Momathon Blog

Sort of like a Disney movie...

Last week started out like most weeks. My dogs were the first ones to tip me off to the fact that something strange was going on in my garage.

At first I chalked up their new fascination with the garage as another one of their doggie eccentricities. When it latest for three days, I knew something was up. On Thanksgiving Day they finally showed me the big reason.

Birdseed + Mice = Mess

 

(image by glen edelson)

If you know me, then you know I am an animal lover. Even mice. Outside.

I love the movie Ratatouille and I had a mouse as a pet as a child. However, my neighborhood in the woods is rodent mecca. I prefer to keep the mouse population out of my house and garage. 

 

(image from Ratatouille Movie) 

My daughter reminded me it was Thanksgiving, the day of the most treasured meal of the year. So this year when an improperly stored 20 lb. bag of birdseed became a mouse feast, I decided it was fate.

The dogs had frightened away the mice in the garage for the moment. My daughter and I cleaned up the mess and put the "leftovers" in a secure bin. 

Until next year, the mice will have to feast outdoors.

Give a laptop to children in developing countries and change the world.

The XO laptop: A small computer that serves a big cause. 

Most of the more than one billion children in the emerging world do not have access to education. The rugged and inexpensive XO laptop can help solve that problem. 

The nonprofit organization One Laptop per Child provides poor children in developing countries a sturdy laptop that works even in harshest conditions. The OLPC has big goals that have met some criticism in part because the OLPC has has only distributed laptops in smaller, isolated areas. But after three years the nonprofit has expanded its outreach. According to the NYTimes.com: "Late last month the Uruguayan government completed the process of distributing an XO to each of its 415,000 elementary school children as the first phase of the Plan Ciebal initiative to provide a laptop for every student and teacher in the country."

You can make a difference. Give a laptop. Change the world.

One Laptop per Child : Zimi's Story FULL
Uploaded by olpcfoundation.

Canine flu and your dog

 

(image of Ella the Snow Dog by jpctalbot)

It's flu season. Did you know even your dog can catch the flu too? It's not the same as the flu humans catch. Humans can't get infected with the canine flu. The flu dogs get is called Canine Influenza (CIV) and it is very contagious in certain “hot spot” regions in their dog communities such as dog parks, doggie daycare, and dog boarding facilities. The good news is that now your dog can get vaccinated for this nasty bug. 

The canine flu is not in every city--only a few "hot spots." So if your dog lives in these areas or will be traveling to these areas you should consider talking to your vet about the virus and vaccine. I recently had my dogs vaccinated because we live in a hot spot and my dogs love to socialize with other dogs.

Canine flu hot spots

Canine Influenza hot spots include the following (and may include other cities too):

• Miami

• Denver

• Northern Virginia regions

• Please note that other cities and regions can be added to this list if outbreaks occur.

Canine flu symptoms

Not all dogs with the canine flu will show symptoms. According to another dog lover’s website, Rachael Ray, the symptoms in general for the canine flu include:

"Symptoms of this respiratory virus include runny nose, coughing, mild fever, loss of appetite and lethargy. It can last for 1 - 3 weeks, after which most dogs are fine, with the exception of the very old or those with other health conditions (just like humans).

Looking for more information?

Talk to your vet or visit the American Veterinary Medical Association website.

This is how a weekend should be spent...

(image by Kamshots)

 
(image by lepiaf.geo)

 (image by JAGwired)

(image by samlavi)

Perfect Travel Cookie: Spanish Anise

Back in February I wrote a post about a yummy cookie that travels well in the mail or in your suitcase! Since so many of you might be packing your bags for a Thanksgiving reunion, I thought this recipe might come in handy again. So here is the cookie recipe from earlier this year.

Have fun baking!

 

You never know what you might happen when your kids say they need help with homework. Sometimes it's long division or pre-calc. Or maybe writing an essay on Thomas Jefferson. Or a paper mache volcano.

