Edited to say that my name of “Bug Wrap” bugged too many people so I caved to peer pressure and retitled it to “Bug Rap”.
Yesterday in the car, my niece aka “daughter”, Taylor just busted out singing a Hillshire Farms commercial out of the blue. It was SO hilarious! I asked her to repeat it and captured it on my voice recorder on my phone. Then last night my husband wrote some music to go with it, and we have “The Bug Wrap” (I call her “Bug”). Taylor’s only comment about it was we were dorks for calling a “rap” song a “wrap”. Uggghhh 13 year olds (shaking my head and rolling my eyes).
It’s a piano. Not that you could tell that in our house since it’s never made beautiful music before. It’s been sitting in my house for almost 2 years now just being banged on and collecting dust.
We spoke to a very talented, up and coming musician friend (Nakia from Nakia and his Southern Cousins) awhile back and asked his advice on how to interest our children in music. He told us that the best thing that his mother did for him in nuturing his love of music was to provide him with a piano that he could just bang on and to naturally gain an interest in the piano and music.
We followed his advice and bought this old piano. It was actually quite a good find on Craigslist, it’s an old one (1940’s?) and was originally from New Zealand. We bought it for a song (LOL). Here it has sat for 2 years, collecting dust with a child banging on the keys a couple of times per day. All of my boys are interested in it, but unfortunately all their Mommy can play on it is a one-handed rendition of Mary Had a Little Lamb and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.
So following the good advice of our friend Nakia, we’ve been nurturing an unstructured love of music with the piano and allowing the kids to experiment with sounds and just having a good time with it.
Last night another good friend Deborah came over for dinner and offered to introduce our kids to the sounds of REAL music. She is a concert trained pianist. When she sat down at the bench (sorry Deborah, we only have a makeup bench for our piano seat, lol), we heard sounds fill our home that brought tears to my eyes. And she was only doing a warm-up! She moved on to some Tchaikovsky (at least I think that’s who it was!), my kids and I sat there watching and listening to her play with our eyes wide and bright and our mouths hanging open! We were completely in awe.
Ian asked me, “Can I play like that!?” I told him yes, he could learn to play like that. Deborah mentioned that Ian needed a childrens beginner book that she could start teaching him with… Ian overheard her and ran to the bookshelves and presented her with a Dr. Seuss book (and yes that is what is sitting on the piano where sheet music should be). We got a good giggle out of that but it was further affirmation that he has a real interest. I have a Mommy-Do list, I need to find a childrens beginning piano book and Deborah is going to come over again and start the kids on a path to learning to make music instead of just banging on the keys. I love classical music and love the piano. I look forward to the day that my house is filled with sweet music.
Thank you so much Deborah for a wonderful introduction of what that “dust collector” can do! You’re so very talented and humble and sweet. We enjoyed your visit VERY much and are anxious to have you over again.
What do you blog about when you have nothing informative, witty, humorous or educational to say? Should I just say nothing and hope that my readers don’t go away? I think the empty space is irking me more than any readers that I might have, but I can’t stand the thought of not writing something on my blog!
Is this writers block? I’ve had several articles come out lately on Hybrid Mom but they’re also on my Pages By Nancy Blog so I imagine if you are interested in techie articles then you’re probably one of the subscribers to that blog and no need to tell you about it here!
I’ve had several great things in the past few days that have come to mind about the kids but when I sit down to write them down… poof. They’re gone.
I’ve been working like crazy on websites, and I’ve been rereading my all-time favorite book series by Diana Gabaldon (they’re on the book list). Her long awaited, newest book in the series is coming out this month and I’m refreshing my memory since it’s been so long. At one time it was supposed to be the last one in the series, but I’d heard through the years that she wasn’t certain that she could finish the series in one book so I have no idea if I’ll be waiting for another or not…. GEEZ, I even sound boring to me.
Missed me? I haven’t blogged for several days. Shocking, isn’t it? I have a good reason although not a fun one. My little “Trouble” was not his normal self and was giving Mommy a whole new meaning to the nickname “Trouble”.
Last Sunday, Nathan got a sniffle. No biggie. By Tuesday he had a croupy sounding cough. By Wednesday he had a fever around 102. By Thursday it was as high as 104 and I had to begin sleeping in his bed with him.
