Freaky Frugalite » raising kids

Veggie Tales Drives Me Nuts

Rebecca — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:39:34 +0000

Any of you parents suffer through Veggie Tales? They were a big hit with my kids when they were little. I thought Veggie Tales was *OK* but sometimes it was REEELLY annoying. Like Larry’s “silly songs.” Those songs drove me out of the living room every time. :bangwall: If I even caught a whisper of the melody, I was DOOMED the rest of the day, as I would hear in my brain Larry’s squeaky voice singing that stupid song. I am still haunted by Mr. Lunt’s “You Are My Cheesburger” and Larry’s inane “Barbara Manatee.”

GAH!!!!

Here– I found a video of “You Are My Cheeseburger.” Listen to this and you’ll know what I mean!

*snort* Now that I have totally ruined your day……

So, this morning, the kids were “reminiscing” about a particularly funny moment in the Veggie Tales movie Jonah. In the movie, there’s a caterpillar who hails from the land of Arabs (I think so, anyway…. maybe he’s Indian?) and he talks with an Arabic lilt. His name was Kahlil. Kahlil the Caterpillar. In a “Veggie Tales” movie. Uh huh. Well, anyway, they were remembering one particular scene where Kahlil is reciting his “self-help” audio cassettes (I told you Veggie Tales is weird), and my daughter repeated the caterpillar’s voice perfectly.

The kids pealed with laughter, and said, “Remember that part, Mom?” They all stopped laughing and looked at me when I said I didn’t see Jonah.

“Yes, you did!” they objected.

“No, I only saw a few scenes when I was passing through the room, I never saw the entire movie. And I have no intention of seeing it, either.”

They stared at me, aghast at this new revelation. Since they are all older now, I figured it was best they knew the truth:

“Kids, I never liked the Veggies Tales movies! I only tolerated them because you guys liked them.”

Which led to a new conversation about vegetables and movies and Arab accents. My son, the witty kid that he is, interjected:

“Well, if Veggie Tales ever decides to make another Arabic vegetable character, I know what they should name him!”

“What?” we all replied with baited breath.

“Barach Ali!”

:blink:

…wait for it….

BWAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Home Ec 101: A Great Book for Newlyweds, Home Schoolers

Rebecca — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 13:56:11 +0000

Springtime! It’s here! Oh, ignore all that mud and rain and frigid nighttime temperatures– there’s green out there! While shopping yesterday, the daughter and I spotted a plethora of limousines in town. It seems that every year, as soon as the snow is gone, everybody races out of their winter-weary homes to get married or get a new apartment or bring home a new baby! Mother’s Day, birthdays, weddings, anniversaries… the next few months are glutted with events (and gift buying). What’s a frugal gal to do? You want to give useful gifts, affordable gifts- gifts that won’t be tossed in the trash in a year… lo and behold, the answer was sitting on m shelf….

I LOVE the snarky, retro look of the book cover.

I was recently sent a marvelous book to review: Home Ec: 101, Skills for Everyday Living: Cook It, Clean It, Fix It, Wash It by Heather Solos.

Short Version: This is a spectacular book!!! A perfect addition to the household OR as a terrific gift!

Long Version: Home Ec: 101 Skills for Everyday Living is a colorful paperback book (pages are decorated with teal-colored borders) that covers the basics of everyday living in its 240 pages (including index). It is PERFECT for the newly married couple, or the young adult ready to strike off on her own, or as a Home Ec homeschooling tool. The content is simple and very readable. Here’s a little bit from the table of contents:

Getting Started: Tools, Secrets, and the Chemistry of Cleaning
Make It Manageable: Flexible Scheduling
Dining Rooms and Dusty Dens of Doom: Yes, You Do Windows
Minor Garment Repair: Beyond Dental Floss and Staples
Laundry: The World’s Most Thankless Chore
When Good Appliances Go Bad: Avoid Minor Meltdowns (a very good section!)
Plumbing: Someone Jiggle the Handle Already
Outfit Your Kitchen: Cookware and Small Appliances
Recipe Rundown: Deciphering Terms and Basic Techniques
Meal Planning: Not Just For the Control Freaks
Substitutions: I’ll Remember to Put It on the List, Promise

There are also several appendixes with formulas and checklists, for you geeky types. ;)

Interspersed throughout the book are anecdotes related to the chapter. I really liked those, especially the hilarious anecdotes in the plumbing section. Barrels of laughter from that one, folks. (Yes, we do our own plumbing here at the Mecomber homestead, hahaha). :whistle:

Heather, maybe sometime you can write a post about how you keep your skin looking so gorgeous!

