Wheeeeee...?

Does anyone else think this inflatable slide is in very poor taste? It is a real party rental!

Turning one of the world's tragedies into party entertainment? Why is this more acceptable than a Sandy Hook Dodgeball Obstacle or Twin Tower Bungee Jump?

How to throw an awesome Easter party

I really love throwing parties, especially when I have a theme to work with. The Easter party I threw last Saturday for Madelyn and her friends was a huge success, so I've just got to share our fun ideas!

I do want to mention that this party involved a lot of advance preparation, and I "accidentally" stayed at work until 9:30pm the night before the event.  Because of this, I stayed up until 2:30am making food and preparing the house, then got up at 6:30am to make more food and complete the final touches. Thanks to my mom, dad, and brother arriving 45 minutes early to help, everything was ready to go at party time with very little stress.  That is usually my major downfall as a hostess--I want everything fresh at showtime but that leaves too many things to do at the last minute so I'm frazzled as guests arrive. It's frustrating, so I made a concerted effort to avoid that scenario this time.  It worked, and those first 20 minutes of this party were so much more pleasant than in the past!  And I didn't even feel very sleepy until the next day.

Two days in advance, Madelyn helped me make these adorable bird's nest treats. I found the recipe with Oriental Trading Co's free & fun Easter ideas right here. They are actually supposed to be Easter baskets, but the licorice rope handle proved difficult and took away from their finished look, in my opinion.  

See how cute?!

We also had Easter Bunny carrot cupcakes (sans ears--I never came up with a good idea for the ears) which look okay but the secret is that I have the best carrot cake recipe in the entire world so they are scrumptious! 

And I am SO pleased with the way these rainbow Jell-o cubes turned out. I modified a red-white-and-pink Valentine's recipe to create the rainbow layers. A little plain yogurt makes the Jell-o opaque so it looks super-awesome. And they're tasty too!

We served a full brunch spread too: fresh fruit tray including my favorite: fresh pineapple, a Dijon pasta salad, mini ham & cheese fritattas (made in mini muffin tin), and turkey & spinach pinwheels (I'm a sucker for anything made with refrigerated crescent dough).  

Everything looked so pretty and turned out mighty tasty. Which is a relief because I tried several brand-new recipes for this party!

While food is certainly an important element of any good party, it's not always the main attraction, especially when kids are the target audience. 

Late the night before, I had the table all set with the necessary supplies to make these adorable bunny pops.  Oriental Trading made this craft incredibly easy by providing a printable template for the bunny (but I typed up my own version of the instructions).  Madelyn and I had made samples to display in advance. 

I found the perfect pastel suckers at Dollar Tree without any logos on the wrappers, which I think makes them extra-cute (vs. Dum-Dum suckers in the original).

This was a great activity that kids and parents could do at their leisure. I've learned it's easiest to have do-it-yourself activities at parties like this to allow for freedom to mingle rather than a regimented agenda. 

For another simple come-and-go activity I set out Easter coloring pages and colored pencils on the coffee table (covered with butcher paper). 

The "main event" of the party was our Easter Basket "Hunt."  Since I wanted a game that was fun and fair for 16 guests aged 2 to 10, and without the assurance of a sunny day for an outdoor egg hunt, I had to find an alternative. I modified an idea I found somewhere online to create this concept.  I created a small Easter basket filled with little goodies for every child, then tied a piece of yarn to the handle. Then I weaved the yarn through the room--around chair legs, over and under the table, etc. and attached the other end of the yarn to the floor with an Easter nametag sticker on which I wrote the child's name. This was the project I was just finishing at 2:30am. :)

 

Here are some of the kids and parents lining up by their name in anticipation!

I could foresee the possibility of this activity being either utter chaos, or possibly worse: not very fun. Rather, it went smoothly and seemed to be a huge hit!  

It brings me a lot of joy to entertain friends this way and I am so thrilled that everyone had a good time. I got to know some other parents at Madelyn's new school a little better too, which was a primary reason I wanted to host this event. 

Happy Easter Party!

De-Lurk Day!

Did you enjoy NaBloPoMo? I did. Writing 30 posts in 30 days wreaked havoc on my precarious balance between business workload vs. available time to be productive, but I enjoyed it all the same.  And I want to continue writing on my blog.  There is certainly an element of personal satisfaction inherent in blogging, but to be frank, I am self-satisfied in other areas of my life, so that reward alone is not enough to keep the wheels of Beyond Mommy turning.  The implicit reality is that engaged and participatory readers are the lifeblood of a good blog. Without feedback wherein the writer learns who her readers are and what they enjoy reading, a blog can easily wither and die (I submit as evidence for your consideration: May through October on this blog).

Therefore, I am officially declaring today "De-Lurk Day" on Beyond Mommy.

Do you read this blog on a regular basis, or are you just stopping in? How did you find this blog? Did a less-than-hilarious Google search land you here? Did you click through from a mutual friend or a facebook post? Are you an ex-boyfriend's brother or my former boss or someone I've never met? Or do I see you every day and not even know that you are reading this?? Now is your chance to come clean. Let the world (and more importantly, me!) know that you're reading this blog.

Just write a quick note to tell us a little about yourself, how you know me or found this blog, and/or why you read it, if you want. 

I happen to know that Bridget (from whom I received permission to steal this whole De-Lurk Day idea*) would love some company on my very quiet comment platforms. I find it plausible that some people fear commenting precisely because it is so quiet--it's like giving a speech in your underwear. But consider this blog as a social platform. If I wanted to have a conversation with myself, I wouldn't need a computer. And that is no fun anyway.  If you have taken the time to read one of my posts, can you take another moment to continue the discussion a little further? Do you like it or hate it? Agree or disagree? Did it make you laugh or roll your eyes?  Surely you have something to say. Everyone does. My posts merely provide an opening monologue for what could be an engaging conversation. 

So go ahead...de-lurk yourself! And then please don't be a stranger...

*I know I 'll never get 55 comments on this post, but come on Beyond Mommy fans, let's have a decent showing here! I know you are out there lurking!  :)

How to find this blog

I don't look at the statistics very often, but I do have a couple of tracking widgets installed on Beyond Mommy. They give me basic information about how many visitors my site receives each day, where they are located, how they landed on my page, etc. Pretty boring stuff, really. But it can be kind of fun to see that in the last 48 hours I have entertained guests from Birmingham, Alabama; Civitanova Marche, Italy; Macon, Georgia; and South Lanarkshire, UK. I do not know anyone who lives in these places.

