Ni Hao! That means hello in Mandarin Chinese! The kids and I learned a little something about Chinese culture and got a lesson in Mandarin language from the brand new show premiering next week on Nick Jr., Ni Hao, Kai-lan! We were lucky enough to receive a sneak preview DVD of the show, and my kids LOVE it. We’ve been dealing with a several-weeks-long case of the sickies around here, and we’ve spent a WHOLE lot of time lying on the sofa under blankies, watching TV. My kids have requested this show over and over again – “More Kai-lan, Mommy!” The show is so cute and the music is great, too. Every time the commercial comes on, my kids ask me how many more days until the show begins. Well – it’s just a little over a week away now! Ni Hao, Kai-lan premiers on Nick Jr. on Thursday, February 7th, which also happens to be the first day of the Chinese New Year – the Year of the Rat!

The show is all about Kai-lan, a 5-year-old Chinese-American girl who speaks both English and Mandarin Chinese. Kai-lan is excited to share her language, culture, and playtime with her animal friends Rintoo the tiger, Tolee the koala, Hoho the monkey, and Lulu the Rhino, along with the preschoolers watching at home. Kai-lan’s grandfather Yeye provides her with gentle guidance, leading her to find her own answers at her own pace.
In the premier episode, “Dragon Boat Festival,” Kai-lan and her friends race dragon boats on the river. Her friend Rintoo the tiger gets mad when they lose the first race and nearly sabotages their boat. Kai-lan and the viewers at home must work together to find a way to help Rintoo calm down so they can finish the race and meet a real dragon at the end.

If you can’t wait until next Thursday to check it out, you can see sneak peaks all over the place beginning TODAY, Monday the 28th. The premier episode, “Dragon Boat Festival” will appear in sneak peeks on iTunes Music Store, on the On Demand service available through Comcast, Charter, Cablevision, Verizon FiOS and Cox cable providers, and on the Nick Jr. Video broadband service on Nickjr.com.

In addition, you can check out four new Ni Hao Kai-lan games on the Nickjr.com website, and print out your own paper lanterns and other crafts.

I had a date with Paul last night! It was so much fun. I can’t even remember the last time the two of us spent any time alone together, without a bunch of other people around. Seriously, I think it’s been MONTHS.

Do you remember last month when I won $50 on the radio for telling that story about the lady trapped in the carwash? Well, along with the $50 gift card was a pair of tickets to the brand new comedy club in Denver, The Improv, which just opened at Northfield Stapleton. Paul and I unexpectedy had a babysitter, so we decided to go check it out. It was a lot of fun! We actually were hoping to see this one guy who appears on Best Week Ever, that show on VH1, but that was not in the stars for us. Last night turned out to be Diva Night, showcasing the Denver Divas of Comedy. Paul sighed heavily a couple of times, since he’s generally not too into the lady comics, but really – it was a lot of fun. All the comics were really funny, especially the final (more polished) chick. And really, he should be HAPPY, because LOOK WHAT HE WON! Paul won this fabulous gift bag from Lollilocks:

He was right in the middle of munching his smoked turkey club when the emcee announced his name as a winner. I think it startled him, because he never wins anything. (So he says. I think he’s forgetting about that HUGE BUDWEISER FRIDGE in our basement he won at Hooties.) Look at all the fun stuff inside, which he has no use for:

A tiara, a lollipop, glittery hair spray, Lollilocks temporary tattoos, lip gloss, earrings (made by one of the comics, she told me as we were walking through the lobby and she spotted me with the gift bag), a gift certificate for a pilates class (in GENESSEE. Who lives in Genessee?? If you do, get in touch with me and you can have this), a gift certificate for $25 off a Botox treatment, and a bunch of tickets for the next Divas night at the Improv. This would actually be even more fun with a group of girlfriends. I’m thinking it would be a super mama’s night out. Anyone up for it? Let’s do that in the future, local chicks!

