Justin Roberts and The Little Dancer

Tomorrow, the OWTK gang heads to our Nation's Capital for the Justin Roberts show (w/ the full band!) at National Geographic Live!

We will also be hitting the National Galley of Art to check out Degas' Little Dancer Aged Fourteen statue. Thanks to the awesome Laurence Anholt book on the subject, the Bear is extremely excited for the chance to see the statue in person. We own a fair amount of books about art and artists. Not that we are avid art lovers, we simply try to appreciate the works even if we are not always 100% clear on what makes them so special/famous/important/etc.

Assuming I can find the time next week, I will present some of the best kiddie art/artist books that we enjoy. Maybe your little painters/playdoh artists and such will find them delightful in their stocking later next month. Look for a cool giveaway in conjunction with this piece...something that will make a rather cool toddler Christmas gift.

The formula for a stressed out wife

After 18 months of successful breastfeeding and pumping, spread across two kids, our little Mouse received 2 oz of Earth's Best Organic Formula this afternoon and 4 more this evening at bedtime. The Mrs' milk production has slowed to the point where we have no choice but to supplement with the fake stuff. She is really broken up about it. Her ability to, up to this point, be the sole source of nutritious milk for her girls has been a sense of pride for her. So it is a bit of a defeat to admit that she needs help, in the form of formula, to feed her baby. A tough day in the OWTK household. The silver lining is that she can relax now and maybe the milk will flow better because she doesn't need to push herself and sweat it so much.

Top Fifteen Records of 2007

Coming on the heels of the great Fids and Kamily Awards of 2007...I present to you my top 15 records of 2007. Many of these albums have tracks ideal for the kids in your life, but that is just a coincidence. And away we go...

1) "The Stage Names" - Okkervil River
2) "The Broken String" - Bishop Allen
3) "Anytown Graffeti" - Pela
4) "Ash Wednesday" - Elvis Perkins
5) "Boxer" - The National
6) "Hoots and Hellmouth" - Hoots and Hellmouth
7) "The Flying Club Cup" - Beirut
8) "Emotionalism" - The Avett Brothers
9) "In Rainbows" - Radiohead
10) "The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter" - Josh Ritter
11) "Wincing the Night Away" - The Shins
12) "Two Gallants" - Two Gallants
13) "Reichenbach Falls" Ravens & Chimes
14) "Neon Bible" - Arcade Fire
15) "Cassadaga" - Bright Eyes

Happy Thanksgiving

I hope you all enjoy time with friends and family (and the NFL) today. OWTK is officially on holiday in Clearwater Beach, FL and I have no plans to post between now and next week.

Gobble, Gobble!

OWTK's Top Ten Tunes of 2007

The 2007 Fids and Kamily Awards are being announced Saturday morning on the fine Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child podcast and subsequently will be available for viewing on the Fids and Kamily website. Here is the top ten list I submitted:

1. "Have You Never Been Yellow?" - Gustafer Yellowgold (Read my review of the year's best record)
   
2. "Everybody Plays Air Guitar" - Joe McDermott (read my review of the 2nd best record)
   
3. "If You Ever See An Owl?" - The Terrible Twos
4. "Charlie Davidson's Tricycle Club" - Parker Bent
5. "Changing Skies" - The Jellydots
6. "New Orleans Playground" - Putumayo Kids
7. "Napper's Delight" - Dean Jones
8. "The Ballad of Phineas McBoof" - Doctor Noize (read my review here)
   
9. "Best Friends" - Ellen & Matt
10. "Rock the House" - Ernie and Neal

I thought it might also be fun to compile a list of the ten best songs of 2007. Most of the cuts here do indeed appear on records I submitted to Fids and Kamily.

