Month: February 2012

In which she agonizes over Pinterest

I am seriously addicted to Pinterest. I am a natural hoarder, and so I love collecting things that take up no physical space. I love pinning photographic inspiration, crafty ideas, recipes and inspiration for future home renovations and decoration. I found the Star Wars family stickers that so delight me via Pinterest. I’ve got an amazing collection of Photoshop tutorials and ideas to furnish the photography studio I’d like to build in the garage. I truly love surfing and collecting pins on Pinterest.

And yet, as a photographer, I feel conflicted about Pinterest. I had mixed feelings when I saw Lucas’s “puddle jumper” popping up on the site (and the worst part was that the attribution, when it appeared, was usually back to the I Heart Faces site where I’d entered it in one of their competitions before I started licensing it through Getty.) Some photographers are happy to share their work on Pinterest, some are probably ambivalent like me, and some consider it an egregious copyright infringement. I’m happy that people like my pictures, and I share them because I love showing them to you — but when they wander away and become separated from me, from my little “property” here and on Flickr and Facebook, that makes me increasingly anxious.

As Pinterest has started to set the Internet on fire (it’s now getting more than one billion monthly page views, with 10 million registered users) there have been more articles written about how ethical the business model could be that encourages people to share without explicit (or any) permission. Responding to the backlash, Pinterest recently offered a bit of code that website owners can put on their sites to prevent pinning, and Flickr just announced that it has disabled the ability to pin Flickr images for which the user has not explicitly enabled sharing.

What really got me wondering about whether I want to continue to participate as a pinner, though, was this article and a few similar opinions I’ve read about copyright infringement. The author of the blog post (long, but definitely worth reading), who is a lawyer and was inspired to look into the legal aspect of Pinterest’s Terms of Service from a copyright perspective, said:

From a legal perspective, my concern was for my own potential liability. From an artist’s perspective, my concern was that I was arguably engaging in activity that is morally, ethically and professionally wrong. […] Even in light of all of the above, what finally sealed the deal for me as I tried desperately to talk myself out of deleting my gorgeous inspiration boards, was when I thought of some of the photographers whose work I had pinned from other websites. Would they want me posting their images? My initial response is probably the same as most of yours: “why not? I’m giving them credit and it’s only creating more exposure for them and I LOVE when people pin my stuff!” But then I realized, I was unilaterally making the decision FOR that other photographer. And I thought back to the thread on Facebook where the photographers were complaining about clients posting photos without their consent and I realized this rationale is no different than what those clients argue: “why can’t I post them – it’s just more exposure for you.” Bottom line is that it is not my decision to make. Not legally and not ethically.

Aside from the ethical question, the author of the blog post also opines that you as a pinner could be held legally liable for any damages arising from copyright infringement:

[I]f some photographer out there decides that he or she does not want you using that photogs images as “inspiration” or otherwise and decides to sue you and Pinterest over your use of that photog’s images, you will have to hire a lawyer for yourself and YOU will have to hire a lawyer for Pinterest and fund the costs of defending both of you in court. Not only that, but if a court finds that you have, in fact, violated copyright laws, you will pay all damages assessed against you and all damages assessed against Pinterest. OUCH. Oh, but it gets better. Pinterest reserves the right to prosecute you for violations. Basically, Pinterest has its keester covered and have shifted all of the risk to you. Smart of them, actually since the courts are still deciding whether the site owner or the user should be ultimately responsible. Rather than wait for the decision, they have contractually made you the responsible one. And you agreed.

Now I’m no lawyer, but the argument against copyright infringement speaks to me. After seven years of chasing down blog scrapers, and almost as long keeping a watchful eye out for unwarranted use of my photographs, the idea of participating in – of gleefully perpetuating — that kind of infringement is somewhere between distasteful and downright disgusting.

