Justin Roberts Woke Me Up at 5:30AM

The clock says 5:30AM. Arghhhh! I roll over and sit up. What’s that noise? I hear a drumbeat. I hear vocals. I think I hear an electric guitar. Then THUMP. THUMP. THUMP.

I stumble out of bed, down the hall. More THUMP. THUMP. THUMP. You’ve got to be kidding me: Are those … giggles?

I push open the door to the kids’ bedroom. Before my red-rimmed eyes are two fully awake (inexplicably dressed for the day) five year olds. Did I mention it was 5:30AM?

The new Justin Roberts CD Pop Fly was blaring. Said children were jumping up and down with such zeal that the floor boards were shaking. I half-expected to see one crash through the hardwood, arms and head sticking out of the top of the hole, legs flailing beneath and visible only from the family room sofa.

Instead, they just looked at me. “We’re listening to the new Justhin Rahbarts!” Did I mention it was 5:30AM?

I can almost understand. Almost. The CD’s good. Catchy. Fun. Witty. It’s got a great beat and you can dance to it. Plus, just the day before we caught Sir Roberts and his band the Not Ready for Naptime Players at a concert in Washington, DC. Look, even if you haven’t been to a concert since, like, that 1993 UB40 one, I’m sure you remember what it’s like to get juiced up by a good live performance. You wanted to go home and listen to the cassette tape over and over, right?

If you aren’t yet enlightened, here’s the scoop: Justin is one of the darlings of the kiddie indie rock world. Except his melodies aren’t really just for the wee ones. In the same vein as They Might be Giants, Barenaked Ladies and Lisa Loeb, he successfully blurs (and in some cases practically erases) the lines between adult and kid music. 

In other words, Justin *rocks* for them AND — hallelujah! — for us.

It’s easy to get caught up in the alt-folksy-funk he and his band spin. On the surface Pop Fly tracks may sound like songs for the minis, but listen closely and you’ll notice there’s something for everyone. Take “Stay-At-Home Dad” for example. If you are ancient enough, you may remember an old 70s perfume ad that Justin’s lyrics mimic:

“Now he can bring home the bacon.
He fries it up in a pan.
At dinnertime when my mom gets home,
She’s like his biggest fan.”

The commercial before your time? Trust me, you gotta see it:

[Note: I know you're groaning. Of course you are! But everyone -- and I mean EVERYONE -- knew how completely tacky it was even back then. So laugh away, but with us... not at us.]

The Backyardigans Bug Me

You’ve probably watched the Backyardigans a time or two. You’ve probably even walked around absent-mindedly humming one of their chorus-y tunes. If you haven’t yet experienced these, um, “pleasures,” once your babe gets old enough, you will.

Anyway, in each episode Pablo, Tyrone, Tasha, Austin and Uniqua (yes, I said “Uniqua”) go into the backyards of their tract houses to play together. They use their imaginations to come up with wild adventures, such as being knights who have to guard a special egg that turns into a dragon. Or something like that.

I’m not really sure what the cast members are supposed to be: I think one of them is a penguin and another a moose. One looks like a polka-dotted hippo, but I could be wrong. Whatever, it doesn’t really matter.

What does matter is why the show bugs me. What’s wrong with a bunch of penguins/moose/whatever using their imaginations to play in their backyards? On the surface, nothing. It’s great that the show is encouraging kids to use their minds instead of watching TV (…except, wait, they ARE watching TV!).

Aside from this little bit of irony, the main problem as I see it is this: *ALL* they ever do is use their imaginations! They never have real experiences! They are stuck in their suburban homes — day in and day out — having nothing much else to do except congregate in their own backyards to make up bizarre stories.

Wouldn’t it be better if they occasionally left their backyards and saw, like, elements of the actual world?

Laurie Rocks Lincoln

I know you know who Laurie Berkner is. If not, ask any member of the Noggin crowd. They’ll tell you that she’s one cool cat. Dig it?

