Phineas and Ferb Friday

Recently our family discovered Disney's Phineas and Ferb show. The kids enjoy watching it, and Matt and I like it too. However, it's not exactly geared to preschoolers and there are several elements that are less than ideal. There is the example of the bully treating the Pakistani boy in not-so-nice ways. There are fights and scrambles between Doofenshmirtz and Perry. There's lots of laser beam shooting at objects. Granted, it could all be a lot worse. I don't really feel that these negative things are glorified per se, but at the same time, my kids are very susceptible to the subtle influences. And there is really no educational value.

I should add that the show has a bunch of positive elements: there are strong themes of friendship and loyalty, the positive example of how Phineas and Ferb talk to other people nicely, themes of creativity and imagination, and my personal favorite-- each show has a song with humorous and clever lyrics. It's very entertaining.

All in all, it's a tough call whether or not to allow the kids to watch this show. Our solution (for now, anyway) was to create "Phineas and Ferb Friday." Instead of allowing the kids to watch the show throughout the week on the DVR, we decided to save it for Friday evenings when the whole family can sit down together and watch it. This way Matt and I know exactly what's in each episode and can talk with the kids about what we're watching. When we talked about Phineas and Ferb Friday with the boys they were excited about the idea. We are all looking forward to it tonight!

Hopefully things go well and the show is a positive thing for all of us. If we find that it's negatively influencing the way the kids play, talk, etc. we will have to change things. Maybe Matt and I will have to save it to watch after the kids are in bed! ;)

Wisdom, Justice, Moderation

I've never been big on inspirational quotes, and chances are that if you ask me for a favorite quote, I will give you a blank stare. Or maybe just say something really stupid.

Nonetheless, I do have a favorite motto. Not sure if it counts as a "quote," but then again, it doesn't matter. Without further ado, here it is- courtesy of the state of Georgia:

Wisdom, Justice, Moderation. Words to live by!

Facebook Fast

For Lent this year I decided to take a break from Facebook. I like Facebook as a way of keeping up with out-of-town friends in a casual way. It's nice to hear snippets of whatever is going on in my friends' lives, and it's easy to do this with Facebook compared to writing laborious emails. And I've been able to keep in touch with people that I would have otherwise been completely out of contact. And did I mention the pictures? I love seeing my friends' pictures, and it's fun to share mine with them as well.

So why the fast? I haven't consistently made sacrifices during the Lenten season each year. I've noticed that Facebook can be an escape for me. I'm in the habit of checking my account very frequently during the day, and sometimes it's just because I think (subconsciously) to myself, "I wonder if any of my friends is as miserable as I am right now," or, "Maybe there's something more interesting happening on facebook than there is in my house." In and of itself this is not a bad thing, but it CAN be bad.

In giving up Facebook for Lent I am making a concerted effort to turn to God instead of my cyber friends. (Don't be offended, I know you are all REAL people-- most of you anyway.) (That last part is a joke.) I want to be more fully present at home- with my kids- rather than escaping life's daily stress by running to the computer. Instead of thinking about what I am missing out on, I want to focus on how- with God's help- I can make things better at home. When I feel stressed or lonely I need to rely more on God and less on myself.

So that is my hope for Lent. Admittedly, I find myself hoping I don't miss out on too many of my friends' pictures. And throughout the day I still do status updates in my head. Now THAT'S embarrassing! We're 3 days into Lent, so hopefully the update habit breaks soon!! =) So far though, the fast has been very positive and serving its purpose quite well.

Facebook friends, I'll see you after Easter! (But feel free to email me in the mean time.)

Thoughts and Musings of Late

Let's face it. This is another blog casualty... a blog begun with the best intentions of writing regularly to document some of our family's experiences, but a blog that is used too infrequently to mean much. It has become just another lame blog statistic. I don't know what the statistics are, but surely this happens to a lot of bloggers? This is not to say I am throwing in the towel. But I'm also beyond the point of making promises to do better- for now anyway!


Here are a few things that have been on my mind lately, which I will probably not take the time to expound on in future posts (in no particular order, I might add):


1. What color should I paint the kitchen?

2. I need to keep up on current events better.

3. My husband is wonderful and very hard working, and I feel like I don't work nearly as hard as he does.

4. I need to read more.

5. What would less time on Facebook/email do for my state of mind during the day when I'm home with the kids?

6. How many more times will I catch Avery with her hands in the toilet before she outgrows this phase?

7. Will my kitchen floor EVER stay mostly clean for more than a few hours at a time?

8. I want to learn how to use my still-new-in-the-box sewing machine this year.

9. Where is my aerobics DVD?

10. Once we make landscaping adjustments to our backyard that should be attractive to tiny lizards, how in the world are we going to bring the lizards into our yard? (or help them find their own way?)

11. I love Frontline! Why don't I make it a priority to watch it more often?

12. I feel about as sharp as a ball. Will this ever change? Or is my pregnancy brain here to stay?

13. I live such a life of luxury and feel guilty at how easily I can put tragedies like Haiti out of my mind.

14. Caleb really says he wants to play baseball, but maybe it's a mistake to sign him up this year.

15. Issues of loyalty and obligation, both to my family of origin and my hometown. What's a good balance?

16. Am I my mother?

17. What should we have for dinner?

18. I really need to work to improve our kids' eating and mealtime habits.

19. What does a full night of sleep feel like?

20. Dear Lord, please fill in the gaps so that I don't totally screw up my kids.

And there you have it.