“Being a Mom is Great” Moved to SoapboxMom.com!!

It’s official!

The Being a Mom is Great blog will now be called simply, SOAPBOX MOM!

So, BMG Mom (aka bimmgee) is now soapbox mom or “SoapB” or Soapbox or soap!

Please join me over there now at soapboxmom.com.

And, when you find it, please let me know you did by leaving a comment.  As always, I appreciate your support!

😉

Also, if you’ve been so kind as to include me on your blogroll, please add me back as Soapbox Mom (and if I’ve lost your site, just let me know and I’ll be sure to add it right back onto my blogroll)!

Thanks!!

See you on the soapbox!!

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UPDATE:

As of February 10, 2008, the Being a Mom is Great blog has moved here (www.soapboxmom.com). Please visit Soapbox Mom to read more articles by this author (bmg mom is now Soapboxmom).

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On Oprah recently, I saw Ralph Lauren’s daughter, Dylan, talking about her love of sweets and her numerous candy shops called Dylan’s Candy Bar. Three levels of candy, candy from around the world, candy from your childhood, just look at it and you’ll be amazed!

If you want to give a unique valentine’s gift to someone who isn’t necessarily nutty about chocolate, I think these little items are great finds!

Here’s the swag bag she gave to the members of Oprah’s studio audience. It includes things like a “Lollipop Tackle Box, gummy bears, gumballs, Smarties, Tootsie Rolls, Laffy Taffy, Mary Janes and a limited edition Pez Princess set and can be yours (or your daughter’s (?)) for only $50:

Or, if you’d like to surprise your wife with a whimsical trinket, you can get a candy charm bracelet for that same price:

I was so amazed at all the adorable items on this website, I just had to include a few more for you.

That’s Dylan’s Candy Bar Makeup Bag Set (above) for all of you travelers that still like a little whimsy (I’m looking at you, Missives) and the little gummy bear bag (below) for less.

Or just a simple, sassy tee with a good message.

Happy Valentine’s Day!!

One Two Three and More…

UPDATE:

As of February 10, 2008, the Being a Mom is Great blog has moved here (www.soapboxmom.com). Please visit Soapbox Mom to read more articles by this author (bmg mom is now Soapboxmom).

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My friend PG over at Annoyingly Boring (great title, eh?) tagged me with this meme, as a way of encouraging me to give these things another try (thanks, Pat!). PG’s a funny guy who makes entertaining videos about his continuing weight loss program. He’s doing a great job! Anyway, the meme is cleverly called, “1, 2, 3, 4, 5 … Meme Time” and it’s a kind of pyramid meme where you provide responses that increase at a rate of one per answer (yeah, I’ve been helping my kids with their math homework). You’ll see what I mean as you read it.

Name one thing you do everyday:

1. Okay, well, I can’t resist going with PG’s answer here. I eat everyday (and drink water).

Name two things you wish you could learn:

1. To ski really, really well.
2. To play golf really, really well.

Name 3 things that remind you of your childhood:

1. Board games
2. Books
3. Hot chocolate

Name 4 things you love to eat but rarely do:

1. Mashed potatoes
2. Gelato

3. Dark chocolate truffles

4. Nothing else (unless I could include something like dinner at Taillevent in Paris or utterly amazing food on the coast in California or fresh, organic food in the Northeast. Ooooh yeah…)

Name 5 things/people that make you feel good:

1. My husband
2. My kids
3. Beautiful, bright sunny days

4. Podcasting

5. Writing/reading a really good post or a really good book

Now, here’s where I’m supposed to tag someone, but I’m doing it a little differently this time. If you’d like to join in and do this meme, please do so! If not, no problem.

But, how ’bout going to visit PG’s blog (or just leave a comment).

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UPDATE: Yay! We have a taker, ladies and gents. Lizzie over at Bizzy Lizzie decided to do this meme! It’s a tag (well, sort of). Anybody else?

The Smile Stone Award

UPDATE:

As of February 10, 2008, the Being a Mom is Great blog has moved here (www.soapboxmom.com). Please visit Soapbox Mom to read more articles by this author (bmg mom is now Soapboxmom).

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Introducing…

The Smile Stone Award.

The wha??

Let me back up a little. Actually, to right here, January 23, 2008.

