Psyclops --New 4G Nano Cases, Win an iPod Touch!

You may remember PSYCLOPS iPod cases from our Christmas gift guide, where we recommended them as a perfect gift for all those kids who spend their days listening to their iPods and surfing the net. Well last week, PSYCLOPS released its latest addition to its colorful and diverse iPod accessories line, the PSYCLOPS iPod nano “4G” silicone sleeves.

In honor of the launch, PSYCLOPS is hosting a sweepstakes in which one grand prize winner will receive an iPod Touch!

Available in six one-eyed characters to complement the range of colorful iPod nanos, PSYCLOPS’ silicone sleeves fit comfortably around the nano “4G”, providing stylish protection with a vibrant eye-catching appearance. In addition, each sleeve contains a secret code that unlocks access to a V.I.P. experience on PSYCLOPS HeadQuarters – a fully interactive age-appropriate multi-platform online music and dance experience. PSYCLOPS community members can participate in multiple music and dance activities, including creating their own sharable PSYCLOPS dance videos.

Although PSYCLOPS suggests the age range for their imaginative iPod sleeves at 8-14, even the hard-to-please Owl--my gothic, metal-loving almost sixteen-year-old son with very, shall we say, unique tastes--approves of the designs. His case, a new Black Eye (also available in green, purple, orange and blue): "Is cool. Really does look good on my nano."

“Our fans asked for iPod nano ‘4G’ accessories and we are thrilled to now offer these new silicone sleeves as a fun and colorful way for people to accessorize their nanos,” said Joy Kovaleski, CEO, PSYCLOPS LLC “...To give back to the fans and to commemorate the new sleeves’ debut, we’re excited to kick off the PSYCLOPS Sweepstakes for the chance to win an iPod Touch or other great prizes.”

You can enter on the PSYCLOPS HeadQuarters’ “Sweepstakes” page.

One grand prize winner will score an iPod touch, followed by 12 first prize winners who can select either the nano “3G” protective case or the nano “4G” silicone sleeves. The sweepstakes ends April 30, 2009.

PSYCLOPS’ silicone sleeves are available for $19.99 at PSYCLOPS HeadQuarters. More information can be found at PSYCLOPS HeadQuarters.

X-Men, Series 1 and 2, Now on DVD!

Just in time for the movie release of X-Men Origins: Wolverine comes the DVD release of the animated television series, Marvel's X-Men.

The Engineer and I used to put these on when the kids were little, as much for us as for them, as we really enjoyed the series.

In addition to the fiercely independent Wolverine ("I go where I want to go"), the cast includes better-known characters Cyclone, Storm and Rogue, Professor Xavier and his protege, Jean Grey, plus Morph and (my personal favorites) Gambit and Beast.

In the first episode we are also introduced to young X-man-to-be Jubilee, a teen who wreaks havoc with electricity, who the other mutants refer to as "child" (or in the case of charming Cajun Gambit, "petite").

The series allows us the chance to get to know each of the X-Men better than the movie franchise has.

Storm, for example, is prone to flamboyant gestures and over-the-top prose: "Storm, Mistress of the Elements, commands you to stop!"

Rogue, (a fiery redhead with a killer body in the animated series) doesn't so much drain other mutant's powers as she does their strength; like Storm, she has the ability to fly. She's prone to colloquial allusions like, "Nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs."

Gambit, who for reasons unknown never made it to the movies (a helluva shame, in my opinion), is a card-carrying Cajun who has the ability to transfer kinetic energy to inanimate objects (in other words, he charges up playing cards and shoots them, like exploding grenades, at enemies), while simultaneously charming all the ladies he meets. Watch for some heat between Gambit and Rogue later in the series.

Adorably blue Beast is fond of Shakespeare and the classics (in one rescue, he disparages a less-than-worthy opponent with, "A minor quote from a minor poet"), while also having the agility to bounce from wall to wall, swing 'round posts and hang from ceilings.

Cyclone, the leader of the group (though Wolverine flouts his authority at every possible opportunity), frets over his command decisions all the while he is shooting solar-powered beams from his behind his specially-designed visor.

And Morph, as the name suggests, changes his shape (and voice) at will to confound friends and enemies alike. His jarring, cackling laughter sounds more villainous than heroic.(Spoiler alert: he doesn't get the last laugh after the first episode).

Surprisingly, Morph is Wolverine's best friend...for a while. (Even bigger spoiler alert: don't count Morph out too soon).


