Sappy Stuff is Cancelled

 I drew this cartoon over a year ago and never posted it.

Little Bro is about to turn 8, and Big Bro is a borderline tween. One is halfway to driving and the other is halfway to adulthood. ACK.

I hereby cancel any books, songs, shows and memes that remind me of how short a time we have with our kids as kids and how quickly they grow up. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Google Photos' Auto-Generated "They Grow Up So Fast" slide shows of your kids over time, set to sentimental music.
• Memes about our houses being clean one day... and quiet and empty and lonely and sad (!).  Or how you only have 18 summers or Christmases or however many Saturdays, so don't waste any on practical stuff like groceries or cleaning the garage or whatever.
• Love you Forever by Robert Munsch (aside: not creepy BTW, so knock it off. All of Munsch's books have over-the-top plot twists, even the sentimental ones. Kids no more think their mom will crawl up a ladder into their grown-men bedrooms at night than they'll be attacked by a sentient mud puddle. I do wonder how the mom seems to age about 60 years in the book, though).
• The song Forever Now by Michael Bublé, with the time-lapsed kid's room going from baby to child to teen to moving boxes in four minutes). Darn you, Bublé, How is he not a blubbering mess by the end?
• That stupid scene in Toy Story 3 when Andy moves out.

I do continue to look forward to each new phase. Just stop making my face leak so much in the meantime.

Working from Home... With Kids

Hi folks, Long time no see.

Hope all is well during the COVID-19 social distancing measures. Those of you fortunate enough to work from home... how are you finding it with kids?

There's a reason I use the text chat feature instead of the mic. 

New 'do... or Not

Other than my brief Meg Ryan "You've Got Mail" duck-butt haircut phase in my early 20s, my haircuts haven't been too wild and crazy. Usually I keep it on the longer side. Versatility and so on.

Sometimes I think, hey, maybe I should cut it shorter for a change. Recently, I brainstormed what I might ask for at the next appointment to, you know, mix it up a bit.

Then later that week, we were getting dressed to go outside. My hair was tucked in my scarf. My observant son pipes up:

So in conclusion, at the next appointment I will be requesting the usual quarter-inch trim.

Daily Recap

I went back to work this year after over 7 years at home with the kids (hence my recent lack of cartoons; I don't know which end is up these days), so the kids were off to school. I'm up at 5:30 a.m. so I can finish in time to see my boys' shining faces at the dismissal bell.

I'm always anxious to hear how their day went. What did they learn? Who did they play with? What new skill did they pick up? What new discoveries were made, what new books read, etc.?

LOL JK. Kids don't share those things.

When I was a teacher, I used to think I was doing all this cool stuff with the students, and the parents would tell me all their kid recalled about their day was that "Ms. P. is so tall, she can touch the ceiling". Well that's great, kids. I'm glad to see all that all those evenings spent prepping activities paid off.

*Sniff* you never know how the impact you'll have on a child, truly. 

As for my kids, we're into April and pretty much every recap I get is entirely lineup politics. 

If anything interesting happened in the day, the dismissal lineup wipes it from memory. etiquette, fairness, glory, etc. You gotta save face if you don't get your preferred spot... (That is why "First is the worst, second is the best, third is the one with the hairy chest" was invented. Keep that zinger in your pocket for the next time someone butts in front of you at the grocery store)

So that's their daily takeaway. I have no idea what they do in school. Maybe one day I'll get to hear about super cool Science experiments and new French vocabulary, but not today, I guess.  

Who Would Win?

Quick! Look at these two tanks, and tell me...

Which one do you think is stronger?
Which one do you think will WIN?

Did you say the blue one because it has a bigger cannon? Or the red one because it has a BUNCH of cannons? Is one of them the bad guy, and do you take that into account? What about which has the more mad face?... Answer fast, because there is a right answer, and the artist knows what it is.

I get ambushed daily by my six-year-old with pairs of drawings or toy vehicles or superheroes, and I get a pop quiz where I have three seconds to deduce which would win; which is stronger; which one is faster; which one is scarier. The stress!

On a related note, I see in the book orders the kids bring home that there's a whole "Who Would Win?" series. featuring various pairs of fierce animals facing off. I bet that author had (or was) a kid like mine.

The Latest Groovy Joe Installment

When I like a song and can't make out the lyrics, I Google them so I don't make a fool of myself, even if there's no one else around to hear.

Kids, though, they'll just belt it right out whether or not their understood lyrics are even words. Oh, to have that confidence. 

Kids love singing and music. How do you get the attention of a rowdy class of kids?  How do kids learn the months of the year, days of the week, or rituals that aren't fun but maybe are a bit if you add a song? (I'm looking at you, Barney's "Clean Up"). Songs! That's how.

(Maybe I need a song that makes a game of emptying the recycling, a la Mary Poppins. Something like 'sorting plastic something something fantastic'. I'll let you know how it goes.)

Recently, I received a copy of Eric Litwin's latest book, If You're Groovy and you Know It, Hug a Friend. As with the previous books, Litwin gets children's attention using music and repetition.

The new book features Groovy Joe, previously seen in Groovy Joe: Ice Cream and Dinosaurs, and Groovy Joe: Dance Party Countdown. Joe is interacting with his animal friends and the world around him with his usual positive outlook on life. 

As with any of Litwin's books,  It's a book that a young child could easily "read", using the predictable text and Tom Lichtenheld's appealing drawings. As always, checking out the song online adds to the experience. 

All of Litwin's books can be found here. Perfect for when the kids want to belt out some songs... and build their reading skills while they're at it. In this instance, they'll even know the words. 

Weeee... or Not

As kids, my brother and I would play that game where you put your forehead on the end of an upright baseball bat, go around it seven times and let the hilarity commence as we stumbled dizzily around the lawn. Then we'd do it again.

Now that I'm an adult, all I have to do is watch the kids spinning at the park, and I want to barf. They can whip around and around, laughing all the while, but I can't even do a cartwheel without being in the fetal position for 20 minutes afterward.

Luckily I'm not called upon to do cartwheels often, but still.

Also, might I say that nothing makes you feel cooler than commiserating with a bunch of other adults about how stuff you used to like now makes you nauseated. No more "all you can ride" bracelets at the fair for us; everything is too high or moves too much.

Meanwhile, I just have to avert my eyes when the kids get going... from the comfort of my stationary park bench.

Any Questions?

"Does anyone have any questions for us?"

Oh boy.

That's usually what we hear at the end of a children's workshop, storytime, performance or presentation. Maybe we've just finished a tour at the Humane Society, or listened to a lovely theatre performance.

Surely the kids must be brimming with questions for the performers! Surely they want more detail on something inspiring that was just explained to them!

They are excited, alright. Excited to tell you how this all relates to their own lives.

I've taught Kindergaten long enough and taken the kids on enough homeschool workshops to know "any questions" is universally interpreted as "and now you may tell something neat about yourself that may or may not be related to the past 45 minutes". Perhaps they have the same scissors at their house! Or were a baby once! Then all their friends need to also chime in to say that, ooh ooh, they, too, were babies once! Then mayhem ensues.

Any time I've insisted that they can raise their hands only for questions, they have to get creative.

Ah well, it's a start. They're participating.

Machine de Cirque at the OICF

I was delighted to be invited for the fourth year in a row to bring my family to a show at the Ottawa International Children's Festival. This year was the 33rd for the festival, which celebrates the best in live performing arts for children.

In addition to the myriad activities for kids on the grounds, the variety of top-notch shows from around the world makes the festival second to none. This year we saw Machine de Cirque, a five-man acrobatic troupe from Québec City. The premise of the show is that they are the only people left in a post-apocalyptic world and have to survive on ingenuity and spare parts. The set includes a two-storey high scaffold equipped with trap doors, sliding panels, pulleys and trapezes. There are poles, cycles and a teeterboard as well.

The performers climbed, flipped and held each other up like it was effortless. So many times I was thinking "I don't know where to look" because there were so many acrobatic feats being performed at once. The crowd would burst out in laughter, and I'd realized I'd missed something.

Other times I was thinking of the precision and coordination required; how any one performer's high-risk act required the other four to be exactly on cue in order to avoid catastrophe, which was stunning on its own. One false move and someone's on his face.

Thirdly, I had remind myself every so often that the accompanying music wasn't a pre-recorded sound track, but was actually being played by one of the performers using items like tubes, drums (with juggling pins for sticks), buckets, a keyboard (I think?) and a giant pan flute he whacked with a paddle, often while simultaneously contributing to the visual comedy. The music added to the suspense and humour.

