The Fresh Beat Band=Shows We LOVE August 7, 2011

Our kids all have shows THEY love. The shows that make them go crazy at the first note of the theme song. Shows that make them shout “Again! Again!” Shows that make us, their parents, cringe in pain. This is not a post about those shows. I understand that children’s television is not for everyone. There will be some of you that just choose to hate children’s programming because you’re…well, not a child anymore. I, however, want to maybe point out the shows that aren’t that bad. One of those shows in the Horn household is Nick Jr’s The Fresh Beat Band.

Where do I start? This show DEFINITELY has cheese to spare and I’ll admit, I tend to watch my kids watching the show more than I actually watch the show itself but I can tell you this, this show is actually pretty cute. So, what is it we love?

The Fresh Beats
The most important component to any kids show is, of course, the characters. In this case it is a band called The Fresh Beats (fun trivia bit: The Fresh Beats were originally known as The Jump Arounds before their big break on Nick Jr). The group does everything together, including attending Music School where they learn everything thing they need to know from their teacher, Ms. Piccolo. Each character has something special they bring to the table and can attract just about any child. Let’s start with Kiki.

Kiki can be seen in pink and white and rocking out on guitar or blowing you away with her kick butt vocals. She is also a pretty talented dancer. She’s sweet and fun and I would definitely describe her as a voice of reason amongst the group. She always seems to know what to do.

Marina goes on to prove that yes, girls CAN play drums and totally rock at it. I am partial to Marina because I always wanted beautiful red locks like hers and she seems to have a cute, quirky personality similar to mine. She wears purple and turquoise…very fashion forward in my book. Kids are definitely drawn to her due to her silly nature and I totally get it. Kids LOVE silly.

Speaking of silly, let’s talk about Twist. My girls LOVE him! He is super goofy and silly (KIDS LOVE SILLY) and he does something you don’t see every day…he beatboxes (super cool in my book). And with his yellow hoodie and pretty sweet dance moves, I’ll definitely give him the Mommy Crush Seal of Approval.

Last but not least, there’s Shout. Where Twist and Marina bring on the silly, Shout definitely rounds out the sensible side with Kiki. I got to give Shout major kudos for bringing back both the Carlton Banks preppy look in his orange cardigan and khaki shorts but also the phrase “Cool Beans”. KU-DOS! Shout is known for playing the keyboard but he’s got velvety smooth vocals that bring a nice warmness to each song. Shout doesn’t always stick out the way the other characters do but in a way, that’s good. It lets kids know that it’s okay to be the voice of reason sometimes.

The Music
The music in this show is just as much a character as The Fresh Beats. The songs are upbeat, fun, and more importantly, often teach a lesson that goes along with the episode’s problem. My girls both love the end song “Great Day” and Charlotte has even learned the choreography. I’d be lying if I said that WASNT my favorite part of every episode as well…I may have learned some of the choreography too…

The music is just…fun. Nothing more, nothing less. There is nothing I love more than pushing the coffee table aside and dancing with my girls. The Fresh Beat Band provides the perfect soundtrack for that. The music brings out the best in my girls and allows them to be kids. And you can try to resist it’s charm but it will pull you in. Catchy isn’t even the right word to describe these songs.

All in all, I approve of my kids looking up to this group and watching this show. In a world where kids who play sports are considered the top of the heap and the kids who express themselves creatively are looked on as weak and overly sensitive, I think it’s important to have a show that shows kids that expressing themselves in a more artistic way is okay. As parents, we need to stand back sometimes and just let our kids enjoy the joys of youth. I’m not saying you have to jump on board with every show your child falls in love with but maybe just try to watch it through their eyes. You may find a new appreciation for it.

So there you have it. The Fresh Beat Band. If I had to give it a rating on a scale of terrible to awesome I would go as far as to say it’s pretty great. I plan on doing more blogs on this topic so if you have any shows or movies you want me to review, please let me know.

Thanks for reading! Blessings!

To Register or Not To Register… July 27, 2011

I’ll admit it. I was guilty of it too. You see those two pink lines on a pregnancy test (or the word PREGNANT on a digital screen) and sometimes before we even tell a single soul we fantasize about it. The baby shower registry. Some of you may have even started your registry before you were pregnant. I get it. Baby stuff is cute! That being said there is A LOT of crap you don’t need. I don’t mean to ruffle feathers but this is my opinion…my honest opinion. And if you have any items in your nursery, don’t beat yourself up because I have some of it too. I only want to help you. Registering for a baby is very overwhelming but keep in mind, staring down the barrel of a 15 page baby shower registry is just as overwhelming.

