MumsTheWurdUnique finds for hip parents and cool kids

Have you noticed that we have another new Mum?  Jaymi, better known as FlipFlopMamma, has joined the awesomeness that is MumsTheWurd!  She is the bomb.  Welcome her!  Jaymi is another babywearing mamma of 3 cool kids that you’ll see from time to time on Mums.  

While we’re on the topic of babywearing, I have to tell you about the pouch from Rockin’ Baby Sling!  Well, first of all, they’re gorgeous!  Secondly, all the pouches and slings are named after songs, and really good songs, at that!  Check their huge selection of slings and pouches.  You are bound to find one that suits your style!  My issue with the pouch has always been that it seems to snug.  Not the Rockin’ Baby Pouch-these slings are generously sized.  My Medium/Large “I’ll Stop the World and Melt With You” fits me on the smallest setting for carrying Lennon, and on the biggest size for carrying Noel (it’s happened a couple times).  Like a sling, this pouch allows you to hold your baby in a variety of ways.  Find a way that is comfortable for both you, and your child, and start babywearing!  Want another reason to buy from these two Rockin’ Mamas?  They give 3% of their profits to Heifer International.

Do you enjoy babywearing, but find that it takes time away from doing certain things, like exercising (as if hauling around your baby isn’t exercise enough…)?  Well, the gals at Chicks-n-Chickens found a way to make it easy for you to get a little workout in while cuddling on your little bundle.  The Chicks Lullaby Exercises is a great way to get a little exercise for yourself, keep your baby close, and get them ready to nod off to dreamland.  I’ve done Lullaby Exercises with Lennon a few times, and it was pretty great.  It was a fun workout, without being too over the top.  I really enjoyed the sleep set, which was very relaxing, and did indeed put Lennon right to sleep!  Want to try it?  

Win it!

Enter here and tell us how you enjoy getting exercise with your kids! Winner will be selected randomly, and contacted via email. Contest ends October 26rd at 10pm (CST).

This review has been brought to you by our resident Stay At Home Dad & Father of the Year, Elliott…Read more by Elliott at Father of the Year Award, on Tumblr, and see what he’s got going on at his eBay store, Umbrella Shoppe Collectibles.  He also Twitter’s here.

I was immediately interested in the Bill Harley: Yes to Running DVD, the day it arrived in our mailbox.  (A side note: our mailbox is usually very hot, as it is perpetually 300 degrees in Texas.)  Bill Harley, when he’s not being  a regular commentator on NPR’s All Things Considered,writing books or winning Grammy awards, tours the country telling funny stores and singing funny songs to kids and their parents.  He has a natural wit that is the backbone of his songs and stories.  He also has that gift for being instantly appealing to children and their parents.  This is not The Wiggles. 

Yes To Running! is Harley’s first live DVD.  This should not be his last, if there is any justice in the world.  It appeals on different levels.  My son, who is 2, loved the guitar playing and the music.  He didn’t have a clue when it came to the stories, but older kids will get the stories and jokes.  Parents will enjoy the pop culture references and nostalgia about music from their era.  They will also appreciate the fact that Harley does not dumb down his language for the kids.  He gives them the benefit of the doubt, and it just comes off with warmth and sincerity.

The set includes:

I Like to Sing
Grownups are Strange
Mom and the Radio
The Great Sled Race
Mrs. Ammons and the Boys’ Room
Is Not Is Too
The Ballad of Dirty Joe
The Teachers’ Lounge
You’re in Trouble
Echo

WIN IT!

We have TWO of these DVDs to give away to TWO LUCKY WINNERS!

Email us to enter: mumsthewurd[at]gmail[dot]com with the subject line: Bill Harley & tell us your favorite children’s singer/storyteller.  Contest ends Sunday, September 14, 2008 at 10 PM CST. Winner will be chosen randomly and notified via email. Good Luck!!

Thanks, Elliott, for being our first guest poster. Because he loves his nap so dearly, we’re happy to have him try out this product. It could be revolutionary…seriously!

There is one word that is golden, above all others, to parents: SLEEP. This is because we lack it often. Frankly, we also live in a crazy world bent on squeezing every last second out of the day and converting it into productivity. We drink too much coffee to stay awake. Our phone is ringing and our email is stacking up. We strap all sorts of communications devices to our bodies and actually insert little phones into our ears. It’s a maaaaaaad hooouussssse! We desperately need a nap. A simple siesta, if you will. I can hear you now: “But I just don’t have the time!!” Now you do.