It’s true that some site owners clearly encourage sharing by the use of a “pin this” button, and I’ve seen other arguments that *any* kind of social share button pretty much obliviates the copyright argument (which kind of gives me pause, as that’s certainly not my intention on my own site here – but my poor brain can only handle so many of these arguments at a time!) But do I have the patience to pop over to the originating site of each pin to see if the original creator has indicated that the material is available for sharing? I’m not sure. And you can only click back to the source material about half the time.

I’ve paused my obsessive pinning until I can get this sorted out for my own conscience, if nothing else. I’m flattered when people like my work, in words or in pictures, enough to share. And I love Pinterest as a way to share and collect interesting bookmarks on the Web. But do I have the right to pin someone’s work who feels like I’m violating their copyright in doing so? Doesn’t that put me on the same level as people who think that just because something is posted online it makes it fair game to take and use without permission? A few times I’ve wanted to blog things I’ve found on Pinterest but hesitated for exactly these copyright questions – just because I found it on Pinterest doesn’t mean I can use the images there freely. It is a colossally slippery slope. (Edited to add: And here’s yet another concern, this one finding in the Terms of Use that Pinterest claims the right to SELL any content uploaded to it!!!)

My friend Sue, the erstwhile Mad Hatter Mommy, tweeted a list of ten reasons she’s not a Pinterest fan last night, and I found myself laughing and nodding appreciatively at her criticisms, including: 1. Home decor is not all white, light, airy and devoid of brown. and 3. Life cannot be lived according to aphorism no matter how many aphorisms one collects. and 5. Pinterest lets people feel entitled about web use–like taking home all the shells from the beach. and 9. Don’t even get me started on the appropriation & deprofessionalization of the word “curate.” Clearly, Sue has been perusing my pinboards! 😉

What do you think? Are you a Pinterest fan? Does this make you think twice about using Pinterest?

This week in pictures: Family fun and wintry weather

I took a LOT of pictures this week. I had every intention of writing a separate blog post about at least two days’ worth of these photos, but it’s just been so busy that I didn’t have the chance to get to my keyboard. So be warned – this is going to be long!

On Family Day, I had a blast doing my first corporate photography event, taking pictures at Old Navy’s Funnovation Imaginarium. It was great working with Old Navy, the Yummy Mummy Club and all the families who came out to play. I was particularly honoured when THREE different families mentioned that they’d taken my Family Day fun suggestions from earlier in the week and had tried out all three events. It’s such an honour to hear things like that and it’s really why I love this blog so much!

Anyway, here’s some of the Family Day fun:

Funnovation collage

(It’s only now, four days later, that I’ve recovered fuctionality in my legs. Three solid hours of popping in and out of squats on the concrete floor to get kid-level shots turned my quadriceps into absolute jelly – I couldn’t walk properly all week. Of course, it was totally worth it. Another couple of events like this in a year and maybe I can give up my gym membership!)

I had mixed success with landscape-y type photographs this week. I drive past this spot on River Road often, and something about it always draws my eye. I stopped for a few quick pictures on Sunday and liked the criss-crossing power lines and the line of the fence and the horizon line and the lines of the sun flare all pointing in different directions – but the final image doesn’t thrill me. Meh, they can’t all be winners.

Lines

On the other hand, I love how this one turned out. I’m beginning to think it’s not possible to take an unlovely picture of my mill. (Yes, mine.)

Watson's Mill in Winter

And if that’s a perfect winter day for brilliant sunshine and colour, I love love love the simple minimalism of this one that I took during yesterday’s snow squalls. I can’t tell you how long I’ve been looking for an isolated tree like this one to take a shot just like this.

Tree in a snowstorm

Technically, this isn’t a great shot (it’s a little soft, and eek, the clashing colours of their jammies and the sofa!) but it’s still one of my faves for the week. Thirty years from now, I may enjoy my collection of Mill shots, but these are the ones that will warm my heart. This is the boys analyzing the Citizen’s list of Top 100 Children’s Books from earlier in the week.