I was talking to my daughter about a post I wrote on that day. I’d reached an interesting milestone in the blogosphere and wrote a little post about it. After listening to me blabber on about number of visitors, blah, blah, blah, she quickly reminded me that I’ve always said to her that I wasn’t concerned about how many people read my posts, rather, I was more interested in providing good content. I was trying, I always told her, to disregard the stats and to focus on the substance. Well…then the conversation went something like this:

DD: “But Mom, I thought the number of visitors was not your main concern…”

BMG Mom: “Right. Well, it’s not, really. It’s just that I happened to notice it and thought it was interesting, so I wrote a post about it.”

DD: “Oh. Okay. Whaddya call it?”

BMG Mom: “This Milestone Fills Me with Gratitude.”

DD: “What smilestone? What is a smile stone? And why would it fill you with gratitude?”

BMG Mom: (chuckling) “Nooooo….milestone…it’s a milestone…it’s…hey, wait a minute…that’s a great idea!!”

And the Smile Stone Award began to bloom.

She found it so amusing that she set to work to help create it. She found the clipart, filled in the taglines and voila! Here it is:

For me, it really is about the people who take the time to read my posts and comment on my (often wacky) observations, ruminations and ideas. It’s about the ones who seem to care, who make me laugh, who give me support just when I need it and encourage me when I feel discouraged. I’ve learned so much in these five or six months from people I’ve known for a shorter period of time than my kids’ gestation periods. So, this is my way of showing my gratitude and providing a little something to (I hope) make them smile, too.

And now…

Without further adieu, I present the first group* of Smile Stone awardees:

Jim at The Busy Dad Blog

Deb at Missives from Suburbia

Dan at Cafe Leone

Lotus at Sarcastic Mom

Piper at Bliss in Bloom

Ann** at A Nice Place in the Sun

Pete at My GPS Camera Phone

Kim at Jogging in Circles

Momo at MomoFali’s

Tara at If Mom Says Ok

Chuck at D is for Dad

and

Ellen at Positive Communication.

Thanks for making the world (or at least the blogosphere) a better place.

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**Ann gets a special mention for providing inspiration – she gave me an award called the You Cheer Me Up award. Thanks again, Ann!! She’s been an inspiration in many ways and is a generous, talented blogger who spreads loads of sunshine and happiness.

*Please realize you don’t have to do anything except accept the award. I just wanted to do something fun (arguably a little wacky, maybe even cheesy) and recognize some outstanding blogs, each of which offers something quite different to the web.

Note: I somehow lost the last half of the group, but have added them back now (sorry about that!!)

Free Rice – A Site with a Purpose

UPDATE:

As of February 10, 2008, the Being a Mom is Great blog has moved here (www.soapboxmom.com). Please visit Soapbox Mom to read more articles by this author (bmg mom is now Soapboxmom).

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I’m so excited about a website our friends told us about last night.

It’s called Free Rice and it looks like this:

It’s great for your (older) kids, but don’t be surprised if you join in and try it, too. But be warned: it might be hard to stop.

Here’s how it works:

They give you a word and four other words beneath it. Then, you choose which of the four words most accurately defines or describes the first word. The site tracks each right answer and increases the degree of difficulty to keep you (or your kids) at the right level.

But here’s the best part: for each right answer, they’ll* donate 20 grains of rice to the United Nations World Food Program.

Wanna try it?

Just click the picture (below) or go to freerice.com.

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*The rice is paid for by adverstisers/sponsors of the Free Rice website. So you don’t have to contribute a cent. It’s fun! Give it a try! And I’m not getting anything for telling you about it either. I just think it’s cool and worth a look!

What Did Paula Do Before American Idol?

UPDATE:

As of February 10, 2008, the Being a Mom is Great blog has moved here (www.soapboxmom.com). Please visit Soapbox Mom to read more articles by this author (bmg mom is now Soapboxmom).

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-written by bmg mom (Being a Mom is Great blog)

That phenomenon, American Idol, started up again last week. Hey, by the way, did you know that Idol “loser” Chris Daughtry managed to get five hit songs off of his CD, Daughtry, while Taylor Hicks (2006 American Idol winner) is in some kind of dispute with his record company? Fascinating. Those folks were from a couple years back. As for this season, we watched one of the episodes last week and actually did begin humming Renaldo Lapuz’s song, “Brothers Forever.”

