A Monster Competition

02 Monday Apr 2012

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Yesterday, Wal-Mart had an ad which said it had $12.97 Monster High Dolls

Monster High are fashion dolls who are monsters, the offspring of Dracula and the Wolfman and the like. Some of my mom friends say they’re no better than Bratz. This had not actually occurred to me, though I have always been high on the anti-Bratz bandwagon.

Have my eyes become too accustomed to these types of dolls? Maybe I can no longer discern whether a doll is slutty.

I asked my husband what he thought. He said he the monsters are monsters, and not just random trollops dressed sluttily for no reason. These monsters dress sluttily for valid reasons! No, I’m just kidding. He said they are monsters, and not human, so he found them strange but not offensive. “The thing has fins coming out of her legs,” he reminded me of Little Girl’s doll. “It can’t wear pants.” Of course, Cadillac loves vampires and all the rest, so he probably really secretly wants to play with them. And the dolls do have oddly shaped bodies that bear no relation to real human bodies. But…I was just looking at the costumes available for real girls. Never buying those. Nope.

For Christmas, Little Girl got a Laguna Blue (or maybe Lagoona Blue) which took several trips to Target to find. These dolls get sold out as soon as the trucks are unloaded. At the time, I thought it was because of the holiday season.

Lagoona, you see, is not a bad sort of doll. She’s a scientist. She comes with a lab coat and experiments. Her tummy is covered.  I see no problem with Lagoona. Little Girl uses her with her Barbies, and Lagoona always bests them in scientific thinking. She has beakers!  And all the Barbies admire Lagoona for being different.

Yesterday, after seeing the Wal-Mart ad, I wanted to get her a Gil Webber doll for her Easter basket. Gil is Lagoona’s boyfriend, and the doll was in the Wal-Mart ad as if they actually had it in stock.

I went over to Wal-Mart to find bare shelves. Same at Target.  The employees confirmed the dolls sell out quickly. Then, it appears that the dolls are re-sold on eBay.Gil’s asking price is between $35 and $80. What?! I guess people buy the dolls for $12.97 and resell them. The Target people said they get shipments every day, and to call in the mornings. The online Target/Walmart/Toys r Us stores say they are NOT AVAILABLE ONLINE.

Keep in mind, these are cheaply made dolls, way worse in quality than Barbies. They’re almost more like statues than actual dolls.  They are extremely hard to dress, because their hands are permanently splayed and their coats have tiny armholes. Lagoona’s arm comes out all the time. In fact, it’s currently missing. They will soon go the way of Beanie Babies, sold in bulk at the swap meet.

But I am still determined to find one for $12.97 or $12.99 (the Target price). I called Mattel, and the rep told me the dolls are in production, but sell out fast, and they don’t know which stores have which dolls.

I feel kind of competitive about it. Not kind of. Definitely competitive. I know my kid won’t mind if she doesn’t get one– she has told me she wants this doll, but only in passing. If she gets one, the arm will probably fall off and his accessories will be lost in 2 minutes. But I still want to find it.

 

More Stupid People Being Stupid

29 Thursday Mar 2012

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Over the weekend, I read about an armored car crash in Maryland reported by the AP. After the crash, money spilled out and people stopped their cars to grab it. The police, of course, have asked people to return it.

The article asks, “What would you do?”

Check this out. From the article:

Chicago billing clerk Stephany Harris, 53, didn’t miss a beat.

“Of course I would,” she said. “If the armored car had been in an accident of something, I’d make sure the drivers were OK and I’d call 911. But I’d put as much money in my pockets (as I could) and run.”

But what if her kids were there? “I absolutely would not take any money,” she answered again without hesitation. “I wouldn’t want them to get the message that grabbing money that is not yours is the right thing to do.”

Okay, so you would steal the money if your kids weren’t there, but not if they were? What about when they, I don’t know, READ ABOUT THIS IN THE NEWSPAPER? It’s on the AP wire, lady! It’s all over the world!

Maybe they don’t get the paper. I hope one of her kids’ classmates brings this clipping in on for social studies. I’ll tell you one thing, I wouldn’t let Stephany Harris  be my billing clerk anymore. Steal money? Yes, of course! As long as I think I can get away with it!

Also, is anyone else wondering why they interviewed a lady from Chicago for this story taking place in Maryland, which is also the location of the writer?

International Money Pile in Cash and Coins

International Money Pile in Cash and Coins (Photo credit: epSos.de)

Veggie Tales Saves the Day

29 Thursday Mar 2012

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Little Girl did not have a good afternoon. She has half days all week, so she has extra time to be pouty if she doesn’t get to do what she wants, as she did not today. I’m sorry. The life of a kid whose mom works out of the home is sooo rough. Sometimes we cannot spend the rest of the day at the zoo or on playdates.

Today, we had to scurry to Costco to pick up a prescription and a couple of other errands, pick up her sister, get ready for CCD. “We’re always busy!” she complained this afternoon. “We never do anything exciting for me!”

While trying to get this Veggie Tales DVD (Robin Good and His Not-So-Merry-Men) to work, she had a complete meltdown. There was sound, but no picture. She began sobbing so hysterically my husband refused to take her to CCD. (This was the second or third meltdown of the afternoon).

Lately, she’s been melting down more easily. Part of it has to do with her never-ending battle of the allergies, which often leave her cranky and with a runny nose; part of it has to do with her still missing her aunt, who died before Christmas. I try to be sensitive to her, but if she had her way she would have all her friends over all the time and I would have no food or any of my prescriptions.

I discovered why the DVD player wouldn’t work (the metal piece of the video input actually broke off the wire and got stuck forever inside the TV), so then I set her up to watch this on a laptop.

We went through the set-up; it refused to auto-play. She wiggled impatiently, and I feared another meltdown, but she held out.

Veggie Tales, if you are unfamiliar, are about talking vegetables who usually re-enact a fable or Biblical story. I admit, I was highly skeptical the first time I saw one of these (I think it was about Jonah) but it was actually kind of entertaining. And they always have a good lesson that the kids seem to enjoy.

As the movie finally began to play, she started to giggle.

She sang along to the Veggie Tales song. She said, “They have no arms, but look! They can shoot arrows!” and kept up a commentary the whole time as I worked nearby in the kitchen.

At the end, she looked up at me and grinned. “That movie actually made me feel better,” she said.

I asked her what she’d learned.

“That it doesn’t matter how bad you feel about your mistakes; God will always love you,” she said.

Recommended.*

 

*Morris-King provided me with a DVD for review.

Here Comes Peter Cottontail Giveaway

26 Monday Mar 2012

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I vaguely remember seeing this 1971 flick when I was a kid. Back then, I thought all movies were shot through with “snow” due to our poor reception and the quality of the video.

This movie belongs on the shelf next to all your other Claymation classics, like FROSTY THE SNOWMAN, RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER, and SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN. In my humble and honest opinion, this film is far superior to HOP. That is, you will not mind sitting through this with your young ones.

It’s narrated by Danny Kaye, who plays the all-knowing character like Fred Astaire did in SANTA CLAUS. Do you remember Danny Kaye? I do, but maybe that’s because I only watched old films growing up. (He was in the classic WHITE CHRISTMAS and a whole bunch of other films, and was known for being a true triple threat of singing/dancing/acting skillz). The Easter bunny (Kasey Kasem) messes up and has to go on a time-traveling trip through ALL the holidays, delivering eggs in hopes of correcting his wrong.

The villain is deliciously voiced by none other than Vincent Price, playing Irontail. You have to love a kids’ movie with Vincent Price as the villain!

Anyway, my kids absolutely adore it and have watched it at least three times since we got it a few days ago. This will definitely go into our holiday rotation. I love Claymation, and this one is especially visually pleasing. The colors and patterns pop, and manage to look fresh (probably because of all the retro we have now) though the movie was made before I was born.

GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!

To celebrate Easter, I have ONE COPY of this classic DVD to give away.

To enter, leave your name in the comments section. I’ll choose a winner (rather, Random.org will choose a winner) on Friday, March 30, at noon Pacific, and mail it out ASAP after I notify you and get your address.

If you don’t see your comment right away, don’t panic. I have to approve each comment.

Thanks!

Here are some coloring pages to print out!

Classic Media coloring pages

Little Girl Writes

25 Sunday Mar 2012

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Earlier this school year, around Halloween, Little Girl brought home this story:

A dark, dark wood.

A Black tale of Danger.

I’m not sure what it says on the bottom; LG didn’t remember, either. But it’s evocative. A great beginning to a spooky tale.

Yesterday, she brought home this story:

Once there was a jaguar. She lived in the rain forest. She was a meat eater. She ate deer, bunnies, and birds, but one day, when she was having fun with her friends, a lion stepped in front of her. She was scared, but she knew what she had to do. Attack! After that day, she was very happy. THE END!

It’s amazing how much longer and detailed it is. There’s conflict, a bit of a climax, and resolution. All the nuggets to making a longer work.

I read it aloud and my oldest thought I was actually reading her brother’s story, not the little one’s.

Maybe homeschooling* is in order for next year.

 

*homeschooling=a book making factory, with the kids churning out series after series of books, with nobody ever learning math.

Handling Lows and Highs

23 Friday Mar 2012

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Let me tell you about my week.

My week had some bad, and good, parts.

I found out that noncompaction cardiomyopathy, a rare genetic condition, runs in my family, and that my heart’s walls are thick in the same areas as affected family members. Though my walls are thicker than average in some areas, my heart is completely healthy. Cardiologist, who lectures on the condition, said, “You may always be healthy. You may not. We don’t know.” He advised me to eat a diet full of fruits & veggies (I do) and to get 30 minutes of cardio a day (I go to the gym and do cardio and weights 3 times a week, and I ice skate now for 30-60 minutes two or three times a week. I told him that but then I think he forgot, because later he launched into his standard spiel). I will write a whole post on this later, but for now, let me just tell you that I have to get my children all screened via echocardiogram, and get one myself every year. Oh, also, if I faint or start experiencing fatigue, I’m to come back in. I’m hoping Cadillac’s strong heart and long-lived ancestors will help out my kids’ genetics (both sides of his family live into their late 90s, barring other diseases, like cancers brought on by smoking).

My editor left the publisher to go to a job she couldn’t turn down. Good for her, wah for me. I’m in good hands still, but I really liked working with my editor and will miss her.

I went to the endocrinologist and found out she’s not concerned about my enlarging thyroid. She thinks it’s not really bigger, it’s a human error due to machine and tech differences. However, she did point out that my blood sugar is a wee bit high, and told me I’m prediabetic. Personally I think the diagnosis is premature, and will talk to my primary doc on Monday in more detail and to get a test that will take the average blood sugar over three months, not just one time. Endocrinologist instructed me to go to a nutrition class. However, I already know about diabetic nutrition; my dad’s prediabetic (guess blood sugar abnormalities run in the family, as well as bad hearts!) and my husband’s grandnephew has Type 1 diabetes. I know you’re to avoid white flour, eat whole grains in limited amounts, and basically not eat any junk. It’s, of course, stricter for those with diabetes or with higher blood sugar. I eat well about 90% of the time. I guess I’ll have to make it 98% of the time. Change from “live to eat” to “eat to live.”

Here are the better parts of my week:

I did a fabulous event at Warwick’s books in La Jolla, well-attended and fun to boot, where we talked about the publishing industry.

I got these magazines in the mail(LA JOLLA, RANCHO SAN DIEGO, DEL MAR, and SOLANA BEACH ABOUT TOWNs), with a feature story about me and my books:

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My youngest got two consecutive 100%s on her spelling tests, after a month of struggling (she’d always forget a letter, or capitalize something). I had a fun time at a Mom’s Night In, knitting. I’m taking a figure skating class and getting slowly better. My husband just got me a really good sandwich (full of veggies). My editor’s assistant scared up an advance copy of the new Harkness book, SHADOW OF NIGHT (sequel to A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES) and sent it to me.

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned how to concentrate more on the positive aspects of life and appreciate what I do have. In the past, learning about my heart and prediabetes and my editor all at once would have devastated me for weeks. Now, though I do experience moments of sadness, I’m still appreciating how my spindly new rose is putting on leaves, how my daughter wrote a great short story, how good organic strawberries taste compared to regular. I call that progress.

Food Friday

23 Friday Mar 2012

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On Thursday, I went to a Moms’ Night In at a friend’s. It was Craft Night, meaning everyone was to bring a craft to work on (or knitting or whatever) meaning that we basically stood around talking, eating, and drinking and doing very little in the way of crafting. Typical MNI. I did manage to complete two more rows of my second Interminable Knitting Project; I basically only work on it during Knitting Nights (once a month or less), or events like these. Sometimes, so much time elapses that I forget how to knit. I’m hoping to finish this hat by next winter. I hope it will still fit my son’s head.

Everyone was tasked to bring food, as we always do. I had a brand-new jar of pesto, and I recalled Pinning this recipe some months ago, from a blog called Three More Big Bites. Below is their photo; so pretty.

It was, in fact, so easy that I could recall the ingredients without looking the recipe up again. Hummus on the bottom, pesto, then feta and halved grape tomatoes.

I was at Trader Joe’s and saw some gluten-free quinoa/black bean tortilla chips and, remembering one in our group must eat gluten free, picked those up along with the hummus, cheese, and tomatoes. They were only $2.69, and very tasty too.

At the gathering, I unveiled the dip. It was delicious. The other women all came over to try it, and agreed. Eventually I remembered to take a photo, so I broke my way through the bodies forming a stockade around the bowl to snap this. Even then, I got an action shot. (Also, I should take these women with me to big sales. Imagine how forceful they’d be).

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I did not have to take any home.

This will probably become a staple. Next up, Pinterest Night, where someone wants us to empty (read: drink it all) her tequila bottle so she can cut it using acetone, string, and fire. No one’s done it, everyone’s pinned it. Probably not to be attempted after the shots, though that would make it infinitely more exciting.

Cat Voice

21 Wednesday Mar 2012

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I made the horrendous mistake one day of getting this free app called Talking Tom on my phone. You can talk into it, and it repeats what you said back in a high pitched voice. You can also pet it, which gives you points; and buy all sorts of ridiculous stuff, like virtual food.

It’s the most annoying app in the world. Of course, my children adore it.

The kids decided that their own cat also talks in this voice, so they carry on long conversations with him, with the kids switching off the cat talking role, which always sounds like LOLcats captions. It usually goes something like this:

Kid: What do you want, kitty?

Cat: Oooh, I can haz treat? I loves me some treatz! Then gives me pettinsg. I droolz on ur handz.

Then all the kids start rolling on the floor in laughter.

The other day, Little Girl asked what we were having for dinner. “Salmon,” I said.

“I don’t like salmon,” she said.

“You do like salmon,” I reminded her.”You loved it last time.”

“I don’t,” she said.

“That’s because you call it chicken. But it’s always salmon.”

She ignored this. Little Girl was tired– it was right after the time change.

The cat was sitting on the couch between us, so I launched into Kitty Voice. “Oh, good! Then I will sitz on your seat at the table and eats it all gone. I loves salmon!”

Little Girl got her crazy-angry face on. She smacked her hand down on the couch in front of the cat, startling him. But he didn’t move.

“Why’d you do that?” I asked.

“Because he said he was going to eat my salmon!” she said indignantly.

“First of all, you said you don’t like it. Second, the cat can’t actually talk. I said it,” I said.

“Well, I didn’t like it,” she said.

“Well, then you can eat your dinner,” I said.

So at dinner, she tried her salmon. “Not bad, I kind of like it!” she said.

Her brother was picking at his dinner. “What’s wrong?” I asked him.

“I only like WILD salmon,” he said. “Not farmed.”

Oh, Lord.

Cooking Disasters

20 Tuesday Mar 2012

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I’ve been having a spate of cooking mishaps. Not all in a row, frequent enough so I’ve kept track and saved them up to tell you about them.

Sous Vide salmon

Cooking disaster number one: Hazelnut and Coriander Spiced Sous-Vide Salmon. This looked like a Good Idea at the time. No fishy smell! (Not that anybody in my family complained.) Just hot water and plastic bags and a thermometer! So someday, if I am out at a hot springs and I have no fire, but I have a fish and a plastic bag, I will know how to cook it.

I bought hazelnuts and roasted them. I ground them up with the coriander. That part smelled yummy. I was especially sold by the butter in the pan part, which you can see in the video.

My salmon, I guess, wasn’t the right thickness. It turned to an oatmeal like mush and disintegrated. It was completely disgusting. Not even the cat would touch it.

Yeah. No pics of that. Not that I didn’t think, “Ooooh, I should take a picture of this vomitous ruined meal for my blog and make people gag.” I did.

It’s easier to just bake the damn fish than to mess with hundreds (okay, half a dozen) gallon Zip-Loc bags. It only takes like 20 minutes to bake some salmon. My family loves this Marmalade-Dijon glaze, though Son won’t eat fruit and Cadillac hates marmalade. It just turns into a nice, sweet glaze.

Root Beer Cupcakes

Then, two weeks ago, I made Root Beer cupcakes. I’d found Lorann Root Beer Flavor and thought I’d put it into some vanilla frosting, over a vanilla cupcake, to make a quasi-root beer float.

It says in the Root Beer directions how hardcore this shit’s supposed to be. Use only a drop or two, it’s extremely strong, like it’ll overwhelm you.

I put in a couple drops, mixed, tasted, repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated.

I used a bottle and a half, in just enough frosting to cover exactly 12 cupcakes. Which isn’t very much frosting, doncha know.

At that point, the frosting had just a mere hint of rootbeer, nothing major.

Le sigh.

The kids ate them. They were good, they just didn’t taste much like a root beer float. More like root beer aftertaste float.

Pork Shoulder

Last week, I bought a pork shoulder on sale at Vons. I froze it. On Thursday, I put it in the fridge to thaw, and on Saturday it was ready.

I put it in the Crock-Pot with some liquid and BBQ sauce to cook all day, to make pulled pork sandwiches, which I’ve done before.

When I began pulling it apart with two forks, I smelled something off. Inside the pork, by the bone, there was blue-green meat. It smelled awful. I guess it was on the inside of the meat someplace, so although I inspected the meat,  I couldn’t see it. It also did not smell off when I opened the package. Anyway, I didn’t know what it was, but I didn’t like the looks or smell so I threw the whole thing away, and we had leftover salmon (not the sous vide, regular baked salmon) from the previous night.

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