That Just Happened

It's the Mouse's turn!

She's been sick, in a far worse and bizarre way, since Friday afternoon. She has no appetite, sleeps all day yet won't sleep at all (if that makes sense) and is vomiting periodically...like this grade A effort here, which happened about 7 minutes ago. The Mrs. and her Norah Jones tee took the brunt of the peach-applesauce flavored vomit. Yum!

Wall-E

...alright, we're going. OWTK readers may know that I'm no fan of the Disney Corporation but any film that opens "with 45 sublime minutes of almost no dialogue" is something I've got to check out. What a ball-sy move to make a kid's movie that is incredibly nuanced and with what seems like a healthy dose of subtle social-commentary. I went from no-way to genuinely excited in a matter of minutes.

So this is what it's like to be SAHD

If nothing else, the past three days have afforded me the opportunity to discover a slice of the Stay At Home Dad lifestyle. It's remains a big time dream of mine, to be a work at home/stay at home hybrid dad...that would be a WAHSAHHD for those scoring at home.

It's truly been a blast being home with the Bear this week. We did a lot of hanging out in bed playing pretend. I love pretending to be a sleeping baby, sleeping daddy, sleeping big brother, sleeping turtle...you name it and I can pretend being a sleepy version of it. We also did some "science" experiments in the kitchen - mixing baking soda with vinegar to produce cool fizzy fizz, cutting an apple in 1/2 to put one half in the oven and the other in the freeze thus bearing witness to what temperature extremes can do and then playing with the polarity of magnets. After all that we baked chocolate chip cookies and talked about why the batter looked different than it does at Christmastime. I also made her swear to never ever buy pre-made cookie dough when she becomes an adult.

So it would seem as though the Bear's fever broke last night. She got a horrible night's sleep and woke simply warm...not smokin' hot. A considerable improvement. She's been fever free all day today and the culture taken at the Doctor's office yesterday came back negative - so no strep for her. Looks like she'll be back in school tomorrow and my WAHSAHHD fun will come to an end.

During the downtime this week, that would be when the Bear was napping, I finished David Sedaris' new book When You Are Engulfed in Flames. I'm a huge fan of his, having read everything the man has written to date. I liked this new book but it definitely lacks the volume of laugh-out-loud hilarity of prior stories. Still very good though. Now on to finishing Through The Children's Gate.

The Dishwasher and the Sick Bear

At 10:20 this morning my office phone rang. The area code was local but the number didn't ring a bell. That's never a good thing. That kinda call means only one thing - one of my kids has fallen ill and must be collected without delay. Today was the Bear's turn to spend an unexpected day at home. She had a fever of 102 and was asleep on the floor of the school office by the time I arrived.

She spent the remainder of the day in and out of bed, mine and hers, and on the sofa watching Singin' in the Rain.

I, Mr. Productive, on the other hand, used the day as a chance to get caught up on laundry, work on ye olde t-shirt shop and to run then subsequently empty (the worst part) the dishwasher. For the later I usually depend on a fine 7th Generation automatic dishwasher product but have noticed during recent cycles that not all grim is being removed from the dishes, specifically the butter knives and the pint glasses. Soooo, to make a long story short (too late) last week I started to use Cascade Complete. Now, I don't make it a habit to blog about such household items but boy-o-boy the difference between the "green" brand and the conventional is, in this case at least, painfully obvious. While I'm not impressed with the scare-you-to-death warnings the bottle carries I am quite pleased with the results. I just have to be doubly-safe to keep this potential WMD away from the wee-ones.

Oh, I also ran this by my mom (yeah, a 32 year old dude and his mom sometimes chat via the telephone about washing dishes - got a problem with that?) and she chipped-in this helpful nugget of info: Cascade Complete is the only kind of dish washing detergent that doesn't leave a bizarre white film on her real silver utensils...interesting, no?

Got two loads of laundry done too - my stuff along with the kid's clothes. The Mrs. doesn't allow me near her pile, affectionately and accurately named Clothes Mountain, any longer since I destroyed her beautiful yellow $65 Eddie Bauer skirt...after just one wear. I mean seriously, why does anyone buy anything that can't stand up to being dried for an hour or so at 150 degrees?

An evening of rotating between Motrin and Tylenol awaits - oh joy.

Hot Peas 'N Butter Volume 4

You'll quickly notice three things about Hot Peas 'N Butter, the popular children's music group from New York City. First, you will immediately recognize that they have one of the funniest band names in music history. Second, within a few beats you'll understand that Hot Peas 'N Butter play a sizzlin' brand of uplifting Latin-inspired music for kids. Lastly, you'll learn that these guys and gals love making music for the toddler and preschool set. You can hear the ear-to-ear smiles on the band member's faces - they practically leap through the stereo and give you a big hug. When you own a Hot Peas 'N Butter record you become a part of their big extended family, that is the overriding vibe on this wonderful, warm album.

