Link Friday

Funky Stroller - like the iBot does for handcapped, this stroller's innovative design raises the baby up so that it's not lost among people's legs in crowds.

ASL Browser - video to show you how to sign

Hazardous Toys - I know I'm late with this, but here's the list of dangerous toys for this year.

Tweens and Faith - a recent study from Barna

New Top Names List

BABYCENTER.COM -- The new top 100 names lists are out. We liked the name Noah as a possible boy's name were our next child to be a boy, but at #7, it's way too high on the list. Not interested in being a trend-follower. Some interesting (and some weird) stuff in the trends page. More...

Greg Wiggle to Stop Performing

MSNBC.com -- This is a little bit outdated by now, but I've been really swamped. Anyhow, yellow-shirted Greg (Page) Wiggle announced recently he'd be retiring due to health issues and actually had to pull out of the US tour in June. I'm glad Lori got to take Rachel to see them in concert earlier this year -- they started their tour here in Tacoma not long after we moved here. Anyhow, the new yellow-shirted guy Sam I guess has to be called Greg. I don't think they're doing any more new TV, are they? (Does anyone know?) If not, that makes the transition even easier since they're harder to see on stage than on the TV screen. More...

That's My Girl

Lori relates that earlier today they were driving in the car and Rachel asked "Where are we going?"

Lori replied "Lowes."

And Rachel started saying "No. I don't want to go to Lowes. I don't want to go to Lowes. HOME DEPOT!"

Parents Magazine Speed Reading

Ok, I have a bunch of issues of Parents Magazine here. Lori hands them to me when she's done with them and I've been piling them on the floor with all the Newsweeks I haven't read.

In an attempt to clean up, I'm going skim all the magazines and mention the stuff I found interesting here. Ready? Let's go.

Neutral Tones for Clothing - bright colors and floral patterns are more likely to attract bugs, especially mosquitoes and bees.

Why Do Babies Like to Watch (or have Read to Them) the Same Thing Repeatedly? First, it helps them with vocabulary. They have all these thoughts rambling around in their brains. This helps them develop their vocabulary. Also, their memory. As they begin to remember the story, they are excited to be able to know what's coming next.

Pacifiers Are Good Again - Doctors now believe newborns who sleep with a pacifier are more sensitive to stimuli, making them more likely to react if they find themselves in a position where they can't breathe. (Recommend waiting on a pacifier until they've gotten proficient at breast feeding.)

TV and Food - Children who regularly watch TV while eating are more likely to eat more than children who also watch a lot of TV, but not while eating. Scientists believe that the children are distracted by the TV and ignoring their own bodies' cues telling them they are full.

Separation Anxiety - One family had the children push them out the door at the daycare. It was so much work and fun for the kids that they forgot to be upset that the parents were leaving.

Well, one down three to go. But, that's enough for now.

Where Is God?

A couple had two little boys, ages 8 and 10, who were excessively mischievous. They were always getting into trouble and their parents knew that, if any mischief occurred in their town, their sons were probably involved.

The boys' mother heard that a clergyman in town had been successful in disciplining children, so she asked if he would speak with her boys. The clergyman agreed, but asked to see them individually. So the mother sent her 8-year-old first, in the morning, with the older boy to see the clergyman in the afternoon.

The clergyman, a huge man with a booming voice, sat the younger boy down and asked him sternly, "Where is God?"

They boy's mouth dropped open, but he made no response, sitting there with his mouth hanging open, wide-eyed. So the clergyman repeated the question in an even sterner tone, "Where is God!!?"

Again the boy made no attempt to answer. So the clergyman raised his voice even more and shook his finger in the boy's face and bellowed, "WHERE IS GOD!?"

The boy screamed and bolted from the room, ran directly home and dove into his closet, slamming the door behind him. When his older brother found him in the closet, he asked, "What happened?"

The younger brother, gasping for breath, replied, "We are in BIG trouble this time, dude. God is missing - and they think WE did it!"

Recommended Children's Books

Here's a collection of recommended Holiday Children's books from MSNBC.

But I'm not tired

This is a great video on ParentCenter about handling issues with children who resist going to bed or make it into a traumatic experience for parents.

In Rachel news... today she pinched the skin between two fingers with the hinge on her sunglasses. She was crying and Lori asked what had happened. She said "It pinched me right in there. And it TOTALLY hurt!"

James Kim Found (Deceased)

I've been watching this rather sad story unfold since I first heard about it last Friday. A family, after visiting friends in the northwest were traveling back to California. They had attempted to get from the 5 to the Oregon coast and became stuck. By Friday they had been missing for almost a week. While I'm not familiar with James Kim's work, he was a senior editor for CNET, a site I have been regularly visiting since its launch in 1994. After becoming stuck, they ran the car at night for warmth and even removed and lit the tires on fire to try to make a signal fire. More than a week later, on Saturday, at 1:30 AM a cell tower picked up a ping from a cell phone which renewed hope. After at lot of searching, two days ago Kati flagged down a rescuer and she and the two daughters were rescued and are said to be in good condition. Sadly, two days before that James had set out for help. His body was found today. It doesn't say much, but based on the description of the clothes they found, I'm guessing he succumbed to hypothermia. This is really tragic after such a wonderful bit of news at the recovery of the other family members. And I know I would have done the same thing, trying to set out for help. No snarky comments about Oregon today, but it just goes to show how important a good emergency kit is in every car and how dangerous these cut-over routes are between the 5 and the coast in Oregon. Just a real tragedy. Please pray for the family and James' coworkers.