1- THE BABYSITTERS CLUB ON NETFLIX.
YOU GUYS. THIS IS SO GOOD.
I haven’t watched TV for quite some time, but THIS IS WORTH IT. I was a hardcore fan back in ~1988 or so, with fond memories of walking to the local bookstore (Encore Books in Manoa Shopping Center) to buy the latest release as soon as it came out. I believe the usual price was $2.50. My allowance never lasted.
I read each of the early volumes (and many of the later ones) approximately 37 times and can spit out random facts about many of the fictional Stoneybrook families even today. Stacey McGill is at least 5% of the reason I am a pediatric endocrinologist (I hope the modern Stacey gets a pump & a Dexcom!). Admittedly, because of my diehard attachment to the original books, I was a little nervous about how good this series would be.
To be fair I have only seen ep#1, but — I loved it. It was very sweet without being cloying, and with soooooo many nostalgic Easter eggs that it was just constantly entertaining and I felt like the actors they chose were just . . . charming and perfect. RECOMMEND.
(I am debating whether to try to watch it with Annabel — thus far it seems entirely appropriate — or keep it as my own special treat. Hmmm . . . . )
2- MR. CLEAN MAGIC ERASER.
We have one child that is constantly writing on things (walls, etc) in crayon and yes — we are trying to hide the crayons, and we continually instruct her to STOP. But in the meantime, I was pretty shocked at how well this item worked.
I was originally going for 3, but I can’t think of a 3rd right now and . . . why force it?
Today’s plans:
Cardio Core workout
Patients (all telehealth; will be attempting to work with/teach a resident remotely. She will start some of the telehealth encounters and call me to present. I will have her write notes after I debrief her. We will see how this goes!)
Hopefully a walk in there somewhere
Maybe more BSC if I’m lucky.
24 Comments
Eek I’m so excited about The Babysitter’s Club! I learned of this the other day from Kelsey’s IG stories and I freaked out! I also was OBSESSED with those books as a kid. Had the whole series and read them all a million times. I haven’t had a chance to try to an episode yet but am planning to very soon! So happy to hear that it is good so far!
My daughter is 8 and recently became obsessed with the new BSC graphic novels. So I bought her a set of 30 used Babysitters Club books off eBay for $15 (wish I had kept mine!) and she’s read through them many times over the past few months. Highly recommend. Anyway, I plan on watching the TV series with her soon (but no judgement if you want to watch by yourself).
Babysitters Club is so great :). A lovely thing to look forward to during this pandemic. You can totally watch with A – I’ve been watching with my 8 year old son and he’s enjoying it too and it’s sparking some good conversations!
I’ve been saving the BSC for when I’m up with Maeve and it continues to be SO GOOD. I love the updated version and how naturally inclusive it is – as in they make the inclusivity seem natural. Also feels like a fun nod to all of us original lovers of the BSC to see 90s star Alicia Silverstone as the mom. Agree – great casting. I already feel excited to watch it with Maeve one day.
Am watching BSC with my 7.5 year old. I love it so much and wish I kept the series from my youth.
The BSC is SO GOOD. I binge-watched it last weekend with my six-year-old daughter, and we both really enjoyed it. Some of it was over her head, but nothing inappropriate, and I like the overall messaging around female friendship, among other things. I hope they make more seasons!
I’m not ashamed to admit that I watched The BSC show in 2 days. I was also a die hard fan and read all of the books at least 10 times. It’s SO good. Much better than I expected. I totally think you and Annabel could watch together!
I binge watched BSC earlier this week and just loved it. So many great memories – including sneak reading BSC books in the third grade, getting reprimanded by the teacher, and me telling her I could read them if I wanted to because I didn’t need to actually pay attention to maintain my straight As. Ha!
I would watch with Anabel. The books were aimed at 8 to 13 year olds, so it seems like Annabel is the perfect age for it now. The show continues to be appropriate for someone that age. Plus, it’s a well done example of diverse media representation (and not just in terms of race), which is incredibly important on its own merits. I appreciate that it’s just casually there – not as an explicit plot point, but just as normal life.
