As a kid in England, technology meant nothing to me. I was as far away from being a tech geek as you could be. My neighbor was super cool as he had an Atari system. Even the little kid I babysat for had a simple computer through the TV. I remember a handful of kids doing a “computer” class. I am sure the computer was housed in some warehouse! But, my family was not techie at all.

The funny part is that my dad is a nuclear engineer. If I wanted to read up on power plants or nuclear fusion, I had scads and scads of books and binders at my disposal. Back in the early 80s we didn’t have a microwave, a VCR, or even a game system even though many of our neighbors had them.

My Walkman was silver.

My children would be hyperventilating to hear about a life before…

• ipods…I was given a Sony Walkman “4″ that played only cassette tapes in 1983. I lugged this somewhat portable device that came with a shoulder strap to college in Amish Country, PA, from my hometown in England along with Duran Duran Rio, Wham, and another tape I care not to remember.
• cell phones
• smartphones
• CD players…as late as 1981 I had a record player without a built-in tape deck or radio. To record music, I played a 7″ single or 12″ album while dangling a microphone over and recorded it to a small cassette player. And yes, you could hear all the noises of the room I was recording in…breathing, scraping of chairs, my mother calling me for dinner…
• personal computers…the Mac was introduced my freshman year of college.
• wireless internet…anyone else have a 100-foot cable to connect your personal computer to the home phone line? Just me?!

Tech wise my family was decidedly untechy. Today, my family is the very epitome of techy-ness. We have a number of itouches, a couple of smartphones, a regular cell phone, game systems galore, and several digital cameras.

I posted about the new Duran Duran tour and album a few days ago. It got me reminiscing about the 80s.

I had a Duran Duran t-shirt at one time. My last DD t-shirt was purchased in the 80s and sadly even if it fit it would be faded and worn out. It might be stashed in my keepsake box. I keep a Rubbermaid tub of tees for that day when I (a) learn to use a sewing machine and (b) have time to make a quilt of my tees from the 80s, vacations, concerts, and even a couple from the 70s. Until then I have a tub of tees collecting dust!

I bought the tee at my first large arena concert. I saw Duran Duran at the Philadelphia Spectrum with my friend, jeff, a fellow English New Waver. I remember how in awe I was of the stage show and pyrotechnics. The stage show would be tame by today’s standards, but in the 80s it was high tech.

Duran Duran was my second concert, but first concert at a large arena. Even though I was born and raised in England (Manchester to be precise) I had not attended a concert until I saw the B-52s on my college campus. I remember thinking that the B-52s was a loud concert until I saw Duran Duran. Duran Duran is back with a new album — All You Need Is Now — and an upcoming concert tour.

Back when DD was hot, I was a sophomore at small liberal arts college in PA. As you can imagine, English New Wave music wasn’t exactly streaming out of the speakers in college dorm rooms. Heavy metal and Grateful Dead were more the music of choice back in 83-87! I had a radio show on the college radio station where I ONLY played English music…my listenership was small, but devoted .

I was a devoted fan back then. I went all out to get my music on the airwaves. I was in the know about music and pop culture in the same way that I am in the know about blogging and brand promotion. Back then, my mother would buy 7″ singles (records) of the groups I loved and send the singles packed between steel baking trays to me at college.

I can only imagine how out-of-place my very English mother must have looked browsing the racks at HMV or Virgin Records for the latest singles. I would “premiere” these new singles from groups like Duran Duran, The Thompson Twins, The Cure, The Smiths, and many other groups on my radio show.

My radio show was titled “Technical Difficulties” for a reason…I once locked myself out of the studio. The record played on and on and on until security arrived with the master key. Remember it was the days of records so skips and scrapes were an integral part of my show. Oh and I once put a PSA in the 8-track-like PSA player only to have the machine eat the PSA. The PSA as played to my listeners sounded like the adults on the Peanuts…Waaa, Waaah, Waaaahhh!

The links in this post are to my amazon affiliate account. To join PopSalad…it’s in beta…click here.