That always makes me wonder how strangers find my blog.  Enter Google Analytics, which tracks the various search terms entered which result in a "hit" for Beyond Mommy. The most common search leading to my website is questions related to the NikePlus iPod Sensor, which I reviewed in depth last year. I sincerely hope that it has helped answer these queries, ranging from [sic] "what does nike+ do?" to "nike i pod odometer" to "Nike sensor Sinagpore price."  That last one I know didn't find the answer on my blog. I also get other bland requests such as "bringing kids to las vegas" and "how to diy streak hair."

Beyond the mundane searches with an obvious motive, it is much more fun to see what other odd phrases cause Google to bring up my site and lead a person to click on it. For your entertainment, here are a few of my favorites:

bikini babes in the snow probably led some disappointed pervert here or possibly to any one of my American Idol posts referring to "Bikini Girl."

"husband's last name" (in quotations, meaning searching for this exact phrase) innocuously led someone to my post about combining last names when we got married, but I like to imagine somebody forgot her husband's last name and was trying to find it.

oh crap probably linked to this post, but could just as easily have led someone here. I admit to having multiple entries featuring this phrase.


Chicago skyline scene shower curtain. Yes, I have written several posts about Chicago recently, but I'm not sure how the shower curtain comes into play.

diznee collection obviously found this lovely experience, but it makes me wonder whether or not the searcher intended the misspelling, as I did.

dressing up as a fear factor contestant and fear is not a factor logo must lead to one of my favorite flashbacks, and I hope that first person was pleased with my example.

I did discuss puffy paint popularity here, and showed off some unhalloween costumes here but I find these search phrases amusing in general. Don't you think it's fun to wonder why a person would enter any of these various combinations of words? What are they looking for?

And now for the grand finale, the best phrase leading to Beyond Mommy in recent weeks, exactly as entered in the search engine:

live forfoming and boob show

I can't begin to comprehend what this even means, much less what it has to do with my blog. I am going to assume that the individual searching did not find what he (or she?) was looking for with this particular click. 

A measly 200 friends

I got started on Facebook much later than most people I know. Of course I still occasionally run into someone who continues to resist; my husband is one of those.  From the beginning, I mainly interacted with my Facebook profile when it interacted with me: if someone "friended" me, I responded; when someone wrote on my "wall" or sent me a message, I viewed it. I made only a few efforts to find people from my past, and quickly grew weary of the superficial "OMG how are you?" posts that rarely progressed beyond those few words. So even though I was "on" Facebook, I just didn't spend very much time on Facebook. 

For reasons I can't quite identify or recall, I've clicked over to Facebook more often recently, and as much as I would have preferred to remain oblivious, discovered that I am deficient in friends. I've always found the implicit pursuit to collect the most "friends" on a social network to be a ludicrous paradox, so I never meant to get involved. But I accidentally noticed on a few of my (real) friends' profiles that they have over 300, 400, even over 500 Facebook friends.  That day I had 183. 

Pretend that you don't care how many friends you have if you want to, but there is no denying that personal connections make us feel liked. Also, it's easy to pretend you don't care if you are one of the ones with many hundreds of friends. Now, we all know that Facebook friends do not equal real friends. They aren't all people you'd invite to your birthday party, even if they all lived nearby. I started out very selective about my Facebook friends, but lightened up about it as time went on.  The truth is, I don't have copious opportunities to make acquaintances like some of my church-going/world-traveling/bar-hopping associates.  So many of the people I know are my business clients, and it makes me nervous to think about them viewing photos of my private life or clicking on the link to my blog. But I got a little fire under my butt for some reason to boost my friend numbers (my ego), and have been actually clicking some of the "people you might know" suggestions. I still have a hard time sending a friend request to someone I was never close to in the first place, it makes me uncomfortable. 

My half-hearted endeavor has grown the list to 190 friends so far. Two hundred is within reach! 

I am pathetic. 

41.5 hours of isolation

Oh, if only it were as good as that title sounds. In reality, I was without a cell phone for a day and a half, which feels rather isolating compared to my usual level of connectedness.

I've temporarily misplaced my phone before. Haven't we all? Usually I find it within a couple of minutes of noticing its absence by retracing my steps and of course the simple call-your-phone-and-listen-for-the-ringtone trick. Most often the phone has been left on the passenger seat of the car when I gathered up my stuff, or set unwittingly on a shelf in my closet when I removed it from my pocket to change.

Do you know what turns 'misplacing your phone' into 'losing your phone?' I'll tell you. If you don't realize that you've misplaced your cell phone until the battery has expired, and it is not in any visible location, then you have lost your cell phone.  Since my phone's battery was nearly dead before it disappeared, I was left to super-sleuth this mystery.

Here are the known facts:

• My husband called me at 3:46pm when I was driving away from a gas station 20 miles from home. This was the last call I made or received on the missing phone.
• From there, I drove directly to my house and parked the car in the garage.
• I carried my sleeping daughter to her crib, brought all my stuff inside the house, made a sandwich in the kitchen, and started working in my office.
• At 5:17pm the phone's absence was discovered.

Based on those facts it is clear that my phone had to be somewhere in my house, car, or garage. Normally, that incontrovertible evidence would be reassuring, because it would offer the relief that the phone was not stolen or left behind at one of any number of errand-running locations.  However, as my search grew longer and more intense without success, the indisputable fact that it had to be here somewhere became inconceivable.

Sometimes my cell phone slides under the seat of the car or between the seat and console. I checked there. Gary checked there. Gary checked again with a flashlight. I checked with a flashlight again from every possible angle and in every possible crevice.  I looked under the cars and in corners of the garage where the phone might have been inadvertently kicked after dropping. Nothing.

Of course I checked all of the obvious places in my house too, again and again, anywhere that the phone might possibly be.  Then I found myself looking in places that the phone could not possibly be. The shower. Cupboards I haven't opened all week that are too high for Madelyn to reach. Pockets of clothes I had not been wearing.

