Ask me to recite just about any Dr. Seuss book (or Fancy Nancy, or Eric Carle) and I’ll probably be able to do it from memory. Do you want to know the lyrics to a Veggie Tales song? How about the Imagination Movers? It’s all stored in my head, and I don’t think it’s ever going to get purged.

Once my kids find something they like, whether it’s a certain book, song or movie, they never seem to grow tired of it. I know this is fairly common among babies and children, and I also know that it helps the kids learn. I get it, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.

I’ve been reading the same Diego book every night for the past couple of weeks. The suspense as to whether Diego will indeed save the baby sea turtles has long since been lost on me, but every time we read it my kids sit in hushed anticipation to find out what happens next. I’ve also had They Might Be Giants: 123 in my car’s CD player for a straight week now, and any time I change it I get a stern tongue-lashing from my kids in the back seat who want their music back.

I keep reading Diego and keep listening to They Might Be Giants in the car because I know that the kids love them. I also know that it won’t be long before they get passionate about a different book or CD, and although we’ll undoubtedly read the book over and over and listen to the CD over and over, it will also pass someday soon.

Besides, every so often I do manage to talk them into trying something different and they actually take to it. They were initially iffy about the Olivia books but now they love them, and I saw some scowls when I first slipped a swing CD into the stereo at home but now they dance like crazy when I turn the music on while I cook.

Repetition is a necessary evil, I’m afraid, but it could be a lot worse. At least my kids pick music I enjoy and books that are clever. I don’t know what I would do if their music of choice was something horrible and I was stuck in the car along with two kids who like singing along with vigor.

Wow, another argument to limit TV times for our kids. Prolonged TV times has been linked to childhood obesity, poor performance at school, sleep problems, and increased blood pressure. Now it’s also been linked to asthma and wheezing!  A British study looked at more than 3000 children from birth up to their 11^th birthday. Respiratory health of the children was monitored and the parents were interviewed regarding their children’s TV watching habits and observed symptoms of wheezing.

The results showed that children who spent more than two hours in front of the TV were almost twice as likely to have asthma as those who spent less time watching TV. The gender and the weight of the children didn’t make much of a difference.

It’s not the TV itself that causes the asthma, the researchers explain. It is the time spent in front of the TV that amounts to sedentary behavior. However, the link between physical activity, sedentary behavior and asthma is not that simple and generalizations are hard to make. However, evidence from previous studies suggested that sedentary behavior can induce breathing patterns that in turn trigger developmental changes in the lungs. Physically active children, for example, tend to inhale deeply and regularly, an action that stretches the airways, making them less prone to inflammation.

The study only looked at TV time but not at other sedentary activities such as playing video games or sitting in front of the computer. In addition, it should also be noted that time spent in front of the TV is time spent indoors. Being outdoors and breathing fresh air is another way of preventing respiratory problems in children.

But the message is clear enough. We’ve been wondering why the incidence of asthma has increased dramatically during the last 20 years. We don’t have to look any further than our living room to find out why.

I know that most of our readers are married, but still I thought I would pass on this interesting email I received.  Please note that I have not verified its integrity, that is up to you…

Hi my name is Tony Miros and I am working with TVLand on a new program called “First Love Second Chance“. We are reaching out to High School and University alumni associations to reach people who may be interested in appearing on the show. My hope is with either your help, or the help of your organization and others we can spread the word about this opportunity. Here is the blurb on the show we are casting…

“Ever wondered what happened to the one that got away? To your high school sweetheart or college love? That’s the question at the heart of this new TV Land program which reunites former couples and gives them a glimpse of what life would have been like if they’d stayed together. In each one-hour episode, a former girlfriend and boyfriend who are currently single will be reunited for an evening to see whether they can stand the idea of living with each other for two weeks -one week in her home with her life, the second in his. Will the passage of time and their differing life experiences have changed them beyond recognition? Will they be tempted once again by each other, or decide they can’t get far enough away? First Love, Second Chance reveals whether true first love conquers all for the couples -or whether they discover that they had a lucky escape first time around!

