Funny Ellen videos, standing tall, too much screen time, online shopping deals and a Daddle—that’s what caught my attention this week.
1. This is a hilarious video recorded from an old Ellen DeGeneres show that has been making the rounds on Facebook recently. A call in from a fan named Gladys has Ellen, and everyone, in stitches. It’s just so funny. I hope it brings a smile to your face today.
2. If you’ve been watching too many old Ellen videos at your desk, you might want to get your posture checked. We all want to stand tall, and now there is a device that we can wear around our waist (a thin belt) called the LumoBack which monitors our posture and sends data back to their app (for Apple devices only). When you feel the buzz, you know it’s time to self-correct (i.e. sit or stand taller). I wonder if the signals get crossed when you’re also wearing one of the new Up by Jawbone bracelets I keep seeing everywhere that monitor people’s movements throughout the day. Sarah (the other SavvyMom) has the bracelet and she loves it. Now she’s thinking about getting the back strap. That’s a lot of data for one person to keep track of in a day, but I’m sure she can handle it. I prefer to go outside and move around.
3. Speaking of getting outside and moving, yesterday I read a post written by Rebecca Cuneo Keenan, one of our Savvy Storytellers, about the new media guidelines for children recently issued by the American Academy of Pediatricians (AAP). In an effort to encourage parents to scale back on screen time, the guidelines are backed by recent statistics claiming 8- to 10-year-olds spend an average of eight hours a day on some form of screen/media. I actually find this tough to believe if you do the math. An average 8-year-old wakes at 7 am and goes to bed at 8 pm. That’s a 13-hour day. If they’re in school for six hours, that leaves seven waking hours of the day that they could be attached to a screen. How is eight hours possible? Even if you take that number and cut in half, it’s still not a pretty picture. The AAP recommends keeping it to two hours a day for your kids. It seems reasonable. For the rest of the time, take them outside and play with them, it’s more fun than doing laundry.
4. One way to make sure you have more time to play with your kids is to get some of your shopping done online. I found a new deal site for online shopping called Ebates. It’s been popular in the US for a while and is new to Canadians in 2013. I like that the savings keep coming in even after you check out and pay for your sale items from one of their 650 retail partners (think JCrew, Banana Republic, Chapters/Indigo and Amazon). They’ll send you an average rebate of between 4-8% and credit it back to your PayPal account or even send it to the charity of your choice. Check it out and get started on that list which will remain unmentioned until next week.
5. Finally, I bring you the Daddle, for your little cowboy and his big, bad dad. It’s a soft plush saddle that encourages your kids to ride your beloved’s back for hours. And look, it comes with knee pads so he doesn’t suffer from carpet burn. Next year, get him the LumoBack. He’ll need it.
Have a great week.
Tagged under: Ellen DeGeneres,LumoBack,kids and screen time,American Academy of Pediatricians,Ebates Canada,Daddle,from the editor's desk
Category: entertainment