It was garbage collection night. I put on my flip flops and jacket, then went out to the curb in the rain with a flashlight and searched through our garbage and recycling bins.  How easily my phone could have been knocked off my desk into one of those receptacles and then gathered up unknowingly with the rest of our refuse. No amount of digging revealed my phone, and I was cold, wet, and grossed out.

It had to be somewhere, but it was nowhere.  I envisioned seemingly impossible ways that the mystery could eventually be solved:

Gary, on some future moving day: "What do you know your phone got in the bottom of this file cabinet drawer!"

Me, searching for a bag of peas: "Oh here it is, at the bottom of the freezer!"

The vet: "Here's the reason Kezia's been vomitting all day."

The plumber: "I've seen a lot of things stuck in a P-trap before, but I don't think you're going to want to use this phone again."

We have a land line, but it is set up as a fax line on which we can also make outgoing calls. So thankfully I was able to use the handset to call the people who depend on communicating with me and tell them I wouldn't be receiving calls and I didn't know for how long. I'm on my computer most of the day anyway, so I explained that they could email and ask me to call them if they needed to. But it made me nervous for my husband to be unable to call me during his work day.  And to think that others might leave an urgent message and not realize that I did not intend to ignore them.  Then Saturday morning, while Madelyn and I prepared to leave the house to run several errands in various corners of the city, I grew increasingly anxious about not having any way to contact someone were the need to arise. I even packed up my laptop and Clear mobile modem so that I could access the internet if I needed directions or information or needed to contact someone for help.  I can even send text messages right from my beloved Gmail.  Many great ideas come to me when I'm driving, or I remember people I've been meaning to call back, etc., so the thought of spending a day in the car without my phone was unnerving for a variety of reasons.

As I was buckling Madelyn into her carseat, these concerns were making me apprehensive. Like I had so many other times during the past 40 hours, I began searching in my vicinity again. I knew I had looked under these car seats half a dozen times, but I also knew that the phone could not have simply immaterialized.  So back down to the floorboards I went, and noticed this time a piece of plastic casing beside the seat that was slightly open, making me wonder if the phone could have slid off the seat into this little pocket.  I could not see it in there, but while peering intensely into the dark, I did notice a tiny corner of silver plastic hiding behind a black metal bracket. Could it be?

Yep, it was. My phone was there under the car seat as I originally guessed, only it was somehow nestled in a little cranny-nook that was nearly impossible to see--even with a flashlight--from all the vantage points we attempted. I even scratched up my hand a bit trying to jimmy it out of its hidey-hole. Now, had the battery not been dead, I could have heard that the phone was indeed in the car, and would have been able to see the light from its screen to easily locate it.

They say you don't know how much you use something until it's gone. What a bunch of bull.  I know exactly how much I use my phone, and the moment I realized it wouldn't be easily found, I was distraught.  I am truly grateful to live in a time where communication is so easy and prevalent.  Some folks wistfully yearn for the "simpler times," but to them I say, "How simple was it to call a tow-truck from the side of the freeway?" "How simple was it to ensure that you were never running behind for fear you might miss an important meeting because you couldn't call to say you'd be there in ten?" "How simple was it to stop at a gas station and use the grimy yellow pages to look up the phone number for the store you couldn't find?"  "How simple was it to gather up the kids for an urgent trip to pick up the last dinner ingredient before your husband got home, even though he drives right by the grocery store on his way?"

The mystery of the disappearing phone is solved. And what a relief.  Because I like my "complicated" days of mobile communication.

Come, follow me?

Nothing brightens my day like logging on to Blogger and noticing that I have a new Follower! It doesn't happen very often, but it gives me a thrill to know that someone out there enjoys reading my blog enough that they are not ashamed to admit it.

Is my self esteem dependent on your approval? Does my own perceived worth as a writer improve with the addition of each loyal reader? Will I live a more satisfied existence knowing that you appreciate the time and effort I put into this blog?

Well, yeah, basically.

So if you aren't a Follower yet, shame on you! Just kidding. But if you want to make my day as Laura did today, just give a little clicksie to the button called "Follow" over there on the left. I promise it won't bite. Pretty please?

(with a cherry on top)

Ode to Gmail

Oh Gmail. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

1) Web-based mail without distracting banner ads, blinkies, and pop-ups.

2) Text-only ads. In order to enjoy my glorious Gmail for free, I understand the need for some advertising, but appreciate the way text-only ads blend in and are not displayed on my inbox screen.

3) Relevant advertising. Maybe it's a little creepy to see ads for Depends alongside the email from a woman interested in presenting a seminar about incontinence at Curves, but at least it is somewhat entertaining. And at best I have actually found the advertisements useful and clicked on them! This is exactly how I discovered Lora Jensen's 3-day Potty Training method that totally worked!

4) Customizable themes. Such fun and lovely ways to customize my email platform. I currently have mine set on Cherry Blossom, which I find uplifting and cheerful.

5) Emails grouped by conversation! At first I was unsure of how I would like this. But now I cannot imagine ever having an email program without the feature. Imagine your email "conversations" involving multiple people, and every time one person adds a response, the whole conversation arrives together in your inbox so you have all the important emails together to refer to. The previous emails are collapsed unless you want to read them. If many emails are exchanged within this same subject while you are away, you don't come back to an inbox full of new messages, just multiple new messages grouped into one conversation. Gmail tells you how many messages are in the conversation and who they are from and how many are new. Once you get used to this concept it is brilliantly useful and convenient. This might just be my most favorite aspect of the Gmail system, if I were forced to choose.

6) Labels instead of files. I know some people are confused when they switch to Gmail: where are the files? Why can't I put my emails into files? Well basically you can, only with labels it's like you can put each email (or conversation) into as many "files" as you want by using labels! So when you get an email from your mom about the upcoming reunion but she also attaches a recipe you might like, you can give it a "reunion" label AND a "recipes" label, rather than having to choose the one file where it would best fit and remember which file you chose when you want to find that message later.

7) Archiving instead of deleting. You just never know when you're going to need to look at that email again. Even when you think you won't. You might. Trust me. So just archive it and it's always there to be found if needed. Of course, with Gmail, even the items you delete aren't really gone until you say so a final time. How often do I get emails from people saying something like, "can you send me that address again?" or "I deleted that email where you explained that really important thing you are asking me about now." I want to say, "Get Gmail. Please." You will never have to ask anybody to resend anything.

