LauraThornquist's Blog

Is anyone else out there completely shocked and disgusted with the O.J. story? 

I haven't been to Branson for well over 25 years. My family went there on vacation last week and I couldn't believe my eyes!

Branson has grown like crazy. We went to all the attractions..Silver Dollar City, Celebration City (where I met 3 Kansas City viewers), and the water park. We also enjoyed Table Rock Lake which was really high and beautiful. I guess I just didn't realize how much the city has grown and changed. It was quite a shock to see!

 What do you think... is 60 too old to have babies?  See the story below:

TWINS AT 60

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) -- Sixty-year-old Frieda Birnbaum is a new mom-- twice over. She gave birth to twin boys yesterday afternoon in New Jersey's Hackensack University Medical Center.

Hospital officials believe Birnbaum may be the oldest woman to give birth to twins in the U-S. Birnbaum is a psychologist who underwent in-vitrofertilization at a South African center specializing in older women. She already has three other children, ranging in age from six to 29. She tells Fox News she wanted her younger son to have siblings closer to his age. She adds she wants to remove some of the stigma attached to older women giving birth.

 

To all of the mother's out there, remember you have the most important job in the world and you do it so well!  Enjoy your special day! 

What is a mother


A heart that can hear
every unspoken need,
Wisdom to know
when to quietly lead,
Hands that reach out,
always helping and sharing–
A mother is caring!

Eyes that reflect
every joy that you find,
Arms to encircle,
but never to bind,
A talent for making
the most out of living–
A mother is giving!


A voice that can soothe
or inspire or delight,
A smile that keeps shining
when things don't go right,
An angel God sends us
from Heaven above–
A mother is nothing but
caring, giving and love.

(a poem found on the internet, no author)

As a mother who has a child in day care, the latest report has me bothered and continues to challenge my continual balancing act between work and home.

The report has found that keeping a preschooler in a day care center for a year or more increased the likelihood that the child would become disruptive in class - and that the effect persisted through the sixth grade. The effect was slight, and well within the normal range for healthy children, the researchers found. And as expected, parents' guidance and their genes had by far the strongest influence on how children behaved.

On the positive side, they also found that time spent in high-quality day care centers was correlated with higher vocabulary scores through elementary school.

The findings are certain to feed a long-running debate over day care and in the meantime weighs on many mothers, including myself, of needing and wanting to work, but also desiring to be the best mother possible.

Just the other day, my son discovered the truth about the tooth fairy.    He lost his molar and my husband was the last to hit the sack. 

My husband decided our boy had been really good lately, doing chores and helping around the house, so $10 was placed under the pillow (I know, the amount is another issue altogether).  My husband put the money back in the plastic bag (which we have never done in the past) that held the tooth.  During the night, my son woke up and saw the $10 bill.  He went back to sleep, happy at getting the large amount for his big tooth and leaving the bag and money under his pillow.  When I woke up (before the sun). I heard the wrinkle of the bag and assumed my husband forgot the tooth fairy needed to visit.

So, I run downstairs, grab five $1's and place it under the pillow.  I grab the bag (assuming it has the tooth) and place it in a drawer without a second thought.  My son wakes up trying to make sense of the whole thing!!! His only answer... "We'll I guess the tooth fairy was confused, realized he gave me a $10 and came back with change!" 

I couldn't keep a straight face when he told me!  Now he knows the truth about the tooth fairy!  It was really kind of sad, as he was 9 and still believed (or at least he told us he did)!

 

 

Oscar night big fashion winners in my opinion:

Reese Witherspoon

Cate Blanchett

Nicole Kidman

Jada Pinkett-Smith

Worst-dressed:

Kirsten Dunst (what was that thing?)

 

 

Calling all bloggers! I am looking for great ideas as a featured segment in our 8:00 a.m. segment.

I'm asking that you pass along any new or unique idea, product or service that you have yourself or that you've discovered. I would love to share the idea with all of our viewers.

Thanks for your help!