Enter NAP26 from the POWRNAPS company. My wife, one of the Mums The Wurd mums, showed me this CD she received in the mail. I noticed two words immediately: sleep and iPod. Seeing that these are two of my favorite things, I grabbed it and downloaded it to my iTunes library and then to my iPod. I was ready to sleep!

After pressing play, a friendly chap came on and told me to relax and listen actively. 26 minutes later I awoke to the sound of chirping birds and the NAP26 man telling me it was time to wake-up. In between there were a lot of calming ambient sounds - like oceans and wind and whatnot. It’s funny, you think you’ll never be able to fall asleep so quickly listening to this stuff, but you do. It’s that simple: you just fall asleep. How does this work?

“Nap26 uses Binaural Beat Technology to train the brain to relax and to awaken without risk of grogginess. A scientific digital modulation process inserts precise pulses and beats that the brain hears. The difference in vibration between one ear and the other stimulates either deeper relaxation or alertness. You will feel like you slept for 3 hours in 26 minutes.” I’m not exactly sure what that means, but it does the trick every time. The more you do it, the easier it becomes to fall asleep. Your brain is being trained to relax. How cool is this? And better still, it comes with a money-back-guarantee. You’ll never need it…

I’ve been DYING to post about the brand new Barenaked Ladies kid’s album, Snacktime. This is the band’s first ever album geared toward the smaller human-kind. It is surely no disappointment and is at the top of our list of albums to listen to that parents and kids can enjoy together. I wouldn’t have expected any less from BNL, as this band is known for their witty lyrics and bouncy sing-alongs. Come on, I still walk around singing, “If I had a million dollars…” Can never seem to get that song out of my head. Although, I should mention that it may be soon replaced with “Raisins” off of Snacktime. Totally catchy and silly with whistle-alongs and whatnot.

Snacktime, which was released on Desperation Records just a few days ago (May 6th), consists of a mix of 24 original tracks and this is what the band has to say about them:

“Our collective kids now outnumber the band more than 2 to 1,” explains vocalist/guitarist Ed Robertson. “We set out to make a record that would be entertaining for them…not strictly a children’s record, but a record that children would really enjoy. Our kids are in to all kinds of music. They love the They Might Be Giants kids records, but they also love The Beatles, Fountains of Wayne, Randy Newman, Black Eyed Peas and Green Day. Making the focus about what our kids like was a truly liberating process and fun for the whole band.”

“Besides, our biological clocks are ticking,” jokes drummer Tyler Stewart. “The medical risks associated with releasing children’s music after age 40 are well documented, and we thought it best not to put any of our lives in danger.”

So in closing, I urge you to pick up this album and never take it out of your cd player, iPod, Zune, or whatever type of gadget you listen to music on. Just keep playing it over and over and over! You’re kids will totally dig it and I don’t doubt that you will too.

I leave you with 7 8 9, the first track off of Snacktime. Enjoy!

mp3: 7 8 9 - Barenaked Ladies

Name Your Tune is a great gift for ANYONE!!! Hailey and Noel received a “Name Your Tune” CD for their listening pleasure and they dig it! Noel lights up every time he hears his name announced in the songs.

The folks at Name Your Tune really know their stuff. Eric, the co-founder, has been in the Canadian music biz for about 15 years. They’re a family operated business, dedicated to bringing your child an introduction to music, art & creativity.

Name Your Tune CDs are made to order, can contain ANY name, and even contain multiple names. They’ll basically do whatever you ask of them! Check out the playlist here. You can also add a personal message on to the CD itself. “Made Especially for You, Noel, from Mommy & Daddy”, for example. They will even add special touches, like a card or gift wrapping.

There’s a lot of people who love these cool Canadians-not just us. They also dedicate a portion of their earnings to Hear Here-a non-profit that helps get hearing aids to children.

Check out Name Your Tune and get a personalized CD in time for the Holidays!

Name Your Tune is participating in our Holiday Blog Hunt-sign up today, and you just might win this cool CD!

I’m so proud of the direction that Kids Music has taken lately. I’m a “kindie rock” convert. I come from the school of “music snobbery”. I was once told by someone that “a lot of people” listened to some specific popular band, to which I replied, “Not people with taste” (one of my prouder moments).

