The Oasis - A spot for FORT parents

[hepcat]

Wow, Paulie's mom & dad are saints. That was quite a laundry list.

My daughter never got into eating stuff but my 2-year-old nephew (who I care for 3 days a week) is still eating handful after handful of sand. What is the attraction?

Let's take a poll - what is the most annoying kids show you have to put up with because your kid loves it?

I vote Caillou. My daughter loves that show. Whiny little bald kid, I wish he would get cancelled!

Favorite kid shows my daughter likes: Dora the Explorer & Bob the Builder. Ironically, we don't have cable so she just has one well-watched tape of each. :rolleyes

[Google]

 

[chompstick]

New favorite show...The Koala Brothers on Disney. Lil Chomp loves this show. We even made construction paper puppets of all the characters for him. Disney is having a Koala marathon this weekend. Guess I wont be going anywhere.

Other favorites: Clifford (big Clifford, not the baby Clifford) and Bob the Builder videos (we don't get that channel)

My least favorite: probably Caillou also. All that kid does is whine. I swear mine whines more after watching that show. (BTW, the 17 yr old girl who did Caillou's voice was killed in a car accident last September, so maybe the voice will change, or there will be no new shows.)

[dagwood]

Dang, Paulie...I'm speechless.

[Igotalife]

Originally Posted by chompstick

Disney is having a Koala marathon this weekend. Guess I wont be going anywhere.

Ineedalife is stuffing a $100 bill into an envelope for Chomp to go buy a VCR once and for all!

Just kidding-can remember a few nights having rearranged plans for Christmas specials and Snoopy on TV.

[cantgetenough]

Originally Posted by hepcat

Let's take a poll - what is the most annoying kids show you have to put up with because your kid loves it?

I vote Caillou. My daughter loves that show. Whiny little bald kid, I wish he would get cancelled!

Favorite kid shows my daughter likes: Dora the Explorer & Bob the Builder. Ironically, we don't have cable so she just has one well-watched tape of each. :rolleyes

Loving this one! My least favorite are anything to do with Japan-imation shows. That is huge with my kids age group....and really really disturbing to me personally, for some odd reason. I mean, I grew up on Bugs Bunny and the Road Runner, so why should this stuff get on my nerves???

Least favorite from the "old" days was Barney <---what inscipid (sp?) children and what a horrible horrible half hour of my life that I could never retrieve! But they loved it at the time.

We have new rules now regarding TV watching. As my guys are slightly older than the toddlers you all have, we are a TV free zone for most of the time. Very strictly monitored. I swear that just yesterday they would sit in front of a Disney movie or watch Veggie Tales <--my favorite, I'll admit but NO MORE. They want to see much more adult stuff. I axed cable TV, and they are on a earn to watch system, with me being the TV Nazi. They still love Arthur on PBS and ZOOM, but may I say that I hate ZOOM? Because they want to do every single little experiment that is shown! ARGGGGG!! This must be my holdover from hating to play playdough, I'm sure.

Does anyone have any advice regarding chores? This is a new and exciting phase of my life, as my kids are now getting old enough to do some things. I really do not want to raise little pampered princes...<--- may have something to do with the ex, I don't know! I am working on things that the boys can do around the house to help. My to do list includes bringing their dirty laundry to the washer/dryer, bus-ing their dishes after meals, taking out the garbage and feeding the cats. They do not get an allowance, but earn prividleges instead.

I'm also a stickler on manners, as I really have been experiencing from elementary school how RUDE children are! Not only to each other, but to adults in general. My kids say yes sir and mame, thank you, you are welcome....etc...and you should see the reaction! Its shocking to me that one little thank you can seem to earn a kid a ticker tape parade, but I insist on it.

I'd love to know what kind of chores your kids have or are capable of...I don't want to run my own private sweat shop nor do I want to start the whole allowance thing...my thought is that I'm not "paid" to do housework, so they shouldn't be either!

[chompstick]

Originally Posted by ineedalife

Ineedalife is stuffing a $100 bill into an envelope for Chomp to go buy a VCR once and for all!

Just kidding-can remember a few nights having rearranged plans for Christmas specials and Snoopy on TV.

Ah yes. I now remember that this is not the first time I have mentioned the importance of the Koala Brothers in the Chomp household. Well, I have a VCR, but I'll still take the $100.

[Tirlittan]

Both of my kids love Maggie and the Ferocious Beast, and I love it too. It must be the most underrated cartoon, where are all the Maggie lunchboxes and Ferocious Beast fruit snacks... Unfortunately the older one is now demanding cartoon network, and one show I hate is Courage the cowardly dog. They don't like it so much in TV, but they like to log on Cartoon Network website to play Courage the Cowardly Dog games. (Well, at least smashing walking eggplants is not too bloody, or realistic.)

cantgetenough, I admire your determination to limit TV
I wish I could, but with studies pressuring it is just too easy to tell them go watch something I am reading... (excuses, excuses)

[Igotalife]

Originally Posted by hepcat

Let's take a poll - what is the most annoying kids show you have to put up with because your kid loves it?

Has to be Pokemon! Everytime I hear :"Peeka-choo" or "Who's that Pokemon????" I want to scream

[dagwood]

Originally Posted by hepcat

Let's take a poll - what is the most annoying kids show you have to put up with because your kid loves it?

There aren't many. My daughter was born around the time Teletubbies premiered. I wouldn't allow her to watch that or Barney. Luckily, my babysitter felt the same way. I hated those shows. I don't mind Dora, Blues Clues...that type of show, but when Oswald would come on I would have to leave the room. Luckily she was more into that show Zoboomafoo on PBS. The Kratt Brothers show geared toward toddlers. It was cute and she learned from it.

[cantgetenough]

Originally Posted by Tirlittan

cantgetenough, I admire your determination to limit TV I wish I could, but with studies pressuring it is just too easy to tell them go watch something I am reading... (excuses, excuses)

Did I mention I drink heavily???

Kidding! Its not AS hard as it sounds, only because of homework (LOADS OF IT, they are in a Japanese Immersion program, and do all the subjects in BOTH languages!) and their different activities. The hardest hit (even for me personally) was to shut the cable off. Once that was done away with, it really was just a matter of there being very few programs they were interested in watching on regular ole network tv! I still thank god for PBS, and send in my pledge. I still want to hunt down those lousy ZOOM kids and make them do the science experiments, but I live FAR FAR FAR away from Boston!

What made the "switch" actually work, was that I bought all the Harry Potter books on tape! Literally, they would listen and do other things (play legos, etc.) That was "the ticket" that made the transition easier. We have the tapes in my car for long rides and they are now able to listen and read along, which has added a whole new dimension for them because of word pronounciation, the "Queens English" vs. how we speak, and made the books really come alive for them.

I'm still the "TV NAZI" to them, tho. :phhht Every time I ask what they want for a birthday present or for xmas, its "cable TV" screamed at the top of their lungs!