Sleeping (Hopefully) With The Pajanimals
It’s time for sleep! A series of interviews with Alex Rockwell and Halle Stanford from The Jim Henson Company about the show The Pajanimals.
Continue ReadingAuthor: Kristen Rutherford
From Up On Poppy Hill—A Gentle Golden Haze of Nostalgia
From Up On Poppy Hill—What does it feel like to be a part of someone else’s memories? Studio Ghibli’s golden, nostalgic film.
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Disney Junior in the House!
You bake an Octonauts cake and suddenly, it’s raining Disney. Here are some of the many live events surrounding Disney Junior titles.
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5 Ways to Make Your Preschooler's Life a Touch More Magical
5 quick ways to infuse a little magic into the everyday
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Butterfingers! Part Two: Road Testing iPad Covers
No iPads were harmed in the writing of this post.
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More Great Bonding Opportunites for Mom & Daughter From Spil Games
The folks at Girls Go Games have a new version of their popular cooking game : Sara’s Cooking Class. That’s right, there’s a new version of Sara, and this time she’s on vacation!
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Rachel & The Treeschoolers: A Worthy Kickstarter!
Want to help back a kickstarter project that’s been called “Too educational for TV?” Now’s your chance!
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Butterfingers! Part One: Road Testing iPhone Cases
Looking for a new iPhone case? GeekMom tried out several options, including a waterproof number and a couple that can replace your wallet.
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Quick Summertime Toddler Activity: Fizzy Science Fun!
It’s never too early to introduce a child to the wonders of science! Here’s an example of a multi-step reaction that’s super simple, extremely cheap, and a great summertime activity for your toddler.
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Oz The Great and Powerful: Tea Parties and Giveaways!
Get Kristen’s take on Oz The Great and Powerful, and enter to win our Oz giveaway!
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Do You Want to Write for GeekMom?
We’re looking to add to our fine roster of writers here on GeekMom, and would love to hear from YOU, if you’re interested!
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My Neighbor Totoro and Howl’s Moving Castle: Blu-ray At Last! PLUS! GHIBLI GIVEAWAY PACK!
Today is a very good day for fans of Studio Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki. At long last, the magnificent masterpiece My Neighbor Totoro, and the marvelous Howl’s Moving Castle, are available on Blu-ray! And as part of the celebration, GeekMom has a fantastic giveaway pack for 2 lucky readers!
But first, let’s discuss Totoro. Released in 1988, this edition marks the 25th anniversary of the film. Let’s all pause for a second while I cry violently over my keyboard, hitch sobbing, “Where did the time go?”
A Selection of Great Titles from Chronicle Books
A round up of awesome books for you to enjoy with your toddler from Chronicle Books.
Continue ReadingCome Hangout Tonight over at Geek & Sundry’s #parent show
We’d love to have you join us live tonight on the Geek & Sundry YouTube channel for the geek parent hangout, starting at 8pm Pacific. But hey – Mike and I are parents, so we know things get busy, life is chaotic, and people get tired and like to go to bed early. So if you can’t make it to the live hangout, never fear – the lovely folks at Geek & Sundry will have it archived for whenever you have a moment.
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3 Elles : 3 Great Women, 3 Great Apps
An interview with the three founders of 3 Elles, creators of wonderful apps for children like “Letter Sounds” and “Numberland.”
Continue ReadingWritten By A Kid: An Interview with Creators Josh Flaum and Will Bowles
Kristen interviews the creators of Written By a Kid: Josh Flaum and Will Bowles.
Continue ReadingSara’s Cooking Class: Spil Games Knows Tween Girls (Part 2)
In Sara’s kitchen, you choose a recipe, (and they are ACTUAL recipes that you can cook IRL) and get started pulling out tools and ingredients. There’s a helping hand that will guide you through what you need to do, or you can choose to challenge yourself by noodling around on your own and figuring things out for yourself. You can view it as a way of covertly training your children to cook wonderful gourmet meals for you, while you lounge around the house reading food magazines, tearing out recipes for them to try.
