Make that.....

TWO TEETH!

Now he's just showing off....

Baby Mama Drama

In the event that you win the lottery this weekend (in other words, you somehow secure a babysitter for a free night out), consider dinner and what appears to be a very funny, and timely movie. The new Tina Fey movie “Baby Mama” is getting great reviews for its smart meets wacky approach to pregnancy and motherhood. Though I have not seen it myself, if the reviews and trailer are any indication of what you may expect, it looks like a good choice for anyone interested in enjoying some laughs at the expense of other “parents”.

In case you have not seen it, the trailer can be viewed below….

Quote of the Weekend

"The rules for parents are but three... Love, Limit, and Let them be." -Elaine M. Ward

Picture of the Weekend

Despite being years from needing to secure a desirable prom date, the little miss was already discovering the sport of boy chasing.

Send your favorite kid pictures to: dalessandrochristine@gmail.com

For the Birds

Last week I posted about a dedicated (or delusional) bird that spent much of its morning trying to enter my back door. We were not sure if the sliding glass doors were confusing, or if the bird was interested in our family. We even considered the fact that the bird was a bit of a narcissist and just couldn't get enough of its own reflection.

Needless to say, my answer to the annoying pecks and taps was to hang a picture of my husband making a ridiculous face as a make-shift scarecrow.

A week has now passed with one clear result:

The bird is at my door ALL day, and clearly infatuated with my husband (who wouldn't be?).

My mother in law suggested we consult an ornithologist and, after I looked up what an ornithologist is in the dictionary, decided she might be right. Either that, or I am going to hang up a new picture of my husband smiling at some other bird and hope it gets jealous and moves on to our neighbor's house.

How To Test If Your Family Is Watching Too Much TV

1) When someone calls your home, does your family erupt into a chorus of, “The phone, the phone is ringing”?

2) When your child is introduced to a Spanish speaker, can they carry on a conversation so long as it involves using a map, a backpack, and climbing a mountain?

3) When you head to the beach this summer, will your family’s only means of traveling from the dunes to the water involve rolling?

4) If someone were to introduce you to their new friend, would Caillou seem like a perfectly reasonable name for them?

5) When visiting a farm, do you expect to hear the voice of Mel Brooks coming from any or all of the sheep?

6) Have you ever been at the deli line and, after finding that your ticket number was number 9, remark, “Hey, that’s the number of the day”.

7) Have you ever accused your car (or any other mode of transportation) of being cheeky?

8) Do you find yourself spending more than a little time wondering how two engaging, brother and sister rabbits can lead such fulfilled lives while never ever producing any evidence of parents?

9) Even though you’d publicly denigrate the show for its nonsensical contribution to childrens television, does a laughing baby framed in the sun make you feel warm and fuzzy inside?

10) Would a check of your iTunes file unearth the song “There’s a Party in my Tummy (So Yummy, So Yummy)?

**If you answered yes to at least 7 of these questions, it’s time to turn off the television.

****However, since I love to reward mindless knowledge, if you can send me a list of all the shows alluded to in this quiz, I will devote an entire blog day to singing your wonderful praises. Send your answers to: dalessandrochristine@gmail.com

How Much Is Too Much?

I was recently surprised to learn that 25% of children under the age of 2 have television in their bedrooms. Now, I'll be the first to admit that my daughter watches a little more than the one hour of recommended time by the AAP (it allows me to get the breakfast dishes done and dinner ready), but she is by no means stuck in front of the tube all day. We enjoy a ton of activities, read constantly, and truly fill our day with a lot of different things that allow me to feel perfectly comfortable with her occasional shows, as well as an educational DVD in the car.

But a television in the bedroom? I guess I wonder where the need for this comes from. Is it part of a quiet-time routine for the child who's surrendered his or her nap? Is it the only television in the house? Does it work as a distraction while the moms are getting things done upstairs?

I guess it concerns me, especially when it begs the question, how are the programs being monitored?

Am I off the mark on this one?