Category — Info for Aunties

A protest at Disneyland apparently got pretty heated as costume-clad employees marched for health care benefits and were subsequently arrested. I can see the point the protesters are trying to make by wearing Disney costumes, but I think that point gets muted by just how cute and slightly absurd they all look. When I look at the face of the angry Mickey Mouse protester, I can only hear Mickey’s cartoon voice, and I just start giggling non-stop.

Whew. Thank goodness it’s Friday. I can’t handle any more crazy news this week.

Check out these awesome playground boulders from Nicros. They are a great update of the standard monkey bars and jungle gym combination at most playgrounds, but they do come a price…$20,000 for the large “boulder”, $16k for the medium, and $6k for the small boulder. And that doesn’t include to cost of any safety gear you may want to add.

Here are more links for kids climbing gear and information:

• Upside Over
• GORP: Kids on Bely: Climbing with Children

For decades, kids have loved the Power Rangers. I have to admit, even as an adult, I really like the wacky Power Rangers costumes and the ridiculous villains and battles, so I find the Power Rangers less annoying than most other kid trends. The Power Rangers also inspire a lot of devotion and loyalty among people who have grown up watching their spandex wearing majesty.

The Power Rangers are teenagers, but I think that is only to lend slightly more plausibility to the story lines. It doesn’t add much plausibility, but at least it is more reasonable than trying to accept children spending all of their time fighting alien monsters without adult supervision. Also, I would imagine there are some laws regarding what kinds of stunts kids can perform for TV shows, and obviously there is no way those stunt doubles would pass for children. Their chronology not withstanding, the Power Rangers otherwise act like smart kids. They are very innocent and noble in their intentions and seem generally uninterested in normal teenage concerns beyond school and fighting aliens. So my overall recommendation is to stock up on some Power Rangers DVDs the next time you babysit and then relax. The kids will be entertained, and you’ll be amused by the sheer camp appeal.

Mother’s Day is almost here! I posted some Mother’s Day gift ideas a few days ago, but here are a couple more:

• Plant a tree or a whole grove of trees in your mom’s name
• Bake mom a special Mother’s Day cake!
• Give her the gift of the written word with funny books like How to Traumatize Your Children and the Green Eggs and Ham Cookbook
• Cool silk pajamas or a cashmere robe