Home Girl Blog

Mom vs SpongeBob SquarePants

We are a SpongeBob-free house. I think it's a loud, ugly cartoon and I am the mom and can choose so we don't watch it. My six year old, Zack, has seen the show. He saw it once on a cabin camping trip with friends a few years ago. There were multiple families there and I couldn't really control what was on the TV. The sound of the show and the fact that I couldn't control someting drove me nuts. Zack has a SpongeBob SquarePants book, and he loves the characters. I will buy him SpongeBob SuqarePants books until forever, but I hate that TV show.

As a homeschooler, I am always in hyper-teacher mode, so we have lots of conversations about challenging ourselves and learning from all of our experiences. One time I explained to Zack that whenever he learns something new, he gets another wrinkle in his brain. He thinks his dad is the smartest person on the planet (I kinda agree), so he frequently remarks how he's going to have as many brain wrinkles as dad one day. On his quest for brain wrinkle accumulation, he makes sure to do math problems (numerical and word problems) that challenge him and his rate of asking about the meaning of words and phrases has increased exponentially--and he's always noting the brain wrinkles. He's serious about his brain wrinkles. 

Recently when I was flipping through channels en route to Nick Jr., Zack saw the SpongeBob cartoon coming on and asked to watch it. I'd had a long day and was in no mood for a power struggle over a TV show because if he begged and asked me again right after I said no (which is what was going to happen), the TV was going to go off, and (confession) I needed him occupied while I took care of some very impotant business (taking a break from him). So I reached into my momma backpocket and used one of many valuable tools in my emergency sanity-saving kit.

Upon hearing the intro music to SpongeBob SquarePants...

Zack: MAuUUUUM! I REEEally wanna watch SpongeBob SquarePants can I watch it pleeeeeeeas?!

Me: Scientists researched and the results said that watching SpongeBob SquarePants shrinks your brain wrinkles.

Zack: You mean I would lose my brain wrinkles?

Me: Yep.

Zack: (shaking his head no franticly) No! Never mind, I do NOT want to lose my brain wrinkles. I work TOO HARD for those wrinkles.

Me: (shrugs) Ok. (pumps triumphant fist on the inside)

Does watching SpongeBob SquarePants really damage brain cells? Probably not. But it does drain every ounce of attention span that a child might need to access to function normally. That means fewer opportunities to rack up those brain wrinkles. So while I kinda did lie to him a little bit, it's still mostly true.

Most importantly, I won. 

I know it gets harder. Therefore, I consider this a glorious victory. 

Confessions of a House of Cards Binge Watcher

My first night watching House of Cards was a total accident. I already had insomnia and when I opened the iPad, the Netflix app was open. I switched it from Zack's profile to mine and House of Cards was staring me right in the face. I needed to watch something that I could fall asleep to. So I pressed play on episode 1 season 1. Then by 6:30 am, I was wondering what it said about me that I couldn't just tell Netflix to stop playing the next episode. For whatever reason, I lacked the ability to press pause or even just to close the iPad. I couldn't do it. Until 6:30 am. I have a definite problem, I'm convinced I have a problem, because I was up until at least 4 am the following nights doing the same damn thing! I'm glad Netflix releases complete seasons, because it's better for me to be sleep deprived for a few days than to be completely obsessed for months on end. I haven't known this feeling since Season 2.5 of Scandal before Pope and Associates stopped fixing things and the show became a soap opera. House of Cards filled a void for me that I didn't even know existed. It's such a smartly written show. The casting, the performances, the framing of the shots, the music, the storyline movement, the sub plots--every aspect of the show makes me feel like they know that I went to college! They know I can handle it all. They know I'm smart, or at least I use to be before I discovered that Nick Jr. was even a thing. I feel like I may have crossed over from regular fandom into something a bit more shameful (similar to my standom of Beyoncé) that I probably should not reveal completely to anybody because they just wouldn't get it. I always feel a little bit better though, when I share the tip of my fan iceberg with y'all and receive reassurance that I'm not alone. So, here are my three confessions.

