Nowadays college grads are graduating with a degree and a whole lot of debt. As a parent, especially in this economic situation it’s hard to decide when to sign a check and when to practice tough love.
Gordon Powers from MSN tells us more.
Only on Ebay can you punish your kid publicly and make money doing it…legally.
According to MomLogic.com
A Canadian man wanted to punish his son bigtime. So, he decided to not give him his Christmas present, the hard-to-get Guitar Hero III. Instead, the enterprising father put it up for sale on Ebay with a post explaining why:
“I came home from work early and what do I find? My innocent little boy smoking pot in the back yard.”
It worked. Someone plunked down almost $10,000 for the coveted video game. Quite a lot, considering Guitar Hero III retails for only $90. That makes an eBay sale a much better discipline tactic than a tired old grounding— because, then what do you get? Just a disgruntled teenage in your house 24/7.
Here are other ways you can harness the power of the World Wide Web and discipline your child at the same time. Who knows, you might win a Webby Award!
The Grounded Cam: 24-hour footage of a pissed off teen doing nothing.
Create a super-personalized Web site: Start a site every time you’re disappointed in your child, complete with pictures and blog. Sell ads targeted to tweens.
Here are some that aren’t already taken:
www.jason_smith_stole_a_candybar.com
www.tiiffany_reynolds_is_too_young_to_date.net
www.bobby_broke_a_vase.com
With Ebay you can publicly humiliate your child AND turn a nice profit. Recently, a woman put her son’s entire collection of Pokemon cards up for sale with a lengthy explanation of his crime. (He tried to sneak a pack into her shopping cart) She inadvertently won an avid following for her shrewd parenting and has since started her own high-traffic blog.
Want your piece of the pie?
Clean Your Room: The Movie: Create a
documentary of their living quarters and put it up on YouTube. File it
under “National Disasters.” Promise to take it down when your kid
cleans the room to your satifaciton. Be prepared for the video to be up
on YouTube for a looooong time. Cross your fingers, it might go viral!
In most cases your teen can sleep all day-literally! There are cases where normal body changes, late-night activities, and sometimes depression can cause some serious sleep issues for your teen.
As a parent you need to figure out if your teen is tired because of insomnia or just has bad sleeping habits.
Continue reading to find out if your teen is suffering from insomnia and what you can do to help.
Manchester, UK (PRWEB) May 16, 2008 — Childhood obesity is becoming a growing problem throughout the UK. More and more children are spending their play time in front of their televisions and games consoles, and experts agree that a lack of outdoor play has contributed to the issue. To combat the obesity epidemic, Jo Nicholson of Little Nut Tree Toys has started the “Get Kids Active” campaign.
Treats, sweets, quantity, not quality, and little or no outdoor play have all contributed to a trend of kids getting fatter and less able to be what kids are born to be - free spirits enjoying themselves in the great outdoors, generally burning lots of calories.
The nation has sat back and watched what Professor Paul Gately has called an epidemic creep up on us - kids becoming obese, let alone the adults. An epidemic of obese kids! It seems utterly absurd, but the figures seem to stack up.
With convenience foods stacked full of sugars, fats and salts to ’save us time’, our time saving is costing ours and our kids life span.
If it wasn’t for experts like Gillian McKeith and Professor Gately who are willing to step up to the mark and open our eyes to what is happening then as a nation we would slip further into obesity.
Life for a lot of people seems to be spiralling out of control, getting faster and faster as we try and keep up with society as it develops - something has to give and in many households, convenience food does just that - it provides a way of easing time pressures.
As a mother of two Jo Nicholson, founder of online children’s toys store Little Nut Tree Toys, knows all about living life in the fast lane. With two children, a husband who runs two businesses and her own business to run, she admits that corners do get cut. Jo comments ‘I used to be so fit, cycling to work and then swimming in my lunch hour… I was fit, but that was before kids and starting my business. Life seems to run so fast these days that we are always looking for ways to cut corners - I’m a victim of it myself, but when I see programmes like “Too Fat to Toddle” it really does bring you up short and makes you think about what you’re doing to yourself and your kids health and that both things are under your control.’
But keeping kids healthy is not just about the food that they eat, it’s also about the exercise. Quite often public amenities like parks and swimming pools are not locally available so it leaves parents with little choice of where to get their kids to play, often having to decide between the front streets or the confines of their back garden (if they’re lucky enough to have one).
