Don't Laugh at Me

I had two experiences almost simultaneously that prompted this post.  We were listening to a Peter, Paul, and Mary album and the song "Don't Laugh at Me" was playing.  One of my kids mentioned that that was one of their favorite songs.  The song is about being kind in our interactions with other humans, even if they are different from us.  It's about how we don't always know the back story.  During the Savior's life he often interacted with people that the "respectable" Jews wouldn't even acknowledge.  When they confronted Him about it He reminded them that healthy people don't need a doctor, sick people do.  The irony of that is that we are all in need of a physician because we all sin. He never condoned the sins.  "Go, and sin no more."  But he always made the time for the people who wanted to be with him, the little children, the blind, deaf, lonely, sick, sinner, and stranger.

This link will take you to the chords for Don't Laugh At Me
This link will take you to youtube to listen to the song Peter, Paul and Mary sing Don't Laugh at Me
The video will make you cry.  Don't read the comments.

This reminds me of a favorite primary song I'll Walk With You

So what is the other experience, you ask?  It was a Facebook post.  I sometimes think that I should quit Facebook altogether because it is far more likely to irritate me than it is to give me useful information.  But I saw the new Pixar video about the storks. Partly Cloudy
If life were all puppies and chicks would we really be happy?  If I had never lived in West Michigan would I have ever learned to appreciate sunshine?  The world would be a much sadder place without the diversity provided by the electric eels and porcupines.

Let's be nice to each other.  Let's allow others to make decisions that we don't like without being vengeful.  Let's be kind to people who speak different languages and have different cultural backgrounds.  We might even be willing to sacrifice a few tax dollars for interpreters.  Diversity creates strength when we use it instead of being afraid of it.  We don't have to be best friends with everyone, but we have an obligation to be kind.

Wayfaring Stranger

New year, new resolution.
I really, really, really want to learn to play the guitar.  I want to be able to take my guitar on a camping trip and sit around the campfire for a couple of hours playing and singing and everyone having a good time.  I would like to not be embarrassed if there are other people around (besides my hubby and kids, they are very understanding.)  I also realized last summer, that unless I have 50 songs memorized I am going to need my music on a glowing rectangle.  So, my plan this year is to learn one new song to sing and play on the guitar each week.  I will post the song here and load it on my iPad in the Finale app.  By summer I should have a good collection of songs and I can go camping every weekend just so I can sit around the fire strumming my guitar.  (Or just in the back yard, either way.)

So the first song to go up is this little gem, Wayfaring Stranger.  I first encountered it in a lovely collection of early American hymns by Anonymous Four called American Angels.  I also found it in my guitar method book, but that only had one verse.

Here's a youtube recording in case you don't know the melody.
Anonymous4 singing Wayfaring Stranger

Wayfaring Stranger

Am

I am a poor wayfaring stranger

                Dm                    Am

While traveling through this world of woe

                                

Yet there's no sickness toil nor danger

               Dm             Am

In that bright Land to which I go

                          Dm

I'm going there to see my Father

          Am              

I'm going there no more to roam

         C          Am

I'm only going over Jordan

         Dm         Am

I'm only going over home

I know dark clouds will gather o’er me

          Dm               Am

I know my way is rough and steep

                           

Yet beauteous fields lie just before me

               Dm                 Am

Where God’s redeemed there vigils keep

                          Dm

I'm going there to see my mother

               Am            

She said she'd meet me when I come

         C          Am

I'm only going over Jordan

         Dm         Am

I'm only going over home

I want to wear a crown of glory,

           Dm                Am

When I get home to that good land;

I want to shout salvation’s story,

       Dm                        Am

In concert with the blood-washed band.

                           Dm

I’m going there to meet my Savior,

            Am

To sing His praise forever more;

         C          Am

I’m only going over Jordan,

         Dm         Am

I’m only going over home.

St. Patrick's Day Flash Mob

Keith and I are playing in a community band called "The West Michigan New Horizons Music Ensembles Concert Band."  It's a bit of a mouthful.  Between us we just call it "the band."  The purpose of the band is to provide a musical opportunity for older adults who have not played their instruments since high school or would like to learn to play for the first time.  There are New Horizons bands all over the country.  Members in our band range from retired band teachers to people who've only been playing for a couple of years.  There is a beginning band and an intermediate band as well as beginning strings and a swing band.  When Keith and I joined it significantly reduced the average age of the band.  But we are not the only not-yet-retired folks.

