Author Archives: Jenn Rian
10 Shows I’d Like to Make Comeback
I don’t watch much tv these days. I recently had my heart broken by a tv show and on top of that my basic cable “package”, which only gives us 10 channels, doesn’t offer many options for tv viewing. But whether you have 10 channels or 310 this one fact remains…they just don’t make good tv shows like they used to.
When Mama Kat offered “A list of 10 old TV shows you’d like to make a comeback.” as a writing prompt for this week’s Writer’s Workshop…I knew I couldn’t pass it up.
It’s hard to narrow the list to just ten…and many of the shows that I would pick have actors who have left us long ago. At the risk of being the 126 person to say, “Bring back The Cosby Show!” (and seriously…bring it back!). I thought I’d take a different approach and put out a plea for some shows you very well have never heard of. To give my other favorite shows of all time the recognition they deserve I have listed them at the bottom of this post in no particular order with no additional commentary.
1. MST3K:
If you don’t know what that abbreviation stands for than chances are that you’ve never seen this show. Mystery Science Theater 3000, called MST3K by fans, was a series about a man named Joel who is trapped on a space station by an evil scientist and forced to watch bad movies. Joel created robot friends, Crow and Tom Servo, out of spare parts and to keep sane, Joel and the robots provide “commentary” by cracking jokes throughout each film.
My dad introduced me to the show when I was in high school with episode 312 Gamera vs. Guiron. By the “Hello…thank you!” scene I was hooked. It takes a special kind of person to see the humor behind MST3K and you’ll either love it or you’ll hate it. I personally found it hilarious and I’d love to see it make a comeback. But I only want episodes with Joel. You can keep Mike.
Hello…thank you! Oh so funny!
2. Swans Crossing:
I think I’m one of the five people in the world that remember this short-lived teen drama series that aired in 1992. One of the few actors from Swans Crossing who managed to make it out with her career still alive was Sarah Michelle Gellar who played mean rich girl, Sydney Rutledge. The summer before 8th grade my sister and I would watch this show every afternoon and then play some Super Mario Brothers on Nintendo back when video game controllers still had joysticks. No, it wasn’t near as good as our beloved Saved by the Bell…in fact it was downright awful…but we loved every awful, cheesy, minute of it! For more info about Swans Crossing click here or here
The Swans Crossing Theme Song
You also don’t want to miss this video of Mila’s Birthday Party Invitation (starts at 5:00).
3. Fifteen:
Another short-lived teen drama of the early 90s was Canadian-American teen soap opera, Fifteen, which ran on Nickelodeon from 1990-1993. It was equally as cheesy as Swans Crossing, but with slightly better production quality and a longer run on air. It still wasn’t as awesome Saved by the Bell (what is?), but it had the right amount of drama and crushes and whatnot for a teenage girl.
Looking for a well-known actor from Fifteen, how about this guy right here…
Ryan Reynolds played the role of Billy Simpson.
Watch a young Ryan Reynolds at work with the ladies…
4. Today’s Special:
Do you remember the Nickelodeon show that ran from 1982-1987 about a department store mannequin that comes to life at night and hangs out with a security guard and a mouse who are puppets? Well, I do! It was called “Today’s Special”. Sometimes the mime was a little creepy, but overall I enjoyed the show as a kid.
Today’s Special Theme Song
5. Danger Mouse:
Danger Mouse is a superhero/secret agent mouse who works with his sidekick, Penfold, and he is awesome! My sister and I loved Danger Mouse as kids. It too aired on Nickelodeon.
Danger Mouse opening
6. Banana Man:
Bananaman was a cartoon short that aired on Nickelodeon in 1983 after Danger Mouse. It’s about a boy who turns into a superhero whenever he eats bananas. I don’t remember too much about it except that my sister and I liked it at the time…probably because we associated it with Danger Mouse, which we loved.