As a new, fresh off the boat…uh plane…from England college freshman, I had 3 cassette tapes. I’ll let that sink in. Cassette tapes. Not CDs. Not digital downloads. Not ipods or itouches, but good old-fashioned cassette tapes. Back home in England, I even had a record player. Ahh…the 80s.

My beloved but tiny music collection consisted of a double cassette tape of Simon & Garfunkel in the Park — to this day I have no idea why I bought this; Wham first album, and Duran Duran’s Rio. I played Duran Duran over and over again on my Sony Walkman…think ipod for the 80s but much heavier and clunkier. My Sony Walkman even had a shoulder strap!

I’m nothing if not a child of the 80s. Last week I had a brush with the 80s in the form of the PopSalad peeps at BlogHer. PopSalad is a new site…in beta…which is all about being in the know about pop culture. Ahem that would be me! I’m all about TMZ, the Real Housewives of Wherever, and People Magazine. Call me shallow if you want, but I thrive on getting the scoop. Popsalad is all about contests, scoop, and who’s hot. To get on the list for the beta of PopSalad use my link.

But, back to the hot topic of the 80s…Duran Duran. Duran Duran have a new album out — “All You Need Is Now” and an upcoming North American tour.  In the 80s I saw Duran Duran twice. Awesome concerts! So, keep on top of all that is hip and happening — why yes the 80s are still hip! — by joining PopSalad.

I voted for Team Orange…but Team Pink won. I need to find my pic. I think I posed with Justin or maybe it was Robert? Links go to my amazon affiliate account.

Last year I was contacted by the PR for a hip young singer of kid songs.  I was at first skeptical since my experience with kid singers and their songs was of the treacly, saccharine variety. My avoidance of singers of kiddie songs led me to expose my children exclusively to the CDs from our Kindermusik classes. One listen to Joanie Leeds’ City Kid or I’m a Rock Star and I was hooked.

City Kid is a fun, rousing burst of excitement — a music critic I am not, but I do know good music when I hear it. Joanie Leeds was the designated music-Mommy-can-tolerate-listening-to-in-the-car. I’m a Rock Star became a staple in our music activities when my son home from school.

Joanie Leeds is a prolific artist with a new album coming out today! It’s called What a Zoo! is by Joanie Leeds and the Nightlights.You can buy it as an MP3 download here…using my amazon link.

Are you like me and do you love a kid CD with tongue-in-cheek references that keep mom and dad amused? I never found anything remotely endearing to the ditties sung by Barney & Co., the Wiggles, and Yo Gabba Gabba. I would leave the room when the shows/CDs were playing…not so with Joanie Leeds. “The Nightlights” is too funny of a name for her group!

O.K. so here’s the scoop…Joanie Leeds & The Nightlights have tour dates inApril and May are FILLED with amazing concerts all across the country…

What A Zoo! is available for purchase here.

Tour Dates for Joanie Leeds & The Nightlights What a Zoo! Tour
4/16 – Brooklyn Children’s Museum – Brooklyn, NY
4/19 – Children’s Museum of Manhattan – New York, NY
4/23 – Off Broadway – St. Louis, MO
5/07 – Kennedy Center – Washington DC
5/14 – Wold Cafe Live at the Queen – Wilmington, DE
5/15 – 92Y Tribeca – New York, NY
6/04 – Madison Sq Park – New York, NY

Want to learn more about Joanie Leeds and her music? Follow on Facebook and Twitter.

I was not compensated for this post. I received the City Kid and I’m a Rock Star! CDs for a review and giveaway last year. The views expressed are my own. I support the tenets of Blog with Integrity.

I’m not a fan of sweat. I don’t like exercising, but then who does? No, don’t answer that if you lurve exercising and can’t get enough of it. We can remain friends even if you are an exercise fiend. We’ll have to agree to differ on the “love of exercise” issue.

Is it me or is sweat just plain gross? OK. OK. I know I need to sweat to show that I am actually working out, instead of oh…I don’t know…leaning on an elliptical and shooting the breeze with someone. Not that I would ever do that. No, not me.

