Afterschool Rocks: Win a Miranda Cosgrove Performance for 300

2010-03-15T11:42:34Z

Before I get to the details of how you (well, anyone!) can enter to win a private concert for 300(!) with Miranda Cosgrove, you need to understand why this opportunity exists. (Yes, that title was total linkbait-- but for a good reason). Quaker Chewy (the yummy granola bars) is launching this Afterschool Rocks sweepstakes in conjunction with the Afterschool Alliance. By partnering with the Afterschool Alliance, Quaker Chewy is helping to provide vital resources to 26,000 afterschool programs nationwide, including nutrition information and educational materials. See, I have a soft spot in my heart for afterschool programs having been a latch-key kid. But the truth is that afterschool programs are critical in child rearing. Overall, few women have the family-and-friends support system they need to make it all work in today's world. Even if a mom has some flexibility at her workplace, it’s about other structures she needs that don’t put her at risk for losing her job. And, quality afterschool care is one of those key structures. Yep, the level of mom anxiety rises way up after 3pm. Too many moms (who also work outside of the home) have kids who don’t have anyplace to go after school. The statistic is astonishing: more than 40,000 kindergarteners are home alone after school and more then 15 million kindergarteners through 12th-grade kids are on their own after school with out supervision. Moms are fearful of accidents and trouble into which her kids are getting during that unsupervised after school time. Having to leave work early again to deal with emergencies, puts her job, and therefore her family’s welfare, at risk. So, thank you Quaker for recognizing the importance of afterschool care in our family life. And, thank you Quaker for letting me bring my 6-year-old son to interview Miranda. Yes, he was too shy to ask the question we had rehearsed over over (How old were you when you filmed The School of Rock? Answer: Nine), but he was over the moon at the opportunity to join mom at work. Nah, just kidding. He really was excited to meet Miranda. My son is now eager to tell all his friends about the Afterschool Rocks Sweepstakes which you, too, can enter online once EACH DAY until April 16. This is for a private concert for a child who can then invite 300 others (wow!). See all the details and enter the random sweepstakes here. I did get a chance to hang with Miranda for awhile. We talked about her current college plans, her homeschool studies, her upcoming album and about her favorite afterschool memories. Having been a latch-key kid, I always have these idealized fantasies of kids remembering the home-baked cookies. Nope. Instead she remembers her faux baseball team. Awesome. Thanks Miranda for being so nice to my kid. Related: Quaker Chewy Afterschool Rocks with Miranda Cosgrove by Mom Generations *************************************** Special Advertising Offer: Our friends at Zulily, the brand spanking new sales event site is giving our readers a $10 discount to be used on a first purchase. Sign up as a new member through this special link and use the promo code ALPHAMOM10. ]]>

The Epiphanie Bags: the real "IT" bag of the moment

2010-03-11T12:47:20Z

Mama photographers with their Epiphanie bags (photo by Tracey Clark) Even though the gals at Shopafrolic tell us that the Valentino Denim Petal Tote is the "It" bag this season (and yes it is highly covetable with a faint-worthy price tag), my radar is telling me otherwise. All my mama friends across the country are going all teenageer over the newly released Epiphanie Bags. And, apparently they are flying out the door. On the outside the Epiphanies look like any other stylish handbag you would find at a high-end boutique or department store In fact, it reminds me of classic Coach. (My personal fave is the gorgeous red Lola bag pictured above and below in detail). But inside, the pocket placement and padding is that of a professional camera bag. We saw the diaper bag have its big makeover several years ago and it's about time some genius combined functionality and style in photo bags. Well done, Epiphanie. These beauties retail for $164.99 and my mama photographer friends have been squealing with delight as their bags arrive via their online orders. *************************************** Special Advertising Offer: Our friends at Zulily, the brand spanking new sales event site with current ongoing sales for Liz Lange and Graco are giving our readers a $10 discount to be used on a first purchase. Sign up as a new member through this special link and use the promo code ALPHAMOM10. (This is unrelated to Epiphanie bags) ]]>

Beautify Your Photos with Eye Candy Photo Overlays

2010-03-07T16:57:43Z

Last year my family did an outside photo shoot for some portraits and afterward I regretted not having brought some real colorful balloons for my son to hold. Then today of course as I was perusing our family photographer, Blue Lily's site I learned about these gorgeous photo overlays that accomplish just that. Not in an oops I forgot, so-let's-just-make-believe-and-photoshop-it-in-way, but in a cooler arty manner. In fact, the artist Volume 25 has a series of photoshop overlays, called Eye Candy, that anyone can buy and easily install (she has easy to use instructions too) that can add a level of texture and magic to your photos. For $30 you get nine vectors that you can play around with and even color. Love this. *************************************** Special Advertising Offer: Our friends at Zulily, the sales event site, are giving our readers a $10 discount to be used on a first purchase. Sign up as a new member through this special link and use the promo code ALPHAMOM10.]]>

