The Gen-X Fangirl Suburbanite Mom

Batter Blaster

2008-11-30T15:40:44Z

I hope you all had a restful Thanksgiving. We were able to spend time with family in Amish farm country. We enjoyed all of the usual holiday dishes: a perfectly juicy turkey, mashed potatoes, yams with brown sugar, pineapple casserole, cranberry orange relish, and more. Everything was perfect. But, for all of its perfection, Thanksgiving dinner does not win my esteem as Most Valuable Food Contribution of the holiday. That award goes to the Batter Blaster.

While buying my turkey day ingredients, I found a new product in the dairy case. Called the Batter Blaster, it is pre-made batter for pancakes or waffles, in a Ready-Whip-style can. The instructions are so simple: point, blast, and cook (the Web site even has a video demo)! Plus, it's certified organic!!

This stuff changes breakfast in our house. We love pancakes, but making them is a huge mess. I am not a delicate cook. So, I avoid making them and instead relegate pancakes to the "special morning" menu -- those days when we have no pressing appointments and can take a couple of hours for cooking, eating, and clean-up.

Well, thanks to this new product, we can have pancakes anytime. And no, I'm not getting a kick-back for that endorsement... I'm just that excited. The cynic in me thinks that there must be a downside... like the product is toxic or something. Until that shoe drops, we'll be eating pancakes.

Post-Election, Back to Business

2008-11-20T19:38:00Z

Quite a lot of time has passed since my last post, mostly because I have been focusing on my To Do List items that went unaddressed during the run-up to the presidential election! It was quite exciting, though I am happy that it is finished. In the final days of October, I would spend entire afternoons on political blogs, leaving my own business matters, the laundry, the yard work (oh, the leaves!), etc., until another day. My family would happily report that since Nov. 4, I have been hard at work away from the computer, and the pile of fall leaves on my curb is prodigious in its girth.

Of course, there is always more to say about politics. Just because the election is decided does not mean the rest of it goes away. But, for now, I will let such commentary go. I'm tired of talking about it. I'm sure you all are tired as well (if you're not, let me know!).

This month, I am working on a new business that my mother and I are launching concerning children's books. If you haven't already, please consider answering our survey over at SurveyMonkey.com: Click Here to take survey. As I am writing this, we have 72 responses and we would love to make it an even 100. As our development, well, develops, I will tell you all more about this new activity.

That's all for now. The temperature has dipped below freezing for the past few days and I still need to winterize the sprinkler system!

Monopoly at McDonalds

2008-10-14T17:31:01Z

Gamer that I am, it should come as no surprise that I love the Monopoly Game at McDonalds. It's an annual event, as anticipated as the return of the Pumpkin Spice Latte at Starbucks. The game is currently on and this year McDonalds has added an online component to the game. Each pull-off game card includes a code that gets a player one roll of the digital dice for the virtual Monopoly board at www.playatmcd.com.

So, in theory, each game piece provides two chances to win. You get the property printed on the piece, then you have a chance to land on a property as your token moves around the virtual gameboard. Cool! But... How random is the roll of the virtual dice? I just put in a bunch of codes, which took me around the board twice. I "rolled" snake eyes and saw my Scotty dog move two places to Water Works (which has no value in this version of the game). The double 1 gets me a second "roll," so I get 10 and move around to Luxury Tax (which also has no value in this version of the game). So, in two "rolls," I get nothing. In coming around the board, I again "roll" snake eyes and land... on Water Works. In my second "roll" I get... a 10. And again, I get nothing.

I've watched enough episodes of Numb3rs to know that a computer's roll of virtual dice is supposed to be random, and that if it isn't, a programmer is pulling the strings. I am enough of a cynnic to believe that McD's is somehow hedging its bets on this one. But will that stop me from visiting the Golden Arches more thimes this month than usual? Probably not.

Societal Plunge

2008-10-01T17:25:00Z

Well, I have finally taken a big social plunge and have signed up for a MySpace page. A friend of mine (and regular commenter... thanks GK!) posted a blog of her own in that Social Network and I want to read it. So, as for so many other Web sites, one has to join to play.