But, back to sweat… Last Saturday night my son was dying to play the wii with anyone. I’m not a wii player at all. I have dabbled with a couple of fitness wii games, played a shockingly bad round of Mario Cart, and even created a mii character. But, playing the wii leaves me bored.

Until Saturday evening… I had just had a shower. The reason I am mentioning this has everything to do with sweat. Read on. My son wanted to play wii with mii or should I say me. Really he needed a hot body. And by “hot body” I mean he would have played with anyone…and I just happened to be the one nearest to him. I put Michael Jackson: The Experience on.

After a few minutes of playing I WAS a hot body. I was sweating up a storm. Sweat was dripping down my neck. I needed a shower. I couldn’t get enough of the game. Did I mention I’m not a wii player? But, there I was sweating to the…can’t call them “oldies” as I will get an image of Richard Simmons that I won’t be able to shake. Let’s say “sweating to the newbies,” shall we?

Michael Jackson may be old hat to my son, but to me he was one of the first pop singers I recall listening to in the 80s. While I may have had issues with MJ’s lifestyle and his eccentric parenting style, MJ was and is a pop icon.

The Michael Jackson: The Experience game is a how-to “Dance like Michael Jackson” game. Here’s how it works…

• You choose a song. 4 players can play.
• You decide if you will be MJ or one of the backup dancers.
• You start dancing.
• The game scores your dancing. The comments are not critical like a Karaoke game. Players may see “Good” or something else on the screen. Each player is given points for each dance. Player with the most points…wins.
• It’s a simple as that.

We danced to Billie Jean, Black and White, and one other song. On the screen you see Michael and the backup dancer doing their thing. Next to the dancer you choose to be, there is a curved line showing your progress. I was OK overall with flashes of brilliance on dances I recognized. My son was nonplussed. He asked why I was so good. I told him I lived through the 80s when Michael Jackson was on the TV and in the clubs and discos. All that dancing certainly paid off when I played Michael Jackson: The Experience!

Price: $45.96

Players: 4

Perks: Comes with a very cool and oh-so-quintessentially MJ white glove with silver sequins. Remember when MJ’s brothers each wore a single glove at his funeral? You can’t play with the glove on. The wii remove might slide off due to the slipperiness of the glove.

Negatives: Depending on the song, there’s a fair amount of crotch grabbing. I avoided all crotch grabbing myself, but my son is a stickler for details, so let’s say I was glad that a neighbor didn’t happen to walk past our window as we were dancing!

While Ubisoft provided me with this game to review, the opinions I’ve expressed here are solely my own and represent my honest viewpoint. , Clever Girls Collective and I promote Blog With Integrity.

When my daughter was 2, she loved all things Dora and Diego and Boots. She had the backpack and a range of Dora DVDs. I remember several car trips that were more bearable for all of us with a Dora DVD. My son was the same way — obsessed — with Diego!

I planned to post this giveaway before Christmas, but time got away from me. So here we go. A quickie giveaway for three Dora items.

TWO COPIES of Dora’s Christmas Carol Adventure DVD

ONE COPY of Dora’s Christmas CD

Choose which one you want. Leave a separate comment each time you enter. You can enter to win all three, but you cannot win all three. I will choose a different winner for each item. You must leave an e-mail in the comment for a chance of winning. Giveaway ends January 21, 2011, at 11:59 p.m.

Mandatory Entry: Tell me your child’s favorite Dora character.

Optional Entries:

• Follow me on twitter.
• Follow my blog on Facebook.
• Subscribe to my blog via reader.
• Subscribe to my blog via e-mail.

I was given the DVDs and CD. The reviews expressed in this post are my own. I follow the tenets of Blog With Integrity.

My son is the most excited package receiver…ever. At 7 he will still bound out of the house, off his scooter, out of the van to get the mail. He was about 5 when I started blogging, so for him the packages that arrive at our doorstep seem very normal. His teen sister only gets excited when the package is obviously for her. My tween daughter occasionally has her interest piqued by an odd-shaped or curious looking package, but mostly lets her overzealous brother do the tearing open of the packages.