And sometimes it's food. These are the projects I like...as long as it doesn't involve frying anything. A recent donut-making episode for a Social Studies project would have been simpler if I have just stopped at Dunkin' Donuts.

Recently my son made a Spanish cookie for a Spanish class. I give him an A for effort and an A+ for presentation/taste. And I give him an A++ for finding a great recipe for cookies that travel well--in the car or via mail.

Here is the cookie recipe:

SPANISH ANISE COOKIES

Ingredients:

2 cups four

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

3/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup margarine

2 eggs, well-beaten

approx. 1/8 to 1/4 tsp anise extract

Preheat oven to 375

Blend dry ingredients, cut in margarine until particles are size of large peas. Stir in eggs and anise extract. Mix thoroughly with hands or use a heavy-duty mixer. When mixed, divide into two parts. Using 1/2 dough at a time, roll 1/4" thick on a lightly foured board. Cut into sticks, approx. 4 x 12". (You can also cut into squares.) Place on ungreased baking sheet. Brush with melted margarine. Bake 10-12 minutes until lightly brown on edges. Makes 3 dozen or so sticks/squares.

Delicioso!

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.

 

(St. Regis, New York)

Hotel rooms are not created equal. Lucky for me and other hotel snobs, TripKick.com which launched in May 2008, 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.

Sunny day, sweepin' the clouds away...

 

Happy 40th Sesame Street!

Today Sesame Street--the winner of a record 122 Emmy awards--begins its 40th anniversary season with Michelle Obama and Lin-Manuel Miranda. Bert and Ernie, my personal faves from Sesame Street, are featured in the Google Doodle today (see above). You can also find Google Doodles featuring Big Bird and Cookie Monster. Check out the sweet video clip below all about Sesame Street and the 40th anniversary celebration.

Ski Bum Mum: Tweet deals just for you

 

(image by Robert Nyman)

Looking for region specific updates? Follow Liftopia.com at its market-specific Twitter handles. 

Liftopia: Colorado on Twitter

Liftopia: Utah on Twitter

Liftopia New England on Twitter

Liftopia: BC Alberta on Twitter

You can also follow a general feed of information on Liftopia on Twitter.

Ski Bum Mum: Sweet ski deals at Liftopia.com

Taking the whole family skiing for a weekend or even a day can be expensive, so I am always looking for deals on skiing. I found an online service that offers discounts on resorts and lift tickets. Now if only I could find a bargain for lunch when I easily spend $70 on burgers, chili and drinks for a family of four on the mountain.

Liftopia.com partners directly with ski resorts to provide discount lift tickets and ski deals. If you book online, you can save up to 60% or even 75%! I haven't used this service yet, but I plan on trying it out soon.

 

 (images by johnrawlinson and frozenchipmunk)

Booking early on Liftopia makes sense because tickets can sell out, but tickets can be purchased up until the night before arrival. When you purchase a ticket from Liftopia.com, you are purchasing date-specific tickets and ski deals. Prices for ski deals fluctuate based on availability, snow conditions, weather, day of week, etc.

For the 2009-2010 ski season, Liftopia includes discounts at 120 ski resorts in North America.

Some new ski resort additions this year include:

• Winter Park
• Killington
• Keystone

Wanna get the scoop on a certain resort? Liftopia.com also includes a feature for customer reviews.

Get the latest news alerts on Liftopia: 

Liftopia on Twitter

Facebook | Liftopia

A new twist on mommy hair: perfect ponytails

 

 (image: obo-bobolina)

My kids call it mommy hair. I pull my hair back in a quick ponytail. It's a timesaver for me, but I am not sure the look works. I am always in a rush and never have enough time to mess with a fussy hairstyle.

Ponytails are easy, but they can also be kinda boring. But wait, today's ponytail can also come in a variety of sassy styles: 

• Full high tail: this ponytail goes high on your head, just tip your head upside down, pull the hair into a ponytail, add some curls, and you have a pretty cascading ponytail.

