Quick rant: Stop saying “X is the last acceptable form of bigotry” by Tami Harris. Ye god – Yes. Please. Stop.
Barn tableau at IBTP. Short and to the point.
Class rage in miniature: why I can’t read many food blogs anymore at Class Rage Speaks
On Blogging, Popularity Contests, & Why I QUIT at Postpartum Progress:
“I love blogging. I love bloggers. I love social media people. I love the internet. I love what we are able to do, that our words can stretch across thousands of miles to make someone else feel understood and supported. I love that we are able to use our voices, and that no one can take that away from us. That’s amazing. […] You will no longer see me asking for votes for these various contests. I can’t do it anymore. It tires me. It’s soul sucking. I’m not going to do it. If someone recognizes what we do here for the impact it has on mothers and families, or for innovative ideas, or for the writing, or for positively affecting mental health or reducing stigma, I will share it with you FOR SURE, but as for the rest of it … I quit.”
I believe everyone should have the right to blog differently (*ahem*… those bitching about password-protected posts, and no asking about it, or asking for a password, is not bitching about it), including using ads, contests, giveaways, tweeting all day long, whatever people do. I guess I just liked what this lady had to say.
How To Deal With Parental Mistakes by Laura:
“Making mistakes as a parent is he hardest thing, because it involves this tiny influential human being and you can’t have a do-over. It can be easy to fall into a guilt trip. That’s not a very healthy road to travel. Guilt is one of the most erosive, numbing emotions, and it’s certainly not beneficial to parenting.”
I’m feeling this, big time. Thank you, Laura.
& on that note:
Let’s try that again! Send me your stories on parenting with disability or chronic illness at Raising my Boychick. If you’ve got something? Do it!
Homeschoolers Who Run Businesses: The EpiCoutures Family Store. Both Laurie and Brycen are passionate about their work. Maybe someone reading here can spread word or support it!
Make: custom chenille for a blanket. Lovely!
Also: a cold summer soup collection from Mint Design Blog. Now I’m not much for cold summer soups, although my friend S. once made us a watermelon gazpacho that was truly amazing. So, I try not to be too close-minded!
Quote of the week:
Resentment is like taking poison and waiting for the other person to die. ~ Malachy McCour
I’m late watching this of course, but I had to share it because I find it COMPLETE & UTTER BULLSHYT and I want to know if anyone else is scoffing as hard as I am?!
(I do like the second top comment though)
Yeah, that’s crap. Are we really supposed to believe that Matt Lauer carries chocolate chip cookies in his pockets? If I ever meet him in person, I’m going to punch him in the pocket and wish him a “crumby” day.
…and who the hell is Mindy?
@kidsync
You are bringing the lulz lately.
I’m here all night. Remember to tip your…server.
That cookie monster thing is pissing me right off. But the kidsync comment is helping.
@c
I know, right? On both accounts.
Somebody should tell Sesame Street’s producers that it’s kind of hard to maintain that feeling of diverse awesomeness/awesome diversity on your show when you start making the personalities of all the muppets exactly the same. Cookie monster is supposed to be the furry embodiment of the impulsive spirit, goddamn it. Stop giving him moments of willpower/denial of self.
@Rachele
Well-said.
I don’t know if you were around for earlier when I posted about Sesame Street, but it appears the show is going astray in a few ways.
I hadn’t seen your previous post. That was well before I started frequenting your blog, and I haven’t gone through too much of the archives. It was an interesting look at how the show has changed. I never introduced my kids to Sesame Street. It’s just not worth watching anymore, and based on the one or two episodes my older son caught when he was small, he agrees.
I am unashamedly biased, but I feel there is only one reason for these changes – Jim Henson’s passing. Nearly everything his studio has been involved in since he died has been a downhill slide, with a few rare exceptions like Farscape. Sesame Street is not so much echoing how times have changed, it’s just that the show is not subversive anymore. It was not mainstream when it came out, it was radical. And the driving force behind it was Jim.
Everything that man created was magical, alive, and downright inspiring. Muppet Show, Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, The Storyteller, Fraggle Rock. And he was always so involved, so hands-on in the creation process, even as his little enterprise started to evolve into the entertainment behemoth it eventually became.
