Mrs. Mama's Monsters

Product Review - MicroDry Memory Foam Area Rug

2011-05-26T15:54:00.000-07:00

The folks at MicroDry were nice enough to send me their memory foam ultimate luxury area rug for review. And I have to say that I am in LOVE.

One day I was thinking about the new wood floors that we are planning to put into our house this summer. Our family has allergies galore and we've made the decision to get rid of all the carpeting in our home. However, my kids love to play on the living room floor. I hated to think that their favorite soft play surface would no longer exist. Sure, you could put a rug down, but rugs on a hardwood floor do not compare to carpeting. Then I got to thinking . . . wouldn't it be great if you could find a really cushie rug that would make even a hardwood floor a soft place to romp? Wouldn't it be great if they MADE A RUG WITH MEMORY FOAM!? Well, the people of MicroDry have read my mind and obliged with their line of rugs, bath mats, floor runners, pet mats, and even toilet lid covers. All with wonderfully soft and springy memory foam.

From a recent Bed Bath & Beyond flyer

The floor rug is a nice sized 48" x 68" and fits adequately in front of a living room couch as shown in the picture above. The color I received was "Linen" which is a neutral, light brown color. The large floor rugs retail for $149.99 and come in two colors (though three are pictured on the BB&B website and Linen is currently out of stock). The bath mats come in a range of colors, and two sizes, priced from $19.99 to $29.99.

Both the floor rug and the bath mats have a polyester/polyamide mix (i.e. microfiber) that covers the polyurethane foam core. They come with a slip-resistant base, which is nice since there is no need to buy an extra non-skid pad to use with it.

Now, here's where I get a bit picky and detail a "wish list" for the MicroDry people. I really wish that the large floor rugs came in more variety of colors just like the bath mats. I could see using a brightly colored one in the kids playroom.

I dislike the fabric on principle. While microfiber is very soft, the characteristics of the fabric give it the undesirable appearance of always looking "dirty". I find myself sitting down and smoothing out all the imperfections so that it doesn't look quite so roughed up. I assume that the fabric was chosen because it is generally soft, absorbent, and durable. I see no need for an area rug to be absorbent and I'm sure a replacement could be made that is just as durable and soft.

Although the floor rug is an adequate size, I'd really love it if it came in an even larger size. Something that wouldn't be so dwarfed by the size of my living room. Because I can tell you that having this rug in my living room is one of the greatest things about the room. There is nothing better than coming home after a long day, sitting down on my couch, and squishing my tired, achy feet deep into the foamy goodness of this rug.

Speaking of which, that's the last item on my wish list. Yes, the foam is gloriously soft, and yes, I love walking and/or standing on this rug, but I desperately wish that MicroDry had made this rug just a hair thicker. Even just a 1/4 inch thicker would have made a world of a difference to me.

Overall, I am very impressed and happy with this product. There are a few kinks to work out, but I can't deny that this rug makes me and my family very happy. So much so that I've already purchased one of the bath mats! Let me tell you that there is nothing that takes away the stress of the day like stepping out of a hot shower onto one of these bath mats. Sometimes my husband and I will even stand on the mat as we brush our teeth, just because it feels so nice.

I received this product from MicroDry for review. My views and opinions are my own and I was not paid in anyway to write this review.

Video Friday - Zooglobble's 2011 KidVid Tournament

2011-03-18T11:48:00.000-07:00

Stefan Sheppard over at Zooglobble starts his annual KidVid Tournament today! This is a really fun way to check-out some great kids music videos from the past 12 months. This year Stefan is utilizing friends from around the kids music community to host the first few rounds of the tournament. You can visit Out With the Kids to see a match-up between four of the contenders in the Woodie Guthrie Region. However, I wanted to let you know who I voted for in today's match-ups since it appears that so far I've chosen the underdogs!

First up is Billy Kelly's The Sky Floats (and so do Boats). You'll remember that a previous Video Friday post was dedicated to Billy Kelly's funny, catchy, and oh-so-silly People Really Like Milk. So, it's no surprise that I chose to vote for this equally great video.

Next up is a Readeez video for Coal Train Railroad's Just the Juice Jack. I'm not normally a big fan of the Readeez videos which are like captioned music videos. There's nothing particularly wrong with Readeez videos, they are usually very simple and easy to follow, they just aren't generally my cup o' tea. I normally like the original videos best, but I do appreciate the fact the Readeez often makes videos for kids songs that don't have an official video, and I think that this is the case here. This is definitely a fun and jazzy song that makes me want to check out more from Coal Train Railroad. My favorite part has got to be the swirling cherries at the end.

If you want to follow the rest of the KidVid Tournament 2011, make sure to check-out Zooglobble for the dates and places of the rest of the match-ups. Have a great Friday everyone and I wish you a warm and dry first day of spring!

Video Friday - googly eyes by caspar babypants

2011-02-18T08:59:00.000-08:00

Wesley and I were listening to the latest caspar babypants CD, This is Fun! the other day and I realized that I never did feature the video for googly eyes here on Video Friday. What was I thinking!? I don't know. I mean, young or old, who doesn't know what you mean when you say googly eyes? And how can you not have a smile on your face when you say it? Googly eyes are all about fun times. This simple video created entirely by Chris Ballew (with some input by his wife, artist Kate Endle, and Chris' daughter Josie) is fantastic in it's simplicity. You'll want to watch it again and again and you'll enjoy having the song stuck in your head all day. I'll bet it keeps a silly grin on your face and a bit of lightness in your heart all day too.

From his website, this is what Chris had to say about the song googly eyes, "We love googly eyes around our house. I will often come into the kitchen to find a sweet potato with eyes staring at me that my kids or Kate has set up. One of them ended up being named Larry the Lemon. He might get his own song someday. For now this is a love song for the googly eyes and their amazing power to make things come alive."

Happy Friday everyone! I hope you love this video as much as my family does. Just be careful who you make googly eyes to today!

Happy Valentine's Day Monster Followers!

2011-02-14T14:51:00.000-08:00

Because I can't seem to go more than a few weeks without mentioning Recess Monkey or posting one of their videos, here is a special Valentine's Day video featuring them. Well, one monkey anyway. That's Drew singing about his daughter's fish. This song comes from their next album Flying due out June 14 (My Mama's birthday! Guess what Mom's present will be? Just kidding, Mom.) It's titled, appropriately enough, My Valentine! and features local Kindiependent talents Johnny Bregar on piano and Tom Baisden on trumpet, as well as Dean Jones on trombone. I love the autographed photos of Johnny and Dean featured in the video. What a cute touch!

What else do I love about this video? Well, there's the pink ukulele that Drew plays while wearing a fuchsia cummerbund. There's the black and white film footage of a big band that comes out towards the end. And then there is my most favorite part, little Valentine's bubbly solo. Can't get any cuter than a singing fish. Well, maybe you can, but I loved it nonetheless.

Happy Valentine's Day to all of you. I hope that you share this video with all that you love. Have a super sweet and special day!

Cuz I'm Small. And I'm Brown. And I Hog, the Ground!

2011-02-02T01:00:00.000-08:00

Last week the Monsters and I read Joan Holub's book Groundhog Weather School (illustrated by Kristin Sorra). It's all about the schooling that groundhogs must go through in order to become weather predictors. It's rather silly, but it does contain some actual facts about groundhogs, weather, and how groundhog day came about. It's a fun read that the boys really enjoyed.

Well, ever since then I've had this song stuck in my head, which isn't surprising since it is pretty catchy. This video was done by Steve Burns and Steven Drozd for the Noggin show, Jack's Big Music Show. That tells you how old it is right there. Remember when Nick Jr. used to be Noggin?!? Yeah, seems like ages ago. I missed posting this video last year when I first started my blog and I knew that there was no way I could miss it again this year. I mean, how can you not post this video for Groundhog Day? Because, admit it, there aren't that many kids songs out there about groundhogs. There aren't that many songs out there about groundhogs, period.

And while we're reminiscing about the good old days of Noggin, did you even catch the fact that Steve Burns is in fact the Steve. The original dude from Blues Clues. Yeah, that's him alright. I admit that the furry little headband threw me off too.

Steve Burns: I Hog the Ground

So, I didn't realize this, but apparently here in the Pacific Northwest, we don't have an official groundhog weather predictor, instead we have a meteorologist frognosticator named Snohomish Slew. Also, this bullfrog is a little more eager to get the "jump" on predicting the weather because his predictions come out the weekend before Groundhog day. Ironically enough, bullfrogs are considered an invasive species here and can be killed without a license (!?!) Snohomish Slew and his buddy Snohomish Slew II have a special exemption issued by the state of Washington to be used by the nonprofit Just Frogs Toads Too! for education on invasive species. And also frognosticating.

I don't really see the point to all this fuss given the fact that no matter what you say or do, the rain won't stop until mid June. You can count on that. Because it's the Pacific Northwest. And it rains here. A lot. However, I do find the use of frogs as weather predictors interesting. Much more so than groundhogs. Thayer Cueter, Slew's keeper, told HeraldNet that frogs are better predictors because they "chirp" when spring has arrived. All I know is that there's a frog somewhere outside the door at work and he's been croaking like mad the last week or so. Like ear-splittingly loud croaking.

I hope that you've enjoyed this little journey back in time, as well as the incredibly interesting look into bullfrogs as weather forecasters. I dare you to get through the day now without yelling out, "Cuz I'm small! And I'm brown! And I hog! The ground!"

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

2011-01-28T07:59:00.000-08:00

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.

Alan! Alan! Al!

2011-01-24T16:26:00.000-08:00

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.

Recess Monkey - Live at SPSCC!

2011-01-22T16:43:00.000-08:00

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!!!

Video Friday - $9.99 by caspar babypants

2011-01-21T01:00:00.000-08:00

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!

Video Friday - Blah, Blah, Blah by Hullabaloo

2010-07-23T17:15:00.000-07:00

I've featured a video here on Video Friday before by Hullabaloo and ever since then I've been wanting to share this one too. This video cracks me up and even my son says that he loves it. Of course it's not too surprising that his favorite part is the "blah, blah, blah" chorus. I think it's pretty fun too. I guarantee it's going to be stuck in your head for the rest of the day, (probably when your boss shows up at your desk to talk about something important.)

At my house there are many occassions when the grown-ups and the kids just don't seem to speak the same language. I confess that on more than one occasion I've said to my son, "I'll I heard was blah, blah, blah." You know it happens. Then again, it works both ways. More than once I've told my son to do something, or Dad rattles off some long, complicated list of tasks, and all we get back is a blank stare. Dad and I turn to each other and say, "All he heard was blah, blah, blah." Yup. Then again, I've noticed that the cats are not immune to it either. In fact I think that pretty much all they hear is, "Blah, blah, blah, Lily. Blah, blah, blah, Dragon." In one kitty ear and out the other. If your household is anything like ours, you'll love this video too.

I seem to be seeing a pattern here lately on Video Friday where I have to show more than one video. I was catching up on some of my Zooglobble today when I saw this video. It was too funny not to share. Have you ever watched the show Time Warp on the Discovery Channel? My husband and I used to be addicted to it. If you've ever seen the show then this next video will be oddly familiar. The song is by The Okee Dokee Brothers and features a clip from Time Warp. It's a short video, but once you watch it, you'll want to watch it again and again. It's so much fun. Here is Water Balloon by the Okee Dokee Brothers.

One last thing. I just discovered today that the Hipwaders mentioned me on their Facebook page last May! Wow! How cool is that? Pretty darn. Thanks so much for the mention, Hipwaders!!!

Happy blah, blah, Friday, blahddy, blah, blah, blah, everyone!

Video Friday - Pool Party by the Aquabats

2010-07-16T14:59:00.000-07:00

No doubt if you are a fan of Yo Gabba Gabba, you've seen this video at least once. Front man MC Bat Commander (AKA Christian Jacobs) is a co-creator of the show and this version of their popular Pool Party song was toned down and made a little more kid friendly for the show. I love it. My kids love it. Heck, everyone loves a pool party!

My sister has been emailing us with her family's adventures in Hawaii recently, and this video makes me think that maybe they would have been safer staying home and having a pool party instead.

While searching for this video, (I've had various versions of it on my channel all along, but for some reason Nickelodeon or YouTube keeps pulling it) I found another video for the song. This one uses the original version of Pool Party in which only the cool kids are invited and there's lots of mention of cute girls in swimming suits. However, it uses clips from the Peanuts cartoons and honestly, I don't think kids even listen to the words. My son loved this version and it's pieced together really well so I love it too.

This is my favorite line:

Holy guacamole, we've got chips, so come on take a dip, cuz my pool rips!

Try yelling that out at your next party and see if it doesn't raise the bar there a little bit.

Happy Friday everyone! Super killer (wading) pool party at my house!

Video Friday - Jet Pack by Recess Monkey

2010-07-09T12:44:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the unexpected hiatus. We moved to our new house and life sort of got in the way for a while. Blogging was put on hold. But, I'm back with lots of stuff to share and hopefully I'll get some time to write it all down. Lucas and I took a trip to Seattle for the big "Share the Music" concert at Freeway Park and I took tons of pictures and made lots of notes so that you could all pretend that you were there with us too. It was a great concert and we stuck it out until the very last note was played.

Recess Monkey has been putting out videos like crazy since they've just released their new album, The Final Funktier. We got a copy of the CD at the Share the Music concert, which just so happened to be their CD release party too. Can I just say that the CD is *AWESOME*! Seriously, I thought that they'd have a really hard time topping their last CD Field Trip. The two are now rivaling each other as my favorite Recess Monkey album. I just can't decide which one I like more.

So, to celebrate the fact that I'm finally back to blogging again, and Recess Monkey's CD release, and the fact that summer has finally hit the Pacific Northwest, here is the video for Jet Pack. I'm sure you'll find it as fun and catchy as my family did. I wonder how many families will be setting out for yard sales in search of vacuum cleaners to turn into their own jet packs?

I'm also giving you a video bonus at the end to help make up for all the missed Fridays that I didn't post. Yes, it's another Recess Monkey video, but this one is a little different. They don't sing in this one. What!? They don't sing? Nope. Sorry, there is no singing. Ah, but there is music. Elevator music in fact. Space Elevator music. And let me just say that the video is HILARIOUS and that Jack has some awesome acting skills. Why, you'd almost believe that Mayor Monkey (MayMo) really did . . . well, you'll just have to watch the video to see what MayMo did. I love Drew's total indifference to Jack's hysteria at the end. You'll see. Watch it, it's fun.

