Send in the Clowns

PAGE TURNER: When we went to the Queen Anne library a couple days ago, we checked out two copies of the exact same book. The kids thought it odd at the time, but there was a method to my madness. Hardly a classic, the title was "Pokemon Battle: Frontier Grovyle Trouble."

I thought it would be fun to have two copies so the kids could read them in tandem, and that's exactly what they did. It was funny, when CJ reached page 6 (the first page of Chapter 2) he said, (with a measure of disdain, like I'd tricked him), "It's a chapter book!"

Why yes it is ... So they each read the first three chapters of the book in their first sitting. Good for us. ;)

MUSICALITY: In keeping with our Friday = Music Day, we were thrilled to find that "Video Games Live" was being replayed on KCTS today. It's a concert with a complete orchestra plus rock band augmentation performing songs from popular video games of the last 20 plus years.

We watched it just a couple of nights ago, but today, instead of just watch, I brought out tambourines and maracas for the kids to play along with.

When they weren't being percussionists, they were dancing, with Annabelle directing choreography. It was great.

Tonight, we watched this YouTube video from a Video Games Live concert. You really don't even need to know all the games involved to appreciate this.


CLOWNING AROUND: Today was the start of Summer Fest in Magnolia. It's an annual summer festival with entertainment, inflatables, an art show, and vendors. I made sure we were there by 2 p.m. so the kids could enjoy a performace of Deano the Clown on the kids' stage. This kids enjoyed the show, which is great, but I walked away both angry and uneasy.
Can I just say that I'm not a fan of ANYONE picking other people's kids up and throwing them overhead? Yes (and thank god), Deano caught all the kids he threw, but a) what if he hadn't? and b) why is he touching and throwing other people's kids? No way in a million billion years would I do this, and if you're a school volunteer, a coach, a babysitter, whatever, you would know not to do this to someone else's kid. ...

I mean, I'm guessing it would be frowned upon if, say, the lemonade vendor at Magnolia's Summerfest did this. Or let's say the people operating the pony rides decided to start throwing kids overhead - would that be OK? I think not. Does the fact that it was a clown doing the manhandling make it somehow OK?

Also, might I note that I'm not a fan of a clown STICKING THINGS UP HIS NOSE (for instance, a balloon) and then basically forcing kids in the audience to handle it. Honestly, how gross is that? Exchanging bodily fluids is not my idea of a great comedic performance. It's a health hazard.

And then there's the matter of Deano sticking things up OTHER people's noses. Yeah, you read that right. Call me humorless, but I fail to find it funny that he'd stick the end of a jump rope up a child's nose and then handle it himself, ask other kids to handle it, and make jokes about it. So Not Funny.

And then there were the bits about him inviting kids up on stage to sleep under his blanket (a parachute) and him roaming the stage tickling them, as well as having kids sit on his foot on a chair at other points. Incidental contact, or someone rushing up to hug him or shake his hand, I get. Welcoming contact like that, I don't get, not at all. It just goes against every 'stranger danger' video, etc. I've ever seen. (And no, I don't think clowns get a pass on the 'stranger danger' thing.) And don't even get me started about him brusquely shoving Annabelle to get her off stage after inviting her up. And this might sound minor, but at one point he made fun of an 8 to 10 or so year old girl's sweater. Yeah, so it was probably 100 percent acrylic and maybe it was a little small on her, but why SHAME her in front of the crowd? The girl was clearly mortified and it was cruel.

Really, so much of the show was so inappropriate.

IN OTHER NEWS: The kids did have a blast in the inflatables. CJ, especially, loved the bouncy house. Watching Bee and him jump around, I couldn't help but notice how many kids couldn't sustain 3 minutes of bouncing. :/ They were tuckered out, just waiting for it to be over after a minute or two.

We saved the best for last. After the inflatables, we headed for the Real Live Pony rides! It was $6 apiece for the kids to ride for 3 minutes, but I guess that's the price we city slickers pay.
CJ and Annabelle both really Really REALLY enjoyed it. I mean, look at her face. :)