Generation Clean

They are a blessing and a curse. Screens everywhere: phones, tablets, games, televisions, and computers. Many things we find on them are good, clean, and fun. However, kids are able to find trouble or stumble across things that are not good for them too. As interactions with electronic devices increase, so does the risk of exposure to the trash that is floating around out there as well. There are numerous ways kids can see inappropriate things. Unfortunately, much of it is inappropriate for adults as well. It can seem so overwhelming- like there is no way to have control over what they find. Here are some ways that we deal with it in our family. We have only one computer in the house which is out in our main living area. We also only have one television in our house. I know, it’s shocking. It has always been very important to us that our kids be out where we can see them and not holed up in their rooms watching who-knows-what. But it’s getting harder to keep that up. ...

I came across a beautiful Christmas movie called "Silent Night." It is the story of how the German priest, Joseph Mohr, and the church organist, Franz Gruber, came to compose the famous carol in 1818. Mohr was known for his compassion for all, including the poor, and the hymn was born because of his desire to share a hymn with his congregation in spite of the church organ having broken. The film has a wonderful message of hope and is a hidden gem; much like another Christmas film produced by Brigham Young University in about 1980 called "Mr Krueger's Christmas" which stars Jimmy Stewart (whom we love so much in his most famous Chrismas movie, "It's a Wonderful Life" ). So, if you are looking for a great family Christmas movie I suggest this one!

Image by Castronova Designs I watched Taylor Swift: Journey to Fearless with my daughters. It's a sort of documentary about Taylor's "Fearless" tour in 2010. It was great fun to see her personality and how she put the show together. She seems like a sweet girl who is still genuinely surprised by her success and enjoying sharing her songs and herself with the world. We really liked seeing how she treats her fans so well: walking through the arena and giving out hugs and bracelets, holding a tea (T) party after each show for some big fans they find in the audience... Stuff that's just fun and personal. As a mom I loved seeing the relationship "Mama Swift" (that's how she's known by all on the tour) has with her daughter. They seem to be happy spending time together and it's nice to see a daughter respect and love her mother so much. She even wrote her a beautiful song! (If you want to cry, or just feel warm and fuzzy watch  The Best Da...

Zooey Deschanel Some songs I heard recently and have added to my Clean Music List : Oldies: Lets Twist Again  -Chubby Checker Higher and Higher  -Jackie Wilson The Way You Do the Things You Do  -The Temptations My Girl  -The Temptations This doesn't count as an Oldie, does it? Crazy Little Thing Called Love  -Queen A Newbie: So Long - Zooey Deschanel 3 free songs I downloaded from Amazon: Infomercial Ringtone Wild Bear (Yes or No Song) -Mister Doak The Bell Medley

Phineas and Ferb Online Safety Video This is a nice short video that reminds kids of the online "Rules of the Road." There's also a parents section on this page that lists rules and gives tips on why they are important. Phineas and Ferb is a Disney channel show where two brothers entertain themselves throughout the summer by coming up with a new outrageous invention or project each day. The boys have an older sister who is always trying to "bust" her brothers for their crazy schemes, but her Mom never sees any of what they do. There is also a mild evil villain called Dr. Dufenshmirtz who is trying to take over the tri-state area with a variety of machines he has created. Phineas and Ferb's pet platypus is an undercover agent assigned to Dufenshmirtz and stopping his evil schemes. This is a really funny show. My favorite part of this show is the clever songs that are part of each episode. There are a number that we sing around the house because they're s...

My sister-in-law gave me the album Anchor , by Mindy Gledhill, for my birthday. I love it! Each song has great lyrics and the music is fun and upbeat while still feeling sophisticated. There is an airy, happy feeling to her music (the ukulele is super fun!). I especially like the song California. You can listen to a sample of it on her website . Mindy sounds like she's smiling as she sings, and my kids like her too, so I can get a break from the "kiddie" music once in a while we're driving about. Rating: Squeaky

You can let all of your tweens and teens watch this music video by Jonna Christensen . It has a fantastic message about the beauty of modesty! Rating: Squeaky

Recently we took a trip to the local library and one of my kids wanted to check out one of the Kidz Bop CDs. These are a series of albums that take popular songs and have a chorus of kids sing along with a low rent singer that stands in for the original artist. I was curious and didn't recognize a lot of the songs, so I said we could check it out and I would listen to see if the songs were appropriate. I just finished listening to it, and out of 18 songs I have approved 9 of them. I'm disappointed that a CD marketed for kids had so many songs with inappropriate themes for their age group. I thought maybe the lyrics would be changed to be a better fit for kids, but they stick pretty much to the original lyrics. The songs I didn't approve had references to relationships that would maybe be age appropriate in the latter high school years. However, teens want to hear the real thing, not a copycat with a kids chorus. Just because it's packaged for kids, doesn't mean ...