Momathon Blog

Watercolor Wednesday: Doxie Moxie

 

Happy Wednesday!

Watercolor art by me, Chris Olson.

The Anderson Cooper Show wants to hear your stories

The new daytime Anderson Cooper Show premieres on September 12th and he wants to hear your stories.

TV shows often promise they will change your life, but Anderson says that isn't realistic. Instead Anderson says he wants his show to make your day more interesting, more informed, more fun. 

Irene's flood water risks to pets (and people)

 

 

My three dogs wag their tails when they see a puddle, but even with their amazing canine noses they can't sniff out the hidden contaminants.  And they can't see the dangerous debris hidden in the mud.

Tips for pet parents and Hurricane Irene

Hurricane Irene and Pet Safety

This post includes tips from a variety of sources. Please feel free to share more links and tips in the comments section.

If you are not safe to stay in your home during a hurricane, then your pet is not safe either. The best advice to pet owners in the path of a hurricane may be to evacuate early. Remember to share your evacuation plans with relatives and friends.

Friday's Decor Crush from Crazy, Stupid, Love

Friday’s Decor Crush
Who knows how I ever noticed the white chair in this scene with Ryan Gosling showing off his six-pack. Anyways… I adore them both in the delightful movie Crazy, Stupid, Love.
If you have any ideas where to buy the lovely white modern chair, add your thoughts to the comments for this post.

~via my blog Decor Crush on Tumblr

Family-friendly housewares by Diane Keaton

 

"Diane Keaton is a wonderful actor. And I love her sense of style. But I never knew until now she also has an incredible sense for design too. Check out my new Decor Crush–Keaton’s new classic line of housewares K by Keaton at Bed Bath and Beyond. Perfect colors for fall and winter. Love the fact the pottery is practical and kid-friendly too!"

via Decor Crush on Tumblr.

Illustration by me, Chris Olson

 

 

Are you saving enough?

 

The recent stock market slide may make you too nervous to look at your retirement account, but now more than ever you need to make sure you have realistic expectations for what you will need in retirement and compare that to how much you are saving each month.

Do you know how much you need to save each month for retirement? Jean Chatzky, More Magazine's finance columnist suggests: "Not sure how to do the calculations? Try the Ballpark E$timate at Choose to Save."

Women vs. Men
Many women need to shift the way they think about money and become at least as savvy as men with their retirement savings plans. Why? For starters, women are living longer than men. Yet men think they need to save more for their retirement. Women on average only earn 77 cents on the dollar compared with men. Plus women are more likely to be employed in jobs that are not covered by company retirement and pension plans. Married couples may assume they are better off, but they need to also consider what happens to the surviving spouse–often the wife. According to WSJ.com:

Decor Crush: Rice Paper Lantern on the show White Collar

 

I believe in love at first sight. Especially while watching TV or a movie.

Let me explain...

Almost everything looks better on TV–especially home decor or cars or clothes. So it is only natural to see something even for just a second on your TV and instantly feel that connection. But where can you find it? Magazines and blogs do a great job of doing the sleuthing for the best in celebrity and pop culture clothing.

Amazing couches, lovely lamps, and impressive bookshelves rarely get ID'd in the media. That's why every Friday I am going to post one TV (or movie) home decor crush on my blog and my new Tumblr blog Decor Crush. Feel free to send me your ideas for identifying an item featured on Decor Crush. And send me suggestions for Decor Crush items. Together we will solve the puzzles. 

 

Friday's Crush:
The lamp in the apartment of the charming criminal mastermind Neal Caffrey (Matt Bomer) on the show White Collar. I love this rice paper lantern because it is not the typical round shape.

So where can I find it?

 

Follow Decor Crush on Tumblr.

Want to create your own app? There is an app for that

 

 

Want to make your own iPhone app, but don't know all the fancy computer codes? Well, there is an app for that.

Thanks to several new apps, you can build an app without any training. Now creating an app is as easy as blogging.

Social media "drives" the apps so you will need at least one of the following: an RSS feed, blog feed, Twitter feed, Flickr feed, or videos posted on YouTube to supply the content. If you want to sell the app, after you create the app you need to register the app with iTunes or Google. These app maker apps offer the basic tools to make your app. If you want to build an app loaded with extras you will need some help from professional app creators, but the appmaker apps can offer suggestions for that too.

Daily doodle: Wordless Wednesdays

 

Daily doodle by me, Chris Olson. You can see more of my doodles at Momathon doodles. 

Research says texting, posting, and tweeting may make kids nicer

Our kids spend more time online texting, posting and tweeting than we will ever know. And I admit this worries me, but I may be over-reacting. Recent studies suggest time interacting online may help kids be more empathetic in real life and even strengthen bonds between friends. And studies suggest that shy kids may learn to be more outgoing and less anxious by spending time connecting with friends online.

Stock market drop and the E-Trade baby meltdown

 

I love ya, E-Trade baby. You make investing in stocks look so easy. You are cool as a cucumber, except when...

 

The Freudian, the Jungian and now the Starbucks theory in therapy

Since few of us have time to sit down for a three-course meal, why not take the fast food approach to solve even our most complicated and personal challenges? 

While traditional therapists agonize over each patient's problems for hours, weeks, and years, a new kind of fast food therapy pushes the patients in and out of therapy sessions quickly. 

Improving lives one puppy at a time

 

 

Changing lives one puppy at a time, Canine Companions for Independence (CCI) is a non-profit organization that enhances the lives of people with disabilities by providing highly trained assistance dogs and ongoing support to ensure quality partnerships.