1. Watching the show makes me wish I had someplace to go where I had to dress like I shop at Brooks Brothers.
   
   
2. I feel kinda silly watching every frame hoping that Congressman Frank Underwood would talk to the camera this time.
   
   
               gifs by by wifflegif.com
   
   The whole 45 minutes, whenever he starts walking or stops walking I'm like, please let this be it--talk to me, Francis! Like a puppy watching his owner eat a bacon sandwich just hoping a piece would fall to the floor. Kinda pathetic. 
   
   
3. Although she hasn't so far, I really want to hear from Claire Underwood, Frank's wife, performed by Robin Wright. Sidebar: Robin Wright is the only actress other than Cate Blanchett (if you saw her in Blue Jasmine, you know why she won the big Oscar for it and probably felt every ounce of her anxiety. I wanted to smoke a cigarette after leaving that movie and I don't even smoke!), who can spend a solid sixty seconds on screen in deep thought, creased forehead and rubbing her hands together and communicate more than most actresses can with sixty seconds worth of lines. If you need more proof than her performance on House of Cards, I give you, the Supermarket Scene from Nine Lives. Claire is always so composed and so deep in thought. Her internal world must be so rich and complex and I want in! Talk to us, Claire! Look at the camera and let us in, Claire! LET US IN!

Bonus Confession: I find Kevin Spacey to be very sexy. Blame 72% of that on his role in The Usual Suspects and just deal with the rest.

I'm a few episodes into season 2 and am trying to be more responsible with my viewing. I started watching the minute my son was in bed tonight and I'm stopping Netflix after the third episode plays. Three episodes a day is my limit. Hopefully I will stick with it. But it's almost 11 pm and my third episode is almost finished and it's ONLY 11 PM! That's SO early! But I'm going to close the iPad, go into the bathroom and examine the dark circles under my eyes and hope that convinces me to leave Netflix alone tonight. 

Did House of Cards take over anybody else's life? It can't be just me. Please don't let it just be me. 

Boys and Cars

That moment when your five year old son picks up the remote in the hotel room, turns on the TV, flips through the channels until he finds Fast & Loud on Discovery Channel, pumps his fist and says "Yes!" and posts up on the couch for the marathon. 

"Zack loves cars" became an understatement a long-long time ago. When he was three, he pointed to a wall-mounted black and white photo of muscle cars from the fifties. He said, "Look mom. That's a Mustang." By that time, due to his endless questions and our answers about cars on the road and his toy cars, he knew the symbols of all American-made and popular European and Asian car models, so I assumed there was a Ford symbol on the car. However, when I looked at the picturenthere was no Ford symbol. So I asked him how he knew those were Mustangs. He said, "Because they have three lights." True, the brake lights on the back of the cars were in three sections. I congratulated him on making a good observation, but didn't know enough about cars to know that he was actually right. Mustangs tri-section brake lights are a trademark feature of the car. I had googled it when I got home to learn as much. Then there's that one time my husband asked Zack what he wanted to get Jesus for Christmas. He didn't say my heart, which is what my husband wanted to hear. Instead Zack said, "A race car." Because, clearly, if Jesus could have the awesomest Christmas gift ever, he'd want a race car. There were so many ealy signs that Zack was more than just into cars. Like this unexpected moment in one of his youtube videos where I was attempting to demonstrate his awesome ealry ability to spell and he had an Aha Moment about a new word he could spell.

S0 yeah. Zack has loved cars his whole little life. Now, I think he is officially a bonafide car enthusiast. If five year olds had little business cards, Car Enthusiast would be his title.