Which brings us to the villains*. There's a whole host of great opponents, from human to mechanical to fellow mutants, for the amazing X-Men to dispatch. You've got Juggernaut, Siren and Magneto, just to name a few.

MARVEL'S X-MEN (Vol. 1 & 2), with 32 episodes in all, comes out today on DVD.

*I'd go into detail about Professor Xavier and Jean Grey, but to be honest, they always annoyed me in the cartoons. Patrick Stewart finally won me over in the movie, but I couldn't wait until Jean imploded into Phoenixey ashes (second movie and second season of the animated series).

It's Time to Celebrate!

Last week was my birthday, the Rhino's birthday is tomorrow (yay!) and next week is Cinco de Mayo! With all those reasons to celebrate (okay, you don't have to celebrate our birthdays, but Cinco de Mayo is awesome), isn't it great to know that Jose Cuervo and TwitterMoms are looking out for you?

They have all of us Moms sharing our favorite Margarita recipes just in time for the TwitterMoms"Cinco de Mama!" Margarita Party. The most fun Happy Hour online, the party runs from 5-7 pm on May 5th. Please drop in and have some fun with us, and remember to Retweet the party, because Jose Cuervo will donate $1 to RADD (formerly known as Recording Artists, Actors and Athletes Against Drunk Driving) for every RT (up to 2500!).

Here's my fave Frozen Strawberry Margarita recipe to get all the fun started!

Ingredients:
6 oz Jose Cuervo Golden Margarita tequila
2 oz triple sec
8 oz frozen strawberries (the kind with the syrup)
4 oz Minutemaid frozen limeade concentrate (don't thaw it!)
1 T sugar
Ice

Fixin's:
Coarse sugar to rim the glass (I like Cocktail Crystals)
Some extra fresh strawberries or lime wedges to garnish each Margarita
Pretty, generous Margarita glasses

Directions:
Wet the rim of each glass with plain water (you can keep a small bowl handy).

Load a shallow plate (dessert ones work well) with the coarse sugar and dip the rim of each Margarita glass in the sugar until it is well-coated.

Fill the blender with all ingredients. To cut down on some calories, just leave out the sugar (I like mine sweeter). This recipe makes 4 generous Margaritas, but you can stretch it out to 6 in a pinch.

Enjoy!

Warning: Obviously, this recipe is for adults over 21, natch.

Make this the most fun Earth Day ever!

It may be Mother Earth's day to celebrate, but that doesn't mean you can't have all the fun!

Yes, we all know we should be doing our best for the environment and our planet. But maybe, today, you just need a break from making the world a better place.

So here's some (really, truly) FUN ways to celebrate Earth Day:

Win Some Eco-Chic!

In celebration of Earth Day, AVEENO® hosted a design contest with Fashion Institute of Technology students to create the print for a limited-edition, organic cotton AVEENO® ENRIROSAX® Bag. Today, Earth Day, April 22nd, the first 1,000 people to log-on to AVEENO.COM/JUBILANCE at 12:00 PM (Eastern Time) will receive the winning bag plus a sample of the new AVEENO® NOURISH+ Hair Care Collection. These eco-chic bags, designed by up-and-coming designer Jeff Tsui, will never be sold in stores and they benefit a great cause! For every bag given away, AVEENO® will make a $10 donation to Global Green USA, which supports the fight against global climate change and the creation of green buildings and cities within the United States.

Take in a Flick

Disney's new movie Earth hits theaters today, and it's chock full of fuzzy critters, surefire feel-good material. With elephants, polar bears and whales (Oh my!), this marks the first film in the Disney Nature series.

Shop, Help Save Critters, Plant a Tree--and While You're at it,
Take Home a Free Bag for Yourself

Shop at the Greater Good store, and your purchases aid animal rescue efforts every day. Today, though, just for Earth Day, you can also receive a free Earth tote with your purchases. Plus, plant a tree for free!

Barnes and Noble Member? Save 40% on Kid's books for Earth Day:

If you are a Barnes and Noble Member (and if you aren't, and have a store near you, you are really missing out--I save a TON with my membership, including deals in their onsite cafe), you can save 40% on select Kid's titles today. Just use the coupon code R7F4Y9C.

More Earth Day Fun for the Kids:

Sid the Science Kid activities for Earth Day!




Offering something special for Earth Day you think my readers will enjoy? email me at coolmomsrule AT gmail.com and I'll include your info here, too!