So to the flash mob.  Did you know that you can do a flash mob at a mall without telling the mall that you are coming and they won't arrest you?  You can tell by the looks on the security guards faces that they were not expecting us.  Keith wasn't able to be there.  (He had a Wood Badge thing that day.)  And you can almost see me once or twice, but I am there.  I'm playing trombone on this one.  I am behind the kiosk in the middle of the lower court, right behind the security guards.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWic6OblCZw

Estella's Baptism

Two weeks ago Estella was baptized and became a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  We are so proud of her.  We were glad to have Grandma and Grandpa H here with us.  We missed Grandma and Grandpa O, but we are so proud of them for the service to the Lord and the people of Columbia.

The kids sang "Keep the Commandments" and Alicia played the obligato on her flute.  The primary children will be singing it (with Alicia on flute) for the sacrament meeting presentation next week.  I'll get a video so I can post it.

My Little Stokowski

The other night it was 2 year old Chauncey's turn to lead the music for Family Home Evening.  So he got out the primary song book and set it up on the music stand (facing the window, his back to the rest of the family) and proceeded to conduct "Follow the Prophet."
It was so cute I just thought, "Wow, I wish I had a video camera right here."  Then I realized that I was holding my iPad in my lap, Duh.  I'm a little slow on the whole technology thing.  I managed to catch the last few seconds and boy are they worth it.

A Grandmother Just Like You

Happy Mother's Day to all of our Grandma's!

We Love You!

Hi Ho Silver, and Away!

Chauncey is two.  His communication skills are improving every day.  The other day he was going around and around the house on his stick horse.  Suddenly he stopped in front of me, put his little hands on my knees and said, "ba dump, ba dump."  I said, "Huh?"  He replied with a renewed sense of urgency, "Ba Dump, Ba Dump!"  I replied, "Oh!" Click here
My children have asked me to do a lot of interesting things to enhance their play experience, but I think this is the first time I have been asked to provide the sound track.

Parable of the 10 Virgins

I was asked to participate in a musical production of the parable of the 10 virgins in December.  The whole thing is a little long to post here, and maybe all of my friends who were in the production with me wouldn't really appreciate that anyway, but this is the finale.  The song is written in three parts and I love the tight harmonies.
The production involves each of the ladies singing a solo that reflects the personality of her character.  Five are wise and five are not.  I could see myself in each of the roles, especially the two that talk about how hard it is to take the time to renew ourselves spiritually each day.  "In the morning I am too busy and in the evening I am too tired."  As a result I have committed myself to do better at reading scriptures, praying and serving others a little bit better than I have before.

Toddler Drum Set

Today Chauncey was playing with his musical instruments.  One at a time just wasn't enough, so he arranged them all into a pint sized drum set.

Song of the Month?

Well, things have been crazy since school started.  I've had great intentions, but it seams that the older my kids get, the less time I have after they go to bed at night.

Thanks to the church Christmas party I have a song to post today.

Once again, thanks to our good friends for going along with us.

Merry Christmas to you all.

Preschool Songs Live!

Tonight Chessy's best buddy and her family came over for dinner.  While they were here we recorded some of our preschool songs.  Most of the songs are the same ones from last week, but now they are cuter and you can sing along even if you don't read music.

Preschool Songs for October

Chesson is participating in a little preschool group, so each week I do a 15 minute music time with the kids.
Some of the moms were asking about the songs we are learning, so it seemed like a good idea to post the songs here.
So, here are most of the songs we will be singing in October.  These are also the songs we will be singing at the retirement home we are visiting the last week of October.  There will probably be more, but I thought it would be better to post some now, than not at all.  Click on the music to see a larger image.

2. She lived down by the old churchyard...

3. One night she thought she'd take a walk...

4. She walked down by the old graveyard...

5. She saw some bones a-laying around...

6. She went to the closet to get a broom...

7. She opened the door and "BOO!"

2. Now on that tree...

There was a branch...

The prettiest little branch...

That you ever did see...

The branch was on the tree

And the tree was in the hole

And the hole was in the ground,

And the green grass grew...

3. Now on that branch... There was a nest...

4. Now on that nest... There was an egg...

5. Now on that egg... There was a bird...

6. Now on that bird... There was a wing...

7. Now on that wind... There was a bug...

8. Now on that but... There was a germ...

9. Now on that germ... There was a smile...

Two Little Blackbirds

Two little blackbirds sitting on a hill.

One named Jack the other named Jill.

Fly away Jack, fly away Jill.

Come back Jack, come back Jill.

Over in the Meadow

While we were out west this summer we attended a family reunion for my mother's family.  There were about 100 people there, so although we had a nice big lodge, some of us were sleeping in tents.  (It's easier to put the kids to bed that way anyhow.)  So I was singing to my kids, trying to get them to calm down enough to go to sleep, in spite of the loud teenagers on the balcony, when my cousin, Jen, walked by and heard the song we were singing.  She didn't know it and asked about it.

I've been meaning to record it to post here, but haven't done it yet, so instead of putting off this post for yet another week I will post the lyrics and sheet music and hopefully get back to the recording later.

