Weblogs Inc : Tag mothersday

Mother's Day greeting on Times Square billboard

I anticipate a new advertising gimmick unfurled on Times Square yesterday will go national at the speed of light. Thompson Reuter linked its digital billboard to its web site, then invited people to upload photos of their mothers and accompanying greetings. These photos and greetings were then displayed on the billboard for five seconds apiece on Mother's Day. The company did not charge for this service, but is offering to sell photos of the display to those who uploaded the materials for $69 each.

The idea of posting individual messages on large billboards has been used to great profit in sports stadiums for some time, but the idea of integrating it with an online application dramatically expands the marketing possiblities. If I were Amazon, I'd be buying space on such billboards across the country, and offer my customers the chance to upload their portraits. Gee, to see my own picture overlooking the I-70/I-71 split, just for buying a couple of books...

Thanks to Advertising Age.

It came from the Blog: Revenge of the Orc-Moms

Last Sunday, It came from the Blog celebrated Mother's Day by taking a bunch of female Orcs to the Barrens and telling "Your Mom" jokes. I had a lot of fun and discovered that my ICFTB guildies were very creative. Daniel Whitcomb also joined us with Okasama, his Orc-Mom.

On Saturday, I was on the WoW Insider Show with Mike, Turpster, Amanda Dean and her mom, Linda Emrys and we discussed what we would be doing for the event. Turpster joked that we would be telling jokes such as "Your Mom is so supportive, she's like a suspension bridge." I contradicted him on the show, but he ended up being right to a point. Many of the jokes did begin "Your Mom is so cool..." and "Your Mom is so hot...", but there were of course plenty of "Yo mama is so fat..." and the like, as well.

Wednesday wedding wrap-up: May 14, 2008

Wednesday Wedding Wrap-up is a weekly roundup of highlights from the past week, covering wedding blogs and websites, reality TV, even particularly hot scoop right here at AisleDash. Think we missed something? Leave your favorite highlight in the comments!

First of all, we wouldn't want you to forget our coverage of Jenna Bush's wedding to Henry Hagar! We were so anxious to see the dress, and we weren't disappointed.

Bridezilla has six vows modern brides should make to themselves -- do you agree, or do you have some other vows you think you'd rather make?

In honor of Mother's Day, Manolo for the Brides started a discussion about the role Mom plays in the wedding, which makes us want to know whether you consider your mother indispensable or in the way.

Offbeat Bride has breakdancing groomsmen. Seriously, why aren't you already clicking?

From the New York Times: Planning a wedding without mom

This touching column by Julie Buxbaum appeared in the Mother's Day issue of the The New York Times. In it, the author shares her conflicting emotions as she plans her wedding 16 years after her mother's death. The more she tries to be calm about all the hoopla surrounding the wedding, the more she realizes that American weddings are not really about the bride and groom but about mothers and daughters.

Needless to say, it's a difficult time fraught with surprising emotional minefields; the question of how to include her mother looms large in every decision, from invitation wording to the size of the guest list.

Do you agree with the author when she says that weddings are more about mother-daughters than the bride and groom? How involved has your mother been in the wedding planning? If you've lost your mother, how have you incorporated her memory into the event?

Jette's Mom: Dr. Zhivago

(In honor of Mother's Day, we're launching a series of posts today written, in part, by our mothers after we asked them one simple (yet very complex) question: What's your favorite movie and why?)

I don't quite understand how I knew, when I asked my mom about her favorite film, that she was going to pick Doctor Zhivago. But I guessed it immediately. She's never mentioned it as a favorite. Maybe it's because when she talks about Omar Sharif in that film, she gets this faraway look that you see when someone's reminiscing about a movie they've loved for a long time. Maybe someday we can watch it together, preferably in a theater. Here's what Mom replied when I asked her about her favorites.