X-14 Mold and Mildew Cleaner Review

Mom Central asked a few of us Mom Bloggers to try out New X-14 Mold and Mildew Stain Remover for a Blog Tour, and it couldn't have come at a better time.

As you saw from my last post, 1) I am not the best housekeeper, and 2) I Live in Florida.

Both of those factors add up to (prepare to Ewww!): mold and mildew in the bathroom.

I know, I give you the Ewww, mold and mildew are gross.

But even if I didn't sometimes, occasionally* procrastinate when it comes to housekeeping, Florida is so humid that all that moisture just seeps into everything.

I am fighting a constant battle against that humidity in my home.

And this X-14 is like the Rambo, the Terminator, the Jean-Claude Van Damme, the Bruce Lee of all mildew and mold cleaners.

I mean, this stuff is tough.

I love that on the website, they even use the motto, "Tough Love," and suggest giving your bathrooms an "attitude adjustment."

The Engineer had already (yay!) taken care of the bathroom floors, so I spritzed the X-14 liberally around the shower and bathtub, anywhere I saw those disgusting, turning-to-brown mold and mildew symptoms.

I really like, by the way, that although this stuff really does the business, it's pretty fast and simple to use.

You just spray and wipe, and testing shows that X-14 keeps working for up to two weeks (even in MY house).

Which, as I say, goes great with my laissez-faire housekeeping style.

You can spray the X-14 Mold and Mildew Stain Remover on your tile and even on the sealed grout, which I need because I have light tile with grout that is (or is supposed to be) very light as well, and I need a deep cleaner to keep the colors looking their best.

I found it really useful, and even if you are a much better housekeeper than me (doesn't take much, really), I think you'll prefer the superior strength and longer-lasting endurance of X-14 compared to your usual cleaner.

They also have some everyday bathroom cleaners for quick and easy touch-ups on a more regular basis on their website.

This is one of those few essentials that I can wholeheartedly endorse as something that fits into my lifestyle, really does what it says it will, and is also readily affordable.

X-14 Mold And Mildew Stain Remover: Highly recommended.

*okay, all the time, incessantly.

Birthday Viv

Yesterday, it was my birthday.
I hung one more year on the line.
I should be depressed, my life's a mess.
But I'm having a good time.

-Paul Simon, Have a Good Time

Saturday was my birthday.

When I was a kid, we always made a big thing about birthdays. I still do that for our kids, and for Dan, though in his family they are quite low-key about it all. I like lighting the candles on the birthday cake, and singing, and then piling a huge slab on the "It's My Special Day" birthday plate before they open their presents. We have pool parties for the kids, or sleepovers, whichever they want. That's their DAY, you know?

But for my birthday this year I kept my own expectations low.

Here's why: last year was really disappointing.

Worst. Birthday. Ever.

First, the Engineer was out of town with the Owl for a Robotics Competition in Atlanta, so it was just me and the Rhino on the actual day. And then, when they both came home, we were sick with sore throats and coughs the Rhino had picked up at school, and they were just exhausted, so I said, hey, no big deal, we'll do it tomorrow.

So we had the cake the next day, and you know what presents I got to open up?

None. Not a one.

My parents, of course, had taken care of me (they always do, they're wonderful that way), but I didn't get their presents until later, when I visited them in Tampa.

And the Rhino had been with me, so he couldn't really shop for Mom's birthday. And the Owl had been with the Engineer, and the Engineer...didn't get me a thing.

I had asked for just one thing. Sappy as it sounded, I just wanted a kitten for my birthday.

Our own little kitten, Leo, who I had fought fiercely for because the Engineer didn't want a cat at all, had passed away when he was only 5 months old from FIP.

In the end, the Engineer, despite his hard crusty "I am not a cat person" persona, had actually spoonfed Leo when he was dying. I still get choked up thinking about that.

So, Leo was gone, and I was lonely. The boys are gone at school all day and the Engineer was travelling, gone every other week on business, and I had a real Empty Nest feeling, home all alone each day.

The , always logical, thought we should wait for a cat until after the summer, as we were going to Wyoming for a Family Reunion and would need a cat sitter.

I could see where he was coming from, but I really didn't want anything other than a cat for my birthday.

So...he didn't get me anything at all.

As I said, that birthday sucked.

