Momathon Blog

Bloat busters

If you have a slinky LBD you want to wear at a holiday party you probably want to avoid that dreaded bloated feeling. Nutritionist Joy Bauer on the TODAY Show offers four foods and drinks you should cut back on one to two days before the party.

1) Starch in carbs including bread, pasta, potatoes
2) Gas producing veggies including broccoli, cauliflower, and potatoes
3) Carbonated beverages
4) Sodium in salty foods

Drinking lots of plain water during the holidays will help keep you hydrated and looking svelte.

Illustration: Chris Olson © 2010.

Daily doodle: winter tree

"In a way Winter is the real Spring - the time when the inner things happen, the resurgence of nature."
~ Edna O'Brien

Check out more of my doodles at Momathon doodles.
Illustration: Chris Olson © 2010.

A little coffee with my sugar

Hope you are having a lovely holiday weekend. I have so much to be thankful for. Sending special mommy hugs to my family and friends.

Holiday Thanks Giving Idea

Help feed the hungry at Food Bank NYC: Hunger is a reality for more than a million New Yorkers. One in five NYers relies on Food Bank NYC's programs & services—including one in five children. You can give $10 to help the hungry in NYC with a text message. It's easy. Just text: FBNYC to 50555. 

Check out @FoodBank4NYC on Twitter. 


(Lovely coffee photo: D. Sharon Pruitt.)

 

 

A Thanksgiving prayer

 

Garrison Keillor's stories are both eloquent and heartwarming. I have listened to Keillor's A Prairie Home Companion radio show from St. Paul on Saturday evening for decades. This month in Real Simple Keillor writes about saying grace at Thanksgiving: "Although you must all resume toting the barge and lifting the bale tomorrow, it’s inspiring to hear 15 people find harmony around the Thanksgiving table. And it sets a tone. No crying in the cranberries. Lighten up. It could, as we say, be worse."

Here is the prayer Keillor has painted on the dining-room wall above the mantel in his home. 

O Lord, we thank Thee for this food,
 For every blessing, every good. 
 For earthly sustenance and love
Bestowed on us from heaven above.
Be present at our table, Lord.
Be here and everywhere adored.
Thy children bless and grant that we
May feast in paradise with Thee.

No matter how big or small your gathering this Thanksgiving, join hands around the table with my family and sing this prayer. You can try any tune you like, Keillor suggests the doxology. And don't stop singing together after the prayer. As Keillor writes: 

If it sounds good, we might segue into “America the Beautiful” and “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.” And toss in the hymn “Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow,” sung to the tune of “Hernando’s Hideaway.” It isn’t a party unless you sing a few songs. 

Sending warmest mommy hugs to my family and friends. God bless you all. Have a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Illustration: Chris Olson © 2010.

 

A story: Thanksgiving dinner and the white plates

Warmest wishes to all of you on this holiday weekend. The following story is a chapter from my novel I recently finished thanks to my fabulous instructor at MediaBistro.com and my wonderful classmates.

 

Thanksgiving dinner and the white plates

“Did you remember to call Mom yesterday?” my brother Tony asks over heaping portions of comfort food at the Atwood Cafe. “It was her sixty-fifth birthday.”

I stir my golden corn niblets into a pair of mashed potato domes. 

“You can’t just pick up the phone and call her,” I say.

“Why not? Mom only had a stroke, not a lobotomy.”

“But she can’t talk. Why call her?”

“Because Mom still likes to hear your voice.”

My brother leans back, tipping his chair so far I grab him and blurt out, “You're going to crack your head open.”

As soon as I say it, we both know it. That’s exactly what Mom would tell Tony too. 

“You sound just like Mom,” he laughs still leaning back.

“A curse.”

“Well, if it is, then this curse of yours is definitely a good thing.”

 

• • •

When I step outside the Atwood Cafe, I start to cry. I never used to cry in public. Before my daughter Betsy was born five years ago and I went on estrogen overload, I was in control of my emotions. 