The band is comprised of two core players, one from Brooklyn via Belgium (Danny) and the other from the Bronx by way of Puerto Rico (Frank). It's no surprise then that the Hot Peas 'N Butter sound is as culturally rich and musically diverse as their own geographical paths.

Hot Peas 'N Butter deftly mix grown-up music with child-friendly lyrics as a means of creating an authentic Latin-blues-rock sound that the entire family can enjoy together. The music is high quality studio work without ever feeling slick. There is an honest, organic feel to the production of Hot Peas 'N Butter Volume 4.

What I love most about good kid's music is the ability for it to transcend age and place. A quality kiddie record will sound as good at home during dinner as it will in the car on a road trip. Hot Peas 'N Butter Volume 4 is so enjoyable musically that you can pop it in at any moment and make whoever is within earshot instantly happy.

Listening to bilingual cuts like "Somos Familia" and "Ocho Candelikas" will transport your family to a Carribean island but then expect to be whisked away to Beale St. in Memphis for "Jam House Blues". Hot Peas 'N Butter are capable of some soothing and beautiful lullaby-ish melodies as well, as evident on the sweet "Beautiful Dream", the touching "Time to Fly" and the smokey "In Belgian Rain" - a solo guitar piece sung by Michael Lapidus. The family affair continues on my favorite track "Peggy-O", a traditional tune sung by Susan Lapidus.

Watch the video for "Different Spokes for Different Folks" and sample all the cuts from the new disc.

Hurry over to their website to purchase the new CD and then make plans to catch Hot Peas 'N Butter live this summer!

Winner of Books

Congrats to Lindsey! She has won 4 awesome kid's books. Thanks to all for entering the giveaway...stay tuned for more of 'em.

Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road Road

That's not a question. It's also not a type-o.

Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road Road is one of the clever fictitious street names that decorate Tabby Road, the new Recess Monkey record (to be released on July 15th). If album art is any indication of the kind of music that waits inside then Recess Monkey is quirky, creative and goofy yet detail-oriented and refined.

Such a paradox often delivers, be it in an individual's personality or as is the case here in the artist output of a talented group of musicians, fascinating results - far more so than an individual or band who looks silly, acts silly and writes silly songs. That act could then simply be defined as, well, silly. Those cool cats who present themselves in a more diverse light tend to have a complexity and a depth to them that not only intrigues but also endears them to the hearts and minds of others.

Such is the case with Recess Monkey. Their desire to showcase a playfulness along side their craftsmanship speak volumes about the type of people and the type of band they are.

They've created a whole city, in detailed map form anyway, for the Tabby Road artwork and have crafted a clean, fun Beatles ala Ben Fold's Five vibe on the 17 tracks that comprise this highly-contagious new effort.

Recess Monkey have a lot going for them. The have the coolest band logo in kiddie rock. They're from Seattle, one of the more picturesque and interesting cities in the U.S, and they have written one of the best songs of 2008. S-L-Double E-P-Over feels like a Shins song, you know...if the Shins wrote music for kids with lyrics that were linear and on-the-surface-meaningful. It's the catchiest damn thing you'll hear this summer.

Listen to numerous cuts, including S-L-Double E-P-Over, Kitty Sister and more

Recess Monkey is a trio of dudes who, when not inspiring young people through their witty brit-pop inspired kindie (the marriage of "kids" and "indie") rock, are inspiring them in an educational manner of speaking via a very cool independent elementary school in Seattle where they all teach.

Tabby Road, Recess Monkey's 4th album, is highly recommended for fans of the aforementioned Ben Folds, The Beatles, The Shins and children's act Justin Roberts.

Catch Recess Monkey on tour this summer, including a special Monday afternoon performance at World Cafe Live in Philly on July 28th.

Pre-order your copy of Tabby Road today!

What I Was Doing A Decade Ago

As you may or may not know, some 10 years ago I ran an indie rock record label that went on to release a total of five records (3 vinyl and 2 cd). The label was called MindWalk and I started it, in large part, because of a trio called drill for absentee.