If you are single, mid 30’s to mid to late 40’s and looking to reconnect with a past love, we want to hear from you!

If you are interested or want to tell us your story of lost love, please visit us at www.cornwellcasting.com

Warmest regards -

Tony Miros,  Casting Director

Discovery Kids, Sesame Street, Cartoon Netowrk, Disney Channel,…

The choices are almost endless. They are supposed to enhance a little child’s language and cognitive skills. But are they really beneficial as they claim to be?

Dimitri Christakis, a researcher at the Seattle Children’s Research Institute and the University of Washington says such claims are not supported by scientific evidence. Dr. Christakis reviewed 78 research studies published during the last 25 years on the effects of TV on children and the conclusions he got from the reviews were concerning.

Here are some of his findings:

• 9 out of 10 toddlers (under two!) sit in front of the TV regularly, many as much 40% of their waking hours.
• Many parents are not aware of the potential hazards of TV. In a survey, 29% of parents interviewed believe that watching TV is “good for the brains.” Only about 6% are aware that the American Academy of Pediatrics does not encourage TV viewing in the first two years of a child’s life.
• In another study, 1 out of 5 parents interviewed admit they allow kids to watch TV to have a little bit of time for themselves.
• A number of studies indicate that watching TV programs and DVDs during the first 2 years of life can actually delay language development, regardless of the language.
• Another study reported that schoolchildren exposed to TV in their early years performed poorly in reading and memory tests.
• The claims being made by DVD manufacturers and TV producers are not supported by research data from peer-reviewed journals or even by studies supported by the entertainment industry itself.

Some of the reasons of the adverse effects of TV cited by Dr. Christakis are as follows:

• While watching TV, children are exposed to “flashing lights, scene changes, quick edits and auditory cuts which may be over stimulating to developing brains.”
• TV also tends to take the time normally spent on age-appropriate and more beneficial activities like free play, role playing, and interaction with parents and other children.

As a mother of twins, I must admit I was tempted on several occasions to use TV just to get a couple of hours’ of peace. But I am glad to say, I never gave in to the temptation and managed to keep my children “TV-free” during their first 3 years of life. After that, we slowly eased them to TV viewing, with selected shows and films, starting with 10 minutes a day. Now at 5 and a half, they are up to 20 minutes of short cartoons or educational TV shows, whereas some of their classmates have already viewed full-length films like the Pirates of the Caribbean and Harry Potter. I know the time will come when my kids will demand for more TV time. In the meantime, we try to engage their interest in other, more useful activities like sports, art and crafts, reading, and music. Hopefully, their varied interests will help limit their need for TV viewing as they grow older.

There is a commercial on TV for our cable provider that irritates me to no end.  It starts with a toddler watching a favorite character on  a television show, then the toddler moves into the car and watches the same character on a screen in the car, then the toddler goes into the mall to meet this character and then flips out when he sees him in person.  He starts crying in fear, his mom comforts him, and the way she gets him to calm down is by wheeling him out of the mall in a stroller while he watches the character on a portable handheld screen.  At the end of the show, the spokesperson says something about how the digital age is coming.

If the “digital age” means my young kids are constantly plugged into electronics and getting freaked out about the real world around them then I really would rather not be a part of the digital age, thank you very much.

I know a lot of parents are up in arms about the amount of television their kids watch, but with video games and other electronic devises being marketed to babies nowadays I wonder if people realize that video games are in the same boat as television.  Both promote inactivity (with the exception of certain video games that are designed to get kids moving) and free play that utilizes imagination.

At a recent play date my preschool daughter stumbled upon her friend’s game system and had so much fun with it that she stopped socializing with everyone and retreated to a corner to play the games until I made her go play with her friends.  My son – who is not yet at an age when he should be playing video games – was right there next to her, staring wide-eyed at the screen and not interacting with anyone.

