It gets even better. And weirder. Or something.

The Hubster gave me Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-long Blog on DVD for my birthday at the beginning of the month. Although I'd watched it a number of times on Hulu, and had even downloaded the soundtrack from Amazon, Monkeyboy had never seen it or heard it. The day I got the DVD, though, I opened it right away and we all watched it. Quite the family entertainment, no?


Monkeyboy is obsessed.

He's watched the DVD repeatedly, which has led to some very interesting discussions about the moral complexities of the Dr. Horrible story. (As most preschoolers probably would, he missed the point and tends to root for Captain Hammer.) The soundtrack is almost the only thing he wants to listen to in the car. He's asked me to clarify lyrics for him when he can't understand them and has even asked me to explain the meaning of some for him: "What's it mean, 'catch your breath'?"

Once he memorized the lyrics and could sing all of the songs, he started ordering me to "sing the girl parts." Which I do with gusto because, hey, there's nothing weird about harmonizing with your toddler. Even when it's a song from a Sci Fi musical about an evil scientist trying to rule the world/get the girl. Right?



Skip ahead to 1:45 (if you're not interested in watching the whole thing) to see the best part of the duet, where each person sings different lyrics at the same time (is there a musical term for that technique?). Now, imagine me doing it with my three-year-old son -- sternly directed by him, I might add -- in the car as we drive to daycare. The first time the Hubster heard us do it, he gaped open-mouthed at us.

Where my sick sense of humor, eclectic taste in music and poor judgement collide

I love music. Before I had children, I regularly went to hear live music and I still go when I can fit it in. I'm obsessed with my iPod. Making iPod playlists has replaced my old-school obsession for making mix CDs (which replaced my older-school obsession with making mix tapes). This summer, I got Monk a pair of children's headphones so he can listen to his own playlists (of songs he's chosen himself) on my iPod. The Hubster and I are always singing around the house, and to the kids, especially if a lyric fits the occasion. The other day found me singing to Goose, "Mama said there'll be days like this. There'll be days like this, my mama said. (Mama said, Mama said.)"

When Monk hears a song he likes, he always asks, "What's it called?" and when it ends, he asks to hear it again. (Often again and again and...) Once, when he was about two years old, Monk asked Hub that very question about a Tool song (Disclaimer, re: the Tool song: I was not in the car at the time) and when told the title responded, "I love it! It's noise!"

As you can tell, the Hubster and I rarely censor our music choices around our kids. Until recently, they really didn't pay that much attention to the lyrics, so we didn't have to. This summer, however, a serious misstep on my part resulted in my 3 year old singing Salt n' Pepa's "None of your Business," so we're we now giving it some thought. (I'm grateful he didn't understand most of the words and has made up gibberish to substitute for the lyrics to everything except the exclamation "It's none of your bidness!")

However, there are still a wide range of songs which it's appropriate -- or at least, mostly appropriate -- for my kids to hear. Over the last few months, Monkeyboy has made a commitment to memorizing the lyrics of the ones he likes so he can sing along. I admit that with this development, I've started feeding him songs that I want to hear him sing. This has resulted in what are some of the funniest moments with this kid so far.

There isn't much that's more more bizarrely hilarious than a three-year-old belting out, "Laundry day. See you there. Under things. Tumbling." in the grocery store checkout line.

Or when we walk into daycare, singing, "Black coat, white shoes, black hat, Cadillac... the boy's a time bomb!" to his teacher.

Or playing in his sandbox by himself, singing, "Oh, woman, oh, woman, why you treat me so mean? You're the meanest old woman that I ever seen..." under his breath.

Or recently -- and this one probably takes the proverbial cake when it comes to bad judgment on the parents' part -- at the mall, singing, " 'Booze! Booze!' The firemen cried, as they came knocking at the door." (This last one was damn hard to find anywhere on the Interweb. I also liked this rendition.**)

But, all joking aside, if this kid can't get a date in high school? I'll have to take at least part of the blame.


**The really weird thing? The more I watch it, the more I think I might have actually been there in real life for this one. The web is a strange place/six degrees of separation/it's a small word after all/etc. MacIntyre!

One

So, Jen over at Une Petite Raison tagged me on this meme and I was all Thank gah, I haven't posted anything in a while. (Not because the well has dried up; because I'm too scattered.) I can do this. And the one-word thing? Brilliant. Even in my diminished capacity, I can focus for that long. Then as I started, I was all, Hey...this seems familiar. But that was six months ago. Can you blame me for hardly remembering? I don't even remember my answers. And it looks like some of the questions are different. So I'm doing it anyway. And I'm not tagging anyone. Because that's how I roll these days.

1. Where is your cell phone? Table

2. Your hair? Up

3. Your mother? Home

4. Your father? Work

5. Your favorite food? Chocolate

6. Your dream last night? Work-related

7. Your favorite drink? Pepsi

8. Your dream/goal? Ph.D.

9. What room are you in? Dining

10. Your hobby? What?

11. Your fear? Sharks

12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Here

13. Where were you last night? Home

14. Something that you aren’t? Awake

15. Muffins? Meh.

16. Wish list item? Hot tub

17. Where did you grow up? North

18. Last thing you did? Nap

19. What are you wearing? Comfy

20. Your TV? On

21. Your pets? Asleep

22. Friends? Far

23. Your life? Busy

24. Your mood? Anticipatory

25. Missing someone? Oz

26. Vehicle? Old

27. Something you’re not wearing? Jewelry

28. Your favorite store? Target

29. Your favorite color? Blue

30. When was the last time you laughed? Today

31. Last time you cried? Today

32. Your best friend? Hub

33. One place that I go to over and over? Shopping

34. One person who emails me regularly? Spam

35. Favorite place to eat? Mexican*

I'll be curious to go back to the old post and see how my answers compare.


*I know it's not a "place," but around here there are several real Mexican restaurants, each about the same and each fantastic.