Waterbabies

Waterbabies is the same as regular Coppertone spf 45, only $2 more.


Just look at the active ingredients.





What a crock of poo!

Waking up to Pee

Two nights in a row, our girl has woken herself up just before midnight to make a tinkle. Both mornings, her undies and sheets have been dry.

Bedtime Pull-Ups be gone!

No Tears, Clean Teeth

A very good experience today at the dentist. The office had a very comfy feel and the lobby had a working mechanical rocking horse - which was awesome. If they could figure our how to do the exam on that thing, they would have a goldmine on their hands as kids would be begging to go to the dentist!

Our girl walked out of the office with a bag of goodies. A new toothbrush, a sticker of a big tooth, a sugar free lollipop, a kid-friendly dino-floss thingy and a suction cup dino head that holds a pencil. The take was akin to Halloween!

The Dr. showed her all the equipment being used on a toothy stuffed alligator first and got her comfortable with the fact that he will be working/looking inside her mouth. He started with the cool round mirror tool and then broke out the tooth tickler. She choose grape flavored paste but I did not see him use it at all. He just brushed her teeth with the device, dry. We were in and our in 15 minutes.

Not bad at all, overall, no crying or fits = a good time.

Back in 6 months for another cleaning/exam.

J&J Dino Floss

The Happy Tooth

Today. 10:30 am. The (rescheduled) dentist appointment for the little one. Wish her luck!

______________

After spending the beginning of the week in Memphis, TN for work and eating quite poorly while there (fried catfish, bbq ribs, pulled pork, and tiramisu) I was craving a real home cooked meal with fixins. So last night, I whipped up chicken saltimbocca (chicken breasts pounded out with prosciutto and fontina cheese - normally sage leaves would be there as well but my crappy local store had none), stuffing and corn with a couple slices of fresh Portuguese bread. YUM! My girl told me that "Daddy, you make the best dinners...I love you." So gosh-darn sweet.

Elizabeth Mitchell "You are my Little Bird" CD

Damn this CD is good!

"You are my Little Bird" has drop-kicked Mary Poppins and taken over as the premier bedtime record for my gal. She is in love with the track "Little Bird, Little Bird." Listen to this and four other cuts on Mitchell's website (click Little Bird and then Listen)




Buy the CD digitally from Fisher Price's website for $9.99 (I paid $12 for the actual disc from Amazon.com.)


Seriously, this is one of the most lovely and perfect children's records that has ever come across my ears. Give it a listen and when you agree with me that it is a must-have, pick up a copy.

Listen to Mitchell discuss her music and this release with Melissa Block on NPR.

Gustafer Yellowgold DVD/CD/POSTER Available NOW!

The new DVD (with "Rocket Shoes" and brand new intro) of Gustafer Yellowgold is available now, exclusively at Barnes and Noble and bn.com. The set comes with an audio cd and a poster as well. Go get one for your kid(s) today - it is money well spent!

Additionally, the Gustafer plush doll will be back in stock 5/1/2007! I cannot wait to hand over my $10 and get one for my gal. How awesome!

The Pokey Pup - The Amazon.com of Kid's Music and Movies

What a clever idea. An e-commerce desitination dedicated 100% to connecting parents and their kids to interesting and unique kids music, books and dvds. And it is a great looking site to boot!

Check out The Pokey Pup and their current specials and contests to win free stuff.

• Curious about Michigan? Trivia Contest (win A LOT of stuff, through April 20)

• Terrible Twos "Owl" Contest (win autographed CD and poster, and a stuffed Owl)

• Buy one, get one Enzo Garcia CDs

Buy PLAY the new kid's music compilation from Desoto Records. All the proceeds will be donated to help Cal Robbins, son of J. Robbins (formerly of Jawbox, Burning Airlines). Cal was born with Spinal Muscular Atrophy. and could use our support. Thanks.

Marriott Residence Inn - Clearwater Beach

We enjoyed our stay at the Marriott Residence Inn on Ulmerton Rd in Clearwater/St. Pete. The pool was heated and warmed to about 80 degrees every day and the whirlpool was probably pushing 100, it was smoking hot (but felt quite good in short intervals). The poolside towels, however, were a laughable 2' x 3' - one needed about 4 of them to get just kinda, somewhat dry.