I dip my chin deep into my scratchy wool scarf to hide my tears as I walk down Michigan Avenue. I feel like my sister. She’s the emotional wreck in my family with overflowing laundry baskets, a chronically broken washing machine, a pot roast burning in the oven, and three kids holding her hostage in her own home. Read More

 

Illustration: Chris Olson © 2010.

 

 

 

New Girl Scout study says teen girls act mean & play dumb online

A new nationwide survey by Girl Scouts of America finds "a disconnect between how teen girls portray themselves online and in person." The survey findings are a perfect starting point for discussing social media with your own kids. Perhaps the best news from the survey is the fact a vast majority of respondents prefer face-to-face communication.

The survey included more than 1,000 girls ages 14-17 sheds new light on how the effects of increased use of social media and teens.

Here are some of the study findings according to the GS of the USA press release:

-- nearly 74% believe other girls their age use social networking sites to make themselves “cooler than they really are,”

-- girls downplay several positive characteristics of themselves online, most prominently their intelligence, kindness, and efforts to be a positive influence.

-- in person, girls say they come across as smart (82%), kind (76%), and a good influence (59%)

-- girls online consider themselves fun (54%), funny (52%), and social (48%).

-- girls with low self-esteem are more likely to admit their social networking image doesn’t match their in-person image (33% vs. 18% of girls with high self- esteem)

-- girls with low self-esteem are also more likely to claim that the image they portray online is sexy (22% vs. 14%) and crazy (35% vs. 28%).

-- a majority of girls understand their emotional safety and reputations are at risk online, yet 50% admit to not always being as careful as they should be online.

-- 68% have had a negative experience on a social networking site, such as having someone gossip about them or being bullied.

-- 92% would give up all of their social networking friends if it meant keeping their best friend.

-- 56% of girls agree that social networking helps them feel closer to their friends, and 36% think that social networks have increased the quality of their relationships.

--52% of girls have gotten involved in a cause they care about through a social network.

Cheers to the Middle Sister

I admit it, I have been outed for selecting a wine just because it has a clever name or label. Sometimes my selection strategy works, and sometimes it doesn't. Today I'm falling for a lovely California winery called Middle Sister Wines. Besides being oh so C-U-T-E, this winery is getting rave reviews (and here too). Plus the winery pledges a minimum of $10,000 annually to organizations dedicated to promoting and supporting sisterhood including DressForSuccess.org. So this Thanksgiving Day why not try a nice bottle of Pinot Noir from Middle Sisters called Goodie Two-Shoes--a blast of ripe and lush berry, medium body, a vanilla note and light cocoa powder on the finish.

If you are like me, you'll have to know the story behind this middle sister:

The story of Goodie Two-Shoes:
Don’t hate me because I’m beautiful. Or because I graduated top of my class. Being almost perfect is a terrible burden to bear. So I must confess I do have one or two vices. Wine, cheese, cheeseburgers, vampire novels, pink outfits and serial flirting…is that more than one or two? I hope my secrets are safe with you. I have an image to protect. Let me buy you a glass of wine.

Follow Middle Sister Wines on Facebook.

 

Daily doodle: laughter is an instant vacation

A smile starts on the lips,
A grin spreads to the eyes,
A chuckle comes from the belly;
But a good laugh bursts forth from the soul,
Overflows, and bubbles all around.
~Carolyn Birmingham

Laughter is an instant vacation.
~ Milton Berle

A man isn't poor if he can still laugh.
~Raymond Hitchcock

What soap is to the body, laughter is to the soul.
~Yiddish Proverb

If you can laugh at it then you can live with it.
~Unknown

We don't laugh because we're happy -- we're happy because we laugh.
~William James

You are not angry with people when you laugh at them. Humor teaches tolerance.
~W. Somerset Maugham

Against the assault of laughter nothing can stand.
~Mark Twain

Check out more of my doodles at Momathon doodles.
Illustration: Chris Olson © 2010.

Is getting married old-fashioned?

Have our attitudes about marriage changed over the past 3 decades? Hard to believe marriage is becoming less popular with all the frenzy this week about the engagement of Prince William and Kate Middleton.

