Cellphones, laptops, digital cameras and MP3 music players are among the hottest gift items this year for preschoolers. According to a New York Times article,

Toy makers and retailers are filling shelves with new tech devices for children ages 3 and up, and sometimes even down. They say they are catering to junior consumers who want to emulate their parents and are not satisfied with fake gadgets.

Not satisfied with fake gadgets, huh? I guess my kids are the “weird” ones because they are happy to play with fake phones (not cell phones, either) and toy cameras. Certainly the toy laptops, like the Easy Link Internet Launch Pad from Fisher-Price, have an educational value to them. Even a low-end digi camera has educational value. But a cell phone? I see no educational value in that whatsoever. I don’t think 12 year olds should have cell phones so there is no way I think that’s appropriate for a 3 year old.

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I have stayed out of the political realm on here for quite some time, other than stating who I am supporting in the ‘08 Presidential election. However, this I found interesting.

Republicans Report Much Better Mental Health Than Others

PRINCETON, NJ — Republicans are significantly more likely than Democrats or independents to rate their mental health as excellent, according to data from the last four November Gallup Health and Healthcare polls. Fifty-eight percent of Republicans report having excellent mental health, compared to 43% of independents and 38% of Democrats. This relationship between party identification and reports of excellent mental health persists even within categories of income, age, gender, church attendance, and education.

The basic data — based on an aggregated sample of more than 4,000 interviews conducted since 2004 — are straightforward.

I suppose that would explain why so many Democrats I know are all about the doom-and-gloom, huh?

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Holy cow! I seriously thought my van was going to be blown off the road this afternoon! And while I was sitting in the van waiting for the twins to leave school, I felt like I was on a ship. Maybe I should have had a bag of salt (or two bags) in the trunk. It was scary at times driving on the interstate with all the cars weeble-wobbling on the road. Geesh!

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Two Names You Go by

1. Trisha
2. mommy

Two Things You Are Wearing Right Now:

1. black pants
2. my blood donor fall 2007 t shirt

Two Things You Would Want in a Relationship:

1. trust
2. honesty

Two of Your Favorite Things to do:

1. reading
2. spending time with my family

Two Things You Want Very Badly At The Moment:

1. an Apple Macbook
2. brand new teeth (no, don’t ask!)

Two things you did last night:

1. Watched Earl, 30 Rock and Scrubs
2. played Lego Starwars with dh on our new Wii

Two things you ate today:

1. a bowl of Collossal Crunch (Captain Crunch generic)
2.

Two people you Last Talked To:

1. Ryan
2. Zach

Two Things You’re doing tomorrow:

1. spending time with my dad!!!
2. going out to dinner with dad and Sharon for Brian’s birthday

Two longest car rides:

1. Indiana to California
2. North Dakota to Pennsylvania

Two Favorite Holidays

1. Thanksgiving
2. Christmas

Two Favorite Beverages
1. coffee
2. iced tea

Two jobs I have had in my life:

1. diamond consultant
2. pre-school teacher

Two Places I have lived:

1. Mishawaka, IN
2. Bismarck, ND

Two of my Favorite Foods:

1. lasagna
2. stuffing

Two Places I’d rather be right now

1. back in bed
2. somewhere warm

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I received this in an email from a friend and thought it was just too cute and I had to share. I can relate!

Dear Santa,

I’ve been a good mom all year. I’ve fed, cleaned and cuddled my children on demand, visited the doctor’s office more than my doctor and sold sixty-two cases of candy bars to raise money to plant a shade tree on the school playground. I was hoping you could spread my list out over several Christmases, since I had to write this letter with my son’s red crayon, on the back of a receipt in the laundry room between cycles, and who knows when I’ll find anymore free time in the next 18 years.

Here are my Christmas wishes:

I’d like a pair of legs that don’t ache (in any color, except purple, which I already have) and arms that don’t hurt or flap in the breeze, but are strong enough to pull my screaming child out of the candy aisle in the grocery store.

I’d also like a waist, since I lost mine somewhere in the seventh month of my last pregnancy.

If you’re hauling big ticket items this year I’d like fingerprint resistant windows and a radio that only plays adult music, a television that doesn’t broadcast any programs containing talking animals, and a refrigerator with a secret compartment behind the crisper where I can hide to talk on the phone.

On the practical side, I could use a talking doll that says, “Yes, Mommy” to boost my parental confidence, along with two kids who don’t fight and three pairs of jeans that will zip all the way up without the use of power tools.

I could also use a recording of Tibetan monks chanting “Don’t eat in the living room” and “Take your hands off your brother,” because my voice seems to be just out of my children’s hearing range and can only be heard by the dog.

If it’s too late to find any of these products, I’d settle for enough time to brush my teeth and comb my hair in the same morning, or the luxury of eating food warmer than room temperature without it being served in a Styrofoam container.

If you don’t mind, I could also use a few Christmas miracles to brighten the holiday season. Would it be too much trouble to declare ketchup a vegetable? It will clear my conscience immensely. It would be helpful if you could coerce my children to help around the house without demanding payment as if they were the bosses of an organized crime family.

Well, Santa, the buzzer on the dryer is calling and my son saw my feet under the laundry room door. I think he wants his crayon back. Have a safe trip and remember to leave your wet boots by the door and come in and dry off so you don’t catch cold.

Help yourself to cookies on the table but don’t eat too many or leave crumbs on the carpet. (you promised me last year you would lose some weight with me so next year you and I could be a cute size two blonde…ok, some requests go too far, but none the less…..)

Yours Always,

MOM…

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No, it’s not much, but it’s a start. And, no, the tree still has no lights or ornaments. The lights are dh’s job, and he’s sick

Before:

What are you tackling this week? Share here, or at 5 Minutes for Mom!

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I went to Giant Eagle today to get dh some medicine and they were piping Christmas tunes throughout the store. I couldn’t help myself and I started quietly singing along. I love Christmas music! People were looking at me like I was off my rocker! As if they’ve never heard anyone singing Christmas songs before. And it wasn’t as if I was belting them at the top of my lungs or anything. They probably thought I was mumbling to myself until they got close enough to actually hear that I was singing along. Oh, well. Nothing can break my spirit at this time of the year!

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No, I’m not talking about some sale in a store somewhere. I’m talking about my house! Manic is certainly what it is with 6 kids running around. My blog name is holding true today! I have been babysitting for a friend for about 4 months and today, because the kids are all out of school, I have her two oldest. I don’t usually have them, since they are also in first grade, but on the occasion that they are off of school, I get all three. So, today I have three boys and three girls in the house, including two sets of twins (yes, her two oldest are twins, as well).

I have a ton of things I’d like to get done today, especially since the landlord is coming on Thursday to inspect our half of the duplex. I’m finding that it’s increasingly difficult to get anything done when the four older ones want to follow me around everywhere. Don’t get me wrong, I love that they are interested. I just wish they were interested enough to actually help. Fortunately, they are all pretty well behaved. Of course, there is craziness in numbers, but they are keeping the crazy to a minimum today Mostly they just want to role play, which I am fond of, so that’s helpful.

At any rate, I must get off of here and attempt to get something done. I really need to pull all the Christmas decorations down and check the lights. The tree has been up for a week in anticipation of my dad coming out last weekend, but he wasn’t able to find a hotel room (anyone surprised by that? I told him!). It hasn’t been decorated or anything and it needs to be done, along with the rest of the decorating. I love this time of year!

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(hat tip Eden)

18% Geek

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