Sarge, the hardcore Phillies fan who also banged on the drums in the late-great Philly (not emo, god damnit) math rock band drill for absentee, recently spliced out the individual ditties from the band's only recorded live performace (it was the first thing I'd ever tried to videotape) and uploaded these noisy, grainy gems to You Tube. The show took place on June 12th 1996, upstairs at The Khyber Pass Pub (now simply called The Khyber) on 2nd street in Olde City Philadelphia. The venue, years later, would host the one and only "MindWalk Records Night" featuring drill for absentee, North and The Gilroys. It was one of the coolest experiences to have, at the time, the coolest rock venue/bar in town advertising a night dedicated to my little label.

Anyway, check out what I was doing as a 19 year old living downtown...



A little more than a year later the band and I would release this song called "This Process Will Make Chicago Wave It's Little Hand" (recorded much, much better of course in a studio) on a 7" piece of vinyl. That was MindWalk 01, the first of five releases under my label's moniker. Believe it or not, that record is out of print but can still be sampled and purchased on iTunes and most other digital music providers. Check it out if you like Fugazi, June of 44, Slint, Hoover and other kick-ass math-rock, post-punk, soft/loud rock music. DFA's "Circle Music" 5 song CD (MW04) is still available if you would like to pick up a copy (the artwork is pretty awesome - that is the handmade cover of the CD jacket at the top of this post).

Panic at the Field Trip

***Thursday P.M. Update***
The pearl is in the wiver! Umm, yeah. The Bear is back at school. She and we have survived field trip numero uno. This was the first day of many more to come of our little girl venturing out into the world with nary a family member in site. Something tells me things will never quite be exactly the same. Not to be a drama queen but I'm tearing up a bit right now.

Yesterday was day one of summer camp for the Bear and the Mouse. The school remains the same but the program shifts to more a outdoorsy, relaxed and carefree curriculum. Last summer's camp, the Bear's 1st at this school, was a hoot. Days filled with magicians, musical guests and lots and lots of sprinkler play.
The big change from this year to last? As a 4 year old camper, the Bear will now be embarking on field trips, one per week, with her classmates and teachers on a real school bus.

To be sure, relaxed and carefree do not describe my approach to Summer Camp '08. No, no the words dread, panic and anxiety would be far more fitting.

This Thursday the class ventures away from the friendly confines for the first time and I'm certain that I'll have some giant-sized butterflies, as Justin Roberts would say, to contend with until I learn that the Bear has been safely deposited back in her classroom.

It's not just that she'll be in a moving vehicle with someone whose driving skills are unknown to me, but that she'll be interacting socially with other children. Granted, these are the same children she spends every Mon-Thurs with, but the settings will change and what will that mean to conversation and the type of interaction she'll be engaging in from this point forward? Ack, I can't wait for the summer to be over.

People scare me.

In so many ways I long to be a hermit, burrowed in a cozy cave with my family, my Macbook and strong wi-fi connection.

A Kindergarten Wish

Last week was graduation week. Not for the Bear, but for her older classmates - those lucky souls who, thanks to the timing of their birthdays, will be 5 years old before September 1st. They are moving on to the big K - Kindergarten. The Bear was not pleased. She knows she's smart enough and ready to move on from her Pre-K class and move out of her current school into a new, more challenging environment. But, seeing as how she just turned 4 in March she is scheduled to be stuck in her same classroom for another school year - thanks to a PA state mandate. As frustrating as that may be, at least we don't have to deal with this.

We told her that we could pay for private (non-public school) Kindergarten for 1 year before moving to yet another new school for the start of 1st grade - hopefully a public charter nearby. She says she wouldn't mind switching schools twice in two years (who is this girl that doesn't care about being the new kid in back to back years?)

So now we search for an '08-'09 K option, hoping the place we find 1) has an opening on short notice 2) is close by and 3) doesn't cost a small fortune.

Don't forget...
Only two more days to enter for a chance to win 4 terrific kid's books!

Peeing on a Schedule

tick, tock, tick, tock...time to pee! Since the Bear's negative UTI results last week we have had her on a strict 2 hour pee regiment and guess what? It's been working, magnificently actually. She tries every couple hours at home and wears a watch at school to help remind her to do the same while there. She's been dry for a week straight and has been surprisingly complicit with the program from the start. Seems my little lady has accepted that she needs this level of assistance in the potty dept. and doesn't bother putting up a fight when the time comes to sit on the john for a try. The Mrs. and I are pleased, the Bear is proud and all is right in the OWTK house. Oh joyous day!

Only three days left for your chance to win 4 terrific kid's books!

Taking Dad to Outback

Many, many Dads (and their families) love the down under atmosphere and cuisine of Outback Steakhouse. While I'm not one of those mates, I can certainly still appreciate a good deal when I see one. So if your papa or hubby is a proud bloomin' onion lovin' carnivore, consider taking him to Outback on Sunday - for Father's Day.
Why? Because the Aussie chop shop is offering a $10 certificate good for a future visit (between 6/18 and 7/20 of this year) when you dine there with dad on June 15th.
Padre will need to activate the $10 certificate online here and in doing so will also be entered into a drawing for a cool $100 Outback gift card - now that will buy A LOT of meat!

We Still Know How to Read! and a Giveaway!

Whoa! We still know how to read in this house. Yes, it's true. Despite not posting a book review in months the OWTK household still receives and reads (and thinks about reviewing) dozens of books each quarter. Here are some of the best that we're flippin' through right now. And at the bottom, there's a little giveaway. One lucky OWTK reader will end up with some cool kid's-lit.

Manfish: A Story of Jacques Cousteau
by Jennifer Berne
Illustrated by Eric Puybaret
A story of conservation and passionate exploration centering around the young Jacques Cousteau. Manfish utilizes flowing, conversational text that sounds brilliant read aloud (at least when the Mrs. reads it) and pairs that with striking paintings that invite children (and their parents) into Cousteau's France and under his sea. We swim along with Rays, Sharks and Turtles as we learn about Jacques love of both film and the ocean's underworld. A very useful Author's Notes section at the conclusion of the book points interested readers to other avenues where one can learn much more about the famous Cousteau, his books, films and conservation efforts. It would've been swell to include a DVD with the book to see some of his footage. I know that the Bear would have jumped at the chance to immediately follow up the reading with some real underwater scenes starring the Manfish himself. One tiny drawback is the dark text on a few dark pages in the center of the book which makes it tough to read at bedtime when the lights are dimmed. Otherwise, this is a quality work that is capable of makeing both 4 year olds and 32 years olds want to learn more about the great oceanographer Jacques Cousteau.

Dahlia
by Barbara McClintock
I found Dahila through a serious of clicks after the new Adele & Simon book (also a McClintock work) teased me with it's prominent placement on my cookies-enabled personalized Amazon.com page. Dahlia was a classic internet impulse purchase but one that has ended up being so rewarding, much more so than the slightly perverse brick and mortar equivilant of picking up the latest US Weekly while you check out at the grocery store
Dahila is, just like Adele & Simon, a tremendous period-piece-esque work of childhood fiction. The story is a must own for anyone with a young daughter. Whether a fairy princess or not, your little lady will fall hard for this charming tale of Charlotte, a Victorian-era tomboy (she still appears dressed to the nines as per the time, which makes the story work so well) who prefers bird's nests to tea parties and would rather her hands be covered in mud than silk. When a fragile, frilly doll arrives unexpectedly Charlotte explains the way she and her stuffed teddy Bruno operate before they embark on their normal day of tree climbing and stone planting. Dahlia is illustrated with such care and grace - the art alone is worthy of a gallery showing. This is the perfect edition for grandmother's, especially those who fondly recall a more proper era, to read to their precious granddaughters...but really this is, much more simply put, a nearly perfect children's book.

Little Pea

Little Hoot
by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
Illustrated by Jen Corace
A garden pea that is forced to eat candy to grow big and strong. A young owl made to stay up far too late in order to become old and wise. Clever turn-the-table tales that has the makings of a mini-franchise that, hopefully, can stick to it's formula without becoming a mind-numbing money grab (see: If You Give A Writer A Dollar). These are two cute little stories, even the size and square shape of the books is neat, with fun & simplistic (not at all in a bad way) illustrations that match the playfulness of the text perfectly. It's really cool to watch the mind of a young child as he or she navigates the play on themes here - eat your candy before veggies and play a bit longer before bedtime. To see them work out how backwards that is rather adorable, because it inevitably ends with a wry smile and a "what a gosh-darn minute" glance up at you while you read to them.

***********************************
The OWTK Spring Book Giveaway
Leave a comment here before 11:59pm ET on Tuesday June 17th, 2008 and you'll have a good chance to score all four of these fine books. Yes, that's right...all 4!!
How cool is that? Just a little summertime reading love from your friends at Out With The Kids.

Dance Your Cares Away!

The Bear just started watching Fraggle Rock, undeniably one of the coolest shows of all time. hey, did you hear that they're making a new live-action full length feature Fraggle Rock film, due in '09?






Next up? She'll be bouncin' here and there and everywhere with...The Gummi Bears!

Urine and the Stanley Cup

The Mrs. and the Bear are on the way back from the Doc. The Bear's wet undies continue and we decided to get her checked for a Urinary Track Infection (UTI). Fortunately we were able to get a same day appointment. We'll know tomorrow morn if she has a UTI - no new is good news in these situations, so I'm hoping that phone don't ring.

