I'm (kind of) a Belieber!

After so much baby and toddler time, it's been really fun to sit for a couple of elementary girls. We do home work and piano practice and play Wii and board games. There's a lot more hanging out and less changing diapers. Ahhh...


But there is also a lot of High School Musical, Jonas Brothers and lately, Justin Bieber. I'm not a music snob, and I actually like sugary-pop music more that most musicians I know, so I was willing to give JB a try. I mean, 7-year-old Maia is totally in love with him, so how could I deny her? We all bopped along to "Little", "Baby" and that cover of "LoveFool" by The Cardigans while we painted our nails with polka dots. 


And then came "First Dance." This song is hilarious. It's so clearly using "the first dance" as a euphemism for "the first time you have sex," kind of like 60's teen pop singers did. He's trying to walk the line between parent-approved wholesomeness and heart-flutter inducing sexiness, but to anyone over 10, it just comes off as ridiculous. The line that made me laugh out loud comes at the end of the bridge: 


Your glass slippers in my hand right here,
We'll make it before the clock strikes nine.


OK, What? Nine? I know he's talking to pre-teen girls who can't stay out late, but this is supposed to be a fantasy. Can't we at least dream about staying up until midnight like Cinderella did? 


The girls had no idea why I thought this song was funny, and I didn't want to explain it to them. They don't hear the implied meaning at all. And in the end, maybe it really is just about a dance. Maybe when you are 7, the anticipation and excitement of swaying back and forth with a cute boy is as scary and thrilling as it gets. Maybe you do hope he'll "be gentle" and "do it slowly." And maybe that's really all Justin Bieber is talking about. I kinda doubt that's all the songwriters and producers and label marketing folks were thinking, but that kind of cynicism is not for little girls. Just us babysitters. 

Dan Zanes Dance Party!

Maggie and Mikey and I seriously rocked out to an entire Dan Zanes album the other day. Jumps, rolls, kicks, spins, flops, sways. And then when I told them that one of my friends had been in Dan's touring band for a while, and that in fact, they had probably seen her when they went to his show, I was a little bit of a star for a minute, too.

If I were a Dutch Nanny

Nanny Montana has been AWOL, sorry about that. Actually I was on tour in Europe, being an actual rock star for a change and I didn't have much to say about kids.

I loved being in Europe, the venues, audiences, food and beer were much better than I'm used to stateside. So I got to day-dreaming about what it would be like to live in, say, Amsterdam all the time. Would I be able to play music full time, or would I still need to babysit? And if I had to babysit, the kids would probably speak more languages than I do. And would I have to learn how to bike around the city with kids? Wow.

After that, I payed close attention to how people carried kids on bikes. It really freaked me out. No helmets! Sometimes the kids would just hang on the the back. Lots of people had one kid in front and one in back, or these really cool bikes that had a kind of wheelbarrow or stroller in front.  I even saw a woman with a baby car-seat carrier bungie-corded to the fender rack. That baby couldn't even sit up. I can not imagine any American parent allowing me to ride with a baby like that. Cultural differences are so fascinating. I'd better start biking around by myself for a while, get my balance working, just in case I get huge in Holland.

Shuffle and Share

Sally and I were playing songs for each other from our iPods today. Sally is 2 and her iPod was actually a calculator. It was full of hits like "Wheels on the Bus," "ABC song," and "Twinkle Widdle Dar." I played for her a little Earth, Wind and Fire, Jackson 5, and Loretta Lynn.

Then she played me an exclusive preview of the Dixie Chicks' brand new single. And I really wished we weren't pretending. I miss them.

I guess with 8 kids between them, the Chicks need a break. But when a new DC album does come out, I really hope it doesn't have "Wheels on the Bus" on it.

Practice Practicing

Today I thought I'd try to play a little mandolin for George. A lot of kids can't really sit still to listen to a song, but I figured since he can't do anything BUT lay still, he'd be a captive audience. And I really needed  to practice.

I forgot that he can also cry. And while I don't think it was my playing that upset him (though I do have a lot of work to do), he just got all fussy every time I got going. I'll try again. Hopefully he'll get out of this phase where he wants to be held while he's sleeping and I'll start working on helping him sleep through anything. Even the melodious twinkle of my mando strings....

Editorial Comment

My girlfriend requested that she be called "Perry" instead of "Ellie." It's short for Periwinkle and it is apparently her soul name. Now her true essence will sparkle through this dramatization of her life.

I've been thinking a lot about names as I try to re-name the kids I'm writing about. Would their parents like the names I've chosen for them? Will I be able to keep them all straight? Or start calling them by their fake names when I see them in real life? Also, what's my name going to be? Nanny Montana, of course, but don't I need another name, too? Any ideas?

Tired

I so wish I could work from my bed today. With the electric blanket on.

But there is a baby mama that needs me. Here I go, grumble, grumble.

If I were a full time rock star, I could sleep in! Actually, I'd probably have an interview on Good Morning America or The View or something, so I'd have been up hours ago getting made-up and blow-dried. Isn't that just the way? You think life is going to get easier and it just gets harder, busier. I should be happy for the chance to sleep until 8.

That's what I'll tell myself today anyway. Plus, I'll probably get to take a little snooze along with snuggly George if I play my lullabies right.