Remember, tomorrow is the last day to get your entry in to LaLaLove’s fundraising art contest! We’ve finished our art and got it heart submitted. Now we’re are hard at work trying to raise money (feel free to email me at the address on my contact page if you want to donate to our heart!).
How about you? Did you create a heart?
Submissions must be made by 11:59 pm ET tomorrow, Friday, November 30th. Winners will be announced on Friday, December 7, so get your artwork entered in time!
One thing that has worked with some mild success it asking her to fake it ’till she makes it. Culling her incredible acting skills, I encourage her to “pretend to be happy!” And sometimes, she’ll turn to me, those crocodile tears barely out of her tear ducts, and bat her eyelashes while coyly smile at me. Oscar material, right there folks.
Boxtop Jenkins
(Photo courtesy Boxtop Jenkins)
As we were driving in the car one day about a month ago, I heard a new song on Kids Place Live, from an artist I didn’t recognize: Boxtop Jenkins. The song was titled “Wag More,” the story of a dog who might just have the secret to happiness…
Wag more, bark less. Delivered in a toe-tapping song that makes frowning while listening darn near impossible. Then I made a mental note that this song might be a perfect fit for Kid Tune Tuesday.
As if the universe was trying to tell me something, the folks at Boxtop Jenkins contacted me to see if I would take a listen to the CD and give it a review. Now, let me state a disclaimer right here: This is the first time I have ever been contacted to write a review. It makes me a bit sweaty. But I wouldn’t have agreed to it if I hadn’t initially been so drawn to “Wag More.”
Musically, this song is a rip-roaring good time. It’s upbeat, really fun to dance to, and has my favorite sound bite of all time, a panting dog. Lead singer Boxtop Jenkins (Franklin Bunn) has some help on this tune with the Indigo Girls singing back up vocals, providing lush harmony to the southern sound of the tune.
“Wag More” is probably the strongest song on the album You’re Happier When You’re Happy, though there are other front runners, including “Toast and Jelly” and “Swinging Monkeys,” featuring hunka hunka burnin’ Elvis vocals.
And now, I present to you….MY FIRST GIVEAWAY! Whoohoo!
I’m giving away 2 copies of Boxtop Jenkins’ You’re Happier When You’re Happy CD. And just in time for the holidays!
All you have to do is enter the Rafflecopter thingy below. Deadline to enter is Friday November 30th at midnight EST. Available to U.S. Residents only.
Boxtop Jenkins’ You’re Happier When You’re Happy can also be purchased through his site, CD Baby or iTunes
I was provided one or more copies of the products mentioned above for free evaluation purposes. I received this product at no charge to me and I am free to keep it for my own personal use without obligation to return it. All opinions are 100% completely my own.
I have been nominated for Circle of Moms’ Top 25 Funny Moms! But I need YOUR VOTES to help me finish in the Top 25! I’m lumped in with some big Titans of Funny, so my chances are slim, but YOUR vote can help me get there. Just click on that nifty badge below and vote. You can vote once a day, every day until February 13th at 4pm PST. I’d appreciate it!
Here are a few things I’m thankful for today:
• My husband
• My kids
• Our family
• Our health and well-being
• Mashed potatoes
• Stuffing
• Pie
• Okay, carbohydrates. Carbs. Fatty carbs. A la mode.
• Stretchy pants
Wishing you and yours a Happy Thanksgiving!
I don’t think it’s a secret that They Might Be Giants have done very well creating music for kids. I love that my kids can enjoy their music as much as I did when I was younger. And I’m glad that they’ve put out albums for children, though many of their “adult” songs can stand in as well. Actually, even before their children’s music came out, I had collected a playlist of They Might Be Giants songs to play in the car, and Mr. B devoured them.
The brilliance of They Might Be Giants is that they don’t water down their music for the younger masses. They retain their same smart and edgy writing but can be easily accessible to the Beyblades and My Little Petshop circuit.
