Good For Us All

The only time that The Big Girls will leave me alone is when i clean.  They know that if they come within eyesight, they will be given a task, and they don't want that.  At all.  So, they stay away.  Far away.  They tend to be quiet.  For that reason, I have taken to a few cleaning tasks that warrant me some small sort of peace. Vacuuming has become a favorite of mine, especially now that i have one i love.  I even find the white noise enjoyable, because it covers any noise The Girls make, and for some odd reason calms The Littlest One.
Today, though, the white noise just wouldn't cut it.  I needed more.  There are times that I just need to have that little something that is totally inappropriate for them, but totally fantastic for me.   Like any good Gen Xer, and I am though barely by the skin of my grungy pants, I love and worship Kurt Cobain like the tragic, godlike hero he was.  Nirvana is hands down the best band that ever played on this planet.  The problem therein is that the lyrics aren't quite rated appropriate for my children, or any children.
No matter what I wanted, I couldn't get The Littlest One to let me put her down.  She seemed to want to eat, or sleep, both while being held, all day.  On top of that, The Big Girls were pushing it with me.  After a particularly ire inducing episode of "I didn't get what I want from Mom so I will ask another adult" they were in the serious dog house.  I needed some space.  I needed some me time.  With a deployed spouse, that doesn't come easy, or at all.
So, I did the next best thing.  I gave up, recognized what I had available to me, and inspired by the words of Tim Gunn, made it work.
I pulled out my head phones, grabbed my phone, which has my Napster app all loaded up and ready to go, found the moby wrap, and strapped the baby on.  She will usually hang there for quite a while, depending on what I am doing.  As long as I don't bend down with her, which really pisses her off I might add, she tends to like it strapped to my chest.  Once i got her on, we pulled out the vacuum, and I turn on the music.  It was like heaven.  I could rock out to my 90's grunge play list, and no one was the wiser.  It was, in fact, pretty good for everyone.  I got a little exercise, and could almost pretend i was in my own world.  The Littlest One got some god bonding time and wrapped up and strapped on.  The Big Girls got to sit in the back room and not have to do housework.  They also got quite a show.  They thoroughly enjoyed watching me dance to music they couldn't hear.  I think they might have though I was a little nuts, but I really don't care.  I'm sure this won't be the last time they think I am just a tad bit crazy, and I kind of like it that way.  Thinking their mom might be just the tiniest bit nuts might actually help keep them in line just a bit.  I'll take all the help I can get, however i get it.

I just can't go there...

I love to lay around with my girls, snuggle, and watch a movie. Usually I let the girls get together and pick the movie. I will give a little input if needed. For example, I might interject "stop fighting g or no one gets s movie" otherwise, its up to them.

Tonight, we were going yo watch s movie and snuggle, staying up late in celebration of today being the last day of school. So I gave the girls the movie case, and the usual speech about cooperation, and let them pick. Their pick tonight fell so far off my mark I couldn't handle it.

When The Big One was very little, we found this great series of DVDs, similar to the Baby Einstein concept, but made locally in San Diego. The DVDs were great for helping to put her to sleep, or keep her from crying. They were never something we would really watch with her.

When the Little One came along, we used them with her, too. She loved them even more than her big sister and would listen to the music to go to sleep almost everyday.

One of these DVDs is a whole collection of classic children's songs, with animated characters and children singing, and some adult with a voice that makes me want to tear my ears off singing. If you are a parent, you know that there are some children's songs, that even if the person singing has a good voice, the style and production of these songs will drive you crazy. Well, this is an entire DVD complete with horrible matching visuals.

The problem is that The Little One still loves it. Somehow, last night she even got her big sister to agree to watch it.

I can't do it. With all of the stress I am already under, I think that laying down to watch that entire DVD would have sent me over the deep edge. Strait over, with a graceful swan dive.

SO, I had to opt out. I let them watch the movie alone, then came back in later to snuggle. I felt kind of bad for abandoning them to watch alone, but seriously, it was better for all of us that I did.

Tonight, I will be picking the movie.

Music for the Masses (of kids)

We love music around here. All kinds of music. Sometimes though, I think that if I have to hear one more song by a princess, or some tried, true, and oh so tired children's song, I am going to sew my own ears shut. Might even help take care of the "Mommy, Mommy, Mommy,Mommy,Mommy..." problem.

Instead, I have been trying to choose music for my kids a little more selectively. Right now, my girls really love the Beach Boys. They like a lot of old rock.
I have found that to be a good compromise for us. A little Beatles, some Beach Boys, and a tad of Elvis for good measure, make a great play list for the kids.

When it comes to music specifically for kids, though, we have issues. I have been able to find one newer artist they love, Hullabaloo. I have to admit, I love them, too.

Today, i decided to dance with my girls. We do it sometimes. I put a CD on, close the blinds, and we dance like crazy. Today's pick, by request of the big one, was Hullaballoo's Tall as a Tree.
I have really been listening to the words and lyrics in songs more than ever, trying to find inspiration when I can. I have to tell you, Steve writes a mean lyric on some of these. These songs have a great sound, that I can actually listen to, and enjoy. They are really have a great message too. Songs about how life changes, or taking things one step at a time at great for kids and adults. Even if they don't have a great message, they are just great in general.
If it weren't for Steve, I would never have realized that I carry a grown up sippy cup, but I do. I'm telling you, give them a listen. You'll probably find yourself dancing to them with your kids in your living room, blinds drawn tight, some day too.