And humourous it was. The kids' minds were blown every time they thought the consecutive unicycles couldn't get any taller, but they DID. There was also a mock date scene that involved bringing my neighbour up on stage, and let's just say I've never seen people play the roles of the stage props quite like this. (You had to be there, I think)

Oh yes, there's an even taller unicycle. 

And then, of course, the famous towel scene. The guys all end up in nothing but bath towels, and there are a bunch of really close calls as they flip the towels, drop them, trade them and trip over each other, all while in a state of faux-panic about staying decent. I had to shush my kids from enthusiastic commentary and questions, but luckily the crowd's roars of laughter drowned them out for the most part.

3 towels vs. 1 towel

It's mostly a nonverbal show, except for the odd outburst in French or the little "Tout nu, tout nu, Tout NU!" song they sing while conga-ing around in aforementioned towels. That gem stuck with my kids and is a favourite song here at home this week. Just one of the many ways these performances inspire our youth, y'know?

The show was 90 minutes long, and it held everyone's attention until the very end with its impressive acrobatics and comedic visuals. We were all so wired on the way home from the show raving about our favourite parts, I didn't know if the kids would be able to get to sleep. Another memorable year at the OICF!

Being a Xennial Parent- Also, a Contest!

I'm apparently of the "Xennial" micro-generation (Finally, I've felt so lost without a designation for years), which means that I was born in the late-70s-early-80s range. Not quite Gen X, not quite Millennial. We grew up with an analog childhood and a digital adulthood (Atari and Super Mario Bros doesn't count, I guess? Pfft). It's true, I suppose; I didn't get an e-mail account until I was in university. My teenage life was free of ICQ and Instagram.

So, being the nostalgia fiend that I am, I sometimes I like to blow my kids' minds with stories of life back in Stranger Things times: Home phone lines! No Googling! Cameras with no view screen and 24-exposure film and photo counters! Renting movies from an actual store! Having to rent a giant camcorder from Ron's TV and Video once a year to record home movies!

And how about: Having to plan ahead to watch a show "when it's on"!

In our house, we don't have cable (I know it still exists), so the kids don't know what it's like to come home on Friday afternoon and know your choice of after-school show is The Monchhichis or nothing. The kids are only used to YouTube and Netflix, and all the choice and instant gratification that comes with it, they had a bit of a culture shock when we stayed at a hotel with old-fashioned cable TV:

The humanity. At least it wasn't the Monchhichis, but I'm sure they wonder how we managed.

______________

CONTEST: Win a Family Pass to a show at the Children's Festival!

The Ottawa International Children's Festival is coming up once again, May 11-15! My family and I have been the past 3 years and are delighted to have been invited to go and review the experience once again. 

It's "an extravaganza of the finest quality theatre, dance and music for young audiences" and "the only annual festival of its kind in Ontario to offer international, live performing arts for families". There are always lots of activities to do onsite as well, including a rock-climbing wall and Instrument petting zoo. 

This year, Fred Penner will be performing, for all you fellow Xennial parents nostalgic to see a childhood favourite. Will he sing "Sandwiches"? Check out the rest of the program here.

Want to win a family pass to a show at the OICF? Comment below and tell us what show you'd take your family to... or, tell me about your "generation gap" experience with your kids, whether or not you're a Xennial. One winner will be picked on May 7. 

Them's Fightin' Words

My boys are best buddies. They really have fun together and look out for each other.

Oh, sure, they fight sometimes. But when they do, it's always about something significant and worthwhile.

Like this actual conversation I witnessed, on the topic of the alternate lyrics of "Happy Birthday":

click to enlarge

(Note: On the inside, I was also thinking about how, technically, it's "And you SMELL like one, too", but I'm not bringing it up because someone has to be the adult here).

When kids fight over seemingly trivial stuff, there's usually a bigger underlying reason. Like in the old Dr. Phil episodes (and maybe the current ones, I don't know), when a couple is fighting about buying chicken, he says usually it's not about the chicken.

I have found the theme that elevates these scuffles is as follows:
Big Bro: I like rules, and you need to follow rules, and I'm right and you need to acknowledge that.
Little Bro: I make my own rules.

It's kind of like a comments section debate (except they're actually kids, so it's not so bad).

So, to establish his position as the right one in the argument, Big Bro launches into a song to the tune of Jingle Bells as follows:
"Right-right-right, right-right-right..." 

All the while Little Bro is screaming "NO YOU'RE NOT".

