Laptop Television Mom

Celebrating my Daughter's Birthday with Abby Cadabby

Sept. 30 is a very special day in our house.  It's my daughter's birthday, and this year we celebrate FOUR wonderful years of parenthood.  I can't wait to help my little girl blow out four pink candles and remind her how much I love her!

On a lighter note, I just have to say this: shopping for a four-year-old girl's birthday is a blast.  I might have gone a little overboard, but she is getting practical gifts (new jeans and a Fall jacket) and the totally impractical (pink junior golf clubs and a new Barbie doll).  All are wrapped in pink Princess paper, and I hope all are enjoyed.

There is one more special gift on the way, the newest Sesame Street DVD called"Abby in Wonderland" featuring the adorable Abby Cadabby, which is available on Sept. 30. I was lucky enough to get a preview copy at this year's BlogHer conference in San Francisco.  (Wrote about the amazing Sesame Street suite HERE.) If you need a gift for a little one who loves pink fairy wings and has a vivid imagination, you can't go wrong with Abby's latest adventures!

Aloha! (Back to blogging soon, I promise.)

I just returned from a Kauai vacation with my friends and family, and now am packing for a company retreat at Lake Tahoe.  (Yes, it's a rough life.)  I know I am late on blogging about the biggies: SYTYCD finals, Shear Genius, Project Runway and more.  In the meantime, I leave you with this:

Her First Dance Recital

   
Dance Lessons = $50 a month
Birthday cake-like recital costume = $50
Teeny-tiny dancer tights = $8
Tap shoes = $19
Tickets to the recital = $18 EACH

Watching your daughter's first dance recital = PRICELESS

Lulu loves Mickey Mouse too

Yes, I have a kid with an opinion.  (I have no idea where she gets that joyous personality trait!)  Anyway, the Kid and I were discussing our wonderful afternoon with the folks from Disneyland, and then I showed her the LTV Mom blog post. 

Well, mommy got in trouble for not mentioning that Lulu joined us for the day with Minnie and Mickey.  You see, Lulu is her special stuffed lamb that goes everywhere with us.  Lulu has her own clothes, gets her own Christmas presents, and even has her own make-shift carseat in my car.  Simply put, the Kid loves Lulu.

Yes, Lulu joined us for the Disneyland event.  Part of our day with Mickey and Minnie included a "Potato Bar" where the kids created Disney-esque Mr. Potoato Heads.  By the time we got to the Potato Bar, there were no more "Potatoes" for all of the "Potato Parts."  Well, the Kid didn't mind one bit because she assumed the accessories were for Lulu.  She proudly grabbed some Mickey ears and Mickey gloves, and decked-out Lulu for the Disney celebration!

I will post this story, include this precious photo, and promptly show the Kid... and Lulu.

Disneyland: Year of a Million Dreams

My daughter loves all things Disney. In fact, she was Minnie Mouse for Halloween this year... and last year.  She named her pet fish "Mickey Fish," and she loves her collection of Disney movies.  If all this weren't enough, our family was invited to a special event this weekend that sealed the deal for a life-long love of Mickey and the gang.

Disneyland Resorts is celebrating a "Year of a Million Dreams" this year, and this weekend, they brought the party to Silicon Valley.  The folks from Disney invited the ladies of Silicon Valley Moms Blog to a private party for our families, and provided us with an event not soon forgotten (of course, I have 90+ photos to make sure of that!)

The Silicon Valley Moms and families were greeted with  warm smiles, Mickey Ears for everyone, and a beautifully decorated room. There were memorable activities for the kids (young and old) including:

• Face painting station (which was a huge hit with my kid)
• "Potato Bar" (where we made Disney-esque Mr. Potato Heads)
• Cookie decorating (lots of pink icing on The Enchanted Castle)
• Interactive Studios (major hit with the "big kids")
• Sketch Artist (we received a personalized drawing of Cinderella)
• A sneak-peek at attractions coming to Disneyland (my Kid loves Handy Manny!)
• Our favorite Disney tunes filled the air.
• Honestly, no detail was left unchecked.

Of course, the biggest hit of the afternoon were the special guests: Mickey and Minnie, Cinderella and Buzz Lightyear.  My Kid's eyes were big as saucers when Mickey and Minnie entered the room, and she was completely smitten with Cinderella.  All the kids spent time with the lovable characters, and they interacted beautifully with all the kids.  The room was full of joy.

All I can say is THANK YOU to the folks at Disney for a memorable and enjoyable time with my family.

Word World

I wrote this post for Silicon Valley Moms Blog; here's a cross-post for LTV:

Since I have a blog called "Laptop Television Mom" you'd assume I watch a lot of television.  Um, you'd be correct.  That said, I mostly watch television after my kid goes to bed and I go back to work (yes, with my laptop on my lap).

BUT (in caps for emphasis), I am very picky about what my kid watches and how much she watches.  I allow her to watch Sesame Street, Dora the Explorer and Clifford the Big Red Dog.  (Standard.)  She watches television during breakfast, with leniency on the weekend when I need to be domestic.

When I attended a Silicon Valley Moms Blog Party at BlogHer this summer, I received a press copy of a new PBS Kids show called Word World. In all honesty, I played the DVD one Saturday afternoon when I couldn't stand the thought of watching another moment of Dora (and I needed to make dinner). Well, much to my surprise, it's a great show.  It's clever, beautifully animated, and smartly educational. My kid loves it.

The premise of the show is these delightful characters solve problems and ultimately learn to spell words.  The interesting thing is that the characters also are made of words. For example, the body of "Frog" is made from the letters F-R-O-G.  My favorite character is Shark, as his fin is made from the letter A.  It's really cute.

My kid is three, so it seems about right for her age. However, her six-year-old friend enjoyed it as well.  I am no expert in child-rearing, but I can recommend this new PBS Kids show wholeheartedly.

-- LTV Mom

The premise of the show is these delightful characters solve problems and ultimately learn to spell words.  The interesting thing is that the characters also are made of words. For example, the body of "Frog" is made from the letters F-R-O-G.  My favorite character is Shark, as his fin is made from the letter A.  It's really cute.

My kid is three, so it seems about right for her age. However, her six-year-old friend enjoyed it as well.  I am no expert in child-rearing, but I can recommend this new PBS Kids show wholeheartedly.

-- LTV Mom

Happy Halloween from Minnie Mouse

We had a great day of costumes, candy, parties, and pumpkins.