The drive to the Phillies games at Bright House Network Field was an easy one as was the journey from the airport. Those trips were about 10 minutes and 20 minutes each, one way, respectively. The distance between the hotel and the beach, however, was not as simple or fun. My first attempt at this drive had us traveling Rt 688 the length, to Alt Rt 19 to Rt 60. Not good at all. I learned fast and began taking the real route 19 (which is just a couple blocks from the Marriott Residence Inn) all the way to Rt 60 (also the path to the Phillies facility) and then taking that straight into Clearwater Beach and Pier 60. Much much better - about 25 minutes one way.

We had a bi-level suite, which was perfect (since my parents joined us). The place had two king beds, two full baths, a living room and full kitchen with 4 seat table. It was comfortable and somewhat affordable at $249 a night. There is wired, free high speed internet access in each room and wireless in the lobby (where breakfast was served daily and evening reception from M-Thurs). The hotel features a smallish exercise room (two treadmills, a bike and an elliptical) and a Sports court which does double duty as a small tennis court and half-court basketball. Equipment is available to borrow for free from the front desk.

I would both stay here again, and recommend it, especially for Spring Training getaways. Using it as a base for the beach may prove too frustrating as the drive, if you hit traffic you could be pulling your hair out the whole vacation!
(going to the beach seemed terrible around noon-1pm and leaving the beach was backed up around 4pm. we were going the opposite direction most of the time, thank god!)

There is a new Residence Inn being built near the base of the Rt 60 bridge that takes you into Clearwater Beach. The sign said opening in 1Q 2008. This would be a great launching point for Spring Training and the Beach, once it opens. Alternatively, there is a Marriott Suites on Sand Key that offers spacious (500 sq ft) rooms and a package that provides your family with a poolside bungalow for the day (9am to 7pm). In the bungalow there are two chaise lounges, a table with 4 chairs, TV, wireless internet access and a mini-fridge. We are thinking about booking one for a weekend stay in the Fall (imagining how cool it would be to be poolside with college and pro football action so close.)

The Tampa Airport

The Tampa Airport is, by far, the cleanest, most well run airport I have traveled through. I say this after going through the place about 8 times total over the past few years. The bathrooms are just about spotless, always, at least in the Southwest Airlines wing. The train to and from the main terminal is a blast for the little one. The shops inside the main terminal are pretty stellar, especially the Ron Jon Surf Shop. Also around is an Animal art installation. Last year we saw painted manatees and this year it was elephants. A very cool things for the kids to see and spot while walking about or shopping in the airport.

On this trip, we discovered the airport play area. It is a cleverly and simplistically designed little spot in front of gate C 36 (our gate, convienently enough) with three big-metal-looking-but-actually-soft airplanes for kids to play in and climb on. There is also a little slide and a tunnel for babies to crawl through. The area is surrounded by a waist high marble-ish white wall with plush bench seating throughout for road-weary parents. The kids zone is only about 10 yards from those immaculate rest rooms, and a stone's throw away from the Nathan's hot dog vendor - which is also a plus.

Our flight home was uneventful. The little one slept most of the way and the Mrs. and I shared the iPod headphones to listen to the podcast of the most recent episode of This American Life. How nice I am to share - considered I just purchased the new Modest Mouse and Arcade Fire discs and ripped them on to the iPod before we left. I have not yet gotten through either in a single sitting. And I have to confess, I bought them at Target for $9.99 each (I couldn't help myself, I wasn't going to be near AKA Music in Philly for some time and wanted them right away!) and have already sold them on eBay - making back 100% of my money. Not bad at all.

Dolphins!!

From the Phillies game, we headed back to Clearwater Beach to catch the 5pm Dolphin Encounter cruise. They promise dolphin sightings or you get a free additional cruise. Luckily, there was no need for a 2nd outing as we saw so many jumping and playful dolphins on our 1 ¼ hour trip.

