parenting

Leave a comment Posted on October 1, 2015October 1, 2015 funny, parenting, Uncategorized

Dear Jack: Between Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood and Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Gonna Take It”

4 years, 8 months.

Dear Jack,

In the past week, I have introduced you to two ideologically opposing pieces of legendary American entertainment:

Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood and the 1984 music video for Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Gonna Take It”.

It all started last Friday when you asked me to watch “There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly” on YouTube. You sat on my lap and we watched the 2 minute video.

I don’t know how, but the thumbnail for Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Gonna Take It” popped up as a related video.

Despite their band’s appearance and style of music, this music video is actually clean. It’s technically less violent than the Power Rangers, as the antagonistic dad in the video willingly falls out of the window multiple times as the Twisted Sister bandmates simply walk towards him.

We’ve now watched it several times and we love the humor in it.

Over the weekend, we had dinner at your friend Isaac’s house. You and Isaac were so independent of your parents that you were in the playroom for about an hour and we barely heard anything out of either of you.

As dinner time approached, I made my way upstairs to the playroom to see you guys jumping and dancing around to the tunes of a lullaby machine.

Specifically, you two were spinning around with your arms out like the boy in the video as he transforms in the lead singer.

Isaac, who is 2 years younger than you, was learning this move from you.

Then, last night as our family was decided what we’d watch together before your bedtime, I suggested we try out Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.

Though it’s a staple for every ’80s kid’s childhood, I had never seen it until last night.

You were so happy when you realized you knew all the songs; as well as seeing Daniel Tiger in his younger days. (The episode we watched was from 1981; the year Mommy and me were born.)

This morning as I was getting ready, you chose to watch another episode of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.

You expressed to me, “Daddy, I thought show was for grown-ups, but I like it!”

Yes, Mr. Rogers and Twisted Sister, in the same week.

Love,

Daddy

Leave a comment Posted on September 17, 2015September 17, 2015 Jack-Man, parenting, Uncategorized

Dear Jack: Webisode 20 of Jack-Man- “The Ole Switcheroo”

4 years, 10 months.

Dear Jack,

Last weekend Nonna and Papa visited us, as I finally was able to take Mommy to the Lady Antebellum/Hunter Hayes concert that I had bought tickets for on her birthday a month ago.

It wasn’t on my mind at all, but you asked me if we could do a new Jack-Man episode while Papa was in town.

So we did.

For months now, you and I have been scheming a Jack-Man plot in which you and I would swap roles:

You would become “Baby Green Meanie” and I would “Grown Up Jack-Man.”

I had been revising the script this whole time. Webisode 20, though it may not appear this way, it was actually one of the most complicated to webisodes we’ve ever filmed.

Perhaps that’s because we had to film it out of order to avoid so many costume changes.

But in the end, I’m very pleased with how it turned out and we had a lot of fun together making the project.

Webisode 20 premieres the concept of having background music during the monologues, instead of just the action and transition screens.

Here it is:

I’ve never mentioned this to you before, but back in college, I recorded 3 demo CDs. Since then, I’ve taken the musical breaks from those tracks to serve as the background music for my videos.

Speaking of music, “The Ole Switcheroo” features this new original song:

Panic Attack!

P-p-p-panic attack! P-p-p-panic attack!

I’m gonna give you a panic attack!

Have your chill pills ready

Keep your position steady

You’re running out of time

Running out of time

You’re getting tunnel vision

Here comes the big collision

Adrenaline freely flows

Freely flows

(note goes up, slower)

P-p-p-panic attack! P-p-p-panic attack!

I’m gonna give you…

You’re getting quite sleepy, so tired, light-headed

And coming up next, it looks like we may be buying a “new” old car…

Love,

Daddy

2 Comments Posted on September 8, 2015 movie reviews, parenting, Uncategorized

Play All Day with Elmo! DVD: What My Son Liked Most

Last night, my son and I sat down and watched the Play All Day with Elmo! DVD. As you can see from this photo collage I made below, my son only sat down in the beginning…

That’s because for most of the video, my son was up dancing and jumping and running around!

Therefore, I would suspect that the Play All Day with Elmo! DVD is an ideal companion for either a rainy day or a cold winter day.

I knew this DVD would have Elmo encouraging the viewers to get up and play, but I didn’t actually expect my son to do so. After all, it was at the end of a long, tiring day.

But I was wrong.

Play All Day with Elmo! DVD: What My Son Liked Most

He loved the Freeze Dance segment the very most. He genuinely and actively participated in physical exercise, simply because Elmo asked him to, and because my son saw the other kids doing it too on the TV.

However, that’s not the only portion of the DVD that encourages the viewer to get up and be physical. There is also Elmo Says and Red Light Green Light, to name a couple more.

Play All Day with Elmo! focuses on listening skills, self-control, and physical movement; running over 2 hours long and featuring guest stars including Jack Black and Taye Diggs.

