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10 Reasons Why Spongebob Squarepants is a Good Role Model

Nina B | 10/02/2012 | No comments

I am sure that people are booing me right now, but I have finally come to love, yes love, Spongebob Square Pants. I was one of those parents who swore up and down that I would NEVER let my kids watch that show. I didn’t fully understand a sponge living under the sea in a town called Bikini Bottom, with a best friend Patrick and a pet snail called Gary who meows, but I tell you what, the show is one of the few television shows I let my girls watch.

Now, I know that people will argue the pace of the show may be too fast, or that there are silly antics and crazy stuff, but when I lined up all the “G” programming, I will pick Spongebob any day of the week.

Here are the following 10 reasons why I like Spongebob as a role model and the show itself:

Spongebob always acts from a good heart.
Spongebob is never evil or intentionally malicious.
Spongebob is not spiteful.
Spongebob is a true friend.
Spongebob thinks of others and their happiness.
Spongebob has a great work ethic and is very conscientious and enjoys working at the Crusty Crab.
Spongebob always tries his best, and if he doesn’t succeed he will try again.
There is very few bad words unlike some other shows. There is the occasional “stupid” but nothing more that I hear on other children’s programming.( or dare I say out of my mouth)
There is no “tween” talk or inappropriate behaviors going on between the sexes.
Spongebob makes you smile.

Those are my reasons for loving that little sponge who lives under the sea. The show is very innovative and entertaining. My husband and I will watch it with the kids on a Saturday morning or On demand and we are all entertained. The characters are all a bit nuts, but as you watch the show you get to understand them and their idiosyncrasies.

I personally feel that there is not enough age appropriate shows. My girls turned on something tonight and it was ” G ” rated and it was all about boys, girls, kissing, dating, texting, and all the stuff you would expect out of a show for a much older audience. So instead of being the t.v. police, Spongebob is our guy and we will gladly visit that pineapple under the sea anytime.

Category: Family, Parenting, Tid Bits | Tags: 10 reasons to love Spongebob, Spongebob a good role model, Spongebob squarepants

The Parent Rap

Nina B | 09/21/2012 | No comments

This made my day, watch, no need to say more. Enjoy.

Category: Family, Parenting | Tags: The Parent Rap

Inappropriate Bumper Stickers-Parents Beware

Nina B | 08/16/2012 | No comments

Ok, it must just be me, but I have been witness to reading ALOT of inappropriate bumper stickers of late. Maybe I never really noticed them before, but now as a mom they have a whole new meaning to me. Now, I am not being a prude, or saying that people are not entitled to sharing their thoughts, but bad language is not something that I want my kids reading, any place.( Ladies hide your Fifty Shades of Grey)

Last month I am in the car with my kids and my oldest daughter reads out loud ” All men are idiots and my husband is the king.” She asked me what an idiot was and I explained in a very nice way that its someone who is not too smart. She put two and two together and said ” that wasn’t a very nice thing to put on your car or say about your husband”. I agree. I can not wrap my head around the need to either bad mouth your spouse, others and be purposefully unkind. What sort of example are we setting?

We have no control over whose car we are waiting behind in traffic, we are a captured audience and our eyes are directly planted on the car in front. I have had my share of laughs, been angered and also thought, why do people feel the need to cover their car in stickers. We are not children. The irony here is that in the last presidential election I had a sticker on my car and a lawn sign. My husband ridiculed me for putting a sticker on my car because he said its our car and second it is no ones business who you are voting for. I was not in agreement with him and kept my bumper sticker. I thought I was being very cool and in the moment. It has since been removed and I am no longer a sticker fan.

So to add to my bumper sticker radar, I came across the follow two stickers while walking into to mall on two separate occasions. I feel bad even posting them here,( make sure kids are not around) but honestly I am speechless. My daughter read the first one and thankfully we breezed by the second and I was able to snap a picture.

Seriously!

And here is the more offensive:

Great Attitude here!

