Digital Learning for Our New World

The world is going global. Our economic future is tied to the world's economy. What does this mean to the future of today's learners? It means that acquiring a foreign language will be critical for succeeding in tomorrow's business climate.
You want your child to be ready this new world. You want them to learn a 2nd language so they WILL be ready. But your school offers no foreign language instruction. This is all too common in U.S. schools. What's a parent to do?
Go digital! Modern software teaches children correct pronounciation of a new language, and allows them ample opportunity for repetition. It also typically teaches them using phrases rather than instructing through isolated vocabularly drill. This phraseology method has been proven to be more effective in foreign language instruction. And, Michelle R. Davis reports in Education Week's Digital Direction that using up-to-date technology keeps students more engaged and gives them more opportunities for speaking practice.
So, if your child isn't learning a foreign language in school, and if you, as a parent, are not bilingual, don't stress. There are wonderful products on the market, such as the vdoBug, that can help your child be prepared for the new and exciting world that awaits them.

Robots Our Future Teachers?

We live in the Age of Technology, which includes the emerging use of robots. Robots are used seemingly everywhere and for everything, from perfoming delicate operations in hospitals to vacuuming homes. But are we ready for robotic teachers in our schools? AND, are we ready for robots taking on the task of teaching our young ones a foreign language?

South Korea is. This country is implementing robots to teach their students English! Sound like science fiction? Yes. But it isn't. South Korea, faced with a shortage of teachers with the ability to teach English, are using robots for this task. The Committed Sardine's blog site reports that English-teaching robots were developed by the Center for Intelligent Robotics at the Korea Institute of Technology. They're called Engkeys, and 36 of them are slated to be teaching English in 18 schools. The Engkeys are controlled by a human teacher from English-speaking countries as far away as Australia. The teachers not only control the educational content, their face appears on the screen.

How are students reacting to these modern-day teachers? They love them. Mun-Taek Choi, the project's senior research engineer, recently reported to CNN that "the educational robot system indeed helps increase students' interest and self-motivation in studying English and improves their English skills."

So next time you request that your child's school implement foreign language instruction and you're told they don't have enough qualified teachers for the task, show them this post.

How do you feel about schools using robots in the classroom? Do you think it's an effective way to teach? Or scary science fiction?

Let's Celebrate!

It's time to celebrate! This Saturday is the first National
Neighborhood Toy Store Day. Over 500 independent toy stores throughout the U.S. will be ringing it in with lots of family fun and free giveaways.


The Doll House & Toy Stores' 2 Valley of the Sun locations will be brimming with activites. The Vdo Bug will be demonstrating its interactive, animated stories and computer software. Children will have the opportunity to click the "Bug" and hear stories in multiple languages, play educational games and sing along with the story songs.


AND, kids will have the opportunity to meet Calico's Critter's Mrs. Fisher Cat and participate in all kinds of hands-on activities. Families can browse the Doll House and Toy Stores' aisles stocked with ASTRA 2010 Best Toys for Kids award-winning toys. And because this event is a kick-off for the "Toys for Tots" Drive, participants can donate toys to this wonderful charity.


But there's more! One lucky family will win the Grand Prize of a $29 Gift Certificate at The Doll House &Toy Store each month for a whole year!

So if you're looking for something to do with the kids this weekend, head out to one of The Doll House & Toy Store locations:


Promenade Shopping Center
16447 N. Scottsdale Rd.
Scottsdale, AZ 85254
9 AM-12 PM


The Shops at Norterra
2510 W. Happy Valley Rd.
Phoenix, AZ 85285
1 PM-4 PM


For more information, plase log on to http://azdollhouse.com/

New World of Digital Learning

"Today's world is not the world we grew up in, and not the world our children will live in. Digital learners prefer processing pictures, sounds, color, and video before text."

--Understanding the Digital Generation: Jukes, McCain & Crokett

Do your child flourish when multi-media is added to their learning experience? Is your school keeping pace with technological advances? What modalities does your child prefer to receive instruction?

New Home

Well, we made the move to our new office in Fountain Hills, Arizona. I must admit that it is much nicer up in the "hills".