We ran across Fast & Loud one Saturday while my husband was flipping channels and it was love at first new-paint-job reveal for Zack. Fast & Loud is a reality show that follows business partners as they hunt down classic and rare cars from around the country, refurbish them and sale them for profit. The only down side of my son watching this show which is not intended for five year olds is the language. Those Grease Monkey Garage guys do use some colorful language on that show, but they're not dropping ef bombs and the cross language is never used in a negative way directed toward an actual person. Rather, the language is used to make their passionate expressions more colorful. Could be worse. I like the educational aspect of the show as well as how the guys use the same network of tradesmen (and a woman) to referb their cars. It's cool to see those partnerships and how they are necessary for the Grease Monkeys to accomplish their business goals. Not unawesome examples for a young, creative kid to witness. That and the quality production of the show is why I allow him to watch it most weekends. 

Their garage is located in Dallas and we plan to look into a "field trip" up the highway if they are game. We take him to car shows--the industry one that comes to town every year and pop-up classic shows that we happen upon--all the time. Now it's time for us to follow him deeper into his passion.

It's his passion and his journey. We're  just here to facilitate his moves and witness it all with a smile. 

Does your child have a passion for something? How old were they when you realized it was more than just a hobby?

Why My Beyoncebowl Sunday Was Perfect

I spent six hours at the park with my son and some friends, shared a steak with my son at a stop on the way home, bathed my son, put him in bed, bathed myself, put myself in bed, woke up and watched Beyonce's halftime show via a Twitter link on my iPhone and went back to sleep. I heard the football game was good, but did not see a second of it snd it was glorious. My hubby hosted a watch party for at risk youth with the chirch on the east side. Some days I complain about his charity work. Not yesterday though. My day was full of four year old cheeks, silence and sleep. It was perfect. 

"Somebody That You Used To Know" by Gotye

I heard this song on the radio the other day. Smote. In music and film, if there is a good dose of lamenting, I am SO in. This song starts out with Gotye remembering when love went from hot to cold. By the time he gets to the chorus he's all emotional like, but you didn't have to cut me off--acting like we were nothing--I'm not even an ex, I'm just somebody you use to know. Then Kimbra comes in basically like, you were an ass and now you're complaining--get over yourself. Then he's all, I know but I'm just sayin', I don't want to get back together, but that was harsh...

"But you didn't have to cut me off
Make out like it never happened and that we were nothing
And I don't even need your love
But you treat me like a stranger and that feels so rough"

I really like the story this song tells.The video is strange, yes, but it so accurately depicts a person who was once the center of their lover's daily life, and is now figuratively blended so far into the background that their not even important anymore. Like that piece of art you save up for, work to buy, hang on the wall and worship every time you walk by it until you don't even notice it anymore. That's the way we treat objects. It's very harsh when a person is treated that way. But we do treat each other like disposable objects sometimes, don't we?

I ran across the Glee performance.

I love that the song here is interpreted as a song between brothers--(random bit of trivia)Gotye, apparently, did not.

Girl, Did You See The Game Season 5 Premiere?

Here's the latest video blog from GirlDidYouSee. My best friend and react to the Season 5 Premiere Episode of The Game. We are huge fans of the show, but the show has changed in so many ways, and none of them are for the better.

Extra Video Clip! We share our thoughts on Brandy's Performance...

Did you see The Game? What did you think about it? 

See all our videos at http://www.girldidyousee.blogspot.com.
Follow us on Twitter @girldidyousee.

Girl, Did You See Reed Between The Lines?!

Reblogged from http://GirlDidYouSee.blogspot.com

BET's newest original comedy, Reed Between The Lines debuted last night and we Skyped about it minutes after the second episode ended. We, like many of the folks in the audience, grew up on The Cosby Show and are huge fans of Girlfriends and Tracee Ellis Ross. We share our reaction to the premiere of this largely entertaining and good quality show. We are both hopeful that the show will only get better with time. Families should DVR the show (it came on kinda late) and watch it together. Great characters and a very special cast.

GirlDidYouSee The T.O. Show? With Kita and Kari?

Here is the latest of our videos! Are you watching The T.O. Show?

Season 3, Episode 2. The one where Kita moves into a condo with T.O. to help him recover after knee surgery. BFF's discuss the chemistry between Terrell Owens and his friend Kita and the lack of chemistry between Terrell and the woman who, for whatever reason, has his heart, Kari.