For the moment, forget about the royal wedding hype and consider the latest marriage study. Back in 1978 and again in October, 2010, Time magazine polled Americans to find out just what people think about marriage. According to the polls: 39% in 2010 said marriage is becoming obsolete, up from 28% in 1978. In coordination with Time magazine, social scientists at the Pew Research Center conducted this study of attitudes on marriage including interviews with 2,691 adults during the first three weeks of October.

Looking at the stats, the bond of marriage may seem less important and maybe even less helpful now. Fewer adults are married in 2010 (54%) compared to 1960 (72%) according to census data. More couples are choosing cohabitation and skipping the marriage ceremony. However, the stats don't tell the whole story. Here is what some experts say about the changing attitudes about marriage that the recent Pew study reveals:

AOL News: Poll: 4 in 10 Say Marriage Becoming Obsolete 

So while marriage is becoming less popular, attitudes toward it also differ by class, age and race, the Pew survey found...The gap between marriage rates for college graduates versus those with only a high school diploma or no degree is widening. In 1960, the gap was 4 percentage points, with 76 percent of college graduates marrying versus 72 percent of non-graduates. By 2008, the gap had jumped to 16 points, with 64 percent of college graduates getting married compared with 48 percent of those with a high school degree or less.

USA TODAY: Nearly 40% say marriage is becoming obsolete 

Census data reflect a declining percentage of married adults: 54% in 2010, down from 57% in 2000 and 72% in 1960...At the same time, the median age at first marriage increased in 2010 to its highest ever — 28.2 for men and 26.1 for women, according to Census. That's up from 26.8 and 25.1 in 2000. Among those ages 25-34, the percentage of those who are married fell below unmarrieds for the first time in more than a century.

TIME/Pew Poll: What Is Marriage Good For?

"About 70% of us have been married at least once, according to the 2010 Census. The Pew poll found that although 44% of Americans under 30 believe marriage is heading for extinction, only 5% of those in that age group do not want to get married."

Huffington Post: TIME Marriage Study: Four In Ten Say It's Obsolete 

Says Andrew Cherlin, sociology and public policy professor at Johns Hopkins University, who is quoted at length in the piece: "...a child living together with unmarried parents in Sweden has a lower chance that his family will disrupt than does a child living with married parents in the U.S."

ABC News: Is Marriage Obsolete?

Young people are marrying less often, in part, because they're taking marriage more seriously after watching their own parents divorce or separate from one another.

The change in attitudes about marriage over the years is due to the fact our opinions about what makes a family are changing too. The traditional definition of a family is no longer the only definition. What is a modern family? Depends on who you ask. Research suggests adding kids to the mix tends to make more of us consider this group a family. Of course the traditional husband-wife-and-kids combo forms a family. But now more and more of us think unmarried couples with children form families too. Gay couples with kids are modern families. Couples without kids are also families. Even pets are included in the modern definition of family.

And, perhaps most important, the new vision of a family means if you consider yourself a family, that is what makes a family.
 
Illustration: Chris Olson © 2010.

Happy Beaujolais Nouveau Day!

The third Thursday in November has a special place on the calendar for wine lovers. Today the Beaujolais Nouveau--a sweet red wine from a small province in France--hits stores.

The Beaujolais Nouveau is the first French wine released each year. The Washington Post says the new batch of Beaujolais has "a sweet, fruity and authentic flavor that matches 2009's excellent harvest."

Beaujolais is a tiny region north of Lyon, France. The celebrated Beaujolais Nouveau wine some critics say is more fun than fine. It's made from the Gamay Noir grape.

So why all the fuss about this wine? The Beaujolais Nouveau is unique because it is one of the few wines allowed by French laws to be sold during the year of harvest.

According to the AP, last year more than 15.2 million bottles of Beaujolais Nouveau were exported to 110 countries.

Need one more reason to check this wine out? The wine is affordably priced at about $10.00. 

