Some Freaky...and Nice Easter Videos for You!

The first one really is freaky! The weird little eggs will haunt me in my dreams tonight, as the Easter bunny prepares to add chocolate to their weird little countenances in the baskets set out for the children.



The next one is a classic and my favorite of all the Peanuts videos. It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown! That Marcy really is dim! This one "cracks" the kids up every time we watch it. I'm so glad we can still share in the awesomeness that is Charles Schultz. Happy Easter!

New Bumbo Video Outtakes - So Funny!

Here's the newest video from Ready Set Bumbo! It shows a lot of how they made the videos with the dog and baby and a lot of funny moments too! Looks like they have a series in development! Yay - Kodi and Baby!

Baby Got Back Wedding Dance

I think this is so great! I wish I'd thought of something like this, but we were too overwhelmed to even function after our wedding! Check it out! These two have got it together for their wedding dance and their life together!

Another Reason to Make Sure Your Kids Wash Their Hands....

Apparently, researchers continue to confirm what Moms and most doctors have been saying for a long time - that hand washing is the number one defense against most viruses and influenza. This is truly the worst season for illnesses in our family. Right now we've got two down and one more coming down with the Fall upper respiratory infections that seem to strike us about every 4 to 6 months. The two kids are on medicines and seem better, but my husband is looking bad and says he's feeling it coming on. Hand washing, hand washing! I tell them all the time, but they don't do it enough.

Maybe if they learn to sing the The Happy Little Working Song from Enchanted - The Movie, they'll be motivated to be much cleaner ;) Don't you parents just LOVE this Movie! Enjoy!

Dancing Pooh

Funny Video! DD2 Thinks this is her own daddy, check out the daddy-moves! Cool Dancing!

Bumbo Safety Video

Enjoy the latest video from Ready Set Bumbo - Bumbo Safety Instruction Video. Awesome! If only all safety videos were this cute and interesting. And if you have little ones, please be safe! Never use a Bumbo on an elevated surface!

Dog Saves Girl from Attacker

Check out this video. A little Jack Russell terrier attacked a man attempting to abduct her 8-year-old little girl owner. She tore him up so bad, he ran away. Chalk another one up for the dogs! And the one's who love them! This dog was very mild-mannered but came through when her family was threatened. Give this dog a medal!

Where's Molly - Reuniting Brother and Sister After 47 Years

I read about Where's Molly, a movie produced by the subjects of the film, several months ago on CNN.com. I got to view the film recently.

Where's Molly is the story of two siblings, Jeff Daly and Molly Jo Daly, of Astoria, Oregon. When Molly was almost three years old, and Jeff, only six, their parents decided to place Molly in an institution for the disabled. Only they didn't tell Jeff. The longing in his voice is readily apparent as he describes missing his only sibling and playmate of his childhood. One day she was there, his constant companion, the next day, gone forever. His parents wouldn't tell him where she'd gone, only that something was wrong with her and that she was no longer to be mentioned, asked about or even considered family.

Molly suffered from mild mental retardation, but at the time, doctors simply told families to put their children into state care and to forget them. Jeff's dad didn't forget though. He continued to see Molly, even dressing as a clown to continue to see her when his short visits upset her. The family was forever broken and saddened by the removal of Molly from their family.

I highly recommend this film to anyone, but especially anyone who has a family member with a disability of any kind. The mistreatment of disabled individuals throughout our recent history is astounding. Even though the film is relatively short (72 mins) it conveys the pain, longing and connections of a family torn apart by the system and by its own members who thought they were "doing the right thing".

In today's mainstreaming world, we need to be reminded that only a short time ago, people with even mild disabilities were often taken away from the only people who loved them and sent away. Jeff and Molly's story has a happy ending. Jeff and his wife were able to locate Molly and reconnect with her, just before her 50th birthday. They hadn't seen each other in 47 years. The message they want to send out to the world is that there are still people out there who have family members that they can't locate, or don't even know about, due to outdated privacy laws. Jeff was instrumental in changing Oregonian law to allow siblings to find institutionalized siblings, but not all states have yet followed suit.

