If you have children, or if you were ever a child yourself, you most likely played with Play-Doh.  The most famous toys in history are immortalized in the National Toy Hall Of Fame….and yes, Play-Doh is there!

Introduced in 1956, Play-Doh is the creation of  Joe  McVicker, who created a modeling clay from wallpaper paste for his sister’s preschool class. The kids were looking for a more “user-friendly” clay and it became an instant hit!

Play-Doh was first sold at Woodward and Lothop Department Stores in Washington D.C. in a 1 1/2 pound can, and only in White! In one short year it was reintroduced  in primary colors; Red, Yellow and Blue.

One of Hasbro’s jewels, the formula for Play-Doh stays a very guarded secret today after being pateneted in 1965, ten years after it hit the market.

What makes Play-Doh so special?  Everything! It is easy to keep soft…just remember to keep it sealed in it’s airtight containers.  (Even a ziplock baggie will keep it fresh)  Want to immortalize your creation?  Leave it open to the air overnight and it will harden. Unfortunately, most of us learned that lesson the hard way though, right?

But the best thing about Play-doh is that you can make ANYTHING with it. I’m from the generation that didn’t have the fancy products with the food makers and shape and animal molds. I had to make my own hamburgers…and grasshoppers…and  aliens.  Somehow they all turned out brown! Well, that’s what you get when you mix version of blue and red and yellow…duh! It didn’t matter. They were all works of art and I couldn’t have been more proud of my designs.

But whether you remember your Play-Doh creations or not, I will bet you money there is one thing you won’t ever forget…the SMELL of Play-Doh.  (You just nodded your head and had a major flashback, right?) Just in case I have tempted you to run out and buy a can just to be able to open it up and take a big whiff, here’s another option.  

 Play-Doh actually markets it’s own Perfume Spray. Seriously! Another product where I have to question “Now, why didn’t I think of that?”  It was created for the 50th birthday of the modeling clay,  is distributed through Perpetual Kid and Demeter retailers and is available in 1oz. bottles. I can only guess that you could be THE  topic of conversation if you decided to spray yourself and then head out to a cocktail party!  Although, if you are a kindergarten teacher, it might be just the trick to get the kids to love you unconditionally.

It is estimated that 900 million pounds of Play-Doh have been sold to date. I think I can personally claim a couple hundred pounds all by myself..between my exquisite artistic creations and the globs of Play-doh left behind in the rug of my childhood bedroom. I’m sure my mom wishes she had the internet all those years ago to look up How to Get Play-Doh out of carpets!

Enjoy National Play-Doh Day on September 18th. We should all celebrate the kid inside us!

NOTE: Do you have a child ten years or younger who loves Play-Doh?  Visit “Ready Go Play-Doh“ to find out how to win a $10,000 grand prize and Daily Giveaways. GOOD LUCK!!!

It’s National Yellow Pig Day!  It’s National Yellow Pig Day!

What the **** is National Yellow Pig Day?

See, I’ve got your attention.

Regular old “National Pig Day” is always March 1st…as I’m sure all of my followers know.  I mean, of course we all celebrate and give thanks for domesticated pigs. (I have to admit, I thought they meant my kids, but then I realized they meant REAL pigs…with the curly tails and everything!)

But NYPD (National Yellow Pig Day, not the TV series) is something totally different.  It is a Mathmetician’s Ho

liday founded by Michael Spivak and David C. Kelly in the early 1960’s.  While at Princeton University (they must have been fairly smart guys) they were listing properties of the number “17″ and during this exciting mind provoking activity, the Yellow Pig was born.  Most likely it had 17 of everything…toes, eyes, curly tails etc.  Since then, the Yellow Pig and the number

 17 have been linked for all eternity.  Since I didn’t get into Princeton, I’m not smart enough to follow the logic, but I will take Michael and David’s word that this all makes sense and we should therefore celebrate the union of the Yellow Pig and “17″.