Don’t get me wrong; I see the potential benefits of having my kids glued to the screen whenever they wanted to, whether they’re watching TV or playing video games.  I would probably get a lot more done during the day and there would probably be a lot less bickering too.  I also imagine that both my kids could learn a lot if they watched the right shows and played educational games.  What about the downside? I think the cons outweigh the pros.  I want my kids to be active and I want them to know how to entertain themselves.  I want them to use their imagination and I want to interact with them instead of relying on games or shows to keep them engaged.

This doesn’t mean my kids don’t watch any TV at all, and we do have a Leapster.  On the other hand, I closely monitor how much they watch/play and make sure that I’m engaging them in other interesting things too.  I just don’t want my kids to turn into little digitally-reliant children who would rather play a video game than notice the world around them.

I try to limit the amount of television my kids watch, although they do indeed watch some almost every day. In a perfect world we wouldn’t watch any television, but since my world is far from perfect there are times when the kids win in their quest to get the TV turned on.

Although my kids get to watch some commercial-free TV at home, I draw the line at getting a TV screen installed into the car. I see far too many families driving around our city with the kids glued to the TV that’s going on in the back of the minivan. The parent who is driving isn’t engaging the kids in talking, the kids aren’t glancing outside of the car or looking through books, and all in all I’m sure it’s a quiet ride…but a potentially mind-numbing one.

My kids were allowed to watch TV in the car for one trip, and that was an eight hour drive. They didn’t watch the TV for the entire time and I was actually pretty happy on the return trip when the portable DVD player stopped working and we were all forced to talk about the things we saw outside. I have nothing against watching movies on long rides, but really…do we need to turn the TV on for the ride home from the grocery store? How are parents finding out about their kids’ days if they flip on the TV the second they pick them up from school or daycare?

Don’t families talk in the car anymore?

I try to take advantage of somewhat long drives by playing different types of music and having the kids compare them. Even when my kids were very young babies I tried to talk to them about the things that were out the car window and enjoy music while in the car. I don’t want my kids plugged in all the time. I want them to be able to enjoy their surroundings and use their imaginations.

Data Shows Unstable TVs, Furniture and Appliances Pose Deadly Danger to Children

WASHINGTON, DC – Found in various rooms of the home, large furniture such as TVs, chests, armoires, and appliances are staples in our homes. But these items can tip over and crush children, causing injury or death. Last year, CPSC identified this issue as one of the ?top five hidden home hazards.? A new data report pdf from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission CPSC staff shows at least 180 tip-over related deaths between 2000 and 2006, 80 percent involving children younger than 10. The report also indicates that between 2005 and 2006 there were at least 40 reports of television or television and furniture related tip-over deaths.

These deaths and injuries frequently occur when children climb onto, fall against or pull themselves up on television stands, shelves, bookcases, dressers, desks, chests and stove oven doors. Televisions placed on top of furniture can tip over and cause a child to suffer traumatic and sometimes fatal injuries.

?Tip-over related deaths continue to be a problem. These tragedies can be prevented by taking precautions,? said Acting Chairman Nancy Nord.

To help prevent tip-over hazards, CPSC recommends the following safety tips below:

* Verify that furniture is stable on its own. For added security, anchor all entertainment units, TV stands, bookcases, shelving and bureaus to the wall or floor using appropriate hardware, such as brackets, screws, or toggles.

* Place televisions on sturdy furniture appropriate for the size of the TV or on a low-rise base.

* Push the TV as far back as possible from the front of its stand.

* Place electrical cords out of a child s reach, and teach children not to play with the cords.

* Remove items from the top of the TV and furniture that might tempt kids to climb, such as toys and remote controls.

I just saw an interesting article about one of the newest reality TV shows featuring…The Duggar Family.

You may or may not have heard of the Duggar Family. They have 17 children and mom is pregnant with her 18th child which is due in the next few months. Their children are home-schooled, they are very conservative, and are deeply religious.

