Big kid and little kid pick this week!

I am a little late this week because I was getting ready for a new addition to the family last week. My DH was in Hotlanta last week for the ACC tournament, and while he was out of NC I decided to ask him to get a tortoise for the girls. So I had to track down a tank, research species and find a pet store with one in stock. And so we now have added Rocky Supertortoise Drago to our menagerie. Totally worth the effort!

So today I have 2 picks for the "Got to Check Out" Bands. I rarely pick little kid songs, and but when @LadybugMusic tweeted me last week I went to their site and ITunes store. They have several albums out that they use for their children's dance & movement classes, so a lot of the finger play-type songs (like "The Wheels on the Bus" and "Open Shut Them") and so it is definitely little kid stuff. The voices are all your basic, preschool teacher kind of softness, so don't anticipate rocking out to Ladybug, but if you are looking for a good CD to take to playgroup next week this would be a lot more enjoyable that Rockabye Baby or The Wiggles. (Oh, don't get me started on The Wiggles!! Shivers down my spine. Please, Mr. Jeff or whoever-- just stop!) The thing about preschool music that makes it so difficult for grown folks, is that it is repetitive, simplistic and short to help develop their language skills, but then momma doesn't want to listen. There is just no getting around that. As our school counselors pointed out in one of the kindergarten readiness presentations last year, they need this key concept in pre-literacy skills, but some parents are foregoing the "little finger muscles" lessons and language lessons they gain from these songs. My advice is to sign up for a class, join a playgroup, or listen as part of your nap/bedtime routine, because kids learn through play, and Mother Goose is one of the ways they do that. So stick in the Ladybug Music CD and sing along!

So if you have finally grown past Mother Goose, and are now exploring the joys of hiphop, there are alternatives to Flo-Rida and Nicki Minaj (because we all LOVE our toddlers repeating rap lyrics, RIGHT?!?!) Secret Agent 23 Skidoo is totally awesome!! A copy of weeks ago I posted about the 2012 Grammy Awards,  where the compilation album that featured Skidoo won Best Children's Album. But my all-time favorite is "Luck"--funk, banjo and hiphop? Yes, Please! But the cool thing about Skidoo is always his practical advice, and his reassurance that the things about growing up is hard sometimes, and you don't always understand what's going on, but it'll be okay. He continues to nail this concept on his album, "Underground Playground" with "Mind Over Matter" and "Chase the Rain." But if your kids are big 23 Skidoo fans, check out the DVD "Spelunk the Funk!"-- the music video version of Underground Playground, with some live tracks from The Orange Peel in Asheville, NC. I'm sure the whole DVD is packed with the same fun, positive and energetic tracks as his CDs and shows!

My sister is a new mom-- her little boy will be one in June, and she is expecting baby number TWO in AUGUST!! (Yes, I have told her she is crazy. Every one else has too, by now, and so now we're going to put that to rest and say OMG, how FUN!! What a wild ride you're in for!) She wants to know-- Who are the best bands for the under two crowd? Comment below! Let's put together a great playlist for her!