"The first movies that popped into my mind were Great Expectations (1946), Citizen Kane, and Jane Eyre (1944). I must really be living in the past! I just thought they were great movies. But the sentimental me settled on Doctor Zhivago. That was a great epic, had fantastic panoramic scenes, great scenery, and was a wonderful love story. The music was very good and it didn't hurt that I had fallen in love with Omar Sharif in Lawrence of Arabia and loved him in this too. In fact, I thought this was well cast and the acting was great!"

Eugene's Mom: The Godfather

(In honor of Mother's Day, we're launching a series of posts today written, in part, by our mothers after we asked them one simple (yet very complex) question: What's your favorite movie and why?)

I take a lot of credit for my mom's burgeoning cinephilia. Used to be that she'd balk at anything remotely suspenseful, frightening or "unpleasant" (I think because she makes herself so emotionally available when she watches a movie that a nasty one can really wound), but I'm happy to report that last year, she voluntarily sat through No Country for Old Men, and even enjoyed it. When I asked her to name her favorite movie, she rattled off a list long enough that I had to stop her and tell her that this isn't the assignment. When I insisted she narrow it down to one, she regretfully cast off House of Games, You Can Count on Me and The Savages (Laura Linney is beloved in the Novikov household), and landed on The Godfather. By the end of the movie, she says, she feels like one of the family -- which is slightly terrifying, but I can see what she means. She tells me, "I can watch it every day and never get tired of it;" I believe her. And I'm awfully proud of her choice.

Not your mother's mom club

Adventure Moms is a group of mothers. Sure, there are tons of mommy groups out there, organizing playdates, taking stroller walks around the local mall, discussing the latest parenting books. This one, however, is different. The group plans less traditional mommy outings such as rock climbing, sea kayaking, and fencing.

Naturally, they leave the kids at home for these activities. "Having kids is an adventure in itself," said thirty-nine-year-old Jenn Keohane, a mother of two. "It's so all-consuming, you lose a part of yourself, the person you used to be before you had them. By the time my kids got out of the baby phase, I realized something was missing." The group, she added, "enabled me to get back a little of what I used to have. Even though it's only half a day once a month."

Mind you, everything on their list is either something I've enjoyed doing in the past or would love to do. Alas, since having kids, such opportunities are few and far between. If you're in the same boat, perhaps you should consider starting a similar group in your area. And if anyone wants to start an Adventure Dads group, by all means, let me know.

Most powerful lesbian moms

Generally speaking, moms have a lot of power at home. Some moms, however, wield a lot of power outside the home too, and that takes a lot of effort and determination. Dana over at Mombian has compiled a list of the most powerful lesbian moms in America. These are women who are not only caring for their kids, but are also making a difference in the world.

The list includes a lot of women we hear about all the time -- Melissa Etheridge, Mary Cheney, Rosie O'Donnell -- as well as some you might not have heard of at all -- Lisa Brummel (senior vice president for human resources at Microsoft), Megan Smith (vice president of new business development at Google), and Karla Drenner (Georgia State Representative).

Of course, everyone's definition of power is different, but I think we can all agree that these are women who are definitely higher up on the ladder than most. And if that weren't enough, they're also all moms -- probably the most challenging and difficult job on the planet. Cheers to all of them!

Erik's Mom: Annie Hall

(In honor of Mother's Day, we're launching a series of posts today written, in part, by our mothers after we asked them one simple (yet very complex) question: What's your favorite movie and why?)

The first film I ever watched with my parents was Annie Hall. I was three. I'd go on to watch bits and pieces of it throughout the years (my mother always had it on), but it wasn't until later in life that I came to really appreciate everything this film represents and all that it means for my eccentric Jewish family from New York. So when I asked my mother for her favorite movie, I already knew this would be the first one out of her mouth ...