Alice in Wonderland: my favorite things

2010-03-05T20:10:45Z

It's all about Alice in Wonderland now that Tim Burton's big screen-version has opened this weekend. It reminds me how we all went gaga over Where the Wild Things Are this past autumn. As such, I thought I would highlight to some of my favorite Alice in Wonderland lovely things out there: Clockwise from left: - The Cheshire Cat Grin is the new mustache and so much cooler - What's Alice without a tea party and here's the best Alice in Wonderland tea set! - This Mad Hatter felt crown is perfect for dress up. - These ponytail holders are perfectly understated Clockwise from upper left corner: - This collectible Alice in Wonderland by Madame Alexander can be removed from underneath her house, don't worry. - This Alice in Wonderland pop-up book by Robert Sabuda is a masterpiece. Trust me. - Love this pendant necklace with an image of the original illustration. - This charm necklace will delight any girl or mom. This designer has one hundred other variations to choose from. As if Alice Tea Party birthdays aren't already popular, I would expect to see a whole bunch more this spring and summer. And my only response would be, Bring it on. Because, really, tea parties are great and Mad Hatter ones, even better. If you're looking for inspiration, visit Alpha Mom contributor Ellen Baker's write-up at The Long Thread and Joslyn's at Simply Lovely. Below are images from the Alice in Wonderland themed birthday parties for their daughters. LOVE em. Clockwise from left: - Cupcakes from Simply Lovely - Party hats, hearts banner, party favors from The Long Thread ]]>

Hallmark Recordable Cards with Music: love 'em!

2010-03-01T15:11:42Z

I've seen cards with music but I've never seen recordable cards with sound which also have music. Have I been asleep? I think these are new. Whatever... I love them. Earlier this month I had to leave town at the crack of dawn to catch a flight to Nashville as I was a speaker at the Blissdom Conference. Ahead of that the Blissdom conference organizers sent all Blissdom attendees a care package of sorts with goodies from the conference sponsors. In that care package was a Hallmark recordable card with sound. (Thank you Blissdom ladies for your thoughtfulness!) Even though I can't find the exact card amongst the offerings showcased on the Hallmark website, the sentiment of the card was perfect. It was just what I needed to leave for my son as I dashed off in the early dawn without saying goodbye. The card read No matter what, now when... I'm here for you. When my son opened the card when he awoken, he heard my voice tell him that I would be home on Sunday and that I loved him. Then the card's message box broke out into The Jackson 5's I'll Be There. Would I ever gift this for my husband from me? Nope. But from my kid? Oh yeah. In fact, it's a great easy and turnkey way to capture your little one's voice through the years and send to grand parents and other family members. ]]>

More Alpha Mom Party Invitations on pingg

2010-02-24T05:29:17Z

A few months ago we launched a line of original kids' party invitations on pingg, our favorite stylish electronic invite company. Now, we've complemented our collection with two more kid party invites: Safari/Jungle and Western/Cowboy & Cowgirl. Hope you like them as much as we do! Also, they're all FREE. Here's snapshots of our full original collection on pingg and standby for some more additions in the coming months! Safari/ Jungle Kids' Party Invite Western/ Cowboy & Cowgirl Kids' Party Invite Pirate Kids' Party Invite Princess Kids' Party Invite Firefighter Kids' Party Invite Halloween Kids' Party Invite ]]>

The Heart Truth

2010-02-17T06:47:38Z

Lately I have been thinking a lot about my health. It's as if the gods have been pointing me in the direction of taking care of my body. Maybe it's because I'm approaching 40. Or, perhaps it's the well-deserved media attention on the issue of women's heart disease. See that's the point of the celebrity-led campaigns. It brings out the press which write the news stories and all of that leads to greater awareness. In short, it works. So, please do not tune me out. This is all very important. (That's why I'm going to intersperse pictures of pretty celebrities walking the runway for The Heart Truth.) Not surprisingly, breast cancer is the single-most feared disease by women. But what is surprising is that while one in thirty women in the US dies of breast cancer, one in four women dies of heart disease. Neither of these numbers is acceptable but it does point out that American women don't take the risk of heart disease seriously enough. While some risk factors, such as age and family history of early heart disease, can't be changed, women need to know that they have control over many other factors. Regardless of age, background, or health status, women can lower their risk of heart disease. Here are the risk factors for heart disease. Take a good look at them. * High blood pressure * High blood cholesterol * Diabetes * Smoking * Being overweight (BMI 25 or greater) * Being physically inactive * Having a family history of early heart disease * Age (55 or older for women) Now, just having one of these risk factors doubles your chance of developing heart disease. 80 percent of women ages 40 to 60 have one or more risk factor for heart disease. And, heart disease can begin early, even in the teen years, and women in their 20s and 30s need to take action to reduce their risk of developing heart disease. Heart disease is a lifelong condition. Once you get it, you'll always have it. Yes, medical procedures like bypass surgery and angioplasty can help blood and oxygen flow, but once your arteries are damaged, you are more likely to have a heart attack. Period. What you need to do? * learn your risk factors (see list above) * improve your diet * increase your physical activity Please, please put this health issue at the front of your mind. For more information about heart disease, assessing your risk and lowering your risk for heart disease visit The Heart Truth. ]]>