As a mother of a large family myself, I am fascinated by how calm this mom appears to be all the time. Exactly how does she do that?

I have homeschooled my children and I can attest to the fact that it is not an easy job. I simply can not imagine homeschooling such a large brood. That in itself would be stressful to me!

I also have to admit wondering–exactly how do they afford to live and how are they able to be debt free as they claim to be? I’d love to hear about their budget strategies and tips. Balancing a budget is not easy for anyone these days; it’s especially hard when you have a large family.

I am also left to wonder: are they really for REAL? Do they really get along as well as what we are lead to believe? What do the kids REALLY think about having to wear the same outfit/uniform as their siblings? Does the mother ever lose her temper or is she always so calm and soft spoken?

I have to also confess that while I am fascinated by this family, I don’t think I am fascinated enough to tune in to the new reality show, although the very fact that such a show is being planned raises some serious questions for me. Why would you ever agree to have television crews and cameras in your home filming your life? If you are a private, conservative family, wouldn’t you just say no? I don’t get it. I also wonder what effect this show will have on their family and their children.

Do you personally watch reality TV shows such as John and Kate Plus 8? If so, will you tune into The Duggar Family reality show? If given the choice, which family would you rather spend time with and why?

Last week, France banned television shows aimed at the under threes. US channels like BabyFirstTV and Baby TV air in France. Legislators, concerned about possible developmental delays in babies who watch too much TV, called the BabyFirstTV and Baby TV channels a “danger”, and these channels will be going off-air in France.

French cable broadcasters that show foreign channels with baby programming will have to broadcast a warning message that reads: ?Watching television can slow the development of children under three, even when it involves channels aimed specifically at them.?

According to the French legislators, ?Television viewing hurts the development of children under three years old and poses a certain number of risks, encouraging passivity, slow language acquisition, over-excitedness, troubles with sleep and concentration as well as dependence on screens.?

I can see their point, especially reading this from Baby TV’s website,

“Baby TV was conceived following a sleepless night spent rewinding a baby video at the demand of an unrelenting toddler. Our creators imagined a service which offered easy access to programming specifically designed for babies around the clock.”

Are you disturbed by this too? What reason could there be to stay up all night with a toddler who wanted to watch a video? Why wasn’t the kid in bed? Even if this toddler was sick, watching a video surely isn’t the answer? Wouldn’t it be more soothing to read a book, or listen to music instead? And when my toddler demands something, it doesn’t mean he gets it.

The American Association of Pediatricians concurs with the French: they recommend NO television for children under two, and limited viewing hours for pre-schoolers.

BabyFirstTV clearly disagrees. The subscription-based channel says that “BabyFirstTV is an interactive tool for parents to engage their infants and toddlers ranging from 6 months to 3 years.”

I don’t like being told what to do, or what not to do, and that responsible parents should be able to make their own decisions about how much television their children can and can’t watch. I think it’s somewhat draconian to say NO TV EVER as it’s occasional use has been very helpful in my house. My son doesn’t watch much TV at all, but when I got sick recently, being able to lie on the couch and doze while my son watched an hour of Barney was a blessing.

So I think the French legislation, while well intentioned, is ultimately going to be ineffective for keeping babies from television. Surely French parents are just going to sit their babies and toddlers in front of programs aimed at the over threes? Including programs with violence and themes that might be disturbing to very young children?

Here’s some tips for managing and limiting kid’s TV time.

What do you think? Was France right to ban baby television channels? Do you think America should ban baby TV shows too?

