Mommy Brain

Another busy day, another very late link post. We’re getting into our school routine, which is nice. I’m reading a fantastic book aloud to the kids called The Penderwicks - I highly recommend it. We’re almost done, and I think we’ll start The Mysterious Benedict Society next.

We don’t have plans for the weekend. Some cleaning up tomorrow, maybe a trip to the pool. Church on Sunday, and then the Seahawks play their first official game of the season, so you’ll find me planted firmly in front of the television. Go, ‘Hawks!

~ You may not recognize Don LaFontaine by name, but I’m sure you would recognize his voice. If you’ve ever seen a movie trailer in which the voice over announcer says, “In a world….” - chances are that was Don LaFontaine. He passed away this week at age 68. Movie trailers just won’t be the same.

~ Remember the video I posted last week about the cell phones popping popcorn - the one that turned out to be a hoax? Here’s how - and why - they did it.

~ Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman is one of my favorite reads from this year - and now you can read it for free!

~ Who caught the Bones premiere this week? We had to record it and watch it a day late, since the kids have to be picked up from Awana at 8 on Wednesdays. And, I loved it! Agent Booth and Great Britain - two of my favorite things - in one episode! So good. Spoiler alert - scroll down a couple lines if you don’t want it spoiled for you! Except for the Angela/Hodgins break-up. Why did they have to go and do that? Anyway, if you enjoy David Boreanaz, EW has him answering 17 pop culture questions.

~ Still bummed about the postponement of the film version of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince? Here’s a video of Daniel Radcliffe appearing on Conan O’Brien to help tide you over.

~ My Friend Amy is hosting Book Blogger Appreciation Week - and that means some awards given out for favorite book blogs. Head over to this post and vote for your favorites. Get details on how to register for all the fun here.

~ The Dharma Initiative is looking for new recruits - click over to take their screening test.

~ Speaking of hit television shows (Yes, we were, honest. If you’re a little lost, let me know in the comments. ), Anthony Edwards is due to reprise his role as Dr. Mark Greene on ER in an episode this November - in flashbacks, of course.

Thank you so much for all your insightful comments on my previous post about the presidential election. I am at least convinced that I will definitely be voting in November. That said, I’m still not sure who I’ll be voting for! I’ll continue my research and reading and thinking and discussing and praying and make a decision before I mark my ballot. Along those lines, I’ll be including links every Friday that I have read and that are helping me make my decision.

~ FactCheck.org is a great place to check the facts on speeches, interviews, and campaign ads. You can subscribe to their RSS feed and get updates sent to your Bloglines, Google Reader, or other RSS reader account. Thanks to Sarah at The Mommylogues for pointing it out to me.

~ Speaking of facts, check this list of talking points in the Republican Convention speeches that misrepresented or stretched the truth. And, here’s the fact check list for the Democratic Convention. It’s kind of disheartening to see how much both sides of the political fence exaggerate or dissemble in order to gain poll points.

~ At VoteSmart.org, you can check each candidate’s voting record while they served in Congress. Here’s Barack Obama’s voting record. Here’s John McCain’s voting record.

~ Crunchy Con tells why one soldier, currently serving in Iraq, won’t be voting for John McCain.

~ According to the Presurfer, it’s not McCain/Palin, it’s Tigh/Roslin. (This is not a site I normally read, so please don’t hold me accountable for anything else you might find there.)

~ If you’re reading this before midnight PST on Friday, September 5th, there’s still time to enter to win a copy of Guernica by Dave Boling.

Have a great weekend!

(My Friends Tigger & Pooh and Mickey’s Storybook Surprises were both provided to me by Special Ops Media for the purpose of this feature and giveaway.)

Join Pooh, Tigger, Darby and all your pals from the Hundred Acre Wood for this delightful treat full of fantas-terrific fun!

It’s fall, the time of year filled with surprises, and the gang needs YOU to use your super-sleuthing skills to answer a few tricky questions and solve some spooky-fun mysteries. Can Piglet’s friends help him overcome his fear of thunder and lightning by playing the Flashidy Freeze game? And when a piece of the moon “breaks off,” will Eeyore really take a rocket-ship trip to fix it?! There’s much more excitement in store, so get ready to laugh, play and sing along as you and your friends celebrate the harvest season and proudly proclaim, “This mystery is history!”

Yes, that says “Darby.” Christopher Robin is absent from this installment of the Winnie the Pooh franchise, which I find slightly blasphemous. It didn’t bother my 6-year-old Josiah, though, who enjoyed this DVD very much.