I was filled with apprehension while signing up, as though at any moment, random chat boxes would pop up on my screen with strangers asking me to buy drugs or porn. Although the rather large ads were risque, my fears went unfounded. The only odd thing that happened was that I immediately had a "friend" named Tom and was innundated with his photo and blog updates. Apparently, Tom works for the company and he has the job of becomming everyone's first MySpace friend.

Before long I figured out how to turn Tom off, as well as how to customize my blog page and info settings. Never fear, subscribers... This will remain my main blog site. For now, I have posted my July column about Tycoon Gaming over in MySpace, just to get the ball rolling over there and see what it's all about.

A blog called Tech Radar has some interesting data points about MySpace and competitor Facebook. According to the site (which needs an editor!!), MySpace claims more than 110 million monthly users. Facebook trails behind at 60 million per month, but shows signs of growth.

That is an incredible number of people! Maybe some of you have accounts with MySpace, Facebook, or a similar social network. Tell me: What do you use it for?

Republican Video

2008-09-23T19:37:00Z

I'm sure you're all getting tired of campaign-related posts (actually, I am too, I just can't seem to get away from it yet...). This one at least is a video, rather than a lot of text to read!

Video: "I'm Voting Republican"

Show Your Support

2008-09-22T17:41:00Z

Pollsters are saying that most women are excited about the prospect of Sarah Palin in the White House. I don't know who they're talking to, but it certainly isn't me. If it isn't you either, then I have a bumper sticker for you! I have just ordered some Obama '08 campaign stuff, including buttons and bumper stickers. If you're interested in one, let me know and I will put one aside for you (first come, first served).

If you'd like to order your own, go to http://store.barackobama.com/. They even have designer-created T-shirts. Althought, I must admit that the basic rising-sun over waving stripes logo is pretty cool on its own.

A Free, Low-Tech Game

2008-09-17T20:55:39Z

Today I remembered a great game to play with your kids that costs no money, requires no parts, and can be adapted for any age from about two until they won't play with you anymore. I am not sure exactly what to call it because much depends on your adaptation. Some have called it "I Spy," others "20 Questions."

The most basic version was described simply by Professor Savant in The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles by Julie Andrews Edwards: "Every walk that we take from now on, every place that we go ... I want you to tell me all that you see." We started playing this one when our first child was just finding his words. Start basic with colors, animals, cars versus trucks, etc., and don't expect them to know the answers. Instead, ask if the answer you have is correct (for example, "I see a flower! Is this flower yellow or pink? I think it is yellow."

Before you know it, your little one will be graduating to the "I Spy" version ("I see a flower, do you? What color is it?"). My kids have eagle eyes in the car and will spot dogs across three lawns, contruction vehicles from a mile off, and the tiniest spec of airplane. They delight in being the ones to "spy" first and then ask me to find them second. Of course, there are a line of "I Spy" branded books, board games, and PC games in which kids find objects hidden among other objects. Although designed for individual play, they are fun for parent and child to play together. (Click on the Amazon.com logo on the right-hand sidebar and then search in books or toys & games for "I Spy." Amazon will give me a small referral fee for sending you.)

For older kids, the game can turn from "find my object" to "guess my object" with "20 Questions." It is an abstract exercise for kids: Think of a person, place, or thing that exists in the world, then answer Yes or No questions without giving away additional details. We started this with my oldest just before his fifth birthday. The hardest part for him was answering simply Yes or No. He always wanted to help out Momma (aw, so cute!). When the tables are turned and the guessing falls to him, he did better when working with an adult. So, when one player is age five, this games is best played with two adults (or an older school-aged child and an adult), making one person the secret-keeper and the other two a guessing team. Oh, and we stay flexible on the whole number of questions; five-year-olds often need more than 20!

Optional Adaptations:
A little farther along in Whangdoodles, the game changes to sounds and smells. The sounds one is easy to do wherever you are, especially during a walk outside or in the mall: "Be still for a moment and tell me all of things you hear." With smells, you beging to add props and should probably not be driving as it involves closing one's eyes.