My Treadmill & Food Network TV: The Perfect Marriage

I watch all my Food Network shows on the treadmill at my gym. There is no calculated reason behind it. Psychologically, maybe it makes me work harder in anticipation of eating awesome-tasting food post-workout? Although that never happens--I usually eat pretty healthily right after a workout. The real reason may be that I simply love Food Network TV. Since I do not usually have take the time to watch TV, or to read my ever-growing stack of unread books and magazines during the day, I get guilt-free daytime TV in when I can. I also watch it on the rare occasion I go to the gym at night. The other night, I met my new Food Network boo. I didn't pay attention to one thing he was cooking, because for me it was all about how he cooked it. But we're talking about daytime FTV watching right? So anyway,  I cook everyday and Food Network is perfect for fresh cooking ideas. I do not follow recipes often, but I do tweak my kitchen repertoire with new twists on our favorites. For example, I learned how to use peanut butter to liven up a spicy chicken stir-fry, and how to make savory oatmeal with green onions and scrambled eggs, and how to cut, peel and seed a cucumber for a super-pretty salad.  So Food Network TV helps make every minute at the gym count...and it makes every homemade calorie consumed after the gym taste awesomer.

Girl, did you see this new Vlog!

So. My best friend, EssBreezy, and I were on the phone one day talking about Julia Roberts' film, Eat Pray Love. I had seen it months ago and she FINALLY saw it and we had a blast sharing our reactions to the film. We both love Julia Roberts, so there was the gushing about that. We both love food (one of us-->EssBreezy<-- more than the other), so there was the gushing about the 'Eat' part of the film in Italy. We share similar, some would say feminist, views and so we went on about our issues with how Julia Roberts' character made some of the decisions she made. We rehashed this film just like we do most shows and films we watch, going from shallow to deep and laughing from the gut along the way. After we got off the phone, I was still laughing. My husband asked me what was so funny when the phone rang again. It was Summer. She was like, "That was fun! I really enjoy our rehash convo's. We should record them." And so Girl, Did You See...? was birthed. 

In our first video, we rehashed the Season 3 Finale of Basketball Wives. The ones that followed were a 3-Part video on our opposing reactions to the film, The Help. See? Shallow...Deep. All the videos mentioned here as well as the ones to come can be found at http://www.girldidyousee.blogspot.com.

Please check us out! And Follow us on Twitter @GirlDidYouSee so you won't miss what we see next time.  We would love to hear your thoughts about what we saw.  Tweet us and let us know you watched it too! 

Here is our first video...

Grey's Anatomy Musical Episode

One word. Awesomesauce. Anybody who watched it and thought it was crap, can suck it. When Callie Torres (played by Sara Ramirez) sang They Story at the end, my world was basically rocked. It literally gave me chills. I totally forgave Grey's for totally ripping off Scrubs The Musical the moment Torres grabbed her frikkin' ankles! I'm downloaing the audio on iTunes. 

Diana Ross on Oprah

I'm writing another blog post right now and watching Oprah on DVR. I tried to post this all on a Facebook status, but it was too long, so I'm posting it over here...

This episode with Diana Ross has had me happy since I pressed play. The footage of her 1983 concert in the rain in Central Park in NYC gave me chills. She's so joyful and beautiful. She is one of my favorite people and starred in one of my favorite films, Mahogany, which I have blogged about several times. Billy D. Williams just walked out on stage and OMG! They both still look amazing! The interview with her kids had me emotional. Tracee talked about how her mom woke them up so sweetly every day. My mom is the same way! I think I have blogged about how she use to walk pass the door and sing our name SO sweetly. She would sing my name...like sing it... like, "Kay-uuuuuuul!"  Right now I wake my son up in sweet ways and let him wake up slowly, because of how awesome it felt for me to wake up feeling loved everyday, and I want him to know that feeling too.  Diana reminds me of my mommy in SO many ways. What a beautiful, happy lady. End mushy love fest. 