Happy Friday Everyone! I hope today finds you in a sunny, warm place with lots of room to run and let your imagination go wild!

Video Friday - Video Two-fer

2010-06-04T15:35:00.000-07:00

I have so many videos that I want to share with everyone that sometimes it's hard to choose just one. Sometimes even though I love a video and want to share it, it might be an older one and I opt to show a newly released video instead.

This week though, I'm saying the heck with all the new releases and let's enjoy some older videos just because I like 'em and they are appropriate for this time of year.

First up is Recess Monkey's Sack Lunch from their 2009 album, Field Trip. I know I talk Recess Monkey all the time, but hey, it's cuz they're good and I like them and they make good videos. (And I'm secretly hoping that they'll get wind of my blog and send me free stuff for promoting them. HaHa! Just kidding. Not really!) Here's what I love about this song and video:

Drew dressed as a giant paper bag parading around the Mall in D.C. and posing for pictures with tourists.
The chorus, sack lu-unch! sack lu-unch! sack lu-unch! sack la la la la la la la lunch!!!
The line, I'm kinda squished, is somebody leaking in here?
The fact that no matter how many times I hear this song I still think Drew is saying, They get drunk drivers to honk along. Yeah, I know he says truck, but my brain refuses to hear this.
The choir harmonizing at the end of the song is just so awesome.

Who knew you could make such a sweet song about such an everyday item? Wednesday night when I was making Lucas's sack lunch for his first ever kindergarten field trip, this is the song that played in my head.

Next up is Caspar Babypants' Monkey River off his debut album, Here I Am! Again, I know that I talk about Caspar Babypants a lot, but that's because he's good. His songs are good, the videos are good, and I secretly wish he'd come back again and leave a nice comment like he did the first time I wrote about him. (Just kidding. Not really!)

This video stares his daughter Josie in a monkey mask running through Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle. It's very Planet of the Apes but in a funny and cute way. I just love watching her skipping through the park without a care in the world, rubbing her little chin as she gazes at all the animals and the flabbergasted humans, and nearly running into trees as she tries to see through the off-set eye holes in the mask. She really did a fantastic job as "wee monkey girl". It makes me smile every time I watch it.

Lucas's class went to the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium in Tacoma, not Woodland Park, but I still thought about this video the entire time we were there, wishing that wee monkey girl would pop-up at any moment.

It was a really fun day and judging by the fact that there were at least four other schools there that day, I'd say that this is prime field trip time.

Happy Friday everyone! I hope you enjoyed this special video two-fer post. If you're headed out on a field trip today or even next week, I wish you clear skies, tons of fun, and maybe even a quick glimpse of wee monkey girl.

Don't forget that you can see both Recess Monkey and Caspar Babypants at the upcoming Share the Music Concert.

Video Friday - Moon Boots by Recess Monkey

2010-05-28T10:39:00.000-07:00

Photo by Kevin Fry

It's almost here! The new album by Recess Monkey, The Final Funktier! is set for release on June 15. Here's a preview of what to expect from the new album which, if you couldn't tell, has a space theme. Their first video for the new album is for the song Moon Boots and is based on the story line of, "Recess Monkey Fakes a Moon Landing". Hilarious to say the least, an awesome song obviously, and it totally whets your appetite in anticipation for the new album.

The video has a bit of a slow start as they set up the back story for the song. Your preschooler may wiggle a bit as he waits for the music to start, but once it does I'm sure he'll be transfixed. The idea of a moon landing whether real or imaginary will appeal to any little kid. I think it's even more fun to see that so much can be done with stuff from around the house (and the dumpster too! How soon before your kid wants to go dumpster diving?)

I've got to tell you that Recess Monkey is certainly one of the best kids music bands out there making fun and creative videos for their songs. And without a big budget mind you. It's the simple things like the fact that I suddenly realized they call Mayor Monkey, "MayMo". Or watching lead singer, Andrew Holloway, dance in his astronaut suit. Or even hearing how excited my 6-year-old got when they made a moon out of a big white balloon ("It's perfect!") Some people have it, and some don't. Recess Monkey has it.

If you haven't done it yet, go check out Recess Monkeytown where you can sample other songs from the new album as well as favorites from past albums. Also, don't forget to check out the website for Kindiependent the new collaborative effort by Seattle Kindie artists Recess Monkey, Caspar Babypants, The Not-It's!, Johnny Bregar, and The Board of Education (And now with added Harmonica Pocket!). You can find out more about the Share the Music festival and Recess Monkey's CD release party at Freeway Park on June 13. Hope to see you there!

Happy Funky Friday everyone! I leave you with this parting picture of my son's "moon boots" a.k.a. "go-go boots" a.k.a. polar bear snow boots. Get out your moon boots and have a wild adventure today!

Video Friday - Tricycle by Frances England

2010-05-21T10:26:00.000-07:00

I've been seeing the new Bisquick commercial with Frances England's Blueberry Pancakes song everywhere lately. Have you seen it? I'd love to show it to you, but it's not licensed for showing on the internet. (How dumb is that? What's the problem with advertising on the internet?) However, if you go here, you can at least hear the song and then I'm sure you'll know what commercial I'm talking about because, as I've said, it's everywhere. Anyhoo, the blueberry pancake commercial got me thinking about one of my favorite Frances England songs, Tricycle, off of her debut album Fascinating Creatures. England's soft and dreamy voice lends a real sense of nostalgia to a staple of childhood. And of course with lyrics like, "Win the Tour de France in my underpants", what's not to love? It's a sweet and simple video that I know you're going to love.

By the way, if you've never been, go check out France England's website. She's got three beautiful, musical e-cards that you can send to all the people you love. I suspect that Daddy-O is quite popular around Father's day. Send it to your favorite macho, man's-man at work just so you can give him a light-hearted ribbing when he starts crying right there in the office.

Have a great Friday everyone! I wish you a day as fun and carefree as this video. See you next week!

Kindiependent and the Share the Music Concert

2010-05-18T15:54:00.000-07:00

Look out because Seattle is spreading the word about it's kindie bands! On Sunday, June 13 you can catch four of the big names in Seattle kids music as they host the "Share the Music Concert". Recess Monkey along with Caspar Babypants, The Not-It's!, Johnny Bregar, and Central Services Presents: The Board of Education have all banded together to create Kindiependent. From the website, "Kindiependent is a collective of like-minded people who are passionate about cultivating a vibrant kids and family music scene in the Pacific Northwest. Through creative collaborations and community events, our mission is to develop a network of family-friendly artists and organizations that supports cultural innovation."

The "Share the Music Concert" is what looks to be the first of many collaborative events to come. It's also the release show for Recess Monkey's latest CD, The Final Funktier! Awesome! I just can't tell you how exciting this is for me! I love the fact that my family has easy access to so many great kindie bands and that they are actually collaborating and working together to share all their great music with Pacific Northwest families. The festival is going to be four back-to-back sets with four out of the five bands: Recess Monkey, Caspar Babypants, The Not-It's!, and Johnny Bregar. The concert is FREE! For more information, check out the new Kindiependent website. You can also get more information about other upcoming group events and you'll also find links for each of the five bands.

I'm hoping that once the word gets out, even more kids music bands located in the Pacific Northwest will join ranks with these guys. I can see Harmonica Pocket and Captain Bogg and Salty jumping on the bandwagon. Maybe this means that there will be a giant kindie music fest coming our way in the very near future? We can only hope. And of course, support these guys like crazy!!! See you there!

Update: Check it out! Harmonica Pocket has joined Kindiependent too! Told you they would!

Happy Birthday, Craig

2010-05-17T16:15:00.000-07:00

I recently shared the fact that I've become a fan of tv's Craig Ferguson, the hilarious host of CBS's The Late, Late Show. Today just so happens to be his birthday, and I just thought it would be fun to share some Craig Ferguson stuff with you.

Also, today I just finished his book American on Purpose: The Improbable Adventures of an Unlikely Patriot and I enjoyed it so much I started listening to it again. That's right, I said listening. I have very little time to read books lately, but I can mix audio books with some of my more monotonous duties at work. I must admit that I also got the audio book version because I half hoped that it would be narrated by Craig himself, and yay! It was! I highly suggest that you check out the audio book version first.

I've never been a late night talk show kinda person before, and for good reason. I just can't stay up late enough to watch the shows. I have to admit that they just never really interested me before either. But I love watching The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson. And thanks to YouTube, I can watch it any damn time I want to! Check out Malinky's TV's Craig Ferguson Channel for a great Craig Ferguson fix. He uploads the entire show every night for your viewing pleasure. Thanks to Malinky I can even watch Craig Ferguson on my iPod, and that makes me happy beyond measure. (Ooh, cute little rhyme there.)

If you are a true fan of Craig, you know that he loves to tweet. You can follow CraigyFerg on Twitter and become part of his Robot Skeleton Army. And speaking of Geoff Peterson, here's a fun little link so that you too can make your very own robot skeleton.

Choosing a favorite episode of TLLS is nearly impossible, they are always good, no matter who the guest is. However, I do love the combination of Lauren Graham and Craig Ferguson. She's absolutely charming and yet ridiculously silly all at once. And Craig is, well, the same way Craig always is with any beautiful, smart, and funny woman. It's comedy gold.

You should also check out the show's intro for their puppet routine. Hilarious! And did you know that you can get your own Nadine and Wavy puppets to reenact skits at home? Check out the Folkmanis website to see a behind the scenes video of the 1000th episode of TLLS.

If you're interested in seeking out Craig Ferguson in other forms of media check out his stand-up comedy. His recent show A Wee Bit o' Revolution is very funny. I especially like the bits that he does about his mum. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a video of that so you'll have to be happy with the Sean Connery bit. Still hilarious though.

And if you haven't seen it yet, watch Saving Grace. Craig co-wrote and stars in the movie with the wonderful Brenda Blethyne and Martin Clunes (of Kipper the Dog fame!) It's based on a true story and was the inspiration for the spin-off show Doc Martin. (By the way, a big thanks to Jeanne who got me hooked on Doc Martin. I'll watch it with you anytime!)

Did you know that Craig Ferguson won a Peabody award for his interview with Archbishop Desmond Tutu? Whaaah? I knowwww! He did and you can see the entire episode with a brand new introduction by Craig airing tonight on CBS. Or you can watch the original interview here. It's awesome. I love how the Archbishop says, "I think you're crazy!" and then giggles like a little girl. It's very, very good. Just to hear the Archbishop laugh is well worth watching it. Craig Ferguson really does have an awesome talent for interviewing people. The award is well deserved.

I'll finish this post with one of my favorite parts of The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson . . . the awkward pause. Occasionally, Craig will choose a guest to perform an awkward pause as a finish to the interview. It's hilarious to watch and truly unique to Craig. My favorite one, arguably the best one yet was part of the same show as the Lauren Graham interview above. It's an interview with Simon Helberg from The Big Bang Theory (another favorite show of mine). The interview itself is not necessarily the best, but the awkward pause at the end? Shear perfection. Enjoy this great compilation of awkward pauses, which includes some of Simon's awkward pause with Craig.

By the way, if you haven't seen it yet, go see How to Train Your Dragon. It's something that even the adults will enjoy. And if you haven't guessed by now (or have been living under a rock), Craig Ferguson does the voice of Gobber, one of the Scottish Vikings. I love it. Scottish Viking, who would have thought?

Video Friday - Cat in a Bathysphere by the Hipwaders

2010-05-14T10:52:00.000-07:00

I love this song, and my sons love this video. It's a good combination of edgy sound for the parents and cool underwater adventure for the kids. The Hipwaders are the kind of band who love the freedom of doing kids music because they can pretty much experiment with any kind of sound that they want. Whatever they do, however they do it, it all sounds good. While most people would probably choose Educated Kid (off their album by the same title) as an example of the band's work, I lean in the opposite direction with Cat in a Bathysphere. No doubt about it, what ever your style you'll find something about the Hipwaders to love.

Happy Friday everyone! Let's hope that all the squid you meet today are very nice
. . . in bite-sized portions.

Happy Belated Mother's Day!

2010-05-10T11:55:00.000-07:00

Again, I've been sick so everything is sort of one day behind. I found this video the other day and I thought it would provide a good laugh for a day that honors all Mamas.

I was listening to the CD Grace's Bell by Ben Rudnick & Friends and their version of Mama Don't 'low the other day. I know I've heard this song before, but probably not since I was a kid. All I could think of was, Wow, this mama is no fun to be around! Then I came across this video and suddenly it all made sense. Of course MAMA ain't no fun! She's a robot!

Check out this oldie but goodie by Dudley Moore and the Muppets then call up your Mama and tell her how much you love her (because she isn't a robot). She'll never expect it one day late (well, my mom will because she knows me.) Happy Belated Mother's Day all!

PS - I love how in the comments someone wrote that MAMA looks like someone took a Dalek and smashed it into R2D2. Hilarious!

Video Saturday - The Swagger Wagon by Toyota's Sienna Family

2010-05-08T09:25:00.000-07:00

Do to the fact that I've been sick for the last few days, I missed posting a video for Video Friday yesterday. But, I plan to make it up to you by giving you . . . THE SWAGGER WAGON, ah-yeah! You've seen these commercials by Toyota with the Sienna Family. They know that they are the best parents and everyone is jealous of their swagger wagon. You know who I'm talking about. Unless you DVR everything and then I insist you're totally missing out on a whole section of pop-culture. If I've learned anything from Lorelai Gilmore, it's that you keep all those old VHS tapes from the 80's so that you can watch the iconic commercials. Now don't you want to go back and re-watch all your DVR stuff just for the commercials? Of course you don't! Neither do you want to buy a minivan after watching this video! Still, it's funny and that's what you have YouTube for, so you can watch the funny commercials without having to watch "Kidz Bop" commercials until you go insane.

BwahHaHaHa! I almost wish that I actually knew a family like this because they'd just be hilarious to be around. I love how they have to interrupt the music video so that the little girl can go potty. Uh yeah, I can relate. Not that I make many music videos, but my kids do manage to interrupt just about everything for potty breaks.

