why is there a market for bikinis on little girls?

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India and I have been embroiled in a debate for the better part of the summer over her desire to wear a bikini.  Or, as she called it, “the kind of bathing suit that is like underwear, but with triangles over your breasts”. 

Except she’s four.  And doesn’t have breasts.

This debate is coming quite a bit sooner than I expected.  India’s argument?  Everyone else is wearing them.  And you know?  For the most part, she’s right.  Everywhere we go, girls her age are wearing bikinis.  It’s even been difficult for me to shop for full-coverage suits because the market for bikinis is apparently so strong.  They are everywhere.

My argument?  It’s three-fold:

1. I’m a fan of using swimwear with SPF.  Sunscreen is full of chemicals, and rash guards are an easy and natural way to protect the skin of my fair-skinned children.  Alright, I make my not-fair-skinned children wear rashgaurds, too.  But still, bikinis expose a whole lot of skin to the elements, and provide a lot more opportunity for burnt skin.




2. At four, I think bathing suits should be about function over fashion, and there is NO WAY you can convince me that tugging on a triangle top and skimpy bottoms makes it easier for girls to be active. At this age, the point of swimwear should be playing.  Not posing on a lounge chair.

3. I just don’t think little girls need to wear bikinis.  There I said it.  It’s not age-appropriate.  I’m kind of judgey about it.

If I had my way, India would be wearing a suit with a rashguard and boy shorts or a skirt.  Something cute and feminine, but something that won’t ride up if she’s running or swimming, and that will offer a lot of sun protection.  Or a swimdress!  Like this:




But she’s been fighting me on it consistently.  She really, really wants a bikini. 

Last week, I was buying up some of the sale swimwear at Lands End, and wanted to let her make some choices in the hopes that it would quiet some of the bathing suit drama.  This is what I wanted to buy:

Cute and feminine, lots of sun protection.  A swimsuit that will let her look like a little girl and be free to play without readjusting her top.  She was completely opposed to this option.  Her choice?

She begged, I mean BEGGED for this little bikini.  I said no.  I actually think this one is pretty tame, but I also feel like if I cave right now, there will be no turning back.   I’m holding my bikini boundaries.  We finally settled on this: 

Less coverage than I would like for being at the beach all day, but it’s a compromise.

I’m curious, though.  Why are so many little girls wearing bikinis?  What’s the appeal? And why are so many moms buying them? Does your daughter wear one?  Did you cave to the pressure, or do you think I’m being too Amish about it?

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how to blog from your iphone

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I’m not really that tech-savvy, but really I’ve been on a mission to figure out how to write blog posts from my iphone.  I’ve been on the iphone for about a year now, and I’ve finally gotten comfortable enough with the touchpad keyboard to write some of my shorter posts from my phone.  I’ve also figured out a few hacks for getting pictures uploaded as well.  Since I write for several sites and usually have a couple posts in the works each day, it’s nice to be able to multi-task when I’ve got a few minutes of quiet with my phone.  Mobile blogging has allowed me to draft posts while sitting in the car at preschool pick-up, or while the kids are playing in the park, or even in the backyard while they are on the trampoline.  It’s also great because I can still work even when I have no internet access.  For example, we had no internet in the resort at Palm Springs, but I was able to compose my posts that were due using my phone.  It’s not ideal, but it’s a good back-up option.

My favorite aspect of blogging from my phone is that it eliminates the need for me to sync my phone with my computer using a cord.  I take about 90% of my photos on my phone these days.  It certainly doesn’t deliver the best quality, but what it lasts in resolution it makes up for in convenience, and since I’m not really touting myself as a photographer it works for me.  My favorite program for photo editing is the Camera+ app.  It has a really flexible photo-cropping application. I usually crop photos I’m going to use for blogging into a square shape.  For whatever reason, this shape seems to work best with the Blogpress app I’m going to talk about in a sec.  It also makes the photo compatible with instagram as well.  Here’s an example of the photos I edited for the skateboarding post I wrote last week:

After cropping the picture into a square, I used the “shade” filter to brighten it up. 
Then, Camera+ has a number of color filters to create a different look.  I’m partial to the sunkissed wash.

And since it was a skateboarding post, I went with a grungy looking border.

So in about five minutes, from my phone, I’ve managed to really clean up what was a rather shadowy and low-res photo.  Another app I use frequently is the Diptic app.  This is great for when you have multiple photos to post.  It allows you to make collages in a number of sizes and layouts, with anywhere from 2-4 photos.  The result is that you can place multiple photos in a post with a clean grid layout.  For the skateboarding post, I edited four photos in Camera+ to give them a sunny wash and a gritty border, and then went into the Diptic app to put them into a grid.

Then I save the photo collage to my phone, and it’s ready for posting.  The result within a post looks like this:

Four evenly-spaced photos in a post, but only one upload. Yay!

Okay, after I’ve fussed with my photos, I pop them into a post using an app called BlogPress.  It’s my personal favorite because it allows me to post to a number of sites from one place.  I writer for some sites that use Wordpress, and some that are hosted by Blogger, and BlogPress can handle them all.   It’s very simple and user-friendly.  It allow you to compose posts and then insert photos into the post anywhere you want them.  I usually post my weekly iphone photo posts this way, and it’s impressive how well it handles 20+ photos. Sometimes I write a posts completely from my phone this way, and hit publish. Other times, I just use BlogPress to upload the photos into a draft on my blog, and then go back in to write the post from my laptop.  Here, you can see the draft of the skateboard post, that I ended up finishing and posting from my phone.

Have you figured out how to blog on-the-go?  Are there any tips or tricks that I’m missing?

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This week in iPhone photos (And maybe some from last week. I’m a bit behind.)

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Every day is costume day at the Howerton house.  On this particular morning they were pretending to be a fire-fighting family, with protective eyewear.

Free kids meals at IKEA = still not worth going there with children.  Karis is not tall enough to go into the kids room, and now suddenly Jafta is too tall.  And they are only four years apart.  Annoying.

Karis is our little homewrecker.  During her nap she likes to quietly climb out of bed and empty the contents of her drawers. 

I go to the farmer’s market every week and there is one vendor who likes to post inspirational messages in front of his kale.  I liked the double underlining here.  A friend on twitter thought it sounded like something Lil C would say.  And Lil C agreed.  Best celebrity retweet evah!  (And my mom wonders what I’m doing on twitter).

After said farmer’s market, we always go to the gourmet food trucks.  My boys indulge in all kinds of fancy meats, spices, and ethnic combinations.  My girls eat plain cheese quesadillas NO SAUCE.   Boys 1, Girls 0.

Jafta’s Halloween costume choice changes by the day.  This was a vampire alien, but he felt it wasn’t scary enough.  Back to the drawing board.

Mark came home with a fish the other day.  I wasn’t very happy about it.  I predicted it would end in death and devastation.  I was right.  RIP Cooper the fish.  August 21-August 28, 2011.

One of these days Karis will learn the harsh reality that she cannot take her top off every time her brother does.

Jafta found a lightbulb and had an idea!!  He’s here all week.

You know that thing where you are really tired for a playdate because you stayed up too late reading the gripping novel of the friend you have plans with?  Yeah.  That’s a first for me, too.

We had a playdate with my friend Jillian, author of said book, and her son Tariku.  I think that look of shock on Tariku’s face says a little something about the noise level at our house.

This one.  Original bad-ass, right here.

Grandma took the kids to the zoo!  I hear it had real animals, too.

This was my submission for our Real Jeans guide on Curvy Girls.  It only took me 20 minutes to figure out how to take my picture with a self-time on the iphone!

Another day, another costume.  It’s how we roll.

Skateboard camp.  I think I’ve hashed this one to death, no?

I cleaned out one of the cupboard full of old baby products, and came across this gem that a company sent me in hopes that I would review it on my blog.  Well, look, here I am, reviewing it!  MOST AWKWARD BABY PRODUCT EVER.  This now sits in the garage waiting for our next white elephant party.

I think this picture pretty accurately captures the Essence of Kembe.

Yeah.  A snack without superhero capes is SO 2010.

Mad skills courtesy of skate camp.

Self-portrait with two children.

This kind of sucks.  Thanks, USA!  (It’s Kembe’s. And it’s fixable.)

Raw nachos.  Date Night.  Legit.


