Thursday, April 17, 2008

She's done it again!!!!!


Yes, my little Katie. Won't crawl. Not an inch. Won't even sit up on her own. But, yes, she can pull to standing. Several times today actually. She's on her own timetable for sure.

------------------------------
And now for a diaper change....

Brian
muse.platypionline.com

Thursday, April 10, 2008

More Playhouse Disney


Well, a funny thing happened to me today. My somewhat massive post about preschool music attracted the attention of a publicist for Playhouse Disney. This was staggering for me, as I though only my parent friends were reading this blog. So, she read the post and suggested I check out The Imagination Movers. If The Wiggles are your kids first rock band, The Imagination Movers are your kids first Alt-Rock band. And admittedly, the tunes meet the criteria, which is "good enough for me not to hate it", and "safe enough for her to hear it". I'd be embarrassed to be listening to it without Katie around. But it's catchy, and the most important thing is, I wouldn't be embarrassed to be listening to it with Katie around, which I can't say for most of the music of my teens and twenties. I've just noticed, while they ALL contain music, of the 24 "shows" on Playhouse Disney, a full third of them are explicitly ABOUT music. I guess it is a pretty big part of your preschoolers life. Of course, Katie is a long way from being a preschooler. You be stretching credibility to call her a toddler at this point.

Anyway, since I've apparently become a spokesperson for Playhouse Disney, I thought I'd point out that there IS a section for parents on their website. And it actually does have a useful thing or two in it.
------------------------------
And now for a diaper change....

Brian
muse.platypionline.com

Tuesday, April 08, 2008

The Entertainment Red Shift of the Stay At Home Parent

I had no idea just a few months ago what serious competition there was in the pre-school rock arena. The most exposed to this thing I had been previously was getting the Fraggle Rock theme stuck in my head (although to be honest, I watched Jabber Jaws and Josie and the Pussycats as a kid).I'd seen commercials for Kids Bop and stuff, but I really had no idea.

I thought I really disliked the Wiggles until I experienced the horror of The Doodlebops. Now the Wiggles don't seem so bad. I had barely heard of Yo Gabba Gabba (but then I'm more of a Playhouse Disney guy) and then I get start seeing Choo Choo Soul. The vintage gear guy in me likes Dan Zanes House Party, but I don't think emulating Keith Richards is the way to get me to let my kid watch you (and somebody get that man a comb). But I'll tell you what I do like. I like the band in Bunnytown, and I like the Happy Monster Band. And by like, I meant it doesn't make me want to claw my eyes out.

When I was first staying at home, I was watching my kind of TV. Law and Order, Battlestar, CSI... But as Katie gets older, if the thing is going to be on at all, I'd rather her stare at closer to age appropriate material. The thing is, as a parent, you watch this stuff, and it kinda sucks you in (because that's what it's DESIGNED to do) and next thing you know, you know all the words to "Hop Up, Jump In" from Handy Manny and the "Think, Think, Think!" song from Tigger and Pooh. And I say that I'm not going to get hooked on this junk, and then I go watch Happy Monster Band videos on You Tube. Between that and having had Laurie Berkner in the CD player of the Kia for, like, six months now, I wonder if I will ever have grown up entertainment in my life again.

If ever I needed a good Dr. Who marathon, surely it is now.

------------------------------
And now for a diaper change....

Brian
muse.platypionline.com