Mom Behind the Curtain

every mom wants to be an all-powerful wizard

Picking a domain name for a lifestyle blog or mommy blog

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It can be tricky to pick a domain name for a lifestyle blog. I like the terms “lifestyle blog” or “mommy blog” because the topics can be so broad on them, which is what has turned out to happen here in my little corner of the internet. But in some ways, that seems to make coming up with a domain name and buying a URL more difficult. (Check our my resources for discount and free blooging and website courses and tools.)computer and blogging tools - Picking a domain name for a lifestyle blog or mommy blog

What is a domain name?

But before I get into all that, maybe your wondering – Exactly what is a domain name? And if you look on the internet (like I did), it will become clear to you that all of the definitions were written by software engineers who knew exactly what they were talking about. But after you read their three paragraph definition you’ll still have no clue what they were talking about. Which is kind of the point, that someone who doesn’t understand it understands. But it’s hard for them to get back to our level.

Here’s a simple way to define domain name….

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Up Series – success and satisfaction in life

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Up Series DVDAlong with my current reading list, I also mentioned that I’ve been watching the Up Series documentaries. The Up documentaries have been a continuing project over the last fifty years, following the lives of 14 children. It was actually Tim who first found this series, and realized that it might have connections to everything I’d been reading about.

The series begins with a short film, 7 Up, that was actually meant to be a stand alone documentary showing how a child’s future in Britain was already limited by the age they were 7, simply by the class they were born into. (And yes, I realize I used “they” where I should have used “he,” but I really dislike using only the masculine form in such cases, and he/she is so awkward.) In this first film, it’s rather striking to see how the more affluent children have a pretty good idea of how their life will be charted out, rattling off a long stream of schools they plan to progress through….

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Books for thought on Education and Purpose

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We took our kids – with our main focus being our son, who’s a high school junior – to visit two private universities in our state over spring break. While our son is very focused on a major in computer science, I took our daughters to see the fine arts department at one school, and visited with women who are a professor of interior design, a biochemist, and a chemical engineer/turned industrial engineer/turned computer science lecturer/women in engineering adviser, at another.

Meanwhile I’ve been reading, a lot….

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Resilience and Optimism in new Movies

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Cinderella Movie Glass shoe posterOver on the Mom Behind the Curtain, I’ve got a new post the Disney Cinderella movie, and now it relates to what I read in Mindset, by Carol Dwek. The ability to remain optimistic is important to develop if we don’t possess it naturally. Disney/Pixar has a new movie coming out this summer, Inside Out, that looks like it might provide some insight into this process. You can read my full post about lessons in optimism and resilience from Cinderella and Inside Out on The Mom Behind the Curtain. [link]

Media from Walt Disney Studios. I was not compensated for these movie reviews and bought the movie tickets myself. All thoughts and comments are my own.

Cinderella and Inside Out – Lessons in Kids’ Movies

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Disney Cinderella glass slipperAre you like me and you haven’t seen the new Disney Cinderella movie yet?

Maybe you’re worried about showing your young daughter an out-dated fairy tale where a young maiden is distress is saved by a charming prince who swoops in and saves the day? Well the press information that Disney has released suggests that they really tried to do otherwise. Instead, they tried to produce a film that shows that “kindness can be a type of super power.”…

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To give, or not to give homework? That is the question

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A friend forwarded an article to me recently with the comment “I don’t agree with this, but you might find it interesting.”

I love having friends who disagree with me. I think it’s important, to constantly challenge my own decisions. It helps to surround myself with thoughtful people who are willing to discuss the pros and cons of a different issue, and the discussion is most informative when you think you fall on different sides of an argument. Sometimes a friend convinces me to change my mind. Sometimes I convince them. Most of the time we agree to disagree, but I think everything lives on in our subconscious and influences us later. What’s important, is that it allows each of us to thoughtfully consider and reevaluate our position.

In this case, the question happens to be homework. To give, or not to give homework. That is the question….

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Science in Strange Magic, the new animated movie from George Lucas and Walt Disney Pictures

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Strange MagicHow did we miss this?!? There’s a new George Lucas animated movie! Strange Magic, from Walt Disney Pictures, Lucasfilm Ltd. and released by Touchstone Pictures.

No one in this family had any idea this was coming. Granted, we don’t watch a ton of tv, but usually we know about every sci-fi and animated movie coming out. And anything by George Lucas would have definitely caught our notice, because, well – STAR WARS. We’re one of those families where not only dad, but mom as well, grew up as a Star Wars fan so the kids had no choice but to hear about it. Even if when we were talking about this movie my twelve-year-old did say, “Isn’t George Lucas dead?”…

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Best Books for Girls in 4th Grade – My Daughters’ Favorites

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In fourth grade, my daughters continued to add some series and authors to their reading list that they would enjoy for many years to come. Here are 11 of the best books for girls in fourth grade, my daughters’ favorites….

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What PSAT score is good enough to qualify for a National Merit Scholarship?

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Is my PSAT score good enough to qualify for National Merit scholarship? What score is needed to qualify for a National Merit Scholarship? That information isn’t easy to find, even on the internet. All the PSAT scores should all be out by now (schools receive the scores and decide when to distribute them) and a lot of students are asking that question. Even if it’s not their Junior year, some kids (or their parents) are looking at their freshman or sophomore scores and wondering if they have a shot at National Merit their Junior year….

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Best Books for Boys in 4th Grade – my son’s favorites

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In fourth grade, my son continued to read many of his favorite book series from the 3rd grade. But he added some new books as well. Here are 7 of the best books for boys, my son’s favorite books in fourth grade….

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