A Wake-Up Call: Healthy Child Healthy World

2010-02-08T16:53:01Z

When I was breastfeeding my newborn, the newspapers carried headlines such as "Breastmilk is Toxic." I was petrified. All of a sudden, I had flashbacks to every tuna fish sandwich I had consumed over the past few months. Now, in my mind's eye they were poisonous. Luckily, I didn't stop breastfeeding (though I was tempted by the scary headlines) and found Dr. Philip Landigran, a physician specializing in children and the environment. His team assured me that "my exposure" to mercury was nothing to be concerned about and urged me to continue to breastfeed. Which I did, for many many months thereafter. Soon, I discovered Dr. Landigran was associated with Healthy Child Healthy World, a non-profit organization with a mission "to ignite a movement that inspires parents to protect young children from harmful chemicals." Their tagline resonates with me: Know More. Worry Less. Live Better. So, watch their new video message (it's worth the few minutes of your time) and then sign up to get their info be it through email or Facebook. Healthy Child Healthy World is on the front lines, monitoring and interpreting the news and research constantly being released on the environment as it pertains to children. Their organization is not about the scary things in our lives. It's about promoting the simple things that we can all do to protect our families. My wake-up call was the "Breastmilk is Toxic" headlines. What was yours? Also, I wish Healthy Child Healthy World's book had been around when I was pregnant and/ or a new mom. I would have slept better at night knowing how easy it can be to avoid some of the scary toxins out there in our world. ]]>

The White House Gets into the Parenting Biz

2010-02-04T18:40:32Z

Say what? That's right, the White House has kind of gone into the parenting business. Today, they announced the launch of a free mobile health information service, text4baby, for pregnant women and new mothers. All women can get FREE health information via text messaging on a regular basis as it corresponds to their due date and child's birth date. It's kind of like getting our Pregnancy Weekly on your mobile phone (but written by doctors and probably without the humor). This is awesome. One out of eight pregnancies end in premature labor and providing basic prenatal information to pregnant women who may not otherwise receive it can only be a good thing. Ninety percent of Americans now have cellphones and texting is especially prevalent amongst women of childbearing years and minority populations. Women interested in the service can sign up by texting BABY to 511411 (or BEBE for the Spanish version) and they'll receive up to three SMS health messages per week at no cost to them. The cost of the incoming text is completely covered by the wireless carriers. This is truly a public service. Hopefully we'll see it rolled out and available in other languages as well. For more information go to www.text4baby.org (Homepage photo by timsamoff)]]>

Family Tree Artwork

2010-01-25T17:43:47Z

Beautiful Genealogical Charts

One of the things on my revised 40 by 40 list is to complete my son's genealogy a couple of generations back. The fine folks at Ancestry.com* turned me on to the ~~fun~~ addiction that is poking your head up your family tree. So, when I saw a number of gorgeous modern genealogical charts highlighted on Design*Sponge, I decided to do some more searching on the interwebs and looky at what I found. If you have any other beauties that I have missed please me know in the comments section. Clockwise from upper left: 1) Slice of Life by My Tree & Me, 2) by Sarah Jane Studios, 3) by Jellybeans, 4) by Genuinely Yours. Clockwise from upper left: 1) Proud as a Peacock Tree by My Tree & Me, 2) Birds of a Feather by My Tree & Me, 3) by Almost Sunday, 4) by Memories Live in the Details. ___________ *Ancestry.com paid for a for me to visit their headquarters and learn about their business. It was an awesome visit and that is my own view.]]>

Ban Toxic BPA in Food Packaging

2010-01-13T16:28:56Z

So one of your New Year's Resolutions is to be a better citizen, right? With the advent of the internet, luckily for us, making your opinion known and voice count has never been easier. Today's mission is to Ban Toxic BPA in Food Packaging. NY Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer announced their introduction of the BPA-Free Kids Act to protect children and pregnant women from this chemical. Back in November Consumer Reports released a study showing BPA (bisphenol A) present in canned goods. Aaaaaiiiiieeee. The bill, The BPA-Free Kids Act, will prohibit the manufacture and sale of food and beverage containers composed of BPA for infants and toddlers, like baby formula cans. Children’s foods and beverages made of BPA would be labeled “banned hazardous substances” under the Federal Hazardous Substances Act. The bill mandates application of criminal or civil penalties for any violations of the BPA-Free Kids Act, including the testing, certification, and labeling requirements. Thank you Senators Gillibrand and Schumer. NOW, let's show our support. Become a "citizen co-sponsor" of the bill and express your support. I just did it and it took less than 30 seconds. Image from Zazzle.]]>

