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Oct 14, 2011

After These Messages

October 14, 2011 By

When it comes to family TV time, we usually limit our selections to Nick Jr (Noggin), Disney Junior, Netflix or DVDs. My thinking was that if I’m going to let my kids watch TV, I’d prefer to limit them to TV free of commercials while they were very young.

I never expected them to shun all marketing and I knew that the licensed characters they saw on TV shows would still lead them to want toys with those characters on it. But if it limited their consumerism even a little, I figured it was worth it.

But then we discovered My Little Pony on the Hub network. And now I’m doomed.

Hub has at least two commercial breaks during every show. We try to Tivo episodes and then watch them with the girls, fast forwarding through commercial breaks. Then there are those times when I let the girls watch TV so I can get something else done, and I’m not always there to hit that fast forward button. Meaning they get to see every “Act now for this incredible offer!” promotion.

So, what do my two impressionable young daughters think of commercials?

Mira now chants, “Take me to Party City!” thanks to their Halloween commercial. Children in the commercial repeat that same statement over and over, and she’s now convinced that she needs to go there for her Halloween costume.

Cordy told me she’d make fewer messes with her snacks if I’d buy her a gyro bowl. Never mind the fact that she never makes a mess when eating a snack.

Mira is begging me for an insulated lunch bag that will keep her lunch cold for up to 8 hours. When I remind her that none of her lunch needs to be kept cold, she gets upset and points out that, “Dat mom bwogger on TV wecommended it!” I guess in her mind, all mom bloggers must stick together and use the same products.

Mira also insists that the chocolate milk shown in one commercial would be “healthy” for her. I tried to explain that just because they say it’s “healthier” because it’s a good source of vitamin D and calcium and is free of high fructose corn syrup doesn’t change the fact that it’s still filled with sugar. And that all milk has calcium and vitamin D.

Mira even asked if we could please buy one of those aluminum storage building. You know, because we need a carport or hobby building next to our garage or something. And they’re sooooo shiny.

I won’t even begin to discuss all of the pillow pets, make-your-own stuffed animals, play-doh ice cream factory and other toys they now insist they can’t live without.

Marketing works, folks.

After recovering from the horror of watching my kids mindlessly ask for junk they don’t need just because the TV told them they wanted it, I decided that this was a prime chance to teach them about persuasion and marketing.

I still fast forward through most commercials, but occasionally we watch them together and discuss what the people who made the ad were trying to do. Did they want us to do something or buy something? Why do they say we need it? Do we really need it? Do we already have a similar item that works well for us?

It’s also started a discussion about money, both how we get money and what we do with it. Cordy and Mira still have trouble understanding that we have a finite amount of money to spend, and there are some things we have to spend our money on first (bills) before we can then consider items that aren’t as necessary. Progress is slow in this area, but I think if we keep talking about it with them it’ll sink in.

I won’t rant about the “evils” of marketing. I know that businesses need to sell their products, and it’s up to their marketing departments to find a way to make the product appealing so that people will want to part with their money. Hell, I have an entire review blog devoted to trying out products of interest, using my real-life experience with an item to help provide an honest testimonial for the product. I sell ad space on my blog. I get it.

But just because I believe there is a place in the world for marketing doesn’t mean I plan to let my children be blind followers of consumerism. If they’re going to see commercials (and as they get older they’ll be exposed to more and more everywhere they go), I want them to think about more than what’s being presented on the surface and consider the truth behind what’s being said. Is that chocolate milk really healthier? Healthier than what? It certainly can’t be as healthy as plain white milk, right?

I think this will be a lesson that continues for some time. I’m glad they didn’t see as much advertising when they were younger, but now is a good time to start explaining how it works. They’re as receptive to the message we’re giving them as they are to the commercials – here’s hoping we can be a little more persuasive than the marketing professionals at least most of the time.

(I can’t say all the time, because let’s face it – marketing works on me, too!)

Full disclosure: Just in case it needs to be said, I do not endorse any of the products listed above, and specifically will NOT be taking Mira to Party City for her costume, but instead plan to visit a locally owned costume shop.

Filed Under: Cordy, daily life, Mira, money, pop culture Tagged With:


Sep 30, 2011

Retro Pop Media Exposure

September 30, 2011 By

One of the best things about being a mom is getting to expose my children to all of the pop culture I grew up with when I was a kid. Sure, the TV programs of today are certainly more educational – with the exception of the always educational Sesame Street – but the nostalgic side of me still fondly remembers the cartoons and movies of my youth.

