When it comes to Halloween, television and film are no exception to trying to up the ante every year in terms of providing us with entertainment and thrills. Most of the time, this involves yet another installation of the Saw franchise, which is borderline hilarious at this point in its ludicrousness (is that even a word? If not, with regard to Saw, it really should be). But what about for the kids? They want to watch Halloween fun, too, and more likely than not they'd like a few thrills to go along with their experience. Finding a balance between what counts as family entertainment (uhm, not Saw) and what will still give kids a thrill can be difficult to discern.
These selections of the "best" kid's Halloween films might bore you to death. They might bore your kids to death too, but at least they're all in one place for you to consider. There's no kitsch value to any of these films, unless you have some sort of thing for Kathy Najimy. The one film that has some artistic value is The Nightmare Before Christmas. Sadly, we get hit over the head with that film every year as they present new 3-D versions, etc. to try to lure us back to the theater. Having seen the film in both 2- and 3-D I can attest it ain't that different the second (or third, or tenth) time around. Same problem with It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. I've been watching it since I was a kid. While it never gets old to me (I bought it for heaven's sake and force everyone to watch it at least five times during October) i can see how the production values wouldn't hold water for kids "these days."
My solution? Everybody seems to have some sort of video camera--whether it's attached to your phone or digital camera, even if it's one of those "old school" clunkers found in your parents' basement. Take said camera, gather the kids and some costumes, have each person write up a page in the script and then make your own scary movie! As the parent you can control how scary things get. The kids get to be as creative as possible. It costs nothing but perhaps the popcorn and candy you purchase to eat while you view it at your Halloween party or whenever the witching hour strikes you. And, if you don't like it, you can just erase it and start over!
What do you think? Are there any really good kids' Halloween movies out there that won't scare the pants off them or bore you beyond the grave?
Saturday Night Live star Amy Poehler and husband funny man Will Arnett welcomed a baby boy into the world Saturday night. As a result, the hysterically funny Poehler missed duties at SNL for the birth by just a few hours.
Little Archie Arnett weighed in a 8 pounds, 1 ounce. Mom and son are said to be in good health and resting up. Like many moms (including me), Poehler worked up to the day she gave birth, prepping for her roles at Senator Hillary Clinton and on Weekend Update.
Whether or not she'll return to SNL, as a regular or in cameo form, remains to be seen. Poehler apparently has a deal to star in her own show on NBC post maternity leave. Either way, best of luck and everything to the couple, and congratulations on the birth of that beautiful baby boy!
When I was growing up in the 70's, the only people I ever saw with tattoos were on older men who had been in the military and carnival workers. Even in 1994, when my 1 year old son barged in on my sister, who was taking a shower, and saw her undisclosed tattoo of a flower on her hip and excitedly shared with the rest of the family, "Jojo! Flower! Butt!" having a tattoo still had an aura of taboo-ness about it.
However, earlier this fall while packed in a hot and airless gymnasium for a school event, a quick look around revealed that I was one of the very few un-inked moms in attendance. There were bear paws on cleavages, butterflies on ankles, curlicues on lower backs, and up-swept hair revealed exotic symbols on the back of necks. One mom even had a heartbreaking portrait of a baby's face along with a name and date on her bicep as a permanent memorial.
My not having body art has more do to with a lack of focus than an aversion to the practice as I have never been able to come up with a design I won't get tired of. A quick peek at the photo album was a good reminder of how quickly styles can change. My ratted and teased 80's hair (thankfully!) wasn't permanent, but a Boy Toy or Izod alligator tattoo would have been.
But perhaps I've been over thinking the process. Maybe I should consider a tattoo as merely a reminder of what my life at this point in life was like for when I become old and forgetful. Using that line of thinking, here's are some possible ink ideas:
A flaming soccer ball shaped like a skull with a gold tooth: because beside running everyone to games and practice, before all this hockey mom business, soccer moms ruled the world
A side view of a vehicle: the front half of my minivan slowly morphing into a really sweet sports car, because if that's not how it eventually works out, at least I can look at my arm and pretend
The words: "Old Faithful" above a picture of my crock pot
A pile of dirty laundry with "Lather, Rinse, Repeat"
A television with: "Mother's Little Helper"
After much deliberation, I decided I don't need to include my sons' names in a tattoo, as the stretch marks that remain from each of them seem to be here for keeps.