Their latest children’s music album Here Comes Science has gifted gems like “Electric Car” and “I Am a Paleontologist” which we featured before here on Kid Tune Tuesday, and have gotten lots of exposure in television advertising campaigns.
But They Might Be Giants’ first album for kids, No! is by far my favorite. TMGB’s website states that this album was recorded around the same time they created music for the TV show “Malcom in the Middle”, and to my ears the relationship isn’t all that distant.
There’s a bevy of fantastic songs on this album, including “In the Middle, In the Middle, In the Middle” (which gives the sound advice of crossing the street at the corner, lest you become an eyeless paraplegic) and “Clap Your Hands”, a funky call-and-response dance song that gives way to toddler stomping.
And then, there’s “The House at the Top of the Tree.” I’m a sucker for accumulative songs. Must be the choreographer in me that appreciates experiencing a pattern unfolding before me. But this song is more sophisticated than my childhood favorite “I Know An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly.” If you haven’t heard the song, I won’t ruin the ending, but I love the twist of events They Might Be Giants gives us. Don’t worry, no one sees dead people or anything.
Copyright (c) 123RF Stock Photos
Welcome to another round of Let’s Make a Deal: Picky Eater Style!
Today’s contestant? Gina, a mother of two who has attempted to go off the family’s regular menu and try something different. Diverting from pasta or rice? Very risky there, mom. This picky eater of yours is already giving you the stink eye. I can tell this is going to be an exciting show!
The game you’re playing today is Get the Couscous in the Picky Eater’s Mouth. Are you ready? Go!
Our contestant first attempts to politely ask her feisty preschooler to try a small spoonful of couscous, insisting that this grain is just tiny pieces of pasta. That tongue sticking out in disdain is not a good sign. This mom is going to have to try harder if she wants to win this one.
Oh! I can see that begging for a No-Like Bite has indeed backfired. Gina, I’m going to stop you right at groveling and say Let’s Make a Deal!
If you can get this picky eater to eat AND swallow the couscous, you will win the grand prize of menu variety and the ability to avoid cooking two separate meals at dinner time….
Or, you can choose what’s behind Door #1. What will it be?
Alright, this mom is persistent and has her eye on the big prize, she’s giving up Door #1. Keep trying Gina!
That guttural gagging sound coming from her daughter might mean a big clean up. Will this bite stay in? And….no! It has come back out. Gina’s going to try again. Audience, say it with me: Let’s Make a Deal!
First, Gina, please pick yourself up off the floor and take another sip of wine, this will all be over soon. Here are your options. You can keep your position in this standoff and risk losing your sanity, or you can cut your losses now and choose the envelope in my hand. Could be money, could be a vacation, or it could be more chores. It’s up to YOU to decide what route you’re going to take.
Wow, she turned down the envelope! I can’t believe it! Let’s see what she would have won if she’d taken what was in the envelope…oh, man, it was a Full Day of Cooperation from everyone. What a prize that would have been! She must really want to have a more diverse menu for her family besides buttered noodles and Elmo soup. Let’s see how she tackles this third round.
She’s taken the passive aggressive route this time, mixed with some hallow threats of dessert recantation. Not sure how this will go over…
A compromise has been made: two small grains of couscous will suffice Mom’s plea. The couscous is in her mouth…now, will the picky eater swallow?
(10 minutes later)
Welcome back from our commercial break. The headstrong picky eater has placed couscous in her mouth and has been chewing for almost ten minutes. However, we cannot grant Gina the grand prize until swallowing has been performed. Gina has moved on to clearing the table while muttering obscenities under her breath.
Oh! And there comes the couscous, back out on the plate and accompanied with tears. I’m so sorry, Gina. Seems like you’re destined to a life of bland food or time intensive food preparation. I do hope you’ll come back and try again.
But, let’s not forget your parting gift! A Rorschach test of couscous to clean up off the floor. Enjoy!