A few weeks later, I picked out TWO kittens at the shelter, the Cheezits, Colby and Cheddar.
(It really wasn't as intentionally spiteful as that sounds; I had looked all over for weeks before I found them, and they were just what we were looking for. Also, they were together at the shelter and I didn't want to separate them.)

So. After that birthday, I kept my expectations low this year.

And I did have a good time. I let them all know that what I wanted to do was to see a movie as a family, and have a meal out, so everyone knew what I expected going in.

We have a really bad habit of bickering over what movie to see (the Owl is an introvert like his Mom and usually has to be cajoled into going anywhere), and then running out the door at the very last minute. And I was really clear that I wanted to have some time to spare this time, not arrive just as the movie was starting.

So, they looked up the time, and told me the movie was at 10:40 (remember that, 10:40), and we agreed to leave after I opened my presents.

Yes! I got presents! The boys each gave me a DVD I'd wanted (I really do like movies).

And The Engineer even bought me a Time Capsule, which is like a Mac router with a backup hard drive built in, and it's fantastic. True, I don't have Leopard (the latest operating system) on my Mac, so I can't use Time Machine (love that name!) to back up my files automatically, but I do have all this space for backing my hard drive up, and the Time Capsule lets all the PCs and my Mac work together seamlessly. I can get a fantastic connection to the internet from anywhere in the house (before, if I was in the bedroom, The Engineer would laugh at me as I held the laptop under the bed or over my head, trying to connect).

So, I had a great time, opening my presents and reading the funny, hand-made cards the kids gave me and the very touching card from the Engineer, and we left the house at 10:15, a little later than we'd planned because we were all talking about the cool presents, but still twenty-five minutes to get to the movie, plenty of time.

So, we get to the theater at 10:30, and The Engineer, who usually walks so fast we all have to run to keep up with him, is taking his time and for once is the last one out of the car. Now it's 10:34 as we step up to the cashier--still pretty last minute for a 10:40 showing, but doable, as there wasn't a crowd--only to find that the movie had started at 10:20!

They'd remembered the times wrong.

So, the previews were just ending, and we rushed in, last minute as usual. We did see the beginning of the film, though, so it all turned out all right.

They let me pick where to go for lunch, and it was a beautiful day, so we went and just had some pizza on the boardwalk at the beach.

Now, there were some folks visiting from England that are old acquaintances of the Engineer's family, and we knew they were visiting, but it was on my birthday so although the Engineer had told me earlier in the week, we'd all said we probably wouldn't get together or anything. They're nice folks, but I really don't know them at all, and they were coming to Tampa, and we were staying home on the East Coast, since we'd just driven all the way to TN and back for Spring Break the weekend before.

But then the nice English folks came over to the East Coast to visit our in-laws, and of course they came over on my birthday. And when the Engineer talked to his brother, being the friendly sort, he suggested they all might want to come over for a swim in the pool.

And I felt awful, because I wanted them to be able to do that, as I just know they must never get a chance to swim over there in England, with the weather and all, but the house was a mess and I just wanted to have a nice birthday at home with my family, so I was torn.

Since the Engineer had already floated the idea to his brother, I felt that if I said, "Well, you know, this isn't a good time. I kinda just wanted to spend my birthday at home with our family," then I would have come across as being the bitchy, anti-social one.

Which I think the Engineer's family already think I am. I really am (believe it or not) pretty introverted and shy IRL, and although I love to go out to a movie or dinner, crowds overwhelm me. I'd just as soon stay at home with a good book then go over to BIL's, where it seems like there are always tons of people. They always have people staying with them, SIL's relatives are all there, they have all these neighbors that hang out together (which is nice, but I don't know them), just lots and lots of people, all the time.

Plus, the BIL always comes up with plans last minute (or at least The Engineer tells me about them last minute..hmm), and as you know, I don't like everything being last minute. It comes from being so disorganized myself, I guess. I need more notice.

So a lot of times I just opt out, and The Engineer goes over to BIL's house himself.

And as I said, the house was a mess, because we'd only been home from our Spring Break vacation in TN for a week, and we'd been sharing one car because mine was in the shop, and I was trying to catch up on so much, and the Engineer was so busy at work, that we'd kinda just let everything go to hell (which, honestly, is my usual method of housekeeping anyway: let things slide and then hustle like mad to get the place presentable before people are coming over).

So the Engineer did something really great, and he cleaned the bathrooms and mopped the floors and just generally made the place presentable. Which was awesome.

