Family Tech Timeout - Transforming Our Mobile Device Addictions Into Quality Time

Technology

Thinking about dinnertime are you and your children eating together and spending at least some family quality time together each night? Or, instead, are kids checking their Facebook pages while parents are scrolling through emails from work? 

Art really does imitate life as this YouTube illustrates...




Apparently this reality is universal and epidemic. According to a recent NPR poll, 25% of all children surveyed live in homes where on any given night the TV is on or someone is using an electronic device. Based on all the families I know personally, I'm guessing the real numbers might even be a whole lot worse.

With such a sad scenario around dinner tables across America 24/7 in small towns and big cities, I'm going to stick my neck out on this issue. In an ideal world, I'm going to bet that you and I both would rather enjoy family and loved ones more, especially at meal times, and not be so obsessed about all the technology in the presence of others. Right?

Like just about everyone else, I love and depend on my iPhone, iPad and a host of other devices. I also plead guilty to using Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest incessantly to stay connected socially and professionally. It's time that we all recapture what is nearest and dearest to us -- quality time with family. And there's no better moment than sharing a meal together at home or in a restaurant to enjoy each other.

Is this what your family dinner looks like? Image from Foresters

That's where Foresters new Tech Timeout initiative comes in. It's a place where kids and adults can both go to take the Tech Timeout pledge to turn off digital devices including TVs, smartphones, tablets, games consoles, computers and yes -- iPods and other music devices, too --  for an hour each day for one week.

Do something good today and improve your own family's life and dinner table ambiance. To take a stand kids, moms, dads and care givers are encouraged go to the Tech Timeout Facebook.

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT
Would love your comments on this post, too. Feel free to share a mini description of what your family dinner table is like these days.

FTC Disclosure: I depend on mobile technology but I am also an advocate of more quality family life for parents and their kids that seeks balance. I did not receive any payment or other compensation associated with this post. Thoughts are my own. See complete FTC Disclosure information that appears at the bottom of MommyBlogExpert's main page and at the bottom of every individual post on this blog, including this one.

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My Lucky Elephant Review Kids DVD Movie About Home Friendship Love & Family

Movies

All images Courtesy of My Lucky Elephant

Recently released on DVD, My Lucky Elephant is a live action movie with a new take on an old concept: that life is best spent with a sense of home, true friendship (both human to human and person to animal), love and family togetherness. I frequently review family friendly movies from both large and indie film studios for Mommy Blog Expert and this is definitely another great one I'd like to share with you that appeals to children, moms, dads and other caregivers.

Directed by Eric Schwab, who brought us blockbuster films like Mission Impossible and Valkyrie, this movie is decidedly more kid friendly and worth enjoying with your extended family. Rated PG, I found this to be entertaining and fun -- suitable for older children ages 6 and up. In fact, I was surprised even some of my teenagers sat and watched this in its entirety with me.

In this charming tale those essential things that we all hope for seem like just a dream for a parentless 10 year-old boy all alone in the world, aimlessly wandering and living in the jungle among the animals. That profound loneliness disappears when a wild baby elephant the boy names Lucky comes into his life and a deep and beautiful friendship begins to unfold.

The native boy who starred in this film had never acted before

The boy & his new four-legged friend ride through a small town on the way to the big city

From the moment they meet, the small boy and the elephant are inseparable companions. But since the reality is that they are both hungry and need to earn money for food, soon the industrious pair are working side by side in various jungle jobs alongside adults transporting lumber and giving tourists elephant rides through the jungle. 

All seems to be going well until the boy and his elephant friend decide to venture into a busy city. After a series of funny but frustrating life and work episodes, they finally discover the Academy of Art where elephants learn to paint. It is here that, after some artist-in-training suspense and hilarity, Lucky turns from class clown into the camp's resident star elephant artist with his original painting style. 

Watching these elephants paint in the movie is amazing

Elephants are just like kids when it comes to creating a mess when painting

The plot thickens for the budding artist when Lucky falls in love with another elephant painter named Candy. That's where the adventure really begins. What happens next? If you see this movie you and your children will find out what. For now, keep reading to see some more behind the scenes pictures the director gave me to share with readers as well as to watch the movie trailer toward the end of this post.

Just as fascinating as the film itself is the back story about how this picture evolved from concept to final production. Lucky (pun intended) for MBE readers, the director has shared the production notes with me to reference so I can provide you with some insight into the making of My Lucky Elephant as well as some cool trivia about the movie.

Yes, in case you are wondering, it was rainy season during shooting

Filming in a jungle river w/ an elephant & boy was no small feat, either

Directing an elephant literally & figuratively presented BIG challenges

The director reflects upon what originally inspired this movie on one of many family trips to Thailand. 

"I saw elephants walking around the jungle and in the city," Schwab recalls. "When I found out they live a very long life, often over fifty years, I knew there was a good story there."

Watch the movie's official trailer to get a taste of why this is so fun and family-friendly 

I could write an entire dissertation based on the production notes I read. Honestly, there were pages full of hundreds of details about how this amazing project came together. But, for the sake of brevity, I'll just summarize for you and share a few of the many tid bits about the making of this movie.

