Monthly Archives: March 2011

Bloggers Day of Silence :: Love to Japan

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Hello friends. There will be no post on Modern Kiddo this Friday in observance of Bloggers Day of Silence— an effort within the blogging community to raise funds for the tragedy in Japan. To donate please click here. For more info on how you can participate please click here.

BLOGGERS DAY OF SILENCE
Anyone that has a blog can help out with this one. The aim is just raise awareness and respect and acknowledge the devastation going on in Japan.

The guidelines are simple:
1. This coming Friday, March 18th, no posts at all on your blog.
2. Blog about this beforehand.
3. Please tweet and Re-Tweet this link: http://www.forjapanwithlove.com
4. Encourage your readers to contribute to donate shelter to Japan. Whatever you can contribute will be appreciated. Every little helps.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the other side of the world.

A wee surprise prezzie for Alix.

Real Life

Now friends, you have to understand that I HAD to get this for Alix.  I know it’s silly, but really. I couldn’t help myself.

A Twitter handle pin! Oh, and one for me too…

OK–backstory…

I sat next to a lady Sunday who had a necklace like this and knew immediately that I had to get one for me and Alix.  I asked the woman where she got it and she said it was just that day from some local lady who was making them for a lot of bloggers.

Through the magic of the Internet, I found the woman on Twitter and told her I MUST HAVE her pins. One for me and one for Alix. NOW.  Twenty plus direct messages on Twitter and two days later and a drive by in a rented car on the corner of Congress and 6th street I had my pins. One for me and one for Alix.

Let me tell you a bit about the artist, Jennifer Cunningham.  First off, she came up with these genius little pins that are so much fun and really, who doesn’t want their Twitter handle in pin form? Just think how many followers we would have!  This single mama with a heart of gold is making ends meet through her art so she can be at home with her little toddler and her stuff is so much fun to boot! Check out her Etsy shop and buy something.  I know you want that pin or gasp–the necklace featuring your own Twitter handle.  Mmmhmm!

I know many of you are thinking to yourself, hey–what does Galexina have to do with Alix? Oh ho!  Let me tell you a story.  Before there was Alix of Modern Kiddo, there was a Devil-Ette whose name was The Galaxie Girl.  She later changed her name to the Starlet, but Galexina became a handle our Alix kept for many many years in emails, Live Journal posts and her beloved Twitter handle.

And really you should follow our girl @galexina because Alix has truly mastered the art of the witty tweet.

Hope you enjoy it, Alix!

xoxo,

Real Life :: Dottie at SXSW Interactive.

Real Life, Real Life : Dottie, ,

Everything truly is bigger and better in Texas.

Like the hangovers.

And yeah, there were hangovers. But great conversations and fun times had by all.

I’m happy to say that CNET rocked the house with its streaming Buzz Out Loud party at Cedar Street. Molly Wood and Brian Tong were wonderful and did a bang-up job interviewing all sorts of fancy people that night from Pete Cashmore to Freddy Rodriguez.   And mad props to the CNET marketing team for that adorable cowboy boot beer cozy.

From Flickr user Brian Wilson.

Image via CBS.

We also went to a couple of other parties, but I think my favorite was, of course the Etsy party, where people were crafting it up on the premises!

How cute is that? And they even had a fashion show with Burda. At SXSWi!  Wonderful!

Image via Flickr: Etsy Labs

Oh and they had great bands too…

And I saw lots and lots of panels. Perhaps too many panels. But the one that stood out the most was Guy Kawasaki’s solo piece discussing some findings from his book, Enchantment.  All I can say, is buy the book. If it is one bit as great as the hour I spent listening to Guy, then you are in for a treat.

Image via NeonPunch.

Well, that and going to Jane Goldman’s panels. Jane, who is the co-found and EIC of CHOW is a force of nature and one of the most inspiring ladies I know.  She was on a terrific panel at TECHMunch as well as her own panel at SXSW discussing food criticism.

Image via: Living the Promise.

Hoo boy, there is so much more. So many funny asides and wonderfully smart and clever things that I saw and did but I’m just a tad tired from it all.  But I can tell you this. I’m going again next year!

Image via 30DaysOut.

Next post–Alix’s little surprise!

Real Life :: Shopping & Eating in Austin.

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Hoo boy! Austin does vintage RIGHT!

After going to A LOT of panels and parties and walking my tootsies off all over downtown Austin, I needed a wee break. I needed to center myself with some good ole fashion vintage shopping. And let me tell you, Austin knows a thing or two about great vintage.

With terrific advice from the wonderful baking goddess , Jenny from Vintage Sugacube and the spectacularly clever Beth I headed out with some friends from work in tow in search of some sassy shopping Austin style.

There are many many things that Austin just knows how to do right. Like vintage belt buckles. Well done, Feather Boutique.

