Saying Goodbye to 2006

For OWTK, 2006 was a wonderful year. In the last 12 months, this website was born, we visited Florida's Gulf Coast beaches for a long weekend and France for a short two weeks and more recently, have become pregnant with #2.

Additionally, World's Fair, my little tee shirt and gift shop, has flourished and the fine parenting mecca Families.com asked me to write for them.

I am thankful to each of you for finding, reading and sticking with Out With The Kids. I know there is so much information, opinion and nonsense on the web these days and so I wholeheartedly appreciate your desire to stop by and read about what is going on with my little family and take in my occasional rants on parenting and the modern world.

I wish you all the best in 2007 and look forward to your continued presence and comments on OWTK!

Thanks again for spending some of your days with us!

Jeff

Gustafer Yellowgold

We are heading back to World Cafe Live this Saturday for Gustafer Yellowgold's Wide Wild World. We have no idea, really, what this show is all about but it sounds pretty awesome - so we are giving it a shot. What I do know is that there is a live band, with original tunes by a guy from NYC named Morgan Taylor, playing in front of original hand drawn illustrations by Taylor. The story seems to surround a little yellow fellow from the Sun and his wide array of friends. It has been described as Beatlesque and Yellow Submarine meets Dr. Seuss by the New York Times - which is just about good enough for me!

Gustafer's MySpace page with songs/pics/more info.

Pictures and review/wrap up to follow.


Jeff

And the winner is...

Without a doubt, my daughter's favorite gift this Christmas was the scale model replica of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and the 8 figure set I purchased for her. It was a surprise for the Mrs. as well.

The set is beautiful and worth every penny. If you or your child is a Chitty fan, I would highly recommend picking this set up. The link provided is TOYNK's eBay store. This is who I purchased the set from and they were great to work with and delivered quickly and packed the goods perfectly.

Other winners include the dollhouse that Mom mom and Pop pop delivered to her on Christmas morning, a Mary Poppins DVD and CD soundtrack, new baby doll, tambourine and a personalized tray table for coloring/arts and crafts.

What did you get?

Jeff

Little Green Things

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas Day. OWTK's 2006 Holiday went well, although we are all a little rundown from the travel.

In unrelated, but equally as excited news, our girl no longer eating her boogies! Yes, indeed. She has grown up before our very eyes this weekend, preferring now to 'dig for gold' and hand it over to Mom or Dad. Like mastering the potty, this little green development is one of those special times in the life of a young child and his or her family. I am not sure Hallmark has this one covered though...

I think a celebratory milkshake may be in order!

Jeff

Christmastime in Manhattan (in the Spring)

We were in midtown Manhattan for a few hours this morning. It was 60 degrees...on December 23rd...in the Northeastern part of the U.S.

Insane.
I wish I was in shorts and sandals, while I watched folks ice skating.

We were in New York City today to see the Bitty Bear Matinee show at the American Girl Theater in American Girl Place on 49th.


We also enjoyed lunch in their cafe. Very fun time, although Bitty Puppy was a bit frightening and was considerabely louder than Bitty Bear and Bitty Kitty. I will most likely do a full blown review over on Families.com at some point in the near future. If you are planning a visit to American Girl Place be sure to keep an eye out for that article.


Baby Nora and Bitty Bear (my daughter's friends) came along with us for the day.





We walked back to Penn Station, passing by Bryant Park. The park was filled with local merchants selling their handmade, artisanal and seasonal wares around a large free ice skating rink. The rink is bigger and less crowded then the famous one 8 blocks north in Rockefeller Center.

Jeff

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and all that Jazz

Out With The Kids is taking a little break for the holiday weekend. Be well and safe out there - the world is full of crazy people.

To get your OWTK fix, head over to Families.com. I have a few articles scheduled for release over the next 5 days or so.

Thanks,

Jeff

Playing Doctor

Daycare called this afternoon. Seems our girl was playing doctor this morning. Her patient, another 2 year old female. The teacher discovered my little medical professional up against the girl's belly, dress over her head.