This morning we took the wrecking crew to Pretend City.

Karis was really excited to meet Martha Speaks from PBSkids.  Until.

Kembe and India might have taken their cashier roles a little seriously.  Karis tried to eat plastic fruit.  And Jafta auditioned to be a Subway sandwich artist.

That was our week!

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why I’m going to Together For Adoption (and why you should, too)

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If you are an adoptive parent, or thinking of adopting, or interested in orphan care, or just curious about social justice issues for children, consider coming to the Together For Adoption conference in Phoenix this October 21-22.   I will be leading four sessions on helping children transition from group care into family life, and there is a really great line-up of speakers and breakout sessions. 

I will confess, I was a little ambivalent about attending last year.  Would it be a conference full of clueless do-gooders?  Would there be any acknowledgement of the difficulties of adoption?  Would there be a focus beyond traditional adoption, or on family preservation?  Would we be subjected to watching countless slideshows of shiny happy adoptive families set to (gasp) Contemporary Christian music?  Would we sit around slapping ourselves on the back for being good Christians for having “saved” our children?

Would someone read the starfish story? 

What I found surprised me.  The sessions for adoptive parents dove right in, focusing on the impact of trauma, abuse, and neglect in the early years of a child’s life. It was evident that there was a huge passion for bringing healing to children from “hard places” . . . foster care, orphanage settings, and neglectful environments.   It was both encouraging and inspiring . . . for the healing that needs to take place in my family, but also for the millions of children who will grow up in neglectful environments and never make the human connections with a parent that is so needed for a child to succeed.

We also heard from many who are championing causes beyond adoption.   There were people dedicated to addressing clean water, poverty, hunger,  pregnant teens who may choose to parent, and girls who have been trafficked into the sex trade (READ THIS!).  People there seemed very cognizant that adoption was only one arm of caring for orphans, and that families in third world countries need our help to stay together.  While it was good to see that Christians are spearheading so many social justice causes, it was also, again . . . overwhelming.  With each new ministry I learned about, I felt both inspired and burdened at the same time.  We live with so much excess.  So many do not.  There is so suffering in this world, and this conference for me is both a reminder of the goodness of humanity, but also of the fact that there are many children who are victims of ugliness and cruelty, both directly and indirectly. (i.e., being ignored by those who hold the privilege).

I think there is something so powerful about child welfare advocates coming together in one place to look at best practice, to share stories, and to plan for the future.  If you are interested, there is a discount early-bird rate that ends August 31st.  If you are already planning to go, let me know!

 

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that’s what SHE said: edition crazy/not crazy

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So much good stuff on the interwebs this week. Put a show on for the kids and pretend that laundry isn’t there – I’ve got links for you. Some about sanity.  Some about crazy. Some about finding the space in between.

Mother's little helper | a little pregnant

Nothing makes this clearer than something my friend E. told me, about someone she knows who was diagnosed with ADHD as an adult. Her friend, E. told me, remembers her childhood primarily as a series of angry faces.

I don't want that for my kid. Even if Paul and I somehow managed to develop the most exquisite patience, tolerance, and humor — I could read a book, she said icily — there is still the rest of the world.

American Apparel Introduces Size XL, Holds Search For 'Booty-Ful' Models | jezebel.com

Maybe we should be excited that another company is acknowledging the existence of (slightly) larger women, but carrying a freakin' 12 just seems long overdue. Plus, it isn't like American Apparel is offering all of its women's clothing in the larger size. There are only 21 items for women in the "XL & Larger" category online, and four of those are unisex. Even though American Apparel desperately needs customers, it still doesn't want to see its hipster getups on anyone who actually wears a "plus-size."

Bloggy Playdate | Jillian Lauren

The nice thing about hanging out with some of the other adoptive families I know is that there’s so much less explaining and apologizing to do. They get it. They get that my kid didn’t have parents for a while at a crucial time in his development. It has repercussions We’re working it out. We’re healing. We’re doing great, actually. But our version of doing great looks different that it does for kids who have had a typical attachment cycle in the first three years of life.

I’ve learned so much about all of this- attachment, adoption, parenting, faith, love, community- from my blogger friends. They’ve made me feel less alone on many desperately sad and scared nights.