The Red Wings won Lord Stanley's Cup on Wednesday night. I'm still on cloud nine as a sports fan. I can't believe I've been privileged enough to witness my favorite team win four championships especially when you consider that my hometown team is in the midst of a well-publicized 25 year/100 season drought.



What the insanely dramatic ending to the Red Wings 4th Cup in the last 11 years.

Here's a few adult music recommendations for anyone looking for something new and interesting to listen to right now:

The Felice Brothers s/t (Team Love Records) - imagine Dylan 35 years ago. Awesome stuff. Check out "Frankie's Gun" and "Wonderful Life".

Fleet Foxes s/t (Sub Pop ) - imagine My Morning Jacket 6 years ago. Music to chill too with beautiful harmonies. Stream the whole damn album here.

I have a ton of new kid's music to get through and review here along with the big giveaway I've been teasing-up for what seems like a month now.

New Adele & Simon Book due August 5th!

Adele & Simon, the original, is one of my top 5 kid's books ever. Naturally then, my eyes bugged out of my head (yeah, I'm kind of a geek to get so excited about a kid's book) when I stumbled over the Adele & Simon in America Amazon.com pre-order offer while I was purchasing Dahlia, also by Barbara McClintock.

It's still a couple months away from the release date but if you pre-order now it will only cost you a touch more than $11 for what will undoubtedly be a gorgeously written and illustrated hardback book.

Nothing But Net

When I started at my day job, some 9 years ago I befriended another corporate newbie named Lynda Commale. She eventually left the firm for much more important goals, like starting a family and now, for the past two years or so, to raise money for Nothing But Nets. With her amazing 7 year old daughter Katherine, they have championed this wonderful program that aims to provide every African child with protection from malaria in the form of a simple mosquito net. These nets can potentially save their life...all for only $10! One net can last a family for up to 4 years!

OWTK just donated $50 (or 5 nets) and I encourage you and your child to look into this effort and consider purchasing a net for a child in Africa. 100% of your donation will go to this effort - not a penny will wander away for administrative costs!

It's a great way to start a philanthropic endeavor with your kids because the result impacts other children...it's a no-brainer!

Read about Lynda and Katherine in the Philadelphia Inquirer and the New York Times. Then visit their site and plop down a ten spot.

Frances England "Family Tree" CD Giveaway Winner!

Congrats to Lisa! You have won the new Frances England record!

Enjoy the music and thanks for reading OWTK.

A big giveaway coming later this week...stay tuned!

I'm a Big Shmuck

While I rarely discuss it here on OWTK, I live and breathe Detroit Red Wings hockey. In fact, next year will mark my 20th year as fan of the Winged Wheel. I've been to a pair of regular reason games (both wins) over the past 19 years (I think sometime in 1995 and then again 1997, when I also got to see a Michigan State Spartans football game - when they pounded Penn State and had two RBs go for over 200 yards each). When I was younger, I wouldn't go to sleep until I knew the final score of their game...even if they were on the west coast. I lived in my parent's basement watching ESPN2 back when it was nicknamed "the deuce". ESPN2 served as hockey central back then and was my portal to the Red Wings as least once a week, or so it seemed.

Anyway, I never saw a Wings playoff game despite them winning the Cup just 2.5 hours South of me in D.C. in the mid-nineties and playing 2 Stanley Cup Finals games in Philly when they swept the Flyers the year prior. Then, if that wasn't bad enough, in 2002 when they won the Cup on home ice in game 5 against the Carolina Hurricanes I happened to be in Dayton, OH (just a few hours South of Detroit) for the day job. Instead of driving up and scalping a ticket to watch them hoist the Cup I sat in a hotel room alone watching it on a crappy little TV. At that moment I vowed to never pass on the chance to see them win the Cup should they be in the position to do it on home ice. Well, wouldn't you know it that I wussed out once again and passed on the chance to be in the Motor City tonight for what will likely be the Cup clinching win against the Penguins. I could have bought a standing room ticket for $330 (a bit much, yes, but it's the Stanley Cup!) late Saturday night after they beat Pittsburgh in game 4, flown to Columbus and drove up for relatively cheap (on 2 days notice). The use of Columbus, OH would also have helped rectify my prior central Ohio screw-up 6 years ago.

But no, I hesitated, even as the Mrs. was pleading with me to just buy the damn ticket and figure out the transportation later. Because I delayed, I lost the chance to get the ticket at that "low" price. Now they are $600 each and I can't get a flight that will ensure my arrival before the puck drops.

I can't believe I'm not going to be inside Joe Louis Arena tonight. I suck so bad.