Top 100 books

And this one, too. Not an amazing shot, but it makes me smile. Lucas is a scary shadow monster, if you couldn’t tell. A very gleeful shadow monster. 🙂

Shadow fun

These last six belong together, and are proof that outdoor portraits in the winter can be just as lovely — if not moreso! — than in the summer.

True story: I was surfing my pins on Pinterest, looking for inspiration on something to shoot last Saturday afternoon, and I stopped to refill my coffee. I looked out and the boys were climbing to the top of the play structure and jumping off into the snow. I was about to bang on the glass and wave my fist and tell them to quit it when I saw how the late afternoon light was hitting them — and then I didn’t need Pinterest for inspiration any more!

Backyard fun (2 of 6)

While I usually have my 50mm lens on my camera, I broke out the kit lens so I could take some wide angle shots. Any focal length shorter than 30mm or so will give you enough distortion to make things far away seem further (like his head and the treetops in this shot) while making closer things look larger (like his boot and the base of the play structure.)

Backyard fun (3 of 6)

Same idea here:

Backyard fun (5 of 6)

I zoomed back out to 55mm for these ones, to get a little closer and make a more traditional portrait.

Backyard fun (6 of 6)

Backyard fun (4 of 6)

Backyard fun (1 of 6)

Moral of the story? The inspiration you’re seeking is right in front of you (or, in this case, behind you.) All you have to do is embrace it.

Fun and FREE fitness for Ottawa’s new moms: Strollercize!

It’s hard to believe a whole ten years (!) have passed since I showed up for my first Strollercize outing at Boomerang Kids on Bank Street. I can barely remember being that girl, shy and still overwhelmed by being a new mom, looking for any excuse to get out of the house and interacting with grown-ups for a change.

I remember showing up clutching my signed waiver, trying to stand near the back and getting pulled in with a warm welcome. I remember loving the circuitous loop we did along Queen Elizabeth Drive and the Canal, and the way the instructors made it possible for everyone to work at their own speed and their own level while still challenging us and keeping us energized. I remember sitting in the sun on the grassy bank near Lansdowne Park doing stretches, and doing pushups against benches and the rail along the Canal. I remember those outings becoming the highlight of my week. And I remember in October of that year I ran my first 5K, pushing Tristan’s stroller in the CIBC Run for the Cure, something I’d worked toward that whole summer at strollercize.

It’s a shame, really, that I haven’t blogged about how great that experience was before now. I’d more or less forgotten all of it, though, until I got an e-mail a few weeks ago from Jules Hilliker. She’s the coordinator for the (completely FREE!) strollercize program offered through Boomerang Kids stores in Ottawa, and the energy behind Fitness with Jules. You can’t read an e-mail from Jules without feeling energized and enthusiastic — she’s got that infectious kind of energy that radiates out of even her written words. And when she asked for my help to spread the word about the strollercize program, I couldn’t help but say yes. Jules’ e-mail said in part: ‘Over the years hundreds of new families have found Strollercize through word of mouth, the only thing that saddens me is when a Mom shows up with an 8 month old and says, “This is amazing, how come I did not know about this earlier?”‘ And I was smiling, both from Jules’ enthusiasm and from the warm memories from my own strollercize experience.

Strollercize runs all year long out of the Bank Street location, but the program will be returning to all stores in March. If you’re looking for a fantastic FREE way to get out of the house, meet other moms and get a little exercise, I can’t say enough great things about it. Interested? Here’s the details from the website:

WHAT you need…

The baby!
Comfortable walking shoes
Dress appropriately for the weather – we walk rain or shine
Water bottle (for you)
Small snack

HOW to join…

Just show up on the day of your choice, and bring the signed waiver (available at the stores, or download one from the site).

Call Boomerang Kids if the weather forecast is calling for +30C or -30C.

Thanks to Jules for reaching out and reminding me about this terrific program. Makes me want to have another baby — or maybe I can borrow one and join in?

