It's been so long since I've written in this blog. I don't exactly have writer's block, it's just that I don't want to keep beating the same drum, writing about death, politics, and wanting to hold onto time, or at least not let it slip through my fingers so fast.

Well, for lack of a good positive launching-thought, I've been peeved lately by the increased commercialism of the Holidays (they started with the Holiday music on the radio this weekend, for Pete's sake! It's not even Thanksgiving yet!!!) The Christmas decorations and greeting cards went on sale with the back-to-school stuff this year...or we pushing it, or what? I think over-merchandising diminishes what is special about these days we hold dear, just becoming another money-mill to line the pockets of opportunists.

I don't have cable, so that I can control what comes into this house via that form of media (my DH has the European channels on the satellite dish so he can get his world soccer.) I hate the commercials the plague channels geared toward kids, so that they are programmed for gimme-gimme-gimme...things that are for the most part useless, and a waste of money. So many of these toys lose their fascination after 15 minutes.

So, while Little-Sir-3-Year-Old is still little, we'll get our weekly t.v. fix by borrowing videos and DVDs from the public library...without commercials! This way, I can expose him to programs that I think are of value, without worrying about the crap in between.

So...along those lines, has anyone else discovered "Little Bill"? Based on a character created by Bill Cosby, this little cartoon is wonderful. I love it. I love the message, I love the graphics, I love the way racism is handled (or not handled...) We've only begun to discover "Little Bill", and we look forward to getting more episodes on DVD. I've always loved Cosby, since I was a little girl and my parents used to play his albums. (Is anyone out there old enough to remember the "Noah" routine? Or the stories of Cosby's children as babies? Or the ones about his brother Russell? I remember laughing so hard, I cried...and they still effect me the same way.)

Anyway...don't mean to sound so negative all the time, but I'm trying to raise a non-materialistic, non-self-centered child in a world that seems to be fighting me tooth and nail. If anyone out there has any ideas of good books, video/DVDs, programs, etc. to foster mental/academic/social health, I'm all ears.