The drive is nice with little traffic and beautiful desert scenery. I can step outside the office and and watch the fountain in the center of the little lake here spout. I love water so being able to watch this is soothing.

With the new office comes our new products...update to follow tomorrow.

ABC Kids Expo

Well, it is now time to begin the long an detailed road to another trade show. This time vdoBug is heading the ABC Kids Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada Oct. 10-13th.

I must admit that I am looking forward to this trade show. We will have our 4 new interactive bilingual (English/Spanish) DVDs ready to sell along with a computer version of the same DVDs.

We just won Creative Child 2010 Product of the Year Award in the Kids Products-Educational Equipment category. I am so excited about this award since mothers were actually involved in the selection process.

Stay posted for updates on our new adventure to ABC Kids Expo.

24 Hour Everything Overload

I recently discussed how great small towns are for families and bringing up children. While everyone was in agreement with my observations my nephew found a point of disagreement. I must admit that it took me a few hours to find my point to his disagreement.

His one disagreement was that small towns do not have 24 hour pharmacies so if his son developed a cold they would not be able to run to the drug store and purchase any over the counter cold medicines.

After some thinking the Boy Scout Motto, Be Prepared, came to mind.

Our society has become so accustomed to instant gratification....finding grocery and drug stores that stay open 24 hours a day. Along with most retailers being open 7 days a week. Heck, we all have cell phones and call our friends the minute something happens.

If we prepare for the unexpected we do not need the 24 hour service or 7 day a week retailers. My nephew could keep on hand the cold medicine, then he would never have to worry about his son catching a cold and not having some type of relief on hand.

I think we have just gotten lazy, we don't have to plan ahead because everything is available upon a whim. Let's plan ahead and take control of our lives. We deserve it. We may actually find that we worry less and that life will not control us.

July Slow Down

July in the Arizona desert is a time when most of us slow down. Although we live in a desert, the humidity rises and with the temperature running over 110 degrees, we just start moving at a slower pace.

Yes, we enjoy air conditioned malls, cars and homes, but having to take out the trash or mow the lawns makes me want to cry.

From now until October the temps are high, humidity is up and the nightime temperature does not go below 90 degrees. This is the hard part because you can't recover with cooler night time temps....it is just not cool.

Oh well, enough complaining. It is the same each year and my choice to live here so I should just keep quiet.

Load Up Tonight

Well, I say goodbye to our current office today as I pack up the last items and ready them for the trip to Fountain Hills tomorrow.

It will be hard to say goodbye to those that I have shared this office. They made me fill right at home and have helped me keep my sense of humor on those days that I just wanted to cry.

Once of my current office mates will be leaving on a mission with his wife sometime this summer. I wish them the very best as they will be in New Zealand for a year.

While I am not looking forward to the drive, I am looking forward to Fountain Hills as it is a beautiful city.

We Are Moving

Yes, the time is finally here and we are moving our offices from Mesa, Arizona to Fountain Hills, Arizona. It will be hard to say goodbye to our current surroundings and we move a little further north.

Fountain Hills is a beautiful part of the metro Phoenix area and I look forward to watching the "fountain" go off each day and enjoy the scenery.

I am not looking forward to the extra drive. I will probably look at telecommuting a couple of days each week to cut down on the mileage.

Here is to change and "moving on."

Summer Is Finally Here

I must admit that for Phoenix, Arizona we have enjoyed a wonderful spring into summer. We really have not had to use our air conditioning until recently and the nights are still cooling down.

May was warm mixed with rain and the last time we have the dreaded 110 degree weather a "cold" front moved thru and we dropped back into the 90's. Now we are around 103 which is normal for this time of year and the nights are comfortable around 75.

We actually went out to lunch Saturday and ate outsite at the resturant. This is not anything we would ordinally want to do, in fact at this particular resturant they have large grassy areas and people brought blankets and were eating picnic style.

I am so grateful for this beautiful summer and I certainly hope it will continue to a while.

We will see.....

Arizona PTA Convention

What a great time we had at the Arizona State PTA Convention June 4-5 at the Wyndham Hotel in Phoenix.

We set up our booth on Thursday and since both Larry M. and Larry K. set up the booth at Toy Fair it went quickly.