If you're like me and this post has you feeling all emo about Mothers Day, window shop for nice Mothers Day Gifts at the perfect place to find perfect gifts...Red Envelope. If that sounded like a commercial, it totally was. Sponsored post with promo codes for HomeGirl readers coming up soon...just in time for Mothers Day. Thanks, Red Envelope! 

Yo Gabba Gabba Live in Austin was awesome!

A little background. I entered a video of my two year old playing drums in the Yo Gabba Gabba Cool Tricks Facebook contest. Then I begged for my Facebook friends to vote for weeks on end. Thanks to their votes, he won! The prize: VIP tickets to the show, tons of organic toddler snacks by Revolution Foods and access to the after party to meet the Gabba Gang. I thought we would get to meet DJ Lance too, but when he didn't show up early on at the after party, we asked the door guys and alas, it was not meant to be. No DJ Lance. But we sat so close to the stage, that every time he came to our side of the stage, he appeared to wave right at us. Although I can't say definitively, my guess is that he did wave right at us because we stuck out like brown...brown...sore thumbs in a sea of white thumbs. Mhm. DJ Lance waving at us was enough for my son to think he had actually met DJ Lance, which works for me.

World Cup Soccer 2010:Why I'm Convinced This Sport Might Be Worth Getting Into

It was a pretty fun morning for my son today. He loves it when all three of us (he, mom, dad) are home together. His dad worked from home until lunch time and totally coincidentally, I'm sure, the first official game of the 2010 World Cup Soccer championship just so happened to be playing on the television. As usual, the boy was drawn to the TV like a magnet once  the sound of sports is in the air. Y'all know the sound: a steady stream of horns, screaming fans with their indeterminable chants and sports announcers screaming above it all. If I never hear that sound ever again, I'd be happy, but It's like a beacon to my son. Whenever my husband tunes in to sports, my son drops whatever he might be holding at the moment, freezes and stares off into space for a moment to make sure his ears aren't deceiving him and the moment he's sure that sports are on, he wastes no time running for his spot right on dad's lap in front of the big flat screen. So that was the scene in our house this morning...along with my husband stealing glances at his work laptop, jumping up every now and then to kick the ball back and forth and into our mini soccer goal with the boy, and all the other requisite sports fan sounds and gestures you sports fans make while watching a game.

When my son got hungry enough, he finally sat down for breakfast. As he was eating, he paused and looked up at me. Then he asked the most unexpected question of me. He asked, "Mama? What's Africa?" Since the World Cup is taking place in South Africa this year, he must have heard the word repeated enough times for it to stick. It was such a loaded question, that all I could come up with at that moment was, "Papa, Africa is a place."  But I wasn't finished. Mentally, I was already planning my follow-up for our conversation time later. I was excited about the question for two reasons that should be obvious enough that I don't even have to say, but just in case you're not with me already on this, here are the reasons: 1. Hello? My black American/West Indian son just asked me about the frickin' land of our ancestors! And 2. My 2 year-old has asked about a place. He doesn't know it's a place yet, but still. What a teaching opportunity! We have talked about his dad's country and he recognizes the flag and all, but those are things we introduced to him. He never asked about them. The fact that he asked about Africa means he's curious about the word. So of course now, I get to introduce globes and maps and books and puzzles, because he's obviously ripe for his first real lesson in geography, right? And what better place to start than Africa? South Africa. And I think we'll start with the flag. 

My son's first lessons in Geography will begin in Africa. Where everything else began. For that reason, I totally dig World Cup Soccer 2010. And I will follow it along with the males who live in this house with me, just to teach Zack the flags of the countries represented in each game. Again, what an awesome teaching opportunity?! See?! I knew sports were good for something.

Just Felt This Flick: Sex And The City 2

Actually, I didn't feel this flick. The costumes and set designs are insanely pretty. Other than that, the film is just a hodgepodge of awkward dialogue and underdeveloped storyline. It's as if the creators had all these awesome (and they are awesome) fashion ensembles and needed an excuse to show them on film.  I went to see it with some girlfriends and was more entertained with our what-the-eff-moments chatter than I was by the actual film.

