All eyes may be on Kenya thanks to Barack Obama’s win, but this weekend it’s all about a different African country: Madagascar.

Use your Mastercard to buy 1 or more Madagascar 2 tickets through this special Fandango site and they’ll deduct the price of 1 ticket for the same showing, now through January 15, 2009.

The bad news: only 1 free ticket per Mastercard used, no matter how many tickets are purchased.

The good news?
Use the coupon below to get a free popcorn with purchase of any fountain drink at AMC theaters. Naturally the offer’s not valid when any normal family actually goes to the movie on weekends… You will need to sign up for an AMC Moviewatcher card for this promo.

THEIR FINE PRINT
This offer is valid only for MasterCard® Cardholders who purchase at least one movie ticket on Fandango.com. Buy one or more tickets to see Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa at a participating Fandango theater and get an additional ticket to the same showing free when you use your MasterCard® card. This offer is valid from 11/07/08 through 1/15/09, while supplies last. Offer good only for tickets valued up to $13.50, including a convenience charge, which may exclude some theaters such as IMAX. Value of free ticket will be deducted from a single order on Fandango.com. Limit one free ticket per MasterCard® Cardholder.

I’d like to pay you to vote for Obama, but alas that’s illegal. 

So instead, I’m going to bribe you to vote with some tantalizing offers of free stuff just for showing your “I Voted” sticker (or your word of honor). 

1) Krispy Kreme
Reinforce your right to be obese with a free high-fat, high calorie, yummy star shaped election donut from any Krispy Kreme.

2) Ben & Jerry’s
One free scoop of your favorite flavor.

3)Free & Discount Babysitting from Sittercity.com
There are still a few spots open for the free 2 hours of babysitting on election day to people who sign up for Sittercity.com. According to Bethany, their PR rep, not all 50 spots were taken. 

“From October 27 to November 3, all individuals who sign up for a membership at Sittercity.com with the promotional code “MamaVote08” will be eligible for 50 percent off babysitting on Election Day.  In addition, the first 50 individuals to register will receive free babysitting for two hours on Election Day. “  

4) Babeland
Get a different kind of thrill from doing your civic duty with this offer of a free vibrator or vibrator cover from Babeland stores in NY and Seattle from election day to 11/11/2008.

5) Starbucks
A free Tall coffee to everyone who voted.

Proper dental care is always a priority–if an unpleasant one. But there’s not better time than Halloween to teach kids how to prevent long term damage from short-term splurges. (Think of it as laying the groundwork for their first all-night college frat party).

Although we are loathe to recommend a licensed mass-market product, we have to admit the Hannah Montana Tooth Tunes Toothbrush is brilliant. Sure, there are lots of brushes that play music, but this is the only one that ONLY PLAYS MUSIC when they are actually using pressure. In other words, if you are busy in the other room trying to get Junior Jr. ready, and your little girl swears she’s brushing properly–now you have a way to know she is. 

We love the Natural Dentist’s line of toothpaste for kids. They have none of the chemicals or additivies in the major brand, taste and look far better than other natural brands, and are still as endorsed and effective as the biggies. Plus, with the coupon it costs about the same. You can print this page and use the coupon at any store that carries it (CVS, Walgreens amongst others).

Alas, I would love to recommend a kid’s floss, but I have yet to come across any that aren’t huge plastic environmental destroyers with a teeny piece of floss. So for now, we stick with the adult stuff.

Is it worth an elephant’s lifetime of being chained, tortured and otherwise mistreated to have a few hours of fun?

We all have fond memories of the circus. But most of us don’t know the sad truth about how their intelligent and sapient animals are treated when they’re not jumping through rings of fire or strutting around the ring.

For years animal rights groups have been documenting the facts of cruel training techniques circuses use, especially on elephants. If you have a strong stomach, view the facts and videos here (ASPCA’s site),  on the Humane Society’s Site or here at PETA’s site. 

Finally, they are being taken to court. After eight years of legal wrangling, Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus and its parent company, Feld Entertainment, will finally stand trial to face charges that the circus abuses its Asian elephants in violation of the federal Endangered Species Act.

The groundbreaking lawsuit alleges that Ringling Bros. circus violates the Endangered Species Act by abusively training and disciplining elephants with sharp implements such as bull hooks and by intensively and continuously confining and chaining the animals for hours and even days on end.

Until they are found guilty and change their evil ways, here’s what you can do, big and small, to help the animals and model good animal-friendly behavior to your children (from the ASPCA site):

• Don’t go to the circus-unless it’s one that doesn’t feature any animal performers. Tell your friends, family and coworkers not to attend the circus, either. (Note from Editor: Big Apple Circus is a wonderful alternative with more intelligent performances and no animal cruelty.
• When Ringling Bros. is in the area, write a letter to the editor of the local paper explaining why the circus should not be supported.
• Contact the venue that will be hosting Ringling Bros.’ show and ask them to withdraw the invitation or, at the very least, not to invite them back next year.
• Talk to your kids about why circuses are cruel. Visit our children’s website, ASPCA Animaland, for information about circuses that’s written especially for kids.

Brooklyn Children

Yes, the long awaited, much anticipated opening of the newly renovated Brooklyn Children’s Museum is finally a reality. And tonight, you can get in for free as part of their Free Friday Night Invite.

Time: 5:00pm - 8:00pm
Location: Brooklyn Children’s Museum (145 Brooklyn Avenue at St. Marks, BK)

Enjoy these two coupons we just received:

1) BORDERS:
Click here to get 30% any purchase at Borders (with $10 min). 

