I have to send Nicole big thanks for pointing me to Beauty Brands. I stopped by after work and was greeted at the door by a pleasant sales clerk. She asked if she could help me find something and I told her I was looking for OPI polish. She asked if I had a specific color and I showed off my pretty nails and told her I didn't know the name of the color. She walked me right over to the OPI section and handed me "Yoga-ta Get This Blue", which is exactly what I was looking for.

The place also has a salon and spa. After the gal showed me around the place, I got free samples of shampoo, conditioner, and hair "whip" (???). I'm glad the store is not on my way home, it is a dangerous find.

Thinking of mac's bedtime reminds me that I used to sit on the top stair and listen to TV when I was his age. My preferred show was the non-gritty Dallas!

Hec, I can't imagine being in the middle of that much energy for that long.

Sophia, I'm not sure even Tom's Diner can help you with that earworm.

Kat, I have a package of denim ready to go. I just need to confirm an address.

The 70s had all those social conscious Norman Lear shows, plus the feminist driven MTM shows.

The great preschool search continues unabated on our end. Ugh.

Did anyone else see the add with Daniel Radcliffe talking about how the Simpsons have been a huge influence on his life?

Kids in college now have had both Harry Potter and the Simpsons for all of the cognizant life. It's weird!

Speaking of 70s TV, I realized today that much of my impressions of (and non-interest in going to) Mexico are due almost entirely to The Love Boat.

Hec, I can't imagine being in the middle of that much energy for that long.

It was okay, but I had an early inkling of what I was in for when I sat down to read a book to Matilda and suddenly had ten other kids surrounding me, crawling on my legs and getting in my lap.

It's easier when you're not in charge of anything, but just there to provide entertainment and move the tables back and set up the cots and an extra set of eyes to break up brewing toyfights.

Plus, I could always just do a call back to Crunchy Monkey when needed and have them rolling and amenable. On top of which, they were a fairly responsive and obedient group. Which is possibly a by product of them all being children of doctors / grad students. Or perhaps a cultural thing as most were either Indian or Asian. In any event, they all minded me.

Still - I'm wiped.

Kids in college now have had both Harry Potter and the Simpsons for all of the cognizant life. It's weird!

Two of the cornerstones of Emmett's cultural life. Plus South Park.

Did I tell you the discussion I had with my ex-coworker, Kevin the ex-Chef/social justice attorney (who looked sort of like Hugh Jackman)? I made some Monty Python reference (presuming it was still lingua franca) and he brushed it aside and said it was a "generational thing." And that his generation (late twenties) was all raised on South Park.

The key to South Park's influence? Every episode is online for free. You can just binge on them when you want.

Among Emmett's friends they all find standup comics through YouTube, which is interesting. Gabriel Iglesias being big at the moment.

I made some Monty Python reference (presuming it was still lingua franca) and he brushed it aside and said it was a "generational thing." And that his generation (late twenties) was all raised on South Park.

I suppose the Marx Brothers are right out then....

Even just getting them all to lie down for naps was an extended exercise in patience as they flopped and flipped and kicked each other's toes and giggled and wiggled and finally (most of them) fell asleep.

Oh yeah. When I worked at the daycare center in college, I'm sure I was a lot of help doling out Goldfish and doing whatever, but naptime was KEY. I could always get kids to sleep.