8) Built-in Google search technology. I actually don't use labels too extensively, because the email search feature is so effective. I feel comfortable archiving any email that I am not actively working with, because I know I can find it later. A clean inbox makes me very happy!

9) Customizable Web Clips. The text banner over my inbox displays a new web clip with each screen refresh. Sometimes it contains an advertisement for a website, but I can also enter websites that I want to "follow" such as my friends' public blogs, and it will periodically display recent posts. Then I can go waste some time reading those when I get bored working.

10) Filters. Tell Gmail in advance what you want done with specific messages when they arrive. Do you want a copy of invoices from a certain company automatically forwarded to your supervisor? Do you want all emails from a certain person marked with an exclamation point? Do you want emails from a certain person, with certain words in the subject line, containing attachments to be marked with a specific label? Just tell Gmail and he'll do it! The possibilities are limitless!

11) Keyboard shortcuts. These can also be customized, and I use them constantly. On a laptop, being able to use the keyboard rather than the mouse literally does save time.

12) Snippets. Beside each email subject is the first snippet of the message beyond any greeting, so I can glance through new messages from my inbox and know the gist of the important ones without opening any. This is especially useful if I only have a second to see if a response I'm waiting on has arrived or want to know whether that email from Karen requires immediate action or if it is full of adorable or funny pictures that I can look at later. :)

13) Send and receive mail from multiple addresses. Use your personal and business email on the same platform. I receive our Curves emails in my Gmail inbox, and I can also respond from the same "info@" address so that members and leads don't get my personal email address. I'm sure by now you're just dying to switch to Gmail, but won't because it's a huge hassle to change your email address. Guess what. You can still use all the wonders that are Gmail, and keep your existing address. But soon enough you'll probably want to proudly say "at gmail cot com!" when you tell your email address.

14) Chat. I can see when my friends who use Gmail are online, and have quick little conversations such as what time we're meeting to run tonight. Quicker response than an email, while allowing me to more efficiently multitask than I could during a phone call.

15) Labs. These are "crazy experimental stuff" you can enable or not, developed by the geniuses working at Google to add fun or functional features to Gmail. I'll list the ones I find extremely useful next, but here are some I don't personally take advantage of that I still find interesting or amusing: Mail Goggles (makes you solve simple math problems before sending email late at night to prevent morning-after email regret), Email Addict (blocks the screen for 15 minutes, hides you in chat, and tells you to take a break), Canned Responses ("email for the truly lazy"; save common emails and send with one click, or even automatically send these emails using filters), Custom Label Colors (give each of your labels its own identifying color--pretty!), and so many more.

16) Forgotten Attachment Detector. This lab prompts you before sending if it seems you have forgotten to attach files that you mention in the email. Now you don't have to send that "oops!" message or anxiously await responses only to find the hours waiting wasted when you get the email that says, "um, maybe it didn't come through right, but I can't see any attachment, but I'm sure you're not so dumb that you didn't attach it, it's probably my computer."

17) Send & Archive. Probably my favorite of all labs. One button sends my email and archives the conversation all at once. Before this lab I had to click 'Send' and then a few moments later click 'Archive.' Prehistoric, I tell you!

18) Undo Send. Oops! I forgot to add something. Oops! I hit Reply instead of Forward! (Ack!) A few seconds to retrieve a sent message might be a lifesaver sometimes!

Oh Gmail. You are what email is meant to be.

Nike+ iPod Sensor review

My serious running friends have fancy GPS watches. I was envious of their ability to just step out the front door and run in any direction, knowing they could track their distance and adjust the route as needed to meet a desired goal mileage. My method previously required driving a car and measuring different routes in advance with my odometer. It was time-consuming and involved a lot of trial and error to get the right route for a chosen distance to end up back at home or wherever I might park my car to run.

Then I learned about a website called mapmyrun.com, and realized that I didn't need any fancy equipment to plan my routes. On the website I can simply click my starting point, and click, click, click along the roads on a map. If my unfinished loop isn't going to end up long enough, or is getting too far from home base for my desired distance, I just hit undo a few clicks and add or remove streets as needed. This serves my purpose, and although it doesn't allow the same flexibility as GPS perhaps, it is absolutely free. I just have to spend a few extra minutes planning a route and then committing the important turns to memory before heading out. I also like the ability to email proposed maps to my running buddies, and is especially helpful when I'll be meeting somebody partway through my run because we have different distance goals for the day.

So the distance problem was satisfactorily solved for me on mapmyrun.com. But another very useful feature of the GPS tool is real-time pace tracking. The only way for me to know how fast I run is to do a little math at the very end of my workout: speed = distance / time. I feel that I have reached the point in my training that I am ready to work on increasing my speed and maintaining a more constant pace throughout my runs. In order to do that, I need to know how fast I am going at various points on my course, not just the average at the end.

A new Garmin watch wasn't going to be in the cards for me, that I knew. But a while ago I searched for used models on craigslist and eBay. I couldn't justify buying one of the ancient models when I have heard the technology has been significantly improved over the last few years, but the previously-owned newish models were still out of my budget. And so I accepted that I would do without.

Over the summer, while shopping for a new pair of running shoes at the Nike Factory Store, I noticed most of the shoeboxes were labeled with the Nike+ logo. I had heard of it, but read more information on a little brochure explaining that a Nike+ shoe can talk to your iPod wirelessly with every step, and tell you your time, distance, pace, and calories burned while you run. Bingo.

It didn't take me long to figure out that the shoes are simply Nike+ ready, meaning there is a little compartment in the shoe for the sensor, which would have to be purchased separately. The Nike Plus Sensor sells online for under $30--about a tenth of the price of a Garmin.

At such a small pricetag, the question became not whether I could afford it, but whether it would be worth it. Would it be accurate enough to be useful? For that cheap, there was definitely no GPS technology inside. I searched online for more information about how exactly the Nike+ iPod sensor works, but found very little besides where to buy it. Even the instruction manual pdf did not provide any clues to how the sensor measures distance and pace, or what amount of accuracy should be expected.