2) JAMBA JUICE
Our favorite chain-smoothie place, Jamba Juice, is offering a free bag of Popchips with the purchase of every smoothie. OR a free smoothie for every $25 giftcard you buy (a 20% savings!). We buy about 5-10 this time of year and use them for the rest of the year.

Today’s my birthday–whopee!

I spend 364 days a year figuring out what other people would like to do, so today I spent the day doing exactly what I want to do. Biking, Gourmet Cookies, the Intrepid, a romantic pizza lunch on Stone Street, and the Brooklyn Bridge.

If you like to bike and eat you may want to try this itinerary yourself, with or without a Special Day excuse.

The Birthday Outfit: All Patagonia, All Day

I will know that I’ve achieved business/financial success when Hugh Hefner and I have one thing in common: our wardrobe. I want to wear nothing but Patagonia clothing. Aside from being a brand and company I respect, admire and want to emulate, their clothes are simple, comfortable and stylish. My only gripe: they refuse to make petites. So to celebrate my me-ness, today I dressed entirely in Patagonia (excepting my sneakers).

Ruby et Violette

We got on our bikes and went to Ruby et Violette, our favorite gourmet exotic cookie company. It’s been taken over by fashionistas who transformed the store from a Palace of Victoriana to a Black & White Paris Salon–and doubled the prices. $2.50 for one cookie seems high, even in Manhattan.

Give the recession a few more months and we’ll see if that highway robbery lasts.

Ouch!

The best cookie turned out to be Creamy Seduction: A dark chocolate Fudge base with dark chocolate chunks and a center of cream cheese frosting. They lean towards the cupcake family, save the firm texture and far denser consistency.

Hudson River Bike Path

Time to work off those calories. We biked down the Hudson River Bike Trail to Battery Park City with a stop at the Pier near Gansevoort street. On nicer days, there are several parks on piers where you can sit and watch the river and its traffic or just chill on the grass with a good book.

Battery Park City

Aside from my birthday, it turned out to be another significant historic day: the day the Intrepid returned to its Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum after its renovations. We hung out at the park watching it pass by in front of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

Stone Street for Lunch

Stone Street is a favorite New York lunch spot for me. It’s romantic and European: the narrow cobbled street flanked by 17th and 18th century houses is filled with long wood tables and benches where people eat lunch outside at one of the upscale but affordable restaurants. The street is closed to traffic. I eat at Adrienne’s pizza. My husband goes medieval at the All-You-Can-Eat pub food buffet at Ulysses. His plate is usually stacked high with a leg of lamb, potatoes and all those other pre-enlightenment cholesterol raisers.

Tourists have not yet found this street, so it’s still a hidden secret amongst Wall Streeters (those who still have their jobs) and us travel writers. Aside from Adrienne’s and Ulysseys, Financier is a small French patisserie with quiche, soups, sandwiches and of course plenty of butter-rich flaky treats (Madelines are a favorite).

Today my mom joined us, after all without her there’d be no celebration.

The Brooklyn Bridge

The Brooklyn Bridge is one of the few tourist attractions New Yorkers, including myself, still revere and admire. There is just something mystical about the way it was constructed–the energy of the cables–that holds the imagination. Regardless of how many times you’ve seen it or crossed it, there’s still a vitality and promise to the hope and future it embodies.

Today, after 39 years of only driving across it, it finally seemed time to bike it. The uphill stretch was worth the pain for the view and photo opportunity when we reached the first tower. It also happens to be a great place to meet other visitors. Just bring your bike bell or whistle, the pedestrians on the Southern side of the walkway tend to stray into the bike lane.

Lurking in the heart of most Thinking Families is a deeply buried passion for a few items that will never grace the shelves at Whole Foods: Kraft Mac & Cheese, Pizza Hut, Oreos, Pop Tarts, Pillsbury chocolate chip cookie dough, Ring Dings (do these still exist?) and brownie mix are just a few items so loaded with trans fats, preservatives,  dyes, artificial colors and flavors and processed sugars it’s a miracle they can be classified as foods.

In short, your college faves.

The organic/local/health food trend has led to a proliferation of healthier whole-grain, organic, agave-sweetened versions of these. Which is all nice in a theoretical now-I’m-all-grown-up kind of way. Except that most lose their raison d’etre when they lose their naughtiness.

Ghirardelli Chocolate’s has just come out with a Brownie Mix that has earned our applause for being as healthy as baking from scratch but retaining that junk food flavor.

• Tastes better than Betty Crocker/Duncan Hines
• Uses real chocolate and real Vanilla (no vanillin)
• Is inexpensive ($3.79)
• Is Trans Fat Free, and 
• All the ingredients could be found in your own kitchen (barring one: artificial flavor).

Thanks to the Smithsonian, museums across the country are opening their doors and closing down their registers. Visit The Smithsonian Museum Day site to print out a card giving you admission to hundreds of fun museums including the following kid favorites in NY, California and Florida. For the complete list, click here.

(in NY):

• Children’s Museum of Manhattan
• Museum of the City of New York
• New York City Fire Museum
• New York Transit Museum
• South Street Seaport Museum
• The Center for Book Arts
• The Drawing Center
• The Skyscraper Museum
• The Studio Museum in Harlem
•  The Ukrainian Museum
• Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, Smithsonian Institution (OK, a mom favorite)

• San Diego Air & Space Museum
• Aerospace Museum of California
• G.WIZ - The Science Museum
• Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse & Museum
• Miami Metrozoo
• Miami Science Museum

Click here for the complete list.