My Friends Tigger & Pooh: Hundred Acre Wood Haunt will be available on DVD on September 2nd. The DVD special features include a special Halloween episode of Handy Manny and the “Super Sleuth Fall Harvest Festival” game.

The only thing more fun than listening to a story is actually being part of it. So just say the magic words, “Meeska Mooska, Mickey Mouse” - and let the enchantment begin!

When Donald Duck turns into a frog after drinking Professor Von Drake’s new potion, only a kiss from Princess Daisy can change him back. But she’s locked away in the Tallest Tower! Will you help Mickey choose the right Mouseketools to rescue Daisy and de-frog Donald? There’s nonstop fun, excitement and new challenges around every corner as you help solve a Goldilocks-style mystery, wake Sleeping Minnie from a hundred-year-nap, outsmart pesky Pete on a race through the woods and more!

Let your imagination soar as you join Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy and the whole Clubhouse gang of classic characters as they set off on amazing, music-filled storybook adventures inspired by your favorite fairy tales. No matter what your age, Mickey’s Storybook Surprises will make you believe in Mousekemagic!

We haven’t had time to watch this one yet, but Josiah loves the other Mickey Mouse Clubhouse DVD we have, so I’m sure it will be a hit, too.

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Mickey’s Storybook Surprises will be available on DVD on September 2nd. The DVD special features include the “Tales from Toodles” Game.

Now, the fun part. I have one copy of each of these DVDs to give away to my readers. Here are the specifics:

1. Leave a comment on this post before 11:59 pm PST, Sunday, September 7th.

2. In your comment, please tell me which DVD is your first choice, which is your second choice.

3. On Monday, September 8th, I will use Random.org to generate two random numbers. If both winners prefer the same DVD, the first number chosen will get their first choice.

4. This giveaway is open to readers in the US and Canada only. (I’m paying shipping myself.)

5. Normally I say one comment per reader. However, this time I have a way for you to earn one more chance to win. Click over to my other blog, Books and Movies. Look around and find one book that I’ve reviewed that you would like to read, then come back here and tell me about it. Your comment must include a book that you saw me review at Books and Movies, or it won’t qualify for a second entry. While you’re there, you can also enter to win a copy of the novel Guernica.

Good luck!

I just finished a truly amazing book - Guernica by Dave Boling. Click over to Books and Movies to read my review and enter to win a copy.

Time to draw some winners! The two numbers I drew using Random.org are 26 and 18.

26, first - which means Jennifer Hill is the first winner. Her first choice was Little Einsteins.

18, second - Jodi is the second winner. Her first choice was Handy Manny, so that worked out great!

Watch your e-mail boxes, ladies, because I will be contacting you both for mailing info. Congratulations!

(Handy Manny: Manny’s Pet Roundup and Little Einsteins: Flight of the Instrument Fairies were both provided to me by Special Ops Media for the purpose of this feature and giveaway.)

When Handy Manny is on the job, you know everything will get fixed…even when the “job” is helping find lost animals and bringing them home safely!

Throw on your sneakers and get ready to play chase as Manny and his team of talkative tools use creative thinking and special treats to round up the pets of Sheetrock Hills. Crunchy carrots do the trick when bunnies escape from the pet store, bananas may be gophers’ favorite treats, and it turns out birds just love pretzels! And everyone falls in love with a little kitty who needs a good home.

Hop up and join Manny and all the wonderful creatures in the community for fun and furry fix-it adventures!

Handy Manny - Manny’s Pet Roundup is available on DVD on August 5th. It includes six episodes: 1. Blackout on the Block, 2. Squeeze Makes a Promise, 3. Pet Problem, 4. Kitty Sitting, 5. Gopher Help, and 6. Renaldo’s Pretzel Castle. The DVD also includes a game: The A-Maze-ing Pet Roundup.

Hold on tight and let fun take flight, as Rocket transports you through a dazzling rainbow sky on amazing adventures!

Journey to the breathtaking Arctic wilderness where a band of Musical Instrument Fairies “paints” the sky with colorful, shimmering light. But now, the Fairies need your help! So before you can say “Up, periscope!” - Rocket transforms into a submarine and leads Quincy, Annie, June, Leo - and YOU - on a thrilling underwater quest.

And there’s more magic in store as you pat, clap, sing and dance your way to exciting adventures in faraway lands. Whether you’re waltzing at a grand ball in Vienna or helping Rocket foil Big Jet’s latest tricky plan, Flight of the Instrument Fairies is fairy tale-inspired fun that will light up your cihld’s imagination!

