Set Your TiVo: This Little Piggy

Olivia by Ian Falconer was one of the first contemporary children's books I fell in love with when Kate was little. We would spend hours scouring the kids' section at the bookstore but always gravitated back to our favorite little pig with the big personality.

Olivia is smart without being sassy, knows how to work a red leotard, uses her imagination to the fullest, and is fairly tolerant of her brothers (although the second one didn't come along till Falconer's later books).

Much to the delight of us all, Olivia will step into full-color animation starting at 11:30 a.m. (ET/PT) Monday, Jan. 26, on Nickelodeon. The show's geared for preschoolers, who will love the relaxed pacing and subtle lessons. I yearned for a bit more of Olivia's independent spirit that Falconer so beautifully constructed in print, but her essence is definitely there in the two episodes I previewed, "Olivia Measures Up" and "Olivia Plays Hotel."

Overall, a thumb's up for what will quickly become every little piggy's favorite!

Bonus for Blog Readers: Super (Bowl) Swag!

Check out the birds in this year's final four football teams flying toward Super Bowl XLIII: Ravens, Cardinals, Eagles... The Steelers, of course, are hoping to take down all feathered foes.

But the real question remains: Are you ready with the chips and beverages for the big day (Feb. 1)? If not, enter this exclusive little contest, just for I Don't Have Time for This Readers from Pepsi.

Click here to enter to win the Ultimate Pepsi Super Bowl Party Pack (valued at $250), including:

• 1 football


• 1 beverage pail


• 1 snack helmet (save on those bowls!)


• 2 key chains


• 2 hats


• 2 T-shirts


• 5 Pepsi 24 pack coupons


• 5 Frito Lay coupons

Enter by Jan. 25! 

Here's the fine print:

 

TERMS & CONDITIONS: Your entry must be received no later than 12:00 pm (PST), January 25, 2008. Odds of winning are based on the number of entries. One (1) winner will receive the prize noted above. Winners are chosen at random from all eligible submissions and will be notified by email. If the winner cannot be reached, then a new winner will be chosen. You may request the name of the winner by contactingmarketing@parenthood.com. The retail value of the prize is as is noted above. This prizes are not redeemable for cash. Dominion Enterprises is not responsible for and does not warrant the safety or quality of the prize, and is not liable for any injury, damage or death related to the prize or its use. 

Eligibility: You must be age 18 or older to enter. Only residents of the state of California are eligible to enter this contest. Residents of Florida, New York and all other states are NOT eligible to enter. Employees of Dominion Enterprises and their immediate families may not enter. All applicable laws apply and this contest is void where prohibited By participating in this promotion, you become a Parenthood.com site member. Parenthood.com intends to send regular email updates and occasional promotional offers that may be of interest to you. You may opt-out of these mailings at any time upon receipt.

The Dogs Check In

OK, maybe it's just because I'm dog crazy lately, thinking about adopting a new member of the family, but I could hardly keep a dry eye during a recent media screening of Hotel for Dogs, which opens this Friday (Jan. 16). It had its sappy and predictable moments, but it's a great tale (based on the book of the same title by Lois Duncan). Overall, I really liked the fun twists and the family-is-what-you-make it theme.

Four-year-old Jack loved it, although some parts were a little over his head (there's a scary part, too, at the shelter). But just watching Friday, Shep, Cooper, Romeo and Juliet and all the other doggies do their thing was the best part. Producers worked with Karma Rescue, an L.A.-based organization that helps find families for homeless hounds (there's even a link on the movie site for potential adoptees). 

At any rate, it inspired me. I'm hoping I'll have a new addition I can bark about soon!

Room to Boom

The celebrities collided in a big baby boom at the Boom Boom Room's Children's Gifting Wonderland, an annual showcase in which several pregnancy and baby item makers get show off and shove goodies into the hands of Hollywood mommies and daddies.

It's a crowded and crazy affair, with photographers, publicists and media types just trying to negotiate narrow hallways. But I was scouting it out to see a) what's cool and happening in the infant world; and b) what the new trends are in products for peewees and preggies.

Cool new products are born with almost the same frequency as Hollywood babies. Some of my faves included stainless-steel baby bottles from organicKidz, funky-fun ties for little boys from Beverly Hills-based My Rock and Roll Baby, darling hooded towels from Snugaboo and some really sweet hand-knitted caps and gloves from Zooni.

For the star fans, the event on Jan. 9-10 in Century City drew tons of fresh-faced Hollywood moms and dads, including Anne Heche (I didn't even know she was expecting!), Tim Allen (with his pregnant wife), Angela Kinsey (from The Office), Constance Zimmer (one of my favorites on Entourage), Jodie Sweetin (can you believe this Full House star is filling her own house now?) and, oddly, Kathy Hilton (mother of two famous sisters, who, I'm hoping, aren't about to break the news).

The buzzword for the day was "bamboo" (makes for very soft and naturally hygienic bankies and such) as well as "stainless steel" (so we don't have to worry about BPAs and other plastics issues). Baskin Robbins was a sponsor and is coming out with a new line of low-cal and low-fat ice creams. That might be the best news yet.

Of course, it wasn't all gluttonous consumption. The event host, Jayneoni Moore, holds the event to raise awareness and support for L.A.-area foster children and for the Jayneoni Moore Children's Fund.

The Consumer Electronics Show, Abridged

Husband Steve is traipsing through the monolithic Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week, and I've been following his every Twitter move to get a few insights here and there. These little snippets are unverified (not that I doubt him, but he is probably tired and bombarded by shiny objects) but nonetheless interesting:

• The future of communication will be pen to dialtone to email (that'll make texting either easy or obsolete ... can't wait)

• 66 percent of adults use social media (yes, I'm a Facebook addict when I'm avoiding stuff I don't want to do)

• Speaking of which, Facebook adds 450,000 new members every day (Whoa)

• 50 percent of Google searches were from iPhones (I can account for some of those ...)

• Nero's at Caesars has a "rockin'" filet (OK, that one just made me mad)

• 1 out of 3 households has a DVR (couldn't live without it)

More to come, I'm sure. Stay tuned ...