We spent two days meeting some very nice and concerned PTA members. These people are interested in the well being and education of children in Arizona.

They were impressed with the vdoBug and our new Raven Tree Press bilingual interactive DVDs. These new DVDs can be watched in either English or Spanish and have several other interactive aspects such as actual video of the animals in their natural habitat, vocabulary words, crossword puzzles and incredible music written by Grammer nominated children's songwriter Red Grammer.

They were thrilled with our fundraising idea, as it did not require work on their part. We set schools up with their own unique referral code which can be used year after year. As parents or grandparents purchase the vdoBug the school received $5 and for each DVD and book the school received $1.

No door to door sales or collecting money. Simply handing out the code and we take over.

We have several schools that we expect to participate in fundraising with us in the fall and we look forward these new partnerships.

Book Expo America

Wow, we are getting ready to attend the Book Expo American with Delta Publishing/Raven Tree Press.

We are finishing up 4 interactive bilingual (English/Spanish) dvds from 4 of Raven Tree Press's interactive bilingual children's books. These dvds are amazing as children will be able to follow along with the book in either English or Spanish or simply watch the dvd alone. We have video of the animals in the books in their natural habitat, crossword puzzles in both English and Spanish from the vocabulary words, they can color along with the dvd and Red Grammer, Grammer nominated children's singer/songwriter, wrote songs for each book/dvd.

Since these new dvds are formatted to work with the vdoBug children will be able to move page by page, skip to the video, go back to the previous page, color along and work the crossword puzzles themselves.

The Book Expo America is May 25-27th in New York City.

Monday After a Trip

I left Wednesday April 21st for a business trip in southern California. I was able to leave at just the right time so I could avoid rush hour traffic in Orange County where my one of my brothers lives.

Fortunately the forecasted rain held off until later that evening so my car receive a good wash that night. I had a great visit with my brother and his family. He will be a grandfather for the second time within a couple of weeks....it's fun to call my younger brother grandpa.

After my meeting I drove to San Diego to visit with my daughter, son-in-law and grandson. We had a great couple of days and were able to enjoy each other and the beach.

I must admit that I had a hard time leaving San Diego...if it they had no earthquakes I would move over there today.

New Phone

Purchasing a new cell phone is such a task! My old phone would not answer and there were times when calling I would not be able to hear the person I called. To fix the issue all I had to do was take out the battery pack and put it back in....

Now I have a new phone and a new 2 year contract. After search the Verizon store last month with the aid of a very kind salesperson (yes this person is a very knowledgeable woman) I was able to go in with my youngest daughter and purchase 2 new phones.

I purchased the LG Chocolate (you buy 1 get 1 free) for both of us and now I have to learn how to use a new phone. So far it has been easy as I have an iTouch iPod and some of how you use this is very similar.

I know that texting is much easier now....

FUNdraising

Everyone had a great time at the fundraising event Saturday April 10th. VdoBug sponsored a tee for a local school's fundraising golf tournament.

It was a beautiful day, not very hot and the winds were just right. I got to watch as the golfers tried to hit a hole in one on the 14th hole in hopes of winning the $10K. There were two who actually come within 5-6 feet of hole....this added a great deal of excitement to the event.

It was nice being outside and enjoying some very good company.

I am hoping that they will look closely at using the vdoBug next year for fundraising activities...

Fun Weekend

Well, it is Friday and I am really looking forward to the weekend. Not that this week has been hard it is just I will be helping at a fundraiser tomorrow and I am excited.

We were invited by a local school to participate in their Family Golf Tournament and we said yes! I will be on the 14th hole showing those who may be interested in our vdoBug and assorted compatible DVDs. We sponsored this hole and it someone hits a hole in one they win $10K.

So far everyone has been very nice and I look forward to meeting them in the am.

I will let you know how it goes...

Birthday

What a wonderful way to celebrate my birthday with all but one of my children in town to be with me. We met at Cody's house for lunch and to let the two 1 yr old grandkids play with each other for awhile. Then we moved on to have dinner together, great food and good conversation.