Sometimes I wish that life really was as simple and easy as it is for the Sienna Family. Their naivety leaves no room for doubt in their lives and nothing worse than a really stinky diaper. I don't think I could sell my soul for a minivan though, and my family just couldn't rock it like this family does. That's okay with me though.

Happy Saturday everyone! Here's hoping that if you do happen to own a minivan you rock it as much as the Sienna Family does when you head on out to Home Depot today.

Video Friday - A Counting Error by John and Mark

2010-04-30T14:35:00.000-07:00

This video has been out for a while, and I've sort of been sitting on the fence about it. My first impression, not having heard the debut album by John and Mark, John and Mark's Children's Record, was . . . I am so confused. It's not necessarily that I didn't like it, I just had no idea what all the randomness was about. But, I liked the sound of it and I kept watching it over and over again, despite the fact that the goat really creeps me out. He's just sending out a vibe that I'm not quite comfortable with. You'll see what I mean. Although, the calf, she's also got something strange going on, and I'm not too sure about that tortoise either. The more I watch the video, the more I like it though, and the less and less that I worry about the total randomness, which now that I think about it, was totally the point. And the counting error? Well, at first it's not so apparent, and then it comes up and smacks you in the face and runs away giggling. Just wait for it. Wait . . . for . . . it.

Happy Friday to you all! Here's hoping that nothing else smacks you in the face today and runs away giggling!

Review: Funky Fresh and Sugar Free - Sugar Free Allstars

2010-04-25T16:58:00.000-07:00

The Sugar Free Allstars have a new album coming out on April 27 and I received a review copy from Beth over at Sugar Mountain PR (thanks Beth!) The Sugar Free Allstars are an Oklahoma based duo comprised of Chris (Boom!) Wiser and Rob (Dr. Rock) Martin. This is their second family album. Their first album for kids, Dos Niños got them national attention and was included as one of the best CDs of the year by the Fids and Kamily critics' poll.

Dr. Rock and Boom! play a variety of instruments, but what you'll find most noticeable is the sound of the Hammond organ. I don't know of many bands, kids music or otherwise, that manage to rock an album with the sound of an organ quite like these guys.

The album starts off with a call-and-response song called Rock Awesome! for which I have thoughtfully provided their new video below. It is "garage rock" in the literal sense and has no fancy-shmancy technical stuff other than the flashing orange light, off-camera smoke machine, and "applause" cassette tape. Still, it's fun and you get the sense that to see the Sugar Free Allstars live means that you're in for a good time. My kids are not the any-excuse-to-jump-up-and-down-and-yell kinda kids that most are, but Dad and I had lots of fun with the song. We've resigned ourselves to having birthed fuddy-duddys. Most kids will love the interactive feel of it though.

The album, in fact, has several interactive songs including SFA Disco Dance Party (with a very Isaac Hayes-like spoken vocal), Hey Now, It's Your Birthday (obviously perfect for birthday parties), Tiger in my Backyard, and the final song on the album The Train Beat Song, which is somewhat like a game of Simon Says set to music.

Some of my favorite songs from the album are Little Red Wagon, Tiger in my Backyard, and a cover of the Beatle's Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da. I don't quite know why, but Little Red Wagon makes me think of the preschool version of Low Rider. I imagine that the little boy in the song rides around in his wagon much the same way a cholo would cruise in his pimped out ride. The two songs have nothing in common except my personal imagery, but LRW is definitely fun.

Tiger in my Backyard was the first song I'd ever heard by SFA when I saw a video of the song done live for their DVD Gettin' Funky with the Sugar Free Allstars. I've liked the song and SFA ever since. Boom! introduces various animals, which he says are all living in various places around his house, and calls out to the audience to make the animal sounds. But, "Look another time, tell me just what you see. That tiger in my backyard looks a whole lot like me!"

The Sugar Free Allstars' cover of the classic Beatle's song Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da is by far my family's favorite song off of the CD. They took an already great song and made it even better. I dare you to listen to it and not love it too.

If you'd like to hear more from the Sugar Free Allstars and just can't wait until Tuesday, you can hear five of the songs from their new album on the player below.
<a href="http://sugarfreeallstars.bandcamp.com/album/funky-fresh-sugar-free">In My Pocket by Sugar Free Allstars</a>
So, what are my thoughts? Well, it's pretty obvious that my family and I loved this album and have become big fans of SFA. I am looking forward to the day when their concerts manage to make their way up to the Pacific Northwest.

Sugar Mountain PR provided a review copy of this CD. My opinions are my own and I was not paid in anyway to write this review.

Review: Rani Arbo & Daisy Mayhem - Ranky Tanky

2010-04-24T11:28:00.000-07:00

"This is the soundtrack to summer." That's what I said to myself when I first heard Ranky Tanky by Rani Arbo & Daisy Mayhem, another CD provided by the great Beth Blenz-Clucas over at Sugar Mountain PR (thanks, Beth!)

If your idea of summer vacation is lots of time spent running through the water in the fountain downtown, or lolling around on the grass under a big tree at the park, or taking car rides with the windows down and hanging your head out just like the dog, then this album is for you. It's all about lightheartedness and having a good time.

This album is covers of some of the band's favorite songs, "from other genres, times, and traditions." Parents will recognize some of the songs from their childhood and, along with the kids, will discover some new favorites. Lots of giggling, laughing, and snorting can also be heard on the album. Undoubtedly, your child will find it infectious. Summer is the time to lay aside all seriousness.

Daisy Mayhem is a crazy group of musicians comprised of Rani Arbo on fiddle and vocals, Andrew Kinsey on bass and vocals, Anand Nayak on guitar and vocals, and Scott Kessel on the intriguing Drumship Enterprise and vocals. The Drumship is a recycled drum-kit that apparently is comprised of various bits and pieces as needed. Anything from cardboard and wooden boxes, to tin cans and plastic jugs, to an old Naugahyde suitcase. I'd love to see that live! The band uses a variety of instruments including ukulele, banjo, kazoo, jawharp, harmonium, kalimba, bottles, balloon, and veggie baster. It seems that this group is not afraid to pick up anything and coax music out of it.

This is the first album by Daisy Mayhem specifically aimed at families. I love discovering bands like this that prove that just because they have a kids music label doesn't mean that they aren't serious musicians (well, sometimes anyway!) For the uninitiated, Daisy Mayhem will come as a wonderful surprise, but to the seasoned veterans they prove that kids music can be amazingly good; and that's the rule, not the exception. You can listen to some sample tracks from the CD here.

The music on the album is best suited for younger kids and adults who are young at heart. Especially if you're into string bands. Older kids might not find the album as much fun unless you can tickle them a bit before-hand and get them in a silly mood. The album includes very energetic highs like They All Ask'd For You, Purple People Eater, and the title song Ranky Tanky, but also has more mellow songs like Tinny (a favorite of mine), the very sweet Morningtown Ride, the absolutely beautiful Wildflowers, ending with It's a Big World. Interspersed throughout are short (less than a minute) tracks of songs and silliness, including an introduction to the song Bear to the Left in which Scott refers to the bug in his throat.

My thoughts? Get this album to enjoy this summer and keep it to listen to this winter when you dream of summer. I look forward to this CD getting lots of play wherever we are this summer. If you'd like your own copy, get it here.

I received this review copy from Sugar Mountain PR. My views and opinions are my own and I was not paid in anyway to write this review.

Video Friday - Ramshackle by Caspar Babypants

2010-04-23T08:37:00.000-07:00

According to Caspar, he doesn't know what a "ramshackle" is, but believes that this video is it. This is a fun little video, although I think it might creep some people out. I can tell you that I'm not too fond of the crooked teeth on the guy, but that's because of my weird aversion to teeth. Still, the song is fun, the video is nicely done, and it's definitely a fun way to start off your Friday. I love how the stop-motion parts complement the video.

The video is another fan made one by the talented Greg DeLiso. He's the guy behind the poor dust bunnies video that I featured in my original post about Caspar Babypants. Wow, that's three links in one sentence. Looks like I'm a little link happy this morning. Something tells me that this video has put me in a very weird mood this morning.

Hope you have a great Friday everyone! Even if it is a little weird.

Review: Uncle Rock - The Big Picture

2010-04-22T04:58:00.000-07:00

Happy Earth Day everyone!

I recently received a review copy of Uncle Rock's new CD The Big Picture from Beth Blenz-Clucas over at Sugar Mountain PR and I thought that today would be a perfect day to write a review of the CD given the fact that there are a couple of environmental themed songs on it. The album was recently released on April 13.

This is the fifth family music CD by Uncle Rock, AKA Robert Burke Warren, who is a singer-songwriter, author, actor, bassist, and sometimes Buddy Holly impersonator. The album is billed as a "socially conscious salute to Uncle Rock's musical heroes". Parents will enjoy hearing the nods to David Bowie, The Rolling Stones, Cat Stevens, The Ramones, Buddy Holly, Johnny Cash, and Billy Idol.

First let me say that this is not the kind of CD that I'd normally get for my kids. The whole environmental aspect of the album would probably make me bypass it, and that's a shame. The problem is that it's pretty difficult to craft songs about environmentalism and social consciousness without sounding like you're lecturing. It's hard to make serious issues, environmental or otherwise, into a song that is worth listening to. However, Uncle Rock manages to put the idea on the table, let you think about it, and I believe, use it as a jumping off point to talk to your kids. Most kids will probably have some idea of what the songs are about if you listen with them and talk about the topics together. It seems that kids are now bombarded with environmental impact statements from the moment their squishy little brains are able to comprehend the area around them. Cartoon characters are preaching to "go green", teachers are talking about it in the classroom, and those funny little electric cars are hard to miss. They are aware; they just may not know how it affects them.

The first time I listened to the song There Is No Away, I felt like I'd never throw anything away again and I went on a pretty long guilt trip. With lyrics like this, how could I not?

One day I looked out across the green water
And a sea turtle's head I did see
But, he was covered in paper and old plastic bags
And here's what he said to me

Away, away, there is no away
There is no away turtle said
Everything that you throw in the trash
Goes somewhere else instead

The lyrics go on to say that Uncle Rock met a blue bird, and then a wolf, and both had some kind of garbage covering them. Whoa. Serious bummer, man, I'm telling you. You almost start to wonder how this could be a kids song. However, the fact remains that the song is beautiful, hauntingly so, but beautiful none the less thanks in part to the duet provided by Elizabeth Mitchell. And, as I said, a great starting point to talk to your kids about things like the impact that garbage has on the environment. To most kids garbage is sort of a magical thing. You put it in a bag and it disappears. It's sort of the opposite of the magical food that appears in the kitchen. Who knows where it comes from or where it goes? Right now you can get a free download of the song on Uncle Rock's homepage for a limited time. Go check it out.

Uncle Rock is generally described as having a rockabilly vibe, but on this album musical styles abound. The album doesn't just have songs pertaining to the environment, and there is such a musical variety that everyone is bound to find a favorite. A couple of my favorites are Stop at a Mom n' Pop about supporting local businesses and The Night the Lights Went Out about, well, the lights going out in a storm. I also really enjoyed the ridiculously fun Buddy Holly's Got the Hiccups in which Uncle Rock sings about the uniqueness of Buddy Holly.

The thing that I love the most about this album is the fact that he ends it with a cover of Carol Burnett's theme song Thank You and Goodnight. The CD finishes on a high note instead of the usual "wind-down song" that is so prevalent on kids music albums. Not that lullabies are a bad thing, but thank you Uncle Rock for proving that it's okay not to have a wind-down song and that it's more fun to go out with a bang instead.

So, thoughts? Definitely worth checking out. I can see this CD getting a lot of play in our house. If you think you'd like to get your own copy, get it here.

By the way, I received this review copy from Sugar Mountain PR. My views and opinions are my own and I was not paid in any way to write this review.

Do-It-Herself - Painting at the Home Depot

2010-04-21T16:04:00.000-07:00

"I do it myself!" I've heard that from many a toddler. Well, this time it was my turn to "do it myself". A couple of weeks ago Gina from Moneywise Moms posted about a free interior painting workshop at the Home Depot. It's part of their "Do-It-Herself" line of workshops that are aimed specifically at helping women to become more DIY.

I thought, Hey, this is perfect! We are in the process of buying a new house, which we expect to be in by next month. We've already got tons of ideas for things we want to do and painting is at the top of the list. (Do the words "very big orange wall" mean anything to you?) However, I have never painted a room in my life and the last time my husband painted was when he was 12 and followed the barking commands of his dad. Needless to say, we know squat about painting. No amount of sitting in front of the tube and watching HGTV all day is going to fix that either.

Here is what transpired when I arrived to take my girly painting class:

I spent 5 minutes wandering around Home Depot looking for the class/someone to help me find the class.
I was finally directed to the class in the kitchen cabinets department.
I was the first one to arrive and spent 30 minutes reading blogs on my iPod (who knew the Home Depot had free wi-fi?) because . . .
I was the only person to arrive.

That's right, I got my own personal, one-on-one, class on how to paint by Home Depot's Paint Department star, Alex. Someone from another store in the area called to see how many pupils showed up at Alex's class. She had three, he had one, but he insisted on bringing in more chairs because he knew that 15 people had signed up. Where were the other 14 people? I have no clue. That's a very large amount of people not to show-up for something. I'm going to guess that aliens were involved. Or the government. Or aliens and the government.

Once Alex finally accepted the fact that nobody else was going to show-up, he started the workshop. He said something right away that I thought was kind of funny and weird. He said, "Since it's such a small group tonight (at which point I nearly snorted when laughing) hopefully, we'll be able to finish early and then we can all get back to what we normally do at this time." Huh. Okay. I'm not sure what I was supposed to make of that but the whole "small group" thing was hilarious. I'm no genius, but I'm pretty sure that one person does not a "group" make.

He began by telling me all about different paint brushes, different rollers, paint pans and liners, etc. I asked tons of questions, which was easy since I was the only student there. I especially wanted to know about prepping the walls for painting including what to clean the walls with and how to fix holes in the wall.

The workshop featured paint by Martha Stewart Living (which recently replaced Ralph Lauren paint at the Home Depot), so I also learned quite a bit about paint: what's in paint, how paints are different, primer, VOCs, light vs. dark paints, more than enough stuff to befuddle my silly little head. It was really pretty interesting and I learned way more than I expected to learn. I even got to use some of the Martha Stewart paint, and I'll say this about it, it dries quickly and is very low odor. Martha Stewart paint is supposed to be environmentally friendly and is a zero VOC paint. Not having anything else to compare it with, that's about all I can say. Okay, wait, I can also say that unless Martha Stewart herself shows up to repaint that orange wall, we're probably going to go with a different fix.