Money choices, part one| but now to live the life

Another thing I am struck with everyday is that the middle class standard of living in the States is not really middle class. It is upper class in the rest of the world because it includes a decorated home with at least two bedrooms, two cars, eating out regularly, entertainment galore, rooms dedicated just to toys, extravagant parties, and all of the newest technology. In the States, this is normal and, most disturbingly, what we feel entitled to. And that, to me, is where a large part of the problem in people's decision on how to spend money lie. Because if you feel entitled to all of the above, then you're going to spend money on it without putting the proper thought and prayer into the necessity of that item. As these are items you are entitled to, it will never cross your mind that you could live differently in order to help others.

80 new beds, 80 more lives | Dooce

Because so often any and all of my opinions have been written off as the moronic musings of that woman who spent time in a psyche ward. I am that woman who takes crazy people pills. People don't joke about me being on my period, they joke about me being off of my meds.

Yes, I take medication. I will always take medication. And yet, I run a successful business. I wrote a book that made the New York Times bestseller list. Forbes named me one of the most influential women in media. 1.5 million people follow me on Twitter. And I will stand here and tell you that all of that success was made possible because of those meds. Am I crazy to admit that? It doesn't matter.

The hard truth about getting old | Salon.com

Her words give life to a core maxim of social psychology that says: What we think about a person influences how we see him, how we see him affects how we behave toward him, how we behave toward him ultimately shapes how he feels about himself, if not actually who he is. It's in this interaction between self and society that we can see most clearly how social attitudes toward the old give form and definition to how we feel about ourselves. For what we see in the faces of others will eventually mark our own.

How the blogger killed itself off. | Marcy Writes

She gave up her dedicated audience for a few free goodies and couple of nice experiences. And she is working harder than every before- and still not seeing any real income. Her husband resents her time online, her kids don’t understand why they have to play with products and smile for the camera so often and her friends, the -ones in real life- giggle behind her back when she says blogging is her ‘job’.

She is a blogger. Brands court her like she is royalty- with little to no understanding of her diminishing influence. She is running in circles to make everyone like her. Trying to create something substantial, respectable and REAL out of thin air and a good wifi connection.

 

 

*On another note, check out the trailer for this new movie coming out, portraying the true story of Sam Childers, an ex-convict turned missionary to East Africa.  If you aren’t familiar with the Lord’s Resistant Army and the terror they have inflicted on the children of East Africa, you should be.   I’m glad to see a mainstream movie that is going to tell the story of the LRA and hopeful that more public attention might pressure the international community to take steps to apprehend the LRA’s leaders.

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what I want you to know: my son was molested by an older boy

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What I Want You to Know is a series of reader submissions. It is an attempt to allow people to tell their personal stories, in the hopes of bringing greater compassion to the unique issues each of us face. If you would like to submit a story to this series, click here. Today’s post is by an anonymous reader.

What I want you to know is that my 7 year old little boy was molested by a 13 year old and I did everything I could to prevent it.  

What I want you to know is that sometimes it happens when we think we are being so careful.  What I want you to know is to trust your gut.  What I want you know is it can happen even to boys even little boys with paranoid mamas like me who try to do everything right. 

This story is not mine to tell so for that reason it's private but I feel it's a story to tell.  I still can't believe it happened.  I can't believe our family is dealing with this.  One evening we were visiting with neighbors.  We are new to our neighborhood and we glad to finally be hanging out with some of the neighbors.  It was 3 families with 5 children total  A 13 year old, our 3 who are 9,7, and 5, and a 6 year old....All 5 of the children were together watching a movie while the parents were outside.  We were outside for 20 minutes when my oldest came out with my 5 and said they wanted to go home....we left and as soon as we walked into our door my 9 year old told me that the 13 year exposed himself to all of them and had the 6 yr old do something to him in front of of all of them.  I was horrified.  One of my worst nightmares was happening and to my babies.  My babies who are 9, 7, and 5...who are so innocent and protected.  I knew I didn't trust this older child.  My gut told me to never let them alone with him and I never did...they weren't alone!  This boy would come play but I never let them out of my sight.  I felt it was a little odd he wanted to play with children their ages.  And this night they were all together and we were right outside!  I never thought this would happen then. 