• Though you won't see it in the credits, My Lucky Elephant's outdoor scenes were shot in Thailand.
• Director Schwab visited with and got to know numerous Thai mahouts to aid in their search to find just the right elephant camp before settling on the one used in the film called Mateman where the animals were happy, healthy and well treated.
• In case you have any doubts: Yes some elephants can really paint. In actuality, the real life star elephant in the camp, Hong who was chosen to play Lucky's love interest Candy, commands thousands of dollars for each of her masterpieces. 
• Multiple elephants worked during the filming of this project to portray different ages, personalities and talents. A point worth making: according to the director elephants were not forced to act and filming only took place when the big guys were in the mood to do the desired action sequences.
• After finding the right place, prior to beginning to shoot footage, the director and some other key filmmakers came to the camp on multiple days to observe and learn more about the elephants and their behavior, building trust with the resident experts -- both of the human and pachyderm varieties.
• The kid, a native of the area where this was filmed, who plays the lead had never acted before. He gave his name as First, since he is the first son of the family. Originally there was to be no dialogue for the boy's role, but that changed when it was discovered that First happened to speak perfect English.
• The first-time young actor looks like a polished thespian and natural with the elephants. But in reality he extraordinary child that just acted like himself. He also spent many hours with Nam Wan (who plays the young Lucky) to bond and to learn how to be safe around elephants and to practice riding the baby elephant bareback.

Simply said, if you like heart warming stories and especially if have a soft spot for animals and elephants like I do, I think you'll also truly appreciate this film. Listed at $14.99 My Lucky Elephant from ARC Entertainment, LLC, in English with a run time of 91 minutes, is widely available on DVD for home viewing with closed captions online and in-store. 

FTC Disclosure: I received the DVD featured to facilitate this movie review. However, I did not receive any payment or other compensation associated with this post. Thoughts are my own. See complete FTC Disclosure information that appears at the bottom of MommyBlogExpert's main page and at the bottom of every individual post on this blog, including this one.

5 Easy Tips to Conserve More Water

Eco Lifestyle

Woman Farmer in Niger

Great Way to Celebrate World Water Day March 22nd

MommyBlogExpert is all about enhancing family living, working toward a greener lifestyle including sharing and celebrating World Water Day with you just as I did last year. With World Water Day 2013 coming up on March 22, I'm pleased to present this guest post by food and agriculture expert Danielle Nierenberg which highlights the U.S. water shortage as well as some simple things we can all easily do to conserve as much of this valuable resource as possible.

Guest Post by Danielle Nierenberg
Co-founder of Food Tank: The Food Think Tank

Celebrating World Water Day by Reducing Water Use in the United States 

The United States is one of the world’s biggest users of water. In fact, the average American uses as much water as approximately 900 Kenyans. As a result, water resources in the U.S. are shrinking. 

In the last five years, there have been water shortages in almost every part of the country, including the worst drought in at least 25 years, which hit 80 percent of the country’s farmland in 2012. Even worse, the damaged land won’t fully recover this year, and at least 36 states are expecting local, regional, or statewide water shortages, even without drought.

Niger Watering Can, Image by Danielle Nierenberg

The Natural Resources Defense Council expects water scarcity to affect the American South, West, and Midwest the most. Fourteen states in these regions already have “extreme” or “high” risk of water scarcity. Arizona, Florida, Idaho, Nevada, and Texas face the most danger because they are expected to see some of the largest increases in population by 2030. 

Water scarcity is about more than lack of water, it’s about lack of drinkable water. It is estimated that as many as 53.6 million Americans have contaminated tap water. But as eaters and consumers, we can profoundly reduce water waste and water consumption through the food choices we make. Recent research from the BarillaCenter for Food &  Nutrition (BCFN) shows that a healthful diet and environmentally sustainable diet can go hand in hand. 

5 Easy Ways to Save Water

1. Eat less meat. Switching to a diet rich in vegetables and grains could save 2,500 liters of water a day! And eating grass-fed and locally-raised meat, eggs, and dairy products can also save water. 

2. Steam veggies instead of boiling. In general, steaming vegetables uses less water than boiling, and according to a study in the Journal of Food Quality, it is more nutritious. If you must boil, save the water for your garden, soup stock, or use it to clean pots. 

3. Support small-scale, family farms. Agricultural subsidies in America disproportionately support large agribusinesses over small-scale producers who are more likely to be engaged in sustainable food production, and may be challenged by drought or commodity price fluctuations.

Heirloom Tomatoes from an organic farm stand in Oxnard, Calif.

4. Streamline water use in home gardens. During the summer months, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports that nearly 40 percent of household water is used for watering lawns and gardens. Incorporating native plants into your garden and using self-watering planters often requires less water. Watering manually, instead automatic sprinklers, cuts water use by 33 percent according to a report by the EPA.

5. Reduce food waste. The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization reports that nearly one third of all food produced for people is wasted throughout production, storage, transportation, consumption and disposal. Learn about your food’s shelf life and freezer storage strategies, also use leftovers to create new meals or donate food you can’t use. 

It’s more important than ever that this World Water Day Americans find ways to save every drop. 

Author on ICRISAT Field Trip to Niger, Image by Danielle Nierenberg

About the Author
Danielle Nierenberg is a food and agriculture expert and co-founder of Food Tank: The Food Think Tank www.FoodTank.org.

FTC Disclosure: My family and I are devoted to improving our environment and making the world a greener place. I did not receive any payment or other compensation associated with this post. Thoughts are my own. See complete FTC Disclosure information that appears at the bottom of MommyBlogExpert's main page and at the bottom of every individual post on this blog, including this one.