Hi cutie-patootie critters! You’re probably gonna want to play this while you read:
There is definitely something in the air today. Fridays usually bring out a certain level of giddiness, it’s true, but today takes the [ooey, gooey, chocolate-filled, cream cheese icing-topped, chipmunk-decorated] cake.
Not only was I positively thrilled to see (literally, see!) three of my favorite bloggers, Darla from She’s a Maineiac, Deb from The Monster in Your Closet and Renée from Lessons From Teachers and Twits, participate in GOGP’s first video blogging contest, but some of my other favorite bloggers also seem to have caught their own case of the sillies in the past 24 hours. Love it! <–Understatement of the year.
“People who don’t know me think I’m amazing” from An Attempt At Humor
“If I Didn’t Work” from Lost and Forgotten
“Guess What?” from Girl on the Contrary (the comments on this one are priceless)
And now, I leave you with a fact that’s never before wormed its way into this blog: Ten years ago (!!), I met The Peppermeister while working at a special needs elementary school. We plan to leverage our combined awesomeness expertise, and barn, into an enchanting special ed summer camp within the next year or two (for realsies). Anyhoo, “Shake Your Sillies Out” was the best song I learned in those two years working at the school. Maybe the best song I’ve ever learned, well, period. What’s your favorite silly song? (Doesn’t have to be a kid song. I’m sure you guys remember this one from Ace of Base.)
P.S. – Why, yes, yes I did actually shake my sillies out before posting this. So enthusiastically that I forgot I let the dog out (…crud, don’t tell Peppermeister).
Go Jules Go 
No doubt – Ray Steven’s song, “It’s me again Margret.” “The Streak,” isn’t far behind.
Sandy
How did I not know Ray Stevens?? I looked these songs up – GREAT picks!!
It was so, so very much fun making that! It took me a few tries to get it to 30 seconds, though. There were 4-5 predecessors that ended abruptly with, “Aw, crap! I went over, again.” 😀
My favorite silly song? Space Olympics, hands down. And up, in the air, like I just don’t care!
Except that I do. Very much. LOVE!
Well you totally rocked the vlog and [along with Darla] made my day!! I also had to work out the timing, LOL, a one-take wonder I am NOT! I am incredibly impressed with how much you got in there in 30 seconds without seeming rushed!!
Man, people are picking REALLY fantastic songs I never would have thought of! I should have asked this question a long time ago!
My second to last attempt started: “Take 316. But it ate up too much of my time!”
LOL I would have resented anything that took up precious seconds of your killer dance moves!!
Oops. I just realized [in this post] I abbreviated your blog name to “Teachers and Twits” which is, admittedly, what I call it in my head – we’ll blame my short attention span (explains the 30-second rule, doesn’t it?). Mistake now corrected! Sorry ’bout that! I absolutely love (like, tell-other-non-bloggers-about-it love) your blog!
Great video choice. We listen to a lot of Raffi at our house.
Why, thank you! Watching this video kind of made me wish Raffi lived in our barn. We’d make it more comfortable first, of course. Probably start by hanging Bob Ross paintings.
There’s so many stupid songs, it’s hard to choose. I guess it’s between
“Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavor On The Bedpost Overnight” by Lonnie Donegan
and “My Way” by Frank Sinatra.
Ha! Yes! That song (“Does Your Chewing Gum…”) is phenomenal. Right now I’m “My Way”d out, so deep is my disappointment with this season’s America’s Got Talent winner [who thought he was the next Sinatra]. Now when I think of that song, I only hear this guy “singing” it.
Lol thank you for sharing my post. Yes, I had a major case of the silliness yesterday. Maybe I shoudl re listen to Eye of the Tiger and see if I can get it back. =)
You’d better believe it was my pleasure! Thank YOU for sharing your silliness with the blogosphere. 🙂
If Eye of the Tiger doesn’t work, maybe this post from Hyperbole and a Half will? http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2011/04/wild-animal-simple-dog-goes-for-joy.html
I love that song. I didn’t know you worked at a special ed school. I was an ed tech in special ed in an elementary school and worked with autistic children for years. What a great idea for your summer camp!
I had fun making that video too but couldn’t get to 30 seconds. I came close 😀
That’s fantastic! In my family, I’m surrounded by teachers and I admire them all immensely. Thanks!! We’re really hoping it works out – we have so many ideas, and lots of people willing to work at the camp!
You nailed the vlog (no requirement to get to 30 seconds, just to try to stay under, which you totally did!) and kicked off my day with a bang! I LOVED it. I can’t thank you enough! 🙂
D’oh! I’m glad for this comment, because it reminded me I’d meant to follow up on that point earlier. A dear friend of mine growing up works at special ed camps (which is how she ended up in a grad program at Vanderbilt this year). I meant to connect her to this blog for many reasons . . .