And stunning vintage dresses like this one that just took my breath away.

And did you know that Texas has a thing for cowboy boots? Mmhmm… shocker, I know.

I love this vintage Twister game. The graphics make me think that Twister is one step away from a key party!

Owls anyone?

 

But a girl can’t live by vintage shopping alone. She needs CANDY!

Which we found in ample supply at the glorious Big Top Candy store, which brought back wonderful childhood memories of having a quarter to spend on penny candy.

Look, they even had Mary Janes. I love a good vintage candy.

Now we knew our sugar high couldn’t last, so we knew we needed something “more” like some protein.

Friends, Austin is a food lovers paradise.  Like this BRISKET–oh sweet Georgia Brown, this brisket from Franklin’s BBQ. Insane in the membrane. Thank you CHOW Tour: Austin for the recommendations! Brisket, I will dream of you when I’m back in SF…

Oh and I think Texas is also into BBQ sauces too.  Go figure…

I even like their sign. I want to marry this place.

And the food truck scene in Austin is unbelievable.  If it can be eaten, you can get it from a food truck in Austin. And some of them are just button cute too boot, like this little friend!

I loved the fabulous French pastries from La Boite! Again, a terrific suggestion from CHOW Tour: Austin.

And I must admit, this was just the tippy tip tip of all of the wonderful goodness that I tried to cram into my Austin afternoon of fun.  A necessary break from the banana event that is SXSW. More on that later today, hopefully!

Nuff said, Austin!

Oh, and I’ll have to show you the surprise giftie I picked up for Miss Alix, too!

The Best Music for a Kids Dance Party? Heck Yeah!

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NOTE: This list was originally compiled in 2011, but I thought it would be do a 2013 upate—click here for the same list but with some more current tunes at the end! I wanted to keep this one up because there are some great reader suggestions in the comments at the end! Here is also a super cool idea—Griffin’s Rad Rock-n-Roll Birthday Bash!

Recently I’ve gotten a handful of emails asking me, “What would be fun, “non-kid” music to play at a birthday party??” Music that is still kid-friendly and appropriate, of course! Given the cool rock-n-roll birthday party I posted earlier today, I thought it would be fun to compile a Master List of some tunes that are super rockin’ for party go-ers of all ages. Our mission? Get the kids AND parents dancing! Here were our guidelines:

1. Kiddo-friendly. Nothing overly dour, slow or with inappropriate lyrics.

2. Upbeat! Silly! Fun! High energy music that is great for boppin’ around to.

3. Sing-a-long factor! If it has an easy chorus, bonus points!

4. Parent pleasing. I love a good round of Farmer in the Dell as much as the next gal, but it’s kind of nice to rock out to grown up tunes, no?

5. Recognizable. Nothing super obscure or too indie. Your child may love Yoshimi Battle’s the Pink Robots, but we wanted a mix that everyone could relate to.

Please note! This list is not about me impressing you with my hipster/indie music street cred. This is about inspiring kiddo’s with fun jams and giving your cool meter a shove and allowing yourself to embrace the cheesy goodness of pop! I’ve broken this down by decade—feel free to mix and match for your own Mega Mix!

[Unfortunately I can’t give you the tracks, but I’m happy to help you track ’em down if you need ’em.] Let’s go!

The 1950s/60s

Goofy, bouncy and pretty darn wholesome. What’s not to love? There are a zillion more I’m missing, but these should get you started!

“La Bamba” -Richie Valens

“Ring of Fire” – Johnny Cash (perfect for young Woody & Jessie fans….)

“Twist and Shout” – The Beatles (really you can’t go wrong with any Beatles song!)

“Wipe Out” – The Ventures

“Build Me Up Buttercup” – Foundation

“The Loco-Motion” – Little Eva

“Hound Dog” – Elvis Presley

“Day-O” – Harry Belafonte

“I’m A Believer” – The Monkees

“The Twist” – Chubby Checker

“Magic Carpet Ride” – Steppenwolf

“Sugar, Sugar” – The Archies

 

The 1970s

Classic Rock. Disco. Punky. Funky. The Seventies had it all—and these groovy tunes make for an amazing kiddo dance party. Start with some bad ass classics, so the dads can feel cool, and by the time you throw on that LIPPS Inc., they won’t even know what hit ’em!

“Bliztkrieg Bop” – The Ramones. “HEY! HO! Let’s GO!” The classic anthem that’s is guaranteed to get kids rockin’. But really any Ramones song. Right?

“Rock & Roll All Night” – KISS

“We Will Rock You. “ – Queen

“You Shook Me All Night Long.” – AC/DC

“I Want Candy” – Bow Wow Wow

“One Way or Another” – Blondie

“Shake Your Booty” – KC & the Sunshine Band

“Stayin’ Alive” – Bee Gees

“Dancing Queen” -ABBA

“YMCA” – Village People

“Car Wash” – Groovy tune and hey, you just might get a clean car outta the deal too. Not too shabby!

