Music That Doesn't Suck

If you have been following these posts you know of my love of NPR's Tiny Desk Series.  Their desk moved across town to a new office and to celebrate it they enlisted the Chicago band OK Go to help them.  If you don't know OK Go they are the guys with the catchy songs and videos like this or this.  Anyways here is the video of the move.  Enjoy...

Photo of EJ & M before EJ's gymnastics show. 

Music That Doesn't Suck

Happy Wednesday!  I had my parents in town this weekend and they just left yesterday.  It was great having them around but now I am trying to catch up with everything.  A big hello to all the new followers that came over from Dad on the Run.  To the new people here Wednesday is music day here.  I started doing this to fight off all of the awful, crappy kids music that torments me day and night.  The band this week, Temples, has a strong Beatles sound.  Enjoy...

Oh and the real reason anyone comes to this page...a picture of my kids.  Yes, that is a double piggy-back ride. 

Don't try this at home

EJ's Answers Pt. 2

Hope you all had a great weekend. The weather here wasn't the best but was perfect for the 10k I ran on Sunday morning (45:08 yeah I'm pretty proud of that). 

EJ is back with her answers.  Thank you for all your questions. I will save them and include some of them in the next round. These are all EJ's responses recorded by me.  

Q: What is your favorite type of music or song and why?

A: What Do I Stand For (Some Nights by Fun.  she makes up titles for songs) - why? because I like to dance to it

Q: What would you do on a day when you could decide everything?

A: Eat cereal for breakfast. Go with her friend V to the Nature Museum. Go to a restaurant for lunch and eat grilled cheese. Go to a park (the one near our house, I asked since she has wanted to go to only new parks lately).  Eat sloppy joes for dinner at home and eat chocolate cake for dessert.  Watch a show and go to bed.

Q: Where does the sun go at night?

A: In the sky near the earth like this close (holds her hands together about a foot apart)

Q: What is the biggest word you know?

A: I need to think about it for like 2 minutes (I think I'm losing her here) "tomorrow, that is my answer"

Q: How do you build a house?

A: You get blocks and then you build

Q: What makes an airplane fly?

A: Gas 

Q: How did the beach get made?

A: With sand and water.  (How did the sand get there?)  They put it there (Who) I don't know Dad (rolls eyes)

Q: What does mommy do at work all day?

A: Work on her computer and has lots of meetings.

Q: What is your favorite food?

A: Mac n Cheese and Pizza

Q: What's the best thing about being a big sister?

A: I get to pick M up. (we don't want you to pick him up) Oh. Why not? I'm good at it.  OK!  Showing M what to do when you won't play with him, you know when you are cooking dinner and can't play with him.  Oh and I get to chub his cheeks (chub is a verb in our family)

Q: If you could change one thing about your brother, what would it be?

A: He would be a little girl because I like girls

That was too easy...

Music That Doesn't Suck

I love Blitzen Trapper's well crafted songs and their melodies are always great.  Big shout out to my buddy Joe who I believe introduced me to this band.  The clip here is from a few years ago but still great.  Enjoy...

Ask EJ pt 2

Travelling home tomorrow from our trip.  We had a great time and the kids were better than we could have asked for.  Golf, sun & sand was just what the doctor ordered.  Now on to the main reason for the post...

You wanted it you got it!  EJ is back answering your questions.  Now that she is 4 you really need to bring it if you want to try an stump her.  Remember EJ knows it all and has been asking for more questions.  Please post questions on the blog or Facebook page by Thursday night and I will ask her and post her responses on Friday.  You can see her responses to the last round of questioning here.

The Princess

Beach time

The kids love having their names in the sand

Travelling with Kids

As I mentioned in my post yesterday we left on vacation a trip to Hilton Head, SC.  I think I made the mistake of calling it a vacation yesterday and I am sorry for doing so.  A vacation is supposed to be relaxing and when you return home you feel rejuvenated.  Travelling with kids is neither relaxing or rejuvenating.  Case in point here was our breakdown of yesterday:

3am - EJ comes into our room complaining she can't sleep...I take her back to her room and lay down with her for 5 minutes until she does and I end up falling asleep next to her.  Proceed to get kicked, punched and pushed around by a 4 year old for 2 hours.

5:00 - Finally get up and go back to my bed.  Don't ask why I didn't do this earlier.

5:30 - Get up, shower and get dressed

5:35 - Walk into M's room.  He smiles and sits up. Get M dressed while my wife showers and gets dressed.

5:40 - Wake up Attempt to wake up EJ, she growls and pulls the covers over her head (seriously when did she turn 15?)

5:50 - Finally get EJ out of bed and start trying to get her dressed

6:50 - Leave our house.  Yes it took 1 hour for EJ to get dressed/fed.

6:50 - 8:00 - Drive to the airport in the rain and traffic with kids screaming in the back seat.

8:00 - 8:30 - Check in and go through security (kids sitting in strollers and somewhat calm)

8:30 - 9:15 - Chase M & EJ around terminal hoping to burn off some energy.

9:15 - Announcement that plane is broken and we will be delayed (NNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!)

9:20 - Announcement that we are switching gates and getting on another plane (YESSSSS!)

9:25 - Board Plane

9:45 - 12:45pm EST - Wrestle with M for 2 hours straight

12:45 - 1:45 - Get luggage and rental car

1:45 - 3:45 - Drive to Hilton Head from Charleston...everyone else in the car sleeps.

3:45 - Arrive in Hilton Head.  Chug first beer.

What part of that sounds relaxing and rejuvenating?  We are on a trip.

Slides at the end of a long day.

EJ doing some prep work for her next round of questions.

Why am I the only one looking at the camera and smiling?

Music That Doesn't Suck

Whew! I have been up since 5:30am and travelling all day.  We are on vacation down in Hilton Head, SC for a little while.  EJ's birthday is today as well...too much fun.  In honor of her birthday I will pick a song she likes right now...Gotye's "Somebody I Used to Know".  I saw Gotye in concert around the time this song was starting to get some play and he played it early in the set.  It told me that he was confident in his other music and he didn't disappoint.  Anyways this is a cool cover of the song by Walk off the Earth - 5 people playing 1 guitar.  Enjoy...