Bob the Builder

Do we have any Bob the Builder fans out there? OK, maybe not all of you moms but at least some of your kids.

My son has recently joined the ranks of Bob the Builder fans. My dad bought a some Bob DVDs a few months ago. Zachariah was instantly in love.

What's not to love? There are trucks, tractors, tools, and all sorts of construction happening. That is part of the main reason for happiness in my son's life.

It started with the basic Bob the Builder cartoon-ish shows. But then my dad found Bob the Builder ON SITE: Roads & Bridges. Zachariah loved that the best. He liked seeing all the real life construction equipment and crews in action. Just like watching them outside at home or in the car along the road.

Every time Zachariah went to my parents house he watched these DVDs over and over. Finally my dad sent the ON SITE one with us. We have not taken it back yet. In fact he's watching it right now. He knows exactly what comes next in each part of the video. Even the part where the kids make a bridge and it doesn't work. The truck goes down. And Zachariah says "Oh dear", just like the narrator does. It's the cutest thing ever.

When I got a chance to preview Bob the Builder ON SITE: Houses & Playgrounds, I knew it would be great! He begs for it several times a week and refers to it as "Bob house".

It completely lived up to our expectations. Zachariah enjoys this movie as much as the other one or maybe more. Now he knows all the characters too. So we love seeing Muck, Dizzy, Tumbler, and the others along with Bob.

This movie isn't all On Site either. It goes back and forth from the cartoon Bob to the real life things. Bob sets up most of the scenes and explains very well what's happening.

I tell you what, my kid can tell you step by step how a house is built now. And when I asked him what was next he said "Playground!". And that's how it goes on the DVD. They build houses, then they show how to build a playground. He also corrects me when he sees a house being built. On the way to church a few weeks ago he noticed a house. I pointed it out and said "Look, they're building a house just like Bob The Builder". Zachariah said "No house Mom, FRAME!" Duh! And...he was right.

There are a few little things that Matt and I found odd about this show. Bob's laptop does not have a regular/English keyboard. But it's that way in other videos too. I'm not sure why the creators didn't go with a true to life computer for the animation, but it's a minor detail. The other issue I have is all the houses they build are made with cement on the outside. We don't see houses like that made in our area. We have siding instead, so I suppose that might be a little confusing to some kids. Zachariah doesn't really know the difference, but I'm sure he'll figure that out some day.

I find that some of the children's DVDs/videos that are out there are not as fun for me to watch. This one is doable for me. I find myself watching some parts and laughing at some of the little jokes in it. Of course after the 10th time, it does start to lose it's luster. But I think your kids will love this.

This new DVD Bob The Builder ON SITE: Houses & Playgrounds is available starting today, August 26th, 2008. It is available in stores now. I also found it on Amazon for a little less that the SRP. It is great for boys & girls in the 2-5 year range.

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So if you stuck around this long, you deserve to know that I will be giving away a Bob The Builder ON SITE: Houses & Playgrounds DVD for your child/children.

This DVD is brand new, and it has a bonus episode of Fireman Sam - "Birthday Surprise". I have not seen that because I have a screener DVD.

All you have to do to enter is leave your name and e-mail address. Good luck.

The contest will be open until Tuesday, September 2 at midnight EST.

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And for those of you who are big Bob The Builder fans, you might be interested in knowing that a new season of Bob the Builder - Project Build It will air in September on PBS KIDS.

Today

I have spent entirely too much time online today. And way too much of it accomplishing nothing.

I chatted with a friend all morning. I've been reading blogs and commenting all day too.

Here we are at 2:00, and I leave to tutor in an hour. I've managed to actually do the following things: get the child up and dressed, eat breakfast, feed the kid, read a chapter in my current book, make my bed, make lunch for the kid, find a book for my friend, make lunch for me, eat, lay the kid down for a nap, pull laundry out of the dryer, leave laundry in the basket in the kitchen unfolded, lay kid down for nap again (still not sleeping), lay the kid down again (I think he's finally sleeping but I'll have to get him up in a hour - not much of a nap for him). Add in letting the dog out, feeding and watering the dog, and letting the dog out again, and that's been my day.

Well, it looks like I did a little, tiny, itty bit other than computer time.