I'm impressed with the problem-solving skills I've fostered in them to this point. #proudmommoment

I interrupt with something long and wordy about how he's said what he wants to say and can know where he stands and it's only making people upset and screaming is only for emergencies...

Big Bro sees I have valid points, but also just has to get in that last line of the "right right right" theme song, punctuated by a cymbal crash of "NO" followed by another attempted round of fisticuffs.

I never fought over silly stuff like that with my siblings... did I?

*Exhibit A: cartoon circa 1992; my brother and me doing the dishes*

Disclaimer: Some teenage artistic licence used. Also, how about those earrings?

Ooh, that smug routine would make me SO MAD!

But, like my own boys, we'd be friends again five minutes later.

Whoops, gotta go, I hear a feud brewing over whether the colour "golden yellow" exists.

Surprise...

"I'm like a vault, baby; locked down."
- Will Smith, Hitch

Kids love keeping exciting secrets, like others' Christmas presents. Well, all except actually keeping the secret.

When I was a small child at Christmas, my dad came home and I immediately announced that I couldn't tell him what his present was, 'cause it was PURPLE SLIPPERS WITH NO FLOWERS ON THEM.
Sorry, Ma.

Fast forward to the new generation. I brought the boys to help buy a present for their dad. Spoiler: it's a thermos with a cup on top. (I daresay *I* didn't spoil it, though).

So we're at Canadian Tire and the kids are giddy with delight at being in on this clandestine operation (cue Mission: Impossible music). They were a great help, though I had to steer them away from the idea that a Bubba Keg-sized thermos would be an EXTRA great surprise.

On the way home, the car is full of adrenaline as the kids clutch the purchase and discuss the best hiding spot, which cannot be somewhere boring like in a drawer because Dad might just get a new and sudden urge to root through random drawers, and we can't risk that.

Dad won't be home for 2 hours, but time is of the essence. We gotta get this thing in the house, or all will be lost.

So because buzzkill Mom won't get out the ladder for them to climb to the attic, they decide on a drawer, but to be doubly sure that Dad doesn't stumble upon it in his random drawer-snooping activities, they make a big sign with his face with a line through it. There.

Now all they need to do is keep it secret for 2 weeks.

(Later that day: )

*sigh* Like a vault, baby. Locked down.

Merry Christmas!

First Date Problems

Anytime someone tells me, "I hate driving in downtown Ottawa", I tell them the story of Hubs' and my first date, 11 years ago this week.

I was living and working five hours north of the city in Val-d'Or, smallish-town Quebec. But I got down to Ottawa often, to see family and such. Therefore, it wasn't such a stretch on a Christmas-shopping-in-the-city visit to agree to a coffee date with that handsome French-Canadian computer scientist I met online. (We'd see if he was really 6' tall like he claimed... )

I was supposed to meet him at  a coffee shop in the Byward Market. I was not familiar with downtown and neither of us owned a cell phone, but I was armed with a Mapquest printout and a plan to swoop into the market, find a close parking spot, and show up all cool and collected at the coffee shop for 3:00 p.m.

Ottawa's roads had other plans for this out-of-town chump.

Sure, it's not the white-knuckled insanity of, say, Montreal, so don't roll your eyes too hard... but you really need to know what lanes go where, what lanes end, and where you can turn or not, and there are a lot of surprises for anyone not familiar with the routine.
For instance, you're heading north along Nicholas, thinking "I'll just keep straight, here in my right lane, and turn right on Rideau", and then the street's all "LOL NOPE" when your lane suddenly ends and you're exiting on some random side street instead.

So anyway, on that day in '06, things were not going well.

Yeah, I ended up pretty far from where I was trying to be.

Hubs told me that he figured he was being stood up (those online dates are so flaky) and was about to leave. Just then I burst in, 20 minutes late, all red-faced after power-walking four blocks. Whew! Future saved. Kids reappearing in the photo. So much for a dignified entry, though.

He offered me some of his ginger cookie, but I was too busy being embarrassed to take any. It was overall a pretty good date though.

I know the downtown pretty well now, having lived here ten years (you'd hope). It's a lot easier when you know what lane you'll need to be in and what roads can be taken where, but every so often in a new area Hubs or I find ourselves up against a traffic surprise and taking an unintended scenic route. It's those times I turn to him and say, "See? THAT'S why I was late."

Rowdy. You Don't Say

I'm not a fan of those "open letter" posts, where the person does nothing in the moment, but then goes home and rants online like they're all tough and making a difference. 