 

So Tweet: A royal love story

How do the royals announce big news? On Twitter, of course. Clarence House, the royal home, broke the news on Twitter on Tuesday, November 16th.

@ClarenceHouse: "The Prince of Wales is delighted to announce the engagement of Prince William to Miss Catherine Middleton."

Proving British royals can be both tech savvy and romantic, Britain's Prince William and his fiancé Kate Middleton looked delighted to finally share the engagement news after keeping it secret for weeks.

Here is the backstory:

• William popped the question at Lewa Downs Wildlife Conservancy near Mount Kenya last month.

• William gave Kate the engagement ring of his mother Princess Diana, a lovely blue sapphire and diamond engagement ring.

• Both William and Kate are 28.

• The wedding date has not been set, but plans are for the wedding to take place in the spring or summer of next year.

• William met Kate in 2001 while studying together at the University of St. Andrews.

• After the wedding, William and Kate will continue living in their home in North Wales.

Photos: by E. Olson

Daily doodle: let it snow

"Oh the weather outside is frightful,
But the fire is so delightful,
And since we've no place to go,
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!"

The Christmas classic "Let It Snow" was created by lyricist Sammy Cahn and the composer Jule Styne in 1945.

Check out more of my doodles at Momathon doodles.
Illustration: Chris Olson © 2010.

Daily doodle: good dawg

"Yesterday I was a dog. Today I'm a dog. Tomorrow I'll probably still be a dog. Sigh! There's so little hope for advancement."
~ Snoopy

Check out more of my doodles at Momathon doodles.
Illustration: Chris Olson © 2010.

Pack a shoebox with gifts via Operation Christmas Child

It is so simple. Give a gift to someone who has very little. Share the love of the holiday season by packing a shoebox with toys, school supplies, personal hygiene items, and a note from you. You can show you care thanks to Samaritan's Purse and Operation Christmas Child. 

 

This week, November 15 - 22, is Operation Christmas Child's national collection week. Shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child will be collected for distribution to more than eight million needy children internationally. Detailed instructions for participating at Operation Christmas Child. Nearby drop-off locations listed here.

Share this project with a friend and pack two boxes.

Note: I think it is always a good idea to check the details of a charity before donating. According to the online charity evaluator, Charity Navigator, Samaritan's Purse and their program Operation Christmas Child receives a 4-star rating out of 4 stars.

 

 

Daily doodle: winter is here

One kind word can warm three winter months.
~Japanese Proverb

Check out more of my doodles at Momathon doodles.
Illustration: Chris Olson © 2010.

Spruced up my illustration digs online

My friends over at Pikaland gave me the much-needed push to fix up my illustration website. Now the site has a nice, clean look with improved navigation. Hmmmm. Sounds like I am describing a newly designed car. Anyway, you can check it out here.

A glimpse of a portion of My Portfolio page.

How to book the best room in the hotel

Hello, my name is Chris and I am a hotel snob.  

I admit it. My family and close friends know about my little secret: I am very fussy when it comes to selecting a hotel and a room in a hotel.

 

Hotel rooms are not created equal. Lucky for me and other hotel snobs, TripKick.com makes it easy for picky travelers to find the best rooms based on your preferences. This online service features a room-by-room guide of hotel rooms in 500 hotels in more than 27 cities. Keep checking the site because the number of hotels increases each month. 

What makes a hotel room great for you? TripKick groups rooms according to criteria specified by you including room size, view, etc. If you specify your hotel room personality such as formal, romantic getaway, upscale business, elegant, TripKick will suggest hotels. How does it work? Well, if you are looking for a quiet room in the St. Regis New York pictured above, then TripKick recommends even numbered rooms which are quiet, interior facing rooms. If you want an oversized, junior suite at the St. Regis check out room 21. If you want a big bathroom at the St. Regis, you are in luck: most rooms feature oversized baths.

Some obvious deal breakers for hotel snobs are rooms with small bathrooms or rooms near noisy vending machines or near hotel renovation areas. What makes a room more desirable? The size of the room, proximity to elevators, or a great view. Travelers can add their own ratings to the TripKick website.