Continue ReadingSara’s Cooking Class: Spil Games Knows Tween Girls (Part 1)
Much as I don’t like to admit it, Spil has done extensive research into the mind of the tween girl, as well as the mothers of tween girls. The age range listed was roughly around 8 to 9 years old, and it basically said that at this age, young girls are dreaming about their “first kiss.” In my head, I had a knee-jerk reaction of NO WAY TOO YOUNG ARE YOU KIDDING. And the next thing they said was that their studies showed that the mothers of tween girls HATE this fact.
Continue ReadingReview: Disney’s Secret of the Wings
Secret of the Wings. Tinker Bell is back and she’s freezing!
Continue ReadingThe Apogee MiC: Great For A GeekMom On The Go
The Apogee Mic is a great directional microphone for VO artists, podcasters and folks who do a lot of video chatting.
Continue ReadingMontessori Letter Sounds: Another Winning App From Les Trois Elles
Last year, as I prepped for a trip to Seattle, I wrote about one of my all-time favorite apps, Numberland, by Les Trois Elles. It was not an app that I was asked to review, or given for free. I found it through a great aggregator called “Moms With Apps” and gave it a try. I loved it so much that I reviewed it, and then contacted the company to tell them how much I appreciated such a smart, interactive, and highly layered app for learning.
Continue ReadingMy Little Geek Is Now an App
A while ago, I reviewed the adorable book My Little Geek by Andrew & Sarah Spear with illustrations by Edit Sliacka, and I’m back once again to let you know that it’s now an app! If you are looking for books to read on a plane or car trip, this is a must-load for the iPad […]
Continue ReadingAn Exquisite Look at the World of Kokeshi
What do you do when a series of books you are supposed to review are so beautiful, so creative, so artistic and so imaginative, that you can’t summon up the words it would take to describe it? This is the quandary I find myself in over a series of books about Kokeshi dolls by author Annelore […]
Continue ReadingMore Glimpses of Pixar’s BRAVE
A while back, I wrote about having high hopes for the new Pixar film Brave. If you’re anticipating it too, you’ll be interested to know there are new trailers out. Go here to watch them, then go practice your archery!
Continue ReadingThe Art of The Secret World Of Arrietty: Book Review
As a child, I spent many a happy afternoon poring over a gigantic book called “The Art Of Walt Disney.” It sat on our bookshelf collecting dust, until one day I discovered it there, and lugged it down. It turned out that my dad had brought it back from one of his many […]
Continue ReadingAnticipating Brave
As the mother of a two and a half year old girl, I can’t help but wonder if pink and princesses are around the corner. (Alternate versions of this sentence include the words: “dread” and, “be scared of the possibility.”) I’m adamant that these things not be forced on her – NOT AN EASY TASK AS […]
Continue ReadingA New Monty Python App – Let The Rampant Quoting Begin!
On March 6th, the blu-ray version of the beloved and oft quoted film Monty Python And The Holy Grail hits shelves. To celebrate, the folks at Melcher Media are releasing an iPad app that animates the 28 day production of the 1970’s film. Check out the deets here on Venture Beat! Yay! A spanking! A […]
Continue ReadingThe Secret World Of Arrietty: Lush, Quiet, And Absolutely Wonderful
We are huge Miyazaki fans in our house. There are Totoros everywhere, stuffed catbuses and soot sprites litter the floor, and on my desk (where I am typing this right now!) is a tiny replica of Howl’s Moving Castle, another soot sprite, and a postcard of “Le Voyage de Chihiro.” Our daughter’s first movie – […]
Continue ReadingJuliette And The Shiny Red Balloon
A couple of months ago, I received a lovely email from the folks over at Long Weekend asking me if I would like to try out a new story book app they were developing called, “Juliette and the Shiny Red Balloon.” It’s a bedtime story app that you can read or be read to in […]
Continue ReadingGearing Up For The Secret World of Arrietty!
We are huge Ghibli fans in this house. So we’re VERRRRRY excited for the upcoming release of The Secret World Of Arriety! Disney has been sending out coloring pages for us to while away the time until release… I’ve been using glitter glue to decorate mine. Wanted to wash my hands, but I […]
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