I have a love/hate relationship with my computer. It affords me the ability to work from home, stay connected with far-flung friends, research any topic in seconds, express myself in this blog. It also is addictive, and some nights I find myself working longer, later than I have to. Telling my kids "one more minute," "one more email," "just a sec."
My 8-year-old loves her computer, too. No hate yet. She is a Club Penguin habitue, a Webkinz fan, a YouTube newbie (just the funny dog videos, per my last blog).
But this MySpace.com thing is freaking me out. Of course, she doesn't know about it...yet. I've heard the stories and the warnings. I am not easily fazed, the first to allow her a ton of independence. But, after reading this story today, I am tempted to unplug every computer in my home for fear of MySpace.com. If you don't want to ruin your weekend, then wait awhile before reading it. This stuff is worse than the Texas Cheerleader Mom movie, friends. And it's true.
http://stcharlesjournal.stltoday.com/news/sj2tn20071110-1111stc_pokin_1.ii1.txt
After you read it, please weigh in on the comments area of this posting. What are your thoughts? I am definitely feeling very strongly about putting something in Coast Kids about MySpace.com and would like to hear about any other stories, experiences, viewpoints you may have.
Let's keep our kids safe!
Friday, November 16, 2007
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Boredom Rx
It's late afternoon, early evening. The kids, for once, have done all of their homework, laid their clothes out for the next day and are BORED. You've sworn off TV during the week (I know, call me a glutton for self-punishment)...you can't face the thought of another board game, Polly Pockets session, or Hannah Montana "concert" in the living room. I've got an answer, darlings - YOUTUBE! That's right, go YouTube'ing with your little one (just make sure your search terms are VERY specific and that you have a trigger-finger on that mouse, just in case). Start by searching "Very Excited Pug" (I know it sounds double-entendre-ish, but it's not!). Good clean fun! For your first round, stick with doggies - crazy chihuahuas, swimming dachshunds, etc. Next time, try the babies laughing category. Burns up an easy half-hour and then it will be time for dinner, baths and BEDTIME!!!!!!!!!
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
On a Ty-rade
And no, I didn't spell that wrong. I allude to none other than Miss Thing, Tyra Banks, and the latest installment of America's Next Top Model. Some classic vignettes from this week's episode...
1. I never thought I'd see the day when...they eliminated someone for being NOT FAT ENOUGH. That's right, y'all. Sarah got booted for her lack of booty (though if it were a knock-knee competition, she would've given Tyra a run for her miz-oney). "Noted fashion photographer" Nigel Barker began setting up the coup d'eclair two episodes ago, asking Sarah if she'd lost weight...where, in a surreal modeling moment, she was made to feel ashamed for LOSING weight. Then, this week, the producers had her dress in some unfortunate shorts-plus-heels ensemble (something from the Battle of Wounded Knock-Knee collection) and had Tyra do a little model "Mapquest" to illustrate the "Your are Here" to Sarah. The red map arrow was pointing to an unspecified location between the land of anorexic models and the land of plus-size models. (I think the land was maybe "normal weight," bit can't be sure). SORRY, SARAH.
2. On the flip side...Who said ANTM doesn't follow the fairness doctrine of "equal time?" If normal weight gals were going to get a plug, then surely the school of starvation deserves some air time! Ever-egalitarian, ANTM gave us Heather's much more model-realistic storyline of don't eat all day, go to an Enrique Iglesias music video shoot, dress like a vampire slut, dance around in latex and full makeup in a basement meat locker and just TRY not to pass out. I'll take "sho 'nuff passing out for $1,000," Alex! Rightio! Heather was down for the count, but luckily got some oxygen, IV fluids and a banana. I think she was cool with the O2, but surely will be trying to burn off that damn IV fluid (loaded with calories!) and banana (carbs!) for days.