"At that time, I related to Annie Hall. I always dressed differently; was always trying to better myself. We were hip, your Dad and I; we lived in the city and I even had a Bloomingdale's card that Daddy was always trying to take away from me. I just saw myself in this film. I went to school, but never finished -- not only was Woody Allen at his best when he made this film, but he also captured this time in New York City perfectly. A close second after Annie Hall would be The Big Chill -- because I never graduated college and I never had a group of friends like that, so I was always drawn to that movie. And the soundtrack ... how do you beat that soundtrack?"

Forgot Mother's Day? Think pink...leather that is.

A pink leather motorcycle jacket, is the perfect gift for someone's mom out there, and so fantastic we know you'll be forgiven when it arrives a couple of days late.

Want to make it really special? Pick up the matching chaps in pink or pale pink or supersoft pale pink lambskin. The whole outfit comes in under $300 and will last a lifetime. Or at least seem like it.

Jammin Leather, "the first and largest online leather catalog" has several pink leather items including hats and a lot of stuff with fringe.

Remember, the gift that will bring a tear to her eye is out there, you just have to keep looking. Happy Mother's Day!

Mom movies

Sadly, there appears to be a dearth of movies that feature female leads at all, let alone mothers, except, perhaps, on the Lifetime channel. As XKCD points out, the ratio of male-to-female lead roles is definitely out of whack. Can you think of a big-budget film with a female lead (where the female wasn't just a love interest)? Sure, there's Tomb Raider and The Devil Wears Prada, but for every movie like that, there are literally dozens -- if not hundreds -- of movies with male leads.

Now consider the plight of the mother in Hollywood. Or, rather, lack thereof. Moms seem to be just an afterthought. Someone to give context to the male lead's homelife. Frankly, that kind of sucks. Still, I was able to come up with some maternal movies for Mother's day. Take a look at my list and then see if you can add any more in the comments.

Mother's Day recipes

Today is my very first Mother's Day as a mom and it's been wonderful. My son (adopted at age 10) made me a card at school and he picked flowers for me yesterday. Today, he's granting my Mother's Day wish by entertaining himself while I work and not begging me to take him to the skate park or the arcade or any of the other places he likes to haunt.

Later, we'll be getting together with my whole family. I have three sisters so, together with our mom, we're a whole house full of moms. As typical with my family, we're going to be celebrating with a potluck. I know one sister is making a lemon pie for dessert and another is making this delicious homemade bread, so I'm determined to bring some healthy dishes to pass.

For starters, I'm going to bring my sesame asparagus. Once upon a time, I'm sure there was an official recipe for it, but I've made it so often I've long stopped measuring and just make it from memory. Here's a similar recipe, though. Cooking Light has many other healthy recipe suggestions for Mother's Day.

How much is your mom worth?

Salary.com has a cute little tool that lets you find out how much your mom's services at home are worth. You enter in the number of children and their age ranges, and you identify whether or not she's has a job outside the home. I did a calculation for a stay-at-home mom with one small child and one school-age child.

Her value? In the range of $64,374 and $174,061 per year. You can even take it a step further by entering your zip code and getting a local estimate. And the highlight of the whole exercise? Printing a fake check to give to your mom to let her know that you appreciate everything she does.

For the most part, this is just a fun post to honor mom's holiday. But I can add one practical tip for readers. When buying life insurance, don't forget the value of the stay-at-home mom. Many families make the mistake of only buying a substantial policy on the dad, if he's the "breadwinner" for the family. They forget that if something happens to mom, a considerable amount of money could be spent on child care and household help. Make sure mom is covered with life insurance too!

Tracy L. Coenen, CPA, MBA, CFE performs fraud examinations and financial investigations for her company Sequence Inc. Forensic Accounting, and is the author of Essentials of Corporate Fraud.

Cinematical Presents: Our Mother's Day Tribute!

Most of the time, our earliest memories of film have something to do with our parents. Personally, I wouldn't be half the movie nerd I am today if it weren't for my mother and father. My mother took me to see my first film in an actual theater (E.T.), as well as my first drive-in movie (Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom). While my father was off at work, she sat through the Star Wars films (even though she never got them) and never complained a bit when I'd insist on watching the live-action Popeye for 8-10 hours in a row, six days a week, when I was a small boy. (I was addicted to Popeye, by the way.)

