August, 2007:

You guys probably can guess that I LOVE The Backyardigans – how could I not, when one of the characters is named Pablo? I’ve been snooping around for a couple of years now, hoping to find a t-shirt that says “Pablo!” on it for my boy Pablo to wear. Years ago, there was a movie called The Quest for Camelot and the female character was named Kayley. I actually FOUND Kayley a shirt from the movie with her name on it and it was pretty cool! So far, I’ve found Pablo underpants, but nobody ever gets to see those. Hehe!

Besides the whole Pablo thing, The Backyardigans is just the cutest show ever. The characters are confident, resourceful, independent, and witty without being annoying, like most of the characters on kids’ shows. And the music is awesome! Each episode has four original songs, ranging in style from jazz to rap to country to…completely obscure! We LOVE this show. Yes, I said we. The Backyardigans is yet another show that’s created to appeal to parents as well as children, and I LOVE this trend. It’s just fun, you know? It’s like I’m a grownup so I’m privy to these inside jokes that go right over the kids’ heads.

That’s why I was SO excited to preview the brand new Backyardigans movie, Super Secret Super Spy. The entire opening credits are done in the style of James Bond and even Austin Powers. I was giggling before the movie even started! I wasn’t sure how the kids would do with an hour long movie, with their short little attention spans, but they were glued to the TV the entire time – I was really surprised! In the movie, Agent Secret Pablo tries to outwit and outsmart Uniqua, the villainous Lady in Pink. The whole movie follows the typical James Bond-esque storyline, complete with hot cars, crazy gadgets, bumbling henchmen, and shaken martinis (actually cocoa.) I laughed so hard at the tickle torture scene when Agent Pablo said, “Do you expect me to talk?” and The Lady in Pink said, “No, I expect you to giggle!” Straight up James Bond, there! And The Lady in Pink theme song is done by none other than Cyndi Lauper! Super entertaining.

The movie premiers Monday, September 17th from 7 to 8 p.m. on Nickelodeon, and you can buy it on DVD the following day, Tuesday the 18th. Until then, you can check out clips and music videos from the movie on NickJr.com, and cable users can see music videos OnDemand starting Monday, September 3rd. And starting this Friday, the 31st, you can check out The Backyardigans International Super Spy 3D adventure game on NickJr.com. This is a REALLY cute, really entertaining movie – I encourage you to check it out. All five of the kids watched it with me and we all liked it.

You know, I’ve always preferred Luvs diapers. I used them with Kayley, way back in the day when they still were plastic on the outside, before all diapers were “cloth-like.” I kind of miss the crinkly-sounding diapers sometimes! I used them with all four of the littlest ones, too. I did find, though, that when we got into the BIG sizes, they tended to leak a little bit. I wrote about that here, when I was trying to find something to put on Pablo at night that wouldn’t leak all over his bed, or worse, explode little pee-scented gel beads all over his bed.

Currently, we’re using Huggies for Pablo and Mallory. The two of them are potty trained, but still pee during the night, so we actually don’t go through all that many. A big package lasts us awhile! They’re quite a bit more expensive than Luvs, not to mention, they don’t have BLUE from Blues Clues printed on them, which is a big bummer, but hey – I go with what works, y’know?

Well! I’m happy to report that Luvs has redesigned their diapers to include Bear Hug Stretch – the tapes on the sides are like elastic. And moreso than other diapers that also claim to have stretchy sides – trust me, I’ve tried them all! I had a chance to try out Luvs new Bear Hug Stretch diapers on all the kids last night, and guess what? Everyone had dry beds. Yay! I like how they stretch SO much that it feels like I’m getting them on the girls really snug and well-fitting, so they don’t have that weird rectangle-butt thing going on under their pants.

I’m really pleased! I always love it when companies LISTEN to the feedback they’re getting and actually make changes when necessary. I especially love it when it’s a company I like anyway. Just makes me like them that much more. So – if you stopped buying Luvs because they were leaky, maybe give them another try. I’m not sure if all the stores are carrying them yet – it’s kind of a brand new thing. Keep an eye open for them, though. I’m embarrassed by how excited I am to be buying Blues Clues diapers again. The kids just love them so much! It’s the little things, I guess.