We dropped our daughter off to school late, after Mom's check up. We all heard #2's heartbeat again, that really never gets old. My daughter must have taken it upon herself to check out her classmate's belly once back in class.

The teacher was uncomfortable. Which makes me laugh a bit. These are 2-3 year old kids being curious and having a silly time. Must we project our own adult sexual weirdness on to our young children's innocent activities?

Wouldn't a simple "Keep your hands to yourself kiddo" conversation be in order...nothing more, nothing less?

Now, if the two disappear into the broom closet for a spell...we need to talk!

Jeff

More OWTK on Families.com

Here is a summary of the latest OWTK contributions to Families.com
Check them out if you have a chance. Thanks,

Zoos in the Wintertime

Everyday Math

Museum Scavenger Hunts

Jeff

Milkshakes in the Evening =

dumb!

Oh, what was I thinking...we went back to Cheeburger Cheeburger (bordering on addictive, this place) for some milkshakes. Tuesday's Family Fun night - Balloon Animals this time!

My daughter had the nice women/balloon artist/non-clown make her a Frosty the Snowman. Very cute, with red hat and scarf. She used a Sharpie marker to "make" the buttons, eyes, etc...

Our girl shared a Neapolitan shake (choc/van/strbrry) with the Mrs. Those handful of sips had her wired for the next 2 hours. We stayed up later then usual to watch "I Want A Dog For Christmas" Charlie Brown on abc - that extra time was also needed to let her detox from the ice cream.

Lesson learned. Only cookies and milk late at night from now on. ha!

Jeff

Watching Football, Watching Ads

I never thought that I would say this, but I believe wholeheartedly that there is going to come a time when the TV is totally dark on Sunday afternoons. And I just am not talking exclusively about from February 10th (the week after the Super Bowl) through early September.

I would like nothing more than to continue allowing my daughter to snuggle up and watch an NFL game or two with her Daddy but the barrage of terrible, tasteless, sexual and sexist advertising that comes across during the course of one three hour contest is too much to bare. The central fixture of a Sunday afternoon has been, for the past couple months, a commercial featuring Jessica Simpson (I cannot recall the product). At the end of the ad she admits she hasn't a clue about the product she is selling - because, you know, she is just a dumb girl. The sexy, barely dressed, dumb girl character plays a prominent role in our culture (and I use that term loosely) and in the advertising strategy of many a major corporation and entity. This image of a woman is one of the last things I would want my daughter to see as she grows up. This world is challenging enough for a young lady to flourish and establish herself as an strong, bold and confident individual.

When we traveled overseas this past Autumn, I subcribed to NFL Field Pass. This service, which costs $10 a month, allows me to listen to every home team broadcasts of every NFL game and pregame show via the nfl.com website. This service goes silent when the commercials come on and begins again when the broadcast returns. Very cool. I may go "all audio" on Sundays starting next year.

We talk to her now about the images projected on the television and explain, often quite bluntly, what those companies are trying to sell us and why - but the sheer quantity and force of the marketing may overwhelm our best efforts. The only choice may be to thumb our noses at the television all together - even if that means no football for daddy-o. Yikes.

Jeff

OWTK Monthly Music Suggestions - December 2006 (Special Holiday Edition)

OWTK presents a special Holiday 2006 Edition of the monthly music suggesstions. We have racked our brains to provide to you, our loyal reader, with four superb holiday tunes + one reading appropriate for your entire family. These cuts are not the standard Mall fare that had you pulling your hair out by the first week in December (if not sooner!). Enjoy the music and the remainder of the holiday season.

Stevie Wonder "This Little Christmas Tree" from 20th Century Masters - The Christmas Collection: Best of Stevie Wonder.

The Band "Christmas Must Be Tonight" from "Islands" (I just cannot make a link to this song. My futile efforts have delayed this post too long already - it is almost Christmas!). Trust me on this one. It is a great song by one of the finest bands ever.