Jo continues, ‘As a modern society we seem to have forgotten that kids are the great imaginers of our world - they dream, invent and create like no adult can. J M Barrie had it nailed when he created Peter Pan, the eternal fun, mischievous and life-loving child. But we seem to have got ourselves entrenched in the idea that children need entertaining and need expensive props. Look at all the soft play centres that have sprung up. It may sound a bit naïve but I really would like to see a return to basic outdoor play and that’s why Little Nut Tree Toys is launching our Get Kids Active appeal for parents to send in their childhood game memories. You don’t have to have a park, play frames and soft play centres - just a bit of imagination.’
I used to spend hours playing with a tennis ball stuffed down one of my mum’s stockings and whacking it against a wall - but for the life of me I can’t remember the rhymes, rules or how it worked. I’d love to find out how to play it again so I can teach my daughter - it would be so much fun. So if anyone knows… I’m really keen for us to engage kids in games that are simple, fun, can be played individually or in groups. I for one would love to see kids playing together in social groups again. Not just hanging around on corners using their mobiles. That’s why we’re starting our campaign to bring back traditional outdoor toys and games like the one I used to play.’
To join the campaign to get kids active again, you can contact Jo at enquiries @ littlenuttreetoys.co.uk.
About Little Nut Tree Toys
Little Nut Tree Toys was launched in 2005 as a result of Jo Nicholson wanting to buy good quality, wooden and educational toys for her one year old daughter. The company philosophy has always been to promote toys that encourage kids to discover toys for themselves (without batteries and jarring electronic voices) and also wanted to focus on getting kids playing outside again which she sees as an integral part of childhood.
The company has grown from selling 50 toys in offices over lunch times, craft and Christmas fairs, to now selling over 700 products via its website. Since the re-launch the website, www.littlenuttreetoys.co.uk, now offers its customers a variety of features including recycled packaging, gift wrapping and gift vouchers.
PLANTATION, Fla., May 16 /PRNewswire/ — Braces, buck teeth, too short, too tall, too big, too small. When you’re a kid, almost any perceived difference can lead to the three T’s of childhood: Teasing, Taunting and Tormenting. According to author Eileen Grossman Klinge, nearly every child is faced with the three T’s at one time or another, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Klinge calls for an embracing of differences in her humorous and enlightening new children’s book, “Larissa Dare Gets a New Look” (published by AuthorHouse — http://www.authorhouse.com).
Inspired by her daughter’s concerns about what the kids at school would say when she learned that she needed glasses, Klinge’s book is told from the perspective of a smart, witty, imaginative elementary school student named Larissa Dare. Like Klinge’s daughter, Larissa receives the troubling news that she may need glasses. The news is troubling because Larissa realizes that the other kids will tease her, as she too has been guilty of such behavior.
“When it is confirmed after her doctor’s appointment that she will, in fact, need glasses, she fears that life will never be the same,” Klinge explains. “Will her friends treat her differently? Will the bullies ever stop? And what will cute Billy Bennett think?”
Unfortunately, Larissa’s fears seem to come to life when she shows up at school wearing her new glasses and receives some good-natured teasing from her friends, followed by some less-than-good-natured teasing from the “mean kids.” But when worse comes to worst and Larissa finds herself in a “cafeteria showdown,” she receives support from an unlikely hero: her klutzy friend and the recipient of her own teasing, Todd Finch. Todd’s actions teach her — and readers — about acceptance, loyalty and the true meaning of friendship.
But just when Larissa thinks that things are settled and all is well, the unexpected happens, and she is faced with yet another situation that she will have to work through.
Eileen Grossman Klinge was born in Miami Beach, Fla., — the year is not important, she insists — and lived in the Miami area for many years. She currently lives in Plantation, Fla., with her husband, Rich, and daughter, Lauren. “Larissa Dare Gets a New Look” is her first book. The second book in the Larissa Dare series, “Larissa Dare Gets a Stinking Surprise,” will be released next year.
For more information, please visit http://www.authorhouse.com.
Tech savvy mothers strike back:
My 13 year old managed to break the vacuum….thinking it would release him from that duty. He also has a list of other chores that were TYPED up for him to do Friday afternoon….one thing on the list was done…mind you these are simple things…empty the trash, clean your room, etc. Then I go thru the cookies on his computer and find out he has been checking out porn sites. Now there is a password so he can’t even get on and his my-space page has a picture of snoopy on it now. Apparently I’m the meanest mom in the world, were his words.
