I know, I watch too much TV...

but it will all be over soon, so no big deal, right? Anyhow, I am like a giddy school-girl over 'The Office' ~~ many thanks to the gals at 2Peas for telling me about this site so I could get my fix!
Here is the clip ~~ I have watched it about 20 times already!




Ok, I have no idea why it will only play about 20 seconds of the clip -- see the whole thing here: http://www.youtube.com/v/mGD-MvIOltI

National Scrapbook Day!

Woo hoo! Can you believe I had to pass up a day at Recollections with my paste-eater friends for tomorrow? I know, bummer, but I have a cooking show to get ready for on Sunday, and I just KNOW I would be too tired to put on a good show. But I'm sooo psyched for the huge-mongous goings on at SBB!!!

Noggin, Early Literacy and SVU. Um, yeah.

Did You Know That 61% of Low-Income Families Have No Books at Home for Their Children?

There is a Proven Correlation Between Number of Books in a Child's Home and Their Ability to Read and Achieve Academically. (source: FirstBook.org)

Wow. That sure got my attention! Nora practically devours books ~~ and she isn't even two yet! She is even learning to be gentle to the 'big kid' books, you know, the paper kind, as opposed to board books. Crazy smart, that one....

If you would like to help with the efforts of FirstBook, read more and/or donate here. You can also support literacy efforts with a daily visit to the Literacy Site.

(OK, a quick aside, literacy and hunger are the two causes I think are most important to focus our resources on. First, I believe literacy is the key to breaking the cycle of poverty. Kids (and adults!) who read well can do better in school, and have the opportunity for a better life on every level.)

Ok, back to my point... Noggin is our favorite cable channel ~~ it's essentially Nick Jr. without the commercials. So we get our Blue's Clues and Dora without the heaping helping of obnoxious toy ads. And this week, Noggin has debuted their new series, Pinky Dinky Doo, which is supposed to be the first series dedicated to the concept of early literacy. And they also premiered a new Story Time feature.

"In addition to Pinky Dinky Doo, NOGGIN supports early literacy through "Story Time," the network's on-air/online interstitial series which uses storytelling formats to help preschoolers develop language and critical thinking skills. Beginning April 10, NOGGIN will debut a brand-new "Story Time" featuring Chris Meloni (Law and Order: SVU) who will read a short story to the viewers at home. Meloni will also appear in an adult-directed PSA which stresses the importance of reading to children and using each day as an opportunity to tell a story."

Ok, I am used to seeing Chris Meloni on "Law and Order: SVU" and "Oz". So he's a good-guy New York cop with 3 daughters who happens to deal with the scum of the earth on a daily basis. BTW, I had to change the channel on that episode last week with Lou Diamond Phillips, as much as I wanted to see what happened to Olivia (Mariska Hargitay). And "Oz" was just too disturbing on too many levels to watch even BEFORE I became a mommy, but I'm willing to bet his character was not someone I want reading bedtime stories to my kid.

SO, I am more than a little creeped out having those worlds collide on my television screen. Maybe Chris Meloni hit that stage where he wanted to do something that his kids or mother could watch for once.

And he's probably a very nice person IRL. But it's still a little weird....

Pirates are sexy!

Ok, no blogging for a long time, but now 2 posts in one DAY! Had to post my new blinkie, created by Christy Sturm over at 2Peas. You may know her better as the designer-babe behind Butternug Squash Designs. Super cool, eh? You can borrow my blinkie, but host it your own self!!