Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Paint and Play © Disney

My daughter has taken a turn with a countless number of painting games on the iPad. From simple paint by numbers apps to art created by elaborate brushes and stamps, my four-year-old has seen it all. But until now only one painting game has made her exclaim, “Mom! Watch, this is awesome!” The new Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Paint and Play not only lets my daughter add her own photos and artistic spin on everything inside the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, but to her delight it changes the 2-D drawings into 3-D objects.

She loves using an assortment of brushes, especially the glitter, to color items in the clubhouse. (I’m thrilled it fulfills her “need” for glitter without involving me vacuuming a sparkly floor after.) Another favorite tool, the camera, gives her a chance to put patterns from our house into the clubhouse. And if she just wants Mickey’s Clubhouse to look like it does on the television show, she can use the Mousekebrush to paint it in a jiffy.

Once the artwork on the 2-D line illustration is complete, she taps the magic wand to turn the image into a 3-D rendering that goes back into the Clubhouse. This delights her to no end. She can then interact with the objects in the Clubhouse, including Mickey and Minnie, who look very colorful once she gets her hands on them.

There are also two mini-games inside the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. They’re not easy to find—I had to look in the Help section to locate them—but your toddler or preschooler could find them eventually just by touching everything in the Clubhouse. The cupcake decorator and the Mousekemusic player are quick, entertaining games that add a little more creativity bang for your buck.

Speaking of bucks, this isn’t a cheap app at $4.99, but if you have a little one who loves watching the adventures in the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, it’s a solid investment with a lot of replay value. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Paint and Play is available on the iTunes store for the iPhone and iPad.

A promotional copy was provided for review purposes.

The post It’s Fun Inside Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Paint and Play appeared first on GeekMom.

Nailed It Kickstarter Campaign © Espionage Cosmetics

Espionage Cosmetics, already a favorite of geeks nationwide thanks to their fantastic makeup collections, begins a new chapter this week with the launch of a Kickstarter campaign. With a funding goal of $20,000, supporters have the opportunity to back some of the nerdiest nail art ever to grace a geek girl’s fingers. If you’re not a manicure expert and you’ve always wanted to add personality—and plenty of glitter—to your nails, these nail wraps could be what you’ve been waiting for.

Nail Wraps Designs © Espionage Cosmetics

Nail wraps are adhesive-backed designs that are applied to the nail, then shaped to fit. The “Nailed It” Kickstarter campaign is kicking off with 8 designs, inspired by a wide variety of unconventional muses like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Cthulu, and Neil deGrasse Tyson.

Jaimie Cordero, owner of Espionage Cosmetics and professional make-up artist, said that the nebula nails in the campaign were influenced in part by Tyson taking umbrage with the constellations in Titanic. “We decided to do the galaxy nails. That’s a very popular thing on Pinterest right now, but it takes almost three hours to do, which is ridiculous because nobody has time for that,” said Jaimie. “We did our research and we looked at the Hubble Telescope photos, and went to the NASA web site and picked the ones that had a really cool story to them. One of them is actually known as the Pac-Man Nebula, so that’s why we picked that one. We really did a lot of research on them.”

Although mass production of the eye-catching nail art is worthy of funding on its own, Espionage Cosmetics has a much loftier goal in mind. Jaimie explains,

We built the entire company without debt, without credit cards, without loans. It’s been off the cash that we generated from conventions and comic book stores and ThinkGeek. But in order to make this a viable company where we can employ 10-15 people and that be their major source of income, we need to start making larger steps. And that takes more money, obviously.

So we decided to set up the Kickstarter. It’s basically set up like pre-orders. It’s not just people throwing money at us because we have a project. It’s people actually getting a product in—or on—their hands as it were, so that we can launch the line and kind of get it out there in the world.

Nail wraps are less time-consuming than a full manicure and can be applied by someone like me, who still considers being able to paint the nails on my right hand a major beauty accomplishment. When checking out a prototype sample of the Nailed It wraps, I took Jaimie’s advice to shape the wrap with nail clippers and fuse it to the nail with a clear topcoat. “It will actually keep them on for up to 3 weeks,” she told me.

The result is just as glittery and striking as a design done by a well-practiced hand. Even my daughter wanted in on the nail art action, so I cut and applied tiny wraps of the “octopus” design (as she called it). She loved the result.

Design © Espionage Cosmetics

As for the future beyond the Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign, Espionage Cosmetics plans to continue branching out beyond eye shadows and lip gloss. “We also want to do cosplay prosthetics, like smaller scale cosplay prosthetics that people can apply themselves,” said Jaimie.

The Nailed It Kickstarter campaign runs through September 5. Once the campaign reaches funding, additional designs will be made available as stretch goals.

The post Nailed It! Espionage Cosmetics Kicks Off Nail Art Kickstarter Campaign appeared first on GeekMom.

