Browsing all posts in November, 2009.

Find: Extra Sturdy Wreath Hook

I have fought my last battle with the puny wreath hooks that are typically sold in stores. For one thing, they bend easily and are often too short for the door, situating the wreath too high on the door panels. For another, they feel cheap – maybe because they are – and they have to be replaced almost every year.
A couple of years [...]

Visit Oz in Hoover

NOTE: As of April, 2010, this McDonald’s completely remodeled. Alas, there’s no sign of a Yellow Brick Road any longer.
This year marks the 70th anniversary of the making of the classic movie, The Wizard of Oz, which created cultural icons in technicolor (Dorothy, Toto, and the bunch) and defined our mental image of a wicked witch. We couldn’t have [...]

Tis the Season to be Broke?

You know your paradigm has shifted when you commiserate more with Bob Cratchit rationing a single lump of coal than you rejoice with Ebenezer Scrooge in vowing to serve his fellow man and keep Christmas in his heart all the year.

Obviously a lot of folks are unemployed this season, and many who are working won’t be receivng the bonus they were [...]

Spots for Christmas Card Photos in Birmingham

Although the chore of sending holiday cards almost always falls to mom, receiving reciprocal cards makes it all worth the effort. The most welcome holiday cards are from the friends we see less than we’d like, either because they live elsewhere or because their orbits somehow don’t overlap ours. Cards with photos are the very best, whether they are part of the card itself or are just slipped into [...]

Double Dip for Discounts on Purchases

It’s common practice to receive a register tape with an offer for a gift card in return for completing an online or phone survey. Target, Home Depot, and Wal-Mart routinely offer a shot at a giveaways for your opinion.
Those are okay, but it’s apparent the odds winning that $500 bounty are unlikely given the number of entries or the infrequency of the award (sometimes [...]

Find: Ceramic Coffee Cup

Thanks to our coffee house culture, the mug is slowly being replaced by the lidded cup as the hot beverage vessel of choice. It almost feels unnatural now to stare at a computer screen and sip from anything without a white lid.This ceramic cup combines the best features of a lidded paper cup and the utility of a mug. It has a [...]

Thanksgiving Shout-Out to Lunchroom Staff

This week was Friends and Family day at the school. Several of us moms donned aprons and disposable gloves to help slop dressing and plate up special requests (what do kids have against sweet potatoes?) since the cafeteria would be serving more than twice its usual capacity. After all my years being at the mercy of lunch ladies, [...]

Find: Christmas Hairbows

Aren’t these the cutest things? Little girls who are weary of the same old bows might enjoy the novelty of having something different in their hair. These hairbows are at Tricia’s Baby Station in Vestavia off Hwy 31.
Even the simplest outfit would be festive accessorized with a hairbow like one of these.  I’ll bet some of the Christmas elves who begin [...]

Community Yard Sale to Help a Family

Jann Robinson, founder of Backstage Catering Company, is a BirminghamMom of six young children who was widowed when her husband, Dave, lost his battle with lymphoma a couple of years ago. Although she has continued to maintain and develop her customer base, the recession has had a negative impact on her business.
Like many, Jann has subsequently faced financial difficulties. Martha Stewart herself [...]

Supernanny Seeks Alabama Parents

I received a notice that ABC’s Supernanny is casting for parents from Alabama to be on Season 6 of the show (I cheerfully presume I received this notice due to BirminghamMom.com and NOT because a neighbor tipped off the producers to my dubious parenting skills).
You’ve probably seen the show, where some seemingly incorrigible child has taken brattiness to a new [...]