How to Parent
How to give your child a bath:
Lucy Rocks Playlist
If you’re a parent, you probably spend a good amount of your time listening to crap. Or the Teletubbies. Which, in fact, are also crap. And frightening. Have you noticed how their butts shake when they dance? Disturbing.
A big goal for Trent and I in 2008 was to come up with a CD or playlist of kids songs that didn’t necessarily make us want to rip our hair out and pour rubbing alcohol on our scalps. And let me tell you, that’s nearly impossible. The kids music out there is so horrible. And full of creepy Australian guys in turtlenecks who hang out with dinosaurs. And it doesn’t help that, in true American girl fashion, our daughter immediately turns into a smiling zombie whenever she sees or hears a Disney princess across the room. Crap.
After many weeks hours minutes searching for the perfect songs, we came up with a list that probably won’t make your eyes bleed. I wish we could have just bought this CD, but it seems to be sold out in the USA. Damn Euros stealing all of the hip kids music. It’s like they want our kids to be dorks.
*Most links lead to playable or YouTube versions of the songs. I recommend testing them out, as my taste is seriously questionable. If you like the list, and are a iTunes user, check out the playlist at the end of the post for the songs, all of which are available on iTunes.*
Mahna Mahna – Cake – Just try and get this one out of your head. Impossible, I swear.
La La La La Lemon – Bare Naked Ladies – This is what made this CD for Lucy. She officially requested “Laaaa laaaa” every time we get into the car.
The Sharing Song – Jack Johnson – I love this song because I don’t notice how cheesy it is until after I’ve been singing along for 2 minutes. Jack just does that to you.
Itsy Bitsy Spider – OAR – A version of a classic that makes you want to go out on a beach and get a margarita. Preferable with a lime.
The Rainbow Connection – Sarah McLaughlin – Sweet, very girly. May not be the best choice for those of you with boys. Actually, this is the song Lucy always asks to skip. But I like it.
All Around the Kitchen – Dan Zanes – Oh Lord, Dan Zanes. Get yourself and your crazy haircut out of my head!
They’ve Got to be Clean – Guster – Lu likes to sing along with this one. A lot of “ahhhhhh, ahhhhhhs.”
The Other Day I Met a Bear – Bare Naked Ladies – “Bear? Bear! Bear!” Nuf said.
Hot Dog – They Might Be Giants – Yes, it’s annoying. But bearable. Sort of.
Have a Little Fun with Me – Glenn Phillips – This one’s just sweet.
The Hoppity Song – John Ondrasik – This is another Lu favorite. She especially likes the part where you get to scream “HI!” at the top of your lungs.
The Hokey Pokey – Dan Zanes and Father Goose – The Hokey Pokey with a jazzy twist.
Clap Your Hands – They Might Be Giants – Another TMBG classic. Short and to the point. That’s how I like it.
Skip to My Lou – Elizabeth Mitchell – A sweet song that reminds me of my Lu.
Alphabet of Nations – They Might Be Giants – This song just makes me feel smarter.
Under the Sea – The Little Mermaid – Added for nostalgia…not necessarily for Lulu.
Meow Meow Lullaby – Nada Surf – This is the part of the CD where we wind down with some slower numbers. Great for bedtime.
3 is the Magic Number – Elizabeth Mitchell – I wanted the original, but it wasn’t available on iTunes and I didn’t have time to search the whole Internet. So this one will do.
Lullaby – Jack Johnson and Matt Costa – Oh Jack, I love it.
Goodnight Children Everywhere – Sixpence None the Richer – Just trippy enough for bedtime.
The Good Night Waltz – Dan Zanes – Almost asleep…
You are my Sunshine – Elizabeth Mitchell – Good afternoon, good evening and good night!
When Life Gives You Lemons
Today was the first day of my week-long mama vacation. I decided to take a week off between leaving the old job and starting the new one, just to get some long-term items off my to-do list. These include visit the dentist, bitch out my chiropractor for the bill they sent that is completely ridiculous, get a haircut, get new glasses and finally see the movie Juno. In truth, all I really wanted to do was have a nice lunch by myself. With no one. Alone.
So when Trent headed out the door with Lucy this morning and the house was quiet, I thought, “I can’t believe this.” I spoke too soon. Timeline of the day is as follows:
7:30 a.m. – Trent leaves to go to work and take Lu to daycare. Yes, she’s still going to daycare this week, as we pay for it regardless and it would be too hard to keep all of these appointments with her in tow. And I’m selfish.
8:00 a.m. – Trent returns with Lu. Daycare provider has the flu. Day goes to shit. Slowly.
8:30 a.m. – As I feed Lucy a belated breakfast of hotdogs and pineapple, my old job calls. Big emergency. Would I mind coming in for extra pay?
8:35 a.m. – Get email from Trent on state of finances. Say “SHIT, SHIT, SHIT!” and pack up for work.
8:45 a.m. – Load Lu into the car and head downtown.
9:15 a.m. – Start work with kid crap everywhere. People keep saying, “Wasn’t your last day Friday?” Yes. Yes it was.
9:30 a.m. – Bust out the iPod.
10:00 a.m. – Plan escape route.
12:00 p.m. – Finally leave and head home.
1 to 3 p.m. – Lu refuses to nap. I plan another escape. Watch this.
Appointments kept – 0
Bills completed – 0
Pipes burst in the basement – 1
Naps taken – 0
Movies watched – 0
Glasses ordered – 0
Imagined martinis drank – 10
Whoa, whoa, whoa!
Ever wondered what we do at night besides watching the Muppets and shows about serial killers? Well, we spend a large part of our evenings listening to our resident poet laureate dictate from her stacks of literature. Last night I snuck in to her room during the midst of one very serious reading session and videotaped from the doorway. Let’s watch.
Oh, and all poet laureates must read with no pants on. It’s a rule in our house.
Whoa, whoa, whoa! from Megan on Vimeo.
Blind Playdate
When Lucy and I were back in my hometown a few weeks ago pondering what would become a large, insane decision, which I will talk about more later, I decided to try and set up a playdate with a high school friend and her daughter. Nicole and I had been trying to get our girls together for months. Little Haven is only a few months older than Lucy, and although we did get together last Christmas, both the girls were so young, it was really more like watching two slugs smile at each other from across the room. Adorable slugs, mind you, but at that point Lu wasn’t even crawling, so the playdate was less play and more drool.
Nicole is a professional photographer (and let me just say, the name of her company is so freaking clever! I mean, Nicole Coleman…Nicoleman Photography…brilliant!), so she works most weekends and I’m never back in our hometown during the week, so several months (or maybe a year) went by before we got the kiddos back together again. What ensued was total toddler carnage…
(Photos stolen borrowed from Nicole’s family blog, Benicoleman.com…and come on! Benicoleman…for Ben and Nicole Coleman…genius!)
Lucy had spent the week before the big playdate with the ridiculous cough that kept her up most nights. This led to one crabby Lucy, who cried at almost everything that Haven did, good or bad.
Although I thought Haven did an OK job of sharing, and I’m not sure Lu would have been much better if it were her toys being played with by this strange, pigtailed creature, there were some definite fights. Haven’s best move was pulling Lu’s shirt until she dropped whatever she was playing with.
Sidenote: Don’t you love Haven’s shirt! It has pink, blue and black skull and crossbones on it, and I want to know where Nicole got it. Give it up, Nicole!
They did try to share…
But, to no avail…
But in the end, they made up and all were happy. Kisses were given, hugs were shared and I coveted Nicole’s camera equipment. All in all, a good playdate. Despite the bruises.