Everything in moderation seems to be a good motto for, well, just about everything. When it comes to children watching television, there are several ways to discourage them from becoming couch potatoes:

1. Keep other fun activities, such as puzzles, board games, books and art supplies in the same room as the television, to remind kids of their alternatives to television-viewing.
2. Treat t.v. as a privilege, something kids have to earn. Only allow television-viewing after their chores and homework are finished.
3. Do not allow children to have televisions in their bedrooms (We actually took the t.v. out of our room; it?s so much nicer to nod off peacefully while engrossed in a book than to a blaring television- and we happen to be setting a good example for the kids!).
4. Limit your own television viewing time, thereby setting a good example.
5. Use t.v. screening tools, which are available in most new television sets. These tools measure and rate any violent content in a television program.
6. Develop a family television schedule and post it in a convenient spot that?s easy to see. Include which programs can be watched and at which times. (Be sure to turn off the tube when the pre-scheduled program is over!).
7. Preview and read up on the television programs which are available. This will allow you to pick and choose which shows are appropriate for your children.
8. Always have entertaining or interesting alternatives to watching t.v.. If you?re planning to spend a day at home with the kids, think up some alternative activities for them to do, or to do together.

Take turns reading to each other, look for fun arts and crafts activities in magazines like Family Fun and on websites such as Michael?s.com. Keep adding to your collection of board games (look for weekly sales, such as ?buy one, get one free? sales at Toys ?r Us) and let the kids pick which game to play!

Of course, playing outside is always a fun thing to do. Go for a bike ride, a walk or join your child in his favorite game or sport. Family Fun magazine is also a great resource for unique game ideas.

According to an MSN article, there are ways to boost your child’s IQ. Yes, your kid’s smarts definitely have something to do with inherited smarts from you, the parent. However, nurturing that intelligence from activities, interaction, environment does play a significant role too. Taking a child with average intelligence, and raising them in a superior environment will clearly put them on an even playing field with other highly intelligent children.

So what are these ways?

1. Encourage them to play a musical instrument.
2. Breastfeed for at least a year.
3. Keep them active through sports.
4. Limit video game playing.
5. Give them healthy food, and limit junk food (or cut it out altogether).
6. Encourage exploration.
7. Read to them; encourage them to read; foster a love of books.
8. Make breakfast routine.
9. Play mind games such as puzzles, board games, chess. etc.

Here’s what I’d add. I would go so far as to say, no TV for the first 2 yrs. of life, and limit it thereafter. Don’t fall into the trap of the thinking that, oh TV isn’t that bad for them. With sexual content and innuendos, barrage of commercials promoting consumerism, and junk food, links to autism and ADD, your kids are better off doing something else.

What would you add to the list?

The Baby Borrowers premiered on NBC on Wednesday night. The premise of the show is to give teenage couples a real baby to look after, so they can find out exactly what it’s like being parents.

The supposed aim is that teenagers will watch the show, and realize that being a mom or dad is actually much, much harder than they think. This show is especially timely after the recent furore over the 17 pregnant teens in Massachusetts who had an alleged pact to become pregnant and raise their babies together.

The show is modeled after a British show of the same name, and it provoked controversy in Britain over the safety and well being of the babies and children involved. Critics likened The Baby Borrowers to “kidnapping” babies and expressed concern that permanent psychological damage would be done.

NBC say that while the show was filmed, nannies and paramedics were on the set 24 hours a day, the teenagers and babies lived in childproofed houses, and the babies’ parents were present and allowed to intervene for any reason. The teens will look after babies for 3 days.

I lived in Los Angeles when The Baby Borrowers was being cast, and the producers approached a Mom’s group I was a member of, looking for babies to be on the show. Would you volunteer your baby for a show like this?

The teenage girls wore fake pregnant bellies in the first show, and the teenage couple get their babies next week. Then after that, they will try looking after toddlers, teenagers and seniors.

Will you be watching this show? Do you think it will deter teenagers from becoming pregnant? Do you think any potential damage to the babies and children (and seniors!) used outweighs the social good? Or do you think the whole idea is horrendous?

And would you volunteer your child for a show like this? My mom friends, and me – we all said “no”. Actually, it was more like NO NO NO NO! What would you have done?