I decided to buy one and give it a try. And since I found the internet to be slightly lacking helpful information on this product, I hope that my review will be helpful to some curious shoppers out there.

What is Nike+ iPod sensor?

Essentially the Nike+ sensor is just a pedometer. It tracks your steps. But unlike the cheap little pendulum clip you can attach to the front of your pants, the Nike+ can do instantaneous calculations based on the number of steps you take over measured time intervals to determine your current pace. There is also some calculation for calories burned, and of course it times your workout as well. All of this information is displayed on your iPod screen and can even be received through instant audio feedback on your earphones.

How accurately does Nike+ measure distance?

The sensor comes ready to use out of the box and claims to be "accurate for most runners," but I would highly recommend calibrating it immediately. You simply run an accurately measured distance in the calibration mode (for example 400 meters, one lap around a standard track on the inside lane) and then the sensor (I assume) determines your average stride length.

You can also calibrate the sensor after having completed a run with a known distance, which is a nice feature. I ran with my new, uncalibrated Nike+ sensor alongside a friend with GPS, and mine was pretty far off of her distance measurement. After the run, I simply input the # of miles we had just completed, and it calibrated for future runs. Since then, my Nike+ has provided measurements that are within a tenth of a mile of my Garmin friends'. I also look at the mile-markers on mapmyrun.com before leaving home, and often my Nike+ gives me the mile count within a driveway-length of the satellite map's.

I propose that the longer the run, and the more hills involved (especially if up- and downhill lengths are disproportionate), the less accurate the distance will be. Generally, your stride will be longer going down hill and shorter going up hill, and as far as I can conclude, the Nike+ doesn't have a way to account for these differences. If you go up and down hills fairly evenly, it would probably balance out. Today I planned a 12-mile route on the map website, and when I reached the end of the route, my Nike+ sensor had measured 12.25 miles. That is the most discrepancy I have ever noticed, but my friend also reminded me that those online maps may not be 100% accurate either.

How accurately does Nike+ measure pace?

The answer to this question echoes the previous one. Since the Nike+ sensor determines your average stride length through calibration and then counts the # of steps you take over measured time intervals, its accuracy depends on your stride length remaining constant. Hills, very long runs where you might significantly shorten your stride will impact the pace measurement (as well as distance). For the casual runner, the difference is probably not enough to be concerned about. I also am not sure how long it takes for the sensor to calculate and communicate with the iPod receiver. I would like to know if the lag time is 3 seconds or 10 seconds or 1 second. Overall, for me, the pace reported is close enough. After all, I could previously only venture a guess at my speed without spending $300 on a Garmin.

How does Nike+ interact with the iPod?

Nike+ iPod is supported on all iPod nano models, iPod touch (2nd gen), and iPhone 3G S. So make sure you have one of those. I have an iPod nano 2nd generation, so that's the only model on which I can comment specifically, but the features should be more or less the same on all (and the manual covers the differences in detail).

All of your workout information is displayed on the screen, and you can still control your music throughout. You can choose a male or female voice to give you periodic updates on your distance (or turn the voice off), and press the center button at any time to hear your time, distance, pace and calories. I suppose this is nice if you don't want to have to look at the screen.

I use an arm band for my iPod, and my biggest complaint about the entire system is that it's difficult to read the screen on my arm because the information is upside-down. I would strap the iPod on in an inverted position, except that the case is open on the top, so it would just fall out. Perhaps there is an armband case that is secure on the top so I could wear it upside-down. Hm. I'll have to look into that. Also it is tedious to have to tap the touch pad every time I want an update, as I can't read the screen in motion without the backlight.

Another cool feature is the ability to choose a power song. When in need of some extra motivation, you can hold down the center button and your special song starts a-pumpin'. I haven't actually used that feature yet, but it seems fun.

The iPod interface for Nike Plus also allows you to:

• choose distance, time, or calorie goals for your workout, or just start going.
• listen to any playlist or all songs, or no music. You can receive calls on the iPhone and your workout will automatically be paused.
• review previous workout summaries
• send your workouts to nikeplus.com
• create custom workout shortcuts (this is a useful feature I need to start using!)
• link one iPod receiver to multiple sensors.

What if I don't have Nike+ shoes?

Aha! Nike wants you to think you need those, but it's a trick. I actually saw some poor schmuck selling his sensor on eBay because he realized his shoes aren't compatible with it. Yes, the Nike+ shoes have a foam pad under the foot bed which can be removed and replaced with the Nike+ sensor. Yes that keeps it all neat and tidy and out of your way. But I came across dozens of various sensor "pods" that you can buy for under ten bucks and attach to any shoe. These little pouches hold the sensor and attach to your laces it seems. So you don't need special shoes, but without them you'll need a little pod for the sensor.

How does Nike+ measure steps taken?

I actually don't know the answer to this. Maybe nobody cares, as long as it works. But I am curious. Since the sensor does not need to be under the footbed (see above), the pedometer must not measure steps through impact, so perhaps it is a pendulum effect similar to the cheap hip-clip models. Before I got my own Nike+ sensor and realized that indeed it is just a fancy pedometer, I wondered if there were TWO sensors--one for each foot--which could somehow communicate with one another. If that were the case, distance and time could be very accurate, if the two sensors could measure their distance apart and when they cross each other...I'm no engineer though, and maybe that technology is just in my imagination...thus far. It might use impact, however, without requiring the full weight of the body. Just the impact of foot strike is probably enough to mark a step taken.

Overall, I am very happy that I tried the Nike+ Plus iPod sensor. In my experience Nike+ has delivered surprisingly accurate information; undoubtedly better than no information. For under 30 dollars, it is certainly worth the investment.

This review is based solely on my own personal use of Nike+ and my related opinions. I don't work for Nike or Apple and apologize for any misrepresentations that may unknowingly exist. Hopefully this report provides additional insight to shoppers looking for more information about this product.

American Idol Top 9

I swear I have no intentions for Beyond Mommy to become an American Idol blog. Since my husband recently started working a job with long hours rendering me a full-time working-at-home-mother with a business to run, I have been left with very few moments to spend blogging, and when the free time does manifest itself, my brain is so far from creative writing mode that I've been unable to focus any meaningful thought into comprehensible prose. So here we are again with my opinions on Fox Reality TV, since my OCD won't allow me to abandon this series of posts I began.