If you’re looking for another great suggestion for free outdoor fitness, stay tuned! I have a great suggestion for you coming up. No babies required!!

100 best kids’ books

I honestly don’t know how I missed it. I mean, I’ve always *meant* to read Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle In Time, but I just never got around to it. So when I read a reference to it in the Ottawa Citizen earlier this week, it was top-of-mind when I was at the library yesterday and I picked it up. I asked the boys if they would mind pausing our current book, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (which I think I’ve now read at least half a dozen times), to give this one a try. Simon especially was reluctant — he really loves the Harry Potter books. But he acquiesced and last night we read the first chapter of A Wrinkle In Time.

It was really hard to stop after just one chapter. I’m torn between sneaking it upstairs and devouring it myself or discovering it page-by-page with the boys. I felt the funniest echo through time, reading the perspective of oddball Meg who doesn’t quite understand why she doesn’t fit in with her mates. How have I never read this book before? Tristan and Simon agreed — they rated the book a “three plus” out of four after the first chapter, and agreed that Harry could wait until we figured out what a tesseract is and what happens next.

So it was a serendipitous sort of discovery to find in the Citizen (via Scholastic Books) a list of the top 100 children’s books of all time, with A Wrinkle In Time sitting prominently in the number 3 spot. Really, HOW have I missed it? And for the love of all things holy, what else have I missed?

Here they are, in case you’ve been missing out, too:

100. Animalia, Graeme Base

99. Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices, Paul Fleischman

98. First Words, Roger Priddy

97. The Adventures of Captain Underpants, Dav Pilkey

96. Gossie, Olivier Dunrea

95. A Single Shard, Linda Sue Park

94. I Took the Moon for a Walk, Carolyn Curtis

93. We the Kids: The Preamble to the Constitution of the United States, David Catrow

92. What Shall We Do With the Boo Hoo Baby?, Cressida Cowell

91. Team Moon: How 400,000 People Landed Apollo 11 on the Moon, Catherine Thimmesh

90. Puss in Boots, Fred Marcellio

89. An Egg Is Quiet, Dianna Hutts Aston

88. Grumpy Bird, Jeremy Tankard

87. Rules, Cynthia Lord

86. Interrupting Chicken, David Ezra Stein

85. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, Judy Blume

84. No No Yes Yes, Leslie Patricelli

83. Yoko, Rosemary Wells

82. Ivy + Bean, Annie Barrows

81. Lincoln: A Photobiography, Russell Freedman

80. What Do You Do With a Tail Like This?, Steve Jenkins and Robin Page

79. Llama Llama Red Pajama, Anna Dewdney

78. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh, Robert C. O’Brien

77. Hi! Fly Guy, Tedd Arnold

76. Peek-a Who?, Nina Laden

75. Holes, Louis Sachar

74. Owl Moon, Jane Yolen

73. Tea With Milk, Allen Say

72. Are You My Mother?, P. D. Eastman

71. Bridge to Terabithia, Katherine Paterson

70. Blackout, John Rocco

69. The Magic School Bus at the Waterworks, Joanna Cole

68. Counting Kisses: A Kiss and Read Book, Karen Katz

67. Esperanza Rising, Pam Muñoz Ryan

66. The Maze of Bones, Rick Riordan

65. Birds, Kevin Henkes

64. My Truck is Stuck!, Kevin Lewis

63. The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Brian Selznick

62. Diary of a Worm, Dorren Cronin

61. The Lion & the Mouse, Jerry Pinkney

60. Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes, Annie Kubler

59. Dear Juno, Soyung Pak

58. Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez, Kathleen Krull

57. The Bad Beginning, Lemony Snicket

56. Living Sunlight, Molly Bang and Penny Chisholm

55. Smile!, Roberta Grobel Intrater

54. Through My Eyes, Ruby Bridges

53. The House at Pooh Corner, A. A. Milne

52. The Lightning Thief, Rick Riordan

51. Sylvia Long’s Mother Goose, Sylvia Long

50. Sarah, Plain and Tall, Patricia MacLachlan

49. Martin’s Big Words, Doreen Rappaport

48. Hatchet, Gary Paulsen

47. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, Bill Martin, Jr.