I have narrowed my diatribe down to five items. Please, keep in mind that this blog is meant to HELP. Here goes nothin…

1) Bath Robe
I get it…they’re cute. I mean, really, really, ridiculously cute. They’re also very unnecessary. For those who have never bathed a fussy baby, it is a quick and messy process at times. The last thing you want to do is try to wrestle your already angry baby into a fuzzy robe that looks like a duck. I received a robe for my baby shower and NEVER used it. At best, you may use it for one adorable picture and tuck it away until the next garage sale.

My suggestion is to use the registry space you would use for this to register for more hooded towels. Hooded towels still dry your baby, keep them warm, and are just as cute as a robe.

2) Wipe Warmer
I am sorry but this concept is ridiculous to me! Again, I want to remind you that these are my opinions but please hear me out. I really do get it, we want the best for our babies in every aspect. We buy special bottles so they don’t spit up as often (NEWS FLASH: Babies spit up…it’s just a fact of life), we buy organic baby food, and we warm their wipes so their little tushies will never have to feel the cool sting of a cold wipe. Allow me to paint a scenario for you: You’re out on the town and your baby needs a diaper change. You’re little prince has had his wipes warmed since birth but now…away from the comforts of home you are forced to use a cold wipe and BAM! Baby is screaming because he doesn’t understand why you are torturing him with this cold wipe!Okay, for anyone who doesn’t know me, I can be quite dramatic at times but I am trying to make a valid point. Babies adapt very quickly. If all they know is the “cool sting of a cold wipe” they will accept that it is the only available option. Babies hate to be changed. I have a hard time believing that a warmed up wipe will change this and with most wipe warmers coming in around $30, that is money that can be better spent on something you ACTUALLY need…like baby wipes.

3)Room Decor
Now, I know you’re probably saying to yourself “Well, this woman is no fun! What kind of nursery doesn’t have decorations?” And I am here to tell you “A boring one”. I’m not suggesting you bring your prince or princess home to an institution style white walls without a splash of color to stimulate your baby’s senses. I am merely asking you to be creative and frugal when it comes to it. Let me start out with the specialty lamps. These are generally lamps designed to go with a specific bedding theme and they definitely fit the criteria of cute but from a practical stand point, they are just…well…not practical. I suggest getting a lamp that can grow with your child. Something that they can use well into their tween years. Otherwise, you’re stuck with a lamp that you’re even going to have a hard time selling at your garage sale unless you sell it with the whole bedding set. And with most decorative lamps coming in at around $45 you’d be lucky to make $5 for it at a garage sale. Speaking of lighting, have you seen these mini-chandeliers for nurseries? Talk about ridiculous.
Also, in line with the whole room decor genre, let’s talk about diaper stackers. Again, the diaper stacker is generally designed to go with whatever bedding set you choose and while they are cute, a rectangular basket on the shelf of a changing table does the same job. You can find baskets fairly inexpensive at most hobby stores and super centers for less than $20 and they will serve a purpose well after your little bundle of joy is out of diapers. For the gift givers out there, might I suggest you present your gift in a basket. Not only will your gift look fantastic and unique in a cute white basket lined in gingham, but your mom to be will have a functional piece to add to her nursery.
Like I said, I’m not asking for you to NOT decorate your child’s nursery. I’m asking you to get creative. I would elaborate more but I feel a great blog subject coming on. Stay tuned!

4)Dreft
Yes, it’s tempting. Especially with all these horror stories about a mother’s regular detergent breaking their poor baby out in an awful rash but Dreft is very expensive. It may not seem too bad but when you think about how often you’ll be doing laundry for your little one (and trust me, there will be laundry…boat loads) the cost adds up.My suggestion is buying a regular detergent that is free of dyes and fragrances, such as All Free and Clear.
This is an affordable option that you can use for the whole family. You can even wash your baby’s clothes with your clothes if you so choose.

5)Decorative Pillows
Come on ladies, we’ve all read the Parenting 101 handbooks that are thrust upon us in pregnancy. What is one of the first things we read about decorating our nursery? “THOU SHALL NOT PUT ANY FOREIGN OBJECT IN THY BABY’S CRIB” So why, oh why, would anyone register for decorative pillows for the crib? I see it on almost every registry I look at. Not only are these items unnecessary but they can be dangerous for your baby. I know that a pillow can serve another purpose, such as a rocking chair cushion, but why take up precious registry space with an item you can definitely do without?

As I have said before, this post is not meant to ruffle feathers or to make anyone feel bad. I made these same mistakes when I made my registry. I simply want to help in the process. Registering for a baby is a tough job but rest assured, you will not be without the things you REALLY need. See anything you feel should be on this list? Please add them in your comments.

Thank you for humoring me. I hope that this helps any mom to be out there trying to figure out what to register for or to anyone shopping for a mom to be staring down the barrel of that 15 page registry. Blessings to all! We’ll chat again soon!