Bright Eyes "Twas The Night Before Christmas" from "A Christmas Album"

Louis Armstrong "'Zat You, Santa Claus?" from "Tis the Season" Compilation

Vince Guaraldi Trio "Linus and Lucy" from "A Charlie Brown Christmas - Original Soundtrack"

In addition to these tunes, I would encourage anyone within earshot of 103.9fm - WPRB in Princetown - or near a PC on Christmas day to tune into Jon Solomon's 24 Hour Christmas radio show. You will hear some holiday music you have never, ever heard before. By the end of his marathon gig, he is so loopy and out of his mind - it is hilarious! Every year, Jon gives the world the a special gift - one of a kind radio programming. His show reminds me to be thankful for non-commercial, college radio. There is nothing like it, still.

If you would like to purchase any of these fine selections for your own music library, please visit your local independent record shop (should one still exist in your town). If you prefer to purchase online or digitally, click on either the Amazon.com or iTunes link to the right (you may need to scroll down a bit). By doing so, you will be helping to support this site (which you love deeply, we know). We will owe you a big hug if we ever cross paths. Thanks in advance!

Want to see what songs were suggested last month?

Disclaimer: If you are the artist, band, label, or publisher of a song featured on OWTK and would not like your track to be available in digital form, Simply email us and we will remove it.


Jeff

Challenging our Kids

For the past couple days, I have been commenting a bunch over at Small Ages. Initially it was just about or in reference to The Wiggles, but really the topics behind my opinions are much bigger than one Australian four piece. I now realize that I have not been putting enough of my heart and soul (read: point of view) into the posts you read on Out With The Kids. Oh, it sneaks in every now and again, but I am have much more in my head then finds it way on to the virtual page.

Well, that is about to change - thanks to Clea and the banter over on her site. Here is the first of many opinionated parenting posts (say that ten times real fast!)

______________

How often do you challenge your kids?

How do you mean, you may be thinking.

As expecting parents three years ago my wife and I made a commitment to Parent Differently. Those two words have since become the slogan, if you will, of Out With The Kids. But what, really, does that signify. To us, it represents, in short, a form of parenting that goes far beyond sitting a child down in front of a Barney video, subscribing to the Disney product of the moment trends, and assuming a child cannot eat anything more interesting than chicken fingers. We were determined to do things differently and after more than two and a half years we don't mind tellin' ya, that we are pretty darn pleased with the early results. Most of what we do comes down to a challenge. A challenge for both parent and child. The challenge for us is to not take the easy way out or the well-beaten path, for we do not believe the commonplace or the ordinary offers either party (adult or kid) very much in the way of substance, education, interest, or fun. The challenge for the child is to be spoken to and treated in way that is, we think, refreshing and more mature and return the favor as soon as they are able.

For example, we have and continue to prepare a fairly wide array of foods and beverages for her and the result is that at 2 1/2 she still tries almost everything and likes virtually all that she tries. That has enabled us to, when we dine in, make one family meal and never receive a complaint from her that she doesn't like what we are having or would rather have potato chips or a peanut butter and jelly sandwich as her dinner.

When we dine out, we usually turn away the kiddie menu and head straight for the real "adult" restaurant menu. Nine times out of ten, we do not even order a meal specifically for her, opting to, instead, order several interesting things and share among the three of us. This allows us to give her the same experience in dining that we enjoy and cherish - the ability to extend your culinary comfort zone and experiment with textures and flavors (often regional, seasonal, etc.).

We are not claiming to have never ordered a chicken finger or from the children's menu, but there are far too many interesting things in the world of food for us as parent's not to try ourselves and allow our little ones to taste and, hopefully, enjoy. One thing we never say or do, which I hear far too many parents utter, is "oh, you won't like that" in response to a child's inquiry about a food or experience. By making such a statement you are virtually guarantying that you will be correct. That child will most likely not even attempt to try it now - a self-fulfilling prophecy.

If you are successful in raising a child who is accustomed to sit down dinners of prepared food at home you will most likely be able to take your child to most any restaurant around. There would be no need then to limit your family mealtime outings to the local mall food court or a Ruby Tuesday's type of establishment. This should be considered a good thing!