46. Not a Box, Antoinette Portis

45. The Composition, Antonio Skármeta

44. Good Night, Gorilla, Peggy Rathmann

43. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, C. S. Lewis

42. What Do People Do All Day?, Richard Scarry

41. Matilda, Roald Dahl

40. Moo, Baa, La La La!, Sandra Boynton

39. Zen Shorts, John J. Muth

38. Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Jeff Kinney

37. The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear, Don and Audrey Wood 36. The Secret Garden, Francis Hodgson Burnett

35. Freight Train, Donald Crews

34. Swimmy, Leo Lionni

33. The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins

32. The Runaway Bunny, Margaret Wise Brown

31. The Mitten, Jan Brett

30. My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother, Patricia Polacco

29. Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, Judy Blume

28. Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, Mo Willems

27. Black on White, Tana Hoban

26. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, Grace Lin

25. The Giver, Lois Lowry

24. The Little Engine That Could, Watty Piper

23. The Phantom Tollbooth, Norton Juster

22. Corduroy, Don Freeman

21. Bud, Not Buddy, Christopher Paul Curtis

20. Where the Sidewalk Ends, Shel Silverstein

19. Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale, Mo Willems

18. When Marian Sang, Pam Muñoz Ryan

17. Pat the Bunny, Dorothy Kunhardt

16. Tuck Everlasting, Natalie Babbitt

15. The Dot, Peter H. Reynolds

14. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame

13. Madeline, Ludwig Bemelmans

12. The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Eric Carle

11. Anne of Green Gables, L. M. Montgomery

10. Frog and Toad Are Friends, Arnold Lobel

9. The Giving Tree, Shel Silverstein

8. The Diary of a Young Girl, Anne Frank

7. Green Eggs and Ham, Dr. Seuss

6. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, J. K. Rowling (Also known as Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone)

5. Where the Wild Things Are, Maurice Sendak

4. The Snowy Day, Ezra Jack Keats

3. A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L’Engle

2. Goodnight Moon, Margaret Wise Brown

1. Charlotte’s Web, E. B. White

The most surprising and delightful part of this list was mentioning it to Tristan and Simon, and telling them that A Wrinkle In Time was number three on the list. They were intrigued, and it warmed my bibliophile heart to see them pouring over the list, finding their favourites and discussing the ranking.

Top 100 books

Did your favourites make the cut? I was surprised to see that If You Give A Mouse A Cookie didn’t make the list, and not a single Robert Munsch? What do you think of the list?

In which she achieves maximum geekery

This? Makes me insanely happy.

Star Wars family geekery

I just waited nearly an hour in line for a car wash so I could properly apply my new Star Wars family decals!! The minute I saw them on pinterest, I had to have them. The only debate was whether Beloved would be Darth Vader or Han Solo. “Luke, I *am* your father!” still gets a lot of play around here, but there was no question that I would be Princess Leia (haven’t I wanted to be her just about my whole life?) and if Beloved were Darth Vader then that would leave me representing the entire Rebel Alliance on my own. Which, come to think of it, really isn’t all that far off from reality, is it?

In the end, though, my life-long love of scruffy-headed nerf herders won out. I mean, who doesn’t have a crush on Han Solo? We let the kids pick out their own decals, so that’s Boba Fett, a clone trooper and a jawa in descending chronological order. The at-at and the mouse droid are a nice touch for Katie and Willie, don’t you think?

Star Wars geekery FTW!!!

