I love The Backyardigans. There must be something kind of 'off' in my little brain that this show makes me really happy. I can watch the same episodes repeatedly and not mind and last night I actually searched the internet for lyrics to our favorite episode. Favorite episode is the Polka Palace Party, by the way, and the song in question is Feeding Time.
I discovered, thanks to google, that Dave and I are merely two of thousands who love these little characters. For those of you who don’t know, they are 5 friends (a moose, a ladybug, a kangaroo-type, a penguin and an I-have-no-idea-what) who play in their backyard and have these great adventures in their imaginations. I found a blog post about how the songs get stuck in the blogger’s head and it had almost 300 comments. So, see? We aren’t the only ones.
Okay, okay, you’re probably on the edge of your seat wondering what the polka episode is about. Tyrone the moose and his pal, Sherman (the worm) have to get to the Polka Palace in Cheyenne by sundown so that Sherman can get to the surprise birthday party for his brother, Herman. Tyrone plays the tuba and loves polka music. He and Sherman set out and along the way meet and pick up the other friends who all play different music and what do you know they all love polka music. Their adventure heading out west leads to the heartbreaking development of their raft going over a waterfall with all their instruments (no worries – the buddies jumped to shore a second before the sad development). But also no worries – magically their instruments were waiting for them at the Polka Palace when they got there.
And you’re also no doubt wondering what the song is about. Pablo, the penguin, happens upon the other characters when he’s chasing a trio of runaway horses. They help him wrangle them (thanks to a toot from Tyrone’s tuba) so he can feed them, hence the song. I’ve turned it into quite a production for Kyle and Grant during mealtimes. I’m trying not to be bothered by the looks they give me as I’m yeehawing and clapping like I’m at a hoedown.
Who knew I could write four paragraphs about these little buddies? It’s going to be a sad day when the boys tire of The Backyardigans; Dave and I will then have to sneak the episodes after they go to bed. We are a wild and crazy couple if ever there was one.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Monday, August 27, 2007
No blinding sunshine here - 8/27/07
I don't have anything terribly amusing to write about so I haven't written anything in days, but I didn't start blogging so that I can be a laugh riot all the time.
It’s been four months since I left my career to stay home with the boys. Initially it was a hard transition and I was depressed, but around week 7 or 8 I started liking it. Then I had knee surgery which set me back considerably. I’ve been nicely mobile for a couple of weeks and yet find myself feeling very down, wondering if I’m cut out to be a stay-at-home mom.
I was talking about being discouraged to a friend the other day and she said, “I wouldn’t wish the age of your guys on anyone.” The boys are 24 months and 15 months, by the way. This gave me a lot of comfort because I realize that not only are these tough ages, but they are exponentially more difficult because they are 10 months apart. They are at ages where I’d like to be able to engage one of them at a time in something. Coloring, playing with a train, whatever. Everything turns into a competition for a) whatever the object or activity is; and b) my attention.
It would be great if I could engage both of them in the same thing, but given their different developmental points, this is a challenge for the same reasons I mentioned above. I do believe that this will get better, but right now it’s frustrating.
Grant is a very cute little walker. He still prefers to hold a hand, but he’ll venture off on his own sometimes. He kind of looks like a wobbly mummy – very cute! He can now show us where his ears, eyes, nose, tongue and mouth are, whereas a week ago he pointed to his ears no matter what.
Kyle gets called clown and monkey all day long depending on what kinds of silliness he’s up to. Jumping, flopping on the floor, flopping on mommy and daddy, climbing on everything, laughing, shouting and just making us laugh.
Okay, so after my first several paragraphs, those last two helped put things in perspective and improved my mood a bit. I’m still not the ray of blinding sunshine that I always am (try to stop laughing), but it’s an improvement.