You see, I’m an insomniac who has trouble falling asleep but once I’m asleep I sleep like a rock. I was so worried that I wouldn’t hear any subtle hints that he needed me. In the middle of the night on Thursday, I awoke to his entire bed shaking around 3:00 am from Nathan shivering. I reached over and touched him and he was burning hot to the touch. I grabbed a thermometer and that was the first time that Mommy got a bit worried since he still had Motrin in his system and his fever was 103 under his arm. I gave him lots to drink, sponged him down and held him while I waited for Tylenol to kick in. With both Motrin and Tylenol in his system his fever dropped to 101 under the arm.
He wasn’t his normal self by any means. Here’s a picture of him wanting to just lay and cuddle with me on the couch. Not normal! I haven’t had good long snuggle sessions with him since he could move about on his own. He’s usually just way too busy to sit long enough for Mommy to have more than a quick hug and kiss.
I took him to the Doctor on Friday (also on Tuesday) and she said that if his fever was caused by a virus would be over with by Sunday but to call her on Sunday if it was still present. Sunday was “do day”. Sunday was the day that if it reached 103 again we were to take him to be admitted into Children’s Hospital. Sunday started with a fever of 101 under the arm (with Tylenol). I called his Doctor and she called orders into the Hospital in case we had to go in. When he awoke from his nap late Sunday afternoon, he was covered in sweat and cold to the touch! Yay!!!!
As of this morning, he’s still better. He’s still not all of the way well, but I think he’s out of what was beginning to feel like danger. Mommy can give a big ole sigh of relief. AAAAAHHHhhhhhhhhhhh
On a side note, I have started adding new inventory to One Stop Boy Shop… I added a Baby Shower/New Baby gift section and have a lot more to put in there in the upcoming weeks. If you have a new baby arriving in your life or a work Baby Shower, you might check out these adorable outfits and accessories. For those of you on my mailing list, the big sale that I announced ends tomorrow and once I’m finished entering these new products I’ll notify you so you can have a great first peek!
It all started last Thursday when my middle son Ian (4 years old) went to the grocery store with my husband. As they were leaving, my son spotted one those tiny “Smart Cars”. Ian said, “Look, a clown car!”. My husband told him it was a regular car, just smaller. He then asked if it was for tiny people, and Robert told him no, regular sized people. He didn’t seem to like that explanation.
When my husband called me laughing to tell me that story, it occurred to me that Ian had never been to a circus. I had taken my oldest son to the circus when he was 6 but it had not gone well. The circus didn’t hold his interest and he was crawling around on the floor, over the seats and running up and down the aisles. I guess that is why I’d never thought about taking Ian and Nathan. I assumed that since Random was too young at 6 that Ian and Nathan would be way too young at 4 and 2.
Friday, my mother called and out of the blue asked if we were taking the kids to the circus. I didn’t even know it was in town! What a great coincidence! I immediately went online and bought 5 tickets for Saturday show.
All 3 kids were completely mesmerized. Their eyes were as big as saucers for the entire 2 hour show.
They had cotton candy, snow cones and lots of laughter. They especially loved the elephants, the trick dogs, the horses and the clowns. The acrobats were amazing.
I didn’t realize it at the time, but this was my husbands first circus too! As a city kid, I’d gone every year with either my mom or my dad. I loved the circus and looked forward to it each year. My husband grew up in the country where it wasn’t easy to get to things like the circus.
I’ve mentioned before that my little dare devil Nathan aka “Trouble” is not going to be content with regular sports, but that I’m betting he’s going to be an “Extreme Sports” kind of kid. That thought alone is enough to make my stomach drop. I am a bit concerned that one particular part of the circus was especially mesmerizing to Nathan. They had this sphere where they had motorcycles racing around in the circle like hamster in a wheel. They added a total of 7 motorcycles and they darted between each other in opposite directions coming within millimeters of crashing. It was like watching a busy beehive. I hope it didn’t get the gears in his head turning with thoughts of such a horrifically dangerous lifestyle! I swear I held my breath through the entire portion. If this is what is in my future as being a mom to “Trouble”, then I’m the one in trouble!!! We only captured video with 5 motorcycles.
It was truly a magical family day. I felt my eyes fill up with tears on many occasions watching the circus through the eyes of my children and the pure joy and wonder that was on all 3 of their faces… I’m convinced it really is “The Greatest Show on Earth”.