Street View Inside the TARDIS © Google / BBC

It might look like an ordinary police telephone box on a street in London, but according to Google Maps, it’s something far more special.

Allons-y!

As you view the map of the road near the Earl’s Court tube station, click street view to explore. In the street view of Google Maps, click the double arrow next to the police box to live your dream of being whisked away by the Doctor. The street view continues on the inside, where you can take a detailed look at the close workings of the TARDIS.

And yes, it’s bigger on the inside.

The post Google Maps Takes You Inside the TARDIS appeared first on GeekMom.

Cthulhu Coloring Page © Courtesy John Kovalic

John Kovalic, cartoonist and GeekDad extraordinaire, is currently raising funds for his Bike the Barns charity bike ride. The 7th annual Bike the Barns ride in Wisconsin supports the FairShare CSA Coalition’s Partner Shares program, which “brings fresh, organic food from local farms to low-income families in our community.”

If Kovalic reaches his fundraising goal, he’ll make a preschool coloring book he’s been working on free for download! Sample pages include classics like a mermaid, dinosaur, and pirate, and he promises more geekery will be included. He’s also released an adorable, trick-or-treating Cthulhu illustration that will be part of the book.

Where else will you find Cthulhu in a coloring book? Visit John Kovalic’s pledge page and consider supporting the cause.

The post Cthulhu in a Coloring Book? Help John Kovalic Make It Happen appeared first on GeekMom.

GeekDad and GeekMom Panel at PAX 2012 / Photo: Tim Post

Labor Day weekend is almost upon us, which means it’s almost time for the Penny Arcade Expo! Gamers gather in Seattle, WA every year to celebrate games of all kinds and socialize with their fellow geeks. GeekDad and GeekMom are back again this year to bring you “Raising the Next Generation of Geeks” on Saturday, August 31, at 11:30 AM in the Serpent Theater.

Curious what’s on deck for this year’s panel? We’ll be back with the same great discussions with geeky moms and dads on the panel and in the theater. This year you’ll also hear not just from the parents, but from the parented — our kids who have their own take on what it’s like to be the next generation of geeks.

GeekDad/GeekMom Scavenger Hunt

This year at PAX Prime we thought it would be fun to encourage participation in the con and mix it up a little bit with our prize giveaways. Here is a list of people to find, games to play, and activities to do at PAX. The idea is simple. Use your phone or your camera to take a picture of yourself doing each of the things on the list and bring the phone or the camera to the PAX Prime GeekDad/GeekMom panel on Saturday. We will score your entry to see how many points you have earned. You may even get to pick from our fantastic pile of prizes!

The Rules:

1. The GeekMom/GeekDad scavenger hunt is to be played for fun. If you won’t be happy unless you win a certain prize or get the highest score, please put down your camera and find something else to do at PAX.

2. Get a picture of yourself doing the activity or with the person listed in the scavenger hunt. This is a photo scavenger hunt—no picture, it didn’t happen. If you are taking a picture of a person, it must be clear that they are taking the picture with you. Walking by in the background doesn’t count.

3. GeekDad/GeekMom staff are the final word in scoring. Arguing could lead to disqualification.

4. Prize distribution:
There will be three brackets in this contest: 4-12, 13-17, and Adult (including kids ages 0-3). At all GeekMom/GeekDad panels, prizes are distributed at the discretion of the panel. Scoring well in the scavenger hunt will be taken into consideration but will not be the only consideration when giving out prizes. Adults and teens should expect that preferential treatment may be given to children in the audience. Participation is not a guarantee of any prize.

In the case of ties:
For the kids and teens bracket, ties will be broken by age, youngest first. In the case of the adult bracket, ties will be broken by a friendly game Agricola or—if time does not allow—rock, paper, scissors, lizard, Spock.

5. Grumbling, complaining, or any other form of breaking Wheaton’s law may get you disqualified from the contest. (See rule number 1.)

Thanks to our Donors!

As always, we’re incredibly grateful for all the fantastic folks who donated prizes for our PAX panel giveaways. Here’s a list of our prize donors—click on the links to find out more! (We have a few more potential donors that we’re still finalizing details with, but we’ll update this list as soon as we know.)

Activision
AEG
Calliope Games
Catalyst Game Labs
ChessMate
Cleaner Science
Days of Wonder
The Doubleclicks
First Second Books
FitDesk
Flying Frog Productions
Floodgate Games
Gamewright
GeekMom
geekthelibrary.org
Greater Than Games
Gunnar Optics
Indie Boards & Cards
Little, Brown
Looney Labs
Marvel/Disney
Minimalist Parenting
Nerf
No Starch Press
Paizo Publishing
Playroom Entertainment
Scholastic
Shout! Factory
Spin Master
Stronghold Games
Tasty Minstrel Games
ThinkGeek
VEX Robotics
Viz Media

As you can see, there’s quite a list of goodies. We have a few more potential sponsors that we’re still working out details, but we’ll update this post as we go. Don’t forget, though—to have the best chance at winning some prizes, you’ll want to keep the photo scavenger hunt list handy on Friday!

