Cyber Monday Deals, Black Friday Steals - What's on Your List?
Next Monday has been dubbed Cyber Monday by the nation's retailers, in honor of the shopping deals they put online in an attempt to rival Black Friday, the busiest in-person shopping day of the year. While I feel skeptical about whether the hype about bargains outweighs the reality, the fact remains that I must get my holiday shopping done some time!
On my list this year are:
- A small, high-quality digital camera now that our bulky, old one is malfunctioning.
- A new Flip Mino digital videocamera to replace the one I gave my best friend when I saw her in Asia.
- A new bike for my 5-year old and balls for the kids to kick around or shoot in the driveway.
- The usual smattering of books, music and movies for the whole family.
What's on your list? Browse these ideas from the About.com Parenting channel:
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Site of the Week: Pandora
For the last 32 hours I have had no Internet access. You can imagine how hard it has been to work! Oddly enough, though, I found that the site I missed the most was Pandora. I could access Google and some email (limited attachments) on my Blackberry, until it ran out of batteries. But without my instant online jukebox I had no running soundtrack to play while I worked.
Earlier this month I was in Asia, where I was distraught to find that I couldn't access Pandora! Something about international copyright licenses, but all I could think was that I should've loaded more tunes on my MP3 player before I left.
I also use Pandora when I'm trying to get dinner on the table and the kids are driving me crazy. I can select a channel with a favorite song or artist of theirs (Sesame Street or High School Musical) and let Pandora do the song selection. As I type this, my 5-year old and her friend are jamming around the kitchen to the Michael Jackson channel.
What are your favorite online addictions?
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5 Ways to Annoy a Working Mom
I was at the playground with a stay-at-home mom friend on a sunny summer day chatting as we watched our two-year olds climb the jungle gym. Our conversation ranged over the usual topics: the news, politics, movies, books. Then she brought up her decision to put her daughter in preschool -- and things got ugly.
"I don't see how I can leave her for three hours every day; she's so little!" my friend agonized. I was struck dumb. "Really?" the voice inside me said. "How do you think that comment makes me feel when I've been leaving my daughter at daycare for 9 hours a day since she was 6 months old?"
But I let the moment pass with some sympathetic noise. It wasn't the first time someone's thoughtless remark brought the blood rushing to my face and make me want to launch into a defense of working moms. Now, over a year later, my friend raves about how much her daughter loves preschool -- and probably doesn't even remember that conversation.
If you're a working mother, chances are you too have heard annoying comments about your decision to work while raising children. These remarks can range from ignorant to deliberately insulting, but their commonality is the ability to twist the knife of guilt deep into your belly.
Here's your chance to sound off! Please share the working mom comments you hate the most -- and read about the outrageous things other working mothers have heard.
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Sarah Palin Dishes to Oprah Today!
Sarah Palin's new book, Going Rogue, will be released tomorrow. So naturally, the former Alaska governor and vice presidential candidate is appearing on the Oprah Winfrey Show today as part of the publicity around the book's publication.
Unfortunately, the clips of the show that were released in advance don't look that exciting. Palin acknowledges that her disastrous interview with Katie Couric "wasn't a good interview" and says she doesn't want to go "down the road of controversy and drama" regarding Levi Johnston, the father of her grandbaby. Really? Is that the best you could get, Oprah? Do I have to watch the whole show in hopes that you'll provoke a sniffle or two?
I certainly am looking forward to cracking open Going Rogue, myself. Palin received an initial payment of $1.25 million for writing the book, according to news reports that said she's likely to get another check when the book is published, as well as royalties.
Will you watch Oprah today? (Or catch a recording of it after work...) I admit that I've set my DVR to record it -- I just can't resist.
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SOTW: Hybrid Mom
I've blogged before about how I think the mommy wars are a media myth. So it's no surprise that I gravitate toward voices that speak to our different phases of life -- at-home, part-time work, and full-on career woman -- rather than viewing mothers as fixed in a category of working moms or stay-at-home moms.
One of my favorite proponents of this view is Hybrid Mom, the About Working Moms Site of the Week. Both a Web site and a glossy magazine, Hybrid Mom appeals to mothers who are working or thinking about work or starting a business or pursuing volunteer opportunities. You can read a working mom's must-have list, find like-minded mothers in the Hybrid Mom community or browse the marketplace.