And thanks to Netflix having nothing decent from the past five years available in its instant streaming collection, I’ve been having regular flashbacks to the days of neon clothing and non-computerized animation. Some things haven’t changed: Jim Henson Studios is just as awesome as it was back then. But I’m realizing that some of my memory may have been clouded now that I’m watching all of these cartoons and movies with an adult’s judgment. Yet some of them are just as fantastic now as they were in the eighties.

What have I been forcing…umm…encouraging my daughters to watch recently? Glad you asked!

He-Man and She-Ra – The animation is very heavy on stock footage, and you can tell each voice actor has at least 6 characters on his or her credits, but the storylines still hold up today. The moral of the story at the end of each episode (just in case you didn’t pick up on that episode’s theme) is still cute, too.

But I especially love the girl-power message in She-Ra, and will gladly let Cordy and Mira watch this whenever they want.

Fraggle Rock – I never really watched Fraggle Rock much as a kid. I liked the original Muppet Show and Sesame Street, but for some reason I wasn’t that interested in Fraggle Rock. Now that my kids watch it, though, I wish I would have seen more of it when I was younger. The green-screen effects are ancient, but muppets are timeless.

Scooby Doo – This one I take no credit for. They’ve both seen Scooby Doo at school, and then asked to watch it at home. I didn’t like Scooby Doo much as a kid, and I still don’t care for it now. I like the idea of solving mysteries and proving that most scary things are explainable, but the humor just isn’t for me. If they ask to watch Scooby Doo, I use that time to catch up on email or clean. In another room.

Labyrinth – I loved this movie as a child for the fantasy storyline and the beautiful scenery. As an adult, I can’t stop staring at David Bowie’s package on display in those tights throughout the entire movie, which I guess means I’m still enjoying the beautiful scenery. Still a great story, still a fun adventure, and muppets are still timeless.

Jem – (Damn, I shouldn’t have put this right after Labyrinth – Jem & the Goblin King apparently have the same hairdresser.) I loved Jem as a kid. Had the dolls (with the cassettes that came with each of them), knew all the songs, and watched every episode. Watching it now, I wonder how brainwashed I must have been to like this show. Truly outrageous? More like truly baaaaaaad. The animation is awful, most of it features stereotypes of shallow, catty behavior in women, and how did I forget there was so much kissing in this show? Of course, I forgot all of this until AFTER I showed an episode to my kids. Now they love it and want to see more. Oops.

My Little Pony – OK, so my daughters aren’t watching the original My Little Pony that I watched in the eighties. There’s a new series on the Hub network now, and all of the reviews I’ve read say that it’s much better than the original. I have vague, fuzzy memories of being enamored with the original, so I’ll just have to take their word for it. The new series is fun, the ponies have a lot of attitude, and the new animation style is slick.

The Neverending Story – Admit it: you cried when Atreyu’s horse sunk in the swamp. I did every single time I saw this movie. And Cordy proved yet again to be a younger version of me – while watching it for the first time, all she could think about for the remainder of the movie was, “What happened to his horse? Will the horse be OK?” Forget the Nothing swallowing up all of Fantasia, or the creepy-yet-pretty Southern Oracle with the laser eyes, or the Empress dying…it’s all about Atreyu’s horse. Cordy wasn’t able to get a close enough look at the horse at the end of the movie to tell if it was the same horse, and even today she’s still worried about that horse sinking in the swamp. We may wait another year before attempting this movie again.

Care Bears – Care Bears can burn in a smiley rainbow fire if I had anything to say about it. Maybe a little harsh, but I find them annoying now. I think I liked them as a very young child, but I can’t remember. If I did, I’d like to take this chance to apologize to my mother for being forced to endure the Care Bear Stare.

Voltron – This was one of my favorites as a kid. (The Voltron with the lions, not the one with the cars.) I still like it, although both Cordy and Mira are unimpressed. Heathens. I’m sure I’ll be able to convince them of the stellar quality of this cartoon someday.

Beakman’s World – This was actually from the nineties, but it was amazing. Beakman was the more guerrilla-style, gross-em-out and keep-em-coming-back-for-more science teacher to Bill Nye’s more straight-laced version. But it worked, and it made science really cool.

Cordy has watched every episode of this now and can tell you how antibodies work and where rain goes when it dries up, as well as several other impressive science facts. The more she watches, the more science she absorbs, and I’m happy to contribute to that addiction.

————-
So that’s what we’ve been watching lately, and I’m sure it’s just the beginning. After all, there’s still Thundercats. And Gargoyles. And The Dark Crystal. Then all of Star Wars, then all of Harry Potter, then…

What about you? Are there any movies or TV shows from your youth that you’ve exposed or can’t wait to inflict on your kids?

