First off, THANK YOU to all the loyal Good Night Show fans whose love for the show has led you to follow and support me!
I couldn’t be more proud of those 10 years I got to bring Nina to life, and am honored to have been invited into your homes night after night! It is truly a privilege. Being a mom of 2 littles, I know how special and intimate that nighttime snuggle is. The fact that millions of you included Star and Me (and our pals Hush and Lucy!) into that safe space is more than I could have ever hoped for.
Some of you have children who no longer watch, but many have had new babies along the way and still tune in. You have noticed that the show is no longer airing on TV in its traditional format, because, as with everything (including our children!), the network is growing and evolving. Fortunately, this is NOT a good-bye!
Sprout is in the process of moving full Good Night Show episodes to their On Demand menu. This is seriously a dream come true for me, and hopefully for you as well! Now you can determine when exactly you want to snuggle up on the couch and watch your favorite segments of GNS before it’s time to wrap up your bedtime routine.
Keep in mind that Nina’s World will remain right where it’s at – and, in case you hadn’t heard, we have been green-lit for a second season and are working hard on bringing new episodes to life!
If you’re reading this, I know you’re a parent, and if you’re a parent I know you’re just as crazy-busy as I am. Most of the time I find myself caught up with just keeping up! Life with little ones is not easy. Usually I can be seen with some version of large tote bag/diaper bag hanging from my neck, water bottle in one hand and half-eaten banana in the other while the girls attack the playground. Regardless of how hard it is, I know that these hectic everyday moments really do matter! Days like this are an important part of the fabric of our family life. I’ve realized that thinking like this allows me to start to feel more joy. It truly does. I am so very lucky, grateful and joyous to have my daughters. Yes, I feel stressed, I feel pressured, I feel pushed and pulled, but if I can remind myself to embrace the craziness and just step right into it, I can actually feel the joy too!
Let me be honest, it often takes a nudge from someone outside my inner circle to remind me to think like this. I forget that it’s important to insert myself into the moment. That instead of creating and fostering moments for just them, I could consciously create moments for us together. And that’s what I love so much about Sprout’s #MomIsHere initiative. It’s the nudge I needed!
In case you missed it, Chica and I were invited to visit The Today Show to make a special announcement: Sprout has launched its “Kindest Kid Contest” again and they’re looking for submissions! (The deadline is Sept. 30) As mommy to two little ones, the topic of kindness is really important. I want my girls to know that being kind matters and any act or demonstration of kindness, big or small, counts towards making the world (even if it’s just our little corner!) a better place. It seems so obvious, even to me now as I read what I just wrote, but it’s interesting how quickly it’s forgotten. I think about the last time I saw someone coming through a door behind me, or struggling to carry packages, or attempting to merge into my lane of traffic…what did I do? I’m the first to admit that I’m far from perfect and there have been so many times where I’ve been too busy or distracted to hold that door open.
But, to be honest, now that I have those two little girls I have found myself making a conscious effort to have more patience, slow down, and pay a bit more attention. These little ones learn from my example at home. Now it’s on me to make sure that I’m showing them how to be kind to themselves, to each other, to our pet and other animals, and, of course, to our environment.
I’ve had many parents ask me what sort of “act of kindness” does their child have to do in order to enter. That’s a great question and the answer is simple: anything! To me, the point of the contest isn’t to name one winner who did some amazing deed, it’s to get a conversation going in every family about what being kind means, why it matters and how we can all be a bit more kind everyday.
So, if I were to enter Bianca, my 2 year old, into the contest I would say she was very kind yesterday. She saw a candy jar with mints at a restaurant and asked me for one. I took her to the jar, she picked one, and without hesitation and with a look of concern, she asked if she could get one for her sister too. Of course I said she could. That only satisfied her for a second! Then she asked if she could get one for me and her father too! So sweet and thoughtful. To me…that’s kindness!
Now, if I were to enter my 4 year old, Gia, I would have to say her act of kindness was when she picked up the scraps of paper from the table (after some crafty project we did) and walked to the kitchen and threw it away in the garbage. This teeny tiny act was kind in so many ways! First, kind to me! She saved me the trouble of asking her to do it or having to do it myself. Second, kind to the environment! Perhaps she doesn’t understand the importance of recycling or of not littering (because she’s only four!), but this is how and when that learning process begins.
