We switched off Cable

Its been more than two month since we switched off the cable- but we still have the basic channels, like PBS and ABC. To be honest I miss my favorite shows on Food Network and Home & Garden TV but do not regret turning it off for a second.  People are getting all worked up about some out of control satellite killing their cable, it was on the radio this morning and then I read this on the LA Daily News:

A TV communications satellite is drifting out of control thousands of miles above the Earth, threatening to wander into another satellite’s orbit and interfere with cable programming across the United States, the satellites’ owners said Tuesday. Communications company Intelsat said it lost control of the Galaxy 15 satellite on April 5, possibly because the satellite’s systems were knocked out by a solar storm.

If this does happen around May 28th as predicted, please take the opportunity to kick the cable. I grew up in Khartoum, Sudan. There was no TV, except a poor excuse for a local channel that played old ABBA songs and grainy ‘iftah ya Simsim’ the Arabic version of Sesame Street.  My siblings and I spent many lazy afternoons biking, making zip lines and reading Enid Blyton. We baked mud pies and jumped over walls into our neighbors’ yards to catch our rabbits.  Treasure hunts and impromptu plays ruled the bougainvillea-covered house on 33rd Street.

If you ask my kids, their memories revolve around cartoon characters or Disney princesses. I have to prompt them to talk about vacations or fun trips, which they enjoy but come second to the GREAT TV moments. I am jealous.

We were totally TV free (except for some pre screened DVDs) for at least 6 years after my daughter was born.  Then one day, Mr LF sign up for three months of free cable, thinking we would turn it off after the offer expired.  I was away visiting my parents during summer break. So three years went by and we never shut it off.  It is depressing to see the look of total absorption when the kids are watching and 1/2 an hour turns into two and soon the whole afternoon is gone.

I lived in constant fear of inappropriate ads and uncensored language. They would wake up in the morning and switch it on and would want to watch something before being tucked into bed. It wasn’t that they were watching too much by ‘normal’ standards. I was following most of the tips suggested by parenting websites. The incessant asking for more and the whining was out of control and I felt it in every part of my soul. I was sick of saying NO no more, turn it off- Listen to ME- they were wearing me down.

I threatened to have the cable turned off and when the words came out of my mouth, I realized if I didn’t go through with it they would never take me seriously. It was my moment of truth.

So far the biggest change is in LF#4. Since he can’t watch his favorite shows ie. Diego he doesn’t want to watch TV. He is no longer throwing hissy fits when we turn off the telly; his tantrums one of the major reasons I ‘pulled the plug’.

It is amazing how he knows that those shows are no longer available and so he is stopped asking for them.  I let him watch one or two ‘educational’ cartoons. He wants to play with blocks and his train set. I am working on going 100% TV free, please pray for me.

If you need more info check out this e-book the Awful truth about TV.

Trashyourtv.com has some great info as does this great website filled with articles and resources to help you make the decision of turning of your TV.

Unplug your kids has great alternative activities for TV free kids as does this site. For a Muslim perspective read Brother Khalid Baig’s article and this kutbah by Brother Shareef on TV-The Third Parent.

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Check your medicine cabinets once again: Children’ tylenol, motrin, zyrtec, benadryl 2010 recall

I get into a lot of arguments over giving the kids “unneccassary” (in my eyes) medication. This is precisely one of the reasons why. These are medication that EVEN naturo-pathic lovin’ mommies like me, give to our kids during times of extreme fever or allergic reactions.

They just had a recall in January 2010. And don’t forget the one in September 2009.

The maker of children’s™ Tylenol, McNeil Consumer Healthcare, has announced a recall of some of their products (see list below). The company says that the medicine did not meet the required quality standards! In the Benadryl, they put in too much active ingredients for the dosage. The FDA found bacteria in some of the lots. J&J has stopped production in some of their plants.

