New mom taking comfort in the fact that parenthood is nothing if not incredibly hilarious.
It’s a pirate theme for Ollie’s 3rd birthday! Once again, Auntie Coco will be baking the custom cake – can’t wait! Here are a few things we’ve stocked up on …
Top row: Pirate garland/flags, booty chest goodie box and action figures (temp tattoos, eye patches, etc.) for goodie box.
Second row: Buried treasure cake with lots of booty, pirate hats (and accessories) and foam swords.
Third row: Pop-Up Pirate game (by Tomy); skull sweater from Target and lots of doubloons!
Another design-challenged, but well-intentioned collage by yours truly.
My sister-in-law and cousin are both expecting in May and it got me thinking about simple – and sometimes strange, sometimes obvious – life savers from when I was pregnant (and some things I still swear by):
Crack creams – I thought I knew how to soothe dry, cracked, itchy skin till I was 8 months pregnant during a brutal Chicago winter. Palmer’s Soothing Oil is the Cadillac of dry skin solutions. But if you can’t deal with basically spraying Pam on your body (albeit nice-smelling Pam), try Johnson’s Creamy Baby Oil (I like Shea & Cocoa Butter). These are both still part of my daily routine in the winter.
OMG Shoes – I love my Chuck Taylors, but they became too narrow for my bloated feet. Men’s Converse One Star sneakers are a little wider than women’s and cheaper than Chucks, but still say “See, I can hang at the punk show! Um, but there’ll be some seating, right?” They sell them as slip-ons or with Velcro straps, too, for when you’re done with shoelaces! For work, I loved Sketchers mary janes w/the stretchy elastic strap – kind of like these.
OMG Boobs – Nips love lanolin – plus it’s natural and safe for breast-fed babies, even if with its consistency, color and stank, it might as well be earwax. I still use it on my cuticles.
Pro Nails – I think even if you have a partner who gives regular foot rubs and massages (god bless ‘em), go out and get all pretty and pampered when you’re preggo. You deserve an occasional mani/pedi and salon or spa day.
Comfort Food – We all have our oddball cravings and stockpiles of must-have foods. Have at it. Mine were Cheez-Its and Jamba Juice. I was a regular of the Ogilvie train station’s JJ – the guy at the counter literally saw me coming from a mile away and had those oranges in the blender. I’m the reason JJ smoothies are now offered in your grocer’s freezer (and why my son will never be Vitamin C deficient).
Blue Jean Baby Queen – We are all guilty of it – let’s squeeze into our regular jeans till we are busting at the seams because we are PROUD, damn it! (At least the first time around.) I say just buy the jeans with the big elastic band already. They get the job done and are cute where they need to be cute and comfy where they need to be comfy.
Big ‘n’ Thrifty – I did not buy a lot of new maternity clothes because they seem overpriced, even at the big boxes. Instead, I shopped the plus-size and maternity sales racks with the exception of some outfits for a few special occasions.
Get Happy – Happy mom = happy baby. I mean, we should all strive for happiness anyway, but particularly when you’re carrying your unborn baby, you should be more sunshine and less rain, even on cloudy days. For me it was about surrounding myself with things that brought me joy – enjoying foods that made me happy, relaxing with books and TV that made me laugh, getting the house ready for the baby, and going out and trying to do as much as I could when I felt up to it. And I think that’s at least partially why I have a cheerful son.
Okideoke Sing-Along Mic: Psychobabyonline.com
Yellow Owl Workshop City Stamp Set: Buyolympia.com
Retro Pedal Cars: Myretrobaby.com
Wind-up and Pull-back toys: Zwindups.com
Melissa & Doug Band in a Box: Psychobabyonline.com
Portable Electric Guitar: Firstactdiscovery.com
My First Music Science Kit: Shopwonder.com
Baby Corn: Etsy.com/shop/SteffBomb
Teddy Bear Parade: Holgatetoy.com
Chalkboard Matryoshkas: Spoonsisters.com
DIY Recorder: Uncommongoods.com
We reviewed a bunch of children’s albums this year – here’s what we liked the best and think would be music to the ears of the little ones on your list. (Plus a song/vid we couldn’t get enough of in 2011.)