Before we left the dock, we were worried. There were only a handful of paying customers on the large boat and we wondered if we chose the wrong cruise line (there are numerous options down there near Pier 60). One that looked cute was called Little Toot. It was very small and was packed, but they did not offer unlimited free drinks – in fact they did not offer any beverages. We had no idea why so many would have selected that boat. What didn't we know?

That little boat played a large role in our journey. We went out into the Gulf and immediately saw a pod of Dolphins. The boat picked up some speed in an effort to entice the animals to dance in our wake. And they did, a bit, but it was not until Little Toot arrived by our side, with it’s smaller waves, that the Dolphins went crazy. They were leaping through the air, one after another. It was a spectacular show. I snapped about 60 photos and these are the best. It is miracle I was even able to capture these, I didn’t even know what I was focused on at times!
What was neat about seeing so many dolphins was that it was made possible by a successful collaboration between our larger vessel and Little Toot. We paralleled each other and created what must have been an amusement park for the dolphins as they were in quite a festive mood. Our Dolphin Encounter captain admitted that he cannot create the type of waves that Little Toot can and that the Dolphins go wild for that tugboat-turned-tour boat.

On our way back to dock, we were supplied with white bread and were encouraged to hold out smallish pieces for the Hitchock-ian flock of swarming birds overhead. It is a bit too much for our little one. She gave it a whirl but was freaked out that the bird touched her fingers when it snapped up the bread.

There are $2 off coupons for the Dolphin Encounter cruise ($19 pp and kids under 4 are free) in every tourist brochure/booklet for the Gulf Coast/Tampa/Clearwater areas. Do try to head out to sea on this boat, timing it for when Little Toot will be sailing as well...and bring extra film or clear space on your memory card beforehand!

Phillies vs. Braves

Arriving just a bit before the scheduled first pitch meant a lot of game day traffic and a far away parking spot (we would have needed a shuttle bus just to get to the shuttle bus!) for the sold out contest between the hometown Phillies and the Atlanta Braves. Brett Myers was scheduled to start today, but because the Fightin' Phils face off with these Braves on opening day in a couple weeks, he was held back (for he will be the starter that day and the club mustn't revel anything!)

Our seats for the game this afternoon were 2 rows from the field, along the left field side. We were baking in the midday Florida sun and only lasted about 2 innings in this prime location. Instead, we walked the concourse, played in the playground (which is not shaded at all) and tried to stay in the shade as much as possible.

The game was pretty darn dull. We saw the normal starting lineup again (Rolling, Utley, Howard, etc.) which was cool but as a team, they had nothing going offensively.

The better show was on the water after the game...and I will tell you about that in the morning. I am sleepy. Goodnight all.

Friday Morning on Clearwater Beach

We couldn't have asked for and received a better morning for hanging out on the beach. We relaxed Gulf-side before the Phillies v. Braves game today. More posts and pics coming later as I play catch up. We have been out all day!

There are, what appears to be, complimentary beach chairs and umbrellas set out all along Clearwater Beach. They are not free. The cost is $12 for 2 hrs or $18 for the day, for a pair of chairs and one source of shade. But, if you get to the beach early enough, like we did, you can use them for free for a few hours - they did not come looking for money until 11:30am, which is just as we were leaving anyway. There is an exclusive OWTK beach tip (haha)!

The big red ship is a Pirate themed cruise. Seems very cool, especially with all the Pirates of the Caribbean movie stuff still fresh in peoples minds and imaginations.

It was a great day, much more later.

Sunset on the beach with my girls

A beautiful sunset is some of the best (and free) entertainment one can experience and we had the distinct pleasure of witnessing (and obsessively photographing) a stellar one tonight on Clearwater Beach. We stood shin deep in water, about 5 paces west of a cool little sand bar (our own private island as far as our little one was concerned) and watched the day draw to a close. Remarkable doesn't quite seem appropriate.

We then had a late and enjoyable dinner at Columbia on Sand Key. I went with the Pompano fish stuffed with crabmeat, shrimp and artichoke hearts and baked in parchment paper. Awesome. After we finished eating out on the deck we relaxed and enjoyed the gulf coast breeze as my girl fell asleep in my arms with my outer layer tee shirt (I always wear two) wrapped around her.

Is there anything better than a child falling asleep in your arms? Yeah, it happening beachfront with a cool wind blowing through your hair.

