Have you done a Care Bear Day yet?

Do you go to the toy web sites you see on TV? Well, I do, and (for the most part) they are a fantastic way for you and your kids to spend some quailty time together.

What? You didn't know that the internet could bring you and your family closer together? It does...and your kids can learn something along the way.

We were watching a Care Bear commerical and my son noticed that you could also get your fill of the Care Bears on the internet. So we went and we have been going back ever since.

So we made yesterday Care Bear Day. We went on a hunt at stores to find some little care bears of our own. Kincaid picked grumpy and Corrine picked Hopeful Heart.

We printed off coloring pages... corrine loves to color and kincaid loves to color on the computer...but it all makes for a fun Care Bears Day. We all sat down at the computer ( yes, we did...people sit around the TV for hours a day...why not the computer) and watched some Care Bear's cartoons and music videos.

We played some games. Kinciad's favorite is Oopsy's Bubble Bumpers. It is like pinball...only cute and cuddely...and free!

And finally, we looked at a picture of some of them and decided which ones we wanted to buy next.

So the next time you and your little ones are bored, why not open up the Care Bear's world and jump in. You will be glad you did...and besides...they are ssssssssoooooooooo cute, even my hubby can't resist their do-gooder-must-hugger charm!

What are your kids watching?

OH MY GOSH! I just discovered this great site. So you remember the Nielseon ratings people? Well, now they have a website. You go there and you can either register and put your 2 cents in on t.v. shows, music, movies, etc. or you can go there and find out what others are saying about the stuff your kids are buying and putting in their heads. I put a scroll from the nielson site in my sidebar. I just think that this is a fantastic tool for parents to find out about all that stuff every kid just HAS to have. When your child goes to buy that new Foo Fighters CD or when they are going to watch High School Musical 2 at their friend's house, you can now go somewhere and find out what others are saying about it. So instead of the item's "Official Website" for information, you now have a place where someone who has actually seen or heard it can tell you all about it.

But just wait...you thought I was done...yea...well...this site has more than just T.V., movie, and CD information. The nielson people have now included Hollywood personalities and even internet sites in their lineup. I think it is about time there is a place where you can go to find out about all this stuff. And I don't think that only parents can use it. We, as bloggers, can use this site to find discover other sites and find out if they are right for our genre instead of wasting our time registering for a site and find out later we can't really use it. And it is not just about "digging" something, but you find out why someone loves it or why they want to "bury" it, so to speak. I don't know about you (well, if you are into blogging and all of cyberspace as I am, I do know...), but I don't have alot of free time. Between my kids, hubby, blogging, reading, e-mail, marketing, running errands, business building, dishes, and laundry, i TREASURE my free time. This site would allow me to find out if any t.v. show, movie, CD, w.w.w. sites or even something staring someone famous, is actually worth me not hanging out with my kids. I guess in short, I like this site and feel it is about time.

Whatcha Need?

Ok...last post for today, I promise. But I was thinking of all the things I want to find and post and thought maybe other readers (i hope i have at least 1 by now) may want to know or find something. PLEASE, give me suggestions. I have plenty of ideas for last for some time but maybe you guys want to know something more. So if you have any suggestions, please leave a comment...
Thanks everybody!

Where in heck should we put our computer?

Computers have become just about the most important item in the house. Everyone wants one in their "space" or they want privacy when they are IMing, blogging, creating their web space, texting friends, e-mailing, gaming, working, surfing-you get the idea. Placement is very important, especially when it comes to young users of the computer and the wonderful world wide web.
I do not think that kids should have their own computer in their room. The internet is a world of its own and it is just too temping for a child to explore things in that world. Parents have boundries for children in the real world. It should go double for the cyberworld due to the fact that any and everything is available at the touch of a mouse.
We have a 5 year old son who has been using the computer and the internet since he was about 3 1/2. Some of you may think that is very young but we know that it was going to be the world he would grow up in. He needed to know how to use it. (And when we go to the library, he is the kid showing other kids how to get to the cool kid sites.) So, needless to say, our computer has always been in a public place.
When he first started, we converted a large closet into a computer room. It had high foot traffic past it so he could ask us questions and not go into a new site without us seeing it. Now we have the "family office" in the kitchen. This works out great because the kitchen is already a room that people are hanging out in. Mom can look up cooking shows and watch them as she cooks. Dad can look up car stuff and be right by the car if he needs to go look at it. The kids are in a space that everyone shares.
Another thing we did at first is give everyone their own profile. Mom and dad's profiles have a password so the only one to click on is our son's profile. We let him pick his own profile icon (Transformers) and his own wallpaper (Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends) and his screensaver (Chicken Little). He is still too young to really spell out stuff in any search sites so we have helped him find the sites he likes and bookmark them to the desktop. Some of them have icons that match what the sites is about, such has Noggin or Cartoon Network, several have the same Internet Explorer icon. But don't worry, they figure out fast which icon is which fun site. You can change the icon or name if you wish but our son has figured it out with no problem.
The one thing we did not expect is how fast he learned stuff. He can change is icons, wallpaper, and screensaver. He found transformers on e-bay, which lead to You Tube. We like the site but there are non-kid stuff on it too. Yeah, we had to block some sites already so he couldn't get to them. We simply have to keep an eye on him and where he goes and it has been a fantastic learning tool for him, and us as well. It is a way for all of us to find what we want and share it with the whole family.