Wordless Wednesday-I Love You Familee

Share your own pictures this week at Wordless Wednesday HQ!

Before you leave, have you entered all of my giveaways?

Grab a Chair

If money were not an issue, I would have at least one of every diminutive design that Little Nest offers. This Australian company makes high-quality reproductions of iconic modern furniture, scaled for kids aged 3-12.



My favorites? Hard call but I would go with the Mini E, a reproduction of the classic Eames Lounge.



And of course the Play Ball, a miniature version of Eero Aarnio's space age Ball Chair.



I have coveted one of these shiny spherical seats since seeing Ann-Margret's white and mirrored bedroom in Tommy when I was probably Jasper's age.

Yeah, I pretty much still want to be her…macrame jumpsuit, silver platforms, maribou everywhere=awesome incarnate.

Little Nest offers surprisingly reasonable flat rate US shipping for all of their wares and a 14-day money back guarantee. I'd love to know if their stuff is as gorgeous in person as it is on their website, so if you've purchased anything please share your experiences in comments.

Disclosure: I did not receive any compensation or a product to review for writing this post. Sadly. I would gladly accept some product samples to sit my kids upon and squeal at their cuteness. Or the cats. Or Stella, our basset puppy.

Sewing A Friendship

Natalie Tinti is a 10 year old fourth grader who has written and illustrated her own book, Sewing A Friendship. The story centers on four friends with different personalities who befriend an unpopular neighbor to win a fashion design competition on the first day of summer. Natalie writes with a cheerful and exuberant spirit and plenty of colorful drawings.



If it was up to me, I might have edited down the exhaustive detail (88 pages!) and focused on the adorable pictures more but Roo really liked reading it as a chapter book. In fact, she liked it so much that she is inspired to write her own one of these days! Here is her picture of the school-loving Meeka character from Sewing A Friendship:



I think Sewing A Friendship is the first of many great projects of Natalie's that will inspire other young girls.

Disclosure: we received a copy of Sewing A Friendship to facilitate this review.

Easter Ideas with Tamra Davis

I've mentioned the very cool filmmaker/mom/healthy food afficionado Tamra Davis before, hopefully you've subscribed to get her cooking show via email but if not check out this Easter-iffic episode:



She sent me a copy of her very handy kid-centric meatless cookbook, Make Me Something Good to Eat, and the egg salad and raisin bread sandwich is definitely a favorite beyond being seasonal right now.

Dwink It

Our new Dwink boxes came! We've put some serious mileage on our old ones, having ordered them way on back when Roo was about Jasper's age. I really do consider them one of the indispensable products of child-rearing, since they foster independence with their double handled design and also keep your munchkins from squeezing juice boxes (or pouches) all over the place. I was a bit overexcited to hear about their new Special Edition Dwink boxes, which are a lovely BPA and phthalate-free white plastic with a smart die-cut logo and cool dot pattern that makes them extra-grippy.



Even cooler, the net proceeds from sales of the Special Edition Dwink boxes are donated to Raven + Lily, a non-profit design studio dedicated to empowering women through design partnerships and micro-enterprise opportunities. So, yes, there is a good excuse to buy yet another kid-feeding accessory…



New Dwink, old Dwink. Both very useful, in my book.



Disclosure: I bought these with my own money because I really think they're cool. In fact, I saw them on Cool Mom Picks, so I guess you could say they're literally cool, even.

Girls Gone Wild

My two best girls, acting up as usual.

Sliquid Swirl Green Apple

The following review is for adult eyes only because it involves sex. Mommy and daddy sex. (Everyone under 18 just clicked away, right?) No super explicit stuff here but the links might contain NSFW content. Consider yourself warned.








Remember that song "Sex and Candy" from a couple of years back? This is kind of like that, bottled. Sliquid Swirl Green Apple is a glycerin and paraben-free liquid lubricant that tastes like a green apple Jolly Rancher. Mmm! It's sugar-free, sweetened with aspartame and water-based so it's safe for using with your favorite toys. Finger Lickin' Good, Y'all. (I know, I can't believe I wrote that, either.)



If you need accoutrements to try out your Sliquid Swirl Green Apple with, you might want to check out Babeland's Toy-a-Day Giveaway. They're giving away a Fun Factory toy every day in March!

Disclosure: I received a bottle of Sliquid Swirl Green Apple to try at home. If you click on any of the links and end up buying anything, I could earn a few bits. Just so you know.

Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Alvin and the Chipmunks. All opinions are 100% mine.

