Then inspiration hit, in the form of a cookie craving, I could make shortbread cookies. At first I thought of making little Oscar statue cookies like those pictured on Everything Oscar, but hand cutting those would take FOREVER! How about something simple…

The Envelop Please….

Besides the dresses and the Oscar statues, another common element at the Oscars are those big envelops with the red seals, the ones that are opened to reveal the winner. So I decided to make The Envelop Please Oscar Cookies. And they’re so easy. Just make shortbread (I have a great Robin Hood flour recipe from an old cookie magazine I’ve been able to make without fail — and for me that’s a good thing), roll the dough out flat and score into rectangular shapes. I also indented the envelop flat marks so these would bake into place. After baking let them cool and start icing. I used store bought piped icing but I’m sure if you’re more creative or domesticated than myself, you could make your own icing. I piped white icing along the envelop flap seams and then I swirled red icing in a circular shape to make the seal. The great thing about the seal, it shouldn’t look perfect and there should be gaps, just like a real pressed seal. I’m great at making things imperfect.

For presentation, I wrapped a tray in foil to lay all my envelops out on. Now you can give your guests their own winning envelop. If you’re looking for other Oscar party ideas, be sure to check out Everything Oscar. You can also join the Yummy Mummy Club Oscar party on twitter by following the hashtag #ymcoscars. See you tonight!

Thank you Heather for making my girl so happy (and me too).

When we entered the actual theatre it was packed. People were sitting in areas I didn’t think the theatre had seats. We reluctantly had to sit in the third row. And by third row I mean those orchestra seats at the very front where that one strange man sits on his own. No strange man, well, no strange man beside us. I was worried sitting so close, especially since the movie is 3D, the view would be distorted and detract from the movie experience, but I was happy to be proven wrong. Yes, sitting in those front rows isn’t ideal and I think we didn’t get the true immersive experience with the 3D affects, but the movie was still very enjoyable.

I must admit I wasn’t thrilled to hear that Alice in Wonderland was going to be in 3D. All I could think of was those hokey red and green screen images. Obviously it’s been a while since I’ve been to the movies. Disney 3D was quite impressive; it really had a 3D feel. There were the obvious birds flying by and swords coming at you, but there were subtle background images too, like floating dandelion fluff and leaves or a tree branch.

I should point out that this isn’t like Disney’s animated version of Alice in Wonderland, this is much darker, visually and character wise. That doesn’t mean it’s not a movie for younger members. I took my seven-year-old and she loved it, though my three-year-old, who loves the animated version, wouldn’t have enjoyed it at all. Movies on a large screen can always feel that much more overwhelming if it deals with something scary.

I thought Johnny Depp (the Mad Hatter) and Helena Bonham Carter (Red Queen) played their characters wonderfully. Johnny Depp’s Mad Hatter is animated and clever with a dark, subtly mad side making him enjoyable to watch. Helena Bohnam Carter did a great job making you dislike her as the Red Queen. Even the supporting characters, like Stephan Fry as the Cheshire Cat, Alan Rickman as the Blue Caterpillar and Matt Lucas as Tweedledee/Tweedledum were memorable. Actually the only character I didn’t enjoy was Anne Hathaway’s White Queen. I found her too superficial and la-dee-da-dee-da.

The movie’s mix of film and special effects work wonderfully together and present Wonderland as a magical  but real world.

As for scary scenes, well there is the early chase scene by the naive and Red Queen’s card soldiers and the big fight scene near the end with Alice and the Jabberwocky. My daughter wasn’t scared by these, but my kids have seen Star Wars and Indiana Jones films and they have far scarier scenes in them.

Both my daughter and I really enjoyed Alice in Wonderland. I think we would have appreciated and experienced the 3D aspect and movie environment much more in different seats. It will certainly be a movie we will be adding to our home collection when it does come out but I’m so glad I’ve seen it on the big screen. Some movies are just meant to see larger than life and Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland is one of those movies in my opinion. I might just make another trip to the theatre to enjoy it properly.

Disney Interactive Studios is releasing a Wii and DS game to tie-into this movie release (I had a chance to preview them). Now that I’ve seen the movie, I’m looking forward to the games even more, available in store now.

