Sunday, November 30, 2008
now i've seen everything
Just came across a recipe for cookies that are supposed to induce labour. And you know, they worked for Betty and Susan, so they must really induce labour!
*rolls eyes*
Thursday, November 27, 2008
can't argue with that
The other day, Jack announced to everyone at nursery, "I was in mummy's belly when mummy and daddy were on honeymoon!" Very true, and thankfully I'm not really embarrassed by it. These are modern times, you know.
In other news, Jack no longer wants a Fire Bike (TM) but now only wants a Dinoco Lightning McQueen car. It's blue and shoots little plastic rockets, which apparently makes it super cool. He wants nothing else, just the car. I was informed that the Fire Bike (TM) was too dangerous for him because he's too little. I asked him what Mia would like for Christmas, and he informed me that she should also get a Dinoco Lightning McQueen car. Probably so that she doesn't use his.
Jack's an innkeeper in this year's Christmas play at nursery, and he has a line: "I have no room." We really need to watch ourselves because we keep joking around with him and telling him to say things like "We have no room - try the Travelodge!"
In Mia news, she has been saying lots of new things like "gone" (while holding her hands up), "look" (while pointing at random things), "Jack's socks" or "Jack's shoes", and her current favourite "uh oh." Annoyingly, I am still "daddy" and every animal is "dog WOOF!"
Thank you, that is all.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
tales of the road
The Department for Transport is launching a new campaign for road safety entitled "Tales of the Road." It's a much-needed update to the Green Cross Man (which I missed, having grown up in Canada, but got to see in those retro clips they love to show on Channel 4) and is aimed at school children. The animation is modern, suitably creepy for the seriousness of the moral (very "A Series of Unfortunate Events"), and should be effective when it airs on television. It's memorable, which is the point of campaigns like this. The site is a clever combination of information for parents and teachers, and games for the kids. I'm not entirely convinced that the games will appeal to all children, and suspect that slightly older children (e.g. age 10 and up) will find them a bit naff. Call me sexist, but I can see younger boys really loving the game and responding well to it. An animated boy attempts to cross the road, but when he doesn't stop, look, or listen, he gets hit by a car, his body flies down the road, and an illustration labelling his potential injuries appears at the end. Not too gross or traumatic for the little ones and it gets the message across, but would an older child be as affected by it? Would it appeal to girls or would they dismiss it as a bit "gross"?
The fact that the site has a competition to win a bike every month will definitely generate a lot of traffic (no pun intended.) I think that over all it's well done, but the proof will be in how our children see it and what kind of difference it makes.