Songs Moms Can Groove To 2010

Just ask a 13 year old. Nothing is more painful than having to watch your mother dance. (I may be one of the few people who survived adolescence without feeling this mortification. I loved to dance with my mom, who could out-jitter the jitterbug.)

So I am guilty of subjecting my kids to this abuse regularly during an activity my friend Emilie and I like to call the “kitchen dance.” The kitchen dance is ideally done after the children have gone to bed, and something is needed to liven up the pot scrubbing. It’s a line dance where one of us starts a movement that is duplicated by the other person, who changes the movement slightly and “passes” it back. Easy right? So easy a mom can do it.

Despite the fear and displeasure of my children when they come upon this scene, they themselves are to blame. The radio in the kitchen, usually set on WFUV (also known as “old people channel”) is somehow magically re-set for Z100 after school hours. This puts the dear ones at risk of a rogue kitchen dance breaking out to "their" music at any time. However, with so much dreck on the radio today, an acceptable groove is never guaranteed. So I put together a list of our favorite kitchen dance songs from this past year, so that dancing moms can download and kids can take precautions.

DISCLAIMER: I am aware that some of these are old songs that were not released in 2010. That is because I am over 40 and can’t be expected to pick up on trends when they’re actually happening. I may come around to it two or even three years later. The only way I heard the old Aaliyah song was on the muzak while shopping with the E. girl at Limited Too.

Ima Bee – Black Eyed Peas
- We listened to this so many times I even memorized Fergie's rap. Sad, right? The video is cool.

I Can Transform Ya - Chris Brown


Carry Out – Timbaland ft. Justin Timberlake
Feast on all the food puns.

Extra Smooth – Aaliyah
Excellent soundtrack for making gravy.

The Big Bang – Rock Mafia
Can't figure out why this isn't getting more airplay.

Hold Yuh – Gyptian
An easy groove even grandma can do.

Calabria 2007 - Enur feat. Natasja (yep, this is the 3 year old one)
We don't know the lyrics but sing anyway.

F.U. – Cee Lo Song of the year, people! See the great video here.

If none of their friends are around, the kids might let their guard down long enough to join you and maybe even teach you the “dougie.” What are you grooving to in your kitchen?

Holiday Boutique a la Russe

Here's an annual event in Nyack that I try not to miss.  It's the "Holiday Boutique a la Russe" at the The Holy Virgin Protection Russian Orthodox Church.  This year it will be held on Sat. Nov. 20 and Sun, Nov. 21. 

Go for the gift shopping (lots of beautiful handcrafted ornaments and jewelry), or the food (my favorite are the little meat dumplings served with vinegar and sour cream), and try to time your visit for the music and dancing.  The atmosphere is just magical (think Nutcracker!) - can't imagine a better way to get into the holiday spirit.  They offer tours of the beautiful church sanctuary - try to get in on one of those, too. 

Do you have a favorite holiday event or festival that you're looking forward to this year?

Starry Eyed Resolution

This time of year, there are lots of “the year’s 10 best” articles published everywhere. One of those I just read is about the years worst ads, so of course I started thinking about my very favorite ads and why to be like the woman in this ad is my New Year’s Resolution. If you watch “American Idol” you have probaby seen this ad a gazillion times. I have too, and I think I could watch it a gazillion more.





I mean, can you blame me?

Long, blond straight hair.

Slim.  And braless. 

Can not only remain upright, but dance on skates to groovy music.

On the beach!

With a special guy who will not only get up on skates but will twirl her around on them.

All food provided by snack bar. (If in doubt, just look for the FOOD sign.)

Virtuously drinking diet coke without gagging.

The sky “sparkles” and swirls but nothing creepy or scary happens.

I mean, this is THE LIFE.

Okay, I guess I should come up with a few that are more realistic. Does writing down your resolutions make them stickier? I’ll have to check with the Proud Procrastinator about that.

Here’s a start:

Keep my desk and email box cleaner.

Find a dance class at a convenient time and go to it regularly.

Take vitamins and eat less meat and more veggies (homegrown whenever possible). There are more garden resolutions but that's another post for another day.

Express more appreciation toward those I love.

Be grateful for my many blessings, even though they are so very far removed from those of that girl on rollerskates.

A Happy 2010 to all!

(and best of luck with your resolutions!)