I think his son carried on, and had some good ideas, but never captured his father’s genius or dedication. Maybe he was just trying to move on and avoid being compared in precisely that way.
Needless to say, Jim Henson was my greatest inspiration and role model growing up. I am endlessly disappointed at how, in his absence, Henson Studios has just melded into the background, seamlessly fitting in with the times.
I surf Kickstarter.com every couple of months now hoping to find a project that feels like it (or it’s progenitors) will revolutionize children’s entertainment. Not that there aren’t great creators who bridge the gap between children and adults with honesty, tenderness, humor, and wisdom; there certainly are some out there. But none are such a widespread and well-known force within pop culture the way Henson was.
@Rachele
“Needless to say, Jim Henson was my greatest inspiration and role model growing up. I am endlessly disappointed at how, in his absence, Henson Studios has just melded into the background, seamlessly fitting in with the times.”
Powerful stuff. And thank you for sharing; you certainly know more about the history of the programs than I do/did.
Here’s another amazing clip from old Sesame Street. Not only would they NEVER show such an awesome clip today, I’m not sure they’d take on someone like like Sainte-Marie today. And that’s too everyone’s loss.
Thank you for your comments.
Thanks for the link to your previous post about Sesame Street, Kelly. I’m with everyone else who has already said everything so well — the new Sesame Street makes me sad and a little ill, not that I’ve seen much of it. I’ve seen some clips, which were enough to know it sucks. And I loved Rachele’s thoughts on Jim Henson — he is/was equally my hero and I have to agree that the changes to the Muppet empire show his absence.
I’ve never introduced my kids to new Sesame Street, but that’s mainly because we don’t have a TV, so we pick and choose what we want to watch. We have a Sesame Street Old School DVD set and it’s awesome. What’s great — and this is going to sound kind of weird — is that parts of it kind of scare my kids. Not that I like that they’re scared!! It’s just that I remember being slightly scared (which is really too strong a word for what I’m talking about here, but I can’t seem to come up with something better to describe me or my kids) when I was a kid during certain, brief portions. I guess what I mean is that it wasn’t all sanitized and perfect rainbows and blah blah blah. I don’t know. It was far out! It was, to borrow Rachele’s words, a little subversive and radical. And kind of weird, at times. It was just damn cool.
The Muppet Show was equally amazing. And on that note, I have to mention the incredible Muppet comic books by Roger Langridge that I recently discovered and bought for my kids (who are 4 and 6). My oldest son is especially obsessed with these comics, and we’ve since rented some of the Muppet Show episodes. Anyway, highly recommend these comics to anyone who loves/d The Muppets and/or has kids — they really capture the original Henson spirit and the artwork is fantastic. We have this one and this one, which is my oldest son’s current FAVE, plus this one. All hilarious.
And I hope to hell I did those links right, so we’re not looking at a pile-a-poo in that paragraph.
@c
I think children experience fear no matter what – because the world can be scary, as grownups teach us anyway. Experiencing those thoughts and feelings in the safety of home and through such an awesome medium as the old Sesame Street – is a good thing for kids. It’s like when they learn how to bike and we balance them (if they want us to) until they ask us to let go.
Thanks for a stellar comment – and for the links to the awesome Muppet Show comics.
Thanks, Kelly. Well said. The other thing about the original Sesame Street is that, after watching it, my kids talked about it a lot. They talked about parts they thought were “scary” and parts they loved and parts they didn’t quite understand. It was some pretty in-depth conversation for a (at the time) 3 and 5 year old! Every once in awhile they’ll still bring it up, and yet we haven’t watched it in forever — it sticks with you. S.A.M. the robot is a big topic of conversation — they did not like this guy.
@c
Wow. I encourage commenters to watch that clip. That robot is pure unadulterated nightmare fuel. Also, your kids clearly have active imaginations in their response. That’s a good thing.
Why does it have a Dalek voice?
Also, nice to see afros on television – you see fewer today.
Right?? And yes on the afros.
Wow — apparently I’m quite chatty when it comes to Sesame Street.