I’ll be there along with fellow GeekMom Kay Moore. We hope to see you this weekend at PAX Prime!

The post Join GeekMom and GeekDad at PAX Prime 2013! appeared first on GeekMom.

Amy Pond has no problem calling her father-in-law Brian. © BBC

Since the day we were married, I’ve never been sure what names to call my in-laws.

I don’t mean coming up with an expletive-laced nickname for when they’re not around. I am one of the lucky few who have wonderful parents-in-law. But my problem is that, almost ten years later, I still don’t know the best way to address them.

Conversations with them usually go like this:

“Hey, ….YOU. How are you? And how is… um… HE doing?”

I’m so good at not calling them by a name, it’s practically become an art form. Here’s a hint: A lot of tapping on shoulders is involved.

They’ve let me know I can call them by their first names, which is the most important thing to take into consideration in my raging internal debate.

But their first names always get frozen on my tongue. My strongest inclination has always been to call them Mr. and Mrs. It might be one of the last remnants of being taught to address my friends’ folks that way, and it has stubbornly stuck with me. Busting out a Mr. and Mrs. would certainly be met with weird looks, though, especially this late in the game. Strike that one.

And then there’s the other obvious choice: Mom and Dad. To me, that one fits the bill for our relationship, but also has the highest chance of offense to multiple parties. Cross that one off the list, too.

So I settled into the no-name method, which I like to think is subtle and has gone unnoticed, but I have a feeling it hasn’t.

Then we had our daughter, and I thought I was golden. I can call them Grandma and Grandpa without a care in the world… until bedtime. I found out the hard way that continuing to call them Grandpa and Grandma when none of the kids are around makes it sound like I’m oozing sarcasm.

“Hey, Grandpa, can we turn up the volume on the football game?”

My friend’s dad has chosen the name Obi-Wan instead of a variation of Grandpa, and I have to admit I’m a little jealous. I would say without hesitation, “Hey, Obi-Wan! How are you? That’s great, Obi-Wan!” and it would always be cool. Always.

What do you call your in-laws? Do you simply go with first names without a second thought?

The post What Names Do You Call Your In-Laws? appeared first on GeekMom.

© Facebook

At PAX Prime 2013, parents and kids of all ages and stripes filled the theater to talk with GeekMoms and GeekDads about raising the next generation of geeks. Also sitting behind the mics for this year’s panel were some of our progeny, who had their own valuable points of view on what it’s like to grow up geeky today.

The panel centered on interactive discussion with the families in the audience, and many parents had questions for the kids on the panel on a variety of topics, from favorite board games to how to share their own passions with their children. (Nine-year-old Nora Wecks advised meeting kids halfway and embracing your children’s interests enthusiastically as well.) The most engaging topic on the panel, though, was a question from a parent about how the next generation of geeks handle bullying.

Gone are the days where bullying is confined to the bus or playground; today’s kids also contend with mean-spirited peers on Facebook and other social media. At only 13 years old, Lily Wecks has already experienced cyberbullying. Her father, Erik Wecks, spoke about it recently on GeekDad. Lily had more to say on the topic at PAX Prime. “There was a [Facebook] group page, and a couple of people in my class decided they were going to write a post about how obnoxious I was,” said Lily. “And it got really nasty. I ended up unfriending some people and leaving the group, and it really hurt. But it was also a good reminder that I need to choose. I can’t please everyone, so just be me.”

Nora had a similar experience with kids her in class, and her best advice for families was to speak up and get involved. “What really helped me is that I talked to my parents, and my parents talked to me,” shared Nora. “My parents got involved. I had an experience where some boys were treating me badly. And so my dad got involved and spoke to the principal about it. And that made me feel safe, that I was going to be taken care of.”

Rebecca Moore, 21 year old daughter of GeekMom Kay Moore, also encouraged parents to support their children, but realize that they can’t always stop the bad things that happen in life. “Keep an open dialogue with your kids,” said Rebecca. “If you do find out about bullying, you should take those steps to intervene, but know that you might not be able to stop it.

“You have to allow [your children] to build that strength themselves. Definitely step in so that they know you love and care, but you also have to be ready to support them. You can’t stop everything. …It is sort of a growth experience. Don’t be the parent that clings.”

Thanks again to the attendees of “Raising the Next Generation of Geeks” at PAX Prime, and our donors who made all the fantastic prize giveaways possible.

The post PAX Prime: The Next Generation of Geeks Speak Out on Bullying appeared first on GeekMom.

