Jude was excited to have me read the new Thomas the Train book his grandma bought him. In it, Thomas gets spooked by a ghost story that James the Red Engine tells. The page illustrating James’ story shows a pair of boney blue claws reaching from the darkness of a dilapidated shed. My son’s breath […] Continue reading →

With most movies that become flashpoints of controversy, my stance is “so don’t see it!” or better yet, “satirize the heck out of it!” As a rule of thumb, I’ve also thought that people shouldn’t stage protests against works they’ve never seen (or read). Controversy only leads to more ticket sales. What I have learned […] Continue reading →

Yesterday a flurry of articles announced a link between older fathers and autistic children. A study of Israeli children revealed: “The older the age of the father at the time of birth, the higher the chances of the offspring to have autism,” Reichenberg says. “In fathers who were 40 years or older, the risk for […] Continue reading →

Yesterday was Jude’s second “transition” day of preschool. My husband pedaled him to school, where the class was preparing to leave on their semi-monthly trip to the bookstore downtown. Teachers, kids and DH lined up and boarded a crowded city bus. The impatient driver didn’t wait for the kids to be seated before gunning down […] Continue reading →

Tanking car company Ford is rolling out some odd new ads as part of its “Bold Moves” campaign. Here’s the spot, as described in Slate: A family drives through some gorgeous hills and along a pretty coastline, making picturesque stops at a roadside farm stand and a beach. “The Ford Freestyle crossover,” says the voiceover. […] Continue reading →

Bleach blonde bombshell actress, model, and mom Amy Deming decides to reclaim the term “MILF” by spelling it “MILPH” (“Mothers in Life, Passion, Health”) and hawking a cheesecake calendar of moms for masturbation purposes. I’m thinking bimbo breeders might be a better moniker. “The term MILF is derogatory and alludes to graphic images of mothers, […] Continue reading →

Soft drinks may be getting yanked from school vending machines, but that doesn’t mean that teens are weaning themselves from caffeine and sugar. Not when Starbucks franchises are popping up around high schools. There’s debate on whether Starbucks is marketing to kids. The kids themselves say hell yeah. Giana doesn’t buy Starbucks’ claim that it’s […] Continue reading →

Within a few short days, I came across two articles inflaming fears of changing demographics:First there’s proud racist Pat Buchanan, whose new book is about closing US borders to protect the white race. America faces an existential crisis. If we do not get control of our borders, by 2050 Americans of European descent will be […] Continue reading →

Since our kids were 9 months old, Elisa and I have relied on the childcare of Llulle, our terrific nanny. I remember when she first came to the house, she dropped to child level, held her arms wide open, and began drawing the kids in with high, musical patter. It was a savvy way to […] Continue reading →

Interesting study just came out revealing that cartoons are stronger than a mother’s comfort when it comes to helping a child endure physical pain. Researchers found that children watching cartoons suffered less pain from a hypodermic needle than kids not watching TV, and that the cartoons were more comforting than Mom. The results of the […] Continue reading →