For more banana goodness try here
Bananaman opening
7. Sharon, Lois, and Bram’s Elephant Show:
The Elephant Show was a Canadian children’s show which aired on Nickelodeon from 1987-1994 starring singing trio Sharon, Lois, and Bram. Admittedly I watched much more of this show at 15 than I ever did at 8. I don’t know, I loved all of the kid’s songs and how hokey it all was. I think that lame is fun and cool…so what do I know. And guess what…you can like them on Facebook! 😉
Sharon, Lois, and Bram’s Elephant Show opening
…and don’t forget about Skinnamarink
8. Pinwheel:
Pinwheel was a kid’s show that aired on Nickelodeon from 1977-1990 using cartoons and puppets that interacted with humans. It was pretty awesome. You may remember watching Paddington Bear or Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings on Pinwheel. Or you may remember the theme song:
Pinwheel, pinwheel, spinning around.
Look at my Pinwheel and see what I’ve found.
Pinwheel, pinwheel, where have you been?
Hello, how are you, and may I come in?
Pinwheel, pinwheel spinning around.
Look at my Pinwheel and see what I found.
Pinwheel, pinwheel, breezy and bright.
Spin me good morning, spin me good night.
Pinwheel opening
(although it’s different than I remember, this is probably an earlier version)
9. Nancy, an operator here at the Disney Channel:
Okay, I know that it’s not a “show” and the Disney Channel is now “free” (for those of you who are willing to pay for standard cable or more)…but wouldn’t it be awesome if Nancy popped up on the Disney Channel every so often trying to sell it to you? My sister and I loved Nancy and I still remember when my mom finally picked up the phone to order the Disney Channel my sister and I were standing right next to her asking, “Are you talking to Nancy?!” I’m guessing it wasn’t her 😦
10. The Office:
I know that this show is still on the air…but being a pessimist and all I’m not predicting a bright future for the show now that Steve Carrell is gone. I hope I’m wrong, but I miss him already!
Apparently I liked a lot of Nickelodeon back in the day and apparently Nickelodeon relied heavily on Canadian and British shows in the 80s. Most of these shows aren’t even available on DVD and that makes me sad. I’d be happy to buy a bunch of DVDs of quality 80s/90s kid’s programming and show that to my kids all of the time rather than some of the junk that’s out there now. We exclusively watch PBS now (then again with only 10 channels we don’t really have other options!).
What are some tv shows you’d like to see make a comeback? Let me know in the comments!
Honorable Mentions of Great TVs Past:
Classics: I Love Lucy, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Bob Newhart Show, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, I Dream of Jeannie, Bewitched, Welcome Back, Kotter!, Get Smart, and All in the Family.
Family Shows of the 80s/90s: The Cosby Show, Growing Pains, Full House, Family Matters, Step by Step, Saved by the Bell, Home Improvement, and Boy Meets World
Other great 80s/90s Shows I Loved: Perfect Strangers, Who’s the Boss, Family Ties, The Wonder Years, Alf, Mama’s Family, and Golden Girls
80s/90s Cartoons: Muppet Babies, Care Bears, Jem, Rainbow Brite, Strawberry Shortcake, He-man, She-Ra, Gummi Bears, My Little Pony, Wuzzles, Popples, Pound Puppies, Alvin and the Chipmunks, Duck Tales, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Captain Planet, and Animaniacs
Other Writer’s Workshop Posts:
*Funny Things Adaline Says
*Dreams and Aspirations
*Friends Don’t Get Friends Grounded (as an adult)
*15 Reasons Why My Hubby is Awesome
*The One That Got Away
*In School Suspension
*The Newsboys Wouldn’t Ditch Their Friends
*Youth Camp Stinks
Guest Post: Planting Flowers and Practicing Skills
This is a post from Amanda at Gratefully Growing in Grace who also brought us the Breakfast Basket guest post on June 7. Amanda has a great blog, so be sure to stop by for a visit!
