TheMommyBlog

Saturday, October 04, 2008 Fun, Family

Now there’s something I never thought I’d hear myself say.

When David Oskardmay, founder of BitWorksMusic.com, wrote to ask if I felt like checking out some new music that rocks for kids AND their parents, I gotta say, I really didn’t. I’ve done my time with The Wiggles, Barney, Dora, The Babies Einstein, Van Gogh, Bach, and Beethoven, not to mention Hap Palmer, crooner of unforgettable tunes such as “Today I took My Diapers Off” and “My Mommy Comes Back.”

Pop quiz: what will make you cry harder than leaving a child in daycare? “My Mommy Comes Back” by Hap Palmer.

David gave a nice pitch about Hank and I could tell that he took the time to read my contact page because he volunteered to forgo breaking my kneecaps if there was a lesser appendage that would do just as well. People get major points for reading before writing. I can’t tell you how many people go to the Contact tab, skip the bits describing how to advertise on this site, and jump right into the contact form to ask me if I take advertising and how one might go about it. I don’t even want to respond. It makes me wonder if I really need the money. Which, incidentally, is another thing I never thought I’d hear myself say.

Hank Hooper is a musician and multimedia artist who creates great original music and art for kids. Collaborating with Hank, we have released the multimedia album download edition of his latest work, “Playground Fortune Teller”, 17 awesome songs and a narrated eBook by Hank, all presented in an interactive, easy-to-use, downloadable format.

Yeah, yeah. I was still iffy until I got to this line:

Please give the free single a listen!

”That’s My Chicken”

Whoa. Back up the golf cart. That’s your what? There are all sorts of places we can go with that one, not all of them good. Now I had to check it out. I couldn’t go to bed without knowing exactly what kind of inflection the question carries. Is it asked with a leer? In surprise and alarm? Anger? Tenderness with a dangerous hint of jealousy? Or is the singer slapping the listener on the head and saying, “NO, doofus, that’s my CHICKEN.” The possibilities, they stagger.

He gave me the link to post, along with one to the publicity page, so I clicked and waited as the song buffered.

First thought: did I just click on my They Might Be Giants album in iTunes? Second thought: Heyyyy, that’s my chicken!

I listened and agreed that I could indeed have used songs like this one instead of “Daddy be a Horsie” and “Baby’s Good Doggy.” Hell, I could have used an icepick to the temple in hindsight, though at the time I thought they were cute and they did entertain the babies. I could sing the “Rolling” song and they’d immediately clam up and stare at me, wide-eyed, until I finished, and then they’d pick up screaming right where they left off.

Phil walked in the door as I sat down to write this, and I said, “Hoooo boy, Phil, have you got to hear this. I’m going to listen to it again.” About halfway through, he came over and asked if I could please turn it off before it got stuck in his head and he couldn’t get it out. It’s catchy. I’m sitting here, humming, “Mmmm mmm mmmm that’s my chicken!”

Which reminds me: time for dinner.

Go check it out. I definitely want to hear the rest of the album based on the single. Everyone needs a break from Amy Winehouse now and then.

Friday, October 03, 2008 Me, Me, Me

So I hear we’re going to have anywhere from one-half to two inches of rain today. I can’t even remember the last time it rained. The problem is that I’ve got half the contents of my garage out on the patio while the inside’s being painted.

This morning the skies were looking mighty pissed and ready to roll, so I hustled out there in my jammies and clogs to lug all cardboard boxes, pictures, leftover broken-down boxes from mom’s move that are still here because I had a place to store them and could feed them to recycling over the next couple months, chandelier, pool towels & luggage, and finally the boxed Christmas tree back into the garage and left them on the tarps that are still down because the painter can’t finish until Saturday.

Lastly, I pulled one of his massive plastic tarps off the stuff in the garage (sorry, Jon) and put it over the rest of the stuff I couldn’t budge off the patio. I’ve got a six-foot tower made up of all kinds of treasure stuffed into a baker’s rack right next to the teak table, all wrapped in plastic that I hope will repel rain as well as it repelled about twelve gallons of primer and paint. It doesn’t look very promising, but luckily it’s right in front of my face outside the window where I sit so I can get out there if the wind picks it up and decides to run with it.

Other than that, I’ll be hunkered down under a blanket on the couch, drinking coffee, watching Lost, and being happy about being called back for a second interview at a very nice job.

Wednesday, October 01, 2008 Family

Emails from home:

For those who have followed news of Chicago Policeman Mike Mette, the Appellant Court and Iowa has overturned his felony conviction citing that the judge was wrong to not allowing a plea of self defense in the trail. This is all good news. Iowa still has options but none compared to a felony conviction.

Thank you for your support for my friend and his family!

You may or not remember my posting about Mike before. I used to babysit Mike and his siblings in Chicago before he grew up and became an honorable policemen, like his father. Essentially, he was at a party over the border in Iowa and attacked repeatedly by a drunk who kept following him and taunting him. Finally, Mike defended himself, and the drunk went down with one punch. He was off duty, this guy had provoked him, punched him, threatened him, and followed him after Mike tried to walk away. An Iowa judge would not allow a self defense plea, and said that Mike should never have hit the person attacking him. His duty as a police officer apparently meant that he had to run away from an attack. I’m sure it has nothing to do with the influence of the drunk’s wealthy and connected father. ANYWAY…

People have rallied in the year that Mike has been incarcerated and separated from his family (and NO, you do NOT want to be a cop in prison), from his brothers and sisters in blue to celebrity Dennis Farina, who used to be a Chicago policeman at the Foster city station about six block from where I grew up.

Appeal from the Iowa District Court for Dubuque County, Monica L. Ackley, Judge.  REVERSED AND REMANDED.  Heard by Huitink, P.J., and Vogel and Eisenhauer, JJ.  Opinion by Per Curiam

Michael Mette appeals from his conviction of assault causing bodily injury.  He asserts that the district court erred in rejecting his self defense claim and in finding his victim suffered serious injury.

OPINION HOLDS:  The district court’s finding that Mette had a duty to retreat is not supported by substantial evidence; thus, we conclude the district court erred in rejecting Mette’s defense of justification.  We need not consider Mette’s serious injury argument.  We therefore reverse and remand for entry of judgment of acquittal.

The state now has 20 days to review the decision, not sure what that means.....

Keep the prayers coming that he is home soon…

Wednesday, October 01, 2008 Bad Mood Dude

I’ve just been sealed into my house so the painter can coat the garage walls and rafters with ammonia-based primer, ‘cause ain’t no way that shit’s getting covered any other way. My doors are literally wrapped and taped shut, so I can only go out the front. My car is blocked, so I’m very grateful that this is not my day to pick up the kids.

The best part? Receiving the call yesterday saying that the painter could finally squeeze me in, and had I moved all the stuff in the garage out of the garage? Whahuahfua? Um, no. Will moving some of the things out be okay? Because I am not hauling six industrial shelving units full of accumulated crap onto my delicate slate patio. Also, am not throwing out my back, mmkay?

So of course I needed before pictures so I have something to compare the next few days against. Even if it gets noxious enough in here to knock me flat, and if my appliances are permanently covered with this primer, I’ll at least be happy I don’t have to look at the stained rafters where the rats used to sit, mocking me.