© AMC

Massively open online courses, or MOOCs, bring together students from all walks of life to learn about the topic at hand. Today AMC, Instructure, and the University of California, Irvine have teamed up to announce a MOOC that brings together the walks of the undead with “Society, Science, Survival: Lessons from AMC’s The Walking Dead.”

The university-level class will be taught by a team of instructors across a number of disciplines. The UC Irvine faculty includes Zuzana Bic, public health; Joanne Christopherson, social sciences; Michael Dennin, physics; and Sarah Eichhorn, mathematics. Zuzana Bic often uses pop culture references in her teaching. “There will be something for everyone in this course,” she said, “which will explore concepts as varied as post-disaster nutrition, the foundations of human survival, and stereotypes in a Darwinian environment.”

The eight week online course is free, and kicks off October 14, the day after the season 4 premiere of The Walking Dead. (Canvas Network promises “provisions to help international participants avoid spoilers.”) The course ends December 2.

Students must be 18 years old to enroll, and registration is currently open on the Canvas Network web site.

The post New Online Course Explores Lessons from The Walking Dead appeared first on GeekMom.

PAX 2013 / Photo: Kelly Knox

At PAX Prime 2013, one of the most popular areas of the game hall was the corner housed by Bethesda. The line to play The Elder Scrolls Online, a massively multiplayer game currently in development from Zenimax Online Studios, filled up quickly each day with gamers eager to get into the world of Skyrim and Morrowind. I was lucky enough to settle in for a few minutes and enter the lands of Tamriel during my first hands on look at The Elder Scrolls Online (ESO).

The short verdict? You absolutely feel like you’re back in Skyrim.

Story-wise, ESO takes place a thousand years before the events of Skyrim. Players choose to be a part of one of three alliances, depending on the race of the selected character. Veterans of Elder Scrolls games will love to return to the lands of Morrowind and other familiar locales. In my play-through at PAX, I re-created my current Nord character to enter the cold landscape of Skyrim. Character customization is robust, as you’d expect it to be in a next-generation MMO. I could have spent hours just fiddling with each setting and slider to get my look just right, from age to proportions to facial features.

Elder Scrolls Online © Bethesda / Zenimax Online

Comparisons to Skyrim are (obviously) unavoidable, and there are some differences. For instance, when creating a character in ESO, you also select a class to determine your combat skills. Stealthy types might be surprised to learn that in ESO sneaking now consumes stamina, which will play an interesting role in Player vs. Player (PvP) combat. PvP is a large part of the game in the form of the alliance war, although Creative Director Paul Sage assured me that there’s lots more to the end game than fighting fellow players.

PvP is just one of the many multiplayer mainstays that make The Elder Scrolls Online a well-blended mix of Skyrim and MMO. If you’re a longtime player of games like World of Warcraft and EverQuest, you’ll feel even more at home in the game with slash commands like /dance, crafting, and using skills on the hotbar during combat. Surprisingly, the automatically disappearing hotbar was one of my favorite features from the get-go.

While I only spent a few minutes in ESO at PAX Prime, I left with a good impression and a renewed interest in the game. The Elder Scrolls Online is currently planned for a 2014 launch on the PC, Mac, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4.

The post PAX Prime: Hands On With The Elder Scrolls Online appeared first on GeekMom.

Robot Turtles (Prototype) / Photo: Kelly Knox

Dan Shapiro is not your average board game developer. An entrepreneur and CEO of Google Comparison, Shapiro isn’t in the business of making games. But one day, while on the hunt for something to do with his four-year-old twins, he devised a board game that he and his children could play together—one that teaches the kids programming basics without them even realizing it. He decided to take the game to an audience craving the same type of activity, and Robot Turtles was born.

Robot Turtles is a board game for kids aged 3-8, in which parents play an important role in shaping each game. “I had conversations before I did this with board game manufacturers and folks in the industry and so on,” said Shapiro. “Everybody said, ‘Really, this just doesn’t work, this model of having the parent and the kid working together, because board games are the thing you buy so you can do something else.’” Shapiro wasn’t interested in just occupying his kids’ time — he wanted to play with them in a game where all players stayed engaged and he didn’t have to pretend to lose. “I love spending time with my kids,” he told me. “This was just an exercise to see if I could take that and put it into a box.”

Judging by the enormous response to the Robot Turtles Kickstarter, Shapiro isn’t the only parent who feels this way. Robot Turtles reached funding within five hours of the campaign’s launch, and just broke $225,000 with two weeks to go.

Not only have I backed the fundraising campaign, I’ve been lucky enough to see the game in action. My four-year-old daughter and I recently sat down with Shapiro to learn the basics of the game. Your child chooses a turtle (naturally, my girly girl gravitated to the one with pink) and then it’s the parent’s turn to transform into a Turtle Mover. The Turtle Mover places a Robot Jewel tile on the board; a first-time player simply uses the movement cards to get the Robot Turtle tile to reach the jewel.