Nominate Champions Against Child Hunger

2010-01-11T17:11:10Z

Photo by ninette_luz Do you know someone fighting to end child hunger in your community? If so, nominate him or her-- or, even yourself-- to become a Champion Against Child Hunger. The ConAgra Foods Foundation is looking to honor champions for their hard work in the fight to end child hunger. For every nomination, ConAgra will donate $10 to Share Our Strength, up to $20,000 through January 22, 2010. Nominating a champion is super easy. Just fill out an online form, submit a short essay and upload a picture. Five finalists will be chosen and then online voting will commence whereby ConAgra will donate $1 for every vote entered (up to $80,000). Each finalist is a winner receiving a cash prize of $500 as a reward for their advocacy, and a matching donation of $500 to Share Our Strength or their hunger relief organization of choice. The grand prize winner will receive a trip to New York City, a tour of The Food Network studios, and a cash prize of $1,500, as well as a donation of $5,000 to Share Our Strength or their hunger relief organization of choice. Again, the submission deadline is next week, Friday, Jan 22. Now get to it! And, good luck.]]>

Inspirational: Our World School

2010-01-06T16:46:55Z

It's the story of a single mama, Sue, who decided to take her four kids on the road and make the world her kids' ~~oyster~~ school for a year. And, I'm obsessed with their story and inspired by that mama's vision. Luckily they have allowed us to live vicariously through them as they blog and tweet their journey. Their adventure is called Our World School. The family has been on the road since late July and has visited 16 countries already. Each child has a specialty subject for which s/he is focusing during the trip. So far one daughter has taken a private ballet class with a teacher from the Kirov and another was able to attend Fashion Week in Milan with the help of Conde Nast Traveler. The children attend local schools and visit orphanages during their stops and have planned their trip such that it is Summer or Spring in nearly all the cities. This has allowed them to travel with only 5 outfits each in a 25lb backpack. When I first stumbled upon their blog, the family had just been charged upon by a feisty rhino. That sure captured my attention. But what keeps me coming back are the stories and pictures of these kids smiling. *Happy Sigh* ]]>

St. Lucia Day brings Polarn O. Pyret Cheer to us all

2009-12-11T12:34:31Z

As part of an advertising campaign on this site, I want to introduce you to Polarn O. Pyret. Have you heard of them? They're a leading high quality Swedish kids' clothing company, kind of like our Gap Kids here in the US. Except PO.P uses a lot more stripes in their clothes, making them even cuter this time of year. Also, they're just breaking onto the US clothing scene. I love their clothing and amongst other things bought a winter jacket for my son a couple of months ago (with my own money at a trunk show at a friend's place) to use as his winter coat. He's allergic to feathers, so now down for us. So, it's fleece and top insulation for us instead. I figured if this is good enough for Swedish winters, then it should be just fine during the height of winter in NYC. What I love most about this boy's winter jacket is that it's waterproof, has velcro tabs along the front (no need to zip up for quick jaunts in and out of the car), and has thumb holes in wrist cuff keeping the cold from riding up the puffy arm sleeves (and just like my fave Lulu Lemon workout jacket). Here are some of my other fave items from their collection: (they sell more than just red, white, and blue colored clothes-- I just have a weakness for it) And lucky for us all, through Saturday, December 12 they are running a 35% off sale. But wait, there's more. Beginning the evening of December 12, which is the night before Sweden's big St. Lucia holiday, Polarn O. Pyret begins a 12-Day Advent countdown to Christmas. Every day one item will be on sale at 40% off in their online shop. ]]>

Business Holiday Cards

2009-11-27T16:54:53Z

So this year Alpha Mom will be sending out its first printed business holiday cards. We've never had the budget to do it. But thanks to the democratization in the stationery business, individuals and small businesses have access to high quality bespoke printing at affordable prices. This year, I was perusing the online stationer Tiny Prints and realized that I had never thought I could do a small-run of very personalized business holiday cards at an affordable price. Heck, I could even make a card that recipients would want to keep if I made it useful. In terms of using the service, the interface is unbelievably intuitive. I recommend this service HIGHLY and I super discerning about holiday cards. And the prices? Very very competitive (disclosure: I received a special discount on my order; but I would have paid full-price without hesitation). Behold the Alpha Mom Business Holiday Card: ]]>

Hotspots