Location:
401 Willow Dr.,
Bakersfield, CA 93308
Come to RaisingBakersfield.com's Preschool and Activity Fair on Sat., July 26, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., in the gym at Riverview Park (401 Willow Dr., 93308) to meet folks from a variety of area preschools, daycares and activity providers. Refreshments will be provided - and it's free!
Check out RaisingBakersfield.com's interactive childcare and preschool map to see what's near you. Is your preschool or daycare not on the map? Add it!
Join RaisingBakersfield.com and talk to other parents, start a journal, share photos, find discounts and deals, and find family-friendly events and activities.
Questions? Contact info@raisingbakersfield.com.
On June 11, I played hooky from work, and made my 3-year-old daughter skip school. Why? For a rite of passage, you might say.
I took my daughter to her first rock concert.
I first discovered the Barenaked Ladies, the quirky Canadian band known for its sense of humor and fun, when I was a freshman in college and my friend's Canadian roommate put their first album on. After laughing through the lyrics to "If I Had a Million Dollars," I asked, "What the &*%^# is this?!" But I was hooked.
As a parent always on the lookout for both kiddie music that doesn't suck [sorry, but I'm not playing anything by giant purple dinosaurs or Australians in dayglo unitards] and adult music that won't sound inappropriate when parroted by my keen-eared daughter [when she started repeating lyrics, I had to shelve her best friend's mom's hiphop/R&B mix CDs, lest she start singing about "bringing sexy back" and "my humps"], I've counted myself lucky to be a parent during a nascent movement of adult artists crossing over to do kiddie music, both as side projects, like They Might Be Giants and Lisa Loeb, and permanently, like "kindie rock" king Dan Zanes and Bakersfield's own Mr.Oscat [who blogs about modern kids' music here on RaisingBakersfield.com].
And now, BNL have put their quirky sense of humor and ease with multiple musical genres to amazing use on their first children's album, Snacktime. I stuck it in my car stereo when it first came out in early May, and, due to popular demand from the backseat, it's barely come out since. So, when I found out that the band's free tour of bookstores across the nation in support of the album included a stop in LA, I had to take my babygirl.
We had a great time, and The Pumpkin was amazing, even with all the waiting and crowds and the volume. She was right up in front with other kids in little chairs, singing along (she knows all the words to the songs on Snacktime). She was a little confused when they played a few of their adult classics (including "If I Had a Million Dollars," for which they called up from the audience their friend Al Yankovic--yes, that Al Yankovic--to play accordion), but fine. The way I know she really wanted to be there--even though she sat in that little chair for an hour-and-a-half waiting for the show to start, "reading" her picture book of the lyrics and singing along to the CD on the speakers, she didn't want to leave to go to the potty in case she missed the start.
There were a lot of people at that show, with and without kids. The line for getting your CDs and books autographed wrapped around 2 floors of the bookstore. But we got The Pumpkin's CD and book signed (though she was too shy to tell them she loved them and knew all the words), and she still talks about how we saw the band sing in person.
By the way, maybe it's how she hears it, or it just makes more sense in her 3-year-old head, but she can't said "Barenaked Ladies." Always, every day, from the backseat, it's, "I want the Bear Kid Ladies, please." Heh.
I've uploaded videos of the whole set, song by song, so please enjoy the Bear Kid Ladies, as my daughter would want you, and your children, to.
Oh, and if you want to get your hands on a copy of the CD yourself, I just so happened to have them autograph another copy for our very own RaisingBakersfield.com contest:
Email your name, phone number and zip code to contests@raisingbakersfield.com, with the keyword "Snacktime" in the subject line, by July 31, for your chance to win.
la dra. and I have been best friends for 16 years, lovers for 15 years, and, as of this past Friday, husband and wife for 10 years.
When we met on that fateful first day of college, both of us 3000 miles from home and family, we were just kids, with no clue of what the future had in store for us. We have grown up together, become who we are with each other, become who we are because of each other.
We knew, not long after we admitted to each other and ourselves that we were, as they say in college, “more than just friends,” that we were going to be together for good, that this wasn’t some kind of trial run. But ten years ago, we made that promise in public, in front of our family and friends, on a beautiful summer day in Orange County.
Last Friday, away from home with our precious babygirl for a relaxing long weekend in San Diego, we celebrated that day, and that promise, surrounded by good friends and their children. Good food, good company, a simple celebration of a simple, unending truth—that I love you, and that I’m not going anywhere.
I cannot imagine my life without you, without our amazing daughter, who looks more like you every day, without the love and purpose you have brought into my life. I know that I haven’t always made this journey, this partnership easy, and for that, I’m sorry. But those many years ago, long before we were officially engaged, when I asked you to stay with me forever, I meant it, and I still mean it now. Thank you for being in my life.