And so disaster was averted, and the nice English folks came over. And after greeting them and hugging and all that, I subtly disappeared with the kids, and Dan and BIL and the English folks all hung out in the pool, so I think that worked out all right.

Except, of course, we had no plan at all for dinner. I'd figured we would eat dinner out for my birthday, but we'd already had pizza on the beach for lunch, and I guess the last-minute guys didn't think any further than that.

So after they all left, we just had a Birthday supper of: cheese and crackers.

But, what the hell, there was birthday cake for dessert. And as we were all sitting there, eating our cake, they even remembered to sing to me!

So, much better than last year's birthday.

New Softsoap Ensembles--convenient and pretty, too!

We always have Softsoap around in our house. There's dispensers in both our bathrooms, and a lot of times we have a big bottle to fill them up with under the sinks.

And that's fine, but a little messy, so I'm liking this new idea they've come up with, Softsoap Ensembles.

Ensembles are different designs that go great with your home (I love the green, viney bottle, but there's a pretty blue and a rosey one and even just plain classic white), which initially come along with that nozzle dispenser on the top that lets you dispense the soap right out of the bottle, just like you usually do.

But then there are the Ensembles refill bases, which are just the bottles with the pretty designs on them. All you have to do is move the dispenser nozzle from one base to the next and, presto chango! You have new soap.

And maybe a new design.

Here's a little video demonstrating how they work.

Right now, I like, as I say, the green vines on my bottle, but I also like that I can just go crazy if I want and try something totally new. So, if I changed my bathroom or my color scheme in the kitchen, I could just switch to another base.

And, of course, it's less expensive to buy just the refill base, so you save some cash there. Softsoap Ensembles are like redecorating your bathroom--for under $10.

They even have some great home design ideas on their site!

Good News on Tax Day (Winners!)

April 15th isn't always the cheeriest of days for Americans, is it?

Hi, everybody. I'm back from our Spring Break vacation, and we just did our taxes, too, so I know what you are all going through if, like us, you waited until the last minute to do them.

By the way, if you did wait until Tax Day, I HIGHLY recommend going with taxactonline.com and filing online. It costs $9.95 to file electronically (cheaper than Turbo Tax, which we have also used, and is another good way to go), but they guide you through the entire process, you can sometimes input your info directly from your banks or place of employment (and they have all that info next year if you go with them again), and you get a receipt acknowledging the IRS has received your return and accepted it as complete.

I really appreciate that last feature, especially after one year, we owed some taxes, like a lot of people do. We wrote a check and mailed out our return in plenty of time, only to discover the next time we opened the checkbook that the Engineer had forgotten to put the check in the envelope. Yes, really. We had to scramble to get a second shipment out to the IRS *pronto*. I was feeling like we were Al Capone and the Feds were after us.

So, you know, if you're suffering some Tax Day angst, I'm right there with you.

But!

Enough tax talk. Ready for some good news?

We have all of our recent contest winners to announce!

Cross your fingers, everybody, maybe you're on this list.

As always, winners were chosen using the Random Integer Generator.

First, our FOUR winners of Quantum of Solace, the latest Bond flick on DVD, courtesy of Hollywood Video, Movie Gallery and the new Powerplay program:

The winning numbers were 4, 11, 21 and 27, and those comments were made by:

cdziuba, who said: "I am not the big one in the house for video renting, but I can see how Powerplay would be HUGE to my husband and son. Some months we're away or too busy outdoors to watch videos, I like the rollover feature." (4)

sara and alex had this to say: "i like you can choose different levels of points that fit your lifestyle." (11)

jeff and mandee won with their additional entry for subscribing to our feed (21).

And, finally, wendy observed that: "This would be better if you could order it online for pickup or mail to you for extra points..like netflix with a twist!" (27)

Next up was our contest for the five pairs of new Colorwashed Khaki capris courtesy of Lee:

The winning numbers, chosen randomly, were 16, 18, 20, 32, and 43.

And those winners were:

carolyng and 3boyzmom, and samanthap, who all won with their additional entries for subscribing to our feed--see how that pays off? (16, 18, 32).

Kristinia-loving heart mommy, who said, "I love the new colors, if I was to win I'd win for my Mom since Lee doesn't yet cater much to my size.. I'm really skinny.. (size 0-1). I know my Mom would love the sunlight yellow or the white!" (20)

And our last winner for the Colorwashed Khaki capris was zsmith, who commented that, "I think new offering from Lee is awesome. I have always love Lee because the fit so well. I would love to own a pair of Lee's Colorwashed Khakis in Coco!" (43)

And the third and last giveaway (for now, but of course I have more coming up very soon--in fact, for my birthday, which is this Saturday) was for the Friends Forever Doll.