“I am your bro-other. Your best friend forever…”

You just have to see it. Go on — give this guy just a couple minutes of your time. He is truly endearing and seems to have a good heart. Well, at least you can agree that he’s coming from a…special place. No?

Renaldo Lapuz’s “Audition”

So…did you start humming it? Singing it?

Anyway…

We’re sitting there watching it when one of the kids asks me, “Hey, Mom. What did Paula do before she was on American Idol?”

Well, thanks to that wonder of wonders called YouTube I was able to show them (because my description was sorely lacking). And now, in case you, too, were wondering, here it is:

Paula’s “Audition”*

Somehow I like Renaldo’s audition much, much more…

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*Just for the record, I showed the kids Opposites Attract, not this one.

New Year’s Resolutions and What She Said…

UPDATE:

As of February 10, 2008, the Being a Mom is Great blog has moved here (www.soapboxmom.com). Please visit Soapbox Mom to read more articles by this author (bmg mom is now Soapboxmom).

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It’s still the first week of a new year. I know that I need to remove the gazillion decorations and take down our tree, get into a different frame of mind and get back into the swing of things.

But now I’ve been tagged by one of my blogger friends, Ann, from A Nice Place in the Sun who’s asked, “What’s your resolution?”

She’s not the first to ask me that question, but I’ve been pondering it for over a week now and only feel compelled to answer now that she’s asked. Not sure why…maybe because it seems more formal/official (coming through the blogosphere and all…). Maybe it’s because she’s such a darned nice person. Maybe it’s because we just had a death in our family, so I’ve been even more contemplative than usual. For whatever reason, I now have an answer, though I guess that puts me into the third category (below).

Scroll through the answers provided by the growing list of bloggers (also below) and maybe you’ll find some inspiration. Or maybe you’ll smile or have a chuckle or two. However you feel about these things, I wish you the best for the coming year.

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For those of you I tagged (that’s part of the deal), here’s how the game works:

“Start Copy Here”

When it comes to New Year’s Resolutions we seem to fall into four categories:

1) quite serious about them,

2) a bit flippant about them,

3) pressured to do them, or

4) just refuse to do them.

So, the purpose of this little game is to let us know which category you are in.

Copy from “*Start Copy Here*” through “*End Copy Here*” and post it.

Before “*End Copy Here*” tell us who you are, your site(s) (with link(s)), and your New Year’s Resolution, or not.

Then tag as many others as you like, from one to your entire blogroll, your choice.

If you like, create an introductory paragraph to your post that also acknowledges who tagged you.

NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS:

Ann – A Nice Place in the Sun – “To let the rest of my life begin as soon as possible.”

Juliana – Juliana’s Site – My New Year‘s resolutions are looking for a part time job, keep blogging, and learn to cook and bake.

Michelle – Rusin Roundup – 1. Learn to be happier and accept myself for who I am, 2. Is to lose about 25 lbs., and 3. Is to stop smoking.

Karen – Grow Rich Along With Me – My resolution for next year is to achieve $3K per month passive income by the end of 2008.

Mel – Attitude, the Ultimate Power & Complain Complain Complain – “I don’t need no stinking resolutions.” I never hold to them anyway so why frustrate myself by starting them now.

Sandee – Comedy Plus – I don’t need no stinking resolutions either. Years and years ago I did them because everyone else did, but not once did I follow through. Why set yourself up for failure?

Lynda – lynda’s loft – My resolution is to see resolve to that which needs resolution. Like Mel and Sandee, I feel that resolutions give us more stress, however, being a person who sets goals each year, isn’t that the same thing as a resolution??? Goals vs. resolutions? Goals are more general and allow for more time to complete them, a resolution requires a mind-set and immediate action, which is not always feasible… Well, that’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it…

Amelia – Amel’s Realm – This is a list of my New Year‘s Resolution:
1. Health: Continue exercising twice a week, eat enough veggies and fruit, have enough rest, take vitamin C regularly and women’s multivitamin during my period.
2. Spiritual: Improve my Daily Bread reading routine and my prayer life and learn more from God’s Word.
3. Financial: Continue to make money online (my goal is getting €100 per month at least), be more creative in writing posts, and save most of the money.
4. General Life: Continue to learn Finnish AND practice it as best and often as I can, try out more baking and cooking recipes, continue to maintain and share positive thoughts, continue to learn to control my thoughts, continue to learn to catch myself before I start complaining and count my blessings instead, continue to stop and cherish all the little moments in life that oftentimes go unnoticed, and continue to feed my inner child and last but not least, continue to ENJOY my life thoroughly.

