Stay at Home Mom

As parents we all know that it is in our kids best interest to limit their TV time. We also know that it is in our best interest ( and our family’s ) that we take a shower on occassion. When the kids are young that may mean letting them watch some TV while you jump in the shower or start dinner or whatever it is that you need to do.

But we also know that what goes into their young impressionable brains stays there and the old saying “Garbage in – Garbage out” holds true.

If you are letting them watch garbage shows then you know what you can expect. Kids who hear bad language on TV repeat it. Kids who see bad behavior on TV repeat it. If TV were not that impressionable then companies would not spend millions of dollars for 30 second spots of advertising on it.

So, what is a parent to do? The short answer for our family was TIVO. When we got our first TIVO years ago it changed our life. We were able to watch our favorite show when we wanted to and we could watch football games as a family ( the pause feature allowed us to pause the game and only restart it when everyone had had a chance to take a bathroom break or go to the kitchen for a snack ). So, I love TIVO.

But now TIVO is even smarter – if that is possible. It can be managed from the Internet. With a few clicks of the mouse you can program your TIVO online and make sure the kids are catching the programming you want them to watch and not the garbage you don’t.

We recently received info on a new program put together by the Smart Television Alliance that allows you to do just that. Visit their website for more information and there is also a great sweepstakes going on right now ( last day to enter is Dec 25 so check it out now )

ENTER TO WIN

October 23, 2009

Stayathomemom.com officially announces Mom’s night out.

One of the things that keep us sane – especially during those years when the kids are little – are those connections we have with our friends.

When my kids were very little I actually took a girls retreat for an entire weekend. It was only once a year but it carried me through the rest of the year and restored my necessary patience load that had somehow depleted throughout the previous year.

This October 23 is the PERFECT night to get together with your girl friends and treat yourself to a night out for several reasons.

1. If you haven’t already lined up the halloween costume by then you know you will be tying plastic snakes in her hair and calling her Medusa or slapping together some other uber easy costume.
2. Once you hit October 31 you enter full on holiday season and getting together for a leisurely night out will be a challenge

and

3. ( Most importantly ) October 23 is the premier of “Motherhood” the film – starring Uma Therman.

Face it – on Mom’s night out you are probably going to end up talking about the kids anyway. This movie is sure to bring us all together in our motherhood humanity and the challenges that we all face – even when those challenges all happen in one single day.

Remember: It’s not babysitting when the dad is watching the kids – it’s a special night at home with daddy and kids to watch movies together, pop popcorn, play games, and maybe even stay up late.
But if you need to then pool a babysitter and meet over at one friends house with a couple of babysitters and let them watch a few kids. It can be a great night for everyone. ( more on night out solutions later ). Don’t let the lack of a babysitter keep you from Moms night out October 23.

So many moms I talk to stress out about all the input they get from other people about how they should be raising their child.  So, we scour books and seek out experts to reassure us that we are giving our child the best opportunity to grow up in a happy and healthy environment.

But perhaps what we should do is to calm down just  abit, trust ourselves, and have a nice cup of coffee with our girl friends.

Read the Full Article in support of Moms as experts