Girls Gone Gadget

I was checking out some of the blogs I read regularly and this caught my eye: Breaking News – Baby Einstein is issuing full refunds on their DVDs (from Cool Mom Picks).  What?  Why?  Are they leaking some sort of poisonous gas when my kids watch them???

It turns out that the refund is part of the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood. I guess, somewhere along the way, Disney was asked to recant the claim that the Baby Einstein videos were educational to children. Since then members of the CCFC has been pressuring Disney to offer reimbursements to Baby Einstein customers…assuming these customers felt they were wronged by Disney’s claims.

You can see all the reimbursement details and how to claim your refund here.

I’m not sure what to think about this.  I mean it’s great that Disney is stepping up and offering good customer service.  And, sure, the Baby Einstein dvds probably shouldn’t be labeled as “educational”, but really?  Did parents really buy these videos thinking their children would become geniuses?

We have a handful of the Baby Einstein videos and my girls love them.  They love the animals and they love the music.  The videos did actually help facilitate them learning different animals but, more importantly, those videos bought me 10 minutes to take a peaceful shower!  And it’s really nice to have my kids watching videos that don’t have cartoon characters talking in very loud voices or some weird guy running around in an orange jump suit and a furry orange hat!

Yes, I’ve purchased Baby Einstein dvds that I wasn’t thrilled with.  There was a languages one that was really annoying to me and I sold it at a garage sale.  So, sure, it would have been nice to get a refund on that one.  But for the most part these dvds are great in comparison to some other options out there.

And never once did I expect my kid to solve some crazy mathematical problem or become musical prodigies because they watched some mouse puppets throwing flour at each other.  If anything I think I should be awarded some sort of ‘pain and suffering’ prize for having to listen to the whiney voice of Caillou and my daughter mimicking him!

What do you think?  Are you happy with Disney being pressured into this refund or are you just fine with getting 10 minutes of peace while your kids watch that non-educational Baby Einstein video?

I’m beginning to wonder who uses my iPhone more: me or my kids? It’s probably leaning more towards me but, if I keep finding these great kid apps, the scales are going to start tipping towards my kids. And fast!

Kid Book by Stolen Lunch (don’t you just love those names) is one of those “great kid apps” I was taking about!

Kid Book is a very simple app that helps kids learn colors, shapes, and animal names and sounds. The app is simple enough that my 18month old can use it with ease but interesting enough to keep my 3.5 year old wanting to play it over and over again. My youngest daughter loves the animal noises and learning how to say some of the words as the app says them, while my oldest loves to try to name the shape before the app can. And she LOVES that the sheep loses his wool! What is it about kid apps and sheering sheep?

As a mom I love that my kids are learning as they are playing. I also really appreciate that the game shows variation. One time the Monkey may appear on a Blue Heart and the next time you see the Monkey he is on a Green Hexagon. It means that my girls aren’t just memorizing the order of the screens. They are really learning the shapes, colors, and animals!

Kid Book (priced at $2.99) is available at the iTunes App Store, along with other Stolen Lunch apps.

The weather is getting colder. The days are getting shorter. And, since I’m a total wimp when it comes to cold weather, it looks like I’ll be turning my exercise to the indoors.

Two years ago I bought my husband a Nintendo Wii™ for Christmas and last year my parents bought me the accompanying Wii Balance Board™. And that has been the source of my workouts in the cold months this past year. Since having two small kids I just don’t make going to the gym a priority and that Wii™ and Wii Fit™ has been my saving grace.

Recently I had the opportunity to review a new workout game for the Wii™ for 5 Minutes for Mom, a site I often write for. The exercise game? Daisy Fuentes Pilates! I must say, I am a fan of the workout! It has been so nice to switch up my exercise routine with something new and, if you have a Wii™, I think you’ll love it, too!

You can read my review of Daisy Fuentes Pilates for the Wii™ and even enter to win your own copy over at 5 Minutes for Giveaways!

My girls love Sesame Street.  Pretty much everything about it keeps them entertained.  And, since I am usually stuck watching it with them, I so much appreciate how Sesame Street writers use their creativity to entertain the parents as well!

One of my favorite Sesame Street skits is their version of Law and Order: SVU.  I believe it’s ‘Special Letters Unit’.  They capture my favorite personalities from that show so well!  You know Sesame Street has to be doing something right when they get hundreds of actors, musicians, and celebrities to come on their show!

When I came across this short video from Sesame Street I knew I had to share it here.  It’s not exactly a gadget but, well, it’s just too fun: