It's like pre-school on TV

Victor Vito and Freddie Vasco ate a burrito with tobasco. They put it on their rice. They put it on their beans. They put it on their rutabagas and on their collard greens. . . .

Is this the ranting of a mad woman? No but thanks for caring! These are the words to one of my favorite kids songs by Laurie Berkner. The other day I asked Grace, "Where is my other shoe?" The child likes to relocates my shoes. . . .I was wandering around hopelessly looking and she came tottering up with the missing shoe. Hmmmm. . . . Seems she understands more than I previously thought. It then occurred to me that perhaps we should change our listening selection. Perhaps Ricky Martin's lyrics might be slightly inappropriate for her young ears.

I first heard of Laurie Berkner on Noggin. Noggin is a new Nickelodeon network geared towards the wee ones. It's commercial free and every 45 minutes, they wrap up the program and do one of many fun activities. Music time is great because Grace loves to dance and you hear great new artists (like Berkner) who sing songs that won't make you want to put your head through a wall. There's nothing like having a baby to make you realize how few kid's songs you actually know. In Grace's earliest weeks we both resorted to "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" as all of our favorite childhood songs slipped from our sleep-deprived memories. "The Ants Go Marching" is great because you know by the time the eight ants head into the ground, she's usually on the way out. My husband loves "This Old Man"--calls it his theme song. My personal favorite is "I've Been Working on the Railroad." It's a favorite because 1) for some reason I do know all the words and 2) I think I identify with the proletariat spirit of the railroad worker. Nonetheless, Noggin has brought many wonderful new, funny songs our way and for that I am thankful.

We don't subject Grace to much TV mostly because it's not good for her and she doesn't like it. But the past few days she's had a cold and is teething and hasn't been taking a good nap so I resort to the TV to calm her down a bit and encourage her to take a rest. The TV is permanently on the Noggin network at this point and, all in all, I'm pleased with the programming. They market themselves as "pre-school on TV" and they do a pretty good job of keeping the kids active and engaged. They're so good, my nephew AJ routinely tells me "Noggin is like pre-school on your TV."

Really there are only 2 shows Grace will "watch" (meaning she checks in every 10 minutes or so and then putters away). My favorite is "1,2,3 Sesame." If you haven't watched Sesame in a few years, the street is a bit different from when you and I were growing up and I don't just mean Mr. Hooper is dead (if this is shocking to you, call your parents. They'll explain it all). They might as well re-name Sesame "The Elmo Show" because all of our beloved childhood muppets have taken second fiddle to the ridiculously popular red, furry monster. Super Grover? He's gone. Poor Grover has to introduce the "world cultures segment" now-- a definite kick in the teeth from his previous gig. Ernie is around but for some reason, Burt is not. We don't know where Burt has gone but he rarely makes an appearance. I'm not sure if his past has caught up to him and he's no longer welcome around children or what. I do miss his neurotic ways--his paperclip collection and his weird relationship with the pidgeons. Cookie Monster is around but he's on a diet now and isn't allowed to eat many cookies. I thought that's what made him so funny. "Broccoli Monster" just doesn't work for me. There's nothing funny about broccoli. I don't know if it's a marketing thing by PBS or what but there's only so much Elmo I can take.

So "Sesame 1,2,3" (not on PBS I might add-on Noggin) is a fast-paced, interactive mini-Sesame Street episode featuring our beloved characters. Super Grover is back, as is Burt, Ernie, and even Prairie Dawn (for the die-hard fans out there). The other show we watch is "Blues Clues." We prefer "Steve" to "Joe" and if you know what that means, we'll talk more later. No reason to bore all of you but think about which one is cuter and we can talk later.

So it's pouring rain right now which probably means a little more TV this afternoon. It does become slightly mind-numbing after a while and you walk around all day with some pretty annoying songs in your head. But for a Grace whose on the go all the time, who can't sleep more than an hour, who can't sit in her chair to eat for more than 5 minutes, it encourages her to slow down and sit next to mommy on the sofa and, if the spirit strikes her, cuddle a bit. Which is probably the real reason why I turn it on;)