TiVO and the stay at home mom

If you have never experienced TIVO http://www.tivo.com you really should check it out. We are not really big on the children watching a lot of TV, in particular, shows that are not good for them. TIVO allows us to record shows that we like, and we are able to watch them at our convenience. We are usually not home to watch the shows when they come on, so TIVO has really changed our viewing habits.

I am honestly not very found of “gadgets” so of course I am married to the “gadget” king. For the most part I am underwhelmed at the stuff that he brings in to our lives to make it faster, better, or more efficient. That being said, if the TIVO went out today, I would want it replaced today. Commercials are now a thing of the past, we just speed right through them. Side note here, if you are the remote control operator, and you accidently let a few seconds of a commercial play, your spouse may quite possible die!! I know I have rescued my loving mate from the brink of sure death on more than one occasion. I like to knit, or something while I watch TV and sometimes, I am not quick enough with the FF on the remote. Ok honestly, sometimes I just like to see the horror in his eyes when I let the commerciall just play and all that time he has built up by being so efficient is just wasted watching that commercial. HEHEHE

Seriously, I think in the not too distant future TIVO will be so much a part of our lives, we would wonder what it was like not to have them, much in the way our home computers have become become a way of life.

October 17th, 2003 - Posted in Uncategorized | | 0 Comments

Riverfront Park

If you live in Louisville Kentucky and have not been down to the new Riverfront parks, please take the time to see what our city has been up to! The newest playground park that opened late this summer is a childs paradise! The water play area is top notch, the surface area is covered with spongy bouncy safe covering that kids seem to love (I have seen some grown-ups bouncing around too). There are several “play stations”, one in particular is rather large and has several bridges, and sliding poles and leads right to the “mountain” that seems to draw children and parents alike. For the most part, all of the surfaces where there is any type of play equipment is made of the bouncy rubbery material. There is also a great sand pit, and a nice boat that lets the imagination row you to any port in the world! They have been “tweaking” the park this week so I have not seen the new additions.

If there are any complaints, it would be the fencing system, and protection from the parking lot, I hope they give these two areas a serious look. I have a 3 year old and when the park is crowded they can get away from you so fast and he could have been up the steps and out in the parking lot before I could have caught him. Also the fences near the river are not done yet, I know the conflict would be keeping the view of the river nice but at a playground the childrens safety should be the top priority since there are so many beautifull places to see the water.

For the most part, the park is a great use of my tax dollars! I think that is something most of us can be happy about and know its a great addition to our city.

October 16th, 2003 - Posted in Uncategorized | | 0 Comments

My Biggest Challenge

I think that I and the world around me have placed such a value on how much we make, we have started setting the values of our personal self by how much our paycheck is. The problem for myself and many women is, there is not paycheck for the stay at home mom. We don’t get a break from our desk to go to a meeting, there is no “break time” and we don’t get to “clock out” at noon and go have a nice lunch with friends. There are no coveted promotions, or getting a better office. Five o’clock is not going to end our work day, only add to what we have already been doing all day long,

Why do we do it? Give up the office, the paycheck, the pats on the back, and the knowledge of a “job well done” and for me the absolute high I got helping a family or a patient find the right product to help make the patient more comfortable or enjoy a better quality of life. Well I’ll tell you, for me I am hoping that I get that same “high” watching my kids grow up learning my values and my morals. I hope that I teach them about life and the things they are going to need to know about. I hope that by me giving up my career during their childhoods, that when they grow up, they can talk about how much their mom was home with them and always there when they needed me, and that they don’t ever stress about if someone can take the day off because they are home sick from school, or that if they need a chaperone for a school trip, they can volunteer mom without wondering if I would be able to make it. I hope that my kids feel like that I am here to teach them and raise them to the best of my ability. I hope they learn to soar, and experience all the things children should experience all the while having the cocoon of mom wrapped tightly around them until the time comes when they wiggle out of the cocoon and become adults.

I hope this how it works out, for now though, finger painting, flying kits, and spending days at the playground are a whole lot of fun. I never realized you could go to the zoo, spend 2 hours staring at only a few animals could be fun. Looking at “elephant butts” and how big animal poop could be so fasinating, but most importantly, I sure am glad that I am the one to be there to see it, and that he shared his time with me.

So maybe my biggest challenge isn’t me giving up my career and all of the things that go with it, but when the time comes that my children don’t need me, when they can fix their own boo boo’s, and they go to the zoo to enjoy more than just the poop, I guess that will be my biggest challenge, giving up my childrens childhood. I sure hope that’s a long way away.

October 16th, 2003 - Posted in Uncategorized | | 0 Comments

ABCs & 123s

I recently went to a Parent Teacher store and bought my son a pack of letter and number flash cards and then a wall poster that has the letters and numbers on it.  Instead of just having him recite the alphabet to the song, he loves playing games like matching the letter in the pack to the one on the wall, I don’t know that this is any better way to teach the alphabet, but I think he appreciates the game aspect of it, and he is learning too!

October 16th, 2003 - Posted in Uncategorized | | 0 Comments

Getting Rid of the Pacifier

I was at the store one day at my wits end, I was trying to break my son from the pacifier, and did not want to give in to his crying and whining when  a lady told me about the “pacifier fairy”, she said that she had her daughter help gather up all of her pacifiers and place them in a special plate or bowl, and left them for the fairy before she went to bed.  The next morning, the pacifiers where gone and in its place was a toy that she had been wanting.  I did this and our fairy left a Thomas the train toy that he was wanting and every time he asked for his pacifier, I would remind him about leaving them out for the fairy and that he got the Thomas toy in their place!  It did not take more than a couple of days with very little whining to get over pacifiers

October 15th, 2003 - Posted in Uncategorized | | 1 Comments

Oriental Trading Company

I went to Oriental Trading Company this summer for my daughters 13th birthday Luau themed party and they had some wonderfull products and cheap prices. They sent me a catalog this fall with all kinds of craft products for little people in mind, at $2.95 and up for a dozen little craft projects they are hard to beat. Also, with having a 3 year old they either mess up several or REALLY like making them and want to make more. I am a stay at home mom and this is a perfect thing to do on those rainy days when we can’t get outside.

October 15th, 2003 - Posted in Uncategorized | | 0 Comments