You know one of the topics of discussion will be the outfits. It seems it’s the discussion topic on twitter to when it comes to what everyone will be wearing to the party. I’m sure I I saw Kathy Buckworth, author of the Blackberry Diaries, trying to negotiate a ball gown on twitter. Yikes! The only gowns we have in the house are in the kids dress-up box and I’m pretty sure I won’t fit into them….wait, let’s see….ugh, omph…..nope, no way.

No problem. We all know it’s the accessories that make the outfit right. And I have just the accessory. My own Oscar! Had to top that one right? Well, I’ll let you in on a little secret, I didn’t actually win this one. I know, shocking right. No, I made this and you can make your own too with a few things in your home. Here’s how:

Steps for making your own Oscar award

1. Take an old naked Barbie (I bought mine at Value Village since my daughter wouldn’t be too keen on me mutilating one of her own), cut her hair off. Using a razor, shave the stubble left so the head is smooth.
2. Trace a circle, about the size of an ice cream sundee bowl, on to the cardboard. I used about six circles. Glue five of these circles one on top of the other. Keep one to the side.
3. Cut a square out of the styrofoam (this will be the pedistal your Oscar stands on so it shouldn’t be a flat square) and glue it on to your five cardboard layered base, in the centre.
4. Cut off the Barbie’s feet (she has weak ankles which will make it hard for her to stand so just get ride of them at the ankle).
5. Poke a hole through the side of Barbie’s leg, at the bottom, just above where you cut her feet off. Do this to both sides and then push a piece of coat hanger wire through. Any stiff wire will do. This will hold Barbie upright on the podium.
6. Wires through the bottom of both of Barbie’s legs, bend the remaining wire down and push it through the centre of the styrofoam and cardboard base. Careful not to have your hand as leverage on the bottom of the cardboard platform, that’s how I got a big gouge in my hand.
7. Bend the two pieces of wire that appear on the bottom and trim any extra.
8. Glue the remaining cardboard circle base to the bottom, covering the exposed wire.
9. You’ll want to coat the styrofoam with something (I used the hot glue) before you spray paint. I discovered that spray paint is rather corrosive and started to eat my podium. Also, cut a strip of paper, wrap and glue it around the exposed corrogated edges on your base.
10. Spay the entire statue with the gold spray paint. Make sure to spray in a ventilated area and that your work space is covered with a drop cloth. If you’re using any accessories on your Oscar, spray them as well
11. For authenticity you could paint the base and podium black/brown but my Oscar is pure gold.

You really like me...

Now I may not have the fancies outfit for the party, but I’ll have the accessory everyone will want. And now you do too. For some other great Oscar party ideas, checkout Everything Oscars.

Uh, and so completely freaked out!

BlogHer’s like months away and I’m already sweating. I loved reading everyone’s posts last year about BlogHer’09. Once tickets for this year’s event were announced many people started buying them. I just wasn’t sure if it was for me. I even wrote about my uncertainty. But now, less than a year later, I’m actually going. Me. Quiet, unassuming, likes to hind behind her computer screen, me.

The event sounds great and meeting some of the people I’ve only talked to or read about in cyberspace is going to be amazing, but I can’t help but be apprehensive. It’s like I”m starting high school again. I’ll be on the outside looking in at all the cool kids that spent summer camp together. I’ll be at the lunch table on my own feeling a little out of place. I know it seems silly, I’m a grown woman, self-employed, with a happy family life. I’m comfortable with who I am but still I can’t shake the whole ‘I hope they like me’ mentality. High school wasn’t the best time for me, but it was the time I made some of my longest lasting friendships. Perhaps there’s hope for me. I’m sure once BlogHer has come and gone I will miss it and be one of those buying the next year’s tickets. In the meantime, I’m going to practice not saying stupid things and work on my deep breathing exercises. I’ve even  joined the EverythingMom BlogHer ‘10 group to try and connect with those who are planning on attending.

If you’re going too be sure to say ‘hi’.  I’ll be the one hiding behind the palm tree at the back of the room.

That’s where knowing other parents comes in handy. Talking to parents who are going through the same thing or have dealt with similar issues are a great resource. I participated in a program earlier this year with Mom Central and Pampers calling on parents to share their great wealth of baby knowledge. Pampers’ plan was to develope tip sheets designed for new parents, consisting of advice from parents who have dealt with sleepless nights and survived, parents who have transitioned from maternity leave to going back to work, parents who have discovered a few tricks on handling parenting.