Max – MAX – My New Year‘s resolutions are to dedicate more time to my friends; to finally be able to read “Der Spiegel” in German; to be calm when organizing my marriage; to go one last time to my favourite club and dance the night away; and continue to be happy!

Eric – Speedcat Hollydale – I love chicken. Problem is that I really never get to have enough chicken! My New Year‘s resolution is to enact “Chicken Tuesday”. On this day I will eat only chicken, blog about chicken, and promote chickens all over the world. (hormone free) Join me, won’t you?

Marzie – Mariuca & Mariuca’s Perfume Gallery – My resolution for 2008 is to enjoy a healthier lifestyle and to expand my Perfume Collection.

Sindi- Life Is A Roller Coaster – My resolution is to complain less, pray more and be a little more thankful for what I have.

Judy – Sugar Queen’s Dream – My New Year‘s resolution is:
To take better care of my health.
To eat better, well at least 3 meals a day, I’m lucky these days if I stop for one meal a day….
To help make the world a better place to live, I love the human race, but think there’s always room for change.
To be generous until it hurts.
To live each day as if it’s my last.
To make a book of our personal family recipes and traditions for each of my 3 my children, so that the traditions and family cooking can be passed on in my family line long after I’m gone and finally…….
To help more with the local Human society, Animals like little kids can not fend for themselves so it’s up to each of us to take care of our pets and to step in and care for all animals…..
I hope that through me I can encourage my Children to be better adults and in turn to raise the Children they have or will have, to be good people with good, sound & solid values…. Peace!

Adrian – First Time Dad – My New Year’s Resolution for 2008 is to be a better father…now I don’t usually make New Year‘s resolutions because I never keep them but this one I better keep! Happy New Year to one and all!

Colin – Life – New Years Resolution? No way…Better to achieve more throughout the year rather than pander to the whims of a one day ‘wishful thought’

Mauro – 1 Million Love Messages – My resolution for next year are: 1. Change my job (maybe work online). I’m really unhappy in the actual one. 2. Dedicate more time to my family and girlfriend… maybe start to get ready for our wedding 🙂 3. Work hard in 1 Million Love Messages and reach 2500 Love messages (or more) in the end of 2008.

MidgetManOfSteel – Mental Poo – To get out of dealing with people who I have no desire in helping at the job I’m doing…catch the eye of someone who can see that I can write and be funny…and get my own ticket to happiness from my humor….and a Ferrari. While I’m doing this, I resolve to get a Ferrari.

Stacy – My Thoughts – My New Year’s Resolution for 2008 – Is to be more understanding to my children and to other people, Not to curse at others while I am driving, try to eat right and exercise, try to volunteer in my community, and to believe more in my spiritual side.

Jason – DatCurious.com & DatMoney.com – Although, I normally don’t do New Year‘s Resolutions (because I find it as an excuse to actually do something I should’ve already been doing), this year I will plan on giving back to the blogging community, especially my audience. I’m not sure how I will do it yet, but I definitely will.

Kesa – Little Aussie Cynic – My New Years Resolution is the standard….. to finally get off the smokes and to loose 8kg…. both which are possible just difficult…..Happy New Year to you and yours….Aussie

bmgmom – Being a Mom is Great; BMG Mom’s Reviews; Parents & Kids Talk Radio – I resolve to read at least one book per month. Oh, and to stop blogging at 8:30 every night to get back to doing storytime with my kids (like I did before I blogged) (and then get back to it after they’re asleep, of course). Then, more generally, I want to be more positive, open hearted, simple and grateful.

“End Copy Here”

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Here are the bloggers I’m tagging to do this! If you haven’t read their blogs yet, you should check them out.

Piper of Love at Bliss in Bloom (because she is so inspirational, and we can all benefit from her words of wisdom and encouragement!)