It’s been four months since I left my career to stay home with the boys. Initially it was a hard transition and I was depressed, but around week 7 or 8 I started liking it. Then I had knee surgery which set me back considerably. I’ve been nicely mobile for a couple of weeks and yet find myself feeling very down, wondering if I’m cut out to be a stay-at-home mom.
I was talking about being discouraged to a friend the other day and she said, “I wouldn’t wish the age of your guys on anyone.” The boys are 24 months and 15 months, by the way. This gave me a lot of comfort because I realize that not only are these tough ages, but they are exponentially more difficult because they are 10 months apart. They are at ages where I’d like to be able to engage one of them at a time in something. Coloring, playing with a train, whatever. Everything turns into a competition for a) whatever the object or activity is; and b) my attention.
It would be great if I could engage both of them in the same thing, but given their different developmental points, this is a challenge for the same reasons I mentioned above. I do believe that this will get better, but right now it’s frustrating.
Grant is a very cute little walker. He still prefers to hold a hand, but he’ll venture off on his own sometimes. He kind of looks like a wobbly mummy – very cute! He can now show us where his ears, eyes, nose, tongue and mouth are, whereas a week ago he pointed to his ears no matter what.
Kyle gets called clown and monkey all day long depending on what kinds of silliness he’s up to. Jumping, flopping on the floor, flopping on mommy and daddy, climbing on everything, laughing, shouting and just making us laugh.
Okay, so after my first several paragraphs, those last two helped put things in perspective and improved my mood a bit. I’m still not the ray of blinding sunshine that I always am (try to stop laughing), but it’s an improvement.
Friday, August 24, 2007
What a failure - 8/24/07
I think I need to cancel my subscription to a parenting magazine I get. There are some good tips in it, but plenty of things I have found silly (and of course I didn't make notes or rip out pages so I can't enumerate them here). And if I took it all seriously I could convince myself I'm a parental failure.
Am I the only mom who doesn't care if stains set in on bibs? The article started with, "You need to presoak major stains on bibs..." Huh? I do? And all this time I had no idea that I need to do that. What kind of mom am I that I am satisfied with the bib being clean but don't care that the set in stains make it look like a multi-colored map of the world? Disgraceful.
And did you know that our kids need to see a dentist by the time they are one-year-old?!?!? That's the first time I'd ever heard that and it sounds quite ridiculous to me. How 'bout let's wait until the kids have a few more teeth, huh? Kyle had quite a grill on him by his first birthday, but there is no way I would have taken him to the dentist on his first birthday. I obviously don't care that my boys will undoubtedly end up little snaggle-tooth rejects because I waited until they were over two to visit a dentist. What a dreadful parent.
Not to mention how the magazine treats adoption topics, but that's another story.
I'm off to rouse the short people. Our friend Matthew is coming over this morning to play in the backyard. Well, I guess I'd better go get the backyard ready before the kids get up.
Enjoy your day,
Mary Jo
Am I the only mom who doesn't care if stains set in on bibs? The article started with, "You need to presoak major stains on bibs..." Huh? I do? And all this time I had no idea that I need to do that. What kind of mom am I that I am satisfied with the bib being clean but don't care that the set in stains make it look like a multi-colored map of the world? Disgraceful.
And did you know that our kids need to see a dentist by the time they are one-year-old?!?!? That's the first time I'd ever heard that and it sounds quite ridiculous to me. How 'bout let's wait until the kids have a few more teeth, huh? Kyle had quite a grill on him by his first birthday, but there is no way I would have taken him to the dentist on his first birthday. I obviously don't care that my boys will undoubtedly end up little snaggle-tooth rejects because I waited until they were over two to visit a dentist. What a dreadful parent.
Not to mention how the magazine treats adoption topics, but that's another story.
I'm off to rouse the short people. Our friend Matthew is coming over this morning to play in the backyard. Well, I guess I'd better go get the backyard ready before the kids get up.
Enjoy your day,
Mary Jo
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Fashion tips - 8/22/07
The boys and I just got back from a mall we hadn't walked around before and they loved it - very colorful and bright with a lot going on. It didn't hurt that they got to eat Rold Gold pretzel sticks as we strolled.
We stopped outside the Rainforest Cafe where there is a little pond with steam and a mechanical crocodile that periodically moves, opens his mouth and growls. We sat there for a good five minutes, the boys enthralled, until Kyle actually noticed the big mouth opening and the giant teeth on the crocodile. And that was the end of that - we hightailed it out of there before a full terror meltdown could happen.
I feel old and irritated when I go by clothing stores these days. How did t-shirts that say things like this become popular?
"I'm not shy, I just don't like you"
"I'm popular, you're not"
"I am so out of your league"
Here are some of my ideas to replace them:
"I'm a jerk and wouldn't blame you if you didn't like me"
"I'm popular but that probably won't matter in the real world"
"My self-esteem is actually low - I just fake it"
I'd also like to propose a few fashion suggestions for the kids as they head back to school.
1) If I can read the size on the label of your bra, your t-shirt is too tight.
2) If I can see the hairline of your nether regions, your pants are too low AND you need some underwear.
3) If I can see your butt crack or the tattoo you have that points the way, your pants are too low.
4) The world does not need to see your stomach.
5) Don't wear jerky t-shirts.
6) Fellas, pull up your pants.
Happy back-to-school shopping!
We stopped outside the Rainforest Cafe where there is a little pond with steam and a mechanical crocodile that periodically moves, opens his mouth and growls. We sat there for a good five minutes, the boys enthralled, until Kyle actually noticed the big mouth opening and the giant teeth on the crocodile. And that was the end of that - we hightailed it out of there before a full terror meltdown could happen.
I feel old and irritated when I go by clothing stores these days. How did t-shirts that say things like this become popular?
"I'm not shy, I just don't like you"
"I'm popular, you're not"
"I am so out of your league"
Here are some of my ideas to replace them:
"I'm a jerk and wouldn't blame you if you didn't like me"
"I'm popular but that probably won't matter in the real world"
"My self-esteem is actually low - I just fake it"
I'd also like to propose a few fashion suggestions for the kids as they head back to school.
1) If I can read the size on the label of your bra, your t-shirt is too tight.
2) If I can see the hairline of your nether regions, your pants are too low AND you need some underwear.
3) If I can see your butt crack or the tattoo you have that points the way, your pants are too low.
4) The world does not need to see your stomach.
5) Don't wear jerky t-shirts.
6) Fellas, pull up your pants.
Happy back-to-school shopping!
Monday, August 20, 2007
Letter to toy makers - 8/20/07
Dear Fisher Price and every other toy maker who makes it impossible to get the toys out of their packaging,
This has gotten out of hand. I know you’re worried about lawsuits and all that, but enough is enough. The toy only has seven parts and weighs 12 ounces for crying out loud – 34 twist ties, screws, pieces of tape and plastic is a bit much. I have come up with some warning / guidelines for assembly that I think you should add to your packaging.
Warning #1: Do not say to your kids, “Look what I have for you, honey!” until you have the toy successfully out of its package. Removing the 34 twist ties, screws, tape and plastic will take you at least 45 minutes and your kid will lose their mind if you dangle it in front of them and then withhold it for nearly an hour.
Warning #2: Do not attempt when children are present. We have designed this task to make even the purest of tongue cuss at least six times. Unless a) profanity is a regular occurrence in your house so it doesn’t matter anyway; or b) you want junior to drop an f-bomb on the first day of preschool, it’s better that they are out of the house.
Warning #3: Do not use alcoholic beverages or drugs while attempting to do this. You’ll need to save that for after you have freed the said toy and need some chemical relief.
Warning #4: Use great care with the industrial-strength twist ties that we insist on twisting at least 14 times. Once you’ve untwisted the ties, don’t try to yank them hard through the little holes on the box as you are likely to hit yourself in the face when they finally come through.
Warning #5: If you are wondering why we have attached each Little People characters on the circus train using five twist ties around both their necks and their feet, you obviously haven’t seen Toy Story. We simply can’t risk the liability of the toys staging any sort of revolt or adventure while in transit.
Stop the insanity, please!
Yours truly,
A frustrated customer
This has gotten out of hand. I know you’re worried about lawsuits and all that, but enough is enough. The toy only has seven parts and weighs 12 ounces for crying out loud – 34 twist ties, screws, pieces of tape and plastic is a bit much. I have come up with some warning / guidelines for assembly that I think you should add to your packaging.
Warning #1: Do not say to your kids, “Look what I have for you, honey!” until you have the toy successfully out of its package. Removing the 34 twist ties, screws, tape and plastic will take you at least 45 minutes and your kid will lose their mind if you dangle it in front of them and then withhold it for nearly an hour.
Warning #2: Do not attempt when children are present. We have designed this task to make even the purest of tongue cuss at least six times. Unless a) profanity is a regular occurrence in your house so it doesn’t matter anyway; or b) you want junior to drop an f-bomb on the first day of preschool, it’s better that they are out of the house.
Warning #3: Do not use alcoholic beverages or drugs while attempting to do this. You’ll need to save that for after you have freed the said toy and need some chemical relief.
Warning #4: Use great care with the industrial-strength twist ties that we insist on twisting at least 14 times. Once you’ve untwisted the ties, don’t try to yank them hard through the little holes on the box as you are likely to hit yourself in the face when they finally come through.
Warning #5: If you are wondering why we have attached each Little People characters on the circus train using five twist ties around both their necks and their feet, you obviously haven’t seen Toy Story. We simply can’t risk the liability of the toys staging any sort of revolt or adventure while in transit.
Stop the insanity, please!
Yours truly,
A frustrated customer
Friday, August 17, 2007
Mission accomplished - 8/18/07
Today’s mission… find a harmonica. I’ve always wanted to play the harmonica but never had a reason to do it. I’m trying to learn that sometimes I can do things just because. I don’t always need to have a grand, forward-thinking reason. I don’t need to be scheduled to play at the opening ceremony for next year’s redneck Olympics in order to learn harmonica.
So where does anyone in their right mind go when they need something? You got it – Walmart. I’m not talking the little Walmart out in the sticks; I’m talking the super-duper, sushi-serving Walmart in the big city that should have everything. They don’t carry harmonicas. Two of the four employees I asked didn’t even know what a harmonica was (though they assured me once I educated them that no, they didn’t carry them).
Next try… Brook Mays, whose website describes them as “the oldest and largest full-line musical instrument dealer in the USA.” They don’t carry harmonicas. Huh? I wouldn’t expect them to have a massive harmonica department but for Pete’s sake how about a basic harmonica. They directed me to The Guitar Center.
I called there and confirmed that they had harmonicas. The heavy metal hold music almost swayed me from my harmonic goal, but I soldiered on. I had visions in my head of the clientele in the store. Not ugly or freakish people – just people who hear the beauty in heavy metal music. As I pulled up to the store I wondered if mine was the parking lot’s inaugural minivan, if my double stroller was the store’s first. Once in the store, I decided that both were very real possibilities.
Imagine if you will… you are in your favorite store and right through the front door comes a tortoise in a clown suit. Unless your favorite store is the souvenir shop at either the zoo or a circus, that’s going to seem a little freakish. So there I was, the freak at the guitar shop. Amid the sea of black – black shirts, black leather playing gloves, black music stands – there I was with my ponytail in a baseball cap with the USGA logo on it, a diaper bag on my shoulder and my two toddlers in the stroller. The good news is that they had the harmonica I was looking for. After explaining to Sloppy Joe (that’s actually what was on his nametag) that I didn’t want to be on their mailing list, I became the proud new owner of a harmonica.