So, after we left the Improv, we went over to this little bar we hadn’t been to before called Bar Louie. We heard good things about it from Christie and Paul’s coworker Tony, so we checked it out. It was fun, too! They were having a little party called, “Screw Your Resolution!” Draft beer was two bucks, and they had a free buffet of tater tots, Twinkies, Ho-Hos, Ding-Dongs, Tootsie Rolls and Tootsie Roll Pops, saltwater taffy, and licorice. Nice! I love me some Tootsie Pops, but they didn’t go too well with Fat Tire beer, so I stashed a dozen or so in my purse. For “the kids.” We hung out in there until 11 or so, until we determined that we were about to fall asleep right there at the bar. The kids have been a little sick, and we’ve been up with them half the night for about three nights this week.

So we headed home, and hit the hay at 11:30, and guess what? EVERYBODY slept all night long! All the kids, and Paul and I too. It was fabulous.

If you’re in or around Denver, I highly recommend checking out The Improv – the place is nice and clean, you can park for free (unlike downtown!), and there are a bunch of great little bars and restaurants right around the place. In fact, I recommend you check out ALL the shops at Northfield. We’re over there all the TIME!

I am just giddy with anticipation, since my most favoritest show ever, Medium, is returning with all new episodes on January 7th! That’s just a few days away! I hated last season. It was so depressing! All the death and the backstabbing and the depression and the continuing storylines…ugh! I reeeeally hope this season has more of the episodes I like, where it’s all wrapped up nice and neat by the end of the hour. Can’t we have some of that? Does EVERY drama on TV have to be like a soap opera now, where you have to keep watching to find out how it ends? I hate that.

Our house is really getting into the Christmas spirit! It’s so much more fun when the kids finally start to GET IT, y’know? This week, we’re going to figure out some little Advent calendar craft, so the kids can have a visual reminder of how many more days there are. I’m tired of hearing, “Is it Christmas time yet?” I swear, December is the longest month EVER when you’re a kid! As a grownup, I almost wish the Christmas season went on a little longer. I hate having to take down my tree and decorations and stuff when it seems like I JUST put them up. I’m sure after Christmas is over, I’ll be more than ready to get rid of all the holiday cheer, though.

What I really love, though, is all the great stuff on TV! I wrote myself a sticky note to remind me which shows we need to watch this month. I’ve got the whole schedule posted of the holiday classics that I loved when I was a kid. It’s funny how BORING they are now, though – my kids don’t dig on them nearly as much as I do! Luckily for them, all of their favorite shows have special holiday episodes going on, too. I’ve got these episodes all scheduled for us to watch too, and I thought I’d pass the list along to you! Hey, we’re all friends, our favorites are your favorites, right??

Yo Gabba Gabba “Christmas” (PREMIERE)
Nick Jr. – December 21st at 1:30 p.m.

So much of Christmas is about receiving, but in this episode the Gabba gang learns about giving through the songs “Making Presents” and “For Me For You.” They celebrate winter and the holiday season in the songs “I Love Winter” and “Decorate the Tree.” Featured Guest Star: Mark Mothersbaugh in a “Mark’s Magic Pictures” segment.


Wow Wow Wubbzy! “O Figgity-Fig Tree/Snow Day” (PREMIERE)
Nick Jr. – December 14th at 1:30 p.m.

The winter holidays are here, and the kids are building a winter festival, Madame Zabinga is rehearsing the Nutty-Nutcracker, and Walden is waiting for the arrival of blue snow. Best of all is the lighting of the Figgity-Fig Tree, and this year Wubbzy wants to make it the best tree ever! But as usual, he overdoes it by adding too many lights and blows out the generator. Without any lights, the Wuzzleburg townspeople must come up with novel ways of decorating the tree. In “Snow Day,” Wubbzy goes sledding and Widget brings out his snow-shoveling machine. Walden begins building a snow sculpture of a Woly-Polar Bear, but soon Wubbzy sleds right into it, knocks it down and buries Widget’s machine in the snow. Now Wubbzy and Widget scramble frantically to fix the sculpture before Walden finds out.

The Backyardigans “Secret of Snow”
Nick Jr. – December 28th 12:30 p.m.

Uniqua sets off on a mission to discover the secret of snow, but gets a chilly reception from its keeper, Ice Lady Tasha.