Monica at Ya…About That… (because I just met her, because #45 on her “100 Things About Me” list tells me that she probably has a resolution or two (?) and #12 suggests she’s probably pretty nice and #15 tells me she’d probably be okay with another one of these tagging/meme things)

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And now… another meme…

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What She Said…

 

I’ve been tagged by my blogger friend, Opal over at If Mom Says OK, with a “Your Month” meme and, well, if you go back a few taggers you’ll get to one of my favorite blogs, “Suburban Scrawl” written by my blogger friend, Melisa.

The post includes a list of the months of the year, along with traits that are supposedly associated with people who are born in that month (see below). Well…I’m terrible with these meme things…so I say, “Ditto” to Melisa’s post. Because, really, truly, my answers would be pretty darned close to hers…well except for these:

#1 I don’t have trouble sleeping and I don’t have that lovely lavender pillow mist spray

#12 I didn’t go to New York with her sister

#21 Lotus didn’t tag me, but, in a way, she started all this, so…

#37 I’m not so good with that one. I cry at sad movies…

Here’s the rest of the meme and the list of bloggers I’m tagging, because I enjoy all of their blogs (or vlogs, in some cases) and would love to know a little more about each of them. If you haven’t yet read any of these blogs, I highly recommend them:

Deb at Missives from Suburbia, Rachel at A Southern Fairytale, SoCalMom, Rose at It’s My Life, ee at Expecting Executive, wow at wornoutwoman, MamaWise, Kymburlee at Temporary? Insanity, Whimspiration, RibbonRockStar, and Jim at The Busy Dad Blog.

Here’s your challenge-are you up for it? Find your birth month, highlight the traits (within that month) that you think apply to you (and briefly describe why). Then post your answers, copy the meme and tag 12 others (it’s always nice to circle back and let the original tagger know you’ve done it, too).

JANUARY: Stubborn and hard-hearted. Ambitious and serious. Loves to teach and be taught. Always looking at people’s flaws and weaknesses. Likes to criticize. Hardworking and productive. Smart, neat and organized. Sensitive and has deep thoughts. Knows how to make others happy. Quiet unless excited or tensed. Rather reserved. Highly attentive. Resistant to illnesses but prone to colds. Romantic but has difficulties expressing love. Loves children. Loyal. Has great social abilities yet easily jealous. Very stubborn and money cautious.

FEBRUARY: Abstract thoughts. Loves reality and abstract. Intelligent and clever. Changing personality. Attractive. Sexy. Temperamental. Quiet, shy and humble. Honest and loyal. Determined to reach goals. Loves freedom. Rebellious when restricted. Loves aggressiveness. Too sensitive and easily hurt. Gets angry really easily but does not show it. Dislikes unnecessary things. Loves making friends but rarely shows it. Daring and stubborn. Ambitious. Realizes dreams and hopes. Sharp. Loves entertainment and leisure. Romantic on the inside not outside. Superstitious and ludicrous. Spendthrift. Tries to learn to show emotions.

MARCH: Attractive personality. Sexy. Affectionate. Shy and reserved. Secretive. Naturally honest, generous and sympathetic. Loves peace and serenity. Sensitive to others. Loves to serve others. Easily angered. Trustworthy. Appreciative and returns kindness. Observant and assesses others. Revengeful. Loves to dream and fantasize. Loves traveling. Loves attention. Hasty decisions in choosing partners. Loves home decors. Musically talented. Loves special things. Moody.

APRIL: Active and dynamic. Decisive and hasty but tends to regret. Attractive and affectionate to oneself. Strong mentality. Loves attention. Diplomatic. Consoling, friendly and solves people’s problems. Brave and fearless. Adventurous. Loving and caring. Suave and generous. Emotional. Aggressive. Hasty. Good memory. Moving. Motivates oneself and others. Sickness usually of the head and chest. Sexy in a way that only their lover can see.

MAY: Stubborn and hard-hearted. Strong-willed and highly motivated. Sharp thoughts. Easily angered. Attracts others and loves attention. Deep feelings. Beautiful physically and mentally. Firm Standpoint. Needs no motivation. Easily consoled. Systematic (left brain). Loves to dream. Strong clairvoyance. Understanding. Sickness usually in the ear and neck. Good imagination. Good physical. Weak breathing. Loves literature and the arts. Loves traveling. Dislike being at home. Restless. Not having many children. Hardworking. High spirited. Spendthrift.

