Need I say more?

Kieran | 1 Comment »

Well the summer has kind of sucked with Kieran. After a crazy nursing strike and going through the list of the usual suspects, the doctor decided what we had was colic manifesting itself as an hornery non-feeding baby. So we enjoyed close to two months of fussiness and constant coaxing in order to get him to nurse. On the plus side, I learned to nurse while standing up, dancing, bouncing, patting and jiggling. On the other hand, I’m frickin’ drained.  The kid is wearing me down.

More recently he’s actually slept through the night a number of times. And I am not one of those people who counts 5 hours as “through the night”.  For me it has to be at least 8 hours.  And Kieran has accomplished this, even close to 10 hours some nights which has been awesome.  Some nights he still wakes up at night but I’m hoping that we are finally starting to get into a bit of a routine.  Yay!

Kieran, parenting | 2 Comments »

We’ve had cable this summer and as a result, I have come to know many kids tv shows more intimately than I’d like to admit.  “Kids CBC” and “Treehouse” have been saving my sanity, but I fear that they are lowering my daughter’s IQ.  I have learned that, as much as Treehouse is marketed as being so great for kids (because it has no commercials and all the shows are aimed at a preschool audience), probably 80% of the shows on this channel are pretty useless.  So since I have been critiquing these shows all summer I might as well go ahead and post them on my blog.  This list is by no means exhaustive, but these are the shows I feel I have seen enough times to have an opinion on.

• Dora the Explorer:  One of the most annoying kids shows on television.  I know little kids like repetition but this show takes repetition to a whole new level of ridiculousity (it’s a word. oh yes it is.).  And why does Dora feel the need to shout every other word?  It makes me want to COMMIT acts of VIOLENCE!  Can YOU say ACTS of VIOLENCE?  VIOLENCE!  VIOLENCE!  VIIIIIOOOOOLEEEEEENCE!!!!! And now in Spanish…   One Star

• Backyardigans:  Kind of a weird show with characters that are random animals, some that I recognize, others that I don’t.  But all in all it’s kind of a fun show and has good stories all centered around kids (animals) playing imaginary games in their back yards.  Four Stars

• Franklin: This show has pretty good stories with decent lessons to learn about friendships and just basic values.  However, I have a hard time understanding why the main character has a real name (Franklin) but every other character in the show is simply called by their species (Bear, Fox, Beaver).  It doesn’t fit with my sense of order in the universe.  Four Stars

• The Big Comfy Couch:  Sort of cute, has some good lessons for kids including learning to clean up after oneself. Lacks really compelling storylines. Three Stars

• Little Bear:  Other than the fact that there is no turtle character I find this show almost indistinguishable from Franklin. But at least ALL the animals are called by their species name.  This show is just so bland. That’s the best word I can think of to describe it.  One Star

• Rolie Polie Olie: I don’t know why, but it took me 2 months of seeing this show before I caught on that the characters are supposed to be some kind of robots.  I find the storylines somewhat engaging but more often than not this is overshadowed by the creepiness factor.  Every single item in the show has a face with eyes that blink.  Everything. The couch, the lamp, the door, the outside of the house, the plants, the sun, the windows.  These inanimate objects have faces and blink but never say anything or interact with the characters in any way!  It’s like watching some kind of bizarre horror movie.  Another annoying feature of this show is the Zoe, the younger sister robot who is supposed to be quite young.  I don’t know if there is a non-annoying way to imitate baby-talk but this certainly isn’t it.  Her speech is really grating.  Despite all of this, the show has grown on me a little bit over the past few months.  Two and a Half Stars

• Berenstein Bears:  I think this show is mostly just an animation of the same stories that are in all the books.  I grew up reading the Berenstein Bears so I enjoy this one.  I think the lessons are really good ones. Five Stars

• Dragon: A claymation aimed at people with the intelligence of a stalk of celery.  I think it is supposed to be funny but I just find it lame.  In one episode Dragon (the main character) wants to get mail so he decides to write himself a letter.  A drama ensues when Dragon encounters problems with trying to get mail.  It’s just dumb.  One Star