I’m a single mom. I can’t let them walk over me or I might never get up.
That’s pretty clever… more power to her. Read more.
NEW YORK, April 14 /PRNewswire/ — Nicktoons Network, the fastest growing kids’ network, is set to premiere Speed Racer: The Next Generation, a new animated series that builds on the legendary adventures of the iconic original series, on Friday, May 2, at 7:00 p.m. (ET). The 90-minute premiere will launch the Speed Racer: The Next Generation television series just prior to the Lionsgate DVD release on Tuesday, May 6, and the live-action Warner Bros. feature film, directed by The Wachowski Brothers, on Friday, May 9. The 26- episode, half-hour series will air regularly Fridays at 7:00 p.m. (ET) on Nicktoons Network.
“Nicktoons Network is thrilled to add a completely new version of this iconic property to our brand,” said Keith Dawkins, Nicktoons Network General Manager, Senior Vice President, Nickelodeon Programming Partnerships. “Speed Racer has global appeal as a comic book, television series and feature film. It’s a great way to grow our brand and bring something new and exciting to our audience.”
Speed Racer: The Next Generation, executive produced by John and Jim Rocknowski, principals of Speed Racer Enterprises Inc., and Larry Schwarz, CEO of Animation Collective, is based on the classic series which originally debuted in 1967 in the U.S. The series follows Speed after he arrives at The Racing Academy only to find himself intimidated by his fast-paced classmates. Armed with his new friends Conor, Lucy and Conor’s robot monkey, Chim Chim, Speed quickly lives up to his name and becomes the one to beat in the driver’s seat. Throughout the series, Speed must balance studying and racing, all while avoiding the evil schemes of oil tycoon and school board member Zile Zazic and his racer daughter Annalise. Along with action-packed adventure on the racetrack, Speed and his pals work together to solve the mystery of his father’s disappearance and build the ultimate racing machine, the Mach 6.
In the 90-minute premiere, “The Beginning,” Speed, a teenager who had been orphaned as a baby, arrives at the prestigious Racing Academy and tries to get acclimated as the new kid. He meets friends and enemies, finds out he is the son of the famous driver Speed Racer and begins to deal with his new brother, X, and uncle, Headmaster Spritle (voiced by Peter Fernandez, original voice of Speed Racer in the original U.S. version). After finding parts of Speed Racer’s car — the Mach-5 — in a junk yard, Speed, with help from his new friends Conor and Lucy, rebuilds the legendary vehicle, but wrecks it during an intense race. Dejected and in need of a new car, Speed discovers his father’s schematics for a revolutionary gasless engine and builds the Mach 6.
In April, Speed Racer: The Next Generation will stream on Video-on-Demand. Plus select video content from the series will be available on the network’s video player at www.nicktoonsnetwork.com.
BROOKLYN PARK, Minn., April 11 /PRNewswire/ — In 2006, according to the Commerce Department, Americans spent everything they made, and then borrowed more, pushing the savings rate to a negative one percent, the lowest level since the Great Depression. Many parents hope for better for their children, which is why it’s never too early to talk with them about money matters.
But in a nationwide survey released on April 9 by the Federal Reserve as part of National Financial Literacy Month, high school seniors had the worst scores so far in the six years the survey has been conducted. American teenagers answered only 48.3 percent of questions correctly about personal finance and economics.
To spotlight youth financial literacy, April 20-26 has been designated National Credit Union Youth Week. In recognition, Twin Cities-based TopLine Federal Credit Union has created Get Smart With Your Money, an initiative to encourage kids and their parents to talk about spending, saving, and sharing their money wisely. It’s a great way for the whole family to improve financial habits.
As part of the program, TopLine is offering seminars, as well as special youth savings challenges and giveaways at each of TopLine Federal Credit Union’s seven metro-area branches. As an extra savings incentive, TopLine will match dollar-for-dollar deposits into youth savings accounts, up to $25, for anyone opening a youth account or depositing into an existing account between April 21-26, 2008.