Play All Day with Elmo! DVD: What My Son Liked Most

When you kid has energy to burn (which I assume is most of the time), popping in this DVD could be a perfect solution.

It might as well me entitled Shut Up and Dance with Elmo! but considering that “shut up” is considered a very bad word in the world of preschoolers, that probably wouldn’t have been the best marketing choice.

Basics

Street Date: September 8, 2015

Order Due Date: August 4, 2015

Languages: English

Audio: Dolby Stereo

Color

Run Time: Approximately 124 Minutes

Rating: NR

SESAME STREET: PLAY ALL DAY WITH ELMO

Price: $14.98

Leave a comment Posted on September 7, 2015September 7, 2015 Nostalgia, parenting, Storytelling, Uncategorized

I’m Responsible for My Son’s “Good Old Days”

One advantage of getting to review cars for this blog is that I get free access to XM radio. I’ve been flipping back and forth between XMU (rock music for college kids) and Alt Nation (modern alternative rock).

I recently was introduced to a perfectly nostalgic song called “Stressed Out” by Twenty One Pilots. My favorite part of the song contains these lyrics:

“Wish we could turn back time, to the good old days
When our momma sang us to sleep but now were stressed out”

Somewhat surprisingly, until I heard that song a couple of weeks ago, I had never truly fathomed that those “good old days” I myself lived through in the 1980s, some of the warmest and fuzziest moments and memories in my life, occurred only because of my parents.

Flash forward from 1985, when I myself was 4 years old, to 2015; now my own son is 4 years old.

My son lives in a wonderland of stuffed animals as friends; a land where monster trucks are a legitimate means of transportation… and where he can typically get away with eating mac-and-cheese for most of his meals as long as he eats his veggie-fruit pouch.

He lives in this wonderland in 2015 because of his mommy and me.

And I lived in that wonderland in 1985 because of my own parents.

It takes a good parent to create that wonderland for their own kid; which I assume if you are reading this now, then you must be one as well. Granted, providing a loving home is ultimately all it really takes to make that wonderland.

A child’s imagination takes care of the rest; as long as that child feels loved and cared for and listened to and played with and encouraged.

No matter which toys make up that wonderland, no matter how big or small the house is, and no matter how many other kids are in the wonderland in that big or small house with a lot or little toys… all that matters is that there is obvious love in that household.

That’s what creates “the good old” days for the kids we bring into this world.

It’s that simple, yet that epic:

I am responsible for my son’s “good old days.” All I have to do is simply love my son, something I am completely wired to do anyway.

And yet I never think about the sacrifices I make in my life to love him. And I’m pretty sure my own parents never did either when they were raising me.

Leave a comment Posted on August 30, 2015August 30, 2015 Health, parenting, Uncategorized

Baby+Co. 10 FAQs & Walk Through Video (Nashville Location)

It definitely was an honor this week when Baby+Co. invited me to come check out their new facility in Nashville, which just opened a couple of weeks ago.

They sought me out, knowing that based on the content of Family Friendly Daddy Blog, I am passionate about… keeping things real.

When my wife had our son nearly 5 years ago, she went through a midwife at Vanderbilt. Coincidentally, the Clinical Director of the Nashville Baby+Co., Margaret Buxton, who you’ll see in both of my videos below, actually was the one who delivered my son.

Our family visited the new Nashville Baby+Co. facility yesterday in the 2015 Toyota Avalon we are reviewing.

Once we got there, I kept the camera rolling. I wanted to make the most useful videos I could for curious people of YouTube.

As a YouTuber myself, I know the importance of making walk through videos, walk around videos, and unboxing videos.

So I made a walk through video, with Margaret Buxton giving “you” the tour. Here it is:

Being the Millennial (Generation Y, born 1981-1997) I am, I showed up to Baby+Co. without a specific game plan; a life habit that so far, that has seemed to work out for me.

I sat down with Margaret Buxton CNM, DNP to ask 10 frequently asked questions. The goal was to help other people to know whether Baby+Co. is right for them and to help them know what sets Baby+Co. apart from hospitals.

In this FAQs video below, you will see me ask the following 10 questions:

How do I know Baby+Co. is right for me?
Is it safe to have a baby outside of a hospital?
How is a birthing center different from a hospital?
What does a hospital have than Baby+Co. doesn’t?
What is one-to-one care?
How much does this cost?
Where are the prenatal appointments?
What do the classes consist of?
Where are the Baby+Co. locations?
What is the vision of Baby+Co.?

I love it that for our generation, we have other options now; including the way we choose to do childbirth.

By the way, it would be an understatement to say that the facility is like a spa. So elegant.

Below is the link to the website for Nashville’s Baby+Co.

http://nashville.babyandcompany.com/

Our family had so much fun visiting the new place! I hope you enjoy these pictures and my videos… and my little jingle I wrote for Baby+Co. as well.

And thanks for reading!

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