New here? Then you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

Did you know that surveys show that more than half of parents are unaware of the television rating system currently in effect, and only 16% are aware of the V-Chip in their TVs and what it can do?

In reality, the provisions of the 1990 Children’s Television Act are little known and mostly not enforced. Bottom line is that TV and cable networks are not held accountable to what is considered the minimum standard of “educational/informational” programming. 

The Smart Television Alliance believes that parents and other caregivers can make more informed choices about what and when children watch if they are provided easily accessible tools and information. 

Instead of focusing on the negative, the Smart Television Alliance promotes good programs - everything from MythBusters to The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron. They intend to grow the audience for these quality shows, and convince the networks that there is indeed a market for high quality children and family programming. 

They’re also partnering with the National Council of Women’s Organizations, the National PTA, the National Education Association, the Parent’s Choice Foundation, and 10 other non-profits all who have signed on as founding organizations. 

Check out their website at www.smarttelevisionalliance.org and sign up for the twice monthly SmartNewsletters with recommendations for quality children’s programming. And if you’ve been thinking about signing up with TiVo, check out their sponsor offer. For a limited time, TiVo will give you a free DVR (with a minimum one year subscription plan) and give a nonprofit member of the Smart Television Alliance a $25 donation!

And how about munching on some Thanksgiving popcorn balls while you’re watching TV?

Continue Reading »

Hate that you have buckets of Halloween candy, but feel guilty about throwing it in the trash? Here’s some ideas for what to do with your Halloween stash.

1.  Last year I suggested you make Candy Bar Smoothies or Candy Bar Stuffed Baked Applies in Trick or treat - what to do with all that leftover candy.
2. Call your local food bank and see if they’ll take it. While we can all agree candy is hardly nutritious, everyone likes a treat once in awhile.
3. CDKitchen has some great ideas like Butterfinger Trifle
4. Squidoo’s ideas for leftover candy are Apple Candy Bar Salad, Butterfinger Layer Cake, Candy Bar Cookies, and Homemade Fudge. Can’t you feel your rear end getting bigger by the second?
5. Parenthood.com has 10 ideas of their own. I love the idea of freezing it and then saving it to use on gingerbread houses at Christmas.
6. Anyone you know hosting a birthday party? Donate it for goodie bags. Or save it for your child’s next holiday party at school.
7. Families.com suggests chopping up the candy and combining it with ice cream for an ice cream pie. Why not use the candy as a “mix in” like at those fancy ice cream shops. Make sure the ice cream is a little bit melted - zapping it in the microwave for 10 seconds helps - before trying it out.
8. Lela Davidson at HubPages suggest sending the candy to soldiers in Iraq. Have the kids send some homemade cards and pictures along with your gift. Another idea is contacting your local military base or VA hospital and ask if you can make wounded vets some candy goodie bags.
9. Bring it to work (or send it with your spouse to work). The office vultures will take care of it in no time.
10. The Portsmouth Herald has a list of suggestions and recipes. I really like this one for Milky Way Pain Au Chocolat.

Continue Reading »

In My Backyard by Valarie Giogas and illustrated by Katherine Zecca is a wonderful counting and rhyming book for ages four to eight. Familiar wild backyard animals from foxes to squirrels are featured. If your child is like my daughter Lucie, baby animals are the coolest thing around. So I liked how each animal is shown by baby as well as family group name.

Each stanza gives readers information on the animals including including what they eat, where they live, or what kind of noise they make. So not only are you getting an entertaining story, but your children are learning about wildlife that’s all around us.

As with all Sylvan Dell Publishing children’s books, there’s also a “For Creative Minds” section. It includes animal facts, how to watch for signs of wildlife, and what to do if you find an injured animal.

So what kind of animals are in your backyard?

We have our neighborhood cat, the occasional rattlesnake under the deck, birds, and a zillion grasshoppers, flies, and mosquitos. Nearby we have foxes, prairie dogs, and frogs in the pond at the golf course. Some folks even have toads living in their window wells. Our neighbors had a garter snake living in theirs.

We also have lots of wasps that we have to watch out for when we pick blackberries. The challenging thing about berries is that you have to part the bushes, which are full of thorns, to get at all the berries. But we managed to pick enough to make a blackberry cobbler.

Continue Reading »

If you still haven’t bought your husband something for Father’s Day, how about an outdoor smoker? We have one similar to this Brinkmann All-In-One Gas Outdoor Cooker. My husband bought this for ME as a Christmas present (ha!) but he tends to use it most of the time. It’s a great thing to do a crawfish boil or BBQ the Thanksgiving turkey. (Not that we’ve ever tried. I’m too scared of burning the deck down - I personally know people who have.)

Honestly, there’s nothing better than homemade barbeque. You can get the kids involved writing the shopping list, and making the brine and rub.

Pulled Pork
(recipe courtesy of Alton Brown at Good Eats)
Difficulty: Easy      
Prep Time: 20 minutes  Inactive Prep Time: 13 hours  Cook Time: 11 hours
Yield: 8 to 10 servings

Brine:

1. 8 ounces or 3/4 cup molasses
2. 12 ounces pickling salt (we used Kosher salt)
3. 2 quarts bottled water
4. 6 to 8 pound Boston butt

Rub:

1. 1 teaspoon whole cumin seed
2. 1 teaspoon whole fennel seed
3. 1 teaspoon whole coriander
4. 1 tablespoon chili powder
5. 1 tablespoon onion powder
6. 1 tablespoon paprika

Directions:

1. Combine molasses, pickling salt, and water in 6 quart Lexan (we used a very clean big plastic laundry detergent bucket).
2. Add Boston butt (also called pork shoulder or pork butt) making sure it is completely submerged in brine, cover, and let sit in refrigerator for a minimum of 8 hours. 12 hours is ideal.
3. Place cumin seed, fennel seed, and coriander in food grinder (I used a mini-chopper) and grind fine.
4. Transfer to a small mixing bowl and stir in chili powder, onion powder, and paprika.
5. Remove Boston butt from brine and pat dry.
6. Sift the rub evenly over the shoulder and then pat onto the meat making sure as much of the rub as possible adheres. More rub will adhere to the meat if you are wearing latex gloves during the application.
7. Preheat smoker to 210 degrees F.
8. Place butt in smoker and cook for 10 to12 hours, maintaining a temperature of 210 degrees F.
9. Begin checking meat for doneness after 10 hours of cooking time. Use fork to check for doneness. Meat is done when it falls apart easily when pulling with a fork.
10. Once done, remove from pot and set aside to rest for at least 1 hour.
11. Pull meat apart with 2 forks and serve as sandwich with coleslaw and dressing or barbeque sauce as desired.

This type of pulled pork sandwich is commonly referred to as “Pig Pile Elvis Style” as this was a favorite of the King of Rock ‘N’ Roll. (The picture is courtesy of The Commerical Appeal’s Bar-B-Q Blog, a great source of information on barbeque contests and recipes.)

Continue Reading »