It's the classic cold-weather dilemma: how do you balance looking stylish and staying warm? And how do you do it while running after small children?
It's possible, we promise. You just need the right boots.
Boots are back this winter, which is great weather for those of you who live where the snow never lets up. But instead of dragging out those same old snowboots from ten years ago, take a look at some of the super cute (and super practical) options we've found for you. All five are affordable and practical, and all five will have you longing for cold, wet weather.
Well, maybe not the wet part. But they will certainly get you in the mood for winter.
Breakfast time can be such a struggle. You want to get some good quality food into your kids' bellies before they rush out the door to school. They just want a pop tart (or worse, no food at all). We think these Denver bacon burritos might just save the day, as they're quick to make, highly portable, and strike just the right balance between healthy and tasty. You could even make the them night before, wrap them in foil, stash them in the fridge and bring them back up to temperature in the toaster oven during the morning rush.
With all those nicely caramelized veggies, the scrambled eggs, bacon, cheese and tortilla to make it into an on-the-go meal, this is another dish that is certain to become a Family Favorite.
Whenever I try to trim our budget, I always return to our food spending. Even though gas prices are falling, experts say it's unlikely that we'll see any relief in the form of falling food costs. That's not good news for families on a who live on a tight budget.
USA Today recently challenged several dietitians to come up with family friendly meals that can feed four people for under $10. For that amount, it might seem like you'd have to serve everyone mac and cheese, but the group came up with a surprisingly diverse and nutritious menu. My favorite are the black bean sloppy joes, but they also recommend egg dishes for families who really want to stretch their food dollar.
We've had to give up some of our favorite "treat" foods as cost rise -- Starbucks frappachino drinks and pre-made hummus are two that come immediately to mind. But this article shows that with a little thought and creativity, it's still possible to stretch your food dollar enough to feed your family a variety of nutritious meals.
When I was about five years old, someone spray painted swastikas on our garage door -- which really confused me because we were Catholic. Eventually, I came to understand that it was because my father was Jewish and those that had vandalized our garage were little different than those who had sent my grandparents and aunts to their deaths in Auschwitz. Thus began my lifelong hatred of discrimination and prejudice.
Fast forward lo these many years and I'm sure we would all like to think that we've evolved past such pettiness, until you think about the racial tensions, the anti-Arab and anti-Muslim sentiment so popular today, and, of course, California's proposition 8 which would eliminate the right of some couples to marry. And this story: "At least four students from a suburban St. Louis middle school face punishment for allegedly hitting Jewish classmates during what they called 'Hit a Jew Day.'"
It was part of an unofficial "spirit week" where some students gave each other hugs and high-fives. Sadly, it progressed to include "hit a tall person day" and, ultimately, "hit a Jew day". Teachers and officials reacted quickly when they learned of the situation, assembling the students for a talking-to and suspending the students directly involved.
School officials also expressed their sadness and outrage that students who knew about the activities did not immediately come forward and alert teachers. In an open letter, the superintendent said that "we work very hard in Parkway to teach students appropriate behavior ... but we cannot use this as an excuse to minimize the gravity of what these students have done. It is painful and hurtful and we are committed to doing whatever we can to ensure it does not happen again."
I too would hope that something like this would never happen again, but sadly, I've heard that before.
A few weeks ago, Jennifer asked the question: How old is too old for trick-or-treating? Most of the commenters on that post thought that kids should be able to trick-or-treat as long as they want, even well into their high school years.
But in Belleville, Illinois, kids in high school might want to find other plans for the night. The town recently passed an ordinance that bans kids from ninth grade and up from trick-or-treating, unless they're escorting younger siblings. Parents of children who break the rule will be fined $25.
At first glance, this seems heavy-handed. After all, I'd rather see kids out grubbing for candy than partying on Halloween. It doesn't bother me to give a teenager a piece of candy any more than it does to give one to an adult who's trick-or-treating with a baby who's far too young to eat it. But Belleville's mayor says the ordinance was passed to stop teens from ringing doorbells past nine o'clock, a practice that scared local senior citizens.
So teens, take notice. If you want to keep your trick-or-treating rights, follow the rules: If the porch light is off, walk on by and resist the urge to "trick" someone who doesn't want to give you a treat.