Awesome!! I’d love to hear from her!
That’s so awesome about your summer camp! I’m really glad to hear that. You should consider doing a shake your sillies out compilation video for all your campers to take home with them!
Thanks!! I really hope we can get it off the ground this summer or next. Recruiting right now is the biggest obstacle, because Ed’s job is pretty far from where we live now (so we don’t know a lot of the local kids).
I was thinking of starting every day from now on by shaking my sillies out.
So cool, Julie!! The Raffi song reminded me of college–my work/study job was in a preschool for four years! I’m really excited about your barn project. My first two years out of college I did a long-term substituting stint in special education. I really enjoyed it. You’ll have to post more about it!
My favorite silly song is Sir Mixalot’s Big Butts…I like big butts and I cannot lie… That song can get stuck in my head for days!!
I should have known you’d pick one of the most kick-ass (pun intended) songs Of. All. Time! That song is incredible. I was rocking out to that just last week in the car.
I’ll definitely keep people posted on the camp! I’m so glad to hear you also had such a positive experience with teaching. I definitely learned a lot, and am grateful that because of the experience I’m very comfortable with all types of kids. I still can’t believe the looks some people give parents of special needs kids when they’re out in public!
A couple of days ago, I was listening to a radio program where a guy was asking about peoples’ experience with special needs kids. But for blogging, I would have been shocked by some of the experiences people recounted. Thanks to blogging, I know other parents’ frustrations when their children act out in public and people condemn them vocally instead of offering to lend a hand. Fortunately, I’ve also read about people stepping in and saying things like, “Can I help you? I recognize these behaviors as similar to those of a girlfriend’s son . . .”
When I post about things like speaking up, I think about that kind of speaking up, too. Sometimes it’s not to stop something bad from happening. Sometimes, the words themselves can be the good. They’re bridges between people, so while sometimes silence really is called for, there are so many situations where three little words can make a huge difference.
One of the ladies who called in talked about her now elementary school-aged son, who’s been cancer-free for a few years. She urged parents not to shuffle their kids away from “different” kids, who aren’t very different at all: everyone wants to be loved and have friends, so that the more we try to separate out “them” from “us,” the more we all lose in understanding the world and growing personally.
Thanks so much for sharing this, Deb! I love that you use your blog in such a positive way, to encourage people to speak up for the good of ‘all of us.’ I know I don’t have to worry about Li’l D when he grows up; he’ll continue acting out all of the love and encouragement he gets from you!
That song has been stuck in my head since yesterday when I wrote my comment and, frankly, it’s starting to drive me a little crazy!! 🙂
People do need to show more kindness and compassion to special needs kids and their parents. The same compassion needs to be shown to people with mental illnesses, too. I think it’s just a combination of fear and ignorance that keeps them from doing so. My own daughters had early exposure to special needs children with their cousin, who has autism. Kids have an amazing capacity to be caring and kind to all if we as adults foster the importance of compassion. 🙂 You and your hubby are doing such a good thing!
Ha! That is so funny – I went to bed last night with it stuck in my head!
I absolutely agree that it’s a mixture of fear and ignorance (probably sums up the cause for most of the world’s problems! That’s actually been on my mind because I’m working on a guest post about pet adoption and so many people just don’t realize how those pet store puppies are bred [ignorance] and have a fear of shelter dogs). I really, really hope the camp works out 🙂 Thanks so much for your encouragement!
“Bowie in Space” – Flight of the Conchords
Awesome pick!! LOVE Flight of the Conchords!
One of my favourite silly bands is Bowser and Blue. They’re Montreal based and did a lot of political stuff. A lot of their best stuff was parodies of famous songs which never found their way onto their recordings.
Here’s one of their songs, “Pluck ‘Em if They Can’t Take a Joke” [the first word has been misspelled]. The song can be found here, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfvOdE8_qno. I’ll understand if you moderate this into the void because it has some bad words.
Another one that’s even sillier by Bowser and Blue, without even a single bad word is “Polka Dot Undies”.
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBvxGdLNxSw&feature=related]
First time here. Awesome blog and great post. Well done.
Oh, Ace of Base, brings back memories, I’m sure I still remember all the lyrics! 😉 I’d have to say one of my favorite silly songs is Barbie Girl by Aqua; so random and so silly!
Ooooooh yes! This post wouldn’t be complete without someone picking that one!
ugh i love ace of base! reminds me of putting my mums makeup all over my face, backcombing my hair and having a stand up row with little tinker who believed the words to be ‘i saw the sun’ because she is speshal 🙂
LOL That’s great! “I Saw the Sign” has been coming on the radio more lately, and I TOTALLY rock out in the car every time, remembering all the boys who wouldn’t dance with me at the middle school dances. Er…who’s laughing now…? 😉