Over the next few days we were devastated to learn that apparently this 13 year old WAS alone with our 7 year old one afternoon months before... when I wasn't home.  My 7 year old was being watched by a family member and while I wasn't home the very same thing happened to my sweet little boy.  It never occurred to me to mention my concerns to the babysitter and I didn't know 13 year old was here.  I didn't know to tell him to watch them carefully.  I didn't think to say no friends over when we aren't here.  They so rarely have friends over that it just didn't occur to me give the rule. I didn't know this happened until months later.  My sweet little boy didn't tell me for 3 months that this happened to him.  He knew it wasn't ok but he thought he would get in trouble.  He didn't understand and he still doesn't understand.  It was only a 1 time incident for him.  But sadly that wasn't the case for the other little boy it had gone on for months.   His parents didn't see the warning signs, they didn't know...they trusted this 13 year old. 

What I want you to know is this can happen to good children with good parents.  I was so paranoid about this happening that I talked to my boys so much about these things at a very early age...they knew it's not ok.  They knew to say no, they knew no touching privates and they knew to tell. What my 7 year old didn't know was that he wouldn't be in trouble, that it's ok, and we aren't mad at him.  Despite all he knew he is still 7 and was impressed by an older person he trusted.  He was coerced into doing something even though he knew he shouldn't by someone he trusted. While his babysitter (who will no longer EVER watch my children) was upstairs.  While his older brother was gone and while his little brother was upstairs.  While I wasn't home to protect him and it breaks my heart.   But I also know I did everything I could. 

Thank god my oldest told and we are so proud of him.  He told and that is huge.  His age helped in understanding.  And I like to think our very open relationship helped.  Talk to your children.  Be honest.  Be on guard.  Know it can happen to boys.  It can happen even when you never think it would.  It did to us.  We are still reeling. 

I still can't believe it happened to him, to us.  My son will be ok, I am sure of it.  He doesn't want to talk but counseling will help.  Counseling for all of us.  For our other 2 children who witnessed something they knew nothing about.  And for my husband and I in helping us learn how to talk to our boys about what happened. 

My heart breaks for my sweet little boy because right now he doesn't understand but he will as he gets older.  My hope for him is that he  can deal with this less secretively that while it is a secret it's one he's ok with...that it's just a tiny part of his life and doesn't define it. 

Please talk to your children.  My son telling saved his brother and other children.  Be open with your children.  Be honest.  But most of all, talk to them  . . . even your boys.

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team skater no more, and an update on the help (ours, not the movie)

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First of all, might I say a big THANK YOU for all of the advice and feedback you gave me over our childcare issues, and the skateboarding thing.  It was tremendously helpful and really did give me a lot of clarity.

The boys have finished out their week in skate camp, but I’ve decided that we are going to hold off on skating as a hobby for now.  I know, I know.  Many of you opined about how kids should be able to choose their own passions and in theory I agree.  But at the same time, I am dealing with 4 and 6-year-olds here.  Of course I am going to have some sway in what they do.  I am responsible for signing them up, and driving, and generally making decisions for their life, so I don’t think it’s micromanaging at this point to steer them in another direction.   Let’s be honest . . . most kids at this age are involved in whatever their parents choose for them.  (I’m talking to you, DANCE MOMS).  I mean, if I let Jafta “follow his passions” his day would involve 5-6 hours of playing angry birds, followed by 5-6 hours of watching television, with breaks for eating candy.  So.  I’m gonna be steering this ship.

It is hard, because it’s clear there is some natural talent, and also because they just look SO! CUTE!  in their skateboard gear and all.  But I’m just not comfortable with the vibe at the skate park, and I really don’t think what I’m seeing is unique to this particular skate park.  Skating has always had a culture of questioning authority, of being bad-ass, of breaking the rules . . . etc, etc.  All the things that I’m sure attracted me to it when I was young, and probably things that will be attractive to them when they are at an age when kids naturally do the rebellion thing.  But I don’t really want to set them up for that prematurely.  No need to hasten the Season of Eye-Rolling And Profuse Profanity.