I do not want to get into the deeper psychological issues of these words and what they mean to women, etc, etc, but the bottom line here is, if you like your breasts- Hurray! good for you, and if you have low self esteem and don’t like yourself, see a therapist. Your car shouldn’t being a moving object of your physical and mental status. I also think that we should be more aware of children and how these words impact them. I would love to hear others thoughts on this.

Category: Family, Parenting | Tags: bad language with kids, inappropriate bumper stickers, kids and bumper stickers

First Tooth Gone….It’s Bittersweet.

Nina B | 06/19/2012 | No comments

My daughter came bounding off the Kindergarten bus today with a new smile. First Tooth Gone!!!! Her smile was as big as I have ever seen it, and the outward exuberance of excitement and budding maturity was a glean in her eyes. As she was smiling, my heart ached, just a bit, and I could feel the sting of tears in my eyes. I instantly flashed back to her as a baby and wondering when that first tooth was going to come in. Those late nights of an infant crying, and those runny noses that were the tell tail sign of a new tooth. I relished her happiness, as it was contageous, as nothing is as good as the first tooth. She presented me with a small treasure chest with her tooth in it.

My Baby

Now that very same tooth that we helped grow in, is now gone. Baby oral gel and the occasional tylenol for when it was just too much to take. My beautiful little baby just crossed into a new level of childhood- gone is the baby, toddler, preschooler and Kindergartner. She is now a full on kid, headed to first grade, tooth missing and all.

We photographed it, emailed and texted the BIG news to all who would listen. Loosing a tooth is like winning the lottery for a kid. I received a detailed report about how she pulled it out and had to go to the nurse, her teacher clapped and everyone wanted to see her new smile. I even received a phone call from a friend who heard the news first thing when her daughter got off the bus.

Goodbye Tooth

So tonight we know the tooth fairy is going to come. My daughter positioned her tooth right next to her bed, with the top off her tooth box, so the tooth fairy can find it. As I take a look, I notice my older daughter has written a note to the tooth fairy wanting to know how much she was given for her first tooth. She is claiming she on got $1.00. Really I said, that doesn’t sound right. I am sure you got more than that for your first tooth ( hmm, maybe that was the rate). Well maybe she learned her lesson and figured out what other tooth fairies were paying, clearly much more than that.

Needless to say, my older daughters note was removed, as its not about her or the money, this is about my youngest crossing into the next level of being a kid. The anticipation of her tooth being gone in the morning and finding a surprise no matter how big or small. I realize that its ok to mourn all the firsts that we experienced with our kids as babies, but on the bright side there are million more firsts that we will share in their lifetime.

Category: Family, Parenting | Tags: child milestones, first tooth gone

“White” Lies We Tell Our Kids

Nina B | 06/06/2012 | 3 comments

She didn't eat her broccoli

I don’t know what parent hasn’t told a lie to their children. As awful as it may sound, I think there are different categories of lies- some not so bad and others probably more so. I need to use the white lie to my kids probably on a daily basis, in some form or another. I convince myself that they are more like a motivator to get them going, or to stop them from doing something. Should they be called lies or just bending the truth a little?

After talking to a few of my friends, I have compiled the following list. It is an arsenal of lies that are typically used in rotation:

Eat your broccoli or you will grow a mustache.
The bathroom is closed right now, you will need to wait until we get home.
The indoor playground is only open on certain days ( I pick the days).
Brush your teeth, you don’t want to wake up in the morning with them all rotten.
The cd player is broken I need to get it fixed.
We can’t have a playdate because XYZ friend is away for the weekend- I talked to their mom.
If you don’t go to sleep, the tooth fairy won’t come visit ( Santa too, and the Easter bunny).
If you pee in the pool the water will change color and everyone will know.
When you kids go to bed Daddy and Mommy have a party.
If you drink mommys ice coffee the bottom of your feet with turn black.
I have no idea where your Hannah Montanna CD is.
If you eat a watermelon seed a plant will grow in your belly.
If you don’t go to sleep you won’t grow.
No, I don’t have any cash right now.
Yes, you would be awesome on American Idol ( fingers crossed).
If you continue to suck your thumb you will get a canker sore.

