Missrepresentation

Go to the website Miss Representation and check out the video trailer for yourself.  Looks like a worthy organization. You can even host a viewing of the full length feature in your community.  Good empowering information for our sons and daughters.

An Ode to Libraries

Yesterday I heard a guy mention to a group that bookstores and libraries are all going to become extinct just like music stores.  Hmmm. This comment gave me pause. I have worked at and frequented both bookstores and  libraries and  admittedly have a soft spot in my heart for both.  I think the man who made this comment has never looked to a librarian as a resource for information.

 Libraries and librarians are an amazing often overlooked source of information and/or direction on where to best find the information.  One key component to what I think will allow libraries to endure is that they are free.  Sophia and I have been frequenting the local library and are overwhelmed by the resources for free provided to us.  The librarians often put on interactive readings with craft projects for children.  There are touch screen computers with great children's learning games.  And then there are the incredible selections of books and movies that the children can check out.  It is so empowering for a little one to come up with books of movies they want to check out on their own.  I have always loved libraries but it is thrilling to share this love now with my daughter

Where to Shop in Jackson Hole

We did not shop much on our trip to Jackson, though the shopping is plentiful to say the least, especially the very cheesy t-shirt shops.    There were a couple of shops that caught my attention though:  Wyoming Outiftters and Vom Fass.

Wyoming Outfitters is a local shop right  in the town center and across from the famous antler arches.  The buyer is the owner and she knows her client base well, western with city flair and some great rugged lines like Ibex and Kuhl..  She has some great clothes for kids, parents and grand parents.  They have there own line of branded men's belts that were great:  think heavy leather with rich dyes and buckles that are replaceable. The website is not great but one thing I saw on-line that I did not see in the store is this darling kid's western outfit

Photo from Wyoming Outfitters website

The shop smells so good and the staff is very helpful.  Worth a visit if you are in Jackson.

The second shop I really like is not a local shop.  They are headquartered in Madison, WI.  Vom Fass has a handful of shops in the US.  There are so many reasons to like this shops from the free samples, to the amazing LED lighting, the helpful staff and well most importantly the product!  They sell  European oils, vinegars, wines & spirits.  Really fun shopping experience.  I sampled a Grappa while there and purchased a 50 ml bottle of  Armagnac. Pricey very experiential shopping experience and great gifts.

How to Make a Scarecrow Family

I am not creative.  Knowing my weaknesses, I decided to go door to door in my neighborhood and recruit a project manager for my afternoon craft project.  Sophia and I needed direction and ideas to build our front yard scarecrows.  We knocked on 3 doors until finally our neighbor Joni said she was in (not that she was our last pick we simply went down the row.....most of our neighbors all have grown children and are wonderful with Sophia).  Even neighbors who turned us down for helping donated clothes and straw for the project.

Thank you Joni!!! You were the creative master of our project.  I think the key to our success was the amazing Colorado weather, the very lovely neighbors and the fact that we just wanted to have fun.  The end project was  not the goal, but the goal was in the making of the 3 wacky figures and having fun during the process.

Items we used:
newspaper
hay
3 pair of overalls
3 shirts preferably button down
foam
rhinestones
glue
twine
pumpkin material
scissors
stapler
plastic grocery bags
safety pins
pillow cases

Time:
about 2 hours mainly because we just had fun and were often sidetracked by Sophia finger painting everything

Directions:
Heavily stuff clothing with crumpled newspaper-great job for 4 yr old
Stuff cuffs with some hay and tie off with twine
stuff pillow cases with newspaper for heads and cover with plastic bag
cut out pumpkin heads and glue on fun stuff to make faces
staple foam to plastic bags
attach heads with safety pins
giggle at outcome and invite neighbors over to see.  Fun stuff :)
Surprise daddy when he comes from work.

Benefits:
Not buying cheaply made crap from store and the fun we had.
I think to be more green we could have used the actual pumpkins that grew in our compost but we had problems with propping up the weight, plus Sophia had a blast gluing on bright shiny objects to make the faces.