This week in pictures: Melty, gassy and flashy

Wow, I wish I’d realized a year or three ago how much easier it is to take a photograph each day when you’re relying on your iPhone instead of your camera! There’s something a little bit more playful about the pictures I’m finding with my iPhone, and the fact that I’m using a lot of the Hipstamatic app means that I’m not spending a lot of time cropping or editing photos — I’ve discovered extra HOURS in each day. Hours that I could have used to do housework, or play with my kids, or find the cure for cancer, or follow more people on Pinterest. And what have I done with all those extra hours? Played in Photoshop, of course! I finally got around to building a timeline cover for my Facebook profile. What do you think?

FB timeline

Here’s the week in pictures. This was the Rideau Canal earlier in the week — before it got soggy and was closed just in time for the last weekend of Winterlude. I like how the arches of the Laurier Avenue bridge and its shadow create a frame that draws your eye right to the skaters.

Skaters on the Rideau Canal

A colleague left these out on Valentine’s Day. I really should go over and say thanks for the cookies, and let her know that they’re now for sale on Getty Images! 🙂

Valentine cookies

This picture makes me laugh because I thought it was okay when I first took it, but I didn’t love it. It was too green, thanks to the Hipstamatic filter I’d chosen, but I liked it a lot more when I pulled it into Photoshop and warmed it up to a nicer hue. It was really just a throw-away picture, though, and if I’d had anything else for the day I would have never posted it. Not only did jump right into Flickr’s Explore, but it won me the second round of a little competition I like to play in on Flickr as well. Lesson learned: one person’s throw-away is another person’s art!

Winter sunset

The melty season can be such an unlovely time of year, as the snow compacts and condenses but doesn’t quite disappear entirely. That’s the wet, icy feel I had in mind with this one. (I don’t know why I’m fixated on ditches with weeds in them, but I do seem to be.) I lined up the composition so the bullrushes moved on a diagonal, which is more dynamic than a straight line, and held my phone at a higher angle so the stalks were against the uncluttered snowy background to make them stand out more. And, to crop out the garbage in the half-melted snow.

Hipstarushes

The gas station at the corner has been out of use since we moved in, but these pumps are still standing, getting rustier and more vintage-looking by the day. I’ve looked at them dozens of times, thinking of photographing them, but the bleak day and the melting snow finally seemed like the right conditions to capture them.

It was a gas

I haven’t abandoned my Nikon entirely, though! In fact, I’ve spent WAY too much time last weekend reading my (gasp!) camera manual and a couple of books about using flash on and off camera. In fact, for Valentine’s Day Beloved got me the reflector kit and stand I was going to buy for myself, so instead I bought one of those Gary Fong diffusers. I have to say, I’m delighted with the reflector kit and completely underwhelmed by the diffuser — so much so that I’m thinking of taking it back.

The idea behind the diffusers is that direct flash light is harsh and unflattering, but by diffusing it and making the light come from a larger and more disperse area, you make the light softer and more flattering. You can achieve similar effects by bouncing the light off the ceiling or a wall, but I’d heard about the Gary Fong diffusers for years and thought I’d try one. The darn thing was hard to put together and difficult to put on, and when I used it I found the light was still as flat as it would have been with the pop-up flash on my camera.

See how Lucas’s face looks a little bit plastic? The straight-on light, even with the diffuser, takes out all the nuanced shadows that give his skin its texture. I converted it to black and white, which made it mildly better, but I’m still not thrilled with it. I do, however, like the big smile and the sparkle in his eyes. 🙂

Smiling Lucas

This was the same. This is a cute picture and the expression on the cat’s face makes me chortle every time I look at it, but it looks like a snapshot to me, like something you’d take with a point and shoot.

Willie loves Tristan

So clearly, my spring project is more portrait strobe work. Kids, consider yourselves warned! 🙂 Lucky for me, they’re willing subjects.

Speaking of willing subjects, this is kind of funny. Yesterday, I got my monthly sales statement from Getty Images, and that darn cat has made his fourth straight appearance! Each month I’ve been with Getty, I’ve sold a different picture of Willie. This time, it was this picture of Katie and Willie sort of cuddling. It sold to a company in Great Britain, and someone in Chile bought a picture of our decorated Christmas tree from 2010.

