Behind The Scenes of "The Muppets"

Are you excited about the return of the Muppets? If so, you might be a 30- or 40-something with small children. We're told a good bit of nostalgia is going into the new movie "The Muppets" which is filming in Los Angeles. The plot involves all of the characters living in different parts of the world. But, as the story goes, they'll need to get back together to save their old television show. Here are some pictures from the set.









What do you think? Are you planning to take your kids to see it? Or maybe just yourself?

Photos courtesy of OnLocationVacations

Toddler PJs and a Pajama Sale

If you're like me, you recently realized that putting the little one in the old t-shirt-and-underwear number at night isn't going to work for the winter. That means the rush is on for warmer (and affordable!) PJs and just in time Diapers.com is having its Pajamarama sale. I've bought tons of things from Diapers.com in the past including -as you might imagine - diapers, baby bath products, and toys. The service has always been great so now I'm considering getting some toddler/preschooler pajamas from there as well since brands like Tea Collection and Carters are in the mix.


Also I'm searching for a place that sells 2-piece footie pajamas for preschoolers. I'm talking 4T and 5T, but does such a thing even exist??? If so, please let me know!

Halloween: Trick or Treating

Here's my question for parents: Does anyone go trick-or-treating anymore? I've been asking around our area and it seems trick-or-treating is less popular than ever. Participation in local neighborhoods seems to be spotty at best. But that's where we live. What are things like in your area? If your children aren't going trick-or-treating, will they be doing celebrating Halloween another way? I would love to know what you all are doing!


picture courtesy of Syracuse.com

Sesame Street Sings "I Love My Hair!"

Like lots of African-American parents these days, we stress the importance of self-esteem and self-love in our home. So, of course we love the new Sesame Street song aimed at teaching children to love their hair. If you haven't heard the song yet, now is your chance. The entire YouTube video is posted below. Once you've heard it, tell me what you think!

My Experience with Dannon Activia

I'm at the end of the Dannon Activia challenge and here's what I've found:

Overall this was a very positive experience. I really like that Activia doesn't taste weird and is basically a good yogurt with extra good stuff added in. I'm glad that I've found an easy way to fit more calcium in my diet without having to guzzle milk.

The kicker is that I've lost two pounds since the start of the challenge, but I think that's down to eating yogurt for breakfast instead of pastries or other unhealthy things. That's one reason why I'm going to continue having it every morning. Here is a picture I snapped just a few minutes ago here at work:



Don't forget that you can get your own coupons for Activia at the website or by clicking below.

Halfway Thru The Activia Challenge

I'm on day seven of the Dannon Activia. I think good things are happening, but I'll reserve complete judgment until the challenge is over. Since I'm already a fan of yogurt, it has been fairly easy for me to incorporate it into my morning routine. It tastes really good, just like regular Dannon yogurt. I've found that I'm partial to the strawberry flavor so I'm mostly sticking with that. I like that I'm getting more calcium in my diet and I do feel that eating Activia at least once a day is having a positive effect on my digestion. BUT. Is it better at all those things than regular yogurt? That's what I'm hoping to find out over the next week.

Don't forget you can get your own Activia coupons by clicking here.

Dannon Activia 14-Day Challenge

For months now I've been looking for healthy ways to get more calcium into my family's diet and to keep our digestion on track. So when I got some coupons that could be used for free servings of Dannon Activia, which contains a special culture that could help with digestion, it seemed like fate. I've decided to take this opportunity to participate in Activia's 14-Day Challenge to find out if incorporating this yogurt into my daily diet will boost my nutrition and help me to feel better. I'll be keeping all of you posted! In the meantime, you can find out get your own Activia coupons (yay!) by clicking below.

The Big Eggs Recall

So, basically, if you have eggs in your fridge right now you might need to think about chucking them. Or at least I would, until federal regulators figure out what's happening. That's because the recall has grown since it was announced last week.
So far hundreds of people have been sickened by an outbreak of salmonella on egg shells. The egg brands affected by the recall include: Lucerne, Albertson, Mountain Dairy, Ralph’s, Boomsma’s, Sunshine, Hillandale, Trafficanda, Farm Fresh, Shoreland, Lund, Dutch Farms, and Kemps.

Here's how to check your carton to find out if your eggs are part of the recall.

Back To School: Old Navy Sale!

If your child is getting ready to go back to school this month, you owe it to yourself to check out a major kids sale going on at OldNavy.com. Right now, lots of separates for boys and girls are going for just ten bucks. That includes dresses, shirts, and pants.
Several other items are a nice 20-40% off. On top of that, you can get free shipping on all Old Navy orders of $50 or more until 8/14. Just click here and enter the code ONSHIP50 at checkout. The $10 sale ends on Friday, August 19th.

I've already nabbed a few things for my munchkin and I'm sure lots of other parents are doing the same. Don't miss out!

Say Goodbye to Drop-Side Cribs

After years of incidents surrounding drop-side cribs, government regulators have seen enough. The Consumer Product Safety Commission - that's the group that keeps an eye on items that might be unsafe - is rolling out new guidelines that will essentially ban the sale of drop-side cribs. This is one of those things that some people may be resistant about because they feel drop-side cribs make it easier to put a baby into a crib or because they've been handed-down a drop-side crib. But these kinds of cribs might not be worth it anymore - not when the CPSC says the cribs could pose a "suffocation or entrapment risk to young children."

What do you think? Is the government over-reacting? Did you have a drop-side crib that was "just fine"?