First Trip to the Dentist!

Smiling and cavity free!!

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Questions

Highlights!

Yesterday a coworked brought some "High Five" (ages 2-6) by Highlights magazines to see if the girls would like them... THEY LOVED THEM! What a great little magazine that can grow with your kids. I can assure you when the 6 that he gave me have been completely read through we will be paying for the subscription. I would say it is a little expensive over all but well worth the price.

According to Wiki: "Highlights for Children (referred as simply Highlights) is an American children's magazine. It began publication in June 1946, started by Garry Cleveland Myers and his wife Caroline Clark Myers in Honesdale, Pennsylvania (the present location of its editorial office). They both worked for another children's magazine, Children's Activities, for 12 years before leaving to start Highlights. The company is presently based in Columbus, Ohio. Highlights has surpassed a billion copies in print."

Radio Flyer

Thanks to a gift from their grandparents now our girls can join in a classic american tradition that I could not put into words better than the company itself...
From the Radio Flyer Website:

"Like the Original Red Wagon that lent our company its name, Radio Flyer has become an American Classic. From humble beginnings, Radio Flyer has been rediscovered with each new generation — creating a legacy of toys that continue to spark the imagination.

For over 90 years, millions of children have played with Radio Flyer wagons launching countless voyages of imagination. Their beauty, simplicity, and standards of safety encourage adventure, discovery, and the wonders of childhood.

As the new millennium gains momentum, we’re still in the driver’s seat… Creating tomorrow’s innovative products with the same classic quality and sheer sense of play that have been our trademarks from the beginning. Radio Flyer wagons are truly icons of Americana."

Did you know? "Antonio Pasin's (creator of these wagons) wagons captured the spirit of the times. He named his first steel wagon the Radio Flyer, after his fascination with the invention of the radio by fellow Italian, Guglielmo Marconi; and Flyer, which reflected his wonderment of flight."

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Let's All Go To The Movies!

Today we went to the movies as a family for the first time! This was Charlotte's first time ever... Movie popcorn was on the menu today!

'The Princess and The Frog' was at the dollar theater, and it was well worth the price.

Do you remember this one? I don't other than in movies.

According to Wiki: "Let's All Go to the Lobby" is a 1953 animated musical snipe played as an advertisement before the beginning of the main film. It featured a family of four talking concession stand products, singing "Let's all go to the lobby to get ourselves a treat" and walking to the concession stand.

Or how about this one... (you probably know it from Grease)

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Wear Your Helmet

Did you know? According to Good Housekeeping: Every year, 350,000 children under age 15 go to hospital emergency rooms with bike-related injuries. Of that number, 130,000 children suffer head injuries and an estimated 200 die. By wearing a helmet, a child can reduce her risk of injury by as much as 85 percent. But remember -- a bicycle helmet must fit properly to be safe.

Please go to the link and check out the 8 steps for proper fit.

My kids wear helmets and I do too! Do you?

First Planting of the Year

Charlotte's Card From Great Grandma

Charlotte would not let anyone see or touch her card from Great Grandma.

It was a Happy Birthday

Bye Bye Binky!

Tonight was the first night that Charlotte fell alseep without a binky!! She has only been using it for sleep for a while now.

According to Mayo: "The decision to use a pacifier — or not — is up to you. Let go of any guilt or pressure as you learn what works best for your baby." and "Most kids stop using pacifiers on their own between ages 2 and 4." Now, she did ask for her pacifier and did put up a small fight but nothing much really. (Please note this is linked to a two page article and I only used two sentances, please read the entire article if you have questions becuase I have no clue)

Did you know? According to Wiki:

A pacifier was also known as a 'dummy' in English speaking countries outside North America and Ireland - where it is known as both a dummy and also a soother. Early pacifiers were manufactured with a choice of black, maroon or white rubber, though the white rubber of the day contained a certain amount of lead. Binky (with a y) was first used as a brand name for pacifiers and other baby products in about 1935 and is currently owned by Playtex Products, Inc. as a trademark in the U.S. (and a number of other countries)

There is a long history of parents giving their children items to suck on in order to comfort them. In the 1800s, the expression "born with a silver spoon in his mouth" could be taken almost literally: silver soothers/teethers were often given to babies born to wealth. Other expensive materials were also used, with mother-of-pearl or coral being thought to ward off sickness. Coral was believed to guard against all kinds of evil, and in England in the 17th–19th centuries, a coral meant a teething toy made of coral, ivory or bone, often mounted in silver as the handle of a rattle.