TopLine will hold financial literacy seminars for ninth through twelfth graders at its Brooklyn Park branch on Tues., April 22 at 6:30 p.m. and Sat., April 26 at 10:30 a.m. Call TopLine Federal Credit Union at 763-391-5373 for more information and to register. Additional seminars for different age groups will be offered at other branches regularly throughout the year, and that information will be available at http://www.toplinecu.com/getsmart/index.html or by calling 763-391-5373.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK–(Marketwire - Feb. 14, 2008) -The Shaw Rocket Prize is pleased to announce its three finalists for this year’s $50,000 winner-takes-all prize. The Shaw Rocket Prize recognises this year’s best Canadian television programming targeted for children 12 and under.
An international jury of highly esteemed industry experts in children’s television and media selected the finalists for the Shaw Rocket Prize. Jury members Adina Pitt, Vice President, Content Acquisitions and Co-Productions, Cartoon Network and Boomerang; Finn Arnesen, Senior Vice President and General Manager for Original Series and International Development, Turner Broadcasting; Frank Dietz, Head Acquisitions & Co-Productions, Super RTL; Marc Buhaj, Senior Vice President of Programming, Jetix Europe; and Michael Carrington, Controller, CBeebies BBC Children’s, made the announcement at a reception held today during the 9th Annual KidScreen Summit in New York City.
2008 Shaw Rocket Prize finalists:
Johnny Test, Season 2 - Cookie Jar Entertainment
Producer Pamela Slavin
Life with Derek, Season 3 - Shaftesbury Films
Producers Christina Jennings, Scott Garvie, Daphne Ballon,
Laurie McLarty, Jeff Biederman, Suzanne French
Roll Play - Sinking Ship Entertainment Inc.
Producers Blair Powers, JJ Johnson, Matthew Bishop, Elizabeth Haines
“The three selected finalists are programs that engage and truly speak to their audiences. These Canadian programs are world class and easily compete in the tough international environment,” says Marc Buhaj. “Selecting the 2008 finalists was an enjoyable process for me and my fellow jurors. We don’t usually have an opportunity to collaborate like this and we found the process both fun and productive.”
“The finalists represent exactly what the Shaw Rocket Prize is about -engaging, entertaining and positive programming for young Canadian children,” says Agnes Augustin, President of Shaw Rocket Fund. “Many thanks to the international jury who have generously donated their time and tremendous knowledge to select Canada’s best.”
Each year, the winner of Shaw Rocket Prize’s $50,000 award is determined by students from the Royal Conservatory of Music’s innovative Learning Through The Arts program (LTTA). Incorporated as part of the classroom curriculum, more than 700 Grade 3, 4 and 5 students from schools across Canada will participate in discussion, evaluation and selection of a winner from today’s finalists.
The winner of the 2008 Shaw Rocket Prize will be announced April 30 in Toronto, ON.
About the Finalists
Johnny Test - Season 2
Johnny Test - Season 2 chronicles the adventures of a fearless 11-year-old boy, his genetically engineered super dog Dukey and his 13-year-old super genius scientist twin sisters. When it comes to adventures, Johnny and his super mutt are a team obsessed with pushing the limits - speed limits, time limits and physical limits. Johnny is the ultimate test pilot where no mission is too insane.
(Cookie Jar Entertainment, Pamela Slavin) www.thecookiejarcompany.com
Life With Derek - Season 3
Life with Derek is a live-action comedy about a blended family of three girls and two boys thrown together in the same house when their parents marry. Battling for control is the achiever, Casey, and the schemer, Derek, two type-A personalities who agree only to disagree.
(Shaftesbury Films, Christina Jennings, Scott Garvie, Daphne Ballon, Laurie McLarty, Jeff Biederman, Suzanne French) www.shaftesbury.org
Roll Play
Roll Play is a pre-school television series that gets kids up and moving. Featuring original puppets from the Famous People Players, young children imitate the actions of these fantastical creatures. The kids move as the narrative or musical stories unfold. Original music tracks are created by some of Canada’s greatest performers, and also enlists the writing talents of prominent Canadian children’s book authors.
(Sinking Ship Entertainment Inc., Blair Powers, JJ Johnson, Matthew Bishop, Elizabeth Haines) www.sinkingship.ca
For more information about the finalists of the 2008 Shaw Rocket Prize, visit www.rocketfund.ca.
About the Shaw Rocket Prize
Established in 2005 as the largest award of its kind in Canada, the Shaw Rocket Prize is open to independent, Canadian producers of children’s, youth and family programming. Now entering its fourth year, the Prize is designed to fuel the children’s production industry by supporting and celebrating the best of Canadian television programming for kids.
NEW YORK, Feb. 4 /PRNewswire/ — Hot on the heels of its season-two premiere ratings success, Nickelodeon’s hit series, The Naked Brothers Band keeps on rocking! The tween sensations are about to come face-to-face with ultimate rocker Joel Madden of Good Charlotte when he guest appears on an upcoming episode of the popular TEENick series, premiering Saturday, Feb. 16, at 8:30 p.m. (ET/PT). The half-hour episode titled, “Talk Show,” stars rockers, buddies and real-life brothers Nat Wolff and Alex Wolff who do “double duty” as celebrity guest talk show hosts on a television talk show, along with celebrity guest Joel Madden. The episode also includes the debut of the band’s latest song, “Proof of My Love,” which is one of 14 new, original songs rolling-out throughout the second season. The Naked Brothers Band airs regularly on Nickelodeon every Saturday night at 8:30 p.m. (ET/PT).
“Season two of our hit series The Naked Brothers Band is off to a tremendous start, and we’re psyched to have rocker Joel Madden as our first celebrity guest,” said Marjorie Cohn, Executive Vice President Original Programming & Development, Nickelodeon Networks. “Nat and Alex are kids who are real rock stars. With their cross-over success from hit film and TV show to top CD sales, their musical future couldn’t be brighter.”
In the episode titled “Talk Show,” Nat and Alex have been asked to fill in as celebrity talk show hosts and interview Madden on the program. Their excitement is tempered by Nat’s reaction to some harsh reviews from a music critic. As it turns out the critic is notorious for cruel album reviews and is actually a frustrated singer/songwriter herself! Nat, Alex and Joel team up to help her find her musical groove while jamming together on the band’s latest song, “Proof of My Love.” All is going well until Alex discovers that Joel has developed feelings for his one and only love — Jesse!
“I grew up watching Nickelodeon as a kid and am so excited to have the chance to guest star in The Naked Brothers Band,” said Joel Madden. “Being in Good Charlotte with my brother as my musical partner echoes a similarity to Nat and Alex that I am thrilled to be a part of.”
Nickelodeon’s “mockumentary” comedy series, The Naked Brothers Band, rocked in its second season premiere, hour-long special, “Sidekicks” on TEENick (Monday, Jan. 21, at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT), ranking as the top-rated show for tweens on all of television (broadcast and cable) for the night. The special drew an 8.4/1.8 million with tweens 9-14 (up +192% over last year’s like time period), marking the series’ highest-rated performance ever with the target demographic. With its core audience of kids 6-11, the premiere was also a hit, averaging a 9.6/2.0 million K6-11 (up +106%), as well as 3.6 million total viewers (P2+)*.
The season-one premiere of The Naked Brothers Band in February 2007, delivered Nickelodeon’s highest-rated premiere in seven years with kids 6-11 and the series quickly became one of the top programs for kids 6-11 and tweens on television.
Fans of the hit series can relive every moment of the first season with the recent DVD release of The Naked Brothers Band: Season 1, which is currently available at selected retailers across the country. The two-disc collection is jam-packed with all 13 season-one episodes and exciting bonus features including web-episodes and rockin’ music videos. The DVD is produced by Nickelodeon Home Entertainment and distributed by Paramount Home Entertainment.
Nickelodeon and Columbia Records released The Naked Brothers Band self-titled debut CD which includes 15 all-original songs from the hit series written and performed by the show’s stars, Nat Wolff and Alex Wolff. Also available at retail is The Naked Brothers Band: Battle of the Bands DVD, which includes the title movie as well as additional episodes and music videos.
The series is created, executive produced, written and directed by Polly Draper (thirtysomething) who doubles as off-camera mom to Nat Wolff and Alex Wolff. She was recently nominated for a 2008 Writers Guild Award in the category of Children’s Episodic & Specials for the episode titled “Nat is a Stand Up Guy.” Celebrated jazz musician/composer Michael Wolff (The Arsenio Hall Show) who is also the stars’ real-life dad and Draper’s husband, keeps it all in the family but plays against type as the screen tweens’ musically inept father and serves as the series’ music supervisor/co-executive producer. Along with Draper, Albie Hecht (The Rugrats Movie, The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events) serves as executive producer of the series in association with Nickelodeon Television. The series, which is shot on location in Brooklyn, New York, launched internationally in spring 2007 on Nickelodeon UK. The series continues to roll out across Nick’s 31 channels world-wide, concluding with Nick Holland in February 2008.
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