I am LOVING BSC! Almost done the series in record time. I have so much nostalgia for the books, so I wasn’t sure when I first heard about it. But I was won over right away – it is such a delight! So heartwarming and fun. The cast is all around amazing from the girls to the parents. I think it would be appropriate to watch with A for sure or with the whole family if you wanted.
I’m VERY excited to hear your thoughts on Stacey’s treatment protocol!!!! My cousin got diagnosed with type I diabetes when she was 15, and I remember pretending to know everything about it thanks to Stacey McGill (I knew nothing, btw). The show is SO GOOD, and reminds me how smart those books (and those girls!!!) were and continue to be. I really appreciate the diversity factor in the re-boot.
Although I lean more Kristy personality-wise (except for being good at sports and being a “tomboy” – whatever that would mean now), I always found a kindred spirit in my girl Claudia (“Jet black hair and almond-shaped eyes”. And those outfits. Sigh). She was the first mainstream character I remember that, like my immigrant family, had her sweet Grandma living with them. Growing up in TX, I never knew what Mallomars were…until I moved to NYC for law school, and I HAD to purchase them when available, thanks to Claudia Kishi. 🙂
I’d be which characters you (and your readers) relate most to.
Whoops – *I’d like to know
I was obsessed w Stacey and wanted to be her (except the diabetes part) but probably more of a Kristy. Also minus the “tomboy”!
Also Claudia’s outfits in the books were my faaaaavorite parts to read!
I’m very excited to watch the BSC show as I was also obsessed with the books. The white, extra thick super special ones were the best. I definitely identify with Maryanne. I am planning to watch it when I am on maternity leave in December. I’m just never alone in my house anymore and it’s something my husband would enjoy. 😉
I just saw the BSC on Netflix last night, and just seeing that it existed made me SO happy. I haven’t been as into TV lately, but this seems like a good exception. I think the reading the Babysitter’s Club series was when I first was hooked into reading. Now I teach 4th grade, and I love seeing how many kids are into the graphic novel series now!
I heard about the BSC on netflix but thought it was the 90s series- will check it out! Have you heard of the blog What Claudia Wore? It’s a bit defunct now (more on instagram nowadays) but the author posts critiques on the classic covers which are hilarious- http://whatclaudiawore.blogspot.com/p/book-index.html
Baking soda with an old (bamboo in my case) toothbrush works magic for all things crayons, glue, etc. And it is biodegradable, non toxic, natural and no petroleum product (these eraser are from plastic source, so petroleum). You should give it a try. I do first castille soap and second baking soda.
Ooh!!! I will try it next time. I also switched her to super washable crayons so … that will help too 🙂
I rarely comment but just have to about the BSC! I also have an 8yo and she is obsessed with the graphic novels already. We started the show last night and she loved it! I haven’t read the graphic novels but I think they follow the originals very closely. I wish our library had the original books but they don’t … I want to find the whole set on eBay or at a used bookstore for my daughter. I would highly recommend the show and the graphic novels for Annabelle, it will be such a fun thing to share together.
She enjoyed the graphic novels that she read! I’d be so curious to know if she would like the old ones, too. They are going to need to reprint them!!
Oh my gosh!! I was totally the same with Babysitters Club!! So excited for these. I had the original 8 VHS tapes they made back in the early 90s and watched those at least 100 times too!
I loved the BSC!!! I read those books all the time. I watched the first few episodes of the new show and loved it so much. It brought me back (they even use the same clear phone I had as a middle/high schooler). I always wanted to be Dawn, but was more of a Mary Anne for sure.
I concur the Magic Eraser is pretty amazing! Has cleaned up all my toddler wall art.
I was younger than A when I started reading the books! Not only did I watch the series in two days (I loved that so many of the plots were straight from the books but with modern updates) but I started borrowing some books from Libby and I remember most of the details. I saw a comment on Facebook that Stacey was someone’s first “friend” with diabetes and she definitely was for me too.