“A Life of Song” by Ella Jenkins: She's a children's folk music institution. Whether you're familiar or listening to Jenkins for the first time, you will no doubt learn something about our history and be moved to sing and dance along.
“Gustafer Yellowgold's Infinity Sock” by Morgan Taylor (CD/DVD): Ollie loves it. I love it. I sing along when I'm putting on my makeup in the morning. What can I say? This odd little yellow man, his whimsical cast of friends and their silly and catchy songs are the jam.
Lucky Day” by Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band: Children's music is always better when you're enjoying it as a family, and the fact that this folk-pop record is a family affair makes it that much more relatable.
“Beethoven’s Wig” by Richard Perlmutter: We're not huge classical music people, but Luddy never sounded so much fun thanks to Perlmutter's twist on the legendary composer and pianist!
This is good time rock'n'roll plain and simple, channeling T. Rex, The Stones, Skynyrd, The Cramps – garage, surf, country, pop rock. It's all here!
These great new and classic books explore music while promoting literacy and art appreciation – they’re great gift ideas for children and music lovers of all ages. Always shop at your local independent book stores!
Forever Young – Imprints.simonandschuster.biz/atheneum
Alternative ABCc – Ammobooks.com
One Love – Chroniclebooks.com
Awesome Books – Veryawesomeworld.com
Woody's 20 Grow Big Songs – Harpercollinschildrens.com
Charlie Parker Played Be Bop – Scholastic.com
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (Book and Ray Charles narration CD) – Amazon.com
Hush, Baby, Hush: Lullabies from Around the World – Franceslincoln.com
Man Gave Names to all the Animals – Sterlingpublishing.com
Dress your family in corduroy and denim? Eh. How about studded belts and band tees? Now we’re talking!
Clothes are fun gifts for kids again …
Rose Button-Up – Sourpussclothing.com
Swallow Bird Wallet – Sourpussclothing.com
Rock Star Blanket – JCPenny.com
Sonic Youth "Dirty" Shirt – Babywit.com
"Wanna Rock" Slip-ons – Babywit.com
"No Tattoos ... Yet" Raglan – Buyolympia.com
Kids' Biker Jacket – Amazon.com
Harajuku Plaid Pants w/Half Skirt – Target.com
Doc Martens – Ebay.com
For the first Rockin’ Gift Guide installment, we’re sharing some “sound investments” for the grownups on your list.
DIY Uke – Spoonsisters.com (in stock 3/2012)
Tattoo MOM Ornament or DAD Mug – Sourpussclothing.com
"The Rockabillies" Book (on sale!) – Brokencherry.com
Punk Shirt ("Metal" also avail.) – Buyolympia.com
"Cool Bands" Gum – Perpetualkid.com
Perosnalized Pick & Key Chain – Etsy.com/shop/LoreleiRose
Jam Band Ornament Set – Perpetualkid.com
Gig Posters Vol. 1 & 2 – Gigposters.com
Flying V/Coffee Shirt – Soundopinions.org
Mix Tape Flask – Etsy.com/shop/whimsyandink
"You Weren't There" Ltd. Ed. LP/DVD – Regressivefilms.com
Amp Mug – Sourpussclothing.com
Plan your visit to the Wicker Park neighborhood of Chicago for a day of zine/book/record shopping, cultural adventures and good grub! Make sure the following destinations are on your list:
Reckless Records – Get lost browsing new and used records in this store reminiscent of the one in “High Fidelity,” which was, in fact, filmed down the street. Consider it indie cred if you’re treated mildly rude by the elitist clerks. Score some free wall art in the gig poster bin and treat the kids to a session of silly fun in the photo booth.
Quimby’s Bookstore (photo) – Hey, they have a play area now featuring finger puppets and wind-up toys (also for sale)! Peep comics, art books, zines galore and curiosities. Word to the wise – pocket the cell phone or risk public shaming.