I let slip that a package arrived while my son was at school one day. There was no turning back. I had to let my son open the package as the Thanksgiving Holiday was in the offing. As a reward for doing his homework without complaint, chores with pouting, and bedtime without shenanigans…he earned the right to play Just Dance for Kids.

He’s old enough that he tore open the game and commenced playing without any assistance from me. I heard the music from the other room. He was happily occupied for close to 30 minutes before I poked my head around the door of the family room. I saw him waving his arms madly and dancing up a storm. I don’t think I have seen him dance that wildly since the school Hoe Down where I feared for his partner as he swung her about the square.

Just Dance Kids was a hit both from the perspective of watching my son cut the rug and my trip down memory lane listening to the songs on the game. A sampling of songs…

• Naturally
• Kung Fu Fighting
• Here We Go Again
• Surfin USA
• One Time

We have yet to play the game as a family as our house was hit by the stomach bug. Yuck. My son can vouch that he loved Just Dance Kids for the Wii system.

The game has a huge selection of favorite songs, crazy dances, and all-new kid-friendly game play. The over 40 fun dances were created by choreographers and led by kids. As we know kids love watching other kids singing, playing, and acting on screen. My normally only plays Lego Star Wars games son was totally engaged in the dancing as he followed the moves of the kids on the screen.

Other features of Just Dance Kids

• Younger kids will love dancing to their favorite TV shows and television personalities, including The Wiggles and Yo Gabba Gabba!
• Classic kids songs will appeal to even the youngest at home –”Wheels on the Bus,” “The Alphabet Song,” and more!
• Party fun for family and friends with pick-up-and-play game mechanics make it easy for kids of all ages to participate.

Play in three different game modes:

• Dance Party Mode: Songs play continuously without needing to return to the menu selection.
• Freeze and Shake Mode: New game play that kids love, including shaking the Wii Remote or freezing for extra points.
• Team Play: Lets kids dance together for a team score. (Now that we are recovered we need to try Just Dance Kids as a family.)

I was given an advance copy, but you can find Just Dance Kids for the dude or dudette on your list at amazon.

Want to win a copy of Just Dance Kids? I have 1 copy to giveaway to one of my lucky readers. Leave a comment for each entry. One comment = one entry. Enter now!

Mandatory entry:

Leave me a comment with your favorite way to spend family time.

Optional entries:

Follow me on twitter.

Fan my blog on Facebook.

Subscribe to my blog — see right sidebar.

Giveaway ends November 30, 2010. Giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.

While Ubisoft sponsored this review, the opinions I’ve expressed here are solely my own and represent my honest viewpoint. Ubisoft, Clever Girls Collective and I promote Blog With Integrity.

I grew up watching Schoolhouse Rock on TV. Was it on the Electric Company? My memory is hazy. What I do remember is how catchy the tunes were. I learned grammar rules and prepositions and a host of other facts from watching the Schoolhouse Rock shows. You know I think Schoolhouse Rock was shown as snippets or short commercials between shows.

My kids and I recently listened to a CD that reminds me very much of the old Schoolhouse Rock episodes. Roger Day is a witty, clever singer of children’s songs. His CD — Why Does Gray Matter? — is a compilation of my favorite type of kids’ songs. What is my fave type of kid’s songs you ask? Why songs that Mom/Dad and the kids can listen to without Mom/Dad lunging for the Off button. I was never fan of the purple dinosaur or the four Australian guys, if you know what I mean.

Here’s a bit about Roger Day… Parents’ Choice® Gold Award winning kids’ musician Roger Day scales the pinnacle of braininess with the release of his fourth CD and first “theme” album, Why Does Gray Matter? … And Other Brainy Songs for Kids! The disc offers fourteen Roger Day originals, each one devoted to the wonders and mysteries of the human brain, encouraging kids to “use their noodles” for creative problem solving and letting them know that it’s cool to be smart!  Along the way, they’ll also learn some fun facts about the brain.