We then went to my youngest daughters art opening at ASU's Art Building. The wall she a her team mates put together to define art is spectacular. And no I am not partial. Along with some great art including painting, pen, textiles, and a great short story were written descriptions of what art means to different people.

After that 5 of us went to the Diamondback vs Padre's baseball game. By the way the Diamondbacks did not play well. At least we were able to enjoy a Padre fan who was a good dancer and would get up and dance when the music played. I believe some was caught on video and will be up on You Tube.

I am most blessed to able to enjoy all of this with my family.

April - Spring at Last

I am so glad that April is finally here and the warm weather has come to stay. While I am very grateful for the abundance of moisture both as rain and snow which has blessed Arizona this year I am ready for the warmer weather.

I was able to take a week and visit my sister in Kanab, Utah last week mainly to keep away from the frenzy surrounding my birthday. While driving up there I saw the beauty that all the moisture has given the desert. There is a blanket of green on the ground, something I have not seen in a long time. To top it off there is an abundance of wildflowers beginning to bloom. It was a visually beautiful drive.

Of course, with all the blossoms come a tough allergy season with more "things" in bloom than we have enjoyed in a very long time. So the noses are running and the eyes are itching.

I will pay this price every year to enjoy the beauty.

Another Beautiful Day

What a gorgeous day we have to enjoy today. The weather has warmed up and the sun is out. I know it sounds corny but that is how I feel today.

It is nice to have a day like this mixed in with our "normal" life which has all the ups and downs. It seems to bring a sense of peace at a time when I need it very much. I find it amazing when I take the time and honestly look at all my blessings instead of the rough road I may have to travel.

Find that time for yourself and enjoy.

School Fundraiser

We are working with an elementary school in Gilbert, Arizona in their fundraising golf tournament in April.

The vdoBug is sponsoring a tee box, will be adding our collateral material in the players gift bags and will be able to attend the luncheon after the tournament. We will set up a small table at the tee box and will have our vdoBug and DVD out for everyone to see.

I believe once they see what the vdoBug does, the content for the "bug" and realize the school can earn $5 for every vdoBug and $1 for every DVD sold with their school's code that it will become a profitable fundrasing opportunity for them.

Here is to a successful fundraiser !

Finally nice weather

Today we are forecasted to reach a high of 85 degrees and I am so excited to see the warm weather arrive.

I have enjoyed the cooler temps and much needed moisture and I am sure that in about 3 months I will wonder where all the "cooler" temps went. But I am more than ready for the warm temps, swimming and movies so I can stay cool.

The vdoBug can help keep younger children busy during those very hot days when they just can't go outside. The great content make it fun and educational....think about it.

Horray for Raven Tree Press

We are moving ever closer to having our first four Raven Tree Press books converted to compatible DVD format for the vdoBug.

Raven Tree Press books are bilingual (Engligh/Spanish) interactive books. These DVDs when completed can be viewed and listened to in either language, children will be able to see video of the animals in the books in their natural habitat, there will be special music, parents can print our pages that children can color along with the DVD and there will be crossword puzzles in both languages. I have seen the beta DVD and I am just amazed with the quality.

Parents and children both will enjoy using the vdoBug with these DVDs. They will even offer a unique way to help children learn a second language. They will be having so much fun that they may not realize they are also learning.

These DVDs are set up so children can view by themselves while reading along with the book, view only the DVD and also parents can sit down and work with their children. Such versatility!

Good News

In November of 2009 I sent about 200 emails and letters to both school principals as well as PTA/PTO organizations. Until this morning I had not received any feedback from anyone.

An elementary school in Gilbert responded to my email on using the vdoBug as a fundraising took. They are doing a golf tournament as a final fundraising activity for this school year and are looking for sponsors.

At least I know that these were received and that for the 2010-2011 school year we may make some headway into this venue.

$5.00 for every vdoBug sold as well as $1.00 for each DVD seems like very good money....

TDMonthly & vdoBug

Well, we are now up on TD website for 6 months. Hopefully this will give us some additional visibility.

Also we are working on an agreement with Red Grammer, an award winning composer, on the music for our first four Raven Tree Books into DVDs. Each of these DVDs will have it's own song and little rifs for each page. Talk about class along with great educational content.

