Tag: MAM

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In Defense of Baby Einstein

baby_einstein_logoThe other day I saw a tweet linking to how to get your $15.99 back from the Baby Einstein company if you kid hadn’t, in fact, turned into an Einstein by watching the DVDs. I was curious. We have a treasure trove of Baby Einstein products–how much were they worth?!? I clicked through and read the very easy and clear instructions. It looks like, if we really wanted to, we could turn in four Baby Einstien DVDs and net $64. We could use my parents address and get $64 more. But we won’t.

We won’t, because my kids have enjoyed those DVDs more than almost any other DVD we own. I’ve share a few moments here–a desperate moment, a ridiculous moment, and a few shameless-plug moments, sponsored by none other than the Baby Einstein Company. We have shared many more moments than this.

Baby MacDonald got us through a good portion of our road trip this summer. No matter how fussy he was, Junior stopped crying long enough to watch the pigs slide down the slide and into the mud.

Baby Wordsworth, while it didn’t teach my daughter sign language, it introduced her to the concept.

Baby Santa is just fun to watch around the holidays (or anytime, when MAM has her way).

Neighborhood Animals is a great way for Junior to practice his roar (according to him, every animal roars. except for birds. they quack)

All of those DVDs have exposed my children to music they may not have heard otherwise, music that MAM does identify now when she hears it other places.

And do you know what each and every one of those slices of digital magic has done for me? It’s bought me 30 minutes of sanity and quiet.

I never expected the DVDs to concretely teach them much–children need to engage all of their sense for the easiest learning. Parents who expect the television to replace human interaction have seriously warped expectations.

Is the marketing slick? Sure. Do you feel like you are doing a good thing when you buy one of these DVDs? Of course.  It’s Disney. Making you (and your kids feel good) is their job.  And they are good at it.

Totally worth $15.99 to me.

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You Are Here

Here we are:

Finding building number 4 on the map
Finding building number 4 on the map

Thea told me that I would love four. She was right. Four is agreeable, four is slightly more detailed conversation, four is slightly less dramatic and exhausting. Four is Fun.

Saturday the kids and I went made it to Conner Prairie, and had the best.day.ever.

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Pear, anyone?
And she turned the general store into a pet shop.
And she turned the general store into a pet shop.

We started our visit at the indoor play area, where there was a pioneer kitchen, a play farm (complete with a cow to milk), a general store and a giant train table. I think they would have stayed there forever if there wasn’t the promise of real live animals out in the barns. We saw animals, MAM petted said animals, Jr. roared at all of them. We rode the Tram (very exciting! It’s like a train, Mama, but it’s on the road!), and each time we saw the map, MAM stopped and found where we were, and where we were going. She retraced our entire route, each time she saw a map.

We played in a 19th century school house, walked through a covered bridge, saw a carpenter making the cross-bar of a window frame and played with the wood shavings. We smelled drying herbs, and saw the world’s largest hot air balloon.

We are here. And here is gooood.

Montessori Schmontessori, MAM sat right down with her primer and slate!
Montessori Schmontessori, MAM sat right down with her primer and slate!
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A Sunday To-Do List

I haven’t had a Sunday To-Do List since the last week of school in May. I can honestly say that I didn’t miss making one/completing one AT ALL (mine involves gathering items to send to daycare, making sure we’ve all got clean clothes and things for lunch, etc).

But even at age 35, the first day of school is kind of special, especially when I have a four year old to share the excitement with me. How excited is she for school to start?

Tonight I set out her clothes for tomorrow, and told her that as soon as she woke up, she could get dressed for school. I went downstairs to get her vitamins, and when I came back up, she was getting dressed. For school. It took a bit of talking to convince her that we had to go to sleep first, then it would be time to go to school. I’m not planning to sleep in my clothes tonight, but I am angling for a great day tomorrow!