It may not seem like a big deal, having your child eat a wide array of foods, but I feel it can go a long way when it comes to establishing a world view. Diverse palette, diverse mind...that is what, umm, I always say.

Ok, enough about food. The challenges we speak of go far beyond the dinner table. What about videos? The TV and the DVD player (be it in the home, car, or take-anywhere mobile device) seem to have, over the past decade or so, taken over as the primary parenting tool.

Our girl does watch the occasional video, but instead of it being The Wiggles she enjoys titled such as The Scrambled State of America, The Snowman, Muzzy and random Sesame Street features. The TV is not a regular part of our day at all, her viewing of even those programs averages less than a 1/2 hour a day - most days the box never even comes on in our house. We have observed that the absence of such passive entertainment has resulted in a wealth of imagination in our girl, a love of books - both reading (or pretending to make up a story). The books she likes are often more intricate, lengthy and better written than standard toddler fare. She listens attentively to Mom or Dad weave a tale from scratch. She remembers some of the most bizarre details of these made-up stories and will request them again and again (talk about a challenge - to remember what I came up with on the fly, weeks ago!).

She also has passion for music (singing, dancing, strumming her red wooden ukulele or banging on her tongue drum). We are certain that these two things are connected - the lack of passive TV viewing and the abundance of the creative play. As far as music, as you can tell from the monthly music suggestions posted on OWTK, our girl listens to a diverse mix of adult and kid music - with very little filter or censor. There is very little of what we love, that I would NOT let her listen to. At the same time, we expose her to the artist(s) live, talk to them when we can and discuss them as real people, thus eliminating the potential for idol-worship (Oh Mercy, do I hope so!).

A funny side note. She never really saw a band on the TV or in a video but has seen numerous acts live and some up close. When we bought her the ukulele she immediately knew how to hold it and strum the thing. It was like second nature, even though her parents do not have a musical bone in our bodies. I can only assume that she picked up the process from watching guitarists on stage. She is often gazing intently as if studying what is taking place around her. She must have stored away the general idea behind playing guitar and it came right back to her when we handed her the little instrument.

The point here is that children are capable of loving and understanding way more than most folks seem to give them credit for. In daycare/school, the kids in the toddler (2 1/2 to 4) classroom are not yet learning about the planet Earth, let alone the United States, nor are they learning basic math. For some reason these are saved for the next classroom - when the kids are older. These are two topics we have begun discussing with our child and she has no problem picking up the concept of the stationary sun and the rotating Earth - making it daytime on one side while residents of other countries sleep soundly. She can also pick out dozens of states and the country of France - all because we bought a globe for less than $4 on clearance at Target and a puzzle map of the U.S. and have allowed & encouraged her to ask questions and be interested in these subjects.

Math is also fun for young learners and there is no reason to hold back on the lessons. I started with simple one plus one and two plus two concepts in the car one evening, by holding up two fingers and asking her if she knew what would happen if I added one to the other. She got 1 plus 1 down quickly but struggled after that. It was not until we were at lunch shortly there after and used sugar packets to better illustrate the idea behind addition that she progressed to 1 plus 2, 2 plus 2, etc. She can now get up to 5 + 5 and most every combination up to that.

And while I do think my child is brilliant and special (what proud parent does not feel that way about their youngsters!) I am certain that any 2 1/2 year old has the capacity to absorb, learn, be interested in, and fall in love with the same themes and topics. It is us, as adults, who limit the potential of our impressionable little kids, for everything is new and unique to them which means if presented in a fun and interesting way there are few things that kids will NOT be interested in if only given the opportunity. Our 2 1/2 year old just happens to like crab cakes with remoulade, to "talk about the planet" (to quote her), listen to Josh Ritter, Charlie Parker, Woody Guthrie and the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang soundtrack and see the former perform live, because we have allowed her the chance to do so.

Why not expand the offerings and challenge our kids - it is much more fun for us parents, I can assure you of that. And you will be able to have better and more advanced conversations at the dinner table. All this will certainly better position the children to become more interesting, diverse, and tolerant adults.

