Why You Need To Moderate TV viewing in Your Children

In  the age of increasingly accessible technology I’m sure you have the same problems as I do—how to control how much media your child has access to in a day.  Some parents often question why they need to do so—after all, considering the saturation of digital and traditional media that we undergo as adults, isn’t it futile to prevent this in our kids, when that is the kind of world they will be growing up into?

Studies say it is not as futile as we see it.  The first two years of a person’s life is the most critical, when brain functions and activity develop.  When subjected to the TV, the child may have less time in activities that provide the right stimuli, and more importantly, values.  The time before a child turns two is the best time to instill in him the fondness for play, for building relationships and introduce to him the basic concepts of critical thinking.  Are parents really willing to turn over this responsibility to a machine?

TV is of course not at all that evil.  In fact it is amoral—it has no values of itself.  Any semblance of value that it may have should be the values of gatekeepers—people who choose what will be shown on TV.  They are the editors of TV programming.

Unfortunately, decisions made by these people are no longer governed by values but of profit.  Violence and sex sells.  Even the whole structure of TV is dependent on the show’s ability to sell products in its time slot.  So there are no longer any gatekeepers—anyone who wants to make money can rush through that proverbial gate.

As saif however, TV is amoral and merely a tool.  Nuclear fission may be used to power cities and communities at low cost, or it may be installed in a military device that can be used as leverage when negotiating in the international scene.  Used the proper way, the television can be used to augment the ability and function of educators.  It is a force multiplier.  Imagine how many people are able to learn the alphabet when it is presented via television, as opposed to a teacher teaching a student one on one?

Shows on things that matter—like current events, nature and man’s role in degrading it among other things are subjects that can be spread easily through the medium of television.  We have come such a long way from the 50’s—and one of the more obvious indicators that communication and the transmission of ideas has evolved is the existence of memes.  Memes are packets of culture that are passed along—and these days, memes travel quite fast.  One meme generated from one end of the globe can readily spread to another continent within seconds thanks to the Internet.  Imagine if that tool used to spread memes can be used to spread all sorts of beneficial ideas.  It is happening now but there is a problem of gatekeeping that has been mentioned awhile ago.

So why limit a child’s TV viewing activity?  Well you have something called ubiquitous assimilation.  Has media ever come to a point for you where you suddenly want to shut everything off?  That’s one of the explanations why people have to take a break from Facebook every once in a while.  The bombardment of all these ideas and images may be too much and the mind needs to be able to do its own editing or process what it receives.  With ubiquitous assimilation, even the most useless of information is crammed by media into the heads of people, that the person in question’s ability to think critically, to form sound opinions and speak is impaired by the barrage of invading ideas.

You can strengthen your child’s mind by building his sense of values and ability to think critically at an early age, that he can be the gatekeeper of his mind in his own right.  And you can start that by training him to choose what he watches on TV.  

Don't Do Baby Talk

I've just come across an article saying one shouldn't indulge children in baby talk.  Overall, the article said that it hampers the growth of the child's linguistic skills and that's one of the culprits, says a study.

Most parents think baby talk is a good form of communication that meets a child's linguistic skills halfway but that's not true.  You see the child is still developing at that age, and to him the way you speak is something he ought to mimic.  Developing the right skills to pronounce specific syllables goes down the drain when you gurgle and squeak around your baby.  It's cute, but you're setting your kid's development back!

Don't baby talk!

Choosing Baby Bottles

Even a breastfed baby will likely need bottles- for pumped breast milk, for a supplementary bottle of formula, feeding in public during long travels, and maybe an occasional serving of water or juice.

The Classic Glass Bottles by Evenflo- using Glass means its BPA-free

Baby Bottles are made of clear, semi-transparent, colored plastic or glass. You may buy nipples separately. You may also see novelty shapes- such a football shape bottle with a hole in the center that serves as a handle that the baby can hold onto when feeding.

There are also baby bottles that boast of aerodynamic flow that prevents colic.