But if I were the type to write an open letter-style post, it might be titled something like this:

AN OPEN LETTER TO FRIENDS AND FAMILY WHO GET THE KIDS ALL WOUND UP AND THEN WONDER WHY THEY'RE SO ROWDY

Before we visit people or have guests over, we often have a chat with the kids about what it means to be a good guest or a good host, and the kids are all set to rise to the occasion. 

But then the evening starts.

It's great when family and friends take interest in the kids and take time to connect with them. I love that, and so do the kids. 

Sometimes there's extreme connecting, in ways they know kids will enjoy: goofy jokes, wrestling, tickle fights, flips over the shoulder and all-around rowdies. Good times had by all, no arguments there. Shrieking good times. 

DISCLAIMER: Cartoon does not depict real-life friend or family member. The kids are more or less real though.

But then! Then the family member or friend decides he or she has had enough for now and is ready to settle in interact with adults.

But the kids don't get that memo. They're SENT the memo, several memos, in fact, but they're so worked up by the attention, the new audience, the new person to find their antics funny, that they're not quite done with shenanigans.

That includes jokes that were funny half an hour ago, especially wink-wink ones that are out of the normal range of appropriateness. I hope you're ready to hear that fart machine until well past 7 if you bring it out for some giggles at 5, because jokes don't get old for kids. On the contrary! 

So here I am, wrangling them like greased pigs to send them out in the yard to do some laps because the adults would like to have time to talk about something other than butts for a while.

And THEN I come back in all dishevelled and the aforementioned friend or family member is swirling their wine and remarking:

NEED I REMIND YOU, I'd say in all caps in my open letter, that you are the one who got them all wound up and then retired to the living room to let me peel them off the ceiling at my leisure!

I mean, all I'm saying is, thanks for being so fun, but if you're going to be a human rodeo, don't make sideways 'kids these days" eyes at me ten minutes later while you're trying to drink your wine in peace.   

Groovy Joe: Dance Party Countdown

Groovy Joe is back!

I just got my copy of the latest installment from #1 best-selling author Eric Litwin, of the early Pete the Cat and the Nut Family fame. This one is called Groovy Joe: Dance Party Countdown.

I get to review Litwin's books as one of his Groovy Bloggers. This is the second Groovy Joe book, following Groovy Joe: Ice Cream and Dinosaurs.
(That's a lot of Groovy)

I didn't draw this one. This is by Tom Lichtenheld

The new book follows the familiar format of the previous Litwin books: the character is enjoying life through song, then encounters some sort of adversity (in this case, new dogs keep showing up at the door to party when he doesn't have much room left--oh, no!). There's a moment where we wonder if this adversity will ruin the day... but, Goodness no! The character shows a positive/generous outlook and keeps on walking along/singing/dancing. The predictable style makes it easy for kids to get into right away, and easy for them to pick up later and read out loud to themselves (even if they're not quite reading yet).

As always, the new story includes the elements that draw kids in; music, rhyme, repetition, call-and-response and even a bit of math reminiscent of Pete the Cat's Groovy Buttons book. How many dogs are there now, we're asked? And, of course, Groovy Joe is a kind fella who welcomes anyone who wants to join the party, which is a positive message for kids, too.

This time, the book includes the format of knock-knock jokes, which is right up a kid's alley.
Knock Knock.
Who's there?
One.
One who?
One more dog is going to disco with you.

DISCO PARTY! BOW WOW! (Come on, you're not too dignified to belt it out)

As always, one of the first things I do (and recommend) is look up the story online so we can hear the accompanying performance and get the full experience. There are also live retellings on YouTube. Litwin's books are essentially live performances in book form (and he does give a fun live performance. Come back to Canada, Mr. Eric!).

Not necessarily recommended as a bedtime book, for obvious reasons. But if I were still teaching Kindergarten, no doubt it would be in my collection. 

Favourites

Quick! What's your favourite number?

Don't have one? Well, you'd better get one, if you think you'll be spending any time around kids.
Kids have favourites, and they expect you to as well. Sometimes it's a rank of favourites with careful deliberation, discussed over an afternoon of Perler Beads.

The kids lit up when I interviewed them for this comic.

If you ask, they'll likely have an explanation of why the goat was bumped from fifth place. Maybe there was an unfortunate encounter at the last farm visit. Or maybe someone learned a cool chicken fact that earned chicken a spot in the coveted top five.