Disney Little Einsteins - Flight of the Instrument Fairies is available on DVD on August 5th. The DVD includes four episodes: 1. Flight of the Instrument Fairies, 2. The Puppet Princess, 3. The Glass Slipper Ball, and 4. Little Red Rockethood. The DVD also features a game: Music Mix-Up Game.

Now comes the fun part! I have one copy of each of these DVDs to give away to my readers. Here’s how to enter:

1. Leave a comment on this post before 11:59 pm PST, Sunday, August 10th.

2. In your comment, please tell me which DVD is your first choice, which is your second choice.

3. On Monday, August 11th, I will use Random.org to generate two random numbers. If both winners prefer the same DVD, the first number chosen will get their first choice.

4. This giveaway is open to readers in the US and Canada only. (I’m paying shipping myself.)

5. One comment per person. Duplicate comments will be deleted.

Comment away! If you have a blog, be sure to send your readers over for a chance to win, too.

Thanks to everyone who visited and entered the drawing for the Veggie Tales DVD Tomato Sawyer & Huckleberry Larry’s Big River Rescue.

There were 150 comments, so I used Random.org to generate a random number between 1 and 150, and it came up 126, so…

…Congratulations, Jennifer M!

Watch your e-mail box - I’ll be contacting you for mailing details.

Also, if you are a parent of a toddler, preschooler, or primary grade child, check back tomorrow for another great giveaway.

Be sure to go check out the mondo-long list of giveaways at Bloggy Giveaways!

(Veggie Tales: Tomato Sawyer & Huckleberry Larry’s Big River Rescue was provided to me by Special Ops Media for the purpose of this review and giveaway.)

“Take a little trippy down the Mighty Mississippi!” Tomato Sawyer and Huckleberry Larry’s life on the lazy river takes a turn for adventure when they help a stranger in need. With unexpected twists around every bend, they discover that while helping others may not be the easiest thing to do, it’s always the right thing to do!

The Veggies are back with this tale loosely based on Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. I won’t say this ranks up there with my favorite Veggie Tales, but the kids enjoyed it. And the really cool thing is that the nice folks at Special Ops Media have sent me an extra copy to give away to one lucky reader!

Here’s how to enter:

1. This giveaway is open to all readers in Canada and the US. Sorry to any foreign readers, but I’m paying for shipping myself.

2. Leave a comment on this post for one entry.

3. For an additional entry, blog about this giveaway, with a link to this post. Then drop me an e-mail at nnjmom at yahoo dot com with the link to your post.

4. Since I’m leaving on Sunday for a week’s vacation, I’ll leave this open until 11:59 pm PST Sunday, August 3rd. I’ll draw a winner sometime Monday, August 4th.

Happy July, everyone! Can you believe that June is over? It went very, very fast - mostly because we were so incredibly busy.

Any plans for Independence Day? We’re heading to Mom and Dad’s for the day. Dad’s got some leftover pre-cut catamarans from camp, so the kids are going to make cool wooden sailboats, and then we’re going to head to Chewelah park to float them in the creek. We’ll have chicken and potato salad for dinner, and then celebrate my sister Marni’s birthday. Her 29th - my baby sister is turning 29! How did that happen?

We’ll spend Saturday with them, too, celebrating Dad’s 60th birthday. Then Marni and Hans and the boys will spend Sunday and Monday saying their goodbyes to Hans’ parents. Tuesday morning, we will say our goodbyes. Sniff. They will be leaving for St. Louis at the end of the month, but with gas prices the way they are, Marni needing to get their apartment packed up, Natalie’s Bible camp in the middle of the month, and us leaving on the 27th for our trip to the Oregon Coast, we won’t be able to see them before then.

Well, I refuse to think about that until I have to. Here are some links for your Independence Day weekend:

~ If you love words as much as I do, you’ll love Visuwords. Type in any word, and watch what it does with it!

~ Hey Lady! Whatcha Readin’? is giving away up to five prize packages - each one containing 14 books!

~ There’s another book giveaway at The Tome Traveller.

~ Quantum of Solace, the next Bond movie starring (the yummy) Daniel Craig, opens on my birthday, November 7th - here’s the trailer.

~ Joss Whedon, of Firefly and Serenity brilliance, is presenting Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along blog, a 42-minute web-musical that will be presented in three 14 minute episodes. It stars Neil Patrick Harris and Nathan Fillion, from Firefly. Part one will go live on July 15th, part two on the 17th, and part three on the 19th. It will remain online until midnight the 20th, with a probable DVD release after that, but while it’s online, it’s free.