3. Wall and crawl...But perhaps the BEST segment of Sunday's episode was Tyra's Master Class in workin' the wall and fierce-ifying the crawl. Notice how brilliant Tyra is - giving all the gals nude-colored leotards and hose while she dons a slimming black number with sarong-style skirt. And lord knows the knobby knees had to be PROTECTED with knee pads! Everyone got some! Tyra demo'ed the difference between a hootchified wall maneuver and a classy/sexy one. She polished some hardwoods with a "model flirty" crawl versus a "skanky hooker" slide. I give the models ALL THE CREDIT for keeping straight faces throughout. You go, girls!
ANTM Question of the Week: What is hiding inside J. Alexander's afro?
1. I never thought I'd see the day when...they eliminated someone for being NOT FAT ENOUGH. That's right, y'all. Sarah got booted for her lack of booty (though if it were a knock-knee competition, she would've given Tyra a run for her miz-oney). "Noted fashion photographer" Nigel Barker began setting up the coup d'eclair two episodes ago, asking Sarah if she'd lost weight...where, in a surreal modeling moment, she was made to feel ashamed for LOSING weight. Then, this week, the producers had her dress in some unfortunate shorts-plus-heels ensemble (something from the Battle of Wounded Knock-Knee collection) and had Tyra do a little model "Mapquest" to illustrate the "Your are Here" to Sarah. The red map arrow was pointing to an unspecified location between the land of anorexic models and the land of plus-size models. (I think the land was maybe "normal weight," bit can't be sure). SORRY, SARAH.
2. On the flip side...Who said ANTM doesn't follow the fairness doctrine of "equal time?" If normal weight gals were going to get a plug, then surely the school of starvation deserves some air time! Ever-egalitarian, ANTM gave us Heather's much more model-realistic storyline of don't eat all day, go to an Enrique Iglesias music video shoot, dress like a vampire slut, dance around in latex and full makeup in a basement meat locker and just TRY not to pass out. I'll take "sho 'nuff passing out for $1,000," Alex! Rightio! Heather was down for the count, but luckily got some oxygen, IV fluids and a banana. I think she was cool with the O2, but surely will be trying to burn off that damn IV fluid (loaded with calories!) and banana (carbs!) for days.
3. Wall and crawl...But perhaps the BEST segment of Sunday's episode was Tyra's Master Class in workin' the wall and fierce-ifying the crawl. Notice how brilliant Tyra is - giving all the gals nude-colored leotards and hose while she dons a slimming black number with sarong-style skirt. And lord knows the knobby knees had to be PROTECTED with knee pads! Everyone got some! Tyra demo'ed the difference between a hootchified wall maneuver and a classy/sexy one. She polished some hardwoods with a "model flirty" crawl versus a "skanky hooker" slide. I give the models ALL THE CREDIT for keeping straight faces throughout. You go, girls!
ANTM Question of the Week: What is hiding inside J. Alexander's afro?
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Nit Picking
There's a new Scarlet Letter in town and Hester Prynne need NOT apply. (Or, if she was eligible, then the poor thing had even more problems than Hawthorne let on). No folks, we're talking about a big letter L and it's not for Loser or Lackey or Lewd. It's for Louse as in Lice as in Nits as in GROSS as in "I never thought I'd see the day when I'd be checking my child's head for bugs, because I'm not an orangutan." ((This is where my friends who have no children and thus get sleep, have sex and lead exciting lives full of "The Arts" and "Culture" and vacations and booze can stop reading. Love you guys and I'll be back soon with a blog just for VOUS.))
Now, parents, let's just be clear. My little dearies are lice-free...for the moment (don't want to jinx them). But there is an infestation - or as I like to think of it, PLAGUE of lice at their school (Doesn't paying $25K per year to have two kids in private school include a "Get Out Of Lice Free" card or something? Damn.)
The whole thing started with a vague email from the school about "lice were seen" and "lice have been found" and "beware of lice" and etc. LICE?! I immediately went online to Google the things and made the mistake of pulling up images of the creatures, which - when magnified to what I have to believe (or at least hope) is 1 million times their actual size - look like they could take on Jabba the Hut...and WIN. I started to itch immediately...