I've been held captive at a dinner at East Side Mario's where the kids were having us guess their favourite numbers. Oh man, CHECK PLEASE. (Also, I call BS because I think they were making them up as they went along.)

Kids also don't like it if you don't have a favourite of something. It won't do. Everyone must have a favourite number or colour or dinosaur, and "I don't have one" or "I like many Minecraft Biomes!" are not answers.

I was roped into that, too, regarding favourite animals. Big Bro loves sheep and Little Bro loves owls, to the point that it's part of their identity. So here I am, some lame adult trying to get across that I like lots of animals-- some animals as a pet, others because they're beautiful and others because they're helpful or fascinating...

NO, MAMA. JUST WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE.

Alright, alright. So I got cornered into choosing ... uh... the panda, sure, why not, it is kind of interesting and nice to look at. But now that I've said it out loud, they think I'm some sort of big panda fanatic who can't get enough of all things panda.

"Here, Mama, I drew you another panda 'cause you love pandas."
"This is my mom. SHE LOVES PANDAS."
"Whoa, Mama! This store sells panda costumes! I bet you're happy now!"

Is it too late to change my answer?

Ixnay on the InecraftMay

My son's gotten into Minecraft the past few months. Though it is a simple premise, there is a lot to say about the game, and like any kid who's ever been "Into Minecraft," he is more than willing to tell you about ALL THE THINGS.

I appreciate and encourage the enthusiasm he has for all his interests. But also, if you come to visit me and want to have a chance to talk to me at all, DON'T ASK MY SON ABOUT MINECRAFT.

Mom's Dated References

Ice, Ice, Baby came on the radio during one of their Throwback moments, so naturally as a former teen of the '90s who would never turn down an opportunity for nostalgia (grade 7 dance flashbacks!), I cranked it and got my Running Man going. I'm right in the middle of waxing chumps like a candle and Big Bro moseys in and goes, "Um, are you supposed to dance to this, or what?"

Young whippersnapper. Let's see YOU cook MCs like a pound of bacon, whatever that means. 

Sometimes it hits me that my kids didn't exist in the '80s, '90s and even the '00s (!!) so they don't get my dated pop cultural references. Remember when we played Banana Phone and they didn't even know the proper way to answer "Who ya gonna call"? No wonder I need adult contact sometimes!

Disclaimer: I was never under the illusion I was cool, so let's just establish that. And also I do try to stay current on many things (I learned what dabbing was before 2016 was over! After Betty White, my sister reminds me, but Betty White was always cool and probably has people to keep her in the know).
But my kids remind me how dated some of my go-tos are. And how often I use them. And how for some most of them, you probably had to be there.

Take The Simpsons, for instance. My brother returned to university as a mid-30s mature student and discovered that his young adult classmates think of the Simpsons vaguely as "that show with the woman with the blue hair" (note to self: don't try to connect with teens via Simpsons quotes). When my friends and I were teens and young adults, though (when the show was good), everything had a related Simpsons quote. You could tell a friend that what they just said was a load of rich, creamery butter, and everyone would know exactly what you were talking about, amirite? So good. 
Wait, maybe I WAS cool after all. 

So of course, my kids at 6 and 4 are not going to know what I'm talking about when I quote a movie line or break into song, which happens often.

2003 is now "before someone's time". Gah.

Here's another one. The other day, the kids told me we didn't have any glue left. In faux-rage, I bellow  'YOUU USED UP ALLL THE GLUUUE... on PURPOSE!"

"No, we didn't!'

Oh, right. they haven't seen A Christmas Story's famous broken-leg-lamp scene. It just looks like I'm out to lunch saying those random things I say. 

Thank goodness for YouTube, which allows me to fill them in so at least they're in on the reference. Does anyone else's kid sing the "you take a block from the bottom" song while playing Jenga? If not, get on it. It's on YouTube. It's classic. 

Some parents share tales passed down from generation to generation about their cultural heritage. My kids get 20-year-old TV quotes. And not even always the good stuff.  

And if that makes me lame, then I guess I'm just a big lame.

Oh wait, that was a Simpsons reference. Never mind.

Bedside Manner

After every winter I write about someone being sick, it seems, and this time it was me. Two full separate weeks out of commission, a month apart.