Filed Under: being a mom, memories, pop culture Tagged With:


Apr 29, 2011

Anglophile

April 29, 2011 By

Yes, I’m watching the royal wedding this morning. Well, I’ll be recording it this morning, since work and taking Mira to preschool will be cutting into my royal TV time.

I know some people can’t wait for the wedding to be over with, but I’m giddy with excitement. Truth is, when storks were dropping off babies in the 70’s, my stork clearly read the address wrong and brought me to Ohio when I should have been delivered to some family in the British Isles.

I’ve been an anglophile for many, many years, appreciating nearly everything about the British people, culture and government. I spent a summer in London in college, and during my time there I felt more “at-home” with my surroundings than I ever have in my life. I considered skipping my flight home to pursue citizenship, but came to my senses when I realized I had no money and still no college degree yet. I left that country vowing to return again someday.

When Diana Spencer walked down the aisle to become Princess Diana? I watched it. I was proud that her first-born son, William, was born on my birthday. (Although a few years later than me.) During my time in England, I lived in a dorm in Kensington and remember playing soccer on the green just outside of Diana’s primary residence, Kensington Palace.

Many years later, when Diana was in the car accident that took her life, I watched the story unfold on CNN. I wished and prayed that she would survive, and then sobbed when they announced that she had died. I watched her funeral from start to finish, stunned that this stunningly beautiful humanitarian – a woman who used her power and influence to bring notice to those who suffered and needed help – would be taken from us so young.

And now her son is marrying his college sweetheart, and I couldn’t be happier for them. The royal family may seem like an out-of-place establishment in the modern world, but I think it still has relevance. They provide a living connection to the history and very nature of their culture. And as I’ve often joked, a monarch that is groomed from the beginning for their role in the government (even if it is a very minor role now) provides stability and continuity that I often feel is lacking in our constantly rotating parade of politicians in the United States. Prime Ministers may come and go, but they have the benefit of seeking advice from the one person who has seen the government through many changes and is well-educated on the topic.

(I don’t want to get into an argument over which government system is better or calling for a return to the feudal monarchy system – I’m just pointing out that there are some advantages to a constitutional monarchy.)

Anyway, I’m looking forward to the wedding. I can’t wait to see demonstrations of the history, ceremony and style of the British people, but even more, it’s about the pleasure of seeing the genuine happiness of two people who love each other very much making the ultimate commitment to each other.
And to get in the spirit, Mira is already practicing her royal stiff upper-lip while wearing her tiara. She’s available for any discussions of betrothal contracts with princes who like trains and can promise her lots of dresses and a pink castle.

Formal portrait of HRH Miranda of Ohio
Filed Under: memories, Mira, pop culture Tagged With:


Dec 1, 2010

Good Thing We Already Had The Backup

December 1, 2010 By

Like many people, I love a good Black Friday sale. Last year, Aaron was the Black Friday king, making it to 5 stores (all with different opening times) and scoring everything on our list.

This year the deals weren’t as appealing to us, but there was one item we had our eyes on: a new TV. There was nothing wrong with our old TV – it was a 32″ CRT model (the ones with the big tubes in them that weren’t flat, for you young’ins out there) and worked perfectly well. Except that any movie in widescreen was exceptionally small on the screen, and even though we have a lovely Blu-Ray player, the TV didn’t display it in that crystal-clear precision it’s known for.

So Aaron and I agreed that a new TV would be our Christmas gift to each other this year. After all, I have a steady, as-secure-as-you-can-be-in-this-economy job, and Aaron is working at the moment as well. We have saved a little money, and it seemed like the perfect splurge, seeing how we’ve been drooling over those shiny, new flat panel HD TVs for some time now.

While we like the rush of the Black Friday excitement, I knew TVs were going to be the hot item this year, and I wasn’t so thrilled with the prospect of camping out all day at a store to be one of the 5 people to get one at a good price. But then my friend Jenna shared on Facebook that Sears would have an excellent TV on sale for an incredible price the Sunday before Black Friday.

We waited for Sunday. And then I searched TVs on the Sears website and found it. It was an incredible deal: 46″ Sony LED TV for nearly half the retail price. Perfect. (BTW, thank you for the tip, Jenna!)

Instead of waiting in line for hours, we simply walked into the store, explained which TV we wanted, and walked out 15 minutes later with our TV. No Black Friday sale could match that.

We planned to set it up Friday night. I carefully cleaned around the TV stand, preparing the space for the new TV and dusting off the old one. “What should we do with this old TV?” Aaron asked.