Happy anniversary, baby. I love you.
[cross-posted from daddyinastrangeland.com]
So, we’re doing our part to make our girl neurotic. For the most part, she’s a carefree, happy kid. Sure, she’s got her shy or cautious moments, but shy and cautious aren’t the same as neurotic. Here’s how we’re doing our part to put our kid on a shrink’s couch in a couple decades:
•Getting The Pumpkin to brush her teeth properly has always been a challenge. Usually presenting her with the alternative—getting brushed by mama or daddy—does the trick. And lately, she’s been enjoying brushing in time to mama’s rendition of “The Lonely Goatherd” from “The Sound of Music.” But sometimes, we do pull out the threats of holes in her teeth. As in, if you don’t brush, you’ll get holes in your teeth. And the passive-aggressive classic variation, “The Pumpkin doesn’t want to brush, okay, that’s okay, she wants holes in her teeth—let’s go to bed now.” So we pulled this the other night, actually getting her out of the tub (yes, she brushes in the tub during her bath), and she freaked. out. Started crying, wailing with exhaustion, “I don’t want holes in my teeth! I don’t want holes in my teeth!” Took a minute to calm her down enough to brush through the tears.
•We’re not always the best with the putting on of the sunscreen, but in a place like Bakersfield, we’ve gotta try. Somehow, I don’t think The Pumpkin’s ever gotten a sunburn yet (knock on wood). Since summer began, and with it our parade of triple digit temperatures [and please don’t say anything resembling “at least it’s a dry heat”], I’ve been applying sunscreen to her exposed skin when I drop her off at school. Okay, fine, the protective power probably runs out way before their afternoon jaunt outside, but still. She knows that sunscreen, or as she pronounces it, “sunscreem,” is to protect her skin from sunburn, even though she doesn’t know what that feels like. Well, the other day after a trip down south, I discovered that we’d left the tube that lives in the car at Grandma’s house. “My sunscreem! My sunscreem!” I tried to reassure her, tell her to come inside when she felt hot, stay in the shade. No dice. The first thing she said to one of her teachers when we walked in, voice full of sadness, was, “We left my sunscreem at my Grandma’s house.” That teacher, helpfully, offered to apply some of the kiddie sunscreen she had in her bag for her own child to our girl’s burnished skin. And I went and got another tube of sunscreen for the car.
•She’s less neurotic about this now, but when we first started putting her on her tricycle and riding around the neighborhood, I tried to get her to accept the uncomfortable Dora toddler helmet by telling her the story of my bicycle accident. I was in the 6th grade, miles from home, riding down a busy main street just so I could say I had gotten that far, and I swerved too quickly to avoid a car door and then get back to the curb, away from traffic. I lost two teeth—but, as I say in my cautionary tale, if I hadn’t been wearing a helmet, my head might’ve gotten split open. So, while she’ll tool around the backyard without the helmet now, in the beginning, my lesson worked too well. If I thought she didn’t need to gear all up because we weren’t going in the street, I’d try to get her to just get on without the helmet. Noooo! My helmet! Mama asks, “Why can’t you ride without your helmet, baby?” “Because my head will break open.” Way to instill the confidence there, daddy.
•For some reason, even though she’s fine on her own at school, when she’s with us, sometimes she still wants us to wipe her. “I need help!” she’ll call from down the hall. Of course, you never know when that’ll randomly alternate with the polar opposite: “I can do it all. by. myself!” Okaaay.... But anyway, back in the early days of potty-training, in order to impress upon her the importance of personal hygiene, I decided that the easiest way to make sure she cleaned herself was to tell her she had to wipe a certain number of times. Four times for poop, two times for pee. So, not that she actually follows this herself all the time, especially at school, but woe to the parent who, assessing the situation, decides that less than the required number of wipes is needed when called upon to “help.” “You only did one!” “That wasn’t four!” “You did it wrong!” Oy....
•On the cruise we recently went on, there were jumbo-sized dispenser of Purell-style hand sanitizer everywhere—on random walls, on moveable poles at the entrance to restaurants, at the top and bottom of the gangplank to shore. La dra. loved this. But if we ever tried to go to dinner without stopping at the dispenser—”My gel! My gel!” Like she was gonna get diptheria or something instantly if we didn’t give her some Purell.
So, what have you done to guarantee a lifetime of analysis for your little ones?
[crossposted from daddyinastrangeland.com]
I hope that everyone had a great time celebrating the fathers in their lives yesterday.