A good sleep is ahead for all. I am barely awake watching the Ohio St. / Tennessee game.

Until Friday...

BBQ

Our hotel has a manager's reception/happy hour from 5:30-7 each evening (M-Thurs). Tonight was a burger and hot dog cookout, poolside. Quite good. The smell of the grill alone was enough for me, but I indulged in one of each. After the Phillies game (kissing your sister - a Spring Training 10 inning tie), we spent the afternoon napping and swimming. Tonight, we head west to Clearwater Beach to catch the sunset, play in the water and sand, and have a late bite to eat at Columbia (my favorite place from Sarasota also has an outpost here, right on the beach.)

If I get some good pics of the Floridian sunset, you will see them later tonight.

Until then...

Phillies vs. Red Sox

Man, it is hot!

We arrived very early for the game, to get up close to the players while they were warming up and to grab a picnic table along the concourse. After 3hrs in the sun, we fled for the hotel pool (while the little one and her Mommy slept).

I got nice pictures of Chase Utley in mid-swing (he ground into a double play during this at-bat) with Ryan Howard in the foreground and Howard, just before he struck out. I captured Big Papi David Ortiz taking ground balls, ex-Phillie John Kruk (looking quite trim!) speaking with Hall of Fame broadcaster Harry Kalas. The first picture above is of the third base coaches box which has been painted to memorialize John Vukovich - who passed away recently.

The ballpark is as lovely as I remembered it being three years ago. There is a nice size playground for kids (free of charge) and a place to see how fast you can throw (3 tosses for $1).

A Warm Welcome

We have arrived in Florida!

We all hit the beach for a couple hours yesterday afternoon and man was the water cold! There is no way it was 70 degrees, but oddly enough you get used to it after a few minutes. I forgot the camera yesterday. We checked into the spacious Residence Inn bi-level room and rushed right back out to get to the coast and I neglected to grab the camera bag. What a dunce! I missed some unbelievable photo-Ops with daughter and her Grandpop as they frolicked in the chilly Gulf of Mexico.

We are hanging (heated) poolside this morning before heading over to Bright House Networks Field for the Phillies v. Red Sox game. We are going to arrive as the gates open to get seats at the Tiki Bar and watch the players warm up. The pitching matchup today is a decent one, Jamie Moyer against Tim Wakefield. Combined age, roughly 80. We missed Japanese phenom Matsuzaka by one day, he pitched a great game on Wednesday against the Pirates.

I have glued the camera to my hip, so you will see pictures of the game later today.

A Better Offer

Are websites like MySpace, along with the dearth of song-a-day blogs, making the music industry revert back to a more singles-oriented framework and serving to make music disposable? Are we as music fans developing an even shorter attention span for music because every day of the week hundreds of blogs are talking up the "next best thing" and what was cool last week is tired and old in, what seems to be, a matter of minutes?

Zak, formerly of The Two Mirrors music blog, thinks so and has started a new blog with a radically different focus to combat this trend. The site is called A Better Offer and it's goal is to "cover" a single band for about two weeks straight. Yes, he and his cohort will write exclusively about one band for a two week stretch before moving on to a new artist. That is a pretty awesome and unique idea. The first band to get the Better Offer treatment (which, if this idea works, is going to be a pretty great means of exposure for 20 or so lucky indie bands each year) is ARIZONA. Zak loves this band and for good reason, they make some quality rock music. Arizona has provided A Better Offer with some exclusive content to make the launch of the blog something worth checking out.

Head on over there now!

Zak announced his new project on the newest episode of Shifted Sound, a lovely indie rock podcast from Shelby Miller that I was turned on to recently. Zak was the sole guest of the 1 hr program where many music related topics were discussed and great new music from Arizona was debuted, along with cuts from Maria Taylor's new disc.

I hope A Better Offer takes off and becomes the new standard for online music coverage. I would love for the young music lovers to have the experience of really diving deep into a band, their lineage, their catalog, etc.

Florida, here we come!

This trip south couldn't have come at a better time. The weather is insane around here, with frigid temps and ice and snow covering the grass and the unfortunate flowers who thought the Springtime weather was here to stay. Poor little bulbs.