In honor of this special day, I have chosen a few very specific things to do to celebrate.  First off, I will call each of my children and wish them a Happy NYPD.  (Sorry, I still can’t help making the connection when I think of pigs..yellow or not.). Secondly, I will do everything in multiples of 17…I will try to find matches for at least 17 of the mismatched socks in my laundry room, I will limit the times I go up and down my household stairs to 17 (it’s usually much higher in a day and a

ll I can hope is that my 17th trip is UP so I can sleep in my own bed tonight), I will ONLY play 17 games of “Scramble” on Facebook (I’m completely addicted and this one will be hard), and I will promise to eat 17 Double Stuff Oreos before the end of the day.  Hey, Someone’s got to do it!!!!!

Should you find yourself wanting to celebrate this increasingly popular holiday with me, please let me know what YOU are going to do 17 times today. If you are stumped you can always “retweet” the following for me… #SAVETHEYELLOWPIGS!

National Ventriloquism Week is July 16th-19th.  The first thing you may notice is that this Holiday does not span an entire week…but what can you expect from a bunch of Dummies!

Ventriloquism dates back to a religious practice. The name comes from the Latin for to speak from the stomach; the Greeks called this gastromancy (Greek: εγγαστριμυθία). The noises produced by the stomach were thought to be the voices of the dead, who took up residence in the stomach of the ventriloquist. The ventriloquist would then interpret the sounds, as they were thought able to speak to the dead, as well as to foretell the future. Hmmm, the early generations of entertainers!!!! People will do anything for a buck!

So why should we celebrate them nationally? Well, they’re funny! Looking back, I think every young boy or girl at one time wished they could master the art of Ventriloquism, and playing with puppets has always been a favorite.  Admit it, those Dummies say the things we’d love to be able to get away with!  

We are lead to believe that Ventriloquists “Throw their Voice”, but of course in reality they don’t.  Ventriloquist’s rely on the same principles that  Movie Theaters do. Studies at the Department of Physiology at the University of Sydney have been conducted to show that our brains believe that the voices are indeed coming directly from the mouths of the actors, not the speakers located throughout the theater. Cool, huh? We’ll believe anything if it is entertaining enough!

Of course today, we most often see Ventriloquists as night club acts.  They aren’t channeling witches or demons anymore, but merely trying to make us laugh…which most of the time they do!

From the early years of “Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy” (gotta love the Coca-Cola intro on this one), to “Senor Wences with Johnny and Pedro” ( who were around long enough to perform on both The Ed Sullivan Show AND the Muppet Show), all the way to Jeff Dunham and Achmed the Dead Terrorist, (you know you’ve watched it on YouTube…more than once!) Ventriloquists will continue to make us laugh and amaze us with their talents.

If you believe you might have what it takes to become a Ventriloquist, visit the National Ventriloquist’s Association and take a look at some of the products they have to hone in on your skills.  No, I’m not an affiliate for them, just a fan.

But wait! 

Maybe I have a future as a Ventriloquist after all…have you seen my lips move ONCE while on my blog?

(FYI: I’m the Dummy on the Left!)

Happy National Ventriloquist’s Week!

It was going to be a busy day today.  Needed to go out to the beach to take some pictures for a client and knew it was going to be hot as ****!  Decided the way to do this was to put on my bathing suit and coverup…and just head on out.  I was going to get sweaty and sandy…what was the point?

The shoot went well.  Just me and the beach and some rocks. Looks like I had gotten everything I needed. And I had been right about the heat. I was dripping wet, hair totally askew from the wind off the water…I was a mess.

So I got home, downloaded the pictures, patted myself on the back for some really good ones, and continued editing for an hour or two…until I realized I still had to run and pick up a few things before hubby got home this evening.

As I pulled out of my driveway, I knew.  I didn’t care anymore!  I still hadn’t showered, no makeup, hair a mess, and I just didn’t care.  Gone were the days of checking my lip gloss before heading out to the mailbox…just in case I ran into a neighbor. Yes, you girls know what I’m talking about!

