Storytime With Babies...

I see that there are pregnant bloggers all over the internet right now and, being a well-seasoned mother for, ummm, over two years, (okay, okay.  I also was a nanny and a storyteller for a bookstore so I have a few credentials, okay?) I feel inspired to share some of my favorite bedtime storybooks.  There are a ton, of course, but here are a few of my top four:

Jamberry

The illustrations in this are so vibrant and the verses are TONS of fun to read aloud.  In fact, this is the very first book I ever read to my baby (I even read it when he was in my womb <3 book="" ever.="" favorite="" his="" is="" much="" my="" nbsp="" p="" pretty="">

Ten Apples Up on Top!

This book is awesome. It's funny, teaches counting and has a lion in it.  It was actually written by Dr Seuss (under the pseudonym of Theo LeSieg).  My baby LOVED this book so much, even when he was super-tiny.

Gossie

This is the first in a series of books is so delightful - sweet, simple and quirky.  The spare look of the illustrations does a wonderful job of keeping the attention of babies (and mamas and daddies).

Moo, Baa, La La La!

Sandra Boynton can pretty much do no wrong when it comes to books.  Her books are SO funny, quirky and super easy-to-read.  This one is kind of the most basic and shortest of her books but Peter had this memorized early (he also adores Let's Dance, Little Pookie).

Six Songs that Never Cease to Make Me Happy

Call them guilty pleasures (although I never would - pleasure, definitely, guilty, never), call them whatever you want.  These are six songs (of a rather extensive playlist) that make me happy.  Just the opening notes can be enough to help me shake off a less-than-desirable mood.  What are your go-to get-happy songs?

Ommmmmm (x 31)

I love the fact that there are twelve new beginnings every year.  Who needs a new year?  (Well, I like it once a year, of course.)  So at the beginning of every month, I start ANEW!

My New Month Resolution is to meditate every day.  Every several days I read a new article about how wonderful meditation is for you, from disease-fighting and staving off arthritis to increasing calmness and empathy.

Though I have meditated off and on for years and always at the end of a yoga practice, I would really like it to be as second-nature as, I don't know, eating a treat with my coffee.

So here is my 30 (31) day challenge: meditate at least 5 minutes a day (I'd really like 15 to 20 minutes).

Anyone else up for doing a challenge?

Happy New Month!

Love is a Spark...

Sally created a new fanvid of one of my Song Sketches.  And it is gorgeous! Dreamy, delightful and romantic.
Thank you so much, Sally!

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year...

A photo of me from a couple Christmasses back.  I'm afraid I don't have a photo of me from this Christmas yet.  

So, I've done a lot of talking about how I'm going to do this awesome 60s spy c.d. and everything and have been working (and working) on it in my own little studio since the beginning of January.  Only thing is, the dominant features of 60s spy music are features that I cannot do in my own little studio.  Even when working (and working).  So I'm going to heave a sigh and heave those songs I wrote up to the shelf to wait for when I can have a baritone electric guitarist, some horns, a percussionist and some strings to help me.  And start working on the following project which is my...

Holiday c.d.!  Yes!  I am aware that it is a wee bit early to be thinking on those terms but I'll strengthen my resolve, resolutely drink copious amounts of hot chocolate under a ceiling fan while getting into the spirit of the (faraway) season.

Thank you all for your patience as I skip to and fro between project ideas!

Step Stools and Sippy Cups

From Siosi Design + Build

I was telling my mother, elatedly, that I'd figured out a technique to keep me from losing my temper with my very, shall we say, spirited 2-year-old.  After I got her expected kudos, I finished, on a down and, 'realistic' note,

"Of course I'll probably still lose my temper a lot anyway."

And she said, "Why?  Maybe you won't."

The tiniest bit of thrill ran through me.  Maybe I wouldn't!  At some point, I'd needed a sippy cup to drink without spilling juice, a step stool to reach the sink when I washed my hands and a fire alarm ready and waiting whenever I cooked rice (true story: I set off the fire alarm at my dormitory during move-in day when everyone was halfway in and out with boxes and furniture.  Obviously, I never claimed the charred pot as my own).  The reasons are all different - I'm better at drinking juice now, i am tall enough to reach the sink on my own and my husband does the cooking.

Tony Robbins says that the past doesn't equal the future and that's a pretty liberating thought.  I mean, we never KNOW what will happen to change!  Sometimes it's so hard to see, not only in our own lives, but in the world at large, but things do change.  People used horses to get around town! Women never used to be able to wear pants.  Cell phones were a luxury a few power players could afford. 

So that thing?  That thing you always seem to do no matter how much you try or always seem to not do no matter how much you try?  You never know!  It might be next year's memory of a triumph - a growth that allows you to reach the sink now.

From Siosi Design + Build

Four Enjoyable Ways to Make the Earth Happy

This Earth Day I know we'll hear about changing out light bulbs and turning out lights which are, of course, very important.  However, I think there are some ways to make the Earth happy that also are, dare I say it, fun!  And isn't that the best?

Amanda Claire's photo "Open Window to Tuscany" available here

Open Your Windows

I know, I know, your view is possibly not the same as the above photo's view of Tuscany, but the majority of pollutants in your house are actually from inside your house!  So if you open your window, not only are you lowering your electricity bills, but you are cleaning the air in your home.  And this is the perfect time of year to enjoy the sound of birds singing, breezes stirring leaves and children laughing on the way home from school.

Host a Clothing Swap

Odds are you have a bunch of clothes (or even jewelry and decor!) you don't really wear anymore (not that you ever wore decor, but I think you know what I mean).  So rather than toss them out or let them soak up dust in the recesses of your closet, host a swap with friends!  It's the perfect time of year for a party (it's been forever since all the holiday ones!) and everyone could end up some great new-to-them clothes - no plastic bags or shipping necessary.

Go to Bed Early

I was reading through an article one day and read that some countries impose a lighting curfew so that people don't use so much electricity at night.  Now, as a die-hard night owl, the idea of having to go to bed early seems like a terrible idea but that doesn't mean that you can't take a night or two a week and just go to bed an hour earlier!  Think of the fun of reeeeeeaaally stretching out in your bed and daydreaming a little rather than conking off in two seconds because you're so exhausted.  Sounds kind of dreamy, doesn't it?

Wildflower Seed Bombs from Terrain

Plant flowers!  

They make bees happy and butterflies happy and people happy too!  These clay/compost/seed balls are so fun - just throw them in an abandoned field or dusty median or even your own yard to make wildflowers grow.  But really any packet of wildflowers or herbs will do - just pick out some hardy ones, sprinkle and wait for the magic to happen.



Any ones I've missed that you can think of?  Do tell!