The Disappearing Male

I watched a very interesting documentary last night on CBC about the effects of environmental toxins on humans. It sounds as though humans are on a dangerous path to extinction, with a marked decline in male birth rates and an increase in reproductive problems in males. I highly recommend watching this documentary (you can view it online)! The run time is about 44 minutes.

You can view the entire documentary at the CBC website (viewable in Canada only)

You can also watch it on Google's video site if you are not in Canada

This is absolutely worth watching. I'd love to hear your comments if you do watch it.

Productivity here I come

Besides the big list of giveaways yesterday I actually got a lot done. I did a lot of work on a new painting that I've been putting off starting. For some reason it's so hard to start them but once I get going it's fine. So - I got going. I'm listening to a Charlaine Harris audiobook while I work which is awesome!

And I made a super yummy dinner last night, I know that's not a huge accomplishment in the grand scheme of things but man, was it good. I made felafels with homemade hummus, fresh pitas, cucumber and tomato. They were fresh, healthy, delicious and filling! I could go for one right now. The only thing missing was a good tsatziki.

Anyway I hope to have a productive day today as well - it started with laundry and continues now with a few giveaways :)

For baby:

• Win a $50 gift certificate to Swami Baby at A Happy Hippy Mom! I love the idea of matching mama and tot yoga pants! Ends June 19th.
• Win a BabyBjorn Classic carrier at Your Mama Reviews. I really want one of these! Ends June 18th.
• Win a zebra-print diaper bag from MarieLynn Boutique at Mom's Most Wanted! Ends June 25th.
  

For the ladies:

• Win a $25 Layers clothing gift certificate at Rave and Review! Ends June 27th.
  

For anyone:

• Win a $100 Home Depot gift card at The Thrifty Mama! I can't think of anyone who couldn't find something awesome at Home Depot. We practically live there between the house and garden maintenance. Ends June 12th so hurry up!
• Win a $20 gift certificate to Vintage Confections at Love To Shop Mom! Oh, yum. Ends June 16th.
• Win 5 dips or spices from Epicure Selections at My Organized Chaos! This is open to Canadians only! Ends June 20th.
• Win a Reclaimed Cedar Wren House by Andrew's Reclaimed at Indie Style! It's lovely and a great way to encourage birds in your area! Ends June 18th.
• Win a Vado Pocket Video Camera at The Mommy-Files! This ends on the 12th so hurry up!

Good grief!

Miss a day and boy do things pile up. I'll have a big list of giveaways from around the blogosphere coming up today!

For baby:

• Win a $25 gift certificate to Planet Kid (a Canadian store!) at {Natural} Mommie. Ends June 19th.
• Win a Baby Days journal at SureBaby! Ends June 30th.
• Win a BabyBjorn carrier at Barefoot Mommies! Ends June 23rd.
• Win a Simply Breastfeeding DVD at Cool Baby Kid! Ends June 24th.
• Win a cute cotton monkey hat for baby at The Self Family. Ends June 18th.
• Win a Zutano outfit (Newborn Snails onesie and cap) at A Latte in the Morning! Ends June 24th.
• Win a Coco Bonbons outfit of your choice (!) at Forever and Always. Ends June 24th.
• And another chance to win a Coco Bonbons outfit of your choice at A Kindred Spirit's Thoughts. This one ends June 29th.
• Win a pair of See Kai Run or Smaller shoes at Small Slice! Ends June 19th.
• Win a Green Thread organic blanket at Tout-est-des-Roses. Ends June 21st.
• Win a KayaNow organic hoodie in your choice of size and colour at Tout-est-des-Roses! Ends June 19th.
  

For anyone:

• Win products from Aveda's Sun Care line at Spots on My Apples! I love Aveda products myself. Ends June 30th.
• Win a Lip Potion and Sun Sensors at Beautiful Calling. Ends June 17th.
• Win a Magellan GPS (wow!) at Seeryus Mama! Ends June 24th.
  