But by the time I got to Walgreens I realized, it wasn’t that I didn’t care any more. It was that I’ve learned to care about different things.  It’s 100 degrees out today, and to my amazement, just about everyone I saw in Walgreens looked pretty rumpled. And I didn’t think anything of it.  We were all going about our daily lives…and we were all sweating!

I guess with age comes a security and a knowledge that even if I DID take an hour to get ready to go out into public, most likely people aren’t going to react that differently to me. Gone are my days of guys whistling at me…instead good looking guys the ages of my sons hold open the door or ask if they can help me out with my groceries.

Some days it bothers me. But days like today, I don’t care! I’ve earned my wrinkles and “chins”. I’m headed to the shower now finally, and by the time I have pizza with friends tonight, I’ll be gorgeous.  But I’ve finally given myself permission to go out in public in whatever condition I happen to be in … if need be … at least to Walgreens!

THANK GOD I DIDN’T SEE ANYONE I KNOW!!!!!

There have been many “Most Important Days” in my life…the day I gave up my Blankie, the day I learned to drive, the first day of Kindergarten, the day I graduated college,  the day I first learned I was pregnant….but…

June 19th, 1985, was the Most Important Day of My Life. I became a parent and my world had changed forever. I now had to figure out answers to life’s questions. Will I know when he’s hungry or needs a diaper change? Is his head  going to stay this lopsided forever? Who will help him with his algebra homework? What if I don’t like the girl he marries?

What I learned on June 19, 1985, was that you DON’T become a parent overnight. It’s a process, and that process is why it was the Most Important Day of My Life.

Until the birth of my 2nd child, which was the Most Important Day of My Life. I became the parent of TWO Sons. How would I ever get a good night’s sleep again? Would it stunt #2 son’s intellectual growth if he had to wear hand-me-downs? How would I know “Who Hit Who” first”?  What if they BOTH married girls I didn’t like, and then moved far, far away?

I had taken another step in the process.

Until the birth of my 3rd child, which was the Most Important Day of My Life.  I had a Daughter. What if she never grew any hair and stayed bald? What if she hated the name we picked out for her? How many Barbie’s should you really buy for  a one year old? What if we couldn’t find the wedding dress she always dreamed about?

Each day with my children is the Most Important Day of My Life.  I continue to learn from them. They’ve taught me much more than I could ever teach them and that’s how it should be.   Without me, they would have grown hair, they would have survived sibling rivalry, they would have learned not to pull the cat’s tail, they even would have learned (eventually) how to clean their room and fold laundry. They would have learned to spell without my quizzing them in the car on the way to school. And they would have learned to walk without me, even though I  like to believe that it was my outstretched hand that was the prompt to their first steps.

But without them, I wouldn’t know how important it is to drive back to a friend’s house at midnight to retrieve “nite-nite bear”  so maybe, finally, everyone can get some sleep. I wouldn’t know how to convince a tired employee  as he is locking the grocery store door on Christmas Eve to let me in so that I can buy the plastic machine guns that I overheard my son telling my daughter that he secretly wrote to Santa about, just to see if he really IS real (even though I SWORE they weren’t getting ANY guns for Christmas). I wouldn’t know how horrible a trombone can sound during the first years of lessons, that ants can find their way up to a second floor bedroom and into a closet to find a dirty plate, that it’s hard to explain to teenagers why debit cards shouldn’t be used if they have no money in their accounts, even though the stores will take them. And I wouldn’t have felt the type of love that comes out of nowhere, true and unconditional. 

The Most Important Day of My Life will be tomorrow, because tomorrow my children will continue to have patience with me on my journey through the process. Tomorrow my children will continue to teach me how to be a parent.

But for today, June 19th, Happy Birthday Dan!

You were born on The Most Important Day of My Life!

Log onto one of the most popular Trending Topics of the last few days. #iremember.

I don’t always pay attention to the “Trending Topics” on Twitter. Some of the Trending Topics are too educational, or too political, or too silly, or too “trendy” for me to be bothered, but I have enjoyed watching #iremember.

What has surprised me is the number of people who continue to post to this.  I’ve been watching for days now, and it is still in the Trending Topics List. If you just want something to do for 5 minutes, check #iremember out and I promise you will be hooked.

