Traveling with a family can be a complicated endeavor, so I’m always eager to find ways to keep the kids entertained and happy while maintaining my sanity.  Watching hours of movies on DVD keeps my kids pacified but also leaves them in zombie-like stupors when we arrive at our destination.  To provide something the whole family can enjoy, from any seat in the car, I’ve started downloading a variety of entertainment options to my iPod.  With a little advance planning, we can all enjoy something new and different without having to search through local broadcast stations.  So many of my favorite shows from public radio are also available free, and I can download a variety of talk shows, music and educational podcasts, and even audio books, so we’re always prepared for entertainment.

Public Radio offers a variety of family-friendly radio shows and other downloads that we enjoy.  Garrison Keillor’s A Prairie Home Companion offers a great mix of music, skits, jokes, and guests with appeal to a broad age range.  I’m particularly partial to his running gags about English majors, being one myself, and he has so many excellent musicians as guests.

When my children are older, I hope they will learn to appreciate Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me! as much as my husband and I do.  The hour-long show quizzes noteworthy guests about news and current events, and it offers a great blend of humor and information.  Regular panelists on the show rotate from a list of prominent writers, journalists, and comedians.

I also love downloading podcasts of music as a way to introduce our whole family to new artists and genres.  Some of my favorites:

• Tapestry of the Times, which covers a wide variety of old and new music from around the globe
• Classics for Kids
• Alleycast Podcast from FolkAlley.com
• Thistlepod, a sampling from The Thistle and Shamrock

In addition to these options, audio books and stories are an excellent way to pass time on the road.  Storynory offers a wide selection of classic and new children’s stories that can be downloaded free through the website or iTunes, and Project Gutenberg also offers many titles for children and adults - including Aesop’s Fables, Little Women, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Peter Pan, and some of my favorite Jane Austen novels - as free audio files.   Many more recent titles can also be purchased online, and you can even burn some of your listening choices to CD to combat dying batteries and limited memory resources.

With all of these choices, my kids should be thoroughly occupied on our next trip!  If I’m lucky, I won’t hear “Are we there yet?” at all.

Images from Warner Bros. and Storynory.

Robin uses quiet moments during naptime to blog about her children and more at The Driftwood Collector.

Hello ladies! I’ve missed you all but I’m B-A-C-K! I have not posted here at BD for awhile because of my new gig over at CafeMom. I’m the new entertainment editor at CafeMom’s Daily Buzz! But the Queen of BD (aka Mrs. Fussypants) is letting me share some of my work at CafeMom here at Blissfully D!

Hope everyone has recovered from Halloween. My kids have hidden their candy from me (I am not kidding).  Here are some funny and juicy entertainment links for you to enjoy on a Monday!  Dig, if you will, some links you’ll love:

Porn for Women: Men Cleaning the House-Laundry, dishes, dusting. That’s the stuff that women really want, LOL! Tell me I’m wrong.

Lee Ann Womack Interview-I about died because the first week of my new job, I got to interview Lee Ann Womack! It was way cool and she’s awesome.

Funniest TV Commercials for Moms-I L-O-V-E some of the TV commercials lately. The ones about cell phone plans are particularly funny.

I’ll be back later this week but just wanted to say hello, I missed blogging here because you guys are all so great! Take care and remember to vote!

PS: Did you see John McCain on SNL this weekend? I thought he rocked it and was very funny!

Here is a list of five reality shows starring (cough, cough) socialites, coming to our boob tubes eventually.

Real Housewives of New York City.

I watched the first season and it did catch my attention. Perhaps I recognized these women as I have seen them up close at fundraising events. Look out for the new “housewife” called Kelly Killoren Bensimon. She films internet movie of famous people in the Hamptons.

The City

I guess this one is for the rich teens? To star is Whitney Port, from MTV’s The Hills and fashion PR guru Kelly Cutrone. It will be filmed in NYC. Hmm, wonder if they will be drinking coffee at Starbucks or having cucumber sandwiches at The Plaza hotel?

Julia Allison’s reality show (Who????)

Apparently this socialite used to be editor-at-large at Star magazine. She has a site called NonSociety, which basically details her life in photo and video diary entries.

