Shakira: Great for Dads, Not So Much For Kids

My son loves to dance and music, especially Latin music with lots of horns. I can't stand that crap but can tolerate Shakira.

I turned on Hips Don't Lie and be both enjoyed shaking our tushes, even though all her moves are quite suggestive. Afterwards, I gave She Wolf a try. Once it started, look out.

There is Shakira in a flesh colored body suit dancing in a pink meshy tunnel that looks like a vagina. Although continuing having my son watch this would ensure him being heterosexual, I thought it best to find The Wiggles.

I'll save She Wolf for a later viewing

Best Children's Stories About Music

If your little guy/girl's second passion, the first being saying the word poopy all the time, is music and you are looking for a special book that will satiate their needs, you have come to the right place. Below is an assemblage of picture books for the 2 to 5 year old in your life that doesn't dumb it down to much for the little poopy speakers. Taking my son to the library almost every week and having read a total of 12 books about orchestrates, marching bands, and jazz, I have done the hard work for you.
Behold!!! My list of the top 5 children's books about music:

1. Our Marching Band by Lloyd Moss and Diana Cain Bluthenthal - A fun band about a bunch of kids who aren't very talented by practice together at great length and become the town's prized marching band. The meter of this book is at a good pace and I enjoy how the towns folk find the band dreadful at the beginning.
2. This Jazz Man by Karen Ehrhardt and R.G. Roth - Lots of references to Jazz greats like Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker. A satisifying read with the only drawback being that it is set to the tune "The Old Man." The kids will enjoy finding the hidden mouse on each page.
3. Zin, Zin, Zin a Violin by Lloyd Moss and Marjorie Priceman - 10 different instruments and not one drum. I love it. Plus, you know two musicians are a duet the four musicians are a quartet. Do you know what seven musicians playing together are called? Read the book to find out. My big gripe is why do they make the bald guy the goofball bassoon player. That is....well it is not racism....but it is some kind of "ist". Lloyd Moss sure loves to write kids books about music.
4. Fiddle I Fee by Will Hillenbrand - So catchy a two and a half year old will talking about which animals please him or her. Its clean so get your mind out of the gutter.
5. The Remarkable Farkle McBride by John Lithgow and C. F. Payne - Yes, this is by that John Lithgow. Clever writing about a young man you loves an instrument from each section of the orchestra only to hate them. How will this book end? What will fickle Farkle do? You'll have to read to find out.

Honorable mention: Jazz on a Saturday Night, Violets Music.

Forget about them: Meet the Orchestra, Tuba Lessons.

Enjoy in good health my friends.

H1N1 Parenting Tips

Since the whole world is giving their tips on how to best combat seasonal viruses, I wanted to do my part. Enjoy this exciting game and determine which of these statements are true:

1. If you have to sneeze or cough, do so in your hand or into the air
2. Touch your eyes, nose, and mouth frequently
3. If you have a fever but you have some crap you have to get done, that's cool. Go outside and take care of business.
4. Only pansies was there hands.
5. Get close to those who currently have the virus. Their germs will act as a forcefield and protect you.
6. Touch all the doorknobs from preschools, YMCAs, and Gymborees
7. Tongue kiss and licks the hands of strangers

I think the answers are pretty obvious. Numbers 2, 5, and 7 are false. The rest are true. Good luck and hopefully we'll all still be around in March.

Coffee Math

I get looks from people at work due to the fact that I always seem to have a cup of coffee in my hand. Sorry my stink breath disturbs you. I try to eat a lifesavers but it just arms to mask the scent.

Just today, I was approached about why I drink so much. My reply was that it was my right by using coffee match. Coffee math?! What the he'll is that?! Fear not humble reader, I'll clue you in.
You start with the number 10. That is the max cups of coffee your basic human should consume. Then you subtract the number of hours you have slept. For example, you took in 8 hours. The result is the number of cups of coffee you are entitled. The answer would be two cups for this example in the event you didn't finish the fourth grade.

The reason I drink so much is because my crazy kid never goes to bed despite our infinite number of sleep training methods. Usually get 5-6 hours of sleep, so I chug 4-5 cups a day. It is one of the perks of being sleep deprived.

Emily Bear Not Charice - Most Talented

So this girl Charice, the one who Oprah thinks is the 'Most Talented Girl Alive' has had some accomplishments lately. She has teamed up with a bunch of has beens from the Love FM favorites like David Foster and Celine Dion. In addition, she performed in her home country to the king. Also, she has that hit song on the radio. What is it called......? Oh, that's right, she doesn't have one because he is rehasher of old songs everyone is sick of and performs for grannies.

Ellen DeGeneres may be on to the child who possesses real genius. Her name is Emily Bear, a prodigy pianist who has written over over 130 songs. Emily is remarkable playing her own compositions as well as jazz and classical masterpieces. Not only is she impeccable but seems to geniunely enjoy herself, becoming engulfed in the music, not like some of these stiff dorks who play out of fear their tighted briefed fathers will berate them if they fail. In addition, Emily has performed not for some mediocre king but for an actual US President, albeit George W. Bush.

I love Emily Bear and can't wait to see her when she tours Chicago to see Ravninia over the summer. She is cute, intelligent, and has an actual talent - music performance and composition. You go Emily!!! I now dub you "The Most Talented Girl Alive".

Curious George - A Great Read If You Are Not a Germophobe

The Curious George series, as written by the husband wife team of H.A.Rey and Margret Rey, are filled with cute little George continually getting into predicatments due to his curiousity, hence the nickname Curious George. The books have the formula of a television sitcom.First, there's the set-up where George goes to the zoo, a parade, or an ice cream shop and observes. Next, he wants to take part in the activity. Someone gets pissed and him and George runs away. Then George does something clever and they all love him at the end.

Being someone who always has Purell in my holster, I get a little squeemish reading some of the George books. I don't want the monkey making an ice cream sundae or tossing pizza dough up in the air. The diseases this being must possess has to be extensive. After all, this creature does not wear pants and uses his hand to wipe himself. Would you want to eat a pizza with monkey hands all over it?

George's friend, the man in the yellow hat, is quite the strange character. It is a good thing that he doesn't have kids because he is always letting George out of his sights and allowing him to get into mischief. In addition, he is very absent minded. He is always leaving George to perform an activity or errand he forgot about. Scary thought especially after last month's disaster with the woman and the chimp in Conneticut.

Good Night Moon - Great Read for Those Who Don't Take It As Non-Fiction

Good Night Moon, the timeless tale of naming things in a great green room and then saying "good night" to them. Good Night Brush, Good Night Clock, Good Night Mush, Good Night Sock. This is one book that you get really pissed off about because you start thinking, I could write this drivel and I too would be filthy rich.

The drawings by Clement Hurd are glorious and comforting showing a wonder filled room enchanting to children and filled with a bunch of random items. The room is not well child proofed. There is a burning file, lots of sharp edges, and contains a clothes line. I don't think the AAP would approve. It would make me very happy is someone took the bowl of mush to the sink rather than let it sit all night.

A little nugget of trivia is that Margaret Wise Brown died when she was 42, leaving all of her royalties to a 9 year old rascally kid. The child grew up to a slacking drug abuser who still receives profits to sustain his life of traveling to exotic places, drinking/drugs, and neglecting his children who were conceived by miscellaneous women.

Surprisingly, kids are not freaked out about the old lady in the rocking chair whispering "Hush" but she does give me the heebee geebees.