Check this out!

For those of you who are on twitter (and who isn't at this point?), I recommend checking out a site called twibs. Twibs is a directory of businesses on twitter, making it easy to find local and national businesses that tweet (some even offer promotions). If you are a business owner, twibs is a great place to get the word out about your services/products. Be sure to check out the contest that lets businesses compete for premium space on the homepage.

Rudolph

We all have special Christmas memories. For me, watching the classic Rudolph shows was an essential part of the holiday season. As I type this post, my three little kids are glued to the TV watching the original episode (first aired in 1964). It's nice to see them sharing in something that was so special to me when I was a kid. Ruldoph's story is timeless - "freak" reindeer is born with a red nose, his father tries to assimilate him by covering his crimson sniffer, somebody (in this case, Santa) recognizes the value of his uniqueness, and Rudolph ends up a hero. Who can't relate to that?

Wishing all of you a blessed holiday! Merry Christmas!

Winter is Here!

Today we woke up to a surprise snowstorm, and needless to say, the kids were ecstatic.   In fact, they ran outside before I could even get out of bed, setting off the security system when they opened the door.  "INTRUDER, LEAVE THE BUILDING!" blared throughout the house (sorry neighbors) and five minutes later the police were at my door.  At least I know the system works.  

It is still snowing as I write this, with more snow predicted for the weekend.  Could a white Christmas be in the cards for Seattle?

Thanksgiving Cheers!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Charitable Bath Scoop

If your kid's bathroom is anything like mine there are bath toys all over the place. I stumbled upon this totally cute bath toy storage from Boon Inc. The ladybug pod provides a drainable scoop for collecting and rinsing toys and a wall-mounted base for storing bath products. They also sell a frog pod, $34.

Ten percent of Boon's profits are donated to children's charities. Very cool.

Quick and Yummy Dinners

I'm a big fan of Cooking Light magazine. All the recipes I've made have turned out delicious, and I like that they shave off unnecessary fats and calories. The magazine is not really about dieting, just learning to use less butter or replacing whole milk with 2%, for example. They strike a good balance between taste and nutrition, and provide recipes that busy families can actually make on a weeknight. Here are some ideas for chicken dinners - 20 recipes prepared in 20 minutes. Bon Appetit!

Vote 11/4/08!

A reminder to vote today! Vote! Vote! Vote!

Happy Election Day!

Comic Relief for the Down Economy

Investment Tips for 2008

With all the turmoil in the market today, we thought we'd share some good advice. For all of you with any money left, be aware of the next expected mergers so that you can get in on the ground floor and make some BIG bucks.

Watch for these consolidations later this year:

1.) Hale Business Systems, Mary Kay Cosmetics, Fuller Brush, and W R. Grace Co. will merge and become:
Hale, Mary, Fuller, Grace.

2.) Polygram Records, Warner Bros., and Zesta Crackers join forces and become:
Poly, Warner Cracker.

3.) 3M will merge with Goodyear and become:
MMMGood.

4. Zippo Manufacturing, Audi Motors, Dofasco, and Dakota Mining will merge and become:
ZipAudiDoDa .

5. FedEx is expected to join its competitor, UPS, and become:
FedUP.

6. Fairchild Electronics and Honeywell Computers will become:
Fairwell Honeychild.

7. Grey Poupon and Docker Pants are expected to become:
PouponPants.

8. Knotts Berry Farm and the National Organization of Women will become:
Knott NOW!

And finally...

9. Victoria 's Secret and Smith &Wesson will merge under the new name:
TittyTittyBangBang

Funny Tweets About Parenting

Parenting can be funny; it's even funnier when you can twitter about it. Below are some funny tweets I came across that made me laugh.

Who Would the Kids Vote for?

Every election the Scholastic News polls kids (grades 1 - 12) around the country to see who their pick is for President. Almost 250,000 kids weighed in and this election Obama won with 57 percent of the vote, to 39 percent for Republican nominee Senator John McCain.

The most interesting part: since 1940 the results of the student vote have been the same as the outcome of the general election all but twice. In 1948, the kids voted for Thomas Dewey over Harry Truman and in 1960 more students voted for Richard M. Nixon than for John F. Kennedy.

The cutest part: Four percent of the students voted for other people such as Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers.

