Laps, Not Apps

Every year, the Campaign for Commercial Free Childhood gives an award for The Worst Toy of the Year.
Often the award is tongue-in-cheek, pointing out the insane marketing or terrible ideas some companies will use to sell a product that stretches the meaning of the word toy.

This year, they gave the award, then had to update it, because of this product:
the iPad bouncy seat.

If this "toy" strikes you as just one stroke past ridiculous, there is a great letter you can sign that takes 10 seconds.  It is a petition to let the creators of this product know that it's not educational for infants to be plugged so early, as backed up by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Here's the link to sign.  Sometimes a quick response from consumers can have a powerful impact.

Flicks

I have a confession to make: I saw Frozen and I loved it. 

I have another confession to make: I saw WADJDA and loved it too.

I have another confession to make:  (I don't know what it is but everything sounds more interesting by adding that preamble).

Two completely different films, but with great fodder for discussion afterwards.

C and I saw Frozen with Nana and C's friend.  And it led to some interesting chats about "what is an act of true love?"  The script has expanded!  That's all I'm gonn say. 

And Wadjda.  Just lovely.  Here's a trailer.

Heroine

We like to write our stories around other people. It’s hard not to. Relaying responsibility is the easiest and most instantly gratifying thing. We like to make ourselves the side-stories, the parties affected by the main characters. 

This is, of course, pretty universally applicable, but especially to girls, who are conditioned to be perpetually pleasing someone else. We often forget to make the narrator start telling our story, not who we are from the perspective of other people.

Love, especially when it’s genuine, serves best to bring up the unhealed parts of you. In itself, it won’t fix what’s broken in the first place. 

Came across this beautiful essay by Brianna Wiest, titled Why You Need To Be Your Own Heroine

best Arthur episode ever

Do you ever find yourself watching a children's show, and when it ends you think, "Whoever wrote that had a lot of fun in the writers room. And possibly a toxic amount of espresso."


I was watching Arthur with Miss C today and I don't usually love this show.


But this episode had an appearance by Neil Gaiman, and then this falafel maker who dispenses deep thoughts on life, and a concept of round people versus pointy people (pointy people always need to make a point!) and I wanted to rewind it and watch it again.

If you are a fan of falafel, or Neil Gaiman, or have an inner-critic when you'd rather have an inner-Neil, or are writing your first graphic novel and need a boost of support, I share with you, Falafelosophy:




If you don't want to give 9 minutes to this, I'll give you the edited version, in print:

"What you seek will be found.
Trust ghosts.
Trust those that you have helped to help you in their turn.
Trust dreams.
Trust your heart, and trust your story.”

---Neil Gaiman, from Instructions

Why Men Need Women

"At work, we sorely need more women in leadership positions. We already know from considerable research that companies are better off when they have more women in top management roles, especially when it comes to innovation. Professors Dezso and Ross have recently shown that between 1992 and 2006, when companies introduced women onto their top management teams, they generated an average of 1 percent more economic value, which typically meant more than $40 million. "

         From Why Men Need Women, by Adam Grant

        Terrible title but a fascinating read. 

Retitled Disney Films

"Here's a funny series of posters for some of Disney's classic animated films that gives us a brutally honest title based on the themes of the story. They highlight the content, stereotypes, and tropes of the films. The posters come from Christine Gritmon and Nick Nadel of TheFW."

Brutally Honest Posters For Classic Disney Animated Films 

Thanks to Leslie for sharing this one. 

A Birthday Gift

Fiona is a neighborhood teenager who babysits Miss C.

Fiona will be turning 16 and her mother is giving her an incredible gift.  It's such a neat idea that I wanted to share it. 

She is asking those that know her daughter to write her a note or letter answering these three questions:

What do you wish you knew when you were 16?

What strengths and positive attributes do you know about Fiona?

What unique gifts and abilities do you see that Fiona possesses?

What do you wish you knew?

I wish I knew that many of the things about my self I judged as odd or idiosyncratic are some of my most colorful qualities.  That I could celebrate these instead of trying to sand the edges of them and make them fit a tiny black and white puzzle that I'd created in my mind. 

I wish I knew that asking questions is okay, and making changes based on the answers to those questions is okay. 

I wish I knew that making mistakes is one of the best ways to learn, but also that yesterday's lesson never applies to what I need to learn today.  It belonged to yesterday and today has something entirely new for me to learn.  

I wish I knew that relationships are meant to heal us and teach us about ourselves, and heal us and teach us some more, repeat, forever. 

I wish I knew that there is no there.

I wish I knew that doing something that inspires my heart is one of the fastest and funnest (yes I know that's not a word )ways to learn more about myself and the world.  And will always lead me to the next funnest (now I've used it twice) or interesting thing that I need to know.

I wish I knew that God was bigger than the religion I thought s/he belonged to.

I wish I knew that reading other people's lessons was not half as valuable as learning my own specific lessons.  

Finally, I'm glad I didn't know all these things then because it gave me something to learn from age 16 to Current Sage. 

Now back to Fiona and the other two questions.