274:365 Stealing a cuddle

And here I thought the pictures of the cute kids would be the big sellers. Maybe instead of more kids, I need more pets?

Downtown Family Day fun in Ottawa

Looking for a great way to spend next Monday, Family Day, in Ottawa? Head downtown and make your way through these three fun events!

Start out on ice and join Mayor Jim Watson for a Family Day skating party from 11 am to 2 pm at the city’s new Rink of Dreams in front of city hall. It’s free, and there will be hot chocolate too!

Then warm up at the National Art Centre with an afternoon of fun “for children age five and up and the people who love them.”

The National Arts Centre English Theatre is proud to present its second annual celebration of family on Monday, February 20, 2012. This special family day event, launched in 2011, features a cornucopia of hands-on activities for children and the people who love them…and it’s all free!

Join us for a memorable day of stories, games, interactive displays, homemade treats and special workshops throughout the NAC lobby. The NAC English Theatre family day event is proud to be a part of Winterlude 2012 festivities.

Come and be part of the NAC Family on February 20.

Join us for:

storytelling
theatre and dance workshops
large-scale interactive games
activities with themes of creativity and environmentalism
arts and crafts
button-making
ArtsAlive website demonstration
face-painting … and much more!

Monday, February 20, 2012 from 12 – 4 p.m. in the NAC Lobby

See the NAC website for more details!

And finally, drop by Old Navy in the Rideau Centre for the Funnovation Imaginarium.

Kids from all over the Ottawa area are invited to this special in-store event to experience the Funnovation Imaginarium, a place where you have insane amounts of fun while being crazy creative. Highlights include:

A Crazy Cookie Bar!
A Funky Floor where kids can show off their dance moves
An accessory creation station
A Funnovation Catwalk to model their wacky accessories
A Funnovation Lab to create crazy creatures and monster machines; and
A free gift with purchase

Disclosure: Smile for the camera while you’re there — I’ve been hired to photograph the Funnovation Imaginarum event! 🙂

Do you have any ideas to share for Family Day fun?

My latest grammar pet peeve: Peek, peak and pique

Dear Internet Friends,

I love you dearly, but you make me want to bang my head on the desk when you confuse the homonyms peek, peak and pique.

I would have thought the difference between peek and peak should be fairly straightforward, but when I saw them interchanged for the third time in a single day recently, I knew I had to write this post.

Peek:
verb: 1. to look furtively. 2. to take a brief look.
noun: 1. a furtive look. 2. a brief look.

Peak:
verb to cause to come to a peak, point or maximum
noun: the highest level or greatest degree (see here for more definitions)
adjective: of, relating to or being a period of maximum intensity or activity (ie peak business hours)

Every time you misuse one of these spellings for the other, an angel loses its wings.

On the other hand, “pique” is a bit more of an obsure term and I may be able to forgive some misuse. But not after today!

Pique:
noun: a transient feeling of wounded vanity; resentment. (ie “He slammed the door in a fit of pique.”)
verb: to excite or arouse, especially by provocation, challenge or rebuff.

Here’s a quick quiz for you, with the most common incorrect usage I’ve seen:

“Wow, that’s interesting, you’ve really ____________ my curiousity now!”
(a) peeked
(b) peaked
(c) piqued

You picked (c), right? Right! Now go out and pique somebody’s interest while you’re in peak grammar form. Stay tuned for my next rant on “wallah!” versus “voilà!”

Okay, grammar geeks, now it’s your turn: which grammar errors are curdling your milk lately?

In which Tristan lacks a role model

When Tristan was four or five years old, he had some sort of bacterial infection that required an antibiotic. Since he’s shown signs of sensitivity to penicillin, he’s usually prescribed an antibiotic that is known for its particularly vile aftertaste. Family legends are made of the epic struggles we had getting the dreaded “milk medicine” down his gullet, and to this day it is the yard stick of all medicines. Buckley’s cough syrup would be ambrosia by comparison, according to Tristan’s “milk medicine” scale lo these many years later.