TripKick has only been around for a little over a year and it was once again named a "Top Website" by Travel + Leisure magazine.

Need daily updates? You can follow tripkick.com on Twitter.

(I originally posted a version of this entry here.)

It's so Etsy: new Etsy apps

Thanks to clever writers over at the blog Handmadeology, now you can find all the new ETSY apps in one place. To find out more, check out their post, New Etsy App Gallery.

Photo: Tools4Etsy and Handmadeology.

Amazon.com listens to outcry and pulls lewd e-book

Power to the moms, dads, grandparents, aunts and uncles who spoke up and said very loudly "ENOUGH!" 

The online outcry was targeted at Amazon.com for including an obscene guidebook for pedophiles. The lewd details about this book reported in the news are so upsetting that after reading the reports I felt like vomiting. Fortunately the outcry evidently pushed Amazon to remove the book, but I am concerned that another book like this will get published again.

As a former book editor and a parent, I will briefly summarize the concept of this book: Disgusting! 

I object so strongly to the publication of this book that I won't even dignify it by giving the title of the obscene book or including the author's name.

The book debuted on Kindle on October 28th. Until the bloggers, tweeters, and just plain angry customers reacted in the past few days, the e-book was sold on Amazon. Finally Amazon heard the online outcry and pulled the book off its Kindle list today.

How can an objectionable book such as this book appear on Amazon.com? Amazon initially offered the controversial book under the grounds of free speech. Amazon does request that authors verify the book is not offensive, however their guidelines for determining offensive material are vague. According to the BBC News:

Amazon does not specifically state on its website what material it deems offensive, instead saying "probably what you would expect'.

News of the offensive book available on Amazon.com spread through Twitterverse. Mommy (and daddy) tweets around the world demanded the book be dropped. According to LA Times blog Jacket Copy: 

On Twitter, the best way for lots of people to raise their collective voices quickly, users have called for Amazon to remove the book. Author and blogger Kristen Welch tweeted, "Dear Lord, @amazon Do you really want the force (a.k.a MOM BLOGGERS) boycotting you? Remove this book."

Hats off to Hera over at her blog Greek Momma. With savvy PR skills and a rational tone her voice was one of the many demanding removal of the book from the Amazon listings. Hera listed the Amazon toll free number for complaints. She even addressed the issue of freedom of speech and why taking the book off Amazon did not infringe on the author's rights. In a nutshell, Hera encouraged Amazon to exercise their right to determine that a book is objectionable. Here is what Hera, an adult survivor of child molestation and child abuse/neglect, asked her readers to do:

This is a matter of telling Amazon, a huge conglomerate that making this information accessible to such a large number of people is wrong. That you and I , as consumers will not buy from a company that promotes illegal activity, especially acts that will undoubtedly harm or children and their families. 

Online demonstrations such as this one come with a word of caution that makes me cringe: Even bad publicity has the power to create interest. The sad irony is the fact that the online outcry made the book more prominent on the Amazon list. In fact, according to Slate Magazine and Gawker, before TechCrunch wrote about the book on Wednesday, very few had even heard of it. As Slate reports:

After TechCrunch covered the book, it skyrocketed to 146th—"an increase of over 101,000% in less than a day," Gawker's Adrian Chen notes. It reached 65th place before Amazon pulled it from the site, 

The story comes full circle here. Amazon sold the book, people complained, Amazon took the book off their list. But this cycle can repeat itself. And each time an objectionable book gets more publicity.

Amazon.com and other booksellers are in the driver's seat. Before another objectionable book like this becomes available I urge booksellers to rethink their policies and remember as adults we are responsible for protecting our children.

If you want to read more about the Amazon's removal of the controversial Kindle book, CNET News and the WSJ also cover the story.

Frosting on the trees

I woke up this morning to a winter wonderland.

It's barely 7 a.m. and I know the frosting on the branches will melt as soon as the sun comes out.

I adore the sparkle of fresh snow in the sunshine almost as much as the winter landscape before the clouds lift.

