Dear Friends,
I don't typically ask you to do things, however, for the sake of my sanity and my daughters' learning and entertainment, I am BEGGING you to do one small thing for me. DirecTV has decided that they no longer want to offer the PBS Learning channel of Sprout TV as part of their basic package. They are still offering it, but as a part of a premium package that obviously costs more money. I am asking you to click on the link at the end of this blog and tell DirecTV to stop nickel and diming their customers and leave Sprout TV where it is. Sprout TV is not asking for a larger portion of money, just to renew their existing contract which expires this February 1st. So it isn't costing DirecTV anymore to carry the programming of Sprout, but they are lining the pockets of the big wigs at DirecTV. In our area, DirecTV is the only service provider that carries the channel, so we are kind of stuck betweena arock and a hard place with this. Your help is GREATLY APPRECIATED. Thank you in advance for your assistance in this serious matter. If clicking on the link does not work with your browser, please cut and paste the link into your address bar and hit enter.
http://www.savesprout.com/?intcmp=savesprout-microsite
Thanks again, Scott
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Monday, January 23, 2012
Watch Out Usain Bolt
Ladies and Gentlemen, presenting the next great threat to Usain Bolt, the fastest person in the world - Miss Sophia Mathis. I tell you what, she is at least the fastest baby in the world. Try as I might, she is always one step ahead of me. She is always getting out in front of me and making messes faster than I can keep up with. if it isn't the dirty laundry in the hamper, it's the drawer of kitchen utinsels, or her toys, or her books, or grabbing the remote to the TV, or my cell phone. By the way, if any of you get a call from my cell phone and there is no one there, I apologize. That usually means that Sophia has gotten a hold of my cell phone, navigated it off the lock screen, and gone into the call log, then hit the picture of someone that she recognizes or wants to be new friends with. Once the phone starts to ring she usually discards the phone where ever she is and goes onto the next adventure.
The cats and dogs are also getting a workout from Sophia chasing them around and trying, somewhat successfully, to grab a handful of fur. They are starting to recognize her footstep patterns and move out of the way as soon as she starts heading their way. Dusty, our "googley eyed" cat is extremely patient with her and seems to like having her fur pulled gently. She will allow Sophis to catch up to her (it's a game she plays with Sophia) and let her pull one or two handfuls of fur. I, in the meantime, am chasing Sophia down to get her before the handful of fur ends up in her mouth. This is a daily ritual that occurs several times a day. The rest -of the cats and the dogs are not quite as patient.
Another thing that occupies some of Sophia's time is watching Sprout TV. She definately has shows she likes and others that don't interest her (yet). She loves the early morning show with Chica (a puppet that is a chicken) and a live person that works with Chica. I think her favorite is Shaun, who is the only male on the program. The other three are Liz, Danisha and Kelly. She likes Kelly a lot too. The saddest part of all this is that I know who all the people are and when her favorite shows are coming on. It is a routine that I have memorized whether I want to know it or not. Sometimes I feel like I am digressing and learning the things that she is learning. My personal favorite is Zaboomafu which is on in the afternoons. I personally have a disdain for Caillou (pronounced KI-ew). a new program began in the early evenings from Jim Hensen Studios called The Pajanimals. It is really cute. Okay, enough about my preschool education.
Back to the little terror. She has her favorite kitchen utinsels to pull out of the drawer. She loves wire whisks, plastic spoons, and wooden cutting boards. Don't worry, all the sharp stuff is put away and out of her reach or in a cupboard or drawer that is locked. Maybe I should find a cupboard to put the pets in so she stops harassing them, just kidding. I just want to convince the animals that they are, and were intended to be OUTSIDE pets. Well it is time for Sesame Street, one of our favorites, so I gotta run. Eat well, exercise and be happy. Talk to you again soon.
The cats and dogs are also getting a workout from Sophia chasing them around and trying, somewhat successfully, to grab a handful of fur. They are starting to recognize her footstep patterns and move out of the way as soon as she starts heading their way. Dusty, our "googley eyed" cat is extremely patient with her and seems to like having her fur pulled gently. She will allow Sophis to catch up to her (it's a game she plays with Sophia) and let her pull one or two handfuls of fur. I, in the meantime, am chasing Sophia down to get her before the handful of fur ends up in her mouth. This is a daily ritual that occurs several times a day. The rest -of the cats and the dogs are not quite as patient.
Another thing that occupies some of Sophia's time is watching Sprout TV. She definately has shows she likes and others that don't interest her (yet). She loves the early morning show with Chica (a puppet that is a chicken) and a live person that works with Chica. I think her favorite is Shaun, who is the only male on the program. The other three are Liz, Danisha and Kelly. She likes Kelly a lot too. The saddest part of all this is that I know who all the people are and when her favorite shows are coming on. It is a routine that I have memorized whether I want to know it or not. Sometimes I feel like I am digressing and learning the things that she is learning. My personal favorite is Zaboomafu which is on in the afternoons. I personally have a disdain for Caillou (pronounced KI-ew). a new program began in the early evenings from Jim Hensen Studios called The Pajanimals. It is really cute. Okay, enough about my preschool education.
Back to the little terror. She has her favorite kitchen utinsels to pull out of the drawer. She loves wire whisks, plastic spoons, and wooden cutting boards. Don't worry, all the sharp stuff is put away and out of her reach or in a cupboard or drawer that is locked. Maybe I should find a cupboard to put the pets in so she stops harassing them, just kidding. I just want to convince the animals that they are, and were intended to be OUTSIDE pets. Well it is time for Sesame Street, one of our favorites, so I gotta run. Eat well, exercise and be happy. Talk to you again soon.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Oh Dear...