With that said, today is Mother's Day, and all across internet movieland you'll see lists of the best movie moms, the worst movie moms, the best films to watch with your mother, the hottest celebrity moms, and so on and so forth. We here at Cinematical decided to do things a bit differently this year, and instead of shoveling out another list based on one of the above topics, we've gone ahead and given the site over to our moms for the day. Oh yes, we're nutty like that. Basically, we asked our moms to tell us, in their own words, what their favorite movie is and why. So, throughout the day, you'll see posts from a number of our writers ... with one noticeable difference: the majority of said post will be written by that writer's mother.

So this one is for all our moms (and all the hard-working moms out there who read Cinematical on a daily basis). Thanks for being there, and thanks for being you. Love ya!

DS Daily: Mother's Day

It's Mother's Day today in the U.S. (and perhaps in other countries around the world, too), so it's only fitting to inquire about our readers' moms. So, does your mother own a DS? If so, what led her to getting Nintendo's handheld? What games does she like? (My own mom is a big fan of Tetris and Flash Focus, but that's about it.)

Do you think the DS is a mom-friendly system? If so, what games do you recommend for moms? Also, share any other Mother's Day related thoughts here, folks.

Wii Warm Up: A day for moms

It's that time of year again: Mother's Day!

So, we thought we'd ask: has your mother ever played the Wii? If so, what games does she like? If not, do you think there are any games she might enjoy? Perhaps Wii Fit?

Go ahead and share any Mother's Day related thoughts here!

Labor, delivery, and a bikini wax

Women going through childbirth might as well check their modesty at the door. Depending on how you handle your own labor experience, any number of medical professionals, friends, and family members may be privy to parts of your body that you yourself need a mirror and an awkward angle to see.

Then, afterward, the cameras come out. The baby is cute and the husband is dressed and well-rested, but mom? Well, if your pictures look like mine, you look sweaty, pale, and exhausted.

According to the New York Post, some moms -- influenced by today's celebrity mom lifestyle -- are taking steps to look their best in their post-labor pictures. Some are even planning appointments around their due date, making sure that they have fresh manicures, pedicures, hairstyles, and even bikini waxes.

T-Shirts for Mom!

Whit Honea is a slacker, a borderline degenerate, and a daydream believer. He's also our resident expert on casual chic. If it's comfortable, and not heinous, he's all over it. He's quite charming, really (and he loves his momma!)

First of all, today is Mother's Day- have you called yours? We'll wait.

Okay, that was a close one. Now back to the matter at hand, the Mother's Day commemorative t-shirt. The good news is that the Internet is full of options for Mom, the bad news is that they are mostly crap. Actually, that's about the way it is for most things on the Internet. It's not personal, Mom. Here are some of the better prints:

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Mother's Day

As the green movement becomes increasingly popular, a growing number of celebrities are using their fame to raise awareness about environmental issues.

The Daily Grind: Gaming moms are win!

We'd like to take this morning to /salute the gaming moms (and grandmas) out there. From some members of our staff who have gaming moms, to other members of the staff who are gaming moms, they are becoming more and more common in the MMOG/VW landscape. We know moms who run guilds in EverQuest, raids in World of Warcraft, create beautiful virtual world content in Second Life, mod large gaming forums, theorycraft, and everything in between!

Today, we'd love to hear about any gaming moms you know; friends, guildmates or family! Do the gaming moms in your circle rock the arena? Are they the awesome guild moms who help new players out? Perhaps you are a mom who can tell us about your gaming life as a mom. Whatever the flavor, we here at Massively hope all the moms out there enjoy a day full of epic loot, good times, and lots of pampering! (Also, if you forgot it was Mother's Day in the US and Canada, you still have time to get to the store and get a card!)