 Photos: Chris Olson © 2010.

What's the story, Morning Glory?

Like the lyrics sung by Ella Fitzgerald suggest, in the new romantic comedy "Morning Glory" the story behind the public image of the newsroom might be more interesting than the news itself. 

 

  

The characters in the movie's over-the-top dysfunctional newsroom somehow manage to survive and even thrive in a cut-throat business.

Throw in the age factor--Diane Keaton plays a sixty-something veteran news anchor--and you might be tempted to ask, how can a woman in her sixties succeed in television? And while women's magazines like to tell us that 60 is the new 40, a clever slogan doesn't change everything. Thanks to the hardworking women who don't give up when they reach a "certain age," women of all ages are looking up to these women as role models in media, fashion, and business.

If it is possible to admire the "narcissistic" character of Colleen Peck played by Academy award winning actress Diane Keaton, then count me in her fan club. Peck's the epitome of the perfectly-imperfect, hard-working woman who triumphs when the going gets tough. Peck, a veteran news anchor who literally kicked some butt when she dressed up as a Sumo wrestler for her morning gig, might be considered a ditsy TV host except for the fact she is also a very hard worker. And perhaps best of all, she isn't afraid to stand up to her bitter co-host played by Harrison Ford who seems offended when co-host Peck, a former beauty queen, gets any respect in the newsroom. 

I have always admired Keaton's wit and self-depricating sense of humor. She's not afraid to tell it like it is. At 64 she knows what it takes for women in their 60s to survive in TV and films. As more and more women continue to thrive in the business world even as they age, Keaton and her contemporaries remind me why working hard and not taking myself too seriously might be the keys to success.

Morning Glory opens tomorrow, November 10th. Watch Keaton's interview with another hardworking journalist, Meredith Vieira, on the TODAY Show below. 

Daily doodle: No rules

"There are no rules here.

We are trying to accomplish something."

~ Thomas Edison

 

Check out more of my doodles at Momathon doodles.
Illustration: Chris Olson © 2010.

 

The first step is believing in yourself

No sock toys were harmed in the creation of this blog post.

Actors: Chuck, the sock toy

Art direction: Chris Olson at Luna Blue Studios, 2010.

(Blog post via my style blog, LunaBlue Studio)

Creative kickstart

Inspiration for my illustration and design projects comes in many forms. Before I go to my studio each morning, I check in on my favorite blogs and see what they are talking about.



Victoria over at the blog sfgirlbybay always features something interesting--photos, artwork, interviews, or reviews--to get the creative juices flowing. 

And sometimes the luscious imagery makes me hungry...

Anthology Magazine featured on sfgirlbybay.

 

Found this lovely wallpaper by illustrator Julia Rothman on sfgirlbybay. I adore the wallpaper's rich colors and the heavenly drawings of birds in the clouds. The wallpaper is also featured on grain edit and includes Victoria's interview with Julia.



Julia's new collaborative book The Exquisite Book is on my wish list.

(photos via sfgirlbybay and grain edit)

via my style blog Luna Blue Studio: Creative kickstart

Geeky Mom: PayPal app on iPhone has security flaw

I often use PayPal because it offers an added level of security for online transactions; however as this news story shows, nothing is perfectly safe. Even PayPal, an eBay company, can be vulnerable to a security lapse leaving users unprotected. 

When using the mobile PayPal app in unsecured networks and WiFi hotspots users were left vulnerable because the app failed to check the digital certificates--an electronic ID card--that confirms that a website is legitimate. In other words, this flaw allowed a hacker to develop a fake PayPal website and access accounts without the PayPal app users knowing anything had happened. This security flaw meant PayPal app users could be "tricked into thinking they were using the legitimate website when they weren't" according to CNET News. The android app and the PayPal website are not affected. Only the iPhone version of the app is affected by the flaw.

According to CNET News, PayPal spokesman Anuj Nayar says, "We don't believe any customers have been affected at all, and if there were any affected they would be 100 percent covered by PayPal."