~ Didn’t this already happen in an animated children’s film?

~ Anyone else looking forward to Mamma Mia? Here’s the trailer.

~ Feeling apathetic about the upcoming presidential election? The Onion has created a video to help those who couldn’t care less. It’s satire, of course - don’t want to get any comments reminding me how important it is to do my civic duty.

~ Author Dennis Cass presents Book Launch 2.0.

~ Why does everyone hate homeschooling moms?

Methinks American middle-class people are uncomfortable around the home schooled for the same reason the alcoholic is uneasy around the teetotaler.

Their very existence represents a rejection of our values, and an indictment of our lifestyles. Those families are willing to render unto Caesar the things that Caesar’s be, but they draw the line at their children. Those of us who have put our trust in the secular state (and effectively surrendered our children to it) recognize this act of defiance as a rejection of our values, and we reject them in return. (emphasis mine)

Here’s what I’ve been blogging at Books and Movies this week:

~ An Incomplete Education

~ Squids Will Be Squids: Fresh Morals, Beastly Fables

~ The Bucket List

~ Kung Fu Panda

Okay, I’m blushing. Can I plead over-busy-ness due to a camping trip, birthday party, and two VBS’s? I completely forgot about the Gone giveaway.

Well, better late than never, right?

I used Random.org to generate two random numbers, and it came up with 1 and 2. So, congrats to Sheila and Lawanda. I already have your address, Lawanda, so watch the mail. Sheila, check your e-mail - I’ll be contacting you for mailing info.

Congratulations - and sorry, again.

This week involved a lot of driving: to and from basketball camp every day, to the dentist, grocery shopping, etc. I love my “new” minivan, but I’m hoping not to spend as much time in it next week! That hope is in vain, though, since VBS starts Monday.

I’m sitting in a quiet house right now. Kevin and all three boys are at archery, and Natalie is at a slumber party. Now that Josiah has decided to take archery, too, I will have every Thursday evening all by my lonesome. Woot!

Kevin and the boys are going camping tomorrow. After Nan’s last day of basketball camp tomorrow, she and I will have a girls’ night and watch 27 Dresses. Saturday, we will head to the lake for Noah’s birthday celebration. Monday, VBS starts…. Things don’t look to slow down any time soon. Sigh.

~ How to Recognize a Blond Antelope. Hat tip: Angela Hunt.

~ For all of you who have sons who have ever asked: What Happens When You Go Number Two in Space. Hat tip: Challies.

~ You know how I’ve been raving about Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series? I’m reading her other novel, The Host, right now - and it’s shaping up to be a great read, too. You can enter to win an entire Stephenie Meyer library at Maw Books Blog.

~ A soldier finds a way to stay sane in Iraq.

~ Amazing pictures of ovulation. Hat tip: A Quiet Simple Life.

~ Don’t forget to enter my Gone giveaway.

~ Speaking of giveaways, Booking Mama is giving away a copy of The Wednesday Sisters by Meg Waite Clayton.

~ Video interview with Neil Gaiman, author of Neverwhere, Coraline, and Anansi Boys.

Here’s what I’ve been blogging at Books and Movies this week:

~ Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - the kids and I went to see it over the weekend.

~ I reviewed Life Studies: Stories by Susan Vreeland.

~ The AFI’s 10 Top 10 Special.

Guess what I got from the FedEx man today? Two more copies of Gone by Michael Grant! And these aren’t ARCs, they are the real deal: hardcovers.

Read my review of Gone, watch the trailer at the Gone Amazon page, and then come back and leave a comment here if you’re interested in winning one of these two copies.

I’ll leave the contest open until Friday, June 27th. Leave a comment before then, and your name will be entered to win. Since I’m covering postage myself, this is limited to US and Canadian readers only.

Well, they didn’t accept our offer on that house. Actually, they countered our offer with the stipulation that we list our house with a realtor if we didn’t have a signed purchase agreement within two weeks. We want to give it more time before we decide to give thousands of dollars to a realtor - thousands of dollars that could pay off my “new” van and some other debts so that we can afford the bigger house. So, we let the offer expire, trusting that if that’s the house for us, it will still be available when we do have a signed offer on ours. And if not, there must be another one out there, right?

We survived the weekend with our nephews. Actually, it went really well, and was much easier this year since Andrew is now potty-trained. They all got along fine, except for the typical meltdown once Mommy had picked them up. Isn’t that always how it goes?