So, that's about it. I fully intend to sign up for more of these "Do-It-Herself" classes at the Home Depot. Not only do they seem to be pretty informative, but if I don't show up, then who will they teach?

HaHa! I Won An Award!

2010-04-21T14:20:00.000-07:00

The lovely Michelle over at SoccerMom was gracious enough to give me a blogging award today and I think that's totally awesome! Thank you so much Michelle! I'd love to give a link to her blog so that you can check it out, but it's by invitation only, and you're not on the list! Nyah nyah! (Go ahead and try it. I dare ya.)

I think Michelle should get a Loyal Follower award simply based on the fact that she's the only one who consistently reads and comments on my blog. She knows I love her though. You know how I know that she knows? Because she CONSISTENTLY READS AND COMMENTS ON MY BLOG! Anyway, thanks so much for the award Michelle, I think it's really cool that you thought of me and I love reading your blog every day. Sometimes I think, whoa, did she just say that? And yes, yes she did.

My job now is to follow these rules:

Thank the awesome person who gave you this award. ( Done, see above.)
Copy the award to your blog. (Done, see above.)
Post a link to their blog and attest to their greatness. (Hmm, well, just trust me that it's great.)
Name 7 things that people do not already know about you from reading your blog. (Huh, 7? Well, okay. Done, see below.)
Nominate other bloggers, and . . .
Place a link to their blogs, and don't forget to . . .
Leave a comment on their blog to let them know. (Done, done, and done. See below.)

So, seven things you don't know about me from reading my blog.

I recently became a die hard fan of Craig Ferguson, but I'm not his #1 fan because I don't plan on stalking him any time soon.
I love to drink Bubble Tea, especially with the giant black pearl tapioca. Yum.
My favorite singer is Björk and every time I think of her I hear Emma Thompson's line from Love Actually when she talks about Joni Mitchell, "I love her. And true love lasts a life time."
My parents were very concerned about me in high school when I went through my "dark phase" because I was very interested in serial killers. No worries, though. I made it through and I'm pretty normal now. Sort of.
Currently, my favorite shows to watch are Big Bang Theory, House, Dexter, Fringe, and Bones. And also, I hate reality shows, except . . .
I love to watch the medical mystery and freak shows on TLC on Sunday evenings. You know the ones about conjoined twins, the mermaid girl, tree man, etc.
Finally, I still have the stuffed pony that my sister gave me when I was four(?) Pony sits on my bedside table and watches over me as I sleep, but apparently doesn't do a very good job because I have the weirdest freakin' dreams . . . But, after reading through my list I suddenly begin to see why.

Now then, who should I nominate for this award? Well, even though I enjoy quite a few blogs out there, my favorite one is still The Cutting Edge of Ordinary. Lisa's blog is all about food and family and I can't even begin to describe how much fun it is to read. Honestly, it's like going to your best friend's or your older sister's house, having a cup of tea, and gabbing about your life. She has amazingly beautiful pictures of the yummy food she makes as well as incredible pictures of her garden. Reading Lisa's blog is what first inspired me to strike out and start my own blog, so I definitely think she deserves an award. Especially since I Googled the award and found out that it's for "bloggers who put their hearts on display as they write from the depths of their soul." Wow. Then I believe Lisa definitely deserves this award as does Michelle. So go check them out. Well, at least go check out Lisa's blog and then cry your eyes out cuz you're missing out on Michelle's.

How To Train Your Dragon Widget

2010-04-18T16:58:00.001-07:00

We finally took Lucas to see How to Train Your Dragon today. We loved it, of course. I thought this little widget would be really fun to share. There's lots more fun stuff to do on the website, so check it out!

Video Friday - Gotta Be Me by Secret Agent 23 Skidoo

2010-04-16T10:27:00.000-07:00

Here's the thing. I am not normally a hip-hop or rap kinda person. And the thought of hip-hop made especially for kids just sounds like a bad idea. Bad Idea. But I was listening to one of the Kidzapalooza CDs the other day and the funk sound coming outta this song really captured my attention. By the time I finished listening to it, I had to admit that this was actually something worth listening to again.

I found this video for the song on YouTube and my 6-year-old really had a lot of fun watching it and dancing along to it. His dance style right now is some what reminiscent of break dancing so it was totally up his alley. I love the little "weird" girl in the video, who just happens to be his 5-year-old daughter. You gotta love the freedom she exudes by doing what she wants and proclaiming that, "I gotta be me!" Man, if I could dress like that and go to work every day . . . how awesome would that be!? I'm pretty sure that my boss would not except the excuse of, "I gotta be me!" Enjoy it now while you can kids.

Have a cool Friday everyone! And here's hoping that you get at least one chance today to do something totally unique and let everyone know, "I Gotta Be Me!"

The song is from the debut album Easy. Get more samples of songs from the album at the Secret Agent 23 Skidoo website.

Loose Tooth

2010-04-15T17:45:00.000-07:00

My six-year-old recently lost his first tooth. It was a big deal, mainly because we've been waiting over two months for this tooth to come out. It finally got to the point where it was so crooked that a huge gap opened up right next to it. And, it was so wacky looking that my husband and I couldn't stop talking about the bit that Dane Cook does about teeth (I'm the crazy yellow tooth that looks like corn!) People kept coming up to him and exclaiming, "Ooh! Did you lose a tooth!?" to which he had no answer. He couldn't figure out why they would be asking him that when it seemed pretty obvious to him that all his teeth were present and accounted for.

Sunday night, two weeks ago, Lucas lay in bed wiggling his tooth and accidentally got it twisted to the point that it was now highly uncomfortable. He came out into the living room looking a little scared and nervous, and my husband jumped up to help him.

I have discovered something about myself through this phase of my son's development . . . I have a weird aversion to teeth. I had no idea that teeth bothered me so much. A person's teeth are always the first thing that I notice when I meet someone. I also have repeated nightmares about my own teeth falling out (a Google search proves I'm not the only crazy one out there). I guess it shouldn't have come as a surprise to me that the idea of my baby's teeth coming out would be a horribly disgusting affair for me. Seeing him sit on the couch wiggling away at that thing just made me shudder and say, "Ugh." And when it got really loose and starting making that weird sucking noise? Well, I had to leave the room. There was no mistake about which parent would be the one to pull it out because I just couldn't handle it.

I remained in the living room as my husband pulled and yanked and pinched and twisted. All the while Lucas kept making these very odd little noises. Something like a cross between a concerned moan and the weird squeak that toads make when you pick them up. No, that's not quite it. I couldn't decide whether he was in pain or scared or just jacked up on some kind of little kid high like mixing adrenaline and copious amounts of pixie sticks. Okay, so it was the sound of excited fear . . . Yay! My tooth is finally coming out vs. Oh no! My tooth is finally coming out! I eventually went into the bathroom to check on him. He seemed okay, just a little nervous and very excited, as I said, and he kept emitting those weird sounds. I got one quick glance at the tooth and had to exit the room, pronto.

What a celebration when it finally came out! My husband got it all cleaned up and we (well, they) examined it closely. Then we stuck it in the Twinkle Toof box that Lucas got last Christmas. This is a great little box for kids. It's shaped like a tooth and inside is a special compartment for the tooth and a clip to place the tooth record card that comes with it. Did I mention that it also glows in the dark? Well it does! In addition, it is Tooth Fairy approved and you can tell because it has the "authentic" Golden Tooth Fairy Seal on the back. Pretty cool, right? I know you want one. (Lucas likes to point out that the Twinkle Toof is not the same size as an actual toof, uh, I mean, tooth.)

Anyway, now that my son has lost his first tooth, he's apparently opened the flood gate for the rest of his teeth. Already the tooth next to the recently lost one is also ridiculously loose and hanging at a very precarious angle. Unfortunately, that means that sometimes when he closes his mouth, the newly loose tooth hangs out making him look suspiciously like Nanny McPhee. I think it's hilarious . . . he is not amused.

I was telling my sister the story of Lucas's first tooth coming out and naturally we discussed what kind of monetary value the Tooth Fairy places on teeth now days. I told her that Lucas received $1.00, which I believe is pretty average, though the price does seem to fluctuate from $1.00 to around $3.00. Lucas likes to tell everyone that when his daddy was little he only got a quarter for his teeth. I told my sister that I remember that for one tooth I got a bunch of loose change like Tooth Fairy had cleaned out her pocket book, and my sister said, "No, she probably cleaned out the ash tray in her car." Hmm, yeah, that seems more likely.

Of course when my husband heard the conversation between my sister and I, he had to tell me that his niece recently received $5.00 for one tooth. That seems outlandish to me. We then began joking back and forth about what said niece can expect for her next tooth. My husband talked in a girly voice reminiscent to something that would seem appropriate on The Kids in the Hall.

My husband (in his girly voice): "I got an iPod for my tooth!" then, "I got an Xbox, I got a car!"
Me: "I got a house! I got a yacht! I got my own island!"
My husband: "I was really hoping I'd get an island. Then I got an island and I was like, Whew! I'm glad I got an island!"

Okay, okay, I know. You really had to have been there and know what our personalities are like, but let's just say that we kind of think that $5.00 is on the excessive end and we know that it's not really as much as what some kids get. That's the reality. However, our kid can hold his breath until he is blue in the face, but there is no way that Tooth Fairy is forking over twenty bucks for a tooth in this house. Maybe next time he'll just get some loose change from the ashtray in Tooth Fairy's car. You know, and that's if he's lucky.

Video Friday - Shoo Fly Pie by Johnny Bregar

2010-04-09T10:28:00.000-07:00

I was reading the April edition of Seattle's Child magazine because the cover story caught my eye, "Seattle's Kindie Rock Scene: It ain't your mama's Raffi". Hmm, interesting. Actually, not much was said in this article that hasn't been said before about Seattle's kids music scene. The cover photo was of Recess Monkey's Andrew Holloway rockin' out with a bunch of kids. And, there were the obligatory pictures of Caspar Babypants and The Not-It's.

Here's a couple of highlights from the article though: Recess Monkey has collaborated with Johnny Bregar, Caspar Babypants, and the Not-It's on their new CD, The Final Funktier. You can hear some of the new songs on their website. Also, there is finally mention of a Seattle Kindie Festival! F-I-N-A-L-L-Y!!! I can't tell you how exciting this is. As the article mentions Austin has already been holding a Kindie Festival as an off-shoot of their Austin City Limits Music Festival, and Kidzapalooza is a direct result of Lollapalooza (both of which were mispelled in the article, which I thought was hilarious. It's not like you can spell-check those words.)

The main thing that I realized after reading this article is that I haven't given any mention to Johnny Bregar. That's entirely my fault. It's not like he just arrived over-night. He's been doing the kids music thing for quite a while. The problem is that I'm not as familiar with him as I am with some of the other bands. I fully plan to rectify this as soon as I find one of his shows near enough to see. For now, we can all enjoy this video by Johnny, a fun version of Shoo Fly Pie.

Happy Friday everyone, and good luck on your search to find a magical oven that can produce gourmet desserts without melting your plastic rocket ship, dinosaur, and palm tree!

"Birthdays are nature's way of telling us to eat more cake." - Unknown

2010-04-05T13:08:00.000-07:00

Weekend before last was my baby boy's second birthday. Picking a birthday cake for a two year old is pretty easy. When you're two, you don't know a lot. Somebody tells you it's your birthday and you go with it. So, I decided that we'd order a Kipper the Dog cake. My family has loved Kipper since my sister first gave us the book Kipper's Monster. I thought, what's better than a Kipper cake for your second birthday?

Lucky for us, we know a good baker, because if you Google "kipper cake", you get some pretty ugly looking cakes (and some fish recipes too). I know that the people who made them thought they were great, but I thought they were really ugly. We called the only Baker we know. First name Jade, last name Baker. Truly. She makes some really cool cakes and without a speck of fondant in sight. She's now training for other endeavors, but I'm hoping that if we treat her nice, she'll be willing to make a small cake for us now and then.

I give you . . . the Kipper Cake. Simple, adorable, and fondant-free.

Kipper and the gang

Here is a close-up of Pig, Kipper, and Tiger.

Pig, Kipper, and Tiger

As an added bonus, I'm throwing in a few pictures of a couple other cakes she made for us last year. They were Monsters vs. Aliens cakes for my son's 6th birthday. The first cake had a tragic accident, which we won't go into, but let me just say that the second cake she whipped together for us two hours before the party was pretty darn cool too.

Monsters vs. Aliens cake #1 met a tragic fate

I especially love the jelly oozy-ness of B.O.B. on the second cake. It actually looks like he's going to drip right off.

Monsters vs. Aliens cake #2 swoops in to save the day

I can't wait to see what she whips up for the next birthday!

Video Friday - People Really Like Milk by Billy Kelly

2010-04-02T09:09:00.000-07:00

Last week on Zooglobble Stefan matched up Billy Kelly's People Really Like Milk against Seattle's own The Not-It's with their new video Come Play at Our House in his yearly KidVid Tournament. The race was very close, but in the end The Not-It's narrowly beat out Billy Kelly.

Personally, I really like both videos and it was tough to choose just one, but I ended up voting for the Not-It's simply because I believe in supporting the home team when it comes to Kids Music bands. Still, I really like People Really Like Milk so I'm featuring it this week for Video Friday. I think you'll agree that this is a fun song and video, and it definitely puts a smile on your face. What a great way to start a gloomy, stormy Friday. It's already got me in a much better mood.

So, enjoy People Really Like Milk as you munch your morning cereal and have a fun and fantastic Friday!

Kids on the Loose

2010-03-27T20:09:00.000-07:00

Source

My sister wrote this story a while back about what it was like walking to and from school in Globe, Arizona when she was a little kid. I really liked it. Everything she says in this story rings true for me. Even though there are nine years between me and my sister, we both had a lot of the same experiences.

Kids on the Loose

When I was a kid growing up in Globe, we always walked to school. From kindergarten on you walked. Unless you were one of the "wealthy" kids . . . then you were driven in a car. The rest of us walked though. My friend and I always managed to be late for school because on the way there was always a myriad of distractions to keep you from your mission, which was just to get yourself to school by 9:00 a.m.

