Archive for January, 2007
January 21, 2007· Filed under Education, Family, Parenting
Let me tell you about Gerbie. Oh, and Konnick. And don’t forget their older sister Melty. Now, I know you are scratching your head on this one, but these three characters are members of our family. Really. They are part of my daughter’s imagination and they have been around for three years now. They have been on vacation with us, family outings, daily errands and you really never know when they will pop in. Oh, and never sit on one of them - you will be scolded!!!
These three are not the only imaginary family to live with us. When my son was the same age we had Little Pretend Boy (LPB) living with us. That was his name - and he liked trains and cars, just like my son did. He and his Little Pretend Dad would often follow us in the car.
I have read that having an imaginary friend (or three) is a sign of a creative, gifted mind. When my son first introduced us to LPB, we weren’t sure what to make of it. Afterall, he is our first and we were new to this parenting thing. Little did we know that LPB was just one of many indicators, and that looking back on it all now, we were dealing with a gifted child. He spoke in full concepts/sentences by 18 months, was basically self taught at reading by 5, has since cleaned out the school library, and is very easily bored by repetitive teaching techniques. This highly refined mind had it challenges too - meltdowns over seemingly insignificant things would occur regardless of where we were.
Now that Miss N is 5, her imaginary friends still stop in from time to time, but she has made the distinction. She wanted me to play a game the other day and I just wasn’t in the mood. I asked her to have Gerbie play it with her. She immediately declared that Gerbie was not real and at this moment only a real person would do. While her mind works in a more abstract way than her brother, she exhibits so many of the same personality traits.
My middle child doesn’t have a mind that works that way, so no imaginary friends for her, but she has always been compassionate and understanding of the other two and their wild imaginations. Being an average, bright, athletic, well-rounded child has worked well for her so far.
Does your child have (or had) any imaginary friends? What are they called and are they welcomed into your family, too?
This post was inspired by Michelle’s post Odd Names for Toys - I think her kids would get along just fine with mine!
Tags: imaginary friends, gifted child, family, parenting, education
January 19, 2007· Filed under Blog Carnival, Family, Parenting
Somedays I feel like the ringmaster in a very large circus - Cirque du Mommy! And today I am the ringmaster in the Carnival of Red Hot Bloggers. Our topic for the week is "Tales from the Playdate Files," so give me your best and your worst or just walk that tightrope and let’s see what we get.
I have three kids and live on a street with no other kids, so playdates and sports are the only way my kids get to see their friends. Personally, I don’t mind being the playdate hostess - it gives me an opportunity to really see how my kids’ friends are and how they all interact.
My youngest is 5 and goes to school in the afternoons. She has a friend that comes over some mornings and usually they play really well. This week my daughter was having real issues with interaction and I felt bad for her friend. All Miss N wanted to do was dance to music but wanted her friend to just sit and watch. How rude! Her poor friend just sat there and finally I couldn’t take it anymore and had to intervene. Would you have done the same?
This afternoon should also be interesting. The older two each have a friend coming over and the youngest doesn’t. I feel bad for her, but part of being a sibling is learning that life isn’t always fair. Hopefully the big kids will do a good job of including her or else I will be stuck playing infinite rounds of Littlest Pet Shop Game
game with her.
Enough of my ramblings! What are your experiences with kids and playdates?
- Angela at Oh, Baby Baby questions the need for formal playdates and gives us her reasons. Afterall, isn’t going to the park considered a playdate, too?
- Babytalkers is lucky enough that she can still pick her child’s friends and so far so good. She even confesses that playdates are as much for her as they are for her child.
- Gayla at MomGadget has got her boys trained - they now pick the friends who come over based on their ability to follow house rules.
- Doris at Home Office Women has learned that playdates can be a good way to observe "the other side" of your child’s personality as he develops his interaction skills.
Want to part of our carnival today? Leave me a comment with a link to your post and you are in! Feeling stressed about meeting a deadline? There is none. If you put together a post today or next week, I’ll still add it.
Tags: carnival, Red Hot Bloggers, playdates, kids, littlest pet shop, oh baby baby
January 18, 2007· Filed under Music
Now I know I am probably in the minority on this one, but personally, I think American Idol has gone DOWNHILL over the past few seasons.
I watched the show last night - the one on the auditions from Seattle and was really turned off by the whole thing. There was no happy medium and I guess that is what the network wanted. The showed some auditions with potential - like 16 year old Jordan (I thought she did great), but the majority of the show was freaks. I apologize if I offend anyone, but do these people need to be on TV? I felt extremely sorry for BigRed and the hairdresser who thought he looked like Taylor Hicks.
Now, I know these extremes are what get the ratings, but common sense says that if you can’t carry on a conversation, or carry a tune, you shouldn’t be on a show like this. Don’t these people have a Mother, friend, or associate that will tell them the truth before they embarrass themselves on National Television? What are your thoughts on this season’s edition of American Idol? Am I missing something?
Tags: American Idol, music, reality TV
January 17, 2007· Filed under Fun, Reflections
Quizzes are fun. Personality, style, memes, you name it, they are always fun.
Sandy at Purple Wren shared a quiz she found at True Value Paint (of all places). By taking the quiz you can reveal your color personality, and then pick the shade of that color that you really want to paint those walls!
Its a quick and easy quiz - only six questions. The first time I took it, the result was BROWN. I went back and looked at the questions again and changed one that was questionable and again the result was BROWN. I do like brown, though. The first floor of our house is painted a light tan/sand color, we have lots of oak furniture and floors, and even my office chair is dark brown leather.
Here is what the quiz says about me:
If it’s in the outdoors, it’s for you. It’s probably this appreciation for Mother Nature that leaves you with a calm appearance. Not attracted to anything bizarre, you’d prefer to keep your distance from the latest fads or styles. You swing to the conservative side, and are comfortable when everything is in it’s place. While you enjoy other’s company, you feel most relaxed when it’s just you, yourself and you.
Go take the quiz and let me know what color you are? Is it accurate?
January 17, 2007· Filed under Blog Carnival, Family, Parenting
I will be hosting a blog carnival on Friday. The topic this week is “Tales from the Playdate Files.” Your entries can be funny, serious, helpful or what ever you want them to be. Tell me about your idea of playdate etiquette, how about some stories of playdates gone wrong? Do your kids have friends you like but you don’t care for the parents? How about the other way around - you like the parents, not the kid.
How it works. Create a post on the topic at your blog and check here Friday. Include a link to my Friday post in your blog entry and leave me a comment, too. I will add your entry to the carnival. This is a great way to get that writing brain moving and meet some new bloggers in the process.
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