Ever since the day I got pregnant, my husband has been ready to go to Disney World. I've always said we should wait to go until Jackson is older and can remember the trip, but after learning about a new theme park today, I'm thinking maybe the trip will be sooner rather than later. Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling has given the go-ahead for a Hogwarts theme park to be built in Orlando -- but don't start packing the bags just yet... it's not set to open until 2009. The park will feature themes from the books like the Hogwarts castle, the village of Hogsmeade (The Three Broomsticks, anyone??) and the Forbidden Forest. No word yet if we'll be able to catch a game of Quidditch or use portkeys to get around the park (wouldn't that be nice... no aching feet or walking for miles!) According to park officials, the experience would be one of a kind and give kids (parents too!) a feel for what it would be like to attend the school. If you or your kids need to get a Harry Potter fix before the park opens, don't forget the 7th and final book "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" is being released July 21st and the 5th movie "The Order of the Phoenix" opens nationwide July 13th.

I almost don't know what it's like to watch 'live' TV anymore... that is since I got a DVR. Sure, my early bedtime doesn't allow me to stay up late to watch some of my favorite shows, but even for shows that are on when I'm awake, I'll purposely record so I can fast forward through the commercials. The DVR has been an advertisers worst nightmare. I've seen several reports lately about how advertisers and networks are getting creative to keep people's attention through the commercial breaks. What some networks have planned is making commercials shorter... way shorter. If commercials are only 5 to 10 seconds, by the time you pick up the remote to fast forward, you'll already have seen the advertisement... so network execs. are hoping people will just stop fast-forwarding.

Some other tactics they are going to start using more.. which you might have already seen.. is making the commercials look like programming. I can't remember what program I was watching, but it was last year sometime... I remember there was a commercial set in the same setting as the program I watching and I didn't even realize it was a commercial until about 20 to 30 seconds in. I'm sure it cost a bit more money to create that kind of advertisement, but it kept my attention... too bad I can't remember what it was now! :)

Another thing I've noticed that we'll see more of in the future is little snippets of shows during commercial breaks. Here are a couple of examples I've noticed lately -- during "Scrubs" they'll have funny interviews with the cast during the commercials breaks. I always end up rewinding and watching them... which then causes me to catch a commercial or two trying to find the interview. Also, during the "Girls Next Door" (yes, I watch that show and it's actually pretty funny!) they show outtakes during the commercial breaks to keep the viewer's attention. Ads or products are also being integrated right into shows. What would "The Apprentice" have been if it weren't for product placement? Those types of things seem to be working, at least for me. Of course, there's always the Super Bowl where the commericals are the best part.

While working out the other day, the ladies at the gym I go to were talking about all of the great movies coming out this summer. I didn't realized there were so many good ones! I usually don't go to the movies very often (last time I went to the movies was last summer I think... can't even remember what movie it was), but I already want to see a record number of movies this summer. There are so many that I really must see because they are part of a trilogy... I've got to find out how the story ends! First, as you know, Spider-Man 3 just opened a couple of weeks with record numbers. Here's a list of a few other big releases this summer...

Shrek the Third - opens May 18th
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End - May 25th
Ocean's 13 - June 8th
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - July 14 (just one week before the last book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, goes on sale)
The Bourne Ultimatum - August 3rd

One place I have grown to love over the past couple of years is the drive-in theatre on Hwy 112 in Fayetteville. They usually have the latest releases and you get to watch 2 movies for one price. If you've never been, you should really try it sometime. It is a great family place because kids can stretch their legs and walk around, as opposed to having to sit still in one place during an entire movie.. if you have kids, you know that can be a challenge. Hopefully I'll be able to make it to at least a few of these movies.. but if not, there's always Netflix! See you at the drive-in.

By the way.. if you go to the drive-in, get there early or you'll be waiting in a long line of cars to get in!