Predicting the bottom three after tonight's show should be easier than making a blonde laugh on Saturday.*

To my humble little ears, Megan Joy's voice sounds like nails on a blackboard, the agony only intensifying every week. The judges only prattled on about her disappointing song choice though, instead of cluing her in to the fact that she cannot sing! Why am I the only one who knows this?!?

Anoop sang a song by Usher that half of the audience has probably never heard and won't enjoy. I really like Anoop. On top of his singing talent, I am always left with a faint impression that he could have been Peter Gibbons' third cohort at Initech. His little hip-hop motif on stage tonight authenticated the Office Space persona for me, distinctly conjuring images of the three software programmers bashing the hell out of an old copy machine in a vacant lot to the tune of "Damn it Feels Good to be a Gangsta." Hilarious? Yes. Legitimate? No.

Matt Giraud got the next worst comments from the judges, once again focusing on his poor song choice. I agree that it was ludicrous to select a song by The Fray which was so reminiscent of his horrendous Cold Play rendition that cost him his first chance at getting voted through to the Top 12. But he sang tonight's song far better, and I wish the judges would let go of the song choice issue once in a while and give some feedback on what the singer did with the song he or she chose. It's true that this genre isn't Matt's best match, and the judges made no mistake in conveying that message, but if this is the kind of music he wants to sing, let America decide whether or not he should. Kara is right, however, in stating that Matt does not deserve to go home.

On that note, neither does Anoop, based on what we've seen him accomplish in the past. After Megan, my next choice to go home would be Lil Rounds. Last week I felt it was time to bid adieu to Scott MacIntyre, but this week he made all the right choices. Billy Joel's "Just the Way You Are" with nothing but Scott, a spotlight, and the shiny black Yamaha (which Ryan Seacrest has repeatedly referred to as the "baby grand" despite the fact that it is over 7 feet long) perfectly highlighted his vocals this week without the distractions that I believe have caused him to lose mental focus in the past, affecting the precision of his intonation and pitch. The judges were pleasantly surprised at Lil's Celine Dion copycat, but my assessment is far from glowing. She struggled to find the correct key a couple of times, and overused the screaming powerhouse voice without giving it proper dynamic balance.

My four favorites still won the competition tonight, but I can easily place two at the very top. The issue I'm having with Danny Gokey is that he is producing a nearly identical performance each week. It isn't getting any worse, it just isn't getting any more interesting. I also thought the range of the Rascal Flatts number was too wide, as the lower register was not well-supported (again), yet it would have been a strain to hit any higher than the top of that key.

Alison Iraheta killed it once again on "Don't Speak," and I appreciated a slightly more subdued choice without losing her rockstar edge. Usually Simon Cowell is the only judge bold enough to ridicule a contestant's choice of wardrobe (especially a girl's), but the meek and stuttering Randy Jackson started the panel on a tirade against her (admittedly horrific) ensemble. I hated the dress as much as any of them, but I was baffled that not one of them mentioned the absurdity of her guitar prop. When she came out with the axe around her neck, we were all surprised and excited to hear this punk jam on her electric guitar. She plucked a few soft chords for her intro, then violently swung it around her back , grabbed the mic, and allowed the band to accompany the rest of the song. I was left yearning for more, but believing that she must lack the skill to provide it, and thus should have simply left it out altogether. Because after the intro she looked rather silly with a guitar strapped to the back of her poofy dress. The whole thing was confusing, but thankfully she really did sing well, and this is a singing competition after all.

Which leads us to the highlights of the night: Adam Lambert and Kris Allen. It amazes me that Kris' entrance to the competition was kind of a shocker, yet he has not once failed to impress. I absolutely loved his "Ain't No Sunshine," and we got to see him behind a keyboard instead of guitar this week, which just adds another succulent layer to his tiramisu of talent. The reason I can see him rising above the entertaining Mr. Lambert is the fact that he has universal appeal. Right now we love anticipating what inimitable mark Adam will leave on the stage each week. But at the very end, when people start deciding which performances they would actually download to their iPod, I think Kris might beat Adam based on a wider circle of influence. On the other hand, it may be Kris' conventional talent that ultimately resigns him to being just another really good singer, giving Adam the edge as he has proven to be so much more.

At this point, I'm rooting for these two boys in the finale, but my verdicts are based on performances alone, so no alliances are promised. But if Megan continues to escape her deserved fate, I may have some harsh words for a little website called votefortheworst.com because they are seriously pissing me off (to the extent that one can take Reality TV seriously).



*Just tell her a joke on Saturday! Do people even tell blonde jokes anymore?

Craigslist Capers: Snowboard surprise

I am deep in the process of attempting to purchase some decent snowboard equipment for my husband and myself through craigslist. I just sold both our sets of skis through the very same online marketplace, so I have a wad of cash which I consider to be my budget for the new gear. I really love craigslist and sincerely appreciate the baffling fact that the majority of its usage is absolutely free, yet we can enjoy it without the distracting bombardment of sidebar ads and pop-ups.

Each time I dive into the craigslist world I am reminded that there are some pretty clueless people out there. And I frequently encounter some peculiar situations, postings, and people. So I am introducing a segment here on Beyond Mommy called Craigslist Capers. I hope you enjoy it and will feel compelled to share your own entertaining craigslist experiences.

This particular hunt for two complete snowboard sets has been mentally intense and surprisingly time-consuming. We need two different specific sizes, I have particular tastes, and I am on a budget. There are not very many full sets including board, boots, and bindings for sale, and of those that even list the important details, only a few comprise the correct combination of boot and board size for either of us. Generally, those are completely hideous.

So I resort to my "craigslist dance," adding items I like to Favorites folders labeled for different combinations of board only, board with bindings, complete sets, boots for me, boots for him, etc. Then I email questions to the owners, make lists of combos I like on paper, and map out how I might be able to meet these handfuls of people to get everything I want in one trip. All of this might seem inordinately complicated (I know my husband thinks so), but consider it necessary when you live 30-60 minutes away from most craigslisters, and due to specific preferences want to limit the number of times you have to endure the awkward, "no thanks, I don't like your personal belongings, but I appreciate you answering all my emails and driving here to meet me for nothing."