Social Heights

According to NY Magazine, this show will “star various society types like socialgay and PR ninny Kristian Laliberte and friend of reality-TV hating Emily Brill Devorah Rose.”

Tinsley Mortimer’s show (Who again??)

This socialite and and her housekeeper Guadalupe get a reality show. Wow, who knew watching a cleaning lady can be so thrilling?

Will you be watching any of these I list?

Lisa’s addiction to celebrity news and hip baby gear is chronicled daily at Mrs. Mogul.

Oh 90210. I knew you couldn’t do me wrong. Thank you for redeeming yourself!! This last episode, Lucky Strike, was very much in line with the original series - thank goodness! Here is a quick recap:

In keeping with their traditional Kansas ways, the Wilson’s decide to re-institute Friday Family Night. What better way to reconnect as a family then with a mandatory fun filled evening of bowling? That sounds great! So where’s the conflict? Well, Annie had a hot date with hunky heart throb Ty while Dixon made plans with all the guys to watch the new and unreleased Bond movie at Navid’s. Desperate to hang with their friends, Annie and Dixon made sure to drop subtle hints to their friends to stop by and ultimately save them from a boring night at the lanes. All is going smoothly until Ty and Ethan show up, both vying for Annie’s attention and affection! Decisions, decisions Annie.

We also find out that Silver, Kelly’s younger sister, has been sleeping at a woman’s shelter to avoid dealing with her mother’s drunk fits of rage. When the shelter turns her away, she resorts to sleeping in her car behind the Wilson family abode. Dixon finds Silver while taking out the garbage and quickly runs to get his parents involved. After a quick and wholesome family intervention around the kitchen table, it is decided that Silver will stay and sleep in Annie’s room. Dixon was quick to point out that he had extra room in his bed as well, but his idea was quickly shot down by his parents. Nice try Dixon!!

Naomi also had a busy night. Naomi’s Dad cancels their elaborate Vegas weekend saying he has a huge merger in the works and is going to have to work all weekend. To ease her pain and suffering he presents Naomi and her Mom with two brand new matching Lexus SUVs. Naomi is crushed but feels terrible that her father has to work such long hours. In an attempt to thank him for the car and bring him some well deserved dinner, she finds him kissing another woman. Nothing like working those long hours! Naomi is even more shocked when she shares the news with her mother and finds out her mother knows ALL ABOUT IT! Her mother deals with it because she has grown accustomed to the lifestyle her father has provided for their family. I mean, you don’t want to break up a family over that do you Naomi?

We also get a glimpse of Kelly dating the new hot (and very young) West Beverly teacher - but will it get serious? Tune in next week to find out this answer and many more!

You can catch up with Kat and the chaos that is boys over at the Sassy Irish Lassie!

(Photo credit: tvguide.com)

Last August, author and blogger Michelle Lamar gave away two copies of her best-selling book, The White Trash Mom Handbook.  Now, she wants to give away more copies!

What is this book about?  (excerpt from the August post)

Michelle says, “My definition of ‘white trash’ is just my own personal shorthand for ‘imperfect.’ And imperfect covers most of us.”

Somewhere there’s been a disconnect, where moms think they have to not just have it all, but do it all. You’re supposed to work an 8 hour day, keep a spotless house, bake cookies for the school bake sale, and hand make invitations for your child’s 3rd birthday bash, inviting 700 of your kid’s closest friends, dontcha know? The White Trash Mom Handbook teaches you not just how to fake it, but how to keep from losing your mind while doing so.

The book handles these sorts of issues with style and humor- just what is needed in these overscheduled times. We often lament that life with children doesn’t come with a handbook. Sure, there are plenty of parenting guides out there, but they often serve to make you feel guilty for not having the spotless house while doing the most creative art projects EVER with your kids. The White Trash Mom Handbook is not one of those books. This is solid parenting advice for the rest of us, who are imperfect but are still pretty darn fabulous, despite our imperfections.

Want a copy for yourself? Blissfully Domestic has THREE!! copies to give away.

To enter, just leave a comment for this post by 9:00 PM (Pacific Time) Monday, September 15th.  At that time, special trained monkeys will select three winners at random, in a very scientific manner.

Want an extra shot a winning? Mention the giveaway on your own blog and leave the link for the post in comments. This will give you another entry for this fantastic, must-have book.