Halloween Party

We had our ward halloween party last night. It was so fun! Laura had a great time! When we got home and put on her pjs, she curled up in my arms, tired out and ready for bed!

I hate to say I told you so...

The following is an article from Mira Jacob regarding the Disney recall of the baby Einstein videos. The super fabulous book "Babywise" went against the conventional grain when the authors asked that parents NOT let their children 2 and under watch tv. (Their defination of tv also includes movies and computer screens. See Becoming Baby Wise Vol 2) Children 2 and under who watch tv have a greater risk of developing ADHD and having a shorter attention span. Joel and I have tried not to let Laura watch any tv, which is difficult at times, especially if we want to watch a show and Laura is playing with her toys in the same room. But reading this makes me want to redouble my efforts!

The great Baby Einstein scam

by Mira Jacob, Shine staff

Of course it was too good to be true.
The New York Times reported Thursday that Disney is offering a refund to buyers of its ubiquitous “Baby Einstein” videos, which did not, as promised, turn babies into wunderkinds. Apparently, all those puppets, bright colors, and songs were what we had feared all along—a mind-numbing way to occupy infants.
This news has rocked the parenting world, which had embraced the videos as a miraculous child-rearing staple. Videos that make your kid smarter while you prepare dinner? Genius!
Or not. According to the article, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children under two years old stay away from watching screens. In the letter threatening Disney with a class-action lawsuit for "deceptive advertising," public health lawyers hired by Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood cited a study which found a link between early television exposure and later problems with attention span.
For many parents, this was the most unsettling of "duh" moments, and a confirmation that nothing, when it comes to child-rearing, is as ever easy as we'd like to make it. So why were we so quick to seize on Baby Einstein videos as technological tutors?
Call it the perfect storm of parenting. Who doesn’t want to believe that there is a magical, wondrous, no-parental-guidance-required product that will turn their kids into Mensa members? The combination of our lack of time, our paranoia over our kids performance, and our faith in technology primed this generation of parents to accept the clever advertising around "Baby Einstein" as truth, just as parents before us have seized on corporal punishment, or the teachings of Dr. Spock.
Still, the idea that a caper this big could be pulled off (according to the Times, in “a 2003 study, a third of all American babies from 6 months to 2 years old had at least one 'Baby Einstein' video") is mind-boggling. Disney’s refund is about as close as we’re going to get to an actual admission that we were sold snake oil, and it casts a pall over the other "educational" toys out there.

Laura's Rocking Horse

I love this way cute rocking horse! It is the perfect height for Laura. If I bend her knees and put them on the runners, (and if she's holding onto the handles) then she'll push herself up so she's standing! She looks at me so proudly because she knows she did something cool! Love the messy hair and miss-matched pjs, you can tell she just got up from bed! What a sweatheart!

I love my husband (99% of the time!)

This morning is definitely one of the times I REALLY love my husband! Joel always gets up earlier than me in the morning and today was no exception. I heard him in the kitchen and thought irritably, "Does he not know how to shut a drawer quietly?" Then he came in the bedroom and said, “Are you getting up soon, because breakfast is ready.” Well let me tell you, I was up and out of bed so fast, you wouldn’t have believed it! There on the kitchen table was a plate set for me with 2 sliced of bacon, 2 sausages, scrambled eggs and a glass of orange juice. Wow, I felt so guilty for the mean thoughts I had just had about how he was so noisy. We enjoyed a very nice breakfast together. I wonder if he’ll make it again tomorrow? I got my fingers crossed!!!

Eating Cherrios is Fun!

Here is Laura in one of her favorite spots: The Highchair! At first she picked up the Cherrios with her entire hand, but she is now using her ponter finger and thumb to get them. Most of the time they make it in her mouth! One time she dropped one and it rolled too far for her to reach So she fell forward and rolled over until she could hoover it up with her mouth! Hilarous!

Ha Ha Ha!

The redneck highchair and teething ring! Great!

1st Trip to the Library

We went to the library on Friday because I needed some new books to read!!! While we were there we also checked out the dvd Duplicity staring Julia Roberts and Clive Owen. A little confusing in the begining, but amusing overall. Laura and I went to return the dvd on Saturday and read some children's books together. What a fun afternoon!

Going to the Park

Last week Laura, her cousin Pason, and I went to the park in Moreno Valley. We had a fun time, especially since it was Laura's first time on the slide! I enjoyed the nice walk while the kids had fun in the double stroller. My sister-in-law Ashleigh is a substitute teacher, so while she was subbing, so was I! As Pason's substitute care-giver that is! I love the fact that our kids will not only be cousins, but friends.
We also saw a really cute Chihuahua. Now, everyone know that I really really dislike dogs. But I let Laura touch it because it was suprisingly cute! (But not cute enough to keep, the irritating rat-dog.)

Laura goes to work

My work is closed on Fridays so Laura and I took advantage of that fact, and last Friday Laura went in to work with me for a few hours. She played happily with some toys and then took a nap. When she woke up she had a bottle and some food and then played with more toys. She had been cooing and gurgling to herself all morning. When I got up to use the copy machine I realized she had been quiet for a while. Thats's when the silence became ominous. I walked around the edge of my desk and saw...Laura playing with the trash! She had tipped over the trash can and was pulling out each piece, examining it, and then moving on to the next piece. Hilarous!