Product Review - MicroDry Memory Foam Area Rug

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

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

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!

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!

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

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!

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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:

1. Drew dressed as a giant paper bag parading around the Mall in D.C. and posing for pictures with tourists.
2. The chorus, sack lu-unch! sack lu-unch! sack lu-unch! sack la la la la la la la lunch!!!
   
3. The line, I'm kinda squished, is somebody leaking in here?
   
4. 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.
   
5. 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

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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.