Myopic Books – A book-lover’s haven, Myopic has three floors of used books – 80,000 total including everything from pop-up books to uber-special interest reads. No photos, please.
826CHI – Drop into The Boring Store (shhh! It’s really a spy store!) for inspector-y gadgets and books authored by 826 tutoring center students (proceeds help fund the nonprofit).
Hungry? Sue me, but I have no problem suggesting a New York-style pizza in Chicago. Get a slice for the right price at Santullo’s Eatery, a fast and yummy family-friendly pizzeria. Watch dough get hand-tossed right at the counter (free entertainment)!
Dessert is always in order after a long day strolling up and down city blocks! Treat your cookie monster to a sweet from Artemio Bakery, an old school panadería without pretension in, let’s face it, an otherwise hipster mecca.
“The Other F Word” – a new documentary from writer/director Andrea Blaugrund Nevins – offers a rare glimpse into the values, lifestyle and grit of the punk patriarchy from the tour bus to ballet practice.
Coming of age in the loud, fast, fuck-everything fringe, Nevins captures largely middle-aged punks today – graying and feeling their oats – getting real about life on the road while playing their biggest gig to date: fatherhood. “It’s tough to be a punk rock hero and still be an authority figure to my kids,” laments Pennywise frontman Jimmy Lindberg, who the film follows during an excruciatingly long world tour and sporadic, albeit moving, moments at home with his girls.
Honest, humorous and poignant, Lindberg – alongside peers Fat Mike (NOFX), Lars Frederiksen (Rancid), Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Tim McIlrath (Rise Against), Duane Peters (U.S. Bombs) and others – discusses not only the irony of being an authoritarian on the home front and punk prophet on stage, but the challenge to put food on the table as a career musician in a business that’s turning on its head. “I don’t think anyone of us, when we started punk rock, looked at [it] as a career decision with a long-term career path and pension plan,” admits Brett Gurewitz (Epitaph Records, Bad Religion).
Although the film addresses challenges any working-class parent can related to, it also reveals the painfully hilarious trappings exclusive to punk parenthood: Frederiksen questions his choice, pre-fatherhood, to get a forehead tattoo; Blink 182’s Mark Hoppus pokes fun of himself for buying clean versions of his albums for his kids; and Fat Mike, with his loud ensemble, draws attention from passersby while walking his daughter to school.
Righting their parents’ wrongs is a common thread among the dads – more than punk, even. Flea, who grew up in a violent, alcoholic home, gets choked up more than once discussing his outlook on parenthood – how it snapped him out of his party-hard lifestyle. We meet his good-natured teen daughter who clearly adores him. “My kids gave me life … they gave me a reason,” he says, verging on tears.
Everclear’s Art Alexakis croons “The Wheels on the Bus” on a car trip with his baby daughter. Also hailing from a poor, broken home, Alexakis, soft-spoken and sober, says he’s driven to embody the type of dad to his children that he longed for growing up.
Suit and tie or studded belt, you’d be challenged to find more committed parents than the dads of “The Other F Word.”
Watch the trailer:
“A told B,
and B told C,
‘I’ll meet you at the top
of the coconut tree!’”
Over the summer, my librarian/educator friend Cely H. brought over a copy of “Chicka Chicka Boom Boom” – a much-loved ABCs book. It’s been one of my son’s favorites ever since – he’s totally memorized it. Written by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault, and illustrated by Lois Ehlert in 1989, the book – with its sing-songy rhythms and bright colors – makes learning the alphabet lots of fun. Every parent of small children should own a copy!
This story centers on lowercase letters (“children”) who can’t resist climbing up the coconut tree. So excited, they all run up quickly, the trunk bows, and the letters fall just as fast as they ran up. Uppercase letters (“adults”) come to their rescue. But as soon as night falls, the little letters are at it again. Sort of a metaphor for parenting!
Cely informed me that the book was released with a recording of Ray Charles narrating in the ’90s. It’s awesome … listen for yourself!