Ready For Sunshine

Again, let me preface by saying how much we need the rain and snow which has fallen in both Arizona and California. However, I am more than ready for the sunshine and warmer weather to set in over us.

Everytime I have visited my daughter and grandson in San Diego is has been cold, windy and rainy. Next week when my youngest daughter is visiting in San Diego is will be sunny and in the 70's. Just not right!

We will be seeing warmer weather and sunshine starting tomorrow. And for our zoo visit on Sunday afternoon it will in the mid 70's. Much needed sun to warm us through and through.

Changes to Website

Just sent off the information on significant changes to our website. This will give us a new look and hopefully make it easier to find relevent information.

I find it hard to just verbally explain what I want removed so I sent a fax of the page and numbered the changes. Then I emailed a word document outlining what I wanted done for each number. Can't wait to see if this make it easier. If anyone has a better idea please let me know.

The Beach and Fabric Shopping

Yes, today is Wednesday the middle of the work week. Must say that I am glad it is already the middle of the week.

This mean only one and a half days left until I travel over to San Diego to visit my daughter, grandson, and son-in-law again as well as do some fabric shopping with a very good friend of mine.

You can't go wrong if you are by the ocean and also get to touch, feel and shop for fabric. As you might guess I love the ocean and have a "thing" for fabric. My Mother was a great seamstress (in fact I cannot think of anything that my Mother did not do extremely well.) She had a room built over our 2 car garage which she filled with fabric. We used to make fun of this love of hers and tell her she had an entire fabric store over the garage.

Well, my sister and I have inherited this love for fabric, quilting, sewings and just collecting the darn stuff. I love to spend hours in a fabric store looking, touching and dreaming about what could be made from all that beautiful fabric. I have a pretty good stash of fabric and am constantly adding more. My sister however has a fabric store as her stash. I make fun of her only because I don't have as much room or I would have as much.

Happy fabric hunting.

Keeping up my skills

Todays March winds are favorable. First, no more birthdays in my immediate family until April...yea! This means I don't have to worry about birthday presents for an entire month. For a woman, I have a hard time finding the right gift and I am usually late.

I am finalizing the wording for the four items submitted to TD Monthly. For a chemistry major writing is my least favorite thing to do, yet I keep coming back to needing that skill. The good thing is I am getting better with every article and press release I write so I guess I should not complain.

Another skill I am refining is my computer skills. For this I am most grateful as I can keep up with my children and grandchildren and in this day an age it is easy for them to be better at these things than their elders.

There is something to said for continuing to learn throughout your life.

March Winds

What a big month March is proving to be.

My grandson, Charles Blake was born on this day 1 year ago. We celebrated his birthday Saturday with family and friends. I'm not sure he really understood what was happening but he did like his cake and getting to play. I wish his great-great grandfather (Charles) had felt better and could have attended. I am glad he made sure to get Blake some shortalls so he could remember his farming heritage.

Also, today I send off information and samples to TDMonthly so the vdoBug will become a part of the TDMonthly family of toys. This is a great opportunity for us as we move further into the market place.

Here is to the "March Winds" in hopes they are favorable.

Mickey Mouse Tonight

I get to go home tonight and bake a Mickey Mouse Cake for my grandson Blake. His mother, Amy, is baking the cake for the guests and I get to bake and decorate the cake he will get to tought, feel, and lick. I am so excited.

This mean a trip to get the correct Wilton colors to tint the frosting....Wilton has true to color tints. Making a Mickey Mouse head will not be hard.......I am so excited!

I promise it take pictures and upload for all to see.

Have a great weekend.

Back Home for One Week

Well, I have been home from the Toy Fair for one week. I feel much more rested than last Thursday.

We are still working on action items from Toy Fair and I guess we will for several weeks. This is all good.....and better than not having any action items.

I must admit that I like the weather better in Phoenix than what New York is currently anticipating. I am not a person who like snow unless all I have to do is look at it.

We are getting things ready for the California PTA Convention. This will help us launch our fundraising activity with the vdoBug. This is scheduled for the end of April so I have some time to get ready.

Wednesday Is Always Better

Yes, the middle of the week always seems to perk me up. Something about knowing in 2 days most of us get to enjoy the weekend.

