Crysta's Opinion: SPLASH.. Diving with the Stars on ABC is sure to b...

Crysta's Opinion: SPLASH.. Diving with the Stars on ABC is sure to b...: Dancing and now Diving with desperate D- list stars? As if Dancing with the Stars was not bad enough, now ABC has come up with Diving w...

SPLASH.. Diving with the Stars on ABC is sure to be a bellyflop

Dancing and now Diving with desperate D- list stars?

As if Dancing with the Stars was not bad enough, now ABC has come up with Diving with the stars. This show could only be fun to watch if the  D list celebs were diving into a pool of hungry sharks.  Are the production companies and networks just plain stupid, or are they just plain too lazy to think outside the box for new reality TV show ideas? Whats up with all of the shows being a spin-off of  another show? I am quite sure that there are tons of creative  people with new show ideas floating around out there just waiting for a production company to collaborate with them. The boring and ultra dull programming being aired on the 3 major networks is quickly being ignored by the masses who are turning to cable and internet networks for their viewing entertainment. Are the smaller cable networks more edgy and fresh, thus allowing the creative shows to explode without fear of failure? Are the big networks recycling and or copying popular shows and actors because they see it as a safe move for gaining advertising dollars? When I see adds for Dancing with the Stars or the new Diving with the Stars I want to gag myself my a spoon! Instead we can let the networks flounder in their repetitive nonsense and we can and will change the channel. We are changing the channel to reality shows that are entertaining as well as educational or thought provoking. Watching a stupid show is like reading a dumb book- why would I waste my time? Networks that are movers and shakers give us programming that makes us think, that teaches us something, or that shows us how others live and see the world.

WARNING: The following TV shows may be painful for intelligent viewers to watch.

Dancing with the Stars-ABC an insult to my intelligence.

Diving with the Stars- SPLASH -ABC- It's hard to believe that this is really a show isn't it?

The Voice- NBC boring, predictable

Americas got Talent-NBC copycat, show, dull, blah, blah, blah

Love in the Wild -NBC Survivor wanna be show

The American Baking Competition CBS-Jeff Foxworthy is awesome but another baking show is not!

Survivor-CBS Was great show until they started using "Mactors" and recycling the cast. The thrill is watching regular people struggle to win.What happened +Jeff Probst ?

Food Fighters NBC now casting- another cooking show- how brilliant!

Renovation Nation-NBC now casting. We are already addicted to HGTV.... sorry NBC

Standing up for Diversity- NBC now casting. Pass me the Kleenex. A show with the sole purpose of gaining advertising dollars by  pulling at the heartstrings of CEO's who want to make their product look good to the buying public.

  

Now I will give a quick shout out to the Networks that are doing it right. These networks are thinking outside the box and quickly taking viewers away from the big 3.

Dog Whisperer - Nat Geo Wild- We Love Cesar Milan.. chhh!

Oprah's Life Class- OWN- A truly inspirational show ( O magazine - like crack for the soul -read it )

Rehab on VH 1-is a good show when the cast is real people not D list celebs looking for another chance at fame

Teen Moms - VH 1- My teens watched this and I guarantee you its the best birth control ever!

HGTV- Porn for women... what's not to love?

The Bachelor- ABC ok... I may get some complaints on this one, but watching this show  is like watching a psychological experiment. It's just plain interesting and educational to watch how women behave and interact in groups. 

Restaurant Impossible- Food Network Robert Irvine is helping people and its a great show to watch. Has anyone else noticed that his  black t- shirts are getting tighter every season... do you think he is trying to show us his muscles?

Pawn Stars - History Channel- What's not to love about this family and this show? It's entertaining and educational- fun for all ages!

Tosh.O- Comedy Central - Sit back and chillax.Making fun of ourselves and others never gets dull.

Reality TV helps us feel better about ourselves!

REALITY TV HELPS OUR EGO!