Something happened yesterday that sort of sealed the deal for me.  I took the boys to class at the usual time but their teacher was a substitute, and he looked all of 14 years old.  He barely spoke to the kids, and seemed pretty content to just skate around the park doing tricks while the kids in the class watched him or roamed aimlessly around the park.  I watched for 30 minutes and there was no interaction between the “teacher” and the students.  He even started skating in a different section with some other kids his age.  I was a bit annoyed, especially since the class was a little spendy, so I called the skate clinic’s phone number and the guy who answered sounded like he was either just waking up or stoned, or maybe both.  I told him what was going on and said I was uncomfortable with the age and approach of the teacher, and he agreed that the teacher was new but said he would just call the kid on the phone and tell him what to do.   And when I picked the boys up, again they were kind of wandering around the park while this teacher kid was skating around.  It doesn’t really instill confidence when the people who are supposed to be in authority are acting like children.  Not to mention, there were at least 10 kids riding around with no helmet despite the clearly posted signs about wearing helmets, and my brain was just about ready to explode.

Anarchy, man.  It’s all fun and games until you’re 36 and realize that it actually isn’t really a sustainable model at all.  So, we’re moving on from the skate park.   My kids are awesome and respectful kids but they are also little sponges (especially around older boys) and I’d rather them be in an environment where respect and rules are a part of the group norms.

I loved the idea of karate, and I think we might head in that direction.  I asked the boys about it today and they seemed very excited.  I think it’s an activity where respect for adults and personal discipline are really emphasized, and I like that.  My mom (believe it or not) was an upper-level black belt in Tae Kwon Do and ran a karate club when I was a little girl, so I was around it all the time.  It’s really hard to explain the difference in attitudes towards adults that I’ve observed in Tae Kwon Do vs. at the skate park.   They will also be playing basketball in the fall.  And yeah, I was all ready to be team band until so many of you enlightenment me about the band kids and their sordid ways. Who knew?

(I’m still team choir and grieving the fact at least half of my children appear to be completely tone-deaf.)

On the childcare front, I was again really appreciative of the feedback and think there was a lot of wisdom in the comments that I was looking for too much versatility in one person.  We’ve decided to put the younger kids in 3 days of preschool.  It’s a great solution for us, and I think it will be good for the kids, too.  We found a montessori school that takes two-year-olds, and it’s a very diverse school right down the street from us.  I like that with a preschool setting, I don’t have to worry about how someone is going to manage all of my kids, because they will be split up and in an environment that is equipped for handling large groups of small children. Their school gets out at the same time that Jafta does, so I can have three half days to work alone at home, which will be a welcome change from sitting on my bed with the sound machine on full volume trying to drown out the sound of them fighting in the backyard on the sitter’s watch.

Yes, this will be good.

I’m also going to try to leverage the studio apartment in exchange for someone to do some basic housekeeping for us, and I think it will be helpful to find someone who is looking for that kind of work, as opposed to hiring someone as a sitter who is less-than-thrilled about those aspects of the job.   I’ve put some feelers out and thus far received some interesting responses.  One candidate told me should could pass a drug test if I let her know in advance.  Another told me that she promised she would not steal from me.  And yet another seemed by her profile picture to be offering some more intimate services that we really aren’t looking for at this juncture. Or ever.

Oh boy.

Now, trusty blog commenters, since you’ve helped me work through these important issues, maybe you can extend this great advice to all of the strangers on the internet who are getting here by googling a certain search term:

See the #2 in the circle next to the phrase of awful that I won’t be typing?  That’s to let me know I’m winning.  Apparently I’m the #2 source on google for that sentence.  Awesome.

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pop culture as a coping skill

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This week is sucking pretty bad.  I’m turning to pop culture to distract me.  Is this a particularly edifying way of coping?  No.  It’s not.  But it’s better than shooting up heroin.  So.

This week on Mamapop, I explore the reasons why seemingly intelligent, rational people would spend time watching Bachelor Pad 2. (Guilty.)

I scold Natalie Portman for wearing a romper.

And I post the age-old question: is a mani-pedi an appropriate outing for a three-year-old boy?

Now excuse me while I go catch up on Dance Moms.  That Abby Lee is one crazy mofo!

(Pardon my lanaguage.  I’ve been at the skate park all day.)