Please tell me I'm not the only one who has days like this!

Things I need to accomplish: schedule oil change, fold and put again clothes (can't put away until kid wakes up), put away the clutter I've created today, put away clean dishes, wash dirty dishes, start preparing supper, start DVD review, and there is much more. That just needs accomplished today. We'll see what I get to.

Later today I need to run to the store for one thing. I also need to look at a gift for a friend of mind. Then I'll have to be sure to get it mailed later this week.

Tomorrow we're going to the county fair. Oh the bad food we will eat. Of course it's supposed to be hot tomorrow. But Zachariah will love seeing all the animals. I'm sure there will be a few shows we can take him to. Matt wants a deep-fried candy bar and greasy french fries. Ugh. Zachariah wants cotton candy or a candy apple, but he was supposed to be going on the potty this week to earn it. Besides the two times he really tried yesterday (he sat in there for a long time trying to go), we've got nothing. And I'm disappointed, because I wanted cotton candy too. I also told him he could trade his pacifier for cotton candy (he's still using it to sleep at night), but we'll see what he thinks about that tomorrow.

Guess I better get to work instead of blogging about all the things that aren't getting done. I sure wish I could snap my fingers and have it happen for me. Oh well.

Order, I need order

I feel like organizing and getting more order in my life. Maybe it's the impending fall. Maybe it's the beginning of the school year and all the back to school sales.

I mentioned it this morning. I said "I think I need more organization in my life". Matt asked what I wanted to organize and how he could help.

I'm not entirely sure.

I want to get the house organized. Get rid of some of the clutter and sort through things we haven't used in a while. Reach into the back of those cupboards and closets and get things straightened out.

I want to get on a better schedule. I've been staying up late and that's really wearing on me. And I really need to get back to a regular exercise program. A better schedule will give me more time to commit to that.

I want to blog more. I feel like I've been neglecting my blog this summer. I've been pretty lazy about posting, even though I have lots of ideas about what to post. I also have been putting off some DVD reviews that I want to post. I just need to get to them.

I need to do more things with my son. And I also think it's time to sort through his toys and clothes again.

I need to give some TLC to my flowers outside sometime too.

And Matt...well, I'm sure there are plenty of things I can get his help with. Every time I clean a room, I end up with a pile of his things that I have no idea what to do with. If he can start clearing through some of his things too, that will help a lot. Or if he can just help with some things around the house, that will make me feel better about it.

So, maybe I'm just ready for fall and that has me thinking cleaning and organizing. I don't know, but I've got the urge. Where to start, though, where to start.

Winner 2.0

This morning I am drawing a winner of my Pay It Forward contest 2.0. Thanks to everyone who signed up. I have another one I will do within the next few weeks. Not sure when yet, probably just when I get bored some day and think of a prize. So your chances are not finished for winning here on this blog.

Also, watch for a DVD giveaway soon!

I am using random.org to pick a number between 1 and 15. I would ask my son to choose, but he only knows the numbers 1-10. And he wouldn't choose many from those options. So it seems more fair to be completely random.

The lucky number is 5 (oh, I have a nervous tummy), and my winner is

Chraycee at Walking on Sunshine! I will be e-mailing you soon to get your address.

Thanks to everyone else who entered. It was fun hearing about your favorite jewelry. Go to Chraycee's blog in a while, where she will hopefully post pictures of the new jewelry that she gets from me.

Pay It Forward v2.0

Back when Swistle began all these Pay it Forward contests, I hosted one of my own. Then I won MzEll's contest.

Yeah! I got her package weeks ago, but I wanted to wait to show it off until I hosted my next contest. And I decided to spread out the love and wait a little bit to host another contest. So here we are.

I also won two more PiF contests, so be looking out for more contests from me. I also have a DVD giveaway to do soon (I'm thinking the end of this week or beginning of next week after this contest is over).

SO, here are all the wonderful things we got from MzEll. She sent two packages and they were both loaded with things. I loved everything in my box and can't wait to start reading everything (I have to finish the pile of books from my mom first). And Zachariah was more than thrilled to get a big package full of fun things for him. So far he's enjoyed the Jonah movie a few times and watched part of the Hi Five. I haven't broken out the paints yet, but maybe those will make a good potty incentive! (More on the potty stuff some other time.)