My first chipmunk exposure was as a little kid when my dad bought me one of those K-TEL silly song compilations that was always advertised on TV. I thought "All I Want for Christmas" was hilarious and pure genius, even after my dad showed me how you could adjust the pitch on the turntable to make just about anything chipmunky. Believe me, I tried that on every LP in our collection…

Fast-forward about a million years to Roo's introduction to the Chipmunk phenomenon. It's kind of hard to show kids these days how to shift pitch with digital music players, but Roo loved the first Alvin and the Chipmunks movie anyway, as I knew she would, being a connoisseur of all things cute and furry. When saw the first preview of Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, she became a totally rabid fan of the tiny rodents. Sure, Alvin, Simon and Theodore were still cute (not to mention Jason Lee as Dave Seville… I have had a total geek crush on him since he was a pro skateboarder, way back in the dark ages) but the sequel has something the first movie didn't– the Chippettes!



Roo looooooves the Chippettes! There is nothing more hilarious than watching her shake her butt to the Chippettes' version of "Single Ladies." Except perhaps when Jasper joins in with his moves. They both take it VERY seriously. I am sure they will be boogie-ing with the Chippettes very soon, since the DVD release is almost here. We already "Munked" ourselves at MunkYourself.com and there's More Munk Mayhem at foxfamilyflicks.com, too, including games and printable activities.

"Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel" is available on DVD, Blu-ray and Digital Download on March 30th, 2010. The Double DVD Pack includes "The Squeak Along" Bonus Disc, with more music, mayhem and all-new singalongs! It's TWICE THE FUN for the PRICE OF ONE!

buy it now

Wordless Wednesday- Cosplay

Share your own pictures this week at Wordless Wednesday HQ!

Before you leave, have you entered all of my giveaways?

CARES - Kids Fly Safe!

Summer is looming on the horizon and with it, the daunting task of traveling with the kids. I absolutely despise having to deal with bulky carseats on the airplane while simultaneously trying to keep your kids reigned in, so CARES, the Child Aviation Restraint System, was immediately appealing to me. CARES is a lightweight belt and buckle system that turns the airplane seat into a secure and comfortable child safety seat. It is the only harness-type child aviation safety restraint ever certified for airplane travel by the Federal Aviation Administration.



CARES is quick and easy to install using the airplane seat back and lap belt and it folds into a convenient 6" pouch that weighs only a pound so it fits into most carry-ons. We took our CARES on our recent trip to Disneyworld where we knew we would not be needing carseats. I have also heard that CARES is an effective way to keep toddlers from fidgeting and trying to roam during extended flights. It gives them the restraint that they are used to from carseats but also allows them to stretch out a bit more.

Disclosure: we received a CARES harness to review.

Jasper and the Bird

Fluffy brought us a present this weekend. Jasper wanted to kiss it back to life.



It amazes me that somehow, Jasper always matches his surroundings. He's like a tiny human chameleon. Sadly, the bird did not make it. Fluffy was very proud.

Cheap Date Night

I hate to admit it but we've let the whole concept of Date Night pass us by over the last couple of years. Usually we're pretty ready for complete silence by the time we get the kids tucked in so the thought of actually going anywhere is out of the question. We are, after all, the couple least likely to remember our anniversary. That's why I was excited when Blockbuster Express asked me to plan a Cheap Date Night for $25. Rental movie, hanging in my PJs, not having to leave the house? Heck, I won't even have to keep my contact lenses in or a bra on. I'm in.

So here's what our date is going to entail. Some nice wine, blue cheese burgers, maybe some chocolate pudding. I'd like to watch 30 Century Man, the documentary about Scott Walker, although I think Bob would probably be more into a Clint Eastwood flick from the '70s. Again. We'll have to see what we come up with. It's usually one arty thing, one action thing. Marriage is all about compromise, right?



If you'd like to plan your own Cheap Date Night extravaganza, here's a 2-for-1 rental code to use at any Blockbuster Express kiosk: 5G13B8. Click here to find a BBX location near you. You can also browse and order your movies online and pick them up at your local BBX kiosk. Pretty cool!



Code is valid thru 3/31/2010. When you rent a movie at the regular price, you'll receive the first night's rental on a second movie FREE. Extra night charges and taxes apply. May not be combined with any other offer. Rental terms and conditions apply. Not valid at Blockbuster store locations.


Disclosure: I received a gift card from Collective Bias for participating in the Cheap Date Night promotion for Blockbuster Express.

Mug Shot

In honor of SXSW, I give you my Texas drivers license from the wayback machine. Nice.