This will be a quiet weekend before another busy one, when we’ll be watching Michelle and Don’s boys so they can have some away time. Of course, it will be a gaming weekend. If it’s anything like last year, the boys will surface long enough to eat and sleep and I’ll have lots of hours to read. If it’s nice, I’ll be really mean and force them to get some fresh air in there, too.

Other big news: Natalie is going to sleep-away Bible camp for the first time this year. She’s going with one of her best friends in July. It’s reasonably-priced, not too long of a drive to drop off and pick up (about 3 hours), and comes highly recommended by friends from church. So. I’m trying not to think about the fact that, at age 11, she is more than ready for this. I’m trying not to think about five days with her away from home. She’s been gone that long once before, but she was with my parents, so while I missed her, I didn’t worry. And I’m promising myself I won’t worry this time, either. Snort.

Lots of links to share with you this week:

~ Ellen Page is set to play Jane Eyre in a big screen adaptation. Hmmm. I loved her in Juno, but I’m not sure what I think of this. I’m willing to give her the benefit of the doubt, though.

~ Angela Hunt at A Life in Pages linked to this harrowing, death-defying video. Don’t watch if you have a problem with heights.

~ Any Firefly fans out there? Kevin and I love it, and just recently watched the complete series on DVD all over again. I get angry every time when I think of how the creator, Joss Whedon, and the cast were treated by Fox - and by how it was prematurely cancelled before it was given a chance. Grrr. Well, apparently, Whedon is ready to give the network another try, and his Dollhouse is set to premiere on Fox in January. The trailer looks intriguing.

~ If you’re expecting, Chronicle Books is having a Nursery Sweepstakes.

~ Don’t forget to enter my book giveaway.

Head over to Books and Movies - I’m giving away two Advanced Reader’s Editions of Michael Grant’s Gone!

There’s one heck of a book giveaway going on over at A Book Blogger’s Diary. There are new prizes popping up every day between now and Mother’s Day, so click the button on top to check it out.

First, of all, I can’t believe that I forgot to draw the winners for the All-Girl Getaways Contest! Well, the really cool thing is that I am receiving five prize packages - each one includes a traveling toiletries bag and a free issue of Travelgirl Magazine - to give away, and I received exactly five comments. So, Lawanda, Laura, Brandi, Karen, and Crissy - you all win! Watch your e-mail inboxes; I’ll be contacting you for mailing info.

Now, onto the weekly wrapup and links. First of all, I finished Neverwhere last night. I’m not going to take the time to write a complete review, but I will just say that if you like fantasy, you have to read this book. I gave it a five-star rating, and I’m pretty stingy with those.

I’m planning to read some more modern and light stuff - my brain is still worn out from Anna Karenina! I started an ARC of The House at Midnight (link in sidebar) today - so far, so good. Oh, and another volume of poetry - What the Light Was Like by Luci Shaw. She was a close friend of Madeleine L’Engle’s, and they even wrote several books together, so I’m finding it interesting to read some of Ms. Shaw’s work so close after finishing Ms. L’Engle’s collected poetry.

We have another Tae Kwon Do promotion Saturday. Jonathan wasn’t quite ready to go for his green belt when the older two did, but he is now, so that’s how we’ll be spending Saturday morning. Then next weekend is Mother’s Day! Kevin said he wanted to take me out to brunch. I won’t argue with that.

Lost is on tonight - but not till 10pm, so I’ll have to record it to watch tomorrow. Any other Losties out there? If so, be sure to check out the weekly recaps at Semicolon and Rocks in My Dryer. Did any of you know that Henry Ian Cusick, who plays Desmond, played Jesus in the movie The Gospel of John?

I guess I’m done rambling for now. Here are some links to keep you busy:

~ 33 of the most intricate and realistic Lego creations. Hat tip: Moomin Light.

~ Here’s a new Book Blog community to check out.

~ Not on the Test - a YouTube video of Tom Chapin doing the song he wrote with John Forster to protest the lack of arts education in the public school system. Hat tip: Principled Discovery.

~ Don’t miss Katy at Fallible’s Statement of Belief. Very funny.

~ Sign your kids up for Brain Food’s Summer Reading Program. Hat tip: Semicolon.

~Rachelle Gardner, Literary Agent is having another writing contest at her blog. The challenge is to write a complete short story in six words. Think it can’t be done? Check out the contest link for her example - by Ernest Hemingway.

Have a great weekend, everyone!