I have an aunt who has been deaf since the age of three, due to an illness. She is about Molly's age and was sent away to school most of the time my mother was growing up in the 1940's and 1950's. My mom painfully relates how they would all cry at having to separate and that my aunt didn't understand why she couldn't stay with her family. Now, children with every kind of disability can learn and stay with their families thanks to changing educational views and thanks to changed laws.

My own children, who are not disabled, attend a school that is a magnet school for children with various disabilities, including autism, Down's syndrome and hearing impairment. They are learning firsthand that people are people first and how to interact and learn with people who may be outwardly different from themselves. I find it fortunate that our children get to see and learn this lesson early on. They are there because they are gifted, but they can share with and teach other children, while growing their own abilities.

Please visit Jeff Daly's website Where's Molly to see more about their story, to see this compelling story firsthand, and to help others connect with their missing families. As Jeff states, time is running out for these now elderly "missing and forgotten" children to find their remaining family and siblings.

Bumbo III Video is Out - Baby Versus Clone!

It's finally out - the new Bumbo Video! Cool Beans! I love this series! Check out Bumbo I and Bumbo II in the archives at Parent Traps in our archives. This filmmaker Dad is a genius! And, of course, the baby and Cody, the dog, are the cutest! We love all of them and I've already gotten some presents for under the tree for us that show our love!

Kitty Said What?

Enjoy the Kitties! Happy Labor Day!

Oh no, Attack of the Killer Pageant Girls

I was alerted to this little tidbit by my friend over at Imagine That blog.
Normally, I would never propagate such dumb blond moments as this, but this is a really dumb blond -and I'm blond, so I don't perpetuate this stereotype. But people - look at this for yourselves and judge.....I agree - Oh.My.God! I thought pageants were supposed to showcase education - this is just sad!

Andrew and the Chipmunks Video

This is my nephew Andrew playing with the cutest chipmunks while on vacation in Creede, Colorado this week - check it out!!!!

Ready-Set-Bumbo III Preview

Wow, Bumbo Fans, Check out the cool new bumbo video preview - we can't wait til the whole thing comes out! We love our Bumbo Videos here at Parent Traps!

Cool Dog Tricks Video

This such a cool dog tricks video - you know, I got our dog, Buddy, to shake hands with me for the first time this month, after trying to teach him for TEN years. I think he is just a weirdo like Howie Mandel, who doesn't like anyone touching his hands (paws).

Baby Einstein Reduces Intelligence?

A new study by University of Washington says that babies' language abilities may be harmed by watching Baby Einstein videos and similar products.

My children were big Baby Einstein fans - they kind of still are, even though they are older, now 8 and 5. My littlest dd learned her shapes so fast with "I Know My Shapes" that it would have made any teacher's head spin off. That was somewhere around age 3.

I didn't sit my babies in carriers in front of the TV just watching those videos though. We did lots of one on one verbal and written language work. I bought those 99 cent Walmart placemats that had the ABC's on them for dd1 and every meal we would practice - she loved them and learned her letters really, really fast. She started writing at age 2. So the price of product doesn't seem to matter, it is how they are used. They both are still far, far ahead in verbal and written language.

A woman we know used to put her baby boy in front of the dvd's while she did her work-at-home business for massage therapy. Now, we haven't seen them in a few years, but I do wonder how he turned out.

Ready-Set-Bumbo II

This is part II - the kids just love that dog! They'll have a part III coming soon! Love that Teleporter!

Ready-Set-Bumbo

I simply find this to be the funniest video on you tube ever! Watch Part II as well - great music and stopmotion photography with the cutest dog and baby in the world.

Happy Baby and Happy Mother's Day!

This is the cutest thing 0 00000h, it was so long ago that ours were this little. Enjoy the happy baby video!