If you visit, please let me know what you think!
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On Veterans Day, Let's Thank Military Moms
Today is Veterans Day, when America honors all living veterans of military service. That includes 1.8 million female veterans, many of whom are working moms.
How will you mark Veterans Day? My husband has the day off work, so he'll be watching the kids and may take them down to see one of the many Washington, DC monuments honoring veterans. I suppose I'll catch a parade or perhaps read my children a bedtime story about veterans.
What are your plans today?
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As Swine Flu Spreads, Who Should Get Vaccinated?
The H1N1 flu hit my daughter's daycare center last week. Immediately, the center imposed a new rule that sick children must be fever free for 48 hours, without medication, before returning to care. In explaining the policy, our director noted that child care providers are at high risk for getting sick, and if swine flu swept through and infected enough teachers, the entire center might have to close.
Just think of how disruptive it would be for the 100-plus families at our daycare center if they lost child care at the drop of a hat. It made me wonder if we should go further, as some hospitals have, and require that all teachers receive vaccinations against H1N1 flu.
That called to mind the recent debate on my local parents listserv over requiring regular babysitters to be vaccinated as a condition of employment. It's not an easy issue, in my mind. What's good for the community or the employer may not always be what's comfortable for the child care worker. I certainly respect the decision of a pregnant friend, who recently skipped an H1N1 vaccination after concluding that the risk of complications from the vaccine were about equal to the risk of illness and death from swine flu, given that pregnant women are more susceptible. If I employed an in-home child care provider, I don't think I'd be comfortable letting her go if she decided not to get the swine flu vaccination.
But as much as I respect the right of an individual to choose what chemicals are injected into her body, I do support the principle of universal vaccination to protect the overall community from epidemics. That's why my children have received vaccines on the schedule recommended by our pediatrician, and ultimately, why I support the hospitals who -- after careful analysis -- require staff to be vaccinated.
What's your take? Should child care workers be required to receive the H1N1 flu vaccination?
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SOTW: Working Moms Against Guilt
When I was casting about for support in my new-working-momhood, one of the first sites I discovered was Working Moms Against Guilt. And like my well-worn copies of Adele Faber's parenting books, the Web site has remained a resource -- a voice for women (and men) who believe there is more to our identity than just mommy. Who challenge the notion that mom should automatically be the one to stay home with a child.
So belatedly, I'm making Working Moms Against Guilt my site of the week. The group blog has four authors, so it can have a bit of a grab bag feel. First you're reading easy recipes, then a piece about mental health and then some personal photographs of kids or an upcoming charity run. It's like a mommy group with an open door, welcoming you to pull up a chair and join the conversation.
If you visit the site, please let me know what you think!
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Thrifty Thursday: Start Early to Save on Holiday Gifts
I'm in Singapore this week, and since there's no Thanksgiving here, the Christmas decorations are already going up! While this may seem crazy in early November, it is the perfect reminder for me to start trolling for great holiday gifts at bargain prices.
I know that Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving) is traditionally seen as the bargain opportunity of the year, as well as the kickoff to the U.S. holiday season. But throughout the entire year, you can save money on holiday gifts by strategically shopping for the people on your list. As you hear them mention a book they'd like, or a kitchen gadget they need, write it down and keep an eye out for that item in your usual rounds of shopping.
I also do this with birthday gifts. If I find a great, inexpensive gift for a 5-year old, I buy two because I know my daughter will inevitably be invited to more than one birthday party. The only trick is keeping the kids out of my "gift closet" since they tend to wander in and drool over all the goodies.
What's your method for holiday gift shopping? Far in advance or last minute? Or perhaps somewhere in between?
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Work Travel Can Be a Relief
Recently, a friend went on a work trip to Paris. I instantly imagined the scene: beautiful wide boulevards, enticing cafes, clean hotel sheets and a full night's sleep without a single child demanding water, a blanket or comfort for a bad dream. Yes, I was jealous. Even the packed days of meetings and conference events would be a nice change of pace from the draining, every day trudge.
Still, work travel can disrupt your family routines. As much as I like to get away, I miss my children and husband fiercely. And sometimes it seems that the effort of preparing the family for a trip -- from setting out clothes to setting up playdates -- creates as much work as you escape.
How do you make work travel easier on yourself, and your children?
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