Be warned, this is no encyclopedic tome with snobby, puzzling professorial formulations spewing from the pages. Home Ec: 101 is snarky, it’s funny, it’s easy reading, it’s concise. Heather Solos did a terrific job organizing all the tips and compiling them into interesting and readable sections, adding twinges of humor at every turn. You know how we have our special “books” for the household, like Webster’s Dictionary and The Joy of Cooking? Home Ec: 101 Skills for Everyday Living is another to get for your collection. It’s kind of like This Old House, Heloise’s Hints, The Joy of Cooking (the interesting parts) and Erma Bombeck all rolled into one paperback package. It’s witty enough so that young people will like it, detailed and informative enough that experienced old coots like me like it. And the book would make a really, really nice gift.

Heather has a Home Ec 101 Blog, too, where she shares additional tips (with videos she’s discovered!), questions from readers (with answers!), and writes about chipping away at her piles of laundry and lawn mowing chores just like the rest of us.

Home Ec: 101, Skills for Everyday Living: Cook It, Clean It, Fix It, Wash It is very affordable. It sells retail for $20, but it’s on sale at Amazon.com for under $15. And if you’re a Kindle user, you can download the Kindle version of Home Ec: 101.

Just so you know, F+W Media provided a review copy of this book in exchange for this post. All opinions are always overflowing and my own.

Why Are Dads So Good At Playing With the Kids?

Rebecca — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 01:25:13 +0000

We’ve all seen the funny cartoons, read all the snickering stories– men, for some weird, reason, love to play. You know what I’m talking about. Just as there is this cultural perception that women shop too much, there’s this same cultural perception that men play too much, especially on electronic games. It’s mocked in cartoon strips and in stories, just as women are mocked about their shopping.

But I think men do play better than women, in general. My man plays better than me, that’s for certain.

I hurt my back and have been on bed rest for almost a week. So while I lay here, the children have had to come up with their own activities. And, honestly, the younger ones haven’t always been making good choices. They want to play Legos all day, or play on the Playstation all day. You see, when I am up and about, I’m always organizing them into working parties. We have a lot to do around the house– fixing the garden fencing, building a French drain along the house foundation, packing up the summer clothes and preparing for winter’s wear. Laying here has put a temporary damper on our work parties. And the younger kids have been idle. And I can’t stand that!

So my husband has today off work. I asked him to please plan some constructive activity for the boys today, because they were about ready to bring the house down with all their antics. So what does he do?

He teaches them a game! They are in the Dining Room, learning how to play Parcheesi and Bible Trivia! That’s constructive?! I thought.

Then I stopped thinking, and thought a little. I thought about how I am– I rarely, rarely play with the kids– and how he is– he rarely, rarely works on projects with the kids. We obviously don’t have that “perfect order” in the home, but I hope there is at least balance. I know that I could definitely play with the kids more then I do. And he can work with the kids more than he does. But guys are really, really good at playing with their kids. Did you ever notice that?

I’ve been surfing some of your blogs– you who have the photos of your husband tossing your little girl upside down while she squeals in delight; you who talk about your husband teaching your little boy how to ride a bike. Dads are natural playmates. I think it’s kind of cute.

When my kids were very young, after dinner was eaten and the plates cleared, Hubs would have “wrestling time” with the kids. It often involved a large floor space, a dozen large fluffy pillows, and four energetic little muchkins who pig-piled on dad. I sat back, watching from a chair while I mended trousers or cross-stitched delicate patterns.

After a snowstorm on cold winter days, he was always out there ready to haul all four parka-packed kids, piled up on a small toboggan, across the frozen tundra that was our backyard. I was the lady with the camera, snapping photos, and coming to the rescue of an occassional lost mitten or hat or child that was getting too cold.

This is not to imply that I never do anything resembling play, or that he never does anything resembling work. My husband takes my son with him to go mow the lawn and fix the doghouse; I take the kids when we travel to different areas and teach them arts and crafts projects. But overall there is a discernable pattern: moms are industrious and work, dads are fun and they play.

Dad is the guy who takes the kids on piggyback, who pushes the swings, who pulls the cart, who tumbles down the slide with the baby. Yeah, Dads are really good when it comes to playing with the kids!

So I’m cooling my “nag” jets when it comes to what I think are “constructive” activities and what he thinks are “constructive” activities. People are different– moms and dads are different. I think it’s good for kids to be exposed to these differences, because pieced together, it brings wholeness. And a kid is a terrible thing to waste.