I have to laugh because I will never forgive my mother for telling me that there wasn’t a raw egg in caesar salad. It wasn’t until my 20′s that I found out there was !!! She laughs about it, because she said I would not have tried it otherwise. My mom also let me eat calamari when I was 7 ( told me it was something else) and when found out it was squid I vomited, but I do love it now.

I have to say that none of the white lies that I was told as a kid impacted me in a negative way as an adult, and I see why we need to use them. Sometimes basic logic doesn’t work, such as green leafy vegetables are good for you, so you need add a bit of a spin to it. Or, you are in a rush and the third trip to the bathroom is not an option, so its amazingly is closed.

I don’t feel guilty about “not telling the truth”, I think its a sort or unspoken parenting tip that we all don’t discuss, yet everyone does it. Does that make me a bad mom? I tell my kids that they need to be honest and truthful, yet I don’t always follow that rule. I can only hope that they don’t end up on a therapists couch, addicted to electrolysis because they are fearful of the mustache that they think they are going to grow.

Category: Family, Parenting | Tags: lies with kids, parenting lies

Mommy Play Date

Nina B | 05/22/2012 | No comments

Hurray for the playdate. I never really gave the play date the kudos that it is, a play date for mom and for their kid. Honestly, now that my kids are getting older, most play dates are drop off, and you get to run errands and get some things done until pickup time. When they were smaller you would usually stay to make sure no one was hitting, biting and acting on their most polite behavior. You would get to chat with the moms and chat over coffee and it was a great way to spend the morning or afternoon. A much needed break.

Now that the kids are older we recently have had a few playdates where the adults stay and chat- usually at the playground or some other outdoor event. I have to say that this is pretty good, I realize how much I miss the “female bonding” time that we have when we get together. We are not rushing to get anything done, and its a time where we can compare notes. Is your kid picking their nose and eating it? Do you think its weird that my daughters feet smell? Do you have any short cut dinner ideas? Is it normal not to feel like sex when I’m tired? Whats wrong with me?

I love the validation of my craziness and know that its not just me who over thinks everything in the world. Other times, its a plain ole bitch session, about how your husband and kids are driving you crazy. How you were up all night with a sick kid, your husband is away for work, your dishwasher broke and $140 later you are told you need a new one. These “events” in our daily life are better shared, some how just talking lifts the fog that you are in, and lets the sunshine in.

Kid play dates are a mommy play date. Sure lets go to the playground, great we have two hours of relatively free girl talk time. You never get to chat on the phone for more than 5 minutes without someone needing your attention, so the playground is the perfect place for moms. Of course there are the usual, I am thirsty, I hurt my knee, can you watch me on the monkey bars, but I tell you there is nothing better than sitting back and talking with a friend.

Playground play dates have become one of my favorite things ( I sound like Oprah). So next time your kid is begging for a play date, call a friend and make it a mommy play date instead.

Category: Parenting, Relationships | Tags: playdates

Little League – What’s wrong with that kid?

Heidi J | 05/17/2012 | 4 comments

As a parent with a child who has ADD, baseball can be extremely difficult and challenging to say the least. Some kids with ADD stand out like a sore thumb. They pick grass, they spin around, they kick dirt and at times they even sit down in the field. This is my son.

Is this dangerous? Yes. I am fully aware of the danger that my son may get hit by a ball.Does this frustrate his teammates and coaches? Yes. But, do I tell my child he can’t play? He wants to play; he enjoys being up at bat and even hits the ball and gets on base. The pride and excitement I feel when he hits the ball is so incredible but it vanishes moments later when he takes his glove off in right field to pick flowers.

