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What happens when the family goes somewhere in the car and they can’t decide on what music to listen to - mom’s, dad’s or the kids’ favorites? Well, in my family, if it’s dad that’s driving we listen to sports radio, rockabilly, old time country, punk, or ska. Paul and I have similar tastes but don’t agree on everything. (I’m not a big ska fan, but can tolerate it most of the time. However, I can only listen to the Dead Kennedys in very small doses.)

The kids usually request Devo in daddy’s truck, which is fun but then you have to explain why it’s not polite to sing Devo’s “Mongoloid” out loud at a restaurant. Sigh.

If I’m the one driving, I listen to local rock stations or music I listened to in high school like Duran Duran or Bruce Springsteen. I’m also a talk radio junky, which is why my kids are very aware that Barak Obama is running for the presidency. (And love it when Randi Rhodes plays comedienne Rusty Warren’s Bounce Your Boobies on air.)

Occasionally, the kids will request Green Day’s American Idiot, which rocks but is full of f-bombs and drug references that I hope are going over their heads. Another sigh.

But if it were up to the kids, we’d be listening to the Disney CDs I received from the folks at Mom Central:

• Rhyming Circus by Ralph’s World (i.e. Ralph Covert of The Bad Examples)
• Juice Box Heroes from the Imagination Movers
• Choo Choo Soul
• Here Come the 123s by They Might Be Giants
• Disney Music Block Party - Disney favorites performed by Disney Playhouse regulars like the Doodlebops (Lucie’s favorites), the Wiggles and Dan Zanes

So far, I like Disney Music Block Party and Here Come the 123s. Like Devo (think the theme songs to the Nickelodeon shows Rugrats and Rocket Power - yep, it’s those Mothersbaugh brothers.) They Might Be Giants have created kids’ music that hip parents like, too.

I also gave a listen to Choo Choo Soul, which the kids like but I couldn’t stand. I’m just not into hip hop that much. Luckily, Nathan has a stereo in his room to listen to all his new Disney CDs with his sister. Unfortunately, they can never agree on what to listen to, and end up fighting more than listening to music. Sounds like we’ll have to ask Santa to bring Lucie her own CD player for the holidays.

Last month Paramount Home Entertainment and Nickelodeon Movies released The Spiderwick Chronicles on DVD and Blu-ray. Based on the series of Spiderwick Chronicles books, the movie brings to life the unseen, magical world that surrounds all of us. The all-star cast includes Freddie Highmore from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Mary Louise Parker, Sarah Bolger and the voices of Seth Rogen and Martin Short

If you’re not familiar with the story, here’s a quick description:

From the moment the Grace family moves into a secluded old house peculiar things start to happen. Unable to explain the accidents and strange disappearances, the Grace children, Jared, Simon and Mallory start to investigate and find the unbelievable truth of the Spiderwick Estate and the amazing creatures that inhabit it.

The release of this video as well as recent releases on Disney DVD including The 45th Anniversary Special Edition of the Sword in the Stone and The Jungle Book 2 make me wonder what comes first, the book or the movie. Obviously the book if the movie is based on it, of course. But how often after seeing a movie do you go back and read or reread the book? What about your children?

I think it’s half and half with me. I’ve read the Harry Potter books years before the movies came out. But movies like Lord of the Rings and Chronicles of Narnia made me go back and read books I tried to read, but couldn’t get through, as a child.

Bottom line for me is that anything that gets people to read is a good thing. So enjoy the movies and then go check out the books!

One of the nice things about blogging is getting review copies of DVDs and books. I work with several children’s and adult book publishers and get a variety of books - everything from cooking to photography. From Click Communications, I get a lot of terrific Disney movies and grownup films like The Kite Runner (see my review here).

But a lot of the kids’ movies that get pitched to me I don’t accept, things like Caillou the whiniest cartoon boy ever. So with reluctance, I had Special Ops Media send me Handy Manny - Fixing It Right and Disney’s Little Einsteins - Race for Space after consulting with my daughter, Lucie. She said she’d like them. And she was right, she did. But then again, she’ll watch just about anything including America’s Next Top Model. (Heck, it’s my guilty pleasure, too.)

All in all, Handy Manny - Fixing It Right and Disney’s Little Einsteins - Race for Space aren’t bad. Handy Manny is sort of like Bob the Builder meets Chico and the Man.” (Am I showing my age here?) And Little Einsteins is like Meet the Robinsons. The animation is o.k., too. It’s just that they’re not very original and kind of boring. Plus, we’re not big Disney Channel fans. (I much prefer their movies and their Pixar division’s films.)

Also, these are just repackaged TV episodes according to the Amazon reviews. If you’re a fan of either of these shows and have a TiVo, you already “own” the shows and can watch them any time your child wants. Plus, if you have a DVD-R, you can make copies to play in the car.

Still, you may want to watch these clips and decide for yourself:

HANDY MANNY: FIXING IT RIGHT Clip 1

LITTLE EINSTEINS: RACE FOR SPACE Clip 1

My advice? Go to the library and get a few good books instead.

The DVD of Enchanted was released this week. And thanks to the folks at Click Communications, I have a preview copy that I hope we can watch this weekend, since we were too busy last week.

You see, it was my daughter Lucie’s fifth birthday, which included a fancy Disney princess party. Unfortunately, her little majesty decided it was her party and she could cry if she wanted to. Yes, she spent most of the time pouting or up in her room crying and screaming. Luckily, the other kids had a good time and everyone enjoyed a gorgeous and delicious Disney princess birthday cake made by Cutting Edge Cake Design.

The Queen Mother (that’s me) wasn’t happy with the bratty princess who was FINE once she started opening presents. So after I cleaned up, I went to my royal chambers for several hours to work on my plans to have this blog “prettied up” by Girly Blog Designz. (I’m so excited! More details coming soon.) The Queen was still peeved at the princess the next day, but finally issued a royal pardon.

Since Lucie is too adorable to be mad at for very long, like most fairly tales this tale of the pouty princess had a happily-ever-after ending. And so does Enchanted, a romantic spoof of Disney fairy tale films.

Enchanted features an animated heroine (Amy Adams as Giselle) from a kingdom far, far away who finds herself transformed into a real live woman in bustling New York City. Susan Sarandon plays the evil sorceress Narissa (who may just outdo another Disney baddie, Glenn Close as Cruella De Vil). Narissa exiles Giselle from her fairytale kingdom and James Marsden is the handsome prince who travels to the Big Apple to rescue her. Of course, all the moms will swoon over Patrick Dempsey (from “Grey’s Anatomy”) as a contemporary knight in shining armor. Idina Menzel plays his girlfriend Nancy who suspects Giselle might just be a little too good to be true.

The film is rated PG and Amazon.com reviewer, Tami Horiuchi, recommends it for ages 6 and older with parental guidance due to some scary images and mild innuendo. Besides watching a fun movie with my family, I’m looking forward to spotting the 13 scenes in Enchanted that reference Classic Disney movie scenes.

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