Howdy, Gals! We've roped together some fun tidbits for you this month. Enjoy.

SOMETHING TO SHARE WITH YOUR DAUGHTERS

Ever notice how fabulous those Hollywood people look on magazine covers? Hollywood's unrealistic portrayal of female body types in movies, TV shows, and magazines can contribute to eating disorders in young girls. Here is a site that shows you the "before touch up" and "after touch up" photos of assorted famous people. Click on Portfolio when you get to the site and you can toggle the before and after pictures. Then you can point out to your daughters--or sons (or even yourself)--that lighting and photo nipping and tucking can make a world of difference. If only I were that skilled with photoshop at the holidays. . . Another useful site in the war for our daughters' body image is Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty.

IN HARRY POTTER WITHDRAWAL?

JK Rowling reveals what happens to the Harry Potter characters in this web chat transcript. WARNING: The chat contains tons of Deathly Hallows spoilers!

Here is a video that is a bit, erm, catchy. I love the Harry Potter puppets (check out Snape's unibrow!), but I warn you the song will stick in your head for days. And just when you start to forget it, your kids will bring it up and you will have the ear worm--again.

MINI-MINI MOVIE REVIEWS (25 Words or Less)

Die Hard 4--Lots of things blow up. Lots less swearing. DH4 is wearing a little thin, but it was still a fun, mindless movie. Teens and up.

Hair Spray--Cute, with catchy tunes and a good looking cast. I enjoyed it, but John Travolta (in drag) kept creeping me out. Older tweens and up.

High School Musical 2--Not as good as HSM, but 6 to 14 year olds will love it. The entire cast is back for summer vacation. Best Song: I Don't Dance (a mixture of dance and baseball). See the video of that song (including Major League Baseball players singing along) here.

FROM THE "IT MADE ME LAUGH" DEPARTMENT

Remember the Trojan Horse? Greek soldiers hid inside a "gift" horse that was accepted by the enemy (Troy). The Greeks were able to surprise the Trojans and turn the tide in the war. What if someone built a Trojan Horse today? Would people accept the "gift"? Watch the video to find out. (Thanks to Susan F. for the video link.)

Then, watch those same blokes try to find out if McDonald's always tries to upsell you. After you watch it, please refer to the first two links in this blog round up!