1. "Pinecone Lovely" from "Have You Never Been Yellow" by Gustafer Yellowgold
2. "Remember Me" from "Changing Skies" by The Jellydots
3. "The Mustard Slugs" from "Have You Never Been Yellow" by Gustafer Yellowgold
4. "Math Stomp" from "If You Ever See An Owl" by The Terrible Twos
5. "Roller Coaster" from "Everyone Plays Air Guitar" by Joe McDermott
6. "Hermit Crab" from Napper's Delight by Dean Jones
7. "The Littlest Birds" from "Putumayo Kids: Animal Playground" by The Be Good Tanya's
8. "I Love A Rainy Day" from "Charlie Davidson's Tricycle Club" by Parker Bent
9. "When the Saints go Marching in" from "New Orleans Playground" by Hank Bartholomew (Putumayo Kids)
10. "Grow Little Flower" from Napper's Delight by Dean Jones (featuring Elizabeth Mitchell)
11. "Like Castanets" from "The Broken String" by Bishop Allen (ok - not a "kid's song" but it is the song of the year and there is no way your kids won't be dancing along)
    

Being a part of this year's Fids and Kamily Awards was a lot of fun. As a result, I think I am going to put together a couple more top ten lists...maybe "adult music" and kid's books. Look for those over the next couple weeks.

The Best Kiddie Rock and Thanksgiving on the Beach

I am very excited to announce that I will be writing the blurb for the #1 Kid's record of 2007 on Fids and Kamily...can't yet tell you what that album is but when you see it declared on Saturday morning (11/17) you will get to read why I voted it my favorite disc of this year.

Also, in one week my gang will be celebrating Turkey Day on the beach. We are heading to Clearwater Beach for a very long weekend, joining the masses traveling on Wednesday 11/21. This is our first proper vacation of the year and the Mouse's first aviation experience. Hopefully the Bear, a wily veteran of the friendly skies, will assist in keeping her sis happy and entertained for the 2 hour journey.

The weekend after Florida, we will be in D.C. for the Justin Roberts show and to see Degas' Little Dancer sculpture at the National Gallery of Art. The Bear is in love with a collection of Laurence Anholt books about Picasso, Van Gogh and Edgar Degas. With any luck, y'all get a big phat art galley/art book review and maybe, just maybe, even a giveaway - just in time for Christmastime!

Olive the Other Reindeer

A new, deluxe edition of Olive the Other Reindeer has been released to celebrate it's 10th anniversary. I reviewed this pimped-out version today over at Families.com. Read it here.

The Fids and Kamily Best of 2007 Kid's Music List appears to be going live on 11/17. I am quite excited to see how many of my favorites end up on the eventual list. After the final results are published, I will release my ballot to y'all.

Bagel's Lucky Hat

Check out my review of Bagel's Lucky Hat over at Families.com

If Halloween were ahead of us, instead of in the rear view mirror ,I am pretty sure we would be dressing as Bagel, Becky, Norb and Gillestbo. What an awesome book. Go get it today and enjoy a great read with stellar illustration.

Fids and Kamily 2007 Best of Kid's Music Poll (or why I'm not writing)

I'm an official judge in this year's Fids and Kamily Poll. Listening to a ton of new kid's tunes this past week as well as diving back into the "older stuff" (from earlier this year) to compile my best 10 kid's records of 2007.

Also keeping me from writing is the enormous amount of construction taking place at my humble abode. The old garage and playroom are being rebuilt, the master bathroom is gutted and being rebuilt and a couple other things in various stages of (not) doneness. The place is an absolute mess, as is our financial picture, and I can't focus or sit down and relax long enough to muster a post here or at families.com.

But, this will change soon (I hope!) Until then...be well y'all.

Maybe in December

So much for those rock-n-roll plans...The Decemberist's have just canceled the remainder of their "Long of it, Short of it" Tour. We were literally on our way out the door to drop the girls off at my folks and head up to NYC for the 1st of a two night stay at Terminal 5. Thank god for the Internet, email and my trusty iPhone. All those technological wonders saved us from a loooong commute and an incredibly frustrating non-concert going experience.

Have no fear! The Mrs. and I will still get a night out together...instead of the big apple, we will have a nice dinner in Philly and see Before the Devil Knows You're Dead starring my favorite actor, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, tomorrow evening. Also in the Sidney Lumet picture are Ethan Hawke and Brian O'Byrne - both of whom we recently saw on stage in The Coast of Utopia.