Planting Flowers and Practicing Skills
My name is Amanda and I’m visiting again from Gratefully Growing in Grace where I write about baby, toddler, and preschool activities, crafts I attempt, recipes I manage to cook successfully, and as any good mommy blog includes, cute stories, photos, and videos of my children.
I’ve been blessed to celebrate three Mother’s Days and each year I have asked for the same thing: a mushy card, a photo of me with my children (I have a special frame for the photos), and flowers to plant. My only stipulation is that we all plant the flowers as a family. Doesn’t my husband have an easy job of thinking of Mother’s Day gifts and activities? This year was the first time my son could really help plant the flowers. He could dig the holes with me, choose which flower to put in the hole, place it there, pack the dirt around it, and water it. We had a blast and I can’t wait to have a home where we can plant more flowers and for my daughter to be able to help us – maybe next year!
We had so much fun planting flowers that I wanted to find a way for us to do it again and again. After reading an article (sorry, I can’t remember details because I usually read when my brain is tired to begin with) about preschoolers practicing hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills, I came up with an idea. I’m sure it isn’t original, but my tired brain thought it was brilliant at the moment.
I bought a small storage basket with holes and a few artificial flowers at the Dollar Tree. I rounded out my artificial flower pile by having my mom donate some of her extras. I used a wire cutter to trim the flowers up to be single stems without a lot of extra leaves and stuff on them.
I washed all the flowers in soapy water and let them dry because I’m a germophobe like that. Next, I gave the pile of flowers and the basket to Mini Me and said, “Let’s make a garden!” Simple as that, we turned the basket on its side and began using steady hands to poke the flower stems into the nifty holes. Tada!
The first time Mini Me did this is took approximately 2.5 minutes and he was off and running. I was crushed that my brilliant-but-not-so-original idea was such a dud. But… he came running back to it later after I’d taken the flowers out and wanted to do it again. Then the next day, he wanted to plant his garden again. I started making him put the stems in the smallest holes for more practice. One day he lovingly made a garden and presented it to me, asking if I could keep it on the table for decoration all day. Awwww… Mother’s Day lives on and my preschooler’s fine motor skills are being fine tuned!
Amanda is the author of Gratefully Growing in Grace where she blogs about baby, toddler, and preschool activities, crafts she attempts, and recipes she manages to cook successfully.
Early Ultrasound 9 weeks 2 days
Yesterday I had another early ultrasound. This was the follow-up to the one I had two weeks ago. The baby was very small at the time so they wanted to make sure a twin wasn’t hiding in there.
Apparently there wasn’t. There’s just one sweet little baby in there. She had no trouble finding the baby this time. We saw the heartbeat and it was 167. We also got to see the little one give us a few wiggles and shimmies 🙂
(Click on photos to enlarge them.)
The head is to the right and you can see the baby’s arm buds!
After my ultrasound I went to my first prenatal appointment. It’s just a lot of talking and answering questions and whathaveyou. Everything’s good.
Below you can see me at my appointment accompanied by my friend the Bubba Keg. That is the “jug” that I drink water out of every single day…not just when I’m pregnant 😉 (I kinda love water). It always impresses the doctors but seems to frighten average citizens.
Related Posts:
*Early Ultrasound 7 Weeks
*Wordless Wednesday: Two Lines
*Trying to Conceive: Take 3: Secondary Infertility
*Trying to Conceive: Take 3 Continued
*Our Infertility Story: The Short Version
Coolest Family on the Block is committed to helping you find creative ways to have fun and make memories with your family all year-long. Don’t miss an idea, tip, or trick…subscribe and have updates sent directly to your email!
Guest Post: Sustainable Living – It’s Not Just for Hippies Anymore
This is a guest post by Sarah from Professional Intern. Please stop by her blog today!
Beginning with Henry David Thoreau and the philosophy of the Transcendentalists, the Green Movement has slowly edged its way into the human psyche. While this way of living was originally believed to only appeal to hippies and other activists, it has now become commonplace. It is not unusual to see people drinking from reusable containers, carrying their groceries and lunches in reusable bags, and wearing clothing that advertises for this movement.