We drove down to my paternal grandmother's house for our annual backyard picnic, which was started in memory of my grandfather, who passed away near Father's Day 11 years ago. It was a full house--my grandmother, my parents, my dad's brother and his kids, my uncle's best friend who's sort of like another brother, my wife's parents, my dad's cousins and their families, and us. It was nice and cool, compared to Bakersfield, and we spent a leisurely evening hanging out and eating. Living as we do at least 2 hours away from family, The Pumpkin loves every second she gets to spend with any of her grandparents, and it shows. Watching her with them, and with the rest of the family, seeing the joy and love on her face--that's my Father's Day gift, and luckily I don't have to wait to get it just once a year.
How did you spend your Father's Day? Check out NoahJ's journal entry, and post your own. Also, upload photos of your celebrations to our scrapbooks (we're always looking for great photos to reprint in our monthly newsletter!) and share the love!
From the shameless plug department:
In advance of Father's Day, I'm on a roundtable of dadbloggers on NPR's Tell Me More with Michel Martin today, Tuesday, June 10--and I'm happy to report I even got a plug in for our amazing local parenting community here on RaisingBakersfield.
Click through to the show's website for the streaming audio of the program—it should be up around 9 a.m., and archived thereafter.
UPDATE: Here's a direct link to the segment.
Very early on, The Pumpkin could recognize the logos for stores like Target, Costco and Trader Joe's--and ask to to there, unprompted. (Oh, and distinguish between bookstores by the Borders and Barnes & Noble logos.)
Just now, as we're getting ready to drive to preschool and she's pushing her stuffed hippo around in a stroller through the house, I heard her say this:
"I'm taking my hippo for a walk."
<wait for it, wait for it>
"We're going to Starbucks."
Location:
5620 California Ave.,
Bakersfield, CA 93309
Last Saturday, I needed a haircut, badly. We'd been trying for months now to convince The Pumpkin to let us cut her hair so it wouldn't be in her face all the time, but hadn't been successful up to that point. However, I figured that having her come along and watch me wouldn't hurt, and might even do the trick, so all three of us went into the Great Clips on California at Stockdale.
The Pumpkin's hair was slow growing in the beginning, and thin and fine, but now it reaches her midback, and (before last Saturday) she was always brushing her hair out of her face. It doesn't help that she rarely keeps her "pretties" (any assortment of rubberbands and clips) in her hair for more than a few hours at a time. But no amount of playing the "Look, your friends x, y, and z all have bangs and they don't have to brush hair out of their eyes, don't you want to do that?" game seemed to move her.
But when we got to Great Clips (my first time there too), she immediately started watching an older girl getting her hair cut. The woman cutting my hair was extremely friendly and talked to her while she watched me get my hair cut too. When my turn was done, we asked The Pumpkin if she wanted to try, and miracle of miracles, she said yes. She sat up on the booster seat, let the woman put that tarp thing around her, and didn't flinch or anything at the spray bottle, the scissors, any of it. She was fascinated by the first lock of hair cut that we grabbed and saved and wanted to hold it. When she was done, she grinned at herself in the mirror and asked for a balloon.
Since then, she tells everyone she sees that she got a haircut, and even talks about getting another one, maybe even doing more than bangs next time and trimming some of the back. So, one milestone done, a zillion to go.
And the other cool thing? Great Clips is one of RaisingBakersfield.com's Parent Perks advertisers. Every month, our vendors offer our community members a different discount or deal--all you have to do is print out our Parent Perks discount card and show it. So not only did get we both get nice haircuts and The Pumpkin got her first ever, but we got them at a substantial discount. So check out what our advertisers have to offer and come back often for the latest deals.
On Mother's Day, we celebrate all the mothers in our lives. But for us, Mother's Day is much more than a single holiday on the calendar that comes once a year. Here at RaisingBakersfield.com, we celebrate mothers and mothering, and parents and parenting, every single day, through all the triumphs and challenges, big and little, that mark our journey through this adventure that is bringing up children in our modern world.
To our partners, our wives, the mothers of our children; to our mothers, our grandmothers, our aunts, sisters, daughters, and daughters- and mothers-in-law; to our dear friends, our family-by-choice, and those who've been like mothers in our lives—to all of you, we wish you a Happy Mother's Day. For all you are and all you do, we love you, and you are all Raising Bakersfield.
The first time The Pumpkin busted out with the Pledge of Allegiance, we were totally surprised. Apparently, a different kid in her class is chosen every day to be “the leader,” and one of the duties of the leader is to lead the class in the pledge. When she first role-played this for us, she even included her teacher (she played her teacher) correcting a whole bunch of kids individually on which hand to use [her teacher got a kick out of this when we told her]. This week, The Pumpkin is Student of the Week—every student gets to be Student of the Week once during the school year, with photos from home and things about them [we had to edit “My favorite thing about school is: playing with Priscilla” to “...playing with my friends” so as to not exclude anyone!] on the bulletin board. And one thing kids get to do as Student of the Week is be the leader. So this video is la dra. helping her practice. Heh.
(Crossposted from daddyinastrangeland.com.)
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