Momathon Blog

Hello, September!

This time of year the warm sunshine during the day feels good on my shoulders and it's one of my favorite times to be outside. Perhaps it's because the sun is setting earlier and earlier each day and I feel like I have to savor every sunny moment outdoors. 

Do you like to hike with your family? We do and a favorite game we play outside while hiking is called the NAME FIVE THINGS game. I've included the rules of the game at the end of this post.

Fall is approaching. The days are getting shorter. At night when I walk my dogs I bring along my giant flashlight. In my neighborhood nestled at the base of a mountain, this is the time when the black bears begin stuffing themselves with berries before the snow falls. Walking around my neighborhood after the sun goes down is not recommended unless you bring along a flashlight so you can avoid running into a mama bear and her cubs foraging for food. 

The directions for playing the NAME FIVE THINGS game below.

Clever Children's Book Is Also an iPhone App

Making a smooth transition back to work is not easy for new moms. The book Oscar the Pig by Megan Calhoun, the founder of Twittermoms, aims to help moms and their young kids adjust to the changes including the feelings of separation anxiety. In the book, Oscar the Pig's mom is going back to work. And Oscar is just a little worried. Fortunately, Oscar now has also has a lovable but eccentric nanny hen who takes Oscar on magical adventures to other cultures. Now Oscar has fun adventures and discoveries to share with his mom when she gets home from work.

Oscar the Pig is now available from iKids iPlay in an app format with five interactive activities on iTunes for 2.99. 

Acccording to Jenrab at blog The Next Kid Thing, with the Oscar the Pig app "kids can rub the screen to reveal hidden pages; the book becomes a coloring book with the stroke of a little finger, which can later be sent to grandma via email; storytime can enjoyed with automatic page turns and beginning readers can read, record and replay as they grasp their new reading abilities."

Here are the five app activities listed on the App Shopper:

• RUB - Rub the screen with your finger to reveal the hidden picture book pages.
• COLOR - Classic coloring book using a finger as the crayon. Save and email to mom, dad and grandparents.
• STORY - Enjoy a video story time, narration and page turns included.
• READ - Read, record and playback the picture book
• PAINT - Digital finger painting. Save and email to mom, dad and grandparents.
  

Digital Kid Syndrome: Are Your Kids Couch Potatoes?

I dream about a world--or maybe just a weekend--without a Wii, Xbox, or iPod. My kids would talk to me and other real people in real time. Their eyes would enjoy looking at real things like books, bicycles, broccoli, and basketball courts. Their arms and legs would move with real things like the vacuum cleaner!

Okay, it's just a dream. But what if you could convince your kids to step away from their digital worlds and go outside. Taking a class with their friends or with siblings is one way to develop new hobbies and talents that can last a lifetime. Imagine a teen who makes dinner. Or an 8-year-old who creates all your greeting cards. According to the clever editors at Oprah.com you have many wonderful choices including these ideas:

• Cooking classes (or teach them to cook at home with Recipes Your Kids Will Enjoy Making and Eating!)
• Music classes
• Photography class with mom or dad (check out these Photography Tips)
• Fitness class
• Sewing, knitting, or other craft classes
• Language class
• Dance class
• Magic lessons
• Volunteer (check out these tips on the Art of Giving Back)

In my personal experience, some affordable (and even free) classes that last a day or an afternoon can be great fun too. Group lessons are usually more affordable. Here are some to try:

• Horseback riding lessons (More affordable lessons might be offered to a group such as Girl Scouts, etc.)
• Writing or journaling classes (Some classes are offered for free at the library)
• Tennis lessons
• Golf Lessons 
• Scuba diving lessons
• Pottery or ceramics classes
• Mommy and kids craft classes at your library 
• Or create a co-op with your friends. Each mom (or dad) can sign up to teach a class in a hobby they enjoy

Have fun! I might sneak into one of the classes too!

New Rubik Puzzle: The Rubik 360

In the age of iPod apps and Xbox games, can a puzzle that requires no electricity or batteries build a cult following like it's popular predecessor?

Some of us have been waiting nearly 30 years for the second generation of the Rubik's Cube that was invented back in 1974. Guess it takes a while to make a new version of this puzzle. The sculptor/engineer/architect and inventor of the original Cube, Erno Rubik, 64, says he has a new puzzle called the Rubik 360 that will go on sale in August.

"The 360 is one of the most innovative and exciting puzzles we've developed since the cube, adopting elements of my original design, challenging the solver to use skill, dexterity and logic," says Rubik according to the Herald Sun.