Reality TV is serving a great purpose in society by allowing regular people to see what really goes on behind the closed doors in other peoples lives. Until reality TV came around we were all watching perfect people in perfect scenarios with fairy tale endings.... gag me with a spoon! As I watch reality TV shows with my teenagers such as SURVIVOR, THE BACHELOR,TABATHA TAKES OVER, AMERICAN IDOL etc I am happy to see that my teens are entranced with the trials and tribulations that the cast members endure.The emotions are real, there is not always make up and the cast members are regular looking people as opposed to airbrushed images of perfection that in comparison would make any girl think she was ugly and fat ....so why even try. In reality TV people are brutally honest, they get dumped, criticized, they don't always win, and often they break down and cry. This is life. I would rather have my teens learn from reality TV that not everyone is going to like them, everyone gets hurt, life can be hard, presents aren't promises and loneliness in universal. This is much better preparation for life than watching scripted shows that portray life like a fairy tale. Some shows even on Disney channel for teens set up unrealistic expectations for kids. In one episode a teen boy took a girl on a date.  He  brought her flowers, took her to a fancy restaurant, hired a singer to sing a song to her that he had written  for her and put a bracelet in her sorbet for dessert. Really ??? Really??? This sets girls up to expect boys to behave like that in real life. Might girls think that if a boy does not treat them like the previous scenario that she is unworthy, not pretty enough, not good enough? Reality TV allows us to see real situations and emotions as felt by real people. When you see someone else trip and fall and handle it with grace then you may not feel so stupid the next time you trip. When you see that men cheat and women move on alone they you know that if you are ever in that situation your not the only one. Even pretty girls get dumped, cry, eat ice cream, and eventually move on. I see reality TV as a life coach of sorts. It allows you top see that your a normal person and it decreases stress when one makes a mistake in life. It tells the normal person that it's OK to fall down as long as you get right back up! It also shows us that all girls have cellulite and that makes me feel good! Ha!

Are you a HELICOPTER parent?

Are you a helicopter parent?

By: Crysta Pleatman

Helicopter parents feel the need to be involved in every single aspect of their kids lives. Is this new trend helping or hurting our kids?

You might be a helicopter parent if:

Do you put your kids shoes on when you know they can do it themselves?

Do you stay at drop off birthday parties to make sure your child doesn’t choke on cake?

Do you volunteer at their school every day?

Do you complain to their teachers if they get a bad grade?

Do you sit with them when they are doing homework?

Do you forbid candy in your home?

These are all examples of a disturbing new trend in parenting that may result in kids that slowly rebel against their parents constant hovering. They may withdraw from family and potentially begin to close the doors of communication all together in order to gain independence and a sense of self. This “tuning out” is exactly what the helicopter parent fears the most. Parents who hover mean well. They want the best for their children and they don’t want to see them get hurt physically or mentally. Therin lies the problem. There are some things in life that can only be learned through experience. For instance if your child falls off the  monkey bars on the play ground its going to hurt, but you can bet that they will go slower next time, or hold on tighter.  But if you forbid them from climbing on the bars you are prohibiting them from learning about falling and it may make them feel incapable of making good choices without a parents help.

Homework Helicopters

 I have friends who sit with their kids for hours every night helping them with homework. How is this helpful? Are their kids learning how to study independently? If kids get a bad grade they will study harder. If we as parents try to control life for our kids we are doing them a great disservice. I am available to help my kids if they have a question but I never sit with them and guide them through it. It’s only rewarding to them if they do their work and stay organized on their own. And besides, homework is their job and they need to learn good  work habits now, not after they enter the workforce. Independence fosters a sense of accomplishment. If homework is not done, there will be a consequence at school. However, in my house homework time starts after school, even if they say they don’t have homework. I simply tell them that they can use that time to study, read, or organize their folders.

Clothing  Copters

Another good example occurred in my house last week. It was very cold outside, yet my 1^st grader refused to wear her winter coat. She wanted to wear her fleece sweatshirt to school and she was adamant that she would be warm enough, so off she went on the bus in her sweatshirt. Later in the day I got a call from school. It was her teacher who wanted to let me know that my daughter was not allowed to go outside for recess because she did not have a warm coat on. She went on to explain school coat policies blah blah blah! So I explained the situation, my theory being that she needed to feel the cold in order to choose a warmer coat next time. I went on to remind her teacher that being cold does not make kids sick, germs make kids sick. So my daughter was allowed to play outside in the cold.  I did not discuss it with her after school because I was confident that she needed to “save face” instead of hearing“ I told you so”.   The next morning she put on her winter coat and got on the bus. Lesson learned no hovering required.

So if you are worried that you might be a closet helicopter parent, back off now. Childhood is all about learning how to be a responsible grown up. Let your kids fall down and make some mistakes, let them feel sadness and happiness as a result of their own choices. The best parents are always there to listen and guide, not to hover and control.

Why wont my baby take naps?

