2011 January Archive at Laptop Television Mom

Danielle and PBS SoCal

As a recent transplant to Austin, Texas, I now miss many of the top-notch blogger events hosted in California. Since I am never one to miss a party, I decided it was time to recruit a West-coast correspondent for Laptop TV Mom, and my choice was easy:my best friend Vicki. She lives in Orange County, is super-smart (engineer, MBA), has two adorable children, is married to a handful of a husband, and is a great writer. She and I love the same books, have polar-opposite tastes in movies, and we both love being Mom.

Vicki recently represented Laptop TV Mom at a party to celebrate the new PBS SoCal. Enjoy her inaugural post!

– LTV Mom

Vicki, Danielle and Elmo

I had a brief moment of panic, shortly after the first of the year, when I went to turn on Curious George (aka “Monkey George” in our house) for my 3-year old, and it wasn’t there. I checked the time in my head and also confirmed it was indeed a weekday … no chance it was a Saturday and I could go back to bed. I checked the TiVo guide and none of our favorite PBS shows were scheduled for that day or any other day. PBS Kids programming has been around since before I was a kid! Could we all still live in a world without Sesame Street? What had happened? A quick online search indicated that I only needed to move four channels up the dial and all would be well again. Whew! Minor crisis averted, but I never knew exactly what had happened until this week.

My daughter Danielle and I were invited to the PBS SoCal launch in Hollywood to represent the Laptop TV Mom blog. All of Danielle’s favorite PBS friends were there, including that lovable red monster, Elmo himself. We arrived on a beautiful 72-degree January day with blue skies and a hint of magic in the air as we entered the Jim Henson Company lot. After some time in the sunny courtyard at brightly colored tables filled with crayons, activity books and games, we were entertained by an interactive Sid the Science Kid on a big plasma TV. Watching a group of twenty local first-graders “talk” with their equivalent of a rock star was a spectacle to behold. The enthralled, giggly group asked Sid lots of silly questions, tempered with a few that were science in nature. He was a master at playing along with the kids - rolling eyes, quirked eyebrows, funny facial expressions and all.

We then moved onto the Henson soundstage for a presentation by PBS SoCal President, Mel Rogers, and Jim Henson Company CEO, Lisa Henson, where they explained that KOCE is now the new full-service PBS station for Los Angeles and the greater Southland area. They will still be delivering the same high-quality local and national programming we’ve come to expect, just with a new name to represent their focus audience – PBS SoCal. During the presentation, special guests - Elmo, Sid the Science Kid, Curious George, Buddy from Dinosaur Train, and Martha from Martha Speaks - were the star attractions. The bigger-than-life plush characters kept kids and parents alike spellbound as they led the kids in a sing-a-long, skit, and brief show.

As we waited in line outside for our chance to be photographed with Elmo, I quickly realized that we needed to have a serious mom-to-kid discussion - afterall, Elmo was sitting with a very nice man (Kevin Clash) who was moving his arms and legs with plastic sticks and speaking in that lovable, unmistakable Elmo voice. Danielle nodded in understanding and didn’t seem fazed at all. I was a little sorry to have to take some of the magic out of it for her … that was, until she was sitting at the dinner table that night, retelling her adventures, and explained to everyone that the Elmo in our picture was just a puppet, but the REAL Elmo had been inside during the show, sitting up on the big velvet purple box and singing to them. A slow grin spread across my face as I realized the magic was still alive!

A big thank you to the folks at PBS SoCal and Jim Henson Company for an unforgettable afternoon!

- Vicki Halphide

Vicki and her daughter, on behalf of LTV Mom, were invited to the PBS SoCal event and received a meal and give-aways. No blog post was required to attend the event. These words are written by Vicki and are unedited.

Daddy and Daughter

My life has been insane lately. In the past several weeks, my family moved into a new house, our beloved cat died, we got a puppy, celebrated Christmas and New Year’s holidays, we hosted house-guests for two weeks, my mother faced an illness, I had to prepare and attend CES, I spoke at the MommyTech Summit, and more. Oh yeah, and my work blew up more than once, which required frequent travel from Austin to Silicon Valley. Can you say stress?

And through it all, my husband remains my rock and my daughter’s beacon. I have been trying to tell him how much I appreciate his strength and dedication to our family. I sat down to write a blog post in his honor, but I was reminded of this post I wrote for Silicon Valley Moms Blog nearly two years ago.

It still holds true, and it still brings tears to my eyes.

Thank you, my love, for being so good to your wife and daughter!

– LTV Mom

Dear Dads with Daughters,

Back when we were single, my girlfriends and I kept our eyes open for available men. We usually scoped out a college guy who was funny, smart, handsome, and had access to beer. Now I’m happily married with a daughter, and don’t need to be dazzled by men who aren’t my husband. But the people-watcher in me can’t help but admire the good men out there. Of course, my views of the world have changed dramatically, and I have a whole new set of criteria for spotting what I consider to be a good man. It’s quite simple: just show me what kind of daddy you are.

Since I have a soft-spot for dads with daughters, I can’t help by smile every time I see a daddy lovingly interact with their little girls. Here are my personal favorites:

Ballet Class: There is nothing cuter than a tough guy trying desperately to stuff their little girls’ feet into ballet shoes. (Yes, there is a “right” and a “left” ballet shoe!) I personally find it sexy when dads burst with pride while watching their girls trot around a dance studio in a pink tutu.

Ponytails and Headbands: Sometimes it’s obvious when Daddy was in charge of the ‘do. Personally, I find a messy ponytail and mismatched barrettes adorable. I love the effort, because we know it takes a little skill and a lot of patience to accomplish any sort of hairdo on a four-year-old girl.

Dresses or Jeans: Some daughters want a frilly dress, others want jeans and a T-shirt. We are just impressed when both dad and daughter leave the house fully clothed. We know that little girl picked out an outfit and probably changed her mind several times… and daddy had to keep his cool along the way.

Princess Books: A trip to the library or any waiting room is the ideal time to see a daddy reading to his child. I love it when dads read the Princess books, complete with a falsetto voice for Cinderella. So sweet!

Dads, here’s my point: We are married ladies now, but you can still impress us with your softer side. We love our kids, and we appreciate it when a daddy isn’t afraid to show how much he loves them too.

This post originally appeared on Silicon Valley Moms Blog in April 2009. And I still mean every word.