I got a pitch for a DVD of the Month Club from Film Movement Canada and thought it was a cool enough idea to share with you. It would make a great gift idea for someone who might otherwise be difficult to buy for, and the prices are reasonable for new DVDs. Just thought I’d share!

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Another laugh-out-loud search return from the traffic log! I mean really, what kind of odd things *would* someone put in a bra???

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Sheesh, as it if it weren’t bad enough that gullible Canadian parents have been excluded from the Baby Einstein refund offer, now comes news that Canadian parents aren’t included in the recently-announced recall of Maclaren strollers, even though the strollers are the same in both Canada and the US and all strollers are apparently a potential “finger tip amputation” (!!) risk. Guess I’d better be especially careful when folding up my handy-dandy little Triumph that I keep tucked in the back of the car!

Corporate America just doesn’t care about Canadian kids, I guess…

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I’m not even sure where to start deconstructing this search query that led some poor confused soul to my blog this morning.

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I swear, one of these days I will get over my obsession with H1N1 and stop talking and reading and thinking about it. Soon! But in the interim, I really appreciated this article from the Toronto Star about what to do if your child actually gets the flu. I’m not prone to panic in a crisis, but I think I may just wig out in a dramatic fashion if one of the kids spikes a fever any time in the next couple of weeks. I’m tagging this article as much for my reference and yours… but you might want to stop 2/3 of the way through, if you’re feeling panicky about the flu already. I kind of wish I did.

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Ugh, I know, three days to Halloween and I’m on about Christmas. But after missing it for the last two years, I was finally on the ball enough to pick up a Lego City Advent Calendar at Mrs Tiggy Winkles this week, and come December 1 I am going to be the Mother of the Year. It’s not cheap, but it comes with scads of those wee mini-figs that my boys so love. I can’t wait! But fear not, even if you miss the official Lego Advent Calendar, what about making up your own Lego ornaments? LOVE it!!!!

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IMHO, this article from Wired magazine should be required reading for anyone with concerns about any kind of vaccination, including the H1N1 shot. Long, but informative. (FWIW, we’re going on Wednesday to get our H1N1 shots. I am completely and utterly convinced it’s the right thing to do.)

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How excited am I? Here’s the Flickr feed of the new Ottawa water park, Calypso, due to open June 7, 2010. You can see the rides, slides and pools under construction — way fun! It’s going to be way wicked cool — I can’t wait!!!

Edited to add: you can see pictures from my sneak peek preview of Calypso Water Park or read about our visit to Calypso park the first week it opened. Fun! And check my “Ottawa Family Fun” archives for more suggestions on great things to see and do in Ottawa!

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From CBC Ottawa, news that an Ottawa couple successfully argued that both parents are entitled employment insurance (EI) parental benefits for their twins. Each parent claims the benefits for one child. The decision applies only to this couple, but sets an amazing precedent. Way cool!

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Toying with the idea of Twitter, but don’t know where or why to start? My friend and bloggy mentor Ann Douglas has put together this amazing post on twitter resources for parents — how and why you might want to use it. It’s great stuff!

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Looking for family fun in Ottawa tonight? Looks like it will be a perfect night for BOB FM’s movies on the beach, featuring WALL-E. Added bonus? The sunset hot-air balloon launch just down the river as part of the Gatineau Hot Air Balloon festival. What a lovely night out!

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Yep, I agree with just about every word of Danielle Crittenden’s 40 reasons to have kids in today’s Full Comment National Post blog.

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Props to OttawaStart (one of my fave resources for local information) for this excellent list of 30 Essential Ottawa Blogs – and I don’t just say that because I’m on the list! (*blush*) It’s not a definitive list of the best in Ottawa, but it’s a great start. Anybody else you’d add?

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The folks at Apartment 613, one of my new favourite local blogs, are sponsoring a Fall Fiction writing contest: “We’re accepting entries of original fiction of 1000 words or less. There is no restriction on topic – but a local Ottawa hook is encouraged.” See Apt613 for details! (Hmmm, if I give up an hour’s sleep each night between two and three am….)

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I will be the coolest mom on the block when I make these super-cute cheeseburger cupcakes!!

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So you know I’m endlessly fascinated by Google and the people who use it — but it turns out I’m not the only one. Read this laugh-out-loud post from Mashable about Google’s new “Suggest” feature and the oddball things people are seaching for.

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My favourite google search of the day: some odd soul looking for “a half decent pic of a freakish person.” *shakes head in wonder and dismay*

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From today’s Globe and Mail, courtesy our left coast correspondent, Fryman (emphasis is mine):

According to scientists, women are getting more beautiful, reports Ben Leach in The Daily Telegraph. “Researchers found that attractive women have more children than their less attractive counterparts and that a higher proportion of those children are female. Once those daughters become adult they tend to be good-looking themselves and so the pattern is repeated as women over the generations become steadily more aesthetically pleasing. As attractive couples are less likely to have a boy than a girl, men, in contrast, remain as aesthetically unappealing as their caveman ancestors, the scientists claim.” *snicker*

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The things that bring people here never fail to amaze, delight and occasionally horrify me. This one falls into the second category. I hope I gave at least some commiseration if not comfort to the poor soul who googled “37 weeks pregnant exhausted and pissed off.” We hear ya, sister. Only a couple of more weeks, then you’ll have a newborn and be exhausted and pissed off.

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Courtesy my dear friend Cait, “Would you send your kid to Hogwarts?” Um, only if I couldn’t go myself…

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