The over 4 million users of the poplar app can breath a sigh of relief as they download the app update to secure their phones. According to WSJ.com:

PayPal spokeswoman Amanda Pires said the eBay Inc. unit verified the vulnerability Tuesday night and sent a new version of the app to Apple Inc.'s App Store that users will have to download. PayPal also said it would reimburse 100% of any fraudulent activity.

PayPal was alerted of the flaw on Tuesday when they were asked by WSJ.com to comment on the flaw that the mobile security firm viaForensics first reported. PayPal rushed to fix the flaw and within 24 hours made an app update available for download. The new 3.0.1 version of the app with the security update is free at the iTunes App Store.

Since banks and credit cards are considering offering mobile payment systems similar to PayPal in the near future, let's hope the PayPal security issue pushes them to develop secure systems.

(Photo: Miss Karen)

When no one understands your kid in school...

Moving beyond the labels and achieving great things is a big dream for children with learning difficulties. 

I remember being told my daughter would never be able read a book. I remember seeing my daughter banished to the hallway outside her third grade classroom because she was so far behind in class. I remember hearing teachers say my child would never go to college. I remember seeing my daughter crumple her homework papers with a big, red "INCOMPELTE" scribbled on them. I remember hearing my daughter would never achieve anything above a D or C in school. 

And I remember hearing my daughter say, "No one understands me."

In those moments I cried inside because I didn't have an answer. I did not understand my daughter's learning problems either. 

And then one day my daughter met a tutor who saw beyond the labels of her learning disability. She opened the door to learning. And that is when I knew someone understood her. 

If your child faces similar challenges, a new HBO documentary I Can't Do This But I CAN Do That offers hope and inspiration for children with learning difficulties and their families.

 

You can watch HBO trailer here.

This motivational film can even inspire adults to achieve more and move beyond the negative ideas holding them back. Photographer Scott Bourne blogged about it: 

Now here’s the important part. Start thinking about, talking about and living in the world of the stuff you CAN do. Concentrate on what you CAN do and not on what you CANNOT do... There’s a way to make this even more successful. Only surround yourself with positive, supportive people. Ask them to stop you dead in your tracks if they start hearing what you can’t do. Ask them to remind you what you CAN do. I bet you have more going for you than you realize.

According to Smart Kids With LD:

The film highlights the resourcefulness, creativity and strengths that schools frequently fail to acknowledge when students with LD are viewed as less capable than others, and are not given the help they need to succeed.  As director and producer Ellen Goosenberg Kent notes, the film “encourages students, families, and teachers to look beyond labels and discover the gifts each child possesses.”

According to the Denver Dyslexia Awareness Blog, the documentary is "hopeful, honest, emotional, empathetic, uplifting, vulnerable, riveting, inspiring, intelligent." 

To find the date and time for this documentary on HBO, check the listings.

(Photo by C. Olson.)

Week of VOTE doodles: Day 7

"I look forward to a great future for America - a future in which our country will match its military strength with our moral restraint, its wealth with our wisdom, its power with our purpose."
~ John F. Kennedy

Check out more of my doodles at Momathon doodles.
Illustration: Chris Olson © 2010.

Heaven in a glass: Decadent hot chocolate, espresso, & cool heavy cream

  

I want this drink NOW!

Blame it on election day nerves, but I will need a fresh supply on the hour all day long. Read more about the Molto Mocha drink in New York Magazine. You can order your very own heaven in a glass drink at the Lavazza coffee bar in Eataly in NYC. ($4; Lavazza coffee bar at Eataly, 200 Fifth Ave., nr. W. 23rd St.; 212-229-2560)

Sending mommy hugs to my friends at newyork.grubstreet.com for finding this treat!

(Photo: Danny Kim/New York magazine)

Tumblr fave: Hello, November

(via paisley-rose)

Today's Tumblr post featured in quote-book.tumblr.com

Week of VOTE doodles: Day 6

 

"Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost."
~John Quincy Adams

 

Check out more of my doodles at Momathon doodles.
Illustration: Chris Olson © 2010.