Some of my favorites just over the last few minutes have been…

daniellarr #iremember when pluto was a planet

heyBECCA #iremember when coloring was considered homework !

SizzleMayfield #iremember… When my dad & grandma thought I was going 2 become a nun…lol..yeah

nevabinbetta RT #iremember when Santa Claus was real

RedPlagueRidYou #iremember when I told my teacher coconuts weren’t nuts because you don’t get hairy nuts…#iremember feeling Very Very Foolish…

Please, go back and send me your favorites and I’ll post an update in a day or two. Until then,  thanks to @TeeKey for the best post so far…

TeeKey #iremember when saying the first thing that came to your mind was considered a bad idea…now we type it on twitter for all the world to see!

Hurricane Season runs from June 1st to November 30th.  I’m not really suggesting that we “Celebrate” Hurricane Season. However, you SHOULD plan for it with the same detail that you would plan a big party! Maybe More!

I’ve lived in the Tampa Bay area for over 29 years and yes, we have been extremely lucky!  Having a house less than 2 blocks from the coast has kept us on our toes. We always “think” we’ve done everything to prepare, but when the warnings go into effect, we still scramble.  So it really is important to take care of the things that can be done ahead of time.  For example, if you wait to buy batteries, you just may be out of luck…because everyone is out buying batteries 12 hours before the hurricane hits!  Batteries for what you ask?  Oh my, you really do need some help to prepare, don’t you!

OK, so, it’s time to prepare for The Big One … Hurricane that is!

1.   HAVE A PLAN:  There are some excellent checklists to help you get started.  My favorite sites for information are the Big Three! I am not a Hurricane Preparedness Expert! So I rely on the REAL Hurricane Experts for the best information:

*National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

*NOAA National Weather Service (NWS)

*Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

2. KNOW YOUR EVACUATION INFORMATION: Depending on the location of your home, you may or may not need to evacuate. If you are in an Evacuation Zone however, find out what zone it is, and the locations you can evacuate to.  Many people would rather go to a friends house to ride out the storm.  If that is a possibility, it’s a good one! But if not, be prepared for a few hours or days in a local shelter. Most likely your local newspaper, radio and tv stations have plenty of good information free for the asking as well. Local information is critical as far as evacuation details are concerned!!!

3.   HELP FAMILY MEMBERS PREPARE. ESPECIALLY CHILDREN!  It’s important to keep children involved and informed in the event of a Hurricane. Let them be part of the early season preparations. FEMA has a great site for kids that is worth checking out.  When Hurricane Charley threatened the Tampa Bay Area several years ago, I called my kids from work and explained to them that we might be evacuating, quickly! I gave them one job.  I aksed them to go through their rooms and around the house and choose the items that they couldn’t bear to lose.  They were not to pick up more than what would fit into a 1 foot by 1 foot box.  Then I reminded them that Ipods, TV’s, books, sports equipment…all of that could be replaced.  They were to find the things that couldn’t be replaced or had significant sentimental value for them.  Long story short, we never did evacuate, but the action of them picking the items they held most dear was an incredible experience…for them as well as myself. I learned a great deal about my children on that day, which leads me to …

#4.   REMEMBER WHAT’S IMPORTANT! Your physical safety comes first of course!  Beyond that, most of the rest of it is STUFF! I am not suggesting that it’s easy to lose everything you have and start over from scratch.  The survivors of Hurricane Katrina would tar and feather me!!!! I’ve watched friends rebuild after disasters.  It truly is a test of faith and fortitude.  I NEVER want to go through it and hope that you don’t have to either! But with Hurricanes, we usually do have a bit of notice, so use that time wisely and really THINK about what your priorities are.  If you are told to evacuate, EVACUATE!  Then think “What are the things that can’t be replaced?”  You rarely hear someone on ABC News after a Hurricane has blown away their house saying “I can’t believe I lost my whole Tupperware Collection…how will I go on”?  Instead, you see them sifting thru any wreckage they can find, hoping to find a wedding picture or a baby album. Remember when I made my kids put together that box? I neglected to tell you that my oldest was 18 at the time…and his box consisted of his Prom Picture, his MIddle School Yearbook, his Saxophone (ok, it was bigger than the space requirements, but I allowed it…he is a phenomenal musician), and his Nite-Nite Bear.  I had no idea where Nite-Nite had been hiding all these years, but my son knew! And Nite-Nite wasn’t going to be left behind!!! (amongst some of the other items from my children…a rock collection, a rubber duck, 2 “blankies”, several diaries and sketch books, a 4-H Trophy  for the Grand Champion Swine, and the saved “stitch” from an emergency appendectomy…go figure!)