Pampers asked for tips and parents answered, maybe even you submitted a tip or two. Now the Pampers A Parent is Born Tip Sheets are launched. If you’re a new parent or know one, these new tips sheets might just become your new best friend. You may not be handed a instruction manual when your baby arrived but at least these handy tips might keep you sane during that emotionally charged, sleepless first year.

As parents raising our kids is hard, but what if your child had FAS (Fetal Alcohol Syndrome)? Along with handling the same issues all parents have like toilet training and reading and eating well, a parent of an FAS child now has to deal with a child that exhibits inappropriate sexual behaviour, the inability to learn from past mistakes and consequences, lack of empathy and other issues (note: behaviour and degree of behaviour associated with FAS can vary by child). I have a friend with two such children.

Some of the steps she has to take to monitor and discipline her children are hard for me to swallow, but I’m basing that on my own children’s behaviour. The inability to control food intake means cupboards need to be locked. The uncontrollable impulse to take things means a child needs to be searched regularly. This would be hard for any parent to deal with, everyday. Add to that outsiders who criticize your every move; outsiders who know nothing about what’s involved with raising a child with FAS. I try to offer my support where I can, but like the outsiders it’s hard to relate to every day life in her house. And right now she’s going it alone (her and her husband). I’m in awe that my friend has taken these two children in to try and give them a better life (not that it should matter that these two kids aren’t her own, they raise them like they are).

So I’m turning to you, my community. I’m looking for a support network for my friend. Perhaps you know someone who’s dealing with this problem. Maybe you’ve read some research on new discipline techniques or have discovered an online support group. In the mean time I’m doing my own research. If nothing else it will educate me more.

Even a little snow is good for snow angels

I’ve been reading the tweets and viewing the blog photos of the big snow storms hitting parts of the US. Some people had difficulty making it home after Blissdom (Nashville, TN) and a few couldn’t make it out to the first ever Disney Social Media Moms conference (Orlando, FL).

It feels sort of strange reading these tweets and looking out onto our cold yet green (okay, brown) yard. No snow and it’s February. I expect living in the city, north of the lake, we won’t see much snow, but none at all?

Well hold on. Last night’s local new reported a big snow storm was heading our way. And here it is, all 5cm of it!

Okay, so that’s not much but it’s snow. It’s kind of embarrassing when the news needs to exaggerate the weather reports. I sort of expect it, but with other places getting hit by real snow storms you would think they would know better. At least we didn’t call in the army to plow us out, this time.

To keep in the spirit we just finished reviewing Barefoot Books Lin Yi’s Lantern. At the back of the book was directions on how to make a lantern. So while my oldest was at school, the younger two worked on making their own lanterns to decorate the house.

First they decorated the outside of their lanterns

After folding the paper in half...

... they cut strips

Rolled and glued and handles added, the lanterns are finished.

The kids loved their finished lanterns. They’ll make great decorations for Chinese New Year if they survive being paraded around the house.

You can also see my review of Lin Yi’s Lantern as part of my Write a Review Wednesday post on my main blog.

As if the movie itself wasn’t enough to get me excited, Disney Interactive Studios will be releasing video games based on the Alice in Wonderland movie, for both Nintendo DS and the Wii.

When I received an invitation from High Road Communications and Disney Interactive Studios to attend a sneak peek presentation of the new games and I jumped at the chance. Sitting at the Mad Hatter’s table for high tea set the tone of the presentation wonderfully.

In Disney Alice in Wonderland, players journey down the rabbit hole into a whimsical world of immersive exploration. The objective is to protect Alice from the angry Red Queen and you do so by playing various characters like the White Rabbit, Mad Hatter, March Hare, Cheshire Cat, Dormouse and more. From what I saw of the Wii game, the look and feel is very close to that of the movie. You solve puzzles, battle the Red Queen’s army and discover new powers. The game can be played in single player mode or as a co-op game with two players working together. Disney Alice in Wonderland for the Wii is expected in stores around the same time the movie is released (March) and will retail for $39.99 Cdn.

