Watch This, Not That: Kid’s shows edition by Liz

I never thought I'd be the type of parent who would beg my kids to watch TV so I could have a moment of peace.  Rather, I had always thought I'd spend my evenings doing puzzles and teaching my little angels to read with Hooked on Phonics or some other smarty pants thing like that. And I NEVEH thought that I would *gasp* actually come to ENJOY some of these shows.  But like with anything, if you are subjected to it day in and day out, you start to develop an affinity for it. (Also my reasoning as to why I enjoy Nickelback so much!)

But I'm willing to admit that I've come to not only tolerate, but actually like a few of my kid's shows.  And if like me, you've found yourself *forgetting* to change the channel when Yo Gabba Gabba is on, I'd thought I'd let you know which ones won't make your eyes bleed.

Watch This:

Johnny Test: I didn’t want to like Johnny, I really didn’t.  My kids accidentally discovered him in an rare moment of live TV watching and then I decided to look the other way on the Y7 rating(oh, c’mon, I’m sure those things don’t mean anything anyway, right?).  They quickly grew ADDICTED to little Johnny, his scientist twin sisters and talking dog.  But lately I find myself sitting each morning as we get ready for school, little shoes in one hand, actually WATCHING Johnny Test.  I *may* have even watched one when there were no children within a ten mile radius of the house. (Shh!)

Greek: I’ve already come out of the closet and admitted that I’m a closeted YA fiction lover, so it may not surprise you that I also have love for Teen TV.  ABC Family's Greek is a fun and frothy look at college life. And now the creators of Greek have combined my two secret loves, YA fiction and TV with a new Greek book-Double Date by Marsha Warner!  And we have THREE copies to give away! Just leave a comment here and be entered! We’ll select the winners randomly on Thursday night.

Honorable mention: HotWheels: BattleForce 5: Um, is it weird that I have a crush on the guy that drives the red car?

Not That:

Bakugan: Don’t get it.  Don’t get the show, don’t get those lame little balls my kids made me buy that open when they land on a piece of paper.  And REALLY don’t get why my three- year -old feels the need to yell “BAKUGAN STOP! BAKUGAN ROLL!” all the time.  Who comes up with this stuff?  and why the hell do my kids like it so much?  All I can say is that it was erased from my season pass faster than you can say Conveyor Belt of Love.

The Wiggles: Sorry Wiggles lovers. Four grown men driving around in a big red car and singing about their body parts is just too much for me to handle.  And those songs!  So damn catchy that I find myself singing them around people over the age of five, which Is, Just. Wrong. I'll have to find another way to teach my kids about their heads, elbows, knees and toes! And is it just me or is Captain Feathersword kinda creepy?

Honorable mention: Dora The Explorer: Hey amiga, can you please find a shirt that covers your tummy?  Porfavor?

What kid's shows are YOU watching?  Leave a comment and you'll be entered to win a copy of Greek: Double Date to satisfy your inner teen!

xoxo, Liz

State of the Union by Liz

I'm not a super political person so my friends might find the fact that I'm giving a State of the Union pretty damn funny.  However, I think it was almost impossible not to feel passionate about the electoral process this past year!  But don't worry, I'm not going to bore you with the State of that Union.  Rather, I'm going to be talking about the State of my union! And like Lisa, I struggled with what to write in my first entry on this blog.  I feel like I'm being introduced to the world and anyone who knows me would agree that the people pleaser part of me really, really wants your approval...

So in an effort to help you get to know me better and in the spirit of politics,  I've compiled a list of what I'm "For" and what I'm "Against".

Liz is for:  Teeny bopper movies, cute scarves on cold, rainy days, The Biggest Loser, hot sourdough bread with butter, Facebook, Perez Hilton, tall men (I married one), sushi, the environment, inner beauty, Reese Witherspoon, Angelina Jolie, Dogs, Macs, Angels, forgiveness, family, H&M, ANTM, The Haitan guy from Heroes, Josh Duhamel(broke my heart when he married Fergie!), Access Hollywood, self-awareness, American Idol and using the F word when appropriate.

Liz is against:  Evites (Sorry if you've recently sent me one...), MySpace, TMZ, Tyra Banks, Elizabeth Hasselback, short men with Napoleon complexes, (sorry about that too!) reptiles, motorcycles, passive-aggressive behavior, tardiness, PCs, The Wiggles, Spongebob Squarepants, bickering, laziness, grudges and hypocrisy.(Or is it hypocritical to be against hypocrisy?)

As Lisa mentioned previously, we started this site because we want the publishing world to know that Chick Lit is alive and well!  Let's face it ladies-we are supposed to be everything to everyone-supermom, superwife, super-employee and do it all while looking super-hot.  So when I'm done being trying to be all those things, the last thing I want to do is sit down and read some depressing Oprah's Book Club shit! Sorry Ms. O, I love you, but I gave up on the book club after The Poisonwood Bible many years ago. If  I want to cry I'll turn on the eleven o'clock news or Dateline!

The women I know and love want to escape and be lost in a story about people they can relate to!  That is why we decided to write I'll Have Who She's Having.  We wanted to read about characters that we would want to be friends with.  Most people can relate to Kate and Kelly, the two sisters depicted in our novel.  Kelly is a new mom who decides to quit her job and stay home and struggles to fit in to her new life and snobby neighbors.  Kate is single, recently dumped and struggling to figure out why all the men in her life are afraid to commit, not realizing that she's looking in all the wrong places. Like many of us, both Kate and Kelly are struggling to find their happy ending!

So let's say it loud and proud! Give women QUALITY movies and books to choose from! Make 2009 is the year of Chick lit!  Happy endings and hot men for everyone! All self-proclaimed "bad-boys" will be tamed by the women who want to change them!  All men will leave the beautiful, mean girl for the mousy underdog!  I mean, come on, with everything going on in the world these days, don't we all deserve a happy ending now and then?

Yes, damnit, you do!  And we're going to give it to you!