#5.  NOW THAT YOU KNOW IT’S IMPORTANT, PRESERVE IT! I won’t take the time to plug what I do for a living here. (Originally this blog was going to do that, but there really is too much information we all need on Hurricane Preparedness besides preserving our memories .) But I am all about SAVING AND PRESERVING YOUR MEMORIES! So if you do nothing else at the beginning of this Hurricane Season, start sorting through your old photos and albums and SCAN THEM TO CD OR DVD! Don’t forget to transfer the old home movies on VHS either!  And then while you are at it, make 2 copies and put one set in a safe deposit box or send them to a friend or family member in another part of the country for safe keeping! Hopefully you will never need that extra set…but if you do, you’ll be glad you took the time to do it. And while you’ve got photos on your mind, go around you house and take pictures of EVERYTHING. And THEN,  make sure you know where your camera is before, during and after the storm. Remember those batteries?  They aren’t just for radios!

Predictions for this Hurricane Season The December 2009 report estimates approximately 11-16 named storms, 6-8 hurricanes and 3-5 major hurricanes occurring during the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season, which is more typical of years in an active era, such as the 1995 season.

Remember, you can always replace a couch …   but … YOU ARE IRREPLACEABLE !

Please Stay Safe!

Vanilla Pudding actually has it’s own Day!  And it’s May 22nd!  So please join me in celebrating Vanilla Pudding!  Yay!

I’m not exactly sure why it’s called “National Vanilla Pudding Day” since I can find no actual proclamations, congressional records, not even any flyers in my hometown restaurants.  But if you Google “National Vanilla Pudding Day”  you’ll find references to it all over the place…Just no explanation! Doesn’t Matter! 

I am confident that you will know how to celebrate this momentous day, but if not, I’ve included my  ”List of Top 3 Ways to Celebrate “National Vanilla Pudding Day”

1. Eat Vanilla Pudding by yourself.

2. Eat Vanilla Pudding with lots of friends.

3. Eat Vanilla Pudding as a snack, a dessert, or as your actual main course.  It’s OK because “National Vanilla Pudding Day” only comes once a year! Splurge!

I do want to caution my readers however. Please don’t confuse today with “National Butterscotch Pudding Day”…that’s September 19. And it’s not “National Rice Pudding Day”…that’s celebrated on July 15. It’s not “National Tapioca Pudding Day” either. Well of course not!  You probably already knew that will be on August 9th. 

I would love for you to send me your Vanilla Pudding stories!  And if you are the creative type, check out allrecipes for great pudding and custard recipes. I hear Pudding is good even if it doesn’t come out of a box!

Oh, and by the way, “National Chocolate Pudding Day” is June 26th. You didn’t think I’d forget to mention that one did you? That’s only 4 weeks away…I’m already in planning mode!

Anyone have an extra spoon I can borrow????

Recently, a good friend of mine generously donated her professional time and talent to take photos of special Mother’s and their Children on Mother’s Day.

These were Mother’s who resided in a local abuse shelter.

They were Mothers and Sons and Daughters who may have left their homes with nothing more than the clothes on their backs, but had dreams of a new future.

They were women and children who would never forget where they had been. 

And they were individuals who would never forget the beautiful angel with a camera who captured a simple glimpse of their new life.

Never underestimate the Power of One Photograph!

Never underestimate the Power of Generosity!

Please visit http://www.lisasibley.com/