A baby, a night out, Leap Frog, and gifts for you too!

How do those things go together?  Well, let me tell you.  

Leap Frog hosted a Mom’s night out event for the Silicon Valley Mom’s Bloggers last night.   It was supposed to be for adults only.    However, Ryan decided last week to refuse the bottle from anyone but me.   And we all know - there is no point to me feeding him the bottle when I have the boobs attached already.    Luckily infants who were nursing were allowed to crash the party… so Ryan got to be the sole man amongst a room full of ladies.   His big bald head was definitely a chick magnet.

So I picked up two other blogging friends and we headed to the Four Seasons in Palo Alto.  Leap Frog had set us up with valet parking and a room to ourselves where we were wined & dined.    We got to chat it up with our blogging buddies and have a few cocktails before they had a speaker from Cal Berkeley talk about children’s reading skills.  The discussion was quite enlightening.   From a mother who hasn’t hit the formal education scene yet, I was definitely interested.   

Unfortunately, this is about the same time that Ryan decided that he was hungry.   I tried to excuse myself to the back of the room to be discreet about feeding him.  However, there was no point in trying to be discreet.  That kid slurped up his milk as if he was TRYING to be obnoxious.  Seriously, he was sucking away so loud that I was beet red because every single person could hear him - including the speaker in the front of the room.   Then of course, he started choking on all the milk, which in a room full of other mother’s meant that I was spraying him in the face.    I am telling you… mortifying.

I was trying to concentrate on the speaker, but was missing a lot of it in my attempts to keep my Porky the Pig baby from eating me alive.  However, I did come to the conclusion that I need to read more to my kids.  A LOT more.  I can’t just do it before naps, and try to pick the shortest book so that I can put them to bed quickly.  I need to pick books that will challenge and expose them to a greater vocabulary.   I need to pick books that are a step ahead of their learning level, so that it will be easier later for them to read those same words.  The more variety, the better.  I need to make it a priority that they read - any way that I can.    And if they can’t sit still for a book… let them do something else while I read them the book.   It’s really all about the exposure.

About the same time when the speaker and the discussion was getting good, Ryan decided to barf all over me.  Literally I heard him start to gag, and I started running for the far corner.   Sure enough, all down my arm, my shirt, my pants, the floor and himself.  I am at a cocktail party about 45 minutes from my house.  I did not bring a spare set of clothes for me.  And my diaper bag is in the front of the room … far away from where I am currently dripping.    Luckily I was surrounded by mom’s who couldn’t have cared less that I was mopping myself off with their sparkling water.  So I pretended it didn’t happen, and continued to enjoy the evening.

Wet, sticky and smelly, I focused on the speaker again.   She had me totally convinced that for Christmas the only thing I want to get my kids are things that have to do with books, reading, phonics, letters, etc.   

This was where Leap Frog came in.     They showed us all the products that they are currently offering kids to help with reading skills.  Building these skills should start at infancy, and Leap Frog had products on display for kids from 3+ months on up.   Their representatives talked about how they determine the learning skill that they want to focus on, and then build their toy by making sure they are offering the tools to teach that particular skill.   And I believe them… they have amazing things to get your child interested in reading.  

In fact, they believe in their products so much, they gave all of us armfuls of things to bring back home to our kids:  Didj, Leapster2, Tag Reading System, Sing Along Read-Along, Word Whammer Phonics Set, Fridge Phonics Magnet Set, and so much more.   Really it was amazing.  

And here is the most amazing part:  they want to give my readers stuff too!    They are giving $10 off ANY order of $50 or more when you shop at leapfrog.com.  Go to leapfrog.com and enter promotional code HY8BHPR at checkout.  The offer is good through November 15th.   Just in time for Christmas gits!   I think this year it’s going to be a Leap Frog Christmas in this house.   I hope it’s one in your house too!