Mo Willems Captions

Do you know Mo Willems? He wrote Knuffle Bunny (a MetaToddler favorite) and the Pigeon books after winning 6 Emmys for his writing for Sesame Street.

Needless to say, he knows funny. He knows kids, too, but that's another post.

He's teamed up with NPR's All Things Considered for a caption contest. He drew and captioned four cartoons, but anyone can take a look and submit a caption of their own. It's cute and fun, so go on and check it out if you're looking for a few minutes of amusement :-)

Writing Contest for Kids Under 15

The bright youth of today can be intimidating. Sure, movies come to mind with the type-A personality high school students running for some seat in student government (Reese Witherspoon in Election comes to mind). But, as my husband would say, "it's a movie. Don't take it so seriously."

When confronted with a 14 year-old who is probably smarter than me, I can't help but recoil in shock...horror...envy. LA Times writer Steve Lopez reacted differently when confronted with his friend's precociously clever Rebekah; he initiated a writing contest.

"I'm calling on youngsters 15 and under to show me what you can do. You can write about what parents don't know about kids. You can explain how we can be better parents. You can lay out what really bugs you about us.

Or, like Rebekah, who just graduated from King Middle School's magnet program in Silver Lake, you can tell us what chores need to be done while you're doing more important things. And if you've already written a set of going-away instructions, like Rebekah, feel free to submit it.

Keep the essays under 500 words and include your name, city or neighborhood and phone number. And parents, DO NOT try to cheat and write the essays for your children. I'll be able to tell, and I'll have you reported to the authorities. Besides, if you're like me, you probably can't write as well as your children anyway.

The winner will get a Los Angeles Times shirt and cap, a tour of the newspaper and lunch in the cafeteria, and the winning essay will be posted on The Times' website. That means someone out there will be able to boast, for the rest of his or her life, of having been a published writer before being old enough to drive."

As for Rebekah, upon leaving for summer camp in Malibu, she laid out a "to-do" list for her parents to follow through on in her absence. A few of the line items are listed in the article, and she's a busy, busy girl. Most impressive for me was knowing that at her age, she can be this insightful.

"'Attend the global warming thing for LACER and film it, please. If they want me to say something, then say, 'I ask you to remember that it isn't the people with cars, air conditioners, running water, electricity, and medicine that are hit first by global warming. Think of the people who don't have these privileges when you decide what you are going to do to keep our environment livable.'"

I'm pretty sure I wasn't thinking of saving the Earth at 14. Self-realization is a b*&$^.

Giving Peas A Chance

Oh, peas. I loved peas as a kid. I loved eating them one by one, which is perhaps why I didn't break 50 lbs until I was 12. I was a slooooooow eater. But I only ever had them as peas. As an adult, and especially as a fan of Nigella Lawson, I've found there are many, many other ways to prepare peas. This is only exaggerated because my husband loves peas, mint, and any combination thereof.

Mushy Peas
Pea, Mint, and Avocado Salad
Chicken & Pea Soup
Petits Pois a la Francaise
Peas Portuguesa

And once, I had a salad with pea tendrils sprinkled on top. I wasn't too sure about it at the time, but its delicious simplicity has haunted me over the years.

The funny thing to me is that when we first started feeding our son solids, he was very resistant. After a while, he slowly became more accepting of food, but pureed pears and peas were the only foods he actually liked. Currently, peas are still the *sugar* in the foods that might otherwise be *medicine*. Maybe that'll change over time, though I'm hoping not. We're all working pretty hard to make sure that doesn't happen.


In homage to the challenges we all face in feeding our little ones, Apples 'n' Oranges' giveaway.

Who Couldn't Use A Free Vacation?

Joy! I found a fun contest on Nerd's Eye View.

American Airlines and the new movie the Bourne Ultimatum have joined forces for a promotion where AA will be giving away a boat load of frequent flier miles. Just guess how many miles "Jason Bourne" has in his account, and you could win them all. Even better, you're guess doesn't have to be right, which is good cuz I'm terrible with this kind of stuff.

So maybe you don't care about American Airlines, or the Bourne movies, or Matt Damon (but how could you not, really), but you can't tell me you don't care about free miles!!

The catch: you have to have an AA frequent flier number. And if you don't sign up, that's cool. I'll be sure to say "hi" from Bangkok, Mumbai, and Budapest ;-)

Whirlpool Contest for Moms

If you're a mom (sorry dads) with a clever concept or idea, consider showing it off by entering Whirlpool's Mother of Invention Grant contest. The winner will receive $20k in seed money, as well as expert advice on making her dream a business reality. Starting your own business and keeping it running is tough, so this kind of support is invaluable. Bohemian Baby, a wonderful organic baby food manufacturer in the area, recently shut its doors due to lack of funding despite a devoted customer base.

There I go being pessimitic again. My point is, go forth and conquer. And if you win, let me know ;-)