Source

When I started kindergarten at Noftsger Hill School there was a bridge on Devereaux street that went across a canyon near Nob Hill Grocery Store. The bridge is no longer there, and I'm sure it's better that it's just a regular road now. I remember my friend and me attempting to walk across the outside of that bridge just by hanging onto the railing. It was thrilling to say the least, and undoubtedly one of the stupidest things we'd probably ever do in our lives. We'd get about 10 feet out and look down into the abyss of the canyon, and then make our way back to the sidewalk thrilled at our bravery. A block away from that, near Bailey and Sutherland, was a footbridge that is still there today. A few years ago I took my son out onto it and I marveled at the fact that there was not real covering on the sides to keep you from falling to certain death. As a child my friend and I also went across this bridge, both on the part you were supposed to walk across on and, of course, along the outside . . . daring nuts that we were.

Source

The "Witch's House" on the corner of Tonto and High was another distraction. I suppose that we called it the witch's house because it was old, black and somewhat ramshackle. The woman who lived there was also old, wore black, and only spoke Spanish. Lots of kids said she was "casting spells" when she spoke to us, but in hindsight she was probably just saying, "Hello", and "How are you doing today?" There was always a ton of rocks on top of her porch roof, from the brave kids who threw them at the house. The extent of my bravery only went so far as to say, "Hello", and then to quickly run away. Her house is no longer there . . . I don't know what happened to it.

Source

Occasionally on the way home from school we'd stop to "smell the flowers" and end up swiping a few roses or anything flower-like from someone's front yard. If we did this on the way to school our teachers would be the lucky recipients of a mangled, half-dead flower. One time (well, at least only one time that I recall) we decided to do a mulberry stop on our way home. This entailed climbing up a wall that was bordered by mulberry trees along High Street and Mesquite. We tried to eat as many mulberries as we could grab without falling off the wall. When we'd had our fill, I headed home, and my grandmother went up like a rocket when she saw me. "I TOLD you to come STRAIGHT home from school!" she hollered at me. I proceeded to swear up and down, left and right that I had done just that. I had NOT stopped anywhere along the way home . . . then she whopped my bottom. I ran into the bathroom to cry and it was then that I noticed my whole face was covered in purple stains from all the mulberries I'd eaten. Grandma wasn't quite as gullible as I thought.

When I got older I switched schools and started going to East Globe. There was a stairwell that went from East Street up to Sycamore Street. This stairwell contained about a million stairs and was enough to keep you occupied for half an hour or more both on the way to school and on the way home. Sometimes my friend and I would try to run up it, but that only lasted about 20 stairs and then we'd have to sit down and take a break. While we were sitting there trying to catch our breath we would sometimes find a piece of cardboard someone had thrown there, and we could then ride that cardboard down the 20 steps we'd just run up. Unfortunately, this didn't last very long because the stairs were concrete and the cardboard would get shredded pretty quickly. Whoever hadn't been able to ride the cardboard down was mad. So then we'd spend about 5 minutes or so looking in the bushes for another piece, and when that didn't pan out we'd just sit back down again. It was at this point that one of us would realize we'd left our school books somewhere else and we'd have to go find them. By the time it was all said and done we still had about 90,000 steps to go up just to get to the next street . . . and we were now officially late for school.

Source

Globe was a great place to be a little kid when I was young. The world was undoubtedly safer and it seemed like people didn't worry about things so much . . . at least I didn't. As for my parents, and my grandmother, it was probably better that they didn't know all the stuff we did. Especially considering all the things that there were to do just walking to and from school.

*****

The only difference between my sister's experiences and mine? The mulberries were pomegranates. Otherwise, it was a lot of the same adventures. Although, I'm pretty sure she was a lot more daring than I was. I think that kids all around the world have similar experiences walking to and from school. I know that when I walk my son home from school, we always have to make stops to look at bugs or spiders. I feel sorry for those kids who always got a ride and never got to have those mini-adventures that my sister wrote about.

The pictures used in this post are by the artist Laurie Manzano. Laurie owns and runs the Blue Mule Art Gallery in Globe and is well loved by my family and many others in the Globe-Miami area. All of the pictures are used with her permission. For more information on Laurie, to view more of her pictures, or for copyright permission, visit her website. And, if you're ever in Globe, make sure to stop by The Blue Mule Art Gallery to stand in awe of Laurie and her amazing work.

Video Friday - Dinosaur in My Backyard by Hullabaloo

2010-03-26T09:20:00.000-07:00

I found this video last week and it has quickly become a favorite with my sons. The video itself is very simple, but extremely fun. There's nothing quite like a wind-up dinosaur doing silly things to make little kids laugh. The song itself is really fun too and good for a laugh; even the grown-ups will enjoy it.

Happy Friday everyone! Have a dino-rific day!

Video Friday - The Teens by Recess Monkey

2010-03-19T08:17:00.000-07:00

My family has really been into Recess Monkey lately. In particular, their new album Field Trip. By far I think this is our most favorite album of theirs. I liked this song immediately because it reminds me of when my son was first learning to count. Something about the teens is always difficult for kids. One number in there always gets missed. I think it was 16 for him. Anyway, I think even though this video is very simple and only includes one of the monkeys, it's still really fun. I especially like that they included the number 12. I wish I new why they did that. Twelve-teen? I don't know, maybe just because it's silly.

Enjoy and have a great Friday everyone!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2010-03-17T08:17:00.000-07:00

So I was poking around the other day and saw that The Speks are totally awesome and are offering a free download of their song Saint Patrick's Day to anyone and everyone. How could I not share this? Next step is for them to make a video for it I think. It's a fun little ditty. Visit The Speks website for a short description of the song and also the complete lyrics so that you can sing along AS LOUD AS POSSIBLE!

<a href="http://thespeks.bandcamp.com/track/saint-patricks-day">Saint Patrick's Day by The Speks</a>

I know that this next bit sounds more Scottish, than Irish, but since there is no designated Scottish holiday in America, I decided to include it. Besides, they're under the header of "Celtic Music", so it all fits. Anyway, this is the Wicked Tinkers doing Wallop the Cat. If you've never been to a Wicked Tinkers show, this is another song meant to be AS LOUD AS POSSIBLE! And you can all sing along because you only need to know the words, "Wallop the Cat!" The video is a little fuzzy, but still fun. By the way, if you've never been to a Wicked Tinkers show, wot's yer problem?

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone! Erin go bragh!

Video Friday - The Kid with the Replaceable Head by Richard Hell and the Voidoids

2010-03-12T07:50:00.000-08:00

This is a fairly recent video from Pancake Mountain that has become my six-year-old's new favorite video. I like it a lot too. The video is new, but the song is an old one by Richard Hell and the Voidoids. It's got a really fun punk sound and it also has a 70's cartoon vibe to it. My favorite part is when the little boy dances, it's just such a little boy kind of dance. It's also got kind of a monster type feel to it, which is what seems to appeal to my son. I love that old punk songs like this are being reformatted into videos for kids. My son proclaims this one "Awesome!" every time he sees it.

Have a kick-@$$ Friday everyone!!!

The Harmonica Pocket - Live at the Library!

2010-03-11T09:26:00.000-08:00

I was checking out The Harmonica Pocket's website recently and saw that they would be coming to our local library with their new show Get Loose With Seuss. Timberland Regional library is using this new show to kick-off their annual reading program and to celebrate Dr. Seuss's birthday.

I've heard of The Harmonica Pocket before, but I didn't have any experience with their music, and I really had no idea what to expect. The group is fronted by Keeth Monta Apgar who plays "acoustic wah wah guitar" and is joined by a rotating selection of other musicians. Nala Walla joined him this time; she provides vocal harmony and her famous hula hoop.

The group is described as "indie-pop" and "jazz-pop", but not "corn-pop", at least not yet. Honestly these labels don't really mean anything to me. I dislike putting labels on music because I think that most people don't tend to think in terms of labels when they think about the kind of music that they like. "Kids Music" is enough of a label for me because kids music can be just about anything.

The two marched out stomping and playing their hinkle-horns (that would be a kazoo attached to two tubes leading to a couple of brightly colored horns) and greeted the crowd enthusiastically. However, there was no sound! Wow, let me tell you that totally threw all the kids off! They were so intrigued, baffled, confused . . . what in the world was up with these people!? It was soon determined that it was necessary for the kids to turn on their ears before the show could start and after a quick lesson on how to turn on your ears, everything continued at a much louder pace.

They began by singing a birthday song to Dr. Suess and other songs were created using parts of Dr. Seuss stories. The kids were really excited about it because all of them were familiar with Dr. Seuss books and their subsequent songs like One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. There was also a great little sketch about how Dr. Seuss came up with his ideas, including the idea for Horton Hatches an Egg. The kids expressed shear delight when Nala broke out her hula hoop and she received quite a bit of applause for all her tricks. Nala also danced with a pair of large orange and red scarves that was really beautiful and fun to watch. At one point she pulled one of the scarves over several kids in the audience until she reached the end of the semi-circle of kids. She then draped the scarf over herself and three very lucky little kids and they sat for a moment in their own private tent. It was so child-like and carefree.

They closed the show with a song about Horton Hears a Who and a large balloon was bounced around the audience as we all pretended that it contained a tiny world of Whos. Nala ended up catching the balloon and letting all the air out in Keeth's face, to which Keeth replied, "That balloon has bad breath!" The audience all had a laugh and gave a large round of applause.

We bought The Harmonica Pocket's new album, Lady Bug One, to get a sense of what some of their other music is like. I for one enjoyed the show so much that I'd really love to see some of their other shows. I've listened to the CD several times now and I can tell you that it is like nothing else that you will hear in the kids music world. Visit their website where you can download mp3s of some of their songs for free (or leave a contribution in the tip jar). Also check out what they say about the Free Music Project. It's a delightful breath of fresh air in the music industry. I love the fact that some people in the kids music industry are embracing this idea.

The Harmonica Pocket has more shows coming up so be sure to go check them out! They'll even be doing a taped radio show on Evergreen's radio station KAOS, Sunday, March 14, 3-5 pm PST. So even if you can't get to one of their shows, you can still listen to them.

Caspar Babypants - Live at the Capitol!

2010-03-07T10:41:00.000-08:00

I figured that since I actually saw Caspar Babypants live with my kids, he deserved a little more space to talk about. Also, since my husband is a fan of The Presidents of the United States of America and has been playing songs by them for our son since he was a wee one, a more in depth post was needed.

So what does the Presidents of the United States of America and Caspar Babypants have in common? Well, as all the numerous articles and interviews like to point out, Chris Ballew is Caspar Babypants. Yeah, really, that's exactly how he is introduced every single time. Chris Ballew, lead singer of the Presidents of the United States (the group behind Lump) is in fact, Caspar Babypants. Kind of weird isn't it? Even the title of his website says, caspar babypants is chris ballew. Like he's trying to say, "No, really, it is me!" Okay, we get it. That's quite an alter ego if you ask me and there's no way he's going to keep this a secret anymore. And what's with all the references to Lump? Was that the only song that they sang? What about Peaches? Okay, yes I did see Peaches mentioned too.

But, I digress. We're here to talk about Caspar Babypants and the show his band put on in the rotunda at the Capitol sponsored by Mom's Rising. I get a weekly email update from Seattle magazine Parent Map, that lets me know all the happenings going on in Seattle and the South Sound region. So, lo and behold one day I read that Caspar Babypants will be putting on a free show at the Capitol Rotunda, and I say, "I am so there". I tell me husband about it and he feels that it's necessary to take the afternoon off too.

I was curious just how they were going to set up a band to play in the rotunda since the area directly under the dome is four sets of stairs leading up to, and down to, a square which contains the roped off seal of Washington state. I imagined a series of toddlers tumbling head-over-heals down the marble stairs chased by frantic mommies. Instead the band was set-up in a hallway off-center from the dome and nobody tumbled. However, the venue was still odd since the group sat directly in front of a rather gigantic, shiny-nosed bust of George Washington (I believe his nose has been rubbed more than once for luck). The hallway was large, but was packed with kids, parents, and various legislators who stopped by to see what all the fuss was about. Needless to say it was a hot and smelly affair, but nobody seemed to mind.

I read about Caspar Babypants when he debuted his album Here I Am. My family was immediately intrigued knowing what Chris Ballew's background was. (Did you know that caspar babypants is chris ballew!?) Anyway, we immediately went online and tried to find some of the songs to listen to. However, because we had preconceived notions of what his music for PUSA sounded like, we were caught off guard, and ultimately, disappointed. I think what we all hoped to hear was something like dune buggy.

Still, when I saw that he would be in town I knew it was a good musical opportunity for my family (I don't deny that I was also happy that the show was free). I don't claim to have enjoyed the cramped, hot, sweaty, stinky, smelly quarters, but, the MUSIC, the music was FUN! Honestly, I was surprised how much I actually enjoyed myself. And though neither of my children is a card carrying member of the "Fisher-Price, My First Mosh-Pit" group (I stole that from Captain Bogg), they also had fun!

I know everyone knows this, but seeing someone perform music in person is such a distinctly different experience than listening to music on a CD, or even watching a video on YouTube. Especially in such an intimate setting (it doesn't get more intimate than singing and sweating in a hallway with a ton of little people and the smell of a very ripe diaper). The group started out with the song Baby Bear and I was instantly hooked. Even my very squirmy baby boy took a moment to listen intently. I apologize that I don't remember the whole play list. While I tried to remain focused on the music, I still had to watch a 6-year-old and previously mentioned squirmy, wormy almost-two-year-old. So, here's what else my husband and I also seem to remember hearing: Little Broken Truck (a real crowd pleaser), Mary Had a Little Lamb, I'm a Nut (also enjoyed by the crowd), Run Baby Run (lots of out-of-control toddlers), and Under a Rock. Sorry it's such a sketchy list. Songs were included from his new album More Please!

At one point I had to skip out to the car, just before the concert was almost over, so I missed the song in which Caspar (who is Chris Ballew) paraded through the crowd playing a melodica. My husband took pictures though and when I saw them, I asked him, "was that a real musical instrument?" Yes, yes it is. In fact there are numerous pictures of him on the internet playing this thing that looks more like a Fisher-Price toy from the 70's than a real musical instrument. You see why you have to really go see someone play live in order to get the full experience? Okay, I'll stop harping on that now.