When the kids got home, my kindergartener immediately launched into a litany of what was found on each of her classmates' heads. So and so has LICE. So and so also has LICE. So and so maybe has lice, so had to go home anyway. This boy and his best friend both had Play-doh in their hair. This boy had grass in his hair (he's too young to be a loadie, so am assuming this is not THAT kind of grass) This girl had a Lego in her hair (okay, didn't buy that one!). And, Mom, I had GLITTER in my hair (of course).
For the past week, the already-overworked teachers have had to don gloves and wield popsicle stick/tongue depressor things to check every kid's hair for...gasp!...lice. It has become something of a ceremony at school. My kindergartener, a glutton for any kind of personal attention, loves the new routine and wishes they would spend MORE TIME checking her head because "it feels good, mama." Now, even the third graders are coming home with tales of who has lice, who has dandruff. (But, being more mature, they are very nice about it, as in "so and so just had a BIT of lice, mom. It's no biggie.").
Which brings me, at long-winded last, to my Scarlet Letter comparison. Even the third graders are acknowledging by their reactions to the lice epidemic that being the bearer of a louse colony upon one's head might be a bad thing. I have to admit the thought crossed my mind - What if MY kid had lice? Would that be a reflection on me? That I'm not a good mom? That I don't keep her clean enough? Use the right shampoo? That I take her to skanky places (Chuck E Cheese?)?
Of course, the answer is no, even if my kid did have lice - and I have friends whose kids' lovely locks have fallen victim to the lice plague - it would not make me a bad mom. And doesn't make them bad moms, either. It's just the luck of the draw, sweetheart. Or, maybe, just a roll of the...lice.
Now, parents, let's just be clear. My little dearies are lice-free...for the moment (don't want to jinx them). But there is an infestation - or as I like to think of it, PLAGUE of lice at their school (Doesn't paying $25K per year to have two kids in private school include a "Get Out Of Lice Free" card or something? Damn.)
The whole thing started with a vague email from the school about "lice were seen" and "lice have been found" and "beware of lice" and etc. LICE?! I immediately went online to Google the things and made the mistake of pulling up images of the creatures, which - when magnified to what I have to believe (or at least hope) is 1 million times their actual size - look like they could take on Jabba the Hut...and WIN. I started to itch immediately...
When the kids got home, my kindergartener immediately launched into a litany of what was found on each of her classmates' heads. So and so has LICE. So and so also has LICE. So and so maybe has lice, so had to go home anyway. This boy and his best friend both had Play-doh in their hair. This boy had grass in his hair (he's too young to be a loadie, so am assuming this is not THAT kind of grass) This girl had a Lego in her hair (okay, didn't buy that one!). And, Mom, I had GLITTER in my hair (of course).
For the past week, the already-overworked teachers have had to don gloves and wield popsicle stick/tongue depressor things to check every kid's hair for...gasp!...lice. It has become something of a ceremony at school. My kindergartener, a glutton for any kind of personal attention, loves the new routine and wishes they would spend MORE TIME checking her head because "it feels good, mama." Now, even the third graders are coming home with tales of who has lice, who has dandruff. (But, being more mature, they are very nice about it, as in "so and so just had a BIT of lice, mom. It's no biggie.").
Which brings me, at long-winded last, to my Scarlet Letter comparison. Even the third graders are acknowledging by their reactions to the lice epidemic that being the bearer of a louse colony upon one's head might be a bad thing. I have to admit the thought crossed my mind - What if MY kid had lice? Would that be a reflection on me? That I'm not a good mom? That I don't keep her clean enough? Use the right shampoo? That I take her to skanky places (Chuck E Cheese?)?
Of course, the answer is no, even if my kid did have lice - and I have friends whose kids' lovely locks have fallen victim to the lice plague - it would not make me a bad mom. And doesn't make them bad moms, either. It's just the luck of the draw, sweetheart. Or, maybe, just a roll of the...lice.
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