Funky Sunset Beach

Sunset Beach on Treasure Island, Florida (near St. Petersburg), is trying to outrun Key West in the race to become my favorite vacation destination. So many things there remind me of Key West -- or at least the Key West that I knew when I first started visiting there 20 years ago. It's almost like the residents have decided to try and out- funkify each other. Right down to their mailboxes.

Hard to pick a favorite, but I like this one convered with shells.

The people who live here decorate their front window every season.
Then there is Volpe's - in a class by itself. (I wanna meet this guy!)

No beach bum haven is complete with out a Tiki Bar - the favorite there is Ka Tiki. Locals know!

This place is crazy busy on the weekends. Believe it or not, this place features valet parking -- at beach bar! !

The funkiest garden on Sunset Beach has got to Ross & Wendy's on 77th Ave. Wendy handpainted signs just in case you're wondering how she feels about development in their neighborhood...
and has collected lots of tchotchke for display. (And, Tina, she's planning a bottle tree -- I'll keep you posted on that!) The Sunday night drumming circle reminds me of the Key West Sunset Festival.

At the end of the day, there's always something sublime..... A few people asked me what in the world I was thinking when we made plans to visit Florida in August, but I've decided that it's an ideal time to go for several reasons: 1) less expensive due to off-season rates 2) warm enough that you don't have to worry about the water being warm enough to swim, which is often the case during spring break and 3) WAY less crowded. A typical weekday afternoon on Sunset Beach looks like this. Where do you like to beach yourself??

Theme Thursday: Funky

Pay no mind to the stoned Rastafarian in the first seconds of this video. That is the most normal part. The real fun starts with the couple in tights.

"Funky Kingston" by Toots and the Maytals

Have You Praised Your Peonies Today?

It took 8 years, but they’re finally in great form.



We’ve come a long long way together,

Through the hard times and the good.

I have to celebrate you baby.

I have to praise you like I should.


What pains me though, is that this is all happening at the front of the beds. Why did I plant them there?!
I never envisioned them this tall and am wondering if they should be moved. Could there be more hard times ahead for the peonies?

Did you recognize those lyrics from Fatboy Slim? One of my favorite music videos ever! (by Spike Jonze)


The video won three major awards at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards: Breakthrough Video, Best Direction, and Best Choreography. I just like it because they’re not all superskinny kids in shiny spandex and they look…well…almost as geeky as I do when I dance. And some of them have (gasp!) gray hair! Torrance Community Dancers, where are you now?!

Garden of Princely Paisley Delights

Or you might want to call it "Garden of Jen's Geeky Ideas"....

So it didn't take very long (less than an hour!) to get the correct guess. It came from Lorilee at Cackleberry Cottage. She won the book! But Karen from Greenwalks impressed me by knowing the full name of our hero, who is also known as The Purple One, the Minneapolis Genius, Alexander Nevermind, the Slave, the Symbol, the one and only

PRINCE ROGERS NELSON!Here is the way he looked when I first became a fan. These were the Purple Rain days. Johnny's is selling a variety of carrot called "Purple Rain" this year. It is purple on the outside and orange in the middle. I didn't put it on my list because I thought it would make the guessing too easy. I did order it, though. When I moved to New York City and met the S. man, this is the album that was popular, Sign of the Times. "Housequake, "Dorothy Parker," and "If I Was Your Girlfriend!" This has always been my favorite Prince album. "Adore" was the first dance at our wedding.
But if that's not your thang, there are a couple thousand more tracks available to choose from.

Dreams for His Daughters

The grassroots group that I volunteered with during the campaign took a bus to Washington DC at 2 a.m. this morning. Today I'm kinda wishing I was on that bus. I had a (maybe selfish) impulse to let my kids stay home from school today. We even found this great website, Our White House that (almost) made me want to take on some homeschooling activities, but only one of my kids wanted to stay home. He's engrossed in a Lego project right now, and I'm afraid it's not building a replica of the White House. We'll watch the events of the afternoon on TV today, and later we we may go to an Innaugural Ball that our town is holding at the community center (where, hopefully, there will be dancing!)

Did you see the letter in Parade magazine that Obama wrote to his kids? Just in case you didn't, I'm posting it below. I think it pretty much says what most parents are feeling today. It's a good reminder that Obama's goals are really pretty simple and not at all different from those of most families. Try not to cry when you read it.