The fact that a 56-year-old woman in Wooster, Ohio has given birth might be a story in and of itself. After all, at 56 she is rather mature to be having babies. Add to that the fact that she gave birth to triplets and the story is even more interesting. But what takes the story right over into incredible territory is the fact that the babies she brought into the world on October 11 are her own grandchildren.
Jaci Dalenberg became a surrogate for her daughter Kim and son-in-law Joe Coseno after the couple were unable to conceive on their own. The Coseno's were already parents to two teen children, but longed to add to their family. They had begun the adoption process, but after several heartbreaking disappointments, Dalenberg offered them her womb. If that isn't love, I don't know what is.
The couple used in vitro fertilization and the embryos were implanted in Dalenberg's uterus. The babies were born at Cleveland Clinic's Hillcrest Hospital in Mayfield Heights two months premature, each weighing less than three pounds. According to hospital officials, babies Brittni, Gabriella, and Carmina and grandma are all doing well.
At the beginning of this process, Kim Coseno began a blog about the experience. After the children were born and the news "exploded", she says she had second thoughts about sharing her life with the world. Not every stranger who has read her blog has been supportive, but she's decided to keep the blog public. She writes: "I remember at the beginning of our long journey I read other peoples stories and it helped us. It gave us ideas, it inspired me, it made me cry, love and sometimes get a touch of reality. I am going to continue to write and keep it public."
The debate as to whether or not epidurals are a good idea is one that has and will wage for ages. And that's not what I'm here to discuss. For the sake of argument, let's say you've decided to get an epidural. Let's also say you've established your decision with anyone who would need to know--your OB, anesthesiologist, attending physician, nurses, and anyone else who walks by the delivery room who can hear you begging for one. How long does it take before you actually get that epidural, and is it within the optimum time frame fabled to exist when you took that course on epidurals?
In the old days, from what I read and heard, anyway, epidurals were given way too early. Women showed up at the hospital, were hooked up and then basically were either knocked out or stuck in bed for the duration of the labor--which could have been hours upon hours. Now, you generally have to be at least 3-4 centimeters dilated (in both my personal experiences, anyway) before they'll administer the epidural. Before that happens, however, the anesthesiologist and others such as nurses, interns, et al, ask you a host of questions about your medical history as well as make you sign a bunch of paperwork after reading or reciting to you all the possible side effects, etc. Yes, there are possible side effects, and they'll go over each and every one of them with you while you sit there in pain trying to listen. The throes of labor are decidedly not the best time to be making such decision, so you'd think it would be better to receive such information and agree to any risks before you were screaming your head off.
On either side of the questioning and the speeches, the entire medical staff will dicker around endlessly, pretty much ensuring you'll get your epidural whenever they get around to it, and not necessarily when it's considered "optimal" to do so. Now, you say, hey--at least you opted for the drugs, so stop complaining. Sure, that's true, but what is the point if they don't have time to take effect before you start the heavy pushing? An informal survey indicates to me that not everyone gets her epidural when she wants it, when she needs it, or, in some cases, at all. Perhaps the medical profession take their time with all this because they secretly want women to opt for a natural childbirth. Perhaps I'm just a conspiracy theorist. And, perhaps, it really does take that long to get an epidural because it is a serious process and decision and the utmost care must be taken during every step of it.
Did you get your epidural when you wanted/needed it? Or were you the star of one of those infamous stories where it was too late?
Saturday Night Live star Amy Poehler and husband funny man Will Arnett 
Whenever I try to trim our budget, I always return to our food spending. Even though gas prices are falling, experts say it's unlikely that we'll see 
When I was about five years old, someone spray painted swastikas on our garage door -- which really confused me because we were Catholic. Eventually, I came to understand that it was because my father was Jewish and those that had vandalized our garage were little different than those who had sent my grandparents and aunts to their deaths in Auschwitz. Thus began my lifelong hatred of discrimination and prejudice.
The fact that a 56-year-old woman in Wooster, Ohio has given birth might be a story in and of itself. After all, at 56 she is rather mature to be having babies. Add to that the fact that she gave birth to triplets and the story is even more interesting. But what takes the story right over into incredible territory is the fact that the babies she brought into the world on October 11 are 