While 10% of America was glued to their television sets, waiting to find out who was the winner of the Iowa Caucuses, my wife and I were trying to figure out the best way out of a dilemma WE had created.
To begin the tale, let me start by saying that our daughter, Sophia, is the most precious thing in our daily lives. It seems that nearly every waking moment of her life is spent with one of us and we would never allow anything to harm her. We try our best to teach her the right things for a 16 month old should know. We play with her, we read her books, and we do everything in our power to make sure she is happy and has what she needs. We have a difficult time telling her "No", to anything that won't hurt her.
Now, on to the dilemma... Neither, Margaret, my wife, nor I claim to be saints. We both have our share of skeletons in our closets and have been known to slip an expletive or two into our daily conversation. Same goes for most of our friends and families. Good people. We all will do whatever it takes to get a stranger out of danger. We give to charities, put a buck or two into the Salvation Army kettle at Christmas time, (and no, we do not ask for a receipt).
The other day, sweet little Sophia was playing with (throwing her various toys) at the floor. We were laughing at her doing this because she doesn't throw things too hard at this point. I should say, we were laughing UNTIL...
Until we realized what she was saying. with each throw she was saying "shit". Immediately we both tried to correct the behavior and get her to say "shoot" or "shucks". This effort did nothing but bring out her beautiful laughter which is contagious. We would laugh when she laughed and she again would say "shit". The corrective actions continued for nearly 30 minutes. We would try to get her involved in a different toy or book, to which she would participate with for a moment, and then take it from us, throw it and say "shit". Finally, we got her interested in some treats to eat, but I fear this is positive reinforcement to an undesireable behavior.
Since this first incident, she has begun a ritual of saying "shit", anytime she wants a laugh from mom or dad, or even to announce, "I am awake now and require your attention". It is nearly impossible to not laugh at her saying this word, and several nights later she repeated the action at Grandma LaNan's house with books. It isn't that she wasn't the center of attention, because she was. She was doing it for pure enjoyment of making people laugh. My wife and I promised each other long before Sophia began immitating us that a swear word would not be the first thing out of her mouth (not counting the creamed peas - bleh). Well, we succeeded in that, she has mama, dada and bye-bye that beat her to the first word. But seriously, the fourth word a cuss word. Please, there has to be a linguist out there that can explain to me why this is such a fulfilling word to use at any stage of our lives. All in all, she could have chosen a different, more embarrassing word to use, and I am glad she didn't do that. The situation we face is how to correct this behavior now before it is ingrained into her vocabulary and we get a call from her preschool teacher informing us of the colorful vocabulary our daughter has at three years old. I guess home schooling has a place in all of this, but as a parent I would have to give myself a failing grade so far. Any words of comfort or wisdom will be greatly appreciated.
To begin the tale, let me start by saying that our daughter, Sophia, is the most precious thing in our daily lives. It seems that nearly every waking moment of her life is spent with one of us and we would never allow anything to harm her. We try our best to teach her the right things for a 16 month old should know. We play with her, we read her books, and we do everything in our power to make sure she is happy and has what she needs. We have a difficult time telling her "No", to anything that won't hurt her.
Now, on to the dilemma... Neither, Margaret, my wife, nor I claim to be saints. We both have our share of skeletons in our closets and have been known to slip an expletive or two into our daily conversation. Same goes for most of our friends and families. Good people. We all will do whatever it takes to get a stranger out of danger. We give to charities, put a buck or two into the Salvation Army kettle at Christmas time, (and no, we do not ask for a receipt).
The other day, sweet little Sophia was playing with (throwing her various toys) at the floor. We were laughing at her doing this because she doesn't throw things too hard at this point. I should say, we were laughing UNTIL...
Until we realized what she was saying. with each throw she was saying "shit". Immediately we both tried to correct the behavior and get her to say "shoot" or "shucks". This effort did nothing but bring out her beautiful laughter which is contagious. We would laugh when she laughed and she again would say "shit". The corrective actions continued for nearly 30 minutes. We would try to get her involved in a different toy or book, to which she would participate with for a moment, and then take it from us, throw it and say "shit". Finally, we got her interested in some treats to eat, but I fear this is positive reinforcement to an undesireable behavior.
Since this first incident, she has begun a ritual of saying "shit", anytime she wants a laugh from mom or dad, or even to announce, "I am awake now and require your attention". It is nearly impossible to not laugh at her saying this word, and several nights later she repeated the action at Grandma LaNan's house with books. It isn't that she wasn't the center of attention, because she was. She was doing it for pure enjoyment of making people laugh. My wife and I promised each other long before Sophia began immitating us that a swear word would not be the first thing out of her mouth (not counting the creamed peas - bleh). Well, we succeeded in that, she has mama, dada and bye-bye that beat her to the first word. But seriously, the fourth word a cuss word. Please, there has to be a linguist out there that can explain to me why this is such a fulfilling word to use at any stage of our lives. All in all, she could have chosen a different, more embarrassing word to use, and I am glad she didn't do that. The situation we face is how to correct this behavior now before it is ingrained into her vocabulary and we get a call from her preschool teacher informing us of the colorful vocabulary our daughter has at three years old. I guess home schooling has a place in all of this, but as a parent I would have to give myself a failing grade so far. Any words of comfort or wisdom will be greatly appreciated.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)