Lisa Wong

This is so adorable I could just eat it. 

Okay, I admit I spend my fair share of time on my iPhone, between the Total Baby app, Facebook, email and Words with Friends. But I have just found a new addiction… which could pay off in terms of a new stroller, toy box or bike! 

Me Wee Tree is Babybot’s newest app for iOS and Android. The concept is simple: take care of a Christmas tree by watering, feeding and loving it. Kind of like a holiday Tamagotchi. 

There are six adorable trees to choose from, and you can name your tree(s). Mine are called Merry, Jiminey and Beyonce. At first, it’s just a little hole in the snow, but before long, you have the cutest little trees to call your own. 

After 12 days, you can start decorating. Each ornament will cost you points, which you accumulate with all the watering and loving each day. This is where it gets really interesting. 

Starting December 1st, Babybot will give away 25 free prizes a day for 12 days. You shake your tree, and see if you’re a winner! 

Then on Christmas Day, you shake your tree to see what “Santabot” left for you! It may be a promo code for babybot.com, or if you’re lucky, it could be a new stroller! (You do have to earn enough points to get the Bugaboo ornament, so this is where your addiction could pay off.)  

See more details and download here. 

Square Inch Design has created the most gorgeous, minimalist posters of classic fairy tales like Little Red Riding Hood, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, and others. I would love a collection of these in my house! 

Here are some gorgeous wall decals that Babybot and Blik are cooking up right now! Can’t wait until they come out! 

I can just imagine hours of pretend play in here… 

Remember that awesome blog, Mila’s Daydreams? While on maternity leave, this mom created the most amazing photos while her newborn Mila napped during the day. The result was the most beautiful and creative photos I’ve ever seen anyone take of their baby. 

The blog’s popularity skyrocketed, and the mom ended up taking all her photos down after countless people started abusing usage rights, using her daughter’s image for things without asking including banner ads! 

I don’t blame her. What started out as fun hobby spun out of control, and she removed the photos to protect her baby. 

Now she has decided to publish a book called When My Baby Dreams containing all the photos. What a great idea, and I’m so glad something good came out of it for them! 

How to be a better Scrabble player

Learn a bunch of words you don’t know the meanings to… :)

Photo by williamhartz

When I was young, I loved playing Scrabble. I would beg my younger brother to play with me, even though he would win the majority of the time. I loved words and I loved puzzles, and Scrabble was the ultimate word puzzle.

After we grew up, Scrabble games were few and far between. Then a fun little Facebook app called Scrabulous was created and became hugely popular. People that hadn’t played Scrabble in years were now playing online with friends with the click of the mouse.

And so, I’m obsessed again. I’ve been playing around the clock on my iPhone whenever I have a spare moment. And the more that I play, the more I realize Scrabble is very similar to another game I enjoy - poker.

1. Both games have become recently popular. Poker’s interest skyrocketed when networks began showing players’ hole cards on television, allowing the home viewer to “play along” with the professionals. Sales of Scrabble board games increased significantly with the launch of the Facebook app Scrabulous (who was later sued by Hasbro, go figure). 
2. Both games are simple to learn, but take a lifetime to master. With education and experience, you can improve your ability and become a winning player.
3. Anyone can play. A young child can play Scrabble with his grandfather. A novice poker player has the opportunity to play with professionals, if they have the bankroll.
4. Luck is a factor. The worst poker player can have great cards and triumph over a seasoned player. Likewise, sometimes you get all Qs and Xs in Scrabble and sometimes you’re stuck with the vowels.
5. Sometimes, it’s more than just luck. Professional poker players will “play the player” instead of the cards. They will play based on what they think their opponent is holding, and how they are feeling. Scrabble players can win with the worst letters by making strategic plays with what’s already on the board.
6. There are different angles and approaches. With poker, you can play conservatively or “loose,” passively or aggressively. With Scrabble, you can aim to create one long word for high points or lots of little ones. There is no right or wrong approach; you may need to mix it up sometimes for both.
7. You can manipulate. In poker, you can have a very strong hand, yet play it slowly, “trapping” your opponent into making the wrong move. In Scrabble, you can provide a red herring by revealing what appears to be a great space on the board while actually thinking two steps ahead.
8. You can anticipate. To be successful at both games, you need figure out what your opponent is going to do. What is their personality and style of play? Can you guess their cards or tiles? Knowing key details about your opponent will improve your game greatly.
9. You can play both games at home or at a tournament level. At the World Series of Poker, thousands of players come out each year in the hope of winning millions of dollars. The National Scrabble Tournament is a bit more low-key, with hundreds of entrants and a top prize of $10,000.
10. Both are immensely challenging and fun. There’s always something new that I can learn, so my love for both games just gets stronger with time. I’m also highly competitive, which makes both games that much more fun!

If anyone is up for a game of Scrabble, I’m “wonglisa” on Words with Friends.

Finally… an alternative to Sophie the Giraffe. Organic, natural and a little hipster.

There’s something so adorable about fake felt food.