ATTENTION: All Space Explorers!

Well, anyone who can bring their own spacecraft. Google and several other sponsors are holding a contest to see who can build a robotic rover to send to the moon.

The real purpose of this contest is to pool together all the knowledge of our smartest people and reduce the cost of private space exploration. It won't make it affordable for the average person and not any time soon, but it is exciting to think that more than just a government astronaut can and will go into space. There is $30 million in prizes/sponsorship and the winner MUST have their rover land on the moon, travel 500 feet and send back pictures to Earth by the end of 2012. Now, you have to do all of the above before the cash is handed out, but think of how great it would be to be the first private person/organization/industry to do that!

There is also a kids version, so to speak, that Google is sponsoring. They can't win $30 million, but they can win $1,000 that can be used to go to the Global Conference on Educational Robotics held in 2008 or to cover part of the costs towards their 2009 Botball team registration.

Space exploration is an exciting idea for all of us. Google and the other sponsors are getting the average person just that much closer to actually reaching the stars.

Socialize much?

I have just spent the last 2 hours on the Ning social site updating my NaBloPoMo page. If any of you have ever wanted an internet solution to keeping in touch, but didn't want to use myspace or something very commericalized (not to mention not all content is for young eyes), then Ning is your solution. This site is just what everyone and every organization needs to post their pictures, videos, keeping in touch, updates, and the like. I discovered it just by being a blogger but I think everyone and all groups should join. Now you can keep in touch with grandpa and grandma and parents and college kids and long lost friends and school teachers and whoever. Just join Ning, make a group, look for other groups, and keep in touch with your life!!!

This is my first ever Fun Monday. And I heard from a little birdie (PENSIEVE) that it was about feet. Well, her exact words were:

Shoes tell a lot about a person and we wanna delve deeply into your soul sole. Photograph your favorite pair--or pairs--of shoes and tell us a little about why they're near and dear to your toes heart (I can't wait to see how Swampy ties this in to Breast Cancer Awareness!). Follow in Jenny's footsteps and make a foot-family portrait...show us your baby bronzed booties...let us see the shoes YOU HAD TO HAVE (but have never worn)...or all those grotesquely dyed-to-match formerly white satin bridemaid's shoes that were worn ONCE...the reinforced steel-toe boots that saved your big toe from being hacked off in that industrial "accident"...or, just take pictures of your nekkid feet--gnarly bunions, twin toes, or perfectly OPI-pedicured tootsies.

I wanted to take a picture of my kids and also the feet of their favorite things. Here are my daughter's doll's feet (can you guess the red and yellow foot...it is an oldie but a goodie doll?) Her feet are not there because she had a meltdown during picture time...but her feet are there in spirit. Next is me and he hubby's feet. I wanted our truck's feet (tires) to be there but we had some wicked rain so I couldn't get a picture...but here are a couple of pairs to represent us--we are Ma and Pa, the superstars! Next is our son and his transformers. I don't know about any of you who have 5 year old boys, but ours loves...i mean...LOVES...transformers. And last but not least is our 6 month old twin boys. Their favorite feet are still their own...they just discovered them and chew them as much as possible. So that is our family of feet. I hope I did my first fun monday right and I hope you all enjoyed. Now if you excuse me, I must check out everyone else's fun monday feet!

Mommy fun

I love playing outside with my kids. We went outside with some chalk in hand and was ready to have a chalking adventure. But...out of nowhere...all of a sudden...

was my kids very first catapiller...first one ever...our chalk time turned into

"mommy, how can i share my huge chalk with this little catapiller?"

and

"mommy, i love him and must keep him"

and

"mommy, can i put him in my pocket"

so i guess my mommy tip-o-the-day is life is what happens when you are busy making plans. (that isn't mine...i heard it on tv...but i don't know who it belongs to...but it is sssoooo right!)

Have you checked your recalled toys lately?

Surprise, Surprise, Surprise--there is yet another large and long and big list of recalled toys. We watched the new on NBC and the story was basically--The list is too long to put on TV but check our website. So CLICK HERE to check the latest round of recalls.

p.s. it makes me so mad when i have to throw away my son's favorite thomas the train stuff. sometimes i could just kick china in the teeth for not only making him cry when i throw his toys way, but more so for SUPPLYING TOYS THAT MAKES MY 4 CHILDREN SICK AND COULD KILL THEM!!!!!!!

anyhooo...check it out.

What are your kids watching?

OH MY GOSH! I just discovered this great site. So you remember the Nielseon ratings people? Well, now they have a website. You go there and you can either register and put your 2 cents in on t.v. shows, music, movies, etc. or you can go there and find out what others are saying about the stuff your kids are buying and putting in their heads. I put a scroll from the nielson site in my sidebar. I just think that this is a fantastic tool for parents to find out about all that stuff every kid just HAS to have. When your child goes to buy that new Foo Fighters CD or when they are going to watch High School Musical 2 at their friend's house, you can now go somewhere and find out what others are saying about it. So instead of the item's "Official Website" for information, you now have a place where someone who has actually seen or heard it can tell you all about it.

But just wait...you thought I was done...yea...well...this site has more than just T.V., movie, and CD information. The nielson people have now included Hollywood personalities and even internet sites in their lineup. I think it is about time there is a place where you can go to find out about all this stuff. And I don't think that only parents can use it. We, as bloggers, can use this site to find discover other sites and find out if they are right for our genre instead of wasting our time registering for a site and find out later we can't really use it. And it is not just about "digging" something, but you find out why someone loves it or why they want to "bury" it, so to speak. I don't know about you (well, if you are into blogging and all of cyberspace as I am, I do know...), but I don't have alot of free time. Between my kids, hubby, blogging, reading, e-mail, marketing, running errands, business building, dishes, and laundry, i TREASURE my free time. This site would allow me to find out if any t.v. show, movie, CD, w.w.w. sites or even something staring someone famous, is actually worth me not hanging out with my kids. I guess in short, I like this site and feel it is about time.

Check out the sidebar!!!

I had to publish some more pages for this blog. The links are in my sidebar in the --This ol' Iowa girl's favorite fantastic family fun cyberspace links!--list. I am going to add stuff there everyday ( hopefully). But I thought I would just mention my sidebar...just in case you were just skimming the titles. I would not want you to miss anything awesome!