I Can Conversate Now.....Please Invite Me to a Grownup Party

I spend an awful lot of time conversing with a 4 yr old and 2 dogs.  Needless to say, when around adults, not only is my subject matter a tad bland (oh my I just love my Dyson!!!) but I do not always speak coherently and in full sentences.

Well, there is nothing like travel to fix that problem and give you some new cocktail party discussions.  We just spent one week in Northwestern Wyoming, visiting Jackson, Grand Tetons and Yellowstone. I am sure I will revisit the trip many times in the next few weeks on the blog but for now, please invite me to a party.  I swear I will try to weave in some witty anecdotes and colorful conversation in full and complete sentences.

See I really was there!  Me and Old Faithful on October 4, 2011.

Something Blue

I think I am not supposed to write negative things on a blog.  After all, my favorite writers seem to always post positive thoughts and opinions.  Alas, I tried for a couple of  months to be non-negative, it ends today.  The post though is nothing life or death, it is about a film I saw on a plane a couple of weeks ago, "Something Borrowed".  Ugh.  I love film in general but this film just was sad. I mean bad sad.

Promotional Film Poster from "Away We Go"

  I minored in film studies just for the love it. One of my first film professor's  suggested deconstructing popular films such as "Airplane" to see what it says about us as a society.  In "Something Borrowed" I would have to say that film just says as a society we are mean spirited.  Where is the humanity?  The characters were just immoral and downright awful to each other.  I am not saying everything has to be Disney but lord how about some really interesting characters that are human and humane at the same time.  I wanted to see this film because I really liked John Krasinski in "Away We Go".  He was even good in "Something Borrowed" in a much smaller part. Go see "Away We Go" especially if you have young kids.  It is lovely and heartfelt and true. Still love Maggie Gylenhaal's portrayal of a very tightly wound, over bearing mum; a reminder for me personally of how I do not want to mother, but as for "Something Borrowed" skip it.  Do something good for a neighbor, like bake a loaf of bread.  You will feel lovely and good instead of blue.

Enter to Win

My grandmother was a war widow.  My father was 3 or so when his father was listed as M.I.A.  As a young widow, Grandma did not sit at home.  She, my father, and my aunt traveled by car and rail all over the western U.S. and Canada.  The stories my father tells are really fantastic about their adventures and mostly misadventures. When they were at home though in the mid-west, my grandma, being on a some what limited budget, entered sweepstakes to win home items.  And win she did. The story goes, grandma had a room in their house where she kept her loot:  washers, irons you name it.

Truth be told I love to enter sweepstakes.  I am careful  not to enter ones I sense are scams or will put me on every spam list out there.  In fact, I even have an email account set up just to enter contests as I know it will be flooded with email offerings.  I know it is cliche, but you cannot win if you do not enter.  My husband who never enters any sweepstakes is very lucky.  He wins at live drawings and has won the grand prize three times! Two of those times were for the much coveted New Belgium Cruiser bikes.

Image: New Belgium Brewing Blog

Some of the contests I have recently entered have given me projects to do my 4 year old.  Boden's Design a Cover Contest was loads of fun.  Kiddos just have to paint a "wintry" theme.  

Sophia chose holiday gifts....who wouldn't!

We had loads of fun 

Not so sure the doggie did though....

Another fun contest is the yearly Real Simple Essay Contest.  This one is a great creative outlet.  I am still editing my essay.  

There are those sweepstakes that you just "Enter to Win" as well.  Just found this one Beso's $1000 diaper give-away.  It is co-sponsored by one of my favorite blogger's Joanna Goddard. I am not in need of diapers (thankfully so on many levels, personally speaking that is) but if I win, will pass on to a friend.

Anyway, often chances are pretty good at winning.  Another friend of mine won a contest for a 2 week trip to New Zealand from a major magazine. So enter to win, you just may yet.  And besides sometimes the fun is in the process or just the anticipation that you may win that luxury get-away for two to Paris.