As a mom to 3 boys, there is a shortage of dolls in my house. Not that I’m against boys having dolls, just that I bought a boy Cabbage Patch doll for Ian when he was 2 and the only thing he used it for was to wack his older brother with. He had absolutely NO interest in that doll other than using it as a weapon. He’s more of the car and dinosaur kind of kid.
I blogged recently about having “daughters” a short while back. Kaynnah aka “Tinkerbell” my 3 year old temporary daughter is here in my house and stuck in a house full of “boys toys”. Helen at “I’m Living Proof That God Has a Sense of Humor” was recently having a giveaway for a Liv Doll and I thought what a great opportunity for Kaynnah! So I entered, and I won!!!!! I certainly would not have known what to pick for her if I’d gone to a store and stared at the isles and isles of dolls. It turned out that a Liv Doll was Perfect for her! I could not believe how quickly Spinmaster, sent her choice (well my choice for her, lol). The very next day a box arrived for Kaynnah; we opened the box together and she was so exicted to see her Sophie Doll! She did not put that doll down all day. The wonderful people at Spinmaster even included an extra hair-do for “Sophie” as a bonus. I see lots of shopping in my near future to buy more of the accesssories and outfits that they offer. The quality of this doll is unbelievable. Her eyes don’t look like cheap painted on, I don’t know how they did it but her eyes look fabulous and her hair is incredibly soft. Her clothing and accessories seem to be made very well. If you have little girls, I can honestly give my recommendation.
What I didn’t anticipate was that my 4 year old son would be so jealous to not have a doll of his own that my ears would bleed and my head would ache from all of the fighting and whining. It wasn’t that he was asking for one of his own, but that he wanted to play with “Sophia”. Daddy and Ian made a quick run to WalMart to try to calm down the jealousy. My husband tried his hardest to convince him to get a G.I. Joe doll with a machine gun (thank you my son for resisting).
Ian just HAD to have “Rocky”, but Ian calls him “Rocky, the Rocker Dude”. I have no idea if that is his real name since he was unpackaged and in full play mode with him by the time my husband and Ian had arrived home. I have no idea what brand of doll he is but his feet fall off constantly! I hope Liv Doll comes out with a “boy” doll so that little boys can enjoy them as well! I went to their website but I couldn’t figure out where they list the Liv Dolls separately but noticed they have lots of other products. There were too many for me to sort through to try to find out if they had an equivelent of the Liv Doll for boys.
So now order is restored in my home…. that’s a stretch but at least there is no doll fighting. Kaynnah has “Sophie” and Ian has “Rocky” and Mommy doesn’t have to hear the whining. It’s a win, win.
Thank you so much Helene for the great Giveaway and thank you so much SpinMaster for sending (and so quickly!) the wonderful Sophia to my little “Tinkerbell” Kaynnah. They say that Sophia is the doll with Fashion Sense, and if you’ve ever met my little Tinkerbell who has to constantly change her outfits throughout the day, you’d realize just how perfect Sophia is for her!
See this?
needed me. In the middle of the night on Thursday, I awoke to his entire bed shaking around 3:00 am from Nathan shivering. I reached over and touched him and he was burning hot to the touch. I grabbed a thermometer and that was the first time that Mommy got a bit worried since he still had Motrin in his system and his fever was 103 under his arm. I gave him lots to drink, sponged him down and held him while I waited for Tylenol to kick in. With both Motrin and Tylenol in his system his fever dropped to 101 under the arm.
I’ve mentioned before that my little dare devil Nathan aka “Trouble” is not going to be content with regular sports, but that I’m betting he’s going to be an “Extreme Sports” kind of kid. That thought alone is enough to make my stomach drop. I am a bit concerned that one particular part of the circus was especially mesmerizing to Nathan. They had this sphere where they had motorcycles racing around in the circle like hamster in a wheel. They added a total of 7 motorcycles and they darted between each other in opposite directions coming within millimeters of crashing. It was like watching a busy beehive. I hope it didn’t get the gears in his head turning with thoughts of such a horrifically dangerous lifestyle! I swear I held my breath through the entire portion. If this is what is in my future as being a mom to “Trouble”, then I’m the one in trouble!!! We only captured video with 5 motorcycles.
in a house full of “boys toys”. Helen at “
off constantly! I hope Liv Doll comes out with a “boy” doll so that little boys can enjoy them as well! I went to their website but I couldn’t figure out where they list the Liv Dolls separately but noticed they have lots of other products. There were too many for me to sort through to try to find out if they had an equivelent of the Liv Doll for boys.