This weekend I will be celebrating my fourth grandchild, Blake's, first birthday. Although he was born March 1st Saturday is day for celebrating. This means a full house for my son and his fiance since it is expected to rain again. Blake should have a lot of fun with so many people paying attention to him.

I can't wait until the indoor plastic slide I ordered him arrives and his parents can watch him climb and then slide. Hopefully it will take care of his need to climb and he will leave the bookcases alone.

I am so grateful for my family....and I am also so very proud of each of them.

Enjoy and celebrate your family, they are what matters most.

Thought for the Day

I woke up early this morning thinking I would start the day with some old fashioned exercise. Well that didn't happen, no surprise there. But I did have the chance to listen to the morning news.

The item that caught my attention was that of 2 men who apparently stole a car in Glendale. In an attempt to escape they drove right thru the gate at Luke Air Force Base. When approached by a security force officer they attempted to run him down. The officer open fire and the car crashed. One person died and the other is in the hospital.

Why would anyone think they could hide from police on a military base?

First Birthday in San Diego

I am so glad that I was able to travel to San Diego Friday night so I could attend my grandson Jaxsen's first birthday party on Saturday.

The rain cleared out but the winds kept up blowing the balloons around the picnic table in all directions. This did not bother Jax as he enjoyed watching them move. He received a lot of gifts both toys and clothes. He also identified his favorite toy very quickly.

Jax decided the cars that roll forward after you pull them back, a drum set and his very favorite is the lawn mower. While are the party his lawn mower was enjoyed by the other children attending to the point that he did not get to play with it very much. That was changed once he got home.... Jaxsen loves his bath time but when he can hear the mower being played with in the other room he wanted out of his bath and immediately.

The next day was my youngest daughters birthday so we went to World Famous for brunch! Superb food and you get to sit and watch the ocean. Can't ask for much more than that for a great birthday party.

Somehow the drive home went faster that the drive over...perhaps the anticipation of seeing family that I miss made the trip seem slower.

Raining again in Phoenix....as much as we need this moisture I do miss the sun.

Have a great Monday

Back From Toy Fair

I am so glad to be home sleeping in my own bed and enjoying the warm Arizona weather after spending 5 days in New York at the Toy Fair.

What an experience this has been. I have not been to New York since I was a child. Toy Fair is huge with a wide variety of toys for different ages and sexes. I was amazed with the level of entrepreneurialism at the fair. There are a lot of very ingenious people who are trying to get their new ideas launched from new games (how do they think of these things), "green toys" (this is an entire discussion itself), plush animal galore, childrens' DVDs, dolls and books. Simply amazing.

We learned a great deal from our first time at the Toy Fair , sold a few vdoBugs, and have contact with several great new content partners. All in all a successful trip.

My visit to New York, well that is another story. February in New York is very cold, snowy, icy and windy. Coming from Phoenix, Arizona I have long since forgotten snow, cold and icy. There was very little sun peaking thru the layers of clouds which I missed. I must have sunshine.......

I found most of New York people were very nice and did try to help. Then, of course, there are the "typical" New York personalities which made me understand why they have the reputation of being rude to the point that I really don't want to go back unless business drives me there.

Prices....they rip you off in New York. I checked into the Holiday Inn Express in Kanab, Utah with my grandchildren and was given a code for their free WiFi. In the Sheraton Hotel and Towers....no WiFi except in their Starbucks lobby area. There are several degrees of difference between a Holiday Inn Express and the Sheraton Towers...I would rather be at the Holiday Inn Express, lower prices, bigger rooms, free WiFi and hot breakfast.

All in all I will not go back to New York unless I absolutely must.

This afternoon I am driving to San Diego for my grandson Jaxsen's first B-Day party. I cannot wait to get there and see him, my daughter and son-in-law again.

Have a great weekend, I know I will.

Friday...2/13/10

What a milestone this day is for me. I leave tomorrow morning for New York for the Toy Fair. Yes, the vdoBug will be at the Toy Fair for the first time. I will be in New York for the first time since I was a child.