I asked several people to email me photos, because either the ones on craigslist were too small or they hadn't posted any. In one instance, I could see that the snowboard had an artistic graphic printed on it but couldn't make it out. The owner resonded to my request with 5 photos. The two showing the bottom of the board appeared to be nearly the same picture. The third picture was a close-up of the Palmer logo which is already pretty clearly shown in the following, which were the best I got showing the top of the board:

You can see that there is some sort of design there around the right binding. It looks like it might be abstract painting or a stained glass design...possibly a television set there on the side.

The specs of the board fit my criteria for the mens' board, and it was a great price for their claim of it having never been used, so I agreed to meet them to take a look. I was already looking at a board for me in Oregon City (which I also did not end up buying because it was too small), and the owner of the Palmer above agreed to meet me in the same parking lot. Knowing it was a little out of her way, I tried to find a meeting place more convenient for her, but she insisted.

Following the customary pleasantries confirming that we're looking for one another, the short, round woman hauled the snowboard over to my car. I inspected the surfaces and edges first. It didn't look brand new as she claimed, but perhaps it was all only the result of garage storage.

My brief examination made its way toward the end of the board containing the graphic. It suddenly became clear why the owner didn't send more forthright photos (although it would have made more sense to simply do so).

The image is a cartoonish painting; in a style reminiscent of the old Garbage Pail Kids cards, or some of the more offensive Mad Magazine renderings. It depicts a disgusting, obese, hairy man sitting in a ratty armchair surrounded by empty liquor bottles. A fat cigar hangs between his crooked, yellow teeth, with a couple dozen more butts overflowing from a nearby ashtray onto the floor at his feet. On the wall behind him is a tiny framed pictured of a naked woman.

I gathered up my confidence and remained nonchalant when I said to the woman, "This looks like a really nice board. But I have to admit, the graphic doesn't really suit my husband's personality."

Before I even finished the sentence she conceded, "Not your style?"

Her immediate understanding, followed by the abrupt departure which seemed lightly laced with irritation leads me to believe that they have been having trouble selling this snowboard because of one common denominator.

In light of that, I don't understand why they don't simply embrace the board for what it is and focus on attracting an appreciative audience. No one is going to simply "not notice" the illustration. So by concealing it, they wasted my time as well as their own, and who knows how many others'. In addition, I believe they would actually sell the board more quickly by advertising it for what it is. The market for that artwork exists. But the people (boys) who would be interested in it will only see polka-dots until you put the edgy rebellion right in their faces. Then you won't have to bother with people who would never consider it.

The third dozen: fairly forgettable

My predictions for best male and female last week were right on, just as with the first group. But the third spot was a shocker for everyone. And probably for no one more than Kris Allen himself. I thought he did a great job, but didn't expect him to take the vote. I am excited to hear more of his voice on some better songs, though. I knew my choices for #3 during the last two weeks wouldn't go through, and stated such in my recap. I don't think this week will break that pattern.

It wasn't a particularly bad night for American Idol. But the nine contestants who will bid adieu to the cameras and lights tomorrow night will be forgotten before the stage has been swept. I didn't particularly hate anyone's performance, but there were a slim few that I connected with on a level deeper than, "that was nice."

As I understand it, the final three voter-selected spots in the Top Twelve go to tonight's guy and gal with the most votes, and the person with the next-highest votes. I believe the remaining three slots will be filled by the judges as part of the Wild Card show on Thursday. As usual, here is my relatively unimportant take on what transpired this evening on American Idol:


1. Lil Rounds: They saved the best for last, of course. Lil closed the show with a powerhouse vocal, which leads me to believe the folks behind AI just don't care about any suspicions that they manipulate the public to vote for their educated favorites. Not only by having her sing last, which I have already mentioned is practically a guaranteed golden ticket (worked during the last two weeks already), but also the judges' gushing praise. Their comments exuded only positive, to the extent that they might as well have been reading from a script. Which might have been necessary if they were as distracted from her singing as my couch-partner. Truth be told, I could hardly hear Lil's Mary J. Blige over my husband's awestruck curiosity at the wonder that is Lil Round's "big round." Admittedly, it's impressive. Gary mused that if we looked up "badonkadonk" on wikipedia, there would be a picture of "that." If only I knew how to spell badonkadonk, we could check. I don't dare dirty my internet cache with that term, but you go right ahead. Anyway, the girl can sing, and she has shown herself to be an adorable mother of three, which you know people relate to. So I think she'll roll on forward.

2. Scott MacIntyre: Although definitely in the top three of the guys, he wasn't actually the best singer of the night. Scott is legally blind, which in itself is a pretty incredible back story. No one wants to not vote for the blind guy. More importantly, the passion flowing through his vocal instrument is profound, and the judges keep assuring us that once he gets behind his piano we'll fall deeper in love. So I think people will vote to see that.

3. Kristen McNamara: You might remember Kristen from such blog posts as this one about my hair, where I posted a photo from her first audition. Tonight she attempted to fool us into believing that her stylist "accidentally" gave her purple hair and she was so embarrassed. Whatever, Kristen. We know that's not true, and anyway, I liked it. So, in precisely the same situation as the last two weeks, I don't actually believe that my third choice will win the vote, but Kristen was my next favorite. And not just because we share a name, but because her version of "Gimme One Reason to Stay Here" was creative and fun. She looks like an absolute natural on stage, which is a breath of fresh air in these early rounds while we whittle away the wannabe's. Unfortunately, the judges completely disagreed with my opinion, and the lemmings usually follow them.

4. Jorge Nunez: I don't know how to make the little squiggle over the n to make it a Spanish "enyay." As in Horhay Noonyez. He'll probably take the third place because he is different, has a good voice, and is refreshingly humble. The Puerto Rican young man belted out Elton John's "Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me," a perfect choice for a vocal competition if you've got the pipes for it. In earlier auditions, we heard the judges criticizing Jorge because his accent bled through too much. At the time I thought that was at least condescending if not downright prejudiced, and tonight I felt his attempt to mask the latin accent sounded all wrong. Simon must have thought so, too, because he stepped up to the P.C. plate and admitted they were remiss to have told him to train away his natural inflection, but only after Paula blatantly attributed his smooth sound to adopting their advice and his excellent work with the dialect coach. Nice.