“Le Freak (Freak Out)” – Chic

“You’re the One That I Want” – Grease Soundtrack

“Rock the Boat” – Hues Corporation. I had no idea who sang this song, I just knew that every kid loves to “Rock the boat, don’t tip the boat ovah!!”

“We Are Family” – Sister Sledge

“Funky Town” – Lipps Inc.

You see where I’m going here, right? DISCO = AWESOME DANCE PARTY.

The 1980s

Ah, the 80s. If disco’s not your bag, go for the candy colored goodness of a new wave dance party. You get the big nostalgia factor of your elementary school/junior high memories—and who doesn’t love to watch little kid’s chanting, “Hungry Like the WOLF! Hungry Like the WOLF!!”

“That’s What I Like About You” – Romantics

“Blinded Me With Science” – Thomas Dolby

“Safety Dance” – Men Without Hats

“Get Into The Groove” – Madonna

“C’mon Eileen” – Dexy’s Midnight Runners

“Hungry Like the Wolf” – Duran Duran

“Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” – Cyndi Lauper

“We Got the Beat” – The Go-Gos

“Mickey” – Toni Basil

“You Give Love a Bad Name” – Bon Jovi

“Eye of the Tiger” – Survivor

“Ghostbusters” – Ray Parker Jr.

“Footloose” – Kenny Loggins

“Flashdance” – Irene Cara

“Stray Cat Strut” – Stray Cats

“Jump” – Van Halen

“Busta Move” – Young MC

“Walkin on Sunshine”- Katrina and the Waves

Tip: any song that has a verb in the title is a guaranteed booty shaker: JUMP! STRUT! WALK! BUSTA MOVE! You get the idea…

Modern Stuff

OK. So maybe you want something a little more au courant. I admit, some of these are cheesers—and while they may not be my own personal faves, remember IT’S FOR THE KIDDOS!!!! (ok fine. I’ve been known to rock the vaccum to Katy Perry. What??)

“Firework” – Katy Perry

“Dynamite” – Taio Cruz (get the clean version)

Just Dance” or “Bad Romance” – Lady Gaga (get the clean versions)

“Please Don’t Stop the Music” – Rihanna

“Hey Ya”-  Outkast

“Sweet Escape” – Gwen Stefani

“Life is a Highway” Rascal Flatts. If your child has seen the movie Cars, then you’ll know that this song is pretty cute.

“Me Myself and I” – De La Soul (I skipped the 90s but here are a few tunes I had to throw in!)

“Groove is in the Heart” – Deeelite


“D.A.N.C.E” – Justice

“Kids” – MGMT (awesome song—but warning, avoid the music video. It’s very disturbing!)

“I Like to Move It”- Madagascar Soundtrack

“Cha Cha Slide” – Mr. C the Slide Man (yeah, I had to look that up….I had NO CLUE who did that song!)

“Hey Soul Sister”- Train


“A Punk” – Vampire Weekend

“I Got A Feeling” – Black Eyed Peas

SIDEBAR: I can’t watch the Black Eyed Peas any more without thinking of that SNL skit. If you haven’t seen it, seriously, watch it now. SO FUNNY. But  ya know, the kids love to jump around to them. And Fergie was super sweet when we shot a commercial with her [OOF! NAME DROP!] so yeah, BEP make the list.

Michael Jackson.

The dance master. The one. The only.

The man gets his own category. ABC, I Want You Back and Rockin’ Robin from The Jackson 5. Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough and Rock With You, from Off the Wall. Beat It. Thriller. Black & White. The list is endless. You can’t go wrong with Michael, people.

BONUS TRACKS.

As a little surprise, I love to throw on some TV and movie theme songs—it always brings a smile and a “Hey!!! I know this!” If you have a really little one, think Little Einsteins, Backyardigans, Yo Gabba Gabba etc. You can also go for Disney classics—Supercalifragilistic, Under the Sea, The Tiki Room Theme Song, Yo Ho Pirates of Carribean song etc. Slightly older kids will get a kick outta things like the classic “Spiderman” song, or the theme song from their favorite cartoons (like Pokemon or Ben 10, both of which are surprisingly 80s rockin’…)

Whew! So that’s my list. I know there is a ton of great stuff I didn’t include—but hopefully this will get you started. Help me fill in the blanks! Leave a comment with the songs you and your kiddos like to rock out to!

Oh, and fun party tip. Play FREEZE DANCE with the kids. It’s a game I invented in 1985 (well, OK, I probably didn’t invent it….but back no one in Flint, Michigan had ever heard of my fabulous creation…haha). ANYWAY, you play music, get every one to dance/hop/boogie, and when the music stops everyone has to FREEZE! Until the music starts again. Kids LOVE this game. Trust me….