Better Basket Blog Hop for Charity

Hershey's is a household name, worldwide, but did you know that they have a long history of community service? In addition to programs like The Hershey Legacy, which has helped children overcome poverty and difficult life circumstances, Hershey's has been an active fundraising partner of the Children’s Miracle Network (CMN), a non-profit alliance of children’s hospitals dedicated to providing state-of-the-art care, life-saving research and preventative education across North America, for over twenty years.



This Easter, Hershey's is working with bloggers to "pay it forward" by making Better Baskets. Bloggers will help Hershey's donate up to $5,000 to the Children’s Miracle Network simply by writing about building a Better Basket. To raise awareness of the Hershey's Better Basket project, twenty bloggers were given gift cards and asked to create Easter baskets for charities of their choice using Hershey's products. (You can see my basket building process here.)



How can you join in? It’s simple:

Bloggers may participate in Hershey’s Better Basket Blog Hop and give away virtual Easter Baskets by creating a blog post following the instructions below.

Hershey's will donate $10 per each blog post to Children’s Miracle Network (CMN), up to total of $5,000.

One blog post per URL counts towards the donation, but you can give as many virtual Easter baskets as you want.

The Hershey’s Better Basket Blog Hop will officially begin at 12 AM EST on March 18th and end at 12 PM EST on April 4th, 2010. Blog posts submitted before or after that time period will not be counted.

Your blog post link has to be submitted in the comments at BetterBasket.info/BlogHop for the donation to be counted.

Copy and paste the following text in your blog post:

HERSHEY'S BETTER BASKET BLOG HOP RULES

Copy and paste these rules to your blog post.

Create a blog post and give a virtual Easter Basket to another blogger - you can give as many Virtual Baskets as you want.

Link back to person who gave you an Easter Basket.

Let each person you are giving a Virtual Easter Basket know you have given them a Basket.

Leave your link at http://betterbasket.info/bloghop/ where you can also find the official rules of this #betterbasket blog hop and more information about Better Basket with Hershey’s.

Hershey's is donating $10 per each blog participating in the Better Basket Blog Hop to Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) (up to total of $5,000 by blog posts written by April 4th, 2010).

Please note that only one blog post per individual blog url will count towards the donation.



If you're reading this right now, please consider yourself the proud owner of a Better Basket! And please consider joining in the Better Basket Blog Hop to donate $10 to Children’s Miracle Network (CMN), courtesy of Hershey's.

Building A Better Basket

Hershey's is asking people to "pay it forward" this Easter. They asked 20 bloggers to use their products to create Easter baskets to donate to the charity of their choice. I was excited to be asked to participate, since my entire family is addicted to Reese's. I was able to make three baskets that will be donated to needy families who participate in our local Parents as Teachers program, which Roo and Jasper (and Bob and I!) have gotten so much out of. Check out this Whrrl story to see what I bought and how the baskets turned out:

More check-ins at Wal-Mart Supercenter

Powered by Whrrl

I'll be letting you know about an easy way you can help Hershey's raise money for the Children's Miracle Network very soon and I hope you will consider joining in.

Disclosure: I received a gift card courtesy of Hershey's and Collective Bias to purchase the goodies to create these baskets.

Betty Crocker Giveaway

***WINNER PICKED 4/5 WITH RANDOM.ORG***

***CONGRATULATIONS, #11 Margie!!!***

her comment...
Alyssa's wish to go to college...





Betty Crocker has launched a new program, Stirring Up Wishes, to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation. You can help to grant wishes by giving in two easy ways:

Support the Make-A-Wish Foundation online while saving on your favorite Betty Crocker products through the Give $5, Get $5 promotion. Just visit StirringUpWishes.com from now through April 15th to donate $5 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation to help make children's wishes come true and get $5 worth of downloadable Betty Crocker coupons.



Look for specially marked packages of your favorite Betty Crocker products in stores. For each product purchased, Betty Crocker will donate 10¢ to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, with a guaranteed minimum donation of $250,000 and a maximum donation of $500,000. Betty Crocker has made a three-year, $250,000 annual commitment to the Make-A-Wish Foundation which, with your support, could be doubled in 2010 to $500,000!



When I was offered the opportunity to try a couple of Betty Crocker baking mixes, I said yes right away. I'm more of a baker than a cook, and always have been. Much to my chagrin, though, I find that boxed cake mix tends to come out with a better texture than my made-from-scratch cakes, no matter what recipe I use. And brownie mix is a pantry staple in our house! I usually bake cookies from scratch but I was really surprised at how quick and delicious the batch I made from a Betty Crocker Chocolate Chip Cookie mix was. Only one bowl and one cookie sheet, no mess!