When the player selects a card, the Turtle Mover (you) carries out the action. The movement cards go straight, turn left, and turn right. Shapiro used an ingenious method of colors and flowers placed on the card to help the child visualize which way the turtle will turn, rather than simply saying “left” or “right,” which can vex a preschooler. As your child begins to create a series of movement, thinking ahead to their next step, they’re on their way to learning programming basics.

Players can even stop and yell, “Undo!” if they’ve set their turtle on the wrong path as a form of debugging. When my daughter realized she couldn’t lose the game, she relaxed and really started focus on playing out the turtle’s next steps in her head. “For new computer learners, discovering that there’s no cost for being wrong is essential to their growth,” Shapiro wrote in the game’s Kickstarter.

Reaching the Robot Jewel (prototype). The bottom row of cards show the steps my daughter took.

After the young programmer learns movement basics, new tiles are added to the game board in the form of ice walls and stone walls. They can play a laser card to melt the ice, but as the stone walls are unbreakable, they must learn to navigate the turtle around them. Destroying the ice walls resulted in a crashing sound from the genuinely enthusiastic Shapiro; my daughter preferred his energy and passion so much that she asked me to step aside so that she could continue to play with him. (Note to self: practice laser sounds.)

It’s easy to see why Shapiro is so excited about Robot Turtles. The game engages the brains of all players, without taking an inordinate time to play (like, say, Monopoly). Preschoolers and young children love being the boss of parents, and Robot Turtles puts them in control of not just the turtle — as Turtle Mover, the parent becomes the “computer,” following the child’s commands to move the turtle around the board. Bossing me around is one of my daughter’s hobbies, so she was delighted to get the chance to do it in a game.

As for my little programmer-in-training, Robot Turtles definitely left her impressed. “I loved it so much!” she yelled. “I really want to do it again, okay?”

I agreed completely.

Robot Turtles is currently raising funds for mass production on Kickstarter. The campaign ends on September 27.

The post Robot Turtles: Programming for Preschoolers appeared first on GeekMom.

Sesame Street is back tomorrow, September 16, for an incredible 44th season. This year the focus is on Cookie Monster and his new segment, “Cookie’s Crumby Pictures,” where he learns about self-regulation, such as practicing self-control and not eating all of the delicious cookies before dinner.

In a web chat this week that I had the pleasure to join in, Cookie said that his secret is practicing patience. “Sometimes when me see cookie, me kind of get a little crazy and lose control. So me try to keep self control. Me take like, deep breaths and calm me body.” The blue monster also shared another tip: Pretend that the cookie is something unappealing. “Maybe a stinky fish,” suggested Cookie Monster. “Then me not eat me cookie. Me just use me imagination.”

Geek god Tom Hiddleston stopped by the Street for a quick lesson along the same theme, talking to Cookie about delayed gratification in a recent preview.

Tom Hiddleston isn’t the only geek icon making an appearance on Sesame Street this year. During the new season, parents will find themselves glued to the TV along with their preschoolers as celebrities near and dear to geek hearts like Star Trek‘s John Cho, Superman Henry Cavill, The Avengers‘ Cobie Smulders, Neil Patrick Harris, Sarah Michelle Gellar, The Big Bang Theory‘s Kunal Nayyar, and Game of Thrones‘ Lena Heady all stop in for the Word on the Street.

Henry Cavill in the Word on the Street © Sesame Workshop

Another Game of Thrones favorite, Peter Dinklage, stars as Simon (of the game “Simon Says”) to help Telly learn to relax and listen.

The new season of Sesame Street also introduces a new neighbor, Armando, portrayed by Ismael Cruz Córdova. Along with self-regulation, season 44 will focus on Hispanic heritage, as Armando and his friends on Sesame Street sing new songs and teach lessons about the Spanish language and Hispanic culture.

Sesame Street kicks off the new season on Monday. Check your local PBS listings for air times.

The post The New Season of Sesame Street May Be the Geekiest Yet appeared first on GeekMom.

Host Liev Shreiber. Photo Courtesy © Stephanie Berger / PBS

Tune in to PBS on Tuesday, October 15 for Superheroes: A Never-Ending Battle, a comprehensive look at the humble beginnings of the comic book industry. Clocking in at three hours of interviews and footage, the documentary features some of the comic industry’s luminaries like the legendary Stan Lee, Geoff Johns, Carmine Infantino, Neal Adams, Chris Claremont, Len Wein, Marv Wolfman, and many more. Fan favorite actors Adam West and Lynda Carter also put in appearances.

