Evidence I’m Super Uncool + Sesame Street Love, HBO Style

Am I the only mom that knows Sesame Street songs by heart? ::looks around::

Am I the only mom that sings the songs to herself when she’s driving? Shopping? Pumping Gas? ::hangs head in shame::

OK, but am I the only mom who has them in her phone in mp3 format? And sings along to them when they randomly pop up during cardio at the gym instead of skipping over? Even if it makes the sweaty dude on the next treadmill give me a dirty look? (Not my fault bro, you should’ve brought your headphones!) 

Yeah…so Sesame Street has led to some kinda embarrassing moments for me, but I can’t help it. It’s always on in my house. And their songs are so catchy!! A little bit after Rohan turned one we started letting him watch TV and that was only Sesame Street. Now we’ve expanded, but Sesame Street is still number one for us. Elmo is really his homeboy. He’s always close by. He gets a seat at the table for meals and in the car. (Mind you, it’s not the bright shiny new hug me Elmo we bought him, it’s the old tattered guts-ripped-out tickle me Elmo that belonged to my now 20 year old little brother…yeah…) 

Speaking of my brother, Sesame Street was his fave show when he was a little guy too! I’m 14 years older than him so I was the perma babysitter. My parents left before us in the morning, so I would bargain with him to eat his breakfast really fast so he could watch Sesame Street in my room before walking him to school.

He slept with the same raggedy Elmo doll that my two kids fight over today. Now Kaya loves Sesame too, but she’s not into Abby or Zoe like I thought she’d be. She loves Grover! But calls him “rover” which sounds like “wover” and Elmo is “aymo.” #adorbs.  (Just like her big brother used to say)

A video posted by D A N I E L L E F A U S T (@thedanifaust) on Dec 27, 2013 at 12:57pm PST

It’s gotten way high tech. I remember watching when I was a kid and even back with Garrison. They’ve really stepped up their game. It’s all brand new! It’s all the same characters with a few new friends and lots of fun features that keep it fresh and entertaining for kids. I love all the celeb cameos, and the “smart” jokes and pop culture references they sprinkle in to make it bearable for mom and dad. It gives me a chuckle and surprises me. Even John knows the Elmo’s world song, and the Feist version of her song 1234 that she sang with Elmo.  That says a lot.

It’s something that all four of us can lay up in bed and watch on a Saturday morning with our coffee and cocoa (and warm milk for Kai). Sesame Street is the reason dinner has gotten on the table many nights. My cooking hour seems to be the “go berserk hour” for Rohan and Kaya. Sometimes I have to put on an epi of Sesame Street on demand so I can get them from (literally) underfoot while I’m cooking.

HBO loves me and wants to make my life easier. We don’t have cable/on-demand on our living room TV, we just have an Apple TV box, so I have to put the kids into my bedroom while I cook and check on them every few minutes while cooking. On January 16th, Sesame Street is going to also be available on HBO!! Now, I can pop the kids on the couch and use HBO GO in the living room and watch the kids – and the show – while cooking. #winningatlife.

I feel good having my kids watch Sesame Street. Outside of the cute songs, and the nostalgia for me, it’s really educational. I love when Rohan answers the characters on the TV and counts along. Kaya tries to do the same, but her alphabet song goes like “A B C D mumblemumble P mumblemumble X Y and Z.” Outside of those basics, they learn about loving themselves, not being shy, making friends, being a good person, and other lessons. It’s just wholesome.

There’s something magical about Elmo too. I don’t know if it’s his voice that mesmerizes children, but kids are just drawn to him! I’m glad he questions and “learns” along with the viewer. He’s kinda spooky sometimes though…*wink*… remember this:

Rohan is 3 and Kaya is just 1.5 so I have a few more years for Sesame Street to still be “cool” in our house, thankfully. I’m sure I’ll still be as un-cool as ever, singing children’s songs in public… Sidebar: sesamestreet.org has a page with all the fun songs on it…in case you want to make a fool of yourself in public too. (But some of the best songs are the “theme” songs to the daily features on the show like Elmo’s World, The Letter of the Day… and Bert & Ernie’s Great Adventure… #justsayin)

Our family will be watching Sesame Street on HBO and HBO Go in January when these two brands we love have joined forces. Will you?

Did you watch Sesame Street as a kid?

Do your kids watch it (and obsess over Elmo) too?

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