I am not looking forward to the cold weather although I am glad that is has stopped snowing. I am leaving Mesa which will be the 70's and going to the 30's. Yes, I prefer the warm weather and I even enjoy the hot summer days we have in Arizona.

Also, in one week I will be heading to San Diego to visit my daughter, son-in-law, and my grandson Jaxsen who is turing 1 year old! I can't wait as I miss them so much. They just moved to San Diego a month ago...my son-in-law has a better job with a greater opportunity for promotion. My entire family loves southern CA so now we have a place to visit and a reason to return more frequently.

I am taking some fundraising information for the vdoBug along with me to Toy Fair. There are several educators who are attending and I am hoping to get them interested in using this for fundraising.

Well......nothing more until Monday! Have a great weekend.

Dinner with Blake

Just 2 days before I leave for Toy Fair I was able to spend the evening with my grandson Blake (11 months) and his Dad my son Cody.

Cody was kind enough to bring dinner for everyone from Outback Steak House. I had a great 7 oz. filet and watched Blake eat his steak and mac & cheese. With his mouthful of teeth eating steak is not an issue. He likes to take a bite of food and then walk away, no wonder high chairs were invented.

Blake and I then went outside and played with some of the neighbors. He loves to watch other children play as well as playing with dogs. Since he has 2 dogs at home it is no wonder he likes all dogs and is not afraid of them.

He is so happy and enjoys jabbering away. I believe he knows how to say Dada....as he just looks at Dad and says Momma everything Dad trys to get him to say Dada. That look is saying "there is no way I will give you the satisfaction of saying Dada."

I need to finalize my clothing selection as it will be very cold in New York, something I am not used to since I am from Mesa, Arizona. I still need to locate a scarf, hat and a pair of grey slacks. I am borrowing my daughters gloves...upon her suggestion.

At least the snow storms will be over and my flight on Saturday should be on schedule. Horray!

Welcome to Friday

Well another week has passed and I did not accomplish all that I set out to do. Does anyone every complete all that we outline for ourselves? I would love to hear from you and get some suggestions.

This week set me back with my oldest grandson getting ill and since his mother is a store manager and I have the ability to work from home I stayed at home with him. Although he is almost 13, when he gets sick he likes to have that extra bit of care and I like to give it. I do make a good grandmother if I say so myself.

Working from home does not allow me get into all my files so I am not able to do as much as I can at the office. Don't get me wrong, I still completed several tasks just not as fruitful of a day as I would have had in the office.

I finished a press release for our licensing agreement with Raven Tree Press and received their approval so we can move forward with the release. I am really excited about this agreement. These bilingual titles will add more depth to our compatible DVD base and should really help our image.

I am excited about getting our applications in for the California, Arizona and National PTA conventions. This will allow us to reach those PTA members who are involved in fundraising activity. I believe after they see the vdoBug in use they will be convenienced of the revenue potential and ease of selling this product.

I leave in 8 days for Toy Fair....yea.

I hope everyone has a great weekend.

Thursday

I am so glad that we did not get the forecasted rain yesterday. I know that we need all the moisture that we can get in the desert but I am very tired of overcast days. I love the sunshine.
I suppose that I would not do very well in Washington or parts of Oregon.

I will be spending the next few evenings getting our home cleaned up. Since I live with my oldest daughter and her 2 children, I usually do this when my grandchildren are spending the weekend with their father. It is deep cleaning time...moving furniture, cleaning floors and dusting are amoung those things that need to get done. Since I love to clean this is a pleasant chore.

Well, I only have nine days left until I leave for Toy Fair. This will be my first visit to New York City since I was a small child, and no I will not tell anyone how long ago that was. I admit that I am just as excited about being in New York City as I am about attending the Toy Fair for the first time. I do hope to look around and can't wait to show off the vdoBug.

If you will be attending Toy Fair as well drop me a line.

More Rain Today

Guess what, the greater Phoenix area is scheduled for more rain today. Thankfully it is only .1 to .25 inches so we will not have to endure days of rain, just one afternoon.

