Minivan Blues

Yesterday was Grammy day. Living in LA, it seems like there is an awards ceremony every other night. But this was huge. Artists that I call friends of mine were nominated! Justin Roberts and the Not Ready for Nap Time Players, Battersby Duo, Bill Harley, Judy Pancoast, and the amazing artists behind Healthy Food For [...]

It takes a special kind of band to juxtapose sippy cups with Starbucks…. but then again, Hullabaloo delivers every time. Folks, I love these guys. Brilliance in the Minivan: Now, where’s my latte?

My oldest is obsessed with history. He turns his Playmobil and Lego into the Seventh Calvary and scenes from the Revolutionary War. This morning, my youngest came crying to me in the kitchen. “They want me to surrender. I don’t want to surrender.” Darn brothers. It hurt my heart. When I heard that Scholastic Storybook [...]

There are very few times that I pop a CD in the minivan and the kids are absolutely mesmerized…. Lucky Diaz, you are magical! Every song has our toes tapping, our heads bopping, and our fingers strumming air guitar like we mean business. My five year old describes this cd as follows: “happy and fun.” [...]

Lovin me some Scribble Monster. Their new CD is dedicated to singing awesome renditions of old school Sesame Street favorites. That’s right…. Remember “Five People in My Family?” What about “Good Morning Mister Sun?” The minivan ROCKS when we put this cd in. It is in major rotation. Want to take a trip down memory [...]

The other day, I was walking with my little man, my aunt, and her fabulous dachshund (aptly named “Dodger,” as in the Dodger Dogs you get at Dodger Stadium). We were about halfway around the block, when we heard shouts of “Ninja Stars For Sale!” What looked like your traditional lemonade stand was actually an [...]

I have a special place in my heart for Gustafer Yellowgold. Everything about Gus makes me smile. He’s curious, bright (yellow, that is), and he represents wholesome goodness. When I watch him onscreen with my boys, we are absolutely intrigued. The music behind Gus is the extremely talented Morgan Taylor. His voice is so calming [...]

Vampire Weekend is certainly not a “kids” album. But, can we talk about how GOOD it is? I play “Horchata” for my kids because it is so darn fun to sing. “In December, drinking horchata….” LOVE. The songs have serious chord variations and the melodies are hypnotic. I dig exposing the kiddos to music with [...]

My kids have been off on Winter Break and it has been both amazingly fun and ridiculously exhausting. In addition, LA has had an insane amount of rain, and rides in our minivan have been galoshes seeped in mud with a bit of tantrum thrown in for good measure. Thankfully, Frances England has come to [...]