Expect a lot of pictures of baseball and the beach. We don't have too much else on the agenda.

Should be perfect!

Have you seen our Doula?

Ever heard of a Doula?

Me neither, at least not until we hired one to assist with the birth of our daughter three years ago.

To say I was skeptical about handing over hundreds of bucks to someone who would do what sounded an awful lot like my job during the delivery would be an enormous understatement. I mean, what kind of dude would I be if I have a hired gun as my stand-in during the birth of my first child?

A smart dude, as it turns out.

A doula is a great investment, especially for a young family about to have their first child and then give breastfeeding a try. In fact, we liked having a doula around so much - we have contracted ours again for #2 (even though her rates have, like the prices at the pump, risen considerably since 2004)

Our doula met with us before the birth of #1, to document our wishes - specifically, the question of drugs or no-drugs stands out in my mind. My wife was adamant about not receiving an epidural and the doula made sure she knew exactly where we stood on such issues, in case, I guess, I would pass out and my wife would need a gentle reminder of what her pre-pushing-pain intentions were. She met us at the hospital late on March 1st, 2004 and stayed the whole night through - helping my wife with anything and everything. She held her hand and walked her around the maternity ward for hours on end, allowing me to get some sleep (see, it WAS a worthwhile investment!)

She arrived very well prepared, equipped with a big bouncy ball which is supposed to comfort women about to give birth, a cd player/radio, magazines, etc. With our camera, she took pictures of us and the baby.

Afterwards, she put on her lactation consultant hat and paid us a visit at home to see how the Mrs. was doing with breastfeeding. She brought with her a handwritten account of the entire delivery proceedings - it is about 8 pages long and is a pinpoint reflection on the birth of our daughter. She also made her a pillow, stitched with her name and date of birth, for her crib. This was all included in her fee. In general, she was a tremendous asset. I had ZERO regrets about handing over the dough for her to be there for my wife AND me.

That this be a lesson to you boys! Don't be so skeptical at first, give the idea a chance and you, like me, will be pleasantly surprised and quite happy with the decision.

Big Girl Bed

My gal's new room was completed last Sunday. I have yet to take a picture of it, but will do so and share this weekend. We are quite pleased with the results. She calls it her "Paris Room."

She has been in her big kid twin bed all week and for the most part has done well. She is, however, very much enjoying her new found ability to "escape" shortly after saying good night and positively freak us out while we work in the kitchen, sit in the living room, etc.
Makes having that secret late night bowl of Girl Scout Thin Mint ice cream (holy crap is that stuff good!) a bit dicey.

She woke me up this morning with a loud and sharp "BOO!" right in my face. That was both adorable and extremely frightening! She then told me to get up and get ready for work. Ahh, my new, 37 inch boss.

Hey there!

I am fully enveloped in the Madness of March. Looking forward to another full slate of college basketball action today. My own collegiate experience picked up again last night as my classes began anew (perfect timing - right while my Michigan State Spartans were playing. Thank goodness for web enabled cell phones!)

Leaving for sunny Florida in a few days!

Speaking of Sun. I went out to watch the games yesterday in shorts, tee shirt and sandals. I walked into the sports bar and grille with the outside temperature around 70 degrees. 4.5 hours later, I was greeted with a blast of winter and 42 degree temps. March in the Northeast is crazy!

Have a great weekend, y'all.

Beautiful Blogging

OWTK is sitting on the sidelines for a spell.

Looking forward to the NCAA Tournament, our Florida vacation and Springtime. I am writing a lot without posting anything right now, but that should change real soon.

In the meantime, head over to Mind Flakes and read Greg's terrific posts about the birth of his lovely daughter, Abby. Greg's words are heartfelt, tragic and emotional. Most of us have never been on the rollover coaster Greg and his wife Megan rode a couple years ago but we get to feel the sorrow, joy and tremendous love in the story that is slowly unfolding on his new blog. Their daughter is a fighter from birth. She was also the inspiration for this great poem. Thanks.

Feminism Meme

I was tagged over at Bumblebee Sweet Potato, one of my favorite morning reads.