Laura

The story about the arrest of a 41 year old Kirkwood man accused of kidnapping a 13 year old boy and 15 year old boy for over four years continues to shock me. My heart goes out to those teenagers and their families as they try to cope with the trauma.

As a mother of a boy, it heightens my awareness of how vulnerable our children are, regardless of their age, in this day and age.

When I was a kid, I ran around the neighborhood on my own all of the time. My parents felt I was safe. I find it so sad that I have to watch my son walk to a neighbors house down the street to play.

What also concerns me is that we have to teach our children at such a young age of "stranger danger". Basically, we are telling our children our world is not a safe place to live.

My only hope is that those teenagers, especially the one kidnapped for four years, are able to readjust with their families and find peace.

Happy 2007 everyone! With this new year I must admit, I intended on ignoring a resolution as I feel I already have way too much on my plate.

However, as I spent a few days at home and was able to sit down with my kids... I realized how much precious time I waste on insignificant chores and duties instead of staying in touch with my kids.

It's amazing that by spending just a few extra minutes every day, you get back in tune with your children and are able to enjoy what life has to give.

This year my resolution is to give my children at least thiry minutes of uninterrupted one-on-one time every single day. I hope maybe you might consider giving your loved ones a little extra time each day as well.

Oh yeah, my other resolutions include:

Losing weight
Exercising more
Reading
Making gourmet meals
& Washing the floors on my hands & knees!
(joking!!!!!!)

It's been a bit crazy around here and I haven't been able to blog much lately. Many of us are wearing several different hats as we are filling in for people on staff who are taking well deserved vacations and breaks.

I wanted to pass along a sincere thank you to all of you who have graciously accepted me as a member of the Fox 4 morning team. Have a safe and happy holiday!

Enjoy and cherish your blessings!

Laura

As the weeks go by, I am learning more and more about my co-host Paul Herdtner. We have a lot of fun teasing one another both on and off the air.

A couple of days ago, the KC Zoo brought on a Burmese Python. I am deathly afraid of snakes but went ahead and conducted the interview. My "turkey" of a co-host decides to chase me down with the snake and I screamed live on-air!

In turn, I would like to tease my dear co-host. He is a perfectionist and despises phrases such as "the white stuff" or "wreak havoc"!

I am asking all of you loyal morning viewers to drop Paul an email or blog with either one of those phrases. I figure if he receives hundreds of these then we could call it "even" for now.

What do you think?

Is it just me or are parents and coaches putting way to much pressure on our kids to perform athletically?

I find it sad that kids have to choose a sport at such a young age these days in order to "stay with the program". My son loves all sports, but he is being forced to make choices at 9 years of age. In my opinion, he's not even old enough to know what decisions mean and the consequences of those decisions.

I think it's our society. We want the best for our children... the best athletic gear, the best teams, coaches, etc. But in our efforts to do the best for our kids, I believe we are doing them a huge disservice.

I found it interesting that Haggar clothing is going "outside the marketing box". It's replacing its youthful models for the average, middle aged guy. The new strategy will be unveiled this week when Haggar launches the biggest advertising blitz in its 80-year history. Ads star ordinary-looking men between the ages of 30 and 45 in light-hearted situations.

The casual men's clothing maker says it is recognizing that many of its customers are in their 50s and 60s. Still, the shift is a radical move for an apparel marketer. Using older people in certain ads has long been taboo on Madison Avenue.

Marketers are obsessed with capturing young consumers, believing that older people are set in their consuming ways.

All I can say is that when I was in my 20's, I didn't have a dime to spend on "the extras!" I was in complete survival mode.

I must admit, I was blown away with the amount of trick-or- treaters out and about this Halloween!

I must have had over 150 trick-or-treaters this year and as a new homeowner here in K.C. I was in complete shock! I bought 10 bags of candy, thinking I would have a ton leftover to eat myself! No way! At first I was giving away a small handful, then 2-3 pieces, then just one teeny-tiny piece . I finally had to turn off all the lights and the doorbell just kept on ringing!

So, to all of you in my neighborhood who came to my door this Halloween... I'm sorry I ran out and promise to be better prepared next Halloween!

Enjoy your candy!