JUNE: Thinks far with vision. Easily influenced by kindness. Polite and soft-spoken. Having ideas. Sensitive. Active mind. Hesitating, tends to delay. Choosy and always wants the best. Temperamental. Funny and humorous. Loves to joke. Good debating skills. Talkative. Daydreamer. Friendly. Knows how to make friends. Able to show character. Easily hurt. Prone to getting colds. Loves to dress up. Easily bored. Fussy. Seldom shows emotions. Takes time to recover when hurt. Brand conscious. Executive. Stubborn.

JULY: Fun to be with. Secretive. Difficult to fathom and to be understood. Quiet unless excited or tensed. Takes pride in oneself. Has reputation. Easily consoled. Honest. Concerned about people’s feelings. Tactful. Friendly. Approachable. Emotional temperamental and unpredictable. Moody and easily hurt. Witty and sparkly. Not revengeful. Forgiving but never forgets. Dislikes nonsensical and unnecessary things. Guides others physically and mentally. Sensitive and forms impressions carefully. Caring and loving. Treats others equally. Strong sense of sympathy. Wary and sharp. Judges people through observations. Hardworking. No difficulties in studying. Loves to be alone. Always broods about the past and the old friends. Likes to be quiet. Homely person. Waits for friends. Never looks for friends. Not aggressive unless provoked. Prone to having stomach and dieting problems. Loves to be loved. Easily hurt but takes long to recover.

AUGUST: Loves to joke. Attractive. Suave and caring. Brave and fearless. Firm and has leadership qualities. Knows how to console others. Too generous and egoistic. Takes high pride in oneself. Thirsty for praises. Extraordinary spirit. Easily angered. Angry when provoked. Easily jealous. Observant. Careful and cautious. Thinks quickly. Independent thoughts. Loves to lead and to be led. Loves to dream. Talented in the arts, music and defense. Sensitive but not petty. Poor resistance against illnesses. Learns to relax. Hasty and trusty. Romantic. Loving and caring. Loves to make friends.

SEPTEMBER: Suave and compromising. Careful, cautious and organized. Likes to point out people’s mistakes. Likes to criticize. Stubborn. Quiet but able to talk well. Calm and cool. Kind and sympathetic. Concerned and detailed. Loyal but not always honest. Does work well. Very confident. Sensitive. Good memory. Clever and knowledgeable. Loves to look for information. Must control oneself when criticizing. Able to motivate oneself. Understanding. Fun to be around. Secretive. Loves leisure and traveling. Hardly shows emotions. Tends to bottle up feelings. Very choosy, especially in relationships. Systematic.

OCTOBER: Loves to chat. Loves those who loves them. Loves to take things at the center. Inner and physical beauty. Lies but doesn’t pretend. Gets angry often. Treats friends importantly. Always making friends. Easily hurt but recovers easily. Daydreamer. Opinionated. Does not care of what others think. Emotional. Decisive. Strong clairvoyance. Loves to travel, the arts and literature. Touchy and easily jealous. Concerned. Loves outdoors. Just and fair. Spendthrift. Easily influenced. Easily loses confidence. Loves children.

NOVEMBER: Has a lot of ideas. Difficult to fathom. Thinks forward. Unique and brilliant. Extraordinary ideas. Sharp thinking. Fine and strong clairvoyance. Can become good doctors. Dynamic in personality. Secretive. Inquisitive. Knows how to dig secrets. Always thinking. Less talkative but amiable. Brave and generous. Patient. Stubborn and hard-hearted. If there is a will, there is a way. Determined. Never give up. Hardly becomes angry unless provoked. Loves to be alone. Thinks differently from others. Sharp-minded. Motivates oneself. Does not appreciate praises. High-spirited. Well-built and tough. Deep love and emotions. Romantic. Uncertain in relationships. Homely. Hardworking. High abilities. Trustworthy. Honest and keeps secrets. Not able to control emotions. Unpredictable.

DECEMBER: Loyal and generous. Sexy. Patriotic. Active in games and interactions. Impatient and hasty. Ambitious. Influential in organizations. Fun to be with. Loves to socialize. Loves praises. Loves attention. Loves to be loved. Honest and trustworthy. Not pretending. Short tempered. Changing personality. Not egotistic. Take high pride in oneself. Hates restrictions. Loves to joke. Good sense of humor. Logical.