Playtex Vent Aire Baby Bottles promises to prevent Colic after feedings with its special airflow system.

The expensive baby bottles tend to emulate the natural breast of the mother to encourage feeding;

Mimijumi and Avent have breast-like rubber nipples

Hence the baby bottle has very large and wide nipples. The popular makers of baby bottles are Ansa, Gerber, Playtex, Avent and Pigeon.

How to Choose Baby Bottles:

• Try out different types to see which type you prefer: Standard baby bottle, angle-necked baby bottle, or disposable.
• Buy half a dozen small bottles when you decide on a type you like. 
• Observe your baby and how the child responds to the bottle during feeding time, consider nipple flow. You can readily buy nipples that are for fast or slow feeders. 
• Invest on a good quality bottle steamer with a timer. This will save you time and money. Because the bottles are properly timed and sterilized, you avoid the risk of melting plastic bottles in boiling water (if you are the forgetful type and leave things on the stove for too long). With a bottle steamer, the nipples, bottle rings and baby bottles are properly segregated.
• Avoid novelty shapes, which are hard to clean and hard to replace if the item goes out of stock.

That Call Finally Happened! I Need All The Luck in the World

My excitement is building~ woot! woot! I've got a job interview Monday so I need to spend the weekend prepping so I'm ready to get it! Wish me luck... (you could be looking at the new manager of the FrizCorp!)

Hey kids, yah know mom loves you, but I'm gonna skip the bike trails unfortunately. Kisses!

Win 500 Pounds with Panda365

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Each game is unique in itself and explores different worlds in its themes: Theme Park goes classic carnival, Airport is an interesting take on a place normally seen as a transition point between places, Las Vegas is self-explanatory, Pie Rats—perhaps the strangest theme among the lot—mixes pastries and seafaring rodents in an adventure game, Bingo Spin—with the most reels among the seven—is a fine take on an old game, Flaming Sevens has a lot of secret levels embedded within the game while Six Shooter is all about guns and the wild, wild West.

Players who are looking for a venue for clean fun in online slots machines can find what they’re looking for at Panda365.  Equipped with Thawte Security, which is one of the most trusted providers of internet encryption in the world, players can enjoy safety in playing the games they love online.  Gone are the days when one has to go to a physical casino in order to play—now, anywhere there is a computer and an internet connection, one can get into slots gaming anytime.  And with the coming of applications on mobile internet devices like iPads, it will not be long before casinos and online slots machines become truly part of the mobile lifestyle.

Trust, innovation, entertainment and security, are the values Panda365 upholds as its company values.  It aims to be the most innovative slots gaming site on the web, planning newer and more unique games as upcoming offers to players old and new.  Players can expect newer and better games as they go along, so why not start by creating your account at Panda365 and experiencing its array of games?

Finally, Panda365 upholds clean and fair play in online gambling, incorporating responsible gambling systems into its system.  Panda365 wishes to attract a lot of players in its site, but wishes quality playing over quantity, which is the reason why it has measures to keep online play a positive experience.  Also, it offers customer support that promises prompt action in case problems occur in the Panda365 gaming experience.  With all these and more in store for Panda365 players, it won’t be long before the site becomes number one among the online slots sites these days!

Vintage Delights

These antique rag ribbons are just lovely! If you're doing Eco-theme wraps for Christmas, these would fit in nicely!

For all things rustic, head on to Olive & Manna Paper Goods

Buncha Mason jars: Perfect for my kitchen!

Baby Talk: Developing Language Skills

Your child doesn't have to start talking out loud to demonstrate language skills. In fact, by 12 months, children can already understand several words and associate them with how they look like.

There's an early test on language skills that's called the Object Identification Test, which can be done on children 12 months old. Here objects can be called out by name and the child is asked to point to each of them. Performance in this test is an indicator of language skills, which studies show, are linked with good performance in school later on.

You can help improve your child's language skills as early as 0-12 months through proper nutrition. Well-developed language skills are important indicators of academic success.