My mother was the person who started me off with this, when she taught me to recycle. She did this mostly because we lived out in the country and did not have a garbage service. We recycled cans, bottles and newspapers, burned what we could, and were left with one small trash bag every week (for a family of eight), which we would usually dispose of in the dumpster behind the local high school.
Upon graduation, I moved to the nearest city and took the available trash service for granted for several years. I threw out anything and everything, never giving much thought to recycling or reusing. I wish I could say that this was due to an inability to do so, but the truth is that I was lazy and unaware of the impact that my actions had on the environment.
All of this changed after I took a fascinating social philosophy class. There, we discussed at length the green movement, sustainable living, and the past, present and future impact that living wastefully and thoughtlessly has on the Earth. This class reminded me of the importance of making responsible choices throughout my day, and I made a commitment to start making changes immediately.
Some of these changes were easy to implement: I had some broken laundry baskets that I was about to get rid of; instead, I labeled them “plastic,” “glass,” “metal,” and “paper” and was able to reuse them. I bought recycled goods whenever possible (there are trash bags, paper towels, toilet paper, etc., that fall under this category). I made my own cleaning goods whenever possible, and bought environmentally-friendly products when I could. I shopped at a local grocery store that allowed and encouraged its customers to take their groceries home in the boxes that the store would otherwise throw away, and I then reused the boxes for storage, crafts, and to start fires.
After all of the obvious bases were covered, I brainstormed for other ways that I could be more environmentally conscious. I started using cloth diapers for my daughter. This may not seem like a big deal to all of you non-parents out there, but I was throwing away between four and six diapers a day, which equated to an average of 150 diapers a month. This not only helped my local landfill, but my pocketbook as well. I paid nearly $100 for twelve cloth diapers and additional inserts, and never had to buy another disposable diaper again. In fact, they were so durable that I passed them on to my sister-in-law, who made good use of them before passing them on to her sister-in-law.
I’m a homeschooler, and I discovered that many of the things I was throwing away could easily be reused for a craft project of some sort. Milk jugs can be made into bird feeders, as can empty paper towel and toilet paper rolls; paper with printing on just one side can be used for its other side; paper that has been thoroughly used can still be used in collages and the like (along with used magazines).
Perhaps one of the biggest surprises I had was when it came time to buy some patio furniture. We had a plastic set that was slowly falling to pieces, and when I looked into recycling it, I was dismayed to discover that there were no local places that would accept it for recycling. After so many months of scrupulous green living, I felt defeated when I ended up throwing our old furniture away. When I shopped for new furniture, I eventually settled on cast aluminum patio furniture, partly because of its attractiveness, but also largely because aluminum is 100% recyclable, unlike plastic.
My husband started off as a large impediment to the changes I was trying to implement. He had grown up in the city and had a “sustainable living is for hippies” mentality. I frequently had to dig his soda cans and glass bottles out of the garbage can. However, when he no longer had to pay for diapers and saw that I was making money from the aluminum cans I was recycling, he changed his mind and started helping out a little more.
Now, it is commonplace for my family to recycle and reuse whenever possible. My son has actually caught me mistakenly throwing away something that I could have recycled, and he gleefully reprimanded me for it. My daughter is still a little too young to understand about living green, but we have moved back out to the country, and it is my hope that she will grow up thinking it is normal, and that “wasteful living is for losers,” whereas sustainable living is for everyone.
Guest Post: ABC Photo Essay
This is a guest post from Pamela at Reviews She ROTE.
Stop by her blog today!
Having an ABC day is a fun way to keep your kids busy all day or, as I did this time, all week. Last year at the end of school I was looking for ways my kids could stay active all day so I didn’t have to hear “MOMMY I’M BORED” I did a day last year, but this year I stretched it out for a whole week!!! We didn’t do it alphabetically but every letter was used, to keep track I had a list and when we did the activity I filled in that letter, some were planned others just happened and the kids found it fun to find ways to fill in the last few letters.