5. Ju'Not Joyner: When his song was first introduced, I was less than thrilled, since we all heard Plain White T's' "Hey There Delilah" about a hundred and sixty-three times too many a few months ago (and I actually like the song). But he softened up the tone so distinctly and took some creative risks that I felt really paid off for his silky voice.

6. Felicia Barton: She seemed to be fighting harder than nearly anyone else. This is likely attributable to the fact that she already took that long, misty-eyed flight home once, only to be recalled as a replacement for a contestant who was deemed ineligible. Felicia has a big voice, but it cracked on a few of the powerful notes. She also looks a lot like Jim Halpert's ex-girlfriend, Karen, and that doesn't work for me. I just love Pam too much.

7. Von Smith: I was shocked when he was invited to come to Hollywood in the first place, and his voice was still strangely grating when he got there. Tonight I thought he did an excellent job, but the song was very boring. I don't even remember what it was. He also sang first, the guillotine position of American Idol lineup, so his vast improvement won't get him through. I think Von was meant to be a 1920's newsie. I can see him wearing suspenders and a plaid newsboy hat, shining shoes for a nickel.

8. Alex Wagner-Trugman: The judges were too hard on Alex. This competition is way out of his league, sure, but he poured his heart and soul into this Elton John rendition, and they kind of teased him as if he were Norman Gentle, who is dorky on purpose. I put Alex in 8th position because these last 5 contestants are equally mediocre, but Alex is at least hilarious! My favorite part was when they showed a clip of Simon telling Alex during Hollywood Week that he would rate his personality as a 9 and his voice as a 3. Then cut back to Alex's interview where he says, very matter-of-factly, "I can only assume that both of those were on a scale of 3." Ah, now that's comedy. And he's just this adorbale little nerd who reminds me a lot of an old friend Mike Bush, whom some of you know.

9. Taylor Vaifanua: I read somewhere a while back that this girl was a "plant" in the auditions: someone that the record label-people (or whoever comprises the "powers that be" of American Idol) want to be successful and so they "encourage" them to audition and then make sure they get through. That doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me, because if a record-producer wanted an individual to produce records, they wouldn't need to wait for said individual to muster through the ranks of American Idol. Just offer a bunch of money, and she'd be yours, right? Anyway, if this rumor were indeed true, tonight's performance would be enough to make those record label-people deny it. Not awful, but very forgettable.

10. Arianna Afsar: Haven't these contestants ever watched American Idol before? The slow ballads almost never win in the early rounds, when so few move forward each week. So far the winners have without fail performed upbeat rock, pop, or jazzy tunes. Later, when only one person is cut each week, those songs stand a chance of not being in last place. But right now, there isn't room to be "not last." Abba's "Winner Takes All" was an ironically grim sentence for "cute as a button" Arianna. Her voice is lovely, but it caught on a few notes, and she had a lot of pitch problems (I refuse to say she was "pitchy" a la Randy and Paula, because I don't think even they could define their own word).

11. Kendall Beard: Of course there needs to be a nondescript pretty blonde girl! More definite pitch issues, but the Martina McBride selection suited this sweet little Texan.

12. Nathaniel Marshall: What a joke. There were some really, really talented singers who were cut from the competition to make room for this hot mess. In the middle of his performance of "I Would Do Anything for Love" by Meatloaf (yes, he did sing that), I wanted to take bets on which would be the first anaolgy we'd hear from a judge: mortifying high school talent show, drunk uncle at a wedding, cruise ship cabaret...the winner? Kara claims she wants to be his karaoke buddy! His whole image is a contradiction to me (effeminate tough-guy, for one), but that is another story. Musically, he just doesn't have the skills to make it as a recording artist. High school drama director? Totally. At least he has tattooed around his neck, "Music is my Life." Show us, Nate, don't tell us.

We shall see tomorrow if my top two predictions are right for a third time.

Socially Networking

Honoring my sacred tradition of being one of the last humans on earth to accept and appreciate newfangled technology, I recently joined the cyber world of Facebook.

I have been avoiding passage into this new frontier for a few reasons:
1. Arrogance. I rather like being different, which may at times include watching the proverbial bandwagon smugly from the sidelines.
2. Time. Maintaining relationships with real friends is difficult enough.
3. Fear. It may surprise you (or maybe not) that there are people out there who are not my friends. I don't mean strangers. I mean the opposite of friends, though the word "enemies" may be a bit strong.

Look, I am an employer. If you have ever had a boss, then you realize that sometimes I have to play that necessary role of the person that people love to hate. It's not my fault. And I feared that a disgruntled employee, or mean person like the one who made a nasty comment on my blog might peep into my private life and laugh. Or worse.

So when, after enjoying some tasty Thai food with a group of girlfriends, the knowlege was bestowed upon me that one's Facebook profile is inaccesible to anyone unless you approve them as your "friend," that fear was eliminated. I'm not sure how I missed that important detail. So when my new BFF Barb (aka Polly Pocket) e-invited me to join the Facebook Elite, I shrugged and clicked the bright blue link.

Getting started was ridiculously easy. The feature which searches your email account for people you already know on Facebook was both frightening and exhilirating. I didn't invite any of them yet, though. I want to get my feet wet first.

And the feet-wetting has been a bit tricky. I consider myself very computer- and internet-savvy. But it is taking a concerted effort to orient myself with the Facebook layout. I am surprised at how cluttered and ill-organized the pages appear. It's probably just a matter of time before it will be second nature to me and I'll wonder how I ever thought that.

I must also admit that I had no clue what actually went on inside the gated Facebook community. I've never been on MySpace either, and always assumed these were simply personalized web pages. Post some photos, write little blogs, display how many "friends" you boast. I was not aware that such an interactive community existed within. Now I can remain abreast of what each friend had for lunch, and where he is taking his dog, and what she found under her couch cushions. And respond appropriately to such breaking news in real time. How did I ever do without this?

Kidding aside, I think it will be fun to stay in more immediate touch (ha, the irony) with nearby friends and maybe reconnect with some old friends (methinks I'll have to be a little more careful about what I write in my flashbacks). And now I can start using the word "friend" as a verb, as in, "You'll never guess who friended me yesterday."

If you're lucky, I just might friend you, too.