The American Academy of Pediatrics says that children under two should not watch any TV. Thanks for the extra mom guilt, AAP.

This recommendation was clearly not written by a single mom who needed to cook dinner, and considered it the lesser of two evils to plop her toddler in front of Bob the Builder so he would stay put and not get under her feet and have boiling water tipped on his head.

I don’t know if there’s an AAP recommendation against dropping boiling water on your kid, and whether it was considered when they drafted the TV recommendation, but they should have.

I’m not in favor of unrestricted TV watching, or having it burbling in the background all the time. Just about the only time my son watches television is ten minutes every other day when I’m cooking, or when I had a horrendous cold and ear infection and couldn’t move without the room spinning.

I just think it’s a bit draconian to say no TV ever. Sitting until their eyes go square and their brain starts dribbling out of their ear = bad. A couple of minutes of child-friendly TV = not bad.

Especially if you watch it with them, and talk about the show, ask them questions, and talk about what the message of the show was – most kids programs have one, like sharing or helping. If your kid starts picking up stuff he dropped because someone in Clifford the Big Red Dog did, that’s great, and it doesn’t matter where he got the idea.

I think my job as a parent is to set an example of healthy TV watching – turn it on for a particular show, watch that show, turn it off, go do something else. And I hope that will stick with him, and he won’t be a couch potato when he grows up.

I had lunch with a group of ladies the other day. We were a multicultural bunch, coming from different countries and cultures from the US, UK, Canada, Germany, and Asia. We had several things in common though we all spoke English, we were all expats in Switzerland, and we were all moms of kids ranging in age one-and-half and five years old.

Somehow the discussion turned towards TV and I was surprised to hear how diverse our opinions and practices are in terms of TV times. To make a long story short, some moms think 1 to 2 hours of TV time per day for preschoolers are OK while 1 mom advocates total abstinence. I am sort of in the middle of the road, my 5-year old twins spend on the average, 20 minutes a day in front of the TV.

We all have our reasons to justify our TV policies at home. Mine is pure and simple: I’d rather that my kids move than sit quietly the whole day.

A review in the New York Times cited several studies showing the not-so-beneficial effect of the presence of TV in the bedroom of children of all ages, as follows:

• Kids with TVs in their own bedrooms have an average viewing time of 21 to 30 hours a week.
• Kids who have TVs in their bedrooms normally have lower scores on school tests and are more likely to have sleeping problems.
• 70 % of the children with bedroom TV consistently performed poorly in maths, reading and language-arts tests.
• Preschoolers with bedroom TVs are more likely to be overweight, most especially the boys.
• Kindergarten kids with bedroom TVs tend to have more sleep problems and less “emotionally reactive”.
• Middle-school students (12 to 14 years old) with bedroom TVs are twice as likely to start smoking.

The mechanisms behind the impact of TV on children’s health and school performance are not well-understood. However, distraction during homework time and disturbed sleep are direct effects of TV that result in poorer performance at school. More disturbing, however, is the fact that the presence of a TV in a child’s bedroom can suggest less than optimal parental involvement with the child. The NYT article estimates that half of the children in the US have their own TV sets in their bedrooms.

One of the ladies in our luncheon group declared she deserves some rest, even if only for an hour, and TV at the midday in the kid’s room gives her a well-needed break from her toddler and preschooler. I can see her point. Indeed, motherhood can be pretty challenging and we moms need a break to recharge. But this does not justify using the TV as a babysitter. It will tend to become habit-forming for mom as well as for the kids.

So how do I keep my kids busy with resorting to TV? They draw, they read, they play, they cut pieces of paper and literally turn the house upside down. And when do I get my break? I don’t. I simply put them to bed early, clean up, and have my well-deserved rest at night.

How about you? What are your house rules regarding TV?