So, to sum up, my family has a new appreciation for Caspar Babypants. I'm happy to say that the numerous videos on the internet meant that we could see and hear the music from a new perspective too. Included here are some of our favorites. Also, if you want to hear more music, visit the Caspar Babypants website, which has a player at the bottom of the page so that you can listen to songs in full.

First up is itsy bitsy spider. Everyone likes this video because the added lyrics bring a whole new level to the song. But, more importantly is just how awesome the video is in all it's simplicity. Everyone knows the hand-movements associated with this simple song, but to make your hands look like real characters is just so cool. I can't do the video justice with my words, you just have to watch it.

Next up is poor dust bunnies, a fan video that really compliments the music. You know you're cool when talented people want to make videos of your songs.

Finally, is Mama's favorite. I tend to be a very sensitive person who will cry even at commercials so this video hits me right where it counts. I'm always a blubbering mess after watching this one.

For more really cool Caspar Babypants videos visit the caspar babypants tv YouTube channel. Or, visit my new Mrs. Mama's Monsters YouTube channel for Caspar Babypants and other fun kids music videos.

Video Friday - We're Going to Be Friends by The White Stripes

2010-03-05T10:48:00.000-08:00

I've been playing this White Stripes song for my kids for a long time. It's so simple and sweet that it naturally lends itself to being a kids song. This is a fan video that my son really likes because it's got a robot in it. You know little boys and robots.

Here are the White Stripes with We're Going to Be Friends. Have a really great Friday everyone!

Rodrigo y Gabriela

2010-03-04T10:34:00.000-08:00

When I was a little kid I spent a lot of time at my grandparents house. I distinctly remember that when grandpa was home, he was usually down in the basement drinking beer and listening to the radio. I don't know what station it was, but it was pretty much all Mariachi, all the time. I can remember the sound of the guitars, the violins, the trumpets, and an occasional accordion (which for some reason always seemed oddly out of place to me). Grandpa loved this music, but it never really appealed to me. I wonder what Grandpa would have thought of this. There is no comparison between Rodrigo y Gabriela and Mariachi except that they both come from Mexico.

I was watching the Today Show last Friday morning (actually it was on in the background as I was working on the computer). I heard the sound of music, and it caught my attention. Within seconds I had turned to the t.v. and was looking for the remote to crank up the sound, because this is what I heard.

Okay, okay, forget about how totally idiotic Hoda and KLG are. Focus people! Also, you can quit with the wise cracks about me watching their show. The point is that they are fantastic, no? If you are not totally blown away by this, well then . . . I don't know what to say because I immediately became enthralled with Rodrigo y Gabriela (from here forth to be known as RyG, but I refuse to call them RodGab like their web address. They're not Bennifer after all.) My family can attest to this because I talked to, and emailed, all of them about RyG that very day.

I then spent a large portion of the day reading articles, listening to interviews, searching websites, and watching many videos about and by RyG. I suppose some might consider the day wasted, but I felt that it was a thrill to discover them. Here is another video of them that I really like.

As soon as my six-year-old came home from Kindergarten I showed him the video and he proclaimed them, "Pretty Good", which in six-year-old parlance means that they were pretty near to "Awesome". In fact, I'd say "Pretty Good" is one step down from "Awesome". If there had been some cartoon characters, or explosions, or monsters of any kind in the video (KLG doesn't count) I'm sure it would have garnered an "Awesome". I'm excited to have some new music to listen to in the car.

Check out the website for Rodrigo y Gabriela. There's lots of really cool videos on there and also lots on YouTube. They've even posted videos on how to play the guitar! (I'm pretty sure you at least need to know how to hold the thing before you can play like them.) So, go check them out and I dare you not to be totally impressed by the pair.

I leave you with a final video, which when you watch it seems a bit bizarre, but if you try not to be too concerned for the guitars you might find yourself liking it. I'm sure that there's a hidden message here, but that kind of stuff goes way over my head. I'll stick to just appreciating the musicians.

Risotto. Yes, You Can Make It!

2010-02-27T13:30:00.000-08:00

Now, before you start thinking that risotto is just too time consuming and difficult to make, lemme stop you right there. You're just being silly. In my house, risotto is just cheesy rice and if it sounds less daunting to call it that, then by all means, do it.

If you've got picky eaters in your house like I do, and their diet consists mostly of spaghetti and macaroni & cheese, give risotto a shot. The great thing about risotto is that you can throw just about anything into it and it will taste really good. Even leftovers. Start with the basic recipe to test the waters and then move on from there.

The other thing I love about risotto is that you can sneak stuff into it that your child might not otherwise eat. My son likes to say that he will eat mushrooms, but only if they are in cheesy rice. Why the distinction? I don't know. Maybe he just doesn't notice the mushrooms as well when they are in the rice. The reason for that? Well, because I take my cue from the movie Big Night and chop everything teeny, tiny, making it nearly impossible for little fingers to pick out things that they don't like. "I just don't see anything that looks like a shrimp or a scallop . . ." EXACTLY! (Pst! Don't watch this with your little one, unless you think it's cute for a toddler to use the F-word.) I love the crazy Americans in this clip who think that you should get a side of spaghetti and meatballs with your rice.

As per my usual, I based my recipe on a Food Network star's, in this case, Giada De Laurentiis, and my technique on Alton Brown. I don't follow either to the letter, because well, that's just the way I am. Risotto makes it easy to do your own thing.

Mama's Basic Risotto

4 cups chicken stock

4 tablespoons butter, divided in half (you can also use part olive oil too)

1/2 medium onion (or 1 shallot) diced very small

1 cup Arborio rice

1/2 cup wine (Use whatever you think tastes good, but usually a dry white wine is best. If you don't want to use wine, substitute with extra stock or even water. It won't taste the same though.)

1/4 heaping, to 1/2 cup, freshly grated Parmesan (don't even think of using the canned stuff!)

Salt, and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Start by warming the chicken stock in a small pan to almost boiling. Keep over low heat. If you've got an electric kettle, Alton says to use that. I just stick mine in a 4-cup measuring cup, warm it in the microwave, then keep it on the "warm hold" setting.

In a large, heavy pan or big pot, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft, but not brown. Add the rice and stir to coat in the butter. Continue to stir until the rice has absorbed some of the butter and is translucent. Add the wine and simmer until it has been almost completely absorbed. Meanwhile, take a big whiff and think about how yummy your dinner is going to be.

Add about a 1/2 cup of the stock and stir the rice. Contrary to what you've heard, you do not have to stir non-stop until the stock is absorbed. Give the rice a few good stirs now and then. Just don't walk away and leave it to take care of itself. You'll notice when the stock is starting to be mostly absorbed and then you'll want to stir it some more. Keep adding stock in this manner. I use Alton's method to check when more liquid is needed. When you can pull the rice back and see the bottom of the pan without the rice sliding back in, add more liquid.

Usually, when I've got about a cup of stock left I'll taste-test the rice to see if it's cooked, or needs more stock. Four cups usually works out perfect for me. By the fourth cup your rice should be really creamy and yummy looking. Remove from the heat when the final cup has been completely absorbed, add in the rest of your butter, then stir until melted. Add the cheese and stir until incorporated. Add some pepper (not too much!), then taste-test. If needed, add some salt to taste. You may find that the butter and cheese add enough saltiness, so be careful not to over salt.

Serve immediately when it's at its warm and creamiest.

Once you've got the basic recipe down try adding in vegetables or meat. Alton suggests not more than two ingredients at a time and always make sure they're fully cooked before adding to the rice. Add the extra ingredients after the last bit of liquid has been absorbed. My favorite is just plain and simple mushroom risotto. Try adding some left-over chicken and some roasted vegetables. Mmm, yum! That would be fantastic! Hmm . . . I may have to make that one soon!

Video Friday - Yea Yeah by Matt and Kim

2010-02-26T08:00:00.000-08:00

This video was not made especially to target kids. Nor are Matt and Kim kid music makers. But, I dare you to share this video with your kids and have them not enjoy it. Yea Yeah is all about making a mess and what kid doesn't like that? I love that my kids can enjoy the mess making and I don't have to clean it up in the end. If I could have a rewind button . . . how fantastic would that be!? Here is Matt and Kim with Yea Yeah. Happy Friday!

The World of Kids Music Part 3

2010-02-25T14:31:00.000-08:00

So, the Seattle kids music scene. I said I'd talk about it, so here goes.

Oh yeah. Remember I said back in part 1 that I am not a hip and cool mom, so what I know about the Seattle kids music scene is not a lot. But, I still want to talk about it, because, well, I think it's really cool that there is a Seattle kids music scene. How many cities can say that? Okay, okay so it's getting to be more common place. Still, if you're going to start a kids music scene in a city, Seattle is definitely the place to start, right? You can't deny that some pretty great music has come out of Seattle, no matter what your taste happens to be. What is also really cool is how much Seattle has embraced this much needed change in music.

As I said in part 1 I am also not the kind of Mom to just pack-up the car and drive two hours north just to attend a one hour preschool concert. So, forgive me that I haven't actually done that. However, I have listened to all of the groups I'm going to talk about and I have read several magazine articles and blog posts about said groups. Stick with me here.

Just so you know, I get most of my insider information from Stefan at Zooglobble (I want to call him "Steve", but he's Stefan). I've looked at a lot of blogs that involve kids music, but his is the best in my opinion. A bonus is that he posts just about daily so you know that your kids music news is as fresh as fresh can be. If you're truly interested in finding out more about kids music or want to learn more about the bands I will mention in a moment, go check out his site. You'll be so overwhelmed, but then you'll just keep coming back for more and more. Trust me.

So, kids music. In Seattle. Well, what I can tell you is that everyone around here in the general kids scene is talking about four main groups right now. They are (in no particular order) Recess Monkey, The Not-It's!, The Board of Education, and of course, Caspar Babypants. An interesting ensemble of names at the very least. I have listened to CDs, watched video upon video, and read several online articles (all saying pretty much the same thing) about all four of these groups. But, I've only seen one of them live. I know, sad. Most of these groups only have shows in the Seattle area, and while I would love to go see them, I just can't fathom driving for two hours for a kiddie concert. Wait, I said that already. Moving on. I have seen Caspar Babypants live and I can tell you that it was a fun little show. That said, I plan to talk more about Caspar Babypants in an upcoming post.

I think it's best that I not tell you how I feel about these bands and instead let you make your own opinion of them. With all that the internet has to offer these days, it's pretty easy to find really cool, fun videos to share with your kids. I'll share a few of those videos here with you and you can make the call.

Recess Monkey

This group of three teachers has been together since 2004 and has five albums. What strikes me immediately about these guys is just how goofy looking they are. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one to say that too. Here's a video by Recess Monkey that my kids and I had fun with. It's called Marshmallow Farm. If you've ever told your kids that those big bales of wrapped hay are giant marshmallows, you'll probably find this video pretty funny.

The Not-It's!

Five parents who are all currently in, or have at one time been in, an adult band (that sounds really strange and dirty for some reason). All the articles I've read mention lead singer Sarah Shannon as having been a former member of the band Velocity Girl. However, if you read the bios on their website, you'll see everyone's been in a band, so why the distinction? I don't know and it probably doesn't matter. The Not-It's big thing seems to be the giant pink tutus that they wear at all their concerts. Fans of the group can pay $27 on their website to get their own (kids sizes only, bummer). I'd love to see these guys live. They currently only have videos of their live performances, but I thought that this one was pretty good. Here's the Not-It's live at Bumbershoot singing When I'm Five.
(The Not-It's! now have an official video on YouTube, see it here. I still like When I'm Five though.)

Central Services presents the Board of Education

From what I've read about these guys they are aimed more at the tween set. However, that doesn't mean that you and your preschooler won't like them. I can't really explain them since I haven't had much opportunity to listen to a lot of their songs, but what I can tell you is that they seem to be a mutant hybrid of School House Rock! and all the educational They Might Be Giants albums. That's the best I can come up with. If you want to know more in depth, Steve will tell you. What I can tell you is that this video is pretty darn funny, despite the prolific dictionary definitions. My son's favorite part is when the bitter blueberries (yuck, bitter blueberries) say to the tomato, "Oh come on! We're high in anti-oxidants too! We're not like, 'ooh look at me, I'm so healthy!'" You've got to love anthropomorphic fruits and vegetables. Here is The Lonely Tomato by Central Services presents the Board of Education.

Thus ends part 3 of The World of Kids Music. Music doesn't end here though. My plan is to show a music video each Friday that my kids and I have enjoyed. Yeah! Now, you have something to look forward to each Friday! Oh, you already look forward to Fridays? Well, now it's going to get even better!

P.S. - Don't forget too that I'll be talking about Caspar Babypants and the little show that we saw him at recently. It involves a giant head, a strange instrument/toy, and great acoustics. It'll be fun!

The World of Kids Music Part 2

2010-02-18T14:54:00.000-08:00

After finding Captain Bogg & Salty, I went back to the internet and the library to see what other kinds of treasures I could find. I was pretty disappointed for a while. I checked out Justin Roberts because my son and I had enjoyed his videos for Willy was a Whale and Airplane of Food. But, we both quickly tired of him. Of course there was the ever present Dan Zanes, Laurie Berkner, and Ralph's World, but they just weren't our type of music. We liked loud and rockin' music. Preferably with funny lyrics.

Enter Greasy Kid Stuff. These CDs are compilations of listeners favorites from the popular radio show. Unfortunately, we couldn't listen to the show, but we could get the CDs. They had stuff we were already familiar with like Hockey Monkey (another fun video) and Yo La Tengo's My Little Corner of the World (because I'm a Gilmore Girls fan). Captain Bogg & Salty also shows up on the third album with their version of Part of Your World. Truly classic, you have to listen to it. And we discovered a favorite band, The Mr. T Experience who always seems to provide a song for these compilations. They sing our favorite version of Unpack Your Adjectives and they also rock Up and Down and Spiderman. My biggest wish is that some day they will put out an entire album of just kids music.

Next we found the series For the Kids, which here and there had some really fun gems especially Cake's version of Mahna Mahna and Barenaked Ladies' version of La La La La Lemon. It's very apparent that once you start looking there are all kinds of albums out there with music aimed specifically at kids and their parents.