Mission accomplished.
So where does anyone in their right mind go when they need something? You got it – Walmart. I’m not talking the little Walmart out in the sticks; I’m talking the super-duper, sushi-serving Walmart in the big city that should have everything. They don’t carry harmonicas. Two of the four employees I asked didn’t even know what a harmonica was (though they assured me once I educated them that no, they didn’t carry them).
Next try… Brook Mays, whose website describes them as “the oldest and largest full-line musical instrument dealer in the USA.” They don’t carry harmonicas. Huh? I wouldn’t expect them to have a massive harmonica department but for Pete’s sake how about a basic harmonica. They directed me to The Guitar Center.
I called there and confirmed that they had harmonicas. The heavy metal hold music almost swayed me from my harmonic goal, but I soldiered on. I had visions in my head of the clientele in the store. Not ugly or freakish people – just people who hear the beauty in heavy metal music. As I pulled up to the store I wondered if mine was the parking lot’s inaugural minivan, if my double stroller was the store’s first. Once in the store, I decided that both were very real possibilities.
Imagine if you will… you are in your favorite store and right through the front door comes a tortoise in a clown suit. Unless your favorite store is the souvenir shop at either the zoo or a circus, that’s going to seem a little freakish. So there I was, the freak at the guitar shop. Amid the sea of black – black shirts, black leather playing gloves, black music stands – there I was with my ponytail in a baseball cap with the USGA logo on it, a diaper bag on my shoulder and my two toddlers in the stroller. The good news is that they had the harmonica I was looking for. After explaining to Sloppy Joe (that’s actually what was on his nametag) that I didn’t want to be on their mailing list, I became the proud new owner of a harmonica.
Mission accomplished.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
My little yappers - 8/17/07
If I hear NO or MINE one more time I think I might have to club myself in the head with a Tonka truck. Nobody told me that something magical happens the day a kid turns two. I don't mean whimsical fairy and sunshine magic; I mean dark sinister toddler magic. Yes, I realize both boys have colds and aren't feeling their best, but let's not pretend that's all this is about.
These last few days Kyle, who turned 2 ten days ago, has moments when he turns into an angry little troll (or a small yappy dog - take your pick) guarding his bridge. His bridge being whatever toy or book or section of floor he has decided is off limits to Grant. Yap yap yap. And Grant does pretty much the same thing, so I end up with two yippy dogs barking at each other until I try to break it up and try to divert someone.
They've become hip to this and mostly will not be swayed. Then 1 minute later they are having a race pushing trucks around the house, giggling the whole time.
"NO!" has become Kyle's stock response for most questions or comments. I've tried to explain to him that his NO will carry much more weight if he actually listens to what is being said or asked before answering, but he hasn't bought into it. When we were in the car this morning he saw a bird and commented on it. So then I said, "Oh, do you see th.." "NO!"
At least when I was working people generally let me finish what I was saying before responding! Oh well - I'll take it.
Enjoy your day. I hear the little people stirring.
MJ
These last few days Kyle, who turned 2 ten days ago, has moments when he turns into an angry little troll (or a small yappy dog - take your pick) guarding his bridge. His bridge being whatever toy or book or section of floor he has decided is off limits to Grant. Yap yap yap. And Grant does pretty much the same thing, so I end up with two yippy dogs barking at each other until I try to break it up and try to divert someone.
They've become hip to this and mostly will not be swayed. Then 1 minute later they are having a race pushing trucks around the house, giggling the whole time.
"NO!" has become Kyle's stock response for most questions or comments. I've tried to explain to him that his NO will carry much more weight if he actually listens to what is being said or asked before answering, but he hasn't bought into it. When we were in the car this morning he saw a bird and commented on it. So then I said, "Oh, do you see th.." "NO!"
At least when I was working people generally let me finish what I was saying before responding! Oh well - I'll take it.
Enjoy your day. I hear the little people stirring.
MJ
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