Monthly Archives: December 2010

My top ten reasons to see a live Nutcracker performance

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Today we attended a performance of The Nutcracker by the American Repertory Ballet Company at the State Theatre in New Brunswick. To my New Jersey readers: there is still time to catch the show; performances are 1 and 4:30 p.m. tomorrow.

Top Ten Reasons to See The Nutcracker Performed Live

10. You can see your friends


I’ve known Emily since our New Jersey Mom Blog days, so to see her again at the ballet with her family only added to the special day.

9. The costumes

Who doesn’t love the beautiful costumes of the dancing Sugar Plum Fairy, naughty mice and brave soldiers?

8. The set design

Each production of The Nutcracker is different. Much of that has to do with set design.

7. The music

My five-year-old Lucy just danced into the room.

“Mommy, the music is still in my head!”

Me too, little girl. Just where it should be.

6. It’s part of the American culture of Christmas

Next year, I want to see a Random Act of Culture flash mob with ballet. Booyah.

5. The dancing

Is not ballet oh- so-lovely?

4. It’s lovely

Yes, it’s worth repeating. Lovely.

3. It’s live theatre


Where the costumes, sets, music and dancing merge together to create a magical world with only a thin wall between dancers and audience. You know what? I even love that thrill of anticipation as the house lights go down and the curtain rises.

2. You can blog about it.

Support the arts! Goodness knows, there is little attention paid to live theatre, especially for a family-friendly performance like The Nutcracker.

I do love my technology, games and plug-ins, but there is nothing like live theatre, sitting in the dark with loved ones and hundreds of strangers all watching the stage for the dancer’s next move. Sorry, Facebook. You just can’t compete.

And my Number One reason to attend a live performance of The Nutcracker:

1. It makes you want to dance about in your kitchen when you get home

Even if you were a ballet class drop out because you were too much of a tomboy.

Don’t worry if your kids make fun of your fake ballet, dance away. I’ll be dancing with you.

Have you been to a live, holiday performance this year? Tell me about it.

My new idea: Share-a-link Friday

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So what have you found on the Internet this week that had you saying, “Wow! This is great information. I want to tell my friends about it.”

Today I want to try something new.

Let’s all share a link, or more if you’re ambitious, which you feel deserves attention because it’s educational, helpful or just too darn good to not bring it to the attention of others would be a crime against We Who Crave the Lovely of the Internet.

I know you will be tempted to share one of your own amazing blog posts, but that’s not what this is about. This is a link up much like the heart of Twitter’s Follow Friday.

In other words, this is not about you.

I want you to point us to another website other than your own. I want the really good stuff. Look into your bookmarked websites on Delicious or StumbleUpon. Dig into your favorite links in your RSS reader. Ask your kids if you get stuck or didn’t follow many rabbit trails off of Facebook this week.

Just share something. But make sure it’s worthy of sharing too.

To get us started, here is mine: Be a Good Digital Citizen: Tips for Teens and Parents from one of my latest finds in my Internet travels, Common Sense Media. At the top of the page is a nifty video you can share with your young people regarding how he or she uses the web, social media, texting and privacy online.

As you know, this topic has been on the forefront of my mind as a result of the cyberbullying my daughter received recently. Common Sense Media tackles a lot of subjects facing our children today and lets users critique books, movies, online games, mobile apps and websites. I highly recommend you check it out and add your own opinions to their community.

Okay, your turn. Let’s have those links! And leave us a comment if you have anything else to add regarding your link. I’m always up for a good backstory.

And come back next Friday to share again.

Our first experience with a cyberbully

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bad-cyberbullyphoto © 2008 WINNING INFORMATION | more info (via: Wylio)

One minute my preteen is giggling over the laptop, enjoying her online game, the next she’s weeping because of a message she received from one of the other kids.

Welcome to the world with cyberbullying.

As my children spend more time engaging in online games, chatting with other kids and joining in popular social sites, it’s inevitable they will encounter cyberbullies, kids using the Internet to threaten, harass and make trouble just like the meanness I had to deal with on the school playground. There really is nothing new under the sun.

Thankfully, this first experience with a cyberbully turned into a teachable moment in which we both learned a lesson about sharing information online.

I’m gonna come get you, {Real Name}!!!

I know if I found such a message from a virtual stranger in my inbox, I’d be alarmed. I suspect the use of her real first name freaked Susan out even more. Together we reported the message as abuse and I’m happy to say it was quickly removed. But I’m sure the damage is not so easily deleted.

Here are my thoughts on what happened, how it could have been prevented and what we’ll do in the future to protect us from a cyberbully:

What my girl did wrong:

Through her tears, Susan confessed to sending a private message to another gamer that contained her first name. My girl has good wits about her when it comes to online communities and she knows our rules. No sharing private information like full name, address, and our phone numbers. And if anyone asks you such questions, tell Mom or Dad right away.

So she didn’t think twice about sending her name to her friend. How another kid got her name is unclear. Did her “friend” share the information with the cyberbully? Was the private message hacked? I’m sure we will never know. (I’m not going to name the website where this occurred; I’ll only say it’s a popular place for young people online).

What my girl did right:

I’m proud of my daughter. She told me right away she felt threatened by the message. Susan trusted me to help her, to comfort her when she easily could have kept it bottled up inside.

What we will change:

Before this happened, I never told my children not to tell anyone their first name, only not to divulge their full names. Now I see how just the use of a first name coming from the typing hands of a cyberbully can be horrifying, so I’ll be adding “No first name sharing” to the list of No’s to prevent this from happening again.

A bully, online or off, is still a bully. When we use the Internet to make our lives easier or to play a game or connect with people, we run the risk of finding the not-so-nice people. We need to be ready to deal with the cyberbullies as they find our children.

Has your child encountered a cyberbully? Did she tell you about it right away? How did you handle it?

For more information about cyberbullying and prevention, visit STOP cyberbullying.