• Poko: I love this show.  I think it deals with one of the most common themes that my daughter is dealing with right now: How to deal with frustration in a healthy way.  Preschoolers deal with this a lot.  Most episodes of Poko follow Poko as he tries to play with his dog or his toy monkey and the different frustrations that he must deal with when things don’t go as planned or when he is unable to do what he wants to do.  The claymation is really good and Avery loves this one, too.  My only question: why does Poko always wear colors that are typically classified as “girl colors”?  I am not sexist and I have no problem if Poko wants to wear purple and pink.  But why does he always wear those colors?  Does he have something against red and green and orange?  He should branch out! Five Stars

• Pinky Dinky Doo: Another good show.  A weird combination of animation and…what do I call it?  Clip art?  Basically Pinky tells her little brother “made up” stories and kids learn at least one new word (such as flabbergasted, bizarre, cacophony).  There are “games” after the story is over to recall different characters, sounds or the order of the plot which I think is a good way to do repetition.  Five Stars

• Lunar Jim: Star Trek for Preschoolers.  This show takes place on the moon (or some planet) with several astronauts and even an artificial lifeform.  It’s cute and it teaches important things like environmental stewardship and cooperation.  Of course, I like science fiction.  I’m not sure what people who are not so fond of sci-fi would think.  Five Stars

• Ebb and Flo:  Soooooo boring.  Every episode feels like it’s about nothing. I can’t stand this one and neither can Avery. One Star

• Max and Ruby:  Or, as I like to call it, “The Orphan Bunnies”.  There are NO adults in Max and Ruby’s life except Ruby’s bunny Scout leader.  Ruby is clearly a child herself and yet she is the one who takes care of her little brother Max who can’t even say 2 word sentences.  She feeds him, bathes him, and is completely responsible for him.  Someone should call Child (or Bunny) Services.  Besides not being able to talk much, I get the feeling Max has some sort of mental disability or developmental delay, likely due to the lack of parental involvement.  You have to wonder, is their mother drunk as a skunk and passed out upstairs and ruby is just covering for her and acting like everything is ok when deep down she is a shattered little bunny?  Three Stars

• Nana Lan’:  This is kind of a muppet rip-off that I find extremely irritating. The premise is a small child that goes to her Nana’s house every day while her mother works.  The Nana is a human-ish muppet. So why on earth is the little girl muppet some sort of green alien-type muppet?  This makes no sense to me.  Was there some sort of genetic mutation in which the daughter and her daughter have become radioactive?  A side effect of this radioactivity is that the little girl can apparently only speak gibberish.  I just find it annoying and I can’t get past that enough to tell if there are good stories or valuable lessons to learn.  One Star

• Mighty Machines: I like to watch this show because I always learn cool stuff. It’s like watching those “How It’s Made” shows on the discovery channel.  I know a lot of little boys watch this show and maybe some girls like it, but Avery’s not that into it.  But I think it’s a cool and genuinely educational show.  Four Stars

• Bob the /builder:  This show is fairly well done and the annoyance factor is quite low.  It is interesting that they have the exact same shows with the same lines done in North America with North American voice actors and then in Great Britain with British voice actors.  It’s interesting to hear the difference.  I think it really emphasizes good work ethic and takind pride in a job well done which is a good thing for kids to learn about.  Four Stars

• Miffy and Friends: This show wins the prize for most addictive theme song. I find myself singing it all the time.  However it’s not an aggravating song that you wish would get out of your head.  The show is very simplistic in setting and story line but again, my daughter loves it.  Her taste is hard to predict.  Three Stars

• Clifford the Big Red Dog/Clifford’s Puppy Days: These shows are both fun to watch.  In one Clifford is the enormous dog we all recognize and in the other we see Clifford as a puppy who was smaller than all the other animals.  Both shows encourage loyalty, friendship and honesty and make you feel warm and fuzzy.  I think it’s a good one. Five Stars