When Lucas had pneumonia a few months ago and again when he was sick last week, he was also prescribed the “milk medicine” antibiotic and I cringed as both the doctor and pharmacist warned us of the horrendous taste and ways to mitigate it. To my surprise and delight, Lucas took his medicine like a trooper, agreeably opening his mouth for each dose in exchange for a jujube reward. Some days he even declined the proffered glass of water to wash it down.

We were dallying over the last of dinner one night last week, and discussing how impressed we were with Lucas on the last day of his seven-day prescription. As we had a few times, we gently teased Tristan about the epic battles we had over milk medicine, and how placid Lucas was by comparison.

“Well,” said Tristan, an ever so slight twinke in his eye. “Of course Lucas is better at taking his medicine. I never had a role model when I was his age.”

Because really, aren’t we all Wonder Woman?

I was at work when Beloved called with urgent news. “Did you see there’s a Fisher-Price Little People Batcave now?” he asked, excitement clear in his voice.

“What?” I asked, not sure I’d heard correctly. Sure enough, I looked it up on the Fisher-Price website and there it was — Batman and the Batcave , Robin, the Batmobile, and also Superman and Green Lantern, Batgirl and Wonder Woman. And because all superheroes need a nemesis, there’s a Joker Little People (person?) as well. And they even have — wait for it! — Wonder Woman’s invisible jet. How awesome is THAT?! Apparently there’s a full line of DC Superfriends Little People. Clearly, this is the coolest Little People set since the Sesame Street of the 1970s.

So impressed was I to find a line of toys so perfect for a Fisher-Price blogger and a long-time comic book geek (erm, I mean, for the CHILDREN of, of course, yeah, for the kids, absolutely!) that I took to the interwebs to share my discovery. And I sent a quick e-mail to my friends at Mom Central Canada and Fisher-Price telling them how much we loved the idea of the DC Superfriends Little People, and I asked if maybe a couple of the figures could make their way to our house in a future toy shipment (which they send a few times a year as part of my blogging for them) for which we would be ever so grateful.

Imagine my delight when just a few days later — the day before Lucas’s birthday, in fact! — a large carton appeared on the porch. Inside was the FULL SET of DC Superfriends Little People AND the Batcave AND the Batmobile too!

And if you think *I* was delighted, you should’ve seen Beloved and Lucas!! (Sorry for the grainy pix. As Chase Jarvis says, sometimes the best camera is the one you have in your hand.)

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But while the Batcave and Batmobile were undoubtedly wicked cool, it’s been a long time since I’ve been as excited about a toy as I was for Wonder Woman and her invisible jet!!

Wonder Woman's Invisible Jet

As one cheeky follower on twitter quipped, the only thing that would make that more awesome would be if Wonder Woman was driving an invisible mini-van. 🙂

In addition to the Little People figures and action sets, Fisher-Price has also come out with a full set of DC Superfriends Wheelies. You might think the Wheelies are just for the littlest of boys (and they are perfect for little hands to hold and drive), but all three of my boys enjoy setting them up to race down the tracks. Such a simple, fun toy!

So you know I’m partial to Fisher-Price. I’ve made no secret of that in the year I’ve been blogging with them, and I’ve raved a lot about some of their products with good reason. But this? I would have raved about how much I love the idea of Little People superheroes whether I was working with Fisher-Price or not. I love love love the whole set.

And more importantly, so do all the menfolk in my house!

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The only problem is letting the kids play with the sets. I kinda want to keep Wonder Woman and her jet in a place of honour on my desk, and Beloved is talking about building a whole new shelf just to house Batman, Superman, Green Lantern, Batgirl, Robin, the Joker and all their accessories.

You know how it is. Sometimes it’s hard to share.

Disclosure: I am part of the Fisher-Price Play Panel and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog, however, are always my own.