The meme topic: Name your five favorite things about feminism. Hmmm, from a guy's perspective...here we go:

1. Enjoying a foreign language film, a sporting event, a play and shopping for wallpaper and window treatments in the same weekend without comment.
2. The restaurant check being placed in the middle of the table, not handed to me.
3. My wife being promoted while pregnant (and showing).
4. My daughter will be allowed to play ice hockey, soccer or just about any sport she wishes to try AND play with dolls and wear dresses.
5. After a decade of dedication and hard work at the independent drug store that employers her, my mom is allowed to ascend to the role of pharmacist assistant, from part time cashier, with no formal training and no college education. Can't imagine she would have been allowed to do that 20 or 30 years ago.


The tags and a couple more dudes:

Greg at Mind Flakes

Izzy Mom

Phil from A Family Runs Through It

Phantom Scribbler

Brett of Dad Talk

Big Girl Room

So, I have been chronicling our girl's move into a big kid room over at Families.com

The contractor has already been in and out of the house. The ceiling, trim and inside of the closet are painted and the paper hung from the walls with care. The bed and headboard arrived on Thursday afternoon and we picked up the white Hemnes dresser and nightstand from Ikea last night. By the end of the weekend our girl's room will be complete.

Now, where did I put that baby gate...

Amazing how fast her first three years have been. It seems like just yesterday we were moving her from bassinet to crib and today we move from crib to bed. We should start ordering the college applications soon, those days will surely be here before we know it.

Why do the days drag on but the years fly by?

More of Me

I have had a bunch of new stuff published over at Families.com this week.

If you have a moment to spare, check out the following:

A Mission: Impossible style game for older toddlers and kids

I am a Font Junkie

Abacus, Abacus, Abacus

Thanks.

Reporting to Spring Training

In a couple weeks, OWTK is heading down to sunny FLA!

We will be soaking up the rays in Clearwater, the Spring Training home of the Philadelphia Phillies. We have tickets to see two home games at the beautiful Bright House Networks Field (seriously, the place is one of the best ballparks to watch a game.)

The water temp right now is a way-too-cold 62, so we may not be doing much frolicking in the Gulf waters but we will be putting in some serious beach time for sandcastle building!

Look for a few posts "live" from the beach. Maybe, if we are lucky, the Mrs. will recreate her "big pile of sand" that she prefers to remember looking a lot like a whale.

Bright Eyes - 9:30 Club in D.C.

What a great show. What a long drive. I felt old last night as I drove the 2+ hours to the 9:30 Club for an hour and a half show and then made the late-night trek back home - fueled by mini-tastykake chocolate donuts.

Bright Eyes played mostly new tracks - from the Four Winds EP released officially today, and the forthcoming full length offering, Cassadaga. M. Ward joined the band on stage about 5 songs into the set and stayed up there for the rest of the evening. A really awesome surprise for us, since we are huge fans of Mr. Ward.

Conor and Matt traded verses as they played a cut of his, "Lullabye & Exile", from the Transistor Radio record. The band also faithfully covered John Prine's "Crazy as a Loon" from his excellent Fair & Square disc, in addition to a Neva Divona tune.

One of the highlights of the night was a rockin' new track called "Soul Singer in a Session Band"

Good thing we saw them last night, as the big Bright Eyes tour in support of Cassadaga is not stopping in Philly and the seven consecutive New York dates (wow!) are straddling our due date for #2.

Check a video for "Four Winds" here.

It was the second show we have seen in the last four days and another one where a somewhat well-known artist joined the headlining band on stage for a spell. On Friday night, we were in Philly for the Elvis Perkins in Dearland gig at the Tin Angel and Alec Ounsworth of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, who was seated in the first row, popped up and joined the band for a couple tracks.

By the way, if you have not checked out Elvis Perkins yet - do so now. He and his band are excellent.

New Shoes

We, as a family, bought six pairs of shoes this weekend. I can only stake claim to one of them, these rockin' kicks seen here. Rockports. Lovely. I have wanted a shoes like this for a loooong time and finally found the perfect pair.
They are so comfy.
I bought them in Philly and wore them out of the store 'cause I was so excited.