We dug it. And at $35 a ticket, we dug deep. Laurie and her band played at Lincoln Center in NYC over the weekend. Yes, the ex-preschool music teacher played a sold out show…at LINCOLN freakin’ CENTER! 

Since our kids are a bit older at age five, they did pretty well: They sang along and clapped when cued, generally understood how to behave in such a setting, and aside from periodic howls of “get off of my seat!” “shut up, I can’t hear!” or the random stealth pinch when they thought the other wasn’t looking, they enjoyed it. Really.

But still, 35 bucks a pop? We’re crazy… and clearly not the only ones. Though maybe a little less crazy than the poor parents who paid that much for their two year olds. You know, those, um, two year olds with, er, a two year old’s attention span.

Avoiding the School Lunch Crunch

We’re firmly into the school swing of things, and making those lunches everyday somehow isn’t getting any easier. Back in the day, a parent would slap some bologna between two pieces of white bread. Add a slice of American cheese. Slip in a Twinkie (or two).  Lunch done.  Today, many parents really do try to pack healthier options.  This requires a bit of creativity at times. And speaking from experience, it’s not a good idea to try to tap into your creativity at 6:30AM before you’ve had your first full cup of coffee.  

How to avoid the lunch crunch? Our guest poster Jill Cornfield, NYC mom, gives us her “battle plan”. And tying into our allergy thread, Jill provides some recipes to squash the hunger of kids allergic to various foodstuffs. 

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I guess it was inevitable that I’d get a little weary of turning out school lunches every day. When my younger son started kindergarten I was full of grand plans. I bought a cute tool that cut a sandwich in half on the diagonal with a fancy wavy line. I made things that looked like other things, like pinwheel wraps, or had cute names, like ants on a tree.

But now he’s in 3rd grade, and instead of tips and ideas for adorable, fun, irresistible lunches, here’s my battle plan for down-and-dirty, get-it-done, if-you-don’t-like-it-you-can-make-it-yourself lunches.

Sneeze-Free Buys

Today’s guest post is from B. Casey, a Chicago parent who knows the ins and outs of life with a sneezy, itchy kid (i.e., he has allergies). Here she shares some of her “sneeze-free” clothing finds. No allergy issues? No problem.  Flaking skin isn’t a requirement. Her organic cotton picks are perfectly cozy for every baby and kid in your life.  

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I‘ve traipsed the streets of my own and other cities and roamed the Information Highway in an attempt to find clothes that would make life a little less sneezy and itchy for my son, Jake. Organic cotton clothing is a good choice because it doesn’t have icky toxic residues and stuff that conventional cotton often does (plus, it’s softer!).  

Julia's kids do organic clothes.

One of my favorites spots to browse and buy is Fig Kids. Their website is one of the coolest out there. It’s almost like playing a video game.

And guess who reportedly buys their clothes? The Pretty Woman herself, Julia Roberts. If they are good enough for her, they are good enough for me.

 

 

Also look to Speesees. The name itself is fun, so you can imagine the clothes. If I had a girl, I’d want her to wear this pony dress. Maybe I should have another baby. I hope my husband is reading this.

 

Big Kid VrrrrrRoom!

You’ve checked out ParentZing!’s nursery and toddler room ideas. Now see what we’ve got on tap for bigger kids’ rooms. Once your growing creations see our options, they’ll be begging to clean up their place to make space. Maddox knows: Cool rooms rule.

 

 

 

 

If you have kids sharing space (which isn’t unlikely if you do live in the city, unless you’re Brad & Ang… who, by the way, just donated $2 million for an Ethiopian clinic) look to bunk beds as a solution. Today’s bunk beds are a far cry from the fugly ones of years past.  Great modern options are out there. Pricey, but this is one item you don’t want to skimp on. Whether you like it (or not), this’ll be the focal point of the room.  So make it a pleasing one, like this’un from Argington.

 

Take a poke at popular culture as well offering a space-saving place for your artiste to center his or her attention. Look at the cute Chalkals wall chalkboard decals for options. When your precious babe isn’t looking, you’ll be doodling episodes of the original 90210. Fer sure.