Jeff

Baking Cookies with Papa

Ahhh...One of my favorite yearly activites - baking Christmas Cookies. I dust off my almond-tone KitchenAid Stand Mixer (the greatest device I own) and flex my baking muscle (that is a joke). This year, my daughter helped out with cracking two eggs (which she is so unbelievably good at - bumps them on the kitchen island's flat surface and seperates over the bowl - unreal) and with spooning the finished batter on to the sheets. I use a recipe that is a modified and, frankly, perfected (thanks mom!) adaption of the one printed on the back of the Nestle semi-sweet morsel package. Delicious!

For the 2nd year in a row, the Mrs. and the little one each ate a still warm cookie, with a glass of cold milk, while laying under the Christmas Tree.

Yum!

Jeff

Hey Kids, You're a Target!

BusRadio is already in 11 states, including my own. They play commercial radio to a captive young adult audience as they ride the bus to school. There is no FCC control over their service (Payola anyone?). Bus Radio's service and stance is just another example of corporations using kids as target markets.

The Commcerical Exploitation website I have linked to is a great tool for parents who are concerned, disturbed and outraged by their surroundings. If you are even somewhat of like-mind, proceed with caution...your blood pressure is sure to rise.

Has there ever been a more difficult time to raise a happy, healthy and interesting child?

A recent article from CNN discusses findings that, (guess what!) TV Ads help push kids down a slippery slope of eating disorders, drinking and sex!

Yeah, The Modern World!

Jeff

The Many Uses of a Gift Box

Check out my new Arts and Crafts article over at Families.com

Jeff

Daddy Pickle

This morning, a customer bought 15 I Love Pickle magnets from my World's Fai - my Cafe Press shop. I saw the order pop up as my family was getting dressed for work and school. We three had a great time imagining the reason behind the order.

• Does the person own a pickle production plant? If so, could these be Holiday gifts for the loyal pickle producers?
• Do they live on Pickle Place or Pickle Lane? Are they funny gifts for their neighbors?
• Is there last name Pickle?

This last one really got my daughter rolling - she was screaming out "Daddy Pickle?", "Bobby Pickle?", "Baby Pickle?". One of the funnier 6:45am's we've had in a while.

Jeff

OWTK 2006 Holiday Gift Guide - Nuttin' But Nets

For only $10 you can purchase a bed net for a child and his or her family in Africa. You receive a certificate to give as a gift in someone's name (ideally, a child). These nets are saving lives by protecting kids on the African continent from malaria. A noble effort that offers families across the globe an inexpensive means to assist others in a real life and death situation occuring every day.

Some alarming statistics:

• Every 30 seconds a child dies of malaria.
• Every day 3000 kids die from this disease.
• Malaria is the leading cause of death among children, claiming almost 1 million little ones.
• You can help save lives for only $10 out of your pocket.

Please consider buying a bed net. A donation and certificate would make an excellent stocking stuffer and allow you to open the door to a conversation about charity and the plight of others in the world.

Jeff

Taking my own advice

Last night we hit up the local Pet Shop for some free entertainment, one night after driving to one of the brightest and most robustly decorated homes I have ever seen. This pic, taken from my camera (naturally I did not bring the real one) does the place no justice at all. They have a guestbook and a map of the world with tiny lights in all the states and continents from which they have had visitors. Amazing!

After the Pet Shop we headed next door for some Milkshakes (again). The place has a Family Fun Tuesday program and last night it was free face painting. My girl opted for a purple and green butterfly on her left cheek.

Jeff

OWTK 2006 Holiday Gift Guide - Symbiot Sportback

This post is for anyone who is having trouble finding that perfect gift for the outdoor lover who already has everything but also likes to be the first one on their block with the latest and greatest toy or gadget.

The Symbiot is a new kind of backpack. It is so new in fact, that folks could just start buying them online this past week. You could literally be one of the first hundred or so people to be sporting one of these amazing backpacks ideal for hiking, jogging and general outdoor activity.

