book pick: Tom Goes to Kindergarten

who's more excited
for the first day of school?
me or her?

my oldest daughter is entering kindergarten this year. we met her teacher today, a kind woman who decorates with apples and sea creatures, has a reading carpet, a puppet theater and lots and lots of books.

when Sweet One started preschool last year, i choked up a bit on the first day. there she was in a crisp sundress, a little backpack over her shoulders, still with a bit of that toddler pudge, and an excited smile. my baby's growing up! sob, sniffle, snurp. this year, i'm a bit more seasoned. i haven't even broken out the camera yet. sigh. but when my worried little girl cried this morning at home – saying, "i don't want to go to school. i want to stay home!" – a part of me wanted to say, "ok!" once she saw her new classroom and one of her best friends, however, she recovered. and i'm starting to as well, of course.

we all have to grow up some day.

still, it's nice to have a book like Tom Goes to Kindergarten to remind us that we shouldn't grow up too much.

word of the month: forgo

for·go   vt  \fȯr-ˈgō\
1 : to give up the enjoyment or advantage of : do without
2 : archaic : forsake
— for·go·er    noun

we're all selfish. until i had kids, i didn't realize just how selfish i was. but i do remember and appreciate the lessons in empathy and an expanded worldview that my own parents instilled in me from a young age (think: singing at the nursing home, putting quarters in the orange fish...).

those tangible expressions of giving are still vital. and in today's wired world, the lessons can take a unique twist. one of the fresh ways to give is a new app called Forgo. with Forgo, you choose to bypass an impending purchase – say, that McDonald's snack wrap or Redbox rental – and instead put the money you would have spent toward the latest Forgo project.

book pick: Z is for Moose

A is for apple. B is for ball. C is for cat. D is for ... Moose?! oh, Moose. that risible extant species of the deer family is breaking up the carefully crafted choreography of a much-anticipated new book about the ABCs. director Zebra is close to losing his patience with his friend until he finds a genius solution (as a good director is wont to do). and the result is Z Is for Moose by first-time picture book author Kelly Bingham, illustrated by the preeminent Paul O. Zelinsky.

teddy bears with soul

"Beauty in the Pollution" by geezaweezer

ohhhh, my friends. we have found garbage-dump-teddy-bear nirvana. wha?

well, if you started with this blog from the beginning, then you may know our family's love for caspar babypants. those of a certain generation recall the band The Presidents of the United States of America (mmmm, peaches). this is the lead's kiddie alter ego. it weds the silliness of PUSA with the sentiment of PPDA (parents on poopy diaper alert). our not-yet-2-year-old equates "babypants!" with music. hop in the car, strap her in the seat, and before we get to the end of the alley it's "babypants? babypants? ba-by-pants?!?"

far and away our favorite song is "$9.99." (although you can buy it for 50 cents ... 50 measly cents, y'all!) i could explain, but with the artist's permission we're just going to share it here:

color me annoyed

my daughter is in love with princesses – Disney princesses to be specific. i think color has a lot to do with it. marketing to young children means tickling their order-obsessed sensibilities, and color is one of the first to manifest itself (along with, of course, gender). even at a young age, my Sweet One was a stickler about putting the green cup with the green bowl and the orange cup with the orange bowl... Disney has picked up on that. Cinderella is associated with blue. Aurora is pink. Tiana is green. Rapunzel is purple. and perhaps the only reason Belle is my daughter's favorite princess is because Belle is associated with yellow, her favorite color. each princess has her place on the color wheel – that is, when they're not wearing white for their inevitable wedding...

book pick: Never, Ever Shout in a Zoo

you can't say i didn't warn you – that this is a funny book, that is.

Never, Ever Shout in a Zoo is one of our all-time favorite silly books, and until now i didn't really clue in that its author, Karma Wilson, also happens to be a favorite of ours with such repeat-reads as her Bear book series and Baby Cakes.