My rant review (and spoilers) begin now ...

Proof that the Law of Attraction is real.

I asked: (on Facebook to a friend) "I wish there was a boy version of the Gap "talk to the moose" commercial."

The Universe answered:

Just Felt This Flick: New York I Love You

Friday night I went to see New York I Love You. I hadn't heard about the film until I checked our local art house theater to see what was playing. Whenever I have free moments to get out without my son, I like to take in films there. If you are not familiar with my film reviews, I really enjoy films about love and random glimpses into everyday lives, especially ones with multiple stories that are not connected, where characters overlap, you know? Like,one story might be about a couple breaking up over dinner, then the next story would be about their waiter who goes home to an alcoholic wife. The stories are sometimes sad and depressing, but sometimes love is too-- teenage hearts break, spouses cheat, relationships dissolve or carry on in unhappily. Then there are the uplifting ones where relationships start and last forever in spite of seemingly impossible circumstances. I've written about some of my favorite films and HBO shows from writer/director Rodrigo García, Nine Lives, Things You Can Tell Just By Looking At Her, Tell Me You Love Me and In Treatment. These kinds of films are always PACKED with some of the most amazing actors and are like reminders that everybody has a story.

New York I Love You features more than 20 awesome actors including Andy Garcia and Ethan Hawk (yow.za!). This film is reminder that everybody has a love story--whether it's new love, love lost, familial love, everlasting love, unrequited love, forbidden love,or love only hoped for. The one story this film was missing was black love. I know there's some black lovin' goin' on in NYC--just sayin'. Still, it was an awesome theater experience. I highly recommend this film. Watch the trailer:

The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency on HBO

Is anybody else tuning in to HBO's No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency? It's based on books by Alexander McCall Smith, whom I hadn't heard of before the series, but am strongly considering becoming acquainted with. I'm DVRing it and have only watched the first episode so far. I am SO in love. This makes me nervous, because the last HBO series I absolutely fell in love with was canceled after only one awesome season...and not even because of poor ratings, but because the creatives behind Tell Me You Love Me didn't know where to take it next. So disappointing. Hope springs that they'll eventually return though. But, back to the subject...

Since I watched it on DVR, I got to rewind the closing credits for my toddler to watch. African artwork comes to life in an animated recap of the episode set to African music. He loves it! The episode was peppered with cultural displays of traditional singing and dancing. That and the fact that it was filmed on location in Africa was enough to get me hooked. The set just makes me want to be there. Not go there, but be there. After watching the first episode of this newest series, I'm hoping that NOLDA settles in for a nice long stay on HBO.

I'm looking forward to many Sunday nights with my DVR and a cup of tea...bush tea if I can find some.

Surprising (and wonderful) things about cameos and actors in the new series:

Happy Friday! I'm feeling like some Chumbawamba Tubthumping.

Also, SHOUTOUT! to local Austin filmmaker/model/actress extraordinaire, CC Stinson, who will be playing teacher Emily Walker on the season premiere of Friday Nigh Lights tonight on NBC. Go, Girl! My DVR is set!

I had the pleasure of meeting and interviewing her for my other blog last year. She's an award-winning filmmaker and y'all better not sleep on her. Her latest documentary is "Light, Bright,Damn Near White-A Documentary on Colorism". See what she's doing next on her production company's website ccsquared.com.

Random observation about 24 (the television show on FOX)

After a two-night, four-hour premiere, I am officially hooked on this season of 24. Jack Bauer has the craziest days ever!

While watching tonight's episode, the following occurred to me:

So 24 is a whole season of a show that actually only covers events from one 24-hour day, hence "24" . So that means that for months while the show is being recorded, there are no wardrobe changes...unless there's an explosion or a fight or something. I'm sure they must have many duplicates of navy and black suits for the feds and black leather jackets for the cool do-no-gooders, so they don't have to wear the same clothing item per se. Just an observation.