The Mommy Recommends...trendytadpole.com

I know...lately this blog has been one big commercial for something or the other and I intend to give it a break for awhile. But not before I share my latest, online shopping discovery. trendytadpole.com describes itself as "hip tops for trendy tots". I gotta say, McKenna got more than a few chuckles while we were out and about today.

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Available for your budding burnout in a range of baby/toddler/kid sizes.

One small footnote: When they say the shirts run small, take the advice to heart. McKenna is 2 and she is wearing a size 6. My recommendation: go two sizes larger than usual--at least for this particular shirt.

Pee Wee...He'll Be Baaaaack!!!!!

I am thrilled. Word on the street is that he is working on a new, feature length film!

Pee Wee's Playhouse was this mommy's BOM diggety. He just "gets" the way kids think. And he entertains without talking down to them. Pee Wee's show really changed the course of children's television. Before Pee Wee, much of children's programming was good but often patronizing and fairly literal in it's presentation. Pee Wee, on the other hand, credited children with the ability to enjoy off-beat, subtle humor and to appreciate diverse and truly eccentric characters. Most importantly, he spoke to children the way they actually speak to one another.

And no I don't care about his run-in-with-the-law several years ago. His transgression, while not admirable and decidedly not advisable, was adult in nature and in no way involved harm to a child. Or harm to anyone else really. And he's made his apologies. So let Paul Rubens do what he does best.

Come on back Pee Wee. We could all use a little of that unbridled optimism right about now.

The Mommy Loves Dennis Miller!

I've known about him since his SNL days. Wasn't overly thrilled with his HBO series. Absolutely no opinion about his foray into the world of Monday night football. Oh sorry...MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL. But I have to say, he is completely at his best in his relatively new role as talk radio host. If you love talk radio and you are not listening to Dennis Miller, you are really missing out. He's smart, funny, cerebral, and kind. Yes, kind. He actually listens to people and shows respect to those who disagree with him. He's conservative but not reactionary. And his command of spoken English makes the word aficionado swoon with admiration. A welcome departure from the Rush Limbaugh-esque repertoire of conservative radio programming currently available. In Chicago, tune in Monday through Friday from 9 am to Noon on WIND 560AM. For other areas, refer to his website. Hey Oracle--thanks for the tip!

Northern Exposure

I was just thinking tonight about how much I miss it. I have most of the series on my DVR and every once in a while, I'll sit back and watch. I've seen every episode so I know what misadventures befall poor, put upon Dr. Joel. But every time I watch I glean something new, something I hadn't noticed a bazillion times before.

There is just nothing like it. A few series over the years have rivaled its creativity but have failed to capture its quirkiness. The chemistry between the actors/characters is palpable and the writing is just pure brilliance.For the most part, there is no single scene that can be described as defining or seminal. It's the sum of the parts that makes Northern Exposure such a masterpiece. And its that performance synergy that allows it to stand the test of time.

And I still feel sad that Joel and Maggie were simply not meant to be. Countless episodes of build-up and their union was just not written in the stars. Or in their case--the Aurora Borealis.

Chris Stevens the town DJ/clergyman/philosopher (John Corbett) had his own thoughts on the matter:

Rain usually makes me feel mellow: curl up in a corner time, slow down, smell the furniture. Today... it just makes me feel wet. What is it about owning things? Why do we feel the need to own what we love, and why do we become such jerks when we do? We've all been there, you know: we want something; we own it; and by owning it we change it. When you finally win that girl of your dreams, the first thing you do is try to change her. That little thing she does with her hair, the way she wears her clothes, the way she chews her gum. Until eventually, what you like, what you don't like and what you change all merges into one. Like a watercolor in the rain.

So true Chris. So true indeed.