• Full low tail: this ponytail is pulled to the side, put the tail on the opposite side of the part to make hair flow nicely to one side, ponytail looks very full.

• Wrapped tail: this style works best with longer hair, slick back your hair nice and clean, put into a ponytail, take half of the hair from the ponytail and start at the base and wrap the tail with your hair. 

Check out the video clip with celebrity hairstylist Jonathan Antin on the TODAY Show demonstrating how to make the new perfect ponytails:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Ski Bum Mum: Cheering on Lindsey Vonn

One of my racing heroes is Lyndsey Vonn, 25, who grew up not far from my childhood home in a suburb of Minneapolis. As a kid Lindsey raced at Buck Hill, a small ski resort that I often raced at too--of course I was there before she even strapped on her first toddler skis. 

At Buck Hill Lindsey raced in Erich Sailer's racing program--a great program that included another ski phenom, Kristina Koznick. In the late 1990's Lindsey's family moved to Vail.

(Image from the official Lindsey Vonn website)

Lindsey is one of the most successful female ski racers--a five-event ski racer--in American history. She is the only American to have won two World Cup overall titles (2008 and 2009). She didn't stop there. She also also has two downhill titles and a super G title. 

For more information on Lindsey check out her cool website: LindseyVonn.com 
More information is available on her at the official US Ski Team website.

No excuses allowed... You too can write a novel this month

Thirty days and nights of literary abandon began November 1st. Over 70,000 aspiring writers have joined National Novel Writing Month. As of today, the collective word count according to nanowrimo.org is...drumroll, please...355,226,349 words!

 

No excuses allowed. 

No outline yet. No time to edit. Don't worry. The goal of this month's literary extravaganza is to write, write, write. You can edit after the month is over. Just try to get 50,000 words in 30 days!

I love this idea because let's face it, if you didn't have someone pushing you to write and write some more, nothing would happen. NaNoWriMo gives you that much needed push to get writing and keep writing. Sign up to write your novel and give weekly word count updates here. The site also includes easy writing guidelines. Plus they do offer prizes.

Why write a novel this month? According to the clever folks at NaNoWriMo:

"Doing something just for the hell of it is a wonderful antidote to all the chores and 'must-dos' of daily life. Writing a novel in a month is both exhilarating and stupid, and we would all do well to invite a little more spontaneous stupidity into our lives."

I love a challenge. And a stupid--but harmless--one makes it all the more fun. I am only at 4530 words. Long way to go to reach 50,000. Come join me at NaNoWriMo.

I want to go to there

I'm planning my next mommy escape  
 because happiness is too precious to postpone--literally in this case.

 

(image by Four Seasons Resort)

I have simple tastes.

A beach, some sunshine, and a cabana.

Unfortunately I also have very bad timing...

The resort pictured above just closed.

If only I hadn't postponed my travel plans.

bored to death

I am bored to death by many shows on tv. That is, except for the offbeat comedy Bored To Death on HBO.

 

If you were a Sex in the City Fan, check out this show. Imagine the roles of Carrie and the girls played by a group of guys--George, Jonathan, and Ray. Well, already you can tell it is not exactly the same. For starters, the show is set in Brooklyn, not Manhattan. You won't get any fashion advice here, but the guys are hip in a quirky way. The guys have cool jobs and sound amazing except for the fact they keep getting themselves into trouble. Sound familiar? Instead of Carrie, meet Jonathan, a novelist working on his second novel. When Jonathan is dumped by his girlfriend, he begins offering his services as an unlicensed detective. Instead of sexy Samantha, insert a self-indulgent magazine editor named George who isn't afraid to talk about all the great sex he's had. In tonight's episode Jonathan plays detective again and "helps" his best friend Ray a talented but not-yet-financially-successful cartoonist, find out if the sperm George had donated was stolen.

The show created by Jonathan Ames stars Ted Danson, Jason Schwartzman and Zach Galifianakis.