This poll is important because it lets kids have a voice and prepares them for them for the future; it may also give us an honest glimpse at how 500,000 American parents will vote on November forth.

A New Way to Support Your Political Ticket

It's election time and people are up to some wacky things.

A man in Tennessee named his newborn daughter "Sarah McCain Palin", instead of the name he and his wife agreed upon, Ava Grace.

The USAToday article reports that the man named his daughter Sarah McCain Palin because he "can't give a lot of financial support for the (McCain/Palin) campaign," but he wanted to do something to "get the word out" about their campaign.

I encourage expecting moms to name their sons Joe Obama Biden. You know, to get the word out.

Quick and Yummy Dinners

I am a big fan of Cooking Light magazine. Most everything I've made has turned out delicious and I like that the recipes shave off unnecessary fat and calories. They tend to make sensible cuts - like using light sour cream or less butter, while avoiding lots of "fat-free" ingredients that taste like cardboard. I think they balance taste and nutrition really well, and most recipes are easy to prepare. Here are some great ideas for weekend chicken night dinners. 20 recipes in 20 minutes . Bon Apetit!

National Breast Cancer Awareness month.

Campbell has pledged to donate $325,000 to help support breast cancer research, education, screening and treatment to a number of breast cancer awareness initiatives.

You may notice that many companies and stores this month are donning the color pink in recognition of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Estee Lauder, Cambell's Chicken Noodle Soup, The Hershey Company, FUJI Film, and Sony are among many of the companies donating a portion of their proceeds to Breast Cancer Awareness and Research.

To help us learn fact from fiction, msn.com wrote up 10 common breast cancer myths. Here are a few:

Myth: If there is no breast cancer in your family, then you're not at risk for the disease.

Every woman is at risk for breast cancer. So are some men! For any individual woman, an inherited abnormality is the strongest risk factor, but only about 10 percent of all cases of breast cancer are due to inherited abnormalities. About 85 percent of women who develop the disease don't have a family history. That's why it's important for all women to get screened regularly.

Myth: If you have small breasts, you're much less likely to get breast cancer.

Size doesn't matter. Anyone with breasts can get it.

Myth: Some studies actually show mammograms are worthless.

Two studies, including a review study done by Danish scientists, did suggest that getting a regular mammogram didn't lower a woman's risk of dying of breast cancer. But several other studies, including one done by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, totally disagree. You can maximize the benefit of mammography screening by seeking out the best facilities and staff in your area. Look for the radiology center that handles the most breast cancer cases in the region. Go to a radiologist who specializes in reading mammograms, and ask, "How many mammograms do you read each year?" More tends to be better. A study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute found that radiologists who read more than 300 mammograms a month were more accurate.

Spread the word!

There Goes the Economy!

Everyone I know is talking about the economic crisis and how it is affecting their lives. I know several people with houses on the market that they can't sell, others who are seeing the value of their retirement accounts go down, and many others who are just plain scared and unsure of how to protect their money. Here are some tips from Suze Orman (yes, I know she is annoying but she makes some good points):

1. Only get in the stock market if you have ten years or more before you need the money.
2. Stop living financial lies. If you can't afford it, DON'T BUY IT!!!
3. Build an emergency savings account with at least 8 months of living expenses stashed away.
4. Don't panic. If your money is in an insured bank and you don't need it for 10 years or more, (and you are diversified in quality funds), then you are fine and will ride out this recession.
5. If you are a two-income family, strive to get to a point where you can live on one income and save the other.
6. Keep your cars for ten years.

Have fun saving all that money!

For my fellow election junkies

As we've writtten in previous posts, the mombo team is into Twitter. TeamMombo posts regularly (follow us!), and we've found that it is a fun way to share ideas and get information. Twitter has added a new feature that allows users to weigh in on the presidential election. Just in the past five minutes I've seen a link to a video of Sara Palin in the 1984 Miss Alaska swimsuit competition, and learned a new nickname for her - "the Alaska Disasta". (Sorry Governor, the tweets aren't so pretty for you today). I've also learned rules for a debate drinking game: take a shot every time Obama says "change" and another shot every time McCain says "my friends". Check out the site and see what you think (btw, there is real information to found as well).
Cheers!