Tszujing up Dora or just another Bratz incarnation ??

Let it be known - Gigi & Lulu LOVE Dora the Explorer. We have DVD's, we have t-shirts with Dora on them, we have pool toys and dress up dolls. We even have a Dora the Explorer mobile phone upon which I downloaded off the Internet "Ola, Gigi" in Dora's voice. In a nutshell, Dora & her sidekicks Boots, Diego et al, are more than welcome in my house, being good role models for children, teaching them problem solving, geography, process of elimination, some Spanish language skills ...the list goes on. With her Suri haircut and casual shorts and t-shirt, the most bling Dora can be accused of wearing is a simple bracelet on her right arm. For Dora, life is simple & fun, as it should be for children. In fact the most stressful decision she has to make is usually whether to go over a bridge or under it. Basically Dora is your everyday girl, with no reason for parents to be concerned about her brainwashing our little girls with body issues or forcing other adult issues on them.
Until now.
Mattel has announced that Dora is getting a face lift. Coy on the details, we have been given a preview in silhouette - obviously so as to create the buzz that blogs such as mine are having as we go into overdrive discussing the pros and cons. The general consensus - if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Ok, let's break it down. Her hair has grown out (is this some subliminal message that to be attractive, you must have longer hair?), she has graduated from shorts and sneakers to mini skirt & ballet flats (some would say a natural progression for tweens but how will this impact the littlies?) and has generally given in to peer group pressure for a, and I quote, "new fashionable look". How sad that they have forced Dora to be a superficial fashion victim when we all thought she would go on to navigate around and/or travel the world, problem solving and charming everyone she met along the way. She would make a fantastic UN ambassador, not brand ambassador for some fashion house. Needless to say, I eagerly await the unveiling of the updated Dora the Explorer and as I mentioned in comments I made on this topic on one of my favourite blogs, mamamia, I can embrace this new Dora provided she is true to the original and continues to provide my little girls with an anti Paris or anti Britney role model that they can aspire to be like.
Any sign of excessive make up, superficial jewellery (belly rings and multiple piercings), cleavage or an ounce of "Bratitude", it will be adios Dora the Explorer...

Parenting Australia Expo, Homebush

I have just come back from the Parenting Expo at Homebush and though I gushed about it in an earlier post, I am sorry to say I was a little disappointed. It was alot smaller and quieter then the last expo and to be honest, alot of the exhibits were more tailored to new parents. From an advertising point of view, they could have done with more advertising out the front of the pavilion to increase traffic into their event - there were alot of families around for the school holiday activities and the park was full just at the end of the boulevard, plus a bead & jewellery expo was running just down the way so it is a shame they didn't take advantage of that. Sorry, but having a background in marketing, I just can't help myself. I did however come across a new online boutique called Metro Mum, which has lots of unique products in their online store. They also have a rewards points system if you join their club - well worth a look. Having said all that, I am still a fan of Parenting Australia - click here to visit their website.

Parenting Australia Expo - Oct 10-12 in Sydney

If you are looking for something to do this weekend, I would recommend the Parenting Australia Expo at Sydney Olympic Park, Homebush. I have been to this expo for the past few years and found it to be worth the trip. There are lots and lots of stalls of useful information for new parents and great entertainment for the kids as well. Several stall holders run special promotional prices on their products, available only to visitors of the Expo, so you may even grab a bargain in these tight economic times. I always stock up on discounted Curash Baby Wipes from the times I have been to this Expo. It will be open from 10am - 4pm, this Friday 10th October through to Sunday 12th October, admission is $15, kids free, however you can get a free ticket through their website.

BabyCenter - A great resource website for mums & mums-to-be

When I was pregnant with Gigi, someone sent me the link to the US based website, www.babycenter.com and I am still registered with them for updates on both my girls. You get weekly update emails, for example: "Your 18 month old: Week 4" filled with lots of progress milestones, handy tips & hints and a great community forum to share advice with other mums. I went through a tough time mid pregnancy with Lulu and it was through conversing with other mums-to-be who were going through the same issues as me, that was extremely comforting and reassuring. It is particularly great to get the pregnancy weekly updates as they have pictures of what your growing baby could be looking like at certain times of the pregnancy, roughly how big it is etc and my hubby used to love the little weekly update I would give him, for example "hey, guess what, the little peanut has fingerprints on it's fingers now!" They have a local link in Australia now too. One of the best resource websites I have found - I would definitely refer it to my pregnant friends.

My Child Magazine

This is one of my favourite magazines that I subscribe to - My Child. It is a quarterly publication and they always have well written, interesting & varied articles on pregnancy, children, health & general lifestyle subjects related to all members of the family. From conception up to about the first 5 years of your little ones' life, My Child is a breath of fresh air in the market full of baby & parenting magazines. With a generous mix of factual articles written by experts to real life stories as told by everyday people, along with a great array of informative new product features, the magazine has something for everyone.