Here’s a photo essay to show you all the fun things we did. Don’t worry there are NOT 26 photos (sigh of relief from all LOL).
Doing a little Artwork
Blowing Bubbles
Cuddles with Cat
Making up some Dumplings for Dinner
Hayden on the High slide and enjoying some Ice-cream
Climbing on the Junglegym, Kisses for Dad…Kayleigh having Lemon aide from McDonalds and Nuggets
Outside fun
Ravishing Pancake Smile what a Qt!!!
Talking to Uncle then enjoying Veggie chips.
Washing the car
a little X-box when the rain came
…and making Y‘s on the lawn.
At the end of the day TIME for BED and catching some Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz‘s
Pamela is the author of Reviews She ROTE. Pamela is a SAHM of two children. She enjoys scrapbooking, taking photos, and a little reality TV. Pamela says, “I’ve had a blog for a while but just in the past few months really taking it more serious. I blog about “life” and I also do product reviews and a few giveaways feel free to check me out.” 🙂
The Very Literal Stay at Home Mom
When I say that I’m a stay at home mom…I mean it…literally. I stay at home. I don’t go anywhere. I stay at home and I don’t go anywhere because I don’t have a driver’s license. Believe it or not, it has nothing to do with my sister’s accident…I just never got my license.
I wasn’t your typical teenager, I suppose. While I had friends and I did enjoy going out with them from time to time, I enjoyed staying at home by myself. I was very busy in school with theater, chorus, band, and various clubs so I didn’t get to be home very often. I was quite happy at home while I was there and I wasn’t screaming for any type of independence or freedom. In PA you could get your Driver’s Permit when you turned 16. You had to take a test for the permit and pass. Once you had your permit you could practice driving with a licensed driver over the age of 18 in the front seat. Once you had sufficiently practiced you could take your driver’s test. The permit would expire in 3 years and so would your physical exam. If you hadn’t passed the driving portion of the test before your permit expired, you would need to get another physical and take the permit test again. At least those were the rules in 1995, some of the details have changed since then.
When I turned 16 my parents didn’t say anything to me about getting my license and I didn’t say anything to them. My younger sister on the other hand (who was a year younger than me and dying to get her license) had been told she wasn’t permitted to apply for her permit/license until she was 18 due to her grades. I also had practical reasons for not getting a license. I knew that I wouldn’t be getting my own car. I knew that we had only one car and both of my parents worked. I knew that I didn’t have a job, didn’t want a job, and didn’t have time for a job with all of my extra curricular activities therefore I didn’t have the money to pay for a car, insurance, or even gas. I also knew that because of my busy schedule, my curfew, and the boring town that we lived in…I really wouldn’t be going out much anyway. I didn’t make a decision not to get my license, I just simply decided that there wasn’t any rush to get it. Only two weeks after turning 16 I acquired a boyfriend who had a license, a job, and his own car. He also happened to be involved in theater/chorus/band as well, so he began driving me everywhere.
I was signed up for Driver’s Ed because completing the class would get you a discount on your insurance. I had yet to take my permit test. Driver’s Ed didn’t help me at all. The class was taught by a history teacher that I’d had three different years since Middle School. He was a nice man, but one of my least favorites as far as teaching was concerned. He never really taught anything and his big thing was “study guides”. He would give us photo copied study guides in his very poor barely legible handwriting and had us fill in the blanks from our text books during class. In the three different years I had him as a teacher I don’t recall him ever saying anything to us other than telling us to keep quiet during our study guide time or telling us what page to turn to. Luckily I was good at history and managed to do fine as long as I could read his handwriting. Driver’s Ed was no different. We were given study guides to go along with the Driver’s book. We were also lucky enough to watch some outdated films on anti-lock breaks and drunk driving. We never once got into a car. We didn’t have one of those fancy student driving cars where you got to drive around the parking lot while your teacher keeps slamming on his extra set of breaks. Nope. Just, “here’s some questions to study for the permit test (most everyone already had their permit), here’s how breaks work in the rain, don’t drink and drive…the end”.