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Now for my new contest! WOO HOO!

If you have any questions about how this contest works, please read the instructions from my first contest. Basically if you sign up and win, you get to host a contest next. Fun!

The prize, oh the prize! I have a really good one this time. It will be a set of jewelry. It's from Premier Designs.

So, to enter all you have to do is leave a comment below with an answer to this question:
**What is your favorite piece of jewelry that you own and why?**

I love my wedding/engagement rings from my husband, but other than that my favorite is a bracelet that my dad brought back from his overseas travels. I can't remember where it's from right now, I'll have to ask my mom. My dad did a lot of out of country traveling when I was in high school, and he always brought something home for each of us. It's a silver bracelet with a heart. Inside the heart is a little pressed purple flower. So pretty.

Good luck! - Contest ends midnight EST Sunday, August 17th.

10 days?

Wow, has it really been 10 days since I've posted? I guess so.


I haven't meant to be gone for so long. I'm still around, and if you follow me on Twitter I've posted a bit there.


I have quite a few post in draft from the past few weeks. I still don't feel like finishing any of those yet. And maybe I never will.


Have you been watching the Olympics? Wasn't the Men's 4x100 swimming race awesome? I'm glad I stayed up late to watch it.


I'm also excited that gymnastics has started. I will keep close tabs on that for the next week.


I forego all other TV shows to watch the Olympics. I've stayed up until at least midnight for the last 3 nights. I think that will be the norm for the next two weeks. Guess my poor husband will be going to bed alone a lot. But these games only come around every so often, so I will enjoy them. (And who are we kidding, I'll be going to bed alone once football season starts...which is very soon.)


Oh look, I just found out that NBC is showing some events live online. Nice! Like right now it Women's Basketball USA vs. China. And there are other smaller events being shown.

So, how was your weekend? Mine was boring. We enjoyed watching the opening ceremonies for the Olympics on Friday night. On Saturday Matt left me home alone all day with Zachariah. Matt went to help set up an event for church. Then he went from there to help some of our friends move. That took most of the day. I guess it wasn't very organized, and they didn't have much help. Zachariah and I went to the bread outlet, because that needed done. Then we spent the rest of the day at home playing, watching movies, reading books. Fun. Sunday was no more interesting. Church, a stop at the park, a nap. Please tell me your weekend was more fun.

Surprising & Cute

Zachariah constantly amazes me. He's at such a fun age where he's soaking up everything like a sponge. He says the cutest things. And he's constantly surprising us with his knowledge of things that we didn't even know he was aware of. It's impressive really.


I wish I could take a little peek into his mind, just to see what is going on in there. And I joke that by the time he's 3, he'll be smarter than me. (Not saying I'm not smart, but he is just so smart.)



A few days ago I was putting my hair into pigtails. He was taking a bath. When he looked up and saw what I was doing, he said "Oh, Mommy a girrrl". Ha. Apparently he thinks pigtails = girl. And now he calls me a girl.


Yesterday I was trying to get him to say part of the alphabet. I got him to say "A B C" before he refused to say more. He doesn't like me singing the alphabet song for some reason either. In the evening, I told him to tell Matt the alphabet. I was expecting him to say "A B C" like he'd done for me earlier. But no, he says "ABC D(a few unrecognizable things here)G HI JK (and a few more unrecognizable things)". Holy cow! I was floored! I had no idea he knew that much. He's never done it before. He honestly said quite a few letters correctly, and they were all in the right order. Who knew? Then Matt helped him say the whole alphabet and he repeated it back to him. Maybe he just doesn't like doing the alphabet with me. Wow! I'm still shocked by this one.



Another thing Zachariah has been doing is playing outside a lot. Our back yard is fairly large and all fenced in. He sees the neighbor kids out a lot. They have a little boy the same age and two other boys just a bit older (plus older girls). Every time the boys see each other they run to the fence. They just do silly things and laugh and throw sticks over/threw the fence to each other. The neighbors are always friendly and nice to Zachariah. And he loves that there is someone else to "play" with. It's really cute to see him run over there when they are outside too.



It's amazing how quickly one little boy can grow up. I treasure each day with him.