What Happened to the Classic Cartoons?

I don't know how many of you are familiar with "kid-friendly" TV nowadays, but it's nothing like it was when we were kids. There are no more classic cartoons anymore. Instead there are shows like this:

This is Yo Gabba Gabba. Not only has it invaded kid TV, it is now invading toy shelves. This show is so low budget--it's like Teletubbies, but for a slightly older audience. The guy in the orange...well he's just plain scary. He's stuck in the 70's with that orange jumpsuit and white shoes.

Then there's Wonderpets...oh Wonderpets. What catchy tunes you have--I find myself singing along during the show and then it's stuck in my head all day long. Once again--you can find Wonderpets toys at your local Target or Walmart. It's hard to describe why I find this show so annoying--the baby chick talks like a baby--says things like "this is sewious." I think that's what it is.

Aside from these two shows I'm just amazed at how many grown men are on kid shows--is this the pinnacle of their acting careers? Have they dreamed their whole lives of getting to where they are now? Sometimes I watch them and I'm slightly embarrased for them. Don't get me wrong--some of them I really like (Mr. Rogers, that guy from Blues Clues), but there are others like Imagination Movers, The Upside Down Show, and Yo Gabba Gabba that kinda give me the creeps.

How Sweet the Sound

So, I decided yesterday morning as we climbed into the car to go to Church to try a little experiment. I wanted to see how many times Lola would say "mom" or any variation thereof in a day. I don't know if I'm a bad mom, but I think I need a vacation from my kids. I'm counting down the days till Lola starts preschool--though I'm sure I'll be a big, blubbering mess on her first day. I must've just hada bad weekend. I don't know. I do know that I was tired of hearing "Mom. Mom. Mommy. Mom. Mom. Mommy..." You get the picture.

So we left for Church at 9:15 am yesterday, and I think that by the time we got to Church the tally was at like 30. I continued to count during the first hour--and I lost track around 50. Curran thought this was hilarious--I think this is a very good reason for my lack of sanity. I love my kids--they just need me a little too much--and I know as I type this that I am gonna cry the day they don't need me anymore. But there are days I wish I was someone other than mom.

A Glimpse into the Future?

I certainly hope it isn't! Lola loves to dance. She took a tap/ballet class a couple of months back when we were still living in L.A. and managed to get in trouble a couple of times for dancing to the beat of her own drum and doing her own form of interpretive dancing. There were days when she would wear her tap shoes all day long.

She was in the mood forSdancing today. She had dad pull out her tap shoes and we discovered that although they fit a couple months back, they are now a little snug. That did not stop her! She just discovered dancing on top of the laundry basket, and the sound is even better with tap shoes on! I just hope she doesn't think she can make a career out of dancing! But she sure is cute!

Dirty Mexicans!

So, I was walking through Target yesterday with the kids--something we do at least once a week. And it's an unwritten law that we must always visit the toy department and the movie/book section just to browse. We made it out of the toy dept. without any major meltdowns--although Lola now goes crazy for all things "Hannah Bontanum." So we make our way to the book section and there is this older lady (ethnicity will not be disclosed) and a little girl about 3 yrs old. They were sitting on the floor in the middle of the aisle and the little girl hands the lady a Dora the Explorer book. The little girl sat down waiting for her mom/grandma to read it. The lady proceeds to open the book and after the first 2 lines says: "I don't want you to read this book. It has all those Mexican words in it. I don't want you to get all confused. Don't pick books with Mexican words."

Now...I've never heard anyone say the word "Mexican" and make it sound like a cuss word. But she had the uncanny ability to make "Mexican" sound dirty and vulgar. She sounded almost disgusted by those "Mexican words."

I stared at her in disbelief--I was speechless. First of all, she said that out loud with lots of people around. Secondly, we live in San Diego--minutes away from the U.S/Mexican border. Needless to say, there are quite a few Mexicans around. And lastly, Dora is way too funny looking to be Mexican--we don't want to claim her--let Central or South America have her! Us Mexicans will stick to Handy Manny--the Disney channel cartoon character that works as the city's handy man. Disney, however, made the mistake of giving him his own store. They should've just had him standing outside the local Home Depot.