Regardless of how you choose to play, these word games are great for parents to play with kids of almost any age, and the best part is... they're free!

If you are interested in the products listed, click through to my Amazon.com store, which will help support my site: http://astore.amazon.com/thegenxfansub-20.

A Guest's Thoughts on 9/11

2008-09-11T16:15:00Z

My friend Courtney sent the following to me via e-mail and gave me her permission to share it with all of you. A fellow Gen-X Suburbanite Mom, Courtney shows that althought we may not have time to digest everything the media can throw at us, we will not be swayed by simple sound bites. Life is just not that simple. Although I may not agree with all of Courtney's points, I applaud her intelligent organization of them and hope you will take a moment to read them. --Allison

On the anniversary of 9/11, I'm afraid that we, as Americans, have come to idealize the Unity that we felt on that day while we have forgotten the Horror.

The attack we suffered on September 11^th seven years ago caused the deaths of 2975 people—almost 3000 people dying on American soil at the hands of terrorists. These deaths were senseless, but they are not meaningless.

The 9/11 Commission Report stated, "The present transnational danger is Islamist terrorism. What is needed is a broad political-military strategy that rests on a firm tripod of policies to 1) attack terrorists and their organizations, 2) prevent the continued growth of Islamist terrorism, and 3) protect against and prepare for terrorists attacks." We have to remain diligent in these tasks. We have to support our military. Yellow ribbons are a wonderful sign of our support, but the military needs money to defend our country.

Do not be romanced into believing that freedom comes without cost. The men and women of our armed forces who have died in the war against terror (and it REALLY IS a war against terror) have died fighting for freedom and security not only for Americans but for the entire world! We must not disrespect them by saying that they "died in vain." More than 4,000 American men and women have died, in an effort to ensure that an attack like that which we witnessed on 9/11 will never again be possible.

Some believe that we entered into the war in Iraq to control the price of crude oil. I cannot speak for the minds and hearts of our politicians -and it probably played a role- but that is not the only reason that we are fighting there. We believed that Iraq, and specifically Saddam Hussein, was a significant terrorist threat, and we went in to neutralize that threat. If we had left immediately after ousting Saddam, the country would have been left in chaos and ended up in dangerous hands.

Some people believe that the United States is a "bully" that interferes in the affairs of smaller, weaker countries. How many of us live in a neighborhood that has an association of some sort with rules and regulations for those living in it? How many of us feel we have a right to tell our neighbor where they can and cannot park their boat, RV or broken down car? How many of us believe that we should be allowed to prevent someone from buying the lot next to us and moving there in a "double wide." These are nuisances; associations frequently refer to them as "eyesores." How does that compare to the atrocities that were going on in Iraq when we first invaded. Is that none of our business? Is it "too far down the road" to be our problem? Saddam Hussein tortured and murdered tens of thousands of his own people. He stopped at nothing to punish those who opposed him. I won't list the atrocities but if you want to know more, you can visit this website... http://history1900s.about.com/od/saddamhussein/a/husseincrimes.htm

I live in Asheville, NC so I see a fair number of "Peace" bumper stickers. The one I love to hate the most is something like, "It will be a perfect world when the schools have all the money they need and the Air Force has to have a bake sale to buy a bomber." REALLY!?! Peace is a wonderful ideal, but it is an ideal. Do we even have peace in our households? Do we raise our tempers and our voices at our loved ones? Do we fight over parking spaces and the best seat to video our children in the school play? If someone was threatening or harming someone you love, wouldn't you raise your hand in defense? We can accept no less from our country!

This is an ongoing war and, although I understand that we need to look at the threats in Afghanistan, I sincerely believe that we cannot quit the fight in Iraq. If we do not CHOOSE to fight this war, are we naïve enough to believe that it will not come to our home and seek us out? The radical Muslim extremists (this is not all Muslims) continue to mandate that the "infidels" (that's us) must die. In a war against a group of people whose sons, and even mothers, willingly sacrifice themselves in suicide bombings, can we ever again be safe unless we prevail now?