I almost walked into several trash cans, street signs and light poles while on the city streets. I was looking down the whole time, thinking - man, these look great!

We are heading to Florida in a couple weeks, for a splash in the Gulf and a couple Phillies spring training games. Naturally, the gals needed new footwear, dresses, pajamas and other assorted summertime gear to make the trip down south.

A very expensive weekend, all in all.

Oh, the birthday party went well. Someone showed up with Baby Disney Princess merchandise. Not very happy at all. For 3 years and one day we managed to keep that stuff out of the house and her life and there it was - wrapped in princess paper as well, as if the gift itself wasn't enough! Amazing that this individual is not hip enough to what we do as a family to leave the Disney merch on the shelves and try a little harder with a crafty or art related item. Ahh, family.

Happy Birthday Baby

My girl is celebrating her birthday today. What an amazing three years. I continue to be a proud papa of a wonderfully charming little lady.

We are heading out to get burgers and shakes for lunch! Weeeeeeeee!

Happy Birthday Kiddo!

Music for Little Birds: Elizabeth Mitchell - eMusic Review

Back in my pre-Dad days, I really dug the band Ida. Well, I just found out that Elizabeth Mitchell, of that band, is recording and releasing kids' music (who isn't these days?)

The tracks sound as sweet and lovely as Ida. I just ordered it, along with the new DVD edition of Kicking and Screaming (the older one) from Amazon.com (by clicking through Parent Hacks - gotta show some love)

Check it out for yourself. The review was (very well) written by Amy Davis of The Lovely Mrs. Davis fame.

We Heart Music - February 2007

Yes, I know it is March.

I think I am changing the name of the monthly music article to We Heart Music. What do you think?

I do not have much to offer this month despite having obtained so many new cds this year. I have probably listened to more new music over a two month span than I ever have. Here is what I am digging right now, but my girl...not so much:

The Shins "Wincing the Night Away"
An amazing record that does not sink in fully until the 8th (or so) listen. A moody, brooding masterpiece.

Dr. Dog "We All Belong"
I am a bit partial here 'cause Dr. Dog are local boys and nice fellas to boot.. this new record is terrific. Their prior efforts have been nice, albeit messy affairs while their live performances are out of this world (really, one of the best live bands I have ever seen). This record pulls it all together. They are going to be big. Playing Conan O'Brien soon - I feel a sense of pride when it comes to Dr. Dog. Get this record now - click on the iTunes link on the side or get out there and support or local indie record store (and receive a free Dr. Dog 7" for your trouble)

Camera Obscura "Let's Get Out of This Country"
Great album name. I was immediately hooked after hearing "Lloyd, I'm Ready to be Heartbroken" a couple time on KEXP.org. I am trying hard to bring more a female musician presence into the house and this record is a part of that puzzle. Plus, doesn't everything sound better with a Scottish ascent?

Bright Eyes "Four Winds"
A terrific EP. The title track (also on the upcoming new full length) is some of Conor Oberst's best work as a songwriting and vocalist. The 2nd cut, "Reinvent the Wheel" may quite possible be my favorite Bright Eyes tune ever. We are seeing Bright Eyes live in D.C. next Monday - extremely excited.

The Magic Numbers "Those the Brokes"
Another fine effort for these pairs of brothers and sisters. Their first full length was sugary-sweet and this one, while still filled with brilliant hooks and smooth-as-silk vocals, is a bit darker musically. It is a fuller sounding record from start to finish and it quite lovely.

As far as music for my gal, I have been playing the Putumayo Kids New Orleans Playground disc a bunch. An outstanding collection of NOLA flavored tunes from some musical legends, Dr. John, Fats Domino and Frogman Henry among others. Hack Bartholomew's version of "When the Saints go Marchin' in" is terrific. No way a kid does not respond to the 11 songs of N'Orleans jazz included here.

I have also been playing some Doo Wop music for her lately. I really want her to hear those amazing vocal harmonies, something modern music does not really employ at all. "16 Candles", "The Duke of Earl", "In The Jungle", "I Wonder Why" are some of the tracks I got from iTunes. Great music that can probably be had on some compilation/greatest hits cd sitting in a '$4.99 or less' record store bin.