Dancing With the Stars

Posted on by Mandy

I’m not a big television watcher, unless it’s the Weather Channel or Fox News, but tonight for reasons I cannot explain, I actually sat down and watched Dancing With the Stars.  I’ve seen a few episodes before, but this season’s contestants were such an interesting lot that I couldn’t help but get sucked in.  Naturally, I figured I also must share what I thought about tonight’s competition.

Audrina Patridge–  She definitely looked amazing in her costume and she definitely has talent in the dance department.  I see her being a major contender.  I thought their performance was solid and exciting.

Kyle Massey– Whoa!  Holy Underestimation, Batman!  This guy is definitely going to be the one to beat if he nails every performance the way he did tonight.  Just by looking at him, you’d never imagine he would have been able to pull off the dancing he did, but he seriously impressed me and I see him going very far in the competition.

Rick Fox–  He was great, too.  Very graceful…very charming….he made it look almost effortless.

Kurt Warner–  Pass. (Had to help my son build a Lego thingy real quick, so I missed him)

Margaret Cho–  She really wasn’t bad at all!  Their performance was humorous and outlandish in parts, but she did ok for the most part.

Brandy–  Her performance was good and she looked great.  She seemed a tad uneasy.  I’d like to see her relax and enjoy herself more.

Bristol Palin– She absolutely shined in parts of her performance, but it seemed as if she was alternating between wild abandon and extreme self consciousness.  She can dance.  Once she becomes more comfortable with herself and her dancing on the show, I’m willing to bet she could be a strong contender. 

The Situation– I’ll give him a break since he only had 5 days to learn his dance, but he’s going to have to step it up.  His abs alone won’t take him very far in this competition. (And we all know Pauly D is the cutest guy on Jersey Shore anyway. Duh!)

Florence Henderson– Pass. (Had to load the dishwasher)

Michael Bolton–  You know, if he would just loosen up and try to enjoy his time onstage, he could be pretty good I think.  You could definitely tell he wasn’t comfortable dancing.   

David Hasselhoff– Meh. 

Jennifer Grey–  I don’t know what I was expecting.  I suppose I was expecting a spotlight to click on her and her partner, “I Had The Time of My Life” to start playing, and see her amazing performance and moves from Dirty Dancing.  I mean, THAT’S the Jennifer Grey I remember.  And it wasn’t that she didn’t dance well tonight, because she did.  She really did.  It’s just the image of her from Dirty Dancing is so burned into my mind that I cannot see her dancing with anyone other than Patrick Swayze OR dancing any other way except the way she did with him.  And I could seriously cry about her nose job.  I knew she had this done a few years back, but she looks so completely different.  She had such a unique look before her surgery.  Now?  I could never pick her out in a crowd and say, “THAT’S  Jennifer Grey”.

My prediction is that Michael Bolton will be voted off first.  Unless his legions of screaming, adoring female fans come to his rescue and vote like crazy.

HALO Sleep Sack- Safe Sleep Information & Giveaway-CLOSED

Posted on by Mandy

I can remember right after having my son that I had to stress the importance of placing him on his back to sleep when my parents or grandmother kept him.  Back when they were mothers, placing an infant to sleep on their stomach or side was the norm.  Today, we now know that placing an infant to sleep on their back is the safest way for them to sleep in order to reduce the risk of SIDS.

September is Baby Safety Month and October is SIDS Awareness Month.  Recently, HALO Innovations, makers of the HALO Sleep Sack (a wearable blanket for sleeping), conducted a study that surveyed parents and grandparents about baby sleep practices.  The study revealed that parents and grandparents disagree on how to keep babies safe while they sleep.   According to the survey, grandparents are more likely than parents to place babies on their sides or stomachs to sleep, and are more likely to place unnecessary and potentially dangerous objects in babies’ cribs, increasing their risk for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and accidental suffocation.  With 30% of children younger than 5 being cared for by grandparents (2005 U.S Census Bureau), there is a real need to educate the older generation in safe sleep practices such as placing babies on their backs to sleep and using wearable blankets (such as the HALO SleepSack).