Looking forward to it already. Watch out Eric Akkersdijk, the Rubik Cube world champion who completed the puzzle in a speedy 7.08 seconds. A new crop of Rubik fanatics is waiting to challenge the speed record for the 360.

Not sure if Eric needs to worry about Graham Parker, 45, of England. Evidently Parker finished his Rubik Cube after 26 years.

Yard Party? Prepping the Yard for Fall

The leaves are turning golden. It's time to prep the yard for winter. My brothers and I used to sing crazy songs together as we worked in the yard. I'm not sure my parents appreciated our singing, but it just shows that you can turn working in the yard into a fun family activity. Just bring your iPod with speakers outdoors and crank up the music. Give your kids some garden gloves to prevent blisters as well as kid-sized rakes. You can turn raking into a game. My daughter likes to make it a contest and see who can make the biggest pile of leaves. Of course jumping into the pile is the best part.

Don't worry about raking up every last leaf on the yard. Leave a few leaves on the lawn and mulch them when you mow. When you add a winterizing fertilizer this will help the mulched leaves break down and they both will provide nutrients for your lawn. You can fertilize your lawn with a winterizing fertilizer such as "Scotts Winterizer Fall Lawn Fertilizer."  Winterizers strengthen the roots and help the grass to store more energy. A good fall fertilizer should provide the nitrogen and potassium your lawn nees during fall and winter.

The view from my backyard in the fall and a couple of frisky bucks.

Family Activities: Games for Toddlers and Young Kids

One of the best parts of motherhood is getting to play your favorite childhood games all over again. But if you are like me, you may have forgotten exactly how to play hopscotch, red light, green light, or the freeze dance. The clever editors at FamilyFun and Wondertime have compiled a resource for how to play dozens of games and activities for toddlers (and older kids too). Now that the weather is warming up and kids love to be outside, I especially love the Wondertime article on games to play outdoors like Shark (imagine a playful game of tag using hula hoops). The editors at Wondertime even included Wading Pool Games that are fun and even educational.

Sample game...perfect for a family get-together

Got a family reunion coming up? They editors at Wondertime also included games to play at family get-togethers. Meet Your Match is good warm-up game that helps kids get to know each other. All you need is pictures of matching items (like fork and spoon). Wondertime even provides cute images you can download and print. Talk about no fuss. Before you start playing the game, first the kids take turns taping pictures on each other's backs without letting the person know the image on their back. To play the kids mingle and ask each other questions about the picture on their back. Make sure the kids don't tell each other the name of the image. When the kids figure out what is on their backs, then they try to find their match. For more detailed instructions read about Meet Your Match on Wondertime.

Have fun.

Are Video Games Too Violent?

Today the video game Grand Theft Auto IV featuring Niko Bellic who commits wanton acts of violence is on sale. People are lining up to buy it for $59.99 or mugging shoppers just to get a copy--see the end this post for details. The new game is expected to be one of the biggest sellers in gaming history. This is not news I want to hear. Neither is the fact that the newest version features more realistic graphics and playing the game feels more realistic because the game characters interact more than previous version.

A game with more realistic shootings and beatings will definitely not be on my Saturday shopping list. EVER. Do we really need all the violence, car-jacking, profane language, drugs and fights? I am still trying to figure out why a game that allows players to shoot innocent bystanders is so popular. It's disgusting. I feel the same way about last year's mega hit Halo 3 with its murder simulator. Fans of these games say their violent tone is no worse than popular media like The Sopranos and The Godfather. I guess they have a point, but people watch these shows not make the violence come to life in video games.

A game that features hiring a prostitute then beating her with a stick is just plain sick. One of the dangers of this game is that it's all about doing whatever you want no matter the consequence. If beating someone up and dealing drugs is someone's fantasy, then this game has it. But in the real world the consequences of such violence are horrific. According to Forbes, "The "Grand Theft Auto" series developed by Rockstar Games of New York City has sold some 70 million copies. "Grand Theft Auto IV" is expected to make $450 million by year-end...An estimated 23 million people bought "Grand Theft Auto III: San Andreas."

What do parents think about this game? The Parents Television Council issued a statement last week blasting the game for its violence and sexual content. Perhaps what makes the games so disgusting is the game is fantasy-based, but the violence is so real. And the players face no real world consequences. According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune interview with Melissa Henson, the council's director of public education: "I think that as these games become increasingly more and more realistic, we have more and more cause for concern."

In a sad twist of events that points out the violence we already face on the streets is blending with the violence in games, last night in London "a man was stabbed while waiting to buy Grand Theft Auto IV and muggers shattered the jaw of a teenager who had just bought the game," according to The Times Online UK.