Secret Life of the American Teenager Volume 4 Review

I am really enjoying this season of The Secret Life of the American Teenager. I think last season was left at such a big cliffhanger. It made me wonder for months what was going to happen. All of the other seasons you had an idea what was going to happen when the show picked up again on ABC Family. Last season was a complete surprise. I love being able to watch the older shows of The Secret Life of the American Teenager on DVD. It is fun to re-watch them knowing how it will turn out and relive the touching moments with the characters that I have grown to love and watch.

So, when I had the opportunity to review volume four of The Secret Life of the American Teenager I was really excited. I think it is great if you haven’t watched the show since day one like I have, you have the opportunity to start from the beginning. I have friends that don’t have cable and they don’t watch shows on TV when they come out, they just wait for it to come out on DVD. I guess that is a great line of thinking if you are busy and don’t have the time to sit down every week and watch the shows you love.

The Secret Life of The American Teenager is a show about a girl named Amy who is a teenage mother. Like I said before it would be a great way to open up to your teenage children about sex and relationships. I still love that they are realistic in the way that teenage motherhood is portrayed and how it is not all cute little baby clothes and accessories. It is really neat to see how Amy’s character has evolved from the beginning when she was a scared kid who was pregnant now to a strong young woman. The Secret life of the American Teenager not only shows the reality of being a young mother but it also shows that if you are in that situation you can rise up and be a good parent. I definitely enjoy watching this show and even my friends know not to text me when I am watching it.

The Secret Life of the American Teenager Volume Four is in stores now. It is a great addition to your DVD collection.

Thank you to Walt Disney Entertainment for sending me a complimentary copy of The Secret Life of the American Teenager to review.

The day she was taken from me

I have been lying in bed crying because today is the anniversary of my miscarriage. July 22, 2003 is the worst day of my life. Every year I cry on July 22. I started singing the lullaby my ex and I wrote for Isabelle. While I was singing it over and over, I started thinking about the words. I started thinking about my ex and how he prayed for me to miscarry. It almost makes me think that her lullaby was a lie to him. I wonder why he would do that, what was going through his mind. Why would he sit there and do such a vile thing to me, his wife at the time? He knew how bad I wanted to be a mother, and yet he would pray and wish for our child to die. I never imagined he would do that to me. I knew some cruel people that said things like that but for the man I married to sit there and do that…then have the nerve to want me to feel sorry for him after the fact.

I am big on forgiveness. I try to forgive those who hurt me, but at the same time I don’t forget. I don’t think I will ever be able to forgive him for that. I am not blaming him for what happened but at the same time, it really hurts. The day he told me he did that, my love for him died. I threw him out on his butt. I wanted to beat the crap out of him but I was numb, I felt like I was hit by a Mack Truck. I couldn’t even move. I was heartbroken. It was like I was reliving the moment that I learned she has no heartbeat over and over. The words were echoing in my head over and over again. I am pretty sure he was praying that I would lose Noah when I was pregnant with him. The whole time I was pregnant with Noah he and his mom were telling me over and over you know you’re going to miscarry right? Yeah that’s not what you say about your family.

I have decided that he will not steal that song from me. I will not let him take away the meaning behind it. I actually mean every word of it. He probably doesn’t but that’s alright I guess. Isabelle is loved by me always. I will still sing her lullaby and cry for her.

I thought about sharing Isabelle's Lullaby with you all on my blog. However, I think it is way too personal.

The Waiting Game: Tips to Keep Kids Busy

MobiStories.com Guest Contributor Wendy Toone shares great tips on how to keep your kids occupied when you've got tons of errands to run!

As a mom of two, I know I'm not alone when I say how challenging it is to keep young kids occupied while doing any sort of waiting. And by challenging, I mean "grit-your-teeth, pull your hair out, I can't believe they're doing that in public" challenging. How many times have you had to stop in to the bank for a quick transaction with a toddler in tow, only to find a line so long you think you made a wrong turn and ended up at the DMV. What to do?? You look at your toddler...at the line...at the very important banking you need to do...at your toddler.... at the line. It may seem like a hopeless situation, but it's not. I'm here to help.

Here are a few of my tried and true tips and ideas to try the next time you find yourself in a queue, a waiting room, on a plane, or any other situation where you may need to keep your little ones quiet and at bay. They've worked for me; I hope they work for you. The basic premise is to keep your child busy. By giving them something specific to do you'll be combating boredom, and may have fun in the process. So, give your toddler a job...Part 1 offers Gross Motor Exercises. In my follow up article I offer some Fine Motor Exercises. And the series will finish with the all-important Cognitive Exercises, to keep your little one thinking all the time.

"Gross" Motor Exercises (exercises for the large muscle groups, not the yucky ones)

Youngsters need to be active. It seems as though they're wired that way. Running, jumping, rolling are all part of everyday life for toddlers - after all, physical and cognitive development is their job. So, since screen time may not be an option, how can we expect them to stand still for any length of time? That doesn't mean you can turn your little one loose in the lobby. But you can encourage the use of large muscle groups, keeping them active but in one spot.

1. Flamingo Stand - have your child extend his/her arms out to the side for balance, then pick up one foot and see how long they can stand on the other foot. Naturally you'll want to make sure you both have a bit of room in case of tips and tumbles. But the goal is not to fall down. The goal is to stay up...counting helps and creates an opportunity for improvement as each time they try they get to higher and higher numbers.

Once your child (and probably you as well) tire of the Flamingo Stand, move on to this one.

2. Little, Big - have your child do basic squats. For those of you who workout, you know how fatiguing it can be to burn those thigh muscles. Your child reaches as tall as she/he can, up on tiptoes, then squats down as little as they can, but staying on their feet. Think duck squat. In fact, you can even give a whispered little "quack, quack" if it helps. You can get big, now get little, as often as you'd like. Be certain not to go too fast.... otherwise you move into jumping, which may require more room than you have at hand.

We adults will probably feel the burning sensation in our legs much sooner than your child; however, you can probably stop at any time and watch your child go, go, go, go.

These are just a couple of gross motor exercises you can do with your child. By the way, why do they call them gross motor exercises? I'm sure you can now think of many others along these same lines. When it comes to waiting on long lines, giving your child something productive to do will make the waiting time pass more quickly. I look for anything to pass the time by. Whether it's Gross Motor, Fine Motor or even just watching digital picture books to exercise your child's brain. You know, whatever it takes. They're only this young once!

Wendy Toone is a child expert having owned and operated a leading franchise children's fitness center and now producing MobiStories, Virtual Books for KidsTM, as well as being a mom to her two children. To experience the world of digital children's picture books, visit MobiStories.com.

To download a free digital book for your PC visit MobiStories.com, click on Summer (in the Ages 2 - 4 category) add it to the cart along with Michelle Obama (Ages 6-10) then enter the code SUM0710 in the Coupon Code Box.

*This advertorial post is sponsored by the Role Mommy Writer's Network.