Like any parent would, I make sure my child is well protected when we head out in the sun. In fact, I might be a little overprotective... Jackson usually wears SPF30 in the shade! Now if I could only take care of my skin like I take care of my son's. I was only out in the direct sun for about 30 minutes yesterday afternoon, but I look like I spent about 6 hours in the blazing sun without any sunscreen. When I was watching the news last night, Ted Zarras was talking about how high the UV Index was. Sunday it was a 10 on a scale of 1 to 11, with 11 being the highest. That means you can burn in as little as 10 to 15 minutes.... if I had only known that before I went outside! So I did some research this morning and there is a great website where you can sign up for UV Index alerts. The EPA will send you an email letting you know when you need to be extra careful while outside in the sun. Here's the link... EPA SunWise Program

By the way, if you have a pretty bad burn like myself right now, a viewer called in this morning with a home remedy... I'll be trying this later today to see if it works for me... let's hope it does! Here it is... dab white vinegar on your burn with a sponge, wait 30 minutes and then wash it off. It should then turn that burn into a tan.

I never put much thought into this subject until I became a mom, but I just don't think young children should watch a lot of TV. A recent report says that about 40% of babies under 3 months old are regular TV watchers. That statistic jumps to 90% for children 2 years old and younger. That is shocking to me. Jackson is just 7 months old, but he certainly hasn't had any 'TV time' yet. Sure, the TV may be on in my house when we're playing on the floor or during meals (I know, I know, that's awful, but I'll admit I have an addiction for the news.. and Oprah!)... but I wouldn't consider that real TV viewing time, just background noise. I want to know what exactly these kids are watching to be considered regular TV watchers. There are a lot of cartoons and some shows that can be educational, but do kids under 2 really need to watch them on a regular basis? I think a lot more can be learned from doing and watching other people, kids, even animals in person than on a TV. My husband does turn on the news in the morning for Jackson while he's getting ready so he can watch 'mommy', so in that sense he is a regular TV viewer of 40/29 News Sunrise.. but that doesn't count does it?!? :)

By the way, according to the report, it's never been proven that the educational programs or shows designed just for babies actually benefit them or help their brain development, even though parents in the survey thought they would.

Times are a changin' in France. A new president has been elected and he is vowing to strengthen the relationship with the Untied States. Nicolas Sarkozy will replace Jacques Chirac, who was once a close ally of the first President Bush. As you may remember though, when the United States decided to invade Iraq in 2003, France deeply opposed the idea.. which of course led to the creation of Freedom Fries (even though french fries were created in Belgium) and Freedom Toast to show our displeasure for their lack of support. But that era is over and France has voted for change. Sarkozy is vowing to be harder on criminals and terrorists and has said that he'll stand with the United States when it comes to fighting terrorism. So will one of our oldest friends become a close friend again? Only time will tell, but at least Sarkozy is trying to make amends and start anew.

It is a tough job being a stay-at-home mom. I get home from work in the late morning/early afternoon to begin my second job. I wouldn't really call it a job though because it is the favorite part of my day and truly the most wonderful thing that has ever happened to me... but that doesn't mean I'm not exhausted and ready for bed at the end of the day... and that's only a part-time stay-at-home mom. I really do believe I have the best of both worlds... I love being able to work and I love my job.. but I also get to spend a lot of quality time with Jackson. That said, being with Jackson is the hardest job I have, but also the most rewarding. Trying to entertain your children and provide them with the best and most fun learning experiences possible is hard enough, but then you have to think of all of the house work... cooking, cleaning, endless loads of laundry... that has to get done each day, it can be overwhelming. If only we could get paid for all of that work! I always find it so interesting when Salary.com's yearly estimate comes out on what stay-at-home moms would make if they were paid. This year it is $138,095... that's payment for work as a housekeeper, cook, day care center teacher, laundry machine operator, van driver, facilities manager, janitor, computer operator, chief executive officer and psychologist. The salary includes a 3% increase from 2006 and is for a 92 hour work week... which is the amount of time the study says a mom works. According to the report, a mom who also works full-time outside the home, would earn an additional $85,939 for all of the work that's done at home. Now where can I sign up for that?