In the spirit of Schoolhouse Rock and Bill Nye the Science Guy, Why Does Gray Matter? includes “Sara Bellum, the Brainy Girl,” “It’s a No Brainer” (literally singing the praises of math), and “Brain Food – Eat it Up!” which uses omega 3, lypocene, and green tea in a B-52s inspired rocker about the best foods for brain health. The “Left Brain/Right Brain” song illustrates the different functions of each side of the brain: the left brain is a Bach-inspired baroque string quartet and the right brain – naturally – is a bad British punk rock band.

Roger Day co-wrote “The Brain Train” with Dr. John Paul Bouffard, Chief Neuropathologist at Overlook Hospital in New Jersey, which takes a peek inside Ringo Starr’s brain during that nanosecond from Ringo’s first thought about playing the drums to showtime at Shea Stadium. Roger says, “I’m confident this is the first – and probably last — children’s song that uses words like ‘corpus callosum’ and ‘deep basal ganglia’ in the lyrics!”

Visit Roger Day‘s website to hear his songs. Go here for RogerTube videos. Buy all 4 of Roger Day’s CDs here.

Want to win Roger Day’s Why Does Gray Matter? …and Other Brainy Songs for Kids!? I have one CD for a lucky Musings from Me reader! One comment = one entry. Leave a comment.

• What was your favorite song from childhood? Leave a comment.
• Visit Roger Day’s website. Leave a comment.
• Follow me on twitter. Leave a comment.
• Subscribe to my blog via reader. Leave a comment.
• Subscribe to my blog via e-mail. Leave a comment.
• Friend me on Google Friend Connect. Leave a comment.
• Fan my blog on Networked Blogs. Leave a comment.
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I was provided with the CD. The opinions expressed in this post are my own. Giveaway is open to U.S. residents only. Giveaway ends May 12 at 11:59 p.m.

Observations from my day…so far

Going to bed at 8:05 p.m. when you are an adult is just wacky. But, it is a good idea if you have to be up and at ‘em for a 4:29 a.m. train to #toyfair!

Going to bed BEFORE your children is just strange.

Not being able to sleep right away is to be expected from a professed night owl.

Getting engrossed in Intervention is not a good idea on a night when you are trying to go to sleep.

Turning TV off before the end of Intervention but before the start of Hoarders is an excellent idea…I love #hoarders plus can easily watch episode after episode.

Clicking off the TV just seconds before your family head up to bed is not a good idea…pesky light on remote control! Kids loved giving Mommy a talking to!

Waking up at 2:45 a.m. before both alarms go off is just unnatural.

Leaving the house at 3:20 a.m. is odd. Is this how coal miners feel??\

Arriving at BWI Airport Amtrak station at 4:10 was a relief.

Standing by my van arranging my bags while a guy in a car near me blasted music was odd. The music was loud through closed car doors. How loud do you need to listen to music anyway!?! Yes, I am a professed #oldefogey.

Catching my train with 10 minutes to spare was so relaxing. No running for the train for this blogger!

Finding that there is no wifi on Amtrak is disappointing. Am I missing something? Does Amtrak have wifi? My seatmate confirmed…No wifi unless you have a wifi adapter for laptop.

Silver lining. No wifi. No Tweetdeck. No distractions. Hey, I might even get some blog posts written!!

Addendum: I did get posts written…just forgot to post ‘em!

Grease! I may not be the biggest Grease or musical theater fan, but Grease: the Soundtrack was the first album I ever purchased. I bought it from Woolworth’s in Wilmslow…a small town outside Manchester, England. It was a double album…yes, I am an olde fogey! I could not afford to buy the Grease album by myself, so split the cost with my sister. In fact, we were protective of our purchase so much so that we bought a plastic cover. I think I still have the album…buried in my parents’ basement!

Want to win a family pack of tickets to see Grease? Go here if you live in DC/MD/VA! I entered!