My granddaughter and I were able to see Riverdance last night at the Mesa Arts Center. This was a great experience for both of us. First, I had never been to the Mesa Arts Center. This is a beautiful building and very importantly easy to find parking. This helped make the experience enjoyable. Secondly, Riverdance was excellent. The dancing and music was phenomenal. Since the original group from Riverdance glory days is long gone I was afraid the quality of dancing would be diminished....it was not.

I got a kick out of "feeling" my granddaughter tapping her feet to the music. She is currently playing the cello and taking gymnastics lessons. She is thinking about changing to the violin and has asked her Mother to teach her how to tap & clog (yes Mom knows how to do these thing...).

My excitement is building as I leave in 10 days for my first Toy Fair. We have a great new toy and this is the perfect place to show it off.

More Rain Scheduled

I cannot believe that there is more rain forecasted for California and Arizona. I know we desperately need the moisture but I must admit that I miss those days of bright sunshine. For the first time in several years I am looking forward to summer in Arizona.

I am working remotely today as my grandson is home sick. It is so easy to tell when they are not feeling well. Last night when I asked him to do his homework he did not use any of his stalling tactics and even went to bed early by himself.

One of my very good friends has given me tickets to River Dance tonight. She is not feeling well either and has a business trip coming up so she need to make sure she gets better. I will be able to take my granddaughter to see this performance. I know she will be excited about this performance because loves to watch dancers. This will be a great bonding experience for us as well.

I will let everyone know about the performance tomorrow. Until then have a great day.

Yea It's February

Welcome to February everyone! What a happy month....only 28 days, my grandson Jaxsen turns 1 year old on the 18th, and vdoBug goes to it's first Toy Fair.

Jaxsen is my third grandchild and second grandson. I will be traveling to San Diego on the 19th to help celebrate his first birthday. It looks like we will have his party at Balboa Park. This should be great fun as he should be walking be then and he loves being out doors. I am also hoping to get a visit to Mission Beach and Wahoo's Fish Taco's.

You may see a theme from my recent blogs as I love food. Wahoo's has the very best fish taco's I have ever eaten. I have not been to a restaurant anywhere else that serves anything that comes close. Everyone else want to put lots of filler and not so much fish, not to mention their sauce is fabulous.

My daughter living in San Diego experienced her first "earthquake" this morning. I received a call from her about 8:15am telling me there had been a quake about 50 miles south and off the coast of Mexico that she felt in her apartment. She thought she was crazy for about 30 minutes until the news started talking about the 5.0 quake. Now she is ready to get her 72 hour kit put together.....and I explained that there might be some afterquakes.

Until later.....enjoy life.

Toy Fair Debute

Well, the vdoBug is debuting at Toy Fair in New York City February 13 to 17th. We are so excited to meet other toy inventors, retailers, importers, and media. Can't think of a better city to experience this event in either. The big time New York City !

Toy Fair has used technology to everyone's advantage. The Toy Connections site is helping attendees with networking as well as answers all those questions we have a first time attendees.

Since this is my first time at Toy Fair I was surprised to find that along with the regular toy media publications there will be several bloggers in attendance as well. Guess that shows my age!

Needless to say as February draws closer my anticipation increases. I have not been to NYC since I was a child, and I am not saying how long ago that was. I am hoping to get to Ground Zero as well as getting a glimpse if the Statue of Liberty.

I am also excited about getting to eat some of that great food NYC is known for.....especially since my favorite Mexican Food restaurants in Arizona has a place on 18th street. That's right Los Dos Molinos has a place there and I will be enjoying a great meal at this location.

Stay tuned for more updates and time draws nearer for my first trip to Toy Fair.

To celebrate our debut at Toy Fair we are dropping our on-line retail price by $5.00 for the entire month of February. Check out our website www.vdobug.com for details.

Toy Fair

We are so excited about the upcoming Toy Fair February 14-17th. What can be more fun than being able to see all the new toys and meet with folks who are as excited as we are about the potential in 2010.

program me

www.youtube.com/user/VDObug shows just how easy it is to program me.

Great video

Check out this video

www.youtube.com/user/VDObug

VdoBug, the exciting and innovative new children's DVD remote, is proud to announce that they have been selected by renowned child play and development authority, Stevanne Auerback, Ph.D. (a.k.a Dr. Toy) as one of 2009's Best Vacation Toys.