Related posts:

Kill your TV?.maybe

TV is the Enemy

According to an article on American Trails, visits to the United States National Parks have been steadily decreasing over the years. And everywhere we turn, experts are warning us about the negative effects of our increasingly sedentary lifestyle, the number one being that our children are becoming the same. Coupled with the unhealthy eating habits children are mimicking their parents, this has resulted in a never before seen number of overweight, even obese children.

In today’s digital age of iPods, HDTVs, PSPs and XBoxes, it seems kids today have less and less reason to play actively. But as parents, consider what your kids could be missing out on: a love of nature, an outlet to burn energy, and a boost to their health. Studies across different countries have shown that kids who were more active had “healthier numbers for blood pressure, cholesterol and insulin” (Source: Live Science).

As a mom of a 7 mo. old, and a mom who has, let’s just say “big bones”, I worry about what this nation of fast-food and sedentary play will do to my baby. My husband and I already vowed to never bring her to the ubiquitous McDonald’s and their counterparts, unless she in the future begs to go and only for special occasions. I also want to introduce her to the outdoors, and the number one promise: limit her TV to 1 hour a day once she’s a bit older.

She shouldn’t have any TV yet at her age anyway. The American Academy of Pediatrics discourage TV for children under the age of 2. The AAP cites that this age is critical for personal interaction, especially parent to children interaction. They urge parents not to use TV as a babysitter. And I tend to agree.

It’s never too early to instill the habit of active play, and this means that as parents, you must be the example, and the one to actively entice your children to physical activity. As much as possible, try not to just let them veg out in front of the TV.

What can you do to make sure your child isn’t always parked in front of a TV or computer?

• Enroll them in an activity that involves lots of action like karate, gymnastics. I’m not a big fan of Gymboree but they at least offer an outlet for babies to crawl and meet other babies (and for parents to meet other parents too).
• Set aside time several times a week to bike with your children, visit the park, or walk around the neighborhood pushing the younger kids in a stroller while the older ones try their scooter . Kids love spending time with their parents, and this activity ensures that you build memories with your kids while being active at the same time.
• Encourage your kids to play outside with friends. Of course monitor who they hang out with, and give them clear boundaries on where they can and can’t play. I know parents in my neighborhood who park themselves on the driveway or porch in lounge chairs, chatting with each other while the kids play on the street. For parents with younger kids, set up playdates.
• Build a kid-friendly backyard. If you have a house make your backyard a friendly place for your kids to want to hang out: a swing-set, a trampoline (but monitor them), sandbox, a tree-house or a fort. Make it the kind of place their friends would want to come over and play in as well.
• If you live in an apartment, make good use of the kiddie pool that is in most apartment complexes.
• Limit TV, Computer, Video games to a set time and your kids will be forced to become creative with their play!

Applying even a few of these suggestions will help ensure that your kids not be one of the statistics of unhealthy children in our country. Hope they help!

What about you? What do you do in your home to encourage active play?

Congratulations to Oscar-winning actress Minnie Driver, star of FX’s The Ritches, who is expecting her first baby. Minnie revealed her pregnancy on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno last week but hasn’t revealed who the father is. She’s just over 4 months along.

She also said she was still suffering from morning all day sickness, (yuck. I sympathise) but that she was enjoying her pregnancy.

Minnie has had some famous boyfriends, like John Cusack, Criss Angel, Matt Damon and most recently Josh Brolin, although they are said to have split up.

At least if there’s no man in the picture, she won’t have some dude waving stinking nachos around like my husband did when I had morning sickness.

Congratulations Minnie, wishing you a happy and healthy pregnancy!

You have probably heard by now that your old television set isn’t going to work anymore after February 19, 2009. All television transmissions will be broadcast in Hi-Def, which will render your old bunny-ears-antennas useless. T.V’s will then require a Hi-Def decoder box in order to bring you your favorite programs, unless you are a cable or satellite subscriber. Fortunately, the government is providing us with a coupon that will make the transition a little less painful, for your wallet anyway.

There are some things, however, that you should take into consideration when upgrading your old television to the new standard…