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Thanks for playing!!

Happy New Year!

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*Note: These posts first appeared separately, but then one disappeared. To make a long story short, I’ve joined them together as one big me me post.

Best New Web Community – cre8Buzz!!

UPDATE:

As of February 10, 2008, the Being a Mom is Great blog has moved here (www.soapboxmom.com). Please visit Soapbox Mom to read more articles by this author (bmg mom is now Soapboxmom).

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Well, at least that’s what I think…

And I hope you do, too! Cre8Buzz has been nominated for a Mashable Open Web Award in the category, “Best Niche or Miscellaneous Social Network.” So, please support this wonderful community by clicking on this button, scrolling down until you see that category and voting for cre8Buzz. It’s that easy!

If you haven’t heard about cre8Buzz yet, it’s a community of interesting people who are not primarily young folks in college. It includes moms & dads, political pundits, talented writers, photographers, hobbyists and so much more.

Cre8Buzz has opened up a whole new world to me as a blogger. It’s a world of supportive, funny, interesting people who are interested in the substance of my blogs and who will tell me what they think (good or bad) about what I have to say. I can count on the members of that community to comment on my posts, listen to my radio show and just ask me how I’m doing on any particular day.

I’ve seen nothing like it on the web. I’m so grateful to have become a part of cre8Buzz and would love to show my support in any way I can. If you have something to share, check it out and see what you think. If you’d like to join, let me know and I can hook you up with an invitation. Or, if you don’t want to join but you like what you see, please vote (just click on that button!).

Thanks for your support!!

For more info and a better description of the Buzz, you’ve got to click here to read Piper of Love’s post on her blog called, “Bliss in Bloom.”

Top Picks – Video Games for Tweens

UPDATE:

As of February 10, 2008, the Being a Mom is Great blog has moved here (www.soapboxmom.com). Please visit Soapbox Mom to read more articles by this author (bmg mom is now Soapboxmom).

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Updated 1.27.08 (see below for new info about Super Smash Bros Brawl)!!

As summer winds down and we find that our kids have played way more video games than we allow during the school year, our family decided to put together a list of games that we love to play.

We’re hoping this will help readers who are a bit overwhelmed by the myriad choices. If you want to buy a gift for someone and have no idea what to get, maybe our list will narrow down your options.

So…

Here it is!

The first annual Top Video Games for Tweens (on 4 platforms).

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SONY PLAYSTATION (PS2):

(I know, it’s not the PS3. Sorry, I can’t speak to the PS3 because our family went for the Wii, not the PS3. And a lot of people agreed with us, y’know…)

—Kingdom Hearts 2

—Kingdom Hearts 1

Note: Both of the Kingdom Hearts titles may be hard to find. They’re a bit obscure but well worth it. I had never heard of them until a game store employee recommended them. I was initially skeptical because they were out of the mainstream, but my kids absolutely loved them both! These would be good for kids who have most of the well known titles, but you may have to get them started. Once they see what the game is all about, they’ll likely be hooked.

—NBA 2K8

–Katamari Damacy

—We Love Katamari

—Sing Star Pop

—Karaoke Revolution: American Idol

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NINTENDO GAMECUBE: (perhaps soon to be obsolete?!)

—Luigi’s Mansion

(this is an older game, but is now a classic)

—Paper Mario

—The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker

—Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy

—Super Monkey Ball 2

—Super Smash Bros Melee

(Note: this game can be hard to find, because it’s an older game, but most boys love it)

Updated note: On December 20, Target had about a dozen copies of Super Smash Bros Melee.

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NINTENDO DS:

–UPDATE!! New top pick title for DS: Drawn to Life

—New Super Mario Bros

—Kirby Squeak Squad

—Dragon Quest Rocket Slime

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and finally, the top picks for

NINTENDO Wii:

–UPDATE!! New top pick for Wii: Super Mario Galaxy

—UPDATE: New top pick for Wii: Guitar Hero 3

—NBA Live ‘08

––Madden NFL ‘08

—Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

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UPDATE!! –– Here are some recently released titles on NINTENDO’s Wii:

–Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Nov 6 for 49.99)

–Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga (Nov 6 for 49.99)

–Super Mario Galaxy* (Nov 12 for 49.99)

Check out this video!

