Au Pairs

Au Pairs have been somewhat of a joke here in America, but if you think about it, the concept is still a pretty good one. In today's society, both parents are often working full time, leaving children to be cared for by crowded childcare facilities. Au Pairs are there at all times of the day, helping out whenever. If an unexpected event arises, they have you covered. Au Pairs are also often from other countries, so your children get exposed to different cultures and languages. Au Pair services can still be found, be sure to screen them thoroughly ;)

This halloween, be safe and smart

Planning on going trick or treating this halloween with your kids? Sounds like fun! To maximize your family time fun, be sure you're also safe... that means knowing where you are taking your kids to get tricks and treats. One thing I will recommend that you do is check out this website (for califonria only): http://www.meganslaw.ca.gov it's a sensitive subject I know, knowing the s-e-x offenders that live in your neighborhood, but as a parent myself I won't regret doing my homework to keep my kids safe. Have a fun and safe halloween!

The Wiggles

The Wiggles is great children's show that airs on the Disney channel. Normally, I don't really like Disney shows very much (and that is still true for the most part), but this show is pretty good. There's lots of singing and lots of dancing, and little kids will find it very entertaining. The 4 main characters are awesome and they all speak with an Australian(?) accent. They even teach kids other languages like Mandarin, which I think is great. One thing I will say about Disney channel is that there aren't any commercials, except for when they promote their own stuff, which is kinda like a commercial.

Check out the widget I made for them at the bottom of the page!

It's time to eat!

Eating time is always an adventure with kids, especially after they learn how to start walking. Once they know how to walk, it seems their attention span shortens or their willingness to sit still diminishes. This is creates a dilemma for parents because you want your children to learn good values like sitting down at the table for meals. But if you child simply won't sit still, do you chase them around wherever they go and feed them? or do you stop and wait until they are willing to sit down and eat? for busy parents (and most of us are), we don't have time to wait and we want our kids to eat, so we end up chasing. But I wonder if this actually instills bad habits for our children?

Shui Guo Bing Qi Lin!

Shui Guo Bing Qi Lin (aka Fruity Pie) is the name of Chinese television show that airs on KTSF (San Francisco Bay Area channel 8) every weekday morning at 8am. It's a great children's program that's in Mandarin chinese. The host, Fruity Grandma, tells stories, sings songs, dances, teaches children about things, and of course serves yummy ice cream to the children (who are little bananas). For my daughter it's great exposure to the Chinese language and she enjoys all of the singing and dancing. I kinda like watching it too, and I can learn Mandarin while she watches! Growing up in America, it's great to know a second language... whether you are chinese or not, your kids will love this show!

水果冰淇淋 actually translates to Fruit Ice Cream... wonder where they got "Pie" from?

More Fun with Yo Gabba Gabba!

I've decided that I really like Yo Gabba Gabba! It's just a fun and silly show that's great for kids and entertaining for adults that are young at heart. My favorite part is the music and dancing... this is where they really rock! The costumes are also awesome! My favorite character is Brobee, the shaggy green thing. Second would be the Cyclops, Muno. And of course, the host, DJ Lance Rock, is the best! Who's your favorite character??? Leave me a comment :)

To honor Yo Gabba Gabba, I've built a widget out of one their Flash files... find it at the bottom of the site.

Yo Gabba Gabba the DVD!!!

Yo Gabba Gabba is pretty much the most awesome-ist children's program that I've seen in a while... but if you're wanting to see episodes on Nick Jr, well good luck, because it's like, never on. But never fear, the DVD is coming out soon! In fact, I think you can order a copy of it today!

http://shop.nickjr.com/sm-yo-gabba-gabba-dancey-dance-bunch-dvd--pi-3188001.html