The lucky winning comment was number 33, by a commenter who preferred to remain Anonymous but who (yay!) remembered to leave that all-important email address so they could be contacted.

The anonymous commenter said, simply, "Aren't these dolls wonderful!"

Congratulations to all our winners!

I'll be contacting everyone by email (hope you remembered, too, to leave that info with your comment) to get your details for the prizes.

Tale of Desperaux on DVD today. Hooray?

I recently sat down and watched a preview of The Tale of Desperaux on DVD, which comes out today.

I know what you are thinking, but no, I didn't watch it with my boys. As teens, they feel they are too cool for animated films these days.

But me, I love cartoons, even as an old old old old lady (as far as my kids are concerned). So I was looking forward to suspending my disbelief, letting the fantasy world of the film just wash right over me.

But you know, I just didn't care for the movie all that much.

It started out fine. Soup Day, I did like that. It was different, and amusing.

But I kept wondering where Desperaux was. It is his tale, after all.

I mean, here's this cute little mouse, with these huge ears like Dumbo, right? And he's a great character, sure, but he doesn't even show up for the first, I'd say, 20 minutes of the movie.

And, even though I know it is based on a popular story that I have admittedly not read, so I could be missing something here, I found the plot line really *bleak*.

There's a tragic death in the very first moments, and there's banishment into dark holes where no light goes, and it just goes on, people and cute critters alike walking around all sad and disturbed.

And speaking of disturbed, some of the characters in this movie are a bit disturbing. The story is very heavy, and though Desperaux is a nice little hero, the bitterness and isolation and the delusional people---well, it was all just a little bit TOO real for a an animated film, if you ask me.

I'm sorry. I really, really did want to like this film, but it just didn't do anything for me.

I think you really need to be a disciple of the original story to pick this DVD up at the store.

April Showers

So, did I catch any of you with my April Fool's post yesterday?!

Lots of good pranks on the web for the 1st of April:

Google introduced a new "brain scan" that reads your thoughts--just hold your mobile phone or computer up to your head!

Over at Metafilter's Metatalk forums, commenters found that all the vowels disappeared from their comments the minute they posted them. Ys, rlly.

and Thinkgeek introduced a "Taun Taun" sleeping bag that was so popular with their readers, they are now considering marketing it for real.

Obama Proposes "Mom Tax" at G20

President Obama unveiled plans for a new tariff on parents who choose to stay at home to raise their children in lieu of joining the workplace this morning in London, as he fended questions from the press beside prime minister Gordon Brown for a pre-G20 conference.

The proposed legislation, which has been dubbed the "Mom tax" by members of the press, was announced today during the press conference.

The announced "Mom tax", following so closely on the heels of the dramatic increase in the existing tobacco tax (from approximately .39 a carton to a whopping $1.01), met with conflicting reactions, as critics claimed it would, "penalize those with traditional family values by requiring them to pay, on average, an increase of 3% of their total net income in higher taxes each year." Others touted the plan, citing the ability of parents to claim children as dependents on their income taxes as, "an unfair policy which discriminates against single workers," and asserted that the new tax would serve to, "level the playing field."

The President, defending the proposed legislation, had this to say, "Look, there is no question that this measure may cause the American people to reconsider some of the choices they have made when it comes to crucial areas in their lives such as childcare and employment. And that is a good thing. All of us must be willing to make sacrifices in these times of economic instability. I'm not excluding myself and my family--my wife, Michelle, for example, has made the decision, and I support her fully in this, to pick up the pitchfork once more, and expand her landscaping efforts beyond the White House vegetable garden. She will be taking on the post of head gardener, and I look forward to seeing her around the grounds wearing the familiar white coveralls, weeding, planting seeds and the like in the course of her new duties. I am optimistic that other stay-at-home mothers will follow her lead and re-enter the workplace to become valuable contributors to our society's workplace. But there is no mandate for them to do so; in fact, if they do not, if they choose to stay home, then the proposed legislation will generate renewed funds in the form of several million dollars to further stimulate the nation's economy. This is really a win-win situation for all of us."

Asked whether stay-at-home Moms were not already "valuable contributors to society," the President declined to comment.