The war in Iraq is only one of my concerns. We should all be interested in the political parties' positions on the environment, immigration, unemployment, taxes, and more.

In the campaign rhetoric today, it's so hard to know what to believe. But listen and think critically. If it sounds too good to be true, if you wonder why no one's done it before, there's probably a very good and obvious reason. Don't let the media decide the upcoming election for you. Much publicity has been given to the President's low approval ratings (richly deserved), but you must search to learn that the public approval ratings for Congress have been consistently lower than the President's.

We are all concerned about the environment. We have to consider, as individuals, the impact we have on the environment! Have we considered buying a hybrid car? Or a more fuel efficient model? Do we walk or drive to the play date in our neighborhood? Do we still buy individually packaged snacks and drinks for our kids because it would be too much of an inconvenience to pack them ourselves (think of energy used in factories that produce packaging)? Do we try to buy local meat and produce (think of the semis on the road burning gas bringing fruit from California)? Do we donate to NC Green Power through our Progress Energy bill? We can donate as little as $4 a month and help our state invest in Green power solutions. Different things work for different families, but think about what you can do to affect a change. No one can dictate by law or vote in one day to change the way we create power. Money and time have to be invested in creating alternative sources. We cannot fix in four years what has taken a century or more to damage. And nuclear power is NOT BAD!

We are a country of immigrants and no one should forget that. Because our ancestors arrived earlier than those who are arriving here every day does not give us the right to "close the gates." However, there HAS TO BE a reasonable system for immigration and it has to be upheld. They are called illegal immigrants because they are living here ILLEGALLY. That's not to say that our system isn't broken, but it's not an excuse to throw it out the window. Illegal immigrants working for less than minimum wage put American citizens out of work. There are illegal immigrants being paid "under the table" and not paying taxes.

If we are concerned about our country's unemployed, is it wise to blindly open our borders to people looking for work and prosperity? Is it wise to raise taxes on small business owners? If they cannot make a profit, they cannot hire and keep employees! We are concerned about American businesses moving to foreign soil, but it is becoming increasingly difficult for them to operate and maintain profits (not an evil word as some would have us believe, but the primary reason for going into business) here in the States.

If you are concerned about our country's poor, what difference can you make in your community? We can all eliminate a meal out or some other luxury to help those we think are in need. We may hear promises that the government will support the less fortunate, but where do you think they'll get the money? Do we want to pay more taxes? If you don't think that you are the "more fortunate", think again. In our area there are many good organizations that help those who need it. The Hendersonville Rescue Mission offers meals, beds, medical assistance, addiction recovery programs, education, job training, and more; Our Voice serves victims of sexual violence; and The Health Adventure accepts donations to enable children from low income families to participate in their programs. We can give as little as $1/month to PSNC Energy and the Salvation Army to help heat someone's home. Can you afford to assist women in crisis pregnancies by donating your used baby equipment and clothing the Asheville Pregnancy Support Services? We all know what these things cost. Imagine the impact you could have on someone's life by sharing your things when you are done with them! (The organizations mentioned here are in the Asheville area, but a little research should identify similar organizations wherever you live.)

Even if I believed in the "redistribution of wealth" I do not believe in the ability of our government (or any future, bigger, better, more compassionate government) to do it with any fairness or efficiency. Just look at the abuses in our existing government assistance programs. This is something we all need to be personally involved in!

I normally don't speak out on politics because I don't want to offend anyone (and I hope that you'll forgive me if I have). I guess this has been building. For some reason today I was absolutely compelled to say how I feel about these issues. The future of our country is bound to be very different after this election. I hope that it's for the better.

Love to all!