You just have to play this Mario game.

It’s great!! It’s a far cry from Pong!! I love playing it and even love just watching my kids play it! In fact, I think any parent who doesn’t usually play video games should try this one. What’s not to like? C’mon…find that inner child and have some fun! If there’s only one video game you try, make it this one!

Okay, well, at least watch this video:

UPDATE!!! *See my recent post where I review this title, Super Mario Galaxy, on BMG Mom’s Reviews.

and, then, of course, the title that’s supposed to knock our socks off:

–Super Smash Bros. Brawl (newsflash – this title now expected to be released February 10, 2008!! — for 49.99)

UPDATE (1.27.08): Watch a great interview (with a little preview) by Koda from KidConfidence by clicking here.

Thank you www.vgboxart.com and www.amazon.com for this early cover art!

In Defense of Webkinz

UPDATE:

As of February 10, 2008, the Being a Mom is Great blog has moved here (www.soapboxmom.com). Please visit Soapbox Mom to read more articles by this author (bmg mom is now Soapboxmom).

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This morning I read another article mischaracterizing the craze of the moment – Webkinz.

Haven’t heard of Webkinz? It’s a great website (www.webkinz.com) where you and your kids can turn purchased stuffed animals into virtual pets. The stuffed animals come with a code that unlocks a room and a virtual version of the animal. Then you go online to Webkinz world and can enjoy games, create rooms for the pets, earn Kinzcash, tend to a virtual garden, play trivia games, arcade games, old fashioned games (like checkers and go fish), compete in tournaments with other virtual pets, hunt for gems in the “Curio Shop,” send and receive gifts (and thank you cards) and so much more.

It is NOT comparable to Neopets which my kids found annoying. It’s also not like Beanie babies (which were about as bad as those ridiculous Mighty Beans) from a few years ago.

It’s a safe alternative to some fairly frightening online places your kids’ friends might be visiting or your kids might be tempted to visit.

Yes, I admit, I’m one of those adults who has been drawn into the Webkinz craze and will now confess to actually enjoying playing along with my kids.

Is it a chore (as described in so many recent articles)? Certainly not.

Do I have to feed and “care for” my kids pets? No!! The health, happiness and hunger levels will remain at 100 (full capacity) if you don’t go online for a month. It’s only while you’re playing that the meter starts to fall. So your kids could be away at camp or school all day or all week and never touch a computer, then come back and their pets would be exactly the same as they left them.

The only way a pet would turn green and have an ice pack on its head (with a low health meter) is if your child is playing online and completely ignoring the pet. My family has been playing for close to eight months now and I’ve never had a pet display these ailments. I tried to imagine how that might happen. Here’s all I came up with: Let’s say you play arcade games, participate in tournaments, perform your job in the employment office, hunt for gems in the Curio Shop, then spend a lot of time decorating your rooms and all the while never happen to notice your hunger meter going down, maybe, just maybe, the meter will get pretty low (I don’t think mine has ever gone lower than 50). But you’d have to play several days in a row, ignoring your pet each time you play (i.e., don’t bother tossing any food over to your pet) for it to get to the point of falling ill. And, by the way, you only play with one pet at time, so the neglect would only impact the one pet you’ve selected. Really, this emphasis on caretaking is simply unfounded. It’s not about the caretaking! I hardly pay any attention to the little guy while I enjoy the many activities the site offers. I do, however, slide over some food once in a while. It’s just not a big deal!

If nothing else, one might argue that it’s comparable to letting your gas tank get a bit low. If you drive all over town and don’t happen to glance at the gas meter, eventually you’ll find yourself in a predicament. But, after having one scare where my sister and I were driving across the country and almost ran out of gas in the middle of nowhere at nighttime, I generally make it habit to keep my gas tank above 1/2 full. I tend to treat my Webkinz health meter the same way. So, hey, you could argue that there’s a potential life lesson application for your kids (a stretch maybe?).

Anyway…

My bottom line here?

I wish folks would stop comparing Webkinz to Neopets, Tamagotchi and Beanie Babies and give Webkinz a try!!