Bunchland

Finally, a Disney princess with a mom!

Have you noticed the absence of moms in Disney movies? The heroines, with the exception of Sleeping Beauty, either have a wicked stepmother, or their dad just hasn’t found a new wife. But Princess Merida from Brave seems to have a very present and loving mother in Queen Elinor. Could this be why Merida promises to kick so much ass?

We very much enjoyed this new Mother’s Day spot from Brave and June 22 just can’t get here fast enough.

Have you seen the latest trailer for Brave?

Image via YouTube

What we’re reading today:

1. Gay-straight alliances were seen as too political for Catholic schools, but they’ve given the OK to “Respecting Differences” clubs. If it gets the job done, we’re on board.  That said, we can’t even imagine how tough it must be for a teenager to come out, so to not even acknowledge their gay identity when they’ve have the guts to do so seems pretty crummy. Make it better, Catholic board!

2. Colder temps and scary weather sometimes force kids to stay inside for recess; how can we make indoor recess more active?

3. Shame as punishment: does it work? Does it cross the line?

4. Hipster Disney Princesses. What do you think? Accurate? Ariel looks like the kind of hipster we avoid at all costs, but Belle looks like she’d work in our building. Actually, we think Hipster Mulan does work in our building.  Read more...

Meri Perra blogs about the challenges she and her partner face in trying to raise their girls with feminist values

Our daughters are joyfully riding the wave of a well-meaning but definite over-abundance of Disney Princess gifts they got for Christmas.

Part of the infestation includes a very big, very pink Disney Princess story book, the complete princess series, in point of fact, which comes with an infinite number of stickers that are now scattered all over our house.

The book is not all horrible, it’s just mostly horrible. Mulan is a brave hero who goes to war, and Belle from Beauty and the Beast gets trapped when she goes off to rescue her dad. (By which I mean, Mulan and Belle are less bad than the other stories.)  Read more...

What we’re reading today:

1. Is Adam Go the F**k to Sleep Mansbach angry?

2. One mom lost custody of her kids because she spanked her daughter. Catherine Connors wrote about the complicated things involved with spanking and disciplining your kids.

3. What to Expect When You’re Expecting to be made into a movie.

4. White babies are now a minority in the States. So how long until we stop using the phrase “ethnic minority”?

5. Here’s a dreamy Pogo remix featuring a whole bunch of Disney princesses via The Hairpin.

Photo by paparutzi via Flickr

What we’re reading today:

1. Is Young Adult fiction too dark? What with the vampires and sullen teens and such? Some people think so. This GeekMom argues that no, it’s not too dark, it’s fine.

2. Asian new moms in Queens, NY head off to confinement centres so they can rest up and eat and nurse. How do we get in on this?

3. Artist Claire Hummel creates historically accurate versions of Disney princesses. (Historically accurate ≠ totally accurate as Hummel’s Pocahontas wears period clothing, but is a fully adult woman, whereas the historical Pocahontas was 12 when she met John Smith) Via Buzzfeed

4. Hands up those of you who’ve had to deal with bug bites this summer? Babble’s got some tried and true home remedies for bites, burns and car-sickness.  Read more...