Sunday, September 12, 2010

I Smell Chocolate!

I am sure most parents are guilty of this. I know I am. What is the charge? Sneaking treats and candy behind your child’s back. It is not that you don’t want to share, well maybe sometimes you don’t but usually it is you don’t want your child to have anymore treats. You might hide in your bedroom, your closet, or maybe the car to enjoy a little treat without little hands and faces begging for some. I am somewhat of a pushover when it comes to treats. I don’t go overboard though. I feed my son very healthy foods but I am a firm believer that everyone needs a treat sometimes. Most of the time, I am eating something sweet around Noah I will share a little bit. Sharing is important after all. I don’t let him eat a lot of candy or treats. I make sure he has had a meal first or if it is the middle of the afternoon it is a small amount. I am teaching him about healthy eating because it is best for his growing little body and it is my job to make sure he gets the nutrients that he needs. Thankfully, for snacks he is happy with something healthy versus having a bowl of candy or chips.

When I was little, I loved treats and candy. That has not changed much. I don’t think I eat nearly as much as I used to. My cousins used to tease me about how I would buy pounds of candy but I would always share with them. My mom would used to have a little treat when I was little, she knew that as any child would I wanted some. Occasionally she would wait until I was upstairs or in another room. Her plan would fail because I would come running yelling I smell chocolate! It wouldn’t matter where I was in the house I would always smell it. We have always lived in nice sized houses too. I just had the scent for chocolate.

Do you have me time when it comes to treats? Do you have any good hiding places?

Friday, September 10, 2010

Nina's Little Fables

Recently after a trip to pick up dinner or going to the store, I let Noah stay up a little later because we had been in the car for quite a while and he didn’t get to watch The Good Night Show on PBS Sprout. That was when we were introduced to Nina’s Little Fables. From the moment we watched Nina’s Little Fables we became instant fans. I really like how Nina and Star share a fable. I have always liked fables growing up. I love that there is always a moral of the story and it teaches our children things through a story which I think sometimes has a bigger impact than just being told. Sometimes children need validation or a reason for things and fables are a great tool for that.

We have been staying up a little later at night and sitting on the couch and occasionally sharing a little treat while we watch Nina’s Little Fables. It is a special time we share together although every moment we share is special. It is definitely a privilege and if he misbehaves he will not be able to stay up for Nina’s Little Fables. I love how the animals are shadows. I have a pair of red pajama pants that have white animal shapes on them. Noah informed me that I have Nina’s little Fables on my pants. I looked at them and was like yeah you are right. I didn’t even make the connection. Noah is really smart.

I recommend getting your family together and watching Nina’s Little Fables on PBS Sprout during The Good Night Show every night. It is a lot of fun in our house.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Appearance in Disney Movies

I wrote a post a while back about kindness. I have been thinking about kindness again so I went back and read my post I wrote. I said that I have a theory about appearance and I didn’t ever write the post. So, I thought I will now that it is on my mind.
I have noticed something in my 29 years of being on this earth that Disney movies are kind of messed up for a couple reasons. The first reason is appearance is a huge part of it. Let me explain. You have all the beautiful princesses and princes who are all beautiful and handsome. That teaches children that if you are different looking or not beautiful and maybe even plain looking you aren’t as good as someone who is beautiful. The villain is usually ugly, haggard in appearance or fat. That is kind of wrong in my eyes that almost always the villain is ugly and the hero or heroine is beautiful or handsome. It is kind of like well; if someone is different or scary looking they must be bad. I am aware that it is make believe but think about it. It kind of makes sense. It is playing on society’s obsession with outward image.

I know that this theory is flawed in two Disney movies. The first one is Beauty and the Beast. Gaston is an “attractive” man and the villain in the story and the beast is the hero. Ok, but he was put under a spell to teach him kindness and that beauty is found within, Of course he changes back in to a handsome prince. I get that they are teaching that beauty is found within but I don’t really see how they should have made him attractive at the end. Seriously what is wrong with being average or unattractive? Appearance is not the most important thing in the world it shouldn’t even be on the list of the top ten thousand important things.

The second Disney movie that flaws my theory is The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Quasimodo is not only unattractive but he is also disabled. It’s my favorite Disney movie because it teaches the way I think about others and how you have to look past the skin and see their soul. I would of liked for Quasi to get the girl but after all it is a Disney movie and an unattractive person with a beautiful person granted neither one is under a spell is unheard of. I am also aware that it is a book and that is not how the story goes at least they didn’t kill anyone good in that movie like in the book.

Just because someone is beautiful doesn’t make them good. Just because someone is unattractive does not make them bad. They have nothing to do with each other in the slightest. I just don’t understand why appearance is such a huge deal these days. I mean something could happen and someone is stripped of their appearance. I think that you can’t judge a book by its cover is a great proverb. I look for the beauty in everyone and everything, not outer beauty but what’s inside. That is all that really matters and should only matter. Everyone is different and if everyone walked around looking like Barbie and Ken then the world would be a confusing fake place.

Who is to say what is beautiful and who is ugly? Who makes that call? Is it you? Is it society? The answer is NO ONE. No one has the right to pick out the flaws of another person. If you have time to pick out someone’s flaws you have time to deal with them. I believe that you should love everyone for real reasons and look past others short comings just as you would want someone to look past yours. No one should judge anyone because no one is perfect and no one is better than anyone else that they even have a say.