OWTK sees the Symbiot as a hip, new and fresh take on the small diaper bag model, but for the modern Mom and/or Dad on the go. Picture yourself hiking up to the top of a small mountain to get a pristine and perfect view of Pont du Gard (hey, that sounds familiar!). Your toddler is just a pace or two in front leading the way. Now picture yourself with a bulky traditional backpack haphazardly dangling off your shoulders or a diaper bag with a giant picture of Dora on it - doesn't feel right, does it? Now, picture yourself with the Symbiot Sportback seemlessly intigrated into your upper body. Like a second skin (with a water pouch!) the Symbiot allows you to bend over without having the contents of your pack crashing towards the back of your head (c'mon, we all have been there).

The Symbiot is more affordable and cooler than anything you will find at EMS, plus you have the added joy of giving a gift to yourself or another parent/outdoor enthusiast that they have NEVER seen before. Buy one today for only $39.99 or click here to read the Symbiot fact sheet

Jeff

OWTK 2006 Holiday Gift Guide - Daycare/School Gift Ideas

The OWTK family has been dreadful in this category. We constantly neglect to consider gifts for our girl's daycare...and our mail carrier, spring water delivery person, trash folks...

Since we bought our first home five years ago and then had a child a couple years later, we have never gotten into the habit of buying gifts/giving money/and so on to the service industry individuals that positively impact our lives. Because we are now coming-to-gripes with our deficiencies in this area we have a Gift Guide post that may help all of us.

1) Fruit and/or Cookie, Candy Baskets. Perfect for giving a thoughtful gift to the masses - ideal for schools, daycares, etc.

We are looking at this one from ftd.com

2) Lottery Sratch-n-Play cards. A 5 or 10 pack of these chances for big a payday may be the right gift for a mail carrier or exterminator.

3) Gift Cards to a convienence store (we have a local chain called WaWa that is amazingly popular with commuters).

4) Gift Certificates to a local pizza place and movie house.

Naturally, you want to consider the overall cost of this gift since many schools and daycare providers have numerous employees. You do not want to end up dropping $25 per person, well, unless your family can afford such an expense. OWTK certainly can not, but a $30 basket of goodies for the handful of teachers in the Tiger room might just be the perfect gift!

Jeff

New OWTK articles on Families.com

I have published a couple of new pieces over at Families.com

Head on over to read:

Credit Cards for Kids

Cutting your own Christmas Tree

Jeff

Dinner with a side of Christmas Lights

The Mrs. and the weeble (our name for #2) were craving a cheeseburger tonight so we headed out to a little chain place called Cheeburger Cheeburger. It is set up like a 50's diner and the kid's meal comes in a colorful cardboard (she went with the pink) Thunderbird (the perfect sized toy car for a little stuffed animal!)

The burgers and shakes at Cheeburger are delicious. Next door to the restaurant is a Hoover Vacuum store, which was closed. Inside was a big tree with blinking multi-colored bulbs and a shining star sitting on the top. My girl, who is infatuated with Christmas lights this season wanted to go inside. When we told her the vacuum store was closed she said:

"But I am in the mood to shop for vacuums!"

Oh, the things that come from those little mouths.

Jeff

TMBG

This morning's They Might Be Giants show was a blast!

Lil' OWTK was dancing from the first song and didn't stop until we were walking up the World Cafe Live steps to leave.

She was asleep within 10 minutes on the way to Grandmom and Grandpop's for our annual Tree decorating party.

I took over 30, but these two are the best pics I could get without using flash (prohibited).


Jeff

iPod goodies for the kiddies

So, I guess a lot of folks are getting iPods and all the accoutrements for their younger kids. Check out these add-on's from The Sharper Image:

Nothing like snuggling up in bed with your iPod Nano!

These may be the first teddy bears in history with a service contract option.


Jeff

The Annual Yule

Here I am cutting down our 2006 Christmas Tree. This is the 2nd year in a row we abandoned the parking lot tree-distribution-center setup and headed over to a local tree farm. This also marks the 2nd time I have ever held a saw in my hand. Surprisingly, I came out relatively unscathed on both occasions.