SURVEY RESULTS:

HALO’s survey of more than 1,000 parents and grandparents revealed the following:

58% of grandparents agreed that “babies are babies; what worked years ago when my children were babies is still fine today.” Conversely, 60% of parents disagreed with this opinion.

Parents are more likely to say that it’s best to place a baby on his or her back to sleep than grandparents (77% vs. 59%). Grandparents are more likely than parents to think a baby is safest sleeping on his or her side (21% vs. 12%) or stomach (16% vs. 8%).

Grandparents are also more likely to believe it is safe to have loose blankets (49% vs. 31% of parents) and a baby monitor (23% vs. 12%) in the crib with the baby.

82% of parents say they swaddle their baby for sleep compared to less than half of grandparents who swaddle their grandchildren (46%).

Safe Sleep Practices

Place baby to sleep on his or her back at naptime and at night time.

Use a crib that meets current safety standards with a firm mattress that fits snuggly and is covered with only a tight-fitting crib sheet.

Remove all soft bedding and toys from your baby’s sleep area (this includes loose blankets, bumpers and positioners). The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests using a wearable blanket instead of loose blankets to keep your baby warm.

Offer a pacifier when putting baby to sleep. If breastfeeding, introduce pacifier after one month or after breastfeeding has been established.

Breastfeed, if possible, but when finished, put your baby back to sleep in his or her separate safe sleep area alongside your bed.

Never put your baby to sleep on any soft surface (adult beds, sofas, chairs, water beds, quilts, sheep skins etc.)

Never dress your baby too warmly for sleep; keep room temperature 68-72 degrees Fahrenheit.

Never allow anyone to smoke around your baby or take your baby into a room or car where someone has recently smoked.

For more great information on HALO products, find them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/halosleepsack and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/halosleepsack

Giveaway

 HALO has just launched a new line of SleepSacks and Swaddles, which are exclusively available in Target stores.  I have one HALO Sleep Sack to give away to one lucky Mommy Cracked reader.

TO ENTER:  Leave a comment on this post by Sunday, September 26, 2010 at 11 PM Central. U.S. only and void where prohibited. Please make sure you leave a way to contact you by email in your comment. Want extra entries? Keep reading….

BONUS ENTRIES:  

After you have left a comment (see above), you can also earn up to five bonus entries!  Choose as many (or all five) of the options below as you want:

1. Subscribe to Mommy Cracked in a reader by clicking here. (Leave a comment on this post telling me you did so).

2. Subscribe to Mommy Cracked by email and confirm the subscription. This option is in the sidebar. (Leave a comment on this post telling me you did so)

3. Tweet this contest and leave a comment on this post with your link on Twitter.

4. Click here to follow me on Twitter and leave a comment on this post telling me you did so.

5. Click here to become a fan of Mommy Cracked on Facebook and leave a comment on this post telling me you did so.

That’s it!  Good luck!

A Science Magazine For Curious Kids

Posted on by Mandy

If you have a child ages 6-9 years old who can’t get enough of science, Mad Science KNOW Magazine is the perfect way to engage their love of learning and experimenting. 

Each issue of KNOW Magazine is filled with lots of fun science experiments, interesting news articles, puzzles, and more on all of the topics in science your child is curious to know more about. 

To get a sneak peak at KNOW Magazine, click here to download a free sample issue.  This free issue is particularly interesting, and includes information on a see-through frog, the SETI radio telescope, and information on how t-shirts are printed in a print shop, just to name a few of the many fascinating articles this sample issue includes.

I was amazed at the wide range of topics in science that KNOW Magazine covers, and the pictures were beautifully done.  This is a magazine I am proud we will be receiving a subscription to and I can’t wait for my son and I to dive into our first issue together. 

To start your own subscription to KNOW Magazine, just click here.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by  Mom Central on behalf of Mad Science and received the products necessary to  facilitate my review. In addition, I received a gift certificate to thank me  for taking the time to participate.