Host Liev Schreiber, who played his own part in the Marvel cinematic universe as Sabretooth in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, walks viewers through the long history of comic books. The three-part documentary aims to examine:

[T]he dawn of the comic book genre and its powerful legacy, as well as the evolution of the characters who leapt from the pages over the last 75 years and their ongoing worldwide cultural impact. It chronicles how these “disposable diversions” were subject to intense government scrutiny for their influence on American children and how they were created, in large part, by the children of immigrants whose fierce loyalty to a new homeland laid the foundation for a multi-billion-dollar industry that is now an influential part of our national identity.

Also included in the documentary are the perspectives of women in the industry, including publisher Jenette Kahn, writer Louise Simonson, and writer Trina Robbins.

Superheroes: A Never-Ending Battle airs October 15. (Check your local PBS listings.) In the meantime, you can take a look at some in-depth interviews with creators and actors in these web exclusives.

The post Superheroes: A Never-Ending Battle Takes Over PBS on October 15 appeared first on GeekMom.

© Potter Craft

If you haven’t already picked up the book penned by our very own talented founding editors, this is your chance to win one of five copies of Geek Mom: Projects, Tips, and Adventures for Moms and Their 21st-Century Families.

The Geek Mom book contains a wealth of project ideas, recipes, and other suggestions to turn a rainy afternoon into an unforgettable time with the entire family.

The contest runs today through October 21, and five lucky winners will receive a copy of the book. To enter our giveaway, just log in to the Rafflecopter widget below with your Facebook account or email address (use a valid email so we can let you know if you win). You can then like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for up to two entries! If you already like/follow us, it will still enter you in the giveaway. Five winners will be chosen at random at the end of the contest and their names will be posted right in the Rafflecopter widget, so you can check back to see who won.

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The post Win Your Own Copy of the Geek Mom Book! appeared first on GeekMom.

© Diamond Comic Distributors

Created in the same spirit of Free Comic Book Day, the second annual Halloween ComicFest invades comic stores across the country on October 26-27. Comic book readers of all ages are invited to visit their local comic book store for free books, giveaways, costume contests, and more.

The free titles this year include special editions of Batman: Li’l Gotham #1, The Long Halloween #1 (a classic Batman tale), Thor: God of Thunder #1, and more. Participating stores are also offering bundles of 20 mini-comics to purchase for $4.99. On Halloween, your house can be the cool house that not only hands out candy to enthusiastic trick-or-treaters, but also gives away comics to encourage young readers.

Not only is there fun to be had in comic book stores, Halloween ComicFest is hosting The Greatest Halloween Costume Contest Ever online. After visiting your local shop to pick up a button to affix to your costume, enter your photo through the ComicFest web site and get the word out for votes. Entries will be accepted until November 15.

I have to warn you, though, this mini, marvelous Captain Marvel might be hard to beat.

The post Halloween ComicFest Scares Up Fun This Weekend! appeared first on GeekMom.

Captain Marvel reaches for the stars in 2014 © Marvel

At New York Comic Con earlier this month, Marvel Comics announced a surprising relaunch of a book not even a year and a half into its run: Kelly Sue DeConnick’s beloved ongoing series Captain Marvel. At GeekGirlCon a week later, Kelly Sue talked to GeekMom about what that means for the series and character, starting with the last issue before the hiatus.

Warning, minor spoilers ahead for the current run of Captain Marvel.

Captain Marvel #17 is the first chance readers (and Carol) get to breathe after the whirlwind of “The Enemy Within” storyline and the “Infinity” crossover issues. “We didn’t get to see it because of the ‘Infinity’ tie-ins,” began DeConnick, “but [after losing her memory during 'The Enemy Within'] she would have been in the hospital, she would have been re-learning who she was out of books. So she would read, like, here is a list of X-Men powers to memorize, and here is your basic history. She’s re-constructed this stuff, but she’s not felt it, she’s just learned it.” It takes the help of Carol’s biggest fan, said DeConnick, to rebuild her identity.

The double-sized issue is billed as an ode to the Carol Corps, who greets DeConnick with warmth and enthusiasm at every convention–including GeekGirlCon.

The GGC Carol Corps and Kelly Sue DeConnick / Photo: Kelly Knox

When the All-New Marvel Now Captain Marvel #1 begins in March 2014, Carol Danvers sets off on a new journey, but she won’t forget her home and friends in New York City. “The next arc is called ‘Higher, Further, Faster, More,’” said DeConnick. “The words are taken from Helen Cobb’s letter to Carol from the first issue, where she says that these are the traits she’s recognized in her sisterhood–although she doesn’t define it as purely feminine. We’re taking [Captain Marvel] cosmic. We’re not entirely abandoning her life in New York.”

