It’s time for another Aloha Friday, the day that you take it easy and look forward to the weekend, in Hawaii and blog land anyway. As you should know by now, over at An Island Life, Kailani decided that on Fridays she would take it easy on posting and ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response.
If you’d like to participate, just post your own question on your blog and leave your link at An Island Life’s blog. Don’t forget to visit the other participants! It’s a great way to make new bloggy friends!
Lately MM has been very grumpy, irritable, restless. Despite his mother’s contentment with being a homebody, this kid is booooored. He’s bored with the routine and he wants to do something else now – he needs constant distractions. It’s made Dan and I grumpy, irritable and restless, too. The other day I was trying to keep MM preoccupied before bedtime while we waited for Dan – we like to do this bedtime routine together as a family – new diapers, pajamas, a story, all that – I don’t remember what was taking him so long but I do remember that MM was ready to jump ship and do this whole “bedtime thing” another day instead – what kid isn’t? So I’m trying to calm him down, distract him and convince him that bedtime isn’t the devil, when out of nowhere I start doing the hokey pokey. Just because.
I must be a genius or something because MM was immediately enthralled – he wanted to hokey pokey over and over. After about our 4th round of hokey pokey, I switched things up and we did head, shoulders, knees and toes. Another big hit – and I’m left thinking, “Why haven’t we sung these to him yet?” and “What other awesome distraction / song / dances am I forgetting?” Because this stuff is like activity gold – I don’t need to buy anything, grab any tools, or anything – I just have to remember all the dorky song and dance numbers from my youthful past.
So my Aloha Friday questions for you this week are:
- (If you are a parent or care provider for a little one) what songs, nursery rhymes etc. do you like to do together?
- What is your child’s favorite? What is yours? Feel free to include the words, etc. in case I don’t know them.
- Any other distraction tips for my grumpy, irritable, restless little one? I know, I know – I need to take him out more – did I mention I’m hugely 34 weeks pregnant and live on the third floor? I’m trying people!
Mommablogsalot 
12 responses to “Aloha Friday: You Put Your Right Arm In…”
We owned several kids CD’s. We sang all of the songs from the CD’s.
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We sing the “wheels on the bus” “Itsy Bitsy Spider” and “Patty Cake, Patty Cake.”
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Itsy Bitsy Spider is big in my house too. Oh and Where is Thumpkin.
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These are all great. There are a couple different companies that put out DVD with song/dance for tots. You should check them out.
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my kids like itsy bitsy spider and twinkle twinkle, we also like the wheels on the bus
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Can you set up any play dates for him? Maybe trade with another mom and you could watch the kids once and she could watch the kids once?
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[…] rousing success of teaching MM song and dance numbers like Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes and the Hokey Pokey – we also all played hide and seek […]
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I always resort to hugs and tickles when the grumpies set in. Or we start rapping a nursery rhyme or kids song (and G beat boxes in the background). That cracks everyone up.
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My son goes to school so he’s learned a lot of songs and I forgot about. But the other night when he was fighting bathtime, I starting singing…
“Do your ears hang low?
Do they wobble to and fro?
Can you tie them in a knot?
Can you tie them in a bow?
Can you throw them over your shoulder,
like a continental soldier?
Do your ears hang low?”
…..with motions and everything. He laughed a full belly laugh! So it’s now a household fave.
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Some Fridays I feel sooo old when I’m participating in Aloha Friday’s – LOL ~ My “Kiddies” are 29 & 30 ~ But I still the whole Blog thing! Forgive me if I sound like a frump – but don’t think act like a frump – hope not – ha! My kids both always loved music – and anything they could get their hands that created music – it kept them occupied for hours! (did get a tad noisy at times, but that was fine!)
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@ Andrea : Oh I love the idea of doing the wrong sound – MM would get a kick out of that!
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This is just getting too weiard! When I was pregant with my daughter, I also lived on the third floor! 51 steep steps, each one remembered with agony!!
Anway, my kids always liked Old MacDonald. I let them choose which animal we’d do, or I’d pick and they’d get to make the animal sounds. If they were really grumpy, I’d sing the whole song myself, but make the wrong sounds (for example: when doing a cat, I’d bark). That always made them laugh and distracted them from what they were upset about. 🙂
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