Children’s music must be great for me to even consider it. I have found two so far that our whole family will listen to-our first foray into the kid music world was Dan, who Hailey now CHEERS for(!) and then The Trachtenberg Family Slideshow Players! Now, we proudly welcome Ellen and Matt into the “Awesome Kids Music” category!

Aren’t they just adorable??? They got their inspiration for their album “Best Friends” from their son & to-be sons and some great musical influences. Some have likened their sound to “the Carpenters meets the Pixies“. I, on the other hand, hear a mix of some of my very favorites-The Beach Boys, Sloan, Matthew Sweet, and The Ramones.

As soon as I put this CD on for Noel, I was immediately bopping my head along to the music. I thought, “Wow, this is really good!” I was honestly a little surprised, as their look reminded me a bit of The Elephant Show, which I spent hours being tortured with as a babysitter. I was wrong…I’ll admit it! Ellen and Matt’s songs are kid friendly and parent friendly alike. The CD includes songs about eating your dinner, being an imaginary airplane, and hanging out with your best friend, all set to extremely palatable music that you’ll find yourself, as the adult, wanting more of. The song “Best Friend” is so pretty, I actually got choked up listening to it (it’s possibly due to being pregnant and full of crazed pregnant hormones). Our whole family loves this entire CD.

“Best Friends” is available from CD Baby and several download sites. Ellen and Matt have joined The Trifecta of awesome Kindie Rock! Go buy their CD and start groovin!!

A quirky, folk, pop music family band in vintage threads? No, it’s not the Partridge Family! You sort of have to see it to believe it. We stumbled upon this little gem of a band while watching Jack’s Big Music Show one day with our son. They incorporate the very original idea of taking random people’s old slides and incorporating them into their live shows, and actually writing some of their music based on these slides!

New to the world of kids music, Jason Trachtenberg has been making his own solo records and performing in places like Austin, Seattle & NYC. He later got his little family of three involved, and this unique trio was formed. Check out their website and their MySpace, and become a Trachtenberg junkie too! When they make it back to the states, we’ll be interviewing them and more! We’ll also have an MP3 up imminently…Stay tuned!

**Be sure to check our contests, and sign up to receive our weekly newsletter!**

Are you ready to get up and bang your head? Rockosaurus Rex is the perfect album to listen to if you want to teach your child the rules of rock early on in his or her life. I bet you’ve never heard of a rock band full of dinosaurs, have you? Well, listen up!

Their debut album, “The Big Bang”, is full of high energy rock and heavy metal versions of your classic children’s songs. This album will either have you flashing the “rock” sign or have you pulling out your hair and running from the room. Either way, your kids are sure to LOVE it!

Here is a sample song from the album, “Six Little Ducks”. This radio-friendly, power-pop tune will have you bopping your head in no time.

mp3: Six Little Ducks - Rockosaurus Rex

“The Big Bang” is available for purchase at:

A long time ago, we told you about Dan Zanes. Since then, we’ve aquired his entire collection, and I have to be honest here…IT IS ALL AMAZING! Both Amy and I consider ourselves “music snobs”, of sorts. Before Dan, you wouldn’t catch me within 100 miles of a children’s music cd. While I’m sure The Wiggles have their merits, I just can’t bring myself to even find out what their colorful outfits and that giant octopus are all about. Dan, however, caught our attention when we saw his crazy hair appear right before our eyes on Playhouse Disney. He was dancing around in his checkered socks, making eggs, and singing something about catching a train…and it didn’t suck! At all! It was good! Who was this mysterious man with the wacky hair? Since then, we’ve fallen in love with his music. It’s catchy and fun without the sap. Dan Zanes and Friends music crosses many spectrums and generations, from old folk favorites, sea and train songs, to tunes you can dance to with your family around the kitchen! Trust me, you will ALL like Dan Zanes (even the most skeptical among you!)! All of the CDs come in board book form with colorful pictures with artwork by Donald Saaf that your little one will enjoy (and can’t destroy!) and tons of songs. I am currently partial to Night Time, that includes special guest singers like Lou Reed and Aimee Mann (other CDs include Sheryl Crow, Debbie Harry, Suzanne Vega, The Blind Boys of Alabama, and many, many others).

The thing that draws me most to Dan Zanes’ is his focus on the family aspect of music. Good music is not something that just adults should listen to! For our household, it’s something we intend to share together, especially while our kids our young and under our musical schooling. Dan Zanes and Friends is bringing everyone together for a truly great music experience. Go and start building your collection today!