PlayIsTheWork.com

Ever get tired of the “N” word?
I feel like I say “No” all day long.

At the grocery store: “No you can’t have Trix yogurt.” “No, we don’t need a 4th of July beach ball.” “No, we aren’t buying any dog food- we don’t have a dog!”

At home: “No, we aren’t going to unroll all of the toilet paper and make a snowy mountain inside the toilet.” ” No, you don’t need to watch Dragontails.” “No, you can’t put mommy’s lotion all over the mirror to make yourself hide.”

And, while I know my “no’s” are in my kids best interest, sometimes after a long day of shrieking “No!” I am surprised to find that I don’t melt in the tub, ala the Wicked Witch of the West.

So, it is always nice to find something that I can say “yes” too- especially when it’s healthy, and disguised as a treat. Fresh strawberries from the farmer’s market qualify. So does a picnic at the beach. And on the home entertainment front, my latest treat is “Braincandy,” a video for kids that is all about sensory exploration.

This is no sit on the couch and “Count with Leap” drilling video. It encourages my monkeys to get up and move, and explore. The music is good- even infectious (and not in the way the Wiggles is “catchy” i.e. “Give me a lobotomy to make it stop!!”). After reading that dancing helps children develop socially and emotionally, I am completely guilt free about the few minutes I can sneak to myself when they are partying with Braincandy in the living room.

Braincandy has also just signed a distribution deal with Wal-Mart– which means that the next time I take the kids shopping, in between the “No, you can’t get a new bike today” and “Dear God, No! We aren’t buying the Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey cabbage patch collector dolls,” I can say “Yes! You can buy something! Here is a new Braincandy video!”

Hallelujah.

Posted on July 6th, 2005 by Allison
Filed under: Uncategorized