Tina Fey for Vice President

Did you miss Saturday Night Live this weekend?
If so, you must, must see Tina Fey portray Sarah Palin. She is a dead ringer. With her is the wonderful Amy Poehler doing her spot-on Hillary Clinton impersonation. It is an absolute riot.
You might even pee your pants a little... just a little.

Here is the NBC SNL 5 minute cut.

Put aside your political views and have a few laughs. Of course SNL makes fun of everyone - not just Sarah Palin.

Another Funny

For the weekend, I leave you with this...
You will laugh out loud at least 15 times, guaranteed.
I found this article on Cracked.com, 20 Baby Products Great For Traumatizing Infants. (Right click link and choose open in new window to read the article and my comments below side-by-side.)

#20 - Creepy
#19 - Gross to even think about having to do something like that, don't like the visual
#18 - Still doesn't look safe to me
#15 - As cracked.com puts it, "This is a great way to teach your children "I trust you exactly none."
#9 - OK, I understand they do this in other countries, fine, that is their culture and what they know. But that is in other countries people.
#8 - Think JonBenet.
#7 - I might just have to get me one of these.
#5 - Just plain wrong. Enough said.
#3 - So mean... yet so funny.
#1 - Well, Emily Allyn posted on this a loooong time ago! That's right, I guess we are just ahead of the game. Stick with us, we'll take you places.

If You Need A Good Laugh...

To All Mothers:
Check this out... OMG, love it!
I leave you with this chuckle for the weekend.

Anamalz Saving Animals

Even though Earth Day was two days ago, it's not too late to post about these cute little environmentally friendly guys called Anamalz. (Yes, that is how it is spelled.)

These wild anamalz, farm anamalz, and australian anamalz are one of the best toys I've seen in a long time. I love the fact they are "green" - made from renewable resources (like organic maple wood), non toxic glues and paints. Each piece is unique with it's own wood grain and markings. Not to mention they are all made by hand. Right, no machines involved, just people who give a damn about kids and the environment. Can you believe it? As their website says, "Give them the environment and the anamalz will roam." So true.

Anamalz Saving Animals is their giving back program: "anamalz has established its own trust fund committed to contributing funds to various wildlife organizations around the world." Tony.

I would be remiss not to point out that they spark the imagination of children of all sizes. Even adults find them fun to play with. Their legs are bendable, you can make most of them stand on one leg (see above pics), give them their own noises and voices, accidentally drop them from the counter (hey, they are wood), and now you can buy a CD to go along with them. The Anamalz music CD will get your kids grooving and moving. So, turn off SpongeBob (your kids have seen every episode 5 times anyway) and get your kids' imagination rolling with these "wild things"!

No batteries needed (even more environmentally friendly) and the price is right. For all this, each of these little anamalz costs only about $6 to $7 on Amazon. It just keeps getting better.

I think I could go on and on and on about this product. It is truly amazing and yet, so simple. After all you know the expression, Keep It Simple Stupid.

Anamalz. Go ahead, buy them all.

Crankypants

No need for a creative title on this posting. The name of the company is extraordinarily fun, Crankypants.

Without a doubt these are the most creative, most entertaining pants I've ever seen - and I've seen a ton of pants in this business. One look at these pants and you smile instantly, right? These would be great for your tot to be wearing when she throws a temper tantrum. Maybe just maybe you can look at her bum and just laugh and laugh and laugh through it all. Just don't laugh so much you give her a complex about her butt!

Evidently, I'm not the only one who thinks these are the coolest pants around. The company has had so many orders, they are now partnering with a business in Nepal to help with the knitting and meet the consumer demands. The downside is they are sold out. The upside is you can put your name on a waiting list.

Crankypants make happy faces.

Move Over Rainbow Playsets...

When my parents bought their first house it was $25,000. Granted it was the early 70's, but none-the-less it was $25 K. Fast forward to the year 2007. For a mere $25,000 you can now buy a 15' x 8' backyard custom Victorian playhouse for the little kiddos.

Spirit Elements sells these incredible structures that are sure to knock your socks off... and attract every little rugrat in the neighborhood! So you might want to also purchase a "Keep Out" sign. The above picture is the Bungaloo Custom Tree House. How cool is that?!!? It reminds me of the Berenstain Bears house. Your kids will be the envy of every kid in the city (not just the block) with one of these.

