Reviews and More

I’m one of those people who likes to put my name or initials on practically everything I own. If I buy something that can be customized, such as pens, shirts, stationery, or even hand towels, I always go with that option. If it can’t be personalized at the store, I use a nice label maker to take care of things myself.

Anyway, I guess that’s one of the reasons that I like VistaPrint so much. They offer a wide array of personalized products that are useful both at home and at the office. For instance, I was browsing through the site today and saw these cute family address labels that feature customizable caricatures of everyone, including pets! These labels would not only save time with all my mailings, but would also give everyone on my correspondence list a glimpse of my fun, lighthearted side. Take a look at one of the samples:

If you haven’t been to VistaPrint.com in awhile, then you should really stop by to check out all the different products they offer. They have a lot more than just business cards and labels these days, so if you’re looking for hats, t-shirts, stationery, magnets, window decals, birth announcements, or practically anything else that can be printed, VistaPrint can accommodate your needs. Take a look today!

As much as I enjoy watching movies with my five-year-old son, I nevertheless get tired of the endless parade of Disney-like animated films that dominate the children’s genre these days. Whatever happened to good, old-fashioned live action movies suitable for the entire family? Does anyone even make these types of movies anymore?

In looking through the Children’s section at Blockbuster, I would have to say no, as an overwhelming majority of the new stuff is animated or CGI. One of the only live action choices available to us last weekend was Shiloh 2: Shiloh Season from way back in 1999. I would have gone for the original Shiloh, but it was out (perhaps some other parents were feeling the same way I did), so we had to settle for the sequel. Fortunately, enjoying the second film didn’t really depend much on seeing the first.

Plot summary (with possible spoilers): Shiloh 2 takes place in a small, rural community and focuses on the life of pre-adolescent Marty Preston (played by Zachary Browne) and his dog Shiloh. Marty had rescued Shiloh from his original abusive owner, local drunk and all-around meanie Judd Travers (Scott Wilson) by doing odd jobs for Judd, and now Marty and Shiloh are inseparable.

It’s too bad that Judd seemingly has nothing better to do than harass Marty and the rest of the Preston clan, including father Ray (Michael Moriarty) and mother Louise (Ann Dowd) by illegally hunting on their land, drinking and driving, and generally making a nuisance of himself to the point that the Prestons are afraid to let their young daughters play freely on their own property. Oh, and Judd also has a habit of eyeing Shiloh in a way that makes it clear he wants the dog back.

The plot progresses leisurely through a series of scenes designed to show where everyone stands in relation to each other before a crisis — Judd getting into a near-fatal accident — pushes the characters to address the issues plaguing their lives.

My Reaction: As far as movies go, Shiloh 2: Shiloh Season is about as simplistic as they come — which is a good thing in this case, since it’s for children. Not a lot happens in it, so it’s very easy for even young kids with short attention spans to follow the plot. Sure, the scenes feel completely disjointed and somewhat random to adults, but I’m willing to overlook that because of the fact that my son actually enjoyed watching the film.

Personally, I felt that it took far too long for the “crisis” to develop. I would have preferred to see Judd’s accident happen a bit earlier so we could get a few extra scenes about how Marty and Judd’s relationship changed after they became friends. For young kids, I think a few visual reinforcements of this newly forged friendship would have been helpful.

As it was, viewers have to settle for a voiceover telling us that Judd thinks Marty is “alright by him” — a line that went right past my son. After building Judd up to be such a bad guy, it would have been nice for younger kids to see him being nicer instead of just hearing about it. Yes, there was the whole scene where Judd invited Marty and Ray into his shack and offered them potato chips, but I have a feeling that was a bit too subtle for younger viewers.

Overall, Shiloh 2: Shiloh Season is a decent family film. Younger kids will enjoy the parts that show Marty bonding with his dog, but might not understand the implications of Marty being nice to Judd later on. Older children will be able to explore deeper thematic issues, such as what makes people mean in the first place and why you should never give up on a mean person, just keep treating them with kindness. I give this movie 5.5 stars out of 10.

When I first entered the workforce full-time about 12 years ago, I thought I’d be one of those women who put a lot of time and energy into their career. I was big on networking, attending workshops, and participating in any other company-sponsored activities that would help me establish the contacts and credentials I’d need to secure future promotions and raises. I was really in my element, and couldn’t be happier.

But then when my son (unexpectedly) came along five years ago, everything changed. My career no longer seemed as important as it once was, so I walked away from it and never looked back. Yes, we would sorely miss the money, but being on hand to raise our child seemed infinitely more important, and I haven’t regretted my decision for a single moment.

Nevertheless, I still wanted to find a way to work from home in order to contribute to my family’s coffers and ease the newly added strain on our budget. I was smart enough to stay awy from envelope stuffing or data entry scams, and checked into paid blogging instead.

One of the latest entries into this industry is SocialSpark, a property of IZEA, Inc. SocialSpark provides mommy bloggers just like me with a fantastic opportunity to make a good monthly income without ever leaving home by simply posting about different products, services, and websites on my blogs. I do those things anyway, so I figured I might as well get paid for my efforts!

SocialSpark combines elements of social networking sites and traditional paid-to-blog programs to bring bloggers all-new ways to make money. I can take opportunities that I qualify for, I can directly contact advertisers to ask for inclusion in an opportunity that I don’t qualify for but feel would be a good fit with my blog, and I can easily network with other bloggers to share advice and pointers.

The program is still in Alpha testing for now, so it’s not currently open to new sign-ups. Be sure to keep checking back for updates, however, as I’m positive that this is something you’ll want to be involved in!