kid activities

Children may be big fans of Pixar's Cars, but an inflatable pool decorated with the movie characters may be dead in the water once parents get a close-up view of the product's packaging. Reddit user Matenbock has discovered that the image on the box was (presumably) accidentally photoshopped so that it shows a mom with her hands in her son's pants, The Huffington Post reports.

Consumerist's Chris Morran says one possible explanation for the inappropriate image is that it is a composite of multiple stock photographs. "You can tell as much from the above image because the woman's crudely cut-off legs are floating in the foreground when they should be behind the pool," he says. The original image of the mom also was used for a different product, he adds.

Disney hasn't said whether anyone from the company got into hot water for publishing the image, but the product manufacturer appears to have cleaned up its act. People seeking to purchase the pool on Amazon are privy to a more family-friendly image.

What's the best way to get kids ready for a long car ride?

The upcoming Memorial Day holiday means many families will be traveling, and the preferred method of transportation seems to be by car. According to a AAA survey, 90 percent of travelers over the 2012-2013 year-end holiday traveled by car. That's 84.4 million people — and 26.7 percent of the total US population! 

Not surprisingly, many Circle of Moms members are seeking advice on keeping kids happily occupied while buckled up. If you're headed on a long car trip soon, keep reading for six road-trip tips from well-traveled Circle of Moms members.

It's time to accept the cold, hard truth.

I'm not a crafty mom. I'll never be a crafty mom.

One of my goals for 2013 was to actually try some of my pins on Pinterest. I love looking through what other people have pinned, I love seeing good ideas, and I love pinning things of my own. However, I'm not great when it comes to following through and actually putting some of these great ideas into practice.

Therefore, I gave myself a goal. One pin per week.

At first, I was flying. I found several recipes that were hits with my family, from the 10-month-old to the picky 2-and-a-half-year-old to the 30-something husband. I tried a couple of cleaning tips (apparently blue Dawn plus warm vinegar is the cleaning elixir!). I wasn't just meeting my challenge — I was exceeding my challenge.

Then I realized that I had two boards I was great about adding pins to, but those boards remained untried: "Crafts I Can Handle" and "Crafts For the Kids." Hmm . . .

If Pinterest, Facebook, and many, many blogs written by moms are any indication, doing amazing crafts both with and for your kids is the new benchmark. Why spend your money on a bin from the store when you can cover an old diaper box? Why put hair bows in a drawer when you can work together and create a gorgeous hanger? A good mom is a crafty mom. She creates amazing products and engages her children in a wonderful way. They aren't just crafting — they are making wholesome, quality memories.

My toddler is part of an art playgroup. One of my friends has really embraced her inner preschool teacher/wholesome-crafty-mom persona. She gathers a group of 2-year-olds together, and every week we do something different. We paint with pine branches, we experiment with homemade puffy paint, we stamp with muffin tins, and we marble paint with shaving cream. The kids adore it.

I can do that . . . right?

One of the things I realized about myself last year was that stepping out of my comfort zone brings me unexpected joy and pride. Crafts are definitely out of my comfort zone, so it was time to try.

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