Madeline Alice Spohr November 11, 2007-April 7, 2009

We lost one of our LA Moms Blog babies.  Today I am attending Maddie's funeral.  Wearing purple, her favorite color.  I don't even know what to type here.  I met Maddie for the first time about three weeks ago.  I was totally smitten with her.  Such a cutie pie!  She was crashed out when I arrived and I couldn't take my eyes off her.  The best eyebrows I've ever seen on a baby!  She lit up the room when she woke up.  I told her mom, Heather, that we needed to get Maddie and Lulu together for a playdate--they are so close in age!  Yes, yes, she agreed.  I'm heartbroken.  I can't believe I'm heading to her funeral.  I'm not even able to breathe normally.  My head is spinning.  I will be there to throw whatever support I can at everyone who needs it and to say goodbye to that little cutie pie.

Please visit Heather's website to see how much Maddie was loved: Remembering Maddie

On April 25, we will walk for Maddie at the March of Dimes Walk, please consider making a donation in support of Maddie and all the preemie babies born everyday.  You can find the donation info on Heather's site above.

Easter as a Competitive Event

I'm over on the LA Moms Blog today: Easter as a Competitive Event

Happy Easter!

Basket Case: Easter Is On Its Way

Easter always has a special vibe for me. My birthday sometimes falls on Easter and growing up in New England, it was usually the sign of Spring and warm weather. This year my birthday is four days after Easter and I live in Southern California where the weather is always the same. One of my favorite things to find in my Easter basket as a kid was a small chocolate and coconut nest with jelly bean eggs, made by Russell Stover. I haven't seen one in years and wish I could find them somewhere to give to Chip and Lulu. To help get me in the holiday spirit, Playskool and Play-Doh were kind enough to send me a couple of products from their Easter lines to check out.

Play-Doh Character 2-pack features egg shaped chicks and a bunnies with 2 ounces of Play-Doh inside. These were huge hits with Chip and Lulu. In fact, they kept walking off with them and I needed them on my desk to write this! They come as shown in a yellow chick and lavender bunny combo or a blue chick and white bunny combo. We got the latter. So Chip has claimed the blue bunny (blue Play-Doh) and Lulu gets the white bunny (orange Play-Doh). The eggs have stamps on the bottom, the bunny has a carrot and the chick has a chick. Very fun and easy activity, stamping the Play-Doh is fascinating to them. Beyond Easter, I think these would make really good party favors for any Spring party. I really like giving items that I know kids will use. I've never known a kid who didn't play with Play-Doh! So two tiny thumbs up from Chip and Lulu for these.

Kota & Pals Hatchlings from Playskool are the cutest! They include newborn T-Rex, Pterodactyl, Stegosaurus and Triceratops in their offering. [Random side note: ever since I was a little kid, the Stegosaurus has been my favorite dinosaur.] We received the T-Rex and again, just perfect for my toddlers and just the right size for an Easter basket. Chip and Lulu were both a bit nervous at first, because it moves and makes noise like a real newborn T-Rex! But then they warmed right up to it and were squealing and giggling. When you touch his tongue, he makes cute noises and moves his mouth, head and arms. He also came with a fun Dino Fact Card. The noises and sequences vary. I'm cracking up because he's sitting right next to my keyboard and keeps randomly moving and making cute prehistoric sounds. [I'm just wondering how the designers at Playskool know what a dinosaur sounds like?] Our 3 year old boy/girl twin neighbors stopped by this afternoon. They both went nuts over it. So the Kota & Pals Hatchlings get 4 tiny thumbs up!

Win Cranium Family Edition for Family Game Night!

Congratulations to CynthiaO of CA!!! Random.org has chosen #3 as the winner.

Thank you to all for entering. More giveaways are on the way!!!

The recession is in full swing and everyone, including my family, is embracing frugal fun. Queue Family Game Night! Let's be realistic, it's pretty tough to eat dinner together every night and some weeks, it just doesn't happen. Family Game Night is one way to make sure the whole family comes together 'round the table at least once a week. At our house, game night is Sunday evening. Chip and Lulu are still a bit young for board games, so we invite different neighbors and friends over who also have small kids. The kids stay busy and the adults get to have some fun. Chip likes to "play" so we pull up a chair and let him take a "turn".

The good folks at Hasbro were kind enough to send over Cranium Family Edition for us to play. Let me start off by saying that the best thing about Cranium is that you can play a whole game in 40 minutes! In my youth, all I had was leisure time and a 6 hour game of Monopoly was no problem. To know what you are up against time-wise with a bunch of toddlers is so awesome! Cranium Family Edition has something for everyone: perform wacky stunts, act, sketch, guess, sculpt with Cranium Clay, and more! This is easy to play and definitely not boring. The really cool aspect of this game for Family Game Night is that many of the challenges are just as difficult for an adult or a kid, so it levels the playing field. I can remember playing games as a kid where it was really tough to compete with the adults. Not the case with Cranium Family Edition.

