For the Love of Music

My kids LOVE music!  I honestly think it started from the womb.  I'm one of those people that LOVES to sing alone.  And I have been known to throw some passion and volume into my singing.  I'd be pretty embarrassed if someone actually caught me doing this.  I'll do it with my kids and sometimes hubby around but definitely nobody else.

After the kids were born, the singing didn't stop.  I would play a cd with their name in the songs that my mom had given me for each of them until they fell asleep.  Also, this day I sing four songs to them before bed.  They love getting musical instruments as gifts: numerous play guitars over the years, maracas, tambourine, a metal drum set (still not sure I should have purchased the drum set), recorders from the dollar store (wow those things are loud), the Paper Jams Guitar for Christmas 2010, and probably some others I'm not thinking of.  My son also loves playing Guitar Hero.  He does very well on the drums and he's only 5 1/2.  Beyond the instruments, the kids love to sing whether it's with Hannah Montana or Jonas Brothers.  They even make up quite a few songs on their own.  They are quite the performers!

So with all of this exposure to music it's only natural to assume I'd want them in music at school right?  At their school the only options they have are violin and cello at their age.  My thought is "I'll take what I can get."  Problem?  It's not their favorite thing to do... ok they would like to quit, but I think taking the violin strengthens their music knowledge (for future instruments).   In addition, it's been proven that kids that participate in  musical activities do better in school.  With those two strong factors present, I want them to stick with it until they can switch to a different instrument when they get into a higher grade.  I think they can switch instruments in either third or fourth grade at their school.  Then they can be in band.  I hope they have more commitment when it comes to an instrument they want to play.  Am I forcing something on them?  Yes, I suppose but with 5 minutes of practice time a night (that I don't even commit to sometimes) I figure they'll survive.  They aren't doing a ton of other activities that pile onto their responsibilities of their instrument so I feel good about the lessons.

I'm looking forward to listening to my kids' music for many years to come.  What a blessing!!

First Snow in Fall 2010

The first snow fall of Fall 2010 hit us Friday evening and into Saturday. 5+ inches were predicted but I think it was only 3 or so. Note to Southerners and others that don’t get snow: That’s nothing. Well, nothing to panic about. Roads were a bit slippery I hear but by the time we got onto the roads in the afternoon Saturday it was fine.

What do I like about snow? Not a whole lot. One great thing that came from this snow was that it came down wet enough to create snowballs and snowmen. I took the kids outside around 11am Saturday morning to give me a chance to shovel and them a chance to play.

Once the shoveling was done the kids asked if the snow was good enough to make a snowman. I reluctantly said “yes.” I say “reluctantly” because my initial thought was it required too much energy. That same person knows how important it is to create memories with and for her kids. So I helped them make a snowman. I think the last time I did that was when my daughter was 2 or 3 (so I did ALL of the work then) and my son was so little he stayed in the house with Daddy. Well now they are 5 and 6 ½ so they were both able to help me a bit. We made a medium size snowman. Not nearly the caliber I would have made as a teen, but large enough for my young ones. Once the snowman was made we had to figure out how to adorn her… oh yes, my daughter decided it was a girl. We found a scarf and baseball cap in the house along with some twigs for arms outside and leaves for facial features. Obviously we are not ones to stock our home with Buttons, Coal, a Carrot or top hat. We improvised and the kids loved every minute. Less the minute they argued over who would put the arms into the sockets.

When limbs were attached the kids decided it was time for a snowball fight. They both teamed up against me to make it more of a fair fight. It was so fun to laugh with them and run around like a kid. After about 15 minutes of snow flying back and forth we decided to make our way inside for some hot cocoa.

What a wonderful time that will live on in their memories as well as mine! Today it was quite frigid outside making the snow impossible to form into a ball. So the kids sled on the small hill that makes our backyard. That only lasted about 10 minutes as the cold creates stiff limits on time spent outside. Time for more hot cocoa. Yummmmmm!

OK The snow can melt now!!!

What to do....

Am I the only one that can never think of anything to do with my kids? I feel so unimaginative! I want to take them out of the house and do something for free or extremely reasonably priced but there just isn’t enough variety in my head. I say “in my head” because I know there are a wide range of things to do out there… I just can’t think of them. There is the library, 2 childrens’ museums, the zoo, bowling, swimming, the park... then my mind goes blank. Oh! Another unhealthy option is to go shopping to get out of the house. It’s most difficult in the winter. It’s getting to be 30 degrees and below around here lately. Although many people are willing to bare that temperature for extended periods of time, my limit is about 15 minutes.

So if “out of the house” isn’t an option what do we do? What is wrong with me that I can’t think of something fun to d? Sometimes I’d like to throw the tv out the window. I feel like I use it as a crutch. I mean my kids aren’t glued to the tv but it’s always on at least in the background. I find myself Googling “kids activities” or some related keywords in order to find something fun to do. I suppose it’s better than not putting forth any effort in the search of activities that will entertain my kids without allowing them to veg out in front of the tv.

Is it just me? What do you do when you can’t think of anything to do with the kids?