This recall affects us here in the US. But our Muslims brothers and sisters in Dubai, Kuwait, Fiji & Canada also need to check their medicine cabinets .

McNeil explains in its FAQ that you can get a refund for your recalled Tylenol, Motrin, Zyrtec or Benedryl, as long as it hasn’t already expired:

“You can receive either a refund for the average retail price of the product or a coupon for a free replacement (s) when the product becomes available again.”

To get that refund, first you need to locate two numbers on the label of the medicine bottle: the NDC number (above the brand name) and the lot number (vertical on the label).

Then input that info into this Web form along with the expiration date and your address.

Throw the recalled stuff into the trash, please don’t dump it down the drain. Pollutes the water.

The complete Tylenol Recall 2010 List from McNeil product recall’s official website:

• Tylenol Recall List of Lot Numbers

• Mortin Recall List of  Lot Numbers

• BENADRYL Allergy Ultratab List of Lot Numbers

• Rolaids Recall List of Lot Numbers

• Simply Sleep List of Lot Numbers

• ST. JOSEPH List of Lot Numbers

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Life with a two year old

Right in the middle of the masjid, my little lovely takes his thobe (long shirt) that his Aunti just bought back from Medina, and shows his Pull ups for all the world to see. Mortified I look around- all the older women have that ‘look’ on their faces. She gives parenting advice- ‘look at her kid’.

Do all moms forget what it was like when their kids were two? Hope that’s not me in a couple of years-Even though its embarrassing, I know I will miss these days when he is all grown. I already do with the other 3.

He refused to put it down and laughed… he laughed every time I asked him to pull it down.  He wants to wear his dino outfit everywhere. During winter it was fine, its made of flannel-like material but it’s getting hot in CA  now.

We were out at the Sonora Desert Park in Arizona, one of the guide said ‘hey no dragons allowed in the park’ he was so offended, ‘I am dinosaur! ‘LF#3 says,”Oh God! he is embarrassing me” she has obviously forgotten her obsession with a certain hot pink & black dress.

Your life now according to babycenter.com:

You used to be able to dress your child in the adorable items of your choosing, and so long as she didn’t decide to strip naked, that was that. Now she seems to have opinions about everything she wears: This shirt is too “scratchy,” or “I want my blue top (again).” A budding fashionista? No, just a typical preschooler exerting her independence.

Try not to get hung up on what she looks like. Unless she’s being formally photographed, it really isn’t worth a power struggle. One tricky situation is refusing to wear a coat in the cold. Instead of insisting, try giving her a little face-saving space: “Okay, I’ll just bring it along in case.”

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What the heck?

After my children go past a phase, I think I tend to forget the bad and ugly and remember the good- so when my angel baby ( LF#4 has been my easiest baby yet) started acting like a rebellious teenager- I was stumped. He doesn’t scream  or yell, he just lies down on the floor and rolls around.

I try not to use bad words at home but when LF#3 comes home from pre-school having just learned B-U-T-T, he has to teach it to LF#4. So now I have Mr. I am such a two-year old MAN spouting private parts of the body in public.

Shake your boom-boom! What the heck! Kakka peepee toutou!

I tell him not to say bad words so much he’s started saying:

“I don’t like Shaytan- he says bad words”

“I don’t like bugs- they say bad words”

so when I got this email from babycenter.com- I was like ummm they know!

Your 2-year-old now

You’re so proud of your angel’s burgeoning vocabulary — until words like “poopie head,” ” stupid,” “dummy,” and worse creep in. “Bad” words are all around your child: They hear grownups cursing at traffic, pick up foul language from TV, and trade exciting words (the ones that seem to get a rise out of Mom or Dad) with playmates and siblings. Alliterative silly words (“poopy doopy”) are favorites because they are so fun to say and hear. The quickest way to make this kind of language disappear is to ignore it. If you make a fuss, you’re only showing them how powerful certain words are, which makes them want to say them all the more. Babycenter.com

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