It is so unbelievably stressful for me to watch this because I know what other parents and kids are thinking. What is wrong with that kid? It breaks my heart to see the looks and hear the comments from both kids and their parents. They somehow think that my child isn’t good enough or focused enough to be on the field. But as a parent if my child wants to try something, even if he’s not the best at it and even if he could possibly get hurt, I am going to give him the opportunity to try it.

I am asking parents that attend little league games or any team sports to be aware of the fact that some children do not have the attention span to stay focused when they are on the field, at bat or on the bench. These kids want to play baseball to have fun like the rest of the team and I think that is what little league is supposed to be about.

I pray that next year my son will not be interested in playing baseball, soccer of any other group sport for that matter, because its emotionally draining for me to watch. For now, I would just appreciate it if other parents would realize this is only little league and if you have a kid on your team that isn’t paying attention, chances are there is more to it than you realize.

Category: Parenting | Tags: ADD, baseball, little league

Bedtime Antics- A Four Act Play

Nina B | 04/10/2012 | 4 comments

Now that my girls are 5 and 8 I really thought that my husband and I were at a place where we could just say goodnight, give them a kiss and we could then relish in T.V land. I don’t know what has happened lately, they have completely fallen off the wagon. I have nothing to blame my children’s awful bedtime antics on. Bed time in our house goes something like this:

Me: “Ok, night night, Kiss Kiss, big hugs, see you in the morning, I love you”

Kid #1: “night night mommy”

Kid #2 :” Moooooooommmmy when are you going to say good night to me”

Me: ” I will be right there!”

Me: ” Ok, I need to go say goodnight to your sister”

Kid #1: ” no, mommy can you please lay with me, I cant sleep.” I say no but the onslaught continues until I totally give in to 5 minutes.

Kid #2: “Mom, where are you?”

Me: ” Ok, night night, sleep tight, love you”

Kid #2:” Mom, I think my ankle hurts, its really sore”

Me: ” really, I think you are fine.” and I rub it quickly, but that is not enough, I continue to be badgered and I end up getting her some ice.

Kid #1: ” Mom, my hand is itchy, I need some of that creme you put on it.”

Me: ” Seriously, this is ridiculous, I just laid with you, now you are itchy”

» Read more..

Category: Parenting | Tags: John Deering, kids bedtime, parenting, Phil Bolsta

The Grinch who stole the Science Fair

Nina B | 03/14/2012 | No comments

I am going to preface this by saying that I don’t think any child under the age of 9 should be allowed to enter a science fair, can you hear the sarcasm in my words. I have spent the greater half of my weekend averting a total meltdown with my 8 year old while trying to get her science fair project complete. I am not sure who was more frustrated her or me. Personally I am a bit lazy when it comes to extending myself to activities outside school time. I feel that I am overextended as it is with dance, gymnastics, Daisys, Brownies and the miscellaneous appointments and homework projects on a weekly basis. I am just astounded with the parents who work full time and run the PTO in their free time. Thank goodness for them, but I am just not that multi talented.

My daughter has been hot on being part of the Science Fair at her school since kindergarten. I really am not sure what the drive is, but I was really dreading the day we had to enter it. The notice finally came, about 3 pages long with all the details of this glorious event. Now what… we had to come up with a plan. We tried the ” why don’t we use this year to check it out” line and ” I think this would be better saved for third grade” and ” I dont know if we have time with dance team”. No matter my excuse, my daughter has visions of science ribbons in her head. » Read more..

Category: Parenting | Tags: Kids, school, science fair

Sheila’s Favorite Things…

Sheila M | 03/05/2012 | No comments

My maiden voyage into the social media circuit. I have sat and have thought… over thought… and then I thought some-more… what, oh what, do I have to say?

Well, lots and lots of very valuable stuff, I tell ya. That, of course, was prior to its creation – “Mama says what?” I firmly believe(d) the world needed to hear my tidbits.

Mama says what… for real, I guess, cause this Mama can’t think of anything… Now I have opportunity and nothing is coming. I cannot tell you the countless short stories I have written and fine tuned in my head over these – my motherhood – years. Where are they now… » Read more..