Courtney

Sarah Palin's Constituency in Perspective

2008-09-10T17:32:00Z

National Public Radio has a blog page where readers/listeners can write in questions that they would like Sarah Palin to answer. The list is long, and none is favorable. My favorite is from PC Howse, who appears to live outside of Philadelphia:

"And forgive me, governor, but I can't resist this one. The entire state of Alaska has 670,000 people. Montgomery County, a suburban county outside Philadelphia, has 775,000 people. The Montgomery County commissioners deal with issues of sprawl and land use and environment versus economic development, just as you do, except they don't run huge budget surpluses every year, like you do -- with 86 percent of your tax revenue coming from the oil industry. Therefore, given the fact that the Montgomery commissioners have more constituents than you do, tougher budget tradeoffs than you have, and given the fact that they have roughly the same national security expertise as you do, aren't they just as qualified as you to be vice president of the United States?" -- Posted to NPR by PC Howse, Sept. 9, 2008.

To read the list of questions, click here.

For What It's Worth: My View of Sarah Palin

2008-09-10T16:35:00Z

Okay, everyone has rushed to weigh in on Senator John McCain's controversial and unexpected pick of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin to be his vice presidential running mate. Now, it's my turn.

After all, I am a white, married mother of two residing in an upper-middle-class suburban neighborhood. The Republicans love my demographic and courted us hotly in 2004 with tales of how our children would be bombed at the mall by terrorists if we did not re-elect Bush and Cheney. Since Bush/Cheney & Co. were re-elected, playing to moms must work, right? So, here comes Mrs. Palin....

What the Republicans may not have been prepared for is what a hot topic Motherhood is. We moms all have opinions of the "right" and "wrong" ways to raise children, even if we don't admit it in public. And these opinions can trump our political opinions. So, as the national media have displayed for us, a mom's political affiliation may waver when faced with a candidate herding five (almost six) children through their everyday lives while also serving in public office. Thus, Palin is not the straight-forward appeal to busy moms the Republicans were hoping for.

Some have been interviewed saying of Palin," She's just like me!" intending that to be a positive attribute. Honestly, I would not want a working mother who is like me helping to run our country. Political ideology aside, here's my Mothers' Perspective. When my youngest was eight weeks old I accepted a new job as a contractor with an association. My office would be in my home, so the commute was ideal. The job included some travel to conventions through the year and the hours were flexible as long as deadlines were met. Although not a full-time position, it was more than part time. I was not able to give my baby girl the individual time that I was able to give my son when he was an infant. Instead, I shipped them both off to pre-school so I could work.

Now, I happen to be a fan of early childhood education (ie preschool from infancy through kindergarten); albeit, in small bursts. A couple of half days in the week lets baby socialize and mommy shower. But I was needing to rely on it more than I wanted and I felt as though my bond with my daughter suffered a bit. Plus, everyone else in the family made many sacrifices so that I had the time for this job.

So I take that experience and I try to imagine being governor of a state, or even a CEO of a multi-billion-dollar corporation. Then I add a few more children to the household. But wait -- in this scenario, not only do I have an infant, but that baby needs extra, special attention from its parents. That is a situation I just cannot fathom. Unless the older children are major caregivers for the youngest ones and my husband doesn't work and is effectively mommy, then maybe this family will stay together with no major problem.

We have friends for whom the traditional roles of working dad / stay-at-home mom are reversed and it's great. I think infants/toddlers are the best off when they have one parent who can be with them most of the time to play with them, coach them, and understand them. So, when they do find their voices as preschoolers, they are able to connect with that parent to ease some of the drama. (The ideal, of course, is for both parents to be able to do this, but unfortunately, the world doesn't work this way.)

Perhaps Sarah Palin's husband is the caregiver for the children, but I have heard nothing about him except his state-wide nickname of "First Dude." My opinion of the Palins as parents might be higher if dad had been the one to hold his baby boy at the Republican National Convention last week, rather than the three girls, who passed him around. If dad did hold the baby, the cameras did not pick it up. Maybe that's not an ideal Republican image?

Anyway, my point here is that I see McCain's pick of Palin as a campaign strategy to appeal to married mothers and for that I resent it. I would rather a presidential candidate pick a running mate who understands the job and its requirements, has experience with nation

Overheard in Target, Part 1

2008-08-07T15:15:24Z

While hanging out in the toy department of my local Target, which is a popular pastime in my house, I overheard a kid ask his mom for a Lego set. "Legos?!" his mom replied. "Oh, I don't think so. They are such a mess with all those little pieces. And your father spends hours putting it together and all you guys do is take it apart."

I wanted to secretly slip that kid a Lego set and tell him to not tell his parents.

The mom in this story has completely missed the point of Lego building blocks (and other brands like them). The Lego corporation markets its block sets as being fun in their end stage: make Batman chase the Penguin in the Batmobile, re-stage the truck chase scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark, etc. But the reality is that Lego sets are most fun before they are completed, especially if you throw out the directions.

The next time you go to a restaurant with your kids, try this: fill a one-gallon Zip-Loc-style bag (or Rubbermaid container) about half-way with Legos, randomly selected. While waiting for your food, have everyone (you, too!) select bricks at random from the bag and see what they come up with. We started doing this when my son was three because coloring on the place mats ceased to hold his interest. We made sure our bag of bricks contained plenty of wheels (remember the axles and chassis, too) because he's a vehicle kid. Today, at six, when he's bored, he opens the Lego box and "doodles" for hours, usually creating a dozen different creatures or vehicles from only a handful of pieces. It's imaginative, constructive, analytical, three-dimensional thinking, and all it took was a few Lego sets. Oh, and our permission to let him play with those "messy" pieces.

Occasionally, we will decide to build a whole set per instructions. This turns into a parent-child project because one person is needed to locate all the correct pieces while the other figures out where they go. When I was little, my dad and I did this with jigsaw puzzles, and found it to be a great, quiet, team project. The same process can be applied to wooden railway sets such as those from Brio or Thomas the Tank Engine. Our son (and we) always found that planning and customizing the track layout was way more fun than giving the trains themselves adventures.

Now, I realize that not every kid will take to free-form Lego creation. But I have noticed that most kids who seem adverse to Legos were either not allowed to have them or were not encouraged to use them for creative exploration. Legos is such a great, creative toy for kids of any age. With Legos, as with blocks, wooden train tracks, and other such toys, the fun and learning are in the journey more than the destination.

To buy Lego sets for your kids, click here to go to Amazon's Lego section, where you can also read customer feedback on the different sets.

Tycoon Gaming

2008-07-02T18:35:00Z

My largest time-waster is video games. I love video games. I will play almost any kind I can get my hands on, though I usually don’t play sports games, war games or any of the Grand Theft Auto series. That said, I will readily play any console (Playstations, X-Boxes, Wiis, and the like), handheld (Nintendo DS, my kid’s Leapster), or PC. My current favorites make my time spent with them ironic because they are “tycoon” games. The goal of these games is to work a business, make money, and grow into new locations. So, while I am spending hours (yes, hours) as a virtual waitress struggling to build a restaurant empire (Diner Dash), my actual, real-world business is languishing! So, I am exorcising this demon by telling all of you about my Tycoon category picks for the casual gamer. The two top titles are featured in the Amazon.com carousel on the lower right of this page. Most of these are available for consoles, but I will stick with PC/Mac versions here (because if you’re reading this, then you already have one, right?).

My picks for Tycoon-style gaming

1. Diner Dash 1 and 2 Pack (by Brighter Minds). Play as Flo, a restaurant owner/waitress building her coffers to stave off a buyout by a large corporation. Each restaurant features a dozen or so levels, with regular and expert goals for each. If I reach only regular goals, I can finish this game in an afternoon. By shooting for expert each time, I can stretch it out quite a bit. This popular title also has sequels, including Flo on the Go and Flo Hometown Hero.

2. Thrillville: Off The Rails (PC) (by LucasArts Entertainment). Build a number of different theme parks. My six-year-old likes this one because he can build his own roller coasters. Then I swoop in to add concession stands to generate the game money he will need to build his next coaster.

3. Chocolatier (by Brighter Minds). Your ability to create each chocolate through arcade-style mini-games will determine the rate at which you make money. You will navigate your way around the globe as you source ingredients, sell your products, buy new factories, and serve the whims of the fictitious Baumeister family (your quest-givers). Chocolatier 2: Secret Ingredients was released this February and includes the extra complication of unlocking secret locations.

4. Cake Mania Deluxe (by 2K Games). Very much like Diner Dash, but instead of waiting on various tables, you are a baker serving customers in line with elaborate cakes. Put your favorite take-out on speed dial and settle in for sugar overload.

I did not enjoy Lemonade Tycoon by Mumbo Jumbo. I felt there was too much waiting during game play. I also did not enjoy Roller Rush by eGames. It operates very much like Diner Dash, though you are a roller-skating waitress at a drive-in diner. The only thing I did not like was the graphics.

So I kept myself from gaming for another hour by sharing this with all of you. What’s your biggest time-waster?

Jewel Cases are No Longer Precious: Big changes in packaging are reaching a store near you

2008-07-02T14:35:00Z

We purchased the new Futurama: The Beast with a Billion Backs DVD and new CDs fromBarenaked Ladies (Snack Time...this one’s for kids!) and The Offspring (Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace) recently, and all came with plastic-free packaging. Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth was the first DVD packaged without plastics to reach the general consciousness; now it looks as though others are adopting the “greener” way.

I noticed this packaging trend on the same day I read “Milk Jug Gets a Makeover” by Adam Stein on the eco-blog TerraPass. Stein reports that Wal-Mart has adopted the 1-gallon-sized milk jug used by Costco because of the increased supply chain efficiency the revised design, well, delivers. To read the full story, click here. You will also be treated to a picture of a woman demonstrating how to pour milk with the new jug … into a Styrofoam cup! Oops. Two steps forward for Big Box Juggernaut Wal-Mart, and one step back.

Regardless, Wal-Mart is still the 400-pound gorilla in the retail world. It is on a mission to make its stores 30 percent more efficient by 2012, according to figures on its sustainability pages. This of course benefits the environment at the same time as it benefits Wal-Mart’s corporate bottom line. They are increasing efficiency, reducing waste, empowering employees and shoppers, and passing along the lion’s share of the grunt work (and the costs of innovation) to others.

This “cost of innovation” I speak of relates to packaging. In 2006, Wal-Mart started formalizing demands on the brand owners that stock store shelves to reduce their packaging by at least 5 percent by 2013. Now, 5 percent may not seem like a significant number to you and me. But consider that brand owners (companies such as Procter & Gamble, Lego, GE, and many others) put a great deal of thought and planning into their packaging designs. So for them to now consider increasing the sustainability of their packaging while decreasing its volume takes a major industry shift and a leap of innovation.

To help, Wal-Mart instituted the Packaging Scorecard and companion modeling software, so brand owners can track their progress. Of course, subscriptions to the modeling software start at $900. This is business, after all; no matter how noble the intended outcome.

Many corporations, retail and otherwise, are embarking on “sustainability” initiatives, though most of them (at this point) are little more than lip service. Click here to go to National Public Radio’s coverage of Big Oil’s claims regarding investment in alternative energy research.

I applaud Wal-Mart for throwing its considerable weight around the room and making real, lasting changes that will ripple through many corners of corporate America. Now, if they can only make the shopping experience inside their stores more clean and pleasant… more like shopping in a Target store … then I may actually support them with dollars as well as my words.

Welcome!

2008-06-04T19:32:00Z

Welcome to my virtual diary. I am relatively new to the way blogs and such work, so I have started this one to learn as I do. As part of F.B. Wayne Media, LLC, I will be using what I learn from this endeavor to publish other sites for other reasons. I also write reviews of comics-related movies, comics, and such for All Things Fun!

So, by way of introduction, I am a 30-something mother of two, dwelling in a New Jersey suburb, who has been a fan of comics and their heroes for nearly 30 years. I am trained to write for print magazines and have done so in the past, though I am now trying my hand at writing for the Web.

I am seeing a great trend among the ladies of my social circle... other gen-x suburbanite moms... and will be exploring it in my next few posts, so I hope you come back.

Cheers.