Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Finally, they like TV

Ya, I know most responsible parents would love to have their kids grow up in a world with no TV.  So, color me irresponsible.  I grew up on TV - cartoons, sitcoms, bad movies (think Weekend at Bernie's followed by Problem Child), and eventually reality TV.  And I love it.  I'm not ashamed.  I also played sports and had jobs and friends and got (very) good grades.  I guess in my opinion, its just not the end of the world.  And if it means my kids will be meltdown-free for their usual fussy times (right before nap/bedtime) - then what's wrong with a little TV??  Nuttin'!!

Anyway, a while back, through the mommy grapevine, I heard of the show Backyardigans.  All the moms reading this know what I'm talking about.  Maybe even some aunties/uncles/grandparents out there do, too.  To those who have yet to be indoctrinated in the world of all things baby/kid, Backyardigans is just some musical cartoon where they have imaginary adventures and sing their way through each episode.  Every mom I know SWEARS by their magical power to captivate audiences of all ages, but namely those from 0-5 years old.  Maybe older, I'll let you know when we get there.  So, when Sebastian and Collette went through a very fussy period at 5/6 months, I tried to exorcise their infant demons with the Backyardigans. No dice.  They "watched" for about 4 minutes and they were all like, whatever Mom, this sucks.  Apparently, my kids were immune.

But today, it dawned on me that I hadn't tried it since then.  Now that they are 10 months old, I assume they see the world (and the TV) a lot differently.  They have their favorite commercials (on the shows I watch) - mostly an Amica commercial and the one for Bernie and Phyls.  Go figure.  Anyway, I figured if they like commercials, maybe they are ready to step it up and enjoy an actual cartoon.  I had a bunch of epsiodes taped from way back when and put one on - it was about ancient Greece (is that a good one???)  And whaddya know - they liked it!  Not glued to the TV as I imagined they might be but definitely interested.  Now, I didn't really need to get anything done - this was more of an experiment.  But now I know that if I do need to get something done, like prep their meal, run their bath, get their bottles ready, etc., they have something in addition to mountains of toys to entertain them. 

And because I know the real reason you come here is to see some cute pics, here is some season-appropriate attire to get the kids in the holiday spirit.









11 comments:

  1. omggggggggg they are THE CUTEST!!! love their fall/halloween outfits! missing them soo soo much :(

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  2. I love the outfits - they look adorable! My mom is always trying to get me to watch TV with the kids and I think if I were a SAM I totally would (and did when I was on leave). But with only about 2 hours a day with the kids I try to hang out while they play. I also want to figure out how to encourage them to play together and without me being one inch away at all times. I seriously think the nanny spoils them in that respect. :)

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  3. Just wait until they start acting out their own Backyardigans skits! Melody and Jessie come up with all sorts of great lyrics for the songs they make up. During their last episode, Melody was Super-Hero-Cowgirl Tasha (she carried a stuffed cow around) and Jessica was a-fishy-mermaid-with-a-tail (she pushed her skirt down to her ankles) Uniqua. Or something. They were too busy acting to explain it all to me.

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  4. Still haven't seen the Backyardigans. I remember the first time I saw my daughters actually watch TV.. it was "Teletubbies," something I swore I would never let them watch, but they loved it so what the heck.

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  5. Very cute pics. Michael loves anything with music. I haven't noticed the twins watching anything yet.

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  6. Yes...I need to get my kids hooked to cartoons before we fly to TX for Christmas!! Just in case I booked us a direct flight! There is no amount of money that is worth 6 hours of travel time with 18 month old twins!

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  7. Guilty here too. Perfect for those times when you need to get something done and they're raising hell. Colin digs Thomas, especially the songs. They love their Classical Baby DVDs, and recently Yo Gabba Gabba and Special Agent Oso got their attention. Not sure how age appropriate some of them are, but they're really only interested in the music.

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  8. Vivian actually dances to Backyardigans now. She tilts her head back and spins in a circle like they do in the opening. It's adorable. We love that show!

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  9. Gemma loves Baby Einstein. Before I switched to formula she would scream for hours and TV would always calm her.

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  10. Eva Rose just started watching TV today. It was a first. Now if Thomas would watch, I may be able to get all three of them entertained for a short time.

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  11. My oldest loves Backyardigans! He knows most of the songs and even dances along. He also likes Little Einsteins on Disney, they sing to classical music. It can be annoying sometimes, but it keeps his attention and it's not obnoxious.

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