kids shows - my 2 cents

Thumbs up:
Sesame Street = still awesome even after 40 years, and their website kicks butt for helping to teach letters, numbers, emotions, etc...
Sid the Science Kid = makes investigating the world cool...
Ni Hao, Kai-Lan = great learning points, cute (but not nauseating) songs, teaching Chinese (which Tam is mimicing)...
Cat in the Hat = love it / hate it. Annoying songs that stick in the head, but interesting mixture of science and fun...
Martha Speaks = talking dog is weird, but they introduce great vocabulary


Thumbs down...oh so down:
Thomas the Tank engine = mindless drivel...no one warned me that this show has absolutely NO POINT...
Barney = still can't stomach more than a minute of this lovey, crappy musical purple buffoon...
Yo Gabba Gabba= yuck, yuck, yuck...

Car Cruise

Here along our 28th St, is a car cruise held every august. This year, I had the chance to take Tamlin and Jude down to check out the old cars. I knew that Tam would be beside himself with joy at scoping out all the automobiles. I plunked Jude in the front carrier and grabbed Tam's hand as we toured around...

We first stopped at a parkinglot where the cars there were to be judged. Big mistake on my part. These folks did not want anyone coming anywhere near their cars since they were all sparkly and shiny for judging. (ok, I understand that). Additionally, no one really wanted to talk to Tam or me because we obviously weren't judges. I was done with this snobbishness within minutes, and after a quick turn around, I loaded the kids back into our (not antique) car.

However, out of the cars displayed here, Tam seemed to like the Plymouth with the rear spoiler/fin that made it look like "the King" car from the Disney Movie Cars.

Our second stop was much better. This parkinglot just held anyone's car that was being shown to the rest of the population. Here, many people stopped to talk to Tam and I; we had several great conversations with owners and mechanics. Tam loved looking the cars over and checking out all the engines... even the Volkswagens with their engines in the trunks :-) We also sat with an older gentlemen for awhile and just watched the cars touring along in front of us on 28th street. The gentlemen would ask Tam what cars he saw and then tell him what make and model they were. I could only guess at a few of them myself. Jude slept the entire time, only getting restless near noon, which was feeding time. We left with a few photos, a brochure about cars, big smiles, and lessons about old cars. Great times.

carseat results

I had Tamlin go with me to Toys-r-us to try out several of the boosters I was considering buying. I had it narrowed down to 3: the Graco Nautilus, The Evenflow Maestro, and the Evenflow Generations. All three had strengths I was looking for, including the 5-point harness, high weight limits, high safety features, and high recommendations from other moms. Differences between the three dealt with price (Graco was the highest), moveable armrests (Generations), and harness fit when a seatbelt booster seat with older kids (maestro rated best).

I got all three seats down for Tam to sit in, fully expecting him to like the Graco the best because it looked the most comfy (and highest price). But, Tam had other ideas...and liked the Maestro best.

So, I went with that one...based on the opinions of a nearly 3 year old :-)

When we got the booster, I had Tamlin try it out. He exclaimed that it "was so comfy and soft!"
He really likes his new seat!


We got the older seat re-installed in the car with the little baby insert for Jude. He seems to like it too. We are hearing less crying from him in the car...but we have only gone on short excursions so far. Jude does seem to like being able to see big brother Tam and tends to watch him quite a bit. Tam likes to exclaim to the rest of us when "Jude's awake" or "Jude's sleeping"...though this is usually done in a rather loud voice :-) Here's Jude in his new seat; he's 3.5months old.


Now Everyone is and happy again in our vehicle!

Wordless Wednesday - my boys

Carseats revisited

In the interest of making Jude a more happy camper in the car, we decided to try him out in the larger carseat. This meant that we are going to boot Tam out of his current car seat and get him into a new booster seat. It was around this time in Tamlin's life that we had noticed that are growing boy was getting long for the bucket carrier. Jude is the same way (I make big healthy babies). Here's Tam demonstrating how well he fits into the bucket carrier (not!) We suspect that Jude is not fond of this seat because of its lack of padding, confiding sides, and not being able to see out very well. We are hoping that the upgrade will make him a happier camper when we re traveling on long trips.

I love, LOVE, the convertible carseat that I had purchased for Tamlin. It is a FirstYears TrueFit brand that rates high in safety and comfort, but isn't quite as expensive as the top of line seats. The cover is fairly easy to remove and clean. I loved the removable headrest. And Tam easily slept in the thing on our long trips to see family. Two thumbs up! The seat could hold Tamlin all the way to 65lbs . . . if we weren't going to let his little brother have it :-) Here's Tam in the carseat at 3.5 months and at nearly 3yrs old.

So, once again, I found myself entering the CarSeat Shopping Zone. (Cue psycho music here). Which one to buy to keep my little man safe? I least knew with the current laws that Tam should be in a 5-point harness and not just the car's seatbelt. But, I'm hoping this is the last carseat for him before riding in the car with no booster help. That means the carseat needed to go from harness to booster seat to even a backless booster seat for an older kid. I want one that is easy to adjust and can accommodate a long torso/tall, skinny kid...'cause that is how I think Tam will turn out over the next few years.

It seemed that many of the seats had various bells-and-whistles to appeal to a preschooler or so...not things that I had to consider for a little one. Do I want one with cup holders? With a reclining option? Adjustable headrest? Should it have compartments for little toys? Should the armrests flip up? Egads! I'm surprised none of them came equipped with an ipod and video screen!

Crayola Washable Paints

My hat's off to Crayola Washable Paint.

I let Tam try these out on Sunday (only red and blue). This is his first chance at playing with "real" paint as apposed to foam soap with food coloring added to it. He had a blast!



He painted...
Paper with pictures of cars
Cardboard box that was cut into a garage for his cars
His matchbox cars
His shirt
Himself - fingers, arms, knees, neck, and face

Yes...both the cars and the skin were washable with just soap and water!
Fabulous!