There is a nifty family entertainment website, TimeToPlayMag.com where they review toys, games and video games. Toy industry expert and Time To Play editor in chief Jim Silver is making it his mission to bring back Family Game Night, and this week he revealed his list of top games at new.timetoplaymag.com/gamenight/ definitely check out his fun list.

I want to do my part to bring back Family Game Night and to that end, I am giving away a Cranium Family Edition (Hasbro Games/Ages 8+/$19.99) to one of my readers. How to enter: Simply leave a comment, any comment and make sure you include your e-mail address so I can contact you when you win. One entry per person. Entries limited to addresses within the United States. I will utilize the services of Random.org to select the winner. Contest period runs from Wednesday, April 1 until Midnight Wednesday, April 8, 2009. Winner to be notified via e-mail. Winner has 72 hours to respond. If winner does not respond within designated time frame, prize will be awarded via a new Random.org draw among remaining entries. You might be the lucky winner!

Giveaway - Win We Ski & Snowboard for the Nintendo Wii!

Random.org has selected the winner: #9, Eugene from CA!!! Congrats!!!

Thank you to everyone who entered and keep checking in as more swell giveaways are in the pipeline.

I've been skiing and snowboarding for years. But now that I have two toddlers, it's easier to hit the slopes in my living room by jumping on my Wii Fit Balance Board and shredding it up with We Ski & Snowboard. This game is perfect for beginners to experts. You can attend snow school to learn the ski and snowboard ropes and then you are off. Ski tricks abound including backwards riding, flips and helicopters. Snowboarding is either regular or goofy foot and you can twist, turn and flip to your hearts desire. They even have a We Ski and Snowboard Fun Park, complete with a huge half-pipe, rails and fun boxes. It really is a nice escape for me, the scenery is really nice with 7,000 vertical meters and two huge mountains. It's fun to see all the spiffy details like cottages and other skiers skiing along with you. You also pick up little pieces of conversation here and there as you zip by. So it's really a full sensory experience! There is also day, afternoon and night modes which are fun to try out.

Hey, times are tough and lift tickets are more expensive than ever. Add the cost of equipment and the fact that most people have to drive or fly quite a distance to get to a resort. Good lord, you've blown a ton of cash. So, why not just kick it at home with friends and family? We Ski & Snowboard allows for multiple players (up to 4 players) and lots of friendly competition.

We Ski & Snowboard game has just been released this month by Namco Bandai. So here is your chance to be among the first to try it out. How to enter: Simply leave a comment, any comment and make sure you include your e-mail address. One entry per person. Entries limited to addresses within the United States. I will utilize the services of Random.org to select one winner. Contest period runs from Monday, March 23 until Midnight Wednesday, April 1, 2009. Remember, you can't win unless you enter!

Natasha Richardson Was A Mom

I'm over on the LA Moms Blog today. Natasha Richardson Was A Mom. I'm so, so sad.

Shamrock Shakes

When I was in second grade, our class had a contest for St. Patrick's Day.  The student who wore the most green items would win lunch at McDonald's with the teacher and a Shamrock Shake.  I vividly recall planning my ensemble for days.  I carefully collected anything and everything that could be worn by me and was green.  I even secured green underwear.  I won--handily.  So off we went to McDonald's: Mrs. Mayo (my teacher), Cathy (the girl who won from the class next door) and her teacher.  I had my first Shamrock Shake, the year was 1977.  Jimmy Carter was the new President.  Today, 32 years later, I had my most recent Shamrock Shake.  Barack Obama is the new President. 

I was able to find solace and comfort in a childhood favorite, the minty, refreshing, creamy Shamrock Shake.  Back in '77 there was only one size shake and there was a character named Grimace who drank them.  Now McDonald's shakes come in 3 sizes, each one bigger than the '77 version and most Americans are as big as Grimace.  It used to be you could count on two things in March, the Shamrock Shake and the NCAA Tournament.  The former is no longer a given.  They are not available everywhere and are not available every year.  In 2007, they were not to be found anywhere in the Los Angeles basin.  Frustratingly.   I even recall pulling up to drive thrus and asking "Do you have Shamrock Shakes?"  The person would always respond "Yes."  Excited, I would pull up to the window only to meet someone who had only a passing command of English and was probably experiencing their first St. Patrick's Day in this country.  I would repeat "Shamrock Shake."  And they would respond, "Wha' kind o' eeee-shake, you want?"  I would ask them to get their manager, who luckily had been in the country at least a couple of years.  They would come to the window and explain that they didn't have them this year.
I'm always amazed when I meet people, fellow Americans, contemporaries, if you will, who do not know what a Shamrock Shake is.  I cannot be friends with them.  I. Just. Can't.  I don't care if you think they are disgusting.  Just that you KNOW of them.  That you are part of my tribe.  There is even a website dedicated to the Shamrock Shake.  They are only available for a limited time.  And oh-so-delicious.