soap boxin' about the idiot box

As I was reading up on baby milestones today, I came across this bit of info.:

If your [child's television] viewing falls into the average range, she will have spent 15,000 hours glued to the set by the time she graduates from high school - about 4,000 more hours than she will have spent in school. (Ha, not to mention the time spent watching television in school.) If her viewing isn't carefully screened, she will, research suggests, have witnessed 18,000 murders, countless robberies, rapes, bombings, and beatings, and more casual sex than you could imagine. She will also have been the innocent target of 350,000 commercials trying to sell her (and through her, you) products of sometimes dubious value. - What to Expect the First Year

The thing that kills me about this is that, even if you are screening the things your children view, not only on TV, but also the internet, video games, etc., they are still subjected to vast amounts of smut. Just try changing the channel without catching a glimpse of inappropriate material! This can only work to offend and desensitize a child's sweet spirit and normalize immoral acts. (Yeah, who needs to hear casual, normalizing references about pornography on supposedly child friendly channels?!)

Another thing I find interesting is that good people, when asked about the appropriateness of a movie or video game, say something along the lines of, "Oh, it's okay. The rating's just for the violence." JUST for the VIOLENCE?! Why do we rarely consider media violence to be bad when murder, according to Alma, is second in seriousness only to denying the Holy Ghost. To paraphrase a sign I saw on a friend's TV - if we shouldn't do something, we shouldn't be entertained by someone else doing it. I could go on, but I'll let this Ensign article I just found do my soap boxing for me.

Now, I know my children don't have a perfect, junk-free media experience. There's no way to completely protect them - well, short of living exclusively in a bomb shelter. I also know that I allow them too much time in front of the screen. I also know that I'm not completely ready to do away with our idiot box; it's just too easy and entertaining. My compromise is that we have no television service; just videos, mother-controlled youtube, and specific downloaded or streamed television shows from the internet. I feel this limits our commercial intake and makes it easier to monitor our viewing content and duration - plus you can buy 50 videos off ebay for the cost of one month of cable! Yahoo!

First Day of School

This is my handsome little boy all spiffed, sparkling, and ready for his very first day of school. In preparation for the BIG DAY we met his teacher and visited his classroom on Monday; met his bus driver and aide on Tuesday; and chose his outfit, packed his backpack, and had a father's blessing on Wednesday. This left only eating, bathing, and dressing on the list of things to do this morning - oh, and a whole lot of waiting!

Waiting at the window (a full hour early) watching for the big 'ellow bus

"My bus!" ... umm, false alarm

He finally relaxed a bit when I told him it would be a whole Strawberry Shortcake movie before the bus came. Lucky for the Tomester, the bus aide called and said their route had changed and they'd be by half and hour earlier.

As for me, I've felt very excited for Tomas to ride the bus and go to school knowing that he'd thoroughly enjoy himself. It wasn't until I was standing on the lawn watching the bus door close with my sweet, brown-eyed boy inside, barely peeking over the window sill, that my heart lurched with the ache of letting go. Oh! I managed not to cry as the bus started down the street, but only barely.

Later, Hazel and I met him at school to walk him to class. He was happy to see us and got a little clingy, but having his very own cubby and a puzzle to do quickly erased any thoughts of mom. And so I ducked silently away, leaving him to meet new friends and learn new things under the care of his new teacher.

The question now is - what will Hazel and I do while he's gone? Whatever the answer, I know we'll thoroughly enjoy ourselves too.

amen!

Tidying up (yet again!) the mound of books that my baby girl had so graciously piled on the floor, I came across this little gem of a quote. It is the last line of The Swiss Family Robinson and is found at the end of this moving passage:

The anchor has been weighed, the sails unfurled, the flag run up to the masthead, and a rapid wind promises speedily to separate us from our children.

I will not attempt to paint the grief of my dear Elizabeth - it is the grief of a mother, silent and profound. Jack and Ernest are weeping bitterly, and my own grief is, I must confess, but badly concealed.

I finish these few lines whilst the ship's boat is waiting. My sons will thus receive my last blessing. May God ever be with you. Adieu, Europe! adieu, dear Switzerland! Never shall I see you again! May your inhabitants be always happy, pious, and free!

Oh if only, if only...

Thank you David Wyss for taking the words right out of my mouth, though I knew not that they were there.

by their fruits...

So... if I only post on this blog of my thoughts but rarely, does that mean I rarely think?

another project?

Yippee for new tile! Now to get it installed.

Here's hopin' the final product looks as great in reality as it does in my minds eye.

Tomato?

What does Tomy want to eat? Amato, of course!
for EVERY meal, snack, etc.

tomato - potato, Malawna - LaDawna, b - d
such are the confounders of many a child

At least this one's a happy confounded child

... unless he doesn't get his amato.

Tomy and Hazel Play Favorites

These are a few of their favorite things:

Tomy and Hazel with Henry and Hyrum.





Tomy and Hazel putting money in Grandpa Gube's ginormous change jar.





Tomy and Hazel splashing at St. George's town square.

growing up and out

Lasterday I found my husband putting a 6-9 month shirt on my 3 year old, so I figured I should maybe, just maybe, sort out the clothes drawer - pass on the small, scrap the stained, make room for the new. What a laugh! There was only the one 6-9 month shirt, but there were plenty of 12 and 18 month old clothes to do away with. I did have to keep two 18 month pajama short/shirt sets because the thought of losing them had Tomas in inconsolable tears of despair! How could I resist the tear streaked and sobbing, "I sad Mom. My shirt a me!" and the repeated attempts to return the pjs to the drawer.

This episode caused me two funnies and one sigh. It's funny ha ha that my big boy still fits (barely) in those 18 month pajamas while my little 9 month old girl will probably be in 18 month clothes before winter - they are so opposite in the developemental world! It's funny hmm that we can get so emotionally attached to emotionless material things - things that are familiar, dependable, and comfortable. *Sigh* It's not always easy to grow up and out of things we love - sometimes it's exciting and worthwhile, but sometimes it's disappointing and sorrowful.