What about you? Doing anything to celebrate today?

Dear Malia and Sasha,

I know that you've both had a lot of fun these last two years on the campaign trail, going to picnics and parades and state fairs, eating all sorts of junk food your mother and I probably shouldn't have let you have. But I also know that it hasn't always been easy for you and Mom, and that as excited as you both are about that new puppy, it doesn't make up for all the time we've been apart. I know how much I've missed these past two years, and today I want to tell you a little more about why I decided to take our family on this journey.

When I was a young man, I thought life was all about me-about how I'd make my way in the world, become successful, and get the things I want. But then the two of you came into my world with all your curiosity and mischief and those smiles that never fail to fill my heart and light up my day. And suddenly, all my big plans for myself didn't seem so important anymore. I soon found that the greatest joy in my life was the joy I saw in yours. And I realized that my own life wouldn't count for much unless I was able to ensure that you had every opportunity for happiness and fulfillment in yours.

In the end, girls, that's why I ran for President: because of what I want for you and for every child in this nation. I want all our children to go to schools worthy of their potential-schools that challenge them, inspire them, and instill in them a sense of wonder about the world around them. I want them to have the chance to go to college-even if their parents aren't rich. And I want them to get good jobs: jobs that pay well and give them benefits like health care, jobs that let them spend time with their own kids and retire with dignity. I want us to push the boundaries of discovery so that you'll live to see new technologies and inventions that improve our lives and make our planet cleaner and safer. And I want us to push our own human boundaries to reach beyond the divides of race and region, gender and religion that keep us from seeing the best in each other.

Sometimes we have to send our young men and women into war and other dangerous situations to protect our country-but when we do, I want to make sure that it is only for a very good reason, that we try our best to settle our differences with others peacefully, and that we do everything possible to keep our servicemen and women safe. And I want every child to understand that the blessings these brave Americans fight for are not free-that with the great privilege of being a citizen of this nation comes great responsibility.

That was the lesson your grandmother tried to teach me when I was your age, reading me the opening lines of the Declaration of Independence and telling me about the men and women who marched for equality because they believed those words put to paper two centuries ago should mean something. She helped me understand that America is great not because it is perfect but because it can always be made better-and that the unfinished work of perfecting our union falls to each of us. It's a charge we pass on to our children, coming closer with each new generation to what we know America should be. I hope both of you will take up that work, righting the wrongs that you see and working to give others the chances you've had. Not just because you have an obligation to give something back to this country that has given our family so much-although you do have that obligation. But because you have an obligation to yourself. Because it is only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you will realize your true potential.

These are the things I want for you-to grow up in a world with no limits on your dreams and no achievements beyond your reach, and to grow into compassionate, committed women who will help build that world. And I want every child to have the same chances to learn and dream and grow and thrive that you girls have. That's why I've taken our family on this great adventure. I am so proud of both of you. I love you more than you can ever know. And I am grateful every day for your patience, poise, grace, and humor as we prepare to start our new life together in the White House.

Love, Dad

Nice and Easy

For more great election-related dancing, click here.

In the Sun with John Denver and Glenn Campbell

While deciding what to write about my first sunflower that appeared this week, I got to remembering the song by the same name. I thought it was written by John Denver, and started looking around for it on the web. I never found it, but dug up this video of John, looking much as he did when we all had a crush on him in the 70's, singing "Sunshine on my Shoulders." Note: If there is music playing on my site when you're reading this, just go to the green box in the sidebar and pause the music first.

Can you dig those groovy luminescent floor tiles??! As if that's not enough to give you cavities, I found this slideshow to the long-lost song, and discovered that it was written by Neil Diamond and sung by Glen Campbell. Before watching, you might want to drill a hole in your computer and let some of the sap out. (It is REALLY sweeeeet). It probably won't help to tell you that I once did a clog dancing routine to this song.

Mexican Reggae, anyone?

Before we got caught in an unrelenting downpour that resulted in a sopping wet lunch and whining children, we had a great time dancing to this band at the Clearwater Hudson River Revival yesterday. I respect women who can wear high heels, sing and play guitar or accordian at the same time. Someday I hope to find out who they are. All I know about them is that they are based in Brooklyn.