Above: 18 year old me, a happy passenger.
(Don’t worry, we were parked otherwise I would’ve had my feet on the ground and a seatbelt on!)
After I graduated from high school and spent the summer busy sleeping in and hanging out with my boyfriend my mom felt it was time for me to get a job in the fall. I didn’t have any ID so we had to go get one at the DMV. I hadn’t studied at all for the permit test, but my mom said that I should try to take the test anyway since we were already there. You were allowed to get three answers wrong…I missed four. I failed the permit test that day, but we went back and I passed it the second time and every time since then. I started working a part time job and then eventually went to a full time job. My mom worked full time M-F 9a-5p and I was scheduled shifts all week from any time between 9:45a-9:45p.
As time went on I kept going back and renewing my permit and getting physicals. It seemed like every time I needed a new physical my doctor had moved or my insurance had changed and I had to find a new practice…again. I did some driving here and there, but for the most part we were all too busy and too tired to bother with it. I couldn’t practice driving on my own. Someone had to take me and teach me. The older I got and the longer I went without driving…the more scared I got. I wasn’t scared to begin with, that wasn’t why I had put off getting my permit, but the more time I spent in the passenger’s seat the less of a desire I had to drive. When I would drive I was absolutely terrified of hitting parked cars, or having a car come up behind me. I found reverse confusing. I hated it.
Throughout the years my mom and husband have taken turns teaching me how to drive. We go for awhile and then something always happens and we get busy, and we stop going. Then I forget how to drive again. I’m not scared of hitting parked cars anymore and a person driving behind me doesn’t bother me as much (unless they’re right on my bumper). I’m not too bad at the actual driving part now and I’m finally starting to get the hang of reverse and parking. In March I started practicing again. This time with a slightly different goal…learn to drive well enough to pass the test. If I never drive again, that’s fine, but at least I’ll have my license if I want it and I’ll have all the time in the world to get more comfortable driving. Practicing is one of the things that I’ve been doing lately when I say that I’m busy.
I still don’t have much of a desire to drive, but I feel like my daughter and I are missing out on so much being trapped in the house until her dad gets home. We can’t go to the park or Mommy and Me or MOPS or anywhere really. I’ll be 32 this September. Kids that I used to babysit have now had their licenses for years. Now I just want to get my stupid license so that I can have it already. I don’t even know if I’ll ever really use it since the idea of driving with my daughter in the car, or without someone else next to me to help me, scares me. I just want to get it over and done with even if I never drive again afterwards. This August my permit is going to expire…again. My physical will expire then too so I’ll need to get a physical…again. And guess what…my doctor’s practice shut down…again. So I’m going to need to find another doctor…again. So that I can take my permit test…again. I really don’t want to have to do all of that…again.
Today at 12:30pm I’m scheduled to take my driver’s test for the first time in 14 years. I can’t say that I’m feeling very positive about it. Last night I thought I should practice parallel parking in front of my mom’s house. There was a space between her neighbor’s car and her car. I tried 3 times and couldn’t do it all three times…and the last time I tried I hit my mom’s car (well, the cars touched…I backed into it very slowly going -5 miles an hour!). I went around the block again to come back and park and the neighbor had gotten into her car to move it away to safety (why, I didn’t hit her car?!). Let’s just say it didn’t give me a big boost of confidence. I just hope that my test goes well today and I can just pass and move on with life as a licensed driver.
Or maybe I’ll just get a chauffer.
**Updated: Nope, didn’t get it. Failed the parallel parking before getting a chance to do the rest of the test. I was way too nervous and hormonal. Oh well, I’ll try again in another 15 years (and by then Adaline should have her license and Jonathan close to getting his permit!).
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Fun and Dysfunction 