I have heard several different version of Over in the Meadow.  I like this one the best.  It can be found in storybook form by John Langstaff and illustrated by Feodor Rojankovsky.  I think the words lay nicely.  There is also a beautiful version illustrated by Ezra Jack Keats, but the words are a little different.  


We sing it at bed time, at preschool (it's a counting song), in the car, etc.  It was Chesson's favorite song for a while.  She always insisted on the number three that we put up middle finger, ring finger, and pinky.  We discovered many different ways to make three fingers. (There are a lot, try it.)

So, Jen, here's Over in the the Meadow, just for you.

Over in the meadow in the sand in the sun, 

Lived an  old mother turtle and her little turtle one. 

"Dig," said the mother.   "I dig," said the one;

So he dug and was glad in the sand in the sun. 

Over in the meadow where the tall grasses grew,

Lived an old mother fox and her little foxes two. 

"Run," said the mother.  "We run," said the two;

So they ran and were glad where the tall grasses grew.

Over in the meadow in a nest in the tree, 

Lived an old mother robin and here little birdies three.

"Sing," said the mother.  "We sing," said the three;

 So they sang and were glad in the nest in the tree. 

Over in the meadow in a tall sycamore, 

Lived an old mother chipmunk and her little chipmunks four.

"Play," said the mother.  "We play," said the four;

 So they played and were glad in that tall sycamore.

Over in the meadow in a new little hive, 

Lived an old mother bee and her honeybees five. 

"Buzz," said the mother.  "We buzz," said the five;

So they buzzed and were glad in their new beehive. 

Over in the meadow in a dam built of sticks, 

Lived an old mother beaver and her little beavers six. 

"Build," said the mother.  "We build," said the six;

So they built and were glad in the dam built of sticks. 

Over in the meadow where the green wet bog, 

Lived an old mother froggie and her seven pollywogs. 

"Swim," said the mother.  "We swim," said the ‘wogs;

So they swam and were glad in the green wet bog.

Over in the meadow as the day grew late,

Lived an old mother owl and her little owls eight. 

"Wink," said the mother,  "We wink," said the eight;

So they winked and were glad as the day grew late.

Over in the meadow in a web on the pine, 

Lived an old mother spider and her little spiders nine. 

"Spin," said the mother.  "We spin," said the nine;

So they spun and were glad in their web on the pine.

Over in the meadow in a warm little den, 

Lived an old mother rabbit and her little rabbits ten. 

"Hop," said the mother.  "We hop," said the ten;

So they hopped and were glad in their warm little den.

Listening to music can help you loose weight

Well, ok that might be a bit of a stretch, but here's the deal.
Today at book club we were discussing the book, Mindless Eating, by Brian Wansink.  The premise of the book is that we have no idea how much we are eating and we often eat for many other reasons besides hunger.
One point that came up in our discussion was that as caregivers, aka moms, we often feel undernourished emotionally and we try to make up for that deficit with food.  When we feel down, or tired, or lonely, etc. we reach for something that will give us a little feel good moment and often the most convenient thing available is a cookie.  Hmmm.
Our conclusion was that what we really need are some quick and easy pick-me-up ideas that will actually nourish us for the long run, both physically and emotionally.  So we scrounged up a paper and pencil and had a little brainstorm.
One of the first ideas we came up with, right after hand cream, foot cream, and eye cream, was listening to positive music.
This link will take you to one of my favorite feel good songs.  Listen to it, feel good, and read through our list while rubbing some good smelling lotion on your hands.  Some ideas won't appeal/apply to you, but some might and I'm sure you'll think of others you will want to try.

Bells of Freedom by Jon Schmidt

Quick pick-me-ups instead of eating a cookie

Use hand cream

Drink herbal tea from a fancy teacup

Read a poem

Turn on some music

Sing a song

Turn off all the noisy things in the house

Take a two-minute time out

Put on some earrings

Send a short email to a far away friend

Eat an orange

Kiss somebody

Step outside for a minute

Put on clean fluffy socks

Play the piano

Use foot cream

Sing at the top of your lungs

Have an ice cold drink of water with a fancy straw

Brush your teeth

Do a yoga pose

Stretch

Wear your favorite shirt

Brush your hair

Get out a toy the kids haven’t played with for a long time

Color a picture

Eat fruit or vegetables

Turn off/on all the lights

Open/close all the blinds

Close your eyes and breath deeply

Use eye cream

Zen garden, polish rocks

Clean a window

Sit in a sunny spot

List 5 blessings

Memorize/recite a scripture

Learn a new song

Thumb through an art book

Look at photo albums

Clean out a drawer

Trim your nails

I Don't Want to Live on the Moon

Since I missed last week I decided to add a second post this week.