It was ruthless ear, nose, throat, sinus  whole head issues that went on for days, relieved only briefly by a Hulk-Smash pancreatitis attack that made me forget all about my sore throat for a few hours. Misery, I tell you! (at least as far as run-of-the-mill illness goes, but I've been known to dramatize)

You've probably seen the memes about moms not getting "sick days"-- Mom shuffles around like death warmed over while kids hang off her arms. Luckily for me, I do get a for-real sick day. Hubs stays home to watch the kids while I lie in bed, wishing I was never born, in peace and quiet, save for the hourly "WHERE'S MAMA".

And then every so often they come visit me to see if I'm better yet.

"Don't bother your mom, she's sleeping", I hear. "Stay downstairs."

Wait for it. 

*footsteps*

*door opens*

*stage whispers* "Hi Mama, you sick?"

"Guys! Where are you?"
"Mama! Are you going to sleep ALL DAY LONG?" *stretches eyelid*

*Hubs in the doorway* "Hey! Mom's sleeping. Come down."
"She's not sleeping, Dada."

Their bedside manner needs work, I think to myself. Their consideration for the gravely ill is often lacking.

But then, you know what, sometimes they surprise me and go all out to make sure I'm taken care of, whether I like it or not. Like this.

Now, lest you think it's a humblebrag about being suffocated by my children's loving gestures (what's a mother to do with all this love?), I should add that I have about five minutes after that before they're back to check to see if I'm better NOW. I mean, it is like forever for a kid. Days and days of no one being Mater. Spring is here now, though, so hopefully that's it for a while. 

The Nuts: Keep Rolling!

Eric Litwin fans: there's a new book out!---and, it has a dance contest and a "Health Nut" challenge!

I have the privilege of being on Litwin's list of "Groovy Bloggers" following my review of his performance at the Ottawa International Children's Festival last year (so much fun, BTW). Groovy Blogger privileges include getting advance copies of the newest additions to the series.

Litwin is the author of the first four Pete the Cat books as well as Groovy Joe: Ice Cream and Dinosaurs. The latest installment is called The Nuts: Keep Rolling, starring the Nut Family found in Bedtime at the Nut House and Sing and Dance in your Polka-Dot Pants.

The interactive story follows the familiar formula of the characters' coming across challenges and demonstrating resilience and a positive attitude through song. As well as music, Litwin's books use elements such as repetition, rhyme, call-and-response, and sight words and phoenetics (which Litwin calls "Multi-Learning" books). The predictability makes it easy for kids to jump on board and participate in the reading right away in a way that works for them. It didn't take my kids long to get into this book, much like the others.

The stories all have online downloadable readings by Litwin (see thenutfamily.com), which I prefer to use to get the personality and full effect of the music, and because my singing voice is terrible (but I don't always let that stop me!). There are often accompanying dances, too.

For the latest book, in addition to the dance, there's also a dance contest. Children can submit their Keep Rolling dances for a chance to win various prizes, including a visit from Litwin (not in Canada, though).

Finally, the book can be a jumping-off point for taking on the accompanying "Be a Health Nut" challenge, which includes setting a fitness goal as a class or family and adding nuts to a printable tree poster as the goal is attained. Kids can get a "Certificate of Achievenut" at the end. We have our Health Nut tree in the living room.

Certainly not just your average "circle time" book!

My kids always enjoy and gravitate toward Litwin's books, and the latest is no exception. I'll find them stretched out on the floor, muttering "ohhh noooo" or singing "keep rolllll-ing!" to themselves.
On a recent car ride, Hubs was reading all the books one after another to entertain the kids. Wonder if the cars stopped at the light beside us could hear the four of us belting out about loving our Doggy Ice Cream. I'm sure we look cool cruising around East Ottawa.

So. If your kids/students like the other Litwin books, they'll enjoy this one, too. And if the videos found online of kids at festivals and school visits around North America are any indication, it's already a hit.

As former teachers, we both agree that reading should be kept as a fun and enjoyable activity. "You don't want to see students escaping to the bathroom to avoid reading," I said.
"No," Litwin agreed, "we want them bringing books TO the bathroom!"

Exactly.

****

PS: The Ottawa International Children's Festival is back again for 2017, May 10-14. My family and I have thoroughly enjoyed it the past two years, both the unique shows from around the world (see my review of Michel Lauziere from 2015) and the activities taking place on the grounds.

This year, we'll be checking out the Luminarium. I really wanted to see the show "Wanted", but it's past the kids' bedtime.