For the ladies:

• Win a $50 Jumeau gift certificate (handbags) at Momma in Flip Flops2! These bags look great. Ends June 17th.
• Win a Glamourmom nursing top of your choice at Forever and Always! Ends June 26th.
  

Better than Twilight

So I read the Twilight book - the first one. That was enough. I just didn't like it. I think it's all hype. To be fair I also gave Meyer's The Host a shot. Yeah, I'm sticking with my initial response to her work. Maybe because it's geared more towards the YA market, her writing just doesn't have enough depth for my taste. So I tried to think of some authors that I think are better than Stephanie Meyer in the same sort of supernatural category.

First one that comes to mind is Charlaine Harris. You know the True Blood series on tv? That's based on her books. I highly recommend her Sookie Stackhouse series if you're into vampire novels. It's funny, doesn't talk down to the reader, the characters are well-developed. The supernaturals in her series include shapeshifters and the very likeable Sookie is a telepath.

Another author I like is Kelley Armstrong. I've been working my way through her
Women of the Otherworld series chronologically. She's also a Canadian author, based in Ontario, and Canadian readers will recognize Toronto in some of the earlier books, before her characters move to the States. I am really enjoying her series and sad that after reading the books in sequence one after another, I'm at the point where I'll have to wait for the next one to come out.

One more author recommendation for people who like vampires or faeries - Laurell K. Hamilton. These are definitely adult books! She doesn't shy away from writing about sex. The stories are intricate and interesting. She's created an entire and detailed fictional society in the two series I've read, the Meredith Gentry series (faeries) and the Anita Blake series (vampires). The only thing I find a little monotonous about her work is the constant explanations. You'll know what I mean if you read a few of them. But I do recommend trying her books out.

I read about 3-5 books a week and would be thrilled to hear about it if there's an author you think I should be reading. My main fare is murder mysteries, but I do enjoy a good supernatural book as well!

Okay, now on to the giveaways I have come across for today.

For baby:

• Win a $30 gift certificate to Tiny Soles baby shoe store at My Organized Chaos! Ends June 17th.
• Win a $100 gift certificate to Baby Half Off on their new blog! Just tell them two brands you'd love to see on Baby Half Off. Ends June 14th.
• Win a Bumkins organics basket at MomStart! It includes a hooded towel, washcloth bouquet, bib and burp cloths. Ends June 22nd.
• Win a $25 gift certificate to The Children's Place at Life Starring the Kids & Me! Ends June 19th.
• Win a Smartipants cloth diaper at Mama B's! Ends June 19th.
• Win a Rock the Tote diaper bag by Baby Star at Sandier Pastures! Ends June 12th.
• Win a Grape woven Rufflebutt (you choose the size - 3-6 months up to 2T) at My Organized Chaos! These are so, so cute. Ends June 17th.
  

For toddler:

• Win a buckwheat toddler pillow at True Cuddles! Must be a subscriber. Ends June 14th.
  

For the ladies:

• Win a Glamourmom nursing tank at My Mom's View! Ends June 15th.
• Win an Obi nursing top from A Mother's Boutique at Celebrate Life with Bargains! Ends June 20th.
• Win an outfit by Dear Lil' Devas at Feisty, Frugal and Fabulous! It's a pair of 'snugs' yoga capris and a bamboo tank top! Ends June 16th.
• Win an Elliot Lucca handbag at Mommy Goggles! Ends June 17th.
• Win a Hip-T at All Ruby Cakes! I love the title of her post, it cracks (ha ha) me up! Ends June 15th.
  

For the men:

• Win a Body Shop prize pack which includes Of a Man Hair & Body Wash, Maca Root Shave Cream, Of a Man Aftershave Balm, & a Wooden Shave Brush at Frugal Mommy of 2 Girls! Ends June 13th.

For anyone:

• Win an RCA SmallWonder Camcorder at Barefoot Mommies! Wow. Ends June 21st.