anyways was ludicrous. They gave us spend money when we needed it and always within reason. We had enough toys to play with, lots of books, and tons of love. HOWEVER, (you knew there was a ‘however’ coming, didn’t you?) I do have one memory of a desired toy that I did not receive.
Back in 1983, when I was a mere 11 years old, people were fist-fighting over the newest toy craze-The Cabbage Patch Kid doll. I wanted one. With a burning desire, I wanted my own little adopted doll with those adorable dimples, cute names, and lovable bodies. I WANTED ONE!!!! I begged and pleaded and bargained, but my parents, ever practical, refused to stand in long-lines or fight for a doll. They just wouldn’t do it. And so, I played (very begrudgingly, mind you) with a homemade knock-off. Harrumph!
Well, bitter memories aside, I am a proud, new owner of a 25th (gulp!!!) Anniversary Cabbage Patch Kid. It only took 25 years, but I got one! pthhhhhh! (That would be me sticking my tongue out at my parents in a very mature and un-spoiled way…) You, too, can have your own original Cabbage Patch Kid again (or like me for the first time) made from the original molds and using the exact same materials and bearing the same faces, clothing and names as the originals. These kiddos are hitting store shelves for a limited time. You might want to get one soon, though, to avoid the holiday rush! These special kids have a special signature from Xavier Roberts, a silver anniversary baby spoon, a commemorative silver-stamped 25th Anniversary Birth Certificate and adoption papers-all this for $29.99.
You can post your own Cabbage Patch Kid memory on www.cabbagepatchkids25.com . For giving me a memory 25 years in the making, I give the Limited Edition 25th Anniversary Cabbage Patch Kids a:
Vusion Ointment
As moms, we’ve all been there. We change the baby, we keep on top of the diapers, and yet, still, we deal with diaper rash. Moms certainly don’t need any help with feeling the "mom guilt," but anytime diaper rash shows up on our babies’ butts, bam! There it is…more mom guilt. What worse is that sometimes this diaper rash can also have a yeast infection with it. No fun for baby, and no fun for mom.
The people at www.MomCentral.com hooked me up with some information on a new diaper rash ointment that treats diaper rash with an associated yeast infection-it’s called Vusion. Vusion ointment is a prescription ointment to rid mom’s of that good old mom guilt. Well, actually it’s for your baby’s butt. No one likes to see their little one uncomfortable, and Vusion can help that.
You can get a coupon right now for some money off of the prescription fee…it’s a great deal and a great way to help your baby feel better! Check it out.
For the great information on their website, the coupon, and to rid mom’s of some extra mom guilt, Vusion gets a
Mama PhD
When I started graduate school for a Masters in Literature, I was working my first career in retail management. I was working 60+ hours a week managing a high-end shoe store. I was on my feet all day in very cool shoes, dealing with spoiled, rich women and making not much more than minimum wage. While this job was, in fact, quite rewarding and a great foundation for all jobs I have had since, I looked forward to doing what I loved most-reading, studying, and discussing literature. I was proud of myself for working so many hours a day while taking two literature classes. (One semester, I had both the Victorian Novel and The Rise of the Novel (18th Century)-we read one novel per week and if you’ve read any Victorian or 18th novels, you know that this was an insane amount of reading to do!) While I couldn’t spend the time on campus I would have liked, I worked hard at my studies. But to my classmates, this wasn’t enough. They were all full-time students living off of their student loan money. They spent every day on campus, in the library, at the coffee shop, at the little dive bar down the street. I joined them when I could, but these times were rare. So, I was snubbed. I wasn’t "dedicated enough." Because I chose to live and study in the real world instead of the utopic and untouched world of the scholar, I was deemed not good enough, not smart enough, and not committed enough. While I dealt with this by feeling angry, in reality I was hurt and jealous.
What did I do? I finished my Masters and instead of moving onto the doctoral program, I began work on Masters in Secondary Education. Here I studied with others who worked full-time, were parents, and were still committed to being lifelong learners. Here I was accepted. Here is where I belonged. I have never regretted that decision, but at times, I am still infuriated that I was edged out because I supported myself outside of academia.
My story is not unusual. In Mama PhD: Women Write about Motherhood and Academic Life, I read essay after essay of similar experiences and feelings toward the wonderful world of higher education. In this collection of essays, women explore their role in educational institutions and their role as mothers. Overwhelmingly, the two don’t seem to mix. Many of these writers have made it work, but it hasn’t been easy. Others put their career first and got tenure, but have to give up the dream of having children. Most comment that the way colleges and universities are set up, as patriarchies, there is no room for women pursuing children, just women pursuing tenure. Scholarship. publications, and teaching duties are the only measurement for success.
At times, these essays enraged me… women who are mothers, the world’s best multi-taskers, are made to feel like failures because they choose to procreate. At times these essays inspired me…hearing the tales of those who have done it, who have laughed in the face of these archaic institutions and said, "screw you!" At times, it just made me sad that there even has to be this discussion.
This was a great collection of essays. Heartfelt and poignant personal tales of women, mothers and scholars. Some have chosen one role over the other and some manage both despite the opposition. All of these women inspire me for their candor. Over the past year I have often thought about going back to get that PhD. Mama PhD has proved that I can do this…and I’m thinking I just might.
Mama PhD: Women Write about Motherhood and Academic Life edited by Elrena Evans and Caroline Grant deserves a:
The Banana Splits
I was at lunch the other day with my friend and my goddaughter. I mentioned that I was reviewing a new show for this site, casually mentioning the show’s name. "The Banana Splits?!" shrieked my friend. "I LOVE the Banana Splits." Uh, yeah, never heard of them myself.
I came home and asked the husband if he knew them…of course he did. Apparently, I was the only kid born in the early 70’s who did not see re-runs of this popular 60’s show. Do you know of them?
If you do know the 60’s show, you will be delighted to hear that The Banana Splits are coming back to television starting on September 2nd. The main characters are -Fleegle, a dog, Drooper, a lion, Bingo, a gorilla, and Snorky, an elephant. These costumed characters play catchy music and tell lots of jokes perfect for that preschooler through early elementary aged child.
Better yet, The Banana Splits have joined the technological world and have launched their own website www.bananasplits.com . Before I even had a chance to check it out, I busted my husband watching music videos and playing games with our four year old nowhere in sight. Of course, I made fun of him, but later, I spent some time on there myself. It’s pretty cute!
I think The Banana Splits are going to entertain this new generation for many years. With so many parents who already have heard of them (except of course me who was raised under a rock…), this show has a great chance of making it big. Do I smell a product line at toy stores?
For wholesome quality and a chance to reminisce your own childhood, I give The Banana Splits a:
Getting Rave Reviews
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