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kickstart a change

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There are a couple charitable organizations that I am connected to in one way or another, and I wanted to highlight some of the things they are doing right now.  If you are looking for some organizations to support, these are some very worthy causes.

Krochet Kids is an amazing organization that allows impoverished women to earn money by crocheting hats that are sold in the US.  They have been based in Uganda for some time, but my friend Sarah (who blogs at but now to live the life) recently moved her family of 6 to Peru to begin a program there as well.  They are currently trying to raise funds via kickstart.



Another organization I really love is Royal Family Kids Camp.  It is a summer camp that hosts children who are living in foster care.  The kids are paired with counselors and basically spend their time being mentored and loved.  I have many friends who serve with this camp, and some other friends who make films, and they have paired up to try to make a film bringing awareness to the needs of foster children. You can visit their kickstart page here.  Their hope is that the film will educated and inspire others to get involved in foster kids lives.




Finally, if you are local to Southern California consider going to the Indian Princess Project Gala on Saturday, September September 24th.  It's an amazing event that raises money to buy women out of the sex trade in India.

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my kids put the hp touchsmart computer to the test

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About a month ago, HP asked if I would like to review their new TouchSmart desktop computer for  few weeks.  I don’t do many reviews on my site, but I thought this could be a really fun experience for the kids (and it being summer, the idea of something to keep them entertained was appealing).  I have a love/hate relationship with the idea of kids on computers.  On the one hand, I think they can be an incredible educational tool.  On the other hand, I don’t like the idea of it being yet another way they are zoning.  I was curious to see how a touch screen could facilitate more educational use of the PC computer experience.  I’ve already seen my kids really take to the touch screen aspect of the ipad, and I liked the idea of this application for a PC.

My first impression of the HP TouchSmart was that it’s a very simple computer to use. The entire thing is built into the screen, so set-up was really a matter of taking it out of the box and plugging it in.  It comes with a wireless mouse and keyboard, so there really is only one cord to contend with.  The screen is adjustable so that you can lay it almost flat, or stand it up like a traditional computer.  This is a nice feature since we have people of all sizes wanting to use it.  And the screen?  IT’S HUGE.  It’s almost as big as our tv, which makes it easy for all of the kids to share and play together.

The computer comes with a number of built-in games for kids, and my kids were enjoying those right away.  Kembe is partial to Bounce Symphony, a game that teaches kids to sort balls by color.  Jafta is a fan of a real-estate game that is really meant for adults (we’re hoping this knack for investment follows him through to adulthood).  India and Karis love to sit and laugh at the ways they can distort their face in the webcam application.  There are some great painting and art games that utilize the touch-screen application as well.

I was impressed by all of the unique built-in programs that worked with the touch screen.  It operates very much like an ipad, using the same pinch, swipe, and tap gestures.  But I was really curious to see how the touch screen would interact with websites that were not made specifically for use with a touch screen.  As it turns out, it’s pretty seamless to transition from the mouse to the touch screen on nearly every website we’ve tried.  My very favorite, by far, is how well it works with Starfall, my favorite educational site for kids.

The combination of Starfall and the TouchSmart  is the perfect marriage for education learning for preschool-aged kids.  It eliminates the need for a mouse and lets kids as young as 2 begin to learn letters and sounds with the assistance of technology.  My kids have been on Starfall this way all month, and I’ve seen huge leaps in their letter and sound recognition.  It’s especially great in that in incorporates a sensory experience for kids who learn more by doing than watching.  Now that I’ve seen how this works, I think flashcards are a thing of the past.  The best part for me is that the kids are so self-directed this way, and the only issue we’ve had has been them fighting over whose turn it is.  (Solution: a timer next to the computer.)

This computer is amazing for kids, but it’s no slouch for adults, either.  The huge screen makes browsing so much easier, and I love being able to scroll down with a swipe instead of a button.  There are built-in apps for easy uploading to Facebook and Youtube, and an HD webcam that is perfect for video blogging.  There is a canvas desktop where you can post lists, photos, playlists, and videos like a bulletin board.  And because it’s Windows, you can use Windows Media Center to turn it into a family entertainment center and even record television shows with a cable hook-up.

I think the TouchSmart is the ideal home computer for families.  If you are in the market for a new PC, I definitely recommend it!

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