Adventures in the cosmos seem like a natural fit for the character, who has long had her eyes on the stars, and seemed at home in the combat blasting off the pages of the “Infinity” tie-in issues. And while Captain Marvel might have a new focus in space and new allies in the form of the Guardians of the Galaxy, she’s still the Carol that the Corps adores. “I describe Carol as being heart-driven, and everything about her faces skyward,” DeConnick said. “That star on her chest is always to the sky, chin up, eyes up, heart up, arms open. Everything about her is trying to go up. Her approach to any problem is to try to go through it. She’s a juggernaut.”

DeConnick also reflected on what drives Carol upward, citing The Mercury 13: The True Story of Thirteen Women and the Dream of Space Flight, written by Martha Ackmann. In the book, “[Ackmann] is describing the part of Oklahoma that [aviator] Jerrie Cobb comes from,” said DeConnick, “and she says that everything in that part of the world is trying to take flight. And it’s so beautifully written. She talks about a discarded candy wrapper floating up into the air, and the signs on the side of the road shaking as they try to take off. And that so resonated with me.

“Re-launching Carol’s book, the idea of her, I want her to be like that sign post–everything about her wants to go up. So let’s let her go and see what happens.”

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Waiting for the “Home Geek Home” panel to begin.

GeekGirlCon returned to Seattle on October 19-20, and this year’s event was completely sold out as over 6,000 attendees celebrated geeky gals.

GeekGirlCon is a convention unlike any other. This year, attendees were treated to not only family-friendly activities like the DIY Science Zone, but also one-of-a-kind vendors, panels with some of the comic book industry’s brightest talents, concerts featuring artists like Marian Call and The Doubleclicks, an area called GeekGirlConnections to give attendees the chance to network with companies like BioWare… the list goes on and on.

Here are a few photos from the convention, including memorable cosplay, fascinating panels, and the indomitable Carol Corps.

All photos by Kelly Knox.

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Photo: Kelly Knox

The first day with our shiny new stainless steel refrigerator, I stood and admired its gleam… for about 10 seconds, when my daughter ran straight to it and smacked two yogurty handprints on the door. Rather than shoo her away from every appliance in the kitchen until she turns 18, I decided to focus on a way to clean the stainless steel instead. To the pins!

Tips on Pinterest included specific stainless steel cleaners like Affresh or Weiman, as well as Pledge furniture polish or Windex glass cleaner wipes. As we already had some of the wipes, I gave one a shot, but no luck. The streaks and fingerprints still glared at me defiantly.

Plus, as the mom of a preschooler whose hobbies include touching every surface in the house, I preferred to try something more natural, and somewhat inexpensive. Many pins recommended olive oil to polish stainless steel, to my surprise, and so I decided to give it a shot.

It was difficult to work up the courage to smear olive oil on our aforementioned new appliances. What if it streaked? What if it went rancid and our fridge ended up smelling like the dumpster behind Carabbas? Then it occurred to me that I had the perfect test subject: our old, messy stainless steel trash can.

Photo: Kelly Knox

It’s not obvious to see in the photo above, but the stainless steel trash can looks brand new again. Olive oil acted as a polish, turning the entire surface a bit darker, and got rid of the smudges. It didn’t feel noticeably greasy, either.

Here are the steps for cleaning and polishing stainless steel with olive oil:

1. Clean the surface with a non-abrasive soap or baking soda and water.

2. Once the stainless steel is dry, rub in a small amount of oil with a soft rag. Go with the stainless “grain” and use some elbow grease to really work it in.

3. Wipe the stainless steel with a clean, dry rag or paper towel to remove excess oil and give it a little more shine. (Some walkthroughs mention an additional step of wiping it down with vinegar, which I didn’t do.)

My confidence boosted by the experiment on the stainless trash can, I tried the same steps on the dishwasher, which was in dire need of cleaning.

Photo: Kelly Knox

The water drips and fingerprints went away after the olive oil was applied. On the dishwasher, though, I didn’t get as much coverage as I did on the trash can, and there were some streaks.

Pinbusted or Pintrusted? Trusted, hesitantly. I’ll try this on the same surfaces again when they get full of fingerprints.

I will add a caveat, however: I’m still too chicken to try it on the refrigerator.

I’ve read about varying results when applied to stainless steel, probably due a “faux” stainless finish or a lower grade stainless steel. You may want to test a small corner or the side of the appliance before applying the oil on a large area.

Do you use olive oil on your stainless steel? Or do you have another trusted method?

The post Pinbusted or Pintrusted: Clean Stainless Steel with Olive Oil appeared first on GeekMom.

© Marvel

In our post-Avengers world, audiences have some expectations of films in the Marvel cinematic universe: fantastic heroes, jaw-dropping special effects, humor, and a Stan Lee cameo. Thor: The Dark World delivers these in spades, feeling much more like the true successor to The Avengers than the somewhat underwhelming Iron Man 3.

Slight spoilers for Thor: The Dark World follow.