They also make:
Firehouse

Hansel & Gretel Playhouse

Huckleberry Playhouse
Corner Store Playhouse
Castle

and many, many more.

You won't believe your eyes when you see all the possibilities. It's amazing. Your kids can use their imaginations every day for hours on end in any one of these uber playhouses. Now, that just might be worth it.

Elf on the Shelf

Every family has traditions. But you can never have enough traditions. Well, if you are the daughter- or son-in-law coming into the family, you might think differently!
The Elf on the Shelf is a tradition Carol began with her family when her kids were little. The children were very curious how Santa could possibly be watching them along with all the other children of the world. Carol found an elf from her childhood and the story of how Santa watches all the little boys and girls easily unfolded.

At our home the elf would arrive around the holidays, usually at Thanksgiving. His sole responsibility was to watch my children's behavior and report it to "Santa" each night. The next morning after the children awoke, they discovered the elf had returned from the "North Pole" and was hiding in a different place. My children would race each other out of bed to try and be the first to spy him in his new position.

Carol pulls out the elf at Thanksgiving to kick off the holidays. Personally, I'll be keeping the elf out all year long. I've noticed as soon as I use the old line, "Remember Santa is watching you. If you continue to act like this at Target, he might not bring you presents," the kids are whipped into shape. While I understand this is a bit cruel and some parents are not as mean as I am, I do find out of desperation it works like a charm!

The website provides some advice and smart tips on how to use the elf. Plus there's even a few fun things to do for the kiddos. Check out your state to see which stores carry The Elf on the Shelf. It is only $24.95 for the Elf, the book, and a certificate adopting the Elf into your family. However this is also a clever idea for a school teacher. Every teacher could use an extra "hand" keeping the kids in line!

Please note: image above is copyrighted and is used with permission.

Le Chef Tot Extraordinaire

Start them young, is what I say! I'm lucky, my husband is the cook, and a very good cook at that. He would die for an all-out gourmet kitchen. Well, who wouldn't? Even if you don't like to cook, you can still look stylish! The buyers at Pottery Barn Kids are banking on the fact you would like to give your little one the gift of an extremely nice kitchen this holiday season. It's actually painted to look like stainless steel. Which makes me think, I wonder if I can paint my appliances to look like stainless steel?

The oven burners even turn red and the dishwasher makes real sounds. One "reality" problem - if it is supposed to be stainless steel, most stainless steel dishwashers make little sound, if any. Ohhhh... that's right, this is a set for kids, not adults. Yes, you should have life-like sounds for kids. After all, it's a learning experience right? If you feel you need to justify the purchase to your husband, just tell him the kids need to start somewhere and if they grow up to be wonderful cooks, he can take the credit.

Three-Martini Playdate

Can you hear me laughing? I am still laughing at parts of this book, The Three- Martini Playdate - A Practical Guide to Happy Parenting by Christie Mellor. With chapters like these (just to name a few), you know it will be good:

Bedtime: Is Five-Thirty Too Early?

Child Labor: Not Just for the Third World!

Self-Esteem and Other Overrated Concepts.

Read this book and enjoy some of those deep belly laughs while you picture the scenes depicted through Christie's dead-on parenting tales. Then pass it on to a friend who could use some light humor about raising children... or better yet, a friend who may need to realize she is "one of those mothers" described in some of the hair-raising situations. There may be a few chapters you disagree with, but it's humor people! Laugh out loud and enjoy!

Here is an excerpt from the chapter, Children's Birthday Parties: Not Just for Children!

I encourage celebrating the first year. In fact, I heartily endorse the celebration of all birthdays. But things have gone completely haywire. Although a life-sized Barbie impersonator might be a treat for a few of the daddies, it is probable that your three-year old will not cherish the memory of the garishly bewigged ex-showgirl practicing hackneyed "magic" tricks on the back patio, or a bitter, marginally employed actor in a Batman cape making balloon animals.Why not have an afternoon cocktail party. Sure, invite the kids. It's your child's birthday, after all.