When I Grow Up I Want To Be....

I make no secret of the fact that " That 70's Show " is my favourite sitcom ever in the whole wide world. Despite being set almost a decade before i was born, i relate to almost all the characters and all the crazy little situations they get themselves in just crack me up. My friends have asked me a few times who my favourite character is and thst debatable - i love them all for different reasons, at different times, and my favourite changes from season to season ( hell, even episode to episode ). What does not change however is the fact that Kitty Foreman is the most awesome mum in the history of TV and when i grow up i want to be just like her ( minus the hairdo and the smoking ). Why?

1. She lets her sons friends hang out in their basement. She gives them plenty of space but still manages to bring them plates of cookies/cups of cocoa/cans of "soda" exactly when they need them.

2. She knows all the kids names, and knows enough about them that she can always offer the best of advice. Which often times doesnt quite come out right, but you know its always with the absolute best of intentions.

3. She bakes - A LOT. She also helps others to bake ( like when she tries unsuccessfully to teach Jackie how to make a pie ) and let she lets others use her oven to bake ( even when she is unknowingly letting Hyde make "special brownies " ). She knows that a good hearty meal and the sharing of food is one of the best ways to look after her family. And her families friends. And the neighbours....

4. She may well be the mother of two teenagers ( and surrogate mum to the whole gang ) but the lady is a tramp! Or, rather, she is in touch with her sexuality and is not ashamed to admit. Even when Eric walks in on his parents " doing it ", her words of wisdom to her son are " ....and foreplay is very important ". I love that she is just so in love with her husband, even after so many years together and, strangely Kitty and Red actually remind me of my parents. Aww!

5. She's funny and, dare i say it, she's a bit of a shit stirrer. I love the way she jokes around and the way she knows how to push peoples buttons ( namely her husbands ) in order to get things done. She has a great sense of humour and she uses it to her best advantage.

So thats probably my Top 5 - there is plenty more i love about Kitty and about " That 70's Show " as a whole but that could be a whole other ( long ) conversation!
So - who is your favourite TV or movie mum? Is it because you want to be like them or because you are amused at how terrible they are ? Oh - and how awesome is " That 70's Show " ?

Thank God For Sesame Street

Flynn isnt exactly up to the TV watching stage yet - at 5 months old he doesnt have the worlds longest attention span ( hello goldfish! ). However, i do put the kids channel ABC2 on for an hour or so everyday - he doesnt actually watch the programs but he enjoys the music and the colour, and that comes in handy if Mummy has to run outside and hang some washing or needs to go to the toilet. Dont get me wrong, i'm not going to be one of those mums who uses the TV as a makeshift babysitter, i just 5 or 10 minutes of distraction sometimes. So little Flynn doesnt actually watch the shows - I, on the other hand, being an adult, cannot help but pay attention ( even if sometimes i dont really want to ). And do want to know what i've noticed ? Some kids TV shows are just stupid. They dont even compare to the great shows I had to watch when i was growing up. You know, like " Sesame Street ".

" Sesame Street " is the bomb, baby. I should i say the baby bomb? Either way i loved it back then and i love it still. The characters are kid friendly, the puppets come from the fabulous Jim Henson Company, it gets the best celebrity  cameos ( Garth Brooks, Adam Sandler, Aretha Franklin, hell even Michelle Obama ) and they use music and colour and stories to help kids learn. " Sesame Street " is the kind of show i want Flynn to love. Suffice to say Mummy will put this one on when he's old enough to actually pay attention to TV. I've also discovered two other little shows that i dont mind, and would be happy to sit down and watch with him:

" The Hoobs " - this one is a British show about these aliens called Hoobs that travel around in the Hoob mobile, learning about things here on Earth. They call adults " peeps", children are " tiddly-peeps " and babys are " squiddly-tiddly-peeps". Cute! What i like about this one is that every episode is about something in particular and the Hoob go around and try to learn about that thing. So, for example, yesterday one of them had found a painted egg and they wanted to know what it was and it was for - queue learning that eggs come from chickens, humans eat them, and when theyre boiled and painted they are used for egg hunts. Also, this also a Jim Henson production so it gets extra points from me just for that. Hooba-licious!

" Chuggingtons" - this is pretty much the new, modernised " Thomas the Tank Engine ". Not thats there is anything wrong with old Thomas but this one is just a little more " hip". Its more colourful, there are human characters and the storylines teach a moral or lesson without being as clunky as Thomas tends to be. Mick and I bought Flynn a Chuggingtons showbag ( with a backpack and lunchbox, dinner plate and cute hat! ) at this years show so my fingers are crossed that he gets into this one!

I dont get the appeal of some of the other popular kids shows. " In the Night Garden " ? Its rubbish - i'm not too keen on kids shows that use baby sounds instead of actual language. I know babys might like being spoken to in goo-goo-ga-ga but i'd prefer Flynn to watch something where he is going to pick up actual words and language. " Yo Gabba Gabba " ? Those puppet character thingys are weird and freaky! The stripey green one doesnt even have elbows - whats up with that? And DJ Lance has one of those faces i just want to punch. So i'm thanking God for " Sesame Street " - as long as it remains on air i might have a little bit of sanity for the next 10 years of childrens tv watching!