Disclosure: I received a baking mix set like the one shown above courtesy of MyBlogSpark and Betty Crocker. They will also provide the giveaway package and have donated $25 on my behalf and will donate $25 on the winner's behalf to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.



To enter and win a Betty Crocker Stirring Up Wishes prize pack that includes a package of the Betty Crocker Brownie Mix, a package of the Betty Crocker Chocolate Chip Cookie mix, and a Betty Crocker spoon. In addition, we will make a $25 donation to the Make-A-Wish Foundation on your behalf, please comment on this post with which wish on the Betty Crocker Stirring Up Wishes website you would most like to grant.


Entries will be accepted through March 31st and I'll pick the winner using Random.org. US readers are eligible.


For an additional entry, post my button on your blog (see code on sidebar), follow my blog, follow me on Twitter, fan me on Facebook, fave me on Technorati or subscribe via email or subscribe via reader. Leave an extra comment letting me know what you did for each additional entry.


Make sure you leave an email address in your comment or that you have one accessible on your blog so you can be contacted if you win!


***Click Giveaways on my sidebar to see what else you could win!***

Find Me on Facebook

My pal Kathleen posted a great Tech Tuesday tutorial on setting up a fan page on Facebook yesterday. So of course I had to go and try it immediately. If you're a Facebook afficionado, please consider becoming a Fan of Superdumb Supervillain. Even if you only check it every once in a while to see if your kids are cuter than your high school paramours' spawn, I'd love it if you joined up! Apparently when I get 25 fans, I can set up a permanent vanity address instead of it being an offshoot of my personal page. And perhaps then I'll be able to figure out how to get my posts to show up…

Critters

We've been focusing all the attention on our new puppy, Stella, lately so our poor cats feel neglected. Maybe that's because they don't let us dress them up in clothes. Stella has been wearing one of Jasper's t-shirts for the past couple of days. She doesn't want to take it off! I think green monster trucks is her color, don't you?



Okay, oldest first. Piewackett, my very first pet. I found her in the parking garage of my apartment building in Austin almost 17 years ago when she was just a wee kitten. She's been crotchety her entire life but now she's really milking the old lady stuff. She is a horrible treat beggar with the world's most piercing whine and is usually laying on my desk while I type. She's purring there right now.



Next up is Superchunk. He was a straggly stray found in a flooded schoolyard construction site, having been attacked by dogs. He almost lost a leg to gangrene. Chunk is a very vocal kitty with one blue eye and one yellow eye and a penchant for danger. He fights with anyone that comes his way outside, although indoors he is a super lover. He collects scars and is almost always on antibiotics for some kind of war wound. I just found a new one festering on his forehead. I am pretty sure our vet calls him "ka-ching" or "cash kitty."



T. Rex is a big, big boy. He was one of three brothers we found in my mom's generator. (Ming RIP) Rex was once a teensy orange fluffball and the star of my first blog button. Now he likes to lounge around and bask in his own glory. He's a pretty boy and likes to be admired.



Chief among Rex's admirers is little Nico. She is still semi-feral but allows me to pet her begrudgingly these days. She has a permanent crook in her tail and was also a stray we rescued from my mom's yard. She and Rex like to spoon and cuddle. It's almost nauseatingly cute. She was named for my friend Ellen's cat who met an untimely demise a while back. She looks a lot like her and also our beloved Lum.



Poor Fluffy is like the Peter Brady of our Bunch. He was the middle brother between Rex and Ming and somehow got stuck with the lamest name. He is a skilled bird hunter and also an expert snuggler on the rare occasions he feels like it. He's a long, lanky blonde with a chip on his shoulders.

Mouser is probably the prettiest of our cats and the only one with blue eyes. (Well, two blue eyes. Chunk has one!) She is a dainty girl with white markings who also happens to be a ninja assassin. I have seen her catch birds mid-flight and it is frightening to behold. She is also a foundling and still mostly feral although she will occasionally let me pet her. She spends a lot of time in the kids' playhouse, most likely plotting our demise.



And this is the one that should have been ours. He followed Stella home the other day on a walk and had no tag so we kept him overnight. He was an instant hit with the kids and charmed the socks off of us, too. He had a rabies tag so we called the vet the next day and managed to track down his owner, even though he'd already been sold at 7 months. I was so sad to have to take him home, to owners who have another un-neutered dog. If he comes back, I'm totally keeping him…