Mama Says…

***Congratulations, KATIE! You win the Soccer! DVD! It’s going in the mail soon.***

“Can we watch the soccer movie? Can we watch the soccer movie? Can we watch the soccer movie?”

That’s pretty much all I’ve heard since I put on athleticBaby’s award-winning Soccer! DVD, the newest installment in a series of videos geared toward getting toddlers excited about sports and physical activity, for my three-and-a-half year old soccer enthusiast last week.

I put it on for her, sat down on the couch and had a hard time deciding what I wanted to focus on more: the video itself or my daughter, who alternated between kicking her brother’s Batman ball off of the fireplace – “I’m scoring goals, Mummy!” and shakin’ her groove thang to the video’s catchy music.

In a day and age where more and more children are opting for video games and the boob tube instead of extracurricular activities and physical activity, a video series like this is needed for young kids. Aimed at kids aged three months plus, Soccer! introduces them to the sport and to the idea of regular fitness. Children from about 18 months up to about ten years of age are shown warming up and playing soccer as part of a team, as well as just having fun being physically active.

All of this is set to catchy, kid-friendly music that I find myself humming while making dinner and doing the dishes. Award-winning children’s singer/songwriter Eddie Coker’s musical stylings really add flair and pizzazz to this video and singer/songwriter Susie Tallman’s contribution, a song called “Let’s Go”, marries nicely with video’s theme and footage.

Something I really liked (besides the soundtrack) was how kids of all ages were featured playing and enjoying soccer, which I felt shows kids that soccer – and sports in general – will grow with them as they get older. I also think it’s pretty cool that athleticBaby was created by a working mom of three with the goal of creating a product that encourages children to get out there and get active.

The only aspect of the video that didn’t grab me was the colour identifying and number counting that was mixed in with the ‘active’ footage. In a sports-themed video, it seemed a little out of place to me.

Mama Says: Clearly, this video was a big hit with my budding Beckham, and it’s something that as a parent, I’d be pleased to give (or receive) as a gift. And at $16.99, the price is right. For more information about athleticBaby and the other videos in this series, visit www.athleticbaby.com

Inspired by Mrs. Chicken, I’ve decided to raffle off my copy of Soccer! to one of you lovely readers, after clearing it with my daughter first, of course. Leave me a comment here by Saturday, February 10^th and I’ll pick a winner at random. Score!

Confession #1: I have never been interested in (nor have I ever read) any books that might fall into the “self-help” category.

Confession #2: Because of that, I really didn’t think I’d like Babyproofing Your Marriage.

Oh, how I was wrong. And oh, how I wish authors Stacie Cockrell, Cathy O’Neill and Julia Stone had written this book roughly three and a half years ago, when I was an overwhelmed new mother wondering what the hell my husband and I had been thinking deciding to go ahead and have frivolous unprotected sex with the hopes that egg and sperm would meet.

Babyproofing Your Marriage takes the inevitable changes that take place once the bun pops out of the oven, dissects them and offers sage advice on how to keep your heads – and your marriage – above water. The thing I liked the most about it was that reading it was like having a conversation with my girlfriends. The authors use their own voices, humour and experiences to create a dialogue that’s easy (and fun) to read. Woven throughout the book are quotes from parents (and even grandparents) that had me laughing out loud and feeling quite relieved that I’m the only one out there who has met her husband at the door, crying hysterically alongside her children, “Why did we ever have kids?”

Cockrell, O’Neill and Stone tell it like it is. They take the bull by the horns and tackle the issues that left alone could break a marriage, such as the bombshell that is having a baby (Chapter 2), the whole what the hell happened to my bloody libido? thing (Chapter 4, a.k.a. The Most Important Chapter In This Book, for good reason…) and pulling up your socks and giving in to the chaos that is having children (Chapter 6).

Something I really liked about this book was that all sides were accounted for. The feedback given from married men was honest and many times, eye-opening – it made me feel fortunate that my husband is as helpful and as hands-on as he is. Thoughts from grandparents, as well as working and stay-at-home mothers gave the book a very ‘thorough’ feel. It’s obvious that the authors wanted to offer many different perspectives, and they did.

They also offer excellent advice – advice that is realistic and can be implemented by both husbands and wives. For example:

• The Five Minute Fix (a.k.a The Blowjob): It takes five minutes and you will reap the benefits of those five minutes for days. You don’t have to get undressed. Your body doesn’t have to be invaded. You don’t even have to talk…You will buy yourself a couple of days, maybe even a week.
• For those with newborns, someone should be sleeping: You have to have a system. Dad does all feeds up till midnight, Mom (goes to bed early and) gets everything after. Or whatever suits your sleeping schedule. Don’t duke it out, Divide and Conquer. (This is the only way Dave and I were able to function when our little darlings were screaming newborns…)
• For husbands who want to help but aren’t quite sure what to do: Take the baby so she can catch a nap. Or offer to do a full night of feedings once a week. Offer to take over part of the weekend so she can get a breather and do something for herself.
• On Scorekeeping: The Super-Secret, Sure-Fire Way Both of You Can End Scorekeeping: If all else fails, try Rock, Paper, Scissors. Works Every time. (This right here? This is good advice, people. Dave and I have solved many a parenting dilemma the Rock/Paper/Scissors way. Take note!)