On an totally unrelated note, here is a picture of the official OWTK mascot, our friendly brown tabby cat named Kitt (she also does not respond to Kitty, Kitty Bear and Furball). With Kitt is Baby Betty, our daughter's baby doll who, in addition to not being allowed to wear clothes, traveled abroad with us a couple months ago. Betty is quite sophisticated for a 10 inch doll, permanently in her skivvies.

Jeff

Date with Dad

Dad and daughter headed down to Philly last night, while Mom was at a company holiday dinner function. We popped in to Capogiro Gelato first. Lil' OWTK ordered a small Chocolate, as her first two options of Pink and Green (Strawberry and Mint) were not available. For some reason she did not wish to try the Clementine Sorbet, despite the fact that she would eat 2-3 clementines a day if we stocked that many in the house. Dad ordered a Dark, Bitter Chocolate that was so insanely rich I could barely eat half of it. From there we walked the 2 1/2 blocks to The First Unitarian Church at 22nd & Chestnut. We arrived about 10 minutes before the 9pm (sharp!) start time. The place was already packed. We squeezed our way up towards the front but could only get within 20 feet of the stage. My girl really wanted to be up close, to watch Amy play drums, but it was not to be. I held her up high so she could watch over the heads of the sweaty crowd.

The Evens had a simple stage set up of two very small amps on stands and two living room lamps. Ian played guitar seated on the left side (where we were positioned, against the wall). It was cool to see Mackaye in such a small venue. It has been more than a decade, maybe longer, since Fugazi played spaces this small.

We hung around for 5 songs, about 1/2 hour. It's ashame the show started at 9pm, as my girl is a slow starter. She was finally getting into the music during our final song - head bobbin', feet movin'. Had the gig begun at 8pm, she would have been dancing around the room by 9pm, for sure.

The music was pretty darn good. Like Fugazi, The Evens' lyrics have a political bent which I am very cool with. I liked the 5 songs I heard, which included "Dinner with the President", "You Won't Feel a Thing" and, I believe, "Everybody Knows". I would consider getting one of their 2 full lengths.

I would have liked to have captured some more images of the evening, but it was a bit difficult to manage a backpack, camera bag and a 2 year old - all in or around my arms/shoulder area!

Jeff

OWTK on Families.com

I am excited to announce that Out With The Kids is now writing for Families.com

You will not see much change here on OWTK, but I will have more Family Fun tips and ideas available to you on my blog on the Families.com platform.

I will be posting links to those articles here - so you can easily head over and read the latest from OWTK.

A couple new OWTK posts are now available on Families.com:

Indoor Football Fun

Pet Shop Visits

Jeff

OWTK Bi-Monthly Book Suggestions - December 2006 (Special Holiday Edition)

Out With The Kids presents a special Holiday 2006 edition of our book suggestions.

To refresh your memory, every two months OWTK recommends six (or so) fine pieces of literary joy suitable for families with children of most any age. We will resume the normal bi-monthly schedule in January, '07.

Olive, the other Reindeer
by Vivian Walsh and J. Otto Seibold (Illustrator as well).

"Olive was surprised it was so easy to fly". Those nine words appear on page 12 of this modernly illustrated Christmas book. I nearly spit out the water I was drinking when the Mrs. turned the page and read this sentence aloud for the first time.
Olive keeps hearing Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer being sung and played throughout town, only Olive thinks they are singing "Olive the other reindeer" in place of "All of the other reindeer". He figures he must be a reindeer, not a doggy. Quickly, Olive gets to the North Pole and his presence intrigues Santa and the other, real reindeer. Our hero is quickly taken under the reindeer's wing, err hoofs, and is allowed to be Santa's special guest for the big Christmas Eve flight.
Olive, the other Reindeer is absolutely hilarious. This book is a modern Christmas classic and deserves a prominent spot on your child's bookshelf. The good folks at Chronicle Books, the publisher of Olive, the other reindeer, are currently having a 40% off sale. This means that Olive is only $9! (Act fast - The offer is only good through 12/10/2006. They will even gift wrap your purchase for you!)