Two years after the events of The Avengers, astrophysicist Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) is still searching for Thor (Chris Hemsworth), who pines for his mortal love while continuing to fight for Asgard. When Jane stumbles upon the Aether, a dark energy with the power to destroy the universe as we know it, the malevolent dark elf Malekith (Christopher Eccleston) sets out to retrieve it from her at any cost.

Thor: The Dark World is packed with geek favorite actors, including Chuck’s Zachary Levi as the fair-haired, swashbuckling Fandral, Lost alum Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, and Doctor Who veteran Eccleston, who is almost completely unrecognizable and doesn’t get too much to do except look as menacing as he can with layers of makeup on.

© Marvel

And of course I have to mention Tom Hiddleston, who returns as Loki with unbridled, mischievous glee. It may be Hiddleston’s own enjoyment of playing the anti-hero character coming through, but the slyly grinning Loki lives up to the “god of mischief” role more in this film than any other. Loki steals every scene he’s in, especially when he’s joined by the comparatively one-dimensional Thor.

Portman’s Jane Foster plays an integral role in the story, not merely serving as a damsel in distress, but also on hand to spout some technobabble and contribute to the battle in her own way. Asgardian warrior Sif (Jaimie Alexander) and Queen Frigga (Rene Russo) also return to join in the fray.

If your kids handled the combat of The Avengers and Iron Man 3 without blinking, you can expect more of the same explosive action in Thor: The Dark World. There is some profanity, hence the PG-13 rating, so you might want to scout it out first before bringing young children along.

While it’s not typical for a sequel to out-do its predecessor, Thor: The Dark World outshines the Norse god’s first outing in almost every way. With laugh out loud humor, romance, and a fast-paced story with the fate of the universe at stake, the film is a strong entry in the Marvel cinematic universe that begs for repeat viewings. (And don’t forget to stay through the credits for two extra scenes.)

Thor: The Dark World opens nationwide on November 8, 2013.

GeekMom attended a promotional screening of the film for review purposes.

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© Warner Bros. Entertainment

Stamp Preview © USPS / USA Today

Starting November 19, the U.S. Postal Service is offering a magical opportunity to dress up your holiday cards, correspondence, and acceptance letters from Hogwarts with a collector’s booklet of 20 First-Class Forever Harry Potter stamps.

The stamps will feature 20 different photographs from all eight Harry Potter movies, including our favorite wizards like Harry, Ron, and Hermione; their classmates and professors; magical creatures like Hedwig and Fawkes the phoenix; and even villains like Voldemort and Bellatrix Lestrange. Nothing says jolly like Bellatrix Lestrange on your Christmas cards!

If you have Potterhead philatelists to shop for this holiday season (and who doesn’t), the USPS has you covered. The USPS web site is currently taking pre-orders for the collection, or you can head to the closest post office on Tuesday to get your Muggle mitts on the stamps.

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© Disney

Disney’s Frozen will be released later this month, but thanks to the charming new interactive storybook app released today, you and your kids can get to know Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff before settling into the theater seats. The Frozen: Storybook Deluxe app not only tells the tale of their icy adventures, but includes a novel feature: Turning your iPad or iPhone upside down during the story switches between Anna’s point of view and Elsa’s. With inviting original music, clips from the film, puzzles and activities, and, of course, the story, Frozen: Storybook Deluxe is a fantastic companion to Disney’s next enchanting adventure.

Like most book adaptations of films, it goes without saying that if you don’t want to be spoiled on the story, you should avoid downloading Frozen from the App Store until you’ve seen the movie. This is the third tie-in app Disney has released prior to the film’s theatrical debut, and while I needlessly worried about my four-year-old being somehow upset about “spoilers,” I appreciated knowing what potentially scary moments we can expect during the film. It also gave my daughter the chance to be acquainted with Anna, Elsa, and the other characters at her own pace.

The tale of Anna and Elsa is told by both sisters in the interactive story with the unique feature of turning the iPad upside down when prompted. While it did take a few attempts before my four-year-old got the hang of it to keep the story flowing, the novelty of turning the iPad kept her engaged in the full-length story.

© Disney

There are also hidden animations on the pages and some clips from the movie interspersed throughout the tale. The activities, however, kept my daughter engrossed the longest. Not only are there opportunities to flex your own icy powers with drawing activities, the puzzles are not the mindless piecing together of a picture that you normally find in kids’ apps. The ice puzzles are more challenging and forced my daughter to actually stop and think before continuing with the story.

Disney’s Frozen app includes word-by-word highlighting with top-notch, clear narration, which is a feature I always appreciate in storybook apps for my budding reader. The app also includes the option to record your own narration; I’ll have to resist the urge to record myself belting out “Let It Go” when I think no one is around.

Frozen: Storybook Deluxe is available today for the iPhone and iPad in the App Store for $6.99. The film comes to U.S. theaters on November 27, 2013.

GeekMom received a promotional copy for review purposes.

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