Super Stolie Saves Your Sanity.

As a ton of you know (as well as random passersby who are subjected to my seemingly out-of-the-blue rants), the category of Kid Music is extremely hit or miss for me.

When it's awesome, it's catchy and witty and intelligent with exceptional production values.

When it's horrid, it's patronizing and trite and grating with voices that make me want to jump out of a window.

So guess what, guys? I've found you an awesome one.

Super Stolie (a.k.a Rebecca Stoelinga) is something of a Chicago kiddo-music institution. (True story: Back when I was a nanny, I took one of my charges to an outdoor festival where she was playing- and would've stayed and danced even without the three year-old in tow.)

And her newest CD Press Play is an album that toddlers and preschoolers (and their parents who're reluctantly sharing the stereo rotation) will enjoy. I swear it up n' down.

Some track highlights (as judged by my toddler and preschooler):

-I Just Wanna Dance (Solo Quiero Bailar) has a beat and hook that could be featured in a Top 40 song (or its club remix). Also, Nora's a big fan of songs that lay out what she's doing while she's doing it. So there's that.

-Chocolate Chip Cookies is a song that Susannah adores because of the chorus, wherein everyone shouts "chocolate chip cookies!" It's a good song, don't get me wrong, but that part of the tune is a family favorite. (I'm yelling it in my head right now.)

-See Saw Seen sounds like a jigtacular Irish romp and details the beauty of days and nights (and everything in between) in a super fun, utterly danceable way.

-Oh! Susanna is on this album. You guys, there is a rockin' version of Oh! Susanna on this album.

-Dreamland is a floaty, gorgeous song, which details all of the wonderful and fleeting moments of childhood. And it makes me Ugly Cry.

-You Are Getting Older is a sweet riff on Happy Birthday and, again, makes me sob with its utter loveliness and truth and- yeah, sure- lack of sleep.

But you know what? There are fourteen tracks on the CD and I could happily listen to all of them all day long. (Which is good, because we listen to all of them all day long.)

Wanna join us? Go here and listen, download, buy, and jam out.

We'll be here, spinning in circles and shouting about desserts until you return.

Family, Sleepiness, And Ill-Advised Travel.

Last night, I flew to Boston.

Last night,  flew to Boston during a Category 5 thunderstorm.

Last night, I flew to Boston during a Category 5 thunderstorm that took off 45 minutes late, had to circle up to Maine for an hour in a holding pattern, and featured some of the craziest floor-dropping turbulence I've ever experienced.

At one point, the ceiling of the plane began to rattle and whine in this sorta "I'm about to snap in half" way.

And the lady in front of me hacked up a lung the whole [extended] journey, finally explaining to the flight attendant that she was "really, really sick." (Yeah?!)

But I got to read a book and watch a show by myself, so it was still awesome.

I did feel super bad, however, that my Dad and my bro-in-law were waiting to pick me up at the airport until midnight. Getting us back to the house around 12:30am. And in bed by 1:15pm. Which, for a family that includes an exhausted new Mom, an exhausted back-to-work Dad, my exhausted Mom, and my Dad (on an off-week from chemo)- plus a newborn- those are some pretty ravetacular hours.

Alarmed by the camera. Him, not me.

But it was absolutely awesome to meet Garrett. He's rather fantastic and adorable and baby-magical.

And it's always fun to see my folks- even if they leave before lunch to go back to their home on the other side of the state, boo hiss.

My Daaad!

And, of course, I'm pretty sure I'm gonna have a blast with all four of my nephews. And my sister. And my bro-in-law. And there's even talk of me seeing my youngest sis and her boyfriend tonight.

It'll be the best time ever.

Once I regain the strength to get up off the floor.

A Tad Too Wordy For "Wordless" Wednesday.

I've been feeling a wee bit wordy lately, so I'd like to showcase a few of my favorite pix from the past week. I can't do a Wordless Wednesday- I JUST CAN'T- but I'll do my closest thing.

Pushed an ottoman into the corner of the playroom, shoved some pillows and blankets
and half-wondered if the girls would use it as a little nook...turned around and saw Zu.

Quiet jammie reading time with seeestah.

Nora von CrazySmile and her favorite- and only- preschool teacher.

"I'm not tired. I'm just gonna...sit here for a second."

Babbabox Kitchen Science, or N & Z Mix Stuff Together.

Listen, I'm not saying that my girls are wild beasties [out loud], but I am saying that sometimes they need to have their energies- ahem- focused a tad.

And they love getting messy. And they love "creating." And they love anything that looks like something they oughtn't be playing with.

To that end, the three of us were thrilled to once again review Babbabox- the terrific subscription activity box for kiddos ages 3 to 7- and this one was Kitchen Science! (I mean, really. My children are already in the kitchen and they're already mixing all sorts of things together...this one was a no-brainer for me.)

Babbabox projects include all the necessary materials for each experiment- and some are simple [yet quite cool] enough for big kids to do on their own! (However, my 3.5 and 1.5 year olds needed a tad bit o' help. Even though there was a bunch of "I've got this" going on.) 

We started by making the "magic mud." Both Nora and Zuzu spent a goodly half an hour getting their equipment together; lining up the vials and dropper, and showing each other how they looked in the protective goggles. It was so easy to mix the cornstarch, food coloring, and painfully-slowly-dropped-droppers-of-water into the bowl (on a pan, on a towel), and unbelievably amusing to watch their looks of "Are you sure this is okay?!"

They played with this for an hour, feeling the powder become liquid in their hands, and then crumble back to powder. AN HOUR. Nicely. Together. Sharing each and every part. I was ready to sign up for a gazillion year subscription.

The other experiment we've done so far is making our own bouncy balls. They did such a good job stirring glue and food coloring together, then adding painfully-slowly-dropped-droppers-of-water (because, apparently, that's their favorite part forever and ever, amen). As we added the sodium tetraborate, the mix became gooey and rubbery, causing squeals of glee from the children who wanted to poke it with a stick/shove it up her nose, respectively.

They molded the goo into balls with their hands and then spent another hour sending them careening. Hi-larious.

These kits are simply awesome for those mornings when it's rainy/your kid woke up at 5:30am to talk to you about "feelings." And since there's a variety of subscription plans, I know you'll find a good one for your own little beasties.

And since I can offer y'all a ten dollar off code (BABBACO10) for new monthly or annual subscriptions, it's kinda becoming more affordable than ever to raise some terrifically creative kiddos.

Or at least ones who are really, really precise with eyedroppers.

***

Although I wasn't compensated for my Babbabox post, I did receive a free kit to try out. Which should tell you how much I love these projects. All opinions are my own, unless they're Nora's or Zuzu's.