Snowmen at Night
by Carolyn Buehner. Illustrated by Mark Buehner

Ever wonder what happens after you build a snowman, then snuggle off to bed that evening? Do they just stand there while we sleep? Do they have friends, family?
Lucky for us, The Buehner's have contemplated these exact questions and wrote a charming little book offering up their best guess at what Snowmen do at Night. Snowmen at Night will ignite any small child's imagination this wintertime.

A Charlie Brown Christmas
by Charles M Schulz

I was hesitant to include this all time classic because I assume everyone has already encountered this story via the television, videotape, or book but I would remise if I did not convey OWTK's absolute love of A Charlie Brown Christmas. If by some odd chance, you have not yet shared this story with your kids - do so now. Schulz manages to relay the true meaning of Christmas without being obnoxious or preach-y. In fact he has Linus get it all out, philabuster-style, on one page.

On Christmas Eve
by Margaret Wise Brown. Illustrated by Nancy Edwards Calder

On Christmas Eve is a classy book about the magic that happens on the night before Christmas, by the author of Goodnight Moon. On Christmas Eve tells the tale of three children who are unable to fall asleep on the night before Christmas, so they agree to sneak downstairs where they find the tree aglow, the stockings stuffed full and a train circling the Yule. The language is simply gorgeous. The words are so picturesque and the imagery so alive that the story does not even need to be accompanied by pictues. Of course there are illustrations, and they are stunning and realistic in detail as they show us the children, house and living room basking in the glow of the fire and the glittering Christmas Tree. On Christmas Eve is a lovely edition, ideal for any child accustom to longer, more intricate storytelling.

The Snow Must Go On!
by Molly Wigand. Illustrated by Mike Esberg

I picked The Snow Music Go On! up at Hallmark, only $1.99 with my three card purchase. It is a nice little story of the South Pole and the neglect that the residents down there feel, what with Santa, the Elves and reindeer cavorting about up North and getting all the press and publicity. IThe book features an Albatross, so it immediately is cool in my book.

Curious what we suggested last time around? Read about those books here.

To purchase any of the books suggested on OWTK please visit your local independent book seller should one remain in your area. You could also, if you prefer, make an online purchase from Amazon.com or Powells.com and in doing so, support Out With The Kids. Our Amazon and Powells links are located on the right hand side of the page and with a click and a purchase you can keep OWTK chugging along - and enjoy some great children's book in the process. Thanks in advance for the love and happy reading!

Jeff

OWTK 2006 Holiday Gift Guide - Sesame Street Book starring YOUR kids

This product does not come cheap, at $30, but would make an excellent keepsake for your little Sesame Street fan.

A

The Evens

I am thinking about taking Lil' OWTK down to Philly on Wednesday night to see The Evens - the newish Ian MacKaye (Fugazi) and Amy Farina (Warmers) project. I figure it may be the only time she would get to see Mr. Fugazi/Dischord Records. The Evens play some quiet music, so it should be okay for her. Plus, there is a female in the band and that would be cool - she can see that ladies can rock with the boys.

Tickets are $5 (of course) and kids get in free (how cool is that?). Plus she would get to see a show at "The Church", where Daddy once booked some shows himself, in a former life.

The problem is: the show is at 9pm. So we would, at best, be staying for a mere 1/2 hour or so and then she could fall asleep on the drive home.

What to do?

Jeff

...you would even say it glows

The Tigers (my daughter's daycare room, the 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 year old kids, mascot is a Tiger) has been assigned Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and Deck the Halls for the annual, center-wide, Holiday extravaganza. I am proud to announce that she has Rudolph down pat and 1/2 of Deck the Halls - complete with near perfect fa-la-la-la's.

If only I can convince her to go caroling around the neighborhood! We would make a killing in tips!

Jeff

Back to Basics Toys - Archery Set

We received our replacement archery set from Back to Basics Toys yesterday and, like the first, it too was in miserable condition. Upon further examination of the first set, the toy is so incredibly cheap and poorly made. Kids will discard this overpriced contraption within days, if not sooner. If you are considering an kid's archery set for Christmas this year, you will want to look elsewhere.

Jeff