dinosaurs & eating over the sink

You're wondering what the connection is, right?

Toddler S is still knee (possibly thigh) deep into everything dino, and thus far we've indulged her adoration. I love it when she tells me the stegosaurus is her favorite, what can I say. She has dinosaur figurines, stuffed animals and books, and we bought a family membership to the American Museum of Natural History mostly for the dinosaur wing. I recently saw this hair clip on Etsy and couldn't resist it. And just go ahead, ask me anything you want to know about the Cretaceous Period...

EESH.

Dino fever is spreading and I'm feeling slightly powerless against it.


My Dino Gal

And it doesn't stop there, of course. PBS brings us Dinosaur Train (dinos and trains, the other toddler obsession... those people are geniuses), which is a big hit in our household. When I heard a child screaming "All aboard!" at the park this past weekend, I knew it was my little cherub.

But here, people, is where I draw the line (or at least until recently) -- the Nick Jr. series, Dino Dan. Oh, where do I start. The premise of every show is Dan and his vivid imagination, conjuring up dinosaurs around every corner. To say Dan is 'going through a dinosaur phase' is a vast understatement. The kid is obsessed. OR, and here's where I go deep: is there a super natural element to the show, and everyone around him is just BLIND and DEAF? These are the questions that keep me up at night. The list of possibly vision and hearing-impaired people around Dan isn't helping matters:

Trek -- I'm convinced that with a name like Trek, this child actually belongs to Sarah Palin.
Cory -- The lovable, overweight best friend, whose every bit of dialogue revolves around a search for food. C'mon writers, give the hungry kid a story line!
Ricardo -- This future quarterback is going to look back on high school as the good years.
Kami -- Mean Girl in training.
Angie -- I actually quite like her. She's the sweet girl-next-door and Dan's future girlfriend. At least I hope so, for his sake.

Dan's Mom, despite needing to fire the show's wardrobe stylist, gets an A++ for being the most patient mother on the small screen today. And it wasn't till recently that I connected the dots on who she is, after Husband sent me her website (he has a bit of a crush). Allana Harkin, aka Dan's Mom, is one half of the duo behind Eating Over the Sink on Babble, and if you enjoy reading any humor blogs or commentaries on motherhood, I highly recommend this one. The fabulous Samantha Bee, comedienne and "correspondent" on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, makes up the other half. I've loved reading their blog, so imagine my surprise when I realized the lady wearing the slip-on sneakers was, in fact, eating over the sink in her spare time. Sam and Allana's posts combine the hilarious and heartfelt, and I'm excited to share a few of them here:

Be The Awesome That You Are
Hunter-Gatherer-Warrior Mother
Bra Shopping 101

So here's the deal. As a result of this revelation, I'm going to try and forget about Ricardo and Kami, who I suspect will date one day, and Cory's recurring quest for snacks. I'll forgive Trek's penchant for being loud and obnoxious, which I suppose is just the role of little brothers. I'll attempt to suspend disbelief and embrace Dan's T Rex size imagination... oh man, I'll try my hardest.

Dan's Mom, with your ill-fitting mom jeans, this is all for you! And for my little gal, who, like Dan, can't get enough of all things dino.