“Let’s just offer it up on Facebook,” I suggested. “I’m sure one of our friends could use a TV. We’ll just put it in a corner until someone can come get it.”

Here’s the dramatic part of the story, though. You see, unlike these beautiful new flat panel TVs, the old-style televisions with their tubes and lack of flatness aren’t exactly lightweight. Actually, they’re about as heavy as large granite boulders, and roughly as easy to carry. I knew our 32″ TV was heavy, and I was already dreading trying to lift it.

Aaron stood on one side and I stood on the other. We got our hands under it and slid it a little to the edge of the stand. I was already trying to prepare myself for the weight, telling myself it was only a few shuffle-steps to get it across the room and set it down. Aaron asked if I was ready, and I nodded, pulling up on the TV with all of my strength.

We had just cleared the TV stand when I became certain this was a bad idea.

“I can’t hold it! I’m losing it!” I cried as my fingers started to slip. I tried to get my knee under it to help prop it up, forgetting that it weighed two tons and my knee was just as incapable of supporting two tons as my hands were. At that point I pulled my knee back up and tried to just get it gently down to the ground. But then my fingers lost their grip entirely.

I then learned that TV cases aren’t made nearly as well as I had hoped.

The case shattered into about a million pieces as it hit the ground. Aaron began a long string of cursing while I held my fingers – now missing a few layers of skin – and apologized that I wasn’t strong enough to hold it.

So much for giving it away on Facebook.

But then we had a new problem. Any movement caused more of the case to crack off, and with the case half shattered, it was now impossible for anyone to lift. And with sharp plastic shards everywhere, it couldn’t stay in the living room for the kids to find.

I suggested we slide it out to the garage. Aaron found a large piece of cardboard and we carefully slid the broken TV onto it. We slid it across the carpet about 5 feet before the TV shifted and tipped over, with a loud crackle of more splintering plastic, followed by more cursing from Aaron.

It was obvious that the case was only getting in the way, so Aaron took out some frustration by ripping off the remainder of the case from around the metal and glass parts of the TV and breaking the wires and circuit board to make it easier to transport. At that point we were able to successfully drag/scoot/slide it to the garage.

Now we have a useless, broken TV in our garage. But hey, the flat panel TV was a breeze to set up!

Anyone want a TV we’ll describe as “needs work”?

Filed Under: Aaron, clearly insane, daily life Tagged With:


Oct 12, 2010

My Tivo Runneth Over

October 12, 2010 By

Oh network television, you’re killing me.

When the Fall lineup was announced, Aaron and I sat down and mapped out our TV strategy. It wasn’t a pretty sight. Most of our favorites avoided the axe last year, and combined with new must-sees we required a chart to keep track of them all.

It seems all of our favorite shows are mostly on at 8pm, with very little on at 9pm. This wouldn’t be a problem, except for two days a week when we have three shows on at the same time. Our Tivo can only record two at once, and I’m not quite willing to admit I’m that much of a television addict to pay for a second Tivo service on another TV. To combat this, we let two shows record while we run upstairs to watch the third in our bedroom.

Everything else we planned to get to during the 9pm dead time, or use Wednesday as a catch up night, when we have nothing scheduled. (And yes, the kids are already in bed before 8pm.)

It was a good plan – although a little crammed – at least until my work schedule blew up.

(And I’d like to say here that everything is back to normal, as I hoped it would be soon in my last post, but the truth is it’s still busy and may be for quite awhile.)

We’re now at least a full week behind on most shows. I think we’re caught up on Glee and The Vampire Diaries, but only because I beg to watch them before older TV.

I’ve tried cutting back. I gave up The Biggest Loser this season, finally admitting that the show is too long for its value. (Honestly – do you need an entire hour for the weigh-in? Skip the suspenseful music and cuts of shocked faces and just get on with it already.) And I’ve already committed to skipping out on American Idol in the spring.

But everything else is just too good. Chuck. House. Castle. Parenthood. The Big Bang Theory. The Mentalist. Bones. Smallville. (And Glee and The Vampire Diaries, of course.) I love all of them in their own way, and couldn’t think of dropping any of them right now. I’m a sucker for a compelling story, exciting cinematography and emotional acting.

So please, network executives, can you toss in a mid-season break soon? I need a couple of weeks to get caught up again. Maybe a baseball or some other sporting event could get in the way for a few weeks?

I really don’t want my Tivo to start threatening to delete programs to make space for new ones. And I’m going to BlogWorld this week, which means I’m going to fall even further behind.

TV overlords, have mercy.

Filed Under: geek paradise, pop culture Tagged With: