Friday, April 29, 2011

Royal wedding mysteries? I'm solving them at Shine

AP Photo
I was up super-early this morning to watch (and work) the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, keeping a bleary eye out for any royal mysteries and searching for answers to royal-wedding questions. Believe it or not, in spite of the crazy amount of media coverage, there were still a few things left to the imagination on the big day! Things like:

  • Why didn't Prince William watch his bride walk down the aisle?
  • Who was that little girl covering her ears and frowning while the newlyweds kissed on the balcony?
  • Did the flowers in the Kate's bouquet have any hidden meanings?
  • Did the bride wear Princess Diana's tiara?
  • What did Prince William whisper to Kate at the altar?

Find the answers to these and other royal wedding questions in my post at Yahoo's Shine.

Personally, I think that much of the hoopla around this extravagant ceremony was fueled by hope. Princess Diana's fairy-tale marriage to Prince Charles had a tragic ending; maybe so many people tuned in and turned out for her son's wedding because it felt like a do-over, in a way—a chance for "happily ever after." I don't know. But it was fun to watch.

Thursday, April 28, 2011

5 workplace rules to follow, even if you work from home

I saw these 5 office etiquette rules at CBS Moneywatch, and they got me thinking about what rules would be on my list if I was the one to wield supreme executive power at the office. Then I realized: Since I work from home now (except when I'm traveling), I guess I do have the power to issue my own etiquette laws, after all. And so here they are: 5 rules to remember—regardless of where your office is.

Monday, April 25, 2011

Royal wedding do's and don'ts?
What to watch for on WHDH

I spent some time at the lovely Taj Hotel in Boston recently, chatting with television reporter Amanda Grace for a segment on royal wedding etiquette, which aired today on WHDH (the NBC station in Boston).

The video was inspired by a post I wrote for Shine, about whether American guests are required to curtsey to the Queen (they're not, but it is considered polite to do so anyway). While I dig up the video embed codes, you can check out the video at WHDH to learn about some of the most important do's and don'ts from the 22-page memo sent to those who will be attending Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding this Friday. Or, if you're up-to-date on your etiquette already, click over to oogle the pretty turquoise fascinator from FascinatorsNYC and the gorgeous fancy hat from Berkley Hat, which we wore for the segment. Fun! 

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Ways to keep your kids occupied at a restaurant (or during any long wait)

We've been working on "restaurant manners" with our youngest kids (the teens and tween have it down pat by now), but even the most well-behaved kid can get bored while waiting for the food to arrive. Yes, you could always hand them your cell phone or pull out the video games, but sometimes, non-noisy and low-tech is the way to go.

Friday, April 15, 2011

Was Sarah Palin's last pregnancy a hoax? Why it matters

Sarah Palin, her husband, Todd, and their youngest son, Trig, on stage w during the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Sept. 3, 2008. (Photo: Susan Walsh/AP)
I'm stirring the pot over at Shine today, where I take a look at the rumor that's resurfaced, about whether Sarah Palin faked her pregnancy with Trig.

With Donald Trump eying the White House and sending his own staffers to do some birth-certificate hunting in Hawaii, another birth certificate issue has resurfaced, on the other side of the political aisle.

Rumors that Sarah Palin youngest son may actually be her grandson—and her pregnancy a hoax—first came up days after Arizona Senator John McCain emerged as the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination, and Palin was on the short list to be his running mate. In March 2008 Palin, then 44 and the governor of Alaska, announced to her shocked staff that, in spite of her barely-there belly and the fact that she could still fit into her pre-pregnancy wardrobe, she was seven months pregnant with her fifth child.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Political math and Planned Parenthood: Rounding 3 percent up to "well over 90 percent"

I was laughing along with the rest of the audience while watching "The Colbert Report" last night. And then, today at work, I ended up having to write about the news behind a few of his quips. You can read the whole post over at Shine, but basically: Last week, during the budget standoff, republican Senator John Kyl of Arizona stood before Congress and said: "You don't have to go to Planned Parenthood to get your cholesterol or your blood pressure checked. If you want an abortion, you go to Planned
Parenthood, and that's well over 90 percent of what Planned Parenthood does."

Except that... it's not. Not by a long shot.

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Teaching kids the value of money? Or just bribing them?

My youngest kids have discovered the value of money and, since I've been trying to instill in them the value of earning money, rather than just receiving money, right now they're all about doing random chores for a quarter.

"Mama, can I earn some monies?" my 4-year-old son asks, dish rag in hand just in case I say yes.

"I made my bed this morning! All by myself! Without anyone telling me to!" chirps my 6-year-old daughter. "Is that worth a quarter? Or is it worth two quarters?"

They're careful about depositing their quarters in their piggy banks, and they're probably ready for a trip to the real bank to open a real savings account. And, as I mentioned last month over at The 36-Hour Day, I'm thinking they may be ready to start getting an allowance, even if they're too young to have anything to spend it on. But while I contemplate how often and how much, I've noticed that I'm starting offer up a quarter here or there in exchange for a minute or two of peace.