We checked out all the They Might Be Giants kiddie albums (our favorite so far is still No!) and Barenaked Ladies' Snacktime. Suddenly, it was easy to see that kids music was just about everywhere. I couldn't keep up. I still can't keep up. I devote a little time here and there to kids music sites in a lame attempt to find out what's new. But, what's new today is totally old news tomorrow. So, instead I just try to focus on finding fun, new favorites now and then, and appreciating what are now old, family favorites as well.

One of the best ways to see what's new in the world of kids music (besides the internet of course) is to watch kids TV shows. It seems that the world of kids music has done a number on the types of shows aimed specifically at preschoolers in the last 10 years. Think Sesame Street with all it's guest stars taken to the next level. It seems that everyone wants to get in on the act now. Maybe it's just that bands now days realize that if you get them hooked early, they'll stay with you a life time (like making Joe Camel ads to get kids hooked on cigarettes).

When I was first searching for kids music I used to read about a lot of parents who liked to watch Jack's Big Music Show on Noggin with their preschoolers. Well, for a while we didn't have Noggin (recently changed to Nick Jr.), but now that we do, I can see where they're coming from. It's fun to watch shows with your kids that contain artists that you've always loved to listen to. Pancake Mountain takes this one step further by focusing more about the music and less of what I consider "filler". And, thanks to the internet, we can actually watch Pancake Mountain and Jack's Big Music Show without bowing down to The Evil Cable Company.

Slowly proving their worth to my family is Yo Gabba Gabba on Nickelodeon. I have mixed feelings about this show, cuz it's just so darn weird sometimes and my 6-year-old has a hard time getting the connection between singing about the food in his stomach having a party in one breath, and then switching to watching Tony Hawk do skateboarding tricks in the next. Still, after reading about the line-up for the new season of Yo Gabba Gabba, I find myself oddly intrigued. I will be watching to see Weezer dance around in bug costumes and Anthony Bourdain play the good "doctor". I expect my 6-year-old to be unimpressed though. This kind of stuff is really more for the parents benefit.

So, I think that's where I'll end this post. I'll follow-up with Part 3 in which I talk about the Seattle kids music scene as I promised in Part 1. For now, let me leave you with one of my favorite videos to watch with or without my kids. This is from Robbert Bobbert and the Bubble Machine. I can't say that I am all that impressed with other songs on the album, but We R Super Heroes is really fun and catchy. I think my son likes it mostly for the giant, pink monster that is the main character as well as all the other weird monsters/super heroes. Whatever, it's fun. Enjoy!

Watch more AOL Music videos on AOL Video

The World of Kids Music Part 1

2010-02-06T19:10:00.000-08:00

I am not a cool person. Let's be very clear about that up front. I am not part of the generation of "hip" parents who take their kids to weekly jam sessions and toddler concerts. That's just not me. I have never been the kind of person who is able to keep up with what's new and cool in the world of music. By the time I discover a singer or a group that I like they've already put out three or four albums and have fallen of everyone elses radar. I then spend a month listening to the same songs over and over again until I just stop listening all together and go into a music coma. Music just doesn't seem to have the influence on my life that it does on every other person on the planet.

Then I had kids and I suddenly realized that music is and should be a very large part of a kids life. So many good things come out of sharing music with your kids. Back when my first son was pretty young I got interested in seeing just what was out there in terms of music for kids.

The very first CD I got for my son was John Lithgow's Singin' in the Bathtub. I checked it out from the library and played it in the car. I fell in love with John Lithgow! Not only were they fun, catchy songs that we could all sing along with, they weren't simpering, moral teaching tirades like what I was used to hearing on kids TV shows. I began to think, hey, maybe there really was something to this whole kids music scene that I would be happy to be a part of.

I went online to see what kinds of music other people were sharing with their kids. I large group of people simply play whatever they normally listen to. When you think about it, there are a great many songs out there that adults like that are kid friendly too. My husband has had great success sharing music he loves with our son, who also enjoys it. In fact one our favorite CDs to listen to as a family is Saturday Morning Cartoon's Greatest Hits. This is a CD that believe it or not my husband bought when he was in college. Okay, I guess that's not really so hard to believe because it has bands like The Violent Femmes doing covers of cartoon theme songs. My favorite is Sublime's version of Hong Kong Phooey. I'm not normally a fan of Sublime, but their version is awesome. I would never think to play the Butthole Surfers for my son, but that's who covers his favorite version of Underdog. I have to admit that I really love it too.

Still, there is music out there specifically made just for kids. I'm not talking The Wiggles here and I'm not talking about Kids Bop either. Both of which I'm sure are fine for some people, but honestly I wouldn't want to hang out with those people or their kids. This is what I'm talking about.

Awesome, right? I'm telling you, what little kid or adult wouldn't love to hang out with these guys? Well, count us in because every summer when Captain Bogg & Salty takes their yearly trip to tour Seattle, we are there! We've taken our kids every single summer come rain our shine and it's always a good time. Always. Last year there was a down pour right before the concert started, but the clouds cleared up, the sun came out and tons of families showed up despite the fact that we had to sit on the muddy ground. We didn't care. It was totally worth it just to spend an hour rockin' out with these guys.

Once we saw Captain Bogg & Salty, a whole new world of music opened up for my family.

Coming up next - We explore Greasy Kids Stuff, Noggin, and Casper Babypants and the Seattle kids music scene.

Volunteering

2010-02-04T19:14:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday my husband and I drove an hour north to take our son to volunteer. This was the first time he'd ever "volunteered" for anything. Did he have fun? Yes, some. Does he want to do it again? No, he was very decisive about that. Do I think it was good for him? Well, I hope so. I think maybe in the long run it will be. And not just because we get to go to Disneyland now.

So, how did this all come about you ask? Lately, I've been donating money here and there. I haven't really picked any one charity, it's just that if something pops up on my radar that I feel passionate about, then I give a little. And really, I mean a little because we don't make a lot of money. However, we do make money, we do have jobs, so a little is what I give.

Once in a while I give a buck or two to someone who is pan handling. It's not often because honestly I don't really carry cash around with me anymore. Everyone takes debit now. (BTW, I saw on the news over Christmas that the Salvation Army was outfitting some of their kettles with credit card readers.) I give my share at work (often I give more than my share because I feel bad that some people don't give at all). Still, this doesn't seem like much to me. It's enough for some people, but not me. More importantly, it's not something that my kids ever notice.

The thing is that my parents have always been very generous people. I've heard it said that, "those who have the least to give, give the most." I think about that phrase a lot because while I understand what it means, it doesn't say the right thing to me. I'd prefer to think that, "those who have the most, give the most." My parents have a lot of heart. They haven't ever had a lot of money to give, but they've always had time and talent and devotion. So, that's what they give. They give money too, but I think a lot of time it's more about what you do than what you give.

This has made an impression on me. It's not a life lesson that my parents ever tried to teach me except maybe by example. It's one that I definitely feel that my children need to learn, especially since it seems like a lot of parents skip this lesson. I'm trying to start that lesson with my sons. I may not get as far with it as my parents did, but then again, maybe I'll get farther.

Back to Disneyland. Disney is having a promotion right now called, Give a Day. Get a Disney Day. (I am in no way promoting Disney here! Just so you know. Personally, I feel that the Disney corporation is slightly evil, but my son doesn't and that's okay with me.) The gist is that you volunteer for one day and you earn a one-day pass to either Disneyland or Disney World. So, I signed up figuring this is as good a place to start as any. At the very least, we'll get free Disneyland passes.

So, Saturday morning we drove an hour north. My husband and I complained more about the long drive than my son did (BTW, our six-year-old was the only one who went with us because you have to be at least six to volunteer.) We arrived at 10:00 on the dot (my husband was very smug about this because I was freaking out the entire time that we'd be late). We trooped to the basement of a church and took a seat at a long table with another family.

This volunteer event was put on by Habitat for Humanity and no, we weren't there to build houses (at least not real houses). Because of the Disney promotion Habitat had been challenged to come up with a way for small children and their families to become involved with volunteering. Normally, you have to be 16 to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity because they do build houses and there are insurance issues. Here is the description for the event that we signed up for:

"Children age 6 to 96 are invited to join us Saturdays from 10:00 AM to noon to create personalized thank you cards for Habitat for Humanity's donors and volunteers. All supplies are ready and waiting; we look forward to sharing this Habitat opportunity with you!"

I thought this was perfect! My kid likes to draw (although it's usually things with many legs and eyeballs), and it's a perfect amount of time. Just long enough to get something done, but not so long that he starts complaining that he's bored. I was right. It worked out really well and I think it was mainly because of the planning that Habitat put into it. The whole event was run by one Habitat worker named Rob. He checked everyone in, told us what needed to be done, and then let us do it.

We actually had the choice of four different activities to choose from. Of course we could make cards, but they also asked each family to make a tile. Each family got one ceramic tile to decorate as they wished (preferably mentioning "families helping families" in some way). Currently, they are planning to build six houses in a small neighborhood. When the houses are done they are going to make a wall with all the tiles to commemorate the event. Sounded pretty neat to me. The other option was to build a house out of Popsicle sticks. At an upcoming fundraiser the houses will be used in groups of three or four as centerpieces on the tables to make a small "neighborhood". Cute idea I thought! The last option, truly boring for me, but something that needed to be done, was stuffing envelopes. Hey, when you've got a non-profit organization you probably have way more paper work than you do volunteers so I say get the help when you can.

We didn't do the envelope stuffing part. I think a lot of the adults felt that they weren't that artistic or crafty so they'd just stuff envelopes. Several people grabbed the envelopes before we even got to the table. My husband decided to build a Popsicle house with the help of our son. Meanwhile, I started on the cards. Occasionally I'd toss a card at my son if he wasn't helping Dad at the moment. He had a short melt-down about half way through and we had a little talk, but he moved on and by the end he personally carried the tile up to Rob because he was so proud of it. Part way through Rob started asking trivia questions to quiz the kids on facts that he had stated earlier about Habitat for Humanity. He gave the kids a "100 grand" candy bar for each right answer. His little joke since his job involves acquiring money for Habitat for Humanity.

The time went by really fast and before I was ready to be done, everyone was filing out of the basement. I think that if there were more volunteer opportunities like this one closer to home, we'd probably do it more often. I hope that one day I'll be able to find a cause for our family that is the perfect fit. I'm glad that Disney decided to do the promotion, although I worry that it sends the wrong idea. Volunteering isn't supposed to be about getting a big prize at the end. Still, I hope that we as a family will be able to look back on that one event in a church basement and say that it all started there.

Things I Never Knew I'd do as a Parent #1

2010-01-27T16:42:00.000-08:00

My six-year-old got out of bed one night and came out to complain that his snake had a hole in it. He was referring to a stuffed snake that Grandpa had bought for him at a sand castle and chainsaw carving festival not too long ago. (I know, you're thinking, "chainsaw carving and sandcastles!?" Believe me, you don't want to know.) Anyhoo, this seemed to bother him for whatever reason and I assumed he was just trying to avoid going to sleep. I sent him back to bed with a promise to fix the snake tomorrow.

The next day I remembered the incident and went looking for the snake in his bed. I was not prepared for what I saw. The entire bed was covered . . . in bird seed! If there was ever a WTF!? moment, this was it. Apparently, cheap carnival snakes are stuffed with bird seed. Who knew? I certainly never bothered to think about it. Then, of course, I felt totally awful because I realized that I had made my son sleep an entire night rolling around in bird seed! Granted, that's no reason to call CPS, but I still felt really awful.

So, out comes the vacuum cleaner and after a few swipes it becomes painfully obvious that 1: I am really short and 2: the vacuum cleaner hose was designed by someone who never envisioned it being used to clean bird seed out of a loft bed. Next time I will pay the extra money to get a vacuum with a really long hose attachment.

It took me nearly an hour to totally clean up the mess. I had to vacuum the sheet, then remove it in order to vacuum the mattress. Once that was done I had to remove the mattress and clean in-between all the slats of the bed. When I finally got that done I had to move all the toys under the bed and clean up all the birdseed there. This was not what I had planned for the afternoon.

When the time comes for us to finally move I imagine that we will find little reminders of this incident every where. I also know that it will be highly unlikely that my husband will have a clue as to why there would be bird seed in our son's room.

Last weekend I finally got around to fixing said snake with a hole in his side. As I sat there very patiently stitching up the snake (i.e. not very patiently at all since birdseed flowed continuously from the snake onto the floor) two thoughts came to mind. One: exactly how many little Tweety birds would a real snake have to eat in order to be stuffed to such an extreme with bird seed, and two: why in the world am I actually doing this? Because you know that if this snake actually ends up back in my son's bed it won't take very long for the whole incident to repeat itself. So, I consoled myself with this thought. If the incident repeats itself I will at least have a topic for another blog post, and this title came to mind, Stupid Things I've Done More than Once. Or how about, How Stupid am I? Lessons I didn't Learn the First Time. Yup, I bet there are TONS of things I could write on that subject.

Mama's Meatball Soup

2010-01-21T13:57:00.000-08:00

I'd love to tell you that this is my Mom's recipe or even my Grandma's recipe, but the truth is that when I was growing up, my mom hated to cook. I remember on more than one occasion hearing her mumble, groan, and lament about making dinner. It's not that my mom is a bad cook, in fact, quite the opposite, she just didn't enjoy doing it night after night. She had so many other things that she wanted to do, or needed to do for that matter.

Dad on the other hand has always loved to cook and loves to make soups in particular. I'm pretty sure that Dad does all the cooking now days. He can, and very often does, take an entire day to cook one meal. It's not just because he does things so slowly (which he does), but I think a lot of it is just the fact that he is having so much fun while doing it and therefore doesn't really worry about all the other things that he could be doing instead. So, why isn't this called, "Dad's Meatball Soup"? Well, because even though Dad makes a rockin' Albondigas, this is not his recipe.

This is my recipe, hence "Mama's" in the title. I won't lie to you. Originally, I did get this recipe from Rachael Ray during one of my Food Network obsessive periods. (Just for clarification, I am not a big Rachael Ray fan, so you call all just take one step back. I am an Alton Brown fan, but Alton is often a lot more technical than I need on a school night.) I've changed the Rachel Ray recipe just slightly (it's definitely NOT a 30-minute meal). However, if it peeves you enough that I "stole" this recipe, then by all means get the original recipe here.