 

Toddler VrrrrrRoom!

Violet Affleck, practicing her chase scenes.

Maybe you didn’t stop to read our Nursery VrrrrrRoom entry because you’re past the coochie-coochie-coo phase and into the chase scenes. Well, we wouldn’t leave you in a lurch.  We’ve also got some finds that will help give your active toddler’s room some vrrrrrroom! 

First, make catching your creature easier by getting some of that energy out. The slick Svan Scooter will do the trick.  With its swishes and curves, it nearly doubles as an architectural sculpture. 

 

 

 

 

Encourage tidiness with zero effort by using the P’kolino clothes tree. Kids will hang their sweaters, hats and whatever else they can get their hands on — all without being asked.  

And talk about double-duty! Imagine the fun the kids will have playing “camping” by hanging flashlights on the branches. 

 

 

Team it up with a cool foldable teepee like this one and you’ve got a winning combination…both fun-wise and style-wise. 

 

 

 

Nursery VrrrrrRoom!

Gwen & Gavin have cool digs for their kids; you can, too.

Why should your baby or kid have a boring ol’ room when he or she can have a “vrrrrroom“? 

Come on, there are no longer *any* valid excuses for having a tired or tacky nursery or kid’s bedroom. And ok, let’s be honest: Haven’t we worked hard and shopped long to get the rest of our home just the way we want it? Really, you don’t have to sacrifice your style … your little creature’s habitat can have both function AND form.

Thankfully, these days the merchandising powers-that-be understand that many of us think Pooh is cute as long as he stays within the pages of a book.  That means modern, well-designed furniture and accessories are out there for the masses. Yes, you could spend a bundle on your bundle… but you don’t HAVE to.

In this series of posts — starting with today’s nursery finds — we provide some affordable options to check out as well as some splurges.  Mix and match inexpensive with expensive, old with new, pre-fab with handmade. 

Now, all you swanky gentleman & ladies: Start your engines… and get ready to vrrrrroom!

 

Celery’s line of baby furniture is at once utilitarian and stylish.  Part Zen/part mod, this rockin’ cradle would fit into any nursery from now until we party like it’s 2999.  We say that date because this piece IS expensive… but it appears well-made and is intended to last for generations. (And it’s eco-friendly, so your great, great, great, great, great, great, great grandchildren won’t hate you for contributing to whatever mess Earth is in at that point).

 

I Heart New York

We hope our loving, hip, giving readers will share with us why they heart raising their families in City “X” [fill in the blank].  First up is NYC. Our guest writer Jill Cornfield tells us the top 10 reasons she loves livin’ in the Big Apple with kids. Surburbs? Please. Read on and see why Jill and her family think the Apple is
soooo sweet…

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1. Museums. In the Metropolitan Museum of art alone, there’s Egyptian, Greek and Roman art, modern art, European masterpieces, arms and armor, enough weapons to outfit several regiments from most of the last millennium, cafes and gift shops galore.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg: There are many more museums to check out. The toy soldier museum. The transit museum. The Jewish museum. The Museum of the American Indian. The dinosaur museum (aka the Museum of Natural History). The Tenement Museum. The Skyscraper Museum. The Museum of Chinese in the Americas. The NY Food Museum has no home, but it does have an annual pickle festival. And guess what?! It’s *next* weekend! 
 

Prepping for Your Canadian Move

Some of our readers will entertain a move to Canada come November, depending on the outcome of the election.  Well, we’re here to help. Y’know, Canada has fabulous cities in which to raise your kids! 

You may first want to bone up on process. And fancy this: All the work has been done for you with the book How to Move to Canada: A Primer for Americans.  

 

It’s also never too early to start preparing the rest of your family for the possible move. Begin with a firm knowledge of hockey trivia.

 

Me like cute bears! Me wanna go to Canada, Mama...NOW!!!

 

 

For the teeniest of tiniest expats-to-be, make the ABC of Canada required bedtime reading.