Friday, January 28, 2011

Video Friday - ROY G. BIV by They Might Be Giants

The Monsters and I have been rockin' out this week to They Might Be Giants' fourth album for kids, Here Comes Science.  While we all loved the first three albums (including similar edu-factual-type albums Here Come the ABC's and Here Come the 123's) I personally love this album immensely.  I'm thinking it's the fact that I'm a science geek at heart and Lucas seems to be following in my footsteps.

This Friday I'm featuring two songs from the 2009 CD/DVD that have quickly become family favorites.  First up is ROY G. BIV and I say to all those who have the OCD habit of needing things to always line-up in the correct color spectrum order (me!) "Rejoice!!" I know you will fall madly in love with this song.  I sing it constantly in my head while putting away anything from dishes, to laundry, to crayons (of course).  It's a nice song to listen to while doing chores.  But, even if you have no OCD habits (you freak. yeah I'm talkin' to you), you'll find this song fun.  Despite the fact that they do cruelly burst your bubble about ever glimpsing a unicorn.



Next up is Electric Car.  If you didn't want to drive an electric car before, you surely do now.  This video is so sweet and yet so catchy.  Lucas and I love singing along to it as we drive to the Westside to pick up Wesley from daycare. Let's take a ride in an electric car.  To the Westside in an electric car!  Although, I think it would be so much more fun if we were driving to the Westside in one of these.  (Yeah, I know it's not an electric car, but it's ridiculously cute and itty-bitty and I want one.)  What I really want to know is if the Merry Maids listen to this song as they drive around in their snazzy little purple machines.



Happy Friday everyone!  I hope today is a great day for you whether you are an environmental hippie, drive a gas guzzler, or simply enjoy driving teeny-tiny toy cars.  Just remember to keep yer colors in line.

Monday, January 24, 2011

Alan! Alan! Al!

My family has been a little obsessed with British comedy lately.  I think it started over Christmas when I popped Aardman's Creature Comforts - Merry Christmas Everybody! into the ol' blu-ray. Have you seen it?  Check it out.  If you liked the original Creature Comforts, you'll enjoy the Christmas version.

Well then, next, Wesley became totally obsessed with Mr. Bean.  I kid you not.  What two-year-old likes Mr. Bean?  The average American adult doesn't even know who Rowan Atkinson is, yet here is Wesley requesting to watching him 24-7.  And I mean that literally.  I think we've watched the three DVDs at least 20 times each.  By the way, I am well aware that two-year-olds are not supposed to watch copious amounts of TV.  Save yer sermon preacher.  The other day Wesley knocked on my bedroom door, hollered, "Mama!", then even louder, "BEAN!!"  I derived immense joy from that little episode.  It still makes me laugh.  So how am I supposed to say no to that?

Finally, our family just can't get enough of this YouTube video (which is a lot like Creature Comforts).  In particular the marmot who can't seem to get Alan's attention.  We've been yelling "ALAN! ALAN! ALAN! AL! ALAN!" like a load of idiots ever since we first saw it.  And it's still funny.  All I can think of is how much we're going to annoy my brother-in-law, Steve, when we see him this summer.  That will make more sense once you watch the video.

(Fair warning: it is a bit crude in some parts.)


When next you see me, yell "ALAN!".  Just don't expect me to answer.

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Recess Monkey - Live at SPSCC!

Boy am I glad that I took the time to check my email this week.  Parent Map was nice enough to inform me that Recess Monkey was going to play a FREE concert at the Kenneth J. Minnaert Center for the Arts at South Puget Sound Community College (phew, what a mouthful).  And what do you know, that's just down the street from where I live!  What a score!  A free Saturday morning concert that I could literally walk to.  The sun was shining, it was warm and dry outside and I could see Recess Monkey. For free.  Life just doesn't get any better than that.

Let me tell you that I may have been the last to know about this concert, but apparently everyone else knew about it.  This is the third year that Recess Monkey has played this concert sponsored by Parenting Tools.  So guess what?  There were tons of people there!  It was a blast despite the fact that even though there were so many people there, one person was very obviously missing.  Jack Forman couldn't make the concert due to the arrival of his baby boy, Oscar, yesterday.  But no worries.  Though we missed Jack, Drew and Daron brought plenty of energy and fun. 