By: Crysta Pleatman

Babies will innately learn many things on their own simply because they are pre- programmed to do so. Sucking, rolling over, crawling, and walking are good examples of things that all babies will do within the first 12- 15 months of life give or take. But, good sleep skills do not fall into this category of nicely pre-programmed instincts. Yes, all babies will sleep, but your job as a parent is to teach your baby how and when to sleep by teaching them the skills they need to soothe themselves.  Babies need long sessions of undisturbed sleep to develop brainpower. All babies developmentally need naps until the age of 3 or 4. This is a good thing because all parents need a break!

Myth: Keeping a baby awake during the day will help the baby sleep all night.

Nope, the truth is that babies need sleep and the more naps they take during the day, the better they will sleep at night.

A quick guide to naps!

Newborns 1-4 months need to sleep every 90 minutes for at least an hour and a half.

 Babies 4-8 month olds need to sleep every 2-2 1/2 hours for 90 minutes or more.

 Toddlers 12-30 months old can transition to 2 daily naps, morning and afternoon.

3 year olds need one daily afternoon nap that should last 2 hours.

Baby Sleep Tool Kit

First you need to gather a “tool kit” of items that will be used every time your baby is going to sleep.

1.     Two small super soft baby blankies that are exactly same. Never wash them!!!Only wash blankies if they have fallen on the floor at the mall or if your child has been sick on it. Babies get attached to the smell of their blankies and this will be an important tool to help your baby fall asleep. Alternate blankies daily so they are both used the same amount. They need to look and smell the same in order to work. Only allow your baby to have the blanket at nap and bed times. The blanket will smell like mommy and daddy or home and it will eventually trigger sleep cues.

2.     Pacifiers are a good thing! Babies have an innate need to suck and your boobs are not pacifiers. Allowing your baby to suckle on your breasts is not teaching independence it’s teaching them to be dependent upon you in order to sleep. Babies can find and grasp pacifiers at a very early age. Sprinkle the crib with several of them because it’s not your job to come into the room and put the pacifier back in their mouth whenever it pops out. They quickly learn that game and will spit their pacifier out just to make you return to their room to put it in. They need to learn to find it and can grasp it themselves, which most babies learn very quickly. Again, independence is the key.

3.      Crib toys. The crib environment is key to good sleep skills. Mobiles, crib toys, mirrors, etc should all serve a purpose in the crib. You shouldn’t just fill a crib with toys because it will result in an over stimulated very fussy baby Toys are not attached to the crib just to look cute; they are to be placed in the crib as a visual stimulant and as a distraction for your baby. Babies need to be put to sleep awake. Rocking your baby to sleep may make you feel good, and it may soothe her, but it is not teaching her how to soothe herself. Crib toys give your baby something to do other than to cry when they are laid down to sleep. Trust me, this works. Start with only one toy that your baby can see and touch. The best crib toys will be the black and white ones. I love the crib aquarium because it lights up, plays soothing bubble and wave sounds and can be interacted with as your baby grows. The toys must be moved after a week or your baby will get bored and cry. Toys can be moved to the other side of the crib for a challenge, or a new toy can replace the old one. Keep a bin of crib toys handy and alternate them every few days. As your baby grows you can introduce busy box toys that react to your babies touch.

4.     A sleep routine that is the same every day and night is imperative. Soon your baby will figure out that the routine means its time to go to sleep and they will give up the fight of tears and screams. As soon as you notice your baby rubbing her eyes, or getting fussy then you feed her and put her in her crib.

Walk away after you put your baby down to sleep. Your baby will test you by screaming and crying, but once she learns that you are not going to pick her up she will fall asleep. Its not “mean” to let your baby cry if her other needs have been met. So if she has been fed and changed and she is not sick, then it is your job to let her cry!!!!!! This is how your baby learns to self soothe this is a life skill that you need to teach your baby. How are you helping your baby if you pick her up instead of allowing her to fall asleep? You are not helping your baby, you are meeting your own needs as a person. Crying does not mean sadness or pain for a baby in the same way it does for adults. Babies cry to communicate many needs to us such as hunger, discomfort, and the need to suck, pain and sleepiness. A baby who does not get enough sleep will eventually loose all control and they will scream and cry until they fall asleep out of pure exhaustion. These cranky babies are often labeled as colicky babies when really they are just over tired and over stimulated! So do your job, help your baby nap and stop worrying that you are somehow hurting your baby by allowing her to cry herself to sleep. As soon as babies learn to self soothe they will not cry when its time to sleep. Your baby needs to trust that you will not confuse them by picking them up every time they cry. Let your baby learn.

Let your baby sleep.

You can find the entire sleep routine on iTunes by downloading the iBaby Sleep All Night App developed by iCrysta.