• Thomas and Friends: I hated this show when I was a kid and nothing has changed.  I know the stories have good morals but I just don’t like it.  The theme song, however, is always in my head if I hear it on tv. I just don’t like the non-moveable faces on the trains.  I don’t have a good reason.  So there you go. Two Stars

• Timothy Goes to School: This one is ok.  It’s also kind of bland.  One interesting character is a cat (all the characters are animals) who is supposed to be Japanese, while I suppose all the other animals are “North American”.  There is some exploration of cultural difference which is neat.  Nothing remarkable to say either for or against.  Three Stars

• Miss Spider’s Sunny Patch Friends:  Another show that I kind of like and don’t know why I like it.  It’s all about young bugs who are all different and trying to get along.  But somehow all these different bugs have a mother who is a big spider. How a spider gave birth to all manner of different kinds of bugs, I can’t say. But there are some important themes like courage, self-confidence and friendship. Five Stars

• This is Daniel Cook: This show is more of kid’s “Reality TV” show.  Daniel Cook is a little boy who “interviews” different people and learns how to do all kinds of different things from baking cookies to flying a hot air balloon. My only problem with Daniel is that he always interrupts the people he is supposed to be learning from.  You’d think if he is going to be the “star” of a show they could take five minutes to explain to him the importance of good manners.  I find him a bit rude, although it’s more in the childish, oblivious way, than in the bratty way.  Four Stars

• Dragon Tales: This one is more fantasy than reality but it’s nice.  Two kids travel to a world inhabited by friendly dragons. They have different adventures which teach them about caring about others’ feelings, trying new things, and following instructions.  This one is another big hit with Avery.  Four Stars

• Zooboomafoo: Discovery Channel for preschoolers.  Two adults and a leaping Lemur named Zooboomafoo learn about different kinds of animals.  It encourages appreciation of and fascination with animals of all shapes and sizes.  A great show.  Five Stars

Avery, parenting, tv reviews | 3 Comments »

Ugh…Kieran has been getting worse as far as sleeping and eating are concerned.  My frustration level is rising on an hourly basis along with my blood pressure. I’m so nervous about our trip this coming weekend. We’ll be on a plane for several hours. I’m so afraid he’ll cry the whole time and there will be nothing I can do. 

I am at my wits end as far as what to do with him so I have finally caved and am trying to eliminate dairy from my diet to see if it’s possible that Kieran is lactose intolerant.  It sucks.  So. Much.  I am so addicted to dairy products and to cut cheese and milk out of my diet is so hard.  I never realized what a huge percentage of my diet has dairy in it. Even some margarine has dairy in it. And salad dressing. And I like to add cheese to pasta and salad.  Anyway, I don’t know what I’ll do if this works and Kieran is suddenly much happier when I cut out dairy.  On the other hand, if it doesn’t work that would almost be worse because I have no other alternatives.  I’ll keep you updated.  He’s waking up.  Sigh…

Kieran, parenting | No Comments »

Yesterday I was with Avery at a playground. There were some older kids playing there, 2 girls and 1 boy.  The girls were acting out some kind of drama in which the one girl would pretend to be “dead” and the other girl would be the doctor and try “everything” to save her but finally she would get the oxygen and that would save the poor dead girl’s life.  It was somewhat amusing to watch.  Two statements caused me to almost laugh out loud.

1) “When do I get to be the dead girl?”

and

2) (To the boy) “I’ll be dead and you try and save me and then you fall in love with me!”

This sequence of events was repeated over and over and I found myself thinking this is the stuff that General Hospital or just about any soap opera is composed of and this boring, melodramatic and repetitive storyline are part of the reasons that I don’t like soaps.  But I do remember playing at very similar games when I was a little girl.  Somehow the drama of being saved from death and the romance of falling in love just never grows old.  When I think about it, these two themes are the basic content of most movies.  I guess it’s an ageless desire to live out the drama of a soap opera.

Avery, random | No Comments »