So, as you can see, my kids aren’t out there forming non-profits or organizing fundraisers! They are doing little things here and there, like I’m sure all of your kids are doing. It’s when we shine a light on all of the kind acts – big and small – that we see what a big difference we can all make together! The deadline for submissions is coming up on Sept. 30 and I can’t wait to see what acts of kindness you’ll share with Sprout!
Hold on to your hats Sprout fans! A brand new show is launching on Sprout in 2 days! Astroblast is filled with fun (and really adorable) animals that live in outer space on a space station. In celebration of the launch of the new show, which is produced in partnership with Scholastic Media, Sprout hosted a luncheon for some wonderful moms and their Sproutlets in NYC…at the Sugar Factory, no less! Those present were lucky enough to watch a sneak preview of the show, but worry not dear reader! Check out sproutonline.com for a full episode and sneak previews. And, if you just have to see it on TV you’ll only have to wait until Saturday July 12 at 1pm EST or 8pm EST to watch on Sprout!
And, speaking of July 12….we will be broadcasting the Good Night Show LIVE from 6-9pm EST on Sprout! It’s been a while since Star and I took over the Sunshine Barn (which is where the Sunny Side Up Show lives) and I can’t wait! We have a few surprises planned, but rest assured that we won’t deviate too much from our trusted nighttime routine that gently eases our little Sproutlets to bed every night. We are just so excited for the launch of Astroblast that we felt it deserved a huge welcome!
Astroblast coloring pages from sproutonline.com
I hope you’ll visit sprout’s website and take advantage of the printable coloring pages and really cool interactive games they’ve created to support the launch of Astroblast.
Yummy Sundae at the Sugar Factory!Yes…like a kid in a candy store!Having fun with some super sweet Sproutlets
Sounds easy, doesn’t it? If you’re like me, then the idea of setting just one intention freaks you out! Only 1? How do I pick? There are so many things I want to accomplish. But, on the other hand, if I never set 1 how will I possibly get to all of them? Can you tell I’m a Libra 😉 So, for today, I’m going to focus on fitness. I was lucky enough to do a photo shoot with the very inspiring fitness guru Chris Freytag; and in this month’s Prevention magazine, she’s put together a 28 day challenge. If you see the magazine, you’ll see that my goal is to be fit for life!
Fit for life sounds like a big, lofty goal, doesn’t it? It may very well be, but what’s more important than your health? I’m lucky to say that I come from a fit family (not super athletes, just regular people who exercise regularly!) and I want my kids to be able to say the same thing when they grow up. I know that no one needs to hear me say how important your health is, but I do feel the need to tell every parent out there that we are ultimately responsible for our kids fitness. Considering the health problems facing our kids, it’s something we should think about everyday.
I’ve learned first-hand that my kids learn best when I model the behaviors I want to see in them. It’s pretty powerful stuff! When little Gia sees me lacing up my tennis shoes, she wants to wear hers…when I run around on the beach it becomes a game she wants to play too! So last year when I was lucky enough to be in a commercial for “The More You Know” (PSA campaign airs on NBC) I was thrilled to share the important message that our kids need 60 minutes of play everyday.
I’ve been wanting to start a blog for some time now but I don’t want this to be just any blog. I really hope this can be an opportunity for a conversation, a chance to meet new people, a way to share advice…basically I hope this turns into much more than just a boring blog about how hard it is to raise two kids and what I cooked for dinner last night! There will be plenty of time for that too 🙂
So I’m asking you to create this blog with me! Of course I can’t wait to hear about your kids (and hopefully how much they love The Good Night Show) but I also want to hear your advice and your experiences and if you have a question…ask it! Maybe I can help or someone else in our little community can. I especially hope we can help each other get through this thing called life with a big smile on our faces!
I’ll tell you a little about myself and don’t be shy…you tell me a little about yourself too!
First and foremost I’m mama to 2 little girls – Gia 2 1/2 and Bianca 7 months, wife and partner to Poncho for almost 15 years, and actress/host of The Good Night Show on Sprout. It’s quite an adventure trying to keep up with these 2 while attempting to get settled in to a new home! One of my favorite things in the world is hearing my girls laugh so hard they start to hiccup! My second favorite is probably when they both nap at the same time!! LOL! A few more things you should know: I try not to take myself too seriously, I love to find the humor in all things, I procrastinate too much, and I have a terrible memory. OK there’s so much more to share, but if I said it all now there wouldn’t be anything to blog about tomorrow (or next week. Remember what I said about procrastinating!)
Michele Lepe 