Carpool arrangements made easy ... and much more

Here is this week's column as published in the Daily News - there are some great nuggets here that did not appear in the blog previously so check it out:

SOCCER MOM FANTASY: Divide The Ride (www.dividetheride.com) is a free Internet tool that creates a car-pool calendar based on participating families' schedules, then sends it via e-mail and text message to each participating parent. Using this simple application, a parent can open a free account, enter their kids' activity info and invite other families to carpool. So if your daughter plays soccer with several other kids from the neighborhood, you can figure out a sane and environmentally friendly way to get all the players to practices and games. How very 2008.

PARENT PODCASTS: If you're an iPod mom, check out Sabrina Weissler's tour guide-style podcasts that focus on things to do with kids in L.A. Aside from the standard local attractions - Long Beach Aquarium, Disneyland - Weissler offers a show about local independent toy stores and an interview with Nanny Stella Reid from Nanny 911. www.LAwithkids.com

BLOG POLITICS: MomLogic is seeking a few good moms to blog their thoughts about the 2008 election. Whether you're left wing, right wing or somewhere in the middle, e-mail them and you may be chosen to contribute to the Moms the Vote campaign.

http://www.momlogic.com/forms/info.php

TOY TRACKER: For parents who track these things, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the government agency responsible for making sure toys sold in the U.S. aren't tainted with lead or other toxins, is getting a big funding increase for fiscal 2008 that should help it do a better job. Under an appropriations bill passed last month by Congress, the agency will get $80million this year, $17million more than in 2007. According to press reports, that's the biggest budget hike for the agency in 30 years.

ZEN DAD: If more fathers thought about parenting the way Leo Babauta does, there would be a lot more happy moms - and kids - out there. The father of six writes Zenhabits (zenhabits.net), a blog devoted to productivity and simple living. His How to be a Great Dad list is among the best I've seen, instructing dads to read to the kids, do the mom stuff and, most important, give kids your time.

For more on work, family and parenting in L.A., go to www.insidesocal.com/momspace/ barbara.correa@dailynews.com 818-713-3662