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Turn off the TV and head outdoors this Saturday for Nickelodeon’s Annual Day of Play (an international event that encourages kids and parents to be active. While technology can positively influence kids, Nickelodeon also wants to promote a healthy... Read the rest of this post

Today's Ypulse Guest Post comes from Shann Biglione, a digital media advertising expert, who reports back from the 2010 Engage! Expo, sponsored by Engage Digital Media, which took place in Santa Clara, CA. If you work in youth media or marketing and... Read the rest of this post

Britney is the latest… (Candies girl. Plus a cross media case study of how Pepsi and Mountain Dew plugged into the young electorate. And teens heart online coupons.) (Media Post, reg. required) - It's Your Sex Life (MTV, Kaiser Family... Read the rest of this post

This is our last YIR post and my attempt to look forward into 2009 and pretend that I know what will be "hot" or "not" in the tween/teen/twentysomething tech space. Since Ypulse tends to focus on the "now," please take these with a big grain of salt... Read the rest of this post

The final countdown (TRL goes out in style with a star-studded finale. Also EW gives the former pop-culture powerhouse a proper send-off with a list of the top 10 most memorable moments) (MTV News) (Entertainment Weekly) - More on MTV's Backchannel... Read the rest of this post

My daughter, who clearly suffers from her mother's obsessive compulsive personality (well, except when it comes to tidiness) has a new "habit". She and all of her tween friends, boys and girls alike, are addicted to WebKinz, these furry and unobtainable little critters that come with a secret passcode that allows you to register on the webkinz.com website, furnish their bedroom, converse and play games with your friends, and generally waste time that you should be doing your homework.

I've been remarking to all who will listen how this is a genius marketing ploy. The New York Times is listening - there's an article in today's paper about Webkinz, the crack of the Tween set

The Webmeister earned mega cred when he presented daughter with the elusive "Love Puppy". I managed to get hold of the "Sherbet Bunny". My local Pet Pantry person told me they couldn't keep them on the shelves for more than 24 hours. Then they have to wait weeks for the next shipment.

The guy who thought this thing up is a freakin' genius. And is getting richer by the day, as parents of tween get worn down by please for another furry critter... Read the rest of this post

I'd been waiting to read "Skin" by fellow NY-YA Adrienne Maria Vrettos until I'd finished writing my own YA novel about eating disorders , "Ketchup on My Cucumbers". I'm glad I waited, because otherwise I'd probably be sitting around in a dark room mainlining chocolate for terminal insecurity.

I was completely engaged by the MC, Donnie, and his struggle to be heard in a family fraught with marital strife and his sister's anorexia.

The fact that the sister dies is revealed on the first page - the book's tension comes from Donnie's feelings of helplessness and anger in the face of his sister's illness, and his growing sense of alienation at home and at school.

I'd recommend this to teen boys and girls alike.

Meanwhile, back at Casa saraclaradara, I am currently the proud posessor of a rare "Good Mummy" award from Mini Me. She'd managed to lose the cell phone her dad got her a while back. I'd been wanting to switch her to Verizon anyway, since that's what her brother, Mary Poppins and I are all on, and I wanted to make sure I did it before we go to Disney for our long-promised "Post-Divorce Present" trip in April.

Today I surprised her with a new phone - and not just *any* new phone but a Razr. And not just *any* Razr but a PINK Razr. Rather appropriately I think, I entered my cell number under Mummy The Greatest. I'm sure this will last about...12 hours. My daughter, who is supposed to be going to sleep, is reading this over my shoulder and she protested "I'm not *that* bad! It will last for 3,000 years!" I'm going to e-mail her the link to this blog post the next time she tells me I'm a "poopy-head" and a "meanie".

However, I'm still struggling to earn the cred the Webmeister earned this weekend when he presented MiniMe aka TBDITW aka "The Best Daughter in the World" (can you tell she's reading over my shoulder when she's supposed to be GOING TO SLEEP!!!) with a limited edition Webkins LOVE PUPPY. These things were like gold dust. Couldn't get them anywhere.
She named it Candie after the amazing Candie Moonshower. Do you think someday someone somewhere will name their webkin saraclaradara?