I need closure.

Last week, I had a baby-free girls' night with my friends. For those of you who have kids, you know how glorious (and kind of surreal) it can be to do anything without children. Grocery shopping in particular is one of the hardest things to do with kids - especially when you have 2 kids. When we shop, my husband pushes my daughter in the shopping cart and I push my son in his stroller. This leaves us with 0 hands free. That means while someone steps away to get food, the other person has to guard our son from potential kidnappers in the Wal-Mart deli aisle (hey, this is Memphis) while also keeping our 2-year-old from doing a backflip out of the shopping cart into the chip display.

Parenthood is not for the weak.

So, knowing that I'm nursing and don't get the opportunity to go out much, my husband offered to watch the kids for the night so I could go out with the girls. I don't know what he was smoking when he offered to watch them, but we need to get more of whatever it is.

I was thoroughly enjoying my Baby Einstein-free drive to Bonefish Grill when I got a call from my husband.

"I have big news, HUGE news!" he blurted out.

I immediately thought Connor had taken his first step or something. Yes, I know he's 7-months-old. I mean, he's a genius. It could happen.

"Marina has been replaced on Fresh Beat Band!!!" he said.

O.M.G.

You might already know about my daughter's Fresh Beat Band obsession, but if you don't, let's just say we have every episode of Fresh Beat Band DVR'd and watch them every day. Several times a day. I wake up in the middle of the night to feed Connor, and the songs play in my head. Do you know how frustrating it can be to try to fall asleep with "Friends Give Friends a Hand" playing on repeat in your brain? Try watching the show once, you'll see what I mean.

The Fresh Beat Band show was the first TV show my daughter actually sat still and watched, and since then, it's been her favorite show. For Haley's 2nd birthday, we threw her a Fresh Beat Band party which I'm very proud of considering there aren't any Fresh Beat Band party supplies available (you can read more about the birthday party HERE). So you can understand how the Fresh Beat Band have become like family over the past year. And now, one of our family members was gone. This was huge news.

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Marina (played by Shayna Rose) is the redhead in the photo above. Shayna was the only member of the Fresh Beat Band cast that had any actual acting experience. She allegedly quit because she was getting married and was replaced by Tara Perry (below).

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As I watched the new episodes with Tara Perry in them, it just didn't feel right. I missed the old Marina! I missed her "hip hop and pop" catch phrase, the way she always crushed Twist's big ideas, I even missed her bad dancing. I didn't even get the chance to say goodbye! 

The other Fresh Beat Band members didn't seem to notice that the old Marina had been replaced by a phony. Even her outfit had been modified. I wanted to shake them, to yell "she's a fake, can't you see?" but they never noticed, they just kept on singing their way out of every problem they ran into. Haley didn't even seem to notice. She was just enamored with the fact that this was a new episode she hadn't seen 8,000 times before.

There was no warning, no slow transition, Old Marina was just gone. Gone and replaced by New Marina.

And I didn't even get to say goodbye.