Mama's Meatball Soup

Olive oil (use what tastes good to you, just enough to cook the veg in)

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

1-14.5 ounce can petite diced tomatoes, with liquid

2 bay leaves

Salt and pepper

1 pound ground beef

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

4 cups chicken stock + 2 cups water (The original recipe calls for 6 cups chicken stock, but I find that with the added tomatoes, that much liquid is unnecessary. Use it if you need it though.

2 cups small dried pasta shapes (I like pipette)

Handful of fresh cilantro or flat leaf parsley (optional)

For the meatballs: Combine the meat, egg, garlic powder, cheese, bread crumbs, and nutmeg. Add salt and pepper to your taste. Mix thoroughly with your hands making sure to get everything well incorporated without over-mixing it (I believe Alton once said that over-mixing leads to tough meatballs, but I could just be making that up.) Roll meatballs into bite size pieces. (I'm not very precise about this, I just eyeball it, but I usually end up with about 35 meatballs.) Refrigerate until needed.

For the soup: Heat the olive oil in a big pot over medium heat. Add the carrot, onion, and bay leaves. Salt and pepper to your taste. Stir to coat the vegetables in oil then cover and leave them to cook for 5 minutes.

Next, add the stock, water, and tomatoes (including the liquid) to the vegetables. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Once the soup boils, slowly and very carefully, add the meatballs (don't dump them in all at once unless you want scalding hot soup everywhere). Once all the meatballs are in the bath, add your pasta and give it a good, gentle stir. Adjust your temperature to a gentle boil and simmer soup for about 10 minutes. Check that the pasta is done then serve with a little fresh cilantro or parsley in each bowl.

I'll leave you with these last thoughts on why I like this soup so much. Well, first for the most obvious reason, this is great comfort food and is especially good on chilly, wet, winter days. Even the kids enjoy it. More importantly, to me anyway, it's got meatballs in it! I don't know what it is about meatballs, but I L-O-V-E them. I want a t-shirt that says I ♥ meatballs. If you take some meat, roll it up in a ball and give it to me, I will gladly eat it regardless of how you cooked it or what you serve it with. As Alton has said, meatballs are good eats.

Finally, I think I like this soup so much because when I make it I feel that I'm channeling just a little bit of both my mom and dad. Many times I just don't feel like making dinner yet again for my family. I'm tired and uninspired and just a little bit whiny (for the record, my mom would never whine). When I'm feeling that way I start to make this soup and suddenly I feel a little like my dad too. I find myself enjoying making the meal and sometimes I get inspired to tweak the recipe just a bit. I've made this soup with turkey and chicken instead of beef. I've made it with different vegetables and different pasta (sometimes egg noodles). I've made a small batch for just two people, and really big batches for a big family gathering. And if I feel like I'm really tired of cooking, well I can just about make this soup in my sleep, which is how I imagine that Mom always felt when making Dad's favorite fried chicken.

So, get to it! Make it, eat it, and enjoy it!

(P.S. the above picture is for a version that I made with chicken, celery, rotini, and no tomatoes)

I Can Make That! #1

2010-01-19T14:15:00.000-08:00

Do you ever see something in the store and you think, "Wow, that's really cool, but there's no way I'm paying that much for it!" I know I do all the time. A lot of times I think, "I'll bet I could make that." I know my limits of course and some of you are probably way more talented than I am. For those of you who feel that you don't have much creative talent, this is the post for you. It's my intention to show you that given the right idea and some simple instructions you can make all kinds of stuff on the cheap. Or, maybe it's not that you lack creative talent, but that you just don't have the time to figure out how to make something. That's where I aim to help too. I've already taken the time to think this stuff through, research it, and experiment with it. All you have to do is follow my direction.

I begin "I Can Make That! #1" with the simplest of simple things. Soap. I know you're thinking, "Huh, soap. Yeah, I've got other places to be." But, let me explain. How many of you have kids who love foaming hand soap? And how much do you hate paying what they want for soap of all things? Did you ever stop to think about what foaming hand soap really is? Well, I'll tell you. It's watered down liquid hand soap. Yup, that's all it is. You pay more for the added color and scent, but you get much, much less. How dumb is that!? Really dumb. So instead of buying more of this overpriced soap or the ridiculous refills, just make your own. Here's the recipe.

To make 8 ounces of foaming hand soap you need:

2 oz. liquid hand soap (clear, lotion, antibacterial, whatever you have on hand)

6 oz. water

liquid food color

Mix the liquid soap and water together in a water tight container. I generally just shake it to mix it. Add enough liquid food color to make the desired color, (what a plus! you actually get the color you like instead of always just green!) usually about eight drops. Add more if you'd like a darker color, but be careful that you don't add so much that you over-dilute your soap. Pour your soap into the dispenser, making sure to leave some air space so the pump will work. You will still need the special pump that is used for foaming hand soaps, so you'll need to buy the regular stuff at least once, but from then on the sky is the limit!

Creature Creators

2010-01-18T19:17:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you, but my 6-year-old son loves creatures! He can spend hours drawing, shaping, and creating creatures of every imaginable size, shape, and color. I am amazed (and yes, sometimes startled) by the stuff that comes out of his head, but honestly it is so fantastic to see a little kid's imagination in full-blown create mode. So here is a list of some websites, products, and games that allow the inner creature creator in anyone to shine.

Spore by Electronic Arts - I begin here, because this is really where we as a family began creature creating. At the time we knew that our son loved monsters and weird animals of all kinds, but we had no idea of what exactly he was seeing in his head when he thought "creature".

In the Creature Creator portion of Spore you can choose a body type then add body parts as you'd like. Once you have your creature just the way you like him, you can paint him and then "Test Drive" him. This means you get to use several different animations including dancing and inflicting emotions. You can give your creature up to three babies, take pictures of them, change backgrounds . . . in short you could waste a whole Sunday afternoon with this program.

The great thing about this game is that you can download a free trial version of just the create mode so that you can see what the program is like and whether or not it's worth it to your family to buy the full version. It is as much fun to the adults as it is to the kids, but my son could quite literally spend the entire day making creature after creature after creature. Fear not though, these image files take up very little space on your computer hard drive.

Now, just to be clear, I am talking primarily about the computer game. The game also exists in several console versions including Nintendo DS and Wii. The computer version allows for much greater manipulation of the creature and all aspects of creating the creature are easier to control. If your child enjoys the Creature Creator portion of Spore a lot, consider also buying the "Creepy & Cute" parts pack. This expansion pack provides more parts for your creature that will make him either creepier looking or so cute you'll wish you could keep it for a pet. It also provides additional paint options and extra animations.

BuiLD YouR WiLD SeLF - This is part of the New York Zoos and Aquarium website. The neat thing about this site is that it allows your child to make an illustrated version of themselves and then add different creature parts to that drawing. Each part is from a real animal and is labeled with the animal name. You can also choose a background for your wild self. When you're done it gives you a wild name and tells you all about the animals that make up your creature. You can create over and over again and you can also email your picture to friends, use your picture for a desktop picture, and print out your picture to keep. The site is very kid friendly and even kids who don't know how to read can figure out how to use the site after a few clicks.

Alien: Assembly Required - This is part of the PBS Kids website for the Arthur show. Arthur's friend Buster imagines that his smoke alarm is an alien spaceship and challenges you to decide what aliens will be on the ship. The sound affects can be scary for some kids, so you might want to play with them the first time through. The site is pretty user friendly for little kids and requires minimal reading ability. Most kids will figure it out without any help. When you're through you can print a copy to keep.

Handy Manny's Toy Factory - This is part of the Playhouse Disney website and is not specifically a creature creator, but it's amazing how many weird things my son has created with this game. You choose what kind of toy body to use and then add as many bits and pieces as you'd like. There are tons of things to choose from and it will take your child a long time before they get board with this one. The best part is that when you are done you can click on the "animate" button and your toy comes to life with sound effects and movement! You can also print out a copy of your toy to keep. The site is designed with preschoolers in mind so there is no need to be able to read. Everything is explained the first time through by Handy Manny himself.

Mii Channel - If you've got a Wii you know all about Miis. Believe it or not this is one of my son's favorite ways to create creatures. And unlike trying to play an actual video game, it's something that is very easy and fun for him to do. He can of course create as many "creatures" as he'd like on his own, but for more fun try visiting the website MiiCharacters.com. This website gives detailed instructions on "How to Make Famous Miis for Your Wii". My husband likes the Star Wars Miis while my son and I prefer the "Toons" section.

Monsters Magnetic Action Figures by mudpuppy - For creature creating on the go this magnetic set is lots of fun. It comes in a metal box that includes 40 different body part magnets and 4 background scenes. The monsters are reminiscent of old horror movie monsters and some are pretty freaky looking. However, if your kid leans toward the bizarre this set will be a sure hit. A quick check of the mudpuppy website shows lots of other monster-related fun like stickers, a sticker set play scene, and puzzles. There's also a very similar robot version if your kids like robots better than monsters. Or, get them both for some really crazy creations!

Check out some of these really fun creature creators and let your creative side loose. If you know of some other sites or products that are fun for creature creating, let me know in the comments!

Update - Nickelodeon's page for The Troop has a new Monster Creator section that is pretty fun. It was designed as part of a contest to create new monsters for the show. The contest is now closed, but the monster creating continues. There are lots of different body types, limbs, features, and colors to choose from. Once you complete it you can enter all the stats on your monster, then you can print it or email it to your friends. Go check it out, it's like the poor man's version of Spore. Although, since you can download a free version of Spore, it's more like the lazy man's version.

5 Favorite Baby Products

2010-01-17T15:16:00.000-08:00

I know that there are many articles and blog posts out there, even Amazon lists, which detail the most important or best baby products to buy. However, this is my list and what's different about it is that it contains items which, believe it or not, many parents either are unaware of or don't bother to use. My question is, "why?" because these products have made my life so much easier. So, in no particular order, here are five of my favorite baby items:

1. Carter's Dribble Happy Bib (AKA Teether Bibs) - What makes this bib different than the regular cotton bibs you'll get a ton of at your baby shower is the fact that it has a polyester waterproof lining. Other companies make a similar product such as Gerber. These bibs are awesome when you've got a baby who drools constantly. You'll still need to change the bib several times a day because it's not water-absorbent, but the great part is that you won't need to change your baby's clothes several times a day. They also make great feeding bibs because you can simply toss them in the laundry once they're done eating. One draw-back, like all bibs now-days, it has a Velcro closure that doesn't always work that great. These bibs are also generally more expensive than the plain cotton bibs, but they're well worth it and have the added bonus of being reversible!
(Update: Carter's now makes a snap-closure version called a "Keep Me-Clean" bib.) Carter's Keep Me-Clean Bibs

2. Bumkins Super Bib - Speaking of bibs, I'm also a big fan of this bib. This is primarily a feeding bib and not really appropriate for all day use, but what a feeding bib it is! This is the only feeding bib I will use and I can't tell you how ecstatic I was when I finally found this bib. I was so frustrated with the usual cheap feeding bibs that were "hand-wash only". Ugh, that's the last thing I want to do when I'm done feeding a very messy baby. These bibs can be washed in the washing machine along with the regular laundry. They last a long time through regular washing and I've collected so many by now that I can give my son a freshly washed bib at each meal. They come in two sizes and some really fun patterns. Again, these bibs are more expensive than regular feeding bibs, but they last a long time (I've had some for about 5 years now and they still look great) and they are well worth the extra money.
Bumkins Waterproof Superbib

3. The Snack Trap - This is something that has made car rides and walks so much easier (especially when paired with the No Throw, see below). It's basically a two-handled cup with a flexible plastic lid that allows the child to reach in and grab a snack, but can't be dumped out when turned upside-down. I've used these cups through two kids now and they still work great. An added bonus is that they help kids learn fine motor control since it does take some dexterity to get the snack out of the cup. 3 Pack Snack Trap

4. No Throw bottle and sippy cup strap - I have mixed feelings about this product. On the one hand it is an absolutely super idea. On the other hand, it wasn't executed as well as I would have liked. Still, if you tried to take this product away from me, I'd put up a fight! I have seen similar products out there like No Throw (see BooginHead, below), but this is the only one I could find here in town. Here's the best thing about it, no more sippy cups on the floor! For this alone it is well worth investing in. It is machine washable and easy to use and I love that I can string a Snack Trap on the strap along with the sippy cup. There are several things that I don't like about it though. For one, the Velcro strap isn't quite long enough to accommodate all sippy cups. Also, it tends to slip off of odd shaped, tapered cups. I'm not real impressed with the patterns that the straps come in although, a quick look at the No Throw website shows that they come in a large variety of patterns so there is bound to be one that you'll like. The last thing is the overall look of the product. It looks like it was cheaply make, although I've had mine for about a year now and both are still in good condition. They've been used extensively and washed several times without falling apart so that's a bonus. They're also good for keeping teethers and toys off the ground.

5. BooginHead PaciGrip Pacifier Holder - This is one of the best binky clips I've seen, and let me tell you I've seen lots of binky clips. I've even made my own binky clips. Both of my kids are binky addicts, which means that the binky needs to be accessible 24-7. Binky clips are an essential whether your kid is an addict or just an occasional user. I can't tell you how many times I've seen kids drop binkies on the floor. I've seen the lone binky lying in peculiar places around town and I've seen the parent who picks the binky off the ground, pops it in their mouth to "clean" it and then pops it back in the kid's mouth. Both are sad and horribly disgusting. Both make me want to scream, "Where is your binky clip!?" Here's what I love about this particular model. For one, there is no plastic. Sure plastic is easy to clean, but after repeated uses, it breaks. Especially when it's been through the dishwasher several times. The BooginHead has a metal clip that is easy for Mom and Dad to remove, but more difficult for baby. Secondly, there is no Velcro! Sometimes Velcro is the bane of baby products. Sure it's baby safe, but once a baby learns how Velcro works, chaos ensues. This clip makes it as difficult as possible to lose a binky and that's the absolutely best thing about it. BooginHead also makes a sippy cup strap which has a no-slip grip on it. I'm thinking it might be worth looking into and might solve my issues with weird shaped sippy cups. BooginHead PaciGrip Pacifier Holder and SippiGrip Toddler Cup/Bottle/Toy Straps

So that's my first list of five. There are of course many, many more products out there which I love and intend to write about in future posts. That's the great thing about baby and kid products. There is no end to the frustrating things that parents experience when it comes to taking care of their kids and there is always a new product out there that claims to make life easier.