My calendar says that this week is the anniversary of the first moon landing.

My radio tells me that the space shuttle is on its last mission.

It seemed like a good week for one of my very favorite Sesame Street songs ever.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeNO56xNlZo

This is the classic, but you can also find Ernie with his good friends Aaron Neville or Shawn Colvin.

I am a little sad about the Space Shuttle era ending. It's been around since I can remember. I suppose this is how my parents felt when the moon missions ended. I expect that something new, exciting and completely unexpected (at least by me) will come to take its place, but for today, I will just feel a little bit sad.

Brush Your Teeth and I'll Kiss You

This week's song was inspired by a trip to the dentist.

When I was a kid my dad would sing "the tooth brushing song."

So naturally, I sing it to my kids. They don't always hold still and open up on cue, but it makes the whole experience considerably more bearable.

No cavities this check up. Hooray!!

For those of you trying to place that tune, (and those of you who recognize it) here's a great little video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWvurnpKjE4

Sleep well, and don't forget to brush your teeth.

ps. I decided I didn't need to number my posts anymore. It was satisfying at first to see that I didn't give up at number 2. Sometimes I require a lot of positive reinforcement.

pps. I took the video, loaded it onto the computer, and posted it to the blog all by myself while Keith was at scouts. This is a big deal for me. Now you can all send me lots of positive reinforcement. ;)

Week 7/Happy Birthday America!

This year we started a new family tradition of singing together after Sunday dinner. We sing a lot of rounds and fun songs. We also learn songs to go with the seasons and holidays. Each week in May we learned one verse of "America." By the 4th of July we could sing the entire song from memory, with only short pauses while someone remembers how the next verse begins.

Watching the parade on the 4th of July.

Chesson took a large paper grocery bag to collect her candy in. That's optimism.

America (My Country 'Tis of Thee)

My country, 'tis of thee,

Sweet land of liberty,

Of thee I sing.

Land where my fathers died,

Land of the pilgrim's pride,

From every mountain side, let freedom ring.

My native country, thee,

Land of the noble free,

Thy name I love.

I love thy rocks and rills,

Thy woods and templed hills;

My heart with rapture thrills

Like that above.

Let music swell the breeze,

And ring from al the trees,

Sweet freedom's song.

Let mortal tongues awake,

Let all that breathe partake,

Let rocks their silence break,

The sound prolong.

Our fathers' God to Thee,

Author of liberty,

To Thee we sing.

Long may our land be bright,

With freedom's holy light,

Protect us by Thy might,

Great God, our King.

This song is great for the kids because it has a fairly limited range, less than one octave. Everyone can sing along without getting too high or too low. We also had fun practicing conducting in 3. It starts on beat one and goes along nice and steady with no surprises.

I have a thing for songs about singing. This one, especially verse 3, is all about singing the praises of our country (we have so much to be thankful for), and God who made it possible.

Song of the week #6/Goin' to the Zoo

Today's post is inspired by a trip to the zoo. Our zoo isn't all that big, but we like it. We can see the whole thing in one visit without getting too tired.

Invariably this song comes up in the car on the way there. The verses included here are the ones printed in "Gonna Sing My Head Off" by Tom Paxton, but there is no end to the verses we can create when we get in the mood.

Tom and Estella set sail through uncharted ... woodchips?

Echo, Chesson, and Tom ride those buckin' ... barrels?

Big Mike, American alligator, the newest attraction at the zoo. He displaced the flamingos. We were worried for a minute, but we found the flamingos safely standing around on one leg by some monkeys. This is where we ran out of batteries in the camera.

So, here's the family singing, and me strumming away at the guitar, "Goin' to the Zoo."

Why song of the week #5 is missing

Ok, so why is it so hard to post audio to the web? There are tons of sites (including blogger) that will let you post pictures and videos.

If you want to post an audio file you have to find a web hosting service and host the audio in your own web space. Then you can link it to your blog.

Our solution is to take the audio and make it a video with no picture. Then we can post it here. See song of the week #6.

Spider Webs/Song of the Week #4

Click on the image to see it big enough to read.

Dream Catcher Lullaby is a common camp song. I first learned it from a fellow missionary when I was 21. She taught me the chorus and the descant and we had a good time singing it together. Many years later I found the song again and discovered that it had verses. Except for the first verse I didn't like them very much. (They were all about a guy who was going to be executed for his crimes.) So I wrote my own. There is a reason I don't have a career as a poet, but it's still fun to sing and it works well on the guitar.

My friend Pam and I performed it for a Relief Society activity once. I strummed the chords and she did some fancy picking. We are both altos, so if your voice won't go down to an A you'll want to get out the capo.

Special thanks to Melea for reminding me about this song (her kids are still singing it), and suggesting that I use it. I even got my guitar out today.