They started with Birthday Bite, in celebration of little Oscar, off their 2008 album Tabby Road. Then quickly jumped to a sample of their newest album, Flying, to be released in June 2011 with the song Flap Jacks.  It's all about making pancakes on a Saturday morning.  Who doesn't love that?  Next up was Lucas's favorite song, Knocktopus, about an octopus that tells knock-knock-jokes.  Lots of audience participation and really bad kid jokes.  He never gets tired of that.

Jet Pack came next off their most recent album The Final Funktier followed by Melvin the shark and the song Pet Shark.  Then Daron jumped out in front to show everyone how to do the moves for riding a roller coaster.  This was followed by lots of jumping up and down and screaming.  Haven't got a Pet Yet came next, followed by Under My Bed, and then Dr. Wiggle.  I love Dr. Wiggle.  It's just such a fun, silly song.  Even if it is about something that makes my stomach turn. 

Finally, we had songs about playing with a box (hadn't heard this one before), going to swim at the pool, playing on the monkey bars, and to top things off Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?  A totally interactive song in which Daron started a chicken dance conga line and led nearly the entire audience up on to the stage.  No back stage passes needed to see these guys!

Wow!  What a great show!  These guys really bring it when they come to play and even though the auditorium seating was somewhat restricting in terms of movement, that didn't keep the kids from jumping up and down and screaming their little hearts out.  (Not my kids of course who always attend these things like they are a pair of constipated old men.)  All the parents around me knew all the words to the songs and we sang along and, I suspect, had way more fun than the kids.  My husband and I threatened never to bring the kids again.  Next time we'll just go by ourselves. 

Don't tell Daron, but after the concert, I took a few quick photos of Lucas pretending to play that incredibly snazzy, sparkly red drum kit of his.  It was just so bright and glittery that I couldn't resist.  I'd run out and buy one exactly like it today if I didn't think my neighbors would kill me.  Then the kids got to make some craft projects out in the lobby and we took a quick picture of Lucas with Drew and Daron.  They enjoyed the fact that we were all wearing our Recess Monkey t-shirts (thanks Jack!!)  It was a great concert.

I have just one final thing to say.  Recess Monkey, YOU ROCK!!!


Friday, January 21, 2011

Video Friday - $9.99 by caspar babypants

Well, I'm back. I'm not sure if you missed me or not, but here I am again. It's been so long that I have not kept up well with all the new kids music videos out there. So "bear" with me here. Oh, that was an awful joke because here I am to tell you about an oldie but goodie video by the very fine Mr. Chris Ballew. Or chris ballew as he would write. No, he'd probably say caspar babypants. Anyhoo, this is my family's all time most favoritest song by caspar. It's the story of a little bear who is loved most dearly until the day that he becomes an old bear. Then he goes on a journey of sorts until one day he ends up with a new little kid to love. It's the age old story of toys. At least that's what Toy Story has taught me.

I don't know why my family loves this song so much, but I can tell you we are definitely not the only ones.  If there is such a thing for Kindie music, this song appears to have earned a cult following.  According to the YouTube comments, this video and/or song appears to be played quite often at your local Chuck E. Cheese.  Apparently every patron of Chuck E. Cheese loves this song.  I wouldn't know since I refuse to step one tiny toe in there.  However, I do know that when caspar came to Olympia and played at the local independent toy store Wind Up Here, there were tons of kids and parents there.  And when he played this song, there was not a single parent who did not sing along.  Truly.  You can't say that about every kids song.  I can't say that about every kids song.  There are lots that I love, but I don't know all the words.  I am proud to say that I know every single word to the song, $9.99.  

So, watch this video that caspar created along with daughter Josie and then tell me why I love it so.  Because I just can't figure it out.  My 7-year-old tells me every time we listen to it that he likes this song, but good luck getting a 7-year-old to explain why he loves or hates anything.  "I just do".  That's the answer.  I suppose you don't really need at reason.  If you love it, well then, that's enough.  I love it.  So there.


Happy Friday, everyone.  Take some time today to appreciate something simply because you love it.  You don't need a better reason than that.

By the way, caspar was at Wind Up Here in late October to promote the release of his third album, This is Fun!  If you didn't know, or haven't got it yet, go out and get it! It's every bit as awesome as the first two!