In 1909 someone calling herself "Auntie Pacifier" wrote to the New York Times to warn of the "menace to health" (she meant dental health) of "the persistent, and, among poorer classes, the universal sucking of a rubber nipple sold as a 'pacifier'." In England too, dummies were seen as something the "poorer classes" would use, and associated with poor hygiene.

It wasn’t until the late 1970s that researchers were able to dispel the notion that pacifiers were psychologically unhealthy and aberrant.

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Spring Time 2010

It is beautiful outside!

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

All tied up...

Isabella came out this morning to show me that she tied a bow! She was so proud.

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Not Just A Normal Seat

It yes it is sort of odd to blog about toilet seats. Trust me for some reason there is just something uncomfortable talking to anyone about it. However, grandpa came to our house from a trip to Home Depot with one of the coolest presents ever! Yes sir it is a toilet seat. 
What? Yes a toilet seat... With a training seat built in, what more could you ask for?
This seat from Bemis is one of the best ideas ever! It's ease of use makes it every easy for the girls to use the bathroom comfortably and give us the ability to have one less item in the bathroom. 

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

March 18, 2010

Happy Birthday, Charlotte!!! Happy Birthday TWO you...

Chicken Dance

I promise you that I haven't seen the movie for years, however even though it is high on my watch list... Charlotte tonight just started walking in a weird way... all I could think about is this clip from "Ed TV"

Ed TV:


Charlotte TV:
(Please Note: if there are any network sponsors that want to sign Charlotte we are always listening)

Isabella - And then...

I am so happy I started filming went she started going on this little story telling...
Background: Sometimes when I put Isabella to bed I make up a story and I ask her questions about what is going in the story.
One night she just went on and on... can you think of something cuter and more creative?

"She" is the unicorn named Flower this night...

Charlotte Is Almost Two

Ice Cream and Kids 101

As I am a new parent there are many things I need to learn. One was that I need to teach my kids how to eat from an ice cream cone. All the non parents are saying "WHAT??" Yes it's true we are not born with the knowledge of how to eat soft serve ice cream. Some of the directions included: "Clean up the sides", "Bite with your lips", "Eat from the top", "Now bite the side of the cone" (You will see that Charlotte took that too literal), "Now suck the last bit from the bottom"

Ice Cream And Kids 101.1

So all of you newer parents... it is almost spring time! Get your kids some ice cream and get outside!
Oh and as a side note: McD's normally has free kids cones!

Organize The Many Pictures You Take Of the Kids

If you are like me you love taking pictures.
Of the kids or anything in general.
In the past you didn't have a lot of good organizational tools to help you manage all of the pictures being taken, unless you were on a Max or the program was a small fortune... until now...

Google's product Picasa 3 is available for a free download and use. Ever since this has come out I have been using this program. It is easy and powerful at the same time. It also allows you to organize your pictures easily.

Picture 1: You can see there is a picture of Isabella and Charlotte. Currently in that picture I have told Picasa that Charlotte is in that picture. So it highlights her face. Right after this screen capture I added Isabella's name as well. Once you have told the program a few faces it will start to guess, this is where it really speeds up the process of naming.

Picture 2: If you have a camera that can geocache or you know where the picture is taken you can store the location of where the image was taken.

Picture 3: You can then choose a name and it will bring up all of the images that person is. You can see that in this picture that Charlotte has many different pictures and I can click on any one of the to see the actual picture.

Over all this is a great program. It helps me organize my many pictures. I will have to admit if you have the thousands of pictures on your computer like I do getting all of the faces is slightly tedious. But there is much reward once complete.