Disney Alice in Wonderland, Wii
Release date: March 2010
Rating: 10+ for everyone with fantasy violence
Age range: 10+
Platform: Nintendo Wii
Retail: $39.99 Cdn

There will also be a DS version of Disney Alice in Wonderland and although it is based on the movie, the game itself is different from the Wii version. The graphic design is a flatter, 2-D cartoon like feel, but from what I’ve seen, I think it works really well. Like the Wii version, you role is to protect Alice and you can play one of the various characters in the story. The game is designed to work well with the stylus. Even the menus are creatively built into the screen design. The DS version of Disney Alice in Wonderland is also expected in stores March, retailing for $29.99 Cdn.

Disney Alice in Wonderland, DS
Release date: March 2010
Rating: 10+ for everyone with fantasy violence
Age range: 9-14
Platform: Nintendo DS
Retail: $29.99 Cdn

Although both games are based on the Tim Burton’s movie Alice in Wonderland, the look and varied game play seem to make them unique enough that I could own both (and probably will). Now I’m excited about the movie AND the games. I look forward to the opportunity to review the games when they’re released.

Other games Disney Interactive Studios also has releasing in March:

Sonny with a Chance for Nintendo DS™ allows players to experience random and humorous events inspired by the hit Disney Channel series with the “So Random” cast. Fans can play as their favourite character and take their chance in a board game loaded with mini-games, random events and wacky power-ups to get the most fan mail. Players compete in more than 40 mini-games, including pie throwing, puzzle solving, races, and more, with two designed exclusively for Nintendo DSi. Navigate through five different game boards inspired by familiar locations in the show as well as customize your characters with costumes. Sonny with a Chance will launch in 2010, timed to coincide with the second season premiere of the Disney Channel series.

Sonny with a Chance, DS
Release date: March 2010
Rating: E for Everyone with comic mischief (anticipated)
Age range: 8-12
Platform: Nintendo DS
Retail: $29.99 Cdn (anticipated)

In Disney Stitch Jam, Stitch must embark on rhythm-based missions that take place in stunning locations, from tropical beaches to outer space, and defeat Dr. Hamsterviel in an epic galactic showdown to save his kidnapped girlfriend, Angel. Disney Stitch Jam is also equipped with two-player co-operative play via download, which means two players can play with one game and play as Stitch and Angel.

Disney Stitch Jam, DS
Release date: March 2010
Rating: E for Everyone with comic mischief
Age range: 6-12
Platform: Nintendo DS
Retail: TBD

All four games are due out in March which will be great as a March break boredom buster.

My seven-year old will be turning eight in April. I know, that’s a few months away, but we thought we’d be taking a trip to celebrate her birthday that’s why we were talking about it now. It turns out she doesn’t want to go away but instead wants to host a party at home. Remember last year, when I hosted her birthday, my very first at home party? It was a great success even though it was a lot of work; I was exhausted at the end of the two hours. But if I could do it last year, I could do it again this year, right?

So after dinner my daughter and I sat down to talk about what she wanted to do. See, my daughter gets these great big ideas in her head which is fine but I’m the one that has to fulfill them so I wanted to set expectations early. She wants to throw another Webkinz themed birthday party like last year, but with different things. The only thing different from last year is she wants to control the party.

I know what you’re thinking: So what, it’s her birthday. It should be what she wants it to be. You’re right, but the parent in me, the one who has to gathers all the elements and buys all the supplies and makes all the decorations and deals with the upset child when it doesn’t turn out the way she wants, that parent stepped in and started taking control. Needless to say, my daughter took this as taking over HER party. We exchanged words, not pleasant ones, and she went to bed.

As I was getting the other two in bed I replayed the events in my head. I totally was taking over her party. I had set high expectations at the last party, the one I had more control over, and was worried her version wouldn’t live up to it. I felt awful. I went in and apologized. I explained that she could have the party anyway she wanted; it was her party and I would work with her to make it what she wanted. We talked about it. We apologized for the things we said. We hugged. We both realized we were getting wrapped up in The Party and forgetting the actual event: celebrating my daughter’s birthday.

Now my daughter is thinking of just having a few girls over for a play-date (movies, munchies and video games). I think that’s going to be a great birthday.